2010-2011 University of Pennsylvania Application Thread

[egyptiangod]

Not quiet. There will be some announcements made this week and I was told that I will be hearing something.

Agree with the ridiculously long name . But I am sure it will be years before anyone starts referring to the school that way. I have a feeling that name won't stick. Like, who talks about Weill anyway? (unlike Pritzker or Feinberg)

But anyway..show us the money!!

Oops! - my bad on that...YES please show BrainBuff (and anyone else waiting) that money!!

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[rjsmit2]

Not quiet. There will be some announcements made this week and I was told that I will be hearing something.

Agree with the ridiculously long name . But I am sure it will be years before anyone starts referring to the school that way. I have a feeling that name won't stick. Like, who talks about Weill anyway? (unlike Pritzker or Feinberg)

But anyway..show us the money!!

dude... I hope you're not joshing

 

[BrainBuff]

Oops! - my bad on that...YES please show BrainBuff (and anyone else waiting) that money!!

Yea!!!

dude... I hope you're not joshing

Not at all. It is kind of annoying but the official line on the phone was "We know that some of you are anxiously waiting to make a final decision and that's why we are working to let you know by Friday" (Friday????!!!!!!! )

 

[dita1122]

hey future upenn students

if you are planning on living off campus, i wanted to tell you about an awesome apartment building i found in center city. its a historic building that was just completely renovated to have a modern feel, everything inside is brand new, and each unit has brand new stainless steel appliances (including fridge and dishwasher), hardwood floors, central heat/ac, and a washer/dryer in every unit. the building has a 24 hour doorman and discounted parking across the street.

1 bedrooms start at $1350/month and 2 bedrooms are $2200+

they are currently doing a special for med students where you get $1000 rent credit and one month free if you sign a 13 month lease (which really cuts the monthly cost down if you average it out).

PM me if you want more info

 

[egyptiangod]

So in a nut shell, Penn Preview was really awesome and totally confirmed my decision to go to Penn. I was looking through older threads to see if anyone wrote about Penn Preview before -- I found a post from last year that describes this year's Preview pretty well! Here it is (copied/pasted with some parts added by me to describe this year):


"1. The backpacks are awesome. The MS1s told me apparently ours are upgraded versions - since ours has an additional zipper in the front! Although going to a club with the backpack on may seem cool, it is definitely not designed for dancing. After the barmaid at Vango ran off with my jacket to lost and found... I wasn't about to let her get her hands on my backpack!

2. The students there seemed to genuinely like being there, and seemed to actually enjoy their time there! They definitely seem to follow the "work hard, play hard" scheme. First years seem to have a good chunk of free time - compared to second years anyway; especially when second years start clinics. We saw quite a few of the students - they seemed pretty down to earth.

- A slight addendum: you expect that kids @ penn med are going to be amazing students... and they are; but boy do they have some crazy experiences and backgrounds. Some of the stories of what students have done are really quite humbling (which is a good thing). [this is what I gathered from stories of current students - I'm sure the prospectives/M0s have similarly awesome backgrounds]

3. Supposedly 180 kids/prospectives/MS0s were signed up for PP (about 40 were for MD/PhD). I know for sure that not all of them showed up. A few of them were a bit odd and anti-social; and I'm pretty sure some of them are turdy too (which school doesn't have those) - but overall, I can honestly say I could really see myself hanging out with most of them for the next four years and having a blast. I was kinda crossing my fingers that that's how it would turn out, and I'm glad to see it came true!

4. Proportions of students coming here - it seemed like quite a few students were set on coming here / decided to come here by the end of it. I'd say 2/3 were set on the idea, with the other 1/3 deciding between this and another top-tier school, or a school that gave them a lot of money. I didn't really seem like PP convinced them to change their minds though... or maybe they just hadn't sat down and processed everything they'd seen yet? (either way, the 1/3 number is the general sense I got... I clearly didn't go around polling everyone. Yea... not everyone )

5. The faculty / administration seems to really like working with the students. [The financial aid officers were really receptive to your comments, especially if you had a competing offer from another school. I remember people going in to talk to Gaye or Dr. Galetta and that they were doing everything possible to get as much financial aid out for students to stay. As I talked with people or overheard nearby conversations, for some people, the result of the meeting pretty much helped them to make their decision to go to Penn.]

And for kids who want to do the MD/MBA program - apparently it's one of the more expensive double degree programs... yay for me . And for those who missed it - the MD/MBE (bio ethics) prog seems to have some pretty good grant money floating around... making it one of the cheapest ones.

Er, let's see what else am I forgetting about PP? Dr. White (the anatomy professor) seems pretty awesome. The simulation center is sick... although the tour guide was a bit, er, interesting. CHOP is awesome.

