2009-2010 Northwestern University Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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i stayed at the avenue and asked for the northwestern rate-from what i remember it was <relatively> cheap (as compared to other places i've been)
 
Ahh! Been complete since August and JUST got an invite. I've already left the States and wasn't planning on coming back till March! (I told them about my travel plans repeatedly in Aug/Sept, obviously).
 
eeeeee said:
Ahh! Been complete since August and JUST got an invite. I've already left the States and wasn't planning on coming back till March! (I told them about my travel plans repeatedly in Aug/Sept, obviously).
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When did you hear back? I'm in the "complete since August with no interview invite" boat, lol

And congrats on the monster acceptances!!!
 
BBender716 said:
I'm in the "complete since August with no interview invite" boat, lol
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Same here BBender... at least we already got into schools in Chicago. Still hoping for Northwestern though...
 
Hey guys. I'm pretty excited for my interview, but a bit stressed by the panel interview format. Can anyone comment on this? I have this image in my mind of a bunch of neurotic pre-meds all visibly vying for attention, which I can't imagine is all that constructive.
 
taciturngirl said:
Hey guys. I'm pretty excited for my interview, but a bit stressed by the panel interview format. Can anyone comment on this? I have this image in my mind of a bunch of neurotic pre-meds all visibly vying for attention, which I can't imagine is all that constructive.
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That's pretty much how it is. In my group there was a nervous rambler who also kept transparently looping his 20 minute answers around to activities/experiences that had no relation to the question...I could see discomfort on the faces of the interviewers and it was very awkward. Basically no one feels comfortable giving a shorter answer than someone else in the group, because that makes you feel like you have less to offer.
The benefit - if you're with people who are blatantly self-aggrandizing or incoherent, you will seem very genuine and articulate in comparison.
The downside - for me, at least, I got very self-conscious, like "wow I hope I don't do anything like that without realizing it."
The other applicant in my group of three was really impressive, and that made me even more self-conscious.
advice - try to be succinct and sincere. take a deep breath and be the least nervous person in the room.
 
SwineSue said:
That's pretty much how it is. In my group there was a nervous rambler who also kept transparently looping his 20 minute answers around to activities/experiences that had no relation to the question...I could see discomfort on the faces of the interviewers and it was very awkward. Basically no one feels comfortable giving a shorter answer than someone else in the group, because that makes you feel like you have less to offer.
The benefit - if you're with people who are blatantly self-aggrandizing or incoherent, you will seem very genuine and articulate in comparison.
The downside - for me, at least, I got very self-conscious, like "wow I hope I don't do anything like that without realizing it."
The other applicant in my group of three was really impressive, and that made me even more self-conscious.
advice - try to be succinct and sincere. take a deep breath and be the least nervous person in the room.
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Ugh. That sounds excruciating. The good thing for me, maybe, is that my automatic tendency is to act super chill when I'm around visibly stressed people. I may be wrong about what Northwestern wants, but it just doesn't seem totally appropriate to air your accomplishments in a group interview setting. I feel like the point of the group interview part of the day is more about how you interact with peers - do you make intelligent suggestions? do you actively contribute? do you support a dialogue? - and less about selling yourself, which I'd save for the personal interview.
 
The panel was fun! The people I were with werent that nervous. They werent at all. In fact, I was really relaxed, and they were all too. I felt it was rather enjoyable, listening to different answers....

and throwing me ethical questions 😛
 
taciturngirl said:
Ugh. That sounds excruciating. The good thing for me, maybe, is that my automatic tendency is to act super chill when I'm around visibly stressed people. I may be wrong about what Northwestern wants, but it just doesn't seem totally appropriate to air your accomplishments in a group interview setting. I feel like the point of the group interview part of the day is more about how you interact with peers - do you make intelligent suggestions? do you actively contribute? do you support a dialogue? - and less about selling yourself, which I'd save for the personal interview.
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Only the last 10 minutes of the 1 hour group interview is taken up by the 'group task,' which for me was a very open-ended question that basically went "i have this idea." "that's a great idea! I also have this idea." "that's a great idea too!" "ok interviewers, here are all our ideas! we all think that everyone had great ideas."

