2013-2014 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Application Thread

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Hi prospies! I just wanted to introduce myself as a rising MS-3 at Sinai (still refuse to call it ISOMMS 😛)

I hope to be here again as much as I was able this year, although I feel like my comments about the preclinical years will be less and less relevant as I go deeper into the clinical years. I'm here because I strongly believe that Sinai is one of most undervalued and underrated school in the Top 20, and there's so many that pass us by just because we don't have an undergraduate school (and the associated "prestige" to the layperson attached to us). Trust me, I went to a Top 5 undergrad, so I knew all about the prestige factor when I was applying to med school. But honestly, it shouldn't matter.

You'll hear all about how Sinai is great and stuff as you do research and come to the interview day, so I won't bother repeating those things. I just wanted to say that as you approach this season to look beyond simply the curriculum and the match list and consider where you will be the most happy living in and going to school at for the next four years. To some, this may be in an environment you are already familiar and grew up in/went to college - to others, this may mean moving to a big city or across the country. You only get to enjoy your mid-20s once in your life, and yes, training is important - but I venture to say that you will remember the things you did outside of the classroom way more than the courses you took.

Sinai is incredible in the sense that you get a lot of flexibility with scheduling due to our system of self-proctored, online exams. The degree of freedom we get here (esp with the frequent 3/4 day weekends we get because the school is nice enough to not schedule mandatory activities on Mondays/Fridays often) allows for a lot of flex time in which you can spend doing research or pursuing one of your passions. It is honestly second or equal to the Yale System, and it's great. We are a true preclinical P/F school, no internal rankings, no 25% quartiles, nothing. In addition, my SO goes to UCSF, and so I've been able to parallel my experience here with that of a med student at UCSF. Honestly I can say that there's nothing that I wish I could have done that they did academically. It is true that you learn the same thing everywhere, but the amount of flexibility and location makes a world of a difference in your lifestyle (and by extension, your happiness) in the first two years.

[/soapbox]

Anywhoo, don't take my word for it!! Give Sinai a shot, and hear about all of this from real students here (not just some random stranger on the internet 😛) Enjoy NYC while you're here, and best of luck to you this season!
 
^ Wow! Lots of good info!

Probably one of my top choices. Great school and smack dab in the middle of NYC! Hoping for an interview there~~~ :xf:
 
bigalow123 said:
FWIW, I'd like to note that MSSM was by far the most "holistic" school in terms of those who were accepted...I met a TON of students during revisit weekend that had unique jobs after college and not the cookie-cutter-itookalagyeartodobenchresearch-types.

I applied this past cycle with a 3.7 / 35 MCAT (not a URM either), interviewed during the 2nd half of the interview cycle (i.e Jan--Mar 2013) and still lucked out in getting an acceptance right off the bat. I'll be honest, I thought I had no shot.

I'm not exactly the smartest person, but I do have some unique life experiences, and I felt like MSSM REALLY took that into consideration.

So, in sum:

1. Apply Early
2. Be memorable --> Tell a solid story
3. Have a likable personality!
4. APPLY ****IN EARLY
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I SOOO want this school! I met a few first years and the admissions folk at a med school fair and fell in love with everyone at the damn table. That whole eat a poop dog to get into med school thingy? For Sinai? Hell yes I would, hell yes..
I got the feeling that they really aren't just looking for 4.0/39ers.. here's hoping they were telling the truth!
 
I'm reapplying... Though two years ago the school was still called Mount Sinai 😀

I loved visiting for my interview day😍 and I was very sad that I didn't get in off the alternate list. I'm hoping I get a second chance since my application has improved.

Good luck all!
 
Interviewed here (unsuccessfully, obviously) for HuMed and really loved it -- definitely hoping for the chance to come back 🙂
 
Went to a Mt. Sinai information session last semester and they're either exceptionally good at selling their school or they're just that awesome -- I'm thinking the latter 😛
 
I was advised against Icahn just due to cost of living... Any of y'all have any info on that? I love their program as a reach school but I'm not sure how Ill feel if I can't afford to feed my fish :/ hah!
 
