2011-2012 University of Pittsburgh Application Thread

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Hey guys,

Just wanted to give you all a heads up - book your hotel well in advance! I tried to book my hotel ten days before my visit to Pittsburgh and there was only one or two rooms available from the whole list of hotels on the website. So right now I have a saa-weeeeet double twin room.

Interview Invite! Complete 9/4, got the email 9/14. The earliest date available was November 2nd

Originally Posted by AvidAvatar

Hey guys,

Just wanted to give you all a heads up - book your hotel well in advance! I tried to book my hotel ten days before my visit to Pittsburgh and there was only one or two rooms available from the whole list of hotels on the website. So right now I have a saa-weeeeet double twin room.

Did you try finding a host first? It would probably save on the costs of a last-minute hotel!

On another note, my interview's coming up soon and I'm really excited to visit Pittsburgh for the first time!

Excited for my interview! Oct 10
3.3, 38Q

While Pitt is by far my #1 choice, I'm still bummed that I've only received one interview from here. I can't imagine being accepted here and not getting an interview anywhere else. I'm probably just being paranoid but...maybe Pitt was really quick to interview me because of stats and overlooked some potential flaw in my application?

I submitted my secondary for almost all of 25 schools between mid to late August.

INTERVIEW! I hope mid november isn't too late. I WOULD LOVE TO ATTEND PITT!

Originally Posted by saveourpens

While Pitt is by far my #1 choice, I'm still bummed that I've only received one interview from here. I can't imagine being accepted here and not getting an interview anywhere else. I'm probably just being paranoid but...maybe Pitt was really quick to interview me because of stats and overlooked some potential flaw in my application?

I submitted my secondary for almost all of 25 schools between mid to late August.

Just a comment - I felt that same way. I got my Pitt really early, and nothing for 3 weeks or so. I thought the same thing - then I got 12 more interviews.

I have full faith that the AMAZING pitt admission office reads your app - it wasn't a fluke.

Hey guys, I am reading through the interview feedback and it seems like everyone is telling me to be prepared to walk a significant amount.

What are we talking here? Are these mostly girls complaining? I feel bad for females because most 'professional' female wear is uncomfortable.

I am staying a mile from the medical school and I was already taking the Nike Express to and from the school. However, I don't want to add an additional distance to an already 'walky' day. How far are we talking here? I'm a big dude and its not like I can hide sneakers in a bag or something!

it's a longer than an hour walking tour.and plus pitt sits on top of a hill

It wasn't that bad, the hill is a monster, but you should be fine with shoes. Depending on the route your guide takes, you may not have to go up the hill at all during the tour.
The walk to your faculty interview is a different story, but even then you'll only have to climb the hill once (assuming you get one of the far out locations).

Originally Posted by raltima07

Just a comment - I felt that same way. I got my Pitt really early, and nothing for 3 weeks or so. I thought the same thing - then I got 12 more interviews.

I have full faith that the AMAZING pitt admission office reads your app - it wasn't a fluke.

Wow, congratulations! This process is really messing with my head. I hope things turn out for me like they did for you!

Interview Invite!!

Do u guys know when they notify students of their status after interview? Are they set dates when they send it to everyone?
I just scheduled mine for mid-November.

Originally Posted by uvagal216

Interview Invite!!

Do u guys know when they notify students of their status after interview? Are they set dates when they send it to everyone?
I just scheduled mine for mid-November.

There's no set date for finding out your status after the interview. It says to allow up to 8 weeks for a decision, but it can be more if you are unlucky. I waited maybe 10 weeks for my update because of the holidays. I've heard of people getting decisions in less than 8 weeks too though, ymmv.

INTERVIEW!!! BOOOM! Complete about a week ago. So excited!!

Also stats: 34/3.9

Is having an interview mid november a big disadvantage? I chose Nov 22nd over the 3rd so I could stay in pitt over thanksgiving break (and the 3rd was a wednesday, don't want to miss that much school).

Viva la city of steel!! Can't wait!!

