2010-2011 Mount Sinai Application Thread

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Hi all, I am frantically finding to find a hotel near campus as my plans recently fell through. Does anyone know a relatively cheap hotel near the Mount Sinai campus?

Any advice would help.

I'm staying at the La Quinta inn in midtown. It's not near Mt. Sinai, but it's a few blocks from Penn Station and you can take the 6 from there to campus. ~$115/night, which isn't bad for NYC.
 
Hi all, I am frantically finding to find a hotel near campus as my plans recently fell through. Does anyone know a relatively cheap hotel near the Mount Sinai campus?

Any advice would help.

The Belnord at ~81st and between Amsterdam and Broadway is ~140 a night. About the cheapest you'll get for comfort in Manhattan. A good deal.

There are also two hostels across the park on 103rd st and Amsterdam ave. Central Park hostel or something, not completely sure of name. Those should be cheaper, as they are hostels.
 
Hi all, I am frantically finding to find a hotel near campus as my plans recently fell through. Does anyone know a relatively cheap hotel near the Mount Sinai campus?

Any advice would help.

Plans for a student host fell through? Because if you haven't tried that, that would prolly be your best option ([email protected]).
 
Youth hostel is about $60/night and everywhere in Manhattan is easily accessible by subway or crosstown bus. It's a tiny appendix-like island anyway
 
The Belnord at ~81st and between Amsterdam and Broadway is ~140 a night. About the cheapest you'll get for comfort in Manhattan. A good deal.

There are also two hostels across the park on 103rd st and Amsterdam ave. Central Park hostel or something, not completely sure of name. Those should be cheaper, as they are hostels.

That's on the West Side though, it's a pain to get from the West to the East side whether via cab or subway. If you have ~$30-40 more, I'd look for something on the Upper East Side. That wasn't bad advice for a cheap place though.
 
That's on the West Side though, it's a pain to get from the West to the East side whether via cab or subway. If you have ~$30-40 more, I'd look for something on the Upper East Side. That wasn't bad advice for a cheap place though.

That's why there is the crosstown bus. M79 should do the trick. If walking ~20 blocks up Madison isn't do-able, just take the M79 to Lex and hop on the 6 for two stops. Gotta love mass transit.
 
That's on the West Side though, it's a pain to get from the West to the East side whether via cab or subway. If you have ~$30-40 more, I'd look for something on the Upper East Side. That wasn't bad advice for a cheap place though.

If staying at 103rd, the walk across central park is 12-15 minutes. And its pretty. I do it every day. I looked and it was Hosteling International at amsterdam and central park hostel at manhattan ave. To walk accross park, enter at 103rd street and follow paved path as straight as possible, always directing yourself towards the tall black rectangular building that is sinai. Its a refreshing walk. The area that the hostels are in is slightly borderline though.

If staying at the Belnord the bus is easy. The price I gave was for summer so it's probably less than 140 now.
 
If staying at 103rd, the walk across central park is 12-15 minutes. And its pretty. I do it every day. I looked and it was Hosteling International at amsterdam and central park hostel at manhattan ave. To walk accross park, enter at 103rd street and follow paved path as straight as possible, always directing yourself towards the tall black rectangular building that is sinai. Its a refreshing walk. The area that the hostels are in is slightly borderline though.

If staying at the Belnord the bus is easy. The price I gave was for summer so it's probably less than 140 now.

Probably not a great idea to walk across the park with the recent weather. It is still slushy and grimy. Your suit and shoes will reflect that. Hey berkley10, seriously, if you haven't tried already, consider student hosting. Everyone is very friendly and trust me we hold no pull with the admissions committee. I've definitely hosted a very rude applicant but kept my trap shut about it.

