2012-2013 Stanford University Application Thread

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alamo4 said:
I do hope accepted applicants who get their financial aid packages from different schools, attend second looks, and then make an informed decision will come back and post (particularly if you decide not to come to Stanford), both because it will be helpful for future students in making a decision and provide contrasting views for current students to understand the experiences and opinions of their colleagues at other schools.
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So I havent attended second look yet but I did get my FA package from both here and Yale.

For Stanford, the COA was $77500. My total package amounted to $33,000 in grants and $20,000 in SU loans, leaving $24,500 in Stafford loans. Total loans: $44,500.

For Yale, the COA was $73,800. I received $46,800 in grants, with a mix of Yale and Stafford loans that amounted to $25,000. I am obligated to pay $2,000.

I have no idea why Stanford is nearly $20,000 per year more...
At this point, I assume that Stanford has the lowest debt among its graduating students is because it just scares away all the poorer kids from attending.
 
Would this 17.5k deficit be closed by getting paid handsomely for doing research ~ 10 hrs/week or TA-ships? I realize this is not possible during year 3 and 4, but for the first two it might help...
 
qwerty12345 said:
Would this 17.5k deficit be closed by getting paid handsomely for doing research ~ 10 hrs/week or TA-ships? I realize this is not possible during year 3 and 4, but for the first two it might help...
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Did the math earlier in the thread. Doesn't help too much. 10 hrs/week for Med Scholars would be 3k per quarter x 3 quarters for 2 years (ie. $18,000 total over four years). A TA-ship on top of that for 2nd year (only truly possible then) at 50% for two quarters (best you could find according to other students) would reduce that by another ~25k. You probably could not TA at 50% and do research at 25% (30 hrs/wk on top of med school), so let's assume you drop research for those two quarters and probably can't pick it up after a hiatus for the last quarter.

So, total would be 9k + 25K = $34k off your total debt for four years; or $8.5k off per year. Keep in mind that this money isn't free. You'll be working hard for it.

It's too bad, but I think Stanford decided to spend their money recruiting high and middle income students. For a middle income student, their match program is actually pretty good; and for a high income student, they can still take advantage of the TAships and Med Scholar program to make a little extra money on the side. My guess would be Stanford sees low income students as not really worth their time, especially when the extra funds they would use on them could instead be used to recruit 2-3x more middle or high income students of similar caliber. Not really a bad strategy for optimizing recruitment; it just means that other schools will snatch up the "expensive" low-income applicants.
 
qwerty12345 said:
Would this 17.5k deficit be closed by getting paid handsomely for doing research ~ 10 hrs/week or TA-ships? I realize this is not possible during year 3 and 4, but for the first two it might help...
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True, but I also feel as though working 20 hours on top of classes takes away from some of the other reasons that I wanted to come to Stanford in the first place because I wouldnt have the time.
 
Does anyone know how big of a TA/Research commitment is feasible in MS1 and MS 2 during school year? I remember working 15-20 hours in lab during undergrad, but I have a feeling life may be busier in med school. Just to clarify, the TA/Research Support is not available during summer? Like tonguetalker, I was less than impressed with Stanford's aid but I am hoping that the less-stellar grants can be made up somewhat, if not fully, with these research/TA money. I am assuming that whatever is earned will not discount the rewarded grant.

Also, can a current student comment on how realistic COA as calculated in the Student Budget? For instance, I was surprised at ~$800/month allowance on food and personal expenses since that's comparable to what I spend as a working professional in NYC...
 
tonguetalker said:
So I havent attended second look yet but I did get my FA package from both here and Yale.
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If I may ask, how long was it between when you submitted all the required FA documents until you got your award letter?
 
maedel said:
If I may ask, how long was it between when you submitted all the required FA documents until you got your award letter?
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I dont remember exactly the date but I had all the materials in before they released the secondary application and then I turned it in within an hour of receiving the email.

Also, my financial situation is fairly straight forward
 
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Anonymous1604 said:
Does anyone know how big of a TA/Research commitment is feasible in MS1 and MS 2 during school year? I remember working 15-20 hours in lab during undergrad, but I have a feeling life may be busier in med school. Just to clarify, the TA/Research Support is not available during summer? Like tonguetalker, I was less than impressed with Stanford's aid but I am hoping that the less-stellar grants can be made up somewhat, if not fully, with these research/TA money. I am assuming that whatever is earned will not discount the rewarded grant.

Also, can a current student comment on how realistic COA as calculated in the Student Budget? For instance, I was surprised at ~$800/month allowance on food and personal expenses since that's comparable to what I spend as a working professional in NYC...
Click to expand...

Different people have different backgrounds, but I suppose 25% TA/RA is maybe average most people starting their 3rd quarter. It is very easy to get full RA for the summer, through Med Scholars you can get funding even when you are doing research away from Stanford.

Many people can do just fine at less than $800/month. If you go to a lot of seminars and things, you can get free food (sometimes breakfast, lunch and dinner all the same day). You need "professional" clothes for many activities, so maybe that is factored in, although of course it depends on how fancy you want to get and how varied you want your wardrobe to be. Some guys where the same shirt and tie all the time.

