2011-2012 Jefferson Application Thread

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Anyone know if a 6pm flight would be do-able? The agenda says the day should be over by 4. I know nothing about Philly so can anyone halp?
 
Anyone know if a 6pm flight would be do-able? The agenda says the day should be over by 4. I know nothing about Philly so can anyone halp?

Definitely doable. The Cooke Hour (which is optional) begins at 3:00. You should even be able to stick around for that.
 
I'm also on the 6PM flight on Wednesday. I checked everything out and if we make the train from the 11th st station at 345, we'll be more than okay as it's only a half hour ride to the airport (and the station is only a 5 min walk from the admissions place to the train so we'll be able to stay for most of the "cookie hour").
 
Definitely doable. The Cooke Hour (which is optional) begins at 3:00. You should even be able to stick around for that.

I'm also on the 6PM flight on Wednesday. I checked everything out and if we make the train from the 11th st station at 345, we'll be more than okay as it's only a half hour ride to the airport (and the station is only a 5 min walk from the admissions place to the train so we'll be able to stay for most of the "cookie hour").

Thanks for the info!!
 
Jefferson is looking for certain qualities in their applicants which may explain why you have not received an interview yet. If you are really interested, send them update letters. I will be updating them once every month or two until they finally cave and invite me. 😀

Heads up to everyone - Jefferson LOVES community service. If you haven't been actively participating in some type of service recently (not including clinical volunteering), then you better start now or move your focus to other schools!
Definitely agree to the above. I noticed from reading their materials, listening to the dean of admissions, and from what my faculty interviewer emphasized that they really cared a lot about commitment to community service (clinical and non-clinical). Though to be honest, I thought their commitment to community service while in medical school was a bit over-the-top.

BTW, in case anyone is wondering, I interviewed here last year, though I didn't get in.
 
Last week I received an interview invitation for 11/16 and now I am confirming the date. I was asked to fill in a template with my name, phone number, and photo. The template has about 20 random boxes on it. Is there something wrong with my computer? Did anyone else have this problem?
 
Last week I received an interview invitation for 11/16 and now I am confirming the date. I was asked to fill in a template with my name, phone number, and photo. The template has about 20 random boxes on it. Is there something wrong with my computer? Did anyone else have this problem?

its not a mistake. you just fill in the information they asked, and leave the other boxes blank. that is probably where they will write stuff, like a priority score, etc., in order to make a powerpoint for when they are reviewing applicants.
 
its not a mistake. you just fill in the information they asked, and leave the other boxes blank. that is probably where they will write stuff, like a priority score, etc., in order to make a powerpoint for when they are reviewing applicants.

Thanks so much! You saved me an embarrassing phone call.
 
I've been "decision pending" for a little over a month now (more like 1.5 months)

Is this a silent rejection? A hold? ....😕
 
I didn't post yet, but I got an II on 10/6, scheduled for 11/2. I'm OOS, and apparently Jefferson is really accommodating to "in the area" requests, which is what I did. I have another interview on 11/1, so they were really cool about that.
 
Definitely agree to the above. I noticed from reading their materials, listening to the dean of admissions, and from what my faculty interviewer emphasized that they really cared a lot about commitment to community service (clinical and non-clinical). Though to be honest, I thought their commitment to community service while in medical school was a bit over-the-top.

BTW, in case anyone is wondering, I interviewed here last year, though I didn't get in.

Just a quick note from a current student regarding the community service part. There's no requirement to do community service during school, it's just that there are so many ways to get involved. Most people choose to do it, particularly through JeffHOPE (our student-run free clinic with 6 locations) because it's a great way to get patient care experience early on and is rewarding in its own right.

So what they're really looking for is that applicants will be likely to appreciate and take advantage of the programs available here since current students find them so valuable and have worked hard to establish and maintain them. But, as I mentioned before, there's no requirement to do any service and a lot of people will end up only doing things like JeffHOPE once or twice.
 
I just got back from my Jefferson interview, literally an hour or so ago. I am writing this while everything is still fresh in my mind.

TL;DR – I had an absolutely wonderful day; the interviewees that I met were all completely awesome individuals, the faculty and students are genuinely enthusiastic about being at Jefferson and I did not detect much of a façade. I would love to matriculate here.