I don't know much about hotels around here though since I've never needed it but I recommend staying around the green line or the M96 bus if you will be traveling. Good luck!:luck:
 
I interviewed at Sinai a little while ago and my interviewer asked me if I had any acceptances. I said I did. Do you guys think that negatively affects my chances at Sinai, or does the fact that I showed up/didn't withdraw show that I still <3 them? Or am I dwelling on something that's not important?
 
I interviewed at Sinai a little while ago and my interviewer asked me if I had any acceptances. I said I did. Do you guys think that negatively affects my chances at Sinai, or does the fact that I showed up/didn't withdraw show that I still <3 them? Or am I dwelling on something that's not important?
I think that almost everyone that gets accepted at Sinai gets at least one other acceptance. The only exceptions I can think of would be someone that exclusively applies in NYC, or only applies to top 20 schools, and even then it's still not that likely to happen. I saw the statistic for a mid-tier in NYS was something like 85%, so I'd estimate it's 90-98% at Mount Sinai.

tl; dr - If anything it's a good thing. Besides you were honest, that should count for something.
 
I interviewed at Sinai a little while ago and my interviewer asked me if I had any acceptances. I said I did. Do you guys think that negatively affects my chances at Sinai, or does the fact that I showed up/didn't withdraw show that I still <3 them? Or am I dwelling on something that's not important?

My interviewer asked me that as well...and I still got in. I really don't think that it matters as long as its clear that you are still genuinely interested in their school. I think adcoms understand that everyone's ultimately looking for the best fit for them, so it would be very uncool of them not to accept you just because you have other options. I really wouldn't worry about it! I'm sure that they know you still <3 them =)
 
Just wondering, guys...how does the acceptance process work after the interview? Do they get back to you pretty quickly with an acceptance/hold/rejection, or is it just a waiting game?
 
Just wondering, guys...how does the acceptance process work after the interview? Do they get back to you pretty quickly with an acceptance/hold/rejection, or is it just a waiting game?
I interviewed early January, and they said they were aiming for mid-February notices. I'm not sure if you'll be in the same batch, but based on prior responses they don't seem to pass anyone over so you should hear the same time as other people in your group.
 
Does anyone know if Mt. Sinai has a lot of waitlist movement? It kind of seems like they waitlist A LOT of people and maybe not even reject anyone post interview. I do know they look favorably on waitlisters who send in letters according to the admission staff person on interview day.
 
Also just curious, anyone get accepted from the last batch of notifications that went out last week?
 
I'm wondering if there's something off w/mine. I submitted in the fall & had my letters marked complete in October.

On the 'track your status' page, it still says "No current status. Please check back later" (even though it shows my secondary & LORs were all received and complete back in Oct). Does anyone have something different here prior to interviewing?

What level of hope should I have at this point? I tried calling the school, and was told that my file would be under review until mid March and that all I could do is wait.... 😕

I am certainly confused how to feel about my chances, especially since I did try to convey to them that this was my top choice (though I guess its still not a rejection). Anyone else?
 
Does anyone know if Mt. Sinai has a lot of waitlist movement? It kind of seems like they waitlist A LOT of people and maybe not even reject anyone post interview. I do know they look favorably on waitlisters who send in letters according to the admission staff person on interview day.

The admissions lady (Jessica?) told our interview group that last year was wierd b/c there was very little waitlist movement & the class was actually over-booked w/o tapping into the WL.

She also said that they don't really like to reject post-interview, and so getting off the WL means letter her know that you're interested. "If she doesn't hear from you, you're not getting off the WL."

Anyone know how far into the season they have booked interviews?

I'm not at all sure, but I feel like it's early-mid Feb. Regardless, you still have a shot! Find the post on this thread from a current Sinai student who was invited March 4th(?), Interviewed a week later, and accepted later that month. Don't worry!
 
I'm wondering if there's something off w/mine. I submitted in the fall & had my letters marked complete in October.

On the 'track your status' page, it still says "No current status. Please check back later" (even though it shows my secondary & LORs were all received and complete back in Oct). Does anyone have something different here prior to interviewing?

