2008-2009 University of Pittsburgh Secondary Application Thread

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i wonder what range of interview dates will hear back thursday if thats the case
 
yeah i hope we all hear some good news, im tired of getting anxiety attacks every thursday! did anyone send letters of interest post interview? Erina--do you think that would help at all? also, when does the adcom meet for releasing thursday results? would it be too late to send one in? thanks!
 
foodfood said:
yeah i hope we all hear some good news, im tired of getting anxiety attacks every thursday! did anyone send letters of interest post interview? Erina--do you think that would help at all? also, when does the adcom meet for releasing thursday results? would it be too late to send one in? thanks!
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I don't know for sure when the adcom meets. If you're worried about timing, you can send an email to the admissions office and they'll put it in your file.

Since Pitt is taking so many people from the waitlist this year, I think sending letters of interest/intent would be helpful. We don't want to waste our time admitting people who won't come here anyway. If you really, really, really want to come to Pitt (and you haven't heard back yet or you're on the waitlist), send something that describes why you love Pitt. You could also write about why you feel you're a good fit for our program. If you know you'll attend Pitt if accepted, tell them that.

Anything that is sent to the admissions office will be added to your file. Whether or not a letter of interest makes a difference in the end, it definitely cannot hurt. But if the admissions committee likes what you write, it'll help you out a lot when decision time comes.

Good luck everyone! I wish I could speed the process up for you.
 
Erina said:
Anything that is sent to the admissions office will be added to your file. Whether or not a letter of interest makes a difference in the end, it definitely cannot hurt. But if the admissions committee likes what you write, it'll help you out a lot when decision time comes.
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Might it hurt our bargaining position when financial aid rolls around? Even though I'm about 95% sure I'll go to Pitt if admitted, I don't want to disadvantage myself in that regard.
 
schismal said:
Might it hurt our bargaining position when financial aid rolls around? Even though I'm about 95% sure I'll go to Pitt if admitted, I don't want to disadvantage myself in that regard.
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I'm not sure how reasonable it is to bargain for financial aid at Pitt. With all the people on the waitlist, there are plenty who would be willing to take your place if you're not satisfied with the aid they give you. I think your best bet is to send your letter and hopefully you'll get admitted. Then you can worry about aid...although I wouldn't count on too much. Merit scholarships are tough to get and need-based scholarships might not be very big (I didn't get much).

Someone else might tell you differently, though. I'm slightly biased...I've never liked the idea of people bargaining for financial aid or calling 1 school to say another gave you money.
 
Erina said:
I don't know for sure when the adcom meets. If you're worried about timing, you can send an email to the admissions office and they'll put it in your file.

Since Pitt is taking so many people from the waitlist this year, I think sending letters of interest/intent would be helpful. We don't want to waste our time admitting people who won't come here anyway. If you really, really, really want to come to Pitt (and you haven't heard back yet or you're on the waitlist), send something that describes why you love Pitt. You could also write about why you feel you're a good fit for our program. If you know you'll attend Pitt if accepted, tell them that.

Anything that is sent to the admissions office will be added to your file. Whether or not a letter of interest makes a difference in the end, it definitely cannot hurt. But if the admissions committee likes what you write, it'll help you out a lot when decision time comes.

Good luck everyone! I wish I could speed the process up for you.
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thank you so much for all your help, erina!!! if i am lucky enough to get accepted, i am also going to thank you in person! 🙂 hopefully thursday is a lucky day for all of us :luck:
 
Erina said:
I'm not sure how reasonable it is to bargain for financial aid at Pitt. With all the people on the waitlist, there are plenty who would be willing to take your place if you're not satisfied with the aid they give you. I think your best bet is to send your letter and hopefully you'll get admitted. Then you can worry about aid...although I wouldn't count on too much. Merit scholarships are tough to get and need-based scholarships might not be very big (I didn't get much).

