2010-2011 University of Pittsburgh Application Thread

[Nessy]

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hey all,

i just got a letter saying i was waitlisted for the MSTP program. has anyone been accepted to it yet? i was in the first round of interviewees in september.

Woe, waitlist is good, hang in there. I'm not MSTP but I find it very interesting that the admissions process is starting to move. Best of luck to you.

 

[sweetlb331]

Woe, waitlist is good, hang in there. I'm not MSTP but I find it very interesting that the admissions process is starting to move. Best of luck to you.

Thanks!!

 

[DocTraveler]

Does anyone know if Pitt reviews files and applicants holistically? I received a MedMAR email about applying here by my MCAT is nowhere near their average. I have a sub-30 MCAT with high science scores. Almost perfect GPAs, URM, disadvantaged, bi-lingual, lived abroad, non-traditional applicant, normal ECs with some abroad disaster volunteer work.

Any thoughts? Oh and OOS applicant

 

[tlaloc87]

Does anyone know if Pitt reviews files and applicants holistically? I received a MedMAR email about applying here by my MCAT is nowhere near their average. I have a sub-30 MCAT with a sub 8 VR score but high science scores. Almost perfect GPAs, URM, disadvantaged, bi-lingual, lived abroad, non-traditional applicant, normal ECs with some abroad disaster volunteer work.

Any thoughts? Oh and OOS applicant

Honestly OOS is pretty much a non-factor for whether to apply. I do believe that they review files holistically, but what's holding you back from applying regardless? You sound like an interesting candidate and averages are just that--averages. What have you got to lose?

(I'm not biased at all... I just LOVED PittMed when I interviewed.)

 

[DocTraveler]

Honestly OOS is pretty much a non-factor for whether to apply. I do believe that they review files holistically, but what's holding you back from applying regardless? You sound like an interesting candidate and averages are just that--averages. What have you got to lose?

(I'm not biased at all... I just LOVED PittMed when I interviewed.)

I guess what's holding me back is the $ and the fact that I feel like it is sooooo late to apply here. I mean if I submit my AMCAS app tonight, I don't even know how fast I will get the secondary. And if I do an almost same day turnaround, when will I become "complete" here. Some schools take 8 weeks! 😱 Don't get me wrong, this school is incredible and I love how diverse it's student body is...and I did my undergrad at a great Pennsylvania university so I do want to move back there.

Can current applicants give some timelines? If I submit my secondary Monday, how fast would I hear any news? My AMCAS app is verified and all LORs are in.

 

[Garb]

i dunno about primaries but pitt has notoriously fast turnaround for secondaries.

 

[ealaiontoir]

I guess what's holding me back is the $ and the fact that I feel like it is sooooo late to apply here. I mean if I submit my AMCAS app tonight, I don't even know how fast I will get the secondary. And if I do an almost same day turnaround, when will I become "complete" here. Some schools take 8 weeks! 😱 Don't get me wrong, this school is incredible and I love how diverse it's student body is...and I did my undergrad at a great Pennsylvania university so I do want to move back there.

Can current applicants give some timelines? If I submit my secondary Monday, how fast would I hear any news? My AMCAS app is verified and all LORs are in.

Their turnover for being complete is very fast. If I am not mistaken, my application was marked as complete pretty much immediately after submitting. Your biggest problem is that they stop interviewing on December 17th, which is early in comparison to most schools. Thus, you would need to be able to submit your application, have them review your application, make a decision about interviewing you, and schedule your interview in time period of about a month. If this is one of your favorite schools then by all means GO FOR IT, but if you are not sure...I would spend your money applying to another school that you really like that interviews until at least March.

Sidenote: Pitt does like people with interesting stories!!!!

Anyways...good luck with whatever you decide!!!! 🙂



PS. Anyone thinking of Pitt med must watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOckQ7cXQwI

 

[DocTraveler]

Their turnover for being complete is very fast. If I am not mistaken, my application was marked as complete pretty much immediately after submitting. Your biggest problem is that they stop interviewing on December 17th, which is early in comparison to most schools. Thus, you would need to be able to submit your application, have them review your application, make a decision about interviewing you, and schedule your interview in time period of about a month. If this is one of your favorite schools then by all means GO FOR IT, but if you are not sure...I would spend your money applying to another school that you really like that interviews until at least March.

Sidenote: Pitt does like people with interesting stories!!!!

