2009-2010 University of Pittsburgh Application Thread

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ktfh said:
Pittsburgh just sent out the following email to waitlisted applicants (I assume to everyone on the list):

It is my understanding that you are currently a waitlisted applicant. If you are still interested in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the financial aid process is important, as many students in prior years have been offered places from our waitlist. Some students have inquired if the admissions staff review financial aid documents before offering someone a place in the Class of 2014-this does not occur at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The financial aid department is only encouraging you to complete financial aid paperwork so that if you are accepted from the waitlist, our office can provide you with a financial aid award letter as timely as possible, to assist you in your decisions regarding where you will attend medical school.
For details on how to apply for financial aid, visit http://www.medadmissions.pitt.edu/financial-aid/ or http://zone.medschool.pitt.edu/Financial Aid/Pages/default.aspx . While the second site is more focused on current students, there is a variety of information found here that you may find helpful.
Also, you may be interested in searching some external scholarships our students have received! Visit http://zone.medschool.pitt.edu/Financial Aid/Pages/default.aspx and click on "Scholarship Notices" under "Helpful Information."
Sincerely,
Pamela J. Rikstad, MA
Director of Financial Aid


I nearly had a heart attack because I thought it was "THE EMAIL" ... 🙁
Click to expand...

Me too!! When I saw an e-mail from Pitt Med in my inbox this morning I almost died; it looked like "the email of acceptance" but no; so lame
 
If orientation starts 8/9 and I have to work in a different state until August 7... am i risking severe headache and stress? I mean, i would move to Pittsburgh on August 8th, the day before starting orientation.
 
JokerMD said:
😕
Click to expand...
Evidently she recieved an e-mail yesterday telling her of her accceptance.
She now has choices, but where ever she wants to go, what ever the cost..its her decision.
 
nygiant said:
Evidently she recieved an e-mail yesterday telling her of her accceptance.
She now has choices, but where ever she wants to go, what ever the cost..its her decision.
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Why are you speaking in 3rd person fellow NYer?? (It's a little odd)



Should we expect financial aid info by the time of Second Look?
 
Wow I thought we would have heard back from PSTP by now...frustrating
 
ktfh said:
Pittsburgh just sent out the following email to waitlisted applicants (I assume to everyone on the list):

It is my understanding that you are currently a waitlisted applicant. If you are still interested in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the financial aid process is important, as many students in prior years have been offered places from our waitlist. Some students have inquired if the admissions staff review financial aid documents before offering someone a place in the Class of 2014-this does not occur at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The financial aid department is only encouraging you to complete financial aid paperwork so that if you are accepted from the waitlist, our office can provide you with a financial aid award letter as timely as possible, to assist you in your decisions regarding where you will attend medical school.
For details on how to apply for financial aid, visit http://www.medadmissions.pitt.edu/financial-aid/ or http://zone.medschool.pitt.edu/Financial Aid/Pages/default.aspx . While the second site is more focused on current students, there is a variety of information found here that you may find helpful.
Also, you may be interested in searching some external scholarships our students have received! Visit http://zone.medschool.pitt.edu/Financial Aid/Pages/default.aspx and click on "Scholarship Notices" under "Helpful Information."
Sincerely,
Pamela J. Rikstad, MA
Director of Financial Aid


I nearly had a heart attack because I thought it was "THE EMAIL" ... 🙁
Click to expand...

WAITLIST STUFF: Speaking of this email, does anyone think it is fishy that UPitt is bugging people on the waitlist so much for Fin Aid info? No other school seems to care as much...

They claim they don't factor it in to decisions, but I am skeptical. Surely they don't do so for their first round of early acceptances (the rockstars that boost their stats etc), but if they have two people already interviewed on the waitlist with comparable stats and EC's and positive interview results, clearly they are going to take the one that needs less money right? Or am I just being too cynical?

Main Question:
*Has anyone gotten off the waitlist WITHOUT sending in any Fin Aid info? *

Since they are clearly waiting to take such a large percentage of their acceptances from the waitlist in order to increase their yield/ decrease their acceptance rate and rise in the US News rankings, I would not be surprised if they are trying to strategically conserve aid money by accepting only the people that pass a stats/numbers "cutoff" AND a Fin Aid "cutoff".... anyone? Thoughts?
 
