2012-2013 Dartmouth Medical School Application Thread

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imnamerican said:
x2! I assume some are at that Cal Pacific site they have in SF, but it'd be helpful to see it in more detail.

Also, accepted in the last few days. First interview went reasonably well, second interview felt like my interviewer was trying to convince me that my interests wouldn't be a good fit at Dartmouth. :shrug: Funny now this cycle works sometimes.
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When did you interview?? And congrats!!!
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Member 1327 said:
So I have been on and off of this thread for quite a while now (since interviewing way back in October) and have finally decided to comment (my 1st on sdn, how historic). If what Mr. Welch said is true, about creating the batting average list and then going from the top down accepting people and bottom up rejecting, then isn't the middle of the list considered the "wait list" section? As such, the "no news is good news" logic (which I also remember hearing mentioned during the interview day) wouldn't really make sense as that would mean you're just closer to the middle of the pack rather than near the top or bottom. Again, this is assuming that our batting averages don't change and that the process is exactly as it was described on interview day.

Now, I know the accept/reject cut-offs must be fluid, but I don't really think the process is as simple as going from top to bottom and vice versa. I think this is actually, probably (hopefully?) good news for people that haven't heard back yet as it would mean they're in the gray zone for accept/wait list and are thus higher on the list (or more depressingly in the reject/wait list zone).

Sorry for rambling, just something I have been thinking about neurotically (not that it would change anything) for the past 6 months. At least it's tournament time so I can spend/waste my life watching basketball rather than living on sdn. Lol
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The way I make sense of that logic is that they are more willing to reject from the bottom than accept from the top. They're being very conservative with acceptances after that little snafu last year. Once all interviews are done (in a week or 2 or so), they now have their entire applicant pool to gauge and can start accepting more robustly. I imagine acceptances will go out in large waves in the coming weeks.

At least this is what keeps me sane :oops:
 
dropgorgeous said:
can you list the California locations by any chance, please?
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UC Davis - Peds
UCLA x 3 - Peds and IM x 2
UCSF x 2 - Neuro and surg prelim with anesthesia at MGH
UC Irvine x 2 - IM x 2
UCSD - IM
CPMC x 3 - IM, Med prelim x 2 and then anesthesia at Hopkins and Virginia Mason.
 
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nychila said:
Did they over-subscribe their available seats? If so, how did they resolve that issue?
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I believe so. I think they just had to deal with it. I don't remember hearing about nice FinAid packages for deferral.
 
BurghStudent said:
I believe so. I think they just had to deal with it. I don't remember hearing about nice FinAid packages for deferral.
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Apparently there were 103 graduates this year, but only 64 graduates last year, and on MSAR, it says 89 students will enroll. There seems to be a LOT of discrepancy between the number of graduates of each class... not sure why though.
 
nychila said:
Apparently there were 103 graduates this year, but only 64 graduates last year, and on MSAR, it says 89 students will enroll. There seems to be a LOT of discrepancy between the number of graduates of each class... not sure why though.
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We had a ton of splitters that year, meaning people who took an extra year to do research/mph etc
 
pisadeliveryman said:
Does anyone know when interviews end and the last committee meeting occurs?
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This past Thursday was the last interview, and at adcoms also met that evening to discuss previous interviews, but not the final interview date. I'm assuming they'll meet soon to discuss the last date and more decisions will be made then before a formal waitlist is formed.
 
Neurologic said:
This past Thursday was the last interview, and at adcoms also met that evening to discuss previous interviews, but not the final interview date. I'm assuming they'll meet soon to discuss the last date and more decisions will be made then before a formal waitlist is formed.
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A formal waitlist is already being formed. People have already been wait listed.
 
Dartmouth uses a non-ranked waitlist, so does that mean everyone on the waitlist is equally qualified to be in the class? In order for you to get accepted someone who has similar qualities (age, race, ethnicity, experiences, etc) must withdraw so that you can 'replace' them?
 
pisadeliveryman said:
Dartmouth uses a non-ranked waitlist, so does that mean everyone on the waitlist is equally qualified to be in the class? In order for you to get accepted someone who has similar qualities (age, race, ethnicity, experiences, etc) must withdraw so that you can 'replace' them?
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I think thats so.