Anyways...good luck with whatever you decide!!!! 🙂



PS. Anyone thinking of Pitt med must watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOckQ7cXQwI

I just went ahead and applied. I figure if I turn around the secondary the same day and notify the person at Pitt who persuade me to apply he might be able to get it reviewed quickly.

Thanks for the advice though! This is a great med school and I'd be fortunate to even get an interview.

 

[tlaloc87]

I just went ahead and applied. I figure if I turn around the secondary the same day and notify the person at Pitt who persuade me to apply he might be able to get it reviewed quickly.

Thanks for the advice though! This is a great med school and I'd be fortunate to even get an interview.

Smart idea to notify the contact person at Pitt. Good luck!

 

[smad4]

Complete since 9/29, but haven't heard anything back yet. I know that Pitt functions on a much quicker turn-around so does this mean I've been rejected?

 

[tlaloc87]

Complete since 9/29, but haven't heard anything back yet. I know that Pitt functions on a much quicker turn-around so does this mean I've been rejected?

Although they CAN have a quick turn-around with interview invites, I wouldn't give up hope just yet. My interview invite came about a month after I was complete, which was at the very beginning of the cycle (i.e. when there were fewer apps in the queue).

 

[Nessy]

Complete since 9/29, but haven't heard anything back yet. I know that Pitt functions on a much quicker turn-around so does this mean I've been rejected?

No, hang tight, you could still get an invite.
Today, I went through the whole 2009-10 thread from last year and now I feel ill.
Everyone was wait-listed, with few exceptions, and the people WL were really good too. Now I am terrified. 😱
Is there any hope???😳

 

[LuckOfTheIrish]

No, hang tight, you could still get an invite.
Today, I went through the whole 2009-10 thread from last year and now I feel ill.
Everyone was wait-listed, with few exceptions, and the people WL were really good too. Now I am terrified. 😱
Is there any hope???😳

Apparently 2/3 of last years class came off of the waitlist so getting on the WL is almost a good thing...

 

[taciturngirl]

No, hang tight, you could still get an invite.
Today, I went through the whole 2009-10 thread from last year and now I feel ill.
Everyone was wait-listed, with few exceptions, and the people WL were really good too. Now I am terrified. 😱
Is there any hope???😳

Don't worry! Many ppl I know here came in off the waitlist. Pitt places most candidates on the waitlist initially because they had an over-enrollment situation 2 or 3 yrs ago.

I should probably quit wasting time and get back to studying, but I'll give a little plug for Pitt - while it's not perfect, this place offers an insanely good medical education and so many clinical and research opportunities/resources that your head will SPIN. In terms of your education, you will not lack anything. I'm grateful all the time to be here.

 

[Nessy]

Apparently 2/3 of last years class came off of the waitlist so getting on the WL is almost a good thing...

OK, I understand that, but why does it have to be that way?? I know they over-enrolled a year or two ago, but that sometimes happens. I almost feel like they are pretending to be rolling admissions, but when it comes down to it, they act like a non-rolling school.

Of course, I still love Pitt 😍 and hope they love me too. 👍

 

[KinasePro]

OK, I understand that, but why does it have to be that way?? I know they over-enrolled a year or two ago, but that sometimes happens. I almost feel like they are pretending to be rolling admissions, but when it comes down to it, they act like a non-rolling school.

I feel the same way. To support our suspicions, on my interview day one of the adcoms said they like to delay admissions decisions until November to ensure "early applicants don't experience an advantage." Sounds non-rolling to me, at least in the traditional sense.

Also, I can't help but be a bit miffed about their epic waitlist, which I also get the feeling most of us will be sitting on. I don't find much consolation in the fact that up to 2/3 of the class can come from the waitlist, primarily because it shows that they're not too good at determining what constitutes a good "fit" for there school. If you need to rely on 67% of the incoming class to swim upstream from the waitlist, there's a breakdown somewhere in your selection process IMO.

/rant

That being said, I'd still love to attend and hope 11/15 brings us some good news...

 

[miss marron]

Also, I can't help but be a bit miffed about their epic waitlist, which I also get the feeling most of us will be sitting on. I don't find much consolation in the fact that up to 2/3 of the class can come from the waitlist, primarily because it shows that they're not too good at determining what constitutes a good "fit" for there school. If you need to rely on 67% of the incoming class to swim upstream from the waitlist, there's a breakdown somewhere in your selection process IMO.

The fact that 2/3 of the class comes off the wait list has nothing to do with the admissions committee's ability to determine what constitutes a good "fit." It's actually their way of ensuring that they don't get rejected after they offer acceptances, since staying on the wait list shows more interest in the school.

