2012-2013 Dartmouth Medical School Application Thread

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TheBlueKnight said:
I am seriously considering Dartmouth, but I see a lot of Dartmouth bashing in some of the other trends, such as: lack of patient diversity (mostly white, rich people), isolated with limited social life, having limited spots for away rotations with associated issues of having to move and not so good housing situation, older facilities (equipments, classroom, buildings), outdated curriculum, etc. etc. etc. Some of these things do not agree with the positive impression I have of Dartmouth from the interview weekend and from my own research. For example, DHMC gets most of the referrals north of Boston, so we should get to see some fairly interesting cases. Also, the rural setting offers some pretty cool outdoors activity possibilities. Additionally, all the students and faculty I met seem really nice and happy about DMS. I have not heard too much on SDN from current DMS students (probably a plus), but can some come out to address these points and discuss the real advantages and disadvantages of DMS from a first hand experience. Thanks.
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In 3rd year now. I can elaborate later if needed.

There is definitely socioeconomic diversity at DHMC (most of our patients are not rich) but most are white. We have a huge catchment area so you'll see lots of things. Almost everyone does rotations outside of NH/VT. I did medicine in San Francisco, inpatient peds in Orange County, CA and OB in Hartford, CT, all of which are plenty diverse. I'd say we pretty generally get awesome teaching on our rotations, especially when I compare notes with the UC-Irvine, UConn and (to a lesser degree, but still true) UCSF students I've rotated with. I really think we get great training here.

It's pretty much impossible to just rotate at DHMC.

DHMC is a great hospital. No complaints about it being outdated. It's definitely the most attractive hospital I've been in this year.

Social is what you make of it. I don't have complaints. I've lived here 7 years and I've enjoyed it. You have to like the outdoors.

The curriculum is being overhauled, so I'm not sure what it will look like for you. I do know they're very responsive to student feedback. I thought years 1 and 2 were okay but I love 3rd year.
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physicsnerd42 said:
DHMC is a great hospital. No complaints about it being outdated. It's definitely the most attractive hospital I've been in this year.
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To be honest, I loved DHMC. Chances are, most students will probably choose a large urban hospital for their residency, but I prefer a smaller, but still high quality of training and interesting enough patient cases, for medical school that feels like home. As for rotations, everyone has different preferences, but I prefer spending a few months away at cool places like SF and the LA area. I probably won't do my residency at DHMC, but medical school at Dartmouth offers an excellent education and an enjoyable time.
 
Thanks, guys. Looking forward to getting the real scoop on Dartmouth during second look!
 
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speaking of second look... has anyone received their host assignment for second look yet?
starting to wonder...
 
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.
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Regarding financial aid: So if a middle-class family matriculant does not anticipate any contribution from family, we can expect $45k/year in scholarship? That is almost $200k of free money for the average matriculant, which sounds much too good to be true...???
 
nychila said:
Regarding financial aid: So if a middle-class family matriculant does not anticipate any contribution from family, we can expect $45k/year in scholarship? That is almost $200k of free money for the average matriculant, which sounds much too good to be true...???
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If it sounds to good to be true...

Unfortunately, it is. Let me say first that I think financial aid is one of our strong suits here. I really do. I do not have any money, family or otherwise, but Dino in the financial aid office makes my life really really easy.

So here is the deal. Even if you are poor, even if you eat ramen every day and your parents never give you money, even if you are 30 years old and have been living on your own since you were 12, your expected family contribution will be >0. I don't get any support from my parents, but my expected family contribution is not zero.

Having said that, financial aid here is definitely generous. I think that when you compare your financial aid package from Giesel to that of most any other school, including state schools, it will add up to be very competitive. That's my 2 cents.
 
oliveoil123 said:
speaking of second look... has anyone received their host assignment for second look yet?
starting to wonder...
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A good number of people have received assignments, and we're working on getting the rest of you set. Whitney in admissions is your contact for this.
 
nychila said:
Regarding financial aid: So if a middle-class family matriculant does not anticipate any contribution from family, we can expect $45k/year in scholarship? That is almost $200k of free money for the average matriculant, which sounds much too good to be true...???
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It does sound too good to be true. I find it a bit difficult to believe an average middle-class family would have an expected contribution of 0... (middle-class average salaries around 50-70k, no?). If you were lower to lower-middle class ($20k-40k), then maybe more likely.
*note, the only people I know with an EFC = 0 are my two close friends with disabled parents (both are disabled too btw).

It is also not what "you" anticipate on contributing... it's what THEY anticipate you are capable of contributing. Geisel's financial aid is very fair. I remember Dino saying if you were an orphan with 10k in your bank account, you will be able to attend the school (they do crazy bookkeeping to make it happen).

Contact Dino for more info:
Phone Number (603) 650-1919
E-mail Address: [email protected]
 
charlestaft258 said:
It is also not what "you" anticipate on contributing... it's what THEY anticipate you are capable of contributing.
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Thanks for clearing that up. Regardless of what the financial aid office calculates as the expected family contribution, will all students receive scholarship each year equal to total cost of attendance ($70k) - base loan ($25k) - expected family contribution ($5k-$45k)? What proportion of students receive scholarships?

