2009-2010 Stanford Application Thread

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I applied and was accepted in last year's cycle. I did not send in a letter of recommendation from every single activity I did. I think what they want are letters from the 2-3 activities which are most significant to you. If you were the leader of an organization, or spent substantial time doing research, then obviously you want a letter showing that you played a substantial role in these activities. If you volunteered in a clinic once a week, then that's not so important to get a letter for. Also, I did not send in a letter from the activity I was involved with last summer (it just felt too early to be asking for a letter).
 
drjm1 said:
I applied and was accepted in last year's cycle. I did not send in a letter of recommendation from every single activity I did. I think what they want are letters from the 2-3 activities which are most significant to you. If you were the leader of an organization, or spent substantial time doing research, then obviously you want a letter showing that you played a substantial role in these activities. If you volunteered in a clinic once a week, then that's not so important to get a letter for. Also, I did not send in a letter from the activity I was involved with last summer (it just felt too early to be asking for a letter).
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Did you go up to their maximum of 6 letters? Seems like they really want as many letters as possible the way they talk about it in the instructions.
 
drjm1 said:
I applied and was accepted in last year's cycle. I did not send in a letter of recommendation from every single activity I did. I think what they want are letters from the 2-3 activities which are most significant to you. If you were the leader of an organization, or spent substantial time doing research, then obviously you want a letter showing that you played a substantial role in these activities. If you volunteered in a clinic once a week, then that's not so important to get a letter for. Also, I did not send in a letter from the activity I was involved with last summer (it just felt too early to be asking for a letter).
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I got 3 LORs from all my PIs for my Harvard app. 3 research experiences = 3 significant activities. I guess adding those to my 3 profs' letters will make the 6 maximum. so i guess I"ll send all of those. I'd be really POed if they got mad for sending more than 5... I'm getting flashbacks to my experiences applying to stanford for undergrad. very unhappy with the whole process haha
 
Has anyone not got their secondary email yet? My app was sent to Stanford on the first day that AMCAS sent out verified apps to med schools (June 24 I think), but I haven't gotten an email yet.
 
zerial said:
Did you go up to their maximum of 6 letters? Seems like they really want as many letters as possible the way they talk about it in the instructions.
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I actually sent in 7 letters in the end (6 initially- 3 professors, 2 research PI's, and a letter from the director of a public service organization I was heavily involved in). Later in the year I sent in another research letter. I know some people who sent in more than that (as part of a packet). Looking back, I wouldn't recommend sending more than 6 since that is what they stipulate. I also wouldn't recommend sending in the max number of letters just for the sake of sending in the max. You want to be sure they're all strong and positive letters, not just "fillers".
 
convexmirror said:
Has anyone not got their secondary email yet? My app was sent to Stanford on the first day that AMCAS sent out verified apps to med schools (June 24 I think), but I haven't gotten an email yet.
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Read the thread. Many people have received the secondary.
 
I just received the secondary, but I was verified only 4 days ago. If you were verified June 24th and haven't received the secondary, something is wrong.
 
I was most excited for this secondary! Me 😍 Stanford.

Got it 8/3 and submitted today. Just waiting for Interfolio now. I have to say thanks for the ppl who post the prompts, I was prepared for this one.
 
They only released the secondary on Monday, so no one had it before then. However, they don't screen, so something is up if you don't have it.
 
I just got the secondary today. I called the admissions office yesterday and they told me it could take 1-2 weeks to email everyone (from Aug 3). Just in case anyone else was in the same boat as me.
 
I probably have NO shot whatsoever for this school but I would LOVE to come here! Especially since my younger sibling is an undergrad at Stanford...

*fingers crossed*! 🙂
 
sent mine in over the weekend. def a top 5 choice. the environment looks craaazy.
 
Does anyone know if there's a character limit for this question:

How will the Stanford curriculum help you achieve your personal career goals?


Thanks!
 
mdtobe2014 said:
Does anyone know if there's a character limit for this question:

How will the Stanford curriculum help you achieve your personal career goals?


Thanks!
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1000 characters
 
CupcakeMD said:
I probably have NO shot whatsoever for this school but I would LOVE to come here! Especially since my younger sibling is an undergrad at Stanford...

*fingers crossed*! 🙂
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From your MDApps it seems like you have a shot...

Publication generally means you had a lot of research experience
 
I am. They'll send you an email. It took a while to process letters for me.
 
Supplemental complete : 8/5
Letters Sent: 8/5
Complete: 8/13

Letters received and marked complete today. I live in socal so short mail time I suppose. Also, I did not receive a "complete" email, my online status is "complete" however.
 
Doe87 said:
If you read carefully, it says they erase your name from the results of the survey. (I could be wrong) Regardless, there aren't any "correct" answers, so you should be truthful I guess.
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Hmm, I'm not so sure. The blurb for the survey is:

Give YOUR opinion for each item using the responses below. Prior to any data entry for the potential use of this information for any research purpose, your name and unique identifiers will be removed from the data set to ensure anonymity.