AspiringPsychDC said:
Since they are clearly waiting to take such a large percentage of their acceptances from the waitlist in order to increase their yield/ decrease their acceptance rate and rise in the US News rankings, I would not be surprised if they are trying to strategically conserve aid money by accepting only the people that pass a stats/numbers "cutoff" AND a Fin Aid "cutoff".... anyone? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

i think it is more a matter of simple interest. sending your financial aid info to pitt is one of the many ways to show them that you are still interested in their school. and it isn't that hard...
 
AspiringPsychDC said:
Main Question:
*Has anyone gotten off the waitlist WITHOUT sending in any Fin Aid info? *

Since they are clearly waiting to take such a large percentage of their acceptances from the waitlist in order to increase their yield/ decrease their acceptance rate and rise in the US News rankings, I would not be surprised if they are trying to strategically conserve aid money by accepting only the people that pass a stats/numbers "cutoff" AND a Fin Aid "cutoff".... anyone? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I got off the waitlist this past week after receiving and responding to an express-your-continued-interest-in-us email from Dr. Piriano this Monday, and I just sent in my FAFSA yesterday (oops for procrastination!). Though financial aid MAY play a factor into a school's decision, my circumstances show it isn't mandatory in receiving an acceptance. I'd like to hope schools place financial aid below other more "important" considerations, e.g. your application...
 
AspiringPsychDC said:
WAITLIST STUFF: Speaking of this email, does anyone think it is fishy that UPitt is bugging people on the waitlist so much for Fin Aid info? No other school seems to care as much...

They claim they don't factor it in to decisions, but I am skeptical. Surely they don't do so for their first round of early acceptances (the rockstars that boost their stats etc), but if they have two people already interviewed on the waitlist with comparable stats and EC's and positive interview results, clearly they are going to take the one that needs less money right? Or am I just being too cynical?

Main Question:
*Has anyone gotten off the waitlist WITHOUT sending in any Fin Aid info? *

Since they are clearly waiting to take such a large percentage of their acceptances from the waitlist in order to increase their yield/ decrease their acceptance rate and rise in the US News rankings, I would not be surprised if they are trying to strategically conserve aid money by accepting only the people that pass a stats/numbers "cutoff" AND a Fin Aid "cutoff".... anyone? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
During my interviews, other schools mentioned that it's nice to have applicants get their financial information done even if he/she is on the waitlist.

So I really don't think that it has anything to do with their admissions decisions -- it's just them trying to get things done in a timely manner. For example, if you get pulled off the waitlist on May 15th and don't have your financial stuff in, you're probably going to wait longer to make a decision. Then, if you eventually turn Pitt down, that's an extra couple of days before they can admit someone else.

They probably just realized based on past years that this is the bottleneck (or rate-determining step, if you prefer a chemistry analogue) in the decision process, so are trying to avoid it.

Then again, maybe I'm just not cynical enough 😛
 
AspiringPsychDC said:
WAITLIST STUFF: Speaking of this email, does anyone think it is fishy that UPitt is bugging people on the waitlist so much for Fin Aid info? No other school seems to care as much...

They claim they don't factor it in to decisions, but I am skeptical. Surely they don't do so for their first round of early acceptances (the rockstars that boost their stats etc), but if they have two people already interviewed on the waitlist with comparable stats and EC's and positive interview results, clearly they are going to take the one that needs less money right? Or am I just being too cynical?

Main Question:
*Has anyone gotten off the waitlist WITHOUT sending in any Fin Aid info? *

Since they are clearly waiting to take such a large percentage of their acceptances from the waitlist in order to increase their yield/ decrease their acceptance rate and rise in the US News rankings, I would not be surprised if they are trying to strategically conserve aid money by accepting only the people that pass a stats/numbers "cutoff" AND a Fin Aid "cutoff".... anyone? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I also got off the waitlist without sending in financial aid information. I agree that they most likely want to see you're still interested and also expedite the financial aid process if you're accepted.