The first 50 minutes is literally three simultaneous personal interviews with some overlap of questions, where two applicants sit and listen to a third applicant's answers.
 
SwineSue said:
Only the last 10 minutes of the 1 hour group interview is taken up by the 'group task,' which for me was a very open-ended question that basically went "i have this idea." "that's a great idea! I also have this idea." "that's a great idea too!" "ok interviewers, here are all our ideas! we all think that everyone had great ideas."

The first 50 minutes is literally three simultaneous personal interviews with some overlap of questions, where two applicants sit and listen to a third applicant's answers.
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aka The Dating Game, lol
 
SwineSue said:
Only the last 10 minutes of the 1 hour group interview is taken up by the 'group task,' which for me was a very open-ended question that basically went "i have this idea." "that's a great idea! I also have this idea." "that's a great idea too!" "ok interviewers, here are all our ideas! we all think that everyone had great ideas."

The first 50 minutes is literally three simultaneous personal interviews with some overlap of questions, where two applicants sit and listen to a third applicant's answers.
Click to expand...

Darn.
 
I wonder when the next wave of acceptance emails are coming...
 
SwineSue said:
The first 50 minutes is literally three simultaneous personal interviews with some overlap of questions, where two applicants sit and listen to a third applicant's answers.
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That doesn't sound pleasant at all. I guess at least it's short if they have to go through 3 applicants in 50 minutes. A lot of my other interviews were 30 minutes per interviewer.
 
womp said:
That doesn't sound pleasant at all. I guess at least it's short if they have to go through 3 applicants in 50 minutes. A lot of my other interviews were 30 minutes per interviewer.
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just relax. it's actually pretty fun (most ppl said this after the panel interview)
 
womp said:
That doesn't sound pleasant at all. I guess at least it's short if they have to go through 3 applicants in 50 minutes. A lot of my other interviews were 30 minutes per interviewer.
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there is an individual interview
 
dammnnn, i interviewed late-ish october, and i got a missed call today from a chicago number. i got so excited till i realized the area code the number was from is 773 and northwestern uses the 312 area code. womppp womppp.
 
makeshift123 said:
dammnnn, i interviewed late-ish october, and i got a missed call today from a chicago number. i got so excited till i realized the area code the number was from is 773 and northwestern uses the 312 area code. womppp womppp.
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Could be your interviewer calling you rather than the admissions committee 😉
 
it's totally a possibility! for one of my acceptances, the dean called from his cell, which was a different area code than the medical school's. so you never know...🙂 Good luck!
 
taciturngirl said:
it's totally a possibility! for one of my acceptances, the dean called from his cell, which was a different area code than the medical school's. so you never know...🙂 Good luck!
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yeah, but don't they call in groups? no one here has posted an acceptance from today or this week. just don't wanna set myself up for disappointment haha.

Edit: Oh, previous acceptances were through email. nvm. probably some stupid telemarketers.
 
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makeshift123 said:
dammnnn, i interviewed late-ish october, and i got a missed call today from a chicago number. i got so excited till i realized the area code the number was from is 773 and northwestern uses the 312 area code. womppp womppp.
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Pritzker uses 773.
 
Has anyone who was complete in mid-October received an interview invite? I was complete 10/19. Just wondering if I need to keep playing the waiting game.

Thanks 🙂
 
taciturngirl said:
Hey guys. I'm pretty excited for my interview, but a bit stressed by the panel interview format. Can anyone comment on this? I have this image in my mind of a bunch of neurotic pre-meds all visibly vying for attention, which I can't imagine is all that constructive.
Click to expand...

It's not so bad. except for the fact that the other 2 candidates did better than me during the interview (in my opinion).

But during the activity you are so focused on the question that you don't think about the interviewers. It's more stressful when people are being asked questions individually.
 
For the people who interviewed already, did you send thank you notes to all 3 panel interviewers?

My individual interviewer, Dr Wallace, gave me his email for "not if but when I have questions," so I get the impression that he didn't give it out for a thank you.
 
smmypnts said:
For the people who interviewed already, did you send thank you notes to all 3 panel interviewers?