Either way, it's annoying to be on the wait list till possibly July, but Admissions knows if you really want Pitt, you would wait. =)

 

[PartyHouse001]

The fact that 2/3 of the class comes off the wait list has nothing to do with the admissions committee's ability to determine what constitutes a good "fit." It's actually their way of ensuring that they don't get rejected after they offer acceptances, since staying on the wait list shows more interest in the school.

Either way, it's annoying to be on the wait list till possibly July, but Admissions knows if you really want Pitt, you would wait. =)

Maybe they will change their process this year. We can hope right?

 

[KinasePro]

The fact that 2/3 of the class comes off the wait list has nothing to do with the admissions committee's ability to determine what constitutes a good "fit." It's actually their way of ensuring that they don't get rejected after they offer acceptances, since staying on the wait list shows more interest in the school.

Think about it. If 2/3 of the class comes from the wait list, then at least 2/3 of their initial offers for admission were declined. Coming from a school that stresses fit on interview day, it sounds like they're missing the mark on most of their selections.

Ultimately you can believe what you want, but a lot of schools that are similar to pitt in prestige and quality do not need to resort to this admissions strategy.

But don't get me wrong, i'd still love to attend 😀

 

[karayraisu]

Coming from a school that stresses fit on interview day, it sounds like they're missing the mark on most of their selections.

Not true. The unique problem that Pitt experiences really is because of its location, especially when compared to the other top 15-20 schools. Somewhere on the interview feedback page, someone made a remark that during the Pitt interview day, the various people that that poster spoke to kept on referring to Pitt's location apologetically, as if "it's very sad that we have such a great med school located in a place that no one has heard about." My own interview day actually mirrored the same kind of feeling, although not as strongly.

Thus, I honestly think the 2/3 who turned down the regular offer simply got offers from schools in NYC, Cali, Boston...etc. and location played a role. I personally was actually very surprised by how nice Pittsburgh is, but I can fully understand why people would turn down the school if admitted by others in bigger cities, going to undergrad myself in a big city.

Best interview day I've had thus far! I love this school and how all the students are incredibly happy and enthusiastic about their experiences. : ) (and how genuine they are about it)

 

[whimsical]

Not true. The unique problem that Pitt experiences really is because of its location, especially when compared to the other top 15-20 schools. Somewhere on the interview feedback page, someone made a remark that during the Pitt interview day, the various people that that poster spoke to kept on referring to Pitt's location apologetically, as if "it's very sad that we have such a great med school located in a place that no one has heard about." My own interview day actually mirrored the same kind of feeling, although not as strongly.

This is actually something I noticed on my day too. Everyone I asked about Pitt's weaknesses said, "Pittsburgh isn't Boston, NYC, San Francisco, LA, Chicago, or Baltimore (really? a comparison to Baltimore?)" or something of that sort. It definitely framed Pittsburgh in a less than optimal way. That being said, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the city, though I appreciate the honesty from the students and faculty if the city is a great concern.

Otherwise, it really was a fantastic day.

 

[barcoderider]

Bit of a bummer to hear that they'll make us wait so long, but maybe a few of us on SDN will get lucky and pull some acceptances?

I was actually pretty impressed with Pittsburgh.

 

[jbz24]

Also keep in mind that the algorithm that USNWR uses looks at how many people are accepted and how many of those matriculate. If a small percentage matriculate, their score is lower and thus rank will be lower. So they waitlist a lot of people and accept only those who will most likely matriculate.

 

[tlaloc87]

Also keep in mind that the algorithm that USNWR uses looks at how many people are accepted and how many of those matriculate. If a small percentage matriculate, their score is lower and thus rank will be lower. So they waitlist a lot of people and accept only those who will most likely matriculate.

Bingo! I heard that Pitt was trying to move up the USNWR rankings--probably because they want to be ranked where they feel they really should be. Seems a likely explanation.

 

[Nessy]

Also keep in mind that the algorithm that USNWR uses looks at how many people are accepted and how many of those matriculate. If a small percentage matriculate, their score is lower and thus rank will be lower. So they waitlist a lot of people and accept only those who will most likely matriculate.

Wow, I bet you are right. Thanks for posting, that makes sense, but is somewhat horrifying 😱

 

[PartyHouse001]

Wow, I bet you are right. Thanks for posting, that makes sense, but is somewhat horrifying 😱

Does anyone have the most recent us-news figures on acceptance rate post-interviews for Pitt. I would not use medicalschoolusa.com for reference, since it is outdated and the admission process has recently been changed.