Time to find my doppelganger and convince him to choose another school!
 
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I wonder how big the waitlist is. It worries me since they consider two dozen people coming in off the waitlist an extraordinarily high amount.
 
TheShaker said:
I wonder how big the waitlist is. It worries me since they consider two dozen people coming in off the waitlist an extraordinarily high amount.
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It's a pretty big waitlist. Last year there was no waitlist movements, other years a quarter of the class comes off the waitlist.
 
physicsnerd42 said:
It's a pretty big waitlist. Last year there was no waitlist movements, other years a quarter of the class comes off the waitlist.
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So I know that it is a bit hard to predict, but in general, how hard is it to get in off the waitlist? I know for some schools a waitlist is almost a rejection and for some it's not too bad of a place to be but what about this school? I can't imagine ~10 people coming off the waitlist in a pool of hundreds being good.
 
TheShaker said:
So I know that it is a bit hard to predict, but in general, how hard is it to get in off the waitlist? I know for some schools a waitlist is almost a rejection and for some it's not too bad of a place to be but what about this school? I can't imagine ~10 people coming off the waitlist in a pool of hundreds being good.
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Well, I know people in my class who got off the waitlist. I also know friends who applied and were on the waitlist but who didn't. If you assume that they have a couple of hundred people on the wait list and fill 0-25 spots per year from the waitlist (which probably means that more than that are accepted), that gives you some idea of the odds. You have a chance of getting in off the wait list but it's more likely not to happen than to happen.
 
physicsnerd42 said:
Well, I know people in my class who got off the waitlist. I also know friends who applied and were on the waitlist but who didn't. If you assume that they have a couple of hundred people on the wait list and fill 0-25 spots per year from the waitlist (which probably means that more than that are accepted), that gives you some idea of the odds. You have a chance of getting in off the wait list but it's more likely not to happen than to happen.
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Alright, I was just pondering about my future. Thanks for your answer. :)
 
physicsnerd42 said:
You have a chance of getting in off the wait list but it's more likely not to happen than to happen.
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That's rather pessimistic... More premeds do not get accepted by any medical school than get accepted to medical school, but we probably shouldn't say to a premed that "there's a chance that you'll get in, but statistically speaking, it's more likely not to happen than to happen".

Just like at any school, a waitlist can't beat an acceptance, but there's always hope. Just keep your hopes up! It never hurts to send in a letter of interest or an update.
 
Frabbitrabbit13 said:
I interviewed 1/31.

Boyfriend also got into Tuck (and we're both Dartmouth alums), so this is pretty much the best day ever :laugh::thumbup::thumbup::laugh:
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That is awesome. My boyfriend was hoping to get into Thayer but he missed the deadline. Congrats! I think I interviewed the same day as you. I'm the other female Dartmouth alum that interviewed 1/31.
 
I have a question that is maybe not especially specific to Dartmouth, but I'm asking it here because I think I understand how their financial aid works better than other schools' (also they're my first choice, but since my boyfriend is the applicant, my opinion might not matter so much :rolleyes:)
I found this "student expense budget" on the Dartmouth website. It says that tuition is (approximately) $50k and your total expenses will be (approximately) $70k.

As I understand Dartmouth's financial aid, they first assess your financial need, then issue a "base loan" (currently a little more than $25k, but for convenience, I'll just say it's exact), then they determine your family contribution, and then anything left over is covered with scholarships. So if you and your family are quite poor, you won't be expected to contribute anything beyond the base loan, and they'll pay the rest in scholarships. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

So I guess what my question boils down to is this: If your expected contribution is $0, and you've got a base loan of $25k (per year), will your scholarship award be closer to $25k (to put you at the $50k you need for tuition) or $45k (to put you at the $70k you need for all tuition/education/living costs)? Can you take out extra loans if you need more?

