2011-2012 Washington University in St. Louis Application Thread

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So, quick but necessary question...

WashU obviously has a lot of financial aid to offset the high tuition. In particular, I know that there are a ton of merit scholarships compared to other programs. I was curious on the logistics. If one were qualified for such a scholarship, would you be immediately notified upon acceptance? Or would such an offer only emerge after financial aid documentation is totally complete (currently not possible since only the 2011-2012 documents are present)?

Additionally, even if one were not to receive a full scholarship, how much burden does the school generally take on for someone with high credentials and low parental contribution? I saw some details on "75% tuition paid" on MDApplicants for someone with my MCAT score, but was not sure on the frequency of such offers.

Thanks so much in advance 🙂

link to that mdapps please. I haven't heard of partial tuition merit scholarships at washu.

you're not immediately notified upon acceptance. in years past people were invited to submit another essay in mar/april. this year a number of applicants were notified some time after acceptance without an extra application. since merit aid ia separate from need aid, financial documents aren't necessary.

the need aid policy is half of the need is given in loans up to about $25k. the rest is given in scholarship. how need is exactly calculated (include home equity?) I don't know.
 
link to that mdapps please. I haven't heard of partial tuition merit scholarships at washu.

you're not immediately notified upon acceptance. in years past people were invited to submit another essay in mar/april. this year a number of applicants were notified some time after acceptance without an extra application. since merit aid ia separate from need aid, financial documents aren't necessary.

the need aid policy is half of the need is given in loans up to about $25k. the rest is given in scholarship. how need is exactly calculated (include home equity?) I don't know.

Thanks for the info, chronicidal!

The link for the MDApp describing a partial scholarship is at http://www.mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=17636 (from the 2010-2011 cycle). I misremembered the percent (actually ~65%). Upon closer inspection the applicant also says they have a higher MCAT than listed, not sure if that changes the game for scholarships or not.
 
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So, quick but necessary question...

WashU obviously has a lot of financial aid to offset the high tuition. In particular, I know that there are a ton of merit scholarships compared to other programs. I was curious on the logistics. If one were qualified for such a scholarship, would you be immediately notified upon acceptance? Or would such an offer only emerge after financial aid documentation is totally complete (currently not possible since only the 2011-2012 documents are present)?

Additionally, even if one were not to receive a full scholarship, how much burden does the school generally take on for someone with high credentials and low parental contribution? I saw some details on "75% tuition paid" on MDApplicants for someone with my MCAT score, but was not sure on the frequency of such offers.

Thanks so much in advance 🙂

You don't hear about fin aid or scholarships until the spring. For the merit scholarships, they'll email you (if you've been accepted) sometime in February-ish to send them a paragraph explaining why you would like a scholarship, then they send out decisions in May-ish. For the need-based scholarships, they obviously don't decide any of that until you've put in all your fin aid forms. They'll give you your aid package April-ish. For need-based, they come up with your "expected contribution" based on your + your parent's income (NOT on what your parents have or have not given you in the past), then they subtract that number from the total cost of attendance. The remaining amount is covered 50/50 by loans and scholarships. If your loans exceed $24,000, all the rest is covered in scholarship.

As an example: I come from middle-class parents and I worked part-time while I was in school, but my parents don't contribute to my education and my work money went towards rent and whatnot, so I had no money saved up. While I didn't get a merit scholarship, with the way the fin aid gets distributed, I ended up with ~50% scholarship and 50% loans. I was cool with that.

EDIT: didn't realize they had changed the merit scholarship giving a bit this year. Thanks, chronicidal. Good to know. Also, you should totally come here 🙂
 
I can't speak much on need-based scholarship, since I didn't qualify for that. As far as merit-based, I'm not sure of the procedure they're following this year. As it seems that they might be forgoing the paragraph submission

Last year and in years before that, they asked all accepted applicants to write a paragraph about why they wanted a merit-based scholarship and submit it. They then offered the set amount of full-tuition scholarships to certain acceptees. Other acceptees got an email around that time that they would not be getting any merit-based aid. Still other acceptees heard nothing (which meant they were on a waitlist of sorts). As students who were offered the full-tuition scholarships committed to WashU or chose to attend other schools, the students on the waitlist could have been offered a scholarship or told they wouldn't be getting aid.