McRunner said:
I was advised against Icahn just due to cost of living... Any of y'all have any info on that? I love their program as a reach school but I'm not sure how Ill feel if I can't afford to feed my fish :/ hah!
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2 years ago at least, COL was very reasonable. Students are offered dorms for like $500 a month (in Manhattan!!?). I don't remember the specifics.
 
This is definitely one of my top choices, if not my first pick, so I am really excited to get this ball rolling. Submitting primaries at the end of this week. Fingers crossed!
 
I applied through linkage in the 2013 application cycle, had a great interview, and am on the alternate list but unfortunately my MCAT in April 2013 wasn't strong enough. I'm re-applying now in the regular 2014 cycle. Hope my improved MCAT will get me in c/o 2018.
 
Entadus said:
2 years ago at least, COL was very reasonable. Students are offered dorms for like $500 a month (in Manhattan!!?). I don't remember the specifics.
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Sorry, I meant to quote McRunner since that is who asked for the info.

I live in Manhattan, and I just want to say that EVERYTHING is more expensive here. The dorm situation is great and very affordable, but just keep in mind goods and services here can cost two to three times more than the national average. "Manhattan scores a whopping 225.4 on a cost of living index, much higher than the national average which balances out at 100, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research." Just something to consider when choosing schools.

http://www.businessinsider.com/these-manhattan-prices-will-shock-the-rest-of-america-2013-6

That being said, it's an amazing city with tremendous energy. Mt. Sinai is in a great location and would be a dream to attend.
 
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Anyone know the official abbreviation? ISOMMS? Just trying to save space on secondary instead of typing Icahn School of Mediblah blah blah.
 
trigirlnyc said:
Sorry, I meant to quote McRunner since that is who asked for the info.

I live in Manhattan, and I just want to say that EVERYTHING is more expensive here. The dorm situation is great and very affordable, but just keep in mind goods and services here can cost two to three times more than the national average. "Manhattan scores a whopping 225.4 on a cost of living index, much higher than the national average which balances out at 100, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research." Just something to consider when choosing schools.

http://www.businessinsider.com/these-manhattan-prices-will-shock-the-rest-of-america-2013-6

That being said, it's an amazing city with tremendous energy. Mt. Sinai is in a great location and would be a dream to attend.
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NY is overrated. Manhattan even more so. Live in the outer boroughs if you come here for school.
 
GoPelicans said:
Anyone know the official abbreviation? ISOMMS? Just trying to save space on secondary instead of typing Icahn School of Mediblah blah blah.
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Don't know about now but it was MSSM until recently. I think I've heard that students still use this?
 
trigirlnyc said:
I live in Manhattan, and I just want to say that EVERYTHING is more expensive here. The dorm situation is great and very affordable, but just keep in mind goods and services here can cost two to three times more than the national average. "Manhattan scores a whopping 225.4 on a cost of living index, much higher than the national average which balances out at 100, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research." Just something to consider when choosing schools.
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I don't know where in Manhattan you live, but around the Sinai area, it's pretty easy to eat and shop relatively cheaply once you know where to go. Certainly it's more expensive than most cities, but there's a lot of variation between neighborhoods as well. The Associated on 96th and Lex has reasonable supermarket prices, for instance, and the Fairway on East 86th isn't bad either. Plus, we're right at the border of the Upper East Side and East Harlem, so you can always go north a couple of blocks for cheap eats.

Since both housing and tuition costs are significantly lower at Sinai compared to its big-city peer schools, I think we get a great value here overall.
 
Azurophil said:
I don't know where in Manhattan you live, but around the Sinai area, it's pretty easy to eat and shop relatively cheaply once you know where to go. The Associated on 96th and Lex has reasonable supermarket prices, for instance, and the Fairway on East 86th isn't bad either. Plus, we're right at the border of the Upper East Side and East Harlem, so you can always go north a couple of blocks for cheap eats.

