2009-2010 University of Pittsburgh Application Thread

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That's just how it is, no matter how unfair it sounds. On my interview I heard of people who were pulled literally last minute from the waitlist, well into the summer... I know, the horror.

Maybe the WL is yet another filter to make sure they get the people that are absolutely in love with Pitt and would drop any other plans for the opportunity to go there?

Joking... I don't think they would play with people like that on purpose. It's just a very long and tedious review process, I'm sure.

I have the advantage of not having to coordinate with anyone else, so I think I'll hold out until the very end. It's a terrible position to have to give up the opportunity of going to Pitt because of this long process...
 
BBender716 said:
Wrote that in my LOI to them awhile ago, which they subsequently threw aside, lol

For me, Pitt has gone from #1 to #mightbetoolatebecausetheydraggedtheirfeet.
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Come to osu!!! 😛

But seriously, being WL here since like a gazillion months ago is no fun
 
this sucks tremendously. my friends going to OSU are about to put a deposit down on a place...holding out for Pitt may mean missing the boat somewhere else or just being a jack***** to friends. so lame.
 
rockaction said:
this sucks tremendously. my friends going to OSU are about to put a deposit down on a place...holding out for Pitt may mean missing the boat somewhere else or just being a jack***** to friends. so lame.
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It just shows a lack of respect for their future students. That's all. 👎
 
rockaction said:
this sucks tremendously. my friends going to OSU are about to put a deposit down on a place...holding out for Pitt may mean missing the boat somewhere else or just being a jack***** to friends. so lame.
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You can hold your best offer and change your mind during WL season. You shouldn't be missing out on any school offers because of this. It does suck if you have to delay finding a place.
 
Chuck's Right Foot said:
You can hold your best offer and change your mind during WL season. You shouldn't be missing out on any school offers because of this. It does suck if you have to delay finding a place.
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It just seems odd to me that they refuse to compile the majority of the class and classes start in 5 months!

They told us in the waitlist letter that "this year, the Admissions Committee has decided to initially accept fewer applicants out right and instead will accept a larger portion from our wait list." It makes zero sense that they planned on having a huge waitlist, and won't start pulling from it till a month before people decide on a school! Why do they go through the whole waitlist song and dance?

I can't see myself up and leaving a school I've committed to in May or June to attend Pitt. I love Pitt and it's practically my top choice at this point, but if they don't want me now...I might as well go somewhere else. I don't know. It just sucks. I'm sure you felt similarly distraught, having been pulled from the WL at the last moment :\
 
I guess my big issue is: call yourself a non-rolling school or have a distinct semi-rolling system with periods of bulk decisions. Don't call it something that it isn't because then applicants have an unclear picture of what's really going on and become semi-neurotic (myself included).

Call it semi-rolling. Call it non-rolling. Just don't call this rolling.
 
SteinUmStein said:
It just shows a lack of respect for their future students. That's all. 👎
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I really feel like Pitt is going to loose a lot of talented people who really like Pitt but simply did not want to put up with all this last minute waitlist stuff.
 
fastboyslim said:
I really feel like Pitt is going to loose a lot of talented people who really like Pitt but simply did not want to put up with all this last minute waitlist stuff.
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I have to agree with the fact that this strategy Pitt is going with seems counter-intuitive. However, without being in the AdCom, it is really hard to judge any of this accurately...

Maybe the ones they are really interested in, the super-talented ones, are already sitting on an acceptance. Perhaps even scholarship offers... I don't know any of that for sure, but one thing seems certain to me: they are doing this for a reason. I'm very skeptical of the idea that a prestigious school like Pitt would be leading this year's admissions process on a whim, or on somebody's crazy, edgy plan. There must be some advantage to their accepting more than 1/3 of the class from the waitlist instead of directly. I can't imagine what that is, but I find it hard to believe they would for no good reason...
 
A few months ago a medical student at Pitt said to notify the school if you have an extraneous situation (job, spouse, kids) and that they take these matters into consideration (faster response). I called / wrote and was basically told to wait....that is not the easiest thing to do (I have a spouse to consider).

I loved Pitt...but I am a bit discouraged by the response I received and by this email. Hopefully things quicken and we hear some news.

Good luck guys/gals. :luck::xf::luck:
 
Chuck's Right Foot said:
Dude, really? If you feel that way, go elsewhere.
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Will do... I'd love to withdraw right away, but I can't in good conscience knowing that I haven't seen financial aid from anywhere. As soon as I know, I'll open up my spot for you guys. I'm sorry I can't do it sooner.
 