Anyone know the closest hotel? Is there one within walking distance?

.

Wow. The interview at Pitt won me over. *sigh*...now I wonder what are my odds...lol

Advice for interviewers:

0) This school is in Oakland, not necessarily Pittsburgh! I think Oakland is a locale in Pitt, but as you may notice, it's not in downtown Pittsburgh, so please keep that in mind.

A) DO NOT STAY AT THE QUALITY INN!
Okay, it's not the end of the world, but you have to walk like two blocks through a more sketchy/older neighborhood-doesn't help convince Pitt is a great place to be. THEN you need to hike up cardio hill. LAME. lol. I think after the interview and talking with the students, I just realized my hotel location sucked. Staying with a student isn't bad, or the Wyndham (though the wyndham still has cardio hill to overcome).

B) Beat cardio hill!
So if there is one criticism I have about this school, it's the fact that the admissions office is at the TOP of a hill, and so if you're staying at the quality inn or wyndham, you're in for a very steep HIKE up to the admissions office. So, a couple ideas on how to beat it:
1) get a shuttle hosted from your hotel. Quality Inn even had one, so why not.
2) Follow these directions. I would try this on the day you fly into Pittsburgh to see if this works for you.
-Find Falk Clinic. It's on fifth ave between lothrop and de soto, on the north side of the street.
-As you enter Falk Clinic, go up the staircase-like thing and find elevators to your right, (I think?) next to the pharmacy. Take the elevators to the 3rd floor. Once you're out, keep going north. You're trying to go to the "presbyterian hospital."
-You will walk a LONG path, but it won't be hilly had gone outside. And if the weather sux, you'll love me for this. It kinda zig zags...lefts and rights. but keep going towards the presbyterian hospital.
-At some point, you'll encounter some escalators. There aren't any other escalators, so you can't miss it. Take two flights UP on the escalators.
-You'll know you're at the hospital once you find that the interior is very modern. Anyway, once you're out of the escalators (I think you'll take a right from the escalators. Go north.), you want to find some elevators that will take you up to the 3rd floor in the presbyterian hospital. Express elevators as well as the normal ones work. Just find them. (remember, you can ask people on how to get to Scaife hall as well!)
-Once on the 3rd floor of Scaife, follow the long hallway north and follow signs to Scaife Hall. Once you're in the hall, take the escalators up 2 flights.

Okay, these directions are long, but if you just think about going UP and going NORTH, that's basically all you need to get there. Apologies if my directions suck-I'm trying to recall them from memory. lol. Going this way means you won't have any hills to overcome, and you can pull your baggage along as you go to the admissions office, FTW!

These directions may be quite useful if your interview happens to be off campus at the women's hospital or someplace south of the UPMC, because you'll have to return to the admission center when you're done.

Pittsburgh was great! Remember to take some time to explore the city, as much as you may not want to when you fly in. (I had massive jetlag...it sucked.)

I highly don't think you should bring anything to your interview- some people brought the leather folder/binders, but it was just extra stuff to carry since they had to carry since Pitt gives you a LOT of stuff including a folder right when you arrive in the admissions office. otherwise you'll be hauling that AND your own stuff.

I thought the admissions office was very friendly, nice, and helpful. Interview was very relaxed. Just be yourself! They just want to know you.

Good Luck everyone! I hope you have a wonderful time at Pitt!

That hill is no joke - NO JOKE.

I tried running up it while I was out exercising. I think I almost passed out.

Originally Posted by AvidAvatar

That hill is no joke - NO JOKE.

I tried running up it while I was out exercising. I think I almost passed out.

Good job!
I think it took me 3 months to get used to climbing up the hill :3

.

You do get to be in much better cardiovascular condition when you have to run up the hill every day to get back from a run! However, it is a disincentive sometime to go down to Oakland to get things...like ice cream. This may be good though.