I assume most students fall somewhere in the middle, where they have some expected family contribution, but I thought it would be easiest to wrap my head around the concept using a simplified model where the student doesn't owe anything. The "summer earning contribution" further complicates things, so if someone could also explain where exactly that money is going, that would definitely help!

Good luck to everyone who applied this cycle! :luck: My boyfriend is not looking to apply until next year, so I'm sure we'll both be around holding our breath and crossing all our fingers every which way this time next year!
 
rain4venus said:
I have a question that is maybe not especially specific to Dartmouth, but I'm asking it here because I think I understand how their financial aid works better than other schools' (also they're my first choice, but since my boyfriend is the applicant, my opinion might not matter so much :rolleyes:)
I found this "student expense budget" on the Dartmouth website. It says that tuition is (approximately) $50k and your total expenses will be (approximately) $70k.

As I understand Dartmouth's financial aid, they first assess your financial need, then issue a "base loan" (currently a little more than $25k, but for convenience, I'll just say it's exact), then they determine your family contribution, and then anything left over is covered with scholarships. So if you and your family are quite poor, you won't be expected to contribute anything beyond the base loan, and they'll pay the rest in scholarships. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

So I guess what my question boils down to is this: If your expected contribution is $0, and you've got a base loan of $25k (per year), will your scholarship award be closer to $25k (to put you at the $50k you need for tuition) or $45k (to put you at the $70k you need for all tuition/education/living costs)? Can you take out extra loans if you need more?

I assume most students fall somewhere in the middle, where they have some expected family contribution, but I thought it would be easiest to wrap my head around the concept using a simplified model where the student doesn't owe anything. The "summer earning contribution" further complicates things, so if someone could also explain where exactly that money is going, that would definitely help!

Good luck to everyone who applied this cycle! :luck: My boyfriend is not looking to apply until next year, so I'm sure we'll both be around holding our breath and crossing all our fingers every which way this time next year!
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Your understanding pretty much mirrors mine. If they calculated your expected family contribution as $0, then your cost of living would be covered by that $25k base loan and the rest in scholarship - in this case $45k. They also made a point of mentioning that this would not all be made in one disbursement and you would get additional funds as needed.

Also note that the cost of living (for the first year at least) covers 10 months, as those are the months you are actually in school. I believe any living expenses you need in those two other months would either be covered by some sort of summer income, savings, or, in many cases, additional loans.

Again, this is just my understanding from the financial aid presentation, so I would verify everything with the financial aid office.

Best of luck!
 
rain4venus said:
I have a question that is maybe not especially specific to Dartmouth, but I'm asking it here because I think I understand how their financial aid works better than other schools' (also they're my first choice, but since my boyfriend is the applicant, my opinion might not matter so much :rolleyes:)
I found this "student expense budget" on the Dartmouth website. It says that tuition is (approximately) $50k and your total expenses will be (approximately) $70k.

As I understand Dartmouth's financial aid, they first assess your financial need, then issue a "base loan" (currently a little more than $25k, but for convenience, I'll just say it's exact), then they determine your family contribution, and then anything left over is covered with scholarships. So if you and your family are quite poor, you won't be expected to contribute anything beyond the base loan, and they'll pay the rest in scholarships. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

So I guess what my question boils down to is this: If your expected contribution is $0, and you've got a base loan of $25k (per year), will your scholarship award be closer to $25k (to put you at the $50k you need for tuition) or $45k (to put you at the $70k you need for all tuition/education/living costs)? Can you take out extra loans if you need more?

I assume most students fall somewhere in the middle, where they have some expected family contribution, but I thought it would be easiest to wrap my head around the concept using a simplified model where the student doesn't owe anything. The "summer earning contribution" further complicates things, so if someone could also explain where exactly that money is going, that would definitely help!

Good luck to everyone who applied this cycle! :luck: My boyfriend is not looking to apply until next year, so I'm sure we'll both be around holding our breath and crossing all our fingers every which way this time next year!
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I'll second that this is correct, but will add that if you get any outside scholarships, those detract from your base loan before they detract from any financial awards provided by the school.
 
anybody know when financial aid information come out? thanks.
 
