2011-2012 University of Chicago (Pritzker) Application Thread

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hi! i'm new to sdn, and i have an interview at pritzker this monday, so I was just wondering if anyone would (last-minute) be willing to host for sunday night?? I'm tidy/non-disruptive and I'd so so appreciate it, the hosting form hasn't led to much thus far. Thanks!!
 
kloohorn said:
hi! i'm new to sdn, and i have an interview at pritzker this monday, so I was just wondering if anyone would (last-minute) be willing to host for sunday night?? I'm tidy/non-disruptive and I'd so so appreciate it, the hosting form hasn't led to much thus far. Thanks!!
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i'll be there on monday too! yeah, i didn't hear back about hosting either so i just booked a room at the international house.
 
Just saw this on their twitter from last friday..."We had a great Executive Committee meeting...new #medschool accepts going out beginning of next week!"

Looks like some people may be getting status changes this week (hopefully me too)... Good Luck!
 
Just double checking....for a status of "Application Held for Later Review", do not expect anything yet correct?

I plan on sending my fall transcript (available around end of Dec) and an update letter.
 
Nymphicus said:
Just double checking....for a status of "Application Held for Later Review", do not expect anything yet correct?

I plan on sending my fall transcript (available around end of Dec) and an update letter.
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I would say you might hear something relatively soon, but now might be a little early.

Definitely a good idea with the transcript and letter, though.
 
I know Pritzker has rolling admissions, would it be worth my $75 to submit my secondary this late in the cycle?
 
ohthewonderment said:
I know Pritzker has rolling admissions, would it be worth my $75 to submit my secondary this late in the cycle?
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Pritzker posted this via Twitter on Friday: "There is still time to complete your secondary #medschool application...we have plenty of interview spots left!"

I say go for it! Good Luck! :luck:
 
futuredoc808 said:
ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :soexcited:Still in shock! Good luck to everyone!
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Congrats! You mind answering the standard questions...
Approximately when did you interview? Also, did your status change online or did you just get the phone call/letter in the mail without a status change?
 
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Me too! Got the call during another interview. I had to wait three hours to know what the call was for... So stoked!
 
indonacious said:
Congrats! You mind answering the standard questions...
Approximately when did you interview? Also, did your status change online or did you just get the phone call/letter in the mail without a status change?
Click to expand...

Thanks! I interviewed in late August. Just got the phone call today which will be followed up by a letter in the mail. Status still says "Interview Complete".
 
davedeluxe said:
Me too! Got the call during another interview. I had to wait three hours to know what the call was for... So stoked!
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futuredoc808 said:
Thanks! I interviewed in late August. Just got the phone call today which will be followed up by a letter in the mail. Status still says "Interview Complete".
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Congratulations guys! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask (either here or by PM).
 
NickNaylor said:
Congratulations guys! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask (either here or by PM).
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Congratulations to all of those recently accepted!

I have a question about the day to day schedule for NickNaylor. Looking at the M1 schedule for today it looks like you were in lecture from 8-11 in the cells, molecules and genes course and there was nothing scheduled after that. So does that mean there is nothing going on at school for the rest of the day? Is that essentially time to study and do what you want?
 
pooghe said:
Congratulations to all of those recently accepted!

I have a question about the day to day schedule for NickNaylor. Looking at the M1 schedule for today it looks like you were in lecture from 8-11 in the cells, molecules and genes course and there was nothing scheduled after that. So does that mean there is nothing going on at school for the rest of the day? Is that essentially time to study and do what you want?
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Short answer: Yes. 🙂

The truth is that most people will end up using much of that time participating in student organizations, attending seminars, shadowing, studying, etc. There's almost always events going on during lunchtime too. (Many are listed here: http://pritzker.uchicago.edu/events/ Click back to October, then return to November - for some reason many of the events don't show up until you do that.) For example, today there was a Polypharmacy talk put on by the Geriatrics interest club and a Medical Spanish lunch that happens pretty regularly.

