2009-2010 Harvard Application Thread

[getalife1234]

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To those that have received finaid info, how long did it take from the time you submitted your forms to when the awards popped up on their website??

a few days for me. and yes, harvard finaid was more than generous. =)

 

[naijaboi]

naijaboi - just checked out your mdapps profile. you are amazing! i won't be able to make it to revisit, but if you HMS choose i'd truly look forward to being your classmate.

good luck through the process.

Haha, thanks - you too. I guess I'll be seeing you this August.

 

[MedMe]

How was revisit? Anyone know what the waitlist movement is like?

 

[naijaboi]

How was revisit? Anyone know what the waitlist movement is like?

Revisit weekend was great. About 167 showed up. I would say that at-least half of the people were pretty set on coming to Harvard. And after the Fabric show, about 75% believe that Harvard is the place for them. I know of several students who would be going elsewhere (mostly because family and financial concerns).

About wait-list movement, you'll just have to wait. We were told that HMS accepted about 205 students. It was such a great weekend that I imagine that most of them will be holding tight to their acceptances. If you do get off the waitlist, know that your classmates will be quite awesome.

 

[Podalarius]

How was revisit? Anyone know what the waitlist movement is like?

I don't know about historical trends, but there are about eight people in the New Pathway class of 2013 who accepted offers from the waitlist, which (I think) had about 30 people on it. We got more applications and interviewed more people this year, but I don't know if they made the waitlist longer too - still, since the waitlist is so small, your chances are better than at most other schools. The admissions office started making offers soon after the 5/15 deadline, and I think they were done with making offers by 6/15. Good luck!

 

[md2014md]

Does harvard drug test incoming students?

 

[searun]

Does harvard drug test incoming students?

Why, do you have something to hide?

 

[kierkegaard]

Revisit weekend was great. About 167 showed up. I would say that at-least half of the people were pretty set on coming to Harvard. And after the Fabric show, about 75% believe that Harvard is the place for them. I know of several students who would be going elsewhere (mostly because family and financial concerns).

About wait-list movement, you'll just have to wait. We were told that HMS accepted about 205 students. It was such a great weekend that I imagine that most of them will be holding tight to their acceptances. If you do get off the waitlist, know that your classmates will be quite awesome.

I sadly missed the show... would anyone who went mind elaborating on how it went and why it made HMS that much more attractive?

 

[md2014md]

Why, do you have something to hide?

not really but its a legitimate question for prospective applicants and I wanted some feedback from current students if you dont mind

 

[ZebraDx]

Does harvard drug test incoming students?

as far as i know from last year, harvard did participate in that background-check noted in the AMCAS primary application. i was not aware of anyone who got in any trouble. other than that i don't think there is any other test.
they will ask for medical and vaccination record. if you're not up-to-date in term of vaccination, you might have to take the missing vaccines. (flu vaccine doesn't count i think)
hope that helps

 

[vadd0]

What is max need based aid for HMS?

 

[ZebraDx]

i believe the best aid combination would be approximately 25K loan + 41K grant (for everyone whose family income < $120k/year). it might vary year to year.

 

[jla314]

What is max need based aid for HMS?

I think it's the cost of attendance (~$70k) minus the unit loan ($24,500), or about $45k. They end up covering almost full tuition with scholarship for anyone meeting the middle income initiative (parental incomes under $120k).

 

[md2014md]

as far as i know from last year, harvard did participate in that background-check noted in the AMCAS primary application. i was not aware of anyone who got in any trouble. other than that i don't think there is any other test.
they will ask for medical and vaccination record. if you're not up-to-date in term of vaccination, you might have to take the missing vaccines. (flu vaccine doesn't count i think)
hope that helps

thank you

 

[docta123]

So what needs to be done now? transcripts, health forms, living accomodations, feat or func, anything else?

 

[Jolt21]

i just realized all loans in the Unit Loan are subsidized/no interest while in school. HMS continues to blow me away.

 

[jerew]

i just realized all loans in the Unit Loan are subsidized/no interest while in school. HMS continues to blow me away.

