2008-2009 University of Pittsburgh Secondary Application Thread

[87138]

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That's awesome...just make sure you don't say that being afraid it would come up in an interview was the reason you didn't use the stolen essay.

Or...you could write an essay about deciding whether or not to mention that you didn't use the stolen essay because it would come up in an interview...

/end loop.

Nah I didn't use that as the reason. I just said something about having a realization that it would be amoral to do so, blah blah blah.

This was last year when I was applying by the way.

 

[BlackDr2b]

Bump

 

[serikk85]

Hey all, just wanted to wish everybody good luck on this secondary. I was very impressed with Pitt's turnaround time, 9 days from complete status to interview invite. Hopefully that will motivate you to get it in quick!

 

[copingmethods]

Hey all, just wanted to wish everybody good luck on this secondary. I was very impressed with Pitt's turnaround time, 9 days from complete status to interview invite. Hopefully that will motivate you to get it in quick!

When I saw that some people had received interviews already, I paid $20 extra to rush my letters, and got an interview soon after!

I also thought their secondary/status website is one of the better ones I've used so far.

 

[Decicco]

I agree with above.

 

[DrYoda]

Did anyone else recieve a snail mail letter (in addition to the email) asking you to fill out their secondary? It is signed in ink by the executive director of admissions, cynthia bonetti. I am OOS, 35 MCAT 3.97 GPA.

I got one. If I remember correctly, I thought the signature "ink" was just blue printer ink haha. Trying to trick us into feeling special.

 

[Decicco]

Oh, ok. That makes sense afterall

 

[choolMed]

I got one dated July 9 2008. It's a similar, yet different signature. (In Bonetti, the cross in the t of her last name touches the got in the i in mine, not yours. Also the B is written a bit different)

Did everyone get one? I didnt even realize she signed it personally until I read this and inspected it closer. It looks like real ink.

 

[DrYoda]

Looks legit to me, there is even a perferation where she dotted her 'i'. Who knows, lol. If I had a microscope handy I'd find out for sure.

My bad, I just looked it is signed. I got some letter from another school that had a pixilated signature that made me laugh.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Decicco]

My bad, I just looked it is signed. I got some letter from another school that had a pixilated signature that made me laugh.

Sorry for the confusion.

I doubt she signs letters to all 5600 applicants, so I guess that's reason enough to feel special! 😀

 

[RoadRunner17]

We have some professional handwriting analysts here don't we? Jesus, some people need to just relax a little bit..

 

[azuldelcielo]

I got the letter too.

Blue ink and 25% cotton paper.

 

[whoknows2008]

hey all! i've been using interfolio for my LORs, but pitt has the cover letter form. does anyone know if i can just upload this on interfolio and attach it with the letters (it says it is sent electronically for pitt) or should i sent the forms separately through the mail? thanks!

 

[Kaydubz]

"If you have waived your right of access in writing via a committee or letter service, it is not necessary to include the enclosed recommendation cover sheet." - From the Secondary.

 

[DH78]

I got the letter too, and it looks like a real signature. I didn't send it off to the crime lab for authentication, but it made me feel nice. And for what it's worth, my MCAT and GPA are not as great as Decicco's, so maybe Pitt just loves us all for being us. I agree that their secondary website and overall attitude are unique among the other schools I've applied too.

 

[yuiness]

Does anyone else have this problem? On their prereq grid, it says that they require 8 semester hours or 12 quarter hours for each of the sciences. They also say that they require one year of each science with lab. At my school, though, the labs an lectures are combined and AMCAS only gave me 6.00 hours for a full-year physics class I took at University of Toronto and 3.30 hours for each quarter (of a 3-quarter sequence) for biology and O-chem. I tried emailing them to ask if that would be okay, but... no response yet :/

 

[DH78]

I had that same problem. My bio 1 and chem 1 were only given three hours, despite including the lab within the course. I got around this by listing other courses that I had taken. If you can't do that, I guess you have to wait on their response.

 

[BlackDr2b]

For my bio classes i put my micro and systemic phys classes cuz they added up to 8 semester hrs. I spoke to them and they told me it didn't matter, as long as you have a year of that subject. Hope that helps, God bless.