From experience, those who end up on the "waitlist" have a good chance of getting offered partial merit-based aid if they contact WashU about it and explain their situation. But I'd wait until need-based stuff comes back until getting to this point.

Of course, I'm only speaking of my personal experiences, so there could be somethings that are wrong in what I've said. But this is how it worked out for me.
 
You don't hear about fin aid or scholarships until the spring. For the merit scholarships, they'll email you (if you've been accepted) sometime in February-ish to send them a paragraph explaining why you would like a scholarship, then they send out decisions in May-ish. For the need-based scholarships, they obviously don't decide any of that until you've put in all your fin aid forms. They'll give you your aid package April-ish. For need-based, they come up with your "expected contribution" based on your + your parent's income (NOT on what your parents have or have not given you in the past), then they subtract that number from the total cost of attendance. The remaining amount is covered 50/50 by loans and scholarships. If your loans exceed $24,000, all the rest is covered in scholarship.

As an example: I come from middle-class parents and I worked part-time while I was in school, but my parents don't contribute to my education and my work money went towards rent and whatnot, so I had no money saved up. While I didn't get a merit scholarship, with the way the fin aid gets distributed, I ended up with ~50% scholarship and 50% loans. I was cool with that.

EDIT: didn't realize they had changed the merit scholarship giving a bit this year. Thanks, chronicidal. Good to know. Also, you should totally come here 🙂
So is this a unit loan concept? I'm still confused by unit loans, even though it shouldn't be so hard :laugh:

Hypothetically, if a person doesn't have money saved up and is not getting money from parents (even though their contribution should be >0), he will end up taking 24k in loans PLUS whatever your personal/parent contribution should be?
 
So is this a unit loan concept? I'm still confused by unit loans, even though it shouldn't be so hard :laugh:

Hypothetically, if a person doesn't have money saved up and is not getting money from parents (even though their contribution should be >0), he will end up taking 24k in loans PLUS whatever your personal/parent contribution should be?

yes
 
Interview invite just now!...About five months after I submitted the secondary.

ETA: Does anyone know when the last interview dates are? Optimally, I'd like to book for the third week of Feb. but only three dates at the beginning of Feb. are available.

ETAA: Sorry, another question! Given that it takes >1 month to hear back post-interview, are applicants who interview closer to March more or less placed directly on the waitlist?
 
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Interview invite! So excited, I thought my app had been tossed out here a long time ago.
 
Interview invite today as well! Been complete since August so I'm super excited!
 
Rejection today. Not a surprise.

Good luck to those interviewing/congrats to those accepted!
 
Just withdrew my interview spot. Good luck to all!
 
Got my II about a week ago, still trying to sort out the logistics of it all. Also, all the spots are gone, so I'm told to call someone in the department. 😀 Sigh.

Candav - are you a fellow Canadian? Mind if I ask why you withdrew?

I still don't think I fully understand their financial aid situation. I know as a foreigner I'm not eligible for loans, or need-based support, but are we still considered for merit scholarships?
 
Got my II about a week ago, still trying to sort out the logistics of it all. Also, all the spots are gone, so I'm told to call someone in the department. 😀 Sigh.

Candav - are you a fellow Canadian? Mind if I ask why you withdrew?

I still don't think I fully understand their financial aid situation. I know as a foreigner I'm not eligible for loans, or need-based support, but are we still considered for merit scholarships?

Yes, I'm Canadian. I withdrew mainly because I've already been accepted to another school I'd choose other WashU. Also, I did all my other interviews earlier in the season, so by now I'm all interview-ed out.

International students at WashU are not eligible for financial aid, and must pay all four years' costs in escrow prior to matriculation. I believe the escrow amount comes to a bit over $250,000. Of course, they have a few great merit scholarships here which international students are eligible for; but my MCAT is about half yours, and I didn't think I had much chance of scoring one.

Good luck!
 
Yes, I'm Canadian. I withdrew mainly because I've already been accepted to another school I'd choose other WashU. Also, I did all my other interviews earlier in the season, so by now I'm all interview-ed out.