I just realized that the Wolfson loans are subsidized THROUGH RESIDENCY. HMS continues to blow me away. 🙂

 

[Jolt21]

I just realized that the Wolfson loans are subsidized THROUGH RESIDENCY. HMS continues to blow me away. 🙂

haha. touche.

on another note, a friend of mine at HMS now passed on the match list breakdown to me. i don't have a more specific breakdown, so idk if this is all the students or what...it's interesting how many people stay in boston.

Associate (1)
McKinsey & Co-Washington, DC

Assitant Professor (1)
MIT-Cambridge, MA

Anesthesiology (6)
Mass General Hospital-Boston, MA (2)
Mt Sinai Hospital-NY, NY
U Alabama Med Ctr-Birmingham, AL
Medical Univ of SC-Charleston, SC
NYP Hosp-Columbia Univ Med Ctr-NY, NY

Dermatology (6)
Hosp of the Univ of PA-Philadelphia, PA (2)
UC San Diego Med Ctr-San Diego, CA
Mass General Hospital-Boston, MA
Henry Ford Hlth Sci Ctr-Detroit, MI
UCSF-San Francisco, CA (Dermatology/2+2/Scientists)

Internal Medicine (30)
Brigham & Women's-Boston, MA 9
Mass General Hospital-Boston, MA 6
NYP Hosp-Columbia Univ Med Ctr-NY, NY
UCSF-San Francisco, CA 6
NYP Hosp-Weill Cornell Med Ctr-NY, NY 3
U Washington Affil Hosps-Seattle, WA
Beth Israel Deaconess Med Ctr-Boston, MA
U Southern California-Los Angeles, CA
Mt Sinai Hospital-NY, NY
Rush University Med Ctr-Chicago, IL

Family Medicine (4)
NYP Hosp-Columbia Univ Med Ctr-NY, NY
Sutter Med Ctr of Santa Rosa-Santa Rosa, CA
Ventura Cnty Med Ctr-Ventura, CA
O'Connor Hospital-San Jose, CA

Pediatrics (15)
UCSF-San Francisco, CA
Childrens Hospital-Boston, MA 5
Mt Sinai Hospital-NY, NY
Hosp of the Univ of PA-Philadelphia, PA
E Carolina U Brody SOM-Greenville, NC
Johns Hopkins Hosp-Baltimore, MD
U Colorado SOM-Denver, CO
Baylor Coll Med-Houston, TX
Childrens Hospital-Philadelphia, PA
NYP Hosp-Columbia Univ Med Ctr-NY, NY
U Michigan Hosps-Ann Arbor, MI

Neurological Surgery (7)
Mass General Hospital-Boston, MA 2
Emory Univ SOM-Atlanta, GA
Mayo School of Grad Med Educ-Rochester, MN
U Washington Affil Hosps-Seattle, WA
Stanford Univ Progs-Stanford, CA
NYP Hosp-Weill Cornell Med Ctr-NY, NY

Ob/Gyn (6)
U Michigan Hosps-Ann Arbor, MI
U Washington Affil Hosps-Seattle, WA
Brigham & Women's-Boston, MA 2
Duke Univ Med Ctr-Durham, NC
Northwestern McGaw/NMH/VA-Chicago, IL

Radiation Oncology (5)
Johns Hopkins Hosp-Baltimore, MD
Cleveland Clinic Fdn-Cleveland, OH
UCSF-San Francisco, CA
Brigham & Women's-Boston, MA 2

Psychiatry (7)
San Mateo Behav Hlth & Recovery Svcs-San Mateo, CA
NYP Hosp-Columbia Univ Med Ctr-NY, NY
Oregon Health & Science Univ-Portland, OR
Hosp of the Univ of PA-Philadelphia, PA
NYU School of Med-NY, NY
Mass General Hospital-Boston, MA
Cambridge Health Alliance-Cambridge, MA

Otolaryngology (2)
UCLA Medical Center-Los Angeles, CA
Oregon Health & Science Univ-Portland, OR

Ophthalmology (6)
UC Irvine-Orange, CA
Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary-Boston, MA 3
UCSF-San Francisco, CA
Cleveland Clinic-Cleveland, OH

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (3)
Mass General Hospital-Boston, MA 3

