2011-2012 University of Chicago (Pritzker) Application Thread

[indonacious]

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Not a word. I suspect this is corresponding to late September interviews, though?

That's what it seemed like to me and the timeframe of my interview...so if I hear anything I'll be sure to share.

 

[Oz17]

Well that sucks...no news of any sort for me. I wonder what dates that round of acceptances corresponds to.

accepted 🙂

 

[NickNaylor]

Not a word. I suspect this is corresponding to late September interviews, though?

I would guess before then. You should expect 4-8 weeks for a decision. Obviously it could be shorter or longer, but the decision turnaround does take time.

If it's been eight weeks and you still haven't gotten a decision, I would recommend calling the admissions office and asking about your status weekly. I did this for a couple of weeks just to make sure I hadn't missed something.

 

[indonacious]

accepted 🙂

would you mind sharing when you interviewed?

 

[omnomnom13]

I was also accepted yesterday and I interviewed the week of 9/18-9/24.

 

[futuredoc808]

I would guess before then. You should expect 4-8 weeks for a decision. Obviously it could be shorter or longer, but the decision turnaround does take time.

If it's been eight weeks and you still haven't gotten a decision, I would recommend calling the admissions office and asking about your status weekly. I did this for a couple of weeks just to make sure I hadn't missed something.

It's been more than 8 weeks for me with no "continued" mailing. I will give them a call tomorrow. Did you speak to anyone in particular?

 

[NickNaylor]

It's been more than 8 weeks for me with no "continued" mailing. I will give them a call tomorrow. Did you speak to anyone in particular?

Nope, I just called the office, said I as curious about my status, and they asked for the info they needed to check up on it. More than likely you won't receive any substantial information, but you never know.

 

[NickNaylor]

Hey everyone,

Today the admissions office had an information session for first years interested in interviewing applicants and they provided us with some information about the process thus far that I figured you might be interested in:

-52 students have been accepted as of now; I won't disclose the exact number that they shared as the target number of acceptances, but suffice to say this 52 isn't close to a majority of what they plan on accepting

-The office expects to interview ~650 individuals from a pool of ~4500 applicants

-After interviewing, your chances of getting accepted are somewhere between 25-50% (I broadened the range in order to protect their "target" number), i.e., pretty good

-Individuals that are "continued" after getting interviewed are very much being considered actively for acceptances; continued applicants are considered regularly along with people that have recently interviewed

-The revisit weekend is scheduled for April 21-22 in the spring - save the date if Pritzker is one of your top choices!

Good luck!

 

[chronicidal]

why does the target number need to be protected? would it make them look bad if it was too high?

 

[NickNaylor]

When can you start interviewing applicants? Also thanks for the info on the dates 🙂

We're actually starting for Monday's interviews!

why does the target number need to be protected? would it make them look bad if it was too high?

I have no idea. Personally I don't think it's bad even if it is high because the number of acceptances you hand out isn't reflective of the quality of the school - it's reflective of each accepted person's application cycle and expectations from a school. I just don't want to risk it since I feel like that kind of data is more "protected" (thus the reason why it's pretty much impossible to find hard numbers like that from any school). We weren't told one way or another if these figures are confidential or not... I'm just erring on the side of caution.

 

[sibitrum]

We weren't told one way or another if these figures are confidential or not... I'm just erring on the side of caution.

Can't you get this data from USNews (although it's probably a year or so old)?

 

[IndianaResident]

-Individuals that are "continued" after getting interviewed are very much being considered actively for acceptances; continued applicants are considered regularly along with people that have recently interviewed

Hey Nick, I was "continued" by Pritzker last Saturday and sent them an email on Tuesday asking what in my application/interview was specifically questionable to them. I haven't received a response yet. Do you think I should maybe call the admissions office on Monday? Thanks

 

[chronicidal]

Can't you get this data from USNews (although it's probably a year or so old)?

usnwr says ~250 accepted

 

[pooghe]

accepted 🙂

Congrats!

