2011-2012 Stanford Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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nowitspartytime said:
yeah i know, thats what it says on the website, but whatever happened to the talks about switching to grades? can any current students clarify?
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There are most definitely grades. They switched even for students who had matriculated expecting there not to be grades.
 
percy said:
There are most definitely grades. They switched even for students who had matriculated expecting there not to be grades.
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I think it's "pass with distinction"/pass/fail. Check the 2011-2012 MD student handbook (you can download it on the website.

There's no way that the most up to date handbook would be flat-out wrong, right?
 
So is it grades (A, B, etc like Hopkins) or is it high pass, pass etc?
This is almost making me lean towards HMS....almost
 
The student handbook says pre-clerkship courses are pass/fail and the required clerkships are pass with distinction, pass, marginal pass, fail. This doesn't seem too different than any of the other schools I'm looking at.
 
nowitspartytime said:
So is it grades (A, B, etc like Hopkins) or is it high pass, pass etc?
This is almost making me lean towards HMS....almost
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Check the link below out, though it is fairly vague. CBEI is still in flux because there has been a large student and faculty-led dissent against it after it was implemented.

http://med.stanford.edu/md/curriculum/CBEI/index.html

Some notes-

- Your first two pre-clinical years are true P/F without any sort of ranking system. I.e. 71%=99%=Pass. No distinctions are made.
- Clerkship grading is Pass with Distinction/Pass/Fail in three separate areas ONLY for the required core rotations.
- All electives and Sub-internships (basically any non-core rotation) are still graded Pass/Fail
- The three areas of grading are (1) Patient Care (2) Professionalism (3) Shelf Exam
- There are specific objectives that need to be met to obtain distinction status. There is not cut-off for the # or % of students who can achieve this as this is the case at other institutions.
- You are given separate grades in each area. Currently, there is no overall grade assigned to any rotation. (i.e. your Dean letter will read "achieved Pass with Distinction in Patient Care and Professionalism for his Core Neurology Clerkship" for example).
- The main complaint so far has been that the Shelf Exam scores required for Pass with Distinction are way too high (80-90% percentile nationally). Though, this is arguably the most objective way to evaluate students.
- CBEI grading and/or it's use in future Dean's Letters is up in the air, especially as our current Dean of the Medical School's term is over, and he was the main proponent of implementing clinical grades.
- Other complaints are similar to those at other schools: somewhat subjective grading system for Patient Care/Professional even though attempts were made to make it objective, can really depend on what clinical site you get, which attending is on your team (some say= I won't give out any distinctions, others give them out like candy).

The system is certainly not as "care-free" as the old P/F system. To be fair, no other medical school had a P/F system so it was slightly strange that we stuck to it. There was talk that it was hurting Stanford applicants who wanted to go into competitive specialities because they had a harder time distinguishing themselves in clinics. Though, our prior match lists seem to debunk that fear. CBEI implementation was meant to provide better feedback to students about their performance and ways to improve on future rotations. It is not perfect, but still way better than the grading at most other medical institutions.
 
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Can anyone post the directions to apply for housing?

The housing packet got sent to my parents' house and they are currently on vacation w/ no phone or internet access. I have read that the application process is already open, so I would like to get it done early!

Also, I heard that EV is more for people with families. Is this true? Also, where do most of the law and business students live? Is it spread out like the med students?

Thanks to anyone who can help!
 
As far as I know, the housing application for Fall isn't available until the first week of April, right?
 
Law students and business students have specified housing for them. You can definitely apply to live there though and I'd recommend it (I lived in the law school complex my first year, and it's one of the best options for on campus). Law school housing is probably easier to get than business school housing--- + the constant business networking events in the dorms can be a distraction I'd imagine. EV is older, but cheaper. Rains is somewhere in between. There are also studio apartments if you want to live alone. Many students also like Lyman because it's newer than some other options and is close to the medical school. Though, a bit small and dorm-y for my likes. Anyway, the nicer housing on campus is expensive (i.e. up to $1600-$1700/month for a law school studio apartment). First year is good to live on campus, but I'd recommend going off for the rest of your med school career.
 
