Dartmouth Anyone??

superdevil said:

however, tuition is in keeping with other private schools (read: expensive)

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i'm still torn on this issue, too. u of wisc just built a brand new med school, is over 10,000 cheaper a year and is close to home. part of me wants a change of venue, but the other part says stick with the fam and friends. on the other hand, everyone at DMS seems to really like it.

good motivator for 2nd look.

xadmin said:

Hey superdevil, I agreed with you. The on campus facilities are the worst of all the medical schools I interviewed at. They are old and gloomy. No video taping of lecture? Come on, catch up with technology. Using microscope in histology? Come on, there are slides on computer that you can use to learn from.

Their computer lab is also utterly poor. With a few computer here and there.

Other than that, I liked the school.

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i'd agree the classroom i saw wasn't the greatest, but i come from a state school, and have already had several toxic asbestos exposures from exposed pipe insulation in lecture halls (that and my old elementary school was the epicenter of fatal e. coli outbreaks. yeah wisconsin public ed).

anyways, i don't think we oughta base too much on this -- consider the amount of time you actually spend in class. the hospital/other resources and area are far more important. of course, that and the sweet, sweet asbestos.

The classroom issue is really a non issue in my opinion. I never really felt uncomfortable in the lecture halls or desired something better. A lecture hall is a lecture hall. You sit, you listen, you daydream. It's all good. The hall to get to the anatomy lab looks run down but the lab itself is perfectly fine. It's not a marvel of modern technology but it has everything you need to make your experience in anatomy lab a positive one. The school just improved the histology lab by adding new really comfortable chairs and upgrading the AV system.

One thing about DMS is that they have money and they are not shy in spending it on the students and improving the school. And the financial aid packages are very good and from what I understand consistant. They don't give you a huge grant first year to suck you in and then take it away once you're in. They are pretty consistant unless there is a significant change in income.

TheRussian said:

The classroom issue is really a non issue in my opinion. I never really felt uncomfortable in the lecture halls or desired something better. A lecture hall is a lecture hall. You sit, you listen, you daydream. It's all good. The hall to get to the anatomy lab looks run down but the lab itself is perfectly fine. It's not a marvel of modern technology but it has everything you need to make your experience in anatomy lab a positive one. The school just improved the histology lab by adding new really comfortable chairs and upgrading the AV system.

One thing about DMS is that they have money and they are not shy in spending it on the students and improving the school. And the financial aid packages are very good and from what I understand consistant. They don't give you a huge grant first year to suck you in and then take it away once you're in. They are pretty consistant unless there is a significant change in income.

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yeah, the whole classroom/facilities thing isn't really a "deal-breaker" for me, but still...i don't know. i just think for 35k per year complaints like this shouldn't exist. i know that's not a logical approach, but when its my money i'm spending (and so much of it, too), sometimes little things seem like big things, ya know?

I guess I agree with Superdevil.

Pros:

- Hospital is brand new
- Surroundings are beautiful
- People/students are very nice and everybody seemed happy
- Non-competitive environment
- Match list is terrific
- Ivy-league "mystique"... there is something to say for a name and reputation

Cons:

- Med school buildings are falling apart
- Classrooms are old
- "library" was ridiculous
- Expensive
- Labs are gloomy and depressing
- COLD
- In the middle of nowhere!
- far far from home (VA).

This being said, the only thing that really bothers me and would make me think about it twice is the distance. I'm very close to my family and I know I would have a hard time being that far away. This is wierd too, because I'm an International student and I have lived away from my family many times... and that was on two different sides of the world! Maybe I'm just tired of it?

Oh well... it's not like I have the option of *choosing* between schools anyway!

KiKat37 said:

This being said, the only thing that really bothers me and would make me think about it twice is the distance. I'm very close to my family and I know I would have a hard time being that far away. This is wierd too, because I'm an International student and I have lived away from my family many times... and that was on two different sides of the world! Maybe I'm just tired of it?

Oh well... it's not like I have the option of *choosing* between schools anyway!

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well said. the distance issue, more than anything else, would be what keeps me from choosing DMS. similar to your situation, kikat, i'm close with my family, and 17 hours from wisconsin by car is really far. having been abroad for extended periods doesn't seem to make THIS instance better, because i knew i'd come back someday. also, i was usually over there with folks that were like my surrogate family.

glad to hear other people are questioning this, too . . .

