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2009-2010 Stanford Application Thread
- Thread starter shemarty
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thanks!🙁 sorry blob. that's a bummer. here's to the waitlist powers that be
it's all good, though, i've had some good fortune this cycle so there's not much for me to complain about
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Ach! Lo siento, bobsmith. At least you're in good company. Hopefully the waitlist moves. What did you guys think of the letter. A bit pessimistic? I just sort of got a vibe of "don't contact us, we'll contact you".
BTW what is your avatar bobsmith? It looks like Q-bert in the form of deflated, recently liposuctioned fat.
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Yeah, definitely a bit pessimistic so I'm not getting my hopes up. With such a small class size, it's probably pretty difficult to predict waitlist movement.
As for my avatar...it's a blobfish. I suppose my name should be blobsmith
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Got rejected last week, just came in here to say that it's pretty sad how curt their rejection letter is. Many of us worked quite hard on our applications and secondaries I'm sure and it's slightly sad that the rejection letter is just a few sentences and it even seems to be of poor photo copy quality 😀
I just didn't expect such a "bad" rejection letter from such a great institution. oh well. It is what it is eh? Good luck to those still in the running! Stanford really is a great med school 🙂
I just didn't expect such a "bad" rejection letter from such a great institution. oh well. It is what it is eh? Good luck to those still in the running! Stanford really is a great med school 🙂
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Yeah, it's strange. Because everyone in the admissions department is really, really nice. The waitlist letter is also rather cold, about 8 sentences, not very encouraging, and to me at least, sort of the message of "don't contact us, we'll contact you...but you probably won't hear from us."
I can say that this attitude isn't representative of the admissions office in-person AT ALL. But, I think they should try and be less "impersonal business" in their communication and a little more friendly considering, that yes...many of us have devoted a lot of energy, time and money to the application/interview process.
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I thought it was particularly lame that they clearly sent the same letter to applicants who interviewed there and those who did not. No regard for the expenditure, particularly of east coast applicants. But it was an honor to interview there, and they're Stanford so they can do what they want.
hmm so after being in pre-interview/pre-rejection limbo since august, i finally built up the courage to call the admissions office and ask what is up (even though they said not to). the guy was pretty nice, looked up my amcas id, and said, "all i can say is that you should be hearing from us soon."
this definitely sounds like imminent rejection to me 😕 ...
maybe someone else in limbo can call tomorrow
this definitely sounds like imminent rejection to me 😕 ...
maybe someone else in limbo can call tomorrow
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hmm so after being in pre-interview/pre-rejection limbo since august, i finally built up the courage to call the admissions office and ask what is up (even though they said not to). the guy was pretty nice, looked up my amcas id, and said, "all i can say is that you should be hearing from us soon."
this definitely sounds like imminent rejection to me 😕 ...
maybe someone else in limbo can call tomorrow
Yeah, I expect the same thing then. Maybe my rejection letter is waiting for me at home right now.
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Were you rejected post-interview?
I'm sorry to hear about that. When did you interview? I'm anxiously waiting post-interview.
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I interviewed pretty early in Stanford's interview cycle. Hope you hear good news! As far as I am aware, the committee meets every Thurs afternoon and Dean Garcia makes the call later that evening. Good luck!!
hmm so after being in pre-interview/pre-rejection limbo since august, i finally built up the courage to call the admissions office and ask what is up (even though they said not to). the guy was pretty nice, looked up my amcas id, and said, "all i can say is that you should be hearing from us soon."
this definitely sounds like imminent rejection to me 😕 ...
maybe someone else in limbo can call tomorrow
Yikes! Are you east coast/ west coast? (Maybe they just sent out another bunch of rejections....) It could be a good thing??
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For those of you who have interviewed, what's the best way to get to Stanford?
Should I fly into Oakland or San Francisco? And from there, what's the best mode of transportation to Palo Alto? How much time should I leave between the end of the interview to allow getting back to the airport on time? Thanks!
Should I fly into Oakland or San Francisco? And from there, what's the best mode of transportation to Palo Alto? How much time should I leave between the end of the interview to allow getting back to the airport on time? Thanks!
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Yeah, I think SJC is way quicker. But, I got cheaper flights out of SFO for some reason so I did the SFO --> Palo Alto. It's slight annoying but not too bad or expensive.