0919mmk said:
Having said that, financial aid here is definitely generous. I think that when you compare your financial aid package from Giesel to that of most any other school, including state schools, it will add up to be very competitive.
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I'm having a tough time figuring out what "a school that offers generous financial aid" means. Does it mean lots of free money, because otherwise, I don't see how institutional loans are a benefit if we can borrow the same amount from banks as private loans? I'm also having trouble understanding why the average indebtedness at Dartmouth is only $100k, which is significantly lower than most other private schools?

Your help is much appreciated.
 
nychila said:
Thanks for clearing that up. Regardless of what the financial aid office calculates as the expected family contribution, will all students receive scholarship each year equal to total cost of attendance ($70k) - base loan ($25k) - expected family contribution ($5k-$45k)? What proportion of students receive scholarships?
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I know scholarships are awarded once all these loans are accounted for 1st:

The base loan consists of the Federal Stafford Loan and a number of need-based loans, including the Perkins Loan. Geisel also has its own School of Medicine Loan & Education Loans (and there are also a number of unsubsidized loans).

Then after factoring in your EFC, I'm pretty sure this is scholarships come into play. 84% of students receive some form of aid (but how many receive scholarships & how much - I do not have the answer for).

You can easily figure out your EFC using an online EFC calculator. If you don't want to go through the mess of adjusted gross incomes, education credits, and home equities or w/e, you can use my rule of thumb and take your parents' AGI and divide it by 3. That value, plus or minus 2.5k would be your EFC... assuming you're currently unemployed and don't have like 50,000 dollars sitting in your savings account.
 
nychila said:
Thanks for clearing that up. Regardless of what the financial aid office calculates as the expected family contribution, will all students receive scholarship each year equal to total cost of attendance ($70k) - base loan ($25k) - expected family contribution ($5k-$45k)? What proportion of students receive scholarships?
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yes - and a large majority of us get scholarships.


I'm having a tough time figuring out what "a school that offers generous financial aid" means. Does it mean lots of free money, because otherwise, I don't see how institutional loans are a benefit if we can borrow the same amount from banks as private loans? I'm also having trouble understanding why the average indebtedness at Dartmouth is only $100k, which is significantly lower than most other private schools?

Your help is much appreciated.
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It means a combination of free money and GOOD loans. Good loans =federal or institutional loans i.e. you are borrowing money from the government or from Dartmouth. These loans are better than private loans because a) the interest rates are much lower with a fixed rate, and b) their repayment terms are flexible/generous/fair.

Basically, with a private lender, they will often have a variable interest rate which can skyrocket to 20% of the principle (i.e. if you owe them 100,000, a year later you owe them 120,000), and they can demand repayment on their terms ("Pay us $2000/month or we force you in to bankruptcy).

With federal/institutional lonas, the interest rate is between 0 - 8.5%, and it doesnt change. Repayment terms are better too (they'll let you delay repayment longer, or offer things like IRB where you only pay up to 15% of your disposable income per month).

Anyway, short story is that Geisel gives away lots of free money and gives you fair loans to cover the rest.
 
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when do they send out the email asking if you still want to be on the waitlist?
 
I received it this morning as well. I wonder how many people are going to drop off.
 
Has anyone receied a finaid package yet? If so, was it through email or postal mail? Thanks!
 
I wanted to share an interesting article about a protest that occurred last week that was posted on the Geisel Class of 2017 Facebook group:
http://thedartmouth.com/2013/04/22/news/protest

and a follow-up article I found about the threats protestors received:
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/04/24/1911741/dartmouth-protest-cancels-classes/

I know this may not really concern the medical school. However, it does concern the Dartmouth community as a whole, which is supposed to be a "tight-knit". I can't help but imagine how this particular issue is handled in other institutions of higher education.
 
^tbh it was just a bunch of feminists forcibly crashing into Dimensions, our pride event to get prospies to come to Dartmouth...it was disrespectful and terrorist-like

btw, they canceled classes today because of this..which is utter BS
I love Dartmouth, but its administration is well...
 
Nandrolone said:
^tbh it was just a bunch of feminists forcibly crashing into Dimensions, our pride event to get prospies to come to Dartmouth...it was disrespectful and terrorist-like
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I saw a video of the demonstration, and I while I agree with their message and goals, it was far from the best venue. I really hope they didn't scare away undergrads who might have actually come and helped the situation at Dartmouth.
 
imnamerican said:
I saw a video of the demonstration, and I while I agree with their message and goals, it was far from the best venue. I really hope they didn't scare away undergrads who might have actually come and helped the situation at Dartmouth.
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Prospies are more likely to be scared away by the retaliation against the protesters than the protesters themselves. As for the venue of the protest, I'm still a bit undecided. There really isn't a "convenient" time and place for protests, and in terms of choosing a place to effectively grab the attention of students and administration alike, Dimensions was good choice. However, Dimensions is supposed to be fun and informative and there were other opportunities for people to inform prospies of the issues at hand.

