2010-2011 Stanford University Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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mdeast said:
Yup. This is exactly what the question wants you to answer with. Stanford at least wants to gauge what sort of direction you're interested in taking your career (certainly, people change their mind while in school...so don't feel this is obligating you to any specific direction). It more helps them gauge how a Stanford education might be useful for the path you want to take in medicine. And, certainly, for making sure they enroll a class that has diverse interests in where they want to go with medicine. 85 is small...so they don't need 85 academic docs.

Good luck all! I'm driving out to California from the Northeast today to arrive for orientation and SWEAT! (Stanford's pre-orientation hiking/back-packing trip)...so my posts will be erratic for a few weeks.

Stay patient and work on getting the secondary in within 2 weeks 🙂
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Keep us updated on how it is there.
 
This was tied as my #1 with UCSF then I found out that it has connections with my favorite football team and now its a clear #1. Too bad I'm going to be waiting 3 more years before I apply to Stanford.
 
VNV said:
Hi there--this is my first post, so please let me know if this is not allowed or if I'm doing it in the wrong place! 😵

I was just wondering if I could get some thoughts...I believe I have good stats (43R/3.9ish) but my ECs aren't anything spectacular (a substantial amount of research but no pubs and some community service and other activities), and I was a bit of an idiot and submitted AMCAS very late (still waiting for verification 🙁 )

I realize that the only thing I can do now is to write as many secondary essays as possible now so I can submit them as soon as I get secondaries...but reading this thread and seeing how selective Stanford is and how late it is, should I expect to get a secondary? Would I be better off putting my effort elsewhere?
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I have a friend who didn't submit AMCAS until suuper late (later than you) and still got into med school (a really good one at that)

BTW It seems like Stanford isn't an early bird in the admissions game. And they do not screen for secondaries. I just got my secondary a few days back, my very last one 🙂
 
VNV said:
Hi there--this is my first post, so please let me know if this is not allowed or if I'm doing it in the wrong place! 😵

I was just wondering if I could get some thoughts...I believe I have good stats (43R/3.9ish) but my ECs aren't anything spectacular (a substantial amount of research but no pubs and some community service and other activities), and I was a bit of an idiot and submitted AMCAS very late (still waiting for verification 🙁 )

I realize that the only thing I can do now is to write as many secondary essays as possible now so I can submit them as soon as I get secondaries...but reading this thread and seeing how selective Stanford is and how late it is, should I expect to get a secondary? Would I be better off putting my effort elsewhere?
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Stanford knows a good candidate when it sees one, whether he/she applies in July or December...
 
With all this talk about being "too late," I fear that I am too late.

I'm a Canadian student from McGill University with a 3.97 cGPA and an MCAT score of 36R (PS 12, VR 10, WS R, BS 14). I have decent extracurriculars (some longterm commitments), but nothing jawdropping. But I've only just began filling out my AMCAS application. Getting all of my references and essays in order will take at least two weeks. Then there's the processing time and the secondary application.

I think Stanford is great, and I'm willing to give these apps my best effort, but do I have a chance at all?
 
51stCenturyFox said:
With all this talk about being "too late," I fear that I am too late.

I'm a Canadian student from McGill University with a 3.97 cGPA and an MCAT score of 36R (PS 12, VR 10, WS R, BS 14). I have decent extracurriculars (some longterm commitments), but nothing jawdropping. But I've only just began filling out my AMCAS application. Getting all of my references and essays in order will take at least two weeks. Then there's the processing time and the secondary application.

I think Stanford is great, and I'm willing to give these apps my best effort, but do I have a chance at all?
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You're somewhat late... yes. If you're set on applying this cycle I don't think you're late enough that you have no chance. Certainly, applications are reviewed in the order they are received...so it just may that you have to do more waiting than applicants who applied earlier. But, you're definitely still in the running assuming you can get things together quickly enough and with good quality. I'd plan to finish your essays ASAP and submit your primary (within the next few days). You can work on references and secondaries while your grades are being verified...but the verification process is the one you need to aim to get done as quickly as possible as it can be slow this time of year (3 weeks waiting time). Meaning... get working on your activities and essay and submit ASAP. You can worry about the references after submitting.