 

[bbstrauss]

Hey everyone,

Today the admissions office had an information session for first years interested in interviewing applicants and they provided us with some information about the process thus far that I figured you might be interested in:

-52 students have been accepted as of now; I won't disclose the exact number that they shared as the target number of acceptances, but suffice to say this 52 isn't close to a majority of what they plan on accepting

-The office expects to interview ~650 individuals from a pool of ~4500 applicants

-After interviewing, your chances of getting accepted are somewhere between 25-50% (I broadened the range in order to protect their "target" number), i.e., pretty good

-Individuals that are "continued" after getting interviewed are very much being considered actively for acceptances; continued applicants are considered regularly along with people that have recently interviewed


Thanks for giving us hope! : D

 

[futuredoc808]

Any news from Pritzker this week?

Also, to those who received a continued mailing, did your status change online as well?

 

[MayoorBust]

Anybody accepted receive mail from Pritzker (snail or e-mail) after the acceptance. My status has changed but that is it.

 

[NickNaylor]

Anybody accepted receive mail from Pritzker (snail or e-mail) after the acceptance. My status has changed but that is it.

You should have received a phone call followed by snail mail within a couple of weeks.

 

[user123456]

has anyone heard back who interviewed wk of 9/25?

 

[indonacious]

I interviewed that week (9/25-) and have not heard back yet.

 

[TheGreyWarden]

Hey Nick or someone else,

There were a few questions I had after the interview day. Maybe you could help me out?
-I remember my tour guide saying that only the pediatric hospital is a level 1 trauma center. Is Mercy the hospital where the victims of shootings, other traumas, etc. come?
-Since there's no county hospital very close, do the indigenous end up in the hospitals Pritzker students rotate at?
-From the schedule online, the curriculum looks pretty lecture-heavy. Am I seeing this right?
-Podcasted lectures?

Thank you 🙂

 

[chronicidal]

-Since there's no county hospital very close, do the indigenous end up in the hospitals Pritzker students rotate at?

The indigenous population in Chicago is pretty small (<1%). They're hard to find.

The indigent population is another story. The University of Chicago Hospital does not accept patients without health insurance (except to stabilize emergent patients as they are legally obligated to do). They closed their adult trauma center in 1988 because they lost so much money on caring for the uninsured.

[Side note: The nearest county hospital that serves the indigent is pretty close, just a few blocks away: Provident Hospital of Cook County. However, they don't accept ambulances anymore, and its inpatient service has been downsized in recent years, with patients directed to Stroger/Cook County Hospital. The issue of trauma service on the south side of Chicago is very interesting. http://www.wbez.org/content-categories/97768]

You can do medicine rotations at Mercy, which apparently gets lots of the indigent (incl. patients redirected from U of C). Mercy is a level II trauma center.

NorthShore-Evanston has a level I trauma center (but only since 2007). But they're in Evanston. I don't know how many GSWs they would get; it seems more like a suburban community hospital without many Medicaid/uninsured patients. You can do EM and surgery rotations at NorthShore.

 

[TheGreyWarden]

The indigenous population in Chicago is pretty small (<1%). They're hard to find.

LOL good catch and thanks for the info. I felt that there was somewhat of a focus on helping those in need with the healthcare disparities class and from what was said on the interview day. I just wanted to make sure it's substantiated on the clinical side as well. Sounds like it isn't that well though in terms of easily accessible rotation sites? Or maybe this emphasis on the volunteering side (free clinics, etc.) because level 1 trauma centers and healthcare in general are NOT as available to the indigent around Hyde Park?