Ok that's all I had. In general, I loved PP. It was a blast. I'm off to bed to catch up on lost sleep (totally worth it though). If I left something out correct me.

On another side note - I've been so tunnel visioned on living by myself that I didn't realize/remember what a big difference living with someone else can make (monetarily). If living in a particular 1br in a particular building would be $1500/mo, living in a 2 br w/ a roommate can cut that down to like $900 . Not 50% off or anything, but definitely nothing to sneeze at. So I guess I'm revisiting having a roommate."

Also, I hope that some of you guys waiting for financial aid offers were able to get some sort of aid. I know that money can be a big factor in a decision, trust me - I know big time. I also know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I will leave you with a quote that a friend told me that made my decision a lot easier. "Money comes and goes, but med school happens only once in your life." Best wishes to anyone and everyone making difficult, final decisions today.

 

[stevens28]

Does anyone know when people will start getting pulled off the wait list? I'm not familiar with the process. If someone is taken off the list, how much time will they have to decide? Will they receive a financial aid package promptly? Is need-based aid available to applicants who get in off the WL?

Just curious. Thanks for your help and congrats to all those who are going to Penn.

 

[Kofi127]

Have any waitlisted candidates heard anything this week?

It looks like last year people started to hear around the 13th of May. I'm anxious to hear if the waitlist is moving this year.

Thanks!

 

[charlesbarkley]

Have any waitlisted candidates heard anything this week?

It looks like last year people started to hear around the 13th of May. I'm anxious to hear if the waitlist is moving this year.

Thanks!

I haven't heard anything yet.

 

[egyptiangod]

Does anyone know when people will start getting pulled off the wait list? I'm not familiar with the process. If someone is taken off the list, how much time will they have to decide? Will they receive a financial aid package promptly? Is need-based aid available to applicants who get in off the WL?

Just curious. Thanks for your help and congrats to all those who are going to Penn.

Not sure when people start getting off the waitlist - it should start some time this month.
Need-based aid is available to all applicants regardless of when you get in.

 

[wheredshego]

I got in off the waitlist yesterday morning. Can anyone who was accepted in March tell me who to make the $100 deposit payable to?

 

[rjsmit2]

I got in off the waitlist yesterday morning. Can anyone who was accepted in March tell me who to make the $100 deposit payable to?

Make it out to "Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania" and send it to the following address:

University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
Suite 100 Stemmler Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6056

Congrats!

 

[Kofi127]

I got in off the waitlist yesterday morning. Can anyone who was accepted in March tell me who to make the $100 deposit payable to?

Congrats wheredshego! Would you mind elaborating on your personal situation a little?

Were you regular tier 1 or invited to preview? Did you call Director Sheffler, send update letters, a LOI, etc? Any word on more movement when you got the call?

Thanks!

 

[MrAppleseed]

Were you regular tier 1 or invited to preview?

+1, plz

 

[wheredshego]

Tier 1 but not invited to Preview. I had my premed adviser call Gaye Sheffler after I was waitlisted to let her know Penn was my #1 and to advocate for me. I also called her after she suggested I do so. No extra letters of rec or other updates. Good luck everyone!

 

[Eponymous]

Tier 1 but not invited to Preview. I had my premed adviser call Gaye Sheffler after I was waitlisted to let her know Penn was my #1 and to advocate for me. I also called her after she suggested I do so. No extra letters of rec or other updates. Good luck everyone!

Did they call you to let you know or send you an email? How long do you have to decide whether or accept or decline the offer?

 

[kiwi icecream]

Got off the waitlist today! I've actually been talking to Gaye for about a week, trying to iron out financial aid, but didn't get an official acceptance til today (sorry for not making it public, I didn't feel comfortable posting about it til now ). I was Tier 1, not invited to Penn Preview. Sent an update letter before the March decisions were released, and a follow up letter in late April. Good luck to everyone on the waitlist!!

 

[Jurassic Shark]

I unfortunately don't have the hand out material I took home with me from interview day. Would you mind if I asked how you were able to reach Gaye over the phone?

 

[phltz]

I unfortunately don't have the hand out material I took home with me from interview day. Would you mind if I asked how you were able to reach Gaye over the phone?

I'm pretty sure Gaye is the one initiating these phone conversations.

 

[Jurassic Shark]

I'm pretty sure Gaye is the one initiating these phone conversations.

"I had my premed adviser call Gaye Sheffler after I was waitlisted to let her know Penn was my #1 and to advocate for me. I also called her after she suggested I do so." ~I was curious regarding that description!

 

[jessica MD]

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Entering Class of 2011

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unive...dicine-Entering-Class-of-2011/135831229820543

 

[Kofi127]

Does anyone have any updates on waitlist movement? Is it just really slow going, or are there extremely limited spaces, or both?

Did anyone accepted off the waitlist hear anything about more movement from Director Sheffler?