Someone else might tell you differently, though. I'm slightly biased...I've never liked the idea of people bargaining for financial aid or calling 1 school to say another gave you money.
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Bargaining may not have been the right word. And this might be a general criticism of LOIs rather than anything specific to Pitt. But if you profess undying love for the school even before a waitlist notification, what incentive does the school have to give you any aid whatsoever? Once you're waitlisted, it's a different story, but to do so post-interview just seems a bit premature to me. Am I off base with this?
 
schismal said:
Bargaining may not have been the right word. And this might be a general criticism of LOIs rather than anything specific to Pitt. But if you profess undying love for the school even before a waitlist notification, what incentive does the school have to give you any aid whatsoever? Once you're waitlisted, it's a different story, but to do so post-interview just seems a bit premature to me. Am I off base with this?
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Pitt determines aid based on financial need (unless you're amazing and get one of those great merit scholarships). Writing a letter of interest/intent should have no impact on what aid you receive.

After your interview, if you don't want to sound too enthusiastic, you can just write a letter stating what you liked about Pitt and why it's a good fit for you. After you're waitlisted, you can craft a very persuasive letter about why they should definitely admit you. But I really wouldn't worry about the impact on financial aid. You'll get what they think you need (based on family income, etc).
 
so tomorrow could be a big day huh? has anyone called and found anything out for sure?
 
Not me. No change... ahhhhh!
 
I interviewed around 11/20. I guess its a 3 month wait not 8 weeks
 
Here's what I've pieced together. I think the AdCom meets on Wednesday afternoons and tries to get through a week's worth of applicants. But sometimes they don't make it all the way through, so they start where they left off last week, and try to get through the new week's applicants too. Clearly they've fallen way behind... but it looks like this week was for interviewees from around the week of Oct 22nd-ish. I interviewed Oct 28... I hope they reviewed me yesterday, and are just taking their time updating the website. Otherwise, it's one more week for me... THO-- there were some Friday notified folks...
 
merlinwall said:
Here's what I've pieced together. I think the AdCom meets on Wednesday afternoons and tries to get through a week's worth of applicants. But sometimes they don't make it all the way through, so they start where they left off last week, and try to get through the new week's applicants too. Clearly they've fallen way behind... but it looks like this week was for interviewees from around the week of Oct 22nd-ish. I interviewed Oct 28... I hope they reviewed me yesterday, and are just taking their time updating the website. Otherwise, it's one more week for me... THO-- there were some Friday notified folks...
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They should hold an emergency session to get caught up. I don't know why but I don't seem to care about any of the other schools I applied to but Pitt. It certainly doesn't make waiting any easier.
 
Pitt is killing me! I loved the UPMC, and the first years that I stayed with were so awesome. If I just got in to this school, I would withdraw almost every application except for the UC's.

I interviewed 11/21, and no status update thus far. I'll probably be unproductive all day, pressing the reload button on the applicant status page.
 
KidCurly22 said:
Pitt is killing me! I loved the UPMC, and the first years that I stayed with were so awesome. If I just got in to this school, I would withdraw almost every application except for the UC's.

I interviewed 11/21, and no status update thus far. I'll probably be unproductive all day, pressing the reload button on the applicant status page.
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I think you'll be wasting your time. I did see one girl who interviewed on 12/8 got in on 12/26 or something, but other than that, only October interviews seem to be getting updated. I totally feel your pain though.
 
😀Application Status

Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Official correspondence should arrive at your preferred mailing address listed on your AMCAS application within two weeks.
Supplemental ApplicationSubmitted.You have submitted your application. (9/7/2008 1:37:00 PM) Administrative FeePaid.Your fee was paid on 8/24/2008 5:40:09 PM. Your transaction number was: ****** Letters of RecommendationCompleted


late oct interviewer
 
Way to go! HUGE Congratulations!!!

I called the admissions office-- they said my status will update next week or the week after. oy.

But you getting actually felt good-- vicariously, I guess. Are you gonna go to Pitt for sure?
 
What up doc said:
😀Application Status

Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Official correspondence should arrive at your preferred mailing address listed on your AMCAS application within two weeks.
Supplemental ApplicationSubmitted.You have submitted your application. (9/7/2008 1:37:00 PM) Administrative FeePaid.Your fee was paid on 8/24/2008 5:40:09 PM. Your transaction number was: ****** Letters of RecommendationCompleted


late oct interviewer
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YEAY! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!
 
merlinwall said:
Way to go! HUGE Congratulations!!!

I called the admissions office-- they said my status will update next week or the week after. oy.

