2008-2009 U Penn (University of Pennsylvania) Secondary Application Thread

[Quaker625]

So I have been a lurker here for a while. I was accepted by NU and I have received 3 CBC requests. One on March 10th, one on the 12th, and one on the 15th. Anybody else?

The one on the 15th is the one I think that we are all wondering about. Any thoughts? Has NU asked for a CBC 3 times from anyone?

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[linguini]

I emailed NU about getting 2 CBCs. This was the response: "I don't know why you received 2 request forms from AMCAS. Please fill out one of them and send it in. AMCAS is requesting the background check not Feinberg." 2 people on the Feinberg thread have now confirmed that they got 2 CBC emails (and did not apply to any other school (e.g. Penn) on the background check list). Seems like it is an issue/glitch with AMCAS that is not Northwestern specific.

 

[LaLu112]

hey guys, another lurker here. thanks so much for the post linguini. i was starting to get really worried that i hadn't received a cbc email

also, on another note, i had a nightmare last night that penn decided to withhold admissions decisions until september (crazy, I know)!! i was definitely happy to wake up...and it made the 11 days (max!) not seem so bad!!

 

[blurryLines]

I feel like I've been pretty darn patient for the last year or so with this medical school application process, but this final wait for Penn is turning out the be the worst for me. I'm far more anxious just to get a decision at all than about what that decision might be (although as my top choice, an acceptance would make it way more worthwhile!)

I was just looking at last year's threads for Penn, and it seems like they had some fun passing the time until decisions came out. Anyone else want to commiserate until whenever they update the status pages? I guess I'm in need of distraction.

 

[Morozovo]

I feel like I've been pretty darn patient for the last year or so with this medical school application process, but this final wait for Penn is turning out the be the worst for me. I'm far more anxious just to get a decision at all than about what that decision might be (although as my top choice, an acceptance would make it way more worthwhile!)

I was just looking at last year's threads for Penn, and it seems like they had some fun passing the time until decisions came out. Anyone else want to commiserate until whenever they update the status pages? I guess I'm in need of distraction.

Good idea. Anyone want to discuss tourney picks? lol

 

[Dunc]

Good idea. Anyone want to discuss tourney picks? lol

Pitt over Memphis? Hard to say as a Huskies fan (both with respect to Pitt as a big east team winning it all and Memphis beating UConn).

 

[Morozovo]

Pitt over Memphis? Hard to say as a Huskies fan (both with respect to Pitt as a big east team winning it all and Memphis beating UConn).

I dunno, Memphis seemed to have a bit of a rough time with Cal State Northridge today (though to be fair I wasn't actually watching, just keeping up with the score). They aren't as good as they were last year.

UNC looks hard to beat, esp. if Ty Lawson really is healthy. I like Pitt too, though.

 

[bennnythejet]

Louisville over UNC in the final...

I have Memphis over UConn to get to the final four...not liking that so much after today.

 

[quirks]

Can we pass the time by talking about something else too? Sports = . Especially non football/soccer sports.

I don't really have anything to suggest talking about though... So carry on!

 

[Dunc]

I dunno, Memphis seemed to have a bit of a rough time with Cal State Northridge today (though to be fair I wasn't actually watching, just keeping up with the score). They aren't as good as they were last year.

UNC looks hard to beat, esp. if Ty Lawson really is healthy. I like Pitt too, though.

Yeah, Memphis started the tourney a little slower than I would have hoped for.

Don't know about UNC though. This entire season for them has been about looking hard to beat, and then being beat.

 

[tiamat360]

Can we pass the time by talking about something else too? Sports = . Especially non football/soccer sports.

I don't really have anything to suggest talking about though... So carry on!

We could talk about pets! I like pets!

It looks like you have a bird?

 

[aebvd97]

We could talk about pets! I like pets!

It looks like you have a bird?

Pets! I have a most wonderful black kitty named Lucius Quintus. He is currently kneading my leg.

 

[tiamat360]

Pets! I have a most wonderful black kitty named Lucius Quintus. He is currently kneading my leg.

Awww...

I (by which I mean my family) has two Jack Russell Terriers. They are INSANE. But also adorable.

I want to get a golden retriever once I've settled into med school.

