things will turn out well eventually. Do you mind letting us know the day the snail mail was dated?
Dated 8th of March (Friday) which suggests they met and decided the day before as they usually meet on Thursdays (I think).
things will turn out well eventually. Do you mind letting us know the day the snail mail was dated?
I could be wrong but I think the interview season here is over for this cycle.
Another program which lowers debt is the Med Scholars program where they pay you about $12,000 per quarter to do research. Anyone can apply and be approved, but in doing so you forfeit your need-based grants. This lowers the average indebtedness because students from high-income families can now lower their tuition, but it also means that low and middle-income students simply do not receive as much aid as they would from other schools of medicine.
http://medscholars.stanford.edu/
Ugh, the more I read, the more depressed about the feasibility of Stanford I get. This is after about a month of being ecstatic about the prospect of attending.
Good question....??is everyone who is not accepted waitlisted after interview?
Would the adcom tell you where you are on the waitlist? Is it even ranked?i haven't checked explicitly but I vaguely recall seeing a couple post-interview rejections in this thread, but primarily waitlists. Based on the overaccepting/overfilled class problem last year, I'd imagine something hypothetically like this
Target class size- 86-90
Last year- accepted 189, matriculated 92
15 interview days with 30 people per day (10/group) --> 450 interviews
In each group, accept 4, waitlist 5, reject 1 --> 180 acceptances, 225 waitlists, 45 rejections (or closer to 270 waitlists)
Of course, this is only a guess. I imagine maybe 1-2 people will get off the waitlist this year because they'll give fewer acceptances than last year and perhaps have a spot open.
I don't see what the benefit of rejecting post-interview would be if they barely use their waitlist if at all. 225 people gunning for 1 spot = 0.8% chance. Waitlist is basically a death sentence here, so maybe rejecting/withdrawing makes life easier... :/
Worse--you cannot be a TA first year except in very special circumstances (where you would find a TAship for an undergraduate class whose subject you have a PhD in or something equivalent; and then you would be competing with PhD candidates). The TAships offered through the medical school are for 1st year classes. Understandably, you cannot TA for a class which you have not taken and for which you are currently enrolled.
Does the portal change if you are rejected? Do they make decisions for the same pool of interviewees on the same day for sure? People from my interview day have posted accepted decisions so I'm becoming slightly anxious. :/
Of course the real way to make money while at Stanford is to start a company. ***
Biomedical entrepreneurship takes a huge amount of hard work, but the tools and resources are in place if you are willing to put in the effort.
Stanford is very interested in training you to develop the medicine of the future and to have the skills and contacts to translate that into actual practice. There is definitely a sense of "50% of what we are teaching of you will be out of date by the time you finish residency and clerkship, but unfortunately we don't know which half yet". They would definitely like you to be in the group of people making part of your med school education obsolete. They do a great job teaching things like anatomy, basic clinical exam skills, and patient interactions, but the culture of innovation is huge.
Of course the real way to make money while at Stanford is to start a company. That may sound absurd to some people, but they have whole courses and parts of the university dedicated to doing just that. For example, there are project courses where you work in teams coming up with project and business proposals, and then instead of a final, they bring in VC's who will actually write checks to fund ideas they like (everyone passes if they do a project, just some can actually get funded). And it's not just VC's, the university has things like the SPARK program which gives out seed money if you have an idea you want to test and try to develop: http://sparkmed.stanford.edu
Only a fraction of students go that route, but it is something to be aware of as it is part of the Stanford culture. If you don't think you have any good ideas and don't have any knowledge of where to begin, they have things like the biodesign courses which basically team up med students, engineering grad students and business students. They teach you how to do needs assessments, brainstorm solutions, and then turn that into a business plan. This doesn't require giving up medicine and becoming an MBA or something (although you can certainly do that, they have a 1 year MBA program for med students http://med.stanford.edu/alumni/magazine/jun2011/medicine_and_business.html). For example, one of the interventional radiology fellows is co-founder of a company that makes some of the devices they now use in IR. It's unlikely a company you start or an innovation you patent will be the next Google or Facebook, but it's entirely reasonable for people to make enough to cover a sizable chunk of their educational expenses.
You don't have to be motivated by the desire to make a ton of money, but if you want to work on new innovation, it usually needs to be done through a company (for example, if you develop a new drug target in basic science lab, you need a company to fund the trials and get it into use), so if you are motivated to create new diagnostics and therapies that actually get used, there is usually some sort of entrepreneurial component.
Biomedical entrepreneurship takes a huge amount of hard work, but the tools and resources are in place if you are willing to put in the effort.
Stanford is very interested in training you to develop the medicine of the future and to have the skills and contacts to translate that into actual practice. There is definitely a sense of "50% of what we are teaching of you will be out of date by the time you finish residency and clerkship, but unfortunately we don't know which half yet". They would definitely like you to be in the group of people making part of your med school education obsolete. They do a great job teaching the core things that won't change like anatomy, basic clinical exam skills, and patient interactions, but the culture of innovation is huge.