But you getting actually felt good-- vicariously, I guess. Are you gonna go to Pitt for sure?
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umm, not for sure, but it is def. up high on my list. i really liked pitt. i was late for my interview day cuz my dad and i got lost in pitt so i thot id get wl or even worse rej, so this was a pleasant surprise. pitts a great school, the only shortcoming is that they have grades. and even though every1 there said it wasnt pass fail, all the drama that went down with ppl cheating this yr would lead me to believe otherwise. at any rate, im super excited and hope you too get good news next thurs!
CarrieBad said:
YEAY! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!
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thanks!! 😀
 
What up doc said:
umm, not for sure, but it is def. up high on my list. i really liked pitt. i was late for my interview day cuz my dad and i got lost in pitt so i thot id get wl or even worse rej, so this was a pleasant surprise. pitts a great school, the only shortcoming is that they have grades. and even though every1 there said it wasnt pass fail, all the drama that went down with ppl cheating this yr would lead me to believe otherwise. at any rate, im super excited and hope you too get good news next thurs!


thanks!! 😀
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Wait drama??? I love gossip. Dish!

Also, no matter what anyone says at Pitt, it's not pass fail, it's HONORS pass fail. Very important distinction.
 
haha, I was late for my int. too. I still haven't shaken that bad feeling of walking in while Dr. Piraino (Dean of Adm) was introducing herself. woof.

Good to hear your appl wasn't affected.
 
scarletgirl777 said:
Wait drama??? I love gossip. Dish!

Also, no matter what anyone says at Pitt, it's not pass fail, it's HONORS pass fail. Very important distinction.
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haha me 2...my best friend's sister is a 2nd year and she sent me this text one day hella pissed bcuz a group of second years got caught using a professor's old exams. apparently, the exams were NOT supposed to be given back to students because the information on the exams was the exact same as years prior, and ALL the answers were the same. some select group of student's somehow managed to get access to the old exams (i think she said they did not hand in their exams when they were supposed to or somethin) and they were getting honors on all their test while everyone else struggled to pass. it was such a big deal th adminstrators had a huge meeting with all the students to admonish them and give them a lecture about ethics and professionalism. i never really did follow.

needless to say, she was PISSED. id be too!
 
What up doc said:
haha me 2...my best friend's sister is a 2nd year and she sent me this text one day hella pissed bcuz a group of second years got caught using a professor's old exams. apparently, the exams were NOT supposed to be given back to students because the information on the exams was the exact same as years prior, and ALL the answers were the same. some select group of student's somehow managed to get access to the old exams (i think she said they did not hand in their exams when they were supposed to or somethin) and they were getting honors on all their test while everyone else struggled to pass. it was such a big deal th adminstrators had a huge meeting with all the students to admonish them and give them a lecture about ethics and professionalism. i never really did follow.

needless to say, she was PISSED. id be too!
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I mean, I would be too, but what's the deal with professors who don't write new exams??? Seriously? I understand wanting to recycle large chunks of lectures, but just suck it up and write a new exam. I hope that those students had automatic fails though (assuming it was clear that they were not supposed to have access to old tests).
 
What up doc said:
😀Application Status

Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Official correspondence should arrive at your preferred mailing address listed on your AMCAS application within two weeks.
Supplemental ApplicationSubmitted.You have submitted your application. (9/7/2008 1:37:00 PM) Administrative FeePaid.Your fee was paid on 8/24/2008 5:40:09 PM. Your transaction number was: ****** Letters of RecommendationCompleted


late oct interviewer
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Looks like the "nice attitude" wins out. Congrats! 😛
 
Has anyone that interviewed in early November heard anything yet?
 
scarletgirl777 said:
I mean, I would be too, but what's the deal with professors who don't write new exams??? Seriously? I understand wanting to recycle large chunks of lectures, but just suck it up and write a new exam. I hope that those students had automatic fails though (assuming it was clear that they were not supposed to have access to old tests).
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It's actually in the students' best interest for professors to not write new exams...the old exam questions have been tested and only the best ones remain. It's really hard to write a GOOD test question. When an exam is completely rewritten, there are going to be questions that make sense to the professor but completely confuse the students.

And also, a lot of these professors take a pay cut to teach us. Asking them to take another huge chunk of their time to try and create new good test questions is unreasonable if you ask me.

Oh, and just to make it clear...yes, the cheating thing was drama this year. But it's over. The professors are all rewriting their exams now, so there are no worries about people using old exams.