Does anyone know when the last interviews are? I'm guessing we'll start getting more news when they are done.
 
March 21st was the last interview date according to the admissions office.
 
d12 said:
Your understanding pretty much mirrors mine. If they calculated your expected family contribution as $0, then your cost of living would be covered by that $25k base loan and the rest in scholarship - in this case $45k. They also made a point of mentioning that this would not all be made in one disbursement and you would get additional funds as needed.

Also note that the cost of living (for the first year at least) covers 10 months, as those are the months you are actually in school. I believe any living expenses you need in those two other months would either be covered by some sort of summer income, savings, or, in many cases, additional loans.

Again, this is just my understanding from the financial aid presentation, so I would verify everything with the financial aid office.

Best of luck!
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So, does this mean that most folks will take around 100K in loans? If that's the case, that's a really nice deal.
 
at what income do they expect your parents to make a contribution to paying for medical school education. it is if your parents make more than 125,000?
 
Current students/accepted students:

Does anyone know when classes start in the fall or if there is an orientation prior to when classes start?

Thanks!
 
Frabbitrabbit13: Thank you - so you're just basing dates off of last year's calendar?
 
pisadeliveryman said:
at what income do they expect your parents to make a contribution to paying for medical school education. it is if your parents make more than 125,000?
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That's hard to say because it depends on your parent's assets/investments as well. When you apply for FAFSA and fill out the other financial paperwork required for this school, the financial aid office will show you your financial aid package once you have been accepted.
 
Do we have to do anything, like provide the school with our financial information on one of their forms, before they send us the financial aid package?
 
Anyone find it a little cheap that they can't put us up in a hotel for second look? Staying with med students interview-style is fine, but accommodations for only Friday night? It's not the easiest thing to get to Hanover, and to be there Friday morning means flyinging in the day before, so this probably means paying for hotel Thusday and Saturday nights. Very different from all the other second looks I am attending, and not just for accommodations. They seem to not be trying very hard.
 
Frabbitrabbit13 said:
Based on this: http://geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/admin/registrar/pdf/year_1_calendar.pdf

I'd say orientation is August 5th and classes start the next week
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yup

nychila said:
Do we have to do anything, like provide the school with our financial information on one of their forms, before they send us the financial aid package?
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yeah, you'll have to give your info, and your parents info regardless of you financial independence or age before you get your package

TheShaker said:
Does movement ever occur before May 15 or will we have to wait?
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there could be movement before May 15th, or there might be no movement at all (like last year) - no way to know. keep your fingers crossed

limebear said:
Anyone find it a little cheap that they can't put us up in a hotel for second look? Staying with med students interview-style is fine, but accommodations for only Friday night? It's not the easiest thing to get to Hanover, and to be there Friday morning means flyinging in the day before, so this probably means paying for hotel Thusday and Saturday nights. Very different from all the other second looks I am attending, and not just for accommodations. They seem to not be trying very hard.
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I didnt realize that some schools put students in hotels for second looks - none of the schools I visted did that, but that sounds nice lol. All I can say is that I had fun at my Dartmouth second look, and that's all its really meant to be. Ultimately, you all will be making your decisions based on finances, rankings, step I scores, geographic location, and a host of other things. Dartmouth is not trying to seduce you during second look, just give you an honest look at the school. Dartmouth is not going to be throwing money at you as a student, so yeah, they wont do it during second look either lol. But those of you who come to second look will have fun for sure!
 
I still haven't heard anything back. Does anyone know if they are still sending out acceptances?
 
On last years SDN thread, everyone had received news by April 13, and the year before by April 12, so I imagine we will all start hearing some news soon. :luck:
 
Still haven't heard any thing after my 10/23 interview. I am pretty sure they're still sending out acceptances.
 
I interviewed mid February and just heard back. Waitlisted :/

Hoping for a quick turnaround!
 
Hey, have any of you gotten your financial aid package yet? How long is it supposed to take? Thanks!
 
Waitlisted this morning. Interviewed on the last day (3/22 I believe?).
 
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