Penn c/o 2016 applicants

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Originally Posted by spoondiggity

I think I am going to start training for a half marathon... lol

Seems like a strange idea, but with all the stress of everything I have gained like 15 lbs since June (eating a giant bowl of frozen yogurt as I type this). I am legitimately too fat to get out of bed in the morning, 'beached whale status' as I like to call it. And so, as soon as finals end I think I am going to just start working out like crazy and hopefully it will take my mind off interviews.

This is very smart. From the time I submitted my app to the end of first semester of vet school I gained 50 pounds. Between all the travelling, stress, moving, stress, and change of lifestyle, my eating and exercise habits were destroyed.

Have lost 1/2 the weight now but tougher than it used to be.

Originally Posted by Niri

From someone who just ran a fourth half-marathon on Sunday. I am going to go into zen-runner mode and tell everyone they should pick up distance running because it really is that relaxing.

Originally Posted by StartingoverVet

This is very smart. From the time I submitted my app to the end of first semester of vet school I gained 50 pounds. Between all the travelling, stress, moving, stress, and change of lifestyle, my eating and exercise habits were destroyed.

Have lost 1/2 the weight now but tougher than it used to be.

I'm glad I have some SDN support! When I talk to most of my friends about it they just laugh at me lol

I also thought it may be interesting to start a blog about it (why not, right?)... I need something to distract me from applications! I am hoping this is it!!

Originally Posted by spoondiggity

I'm glad I have some SDN support! When I talk to most of my friends about it they just laugh at me lol

I also thought it may be interesting to start a blog about it (why not, right?)... I need something to distract me from applications! I am hoping this is it!!

Go for it! I've been trying to motivate myself to do something similar for...oh, 8 years. I lost a bunch of weight about 10 years ago in a less-than-healthy way (overexercising and undereating), kept it off for about 5 years, then gained it all back, plus some.

I can't tell you how many different marathon/10k training apps I have on my phone. I can run a 5k pretty easily and actually do so about 3-4 times a week, but I just haven't been able to take that leap.

So do it!!! I'll live vicariously through you.

Originally Posted by sooprnova

Go for it! I've been trying to motivate myself to do something similar for...oh, 8 years. I lost a bunch of weight about 10 years ago in a less-than-healthy way (overexercising and undereating), kept it off for about 5 years, then gained it all back, plus some.

I can't tell you how many different marathon/10k training apps I have on my phone. I can run a 5k pretty easily and actually do so about 3-4 times a week, but I just haven't been able to take that leap.

So do it!!! I'll live vicariously through you.

Hahahahaha okay okay okay I'm going to do it!!! Right after finals...

Last year I was probably the skinniest I've ever been, but I was also a vegan.. and probably not the healthiest one at that :-/ I really just want to get back in shape, applying to schools, taking 17 credits, plus working part time has really taken a toll on my body!

I've been seriously toying with the idea of training for a half marathon next semester. I've never really run before, I figure I must be capable of it though.

Originally Posted by spoondiggity

Hahahahaha okay okay okay I'm going to do it!!! Right after finals...

Last year I was probably the skinniest I've ever been, but I was also a vegan.. and probably not the healthiest one at that :-/ I really just want to get back in shape, applying to schools, taking 17 credits, plus working part time has really taken a toll on my body!

Definitely get in shape before you start vet school. You will need the stamina. Literally.

Originally Posted by StartingoverVet

Definitely get in shape before you start vet school. You will need the stamina. Literally.

Oh how I wish I could... but this pesky PhD, especially the last 6 months before my defense, is taking up all of my time. Maybe I should have taken a year off.... of course, there's always that possibility I might not get into vet school, then I will have a year off to get in better shape.

On the bright side, lifting monkeys has helped with my upper body strength.

<<<I've had an international trip planned for over a year and I'm not slated to return until the 9th.>>>

wellll......you scheduled a trip to take place during the same time period interviews for vet school are also scheduled. That's not the school's fault (any school, not just Penn). You took a chance and it turned out this way. I'd think any admissions staff would go nuts trying to accommodate all the switching people would do..."but I have a trip," "but I have a wedding," "but I have a cruise." Yep, all of these have been on SDN as the 'critical' reasons why someone's interview just has to be rescheduled. With ~1400 applications for ~120 slots, I understand any scheduler simply moving on to the next qualified candidate.