Honestly, this doesn't mean that Pitt is uber-competitive. I'm sure some form of cheating takes place at any medical school. You're always going to have people that try to work the system, and they are not at all reflective of the majority of the students. I would say that students at Pitt are generally happy and don't feel they have to resort to drastic measures to do well.

EDIT: We also still don't know who the cheaters were. Someone reported to the honor council that the cheating was going on, but would not name anyone. So right now, the cheaters have gotten away with it--and will never be punished unless someone comes forward. Pitt is pretty awesome though...the reason for the honor council is so that people can report issues anonymously. Because Pitt values respect and keeping their word, they did not require that the person who reported the cheating identify him/herself and/or the people involved in the cheating. We had a large meeting about the situation and a lot of the faculty members weren't so much concerned with finding the culprits as they were with making sure it doesn't happen again. After all, people who go through medical school cheating are gonna have a pretty hard time during their board exams and clinical rotations.
 
ughi didnt get a decision today either.... this is getting super frustrating! congrats doc on your acceptance!
 
Erina said:
It's actually in the students' best interest for professors to not write new exams...the old exam questions have been tested and only the best ones remain. It's really hard to write a GOOD test question. When an exam is completely rewritten, there are going to be questions that make sense to the professor but completely confuse the students.

And also, a lot of these professors take a pay cut to teach us. Asking them to take another huge chunk of their time to try and create new good test questions is unreasonable if you ask me.

Oh, and just to make it clear...yes, the cheating thing was drama this year. But it's over. The professors are all rewriting their exams now, so there are no worries about people using old exams.

Honestly, this doesn't mean that Pitt is uber-competitive. I'm sure some form of cheating takes place at any medical school. You're always going to have people that try to work the system, and they are not at all reflective of the majority of the students. I would say that students at Pitt are generally happy and don't feel they have to resort to drastic measures to do well.

EDIT: We also still don't know who the cheaters were. Someone reported to the honor council that the cheating was going on, but would not name anyone. So right now, the cheaters have gotten away with it--and will never be punished unless someone comes forward. Pitt is pretty awesome though...the reason for the honor council is so that people can report issues anonymously. Because Pitt values respect and keeping their word, they did not require that the person who reported the cheating identify him/herself and/or the people involved in the cheating. We had a large meeting about the situation and a lot of the faculty members weren't so much concerned with finding the culprits as they were with making sure it doesn't happen again. After all, people who go through medical school cheating are gonna have a pretty hard time during their board exams and clinical rotations.
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This is a perfect example of why I hate curved classes. It's all well and good to say that cheating is only hurting the cheaters, but the fact is that it hurts everyone's grades. Not saying that the honor council is a bad idea, but it's still a very unfortunate situation.

Professors take a pay cut to teach in every sector of academia, and most professors still write new exam questions or ask their assistants to do it.
 
scarletgirl777 said:
This is a perfect example of why I hate curved classes. It's all well and good to say that cheating is only hurting the cheaters, but the fact is that it hurts everyone's grades. Not saying that the honor council is a bad idea, but it's still a very unfortunate situation.

Professors take a pay cut to teach in every sector of academia, and most professors still write new exam questions or ask their assistants to do it.
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They might write a few new questions, but I think you'd be surprised to find out how many professors really don't change much on an exam from year to year. It might be different in college, but in medical school it's really important to use good questions to make sure the students are learning what they need to--and our exams are really long. Especially second year, much of each exam is based on clinical scenarios that aren't necessarily that easy to make up. I guess it doesn't sound hard to write a new exam, but it's really a pain in the ass for everyone.

And yes, maybe it impacted our grades. That's what I was really upset about at first...but I, and a lot of people I've talked to, have gotten over it. It probably matters most if you were on the edge between honors and pass, which is usually only a few people. And if it had been half the class cheating, that would have made a huge difference. But with only a few people doing it, I doubt it's worth it to worry about how it impacted the rest of our grades.

I've learned that med school is a lot easier if you don't let things get to you like this. It may be hard to understand the situation since you guys weren't here to experience it, but I have faith in our administration and know that they'll do what they need to make sure things turn out in our best interest in the end.

