Brains, Heart, and Bone Marrow: What it took to get into Harvard Medical School

If you are sitting in class with him, you immediately know the type of restraint it takes not to walk up to Chris Borges and exclaim, “Seriously, kid? You’re making the rest of us look bad.” I cannot tell you how many times I have over heard the other Biology and Chemistry folk discuss Chris and his over-zealous study habits and motor mouth in the classroom. I cannot begin to tell you how many heads shake when he is spending his free time with professors outside of the classroom, for both fun and work.
But I can also tell you, that not a single one of those head-shakers and mouth-runners will be receiving an acceptance letter from Harvard Medical School. So, I guess Mr. Borges did something right. In fact, he did everything right. While the rest spoke in jealous envy of his study habits and ability to ignore everything besides his own ambition, Chris worked his way to a near perfect 3.9999999999 cumulative GPA, along with a perfect 4.0 in his Biology major here at Emmanuel. Outside of Emmanuel’s walls, you could find Chris at Mass General Hospital (MGH) working on projects far beyond the scope of what this article will be able to explain. Just know it involves the immune system, CD-4 t-cells, and bone marrow transplant. If little of that makes sense to you, that’s ok. You can google it. But do know it helped him get into Harvard Medical, so perhaps you should definitely google it if you are interested in attaining such a feat.

I have known Chris for three years and I only wish I had known him for all four at Emmanuel. I am honored to call Chris my friend and I can happily say I know quite a lot about him, but I think I’d like to know more. Wouldn’t you?

What was the interview process like for Harvard Med? Did they scare the crap out of you? No, because I had heard of the faculty before going to the interview, so I knew what to expect. I did get grilled by one professor, but I knew that going into it, so I was mentally prepared. The other three interviewers were way more casual and they cared more about who I was and what I had done versus what I know.

Who was the first person you told/called when you got accepted? I found out at the lab, so Dr. Kurtz was the first person I told since he was there. About an hour later I called my mom after sitting in the lab staring at the wall.

Outside of Emmanuel and MGH, what do you do for yourself? I am a member of the Boston triathlon team. I love to cook. I like to play Wii. And I like to hang out with my dog Corey!

How would you describe yourself in three words? Motivated, solar-powered, and closet-nerd

Drawing on your love of marathons, biking, and running- if someone offered you success in either science or “marathon’ing”, which would you choose? (I know marthon’ing is not a word) I’ve said for a long time that my dream would be a professional athlete, but after getting this opportunity, I don’t think I see myself in any other career.

What is something not a lot of people know about you, but you wish more people could know? I got a 1060 out of 1600 on the old SAT. I don’t think standardized tests are important.

Do you think you’re normal? Yes.

What is your favorite thing about Boston? I can’t choose just one. Chef Chang’s House crab rangoons, the Boston Marathon, the Charles River, el Pelon, Trader Joe’s in Coolidge Corner, and the drivers. Oh, the Red Sox and the Celtics. Fenway Park, how can I forget that?