Do you recommend going off campus because it is cheaper? Are the prices better off campus? Which living complex do you think is the most social? For example, does Lyman have a common area for everyone? I only ask these questions because I will not be able to make it to second look. Thanks!
 
FemaleWoman said:
Do you recommend going off campus because it is cheaper? Are the prices better off campus? Which living complex do you think is the most social? For example, does Lyman have a common area for everyone? I only ask these questions because I will not be able to make it to second look. Thanks!
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No, it is not necessarily cheaper off campus. Really depends on where you're willing to live. But socially, I would suggest living on campus before branching out especially if you didn't go to undergrad at Stanford. All graduate residences have CA's (kind of like RAs, but only for social purposes really) that organize events (i.e. free breakfast, dinner out, whale watching, etc.). Most of the residences have common areas (Lyman included).

I think graduate students are notoriously less social than undergrads. You'll make most of your friends among your roommates and classmates. EV and Rains are a little more spread out than Lyman, Munger, etc. I personally would suggest Munger if money isn't a huge issue, just because it's the nicest graduate housing on campus (with your own bathroom, air conditioning, etc.). Made first year more comfortable for me.
 
mdeast said:
No, it is not necessarily cheaper off campus. Really depends on where you're willing to live. But socially, I would suggest living on campus before branching out especially if you didn't go to undergrad at Stanford. All graduate residences have CA's (kind of like RAs, but only for social purposes really) that organize events (i.e. free breakfast, dinner out, whale watching, etc.). Most of the residences have common areas (Lyman included).

I think graduate students are notoriously less social than undergrads. You'll make most of your friends among your roommates and classmates. EV and Rains are a little more spread out than Lyman, Munger, etc. I personally would suggest Munger if money isn't a huge issue, just because it's the nicest graduate housing on campus (with your own bathroom, air conditioning, etc.). Made first year more comfortable for me.
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Do you know how EV is arranged? For example, they show a 1 bedroom floor plan on the Student Housing website with a living room and kitchen. From what I saw online, the 1 bedroom is a double occupancy. Do both students share the bedroom? Could someone move their bed to take the living room? So many housing questions, and the housing people never pick up the phone!
 
Decisions should be coming out soon for the March interviewees! 😉 Has anyone heard yet?
 
Hey all! I got my call on Thursday night from Dr. Garcia. I interviewed at the beginning of March. Good luck to everyone -- can't wait for admit weekend!
 
Congrats on the acceptance!

Somehow I don't think that's such good news for me... Interviewed the same day and haven't heard anything yet. Does anyone know if they let everyone who is accepted know in the same day?
 
I bet not -- since Dr. Garcia calls everyone individually I bet he spaces it out. That's totally speculation though. I remember that Gregory Vaughn said our interview group should hear by Monday and to call at that point if you haven't heard any news -- from there, he could give an estimate of when you'd know.

GL and don't take no news as bad news! You want them to take their time...it probably means that they are looking at your app several times.
 
Got my wait list notification by mail today. At least it's not a rejection, I guess.

Anyone know anything about letters of interest/ intent for Stanford in particular?
 
Can any current student comment on the testing schedule and overall structure of the pre-clinical years at Stanford?

Also, any insight into the dynamics of the class would be great (basically, do people get along well?)

Thanks so much!
 
aztec1234 said:
How was admit weekend for anyone that went?
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I heard from friend that 1) it was a little boring and filled with panel after panel discussion, and 2) good number of people who could be leaning towards UCSF or Harvard (though their second looks haven't happened yet).
 
Had a great time! Loved meeting everyone. Was pleasantly surprised by all the admits and can't wait to start school.

Yeah, they had a few panels, but that's to be expected at these things. The best part by far is just meeting everyone and getting a feel for your possible classmates.
 
I thought it was good, and there were only 2 panels, so not too sure where the comment about lots of panels came from
 
chronicidal said:
I heard from friend that 1) it was a little boring and filled with panel after panel discussion, and 2) good number of people who could be leaning towards UCSF or Harvard (though their second looks haven't happened yet).
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Only maybe 2 panel discussions. 85% of the people I talked to were either set on, or heavily leaning towards Stanford.
 