General Surgery (6)
Brigham & Women's-Boston, MA
Stanford Univ Progs-Stanford, CA 2
Swedish Medical Ctr-Seattle, WA
Mass General Hospital-Boston, MA 2

Emergency Medicine (7)
UCLA Medical Center-Los Angeles, CA
Stanford Univ Progs-Stanford, CA
U Mass Med School-Worcester, MA
U New Mexico SOM-Albuquerque, NM
Denver Health Med Ctr-Denver, CO
Oregon Health & Science Univ-Portland, OR 2

Phys Medicine & Rehab (7)
Case Western/M H Med Ct-Cleveland, OH
VA Greater LA Hlth Sys-Los Angeles, CA

Orthopaedic Surgery (8)
U Washington Affil Hosps-Seattle, WA
UCSF-San Francisco, CA
NYP Hosp-Columbia Univ Med Ctr-NY, NY
Emory Univ SOM-Atlanta, GA
Mass General Hospital-Boston, MA 4

Radiology (11)
UP Med Ctr Med Ed Prog-Pittsburgh, PA
Mass General Hospital-Boston, MA 3
Hosp of the Univ of PA-Philadelphia, PA 2
Yale-New Haven Hosp-New Haven, CT
Beth Israel Deaconess Med Ctr-Boston, MA
Johns Hopkins Hosp-Baltimore, MD
U Texas HSC-San Antonio, TX
NYP Hosp-Weill Cornell Med Ctr-NY, NY

Neurology (6)
NYP Hosp-Columbia Univ Med Ctr-NY, NY
Harvard/Children's/BIDMC-Boston, MA 3
Mass General Hospital-Boston, MA
UCSF-San Francisco, CA

 

[AspirinPlease]

2 questions:

1. My family just missed the mid-level exception of $120k. We had a gross family income of about $135,000. Any one have an idea (ballpark) of what my aid package would look like? We have assets 'appropriate' for our income level. Any help is appreciated.

2. When did the email about living at Vandy come out last year? I'm a deferred student and have a paranoia about being left out.

Cheers!

 

[klopsy333]

hey, not sure if this is helpful, but my family was above the cutoff ($200k gross income).. I got a package of $24k family contribution, $21k grant, and the standard $25k loan package. pretty generous.

 

[jla314]

hey, not sure if this is helpful, but my family was above the cutoff ($200k gross income).. I got a package of $24k family contribution, $21k grant, and the standard $25k loan package. pretty generous.

do you have sibling(s) in college?

 

[jla314]

2 questions:

1. My family just missed the mid-level exception of $120k. We had a gross family income of about $135,000. Any one have an idea (ballpark) of what my aid package would look like? We have assets 'appropriate' for our income level. Any help is appreciated.

2. When did the email about living at Vandy come out last year? I'm a deferred student and have a paranoia about being left out.

Cheers!

if you have a sibling in college/grad school, you can probably expect an EFC of around $10-15k, unit loan of $24,500, and the rest covered by scholarship. if you do not have a sibling in school, you'll likely have an EFC of $20-30k. i was told that there is no sliding scale, so once you're above $120k you might see a big jump from 0 --> EFC.

i haven't gotten an email about living at vandy, but i had a vandy housing application given to me in my revisit folder. the housing application is due on may 20th and contracts are mailed in june.

 

[ZebraDx]

2 questions:

2. When did the email about living at Vandy come out last year? I'm a deferred student and have a paranoia about being left out.

Cheers!

If you're worried, you can contact the Admission Office and ask them to forward you a soft copy of the application form. You can then print it out, fill out the form, and send it back to Vanderbilt Hall Business Office (107 Ave Louis Pasteur Boston MA 02115)

 

[klopsy333]

yes, i have one sibling in college. my family's assets are pretty typical.

 

[klopsy333]

oh, and they told me that the EFC would be about double what it is now if the sibling were not in college... which would make it about $45k-ish. hope that helps.

 

[getalife1234]

2 questions:

1. My family just missed the mid-level exception of $120k. We had a gross family income of about $135,000. Any one have an idea (ballpark) of what my aid package would look like? We have assets 'appropriate' for our income level. Any help is appreciated.