Thank you so much for the detailed response! I am an entrepreneur at heart and this definitely helps with the decision making process. Looking forward to seeing how financial aid works out between Stanford and my other choices.Of course the real way to make money while at Stanford is to start a company. That may sound absurd to some people, but they have whole courses and parts of the university dedicated to doing just that. For example, there are project courses where you work in teams coming up with project and business proposals, and then instead of a final, they bring in VC's who will actually write checks to fund ideas they like (everyone passes if they do a project, just some can actually get funded). And it's not just VC's, the university has things like the SPARK program which gives out seed money if you have an idea you want to test and try to develop: http://sparkmed.stanford.edu
Only a fraction of students go that route, but it is something to be aware of as it is part of the Stanford culture. If you don't think you have any good ideas and don't have any knowledge of where to begin, they have things like the biodesign courses which basically team up med students, engineering grad students and business students. They teach you how to do needs assessments, brainstorm solutions, and then turn that into a business plan. This doesn't require giving up medicine and becoming an MBA or something (although you can certainly do that, they have a 1 year MBA program for med students http://med.stanford.edu/alumni/magazine/jun2011/medicine_and_business.html). For example, one of the interventional radiology fellows is co-founder of a company that makes some of the devices they now use in IR. It's unlikely a company you start or an innovation you patent will be the next Google or Facebook, but it's entirely reasonable for people to make enough to cover a sizable chunk of their educational expenses.
You don't have to be motivated by the desire to make a ton of money, but if you want to work on new innovation, it usually needs to be done through a company (for example, if you develop a new drug target in basic science lab, you need a company to fund the trials and get it into use), so if you are motivated to create new diagnostics and therapies that actually get used, there is usually some sort of entrepreneurial component.
Biomedical entrepreneurship takes a huge amount of hard work, but the tools and resources are in place if you are willing to put in the effort.
Stanford is very interested in training you to develop the medicine of the future and to have the skills and contacts to translate that into actual practice. There is definitely a sense of "50% of what we are teaching of you will be out of date by the time you finish residency and clerkship, but unfortunately we don't know which half yet". They would definitely like you to be in the group of people making part of your med school education obsolete. They do a great job teaching the core things that won't change like anatomy, basic clinical exam skills, and patient interactions, but the culture of innovation is huge.
So any info on the trend of applicants reactions post Stanford waitlist? withdraw, acceptance of other school application, no action, update? curiousjust got a "waitlist" letter...i'm very happy i wasn't rejected, but i've heard there isn't much movement on stanford's waitlist. i interviewed 2/15.
I went to Stanford undergrad and had a car on campus for a while (was recently accepted for med school here also!). As of about a year ago, a parking permit on campus was $256 for the academic year (9 months). I would probably recommend having a car just to go get groceries, run errands, and get away for a weekend or something (Tahoe, Santa Cruz, Yosemite, Half Moon Bay, Sonoma/Napa, SF is pretty easy to get to by CalTrain). The marguerite goes to the San Antonio shopping center in Mountain View (Target, Safeway, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Walmart, etc) but it takes a super long time and isn't the most reliable. There's a Trader Joe's and CVS right off campus, probably a 5-10 minute bike ride from EV and Rains, 15-20 minutes from the rest of campus, and a Safeway that's bike-able from campus but in the rainy winter, it's no fun. Stanford is kind of a bubble and it's tough to really get off campus much without a car.Can any current students and/or Palo Alto residents comment on the pros/cons of having a car in your first two years? I know that I'll definitely need a car for the clinical years to drive to off-site rotations, but what about the first two years? Will things be a lot more convenient with a car? Generally, if I need to use a car at least once a week, I'd deem it worthwhile. How easy/difficult and cheap/expensive is parking? Basically, if having a car is feasible, would you recommend it?
Thank you in advance for your insight!
I went to Stanford undergrad and had a car on campus for a while (was recently accepted for med school here also!). As of about a year ago, a parking permit on campus was $256 for the academic year (9 months). I would probably recommend having a car just to go get groceries, run errands, and get away for a weekend or something (Tahoe, Santa Cruz, Yosemite, Half Moon Bay, Sonoma/Napa, SF is pretty easy to get to by CalTrain). The marguerite goes to the San Antonio shopping center in Mountain View (Target, Safeway, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Walmart, etc) but it takes a super long time and isn't the most reliable. There's a Trader Joe's and CVS right off campus, probably a 5-10 minute bike ride from EV and Rains, 15-20 minutes from the rest of campus, and a Safeway that's bike-able from campus but in the rainy winter, it's no fun. Stanford is kind of a bubble and it's tough to really get off campus much without a car.