TheRussian said:

The classroom issue is really a non issue in my opinion. I never really felt uncomfortable in the lecture halls or desired something better. A lecture hall is a lecture hall. You sit, you listen, you daydream. It's all good. The hall to get to the anatomy lab looks run down but the lab itself is perfectly fine. It's not a marvel of modern technology but it has everything you need to make your experience in anatomy lab a positive one. The school just improved the histology lab by adding new really comfortable chairs and upgrading the AV system.

One thing about DMS is that they have money and they are not shy in spending it on the students and improving the school. And the financial aid packages are very good and from what I understand consistant. They don't give you a huge grant first year to suck you in and then take it away once you're in. They are pretty consistant unless there is a significant change in income.

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dude, kudos to you for the replies. i wish we could've had more exposure to current med students during the interview day, but this does the trick

Has anyone called and asked them when all those decisions will be mailed out the latest?

TheRussian said:

The classroom issue is really a non issue in my opinion. I never really felt uncomfortable in the lecture halls or desired something better. A lecture hall is a lecture hall. You sit, you listen, you daydream. It's all good. The hall to get to the anatomy lab looks run down but the lab itself is perfectly fine. It's not a marvel of modern technology but it has everything you need to make your experience in anatomy lab a positive one. The school just improved the histology lab by adding new really comfortable chairs and upgrading the AV system.

One thing about DMS is that they have money and they are not shy in spending it on the students and improving the school. And the financial aid packages are very good and from what I understand consistant. They don't give you a huge grant first year to suck you in and then take it away once you're in. They are pretty consistant unless there is a significant change in income.

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TheRussian, can you give an estimate of their financial aid? For a family whose parents make say 50k a year, will that be 10k in aide for tuition?

crazyvladif said:

dude, kudos to you for the replies. i wish we could've had more exposure to current med students during the interview day, but this does the trick

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Hey Crazyvladif,

Wisconsin-Madison is also one of the school I am pondering over. I am out of state so the tuition will be 31K for me. But boy, the facility is nice! I give it a 10 out of 10. As I understand it, since this is a public institution, their will be no scholarship or grant whatsoever for out of state student, only loan?

xadmin said:

Wisconsin-Madison is also one of the school I am pondering over. I am out of state so the tuition will be 31K for me. But boy, the facility is nice! I give it a 10 out of 10. As I understand it, since this is a public institution, their will be no scholarship or grant whatsoever for out of state student, only loan?

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Well, UWisc has been known to give a few scholarships or grants in the past, but unless you're a URM, I wouldn;t hold out on much.

As for the facilities, they are AMAZING. I'm there right now, writing from one of the hundreds of couches lining the interior of the library -- best part, there's none of those creepy furniture stains that we lowly undergrads cope with. The old building was a heap . . . complete with cockroach and small rodent infestations galore.

Frankly, it's gonna take a decent aid package to entice me to move a thousand miles from home. But honestly, I've got the wanderlust, and even a little cash and a bit of the spring fever could pull me outta here . . .

EDIT, 4/17: I was wrong on the scholarship thing -- University of Wisconsin does give out money. Just got the scholarship letter yesterday.

I am planning on attending Dartmouth this fall starting in 2005 and I have a couple questions for a current student.

First can anyone give me any helpful information on housing? Where do the majority of students live? I am from Chicago and the school has only directed me to the on-line Upper Valley listings. How do most students go about finding housing and roommates?

Second, I was wondering what cell phone service students at Dartmouth use? When I visited and interviewed in Sept. my Verizon had no service and my fellow interviews had no service on other plans. However, I did see undergrads on cell phones all the time.

Thanks in advance for any help that anyone can give me.

Carraway said:

I am planning on attending Dartmouth this fall starting in 2005 and I have a couple questions for a current student.

First can anyone give me any helpful information on housing? Where do the majority of students live? I am from Chicago and the school has only directed me to the on-line Upper Valley listings. How do most students go about finding housing and roommates?

Second, I was wondering what cell phone service students at Dartmouth use? When I visited and interviewed in Sept. my Verizon had no service and my fellow interviews had no service on other plans. However, I did see undergrads on cell phones all the time.

Thanks in advance for any help that anyone can give me.

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Congrats on your decision to attend Dartmouth. It's an awesome school.