During my interview day, the admissions-director stated that they are expected to extend 300-350 acceptances for 850 interviewees. Since 2/3 of their class are from waitlist, it seems to me that at most 100 acceptances are for the waitlistees. That leaves 200-250 for initially acceptances, which means 1 out of 4 (somewhat a steep cut for what I am used to post-interview, but still doable)

If someone has the figures for the most recent class from Us-news ranking, we can better quantify our chances for initial acceptances.

 

[Emmeline]

Although Pitt is my #1 choice (close to family, love the city, enchanted with the school), I don't feel too good after reading this thread.

[*]33T MCAT
[*]3.76 BCPM
😕

 

[jaxasp]

your MCAT and GPA are minimally below the average but still strong. if you have a master's obviously your research is impressive and you possess at the minimum adequate clinical exposure. on my interview day the admissions members that met with us emphasized diversity and even non-trads to an extent. if pittsburgh is your #1 and you have strong ties write a letter of interest explaining them if not a letter of intent itself (just my take). good luck 👍

 

[Emmeline]

your MCAT and GPA are minimally below the average but still strong. if you have a master's obviously your research is impressive and you possess at the minimum adequate clinical exposure. on my interview day the admissions members that met with us emphasized diversity and even non-trads to an extent. if pittsburgh is your #1 and you have strong ties write a letter of interest explaining them if not a letter of intent itself (just my take). good luck 👍

Hey Jaxasp...thank you for the dose of reality. I never thought of that, but what a great idea! I am scouring the "www" to determine the etiquette associated with such a bold move. The consensus from most pre-health advisement offices seems to be to send an LOI only after notice of interview or non-interview or if an application has been in for a lengthy period with no change in status.

Pitt IS my #1 choice.

 

[caritasc]

Any idea how many students they allow for interviews? I got a request for an interview really quickly after I submitted my secondary and I'm not sure what that means. Do they invite everyone for interviews?

 

[smartalleck2]

Any idea how many students they allow for interviews? I got a request for an interview really quickly after I submitted my secondary and I'm not sure what that means. Do they invite everyone for interviews?

Do you really believe they interview everyone? I think you know the answer to that question. Pitt in general has a quick turnaround... probably because of number filtering with GPA/MCAT.

 

[smileydoc11]

Wow! I applied to Pitt very late, in early October, submitted my secondary within the last week, and just received an interview this morning! I'm really excited to go! This is my 4th interview, and it's nice to see some interviews are still being sent out. I'm super excited! 🙂

 

[DocTraveler]

Wow! I applied to Pitt very late, in early October, submitted my secondary within the last week, and just received an interview this morning! I'm really excited to go! This is my 4th interview, and it's nice to see some interviews are still being sent out. I'm super excited! 🙂

+1. Ahhhhhh! So freaking excited. Literally submitted my secondary on Monday, 4 days ago and just got the invite! Also my 4th one, but by far this is my top choice! Can't wait!

 

[rigel]

Congrats, DocTraveler, and to the others with interviews. I just interviewed there a couple days ago, my first interview this cycle, and WOW. They did a really good job of keeping it laid back and low-stress, and also seem to really value the nontrads, URMs, and other diverse elements. I was personally really impressed by the breadth of service opportunities with the underserved -- if you're interested in that sort of thing, definitely ask.

Anyway, good luck on your interviews! I was told directly by my faculty interviewer not to worry if I was waitlisted, because the waitlist has a lot of movement. It was also mentioned in the wrap-up session that they had reduced the number of interviewees this cycle from >1000 to 850.

 

[FlowRate]

Hoping for some good news 2 weeks from now 🙂

 

[GoodmanBrown]

Any idea how many students they allow for interviews? I got a request for an interview really quickly after I submitted my secondary and I'm not sure what that means. Do they invite everyone for interviews?

This year they're interviewing about 850, down from about 1100 a year or two ago.

 

[tkp]

Hoping for some good news 2 weeks from now 🙂

Haha yeah can't wait!! I loved this school. The beauty of the city itself was the biggest surprise for me.

 

[DocTraveler]

Congrats, DocTraveler, and to the others with interviews. I just interviewed there a couple days ago, my first interview this cycle, and WOW. They did a really good job of keeping it laid back and low-stress, and also seem to really value the nontrads, URMs, and other diverse elements. I was personally really impressed by the breadth of service opportunities with the underserved -- if you're interested in that sort of thing, definitely ask.