SteinUmStein said:
Will do... I'd love to withdraw right away, but I can't in good conscience knowing that I haven't seen financial aid from anywhere. As soon as I know, I'll open up my spot for you guys. I'm sorry I can't do it sooner.
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totally agree. very nice of you though to say you'll withdraw as soon as you know.
 
taciturngirl said:
Aha! As a research coordinator, this made me lol a bit.
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Research coordinators make me lol sometimes. I just a CRF that said "patient lost efficacy." The 😕 emoticon may have actually popped up over my head. Looks like it's one more DCF for me...
 
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SteinUmStein said:
Will do... I'd love to withdraw right away, but I can't in good conscience knowing that I haven't seen financial aid from anywhere. As soon as I know, I'll open up my spot for you guys. I'm sorry I can't do it sooner.
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Same position here. I will likely be vacating my acceptance but am waiting for the financial aid notification first. A lot of schools will be sending out financial aid packages in the next month or two and I think you'll start seeing a ton of waitlist movement as acceptees start committing. Hang in there everyone on the waitlist!!
 
TooMuchResearch said:
Research coordinators make me lol sometimes. I just a CRF that said "patient lost efficacy." The 😕 emoticon may have actually popped up over my head. Looks like it's one more DCF for me...
Click to expand...

Yeah...I'm kind of the anti-research coordinator, which is why leaving for med school in August will be such a relief.

Anyway, sorry to hijack the thread, peeps, carry on.
 
oof... long waitlist - Pitt's my absolute top choice, I've been accepted elsewhere but if Pitt takes me even 1 week before classes I am willing to come.
 
Klunkerz3 said:
oof... long waitlist - Pitt's my absolute top choice, I've been accepted elsewhere but if Pitt takes me even 1 week before classes I am willing to come.
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How would you find housing in that limited amount of time?
 
fastboyslim said:
How would you find housing in that limited amount of time?
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You'd be...

SNL_Down_By_River_Blue_Heather_Ringer_Shirt.jpg
 
can anyone who goes to school here talk a little bit about their MS1//MS2 experiences? how long is a typical class day and how much of that is lecture vs. pbl/activities?

on interview day a lot of the current students rubbed off on me as a little on the competitive side and im curious if i just got a bad sampling 😛 is there any plan to change MS1 or MS2 to P/F as opposed to H/P/F by next year? also there was some controversy about cheating a couple of years ago...what ever happened to that?
 
I agree. If i actually make it here and choose to attend, im scared that I wont be as academically strong as my classmates. Some of the current students I met at the interview seemed a little competitive. I'm really un-competitive and laid back in terms of gunning for grades.
 
I wonder if the university housing in Darragh st. keeps a few spots open well into the summer, taking into account Pitt's weird admissions pattern...

Chuck, how did you manage the housing situation?

I would definitely not mind living in a van by the river if i got the chance to go to pitt!
 
Hello everyone,

I was wondering how often is it appropriate to write letters of interest? I really love this place, but I dont want to be pushy either by writing to many letters of interest.
 
pelliper said:
can anyone who goes to school here talk a little bit about their MS1//MS2 experiences? how long is a typical class day and how much of that is lecture vs. pbl/activities?

on interview day a lot of the current students rubbed off on me as a little on the competitive side and im curious if i just got a bad sampling 😛 is there any plan to change MS1 or MS2 to P/F as opposed to H/P/F by next year? also there was some controversy about cheating a couple of years ago...what ever happened to that?
Click to expand...

bump!
 
parameter said:
Hello everyone,

I was wondering how often is it appropriate to write letters of interest? I really love this place, but I dont want to be pushy either by writing to many letters of interest.
Click to expand...

wonderin' about that too. I wrote an update letter back in January, so I don't know if I should vamp things up with another letter.
 
pelliper said:
can anyone who goes to school here talk a little bit about their MS1//MS2 experiences? how long is a typical class day and how much of that is lecture vs. pbl/activities?

on interview day a lot of the current students rubbed off on me as a little on the competitive side and im curious if i just got a bad sampling 😛 is there any plan to change MS1 or MS2 to P/F as opposed to H/P/F by next year? also there was some controversy about cheating a couple of years ago...what ever happened to that?
Click to expand...