1. As far as housing goes there is the website dartmouthre.com for housing. That's probably the website you got. Some people live in Hanover but Hanover is generally more expensive. A lot of people live in Lebanon or West Lebanon which are right next to Hanover. Some people live across the bridge in Norwitch, Vermont. A smaller amount of people live in Lyme, NH so those are good places to look for housing. I think the best way to find roommates is at second look weekend if you plan on going. That's where a lot of people found roommates. If you can't make it out to look for a place yourself then try to find someone that lives closer to Dartmouth and trust them to find a good place. Finally, there is some school housing for first years called North Park St. They generally have about 10 spaces open for first years and you can apply for that through the website above. If you have more questions about those appartments PM me.

2. As for cell phones, I'm suprised that Verizon didn't work for you. I used to have T-mobile and that didn't work at all so I switched to Verizon and it is much better. Verizon is the best of the big cell phone companies and I heard rumors that they are putting up a tower somewhere around Dartmouth though this has not been confirmed. The best coverage is US Cellular as they are the only ones that have their own towers in the area but I think Verizon is good enough so stick with them. (Cingular/At&T also works alright though it always says extended area and that makes it a pain to check voice mail)

Has anyone who interviewed in late Feb heard anything yet?

em31 said:

Has anyone who interviewed in late Feb heard anything yet?

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not yet.

I interviewed in late January and designated Brown-Darmouth and haven't heard a peep.

My boyfriend recently got accepted to a Boston school and although I haven't heard from Dartmouth (except to say thanks for your patience, we're still considering you), I'm wondering if I should make a push to go there over a top 15 school. I did really enjoy my day at Dartmouth but still have other questions. For those of you familiar with the school, would you mind answering ?

1. Housing: I'd like to live in a clean, modern, functioning 1- bedroom apartment close to school. What would that cost me in rent and utilities (including cable tv and internet)?

2. Car: Everyone at Dartmouth said I needed a car. I have NO money right now. Could I get one using the money from loans or would I have to take out a loan specifically for a car, separate from financial aid?

3. How much free time do students have? Do you feel you have enough time to do the extracurricular activities that you enjoy and that are happy to your wellbeing?

4. Diversity: do you feel that your class has significant diversity in terms of classmates' economic and ethnic background, age and experience? Does the school emphasize the importance of being a physician who is sensitive to people's different backgrounds (ethnic, language, sexual preference, economic)? Does the school tailor training to these issues of diversity by having students engage in activities that teach them for instance how to deal with a patient who doesn't speak English?

5. Resources--does the school have money to help support students who want to work overseas or do students have to find those funds?

6. Do you feel you have adequate first year clinical experience?

7. How do you feel about the curriculum?

ANy other input people have would be very helpful. Thanks.

PookieGirl said:

My boyfriend recently got accepted to a Boston school and although I haven't heard from Dartmouth (except to say thanks for your patience, we're still considering you), I'm wondering if I should make a push to go there over a top 15 school. I did really enjoy my day at Dartmouth but still have other questions. For those of you familiar with the school, would you mind answering ?

1. Housing: I'd like to live in a clean, modern, functioning 1- bedroom apartment close to school. What would that cost me in rent and utilities (including cable tv and internet)?

2. Car: Everyone at Dartmouth said I needed a car. I have NO money right now. Could I get one using the money from loans or would I have to take out a loan specifically for a car, separate from financial aid?

3. How much free time do students have? Do you feel you have enough time to do the extracurricular activities that you enjoy and that are happy to your wellbeing?

4. Diversity: do you feel that your class has significant diversity in terms of classmates' economic and ethnic background, age and experience? Does the school emphasize the importance of being a physician who is sensitive to people's different backgrounds (ethnic, language, sexual preference, economic)? Does the school tailor training to these issues of diversity by having students engage in activities that teach them for instance how to deal with a patient who doesn't speak English?

5. Resources--does the school have money to help support students who want to work overseas or do students have to find those funds?

6. Do you feel you have adequate first year clinical experience?

7. How do you feel about the curriculum?

ANy other input people have would be very helpful. Thanks.

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I'm not sure I can answer all these questions but I'll try my best.

1. It is possible to find such an appartment in Hanover and my guess is that it will cost you about $600/month though I'm not too sure about that. As a first year you might be able to live at North Park St. Apartments. Most are 4 person apparments but they do have a few singles and they run about $800 with everything included.

