2013-2014 University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

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Congrats to all the recent acceptees! (is that a word? let's just go with it).

If you have any questions about whether they have received your information, whether it's a deposit or FinAid or the surveys, just call the admissions office. They're very nice and they'll confirm or help you out quickly! 🙂

And yes, even if you complete the surveys, they will still show up again incomplete when you log in to the portal again. If you really want to be sure they received them, call the office. I did!
 
Amygdarya said:
It seems like this happens to everyone (it happened to me, too). I think @Ismet mentioned before that all the data you entered were received by the school once you submitted it even if it was not reflected in your secondary portal.

Speaking of neuroticism - you have sent your $100 deposit check, haven't you? According to the acceptance letter, it's due by May 26th.

(What am I doing in this thread? 😀)
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Yes, I have. I also emailed the office today and they confirmed that they have received it.
 
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Technically has to be postmarked by the 26th ... but that's Memorial Day. And the 25th is Sunday. So really should be postmarked by the 24th. 😛

Sent mine by certified mail.
 
daemon14 said:
Technically has to be postmarked by the 26th ... but that's Memorial Day. And the 25th is Sunday. So really should be postmarked by the 24th. 😛

Sent mine by certified mail.
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Once the mail is received by the school "mail center", the tracking won't work anymore and the USPS will never say "delivered", which may make you more nervous. I did once!
 
Same here.. Any insight as to whether our "first tier" status still holds? There seems to be some second tier movement already. Have we been bypassed?!
 
milanocafe said:
Same here.. Any insight as to whether our "first tier" status still holds? There seems to be some second tier movement already. Have we been bypassed?!
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I contacted admissions a few days ago and it seems there is no more differentiation between the tiers 🙁
 
Aw thanks for the information -- did they say why or anything else about waitlist movement?
 
milanocafe said:
Aw thanks for the information -- did they say why or anything else about waitlist movement?
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Nope just that both tiers were being examined. I'm guessing they're searching for particular attributes. There's still definitely going to be movement though 🙂
 
just to reiterate, med schools can see where we are accepted, but can they see where we are waitlisted?
 
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manofmen said:
just to reiterate, med schools can see where we are accepted, but can they see where we are waitlisted?
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There's a lot of info about this from @gyngyn (an adcom person) on the Waitlist Support Group thread. Here's one of the answers:

gyngyn said:
In March we began to see where accepted students were holding acceptances.
In April we are additionally able to see where our waitlisted candidates are holding acceptances.
We can never see where you applied or where you are waitlisted.
We can see nothing until we make a decision.
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I'd definitely recommend checking out that thread if you're interested in this as there was a lot of discussion about it and gyngyn gives really good information. (SHOUT OUT! THANKS GYNGYN! 🙂 )

Edit: I hope it's okay for me to post replies from one thread in another? If I've made a faux pas, please let me know and I'll remove!
 
So it sounds like tomorrow's the last day to mail the deposit. I mailed mine last week, but how do we know if they've received it?
 
So.... we're thinking there's still gonna be WL movement? I'm not sure when to give up and start looking for housing elsewhere.
 
Hey guys, I had a few questions:

1) Do the Darragh apartments get booked up pretty fast? I'm waiting to hear from one more school before I commit to housing. Is there anything left there at this point?

2) Where can I get info about when school starts, etc.? I cannot find anything

Thanks!
 
Withdrew last week from 2nd tier wait-list. Good luck to the class of 2018!! :luck:
 
TheLastofUs said:
Hey guys, I had a few questions:

1) Do the Darragh apartments get booked up pretty fast? I'm waiting to hear from one more school before I commit to housing. Is there anything left there at this point?

Thanks!
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Yes, they do get booked up fast. If you are interested, you could make the call sooner rather than later.
 