Good luck!
 
"Was your enrollment status ever interrupted during your undergraduate years, not counting summer term?"

Just checking: I assumed this does NOT include gap years between college and med school. Right?
 
Wermz said:
"Was your enrollment status ever interrupted during your undergraduate years, not counting summer term?"

Just checking: I assumed this does NOT include gap years between college and med school. Right?
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Correct. Asking if you took time off from school to doing something else, take a break, etc.
 
mdeast said:
I'm gonna bullet point it, about things that I think make Stanford unique.
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OMFG, that really made me reconsider how I'll choose among multiple acceptance letters, should I actually be that lucky. That gave me an entirely new perspective. Thank you!
 
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mdeast said:
You're somewhat late... yes. If you're set on applying this cycle I don't think you're late enough that you have no chance. Certainly, applications are reviewed in the order they are received...so it just may that you have to do more waiting than applicants who applied earlier. But, you're definitely still in the running assuming you can get things together quickly enough and with good quality. I'd plan to finish your essays ASAP and submit your primary (within the next few days). You can work on references and secondaries while your grades are being verified...but the verification process is the one you need to aim to get done as quickly as possible as it can be slow this time of year (3 weeks waiting time). Meaning... get working on your activities and essay and submit ASAP. You can worry about the references after submitting.

Good luck!
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Thank you for being so helpful! I sent my transcript a few days ago and I just submitted my AMCAS application. I don't expect much (being so stupidly late), but I'll never know if I don't try.
 
Deutsch Arzt said:
Has anyone seen the MSTP prompts yet?
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Yes... there are a TON of them...

"Describe your most significant research experience. Include the rationale, results and conclusions and the role you played in each of these components. Please be very specific including the dates and amount of time you were so engaged. For publications or presentations that resulted or will result from this work, please include a complete citation."

"Please describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background."

"Describe your reasons for pursuing a MST in relation to your long-term career goals? Why are you applying to a combined degree program rather than graduate or medical school only?"

"Describe your current lab affiliation and the weekly time commitment required."

"Describe any other research experiences you think would be relevant to the MSTP admissions committee decision"

"Describe any patiet-related, teachin and service-oriented activities relevant to the MSTP admissions committee decisions"

"Describe any other aspect of your background you think would be relevant to the MSTP admissions committee decision"


I am convinced that they are trying to completely weed out people who are not fully interested in Stanford MSTP by just having an insane number of questions
 
Interviews do start rolling out in September time on a very limited basis...most early interview days (September-November) consist of only one to three students on sporadic days of the week. The bulk of the interview process is conducted later than other schools (December to April), where 5 or 6 might interview on a single day.

Things to keep in mind:
-Stanford is much slower than other places (maybe it's a reflection of the California lifestyle).
-To the best of my knowledge, your application goes through a stage selection process involving read throughs of your app from multiple community members
-Because we're so small here....86 students...Stanford tends to interview less people than many peer institutions (usually 450 interviews as opposed to 800 or 1000).
-The interview season is long, stretching from September to April and the time you receive your invite doesn't always correspond exactly to the time Stanford received your application.
- Patience is a virtue.

Good luck!
 
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mdeast said:
Interviews do start rolling out in September time on a very limited basis...most early interview days (September-November) consist of only one to three students on sporadic days of the week. The bulk of the interview process is conducted later than other schools (December to April), where 5 or 6 might interview on a single day.

Things to keep in mind:
-Stanford is much slower than other places (maybe it's a reflection of the California lifestyle).
-To the best of my knowledge, your application goes through a stage selection process involving read throughs of your app from at least three committee members (students and faculty) and then the director of admissions before decisions are made. Sometimes these read throughs take time, especially if a "untimely" committee member gets your application.
-Because we're so small here....86 students...Stanford tends to interview less people than many peer institutions (usually 450 interviews as opposed to 800 or 1000).
-The interview season is long, stretching from September to April and the time you receive your invite doesn't always correspond exactly to the time Stanford received your application.
- Patience is a virtue.