Since both housing and tuition costs are significantly lower at Sinai compared to its big-city peer schools, I think we get a great value here overall.
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Don't forget about Vinyl Wines haha
 
GoPelicans said:
Anyone know the official abbreviation? ISOMMS? Just trying to save space on secondary instead of typing Icahn School of Mediblah blah blah.
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Have you received the secondary??
 
Hey, does anyone know about the LOE requirement? It says non-science faculty, but would a physician mentor substitute?
 
Dropping by to say that Sinai is a reach for me, but I'm going to put my best foot forward and give it a try!
 
Does anyone know what the maximum number of LORs they take? I usually assign 5 to most schools, but because I saw on MSAR that the max LOR they take is 8, I decided to attach another LOR to Sinai. Hopefully 6 LORs isn't too many...
 
Hoping for some non-trad love from Sinai! I spent a week with the team at Recanati / Miller for an organ transplantation class and was very impressed. It's a bit of a reach for me but I'd regret not giving it a shot. Best of luck everyone.
 
premed2000 said:
Does anyone know what the maximum number of LORs they take? I usually assign 5 to most schools, but because I saw on MSAR that the max LOR they take is 8, I decided to attach another LOR to Sinai. Hopefully 6 LORs isn't too many...
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Was told by someone I met who interviews HuMed students as well as by my med school advisors that sending in a lot of LOR is probably not advised unless they're all very good.


Cost of Living is very reasonable especially for medical students. The cafeteria is cheap and decent. If you have to buy food everyday I think it's pretty reasonable to spend 12$ a day on food. Dorms are right next to the campus so transportation is not an issue. However, if you decide to go out in Manhattan things start to get expensive very fast.
 
elmo92 said:
Was told by someone I met who interviews HuMed students as well as by my med school advisors that sending in a lot of LOR is probably not advised unless they're all very good.
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Do you think it's possible to email them to disregard one of the letters that I assigned?
 
premed2000 said:
Do you think it's possible to email them to disregard one of the letters that I assigned?
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Haha it's a little thing, I wouldn't worry about it. Asking them to disregard one would be silly.

The main reason I think it's better to keep the LOR # low is that sometimes interviewers don't have the time to read every single LOR. To increase the chance that they read the better letters it's better to keep the # of LOR low.
 
elmo92 said:
Haha it's a little thing, I wouldn't worry about it. Asking them to disregard one would be silly.

The main reason I think it's better to keep the LOR # low is that sometimes interviewers don't have the time to read every single LOR. To increase the chance that they read the better letters it's better to keep the # of LOR low.
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They have to read every LOR as long as it's under their max allowed. I was talking with a number of schools - unless the website says "we annoy guarantee more than minimum will be read" (I.e., Hofstra) your probably okay - if multiple reviewers for the app, maybe there is a division of labor.
 
YankeeBean said:
They have to read every LOR as long as it's under their max allowed. I was talking with a number of schools - unless the website says "we annoy guarantee more than minimum will be read" (I.e., Hofstra) your probably okay - if multiple reviewers for the app, maybe there is a division of labor.
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Really? In some of the "applying to med school books" I read that sometimes they don't.
Either way it's a small deal 😛
 
Just got an email linking to the secondary! One of my top choices. Loved it when I visited.
 
Prompts (I applied MSTP),

Provide a one sentence summary of your current research interest.

What makes you unique, someone who will add to the Mount Sinai community? (Suggested 250 words or less)

Indicate the reasons for your specific interest in Mount Sinai. (Suggested 200 words or less)

Please describe how the characteristics of Mount Sinai’s MD/PhD program will help you to achieve your career goals. (Suggested 200 words or less)
 
Prompts for MD-only are the bolded

plumazul said:
Prompts (I applied MSTP),

Provide a one sentence summary of your current research interest.