The trip is actually SFO --> San Bruno (BART) switch trains--> Millbrae (BART) --> Palo Alto (Caltrain). Be cautious though because the Caltrain only runs about every hour in the afternoon. So I ended up waiting at Millbrae for 45 minutes when switching.
True, I think it's SFO to San Bruno to Millbrae before 7pm on weekdays and straight from SFO to Millbrae after 7pm on weekdays and on weekends
hmm so after being in pre-interview/pre-rejection limbo since august, i finally built up the courage to call the admissions office and ask what is up (even though they said not to). the guy was pretty nice, looked up my amcas id, and said, "all i can say is that you should be hearing from us soon."
this definitely sounds like imminent rejection to me 😕 ...
maybe someone else in limbo can call tomorrow
I called and I got a vague response. First he asked me to confirm my mailing address, which I did. Then he checked and said that my application was still under-review.
(Maybe he wanted to know my mailing address to make sure the rejection letter will be sent to the appropriate place.) Meh. I don't care if I get an interview or rejection. I just want some closure.
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When was your app complete? I feel like they're taking an ungodly amount of time to go through applications, they probably haven't even looked at mine although they've had it for months. Thanks!
I have been complete since end of september. I am sure that they have looked through all the applications. My guess is that they are taking a second look on candidates for the remaining interview spots and closing files on candidates they don't want to pursue further. But, I wish they hurry up and make their decision. A rejection letter is surely better than the unknown. An interview would be nicer though.
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Hang in there, folks. I was complete in September and was only invited to interview about two weeks ago.
Holy cow! Interview invite. I guess they must have heard me. For those of you who are wondering - I was complete end of september.
Today or yesterday??
Hopefully they will hear me too!
2.5 hrs ago. Gluck!
Congrats and thanks. Did it say how full the interviews were?
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Hey y'all,
If you have any questions about Stanford School of Medicine, PM me. I'm about to graduate and head off to residency. I've loved my time at Stanford and would be very happy to answer questions about clinical training, surgical exposure, international health, patient diversity, specific departments, and anything else you're concerned or interested about. I also know a lot about UCSF and have lived in Chicago and NYC. I remember it was hard to get an idea of what a med school is like after first year since you usually don't meet clinical students on interviews.
Please only PM me if you're a current applicant and seriously considering Stanford. I'll post my responses on this thread unless you specify otherwise. Feel free to PM me anytime... even after this post is buried deep in this thread. Best of luck!!!
- Stanford Fourth Year
If you have any questions about Stanford School of Medicine, PM me. I'm about to graduate and head off to residency. I've loved my time at Stanford and would be very happy to answer questions about clinical training, surgical exposure, international health, patient diversity, specific departments, and anything else you're concerned or interested about. I also know a lot about UCSF and have lived in Chicago and NYC. I remember it was hard to get an idea of what a med school is like after first year since you usually don't meet clinical students on interviews.
Please only PM me if you're a current applicant and seriously considering Stanford. I'll post my responses on this thread unless you specify otherwise. Feel free to PM me anytime... even after this post is buried deep in this thread. Best of luck!!!
- Stanford Fourth Year
There were only 5 dates available to choose from.
When are you going? I chose April 2nd.
Which dates??? Ack. Only up to April 8th right?
Think it was April 5 or 6.
I heard Stanford accepts 170 + students to fill a class of 86. Do you have any idea as to how many students have been offered admission as of today! 😍120, 140, 160?😴
Helps me to decide if I should go for an interview (presently on the East Coast, and I just hate flying!)
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I heard from someone that they took about ~50 people off the waitlist last year (not all of them enrolled potentially). You still have a chance definitely for an acceptance. In the long run, there's really no point of not going unless you've been accepted someplace else you'd rather go...and/or aren't serious about moving to the West Coast. Stanford is definitely way different than most other medical schools, but it's an awesome, extremely unique program.
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Strongly agree with MDEast. If you have any inkling, you've got to see Stanford. I felt similarly when offered an interview (well, hate of paying for flying, among other concerns), and Stanford is probably my top choice now. The school just has so many unique features and everyone that you meet is ultra smart and pleasant.