Can anyone else chime in on this topic or my other questions? Please and thank you 🙂

 

[NickNaylor]

Hey Nick or someone else,

There were a few questions I had after the interview day. Maybe you could help me out?
-I remember my tour guide saying that only the pediatric hospital is a level 1 trauma center. Is Mercy the hospital where the victims of shootings, other traumas, etc. come?
-Since there's no county hospital very close, do the indigenous end up in the hospitals Pritzker students rotate at?
-From the schedule online, the curriculum looks pretty lecture-heavy. Am I seeing this right?
-Podcasted lectures?

Thank you 🙂

1) UCMC is a pediatric trauma center but not an adult traume center. Most trauma victims from the south side seem to go to Northwestern. There's been building pressure on UCMC from the community to reopen its trauma center; it wouldn't surprise me at all if they decide to do so in the next several years.

2) UCMC treats a significant amount of indigent and uninsured patients. However, I would say that many indigent patients are referred to Mercy. UC students can rotate at both Mercy and the NorthShore hospital in Evanston.

3) I wouldn't say it's any more "lecture heavy" than any other school. Anatomy is the predominant exception; since anatomy is compressed into ~8 weeks, it's pretty time intensive since we have a couple of hours of lecture and three hours of lab everyday. Outside of anatomy, however, the schedule is much better. Most days we're done by noon; we have clinical skills once or twice a week in the afternoon. However, just because there's a lot of lecture time doesn't mean you have to go. I don't go to lecture and I have plenty of time to get my work done and do the things I want to do. It depends on your learning style I guess, but I don't find lecture to be an effective use of time.

4) Lectures are recorded and posted to our online repository (called TIMESpace). They aren't videotaped; you get a screen capture of the computer monitor along with an audio recording of the lecture.

 

[NickNaylor]

LOL good catch and thanks for the info. I felt that there was somewhat of a focus on helping those in need with the healthcare disparities class and from what was said on the interview day. I just wanted to make sure it's substantiated on the clinical side as well. Sounds like it isn't that well though in terms of easily accessible rotation sites? Or maybe this emphasis on the volunteering side (free clinics, etc.) because level 1 trauma centers and healthcare in general are NOT as available to the indigent around Hyde Park?

Can anyone else chime in on this topic or my other questions? Please and thank you 🙂

Pritzker as a whole supports and strongly encourages community work. However, UCMC is its own institution and, consequently, has its own motivations and goals which may or may not align with those of Pritzker. I can assure you that Pritzker has a very community-centered culture that values working with the hugely underserved population around the university, and if working with the local community is important to you, there will be a plethora of opportunities to do so. I've heard that rotating at Mercy as a fantastic experience if you're interested in being on the front lines of underserved populations.

 

[Illinois2012]

<------------ Pritzker Reject 🙁

 

[TheGreyWarden]

Thanks for the info Nick. Hope first year is treating you well 🙂

Interviewed mid-September and no decision has been made on my app yet (not "continued" yet). We'll see what happens... good luck everyone

 

[indonacious]

Thanks for the info Nick. Hope first year is treating you well 🙂

Interviewed mid-September and no decision has been made on my app yet (not "continued" yet). We'll see what happens... good luck everyone

I interviewed in september and have not heard anything either yet. I remember them saying about 6 weeks for a post-interview decision, but maybe they are running a little behind or something.

 

[NickNaylor]

Thanks for the info Nick. Hope first year is treating you well 🙂

Interviewed mid-September and no decision has been made on my app yet (not "continued" yet). We'll see what happens... good luck everyone

I interviewed in september and have not heard anything either yet. I remember them saying about 6 weeks for a post-interview decision, but maybe they are running a little behind or something.

Stay strong - you WILL get a decision. I'd recommend giving them a call after about eight weeks of waiting just to make sure nothing bad has happened.

 

[futuredoc808]

I interviewed in september and have not heard anything either yet. I remember them saying about 6 weeks for a post-interview decision, but maybe they are running a little behind or something.

Today makes week 10 for me. When I called them, they didn't have much info to give me, but it couldn't hurt.

 

[NickNaylor]

Today makes week 10 for me. When I called them, they didn't have much info to give me, but it couldn't hurt.