If anyone is truly concerned with the way things have been handled, feel free to contact the school. I've learned from these forums that in the end, nothing I or any other current student can say will change what some of you will think about things you hear about Pitt.
 
scarletgirl777 said:
This is a perfect example of why I hate curved classes. It's all well and good to say that cheating is only hurting the cheaters, but the fact is that it hurts everyone's grades. Not saying that the honor council is a bad idea, but it's still a very unfortunate situation.

Professors take a pay cut to teach in every sector of academia, and most professors still write new exam questions or ask their assistants to do it.
Click to expand...

Except that when you are in medical school, the style of the questions is not the same as the style that you get in undergrad. It's not as straightforward as they make you apply the info rather than just regurgitate. The clinical scenarios are much more representative of what we'll be getting on the boards and so I'd rather get used to that format with good questions than crappy questions that aren't representative.

Also, this doesn't correct the actual problem, that a select group of people somehow got the tests and actually did that.

Also, the meeting wasn't about telling us to be professionals. It was more about informing us about what happened and providing an open forum for people to discuss. If you figure with a class of just under 150 people, if the group is only a few people, that's a very very small portion of our class. They aren't going to admonish us for a few people's stupidity since the rest of us obviously know how to act. I do enjoy reading posts about it on here and seeing how twisted things get when it's not first hand information about that particular situation.
 
Hey, good news! I called the admissions office to snoop around for some info the other week and received a tidbit. Apparently the adcom's been considering the advancement of the wait list movement to March rather than May in order to admit in time for second look. Hope this lightens some days- this wait's a killer. Its so paradoxical that I'm excited to wait for the love of the school, but sad because that that love wasn't completely reciprocated.

Three cheers for purgatory, and all of us unbaptized applicants
 
Uggghhhh...I am not interviewing until the 26th of Jan (last week of Pitt interviews). I have heard really really good things about this school...I really wanted to interview earlier (b/c I received my invite a while ago); however, I could not make any of their interview dates since I was already scheduled to interview at other schools on ALL the open dates.

Nevertheless, I am still amped
 
30seconds said:
Hey, good news! I called the admissions office to snoop around for some info the other week and received a tidbit. Apparently the adcom's been considering the advancement of the wait list movement to March rather than May in order to admit in time for second look. Hope this lightens some days- this wait's a killer. Its so paradoxical that I'm excited to wait for the love of the school, but sad because that that love wasn't completely reciprocated.

Three cheers for purgatory, and all of us unbaptized applicants
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👍 Thanks for the update!
 
riceman, pitt's interviews end in January ?? Or, am I misunderstanding you?
 
30seconds said:
Hey, good news! I called the admissions office to snoop around for some info the other week and received a tidbit. Apparently the adcom's been considering the advancement of the wait list movement to March rather than May in order to admit in time for second look. Hope this lightens some days- this wait's a killer. Its so paradoxical that I'm excited to wait for the love of the school, but sad because that that love wasn't completely reciprocated.

Three cheers for purgatory, and all of us unbaptized applicants
Click to expand...


omg how AWESOME!!! well, if i get waitlisted this week i won't be as depressed haha. well assuming i ACTUALLY hear back this week, god it's been like 10 weeks now? c'mon pitt, admit me, i'll definately come 🙂
 
riceman04 said:
Uggghhhh...I am not interviewing until the 26th of Jan (last week of Pitt interviews). I have heard really really good things about this school...I really wanted to interview earlier (b/c I received my invite a while ago); however, I could not make any of their interview dates since I was already scheduled to interview at other schools on ALL the open dates.

Nevertheless, I am still amped
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goodluck!!! you'll love it im sure, bring a huge coat. and earmuffs. god i froze my ass off during that two hour tour...
 
IssaErie said:
riceman, pitt's interviews end in January ?? Or, am I misunderstanding you?
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I think so...but don't quote me on that. When I tried scheduling my interviews there was no arrow button to go beyond January
 
riceman04 said:
I think so...but don't quote me on that. When I tried scheduling my interviews there was no arrow button to go beyond January
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They probably just don't have the dates up for February and March. They'll put those dates up soon, most likely. Unless they're going to cut interviewing season short for some reason this year.
 
I have a question about Pitt's grading system -

I know it is H/P/F but is it based on a bell curve or can everyone in the class technically achieve an honors grade if they score higher than a certain percentage?
 
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