Hope everyone is hanging in there. Congrats to those accepted so far!

 

[Whyhello]

Does anyone have any updates on waitlist movement? Is it just really slow going, or are there extremely limited spaces, or both?

Just got off the wait list yesterday. I'm ecstatic!

Director Sheffler mentioned that open spaces in the class are very limited. Though I'm not certain, this leads me to believe that there still are spaces left. Hang in there!

 

[MrAppleseed]

Just got off the wait list yesterday. I'm ecstatic!

Director Sheffler mentioned that open spaces in the class are very limited. Though I'm not certain, this leads me to believe that there still are spaces left. Hang in there!

Congrats. Were you regular Tier 1 or Tier 1+Preview invite? Did you do anything special or have any contact with Penn after being waitlisted?

 

[Whyhello]

Were you regular Tier 1 or Tier 1+Preview invite? Did you do anything special or have any contact with Penn after being waitlisted?

I was regular tier 1. I sent in one long letter, essentially an LOI with an update.

 

[wondergirlh]

Hi Everyone, I'm usually an observer in these forums, so this is my first time posting to this thread. As of a few days ago, I was completely set on going to Penn for the fall, but I got a call from Harvard, with an offer of a spot off their waitlist. I'm really torn, because I felt like my gut feeling during interviews was that Penn would be a good fit for me, but many of my friends and family are leaning on me for Harvard. Did anyone go to the second look weekends for both who might be able to comment on differences in the schools/students there?

 

[Doodl3s]

Hi Everyone, I'm usually an observer in these forums, so this is my first time posting to this thread. As of a few days ago, I was completely set on going to Penn for the fall, but I got a call from Harvard, with an offer of a spot off their waitlist. I'm really torn, because I felt like my gut feeling during interviews was that Penn would be a good fit for me, but many of my friends and family are leaning on me for Harvard. Did anyone go to the second look weekends for both who might be able to comment on differences in the schools/students there?

let me say this, i was in a similar waitlist situation of 2 other top 20 schools... (although not TOP 2, congrats! btw, AWESOME problem to have lol)

TRY and go yourself to both schools. They WILL accomodate you to stay with a host. They do actually want you, even if it was off waitlist. DON'T listen to people who aren't even doing medicine. If they are, still don't listen . Those people might be telling you to go there cause its the name harvard. In my situation, i chose the one with the lesser name because I felt right there. good luck!

 

[wondergirlh]

Thanks for the encouragement Doodl3s! And thank you for your kind response to my rather unsympathetic problem. I'm usually not an anxious pre-med type as I've been out of undergrad for a few years now. But faced with this decision, I've been loosing sleep.

I'm weighing lifestyle and career.

I think the academic and clinical training at both schools will be equally amazing.
Lifestyle wise, I've really come to like the area around Penn, especially west philly appeals to the inner hippie in me, and I've even found a great apartment already. The students I've met at Penn all seem great, very chill but on top of things at the same time.

Harvard/Boston is more of a question mark for me in terms of lifestyle. I didn't get a great impression at my interview, but I have heard that Harvard is known for being rather cold during the interview process, but much nicer when you get in. I liked my host there a lot, but didn't get to meet too many other students. I do worry that I'm going to be much more limited in my lifestyle due to cost-of-living issues. I want to live off-campus as I have a sig-other and pets, but prices are so much higher!

But coming from a public health background, Harvard has a much stronger complementary program than Penn for public health/health policy, whereas Penn only has a small department that works in this area (though there are some affiliated programs with Wharton that might be interesting). I think I'd be able to get involved in some more interesting projects at Harvard in my area of interest, and be exposed to better mentors?

 

[Dr Love]

Hi Everyone, I'm usually an observer in these forums, so this is my first time posting to this thread. As of a few days ago, I was completely set on going to Penn for the fall, but I got a call from Harvard, with an offer of a spot off their waitlist. I'm really torn, because I felt like my gut feeling during interviews was that Penn would be a good fit for me, but many of my friends and family are leaning on me for Harvard. Did anyone go to the second look weekends for both who might be able to comment on differences in the schools/students there?

I didn't go to second look weekend for either (Hopkins 4 Ever!), so my opinion might not be worth much. My impression is that people from Harvard are full of themselves, and people from Penn are also full of themselves, but in more of a lazy contentment sort of way rather than the aggressive narcissism at Harvard.

That said, Harvard has a prestige to the layman that Penn likes to pretend it has, but everyone knows it doesn't. That is why most people outside of medicine will tell you to go Harvard. On the other hand, all the top schools are very similar in terms of resources available to med students. So, my advice is to make your decision on the basis of fit, money, if you prefer Boston over Philly, etc.

 

[Eponymous]

As of a few days ago, I was completely set on going to Penn for the fall, but I got a call from Harvard, with an offer of a spot off their waitlist.

