2009-2010 Harvard Application Thread

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This is my personal opinion but 1 point on the MCAT could mean just getting one more more question right on a single section. Which do you think is better a person with a 36 MCAT and 4.0 GPA or a person with a 39 and a 3.7? Assuming that these two people went to the same college, had the same major, and took the same classes.

Lets say the 36 dude ( V=12 B=12 P =12) and the 39 dude ( V=13 B=13 P=13) took the same MCAT test. Lets say the person with a 36 missed a total of 15 questions and the 39 dude missed a total of 12 questions. The 39 guy got 3 more questions right than the 36 dude. Does getting 3 more questions on a single test makes up for the fact that the 39 guy was out performed academically by his fellow classmate, the 36 guy, in the past 4 years?

For example if in the four years they took 60 classes.

The 4.0 students got A's in each on of those 60 classes.

The 3.7 students got A's on 42 of those classes and 18 of those classes he got B's.

Does getting 3 extra questions right on a single test make up for the fact that the 3.7 and 39 guy was out performed in 18 classes in the past four years by the 36 and 4.0 guy?
 
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This is my personal opinion but 1 point on the MCATcould mean just getting one more more question right on a single section. Which do you think is better a person with a 36 MCAT and 4.0 GPA or a person with a 39 and a 3.7? Assuming that these two people went to the same college, had the same major, and took the same classes.

Lets say the 36 dude ( V=12 B=12 P =12) and the 39 dude ( V=13 B=13 P=13) took the same MCAT test. Lets say the person with a 36 missed a total of 15 questions and the 39 dude missed a total of 12 questions. The 39 guy got 3 more questions right than the 36 dude. Does getting 3 more questions on a single test makes up for the fact that the 39 guy was out performed academically by his fellow classmate, the 36 guy, in the past 4 years?

AHHH! I really hope this thread doesn't deteriorate into the standard "MCAT vs. GPA" discussion. I don't think that has ever been resolved...new subject anyone🙄.
 
AHHH! I really hope this thread doesn't deteriorate into the standard "MCAT vs. GPA" discussion. I don't think that has ever been resolved...new subject anyone🙄.


I just resolved it. MCAT > GPA. Move along.

Of course that could by my 39 but 3.6 talking . . .
 
This is my personal opinion but 1 point on the MCAT could mean just getting one more more question right on a single section. Which do you think is better a person with a 36 MCAT and 4.0 GPA or a person with a 39 and a 3.7? Assuming that these two people went to the same college, had the same major, and took the same classes.

Lets say the 36 dude ( V=12 B=12 P =12) and the 39 dude ( V=13 B=13 P=13) took the same MCAT test. Lets say the person with a 36 missed a total of 15 questions and the 39 dude missed a total of 12 questions. The 39 guy got 3 more questions right than the 36 dude. Does getting 3 more questions on a single test makes up for the fact that the 39 guy was out performed academically by his fellow classmate, the 36 guy, in the past 4 years?

For example if in the four years they took 60 classes.

The 4.0 students got A's in each on of those 60 classes.

The 3.7 students got A's on 42 of those classes and 18 of those classes he got B's.

Does getting 3 extra questions right on a single test make up for the fact that the 3.7 and 39 guy was out performed in 18 classes in the past four years by the 36 and 4.0 guy?
zomg but what if the difference in those grades was one question wrong on the final. and then what if in half the classes the dude with the 4.0 was bribing the profs. and then.. and then.. and then....


yea. let's not deal with extremes.
 
sorry, didn't mean to derail the thread with my business venture.

in other news... the only bad thing about harvard is its proximity to a crappy baseball team :meanie:
 
sorry, didn't mean to derail the thread with my business venture.

in other news... the only bad thing about harvard is its proximity to a crappy baseball team :meanie:
ah ha ha ha..
ha....... ha....................

ha................

ha.....................


:nono::nono::nono::nono::nono::nono::nono:
*observe how they look like middle fingers!
 
ah ha ha ha..
ha....... ha....................

ha................

ha.....................