What makes you unique, someone who will add to the Mount Sinai community? (Suggested 250 words or less)

Indicate the reasons for your specific interest in Mount Sinai. (Suggested 200 words or less)

Please describe how the characteristics of Mount Sinai’s MD/PhD program will help you to achieve your career goals. (Suggested 200 words or less)
Click to expand...
 
I got the secondary too 🙂
Is anybody else's picture showing up with a glitch on the "preview"?
Not sure if I should submit it. It shows a weird blotch near the middle of the photo (right on my nose)

EDIT: Saving it as a PDF and uploading that instead of JPG seemed to fix it!

Secondary submitted 7/15
 
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The secondary asks for a passport style photo. Does that mean like a real passport photo- no smiling, hair back, white background? Or do they just mean just a photo that's only your face? In the picture I took for secondaries, I'm smiling and it was taken outside so there are trees in the background, but I didn't know if that was too informal.
 
supergirl7561 said:
The secondary asks for a passport style photo. Does that mean like a real passport photo- no smiling, hair back, white background? Or do they just mean just a photo that's only your face? In the picture I took for secondaries, I'm smiling and it was taken outside so there are trees in the background, but I didn't know if that was too informal.
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It's just so they have a face to go with the name. As long as you don't have exposed neck tattoos and a fauxhawk I imagine it's fine.
 
Is it me or are there no text boxes to write the essays? Do we upload documents with essay answers on them?
 
Seems like we're just supposed to upload a word document (or word processor of your choice).

Also, does anyone know how strict they are about word count? It says suggested 250 and 200..how far above would be safe?
 
dtc29 said:
Seems like we're just supposed to upload a word document (or word processor of your choice).

Also, does anyone know how strict they are about word count? It says suggested 250 and 200..how far above would be safe?
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I'd personally try to stay within +25, but I'd venture to say they wouldn't mind/notice up to +50?
 
If I have applied to medical schools before but not Mount Sinai, what should I say in the box "Have you applied to medical schools before and tell us about it" ?

Do I tell them that I've applied last cycle and didn't receive any acceptances? Do I need to be more specific on how many schools I applied to? Or just a simple sentence that I applied last year but didn't get accepted is fine?
 
Is anyone else nervous about the fact that half of each incoming class is coming from the FlexMed program, and then more come from linkage programs, meaning those of us applying in the general application are each hoping for one of an approximately 60 remaining seats?

It definitely makes it seem like more of a long-shot. But it's still an amazing school and worth the effort to try!
 
GreenMed said:
Is anyone else nervous about the fact that half of each incoming class is coming from the FlexMed program, and then more come from linkage programs, meaning those of us applying in the general application are each hoping for one of an approximately 60 remaining seats?

It definitely makes it seem like more of a long-shot. But it's still an amazing school and worth the effort to try!
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Yeah but it doesn't affect us - it'll only become a factor when those sophomores matriculate.

Also - if I applied to their early admission program before, do I have to answer the question on previous medical school applications?
 
Soulstice said:
Yeah but it doesn't affect us - it'll only become a factor when those sophomores matriculate.
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Oh, Soulstice, you're right - and that's a relief! I hadn't realized that this wasn't a factor in 2014, seeing as FlexMed was expanded in 2013. Thank you for pointing that out!
 
Soulstice said:
Yeah but it doesn't affect us - it'll only become a factor when those sophomores matriculate.
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FlexMed is simply the renamed/revised version of HuMed, which has been around for a while, right? Is FlexMed significantly larger than HuMed was?
 
jeghaber said:
FlexMed is simply the renamed/revised version of HuMed, which has been around for a while, right? Is FlexMed significantly larger than HuMed was?
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Yes, my understanding is the FlexMed is an expansion of HuMed. I'm not sure what fraction of each class has been coming from HuMed, but FlexMed will be bringing in half of each total class, starting (I guess) with the class of 2020 (entering 2016)?
 
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