It seems like this means that they'll only erase your name when the survey data is used for research purposes, but they will still consider your answers when they're evaluating your application. I could be wrong though.
 
It's definitely the type of thing to be truthful on anyway. Because if they do use it, they are selecting people who will be well adjusted to the schools beliefs. Schools are big on the concept of "fit"
 
Doe87 said:
It's definitely the type of thing to be truthful on anyway. Because if they do use it, they are selecting people who will be well adjusted to the schools beliefs. Schools are big on the concept of "fit"
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definitely
 
for the stanford curriculum question, are we supposed to talk specifically about the special concentration aspect, or about the curriculum as a whole? 1000 characters is not that much...
 
LAman10 said:
for the stanford curriculum question, are we supposed to talk specifically about the special concentration aspect, or about the curriculum as a whole? 1000 characters is not that much...
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i would also like to know this...

and do you guys talk about why stanford here a little too or just stick to the curriculum?
 
OneMCATAway said:
i would also like to know this...

and do you guys talk about why stanford here a little too or just stick to the curriculum?
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I think that this question was worded specifically this way because they want a "why stanford" essay but they want you to focus on their curriculum, which definitely has some unique aspects. "Curriculum" is a broad word and can be used to incorporate many different aspects of Stanford, not just the concentrations, for example, but they seem to be dissuading people from putting aspects of the school that are non-academic, like oh I've always wanted to live/stay in California, or oh Stanford is such a nice place, or oh Stanford kids are so smart, etc. (which would be weak reasons imo anyways). Just my opinion.
 
AyCaramba said:
I think that this question was worded specifically this way because they want a "why stanford" essay but they want you to focus on their curriculum, which definitely has some unique aspects. "Curriculum" is a broad word and can be used to incorporate many different aspects of Stanford, not just the concentrations, for example, but they seem to be dissuading people from putting aspects of the school that are non-academic, like oh I've always wanted to live/stay in California, or oh Stanford is such a nice place, or oh Stanford kids are so smart, etc. (which would be weak reasons imo anyways). Just my opinion.
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I agree with this but I really think they want specifics on which of their concentrations you like and why they would help you. Any other opinions on this? I want to finish this one this week, I have had it since 8/3
 
i also 'moderately' agree :meanie:

the questions at the end are kinda scaring me 😏
 
I'm confused about Stanford's letter of evaluation system.

My situation: My school has no committee and therefore I will have no committee letter. I had my writers send their letters to Interfolio.

Stanford's application options:

A) You have a packet of letters that will arrive from either Interfolio or some committee and this will be accompanied by a committee letter (seems to be a universal requirement that if you pick A, you must have a summary letter attached to your packet)

B) You don't have a packet and will be sending letters from individuals but not using Interfolio. You list the names of the individuals below who they should expect individual letters from



What do I choose? I don't fit in A because I don't have a committee/summary letter. I don't fit into B because I am using Interfolio. I cannot choose A because when I type in the names of individuals whose letters they should expect, it automatically checks B along with my previously selected A and in the summary says that they will be expecting individual letters and a packet of letters. I tried emailing Stanford but they have not responded.
 
cardinalsrock said:
I'm confused about Stanford's letter of evaluation system.

My situation: My school has no committee and therefore I will have no committee letter. I had my writers send their letters to Interfolio.

Stanford's application options:

A) You have a packet of letters that will arrive from either Interfolio or some committee and this will be accompanied by a committee letter (seems to be a universal requirement that if you pick A, you must have a summary letter attached to your packet)

B) You don't have a packet and will be sending letters from individuals but not using Interfolio. You list the names of the individuals below who they should expect individual letters from



What do I choose? I don't fit in A because I don't have a committee/summary letter. I don't fit into B because I am using Interfolio. I cannot choose A because when I type in the names of individuals whose letters they should expect, it automatically checks B along with my previously selected A and in the summary says that they will be expecting individual letters and a packet of letters. I tried emailing Stanford but they have not responded.
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Choose A, I was in your same exact situation and that's what I chose. Interfolio actually does include a summary page at the front of the packet that lists the letters contained within. You can also edit it so that your AAMC ID# appears on it. Stanford received my letters no problem, and have marked them as received on the status page. Hope this helps and good luck!
 
8. If you have publications resulting from scholarly endeavors, then in the space below, please complete a citation for each of your publications using the following format: Author, Title, Journal, Volume, Pages, and Date of Publication.* This section applies for papers that have been published or been accepted for publication. Please do not include abstracts or unpublished conference papers.
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I was wondering if published conference papers can be listed here.