2. First I'll tell you that you don't need a car to survive in Hanover. I am getting by without a car so far. Of course in order to get by without a car it probably helps to live with someone that does have a car and to live really close to campus, i.e. graduate housing so you might want to reconsider #1 if you really can't afford to buy a car. The only way you can get federal loans for the car is if you do your budget for the year and it comes out significantly lower than the max budget in which case you can take out the max budget and buy a car. But that is unlikely to happen and is not technically legal so I wouldn't count on it. Also there are several bus routes which are free. The only one I use is the one to the hospital.

3. We have an incredible amount of free time, more so than I know what to do with sometimes. We get out at noon on most days (less so in the beginning of first term) and we have a lot of time to do what we want. My roommates manage to go snowboarding 3 or 4 times on some weeks.

4. Our class is definetely diverse though the patient population might not be. The school definetely empasizes sensitivity to other backgrounds (We had to read The Spirit Cathes You and You Fall Down for orientation). I don't know to what extent the school teaches these skills as I'm still a first year.

5. DMS has several programs for working over sees during your first summer and they are funded though to what extent I'm not sure.

6. First year we visit with our preceptors once every other week. I feel it is more than adequate for first year. You're at a stage where you don't know much in terms of what to ask and what to do so it's not a big deal. Some people in my class go every week because they enjoy it and you would probably have that option if you request a preceptor close to school.

7. The curriculum is fine. I have no issues with it.

bump

Hey Starfruit,

I forgot that you interviewed at DMS. How did it go? Heard back yet? I haven't. It's been 8 weeks now. I'm getting very very frustrated with the waiting game.

I was doing a search last night and found some scary threads about DMS. Apparently there were people last year who had interviewed in the first week of January and who didn't hear back until the very last week of April - first week of May. If I have to wait another 4-6 weeks... Plus, all these people weren't accepted in the end!! Can you imagine waiting 4 MONTHS to finally be rejected?!

I hate my life...

Carraway - Cingular works fine for me, another place to look for housing is http://www.vnews.com/class/index.htm


KitKat - I interviewed the first week of December and didn't hear back until the 2nd week of April, so keep your hopes up

Here's the match list. Out of 69 getting MD's, 1 deferred, and 1 is headed to the NIH to work on Peds - Medical Genetics. Most popular locations: Mass (11), California (10), New York (7)


Anesthesiology
B I Deaconess (Harvard)
---B I Deaconess – Prelim Surg
Dartmouth Hitchcock
Maine Medical Center (UVM)
Dermatology
Dartmouth – Hitchcock
----B I Deaconess (Harvard) – Prelim Med
Rhode Island/Brown
---B I Deaconess (Harvard) – Prelim Med
University of Minnesota
---Hennepin Co Med Ctr (UMN) - Transitional
UVM/Fletcher Allen
---U of Louisville – Prelim Med
Emergency Medicine
Hosp of U of Pennsylvania
Harbor - UCLA
University of North Carolina Hospitals
Maine Medical Center (UVM)
Family Practice
Mayo – Rochester (MN)
UCLA Medical Center
Sutter Health (UC Davis)
Kaiser Permanente – Los Angeles
Central Maine Med Center
Northridge Hospital (CA)
Allina Fam Res Program (MN)
Fairfax Family Practice (VA)
Lancaster General (PA)
U of Wyoming
Internal Medicine
UC San Francisco
Brigham & Women’s (Harvard)
B I Deaconess (Harvard)
B I Deaconess (Harvard)
Hospital of U of Penn
U of Michigan
Dartmouth - Hitchcock
Brown
Medicine – Primary
Brighman & Women’s (Harvard)
Neurology
Harbor – UCLA-MC
---St. Josepth’s (Phoenix – U of A) – Prelim Med
Neurology – Child
U Pennsylvania – Children’s
---U Colorado - Pediatrics
Neurosurgery
LSU (with LSU Prelim Medicine)
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Women’s & Infants (Brown)
Georgetown Hospitals
Loma Linda
Ophthalmology
Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary (Harvard)
---St. Elizabeth’s (Tufts) – Prelim Med
Orthopaedic Surgery
Rhode Island/Brown
Oregon Health & Science
U of Rochester/Strong Memorial
Otolaryngology
Stanford University
---Stanford – Prelim Surg
Pathology
Hosp of the U of Pennsylvania
U of Michigan Hospitals
B I Deaconess (Harvard)
Pediatrics
Children’s Hospital – Oakland (UCSF)
NYP Hospital (Cornell)
Northwestern McGaw
U of Minnesota
New England Med Ctr (Tufts)
Georgetown U Hospital
Baystate (Tufts)
Plastic Surgery
Johns Hopkins
U Rochester/Strong Mem
Psychiatry
U of Michigan Hospitals
UC Davis Med Ctr
Brown U
Einstein/Montefiore
Radiology – Diagnostic
Rhode Island Hospitals (Brown)
---Brown - Prelim Med
NYU School of Medicine
---St. Vincent’s (NYMC) - Prelim Med
University of Maryland
---St. Barnabas (NJ) - Transitional
Surgery
St. Lukes – Roosevelt (Columbia)
U of Michigan Hospitals
VCU
Surgery – Preliminary
Mary Imogene Bassett (Columbia)
Urology
Case Western Reserve
---Case Western – Prelim Surg
Dartmouth – Hitchcock
---Dartmouth – Hitchcock – Prelim Surg
Washington Hosp Center (DC)
---Wash Hosp Ctr (DC) - Prelim Surg

