2009-2010 Harvard Application Thread

[FluffyRabbit]

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Is it just me or is Harvard removing all my line breaks and apostrophes? I can't really imagine writing the HST essay in a single paragraph. Anyone else having this problem?

 

[panda25]

FluffyRabbit, I don't know the answer to your question. But, would you please post the HST essay prompt here? When I was going through the pages of the supplemental application, I didn't see an essay prompt. maybe I didn't go far enough?

 

[FluffyRabbit]

FluffyRabbit, I don't know the answer to your question. But, would you please post the HST essay prompt here? When I was going through the pages of the supplemental application, I didn't see an essay prompt. maybe I didn't go far enough?

Here it is:

"ESSAY FOR APPLICATIONS TO THE HARVARD-MIT DIVISION OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY (HST) We strongly recommend that you prepare your essay (4000 characters max) using a word processing software program, and paste it into the space below. Be sure to save and print your essay using your word processor - you will not be able to print your essay from this web page. Instructions: Please give your reasons for your interest in this Program. Include areas of research interests. Please limit your comments to the equivalent of one page of single spaced text with a font size of 10 or 12."

 

[panda25]

thank you!

 

[johncalvin]

so i submitted more than a week ago but i just realized... all we get as confirmation of submission is an email saying they got our app and "if you haven't already done so," please verify it. i wish there were confirmation that we had, in fact, verified it. (i got 2 identical emails, one when i submitted and the other a minute later... i'm assuming this is post-verification.)

Same.

 

[Rach83]

so i submitted more than a week ago but i just realized... all we get as confirmation of submission is an email saying they got our app and "if you haven't already done so," please verify it. i wish there were confirmation that we had, in fact, verified it. (i got 2 identical emails, one when i submitted and the other a minute later... i'm assuming this is post-verification.)

I got the one email saying they got the application but that I needed to finalize it. Then I got the purchase confirmation that said my application was submitted. HTH.

 

[dw2158]

I got the one email saying they got the application but that I needed to finalize it. Then I got the purchase confirmation that said my application was submitted. HTH.

i just logged back in and it said my app had been marked as finalized and i couldn't edit it. i'm taking this as a good "you've submitted" sign. and i have FAP, so no purchase confirmation for me. does anyone know if i need to mail in my FAP approval?

 

[2014MD]

i just logged back in and it said my app had been marked as finalized and i couldn't edit it. i'm taking this as a good "you've submitted" sign. and i have FAP, so no purchase confirmation for me. does anyone know if i need to mail in my FAP approval?

Can you post a link to the status page, if there is one?

 

[dw2158]

Can you post a link to the status page?

it's not a status page; i just re-logged into the secondary app.

 

[johncalvin]

it's not a status page; i just re-logged into the secondary app.

Exact same situation. As FAP recipient, there are no credit card statements or bank statements to check and see if my secondary was actually processed. Not complaining though, I would have to restrict applying to 4-5 schools if I didn't get FAP approval.

 

[dw2158]

Exact same situation. As FAP recipient, there are no credit card statements or bank statements to check and see if my secondary was actually processed. Not complaining though, I would have to restrict applying to 4-5 schools if I didn't get FAP approval.

yup. the minor frustrations are so worth it.

 

[Nafis64]

did anyone figure out how we check the status? They don't even explain it on the website.

 

[SunnyBlues]

did anyone figure out how we check the status? They don't even explain it on the website.

I don't think there is a way to check online. I was thinking about calling sometime in the next couple of weeks to ask if they received everything.

 

[Podalarius]

I received an e-mail confirming the receipt of the secondary the day I submitted it, followed by this e-mail about 20 days later:

Thank you for your application for admission to the Harvard Medical School class entering in August 2009. At this time your application has been verified as complete, and is available for review by members of the Committee on Admissions. Our review process is very thorough, and no final decisions are made until the end of the process. We do not have rolling admission, and we can give you no further information about the status of your application until decision letters are mailed.

If you are selected for interviews, you will receive adequate notice to make appropriate arrangements in Boston. Applicants selected for interviews will have been notified by the end of January. Offers of acceptance will be made from this group. All applicants will be notified of our final decision in mid- March.

We invite you to contact the Admissions Office with any questions or concerns. You can use your e-mail program's reply function to send a message to our e-mail address <[email protected]>, or you can reach us by telephone at (617) 432-1550, weekdays, 9AM - 5PM Eastern Time (Thursdays 9AM-10AM and 12PM - 5PM).

Thank you for your interest in Harvard!

I applied rather later in the process, so I don't know what the turnaround time would be around now.

 

[ksmi117]

I received an e-mail confirming the receipt of the secondary the day I submitted it, followed by this e-mail about 20 days later:

I applied rather later in the process, so I don't know what the turnaround time would be around now.

The secondary has only been out for 15 days. 😕 Or did they send it out in very spaced out batches.

Edit: Oh you applied last year... makes sense now.