The residential parking permits are split up by general area on campus (West Campus, East Campus, and South Campus) so for each permit type, there are quite a few lots as well as some street parking. It depends a little bit where you live, but you can almost always park within a block.Awesome, thanks so much for your response! Do most of the graduate housing come with parking areas for which you can buy a parking permit, then?
I never had a zipcar account but have friends who did and it always seemed to work out alright if they planned in advance. There are quite a few zipcars on campus but I'm not sure how popular they are now.Yeah, I'm interested in knowing this too. It seems like there are 2-4 zip cars per housing complex, but I wonder if it would be difficult to reserve them at prime hours...
For students who do decide to get a car on campus, does anyone know if there is a limit on parking permit? From staying with a host, it seemed like there might be a limit (i.e. if you have a permit near your residential building, then you can't hold another permit for a different part of the campus, most importantly near Li Ka Shing Center, etc). Could someone verify or refute that?
I'm really debating whether I would need a car during M1/M2 years. I feel like it's hard to shadow off-campus or volunteer at free clinics without a car, but I wonder if there is a way to make it work. Hopefully Second Look will clarify these few things!
Can any current students and/or Palo Alto residents comment on the pros/cons of having a car in your first two years? I know that I'll definitely need a car for the clinical years to drive to off-site rotations, but what about the first two years? Will things be a lot more convenient with a car? Generally, if I need to use a car at least once a week, I'd deem it worthwhile. How easy/difficult and cheap/expensive is parking? Basically, if having a car is feasible, would you recommend it?
Thank you in advance for your insight!
Alamo4, thanks for all the amazingly helpful info that you've been posting!!! You're making me very excited for the Fall!
I have a question about the Admit Weekend. The Thursday of the Admit weekend, they're holding a Diversity Celebration. Do you know anything about this? If yes, could you let us know what usually goes on during that celebration? I've already booked my ticket and hotel planning not to come that day so I wouldn't have to miss too much school, but if that celebration is worth attending, I'd definitely look into changing my ticket. Is this celebration worth attending?
For students who do decide to get a car on campus, does anyone know if there is a limit on parking permit? From staying with a host, it seemed like there might be a limit (i.e. if you have a permit near your residential building, then you can't hold another permit for a different part of the campus, most importantly near Li Ka Shing Center, etc). Could someone verify or refute that?
I'm really debating whether I would need a car during M1/M2 years. I feel like it's hard to shadow off-campus or volunteer at free clinics without a car, but I wonder if there is a way to make it work. Hopefully Second Look will clarify these few things!
any anticipated waitlist movement this year? just curious. mr. vaughn seemed pretty convinced that it would turn out like last year and there wouldn't be any. just been hanging out on the waitlist for a few months...tempted to withdraw and finalize my plans @ysm![]()
You don't really need a car your first two years. Many medical students start school without one. I think I mentioned in a previous post that Stanford is considered the most bike friendly campus: http://news.stanford.edu/thedish/?p=11871
There is a Trader Joe's right across from campus in a little complex called Town & Country Village with a lot of other stores and restaurants (CVS, Jamba Juice, etc.), as well as a great little convenience store near EV, where most graduate (ie not undergrad) students live (called JJ&F). There are sort of two little downtown areas in Palo Alto, University Ave and California Ave, both with lots of restaurants and activities. Cal Ave is walkable from EV, University Ave definitely bikeable, but there is also a free shuttle the Marguerite. The train station is pretty accessible, so you can get to San Francisco or San Jose to go out or to access the airport.
There is even a really nice mall right next to the med school, technically on Stanford land. If you need to go quickly pick up professional clothes or something, it is actually a quick walk from the hospital.
You can probably see all these things on Google Maps.
You are so busy with school and on/around campus activities that you actually don't really need to get off campus much at all, although some people do make an active effort to have an off campus life (go to SF a lot, like to drive to hiking spots, go out to eat in Cupertino, etc.). There are also Zip Cars all around if you want to get one to make a big Costco run or buy something at Ikea.
There are lots of different lifestyles that people have as medical students, many of which have nothing to do with owning a car their first two years. Other students rely on their cars a lot and drive everywhere. You can certainly do either.
Hoping a current student (or someone else knowledgeable) can clear up the quarter system scheduling for me. As I understand it, MS1 and MS2 are 3 quarters each, MS3 is 4 quarters, and MS4 is back to 3, making for a total of 13 required quarters. And since a total of 13 quarters are required, as long as we spend the summer after MS1 doing a MedScholars project, this means we really only have to pay for 12 quarters (shaving 1 quarter off of MS4)? Is this correct?
Also, is the tuition locked-in for us, or should we expect it to rise while we're there?
I'd guess that they accepted some from 03/09, but those don't happen to be reporting it here.
There's just two weeks left until 2nd visit. I wonder if they are still processing acceptance next week... it would make 2nd visit quite difficult for those accepted and coming from far away places.