KiKat37 said:

Hey Starfruit,

I forgot that you interviewed at DMS. How did it go? Heard back yet? I haven't. It's been 8 weeks now. I'm getting very very frustrated with the waiting game.

I was doing a search last night and found some scary threads about DMS. Apparently there were people last year who had interviewed in the first week of January and who didn't hear back until the very last week of April - first week of May. If I have to wait another 4-6 weeks... Plus, all these people weren't accepted in the end!! Can you imagine waiting 4 MONTHS to finally be rejected?!

I hate my life...

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Hi Kikat,

The interview day at DMS was great (despite the blizzard conditions!). There are many things that I love about the program up there, even though I wish the facilities at the medical school (as opposed to the awesome hospital) were a bit nicer. All in all, though, it's the people you interact with, rather than the facilities, that make your experience memorable, and I felt a lot of warmth from the students and staff I met during the interview day. I love that about Dartmouth.

Like you, I'm definitely anxious to have a decision in hand. Should be just a few more weeks now. (I interviewed ~2 weeks after you). Good luck!!

DMBUG - Thanks for posting the match list. Very impressive, both in terms of the prestige of the programs and the geographic diversity!

bump ... any more news?

Waitlisted yesterday.... oh well (I interviewed Feb 18th, but I also didn't send in my brown/dartmouth or dartmouth program designation form until march something so yea..)

think im out for second look . . . found out i've received a scholarship that requires me to be around the hometown on may 6th. not sure how i feel about that condition of the award . . .

anyways, any current DMSers recall when you received financial info in previous years?

crazyvladif said:

anyways, any current DMSers recall when you received financial info in previous years?

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They are really good at turning it around. I got my package about 3 weeks after I completed all the forms.

Originally Posted by crazyvladif
anyways, any current DMSers recall when you received financial info in previous years?

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i already called the financial aid office, and they said they were sending out financial aid packages either the 2nd or 3rd week of april.

i wish TheRussian's turn-around time of 3 weeks was a rule--i completed my forms the 2nd week of february!

looks like i'll be in hanover april 8-9 with my fiance to snoop around for apartments/shopping/etc. if i call the admissions office, do you think they'd set up an appointment for someone to talk to us or perhaps even show us around campus a bit?

superdevil said:

looks like i'll be in hanover april 8-9 with my fiance to snoop around for apartments/shopping/etc. if i call the admissions office, do you think they'd set up an appointment for someone to talk to us or perhaps even show us around campus a bit?

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FYI, first years have a test on April 11th, so if you come a week later it might be easier to find people to show you around.

superdevil said:

i already called the financial aid office, and they said they were sending out financial aid packages either the 2nd or 3rd week of april.

i wish TheRussian's turn-around time of 3 weeks was a rule--i completed my forms the 2nd week of february!

looks like i'll be in hanover april 8-9 with my fiance to snoop around for apartments/shopping/etc. if i call the admissions office, do you think they'd set up an appointment for someone to talk to us or perhaps even show us around campus a bit?

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About the finanicial aid packages: I didn't finishing filling out the forms till after I got accepted which was in April so that's why it was about 3 weeks for me. I guess you have to wait till at least April

I think the admissions office might be able to set something like that up for you. I know they've done it in the past.

DMBUGA34 said:

FYI, first years have a test on April 11th, so if you come a week later it might be easier to find people to show you around.