International students at WashU are not eligible for financial aid, and must pay all four years' costs in escrow prior to matriculation. I believe the escrow amount comes to a bit over $250,000. Of course, they have a few great merit scholarships here which international students are eligible for; but my MCAT is about half yours, and I didn't think I had much chance of scoring one.

Good luck!

Slight correction. You do not have to pay all the money into an escrow account upfront (I believe Hopkins requires this). When I was there they told me that you must provide proof up-front that you have secured the necessary financing (e.g. letter from a bank stating your loan and amount) but you don't need to deposit it all at once.

This is a big difference because if you have a line of credit, from the bank, you don't need to draw such a huge amount right off the bat and you save a few years of compound interest.
 
Withdrew my interview spot yesterday for next week. Hope someone here gets it!
 
Slight correction. You do not have to pay all the money into an escrow account upfront (I believe Hopkins requires this). When I was there they told me that you must provide proof up-front that you have secured the necessary financing (e.g. letter from a bank stating your loan and amount) but you don't need to deposit it all at once.

This is a big difference because if you have a line of credit, from the bank, you don't need to draw such a huge amount right off the bat and you save a few years of compound interest.

Thanks for the clarification!
 
Anyone like me who is hoping that the decisions will come out tonight? 😀 Gonna be awake to check at 12:00am SL time either way.
 
Interview invite months after submission and I withdrew. Can't fly across the Pacific for a solitary interview.
 
Interview invite yesterday, went on to check the dates, logged out to check plane tickets, logged back in and now nothing is open! I guess I'll be calling the admissions office
 
I wish schools near the east would notify me sooner for interviews so I could schedule them around my budget. Now I don't know if I should go...
 
A 6pm flight out of St Louis wouldn't be too early would it?
I would call them and ask what time your day will end (they should know even if they haven't sent out the schedule yet); most people will be finished much earlier than you might guess and you could possibly catch an even earlier flight. I was done around 1:30pm and caught a 4:40pm flight, but could have made a flight as early as 2:45pm.
 
I would call them and ask what time your day will end (they should know even if they haven't sent out the schedule yet); most people will be finished much earlier than you might guess and you could possibly catch an even earlier flight. I was done around 1:30pm and caught a 4:40pm flight, but could have made a flight as early as 2:45pm.

There is a metro stop right outside the medical school (like a 1 minute walk), which you can see throughout your tour. The metro takes 20 minutes to get to your terminal. The airport is small and it probably shouldn't take too long to get through security.

I had a 6pm flight. My interview day ended at around 2. I changed afterwards and went on an hour-long walking tour of St. Louis until about 4. I got into the terminal and through security by 4:40. I was still bored for an hour and a half.
 
Hi, does anybody have an idea of what interview dates would be covered when the next acceptances come out?
Thanks.
 
Just got a call from my interviewer saying I've been accepted 🙂

Interviewed back in October
 
Hi, does anybody have an idea of what interview dates would be covered when the next acceptances come out?
Thanks.

Wish I knew the answer to this

although the last date (2 weeks ago) was up until late november (20th-ish), so this one will probably extend until early decemberish? I'm borderline having had interviewed mid-decemberish.
 
So admissions decisions tonight? If I interviewed a little over two weeks ago would this be too soon? We only year about acceptances right, not anything else?
 
Yeah we only hear about acceptances. Also unfortunately I don't think that you will hear back this week. You probably will hear back during the next round of admissions committee meeting (late February).

WASHU PLEASE ACCEPT ME THX 😀
 
I know me too! Interviewed Dec. 9th--really hoping for some good news tonight. The other day I had a really realistic dream where Dr. Dodson called me to tell me I got in. That's either a good sign or a soon-to-be slap in the face!
 
Yeah we only hear about acceptances. Also unfortunately I don't think that you will hear back this week. You probably will hear back during the next round of admissions committee meeting (late February).

WASHU PLEASE ACCEPT ME THX 😀

uh oh. so...if you haven't heard anything, does that mean rejection? i was told to expect an answer sometime in january.
 
LOL people are surprisingly quiet today 😱

Expectation: Nothing is gonna happen (Interviewed Nov 30th)
 
As predicted, nothing changed (Interviewed Nov 30th). No offense to WashU but this whole guessing-and-waiting game is about to drive me crazy.


Anyone knows when the next round is out?
 
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