Exactly - just don't seem rude and inpatient and you'll be alright.

I looked at my MDApps timeline and I interview 9/30 and was accepted 12/20. I think the office takes a big of liberty with the 4-6 weeks timeline.

The executive committee also only evaluates ~10 applications each week (they meet every two weeks and decide on something like ~20 applications), so you can probably guess a pretty long line for review builds up over time.

 

[Isleofthedeep]

Continued letter arrived in the mail today. Interviewed 10/3. 😳

 

[NickNaylor]

Exactly - just don't seem rude and inpatient and you'll be alright.

I looked at my MDApps timeline and I interview 9/30 and was accepted 12/20. I think the office takes a big of liberty with the 4-6 weeks timeline.

The executive committee also only evaluates ~10 applications each week (they meet every two weeks and decide on something like ~20 applications), so you can probably guess a pretty long line for review builds up over time.

My apologies for all of those typos...

 

[shadeofgreen]

complete Oct 22
Interview Invite Nov 5

Really excited!

😉

 

[indonacious]

Continued letter arrived in the mail today. Interviewed 10/3. 😳

That debunks any intuition I had about the decision timeline I should expect...hmm. (i interviewed in Sept.) Also, did your status change online? I had a change of address so I am skeptical of snail mail right now even though I updated everything.

 

[Isleofthedeep]

That debunks any intuition I had about the decision timeline I should expect...hmm. (i interviewed in Sept.)

But hey, maybe being in the maybe pile is better than being in the maybe pile. 😳

 

[wow my heart]

complete Oct 22
Interview Invite Nov 5

Really excited!

😉

Lucky you, those II are pouring in today huh!!
Congrats

 

[cyanide]

-From the schedule online, the curriculum looks pretty lecture-heavy. Am I seeing this right?

To add to Nick's reply:

For the most part, our curriculum is more "traditional" in the sense that we do more learning from lectures than from group activities. If you're a big fan of PBL, Pritzker might not be the best place for you. That being said, there are different modes of teaching incorporated into the curriculum, just not to the degree that they are at other schools (Feinberg...). For example, in the biochem/cellbio/genetics course that the first-years are currently taking, there are workshops and case discussions along with lectures. Workshops are groups of ~10 that meet about three times a week to work on activities that apply concepts taught in lecture - by doing a problem set, presenting a journal article, etc. Case discussions are groups of ~8 that discuss real clinical cases presented by practicing physicians. It's a good way to see the real-life applications and complexities of the basic sciences we're learning, as well as to get used to bouncing ideas off your colleagues, working with limited information, understanding molecular mechanisms behind disease, and such.

To be honest, I was initially hesitant about having to do required groupwork, since I would rather not work in groups until I've gone over the material a few times on my own. But I have to admit that I've really enjoyed these activities so far, and it definitely breaks up the monotony of having only lectures all morning. And it's a great opportunity to interact with classmates you don't normally hang out with (though, in a class of 88, we all know each other pretty well).

 

[shadeofgreen]

Lucky you, those II are pouring in today huh!!
Congrats

I'm always hopefully for more interviews! I'm not super sure where I want to go yet so the more I visit the more I learn about what I want =)

I've had 7 invites so far but I'll probs withdraw from one of them since I really have no intention of attending there 😉

Good luck to you!! 😳

 

[chronicidal]

There's been building pressure on UCMC from the community to reopen its trauma center; it wouldn't surprise me at all if they decide to do so in the next several years.

I would be a bit surprised.

Merlotti said the current system works well, but he still wishes the University of Chicago would reenter the trauma center fold. He said it’s the South Side hospital that’s best equipped to take on the financial burden of trauma care.

The university has clearly stated that’s not going to happen. Instead, it’s focusing on other care specialties such as its burn unit.

WBEZ summarized findings on trauma-related ambulance run times and discussed them with university staff. They said the school ran its own numbers and concluded the South Side doesn’t need another trauma center.