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that's life. the 8th and 9th are basically the only dates i can make it up there. its the soonest i can swing it, and my fiance is leaving for arizona the next week. i don't want my decision to hinge on what i see at the second look weekend on may 6th and 7th--that's too late. i'd rather attend the weekend knowing i'll be a DMS student, or know that i won't be a DMS student and not waste the money traveling to NH.

at any rate, i'll contact the admissions office. if they can get someone to meet with us, great; if they can't, that's just the way the cookie crumbles, i suppose.

Can anyone comment on the availability of high-speed internet? My host when I interviewed lives only about 3 miles from the hospital on Lyme Rd but could only access dial up. I don't think I could survive without high-speed at home. HOw easy is to get high speed in Hanover, Lebanon, VT towns that other students live in??

PookieGirl said:

Can anyone comment on the availability of high-speed internet? My host when I interviewed lives only about 3 miles from the hospital on Lyme Rd but could only access dial up. I don't think I could survive without high-speed at home. HOw easy is to get high speed in Hanover, Lebanon, VT towns that other students live in??

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I don't know very much about this, but I can tell you that I have friends in Lebanon, Hanover, and Norwich with high-speed internet. I think it's fairly easy to get high speed in those towns, but I don't know about the rest.

I was just wondering what your opinions are on this scenario:

I interviewed way back in January and I called the office recently to get an update on my status. When I asked for my status I got put on hold and then I was told to write a letter of interest to show them that I am still interested and give them an update on what I have been doing. Did this happen to anyone else?

I'm definitely going to write one but it just seemed a little odd that they would ask for one. I thought applicants just wrote them to be overachievers or to help them get off waitlists. So does that mean I'm waitlisted?!

hmm..

whournameiz said:

I was just wondering what your opinions are on this scenario:

I interviewed way back in January and I called the office recently to get an update on my status. When I asked for my status I got put on hold and then I was told to write a letter of interest to show them that I am still interested and give them an update on what I have been doing. Did this happen to anyone else?

I'm definitely going to write one but it just seemed a little odd that they would ask for one. I thought applicants just wrote them to be overachievers or to help them get off waitlists. So does that mean I'm waitlisted?!

hmm..

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I don't know if that means you're waitlisted but if you're going to write the letter, do it NOW! If your file is still being reviewed, I believe that next Thursday is their last committee meeting. Otherwise, a decision has already been made (there was a meeting today too).

Wait List info I recently learned - If you do end up on the waitlist (I'm sure that an LOI really helps at this point), they'll send a letter in late April or early May to ask if you're still interested in staying on the waitlist. They'll start looking at waitlisted applicants after May 5th, and it's really random (there's no ranking). Basically, the top 2 guys in the committee go into a room, debate, and come out with a name. If they're replacing someone in particular, those other applicants similar to the person they're replacing have an advantage, but otherwise it's completely random.

DMBUGA34 said:

I don't know if that means you're waitlisted but if you're going to write the letter, do it NOW! If your file is still being reviewed, I believe that next Thursday is their last committee meeting. Otherwise, a decision has already been made (there was a meeting today too).

Wait List info I recently learned - If you do end up on the waitlist (I'm sure that an LOI really helps at this point), they'll send a letter in late April or early May to ask if you're still interested in staying on the waitlist. They'll start looking at waitlisted applicants after May 5th, and it's really random (there's no ranking). Basically, the top 2 guys in the committee go into a room, debate, and come out with a name. If they're replacing someone in particular, those other applicants similar to the person they're replacing has an advantage, but otherwise it's completely random.

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Hi DMBUGA,
You have been extremely helpful concerning anything Dartmouth. Thanks for the help.

I am just wondering if this means that all acceptances and final decisions (waitlists, rejections too) will be mailed out soon. I am very anxious waiting for a response but only interviewed end of February, compared to others who interviewed earlier. Also, do you think a letter would get to the committee's attention by next Thursday if sent tomorrow or even Monday? (I guess the best bet would be to send it overnight anyway).

Thanks again.

mdsadler said:

Hi DMBUGA,
You have been extremely helpful concerning anything Dartmouth. Thanks for the help.

I am just wondering if this means that all acceptances and final decisions (waitlists, rejections too) will be mailed out soon. I am very anxious waiting for a response but only interviewed end of February, compared to others who interviewed earlier. Also, do you think a letter would get to the committee's attention by next Thursday if sent tomorrow or even Monday? (I guess the best bet would be to send it overnight anyway).