But if you want to use your free afternoons to just hang out and explore the city, that's completely doable too.
 
pooghe said:
Congratulations to all of those recently accepted!

I have a question about the day to day schedule for NickNaylor. Looking at the M1 schedule for today it looks like you were in lecture from 8-11 in the cells, molecules and genes course and there was nothing scheduled after that. So does that mean there is nothing going on at school for the rest of the day? Is that essentially time to study and do what you want?
Click to expand...

Like cyanide mentioned, there are plenty of things going on, but for the most part we don't have much required stuff going on in the afternoons (at least not at this point in the curriculum).

My typical afternoons (well, mornings too because I don't go to class unless it's required) consist of going to the gym, playing Battlefield 3, hanging out with my girlfriend, and studying. Mostly a lot of the first three and not too much of the fourth.

The point is that there's plenty of free time to do whatever you want - be it study, have fun, pursue interests, etc.. In the spring I know people use that time to do research, shadow, and other more productive things.
 
cyanide said:
Short answer: Yes. 🙂

The truth is that most people will end up using much of that time participating in student organizations, attending seminars, shadowing, studying, etc. There's almost always events going on during lunchtime too. (Many are listed here: http://pritzker.uchicago.edu/events/ Click back to October, then return to November - for some reason many of the events don't show up until you do that.) For example, today there was a Polypharmacy talk put on by the Geriatrics interest club and a Medical Spanish lunch that happens pretty regularly.

But if you want to use your free afternoons to just hang out and explore the city, that's completely doable too.
Click to expand...

NickNaylor said:
Like cyanide mentioned, there are plenty of things going on, but for the most part we don't have much required stuff going on in the afternoons (at least not at this point in the curriculum).

My typical afternoons (well, mornings too because I don't go to class unless it's required) consist of going to the gym, playing Battlefield 3, hanging out with my girlfriend, and studying. Mostly a lot of the first three and not too much of the fourth.

The point is that there's plenty of free time to do whatever you want - be it study, have fun, pursue interests, etc.. In the spring I know people use that time to do research, shadow, and other more productive things.
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Thanks for the thorough responses. I've been looking at the daily schedule at Pritzker and it seems like it is pretty relaxed most of the time. How often do you have exams? Also, has it been difficult to adjust to the essay exams as opposed to taking multiple choice exams? Do you feel you study differently for them?
 
pooghe said:
Thanks for the thorough responses. I've been looking at the daily schedule at Pritzker and it seems like it is pretty relaxed most of the time. How often do you have exams? Also, has it been difficult to adjust to the essay exams as opposed to taking multiple choice exams? Do you feel you study differently for them?
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Exam frequency varies between classes. For anatomy, I think the longest time we went between exams was about two weeks. Most of the time it was about a week and a half. Now that we're in CMG, we've only got a midterm and a final. We've had class for about 3-4 weeks and we're about to take the midterm on Friday. I'm not sure what the other courses will be like, but I'm guessing they'll be more like the latter rather than the formal.

Essay exams are whatever. I don't feel like I have to study any differently... I guess you might need to "know the material better," but it'd still be hard with multiple choice. Essays are nice because you have the ability to demonstrate at least SOME competence (i.e., get partial credit), which you can't get with traditional multiple choice questions.

To be honest, exam format is such a minor thing that I wouldn't let it influence your decision one way or another. It's a pretty trivial point IMO; regardless of the exam format, it's going to be difficult and you're going to have to do a lot of studying (unless you go to Yale, of course).

dpsPanda said:
Also, how much responsibility and hands-on experience are Pritzker students given their third and fourth years (is it mostly just observing and shadowing, or do residents really want the med students to get involved)? This wasn't really talked about or emphasized during the interview day. Thanks in advance 🙂
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You'd be better served talking to a third or fourth year (maybe Ben will appear and talk about this), but my understanding is that medical students are an integral part of the medical team. The physicians that teach our clinical skills course say that the medical student notes are referred to most often because medical students spend much more time and are much more thorough with their exams than residents and attendings. I think that gives you an idea of what your role is. You're still the bottom of the ladder and I'm sure you have to put up with at least some crap (which I think is probably true at all schools), but you do have a definite place on the team. Whenever I've asked this question, most physicians say that you're given responsibility commensurate with your demonstrated skill level. Rotations are certainly not meant to be simply shadowing. Obviously what you're permitted to do will vary from service to service, but you aren't simply following the physician around and watching what they do.