:nono::nono::nono::nono::nono::nono::nono:
*observe how they look like middle fingers!
I'm gonna look at that icon in a whole new way from now on...

:nono:
 
how late does harvard give out interviews? do they still do invites after the new year? do these people usually stand a chance?
 
how late does harvard give out interviews? do they still do invites after the new year? do these people usually stand a chance?
Harvard is non-rolling. As long as you're invited to interview (I speculate the earlier you submit the secondary, the better your chances are at receiving an invite), it doesn't matter too much when. Some people choose to interview at non-rolling and more competitive schools later in the year after they've had more experience with med school interviews 🙂
 
Harvard-MIT HST MD Program, NP and Harvard MDPhD Dec 14-15 interviews invited, completed 9-12-2009, Yay! Good luck everyone....
 
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Has anyone gotten a new pathways interview who has not had LOR's from ALL of your research advisors? Some of my research experiences were from like 6 years ago, so i had trouble getting rec letters from them, and I have two recent advisor letters included in my committee packet. I felt like it was kind of obnoxious that Harvard is the only school to ask for this for MD-only. Also not sure if it's a really big deal since they said something like "we should receive letters from all of your research experiences." (As opposed to must!)

Anyway, I'd appreciate hearing anyone's thoughts on this, especially if you're in a similar situation and have/have not gotten an interview. I don't think i necessarily deserve an interview here, but I'm just wondering if this letter issue is something that will automatically prevent me from being considered...
 
To answer this thread's questions:

1) LORS: I did not get LoRs from all of my research advisers and I still received an interview invite (I worked at NIH while in high school and had not spoken to the PI of my lab in close to 8 years). Moreover for some people, getting LoRs from all research advisers puts them well over the LoR limit for most schools.


2) Late Interviews: Harvard interviews until late into the season. I interviewed in October however all of the students I know who currently attend Harvard interviewed in January and February. Do not fret.
 
Is Harvard another school where the date of interview invite does not correlate with date of completion? It appears as though they are now in the September batch but perhpas I am wrong?
 
Is Harvard another school where the date of interview invite does not correlate with date of completion? It appears as though they are now in the September batch but perhpas I am wrong?

Man, I hope not. I was complete in mid-August!
 
I just finished secondary. I wasn't going to finish, but I got the packet in the mail and then I got an e-mail about finishing the secondary before the deadline so I finally submitted it. It'd be nice to get an interview.
 
Does anyone know when HMS interviews for NP end roughly?

Although I'd love to have the opportunity to merely tour the facilities here, I'm hesitant to believe I'll get an interview here. I could only get 5 letters and I'm missing one from a research PI (6 months of work) because I didn't feel he knew me well enough to write a meaningful one. :-/

Congrats to everyone else with interviews! I'm sure you're all incredibly talented individuals.
 
Does anyone know when HMS interviews for NP end roughly?

Although I'd love to have the opportunity to merely tour the facilities here, I'm hesitant to believe I'll get an interview here. I could only get 5 letters and I'm missing one from a research PI (6 months of work) because I didn't feel he knew me well enough to write a meaningful one. :-/

Congrats to everyone else with interviews! I'm sure you're all incredibly talented individuals.

Many of my classmates interviewed as late as Jan or Feb, so there's always hope!
 
totally agree with PandaBrewMaster

i submitted my app very late into the cycle (secondary to HMS in late october), invited for interview in mid-Feb. i didn't have a high mcat either. so don't worry too much guys and good luck.
 
Coming from a state school, I have been appalled at the environment of competition that seems to pervade in students from private schools. I interviewed at Harvard, and while I liked what the school had to offer, I found some of the other interviewees somewhat questionable. Make sure you don't lost sight of why you are going into this career - it is not about numbers, it is about helping people. And just remember, your state school compadres are equally qualified, and they are coming in with no debt. Do not condescend, my friends.
 