I know there has been a lot of good info on housing on this thread already, but I have another question. (Forgive me if this has already been addressed.) How hard is it to feel integrated with your class if you don't live at Darragh for the first year? It's really important to me to make sure I bond/study/go to brunch with my classmates, and I'm concerned that living elsewhere might remove me from the community. (But, in my particular case, there are some other benefits of living not in Darragh as well.) Any thoughts on this? I'm just trying to gather info so I can make a decision. Thanks very much! 🙂
 
It's not hard to be integrated with the rest of the class if you don't live in Darragh, because it's not like there is even near enough space in there for the first year class. Having lived there for 3 years now, I have to say the biggest convenience is the complete minimization of commute time to get to class/rotations, which is most important during those rotations when you're in at 4 am.
 
philip422 said:
After posting a bajillion times about the waitlist.... I was accepted today (first tier). A little bit surreal. Hoping for good need-based aid.
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awesome! did you send in letters and occasionally call the admissions office? i'm curious about how much more movement they'll have
 
I did! I sent stuff directly tot he Dean because I was worried about not getting any confirmations of my emails.
 
philip422 said:
After posting a bajillion times about the waitlist.... I was accepted today (first tier). A little bit surreal. Hoping for good need-based aid.
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I'm so happy for you! Every time I saw one of your posts I was hoping it was because you had heard good news. Hooray! 🙂
 
Has anyone been able to get into the Facebook group for Pitt? I've requested access but haven't heard back and I need to start looking for roommates....
 
To those of you that have completed MS1:

How harmful do you think it would be to attend a wedding on a Saturday when you have Exam #1 for Anatomy coming up on the following Friday? It's my friends wedding and I may have to break her heart and not show up.

I would have to travel from Pittsburgh to Toronto, and then back again the next day.
 
Agee said:
To those of you that have completed MS1:

How harmful do you think it would be to attend a wedding on a Saturday when you have Exam #1 for Anatomy coming up on the following Friday? It's my friends wedding and I may have to break her heart and not show up.

I would have to travel from Pittsburgh to Toronto, and then back again the next day.
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Did you happen to do the Prologue to medicine program?
I only ask because that will help a lot in regards to exposure for the first exam.

Assuming you didn't enroll in it, you have the very real potential of being absolutely fine while enjoying a guilt-free Saturday of fun.

How do you realize that potential? By not falling behind for that first anatomy exam.

Do some studying everyday, work hard in lab, be efficient.

Take the time off for the wedding.

When you get back, just go back to work and master the material.

The class average for our first anatomy exam was the lowest of the four (?) exams. Everyone is getting acclimated. Many don't know what to expect or how to study.

There is no valid reason to skip this wedding when simple planning and scheduling on your part could easily permit it without repercussion.

If I need more support for my argument: Anatomy was my strongest performance among the MS1 basic science courses. I did not have any real exposure to anatomy beforehand. Anatomy is a class where you just gotta put in the hours.

Get a copy of Rohen's, the syllabus, and those acland anatomy videos and you're golden.
 
Last edited:
Agee said:
To those of you that have completed MS1:

How harmful do you think it would be to attend a wedding on a Saturday when you have Exam #1 for Anatomy coming up on the following Friday? It's my friends wedding and I may have to break her heart and not show up.

I would have to travel from Pittsburgh to Toronto, and then back again the next day.
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Won't be harmful at all if you plan for it.
 
Thanks very much to the both of you. That was insightful. I think I'm going to go for it provided I stay on top of things.
 
Is there a way to find a list of books we need for MS1 year ahead of time? I'm not sure if I should buy the books online ahead of time or just wait till I get there.
 
philip422 said:
Is there a way to find a list of books we need for MS1 year ahead of time? I'm not sure if I should buy the books online ahead of time or just wait till I get there.
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They tell you books that are required/recommended before each respective class.

In all honesty (and I remember it sounded strange to me as an incoming MS1, too), there really isn't any dire need to acquire a single textbook during MS1 -- everything you need will be in the syllabi. For most there simply won't be time to learn the syllabi, lectures, and then go off and read full-length textbooks.

You can even get by without acquiring any of the [few] required texts.

Many of the texts will be archived as e-books through the library (say there is a certain topic you want to explore further) -- also many of your classmates will begin circulating pdf's of regular and review texts.