2. When did the email about living at Vandy come out last year? I'm a deferred student and have a paranoia about being left out.

Cheers!

I'm sure most prematriculants know already, but here's a few things to keep in mind in case you forgot/didn't hear... feel free to add to the list!

1. If you're thinking about living in Vanderbilt Hall in the fall, the "Vanderbilt Hall Student Housing Application" is due on May 20th, 2010. I couldn't find the form online (they gave a paper copy during revisit), but I think you can email to get a copy and fax/mail it in?

2. Application to FUNC or FEAT -- information on how to apply are both are on the Harvard prematriculant website. I think I'm doing FUNC! anyone else?

3. Health forms and immunization forms -- due July 1st, 2010. You can find all the necessary instructions and forms here: http://huhs.harvard.edu/Resources/FindAForm/ImmunizationForms/HarvardMedicalSchoolHMS.aspx They're asking a lot (like serological tests to test antibodies to stuff), so I better get that done too.

Hope this helps -- if I'm missing anything someone please holler!

 

[jerew]

if you have a sibling in college/grad school, you can probably expect an EFC of around $10-15k, unit loan of $24,500, and the rest covered by scholarship. if you do not have a sibling in school, you'll likely have an EFC of $20-30k. i was told that there is no sliding scale, so once you're above $120k you might see a big jump from 0 --> EFC.

i haven't gotten an email about living at vandy, but i had a vandy housing application given to me in my revisit folder. the housing application is due on may 20th and contracts are mailed in june.

This is right on the money (pun intended). My parents made around 145k, and I have one sister in college. Total grant money was 32k, 24k in subsidized loans (11k subsidized through residency!), and the rest I'll do in Federal un-sub (although I may not need it).

 

[WannaBePreMed]

Anyone get in from berkeley or ucla this year?

 

[psss]

Has anyone been accepted off the waitlist?

 

[delsilencio85]

Has anyone been accepted off the waitlist?

Haven't heard of any movement. They mentioned in the WL e-mail that they'd start to make offers in late May or Early June. I'm on the NP WL. What about you? I wonder what the numbers are looking like... Good luck!

 

[psss]

Haven't heard of any movement. They mentioned in the WL e-mail that they'd start to make offers in late May or Early June. I'm on the NP WL. What about you? I wonder what the numbers are looking like... Good luck!

Yeah, I wonder, too...

I am on the HST waitlist. Good luck to you too!

 

[DrFishy]

Just withdrew my NP waitlist spot. Good luck!

 

[AspirinPlease]

Anyone get in from berkeley or ucla this year?

My friend got in off the NP waitlist 2 days ago.

 

[delsilencio85]

My friend got in off the NP waitlist 2 days ago.

Congrats to your friend! Is he or she definitely going to attend?

 

[jerew]

Anyone get in from berkeley or ucla this year?

Yep, a few I believe.

 

[17701827]

Any sense as to whether or not the wait list movement at this point is finished?

 

[swiffer]

I missed this part of the tour, but I'm seriously considering living in Vandy for the convenience. How big are the singles on average? Any current photos of the rooms they'd be willing to share? The ones on the Vandy website seem a bit outdated to me..

Thanks!

 

[z31]

This thread's gone silent!

In fact my email's been pretty quiet too.

Has any FUNC-er received info since they signed up?

Also, the "Instructions for your Student Account" sheet that came with the IT orientation listed an alias email for HST students, but I don't have one listed in MyCourses. Should I have one yet? Not that I need another, but just to check that I'm not missing anything.

 

[jla314]

I'm thinking maybe the HST alias is for the HST PhD students, and that anyone getting an MD degree gets an HMS alias regardless of being in NP or HST

 

[qsue]

fan-freakin-tastic

Would you share your experence how to get Harvard? Thanks!

 

[Stephannie]

Congratulations to everyone who got accepted! 😀 so awesome!