Good luck!
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Schools like Stanford are like that perfect guy/girl who just leads you on forever 😀
 
FlowRate said:
Schools like Stanford are like that perfect guy/girl who just leads you on forever 😀
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Remember though. Never pick absolute favorites and obsess over one prospect. If you enter the party and go after the hot girl on center stage, you may end up missing the even hotter girl looming in the corner that you never thought about. Or, the slightly nerdy, but "made for you" girl standing by the bar... who actually wants to go home with you when the music stops playing.

Dating analogies are highly appropriate for med school admissions though. Touche.
 
mdeast said:
Remember though. Never pick absolute favorites and obsess over one prospect. If you enter the party and go after the hot girl on center stage, you may end up missing the even hotter girl looming in the corner that you never thought about. Or, the slightly nerdy, but "made for you" girl standing by the bar... who actually wants to go home with you when the music stops playing.

Dating analogies are highly appropriate for med school admissions though. Touche.
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You just hit on my attitude with both med schools and dating 😉 👍
 
Hey future Stanford prospects-

Just wanted to update you with some inside information about the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) and how they will affect this year's process (which they will! in a big way)

Stanford has in the past had a long, extended admissions season with small interview days (2-5 students/day) from September to April. Things are going to be WAY, way different this year...and I can suppose that your interview day at Stanford will be unique among all your medical school interviews. These changes also might equate to you having to wait a bit longer for the first round of interviews (I get the sense that they definitely won't be happening this month, or possibly even next month).

Per the difficulty of arranging for so many interviewers (or "raters") to be around, Stanford will be holding only 8 interview days this year scattered across 4 weekends with roughly 50-60 students interviewing each day.

It seems like an experiment for everyone, but I'd be happy to update everyone once I know more.

Good luck!
 
mdeast said:
Hey future Stanford prospects-

Just wanted to update you with some inside information about the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) and how they will affect this year's process (which they will! in a big way)

Stanford has in the past had a long, extended admissions season with small interview days (2-5 students/day) from September to April. Things are going to be WAY, way different this year...and I can suppose that your interview day at Stanford will be unique among all your medical school interviews. These changes also might equate to you having to wait a bit longer for the first round of interviews (I get the sense that they definitely won't be happening this month, or possibly even next month).

Per the difficulty of arranging for so many interviewers (or "raters") to be around, Stanford will be holding only 8 interview days this year scattered across 4 weekends with roughly 50-60 students interviewing each day.

It seems like an experiment for everyone, but I'd be happy to update everyone once I know more.

Good luck!
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THANKS for the info. Definitely let us know.
 
did anyone get an invitation to complete the secondary via snail mail?
I got an email saying I would, but have not received a letter yet (and its been a few weeks)
 
I think im going to apply for that position! And then accept myself.

🙂
 
Did anyone notice that Stanford's first 2 prompts are really similar (sometimes word for word) to Wake Forest's prompts? Only difference is that Stanford requires both, while WF instructs us to choose one or the other.
 
Apeiron said:
Did anyone notice that Stanford's first 2 prompts are really similar (sometimes word for word) to Wake Forest's prompts? Only difference is that Stanford requires both, while WF instructs us to choose one or the other.
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yup I noticed the same thing so stanford essay was the summary of Wake forest for me since there was a character difference.
 
Just got my secondary, trying to finish in a few days since I am lagging behind others. They def don't screen, I will be an example of that. I don't have impressive scores but I do have lots of specialized research in a well known lab..I hope that makes me stand out :idea:
 
Good luck guys!
 
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I submitted my secondary on 9/6 and am still not marked as complete. Should I be concerned about this?
 
Still sitting on my secondary here. For some reason, the scholarly concentration essay really caused me to a hit a wall, and now I'm having to face it. I do like the idea of the concentration, it appeals to me, it's just more a matter of articulating how it will help w/my goals, and doing so with soooo few characters. Tough.

I keep having to remind myself that I don't stand a snowball's chance in hell of getting an interview, so I can't be so obsessive about it.
 