If you want a good atlas for Anatomy get Rohen's and you will be required to have Grant's dissector (although, like noted above -- you don't necessarily need to get Grant's as you will be sharing with your group in anatomy).
 
If you want to buy a book ahead of time, it would be Netter's Atlas (or the iPad app, it's better IMO). There are gross copies in the lab that cannot leave the lab (and you have to use gloves when using them), and it's not necessarily required, but the majority of people buy and use Netter's. I thought it was indispensable to anatomy. I didn't have Rohen's, but you get the Rohen's flashcards free when you sign up for AMSA, and I used those for practicals. I bought Grant's off an upperclassman but never used it. They have gross copies in the lab that everyone uses, and I never felt the urge to look at my clean copy outside of the lab.

For Medical Decision Making (basically biostats) there's a book written by a former professor of the course called Rao's Rational Medical Decision Making. You can usually get it off an upperclassman for $5-10. It's required, at least it was required my year, as there will be required assignments. Some people got away with sharing the book or not getting the book at all, but most people had it. I know I'll be selling mine once you guys sign up for the internal advertising listserv here, which you should try to do as soon as possible after getting your email/Zone login so that you can start taking advantage of all the cheap books! 🙂

Haines Neuroanatomy Atlas is required I believe, and I found it incredibly useful for neuro. You don't have neuro until the spring, so don't worry about it now. Plus upperclassmen will definitely be selling it.

Other recommended texts:
Abbas Basic Immunology - Immuno was crazy confusing for me, and this book was an amazing help. Again, buy this off an upperclassman.
Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple - Micro is also crazy in terms of information, and this book breaks it down. Yet again, buy it off an upperclassman if you want it.
PATHOMA PATHOMA PATHOMA - Get Pathoma (book + online subscription) around xmas break, if not before neuro. Going through Pathoma with your courses at the end of MS1 and throughout MS2 will not only make Step 1 studying easier, it also really helps with exams.

As Frazier said, you or your classmates can/will usually find pdfs of books. Not to be a party-pooper or anything, but I wouldn't advise pirating. Mainly because it's illegal, but also because these books really don't cost that much if you're smart about buying from SOMADS. 😛 I spent well under $150 for books in MS1, and $60 of that was for Netter's (srsly, iPad app is awesome and portable!).
 
@Ismet and @Frazier - Checked your replies on mobile and completely spaced on responding. I apologize!

So just making sure - Pitt doesn't supply its students with iPads does it? I know some schools do but I forgot if Pitt does. I'm trying to decide if it's worth the investment... You both gave great advice!
 
philip422 said:
@Ismet and @Frazier - Checked your replies on mobile and completely spaced on responding. I apologize!

So just making sure - Pitt doesn't supply its students with iPads does it? I know some schools do but I forgot if Pitt does. I'm trying to decide if it's worth the investment... You both gave great advice!
Click to expand...

Nope, they do not supply us with iPads. Whether or not it's a good investment is entirely up to you and how much you think you'll use it. I have classmates who did the majority of their work (class notes, ebooks/pdfs) on tablets, so it's absolutely doable. I have an iPad but prefer a laptop for daily use. The iPad is good for reading journal articles, or if you have a mini, it fits in your white coat pocket for wards.
 
Ismet said:
For Medical Decision Making (basically biostats) there's a book written by a former professor of the course called Rao's Rational Medical Decision Making. You can usually get it off an upperclassman for $5-10. It's required, at least it was required my year, as there will be required assignments. Some people got away with sharing the book or not getting the book at all, but most people had it. I know I'll be selling mine once you guys sign up for the internal advertising listserv here, which you should try to do as soon as possible after getting your email/Zone login so that you can start taking advantage of all the cheap books! 🙂
Click to expand...

Just to add another opinion, I didn't get Rao's and was perfectly fine. I did take biostats in undergrad which definitely helped, though Pitt's course covered a good amount of stuff I hadn't seen before. Even so, the slideshows from the lectures were usually adequate enough to fill in the gaps without needing to read the book. If you have absolutely no stats background whatsoever, then I would probably recommend getting the book as the lectures were not in-depth enough to help you understand the more difficult topics. If you've taken any type of stats at all, you can probably blow off the class except for the required assignments and still do well on the exam.
 
philip422 said:
@Ismet and @Frazier - Checked your replies on mobile and completely spaced on responding. I apologize!