What level of hope should I have at this point? I tried calling the school, and was told that my file would be under review until mid March and that all I could do is wait.... 😕

I am certainly confused how to feel about my chances, especially since I did try to convey to them that this was my top choice (though I guess its still not a rejection). Anyone else?

I have the status "complete" but I had a lot of trouble getting there. I submitted my letters in late July and had that status posted in late October. I would say just stay patient, since (as above) they offer interviews into March. If you're still feeling super worried, you should call again and confirm that your file is complete despite the online status. Though if the lady says your file is under review, then you should be OK.
 
Hey guys I was just checking the status of my application and it got updated and now says "Actual Interview Date
misc_dotted_vert_sm.gif
No current status. Please check back later"


Im assuming everyone has that and it doesnt mean anything about getting or not getting an interview right?
 
Hey guys I was just checking the status of my application and it got updated and now says "Actual Interview Date
misc_dotted_vert_sm.gif
No current status. Please check back later"


Im assuming everyone has that and it doesnt mean anything about getting or not getting an interview right?

Yes everyone has that status.
 
I interviewed at Sinai a little while ago and my interviewer asked me if I had any acceptances. I said I did. Do you guys think that negatively affects my chances at Sinai, or does the fact that I showed up/didn't withdraw show that I still <3 them? Or am I dwelling on something that's not important?

Maybe your interviewer asked just because he/she was wondering and wanted a more complete picture of where you were in the application cycle?

I've never been asked this directly, but it's come up in conversation at several interviews after getting my first acceptance. In each case, I explained that I did in fact have acceptance(s) already, and how much of a relief it was. I then go on to say how great it is to be able to pick and choose and only attend interviews at schools that I feel would be a great fit rather than every school which offers me an interview. I then transition into a couple sentences explaining why the school I'm at is a good fit for my interests. This has been very well received everywhere and in my opinion is one of the strongest ways you can communicate your interest in a school at an interview.
 
For anyone still waiting to hear from Mt. Sinai pre-interview: don't despair.

I was just invited for an interview today despite having my application complete since early august!
 
I'm staying at the La Quinta inn in midtown. It's not near Mt. Sinai, but it's a few blocks from Penn Station and you can take the 6 from there to campus. ~$115/night, which isn't bad for NYC.

Wow that is a great price, but I just wanted to let people know that the 6 train doesn't go to Penn Station. Best transportation from Penn Station would be to take the crosstown bus on 34th (M34 or M16) and hop on the uptown six train at 33rd and Park Ave.
 
For anyone still waiting to hear from Mt. Sinai pre-interview: don't despair.

I was just invited for an interview today despite having my application complete since early august!

Congrats man! Could you share your stats?
 
Wow that is a great price, but I just wanted to let people know that the 6 train doesn't go to Penn Station. Best transportation from Penn Station would be to take the crosstown bus on 34th (M34 or M16) and hop on the uptown six train at 33rd and Park Ave.

My bad, forgot that the 6 runs up Lexington. I was thinking of the 1, which I took from the same hotel for a different interview. Anyway, La Quinta is just as close to 33rd and Park as it is to Penn St.
 
I just wanted to chime in re: housing for people yet to interview.

I highly, highly, recommend staying with a student. Sinai kids are really friendly relatively (I've stayed with hosts at every single interview I've gone to not in my city), and Aron Hall is as close to campus as you can get (no need to worry about the commute at all, because it's literally next to the campus).

Interviews are also in the morning (before you have a chance to tour the school and the medical center), so the students you're staying with (they live in these 6- or 4-people suites) will be able to tell you a lot about Sinai before your interview (there's really not that much information online, actually).
 
complete mid-October interview invite today!
 
I was totally surprised to get an interview invite today!

I reeeeeeally want to go, but I need to decide if I should spend the money to fly from CA to NY 🙁
 
I was totally surprised to get an interview invite today!