Originally Posted by nicolemeooow

Good job!
I think it took me 3 months to get used to climbing up the hill :3

I have an interview coming up at the beginning of november (incredibly excited!!). Has anyone called the hotels on Pitt's site that offer discounts for applicants? Also, which of those would be closest to the school? I read on here about Holiday Inn being good- is that close?
Last question: does anyone have any idea what the weather is like at the beginning of november? I am coming from Hawai'i, so my tolerance of cold weather is low (i.e. anything under 40 is very cold for me).
Thanks!

My experience so far is that Pittsburgh is about 5 degrees colder than back East (read: Philly and NYC). Therefore, I'd say typical high temperature would be mid 40s-mid 50s. Also, always bring an umbrella. Showers and rain happen early and often.

Originally Posted by elblackwell

I have an interview coming up at the beginning of november (incredibly excited!!). Has anyone called the hotels on Pitt's site that offer discounts for applicants? Also, which of those would be closest to the school? I read on here about Holiday Inn being good- is that close?
Last question: does anyone have any idea what the weather is like at the beginning of november? I am coming from Hawai'i, so my tolerance of cold weather is low (i.e. anything under 40 is very cold for me).
Thanks!

Originally Posted by redpanda

My experience so far is that Pittsburgh is about 5 degrees colder than back East (read: Philly and NYC). Therefore, I'd say typical high temperature would be mid 40s-mid 50s. Also, always bring an umbrella. Showers and rain happen early and often.

Thanks! Do you think a winter coat is needed for this weather? Sorry for the ignorance but it has been a really long time since I lived anywhere that has cold weather.

Also, FYI for anyone interviewing on nov. 4th, the hotels in the area are already booked for the weekend because of football(?) weekend.

Originally Posted by elblackwell

I have an interview coming up at the beginning of november (incredibly excited!!). Has anyone called the hotels on Pitt's site that offer discounts for applicants? Also, which of those would be closest to the school? I read on here about Holiday Inn being good- is that close?
Last question: does anyone have any idea what the weather is like at the beginning of november? I am coming from Hawai'i, so my tolerance of cold weather is low (i.e. anything under 40 is very cold for me).
Thanks!

Holiday inn is solid - its close, and it provides a free shuttle to school

Depends on how cold you get. For me, as a person who has always lived in a climate like this, a fall coat will suffice, like a wool peacoat. With enough walking around in a suit and another coat, you might get a little warm if it is in the upper 50s. Just bring the coat anyway. It's better to get the coat wet if it's raining while you're getting to the school and be able to have a dry suit for the rest of the day.

Originally Posted by elblackwell

Thanks! Do you think a winter coat is needed for this weather? Sorry for the ignorance but it has been a really long time since I lived anywhere that has cold weather.

Also, FYI for anyone interviewing on nov. 4th, the hotels in the area are already booked for the weekend because of football(?) weekend.

.

Just got my first interview invite this morning Will be interviewing Dec. 12.

Has anyone taken advantage of the student hosts?

.

interviewed here
I learned that
1) CSTP is going to cease.
2) PSTP is no longer full tuition. it's now $10k/yr.
3) Some of Pitt's best (Starzl-trained) transplant surgeons left for the Cleveland Clinic
4) they accept 10% outright, reject 15%, waitlist 75% of interviewees. Either I heard wrong, or that they only accept outright (on the rolling basis, before april) a number of people that is less than the class size. Most of the people at Pitt were admitted off the waitlist.
..
otherwise, the students were nice, happy; UPMC huge and impressive; Pittsburgh a quaint city.

Originally Posted by chronicidal

interviewed here
I learned that
1) CSTP is going to cease.
2) PSTP is no longer full tuition. it's now $10k/yr.
3) Some of Pitt's best (Starzl-trained) transplant surgeons left for the Cleveland Clinic
4) they accept 10% outright, reject 15%, waitlist 75% of interviewees. Either I heard wrong, or that they only accept outright (on the rolling basis, before april) a number of people that is less than the class size. Most of the people at Pitt were admitted off the waitlist.
..
otherwise, the students were nice, happy; UPMC huge and impressive; Pittsburgh a quaint city.