Coming from a state school, I have been appalled at the environment of competition that seems to pervade in students from private schools. I interviewed at Harvard, and while I liked what the school had to offer, I found some of the other interviewees somewhat questionable. Make sure you don't lost sight of why you are going into this career - it is not about numbers, it is about helping people. And just remember, your state school compadres are equally qualified, and they are coming in with no debt. Do not condescend, my friends.

agreed
 
hmmm i feel like actually there is a lot of crap thrown around on both sides. a lot of public school students feel like they are more normal or their goals are more pure than their private school counterparts, and a lot of private school students feel the same way about the public school kids they meet. fact is, not having the experience of the other side, we are all equally as unqualified to make generalizations about each other.

i've met weird people from both public and private schools. i've accepted the fact that some people are just weird.
 
hmmm i feel like actually there is a lot of crap thrown around on both sides. a lot of public school students feel like they are more normal or their goals are more pure than their private school counterparts, and a lot of private school students feel the same way about the public school kids they meet. fact is, not having the experience of the other side, we are all equally as unqualified to make generalizations about each other.

i've met weird people from both public and private schools. i've accepted the fact that some people are just weird.

I didn't mean to offend or generalize to all private school students - many of my best friends from high school are at private institutions, and I've met a number of cool people at interviews. I only meant to point out to those who have been treating the public kiddies in a condescending way that we notice, and that we are equally qualified for whatever medical schools are at hand. I've encountered this at many of the schools I've interviewed at (mainly "Top 10").
 
I didn't mean to offend or generalize to all private school students - many of my best friends from high school are at private institutions, and I've met a number of cool people at interviews. I only meant to point out to those who have been treating the public kiddies in a condescending way that we notice, and that we are equally qualified for whatever medical schools are at hand. I've encountered this at many of the schools I've interviewed at (mainly "Top 10").
Although I went to a state school and feel the same way, this thread isn't really the appropriate place to voice these sorts of complaints. And there are arrogant people from every school.

Just remember that you earned it, thank god you didn't spend 4 years of undergrad surrounded by haughtiness, and move on.
 
Reminds me, our premed dean was saying how medical schools know how tough some of the classes we take are and understand it's tough to even get a B+ in Molecular Bio for instance, unlike some state schools where all you have to do is breathe to get an A. I'm sure he was more just trying to get a laugh/reassure all those premed worriers, but it definitely propagated that negative stereotype. My brother goes to a state school and I know how tough a lot of his classes have been, so I kind of rolled my eyes (while chuckling a bit, I'll admit). Anyhow, I can see what you guys are saying. Especially, lots of people turn down a great private school for the financial freedom of a state school, something I was very nearly on the verge of doing myself.
 
I didn't mean to offend or generalize to all private school students - many of my best friends from high school are at private institutions, and I've met a number of cool people at interviews. I only meant to point out to those who have been treating the public kiddies in a condescending way that we notice, and that we are equally qualified for whatever medical schools are at hand. I've encountered this at many of the schools I've interviewed at (mainly "Top 10").

i agree with you that it's never cool to be condescending. but i simply wanted to convey that i hope we can all appreciate that the attitude towards private school students is also (quite commonly) unfairly negative, just like how the attitude some private school kids express towards public school kids is unfairly negative.
 
I've actually experienced both sides: I spent 2 years at my state school and then transferred to Penn for my last 2 years. As everyone above has already mentioned, you can't make any generalizations about the students at either institution, as I enjoyed the people I met at both schools. Based on my own experiences, I have noticed a bit more students at Penn that have a sense of entitlement and arrogance that is off-putting, but then again, I've met plenty of normal, down-to-earth people at Penn as well. So really, no matter if you're at a public or private school, you're gonna find all different kinds of people.

About the premed courses being easier at public schools, I will say that the curves at my state school were extremely generous. I took all of my premed prerequisite courses (bio, chem, orgo) at my state school, and I'm pretty glad I did, because from what I have heard about the Penn premed prerequisite classes, it sounds tougher. I don't know if it's true or not since I haven't taken any of them, but all I know is that we had some absolutely ridiculous curves in General Biology and Organic Chemistry that I doubt would have existed at a place like Penn.

Just my two cents.
 