Thanks again.

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why don't you just email it?

biggreen05 said:

why don't you just email it?

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thanks biggreen,

i emailed mary brown a letter a couple weeks after my interview and am realizing that this is essentially a letter of interest.

Does anyone have Andy Welch's (Director of Admissions) email address at Dartmouth? Need to send that LOI now.

Guys, I think that ya'll can just mail it (overnight if ya'll want to) because the letter doesn't have to be there until Thursday. I don't know that e-mailing Welch is a good thing. If you're really worried, you can always call the admissions office and let them know that you're mailing something in, so that they can put a note on your file. That way the committee will know to look into that.

Like I said earlier, some files were reviewed yesterday; decisions from that usually arrive by mail a week later, so check your mail boxes on Thursday.

Goodluck!

whournameiz said:

I was just wondering what your opinions are on this scenario:

I interviewed way back in January and I called the office recently to get an update on my status. When I asked for my status I got put on hold and then I was told to write a letter of interest to show them that I am still interested and give them an update on what I have been doing. Did this happen to anyone else?

I'm definitely going to write one but it just seemed a little odd that they would ask for one. I thought applicants just wrote them to be overachievers or to help them get off waitlists. So does that mean I'm waitlisted?!

hmm..

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Well... that's better than what I got! I called them because I also interviewed way back in January and I haven't heard back yet. So, a nice lady answered the phone and I said I'd like to please check the status of my app. She looked it up and cheerfully told me that I was "complete" ... I was like, well yes, I know that, I interviewed almost 10 weeks ago!! And, then I asked her if she knew if a decision had been made or if my file was still under review. And, she said she didn't have that info.

It's kinda frustrating. I mean, c'mon, all other schools tell you if you are still being reviewed or if a decision has been made. I understand they can't tell you what the decision is. But, damn, they could at least tell you if a decision has been made... anyway!

I liked the school, so I guess I'll have to write one of these LOIs. The only thing is that the Thank You notes I wrote after my interview really looked like letters of interest. And, then I sent an update letter some time at the end of February. I wonder if I really need to send another one. I mean, if they don't want me, they don't want me. No matter how much I want them.... right?

DMBUGA34, you are awesome! Thanks for your help

I got a letter last week saying I have been put on the waitlist. I designated Brown-Dartmouth after my interview. However, it appears that Dartmouth will send you a note sometime in April asking whether you would also like to be placed on the Dartmouth waitlist. As a side note I was rejected post-interview from Brown, doesn't make much sense but oh well.

Anyone hear back today? Is it true that decision letters are sent out on the Friday after the adcom meeting. Also, has DMS rejected anyone post-interview yet, or do they do that at the end of the cycle. Just anxiously waiting. Thanks.

Sorry about the WL joeyb...

Hey Starfruit,

I haven't heard back yet. It's been almost 10 weeks for me...

But, decisions will come soon! If our files were reviewed last thursday, then we should get a letter by tuesday or wednesday this week. If not, the last adcoms meeting is supposed to be this thursday. So, we should def. find out next week. Unless, of course, they decide to reject us and wait until May to do so. That would suck...

On the bright side, I remember them saying at my interview that no news is good news... Let's hope so!

KiKat37 said:

I haven't heard back yet. It's been almost 10 weeks for me...

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This inspired me to count. It has been 23 weeks since my interview. I know they *say* no news is good news, but this is just silly.

Here's hoping we all here soon. Like tomorrow!

So I know that Dartmouth likes to hold out to the end of the cycle before giving out too many acceptances because they want to give a more equal opportunity to late applicants.

However, does anyone know the typical number of acceptances that are given before April and their very last meetings? It just seems that for a school that has an equally large number of applicants as many other schools, like Cornell, Penn, Tufts (and others I can't remember being rejected from at the moment), we should have expected to see a little more people with acceptances on this forum; on the acceptance thread there are only a handful of acceptances at this point. For example, there are a combined 8 ppl accepted to both the Dartmouth and Dartmouth-Brown programs but 15 at Cornell (2005 Acceptance Thread A-M)

So I would just like to know: is Dartmouth basically practicing a non-rolling decision policy (similar to that of Harvard) but with a few early acceptances or are there a larger number of acceptances out there in the non-SDN population (ie is the SDN population not indicative of the normal accepted applicants to Dartmouth?)?