“We’re blessed with some great trauma centers,” said Steven Weber. “As it exists right now, there’s not one of those that’s physically located on the South Side. In terms of whether that creates a disparity in outcome, there’s really not evidence. But happily for the patients that are affected — whether it’s a penetrating injury or blunt injury — it’s comforting and reassuring to know that they do have access to expert care within a short period of time.”

 

[wow my heart]

I'm always hopefully for more interviews! I'm not super sure where I want to go yet so the more I visit the more I learn about what I want =)

I've had 7 invites so far but I'll probs withdraw from one of them since I really have no intention of attending there 😉

Good luck to you!! 😳

Thanks and it always good when you can have that choice to choose.... I hope you get in with your top choice

 

[futuredoc808]

Continued letter arrived in the mail today. Interviewed 10/3. 😳

Did your status change online?

 

[NickNaylor]

I would be a bit surprised.

Again, it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

This really isn't the place to be having this discussion as it's more political than anything else. My understanding as a student (from my own observations and after talking with upperclassmen) is that the presence or absence of a trauma center has little to no impact on your education. If you're looking for a trauma experience, it's available at the other hospital(s) affiliated with UC. I'll also say that most people that I've talked to support UCMC opening a trauma center; in other words, Pritzker's culture is very community-centered even if UCMC (which, again, is an entirely distinct entity) is less so, which was the impetus for this question anyway.

The short version of this discussion is that trauma experiences are available to those looking for them, and UCMC's reluctance to open a trauma center has no bearing on Pritzker's views of community service or the school's values. The long version of the discussion is more complicated, political, and dark. Again, it won't impact your education one way or another.

 

[FutureMD23]

.

 

[Yalie]

Just FYI, as of ~10 minutes ago, courtesy of UCPritzker's Twitter:

Our Executive Committee meets this afternoon...time for another round of #medschool accepts to go out!

Good luck!

 

[indonacious]

Just FYI, as of ~10 minutes ago, courtesy of UCPritzker's Twitter:

That's exciting! It's still unclear to me what notifications (continued or accepted) are made through the status page and what notifications are only sent through snail mail. Does anyone have insight about this?

Thanks and good luck everyone!

 

[virelangue]

Just FYI, as of ~10 minutes ago, courtesy of UCPritzker's Twitter:



Good luck!

Aaaaaahhh! Here's hoping!

 

[NickNaylor]

Just FYI, as of ~10 minutes ago, courtesy of UCPritzker's Twitter:

That's exciting! It's still unclear to me what notifications (continued or accepted) are made through the status page and what notifications are only sent through snail mail. Does anyone have insight about this?

Thanks and good luck everyone!

I believe both continued and accepted statuses are communicated on the secondary page. I know there's an acceptance letter (and a phone call), and I think others have said that they've received a continued status later.

I can ask and clarify.

 

[TheGreyWarden]

Again, it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

This really isn't the place to be having this discussion as it's more political than anything else. My understanding as a student (from my own observations and after talking with upperclassmen) is that the presence or absence of a trauma center has little to no impact on your education. If you're looking for a trauma experience, it's available at the other hospital(s) affiliated with UC. I'll also say that most people that I've talked to support UCMC opening a trauma center; in other words, Pritzker's culture is very community-centered even if UCMC (which, again, is an entirely distinct entity) is less so, which was the impetus for this question anyway.

The short version of this discussion is that trauma experiences are available to those looking for them, and UCMC's reluctance to open a trauma center has no bearing on Pritzker's views of community service or the school's values. The long version of the discussion is more complicated, political, and dark. Again, it won't impact your education one way or another.

Exactly what I needed to hear, thanks!

Just FYI, as of ~10 minutes ago, courtesy of UCPritzker's Twitter:



Good luck!

Good luck everyone!

 

[virelangue]

Any good news today? 🙂