2012-2013 Stanford University Application Thread

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Any updates on pre-interview rejections? Did Stanford give a wave of rejections like nearly every other California school on 1/15? It's been silent here for me... Is Stanford still giving out interview invites?
 
Any updates on pre-interview rejections? Did Stanford give a wave of rejections like nearly every other California school on 1/15? It's been silent here for me... Is Stanford still giving out interview invites?

Does it make a difference for Stanford whether you are in state or out of state? I am out of state and in the same boat - haven't heard anything. Are all of Stanfords pre-interview rejections sent my snail mail or do they email as well?
 
Any updates on pre-interview rejections? Did Stanford give a wave of rejections like nearly every other California school on 1/15? It's been silent here for me... Is Stanford still giving out interview invites?

I got shot down by both UC Davis and UCSF in that last wave but it's still all silent here for Stanford. Maybe snail mail takes longer than email. 😛
 
I seriously, seriously hope they don't send things snail mail. Our snail mail is NOT reliable (lots of missing documents and known thefts).
 
I interviewed here recently and absolutely loved it! I walked away from MMI's feeling pretty great (positive feedbacks like "excellent thinking" from some stations, enjoyable discussions through out).

Now that the interview high is over however and I am playing the waiting game, i am starting to get doubtful and worrisome. Does anyone know how heavily MMIs play into the final admission decisions? I am also guessing self-assessment has no correlation with the AdCom decision...? (I actually think i remember Dean Garcia saying most people walk away thinking they performed better than they actuallu did haha)
 
I interviewed here recently and absolutely loved it! I walked away from MMI's feeling pretty great (positive feedbacks like "excellent thinking" from some stations, enjoyable discussions through out).

Now that the interview high is over however and I am playing the waiting game, i am starting to get doubtful and worrisome. Does anyone know how heavily MMIs play into the final admission decisions? I am also guessing self-assessment has no correlation with the AdCom decision...? (I actually think i remember Dean Garcia saying most people walk away thinking they performed better than they actuallu did haha)

I remember Dean Garcia saying that too, haha, but I wonder what that means for people who walk away thinking that they didn't do that great.. I certainly didn't get such explicitly positive feedback from my interviewers, so it sounds like you must have done very well. 🙂
 
I remember Dean Garcia saying that too, haha, but I wonder what that means for people who walk away thinking that they didn't do that great.. I certainly didn't get such explicitly positive feedback from my interviewers, so it sounds like you must have done very well. 🙂

I think my performance varied very wildly. In some stations I too received very positive feedback whereas in some stations I feel I was receiving no reaction from the raters. Makes me wonder if this is intentional.
 
I interviewed here recently and absolutely loved it! I walked away from MMI's feeling pretty great (positive feedbacks like "excellent thinking" from some stations, enjoyable discussions through out).

Now that the interview high is over however and I am playing the waiting game, i am starting to get doubtful and worrisome. Does anyone know how heavily MMIs play into the final admission decisions? I am also guessing self-assessment has no correlation with the AdCom decision...? (I actually think i remember Dean Garcia saying most people walk away thinking they performed better than they actuallu did haha)

It would be interesting if they gave us our scores and an idea of how well we did relative to the interview pool. I too thought I did decent(mix of extremely positive comments and little reaction) but don't think I did great or exceptional. Would be curious to see how my perception matches up with the score. Oh course that is never going to happen, but o well haha.

I remember someone saying something like MMI score is the best predictor of various measures of success as a medical student/doctor and so when I got waitlisted I may have thought: "Oh great I'm going to be a horrible doctor 🙄." :laugh:
 
Did anyone else that interviewed mid-December (Dec. 13th) get phone calls or rejection letters? I know two people posted they got calls last thursday, but I havent seen anyone else. It's been all silent for me. I thought they sent out rejection letters pretty quickly after the adcom meets? I feel like I should have already received it/maybe maybe still hope for a phone call?

sigh. this is driving me nuts
 
To those who interviewed, how valuable was the welcome reception and did most of the interviewees attend? Also what time was it?

I have 2 flight options and one arrives way early in the morning, so I would have to miss work and stuff on Thursday, but the other one arrives at SFO around 7 pm so I'm thinking I would probably miss the reception.
 
To those who interviewed, how valuable was the welcome reception and did most of the interviewees attend? Also what time was it?