I dealt with a lot of this crap when I was an undergrad there, and if I choose to go to Geisel, I don't want to have to deal with it again.


On a completely different note, is anybody else a bit frustrated that the financial aid process is so tedious? But I was told I should be getting my financial aid package soon. Dino and the other fin aid people are probably working hard.
 
On a different note, and this may sound a little shallow, but what is the dating scene like at Dartmouth? I am a single guy, and it is just something I occasionally consider when I think abouth going to a small med school in the middle of rural New Hampshire.
 
limebear said:
On a different note, and this may sound a little shallow, but what is the dating scene like at Dartmouth? I am a single guy, and it is just something I occasionally consider when I think abouth going to a small med school in the middle of rural New Hampshire.
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+1 :naughty:
 
limebear said:
On a different note, and this may sound a little shallow, but what is the dating scene like at Dartmouth? I am a single guy, and it is just something I occasionally consider when I think abouth going to a small med school in the middle of rural New Hampshire.
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The moose population is actually larger and more diverse than the girl population. I don't suggest going after moose, however.
 
limebear said:
On a different note, and this may sound a little shallow, but what is the dating scene like at Dartmouth? I am a single guy, and it is just something I occasionally consider when I think abouth going to a small med school in the middle of rural New Hampshire.
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Apparently the dating seen is great for lesbians.
 
limebear said:
On a different note, and this may sound a little shallow, but what is the dating scene like at Dartmouth? I am a single guy, and it is just something I occasionally consider when I think abouth going to a small med school in the middle of rural New Hampshire.
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There are plenty of undergrads. But there is not a scene. There aren't clubs or bars where 20-somethings hang out. If you are into the outdoors scene, then Hanover would be a good choice.
 
So, not only are there less girls than moose, a word that ironically has no plural form, but the girls are mostly into each other? What will a single straight guy without a moose fetish have to do, start dating undergrads? A med student trying to date undergrads ... isn't that frown upon? I am withdrawing from the wait list too!

I am mostly just kidding here, I have already been accepted somewhere else, but Dartmouth seemed cool enough that I have been hanging on in the waitlist for a little while.
 
@limebear withdraw! withdraw! I'm a lesbian that hasn't been accepted anywhere else. You would be doing me a real solid lol :)
 
Could any current students comment on what Dartmouth is like for older (out of college 3+ yrs) single non-trads? Is there much mixing with med students outside of year 1 or with other grad students at Dartmouth? I worry about being a little isolated up there.
Thanks!
 
@ Auggie17, I will see what I can do. I typically aim to help turn a girl's lesbian fantasy into a reality ;)

Seriously though, I think having a social life, or lack thereof, is a important factor to consider. The people I have met on the interview day seems nice enough that I think four years there, even without the most active dating life, should be just fine, but more comments from someone more knowledgeable would be appreciated.
 
Interviewed 02/14.. waitlisted too.. I have another offer from a great school but I REALLLYYYYY want to go to Dartmouth.
I hope people decline their offers so I can get in!
 
taxi service in lebanon? possible to wave down a taxi or need to make reservation? which company do you recommend?
 
twentythousand said:
taxi service in lebanon? possible to wave down a taxi or need to make reservation? which company do you recommend?
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you'd have better luck finding a moose to ride than waving down a taxi, you have to call. There's a trolley too though.
 
Arbor Vitae said:
you'd have better luck finding a moose to ride than waving down a taxi, you have to call. There's a trolley too though.
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ragnarokx said:
The moose population is actually larger and more diverse than the girl population. I don't suggest going after moose, however.
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I've lived in NH since I was 7 and haven't seen any moose! I really want to see one!
 
oliveoil123 said:
Could any current students comment on what Dartmouth is like for older (out of college 3+ yrs) single non-trads? Is there much mixing with med students outside of year 1 or with other grad students at Dartmouth? I worry about being a little isolated up there.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

You'll be in very good company here. I'd guess >50% of the class is older/non-trad. We don't mix a ton with the Tuck/Thayer kids, but there is plenty of mixing with the 2nd years, so yeah, you really wont feel out of place. There are... lets see... I think 2 married students in the first year class, one with kids, and about 5 or 6 that are engaged. There are 4-5 students over 30, and probably 20-30 over 25.
 
0919mmk said:
You'll be in very good company here. I'd guess >50% of the class is older/non-trad. We don't mix a ton with the Tuck/Thayer kids, but there is plenty of mixing with the 2nd years, so yeah, you really wont feel out of place. There are... lets see... I think 2 married students in the first year class, one with kids, and about 5 or 6 that are engaged. There are 4-5 students over 30, and probably 20-30 over 25.
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Would we get the chance, if we wanted, to mix with Tuck/Thayer/TDI students though, to discuss business/biotech/health policy?
 
Should we get a reply after accepting a position on the wait list?
 
for those on the waitlist, did any of you send update/letter of interest (email or mail) directly to the dean? and if so, did you receive a confirmation email?
 
Withdrew my acceptance today.

The lack of patient diversity and not-so-great clinical exposure for 1st and 2nd year students (small patient volume) were big factors for me... :/

Good luck to the rest of you!
 
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