Wow, I really hope that someone can decipher the crazy workings of my sleep deprived brain.

mdsadler said:

So I know that Dartmouth likes to hold out to the end of the cycle before giving out too many acceptances because they want to give a more equal opportunity to late applicants.

However, does anyone know the typical number of acceptances that are given before April and their very last meetings? It just seems that for a school that has an equally large number of applicants as many other schools, like Cornell, Penn, Tufts (and others I can't remember being rejected from at the moment), we should have expected to see a little more people with acceptances on this forum; on the acceptance thread there are only a handful of acceptances at this point. For example, there are a combined 8 ppl accepted to both the Dartmouth and Dartmouth-Brown programs but 15 at Cornell (2005 Acceptance Thread A-M)

So I would just like to know: is Dartmouth basically practicing a non-rolling decision policy (similar to that of Harvard) but with a few early acceptances or are there a larger number of acceptances out there in the non-SDN population (ie is the SDN population not indicative of the normal accepted applicants to Dartmouth?)?

Wow, I really hope that someone can decipher the crazy workings of my sleep deprived brain.

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My pre-med advisor said that by March 15th schools are supposed to give out enough acceptances to fill a first year class. According to someone who works with the admissions committee at DMS, alot of people were
interviewed (more than usual) and they may have admitted a few more than
they usually do. As for not seeing people on this forum accepted at DMS, there are lots of med school applicants who don't even know about this website, so it may be that for some reason the population on this website is not representative of those that apply to Dartmouth, and that's why you don't hear of more Dartmouth acceptances here.

a guy who works on the admission committee told my friend who goes there who then told me (okay, a little bit of telephone going on but I was trying to get some information)

mdsadler said:

So I know that Dartmouth likes to hold out to the end of the cycle before giving out too many acceptances because they want to give a more equal opportunity to late applicants.

However, does anyone know the typical number of acceptances that are given before April and their very last meetings? It just seems that for a school that has an equally large number of applicants as many other schools, like Cornell, Penn, Tufts (and others I can't remember being rejected from at the moment), we should have expected to see a little more people with acceptances on this forum; on the acceptance thread there are only a handful of acceptances at this point. For example, there are a combined 8 ppl accepted to both the Dartmouth and Dartmouth-Brown programs but 15 at Cornell (2005 Acceptance Thread A-M)

So I would just like to know: is Dartmouth basically practicing a non-rolling decision policy (similar to that of Harvard) but with a few early acceptances or are there a larger number of acceptances out there in the non-SDN population (ie is the SDN population not indicative of the normal accepted applicants to Dartmouth?)?

Wow, I really hope that someone can decipher the crazy workings of my sleep deprived brain.

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Couple of things,

1) Our class size is much smaller than the schools you mentioned, so there will be less people with acceptances since we accept less...

2) Usually around 1/3 of the class comes from the secretive "hold" list

3) It does seem like we have a lot of non-SDN people, which I think is a good thing, this place can be a little neurotic Last year only 2 of us really spent any time on here (The Russian and I)

4) What PookieGirl said seems about right. They over accepted last year too and our class was the biggest ever at 87 (there was still some wait list movement)

DMBUGA34 said:

Couple of things,

1) Our class size is much smaller than the schools you mentioned, so there will be less people with acceptances since we accept less...

2) Usually around 1/3 of the class comes from the secretive "hold" list

3) It does seem like we have a lot of non-SDN people, which I think is a good thing, this place can be a little neurotic Last year only 2 of us really spent any time on here (The Russian and I)

4) What PookieGirl said seems about right. They over accepted last year too and our class was the biggest ever at 87 (there was still some wait list movement)

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Do you know if the AAMC's recommendation for a 15% increase in medical schools has been acted upon by schools? Or, this seems more likely, will it take time for schools, including Dartmouth, to increase funding to have that capacity?

PookieGirl said:

Do you know if the AAMC's recommendation for a 15% increase in medical schools has been acted upon by schools? Or, this seems more likely, will it take time for schools, including Dartmouth, to increase funding to have that capacity?

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I don't know anything about schools acting on the 15% increase recommendation.

Regarding Dartmouth, I don't think that they're trying to increase the class size. Most schools over accept expecting some people to go elsewhere, and it seems that more people are holding on to the DMS acceptance than the number the admissions department expected would do so.

DMBUGA34, how do you know all this? Do you work in the admissions office?