Coming from a community college system to a public university I felt like an underdog at times as we had some powerhouse ivy leagues present. The fellow interviewees that I was able to chat with were amazingly qualified and genuinely nice people. What I found most awesome was that everyone I talked to was humble and for me- this makes the difference. I have had friends tell me stories about their interview trail and running across snobby individuals bragging, but I would have no complaints if the entering class of 2016 were all the interviewees present that day!

Philadelphia is a lot different from California. Coming from Irvine where things are often described as pristine, safe and isolated – Philadelphia is the complete opposite. Going from just the airport to the subway to my friend's apartment I was solicited many times for change. I was definitely out of my comfort zone. I have really grown as an individual by just simply being here in this environment. This is a place I can see myself grow tremendously, in a philosophically sense, California may be considered "soft" and the east coast, specifically Philadelphia could be seen as "hard".

Because I am a huge foodie, I visited several places here in Philadelphia. The reading terminal (pronounced "redding") is about 5 minutes away with incredibly eclectic and diverse cuisine:
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[YOUTUBE]mLYiR-dSbOs[/YOUTUBE]

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This was on my high priority list of things to try.

Both of my student interview and faculty interview were extremely, extremely relaxed. Though this is my first interview, the vibe that I got from Jefferson will be hard to match by schools to come.

At the end of the day, I am, myself, a very chill person and Jefferson has that vibe that I would look for in a school.

Anyhow, I could answer any questions through PM or through this board if anyone has questions, if not, thank you for reading!



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So I skimmed through 13 pages...and really I just want know...does Jefferson have a legit essay to answer in their secondary/supplemental?
I thought the supplemental would take time and all so I held off even looking at it for a couple of days. I just looked at it now and it took 2 min to complete....Is there no essay prompt to answer? Or is that later on when they receive your secondary fee?
 
So I skimmed through 13 pages...and really I just want know...does Jefferson have a legit essay to answer in their secondary/supplemental?
I thought the supplemental would take time and all so I held off even looking at it for a couple of days. I just looked at it now and it took 2 min to complete....Is there no essay prompt to answer? Or is that later on when they receive your secondary fee?

there is only one optional essay.
 
Just stumbled upon this: http://www.ripoffreport.com/college...l-co/jefferson-medical-college-of-t-3c7e6.htm

I think the most important part of this page is that you note that a Jefferson student, at the bottom of the page, rebuts pretty much all of the inflammatory information and gives an interesting look at the school.

I can't help but take the top part less seriously. The arguments aren't very reasonable.

Still, funny that this came up very early when I searched for jefferson on google. Whee. Yay trolls.
 
I just got back from my Jefferson interview, literally an hour or so ago. I am writing this while everything is still fresh in my mind.

TL;DR – I had an absolutely wonderful day; the interviewees that I met were all completely awesome individuals, the faculty and students are genuinely enthusiastic about being at Jefferson and I did not detect much of a façade. I would love to matriculate here.

Coming from a community college system to a public university I felt like an underdog at times as we had some powerhouse ivy leagues present. The fellow interviewees that I was able to chat with were amazingly qualified and genuinely nice people. What I found most awesome was that everyone I talked to was humble and for me- this makes the difference. I have had friends tell me stories about their interview trail and running across snobby individuals bragging, but I would have no complaints if the entering class of 2016 were all the interviewees present that day!

Philadelphia is a lot different from California. Coming from Irvine where things are often described as pristine, safe and isolated – Philadelphia is the complete opposite. Going from just the airport to the subway to my friend’s apartment I was solicited many times for change. I was definitely out of my comfort zone. I have really grown as an individual by just simply being here in this environment. This is a place I can see myself grow tremendously, in a philosophically sense, California may be considered “soft” and the east coast, specifically Philadelphia could be seen as “hard”.

Because I am a huge foodie, I visited several places here in Philadelphia. The reading terminal (pronounced “redding”) is about 5 minutes away with incredibly eclectic and diverse cuisine:
.
[YOUTUBE]mLYiR-dSbOs[/YOUTUBE]

.
This was on my high priority list of things to try.