Pitt is a good medical school and they aspire to produce great doctors, not those with the least financial need. I would hope they wouldn't use financial information when deciding whether to pull you off the waitlist.
 
bellabuckeye said:
I heard via phone call yesterday afternoon that I was accepted; Dr. Steinman said that more info would come via snail mail.
Click to expand...

Got the not accepted email this morning. 🙁 But I was lucky enough to still be interviewed. Congrats on your acceptance.
 
yeah that financial aid email was funny. I think it's their way of narrowing down the waitlist even further. If you fill out your financial aid info, you may or may not be interested. if you don't fill it out, then you're most likely NOT interested and can be removed from the list. Too bad I'm not filling out the info. I guess i'll stay on the list for kicks, but I'm pretty sure it's a lost cause now.
 
MCsoundt said:
yeah that financial aid email was funny. I think it's their way of narrowing down the waitlist even further. If you fill out your financial aid info, you may or may not be interested. if you don't fill it out, then you're most likely NOT interested and can be removed from the list. Too bad I'm not filling out the info. I guess i'll stay on the list for kicks, but I'm pretty sure it's a lost cause now.
Click to expand...

didn't the email say filling out the financial aid stuff has nothing to do with admissions? just, like, do it in case you get accepted so you get an award letter as soon as possible?
 
rockaction said:
didn't the email say filling out the financial aid stuff has nothing to do with admissions? just, like, do it in case you get accepted so you get an award letter as soon as possible?
Click to expand...

Yes, and I think schools tend to separate the admissions and financial aid process as much as possible.
 
ktfh said:

It is my understanding that you are currently a waitlisted applicant. If you are still interested in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the financial aid process is important, as many students in prior years have been offered places from our waitlist. Some students have inquired if the admissions staff review financial aid documents before offering someone a place in the Class of 2014-this does not occur at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The financial aid department is only encouraging you to complete financial aid paperwork so that if you are accepted from the waitlist, our office can provide you with a financial aid award letter as timely as possible, to assist you in your decisions regarding where you will attend medical school.
Click to expand...
I love how, even with the above bolded line that explicitly states the opposite of what people are speculating on the thread, people still insist it's false.

I'm all for questioning things, but I don't think they would go out of their way to just straight up lie to you
 
bobsmith said:
I love how, even with the above bolded line that explicitly states the opposite of what people are speculating on the thread, people still insist it's false.

I'm all for questioning things, but I don't think they would go out of their way to just straight up lie to you
Click to expand...

Nope, it's a test. It's all a test 🙄
 
just heard from a Pitt MS1 that if you turned in ur FAFSA to pitt, it increases ur chances off the waitlist by 70%. 😛
 
So it seems that last year, some students had heard about merit scholarships by mid-March.

It's mid-April already...any thoughts on the delay? Or has no accepted student on SDN received scholarship (yet)?
 
I did, that thing is awful... It looks like they ask the same info for the parents they ask for the students.

Haven't finished my parent's info section yet. There's no way of filling out the stuff without your parents on the line, unless you also happen to be their accountant...

PS. I propose fast tracking for acceptance rockaction and any others in the waitlist who already filled out this dreadful form. It has to be a labor of love when you are not even guaranteed a spot in the class!!
 
TooMuchResearch said:
So...did anyone else have a really tough time on the 2010 portion of the Need Access application? Also, what information is asked of the parents?
Click to expand...

it's awful. it took forever. my mom kept calling me and complaining about how stupid it was. I had to fill it out for my Case Western acceptance, so I just added Pitt too.
 
d1ony5u5 said:
I did, that thing is awful... It looks like they ask the same info for the parents they ask for the students.

Haven't finished my parent's info section yet. There's no way of filling out the stuff without your parents on the line, unless you also happen to be their accountant...

PS. I propose fast tracking for acceptance rockaction and any others in the waitlist who already filled out this dreadful form. It has to be a labor of love when you are not even guaranteed a spot in the class!!
Click to expand...