I have 2 flight options and one arrives way early in the morning, so I would have to miss work and stuff on Thursday, but the other one arrives at SFO around 7 pm so I'm thinking I would probably miss the reception.

the welcome reception was really fun! i'd say about 50-75% of interviewees attended on my day. you still have plenty of opportunities to ask questions during the interview day so it's not a must, but i just love hanging out with med students and basking in the glory of their amazingness 😍😍
 
are all the post-interview decisions either acceptance or waitlist?
 
Has anyone received an interview invite recently? Are they done giving out invites?
 
Has anyone received an interview invite recently? Are they done giving out invites?

It doesn't seem like anyone has posted recently about receiving an II, but I get the feeling they still have a couple more interview dates left to fill... Or at least I hope 🙁
 
Their admissions website says they interview until March and invite until February, so there's maybe another month left for possible II? :xf:
 
Gahh!!! For those of us who interviewed early January, we're supposed to hear back VERY SOON. Since rejections/waitlists are sent through the mail, I am always so scared to check! :scared:
 
Ahhh in the same boat. The decision meeting must have been held today in order to get the letters out in time by the end of this month...which means, we likely will find out in the next 36 hours (for the lucky ones) or in few days for the rest.

Eeeeeeeeeek.
 
Their admissions website says they interview until March and invite until February, so there's maybe another month left for possible II? :xf:

I received an II on 12/28 and the available dates were March 1st or 8th... not sure if that means they're almost out? :/
 
I received an II on 12/28 and the available dates were March 1st or 8th... not sure if that means they're almost out? :/

Yeah it doesn't seem like they've released many (if any) IIs since then.

... Single tear :cry:

Looks like I should expect a letter from California coming one of these days.
 
Yeah it doesn't seem like they've released many (if any) IIs since then.

... Single tear :cry:

Looks like I should expect a letter from California coming one of these days.

When do they interview tooooooooo
 
Thin white envelope... wait listed. Interviewed Jan 9th. Would've been nice.
 
If it's any bit enlightening, I received my interview invitation on the morning of January 1st. (They work on New Year's Day? And at like, 8am? Ridiculous, I know.) The only date available for interviewing was March 9th.
 
Thin white envelope... wait listed. Interviewed Jan 9th. Would've been nice.

I also interviewed on the 9th. Didnt get an envelope today, but I live out of Cali... Hopefully a call will come tomm???
 
If it's any bit enlightening, I received my interview invitation on the morning of January 1st. (They work on New Year's Day? And at like, 8am? Ridiculous, I know.) The only date available for interviewing was March 9th.

I'm guessing they weren't actually working on New Year's. They probably select students for interviews and then have the emails electronically sent out at a later specific day and time.
 
I'm guessing they weren't actually working on New Year's. They probably select students for interviews and then have the emails electronically sent out at a later specific day and time.

Hmm. Much less legit/badass, but probably true.
 
Accepted today! I got a large white envelope with information about the school and a formal letter of congratulations. Interviewed the week of 1/7. Good luck everyone! 🙂
 
Accepted today! I got a large white envelope with information about the school and a formal letter of congratulations. Interviewed the week of 1/7. Good luck everyone! 🙂

Congrats!! Did you get a call from Dean Garcia?
 
Question-- are you allowed to write notes to refer to during the MMI sessions? Or check your watch for the time? Never done an MMI before so not sure what the protocol is.
 
Hey bear09, you have to leave everything before you enter the MMI area so note-taking is probably not an option. I am not sure about the watch -- as long as you have a wristwatch, it is okay maybe? They will announce time during the process.
 
Hey bear09, you have to leave everything before you enter the MMI area so note-taking is probably not an option. I am not sure about the watch -- as long as you have a wristwatch, it is okay maybe? They will announce time during the process.

I think having a wristwatch and using it during MMI will not only be distracting for you, but also your evaluator..and your performance WILL be impacted..

just my 2 cents.
 
Question-- are you allowed to write notes to refer to during the MMI sessions? Or check your watch for the time? Never done an MMI before so not sure what the protocol is.

Although I didn't interview here, I did have an MMI at Cincinnati. I think they're comparable since Cinci stated they were the first to do MMI in the U.S. and taught it to Stanford.

Anywho, their MMI you have only a couple minutes to read and think about a response to the prompt, followed by less than 10 minutes to respond to it. Not only are you not allowed to take notes, but you simply wouldn't have the time for it. Also, once in the room, knowing the time shouldn't be a big factor either. Your job is to do your best to respond to the prompt in the time allotted. They care more about what you say rather than how much or how little you say. It's a bang-bang type of interview. Just try to enter the MMI with a level head, open mind, and a teaspoon of self-confidence and let your true personality shine through!
 