Anyway, good luck on your interviews! I was told directly by my faculty interviewer not to worry if I was waitlisted, because the waitlist has a lot of movement. It was also mentioned in the wrap-up session that they had reduced the number of interviewees this cycle from >1000 to 850.

Thanks rigel! You have no idea how happy and surprised I was at the email. Since I read it on my phone, the whole title was cut off and I thought it was a pre-interview rejection for sure. But alas, I was basically in shock! I just didn't think any school had that type of turnaround. But from what I know, I love Pitt and it is at the top of my choices! I LOVE how diverse their student body is, the opps they have in underserved communities, etc...it's seriously an honor I am even going to interview here. I am sure I will also be WOWed. And I will def bring that up in my interview. Goodluck to you and everyone waiting for some sort of news .

 

[drugsarefun]

Does anyone have the most recent us-news figures on acceptance rate post-interviews for Pitt. I would not use medicalschoolusa.com for reference, since it is outdated and the admission process has recently been changed.

During my interview day, the admissions-director stated that they are expected to extend 300-350 acceptances for 850 interviewees. Since 2/3 of their class are from waitlist, it seems to me that at most 100 acceptances are for the waitlistees. That leaves 200-250 for initially acceptances, which means 1 out of 4 (somewhat a steep cut for what I am used to post-interview, but still doable)

If someone has the figures for the most recent class from Us-news ranking, we can better quantify our chances for initial acceptances.

Okay, for the class entering in 2009, U.S. News reports the breakdown as:

975 interviewed, 404 were accepted, 148 enrolled.

 

[smad4]

.

 

[barcoderider]

I submitted 9/29...no news yet. =( Am I looking at a rejection for sure or have they really not reviewed my file yet?

Considering how fast their turnaround is, they've probably at least looked at it. There was a wave of rejections last week though, so if you haven't heard yet, you're still in it!

 

[DocTraveler]

Hey if any other female applicants out there are interviewing Dec. 7th or 8th and wants to split a hotel room with me, I booked 2 nights at the Hampton Inn University Center, which has a free shuttle to the med school. PM me if you'd like 🙂

 

[lo2289]

so judging by last year's thread, people started hearing about acceptances / wait list on Nov 3. I wonder if they are going to start accepting people before Nov 15 this year too...

 

[tlaloc87]

so judging by last year's thread, people started hearing about acceptances / wait list on Nov 3. I wonder if they are going to start accepting people before Nov 15 this year too...

A quick look at last year's thread also shows they were told to expect decisions by the first week in November. My guess is it's gonna be at least another week before the first acceptances are sent out.

 

[Cpck]

so judging by last year's thread, people started hearing about acceptances / wait list on Nov 3. I wonder if they are going to start accepting people before Nov 15 this year too...

Not to crush any hopes, but they have a calendar on their website that explicitly says the first acceptances will be sent out on Monday, November 15th. Actually, maybe that will prevent a little undue stress from wondering every day until then if you will hear.

 

[BioBA]

Hey guys, I'm really interested in this school.

Can any current Pitt students tell me a bit more about how the international medicine area of concentration works?

Is traveling to another Pitt hospital in another country paid for in part by the university at all, or would I have to front the money for this experience?

Is it over the summer, or is it an elective during the school year?

Would I be taking other sorts of classes about international medicine?

Thanks for your time!

 

[mdwiz]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about being on the waitlist. It feels like nearly everyone in my class that I've talked to about it got off the waitlist.

 

[miss marron]

Hey guys, I'm really interested in this school.

Can any current Pitt students tell me a bit more about how the international medicine area of concentration works?

Is traveling to another Pitt hospital in another country paid for in part by the university at all, or would I have to front the money for this experience?

Is it over the summer, or is it an elective during the school year?

Would I be taking other sorts of classes about international medicine?

Thanks for your time!

To answer your question, yes. Traveling to another UPMC hospital can be funded by the school. You do have to apply for the funding, since they aren't going to give you $3000+ if you don't have an idea of what you want to accomplish there. Italy is always really popular with students and there are also hospitals in Japan, Greece, etc. Most students travel during the summer after 1st year, but going as an elective is possible.

 

[jckut10]

The MSTP website says that you'll know within 3 weeks of your interview whether you were admitted or waitlisted.

MSAR says MD applicants must either accept or decline an acceptance within 2 weeks. Does anyone know if that's true for MSTP interviewees as well?

 

[nicolemeooow]

Ughhh Nov 15th is drawing near. Im getting extremely nervous at this point. 8 weeks was a loooong wait =\