 

[quirks]

We could talk about pets! I like pets!

It looks like you have a bird?

I do have a bird! She's a green cheek conure named Chu. She can't talk and she's tone deaf so she can't sing or whistle either. She makes kissy sounds or she squawks. Or makes her weird little duck-grunt. She's bratty but really affectionate and doesn't like not being able to see where I am.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with her next year though. Hopefully I'll find an apartment that lets me keep her! If not, she might live with relatives for a few years (they live for like, twenty years and she's only a year or two old so far).

 

[Enroh]

I have two young cats and a dog (the dog being my parents dog). Over spring break last week we took my dog to the vet because he has been limping for about a month. It was a substitute vet and he told us that Wilson (my dog) either had lyme disease or bone cancer. Since the lyme disease test was negative, he then told us we had to take Wilson to an orthopedic doggy surgeon and get x-rays and have his leg amputated. Later that day our real vet called us back and told us he would do the x-ray and we'll see where we stood. When we went back for the x-ray our vet told us Wilson only had a torn ACL, which heals on its own in dogs. The other guy is the worst. vet. ever.

Oh, and go Wake Forest even though I have them losing in the elite eight.

 

[quirks]

I have two young cats and a dog (the dog being my parents dog). Over spring break last week we took my dog to the vet because he has been limping for about a month. It was a substitute vet and he told us that Wilson (my dog) either had lyme disease or bone cancer. Since the lyme disease test was negative, he then told us we had to take Wilson to an orthopedic doggy surgeon and get x-rays and have his leg amputated. Later that day our real vet called us back and told us he would do the x-ray and we'll see where we stood. When we went back for the x-ray our vet told us Wilson only had a torn ACL, which heals on its own in dogs. The other guy is the worst. vet. ever.

Oh, and go Wake Forest even though I have them losing in the elite eight.

Wow. That guy was a terrible vet.

Speaking of bad vet experiences, I used to have rabbits. Angie (full name: Samurai Angel. Other rabbit was Jedi Ninja) had an upper respiratory infection soI called around trying to find a rabbit vet. Guy said "Oh yeah! I can do rabbits!" and I believed him. Why wouldn't I? He gave her Amoxicillin to be taken orally. Turns out that stuff causes diarrhea in rabbits and can kill them. I thankfully realized after a few doses that she was getting worse, not better, took her to a new vet that actually knew what he was doing, and thankfully, she survived (my bank account however, did not).

Rabbits are awesome, btw, but not for me. Ended up giving mine away to the pet sitter. Cats are not for me either. I think birds are just right.

 

[tiamat360]

I have two young cats and a dog (the dog being my parents dog). Over spring break last week we took my dog to the vet because he has been limping for about a month. It was a substitute vet and he told us that Wilson (my dog) either had lyme disease or bone cancer. Since the lyme disease test was negative, he then told us we had to take Wilson to an orthopedic doggy surgeon and get x-rays and have his leg amputated. Later that day our real vet called us back and told us he would do the x-ray and we'll see where we stood. When we went back for the x-ray our vet told us Wilson only had a torn ACL, which heals on its own in dogs. The other guy is the worst. vet. ever.

Oh scary. I definitely misread that at first as saying you amputated his leg and then found out it was just a torn ACL. Fortunately, it seems like that wasn't the case...Poor puppy .

Rabbits.

Heh. I work with rabbits. My adviser keeps trying to give them to me when our experiment cycles are over.

 

[linguini]

My roommate has 2 kitties (well I guess they are more like cats by now). Before we got them in the apartment I thought I was going to hate them because I assumed they were going to be, well, catty. Turns out that I absolutely LOVE THEM. Even though they don't jump all over you and shower you with love like dogs, they are still affectionate and definitely have their own personalities. I hope to get a cat of my own someday but considering my track record with pets (I killed a goldfish in about a week) I think I'll have to wait a bit.

 

[Morozovo]

So where else are y'all considering for school? This has to be one of the last places to hear back from.

 

[linguini]

So where else are y'all considering for school? This has to be one of the last places to hear back from.

Oh right...this is the Penn thread...