 

[Jolt21]

holy crap. i've been putting this secondary off because i thought it was going to be some ridiculous essay that i was preparing myself to use a ton of brain power on....only to have it be about my job over the past year, which i love talking about and just rolls off the tounge. wow. what a marvelous secondary.

 

[PhiAlpha]

Hey All,
I handed in my supplemental and had recs and MCAT cleared and I received an email saying my secondary was in and fee was paid but I never received a "Complete" email. Did you guys receive a "Complete" email.


Thanks a lot,

 

[dw2158]

Hey All,
I handed in my supplemental and had recs and MCAT cleared and I received an email saying my secondary was in and fee was paid but I never received a "Complete" email. Did you guys receive a "Complete" email.


Thanks a lot,

no.

 

[FuSoYa]

Hey All,
I handed in my supplemental and had recs and MCAT cleared and I received an email saying my secondary was in and fee was paid but I never received a "Complete" email. Did you guys receive a "Complete" email.


Thanks a lot,

Podalarius applied last year and said that a "complete" email was sent about 20 days after submitting. But the application hasn't been out that long, so nobody seems to have gotten a complete email yet. I'm sure someone will post something as soon as they hear.

 

[JoshuaR]

Anyone else having trouble keeping paragraph breaks in their "essays?"

 

[jla314]

Anyone else having trouble keeping paragraph breaks in their "essays?"

Yeah, I had the same problem. I just inserted 3 spaces at the beginning of the sentences I wanted to delineate as separate paragraphs (I can't imagine reading one huge block of text with no breaks!)

 

[Rach83]

Yeah, I had the same problem. I just inserted 3 spaces at the beginning of the sentences I wanted to delineate as separate paragraphs (I can't imagine reading one huge block of text with no breaks!)

Damn, I never even looked at that and just pasted and submitted the whole thing at once. Is there any way to go back to view our submission?😕

 

[jla314]

I don't think there is a way to change it now...but no worries, I don't think Harvard's secondary was the most user-friendly I've seen and I think a lot of people won't have adjusted their essays for formatting 🙂

 

[kywii]

Complete! Now I just have to get in.

 

[dw2158]

Complete! Now I just have to get in.

did they send you an email?

 

[Scaundo]

Anybody have any idea when they'll start sending out interview invites?

 

[2014MD]

Anybody have any idea when they'll start sending out interview invites?

I believe last year it happened in early September

 

[kywii]

Yes, they did send me an email.

 

[2014MD]

Yes, they did send me an email.

when did you submit the secondary?

thanks.

 

[kywii]

I submitted it August 12th, but from what I've seen from other schools is that they just look at applications in some random order.

 

[bigman225]

complete! 😀

 

[BBender716]

Complete!

 

[GodisGood12]

complete

 

[pharaoh88]

Complete here as well!

 

[itsalovestory]

complete. 🙂

 

[FuSoYa]

just got the email now, "complete" mosh pit

 

[mdeast]

Complete as well. Don't expect an interview here, but I can always hope.

 

[vette2k10]

Complete, now I just gotta get lucky enough to get an interview invite. Good luck to yall!

 

[mdeast]

also got the second, "complete for 2010, not for 2009" email.

 

[LAman10]

also got the second, "complete for 2010, not for 2009" email.

I can't believe no one on sdn pointed this out. getting a little less neurotic, are we?

 

[dw2158]

just got the email now, "complete" mosh pit

I can't believe no one on sdn pointed this out. getting a little less neurotic, are we?

so much win in both of these posts.

i'm in the mosh pit too now, hooray!

 

[BBender716]

so much win in both of these posts.

i'm in the mosh pit too now, hooray!

First person who gets an invite gets to jump on top! lol

 

[Amadelphous]

Complete! Anyone know when interview invites start going out (ie. when they went out last year)?

 

[mrmilad]

Complete

 

[jla314]

Complete! Anyone know when interview invites start going out (ie. when they went out last year)?

I think last year they starting sending out invites in mid-september 🙂 best of luck

 

[zayka]

That follow-up "for 2010, not 2009" e-mail made me giggle about all the neurotic pre-meds calling in to confirm that they were applying for the correct cycle

 

[dw2158]

That follow-up "for 2010, not 2009" e-mail made me giggle about all the neurotic pre-meds calling in to confirm that they were applying for the correct cycle

haha seriously. i didn't even notice. actually, i'm pretty sure i only skimmed the email 😳 i guess i'm not a good pre-med after all

 

[Amadelphous]

haha seriously. i didn't even notice. actually, i'm pretty sure i only skimmed the email 😳 i guess i'm not a good pre-med after all

lol same once i saw "complete" instead of "interview" I stopped reading lol

 

[Snurping]

lol same once i saw "complete" instead of "interview" I stopped reading lol

Complete here as well. Submitted secondary on 8/10.

 

[FluffyRabbit]

Damn, I never even looked at that and just pasted and submitted the whole thing at once. Is there any way to go back to view our submission?😕

I actually called them about this and they said it goes through just fine. I am unsure how that would work, but I also did the same thing you did, and I imagine a ton of people would have done that too. Don't worry!