 

[Dulcina]

hm, I'm having problems with the ethical dilmma too.

I had two friends in a relationship, and I knew that one had cheated and was torn over whether to tell the other party. Is that ok, or should I stay away from relationship stuff?

 

[m_rivera84]

^Which begs the question, what if you were the one stealing the other's gf? Is that an ethical problem? I wouldn't think so... at least imo... At least, it's debatable. Why not pick something that's more obviously a dilemma. Just my humble opinion. Then again, maybe if you spin it into a story where you felt like your strong moral convictions were on the line, then it might work.

 

[Textuality]

hm, I'm having problems with the ethical dilmma too.

I had two friends in a relationship, and I knew that one had cheated and was torn over whether to tell the other party. Is that ok, or should I stay away from relationship stuff?

As long as you can spin it so that you aren't sounding judgmental about the person that cheated. Because you never know the past of your reader, maybe they've cheated in the past, or are currently cheating :/ They're human too, you never know.

 

[Kaydubz]

hm, I'm having problems with the ethical dilmma too.

I had two friends in a relationship, and I knew that one had cheated and was torn over whether to tell the other party. Is that ok, or should I stay away from relationship stuff?

I've wondered about that scenario myself, especially if it were two best friends who I confided in. I'd probably decide to mind my own business at that point.

 

[Dulcina]

I've wondered about that scenario myself, especially if it were two best friends who I confided in. I'd probably decide to mind my own business at that point.

yeah, i opted to stay out of it, but i KNOW the person that was beign cheated on felt very strongly on the topic, believing that if the other person feels the desire/need to cheat, then they shouldnt be in the relationship in th first place. I think the angle i'd take is A: not my place to get in the middle of it, shouldnt break friend 1's trust, B: friend 2 is staying in a situation that, if he knew the truth, he wouldnt be staying in.


hmmm

 

[Dulcina]

bump bump. any more opinions on whether this is appropriate?

 

[216397]

I think that if you write about the situation well and explain how it was resolved, it would make a fine essay. I don't know if it helps, but I got an interview at Pittsburgh recently and I wrote about a time when my friend slipped through some thin ice and got trapped under it. I don't think there are any "right" answers to the question.

 

[Dulcina]

I think that if you write about the situation well and explain how it was resolved, it would make a fine essay. I don't know if it helps, but I got an interview at Pittsburgh recently and I wrote about a time when my friend slipped through some thin ice and got trapped under it. I don't think there are any "right" answers to the question.

woah! what was the moral dilemma for that?

did you not like the friend that much and consider leaving her there? lol jk

 

[216397]

woah! what was the moral dilemma for that?

did you not like the friend that much and consider leaving her there? lol jk

lol, no. 🙂 It was about deciding whether or not I needed to dive into the water and save her, given that I would probably drown myself if I did. She actually ended up getting out okay because (luckily!) there was a rope-like object nearby. It's very dangerous to go into icy water after someone, though, because the currents can be really intense.

 

[Dulcina]

lol, no. 🙂 It was about deciding whether or not I needed to dive into the water and save her, given that I would probably drown myself if I did. She actually ended up getting out okay because (luckily!) there was a rope-like object nearby. It's very dangerous to go into icy water after someone, though, because the currents can be really intense.

ahh! that's a good one! hrmmmmm, gotta figure this darn essay out.

 

[Dulcina]

hmm so im definitely being paranoid, but how do we know we're complete? I see that they have received my secondary, fee, and LOR.

Is that all I need to be complete? Or should it say "complete" somewhere on this page.

Thanks =P

 

[DH78]

Pgh is asking for an essay about a moral or ethical dilemma, right? You don't always need to think about "ethics" in terms of choices between right or wrong, or spaces in between. Choices that you made, which even seemed easy at the time, are a reflection upon your personal ethos.

For example, let's say you got into both Ivy League University and Local State College for undergrad. Why did you choose one over the other? Was it to be closer to family, or to give yourself the best opportunity? This IS an ethical question, even though neither choice is necessarily "wrong".