Yes, this is definitely one of the last places giving out decisions. I'm convinced that the next week will be the longest of my life. Already checked the status page in the small, teeny tiny hope that 3/20 might be the magical or heartbreaking day. Nothing.

 

[blurryLines]

Oh right...this is the Penn thread...

Yes, this is definitely one of the last places giving out decisions. I'm convinced that the next week will be the longest of my life. Already checked the status page in the small, teeny tiny hope that 3/20 might be the magical or heartbreaking day. Nothing.

Haha. I checked right after I woke up before going to work. Nothing there either. Do we know the time of day they update? I still think it's going to be next Friday like other people were saying, but you never can tell ...

And I have a 12 year-old black cat that was diagnosed with kittie-hyperthyroidism a few years back. He basically whines a lot and eats about five cans of food a day even though he's skinny as a rail. Nice cat, but drives us all insane with the meowing.

 

[tiamat360]

Do we know the time of day they update?

Last year it looks like the status pages updated ~10:30am.

 

[quirks]

So where else are y'all considering for school? This has to be one of the last places to hear back from.

I only have one other acceptance so far, so not much to think about! I still have a shot at a non-wait list acceptance from UPenn, Tufts and Georgetown. Judging by how things have gone with other top schools, I don't actually have much of a shot with UPenn though. Then again, the odds have to be in my favor by now, right...?

Back to pets.

I like cats, but I did not get along with my last one very well. Really, really affectionate, beautiful cat, but really hyper. Got into and onto everything. Tried to eat everything. And everything but this one brand of canned food gave him diarrhea, so that wasn't a fun combination. And then I developed allergies (to him, I thought. But in retrospect might have been his litter?) so he went back to his breeder. I miss him sometimes though. Maybe he could have helped with my current mouse problem. And I think he would have mellowed with age. But the allergies were the deal breaker.

 

[BNSN]

Well, looks like next week is it.

The MD/PhD office said decisions would be sent out 3/25, last I heard.

 

[quirks]

Well, looks like next week is it.

The MD/PhD office said decisions would be sent out 3/25, last I heard.

Do MD and MD/PhD acceptances happen on the same day usually?

Edit: Checked the old thread. Looks like they do update at the same time! That would be awesome.

 

[BNSN]

Quirks, yup. The MD/PhD office explicity told me that both programs are announced at the same time.

 

[quirks]

Quirks, yup. The MD/PhD office explicity told me that both programs are announced at the same time.

Yay! If decisions really do come out on Wednesday, I'll be so happy. This waiting has been stressing me out.

 

[tiamat360]

Oh man. I'm flying from CA early in the morning on Wednesday back to the east coast. That is going to be one hell of a stressful flight .

 

[hzjames]

My B day is on 24th......there are just too much stake riding on the Penn decision.......

 

[LaLu112]

Thanks BNSN!! I'm getting so nervous now....

 

[blurryLines]

Soooo ... maybe just two more days of waiting?!

I guess I can handle that.

 

[quirks]

Soooo ... maybe just two more days of waiting?!

I guess I can handle that.

I'm suddenly a lot more calm about all of this, but I might start to freak out Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning.

 

[blurryLines]

I'm suddenly a lot more calm about all of this, but I might start to freak out Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning.

Me too! I think having a date in mind has made me less anxious. But at the same time, getting a bunch of waitlist letters from similar schools in the last two weeks has pretty much eliminated my hope for a positive outcome from Penn. So I guess I'm not sure how to feel.

 

[quirks]

Me too! I think having a date in mind has made me less anxious. But at the same time, getting a bunch of waitlist letters from similar schools in the last two weeks has pretty much eliminated my hope for a positive outcome from Penn. So I guess I'm not sure how to feel.

Yeah, same here, except I've been rejected/waitlisted. The stupidly optimistic side of me is thinking "Well, so the odds must be that I should get into UPenn then, right?" but the realistic side of me knows it's not completely random and based on odds and that it's just that these schools don't want me.

 

[dcjab]

Yea I kno exactly how you feel. Although waitlists aren't so bad. Schools seem to accept a decent amount of people off their waitlists.

 

[linguini]

Me too! I think having a date in mind has made me less anxious. But at the same time, getting a bunch of waitlist letters from similar schools in the last two weeks has pretty much eliminated my hope for a positive outcome from Penn. So I guess I'm not sure how to feel.