That's not being mean, it's just reality.

Originally Posted by sooprnova

So now my flight's getting in at 10pm the Thursday before the interview. If everyone could PLEASE cross their fingers that I don't get stranded at some airport because of weather, making this all for naught, I'd appreciate it!

Fingers definitely crossed and wishing you enormous interview success!

.

<<<I've had an international trip planned for over a year and I'm not slated to return until the 9th.>>>

wellll......you scheduled a trip to take place during the same time period interviews for vet school are also scheduled

yes, but if it was planned for over a year they may not have been planning on applying for vet school

Originally Posted by coxswain11

yes, but if it was planned for over a year they may not have been planning on applying for vet school

...applying to vet school was a choice in itself though... If the vacation was that important, then vet school applications could have waited a year (esp if it was so recent that the decision to apply was made).

situation sucks nonetheless, but it is what it is. Due to possible interviews, i didn't even plan a trip to see family for the holidays. Had I not met my bf in late Sept, whose family welcomed me for the holidays, I would have been totally alone and miserable. BUT the possibility of needing to cancel a $1200+ airplane ticket was out of the question.

A few weeks ago I got a call from my best friend from back home. He told me he was getting married and he wanted me to be the best man. The wedding was right during interview season and I told him that I could not accept being his best man nor guarantee I would even be at the wedding.

Originally Posted by Angelus9

<<<I've had an international trip planned for over a year and I'm not slated to return until the 9th.>>>

wellll......you scheduled a trip to take place during the same time period interviews for vet school are also scheduled. That's not the school's fault (any school, not just Penn). You took a chance and it turned out this way. I'd think any admissions staff would go nuts trying to accommodate all the switching people would do..."but I have a trip," "but I have a wedding," "but I have a cruise." Yep, all of these have been on SDN as the 'critical' reasons why someone's interview just has to be rescheduled. With ~1400 applications for ~120 slots, I understand any scheduler simply moving on to the next qualified candidate.

That's not being mean, it's just reality.

Eh,whatever. I changed my plans, spent a bunch of money, but I get to interview at Penn!!! Honestly, I can't be too cranky about that!

Thanks for the well wishes!!

Edited to say sorry for all the annoying exclamation points. I'm pretty darn excited, in case you can't tell.

Just as a note, depending on the trip, decide what's important. Because I chose school over visiting my best friend, and it turned out to be the last time I ever could have seen him. I have been regretting this decision every day since. Undergrad and even vet school were not as important as him. I should have gone.

I'm not saying you shouldn't plan around things, but don't lose perspective about what's really important, too. For instance, I would def decline just a friend's or acquaintance's wedding, but my best friend? I'll be there for that ****. My brother will be married next year, I'm the maid of honor, and even if I'm in vet school, or if I'm not, it'll be inconvenient (interview season), but I don't care. My brother does the same thing my best friend did and I refuse to miss out on his life for school while he's still here.

Not trying to sound sappy or bitchy, I'm just saying you don't want to get to where you're going, look back, and realize you should have set aside time for people.

Originally Posted by gina85

My brother will be married next year, I'm the maid of honor, and even if I'm in vet school, or if I'm not, it'll be inconvenient (interview season), but I don't care. My brother does the same thing my best friend did and I refuse to miss out on his life for school while he's still here.

Not trying to sound sappy or bitchy, I'm just saying you don't want to get to where you're going, look back, and realize you should have set aside time for people.

Not sappy or b****y at all. It makes a lot of sense. All I was saying was that it's your choice to make. That you can't make that choice and expect others to bend over backwards to work around it. You can certainly ask, but you can't expect it to happen.

Evening everyone,

So my wife has applied to quite a few vet schools, A&M (IS), Colorado, Davis, Cornell, Penn, Tufts, as we didn't know where I was going to get assigned. I have since gotten my orders for Maryland, now we just have to do everything we can to get it across to Penn that they have become our first choice school.