Both of my student interview and faculty interview were extremely, extremely relaxed. Though this is my first interview, the vibe that I got from Jefferson will be hard to match by schools to come.

At the end of the day, I am, myself, a very chill person and Jefferson has that vibe that I would look for in a school.

Anyhow, I could answer any questions through PM or through this board if anyone has questions, if not, thank you for reading!



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Wow, you lived in a bubble haven't you? (No offense)
You should go see Oakland or areas in LA.
 
Wow, you lived in a bubble haven't you? (No offense)
You should go see Oakland or areas in LA.

No offense taken.

I have been to skid row to feed the homeless people, but after the end of the day, I drive back home where the homeless population is not at all abundant.

I am not saying that living in Philadelphia would be similar to living in an apartment near skid row, but it was definitely different from what I am use to.
 
"This Web application is complete but has not yet been processed"

am i going to see this forever?
 
OOS, from the midwest. But in-state status for Jefferson means from Delaware, not Pennsylvania. Idk how many people know that...

Hopefully not too many since that statement is totally incorrect. :laugh:
 
"This Web application is complete but has not yet been processed"

am i going to see this forever?

Finally saw the 'interview decision pending' status today. I was complete late June
 
In-State Students

Do you give preference to in-state applicants?
No preference is given to state of residence, except for residents of the state of Delaware. Jefferson Medical College is the official medical school for the state of Delaware.


http://www.jefferson.edu/jmc/admissions/faq.cfm

The state of Delaware does not have any medical schools. Ergo, it made an arrangement with Jefferson under which Jefferson reserves 20 seats in each class for residents of Delaware (DIMER Program). There is also a "Medical Scholars" linkage program giving preference to certain University of Delaware students. Accordingly, Delaware considers Jefferson to be "the official medical school of the state of Delaware."

Jefferson is a private university. Everyone pays the same tuition, in-state and OOS. Jefferson claims not to give any preference to in-state vs. OOS applicants in the admissions process (debatable).

Jefferson gives some preference to Delaware applicants, under the programs mentioned above. Preference does not equal in-state status. Since there is no such thing as "in-state status" at Jefferson, resident of the state of Delaware can't have it.
 
Both of my student interview and faculty interview were extremely, extremely relaxed. Though this is my first interview, the vibe that I got from Jefferson will be hard to match by schools to come.

At the end of the day, I am, myself, a very chill person and Jefferson has that vibe that I would look for in a school.

Anyhow, I could answer any questions through PM or through this board if anyone has questions, if not, thank you for reading!



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I would not base anything off of "vibes." It's entirely dependent on the random sample of students you meet on a given day, and in no way represents what your overall class will be like. I currently attend a school at which I got a horrible vibe, and I don't regret it in the least. Base your decision on where to attend on practical reasons.
 
The state of Delaware does not have any medical schools. Ergo, it made an arrangement with Jefferson under which Jefferson reserves 20 seats in each class for residents of Delaware (DIMER Program). There is also a "Medical Scholars" linkage program giving preference to certain University of Delaware students. Accordingly, Delaware considers Jefferson to be "the official medical school of the state of Delaware."

Jefferson is a private university. Everyone pays the same tuition, in-state and OOS. Jefferson claims not to give any preference to in-state vs. OOS applicants in the admissions process (debatable).

Jefferson gives some preference to Delaware applicants, under the programs mentioned above. Preference does not equal in-state status. Since there is no such thing as "in-state status" at Jefferson, resident of the state of Delaware can't have it.

Yeah, but really, you're just arguing semantics at this point. Since being a resident of Delaware grants the same preferential treatment that being in a state school's home state would, it's certainly arguable.

And with regard to the fact that no one gets lowered tuition for being in state, SUNY Downstate is a state school where people generally become state residents after a year, meaning they pay one year of elevated tuition and then in-state tuition, meaning the advantage of being in-state isn't that amazing beyond the added chance to get into the school (Does this apply to all of the SUNYs? Someone fill me in.).

In conclusion, yabba dabba doo.
 
Yeah, but really, you're just arguing semantics at this point. Since being a resident of Delaware grants the same preferential treatment that being in a state school's home state would, it's certainly arguable.