I've actually experienced both sides: I spent 2 years at my state school and then transferred to Penn for my last 2 years. As everyone above has already mentioned, you can't make any generalizations about the students at either institution, as I enjoyed the people I met at both schools. Based on my own experiences, I have noticed a bit more students at Penn that have a sense of entitlement and arrogance that is off-putting, but then again, I've met plenty of normal, down-to-earth people at Penn as well. So really, no matter if you're at a public or private school, you're gonna find all different kinds of people.

About the premed courses being easier at public schools, I will say that the curves at my state school were extremely generous. I took all of my premed prerequisite courses (bio, chem, orgo) at my state school, and I'm pretty glad I did, because from what I have heard about the Penn premed prerequisite classes, it sounds tougher. I don't know if it's true or not since I haven't taken any of them, but all I know is that we had some absolutely ridiculous curves in General Biology and Organic Chemistry that I doubt would have existed at a place like Penn.

Just my two cents.

it's the opposite at my state school, where the curves for the premed classes are ridiculously hard (ie 30 % fail rate) while the curves for a private school near us are ridiculously generous. i think it just depends on the school, some are easy and some are hard regardless of how much you paid to go there
 
If you end up at one of these "private schools" you're going to be a "private school student" too.
Good point! Maybe then I'll experience being stereotyped as arrogant and pretentious. I petition to end the derail!
 
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To anybody I offended or set off: my apologies. This wasn't meant to start a forum war; I was just frustrated, after a slew of ten October interviews, at the way I was treated by some of the people I met. I am well aware, as everybody is saying, that there are good and bad, nice and obnoxious, people at every school. My message was pointed at a small group of not-nice people I met, and it was my fault for posting it in a general forum. Anyway, let's just forget the tropic came up and move on.
 
...only on the Harvard thread. 🙄


JK JK JK :laugh:
 
http://www.mdapplicants.com/profile...raduate:an HYPSM school,psr:0,orderby:,order:

Look at this HMS student's profile and see the condescension. :laugh:

I currently attend a state school, which I chose over a top 10 private school. I'm doing just fine and so are my peers at private schools. I find these arguments pointless because, as mentioned above, there are arrogant people everywhere. In fact, I'd say some of the people at UCSF, a state school, made it clear that they felt superior because of the school they attend. That didn't change my mind about the school being a great place.

Who really cares? All that matters in this process is you. Just ignore all the ridiculous people and find people you get along with.
 
hahaha WHOA that MDapps page is ridiculous! I totally agree with you on the rest of your points. The school and who you surround yourself with are what you make it. Just be an awesome person!
 
See, I feel like I’ve had the opposite experience. This goes the other way too. I’m getting tired of hearing Ivy League & Co. schools and their graduates stereotyped as “pretentious” and “arrogant.” I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard something along the lines of, “Really? You went to XXX School? But you’re a nice person.” We’re really not that different. Get to know us too. 😉 If you end up at one of these “private schools” you’re going to be a “private school student” too.


I really don't want to turn this into a pissing match but I feel the need to point out this assumption. The wealthiest schools give out a ton of financial aid. Most of my classmates were on some kind of financial aid and will be coming to med school without any debt. No need to put down other people's schools. You really can’t assume anything about people just because they went to a certain school. I’ve definitely met state school people who could’ve gone to private schools feel superior to their state school peers because they could outdo everyone else on tests.

Anyways, this is all silly. Medical school classes are way too small for people to divide themselves along these lines. Hopefully we’ll all end up some place that makes us happy.

so much win in this post.

i went to one of "those" private schools. i'm pretty normal. i also have zero debt. how you like me now.
 
Hahahaa. Who is this?? This profile is the very definition of "sour grapes."

ahahaha this profile cracks me up. How could someone be this arrogant? Either way I don't think we can generalize the students at any school. Its really unfair to those who are actually humble people and care about others genuinely. I feel like we can expect to encounter people like this at any school we go to.
 