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Read last year's Stanford thread. There was someone in your exact same position and he ended up being accepted (no waitlist). Definitely go!
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Does Stanford have a mentoring program?
Yes, Stanford pairs you up with a clinical faculty member your first year AND an advising dean. My advising dean is a former kidney transplant surgeon who helped establish the National Organ Transplantation Registry and who is an absolutely incredible mentor. I also met dozens of faculty early in my first year through intro courses, interest groups, and personal meetings set up by my advisor. Since Stanford has relatively small class sizes, you can get a lot of attention. Also it's very easy to chat with upperclassman in extracurricular activities or classes although there is no formal peer mentoring. I know 90%of the people in the classes above and below me.
Faculty are very involved with medical student education and often try to recruit you to their specialty. There are more opportunities to meet faculty than you can take advantage of.
Is it possible to work as a research associate?
Yes. You can get paid to work as an RA or teaching assistant. Stanford encourages extracurricular involvement. The Med Scholars program also funds research for up to 6 full-time quarters. Funding here is excellent and easily accessible. Read about the med scholars program on-line for further info.
Yes, Stanford pairs you up with a clinical faculty member your first year AND an advising dean. My advising dean is a former kidney transplant surgeon who helped establish the National Organ Transplantation Registry and who is an absolutely incredible mentor. I also met dozens of faculty early in my first year through intro courses, interest groups, and personal meetings set up by my advisor. Since Stanford has relatively small class sizes, you can get a lot of attention. Also it's very easy to chat with upperclassman in extracurricular activities or classes although there is no formal peer mentoring. I know 90%of the people in the classes above and below me.
Faculty are very involved with medical student education and often try to recruit you to their specialty. There are more opportunities to meet faculty than you can take advantage of.
Is it possible to work as a research associate?
Yes. You can get paid to work as an RA or teaching assistant. Stanford encourages extracurricular involvement. The Med Scholars program also funds research for up to 6 full-time quarters. Funding here is excellent and easily accessible. Read about the med scholars program on-line for further info.
Anyone? 🙁 Interviewed 2/9; friend who interviewed the same day is on the WL; no news here.
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I don't want to be the pessimist...but you're probably also waitlisted. If you're friend already got a waitlist letter than you would have already received a phone call if you were accepted. There are no delays in committee evaluations of candidates because interviewers aren't present at the meeting, so you've been evaluated already barring any very unique circumstances.
The thing is he got it on Wednesday, which means I should have gotten the letter Thursday at the latest (we live in the same zipcode). But it didn't come Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
Therefore I feel like the likelihood is rejection. However since nobody has reported a call from Dean Garcia within the recent timeframe I am still wondering if there is a possibility of an acceptance.
I guess by now everybody wants me to stop posting in this thread 😀, but this might be of interest to the general population:
I called and they said my application was still under review, and that I should hope to hear within the next week or so. Despite at least one person interviewing on the same day hearing back 5 days ago.
I called and they said my application was still under review, and that I should hope to hear within the next week or so. Despite at least one person interviewing on the same day hearing back 5 days ago.
well if the person who interviewed with you heard back last wednesday, they were probably reviewed at the thursday, feb 25th meeting.
if you were reviewed last thursday (march 4th), then you should have either gotten a phone call last thursday/friday or you'll get a letter this coming wednesday.
ideally, you won't get any mail on wednesday and you'll get a phone call this thursday/friday
good luck!
if you were reviewed last thursday (march 4th), then you should have either gotten a phone call last thursday/friday or you'll get a letter this coming wednesday.
ideally, you won't get any mail on wednesday and you'll get a phone call this thursday/friday
good luck!
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I guess it's possible they cut the meeting short and didn't get to you. But....I got my waitlist letter before Bobsmith and we interviewed the same week (and were reviewed in the same batch). I think he lives near Stanford, and I live on the East Coast. So, I'm not sure you'd necessarily hear back sooner. They might wait to send out letters in some non-sensical fashion. I don't think a whole lot of candidates get rejected (some do, but few) just because Stanford does a pretty thorough screen to avoid interviewing people they wouldn't want to come to Stanford. If not accepted, you're probably waitlisted.
Either way, good luck! I hope it works out.
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