I'm wrapping up my first year at Pitt. Assuming you prefer attending classes to recorded lectures online, you can plan on starting with full days (starts around 9 and ends between 2 and 4) 3 days of the week and half days the other ones in the beginning when you take anatomy. There's typically 1 pbl (1 - 2 hours) session a week or week and a half with a follow up 4-5 days after it. Once you get to second semester we get to go into the clinics one half day a week so three days become half days and two of them are open. If you don't go to classes (I don't), you can watch lectures at double speed, go to the required pbls once in a while, and study at your own discretion and do just fine.

While to my knowledge nothing is officially changing for next semester, there is a PittMed wide interest in shifting to P/F and possibly using shelf exams. In a school wide questionnaire, the vast majority of students wanted to make the change and the administration is very receptive, so I wouldn't be surprised if things change at some point.

Speaking to the idea of the school being competitive, I would make the argument that our classes are motivated, not competitive. Before you laugh at my lame sounding clarification, the first year class has been very supportive. We have groups who make study guides for each course and email it out. Another group makes online flashcards that everyone uses. I've received summary tables, helpful mnemonics, and useful sheets for completing history/physicals. This has been consistent throughout my first year and the amount of tips and study sheets the second years send us makes me believe it carries through the rest of our PittMed education.

Because I wasn't even at the school, I can't speak to things happening before me, but I can say that the culture of PittMed does not encourage cheating and I have never seen or heard of any cheating in my class. If you're strongly considering PittMed, come out to second look and meet us and your future potential classmates. You'll meet a lot of great people you'd enjoy spending the next four years with at a school with the resources to support any of your interests. That's my sales pitch 😛
 
Build said:
I'm wrapping up my first year at Pitt. Assuming you prefer attending classes to recorded lectures online, you can plan on starting with full days (starts around 9 and ends between 2 and 4) 3 days of the week and half days the other ones in the beginning when you take anatomy. There's typically 1 pbl (1 - 2 hours) session a week or week and a half with a follow up 4-5 days after it. Once you get to second semester we get to go into the clinics one half day a week so three days become half days and two of them are open. If you don't go to classes (I don't), you can watch lectures at double speed, go to the required pbls once in a while, and study at your own discretion and do just fine.

While to my knowledge nothing is officially changing for next semester, there is a PittMed wide interest in shifting to P/F and possibly using shelf exams. In a school wide questionnaire, the vast majority of students wanted to make the change and the administration is very receptive, so I wouldn't be surprised if things change at some point.

Speaking to the idea of the school being competitive, I would make the argument that our classes are motivated, not competitive. Before you laugh at my lame sounding clarification, the first year class has been very supportive. We have groups who make study guides for each course and email it out. Another group makes online flashcards that everyone uses. I've received summary tables, helpful mnemonics, and useful sheets for completing history/physicals. This has been consistent throughout my first year and the amount of tips and study sheets the second years send us makes me believe it carries through the rest of our PittMed education.

Because I wasn't even at the school, I can't speak to things happening before me, but I can say that the culture of PittMed does not encourage cheating and I have never seen or heard of any cheating in my class. If you're strongly considering PittMed, come out to second look and meet us and your future potential classmates. You'll meet a lot of great people you'd enjoy spending the next four years with at a school with the resources to support any of your interests. That's my sales pitch 😛
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I'm also a first year and second all of this.

The only thing that's different for me is that I go to most classes. I enjoy being in class and am more productive that way in getting work done. You still have plenty of time to study and/or relax if you go to class.
 
I was also wondering since H/P/F is curved by standard deviations...have you ever run into a case where everyone gets a 95 so you need a 98 to honor? That would suck :laugh:
 
The test averages usually run between 75 and low 80s (sometimes mid 80s). It's 1 stdev above mean for honors and two under to fail. During anatomy when everyone is still really really gung ho the average was up around 87 so you needed a 94+ to honor, but that doesn't really end up being a problem
 
Build said:
The test averages usually run between 75 and low 80s (sometimes mid 80s). It's 1 stdev above mean for honors and two under to fail. During anatomy when everyone is still really really gung ho the average was up around 87 so you needed a 94+ to honor, but that doesn't really end up being a problem
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Doesn't this mean that in every test, someone is going to fail? I mean, if everyone pulls in the mid 70's, the stdev is going to be super small. Thus, someone in the lower-mid-70s is going to fail. Right?

I've been running some Excel spreadsheets (yeah, I know I'm a math nerd), and it seems like in almost any situation, at least 2-3 people fail. Am I missing something crucial here?
 
GoodmanBrown said:
Doesn't this mean that in every test, someone is going to fail? I mean, if everyone pulls in the mid 70's, the stdev is going to be super small. Thus, someone in the lower-mid-70s is going to fail. Right?