Guys,

First of all, that MDapplicant profile above is absolutely ridiculous! That person truly should not have been accepted to any medical school (or any professional field)! You certainly CANNOT deliver any meaningful kind of professional care if all in your mind are competition, arrogance, ego.

Having said that, as a current first-year student at HMS (New Pathway), I'd like to clarify that such profile did not represent us at all! I really cannot associate what is said on that profile with any single classmate of mine. I think, and hope, that such profile is only a joke (which is VERY LIKELY). But if it's truly a real profile of someone who is so arrogant, narrow-minded, and (sorry) stupid, I can tell you s/he is probably the single one of that type in our class, or has long been forced to abandon such thinking. What I have experienced so far of HMS is unlike any scary negative stereotype that I had heard about Ivy League schools before I came here. I think I have never been in such a community that is so open, so cooperative, so friendly, and so accepting like the class that I'm in right now (both NP+HST). We did come here from very much different backgrounds. Some have super high stats, some others have much lower MCAT scores and GPAs. Some came from much privileged background, many others had gone much long and hard way to get to med school. And half of our class came from public institutions and half from private ones. Yet did those things mean anything to us in our daily encounter with one another here, in class and outside of class? Absolutely not. Even those stats and backgrounds did not reflect anything about how each of us would perform, partly because the environment and the curriculum (Pass/Fail + tutorial-based) have focused much on group/class performances. Despite the relatively large class, I have been so far able to comfortably join any conversation, study group, activity, or party (yes we do weekly party!) without feeling discriminated or ignored in anyway. Of course I can only speak for myself, but I'm almost certain that most if not all of my classmates would probably say the same.

That certainly does not mean HMS doesn't have any problem. But I'm sure that one problem none of us have to deal with here is fitting in with other members of the class. And after having made the transition from all-competitive pre-meds to a med students, I think that fact is probably true with most of other med schools as well, Ivy Leagues or not. So don't worry about it too much, just make sure that when you visit a school, grab many students there and ask them about how they feel. And we're all excited to meet and talk to you guys!
 
Guys,

First of all, that MDapplicant profile above is absolutely ridiculous! That person truly should not have been accepted to any medical school (or any professional field)! You certainly CANNOT deliver any meaningful kind of professional care if all in your mind are competition, arrogance, ego.

Having said that, as a current first-year student at HMS (New Pathway), I'd like to clarify that such profile did not represent us at all! I really cannot associate what is said on that profile with any single classmate of mine. I think, and hope, that such profile is only a joke (which is VERY LIKELY). But if it's truly a real profile of someone who is so arrogant, narrow-minded, and (sorry) stupid, I can tell you s/he is probably the single one of that type in our class, or has long been forced to abandon such thinking. What I have experienced so far of HMS is unlike any scary negative stereotype that I had heard about Ivy League schools before I came here. I think I have never been in such a community that is so open, so cooperative, so friendly, and so accepting like the class that I'm in right now (both NP+HST). We did come here from very much different backgrounds. Some have super high stats, some others have much lower MCAT scores and GPAs. Some came from much privileged background, many others had gone much long and hard way to get to med school. And half of our class came from public institutions and half from private ones. Yet did those things mean anything to us in our daily encounter with one another here, in class and outside of class? Absolutely not. Even those stats and backgrounds did not reflect anything about how each of us would perform, partly because the environment and the curriculum (Pass/Fail + tutorial-based) have focused much on group/class performances. Despite the relatively large class, I have been so far able to comfortably join any conversation, study group, activity, or party (yes we do weekly party!) without feeling discriminated or ignored in anyway. Of course I can only speak for myself, but I'm almost certain that most if not all of my classmates would probably say the same.

That certainly does not mean HMS doesn't have any problem. But I'm sure that one problem none of us have to deal with here is fitting in with other members of the class. And after having made the transition from all-competitive pre-meds to a med students, I think that fact is probably true with most of other med schools as well, Ivy Leagues or not. So don't worry about it too much, just make sure that when you visit a school, grab many students there and ask them about how they feel. And we're all excited to meet and talk to you guys!
Thanks Zebra! I only hope that I can return the favor and thank you for that post in person sometime soon 😉
 
Guys,

First of all, that MDapplicant profile above is absolutely ridiculous! That person truly should not have been accepted to any medical school (or any professional field)! You certainly CANNOT deliver any meaningful kind of professional care if all in your mind are competition, arrogance, ego.