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Has anyone else noticed that a lot of the California schools are starting everything (secondaries, interviews, etc.) later on in the game? Talk about stereotypes. :laugh: ::sigh:: I <3 my home state.

I would love to attend Stanford! Here's to ii :xf:

:luck: everyone!
 
Just to let everyone know...YES. Your applications are being reviewed. The whole switch to the new interview format has slowed things down a bit...trying to arrange the schedule of the interview day, take student input, work out logistics, go through some practice runs.
 
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HOLYYYYYYYYYY CRAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

11/15 INTERVIEW WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH




ZOMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG complete 20 min after they sent the 2ndary etc YAY
 
woooooooo hoooooooooo!!!! interview invite!!!! best day of my app cycle!!

11/16/10 😀😀😀😀😀😀
 
[deleted]

Sorry...posted in the wrong thread...
 
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Congrats guys! If you need a host, I'd suggest contacting the admissions office early (as the availability of student hosts might be somewhat slim during these huge admissions days). Especially considering the first interview day is 1 day after the SMS Las Vegas party weekend. So we may not be...uhhh...all at the top of our game.

Or, send me a PM and I can host you. 😉
 
Invitation today as well! But I won't be interviewing until dec or so! These mini interviews are somewhat intimidating...
 
MDApplicant3 said:
rejected mstp

rather disheartening
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Sorry to hear that. Do realize though that your application is passed along for the regular MD admissions process and I know of many candidates last year who still received MD-only interviews following that rejection. There are actually a handful of 1st year students (maybe 1 or 2) who turned down other MSTP offers to come to Stanford MD-only.

During your 1st, 2nd, 3rd (and even 4th) year you have the option of applying internally for the MD/PhD program (which is somewhat? competitive, but do-able....meaning it's more likely to happen on the second try than the first). Also, students can apply for a PhD program (with no MSTP grant or funding for your med schools years) and they are almost universally accepted into any of the wonderful PhD grad programs on campus.
 
Hi MSTP folks:

What are the word limits/character limits on the MSTP essays on the Stanford Secondary App?? Each the same?

Is it ok to repeat (almost copy/paste) info from the AMCAS right into the secondary app?

THANKS!! 🙂
 
MSTPforme2011 said:
Hi MSTP folks:

What are the word limits/character limits on the MSTP essays on the Stanford Secondary App?? Each the same?

Is it ok to repeat (almost copy/paste) info from the AMCAS right into the secondary app?

THANKS!! 🙂
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Not applying MSTP, but why would you copy unedited material from one app to the next? That's a missed opportunity IMO.
 
Unedited AMCAS? Why would AMCAS be unedited-- it is, in fact, highly edited! But my point was-- the questions on the Stanford Secondary for MSTP include much of the same material, in effect, as the MSTP essays on AMCAS.

Anyone know the word/character limits on those?

Thanks!
 
MSTPforme2011 said:
Unedited AMCAS? Why would AMCAS be unedited-- it is, in fact, highly edited! But my point was-- the questions on the Stanford Secondary for MSTP include much of the same material, in effect, as the MSTP essays on AMCAS.

Anyone know the word/character limits on those?

Thanks!
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By unedited I meant unchanged. Even if the questions are more or less the same, I would still rewrite the answer just so the two essays aren't EXACTLY the same.
 
ColeOnTheRoll said:
By unedited I meant unchanged. Even if the questions are more or less the same, I would still rewrite the answer just so the two essays aren't EXACTLY the same.
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+1. A lot of apps state explicitly that they don't want to see anything from your AMCAS repeated in your secondary. If you're going to parrot what the adcoms can already find in your AMCAS, you might as well leave that question blank.
 
rhesuspieces said:
+1. A lot of apps state explicitly that they don't want to see anything from your AMCAS repeated in your secondary. If you're going to parrot what the adcoms can already find in your AMCAS, you might as well leave that question blank.
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Exactly. Every question is an opportunity to show more about yourself as an individual and as an applicant. Forgoing this opportunity is doing yourself a disservice.
 
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