Interesting

Originally Posted by chronicidal

interviewed here
I learned that
1) CSTP is going to cease.
2) PSTP is no longer full tuition. it's now $10k/yr.
3) Some of Pitt's best (Starzl-trained) transplant surgeons left for the Cleveland Clinic
4) they accept 10% outright, reject 15%, waitlist 75% of interviewees. Either I heard wrong, or that they only accept outright (on the rolling basis, before april) a number of people that is less than the class size. Most of the people at Pitt were admitted off the waitlist.
..
otherwise, the students were nice, happy; UPMC huge and impressive; Pittsburgh a quaint city.

Interesting indeed. I was sad to see that they had to cut basically ALL of their merit/recruitment scholarships. I loved Pitt but 50k is a big pill to swallow. However, they also seemed much more upfront and open about the whole financial aid situation in general, what was nice.

Originally Posted by chronicidal

interviewed here
I learned that
1) CSTP is going to cease.
2) PSTP is no longer full tuition. it's now $10k/yr.
3) Some of Pitt's best (Starzl-trained) transplant surgeons left for the Cleveland Clinic
4) they accept 10% outright, reject 15%, waitlist 75% of interviewees. Either I heard wrong, or that they only accept outright (on the rolling basis, before april) a number of people that is less than the class size. Most of the people at Pitt were admitted off the waitlist.
..
otherwise, the students were nice, happy; UPMC huge and impressive; Pittsburgh a quaint city.

wow that is interesting

regarding 1 & 2, what effect do you see this having?

regarding 3, since i am particularly interested in pitts transplantation dept., how many left and do you have any idea why?

and 4 is bad news for people like me who want a decision from pitt right away

Any chance of still getting an interview here after being complete since 6/27 ?

Originally Posted by ialwayslose

wow that is interesting

regarding 1 & 2, what effect do you see this having?

regarding 3, since i am particularly interested in pitts transplantation dept., how many left and do you have any idea why?

and 4 is bad news for people like me who want a decision from pitt right away

I think for 2, it means there will be fewer strong research people choosing Pitt over a higher ranked school. Met someone who chose Pitt over Duke because of PSTP, but they weren't absolutely sure they'd do it without the full tuition incentive. He said he'd have to think harder about it.

But it's not a huge impact. PSTP is only 5-7 people per year.

Regarding 3, I think the student exaggerated when say that 'many' left, and I think this was not recent but I didn't really know of the extent of decline since the starzl years.
A: John Fung (former chief of transplants, left in 2004) (now chair of general surgery at cleveland clinic)

Dr. John Fung, transplant chief at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for the last 13 years, is resigning to take a job at the Cleveland Clinic, a move he said was partly due to a changing culture at UPMC that has put increasing emphasis on profit over research.
Dr. John Fung. He came to Pittsburgh in 1984 and worked alongside transplant pioneer Dr. Thomas E. Starzl before succeeding him as chief of transplantation in 1991.
"It's not like it used to be, which was a much more collegial academic environment," Fung said of UPMC, one day after he announced his departure in an e-mail to co-workers. "They have to strike a balance between the medical center and the university, and, right now, the balance is tilted toward the hospital."

B: Jorge Reyes (formerly director of Pediatric Liver and Intestine Transplantation at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, left in 2004) (now chief of transplants at university of washington)

only one surgeon, Dr. Wallis Marsh, who operated with [Starzl], remains at UPMC.

AND THEN in 2008

the abrupt departure of former chief [of the the Thomas E. Starzl Transplant Institute] Dr. Amadeo Marcos in March, as the Tribune-Review prepared to publish an investigation into UPMC and other hospitals performing unnecessary liver transplants. Marcos, who headed the transplant center since 2004, said he stepped down for personal reasons.

Recently, UPMC transplant has gotten a bunch of bad publicity for a potential malpractice suit (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt...tworkHeadlines) and for not being transparent (http://runningahospital.blogspot.com...ole-story.html). they temporarily shut down the kidney transplant service (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11169...localstate.xml) and the guy who got hep C from the transplant is now a patient at the cleveland clinic.