Again, hopefully Ben will magically show up and provide a more experienced opinion, but these things are my understanding based on what I've heard from older students and faculty.
 
dpsPanda said:
Thanks NickNaylor! This question originally popped up because another school was talking about how some of their students had played a major role in delivering babies on their first day in the OBGYN rotation. I was like 😱😱, that's crazy, which made me remember that not much was mentioned about the rotation experience at Pritzker. It's really good to hear that it's not just shadowing! 🙂
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It's definitely not shadowing. At all schools rotations are designed to train you as a clinician and develop those skills; you obviously can't do that passively.

As I said, though, the degree to which you're involved will probably vary based on your skill and even the individual residents/attendings you work with.
 
I've been on hold since early August. I know that they encourage update letters from applicants placed on hold, but when should I send one? Has enough time sufficiently passed? I started a new job and did a few other things that are pretty big updates.
 
Congrats to those accepted in the last batch! 🙂 Anything on your status pages yet?

Anyone see a new "Continued" status yet or received anything in the mail?

I'm at ~10 weeks and nothing still. Nick, I'm hoping for an epic early Christmas present like you got haha
 
zamzee said:
I've been on hold since early August. I know that they encourage update letters from applicants placed on hold, but when should I send one? Has enough time sufficiently passed? I started a new job and did a few other things that are pretty big updates.
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If it's legit stuff, I say go for it. I've sent them as early as a month or two after and been accepted to those schools.
 
indonacious said:
Congrats! You mind answering the standard questions...
Approximately when did you interview? Also, did your status change online or did you just get the phone call/letter in the mail without a status change?
Click to expand...

TheGreyWarden said:
Congrats to those accepted in the last batch! 🙂 Anything on your status pages yet?

Anyone see a new "Continued" status yet or received anything in the mail?

I'm at ~10 weeks and nothing still. Nick, I'm hoping for an epic early Christmas present like you got haha
Click to expand...

My status page changed to "accepted". I got accepted at 11 weeks, so hopefully you'll hear something soon!
 
zamzee said:
I've been on hold since early August. I know that they encourage update letters from applicants placed on hold, but when should I send one? Has enough time sufficiently passed? I started a new job and did a few other things that are pretty big updates.
Click to expand...

I would definitely send in a letter if you have substantive updates to discuss. You'll probably want to do it relatively quickly since the interview season (at least for Pritzker) is more or less on the down swing.

Good luck!
 
Invited to interview! I think I'm going to have wait until January 9th though.
 
TheGreyWarden said:
Continued letter came today 🙁 🙁 🙁

There goes the dream most likely.
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Definitely not. I spoke with someone in admissions yesterday about the continued list, so here's some info that will hopefully be positive for you (and anyone else).

First, if Pritzker is one of your top choices, KEEP THE SCHOOL UPDATED WITH WHAT YOU'RE DOING. You don't want to be irritating, but if you have substantive updates (e.g., grades, updates on activities, etc.), then definitely get those into the office. Continued applicants are reviewed periodically, so updates are viewed very positively.

Second, a not insignificant amount of the class comes from the continued list each year. I'm not going to give the figure I was told since he didn't want to throw out a definite number, but being placed on the continued list is by no means the end of the line. This becomes especially true as the cycle nears the end (e.g., March or April): many students on the continued list commit elsewhere or otherwise withdraw, so the pool of continued applicants decreases quite a bit. Being on the continued list obviously isn't a guarantee for an acceptance, but it's definitely possible. Quite a few of my classmates were accepted off of the continued list (some as late as the summer), and some of them received significant scholarships.