The real question is, how reasonable is it to commute to Penn by train? Trying to split the difference between my work, and her vet school is going to be fun. We are really going to have to minimize everything else to make it work.

Originally Posted by iwantbatteries

Evening everyone,

So my wife has applied to quite a few vet schools, A&M (IS), Colorado, Davis, Cornell, Penn, Tufts, as we didn't know where I was going to get assigned. I have since gotten my orders for Maryland, now we just have to do everything we can to get it across to Penn that they have become our first choice school.

The real question is, how reasonable is it to commute to Penn by train? Trying to split the difference between my work, and her vet school is going to be fun. We are really going to have to minimize everything else to make it work.

Depending on where you live in MD, you probably need to take metro to an amtrak station. You canthen take Amtrak to 30th street station but then still need to take Septa subway to 37th or 40th street or walk (it would be a quite a hike). It is doable I suppose, but I know I wouldn't want to.
(Oh and it is not going to be cheap)

Originally Posted by iwantbatteries

Evening everyone,

So my wife has applied to quite a few vet schools, A&M (IS), Colorado, Davis, Cornell, Penn, Tufts, as we didn't know where I was going to get assigned. I have since gotten my orders for Maryland, now we just have to do everything we can to get it across to Penn that they have become our first choice school.

The real question is, how reasonable is it to commute to Penn by train? Trying to split the difference between my work, and her vet school is going to be fun. We are really going to have to minimize everything else to make it work.

commuting wise, I think if you commute from Baltimore it's like...one hour if i remember correctly?

the hard part will be the actual time committment though - in vet school you're in class like...from 9-5 at least, plus wet labs/other activities/clubs and studying...i feel like your wife would need to do a lot of studying on the train. i think it's doable, i've heard of people commuting from philly suburbs via SEPTA regional rail and such but it'll be tough...

i went home a lot on the weekends from penn when i was an undergrad there, the 2 hour train ride to DC wasn't bad but it was just time consuming.

Originally Posted by iwantbatteries

Evening everyone,

So my wife has applied to quite a few vet schools, A&M (IS), Colorado, Davis, Cornell, Penn, Tufts, as we didn't know where I was going to get assigned. I have since gotten my orders for Maryland, now we just have to do everything we can to get it across to Penn that they have become our first choice school.

The real question is, how reasonable is it to commute to Penn by train? Trying to split the difference between my work, and her vet school is going to be fun. We are really going to have to minimize everything else to make it work.

I can't speak to the ease or difficulty of commuting to Penn via mass transit, but from what I've been told, it is unrealistic and potentially downright crazy to think that your wife is going to be able to commute any significant distance during vet school.

It sucks, believe me, I know. My husband and I are in a similar situation in that he cannot leave his job for several years. If I get in, I'm getting a apartment in Philly, and he's getting a roommate here and we're going to make it work.

Being on campus for classes from 9-5 is difficult. Hanging out on campus and studying from 5-10 makes it more difficult. Leaving the house at 7am and not getting home until midnight would make it damn near impossible for me, but I have severe road rage and would not survive Philly traffic for more than a week!

It's a really difficult decision, but have you considered living apart for a year or two? I'm not trying to be the harbinger of doom, but everything I've heard has said that a commute + vet school = enormous stress and difficulty.

Depending on the semester, there are many days your wife would need to be on campus for labs, but she certainly does not need to be there 9-5 if she is willing to listen to lectures online from home. Even if she does prefer to attend the lectures in person, first semester of first year is the only one that's 9-5; the others are more like 9-3.
First semester first year, there are on average 3-5 hours of lab a day, but second semester first year only has a few hours a week, and first semester second year has 1-2 hours of lab a day (those are the only semesters I've done so far!).
Things would be more complicated with clinics and being on call - at that point she would need a local apartment or place to crash.
Best of luck

Originally Posted by bunnity

Things would be more complicated with clinics and being on call - at that point she would need a local apartment or place to crash.
Best of luck

Not at Penn, but I also knew a few people who would rent a local apartment during the weekdays, and then drive 2 hrs to their hubbies for the weekends. Seemed to work out pretty well.