I still have another year or two to apply but I was wondering if any of you who got accepted would like to share your GPA and MCAT stats? Just to see where I stand. Harvard is one of my TOPPPP choices. Thanks!! 😉

 

[z31]

Heya Stephannie:

"What are the average GPA and MCAT scores of entering students? Is there a minimum that I need to be above?
For the 2010 entering class, the average scores are given below. Please keep in mind that the scores of the students selected for admission included a broad range of scores that includes scores reflective of national averages.


average GPA: 3.8
average MCAT scores were:
Verbal-10.76
Physical Science-12.48
Biological Science-12.36"--- from Harvard's Admissions FAQs (http://hms.harvard.edu/admissions/default.asp?page=admissions)

Also check out their course requirements if you haven't already.

 

[z31]

Just got an email from Finaid regarding semester passes. Can anyone comment on whether this is a good deal? I won't have a car and I'll be living in Vandy.

 

[bfg9000]

Just got an email from Finaid regarding semester passes. Can anyone comment on whether this is a good deal? I won't have a car and I'll be living in Vandy.

I'm wondering this as well. Thanks in advance.

 

[jla314]

I think I'm going to wait on buying a semester T pass and see how much I actually use the T during med school before I buy...I think the HMS T passes only work out to be a good deal if you use the T more than once a day, assuming you buy a Link Pass or a Zone 1A pass. The subway only costs $1.70 per trip with a CharlieCard (a plastic, refillable card which everyone should get, since they're free) or $2 per trip with a CharlieTicket (a paper ticket). Bus rides are $1.25 per trip with CharlieCard and $1.50 per trip with a CharlieTicket or cash.

A *ton* of buses go right through the Longwood area (many buses pick up at a stop practically right outside Vandy!), but the subway stops are a little farther from the dorm - about a 10-12 minute walk to the Longwood stop, about an 8-10 minute walk to the Brigham Circle stop, and a 4-5 minute walk to the Longwood Medical Area stop. Check out a map at the MBTA website - the Longwood area is kind of nestled in the armpit between the D and E trains of the Green line (you can see it on the interactive street map tab). I know 5-10 minutes doesn't sound like a long walk...but it can feel like a very long walk in the rain or snow haha.

Also, there are many free shuttles available to the Harvard medical community. The m2 takes you to the Harvard undergrad campus in Cambridge via MIT/Central Square, and there are hospital affiliated shuttles that go to the Prudential area, to the west end of the BU campus, to the Landmark Center, and many other places. There are oodles of shuttles, but I haven't figured out all the places they go...it can get a bit confusing since Harvard doesn't have a master list of shuttles floating around as far as I can tell.

Finally, for HST students, I think I remember someone saying at revisit that we can get a much better discount through MIT 😀

 

[naijaboi]

I agree with jla314. I have been living in vandy for the past month and a half and have not used the T enough to warrant a link pass. I imagine I will use it even less when classes start. Somewhat unfortunately, HMS is a bubble - everything you need is around campus or accessible by shuttle.

 

[z31]

jla and naijaboi - you guys are amazing! thanks for the quick responses.

 

[PandaBrewMaster]

Hey guys, I am a second-year HMS student, and let me welcome you all to HMS!

Both of the above posters are correct. None of my classmates have semester T passes because they are only worthwhile if you commute to work using the T. While we do ride the T quite a good bit, to get just about anywhere, it is not worth it to buy the link pass.

Something I would suggest, as soon as you get to boston is to acquire a CharlieCard. These cards can be picked up (they are free) at most T stations (ask the station manager in the booth) or sometimes at 7-11s. If you fly into boston from the airport, try to get one there.

It is helpful to get these as soon as possible to start saving money and because it is 10000x faster to tap a charliecard then to try and insert 2 dollars into the machine on the T.

We have lots of really fun activities planned for you incoming first-years so get excited! The first two weeks you will be in a class called introduction to the profession (ITP) which is really not much of a class and is just a bunch of fun activities. But the real highlight is the LIFE events that we second-years will host for you first-years. We have a full calendar planned, so get pumped! [Another reason why its helpful to get charliecards......it takes literally like half an hour for 100+ med students to board the T when we're going out if everyone has to insert their 2 bucks in. I remember when we were doing our LIFE events last year...oh man were the other people on the subway mad.....]

Welcome to HMS!

 

[z31]

waoh. i'm here!