So, in short: keep the office updated with what you're doing and don't lose hope if Pritzker is one of your top choices.

Also, something else I cleared up: rejections are generally not given out post-interview; everyone is either accepted or continued. This speaks to the rolling admissions philosophy since, depending upon the rest of the interviews, people might begin to be pulled off of the continued list once interviews are finished and applications have been evaluated.
 
futuredoc808 said:
Pritzker posted this via Twitter on Friday: "There is still time to complete your secondary #medschool application...we have plenty of interview spots left!"

I say go for it! Good Luck! :luck:
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Thanks! I submitted my secondary 3 days ago (Nov 16), and received an interview invite today!
 
NickNaylor said:
Agree with the above. A few weeks ago the office said that they had given out less than half of their interview invites.
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Thanks to you and futuredoc808's advice, I submitted my secondary this week and I just found out that I have an interview invite!

Thanks!
 
NickNaylor said:
Definitely not. I spoke with someone in admissions yesterday about the continued list, so here's some info that will hopefully be positive for you (and anyone else).

First, if Pritzker is one of your top choices, KEEP THE SCHOOL UPDATED WITH WHAT YOU'RE DOING. You don't want to be irritating, but if you have substantive updates (e.g., grades, updates on activities, etc.), then definitely get those into the office. Continued applicants are reviewed periodically, so updates are viewed very positively.

Second, a not insignificant amount of the class comes from the continued list each year. I'm not going to give the figure I was told since he didn't want to throw out a definite number, but being placed on the continued list is by no means the end of the line. This becomes especially true as the cycle nears the end (e.g., March or April): many students on the continued list commit elsewhere or otherwise withdraw, so the pool of continued applicants decreases quite a bit. Being on the continued list obviously isn't a guarantee for an acceptance, but it's definitely possible. Quite a few of my classmates were accepted off of the continued list (some as late as the summer), and some of them received significant scholarships.

So, in short: keep the office updated with what you're doing and don't lose hope if Pritzker is one of your top choices.

Also, something else I cleared up: rejections are generally not given out post-interview; everyone is either accepted or continued. This speaks to the rolling admissions philosophy since, depending upon the rest of the interviews, people might begin to be pulled off of the continued list once interviews are finished and applications have been evaluated.
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Thanks for the info and reassurance Nick. I'll send updates and keep chugging along 🙂
 
I don't believe it! I just came off of being held for later review, and have been offered an interview! I guess they didn't need the update I was planning to write after all!
 
dpsPanda said:
Also, how much responsibility and hands-on experience are Pritzker students given their third and fourth years (is it mostly just observing and shadowing, or do residents really want the med students to get involved)? This wasn't really talked about or emphasized during the interview day. Thanks in advance 🙂
Click to expand...

Poof. I have arrived.

Everything that has been said already about the third and fourth years is correct. Two classmates of mine delivered two babies each on their first day of L&D service. Yes, the attending was there. Yes, there were probably some guiding of hands along the way. But they weren't standing in the corner watching while twiddling their thumbs. They delivered babies.

Just as an overview of the types of things you get to do during third year (and I'm less than halfway through):

- Assist on five Cesarean sections
- Deliver three babies
- Sit in on a multidisciplinary conference discussing the tenuous management of twins who were born conjoined at the thorax
- Counsel a delirious, dying man who'd drunk his liver to death and who needed a transplant but was running out of time
- Manage a child in DKA who didn't know she had diabetes until she was nearly comatose
- Watch D&C's and D&E's
- Hysterectomies, oophorectomies, tubal ligations, and omentectomies aplenty
- Diagnose an elderly lady with BPPV and reassure her that she doesn't have a brain tumor
- Assist on a suspected ovarian torsion case, only to find that her previously transplanted kidney had developed PCKD, just like the other kidney that was transplanted into someone else(!!!!)

This is just among the coolest stuff I've gotten to do. And I still haven't done surgery, medicine, EM, or family yet.