Ultimately, it should be something that's very real to you, but don't pigeonhole yourself into a "I had to choose between selling cookies for the church fundraiser or knock over a 7-11 for kicks" essay. Often, revelations of morality and ethics have little to do with abstractions like "right" and "wrong".​

 

[pazan]

My only problem was setting up a story, telling it, and conveying a meaningful rationalization in 250 words. Real moral dilemmas require a bit more thought, but everyone has them... and, even if they're trite, it's all about playing an angle and making it seem like it matters.

I wrote about working for a blind post-doc and finding out a grad student was falsely reporting data (basically taking advantage of the guy's sight impairment to save time)... I didn't tell on him, which probably looks bad, but I managed to improve the reporting.

 

[Kaydubz]

hmm so im definitely being paranoid, but how do we know we're complete? I see that they have received my secondary, fee, and LOR.

Is that all I need to be complete? Or should it say "complete" somewhere on this page.

Thanks =P

That was enough for me to mark myself as complete on my spreadsheet of schools heh. I don't think there's anything else

 

[Carlin]

That was enough for me to mark myself as complete on my spreadsheet of schools heh. I don't think there's anything else

LOL, glad to see that I'm not the only person checking off schools on a spreadsheet.

 

[DH78]

Heh. You know what I named my spreadsheet file?

(Brace yourself...)

MedSpreadSheet.xls

Feel free to use that one at home!!!😀

 

[Kaydubz]

I may not neurotically post on SDN, but my spreadsheet, titled "School Status Spreadsheet.xlsx" contains columns color-coded by progress that include School name and usnews ranking, a brief description of their secondary, the secondary due date, letters of recommendation, and status. =)

Oh, and each column is color-coded for progress independently of the others.

 

[DH78]

I may not neurotically post on SDN, but my spreadsheet, titled "School Status Spreadsheet.xlsx" contains columns color-coded by progress that include School name and usnews ranking, a brief description of their secondary, the secondary due date, letters of recommendation, and status. =)

Oh, and each column is color-coded for progress independently of the others.

I saw the pic on the thread you started. It's very nice. I cradled my cleverly named but blandly colored spreadsheet to my chest and went home.

And who says you don't neurotically post?

 

[Dulcina]

That was enough for me to mark myself as complete on my spreadsheet of schools heh. I don't think there's anything else

thanks! i guess im complete then!

 

[Decicco]

Got an interview invite today, pretty cool for a saturday!

 

[serikk85]

Got an interview invite today, pretty cool for a saturday!

Congrats! Have you picked your interview date yet?

 

[Decicco]

Congrats! Have you picked your interview date yet?

No, I have a summer school test on monday so I am going to wait until after that. I'm thinking October though, during a week break we get at Marquette.

 

[Decicco]

Hey all, just wanted to wish everybody good luck on this secondary. I was very impressed with Pitt's turnaround time, 9 days from complete status to interview invite. Hopefully that will motivate you to get it in quick!

Seven days for me 😀 These guys are good!

 

[Meetchy]

Do they have a GPA/MCAT cutoff-based autointerview system?

 

[Decicco]

Do they have a GPA/MCAT cutoff-based autointerview system?

no. "The Admissions Committee has reviewed your application and has selected you for an interview. Outstanding applicants such as yourself are selected only after a rigorous screening process."

 

[m_rivera84]

Potential topics for moral/ethical dilemma:

After MUCH thinking, I came up with two potential dilemmas:

1) On my trips back to my home country having to choose between attending to my elderly, but somewhat not easily communicable grandparents or going out to do what I want to do during my trips. Chose the grandparents.

2) As a middle-school mentor, dealing with a really difficult kid who has intense peer pressure to focus on basketball, and therefore doesn't try hard in academics, and deciding whether to put up with it and keep trying or give up. Chose to give up... and find a new mentee, which I associate with better.

or 2b) Mentor for another kid, who tries hard but have no similar interests with. Kept trying to help this kid, and be a good role-model, but turned out that it just didn't work out.