So just making sure - Pitt doesn't supply its students with iPads does it? I know some schools do but I forgot if Pitt does. I'm trying to decide if it's worth the investment... You both gave great advice!
Click to expand...

As Ismet said, Pitt doesn't supply iPads...which is great.

No school gives away free iPads, rather tuition/fees go up accordingly to cover iPad requirements.

Nice that Pitt doesn't make such a thing mandatory.

All that said, I have a tablet (Samsung). Awesome device.

I would recommend a tablet -- not necessarily for schoolwork, but they are just more practical for casual browsing/videos/reading -- whether you are doing cardio at the gym or laying around on your couch.
 
I feel like I'm dominating this thread with questions... hopefully others are getting helpful advice as well.

(Hopefully) one last thing - As per everyone's suggestions, I think a tablet would be a really good idea. Is there a general consensus about which kind to get? I looked at the Surface Pro and the iPad today and both seem good. The Surface's stylus/writing capabilities seem really nice, but the ability to download stuff like Netter's Atlas as an app makes the iPad attractive as well. I don't want to jump the gun and buy something that I'll regret (especially with the prices, eesh). Thanks again everyone!
 
philip422 said:
I feel like I'm dominating this thread with questions... hopefully others are getting helpful advice as well.

(Hopefully) one last thing - As per everyone's suggestions, I think a tablet would be a really good idea. Is there a general consensus about which kind to get? I looked at the Surface Pro and the iPad today and both seem good. The Surface's stylus/writing capabilities seem really nice, but the ability to download stuff like Netter's Atlas as an app makes the iPad attractive as well. I don't want to jump the gun and buy something that I'll regret (especially with the prices, eesh). Thanks again everyone!
Click to expand...

Others can chime in with their own preferences...

I like the surface, but back when they first came out (ie when I was looking to purchase) it was out of my price range.

I don't really like apple's phone/tablet all that much.

Prob why both my phone and tablet are samsung and run Android.

Essentially any app that you want -- if there is an apple version, there's an android version.

I don't know about the surface running android stuff, but Netter might have something for systems running Microsoft -- check their website.

Overall, I wouldn't base the purchase decision on what can run Netters Anatomy App.

Not saying that's your thought process - just putting that out there for all readers.
 
I agree with Frazier in that you shouldn't base your decision on which machine will run the Netters app. While I was a big fan of the app and recommend it over the book to people who have an iPad, in all honesty, you use it intensely for 7 weeks and then you're done with it. Sure anatomy is on boards and you'll brush up on relevant anatomy here and there in clinical years (maybe more in surgery? haven't had surgery yet), but the internet usually suffices for that kind of stuff.

I'm more of an Apple person (iPhone, macbook) and received the iPad as a graduation gift. If I had been the one to purchase, I would have gone with a mini, because it would be really nice to have a mini tablet now that I'm in clerkships. Not sure how practical the mini is for pre-clinical though.
 
Question for current students: what did you guys/gals do during the summer of your first 2 years?
 
Agee said:
Question for current students: what did you guys/gals do during the summer of your first 2 years?
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Well you don't get a summer vacation after your 2nd year. You take boards in April and then you start clerkships in May.

Most people (I think around 80%) do research after MS1 summer. There's the Dean's Summer Research Program (DSRP) that gives you a $3000 stipend to do research, and I believe most people who apply for that will get it. It's only 8 weeks so you have a couple weeks of actual summer vacation as well. Around 8-10 go to Palermo, Italy to the ISMETT transplant center (no relation to my username lol) for research. Some find independent research.

I didn't do research, I worked at the same job I did the summer before med school. The rest of the summer was spent with family and relaxing. Doing research over the summer can definitely be beneficial, but don't feel like you MUST do research over MS1 summer. You're allowed to take a break, because it's the last big break you'll have. Ever.
 
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