Originally Posted by bunnity

Depending on the semester, there are many days your wife would need to be on campus for labs, but she certainly does not need to be there 9-5 if she is willing to listen to lectures online from home. Even if she does prefer to attend the lectures in person, first semester of first year is the only one that's 9-5; the others are more like 9-3.
First semester first year, there are on average 3-5 hours of lab a day, but second semester first year only has a few hours a week, and first semester second year has 1-2 hours of lab a day (those are the only semesters I've done so far!).
Things would be more complicated with clinics and being on call - at that point she would need a local apartment or place to crash.
Best of luck

i did forget about online lectures. those saved my life several times in undergrad, and i think penn is generally good about recording lectures (although i'm not entirely sure about the vet school). if your wife is the type who doesn't have to be in class to learn, that could work out well.

Thanks everyone for jumping in on this.

We have been living apart for a year or two already, so I'm really hoping to make this work, but if it has to be, it has to be.

"Depending on where you live in MD, you probably need to take metro to an amtrak station. You canthen take Amtrak to 30th street station but then still need to take Septa subway to 37th or 40th street or walk (it would be a quite a hike). It is doable I suppose, but I know I wouldn't want to.
(Oh and it is not going to be cheap)"

Not cheap I can deal with. We are already planning the 1K for the train into the budget, because otherwise it's 1.2K for a second apartment. Up to this point (on google maps) we have been planning it as a walk from 30th st station. Good to know the subway is better. Do the subway trains run often enough that it is also faster?

"commuting wise, I think if you commute from Baltimore it's like...one hour if i remember correctly?"

yup one hour, and we are looking at buying or renting as physically close to penn station as is possible.

"Hanging out on campus and studying from 5-10 makes it more difficult. "

is this standard and to be expected, or is this a more uncommon situation? Maybe if she has an emergency bed she can crash at near school. What I really need is someone who doesn't really want a roommate, but needs an extra couple hundred bucks, so i can rent a bed she rarely occupies.

"It's a really difficult decision, but have you considered living apart for a year or two? I'm not trying to be the harbinger of doom, but everything I've heard has said that a commute + vet school = enormous stress and difficulty."

yup been there, done that. We are certainly considering it, but trying to make it work without having to live separately.

"Depending on the semester, there are many days your wife would need to be on campus for labs, but she certainly does not need to be there 9-5 if she is willing to listen to lectures online from home. Even if she does prefer to attend the lectures in person, first semester of first year is the only one that's 9-5; the others are more like 9-3.
First semester first year, there are on average 3-5 hours of lab a day, but second semester first year only has a few hours a week, and first semester second year has 1-2 hours of lab a day (those are the only semesters I've done so far!).
Things would be more complicated with clinics and being on call - at that point she would need a local apartment or place to crash.
Best of luck "

See some of you can be more cheery. Thanks for the more detailed info on expected class times. We sort of expected once clinic hours started, we would just need to get two places.


Again thanks for the input. Of course Ideally we could live closer, but trying to keep some flex for yourself with two lives full of "I'm the most important" means a balancing act, and making that balancing act work relies on having the most accurate info. If anyone else has something to add, I'd love to hear it.

Originally Posted by iwantbatteries

See some of you can be more cheery.

Aww, I wasn't trying to be un-cheery, just honest! I also think people have been purposefully trying to make it sound as horrible as possible. Either way it won't be fun, but she will be a vet in the end. Worth it, right?

Originally Posted by gina85

Just as a note, depending on the trip, decide what's important. Because I chose school over visiting my best friend, and it turned out to be the last time I ever could have seen him. I have been regretting this decision every day since. Undergrad and even vet school were not as important as him. I should have gone.

I'm not saying you shouldn't plan around things, but don't lose perspective about what's really important, too. For instance, I would def decline just a friend's or acquaintance's wedding, but my best friend? I'll be there for that ****. My brother will be married next year, I'm the maid of honor, and even if I'm in vet school, or if I'm not, it'll be inconvenient (interview season), but I don't care. My brother does the same thing my best friend did and I refuse to miss out on his life for school while he's still here.

Not trying to sound sappy or bitchy, I'm just saying you don't want to get to where you're going, look back, and realize you should have set aside time for people.