Not unless you're one of the lucky 20 or in the Medical Scholars program at the University of Delaware.

In conclusion, yabba dabba doo.

Give my regards to Wilma and Barney.
 
I would not base anything off of "vibes." It's entirely dependent on the random sample of students you meet on a given day, and in no way represents what your overall class will be like. I currently attend a school at which I got a horrible vibe, and I don't regret it in the least. Base your decision on where to attend on practical reasons.

Interesting insight. I agree that perhaps students and faculty are often cherry picked to do the tours and interviews (in fact, one of the student coordinators mentioned that faculty must be screened in before they are allowed to interview applicants) so I wholeheartedly agree with your point.

The vibe that I speak of comes not only from the faculty, students and affiliated individuals that I met on the few days I was there, but also several personal reasons/preferences that accompany the location and the school itself.
 
Jefferson is a private university. Everyone pays the same tuition, in-state and OOS. Jefferson claims not to give any preference to in-state vs. OOS applicants in the admissions process (debatable).

Jefferson gives some preference to Delaware applicants, under the programs mentioned above. Preference does not equal in-state status. Since there is no such thing as "in-state status" at Jefferson, resident of the state of Delaware can't have it.

When people are discussing IS vs OOS, Delaware residency is the only thing that's going to make the slightest difference. I was going off that FAQ statement from the website.
 
Would anybody happen to know how receptive Jefferson is to multiple update letters? Like if I keep adding on things that I'm doing-- should I shoot them a new email each time? ..I think it might be irritating on their end but at the same time I feel like I should do something to let them know that I'm really keeping busy with community service activities?
 
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Would anybody happen to know how receptive Jefferson is to multiple update letters? Like if I keep adding on things that I'm doing-- should I shoot them a new email each time? ..I think it might be irritating on their end but at the same time I feel like I should do something to let them know that I'm really keeping busy with community service activities?

Update letters are typically used when something new comes into play. Are you doing any NEW volunteering that wasn't mentioned in your AMCAS? Also, I think you answered your own question pretty well: It would be quite irritating if you were to send an e-mail every two weeks with new information.
 
Update letters are typically used when something new comes into play. Are you doing any NEW volunteering that wasn't mentioned in your AMCAS? Also, I think you answered your own question pretty well: It would be quite irritating if you were to send an e-mail every two weeks with new information.

Haha aw shucks. I know it would be a bit annoying but I really am adding on a lot of new service activities as I hear back from them and as I'm freeing up more and more time from other activities this year. I already sent 1.5 update letters but I've began 2 new volunteering positions since so I kind of want them to get a better overview of my attempts at service-related activities?
 
Haha aw shucks. I know it would be a bit annoying but I really am adding on a lot of new service activities as I hear back from them and as I'm freeing up more and more time from other activities this year. I already sent 1.5 update letters but I've began 2 new volunteering positions since so I kind of want them to get a better overview of my attempts at service-related activities?

Jefferson accepts update letters once every month or two.
 
I would not base anything off of "vibes." It's entirely dependent on the random sample of students you meet on a given day, and in no way represents what your overall class will be like. I currently attend a school at which I got a horrible vibe, and I don't regret it in the least. Base your decision on where to attend on practical reasons.

Interesting insight. I agree that perhaps students and faculty are often cherry picked to do the tours and interviews (in fact, one of the student coordinators mentioned that faculty must be screened in before they are allowed to interview applicants) so I wholeheartedly agree with your point.

The vibe that I speak of comes not only from the faculty, students and affiliated individuals that I met on the few days I was there, but also several personal reasons/preferences that accompany the location and the school itself.

I think how one goes about deciding on a school is a pretty personal decision. I myself decided to come to Jeff based on the vibes I received and the overall impression I got of fitting in with the culture here. That was at a cost of paying a higher tuition, going to a school with slightly less name recognition than other schools I was accepted to, etc. In the end, I valued my gut instinct over more factual concerns and I don't regret my decision at all. That being said, some people do/did make their decision based on academic and financial reasons, etc. It's really up to your own preferences and values.