That said, Pitt is still the 3rd ranked (by NIH funding) surgery department in the country. (although one has to note that Harvard isn't on that ranking because their clinical departments are split between hospitals...)

About #3, I would say that the departure of several of the transplant surgeons is not really something you should be terribly concerned about when making a choice of medical school. Pitt still has a very active transplantation program and you will be spending a far greater proportion of your time outside of transplant surgery.

While funding for the CSTP and PSTP programs has dried up, I have not seen any problems with finding funded projects for medical students (i.e. what to do for MS1 summer).

Originally Posted by ialwayslose

wow that is interesting

regarding 1 & 2, what effect do you see this having?

regarding 3, since i am particularly interested in pitts transplantation dept., how many left and do you have any idea why?

and 4 is bad news for people like me who want a decision from pitt right away

really informative posts, I agree with the latter that I wouldn't make transplantation the primary factor in my decision but Pitt is definitely a program that was always known for that.

regardless, pitt is a great school especially for those interested in academic medicine.

Interview Invite!! My first one so far! I'm a late applicant so I was nervous about being "too" late.

Complete 10/5
II 10/6

PA resident, 3.83/3.94, 36

So happy!

Originally Posted by jesse120

Interview Invite!! My first one so far! I'm a late applicant so I was nervous about being "too" late.

Complete 10/5
II 10/6

PA resident, 3.83/3.94, 36

So happy!

wow. wish i had your numbers.

Invite yesterday, Scheduled for 12/5

Try and stay with a host student or hotel?

Seems like everyone who gets an interview got one pretty quickly (i.e., within a few days after their secondary). Has anyone received one after a while? I've pretty much given up hope at this point.

Originally Posted by Frazier

My personal interpretation of this is::: when an application first comes in, they give it a quick skim right off the bat. If something pops out at them [i.e. this person has a 36+ MCAT (oh, boy!), this person is a Rhodes/Goldwater scholar (oh, boy!), etc.] then you get the quick, seemingly-next-day invite.

The rest of our apps are placed into a bucket, which is then placed in the janitor's closet, in the basement. As the application season winds down, poor ol' Pitt will be running low on the instantaneous-invite applications, so they must [oh, so regretfully] resort to heading down to the janitor's closet to "fetch the bucket"...Typically the poor sap that has to go all the way down into the basement to fetch the bucket has no choice - he lost 2 out of 3 games of "rock, paper, scissors". Which makes sense -- who wants to fetch a bucket from the janitor's closet, in the basement? Once the bucket is in-hand, they plunge their hand in (but not before first putting on a latex glove) and pull out an app: ah, the late season interview invite.

ever considered a career in writing fiction?

Originally Posted by user123456

ever considered a career in writing fiction?

Who said anything about fiction? This is quality investigative journalism indeed! I always wondered about the medical school admissions process works.


...although he forgot to mention the lavish party they were throwing when they played rock paper scissors that was funded by our apps in the closet.

Originally Posted by Frazier

My personal interpretation of this is::: when an application first comes in, they give it a quick skim right off the bat. If something pops out at them [i.e. this person has a 36+ MCAT (oh, boy!), this person is a Rhodes/Goldwater scholar (oh, boy!), etc.] then you get the quick, seemingly-next-day invite.

The rest of our apps are placed into a bucket, which is then placed in the janitor's closet, in the basement. As the application season winds down, poor ol' Pitt will be running low on the instantaneous-invite applications, so they must [oh, so regretfully] resort to heading down to the janitor's closet to "fetch the bucket"...Typically the poor sap that has to go all the way down into the basement to fetch the bucket has no choice - he lost 2 out of 3 games of "rock, paper, scissors". Which makes sense -- who wants to fetch a bucket from the janitor's closet, in the basement? Once the bucket is in-hand, they plunge their hand in (but not before first putting on a latex glove) and pull out an app: ah, the late season interview invite.

I don't know why but I laughed so hard at that. Nicely written.