I might regret it but right now I think I made the right decision. My IS interviews during the same weekend and considering I applied to many many other schools the chances of time conflict are strong. Now that I told him I might not be at the wedding, I will probably be able to go.

Originally Posted by iwantbatteries

If anyone else has something to add, I'd love to hear it.

I think it really depends on what kind of person your wife is. I always feel like I need to be in class- recordings are great, but being there makes it stick for me. This means that I need to be there from 9-5 usually. Then I normally go back to my apartment to study in the evening ( I don't really like the library and only live 4 blocks from the school, so it's convenient).
Personally(!!!!), I would not be able to do a daily commute of the magnitude that you're considering. Studying on the train would make it doable, but I just think it would be really difficult to manage your time with this extra commitment- especially around exams! I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but that's an honest assessment from a current first year. I can't speak to the difficulty of doing it during 2nd and 3rd year. If you're both set on doing it this way though- make sure she has a local place to crash for times around exams.

Originally Posted by iwantbatteries

T Do the subway trains run often enough that it is also faster?

Here is the route map... you can see there are a number of trolleys from 30th to penn's campus. (11,13,34,36)
http://www.septa.org/maps/trolley/city.html

Here are the schedules:
During rush hour there is a trolley every few minutes at most. Off hours it will be a little longer (but not much). With 4 routes you get a lot of coverage

The trip is maybe 5 minutes so it is definitely faster than walking (probably 20mins - 1/2 hour walking).

Originally Posted by iwantbatteries

is this standard and to be expected, or is this a more uncommon situation? Maybe if she has an emergency bed she can crash at near school. What I really need is someone who doesn't really want a roommate, but needs an extra couple hundred bucks, so i can rent a bed she rarely occupies.

This really depends on the individual. Some people hang around and study at the school by themselves in groups either all the time, frequently, sometimes, occasionally, or never.

Outside of Anatomy I have never studied at school. So given close to 3 hours commuting, your wife should be able to use that time to study daily. I don't see a need for her to have to stay around and study at school. Again, personal choice.

Like SOV said, many of us don't study at school. It is definitely not necessary to do clubs and extracurricular stuff either (I don't).

I think it would also be entirely possible to listen to lectures on the train using headphones as long as the train had wi-fi or she downloaded them beforehand.

If you want to do the "rent a rarely used bed" thing once you know if she's going to Penn, etc, let me know - my girlfriend and I might have an extra room for something like that.

Sorry, I forgot to paste the link for the trolley schedules. Here it is:
http://www.septa.org/schedules/trolley/index.html

Got a call this morning for an interview on 1/6. Excited, but have to completely redo my travel plans for my K-State interview. As anticipated (from reading this thread), Penn is not budging on the date/time they offer, but they say they will do their best to accommodate your needs to make everything work.

On a side note, I am asking Santa for a money tree this year.

Originally Posted by Bismarck

Got a call this morning for an interview on 1/6. Excited, but have to completely redo my travel plans for my K-State interview. As anticipated (from reading this thread), Penn is not budging on the date/time they offer, but they say they will do their best to accommodate your needs to make everything work.

On a side note, I am asking Santa for a money tree this year.

Congratulations and goo luck! Apparently you got my interview spot.
Please can i hope that will get yours...

Good luck to everyone interviewing this Fri!! If you have time you are welcome to stay in the evening for happy hour and chat it up with current students If you'd like to chat with me during happy hr or have more questions about the evening PM me and I'll give you my contact info. This happy hour wont have dogs (like the ones normally in the lounge) but there will be a pig roast and tons of yummy food

I'll be arriving in Philly around 11am Friday morning and taking a very gingerly stroll from the 30th Street Station. Happy hour sounds fun so shoot me a PM with more info.

Good luck to everyone else who will be there!

Originally Posted by Bismarck

I'll be arriving in Philly around 11am Friday morning and taking a very gingerly stroll from the 30th Street Station. Happy hour sounds fun so shoot me a PM with more info.

Good luck to everyone else who will be there!

Make sure you travel down Locust Walk on your way to get a feel for how lovely Penn's campus is.