Yeah, I ran into 10-15 people that weren't sold yet, most due to financial aid packages elsewhere or out of a desire to stay closer to home.
 
Can anyone talk about their impressions of the class, faculty, curriculum? Anything that surprised you about the school that you didn't learn about during interview day?
 
FemaleWoman said:
Can anyone talk about their impressions of the class, faculty, curriculum? Anything that surprised you about the school that you didn't learn about during interview day?
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Other schools have this sort of thing as well, but Stanford has an awesome high-tech simulation center where students can practice patient encounters and procedures. On our tour, we even saw a sculpting class for people interested in plastic surgery and first years residents to practice their artistic/visualization skills.

There is a video about it here:
http://cisl.stanford.edu/at_stanford/isl_facilities.html
 
FemaleWoman said:
Can anyone talk about their impressions of the class, faculty, curriculum? Anything that surprised you about the school that you didn't learn about during interview day?
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Concerning curriculum, on interview day I stayed with an M3 host (friend of a friend) who said that the curriculum was very unrelated to boards since the professors all liked to talk about their specific research projects. She said she ended up having to learn the material in class for exams but then go back and study everything relevant to boards on her own.
 
Hey guys,

I'm thinking of applying for Stanford's MD/PhD program this coming cycle. While skimming this thread, I saw there was a hefty secondary for the combined program, but I didn't see the questions. Could someone hook me up with the questions for last year?

Thanks in advance!
 
8. The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. The Committee on Admissions strongly encourages you to share unique, personally important, and/or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity, or life or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine.
Please limit your answer to 2,000 characters including spaces.

9. What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career?
Choose the single answer that best describes your career goals.
Private Practice

Health Policy
Academic Medicine

Public Health

Health Care Administration
Why do you feel you are particularly suited for this practice scenario? What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path?
Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.

How will the Stanford curriculum, and specifically the requirement for a scholarly concentration, help your personal career goals?
Please limit your answer to 1,000 characters including spaces.

10. If you have publications resulting from scholarly endeavors, please complete a citation for each of your publications in the space below using the following format: Author, Title, Journal, Volume, Pages, and Date of Publication. This section applies for papers that have been published or been accepted for publication. Please do not include abstracts or unpublished conference papers.

The AMCAS application has required essay responses to MD/PhD program interest. You may use information from these responses in the sections that follow, but you are required to answer every question on the Stanford Supplemental Application, and it is not sufficient to simply refer to the AMCAS essays.
9. 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, include a complete citation with the names of all authors and the status (e.g. submitted, in preparation).
Please limit your answer to 2,500 characters including spaces.

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

e.g. I grew up in New York City, as the 3rd child of a high school principal and homemaker. I attended Mann High School where my major interests were boxing and drama.
Please limit your answer to 500 characters including spaces.

11. Describe your reasons for pursuing medical scientist training in relation to your long-term career goals? Why are you applying to a combined degree program rather than graduate or medical school only?
Please limit your answer to 800 characters including spaces.

12. Describe your current lab affiliation and the weekly time commitment required. (e.g. I am working in the Griffin lab where I performed research in the summer following junior year for 20 hours per week)
Please limit your answer to 800 characters including spaces.

13. Describe any other research experiences you think would be relevant to the MSTP admissions committee decision.
Please limit your answer to 800 characters including spaces.

14. Describe any patient-related, teaching, and service-oriented activities relevant to the MSTP admissions committee decision.
Please limit your answer to 600 characters including spaces.

15. Describe any other aspect of your background you think would be relevant to the MSTP admissions committee decision.
Please limit your answer to 800 characters including spaces.
 
Does anyone know if Stanford accepts letters of intent? I asked Mr. Vaughn (assistant director of admissions) and he said no. However, 2 people in the admissions office said that LOIs were accepted. I would really appreciate any input from fellow applicants or current students! Thanks!
 
Talked to admissions office today and was told that sadly, there will be no wait list movement this year.
 
For those of you who turned down Stanford, what were some of the reasons you did so?
 
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