I have a couple that are going to be published this September and I think these can be looked up online in IEEE explore and other sites too. They were 4 page papers.
 
tallandshort said:
Choose A, I was in your same exact situation and that's what I chose. Interfolio actually does include a summary page at the front of the packet that lists the letters contained within. You can also edit it so that your AAMC ID# appears on it. Stanford received my letters no problem, and have marked them as received on the status page. Hope this helps and good luck!
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thanks and good luck to you too!
 
trueBelief said:
I was wondering if published conference papers can be listed here.

I have a couple that are going to be published this September and I think these can be looked up online in IEEE explore and other sites too. They were 4 page papers.
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I'm not sure, but it seems like Stanford only cares about manuscripts in journals. I don't know why though because I know people who go into the lab a few days a week, do what they're told, and then get stuck as authors on some great papers. However, I also know others who run all the experiments for their own projects, think for themselves, and are scientifically way more mature than ppl who have been "published." Seems like a very dubious way to judge scientific involvement/competency in my opinion.
 
TypeSH07 said:
I'm not sure, but it seems like Stanford only cares about manuscripts in journals. I don't know why though because I know people who go into the lab a few days a week, do what they're told, and then get stuck as authors on some great papers. However, I also know others who run all the experiments for their own projects, think for themselves, and are scientifically way more mature than ppl who have been "published." Seems like a very dubious way to judge scientific involvement/competency in my opinion.
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yes tho simple, mine were first author where I did all the interpretation of the preliminary results that I saw. Maybe they are too simple to even mention, anyone else has any opinions on this?
 
trueBelief said:
yes tho simple, mine were first author where I did all the interpretation of the preliminary results that I saw. Maybe they are too simple to even mention, anyone else has any opinions on this?
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i dunno if conference papers count. they aren't reviewed/edited/scrutinized in the same fashion as journal manuscripts.
 
Jolt21 said:
i dunno if conference papers count. they aren't reviewed/edited/scrutinized in the same fashion as journal manuscripts.
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I agree. Even tho I did receive peer review from 2 reviewers each for these, I don't think they were harsh at all and this is preliminary work so I am going to not list them. They are on my AMCAS anyway.
 
I currently only have four letters of recommendation: two from science professors, one from a humanities professor, and one from a research supervisor. I'm currently having a research supervisor from another lab write me a letter as well (it was intended for Harvard), but now I see that Stanford questions the significance of activities that are not accompanied with a letter. I'll have the letter in the next two weeks, but should I wait to submit my secondary until then? Naturally, I don't want to submit it too late because Stanford is rolling. Does anyone know off the top of their head when Stanford starts sending interview invites?
 
Hello everyone,

I got my secondary invitation from Stanford on 8/3, and I still have not submitted the secondary. Am I too late? Additionally, I got a reminder e-mail from Stanford to sumbit the secondary, and I am wondering if anyone (who has not turned in the secondary yet) got it as well?

Thanks much.
 
optimismnma said:
Hello everyone,

I got my secondary invitation from Stanford on 8/3, and I still have not submitted the secondary. Am I too late? Additionally, I got a reminder e-mail from Stanford to sumbit the secondary, and I am wondering if anyone (who has not turned in the secondary yet) got it as well?

Thanks much.
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i did, but I haven't finished it and I don't think I can get it in until the weekend. Is it going to be too late?
 
optimismnma said:
Hello everyone,

I got my secondary invitation from Stanford on 8/3, and I still have not submitted the secondary. Am I too late? Additionally, I got a reminder e-mail from Stanford to sumbit the secondary, and I am wondering if anyone (who has not turned in the secondary yet) got it as well?

Thanks much.
Click to expand...

Got it as well.
 
Chillax Stanford! Just cause we don't send our secondaries in within 48 hours doesn't mean we're withdrawing our applications. I got the same email, but it seems kinds of early for them to already be sending us reminders. It's been what, 2 weeks? Heck, I haven't even written any of my essays. I'm kind of bad about turning in my secondaries promptly in general, plus I was out of the country for a week. Hopefully they don't mind waiting another week (or two). Like I said, I'm bad at these things.
 
There is a good chance Stanford is warning you that you are taking too long and it will count against your application. I have heard of that before.
 
Doe87 said:
There is a good chance Stanford is warning you that you are taking too long and it will count against your application. I have heard of that before.
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Where have you heard this? It's only been two weeks.
 
I have been told by people close to adcoms that some schools will count a long turnaround for a secondary as a negative mark on an application. I don't know if Stanford does this however. If the school is telling you to get it done soon, I wouldn't recommend waiting anyway.
 
i have started to believe having applications in right away sometimes backfires so i dont mind going over 2 weeks here..
 
What if you were in a rural country doing medical volunteering with no access to email for a month? Doesn't seem fair. 😛

They probably sent that email to get more applications (= more $$) so more of us can be rejected (= more selectivity). It's all a scheme. I won't fall for it.

*starts writing the second essay for Stanford's*
 
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