My individual interviewer, Dr Wallace, gave me his email for "not if but when I have questions," so I get the impression that he didn't give it out for a thank you.
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You know, I had a hard time with thanks yous for this school. I did not receive contact information for anyone I met there, and so I asked before I left if there was a thank you note policy (send via admissions office, e.g.) but they said there is none.
 
Snurping said:
You know, I had a hard time with thanks yous for this school. I did not receive contact information for anyone I met there, and so I asked before I left if there was a thank you note policy (send via admissions office, e.g.) but they said there is none.
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Go to your online status right after your interview (before they defer you, if that's what they do) and you'll see all your interviewers email addresses.
 
Bryson17 said:
Go to your online status right after your interview (before they defer you, if that's what they do) and you'll see all your interviewers email addresses.
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Great tip - I wish I had known that...it's been 4 weeks since my interview. Too late for thank yous?
 
not to sound over-dramatic, but it's never too late for thank-yous. i'm sure your interviewers will appreciate them. good luck!
 
requiem87 said:
not to sound over-dramatic, but it's never too late for thank-yous. i'm sure your interviewers will appreciate them. good luck!
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I disagree. I think your interviewers will forget you, especially with the panel format...
 
I want an interview!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
ApoK said:
I disagree. I think your interviewers will forget you, especially with the panel format...
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Perhaps the applicant made a strong impression on the interviewer and wasn't forgotten weeks later. Even if the interviewers did forget the applicant doesn't mean a thank you note is inappropriate.
The value/politeness of actions shouldn't be measured by whether they gain you admission to med school.


And when is the next round of acceptances coming out???
 
Just got an interview here, wow, complete early October. There are still some spots for December 18th (I can't make it) so hurry up if you want a quick interview.
 
Interview invite today as well! Complete mid August...wow, I'd already assumed I was done here!
 
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Woweee! This gives me hope because I have also been complete since mid-August, yet it is disconcerting because I'm still without an invite 🙁

Congrats to you guys though!
 
BBender716 said:
Woweee! This gives me hope because I have also been complete since mid-August, yet it is disconcerting because I'm still without an invite 🙁

Congrats to you guys though!
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Yeah, same here. Complete since 8/3.

Thought I was toast, but apparently not :xf:
 
Anyone else been waiting more than six weeks for an acceptance/rejection/hold?

I'm getting nervous..
 
interviewed in mid/late october and still haven't heard. although last set of acceptances were sent out on a wednesday afternoon so maybe we will hear something today...
 
Anyone else crappin' their pants about the panel interview? I'm really not down with this...
 
Anyone else been waiting more than six weeks for an acceptance/rejection/hold?

I'm getting nervous..
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I'm with you, been over six weeks. I check my email 100 times a day. I think I might have a heart attack soon from all this.....
 
Regarding the panel interview:

Pros: You can see what other people are saying. If you are good at group work you can show off your skillz. If you fudge up on a question you have two interviewee questions to calm yourself down and figure out how to redeem yourself.

Cons: If you are bad at group work the interviewers will know (and have the opportunity to take that into account), awkwardness spreading from other interviewers, sizing yourself up too much.

My group was all very well matched. No one really stood out as particularly nervous and no one really seemed to fudge anything up. I loved the opportunity to catch my breath and think before having to be asked another question. My whole undergraduate career has been working in groups, so that was an opportunity for me, not a detriment.

Really, I wouldn't stress particularly on that one. The one on one interview is much more serious and formal in my opinion.
 
futile said:
Regarding the panel interview:

Pros: You can see what other people are saying. If you are good at group work you can show off your skillz. If you fudge up on a question you have two interviewee questions to calm yourself down and figure out how to redeem yourself.

Cons: If you are bad at group work the interviewers will know (and have the opportunity to take that into account), awkwardness spreading from other interviewers, sizing yourself up too much.

My group was all very well matched. No one really stood out as particularly nervous and no one really seemed to fudge anything up. I loved the opportunity to catch my breath and think before having to be asked another question. My whole undergraduate career has been working in groups, so that was an opportunity for me, not a detriment.

Really, I wouldn't stress particularly on that one. The one on one interview is much more serious and formal in my opinion.
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:nod:
 
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