On the other hand, if you go out to eat a lot, then things can get expensive. If you get a latte from the cafe every morning $4, buy a fancy lunch $9, and get a restaurant dinner $20, then things will add up.

Anyway, if you maintain the same lifestyle you had in undergrad (if it wasn't too long before your NYC adventures), it will probably be about the same or less. Typically undergrad overcharges you for dining hall meals, and at SMS you'll be getting a lot of free food or making something at home for much less.
 
that makes me third! Hello, people who check this thread.
 
Hi all, I'm new to the forums--looks like a very helpful resource. I'd like to get some feedback on the strength of my application. Stanford is my top choice and I'd be beyond stoked if I got in! A little about me:

• University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus, BS Biology 2012
• cGPA/sGPA 4.0/4.0
• MCAT: Taking in May, AAMC practice tests between 31 and 35

• Experience:
-Undergraduate research assistant for two years, published in journal of applied physiology (not primary author)
-Volunteer Project Director of a great ape research project in east Africa, lived in rainforest for 4 months with 5 Ugandans and managed research and anti-poaching operations
-Study abroad in Spain, proficient in Spanish reading and writing
-English tutor at UW-Madison and at University of Seville, Spain
-Medical Scribe in a local ED
-Volunteer in local PT department for one summer
-Student TA for a religious studies class on Gandhi for one semester
-Started a public health initiative at UW as an alumnus to install standing desks in libraries (in progress)
-Traveled to 19 different countries
-Managed and play for a local men's recreational soccer team

I've received mixed opinions on whether my ECs make up for what looks like will be an MCAT below Stanford's median. It's kind of hard for a guy from little old Madison to know exactly what's competitive at a place like Stanford. Advice?
 
I have a question about the Supplemental Application for financial aid. The form asks if we are planning to work as a TA, RA, or apply for MedScholars, and it asks which quarters/how many hours we would do those activities. What if we are not sure if we will really be applying for those opportunities? If we don't select any of those options on the form, would we be able to change our mind in the future? And if we do change our mind, would they take out that money from any grants that we receive? I'm also confused how they expect us to already know during which quarters or for how many hours we may want to do those activities in the future. Can anyone elaborate on this? I apologize, I know similar questions have been asked about this, but I'm still somewhat confused about this situation.
 
TheKMan1 said:
Hi all, I'm new to the forums--looks like a very helpful resource. I'd like to get some feedback on the strength of my application. Stanford is my top choice and I'd be beyond stoked if I got in! A little about me:

• University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus, BS Biology 2012
• cGPA/sGPA 4.0/4.0
• MCAT: Taking in May, AAMC practice tests between 31 and 35

• Experience:
-Undergraduate research assistant for two years, published in journal of applied physiology (not primary author)
-Volunteer Project Director of a great ape research project in east Africa, lived in rainforest for 4 months with 5 Ugandans and managed research and anti-poaching operations
-Study abroad in Spain, proficient in Spanish reading and writing
-English tutor at UW-Madison and at University of Seville, Spain
-Medical Scribe in a local ED
-Volunteer in local PT department for one summer
-Student TA for a religious studies class on Gandhi for one semester
-Started a public health initiative at UW as an alumnus to install standing desks in libraries (in progress)
-Traveled to 19 different countries
-Managed and play for a local men's recreational soccer team

I've received mixed opinions on whether my ECs make up for what looks like will be an MCAT below Stanford's median. It's kind of hard for a guy from little old Madison to know exactly what's competitive at a place like Stanford. Advice?
Click to expand...

You'll probably get more responses if you post this in the WAMC sub-forum!

- from a fellow UW-Madison student who would love to attend Stanford
 
sacma said:
that makes me third! Hello, people who check this thread.
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So nobody from the 3/9 group has heard back yet...? I feel like they had to have already made the phone calls. asdfjkl; My friend interviewed on 3/2 and got her wait list letter on 3/15...
 
I interviewed 3/9 and haven't heard back either. I'm guessing that the people that were admitted from our interview date just aren't reporting it here. Also, the fact that the re-visit weekend is in like 4 days makes me think that the rest of us have been waitlisted/rejected, but maybe I'm just being pessimistic. Then again, maybe the acceptance letters are in the mail and Dr. Garcia just didn't call anybody this time. Who knows.
 
mah269 said:
So nobody from the 3/9 group has heard back yet...? I feel like they had to have already made the phone calls. asdfjkl; My friend interviewed on 3/2 and got her wait list letter on 3/15...
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unfortunately i think they must have already made the calls for 3/9. second look is this friday right?
 
Think it is wise to call them up and ask?
 
I emailed them on Friday inquiring- haven't gotten a response. Might be worth a shot
 
Friday may have been their Spring break though? For the medical school, at least from the calendar given to us, the whole week's spring break.
 