Like NickNaylor said, it can be dependent on the rotation as well as the situation. You'd probably be merely shadowing, as I have, for things like delivering the news that a patient has cancer; doing pelvic exams on patients who request that a student not do it; doing a full neuro exam for someone acutely having a TIA; doing q2 checks for cervical dilation and effacement in a woman in pre-term labor whose membranes had ruptured; or extubating a woman with schizoaffective disorder in the MICU.

For situations that are more amenable to having students be directly involved, the workflow is usually that we will go see patients on our own (or, for the first encounter, with an intern/resident depending on their style), write up a quick note, and present the patient to the attending and/or resident for further discussion. For surgical rotations, you are absolutely scrubbed in on every case possible and absolutely getting your hands dirty, sometimes even cauterizing or making incisions, but usually retracting, suctioning, and doing other little things to speed up the process.

We have also, just in the past few days, been granted the ability to write notes and pend orders directly into patient charts in EPIC, which was not initially given due to some medicolegal issues involved with the transfer from all-paper charts to all-electronic charts (which is what we have now). It was honestly very frustrating not to be involved with that aspect of patient care initially, but as of tomorrow we will have a much bigger role in communicating information into patient charts and becoming an even more important member of the team.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have more specific questions on top of this.
Ben
 
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Any idea when the merit based scholarships might be announced? On the website or in the past on the podcasts theyve said that they start giving them out with acceptances in Oct... but it doesnt seem like anyone has been hearing about them yet this year.. Id love to go here but that $90,000 estimated cost for each of the last two years is a little scary
 
NY89 said:
Any idea when the merit based scholarships might be announced? On the website or in the past on the podcasts theyve said that they start giving them out with acceptances in Oct... but it doesnt seem like anyone has been hearing about them yet this year.. Id love to go here but that $90,000 estimated cost for each of the last two years is a little scary
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As far as I know, most scholarships are given out with the acceptance. However, I do know of a couple of people from last year's thread that were accepted but not notified of the scholarship until a few weeks later.
 
how much in dollar amount is the full tuition scholarship?
 
NY89 said:
Any idea when the merit based scholarships might be announced? On the website or in the past on the podcasts theyve said that they start giving them out with acceptances in Oct... but it doesnt seem like anyone has been hearing about them yet this year.. Id love to go here but that $90,000 estimated cost for each of the last two years is a little scary
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Keep in mind that the budget on the website is an overestimate... it represents the absolute maximum amount that you can borrow, not the average. If you don't live too lavishly, more like a modest grad student, you shouldn't need to spend nearly that much. For example, the budget gives you over $1500/month for rent. I currently spend less than half that amount.

MilkIsGood said:
how much in dollar amount is the full tuition scholarship?
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Scholarship amounts vary greatly, and I'm sure they fluctuate year to year as well. You probably won't get an exact figure unless your fellow MS16's start leaking info of their own awards. 😛
 
MilkIsGood said:
how much in dollar amount is the full tuition scholarship?
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Full tuition is full tuition. Since tuition usually increases annually, the amount of your scholarship will also increase annually. That also makes it difficult to put a definitely value on the scholarship.

I'd say the dollar value is somewhere in the range of $180k over the four years.
 
maracuya26 said:
I don't believe it! I just came off of being held for later review, and have been offered an interview! I guess they didn't need the update I was planning to write after all!
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Great, now I'm going to be checking the status page obsessively. Congrats! 🙂
 
If it helps, I got an e-mail about an hour after the status change, though it did go to my spam folder. Thanks, and good luck!!!
 
From the twitter-feed:

No Executive Committee meeting or new acceptances this week as we break for the holiday...will resume next week!
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The waiting continues. . .
 
Continued letter today. I'm really disappointed, but I'm at least happy it wasn't a rejection.
 
My application finally was marked complete at Pritzker 9 days ago. I'm wondering if anyone knows about how long I should expect to wait to hear from them about an interview?

I ask because I live out west and need to book a flight to interview at WUSTL and U Michigan. If Pritzker is going to offer me an interview, it'd be awesome if I could get to all three schools on just one plane ticket!
 
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