And just to clarify, there is no cherry-picking at Jefferson. The point of the student interview here is to see if the applicant fits in with what Jefferson is all about as a student. Admissions realizes that perhaps the people best qualified to judge that are the students themselves and therefor allows anyone who's interested to get involved with tours and interviews. As someone who sees it from the other side of the curtain, I can tell you that what you see on your interview day is what you get coming here. If it appeals to you then you'll likely find yourself very happy here. But if it doesn't appeal to you or if there are other factors that are more important to you in a medical school, then do whatever you need to do to find where you'll be happy.

Sorry for the long response, I just wanted to try to give my perspective and hopefully help you guys in making your decisions down the road.
 
Stupid question(s) as this will be my first update letter. Do you just email the address that sent you the secondary (the jmc.admissions@jefferson address) with the update?

Also, is it better to keep it in the body of the email or to attach a document? If they are going to add it to your file I would guess a document is better?

Mine is about 1 page single spaced - hope that's not too long but I have legitimate updates (new hospital experience, new health-related job, research being published.)

Thanks!
 
Stupid question(s) as this will be my first update letter. Do you just email the address that sent you the secondary (the jmc.admissions@jefferson address) with the update?

Also, is it better to keep it in the body of the email or to attach a document? If they are going to add it to your file I would guess a document is better?

Mine is about 1 page single spaced - hope that's not too long but I have legitimate updates (new hospital experience, new health-related job, research being published.)

Thanks!

Yep, I sent it there.
And I think either method is fine. I sent mine just in the body of the e-mail and got a confirmation saying that it was added to my file.
 
Aaah I'm really hoping for some love from Jeff! This school's really rising to the top of my list as I read more and more great things about it from last year's applicants.

Did anyone else happen to get a call from them last week? They called to ask for some clarifications about a few aspects of my application (that were understandably a bit confusing) and then asked a lot about my service-related activities which I was kind of unprepared for :/
I hope I didn't kill my chances with that phone call 🙁
 
Aaah I'm really hoping for some love from Jeff! This school's really rising to the top of my list as I read more and more great things about it from last year's applicants.

Did anyone else happen to get a call from them last week? They called to ask for some clarifications about a few aspects of my application (that were understandably a bit confusing) and then asked a lot about my service-related activities which I was kind of unprepared for :/
I hope I didn't kill my chances with that phone call 🙁

I've spoken with them before, and I was asked a lot about service too. It is a big part of their mission at Jeff, so I would recommend that if you don't have much then start working on something new!
 
Does anyone know if Jefferson will be calling in acceptances starting tomorrow? During my interview day, Dean Callahan was a bit ambiguous about when they're going to start going out . . .
 
Hmm been on 'decision pending' since 8/9, getting a bit uneasy
 
Does anyone know if Jefferson will be calling in acceptances starting tomorrow? During my interview day, Dean Callahan was a bit ambiguous about when they're going to start going out . . .

The admissions committee meets just about every week. Calls are typically made on Wednesdays, with the exception of wait list movement later on in the cycle.
 
Got the call from Dr. Callahan about 90 mins ago...... Accepted!!
 
Got placed in a high priority section. Is that a good sign?
 
The state of Delaware does not have any medical schools. Ergo, it made an arrangement with Jefferson under which Jefferson reserves 20 seats in each class for residents of Delaware (DIMER Program). There is also a "Medical Scholars" linkage program giving preference to certain University of Delaware students. Accordingly, Delaware considers Jefferson to be "the official medical school of the state of Delaware."

Jefferson is a private university. Everyone pays the same tuition, in-state and OOS. Jefferson claims not to give any preference to in-state vs. OOS applicants in the admissions process (debatable).

Jefferson gives some preference to Delaware applicants, under the programs mentioned above. Preference does not equal in-state status. Since there is no such thing as "in-state status" at Jefferson, resident of the state of Delaware can't have it.

Even private universities have "in-state" students. In-state does not imply special treatment it implies that the students are applying from the state of that university.

If you go to MSAR, Jefferson is listed as having 1,080 in state applications with 236 interviews and 113 acceptances. I am not sure if "in-state" in this case refers to PA or DE but regardless there is such a thing as in-state.
 
Yeah mine was "high-priority" as well. Not sure what that means exactly.
 
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