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They called people already......🙁 My friend got a call last Friday.
 
sadava2 said:
I emailed on Friday too and didn't get a response either.
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Haha! This reminds me of one of my favorite conversations from the movie Office Space, which pretty much characterizes the rejection experience at many medical schools:

Milton Waddams.
Who's he?
You know, squirrely looking guy, mumbles a lot.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, we can't actually find a record of him being a current employee here.
I looked into it more deeply and I found that apparently what happened is that he was laid off five years ago and no one ever told him about it; but through some kind of glitch in the payroll department, he still gets a paycheck.
So we just went ahead and fixed the glitch.
Great.
So, uh, Milton has been let go?
Well, just a second there, professor. We, uh, we fixed the *glitch*. So he won't be receiving a paycheck anymore, so it'll just work itself out naturally.
We always like to avoid confrontation, whenever possible. Problem is solved from your end.
 
waffler said:
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?
Click to expand...

Just wanted to bump this question. Can a current SMS student help out with this?
 
If we have updates and recommendation letters, what's the address we should send them to?

Thanks!
 
tonguetalker said:
So I havent attended second look yet but I did get my FA package from both here and Yale.

For Stanford, the COA was $77500. My total package amounted to $33,000 in grants and $20,000 in SU loans, leaving $24,500 in Stafford loans. Total loans: $44,500.

For Yale, the COA was $73,800. I received $46,800 in grants, with a mix of Yale and Stafford loans that amounted to $25,000. I am obligated to pay $2,000.

I have no idea why Stanford is nearly $20,000 per year more...
At this point, I assume that Stanford has the lowest debt among its graduating students is because it just scares away all the poorer kids from attending.
Click to expand...
You should call Stanford and tell them the package you got from Yale. Tell them you prefer Stanford, but can't take on that much debt. It might put pressure on them to step it up. I believe that has worked elsewhere before. Just a thought?
 
jjred89 said:
You should call Stanford and tell them the package you got from Yale. Tell them you prefer Stanford, but can't take on that much debt. It might put pressure on them to step it up. I believe that has worked elsewhere before. Just a thought?
Click to expand...

During our interview day, we were told that Stanford does not do adjustments based off of other schools' aid. But it doesn't hurt to ask!
 
got my financial aid package as well and was extremely disappointed- $0 of grant money, so all loans, of which the large majority are unsubsidized stafford + grad plus. i get financial aid from my undergrad institution, so expected at least something from stanford. i'd be looking at ~$320,000 debt after graduation...
 
mah269 said:
During our interview day, we were told that Stanford does not do adjustments based off of other schools' aid. But it doesn't hurt to ask!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I too remember them saying this at Stanford on the interview day. Also, I am a little surprised by Stanford's fin. packages, I told that they were supposed to be one of the schools with one of the lowest student debt upon graduation.

In any regard, I hope all of you can work it out.
 
Just thought I'd share something we were told this weekend (Admit weekend). It looks like they've accepted too many people since it is likely that more than 90 students (their target number) will be enrolling. So it doesn't look like there will be waitlist movement this year.
 
An MD Hopeful said:
Just thought I'd share something we were told this weekend (Admit weekend). It looks like they've accepted too many people since it is likely that more than 90 students (their target number) will be enrolling. So it doesn't look like there will be waitlist movement this year.
Click to expand...

xgW1j.jpg
 
jjred89 said:
You should call Stanford and tell them the package you got from Yale. Tell them you prefer Stanford, but can't take on that much debt. It might put pressure on them to step it up. I believe that has worked elsewhere before. Just a thought?
Click to expand...

Not only do they not match, they also gave me the so called "max"...
 
An MD Hopeful said:
Just thought I'd share something we were told this weekend (Admit weekend). It looks like they've accepted too many people since it is likely that more than 90 students (their target number) will be enrolling. So it doesn't look like there will be waitlist movement this year.
Click to expand...
Hearing this actually makes my life a lot easier. Can anyone else confirm that this was said during Admit weekend?
 
During admit weekend, some people were asking about subsidized trips and activities. I just got this email:

"I am writing to tell you all about an awesome opportunity! Each year, the medical school alumni reserves a weekend at the Stanford Sierra Camp, an amazing luxury camp near Lake Tahoe. They have offered to sponsor 4-6 students to go this year. Everything is included - amazing food, lodging, and activities! The only caveat is that you must be there the entire time (Thursday evening - Sunday morning). The dates this year are May 30 - June 2.

Interested students will be selected by lottery - Please contact me if you are interested!"

http://ssc.stanford.edu/location.html
 
I really liked this school, but ended up deciding on Penn. Just withdrew. Hope this opens up a spot for someone on the waitlist!
 
johnster3 said:
Just withdrew for Penn too haha. Good luck everyone!
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Haha, I wonder how many more people like the two of you it's going to take for there to be any waitlist movement. I'm on the waitlist, but word on this thread is that the Admissions Committee has already ruled out waitlist movement for this cycle? Should I throw in the towel or keep trying for Stanford??
 
chhotu007 said:
Haha, I wonder how many more people like the two of you it's going to take for there to be any waitlist movement. I'm on the waitlist, but word on this thread is that the Admissions Committee has already ruled out waitlist movement for this cycle? Should I throw in the towel or keep trying for Stanford??
Click to expand...

in the same boat, i want to keep trying but this game is wearing me out
 
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