Originally Posted by chronicidal

interviewed here
I learned that
1) CSTP is going to cease.
2) PSTP is no longer full tuition. it's now $10k/yr.
3) Some of Pitt's best (Starzl-trained) transplant surgeons left for the Cleveland Clinic
4) they accept 10% outright, reject 15%, waitlist 75% of interviewees. Either I heard wrong, or that they only accept outright (on the rolling basis, before april) a number of people that is less than the class size. Most of the people at Pitt were admitted off the waitlist.
..
otherwise, the students were nice, happy; UPMC huge and impressive; Pittsburgh a quaint city.

Wow ~75% are waitlisted? Does anyone happen to know how their waitlist works? Are applicants put on the waitlist in a specific order of likability then accepted one at a time from a queue, or are they arranged in the order of when they interviewed (seems unlikely but you never know), or do they re-review apps when the time comes to make final decisions? Just a bit curious as to how waitlists actually work.

Boooo, still no interview invite =(


Come on good ol' Pitt, take the bite!!

Hey! Just got back from my interview at UPitt. Here's what I have to say about that.

I'd like to start by saying that the first thing I noticed about the interview was the batch of applicants were a little different than my previous interviews. Most everyone (with the exception of three of us) was still in college, but everyone was from top-notch schools. It was all Harvard, MIT, UPenn, Stanford, CMU, etc. Compared to my other interviews, I felt like I was playing in the big leagues.

Everybody was of course super nice, and the interviews were very relaxed. The student interview was relatively informal, and for the faculty interview you have to hunt him or her down in their office, somewhere in the med complex, with the final effect being that it feels like you're just meeting your PI for a chat.

Both interviewers really were just trying to gauge what you're like as a person. The student interviewer doesn't know anything about you except your name, and the faculty interviewer was blinded to your academics.

About the area:
The med complex they have there is MASSIVE and super impressive. It's obvious why this school is so highly ranked, the resources available are fantastic.

I immediately fell in love with the Oakland area. It's very walkable, which is something I've been looking for. There are lots of local restaurants and shops wherever you look, and I ate SO much when I was in town just because the food was so good! Highlights of my food tourism include the Fuel and Fuddle and the "O."

In short, if UPitt wasn't my top choice before, it is now, and I can't wait to hear back (they said late Nov, early Dec).

Originally Posted by JHU 2010

Hey! Just got back from my interview at UPitt. Here's what I have to say about that.

I'd like to start by saying that the first thing I noticed about the interview was the batch of applicants were a little different than my previous interviews. Most everyone (with the exception of three of us) was still in college, but everyone was from top-notch schools. It was all Harvard, MIT, UPenn, Stanford, CMU, etc. Compared to my other interviews, I felt like I was playing in the big leagues.

Everybody was of course super nice, and the interviews were very relaxed. The student interview was relatively informal, and for the faculty interview you have to hunt him or her down in their office, somewhere in the med complex, with the final effect being that it feels like you're just meeting your PI for a chat.

Both interviewers really were just trying to gauge what you're like as a person. The student interviewer doesn't know anything about you except your name, and the faculty interviewer was blinded to your academics.

About the area:
The med complex they have there is MASSIVE and super impressive. It's obvious why this school is so highly ranked, the resources available are fantastic.

I immediately fell in love with the Oakland area. It's very walkable, which is something I've been looking for. There are lots of local restaurants and shops wherever you look, and I ate SO much when I was in town just because the food was so good! Highlights of my food tourism include the Fuel and Fuddle and the "O."

In short, if UPitt wasn't my top choice before, it is now, and I can't wait to hear back (they said late Nov, early Dec).

Thanks for the insight!

Rejected! I hadda feeling already...lol

Complete in July
3.8/3.9/35

have some pretty solid interviews under my belt, so not too broken up!

best of luck to everyone else

Originally Posted by matteo

rejected! I hadda feeling already...lol

complete in july
3.8/3.9/35

have some pretty solid interviews under my belt, so not too broken up!

Best of luck to everyone else

+1

+2