PS - No need to walk "gingerly" -- I promise Philly really isn't as dangerous as everyone makes it out to be.

Hmm.. I wrote "gingerly" thinking it was a synonym of "leisurely". I swear I did well on the verbal GRE though

Any other applicants interviewing tomorrow?

Originally Posted by Bismarck

Hmm.. I wrote "gingerly" thinking it was a synonym of "leisurely". I swear I did well on the verbal GRE though

Any other applicants interviewing tomorrow?

i am interviewing tomorrow as well

sort of nervous though...i've had only one other interview this season, but it was VERY laidback and i was only asked like 2 questions

Good luck to everyone with interviews tomorrow. Wishing I'd heard some good news from Penn

I'll be the guy with the charcoal suit, white pinstripe shirt and red tie carrying a folder so feel free to say hello/ chat me up.

Good luck tomorrow everyone! I was super nervous during mine last year and I think it showed a little bit, so try to relax. And just as a heads up in case anyone didn't know, it's a partial closed interview in that one of the people who is interviewing you hasn't seen your application. They end up asking most of the questions. And definitely try to go to the happy hour afterwards. It was a great way to relax and interact with some current Penn students. I get my 2nd (and hopefully last) chance to interview next month and hope to be able to call some of you classmates!

Good luck guys!!!!!


I'm hoping to get some good news from Penn soon too!

Good luck tomorrow everyone! I'll look for you guys

Originally Posted by sunnex3

i am interviewing tomorrow as well

sort of nervous though...i've had only one other interview this season, but it was VERY laidback and i was only asked like 2 questions

I had the last interview of the day. It lasted literally 18 minutes. The only question I remember them asking was about the last book I'd read (luckily I am a reader!). I then asked if one of my interviewers had "just a PhD." I apologized profusely. He laughed, thankfully.

I got in.

It's really more of a conversation (or at least it was 3 years ago!) and was pretty low-key.

So, basically, you shouldn't stress -- just relax, enjoy seeing the hospital and campus, be yourself -- aka friendly and nice to everyone -- and have fun!

Originally Posted by Ben and Me

I had the last interview of the day. It lasted literally 18 minutes. The only question I remember them asking was about the last book I'd read (luckily I am a reader!). I then asked if one of my interviewers had "just a PhD." I apologized profusely. He laughed, thankfully.

I got in.

It's really more of a conversation (or at least it was 3 years ago!) and was pretty low-key.

So, basically, you shouldn't stress -- just relax, enjoy seeing the hospital and campus, be yourself -- aka friendly and nice to everyone -- and have fun!

thanks this makes me feel at least a little bit better

i'm excited about being back on campus though -- i absolutely love locust walk. i'll be there a couple hours early with a friend of mine who is interviewing for an oncology residency at penn as well, so i'll be sure to show her around

good luck everyone else who is interviewing tomorrow! hopefully we'll hear some good news over the weekend

Good luck to sunnex, Bismarck and anyone else interviewing today!! Rock their socks off! (which I'm sure you will)

Maybe we'll be Pennwe's together!! I asked my dog is he wants to be a Pennweeeeee and he wagged his tail so hard I thought it would fall off. Or it could have been the high pitched weeee? Haha

How was Penn? Details, please!

Originally Posted by Bisbee

How was Penn? Details, please!

May I second Bisbee with the DETAILS PLEASE??? Obviously not the stuff you swore and signed your life away not to tell us, but still details.

I personally am now freaking out about the combined program at UPenn after my interview at Colorado. Two of the kids interviewing with me had for sure interviews set up with Penn and one girl had been rejected. I haven't heard anything- guess I'm on the bubble. Alas... I hope everything went well for all of ya'll!

lol well since I know you guys are on the edge of your seat waiting for bismark to respond I'll just post this if you haven't seen it yet.
Interview feedback for Penn vet interviews-
http://studentdoctor.net/schools/sch...-vet/survey/26

Make sure to click the drop down arrows for questions and tour/travel if it isn't already open on the bottom.

Thanks for being "on top o' tings" BK...much appreciated!

I think we broke the interviewees. Sorry about that!

Or, they're waiting until they hear back, which (based on my experience) will probably be tomorrow.