Yeah, the NeedAccess is pretty hideous. My parents just filled out their portion themselves. There's no way I would have been able to do that for them.
 
rockaction said:
it's awful. it took forever. my mom kept calling me and complaining about how stupid it was. I had to fill it out for my Case Western acceptance, so I just added Pitt too.
Click to expand...


Oh, well, way to undermine my argument!! :laugh:
 
AspiringPsychDC said:
WAITLIST STUFF: Speaking of this email, does anyone think it is fishy that UPitt is bugging people on the waitlist so much for Fin Aid info? No other school seems to care as much...

They claim they don't factor it in to decisions, but I am skeptical. Surely they don't do so for their first round of early acceptances (the rockstars that boost their stats etc), but if they have two people already interviewed on the waitlist with comparable stats and EC's and positive interview results, clearly they are going to take the one that needs less money right? Or am I just being too cynical?

Main Question:
*Has anyone gotten off the waitlist WITHOUT sending in any Fin Aid info? *

Since they are clearly waiting to take such a large percentage of their acceptances from the waitlist in order to increase their yield/ decrease their acceptance rate and rise in the US News rankings, I would not be surprised if they are trying to strategically conserve aid money by accepting only the people that pass a stats/numbers "cutoff" AND a Fin Aid "cutoff".... anyone? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

:laugh: LMAO if that was the case, I would have never gotten off the WL! Pitt gave me a ton of financial aid.
 
justintime55 said:
So it seems that last year, some students had heard about merit scholarships by mid-March.

It's mid-April already...any thoughts on the delay? Or has no accepted student on SDN received scholarship (yet)?
Click to expand...

Nothing yet. Seems like they're backlogged this year.
 
I know a lot of med schools have tuition jumps over years 3 and 4 due to the extra months of schooling. Does anyone know if Pitt's tuition jumps up for years 3 and 4?
 
I'm pretty sure I'll attend the pre-mat program. Sounds like a sweet deal, and I get to quit my job earlier!!!
 
Kind of quiet in here lately. ANYONE excited for second look besides me? =P
 
Yeah, really excited!! Will take this visit to Pitt as an opportunity to apartment hunt, as well. So excited to get to see the school again!
 
Does anyone know if it's OK to bring significant others to Second Look?
 
Anyone know of any recent movement of the waitlist or if/when Pitt is going to start rejecting people from the waitlist? I'm losing hope....
 
chips09 said:
Anyone know of any recent movement of the waitlist or if/when Pitt is going to start rejecting people from the waitlist? I'm losing hope....
Click to expand...

You can't loose hope yet! If I remember correctly, last year they only had about a week of waitlist movement around the time it happened this year, and then major movement mid-May.
 
The Enchanter said:
Does anyone know if it's OK to bring significant others to Second Look?
Click to expand...

I would definitely bring him/her along!

You could email the coordinators to figure out which things he/she can attend (probably the meals, tours, etc.) and what he/she can't. There are some great restaurants, neighborhoods, and some museums and a conservatory near campus that are a great way to spend some time. PM me if you're interested in more details!
 
Any finaid info leaking out yet? UVA's starting to e-mail about it's merit scholarships. Anyone lucky enough to get something similar?
 
Do you think it is worse now to send in the financial aid stuff late than just never sending it in at all?

I know that they probably don't look at it re: admissions, but there is always a chance...
 
Polycarp said:
Do you think it is worse now to send in the financial aid stuff late than just never sending it in at all?

I know that they probably don't look at it re: admissions, but there is always a chance...
Click to expand...

Better late than never. If there is a chance that you would end up here and since packages haven't been sent out yet then I think you still should.
 
"Attire for Friday is typically business casual with Saturday being casual."

This is taken from an email from the Second Look coordinator. These surely cannot be hard and fast rules, right? No where else on the itinerary (aside from some semi-formal event) does it indicate that there is a dress code. I know this is very trivial, but as I'm packing, I'm thinking shorts and t-shirts, yet I don't want to be the bum that missed the memo.

Yep. I'm that girl. Regardless, any feedback would be appreciated.
 
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