I reeeeeeally want to go, but I need to decide if I should spend the money to fly from CA to NY 🙁

Congratulations! I'm from Cali too but I have a SO in NYC, so here's hoping for an invite. I missed the Columbia deadline and thought that Cornell and none of the SUNY schools were in the City so I didn't apply. Yeah, go figure. Mt Sinai is my salvation for wrapping up the "you didn't even try! you don't care..." conversation 🙁 In case this is helpful, www.kayak.com searches all airlines for the cheapest fare. Shouldn't be too bad, I wish I could go. It's an amazing school!

Also, where do the rest of you check your status? I tried logging into EMBARK but get "You have attempted to access an application whose deadlines have all passed for this season" that takes me right back to the log-in page. Thanks!
 
Interview invite this morning for 1/26. Gotta love Mount Sinai!! I hope these aren't waitlist interviews though. I want a real shot at this school.
Anyone else interviewing on Jan 25th?

Good luck to everyone!
 
That's probably just an impression.
I doubt its true.
 
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i have > 35 but no interview 🙁

does anyone know who we address update letters to?
 
Well i only got a 31 on my mcat and was offered an acceptance so i think they consider the entire package.
 
Are you by any chance a URM? That's a big part of the package as well...
 
Are the interview invites sent by email, or are they first seen in the status tracking in your account?
 
Hey guys- I have my Mt Sinai interview this week and I'll be interviewing for the Portal program. Can anyone share what their Portal interview experience was like? Is it basically just talking about your research? Any curveballs? Thanks!
 
Hey guys- I have my Mt Sinai interview this week and I'll be interviewing for the Portal program. Can anyone share what their Portal interview experience was like? Is it basically just talking about your research? Any curveballs? Thanks!

the interview for PORTAL I thought was pretty relaxed; mine was with the two heads of the program/grad program Dr. Zier & Dr. Gabrilove (probably everyone interviews with them). They were super nice and engaging in what I had to say...I basically just discussed my research, no curveballs.

I did get waitlisted at Mt Sinai so I am very confused and curious as to what's supposed to happen with my being considered for the PORTAL program, and no one at admissions responds to my emails...
 
the interview for PORTAL I thought was pretty relaxed; mine was with the two heads of the program/grad program Dr. Zier & Dr. Gabrilove (probably everyone interviews with them). They were super nice and engaging in what I had to say...I basically just discussed my research, no curveballs.

I did get waitlisted at Mt Sinai so I am very confused and curious as to what's supposed to happen with my being considered for the PORTAL program, and no one at admissions responds to my emails...

Thanks for the reply! That's good to know.

I've found that Mt. Sinai is a much better phone office than email. I never got a confirmation that my PORTAL app was received but they were able to confirm over the phone that they got it and that I was scheduled for an interview. So, I'd recommend calling them to ask about what happens to PORTAL applicants who are waitlisted (or maybe try calling/emailing the program director? They would probably know more about how they handle waitlisted applicants. Contact information is here: http://www.mssm.edu/education/medical-education/medical-student-research-office/programs/portal )
 
I am new to these forums and am having some trouble finding information on a typical daily schedule for a Mt.Sinai student. For example what classes during the day, how long etc.

If someone can point me in the right direction of a thread/website with this info, or if a current student could share this information I would be very interested to learn about this.

Thanks for the help
 
Thanks for the reply! That's good to know.

I've found that Mt. Sinai is a much better phone office than email. I never got a confirmation that my PORTAL app was received but they were able to confirm over the phone that they got it and that I was scheduled for an interview. So, I'd recommend calling them to ask about what happens to PORTAL applicants who are waitlisted (or maybe try calling/emailing the program director? They would probably know more about how they handle waitlisted applicants. Contact information is here: http://www.mssm.edu/education/medical-education/medical-student-research-office/programs/portal )

great thanks! I gave them a call today 🙂 and might email the program director as well.
 
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