Having said that, as a current first-year student at HMS (New Pathway), I'd like to clarify that such profile did not represent us at all! I really cannot associate what is said on that profile with any single classmate of mine. I think, and hope, that such profile is only a joke (which is VERY LIKELY). But if it's truly a real profile of someone who is so arrogant, narrow-minded, and (sorry) stupid, I can tell you s/he is probably the single one of that type in our class, or has long been forced to abandon such thinking. What I have experienced so far of HMS is unlike any scary negative stereotype that I had heard about Ivy League schools before I came here. I think I have never been in such a community that is so open, so cooperative, so friendly, and so accepting like the class that I'm in right now (both NP+HST). We did come here from very much different backgrounds. Some have super high stats, some others have much lower MCAT scores and GPAs. Some came from much privileged background, many others had gone much long and hard way to get to med school. And half of our class came from public institutions and half from private ones. Yet did those things mean anything to us in our daily encounter with one another here, in class and outside of class? Absolutely not. Even those stats and backgrounds did not reflect anything about how each of us would perform, partly because the environment and the curriculum (Pass/Fail + tutorial-based) have focused much on group/class performances. Despite the relatively large class, I have been so far able to comfortably join any conversation, study group, activity, or party (yes we do weekly party!) without feeling discriminated or ignored in anyway. Of course I can only speak for myself, but I'm almost certain that most if not all of my classmates would probably say the same.

That certainly does not mean HMS doesn't have any problem. But I'm sure that one problem none of us have to deal with here is fitting in with other members of the class. And after having made the transition from all-competitive pre-meds to a med students, I think that fact is probably true with most of other med schools as well, Ivy Leagues or not. So don't worry about it too much, just make sure that when you visit a school, grab many students there and ask them about how they feel. And we're all excited to meet and talk to you guys!

Haha, let's hope not. I definitely don't believe that profile is indicative of the class at HMS. It was just too funny to not post it. From what I can gather, it is definitely a real profile. He posted on here last cycle. I believe he went to MIT, judging by the "HYPSM" he used in his school title. Usually, people refer to the schools as "HYPS" to indicate Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford. He's so arrogant, he had to add MIT into that acronym. 🤣
 
Haha, let's hope not. I definitely don't believe that profile is indicative of the class at HMS. It was just too funny to not post it. From what I can gather, it is definitely a real profile. He posted on here last cycle. I believe he went to MIT, judging by the "HYPSM" he used in his school title. Usually, people refer to the schools as "HYPS" to indicate Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford. He's so arrogant, he had to add MIT into that acronym. 🤣
I guess the one positive about that guy is that at least he didn't put the "M" at the front of the acronym 🙄
 
Haha, let's hope not. I definitely don't believe that profile is indicative of the class at HMS. It was just too funny to not post it. From what I can gather, it is definitely a real profile. He posted on here last cycle. I believe he went to MIT, judging by the "HYPSM" he used in his school title. Usually, people refer to the schools as "HYPS" to indicate Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford. He's so arrogant, he had to add MIT into that acronym. 🤣

I was wondering what HYPSM stands for.lol
 
Thanks for the post, ZebraDx! As someone from a rural Midwestern town, Harvard and the Boston area have always seemed a bit intimidating...but your post makes me a little less nervous for my interview coming up. 🙂 Can't wait to see the school and meet the students for myself!
 
Is it inappropriate or presumptious to send an e-mail letting the admissions office know that I will be out of the country during winter break?
 
Is it inappropriate or presumptious to send an e-mail letting the admissions office know that I will be out of the country during winter break?

wait til you get an invite 🙂 they are nonrolling so it does not matter if you have to reschedule an interview they might assign to you for later in feb/march or earlier in dec. i did this, and they were really flexible.
 
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