I already wrote up #1, but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra effort to go for #2. I guess my decisions weren't that great for #2.

 

[Mdude]

Potential topics for moral/ethical dilemma:

After MUCH thinking, I came up with two potential dilemmas:

1) On my trips back to my home country having to choose between attending to my elderly, but somewhat not easily communicable grandparents or going out to do what I want to do during my trips. Chose the grandparents.

2) As a middle-school mentor, dealing with a really difficult kid who has intense peer pressure to focus on basketball, and therefore doesn't try hard in academics, and deciding whether to put up with it and keep trying or give up. Chose to give up... and find a new mentee, which I associate with better.

or 2b) Mentor for another kid, who tries hard but have no similar interests with. Kept trying to help this kid, and be a good role-model, but turned out that it just didn't work out.


I already wrote up #1, but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra effort to go for #2. I guess my decisions weren't that great for #2.

To be honest, I would not use #1. I'm thinking that no matter how well it's written, it comes off sounding whiny, ie, why do I have to stay and hang out with annoying old people when all I want to do is go travelling. It doesn't sound like a real dilemma: what forces are pulling you in either direction? Where is the struggle? I don't mean to be harsh, I would just encourage you to dig deeper...think of instances when different people were placing conflicting demands on you, demands that were absolutely mutually exclusive. Or a situation with a lot of gray area, where the line between right and wrong was not obvious. What do you think?

 

[carolinablue09]

Do they have a GPA/MCAT cutoff-based autointerview system?

well, at least early on they seem to be favoring the big mcats. if you look at the mdapps of those who have interviews, i believe all are 35+

 

[tessa108]

Essays:
1) Describe a personal experience which resulted in a substantial moral or ethical dilemma. What was the outcome? We are reluctant to accept assertions that you have never encountered such a situation. Please do not address cheating in an academic setting.
(Limit your response to 250 words or less.)

Thought I had something for this (I'm a writing tutor and got an essay with a plagiarized passage in it; had to decide whether to just bust the kid privately and keep an eye on his papers for the rest of the semester, or to take it to the school judicial committee, which would result in consequences that could follow him for the rest of his academic career), but that qualifies as cheating in an academic setting...back to the drawing board, I guess. 🙁

 

[m_rivera84]

To be honest, I would not use #1. I'm thinking that no matter how well it's written, it comes off sounding whiny, ie, why do I have to stay and hang out with annoying old people when all I want to do is go travelling. It doesn't sound like a real dilemma: what forces are pulling you in either direction? Where is the struggle? I don't mean to be harsh, I would just encourage you to dig deeper...think of instances when different people were placing conflicting demands on you, demands that were absolutely mutually exclusive. Or a situation with a lot of gray area, where the line between right and wrong was not obvious. What do you think?

ohh, thanks for giving me input. my take was that it was a moral obligation to family versus person desire dilemma. ignore grandparents - get seen as a bad kid, but get to do what i want. attend to grandparents - get seen as a good kid, but lose out on what i want to do. does this work?

 

[Dulcina]

hmm neither are great. #1 isnt a proper ethical dilemma---there was a right and wrong choice, and you just chose the right choice.

#2 seems more like a dilemma, but I'm not sure schools will empahtize with your decision. they might like to see more committment. Dunno... I really had a hard time with this essay too

Potential topics for moral/ethical dilemma:

After MUCH thinking, I came up with two potential dilemmas:

1) On my trips back to my home country having to choose between attending to my elderly, but somewhat not easily communicable grandparents or going out to do what I want to do during my trips. Chose the grandparents.

2) As a middle-school mentor, dealing with a really difficult kid who has intense peer pressure to focus on basketball, and therefore doesn't try hard in academics, and deciding whether to put up with it and keep trying or give up. Chose to give up... and find a new mentee, which I associate with better.

or 2b) Mentor for another kid, who tries hard but have no similar interests with. Kept trying to help this kid, and be a good role-model, but turned out that it just didn't work out.


I already wrote up #1, but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra effort to go for #2. I guess my decisions weren't that great for #2.

 

[Dulcina]

edited