I hear you on that! It's been a depressing month for me on the med school front.

I've already subconsciously decided that I'm getting waitlisted at Penn and have started planning how I'm going to try to get off of the waitlist.

 

[thedudette]

Yeah, same here, except I've been rejected/waitlisted. The stupidly optimistic side of me is thinking "Well, so the odds must be that I should get into UPenn then, right?" but the realistic side of me knows it's not completely random and based on odds and that it's just that these schools don't want me.

I'm right there with you folks. For me, the pre-interview rejections hurt a lot less than the aggregation of post-interview rejection/WLs. Thank God for the accept, or I would be flipping out right about now.

 

[blurryLines]

Yeah, same here, except I've been rejected/waitlisted. The stupidly optimistic side of me is thinking "Well, so the odds must be that I should get into UPenn then, right?" but the realistic side of me knows it's not completely random and based on odds and that it's just that these schools don't want me.

I hear you on that too. I keep imagining how awesome it would be to get accepted, especially after the disappointments from other schools, but as soon as I think about it, I come right back to reality and realize how low my chances are.

Lately, I've been feeling like all the "perfect applicant" kids who have already gotten acceptances from the other "top 10" schools are going to get accepted at Penn too and take all the spots. This leaves me to hope that they will end up picking a different school and let a bunch of people off the waitlist, where I assume I'll be

 

[DL611954]

has a date been leaked yet?

 

[blurryLines]

I've already subconsciously decided that I'm getting waitlisted at Penn and have started planning how I'm going to try to get off of the waitlist.

Well if you end up getting accepted or feel like sharing your ideas with fellow waitlisters, be sure to pass along any good plans you come up with for getting off the WL!

 

[linguini]

Well if you end up getting accepted or feel like sharing your ideas with fellow waitlisters, be sure to pass along any good plans you come up with for getting off the WL!

Oh just the standard take-me-off-your-waitlist-PUHLEASEEE-activities... updates about my research, letter of intent, calling, an extra letter of recommendation, selling my soul, whatever.

 

[linguini]

has a date been leaked yet?

Someone earlier on this thread said 3/25. But I really wouldn't be surprised if decisions don't come out until Friday. Of course I will be dead from waiting by then so I'm hoping it's actually Wednesday.

 

[LaLu112]

ahhhhh i hope it's wednesday too...there's no way i can wait until Friday...and I'll confess, I've already checked my status page twice, ok three times this morning....

 

[linguini]

ahhhhh i hope it's wednesday too...there's no way i can wait until Friday...and I'll confess, I've already checked my status page twice, ok three times this morning....

Geeez, are you unhealthily obsessed with Penn or something?!

(I've checked 3 times as well.......)

 

[LaLu112]

Geeez, are you unhealthily obsessed with Penn or something?!

(I've checked 3 times as well.......)

 

[dcjab]

Well then, no need for me to check.

 

[blurryLines]

ahhhhh i hope it's wednesday too...there's no way i can wait until Friday...and I'll confess, I've already checked my status page twice, ok three times this morning....

Yeah ... I've had the status page up for occasional refreshing since I got into work this morning. I'm not really expecting anything today, but just in case ...

 

[BNSN]

Sigh...nothing.

I want to call, but I have done so twice. Anyone want to bite the bullet and call to ask on any definitive dates?

 

[quirks]

Sigh...nothing.

I want to call, but I have done so twice. Anyone want to bite the bullet and call to ask on any definitive dates?

Well, it's a week till they absolutely need to let us know, and they can't let us know on two of those days (Saturday and Sunday). I figure we might as well just wait then. It'll be Tuesday (unlikely), Wednesday (highly likely?), Thursday, Friday (likely based on past cycles), or (I really doubt it) Monday.

 

[blurryLines]

Well, it's a week till they absolutely need to let us know, and they can't let us know on two of those days (Saturday and Sunday). I figure we might as well just wait then. It'll be Tuesday (unlikely), Wednesday (highly likely?), Thursday, Friday (likely based on past cycles), or (I really doubt it) Monday.

I really really hope it's not Monday. I don't want to spend another weekend in limbo!

Hoping for Wednesday!