Got the letter in the mail today! Saw Stanford, then a saw the size...it was so exciting! Guess there hasn't really been much in the way of phone calls lately, another friend who also just got in from same interview day also only got the mail.
 
Got the letter in the mail today! Saw Stanford, then a saw the size...it was so exciting! Guess there hasn't really been much in the way of phone calls lately, another friend who also just got in from same interview day also only got the mail.

Congratulations! What date did you interview?
 
Still no news on the East Coast. Maybe the letters for later dates in the week of 1/7 didn't get mailed out until last Thursday? Otherwise, it's eerily quiet haha
 
My MMI is in two weeks. Is there a way I can 'prepare'? I did Davis' MMI and there was no real way to prepare, but I know MMI formats are different. Specifically, just wondering if I need to brush up on healthcare knowledge. I'm out of interview mode and the MMI format is making me think I really just need to show up at Stanford and be myself, nothing else to do, but want to be sure.
 
Any ideas about interview to acceptance percentage? I know MMI's ask interviewers to rate students on a scale relative to all the other students they've seen that day... does that mean we're in direct competition with our same interview date interviewees? It doesn't make sense because surely people that got earlier interview dates wouldn't be punished for interviewing amongst more competitive candidates.. at the same time.. how does this work?? :scared:

And also don't know how to prep.. should I be reviewing my own activities/reviewing bioethics/picking fights so I can practice resolving them?...
 
Hello all. I interviewed in October, accepted in November. If I remember right, I believe it is 1/3 accepted, 1/3 waitlist, 1/3 rejected after the interview. Although, according to to USNews, last year around 41% were accepted post-interview (perhaps some wait list movement?). The numbers for last year were 459 interviewed --> 190 accepted --> 86 matriculated.

In terms of how to best prepare for the MMI; you don't need to review your own activities, just prepare mentally to have a one-on-one conversation with a rater regarding various questions about (very general) ethical situations in healthcare. I know this sounds daunting, but is was actually pretty straightforward. You don't really need any background knowledge to reason your way through an prompts -- they just want to see you take a reasonable approach to a complicated problem. If you can support your ideas with past experiences, then this is even better (as you buttress your point and stealthily share a little bit about a notable activity from your AMCAS that might subconsciously impress your rater).

MMI raters can be conversational and ask many follow-up and clarifying questions which can help a lot when you get stuck. I also bombed my first two stations due to nerves, but it's important to remember that you have 8 other stations to really shine. Don't think about a past station's performance!

There may also be other stations where you and another applicant do a "teamwork" activity. Essentially, one applicant instructs the other applicant to do something without being able to see what the other person is doing. Just be patient, friendly, and offer constructive feedback and you'll be fine. Don't worry about actually finishing the task, as you most likely wont (nor will the raters actually inspect the final product).

If you absolutely feel the need to prepare, it wouldn't hurt to familiarize yourself with a few bioethics topics here:

http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/index.html

But be advised that this is NOT a necessity. Don't obsess over it -- just skim some of the pages here to get acquainted with some concepts if you absolutely must do something to feel more prepared. Also, it doesn't hurt to familiarize yourself with issues in health care reform.

Despite the attempt to make MMIs as standardized as possible, I firmly believe that there is a lot of subconscious bias from the raters. If you smile, talk clearly in a confident but friendly manner, and just have an overall likable demeanor, it will positively influence the raters' perception of you. Pretend the rater is a friend, not an adversary -- after all, the rater deeply wants to believe you are a person who deserves the spot in the class. Relax and be natural. Being genuine will score you huge points, I promise you. Saying what you think the raters wants to hear in a robotic fashion will certainly be to your disadvantage.
 
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I came home, walked over to check my mail like usual....and found the envelope from Stanford!!!!!!!! Ahh 1/11ers it has finally come!!!

SO EXCITED. Never thought I would have Stanford as a choice!!!!!!!!
 
Any other people who were complete early on still in limbo? I was complete way back in July, and as far as I know I haven't heard anything still.
 
I came home, walked over to check my mail like usual....and found the envelope from Stanford!!!!!!!! Ahh 1/11ers it has finally come!!!

SO EXCITED. Never thought I would have Stanford as a choice!!!!!!!!

Congrats!!! I wish that could be me too :laugh: we'll see next week.
 
Any other people who were complete early on still in limbo? I was complete way back in July, and as far as I know I haven't heard anything still.

Same here. I was complete in August and haven't heard anything yet..
 
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