Well, the fact that you stayed on Harvard's wait list indicates that you were still interested in going there, more so than Penn (unless you were just planning to "wait and see"). One of my friends goes to Harvard and loves it. He's not a narcissist, nor are the Harvard MBAs I know who go there. Are there egomaniacs at both places? Of course. But you'll find down-to-earth people as well. Boston absolutely rocks, btw. It has so many colleges that it's a fantastic place to be when you're young. I like Cambridge as well. Penn is a great school too and I love University City, so really it depends on your preference regarding location / curriculum / financial aid...and perhaps where your significant other may be able to find a job or opportunities. Good luck, I envy your dilemma

 

[nycdocsayz]

Well, the fact that you stayed on Harvard's wait list indicates that you were still interested in going there, more so than Penn (unless you were just planning to "wait and see"). One of my friends goes to Harvard and loves it. He's not a narcissist, nor are the Harvard MBAs I know who go there. Are there egomaniacs at both places? Of course. But you'll find down-to-earth people as well. Boston absolutely rocks, btw. It has so many colleges that it's a fantastic place to be when you're young. I like Cambridge as well. Penn is a great school too and I love University City, so really it depends on your preference regarding location / curriculum / financial aid...and perhaps where your significant other may be able to find a job or opportunities. Good luck, I envy your dilemma

I think that choosing a medical school based on the "layman" prestige of the school's name is absolutely idiotic. If you told people that you went to Princeton Medical School, 7 out of 10 would be incredibly impressed. Only problem is, that school doesn't exist. The point being, who cares what a random person not in the medical field thinks? Do you even know where your physicians went to school? Of course not. What matters is the training. Harvard and Penn are both phenomenal schools with equally excellent training programs. So at either place, you will get an equally fantastic education. So it should come down solely to which curriculum you like better (Penn wins by a mile on that one IMO), which location you like better, and which school's students seem to suit you better. Choosing based on anything else is not just vain but foolish because it is not grounded in anything substantial or real.

 

[NPaige]

Thanks for the encouragement Doodl3s! And thank you for your kind response to my rather unsympathetic problem. I'm usually not an anxious pre-med type as I've been out of undergrad for a few years now. But faced with this decision, I've been loosing sleep.

I'm weighing lifestyle and career.

I think the academic and clinical training at both schools will be equally amazing.
Lifestyle wise, I've really come to like the area around Penn, especially west philly appeals to the inner hippie in me, and I've even found a great apartment already. The students I've met at Penn all seem great, very chill but on top of things at the same time.

Harvard/Boston is more of a question mark for me in terms of lifestyle. I
didn't get a great impression at my interview, but I have heard that Harvard is known for being rather cold during the interview process, but much nicer when you get in. I liked my host there a lot, but didn't get to meet too many other students. I do worry that I'm going to be much more limited in my lifestyle due to cost-of-living issues. I want to live off-campus as I have a sig-other and pets, but prices are so much higher!

But coming from a public health background, Harvard has a much stronger complementary program than Penn for public health/health policy, whereas Penn only has a small department that works in this area (though there are some affiliated programs with Wharton that might be interesting). I think I'd be able to get involved in some more interesting projects at Harvard in my area of interest, and be exposed to better mentors?

As far as your interest in public health, sometimes its hard to compare based on websites/pamphlets. If I were you, I'd call each admissions office and tell them you're interested in public health/policy and want to know more about what they offer...I'm sure they'll be happy to put you in touch with someone
who can talk to you about the opportunities that are available, etc.

Other than that, choose where you'll think you'll be happiest (bc of location,people, etc) because if you're not happy where you are, what's the point?

 

[Charcoal]

I am currently a first year at Penn just finishing up for the semester. The Penn/Harvard/Hopkins decision is difficult one. Certainly Penn is much weaker when it comes to public health --though if you decide to get an MPH you can always take a year out and get one at Harvard or Hopkins like many students here. Having lived in Boston and Philly, I strongly prefer Philly.

Ultimately, however, the biggest strength of Penn is 1) its student body (they generally try to pick extroverted and dynamic individuals) and 2) the administration which is incredibly supportive. Harvard has an amazing student body as well, I am sure, though they select on different criteria and their administration is notoriously hands-off.

 

[djokerfan09]

Does anyone know if the waitlist is still active? Thanks!!

 

[MrAppleseed]

Does anyone know if the waitlist is still active? Thanks!!

I haven't received the email saying otherwise, but from what I understand all seats are taken at this point and they aren't expecting to use the waitlist anymore.

 

[MrAppleseed]

...aaaand the dream is dashed.

I wish that they kept the waitlist active up until orientation so that I could have kept the hope alive for another month.

Oh well. Fun while it lasted. Good luck next year, everyone.