I've been running some Excel spreadsheets (yeah, I know I'm a math nerd), and it seems like in almost any situation, at least 2-3 people fail. Am I missing something crucial here?
Click to expand...

Your math is right. However, grading is typically "adjusted" before assigning p/F/H, so that if everyone is above a passing grade (e.g. 70 or whatever the prof decides) there can theoretically be no one failing. I think that the spread tends to be wide enough that there are people that fall that low. Also, by second year the classes are hard enough that the means can be even lower than 70's.

In reality, what this grading style would mean for you as a student is that as long as you are keeping up with your work you can more or less count on a pass. If you are a particular expert in a subject or like to study more than your peers you can enjoy an honors. But the wide range of scoring for pass affords you the opportunities to pursue other interests whether they be research or clubs or hobbies or shadowing or watching TV. The point is that the grading style is set up to decrease competition and allow students to focus on learning the important things, not to weed out the lowest 5 students in the class.
 
Build said:
Your math is right. However, grading is typically "adjusted" before assigning p/F/H, so that if everyone is above a passing grade (e.g. 70 or whatever the prof decides) there can theoretically be no one failing. I think that the spread tends to be wide enough that there are people that fall that low. Also, by second year the classes are hard enough that the means can be even lower than 70's.
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I was told by a current student that it is either two standard deviations or below 65 (I think), whichever is lower.
 
Latetotheparty said:
I was told by a current student that it is either two standard deviations or below 65 (I think), whichever is lower.
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Yea that seems more fair, otherwise someone has to fail every test and that would be terrible lol 😀
 
I'm about to graduate from pitt. I've returned to SDN what with matchday and all. Everything the first years said was true when I took those courses a couple years ago.

I wouldn't get too scared about the "someone has to fail" thing. While honoring can be very difficult, failing a block is almost impossible, and failing individual tests is ultimately inconsequential. You have to well and truly drop the ball. It almost always involves one of the following:

1) Serious personal distress
2) Major medical issue (this has happened several times, doesn't really count as a fail, but can hold you back a year. There's just only so much time you can miss and still learn the material)
3) Lack of appreciation for the amount of work medical school takes

Two standard devs below the mean is a lot of room. All in all, you can get away with some very shoddy performance in the first 2 years and skate by. The thing is, you can't cheese your way past step 1, so one way or another, you are going to learn the material. Most people do. And our step 1 pass rate is good.

Everyone stresses exam grades. It's in our nature. But should you get in here, it is unlikely to ever be an issue.

Good luck with the wait list.
 
two words i never want to hear in medical school: standard deviation
 
probably should have asked this earlier but...is H/P/F ranked?
 
Does anyone know how the waitlist here is ranked/determined? Also, can we find out at any time where we stand on that list?
 
Do you think we might hear from the office anytime sooner? My interview was on Sept 8, so I've been anxiously waiting for a long time, and I hope I still have a chance here. It's still my favorite, and I would love to be a Pitt student.

Wishing everyone the best!
 
I just got this email today... does this mean they are offering me a spot off the waitlist? anyone else get one?

"We are currently reviewing our wait list and we feel you are an
excellent fit for our medical community. We would like to hear from you
regarding your level of interest in attending this medical school, or
whether your plans have changed recently. Please let us know whether you
would still like to become a part of our student body.

Your response will not commit you to UPSOM. Based on the AAMC rules, if
admitted to UPSOM, you will have until May 15th to decide which school
you would like to attend.

Our regards and hoping to hear from you soon"
 
NNukibw77 said:
I just got this email today... does this mean they are offering me a spot off the waitlist? anyone else get one?

"We are currently reviewing our wait list and we feel you are an
excellent fit for our medical community. We would like to hear from you
regarding your level of interest in attending this medical school, or
whether your plans have changed recently. Please let us know whether you
would still like to become a part of our student body.

Your response will not commit you to UPSOM. Based on the AAMC rules, if
admitted to UPSOM, you will have until May 15th to decide which school
you would like to attend.

Our regards and hoping to hear from you soon"
Click to expand...
sounds like a "i like you if you like me" sort of thing

they'll admit you if you want to accept the acceptance (not binding), but if you want to withdraw/aren't interested in pitt at all anymore, they'd like to know in advance, i suppose

congrats? i guess?

edit: or maybe they're just sending it out to everyone so they can narrow the waitlist even more and not give acceptances out to people who will immediately withdraw
 
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