2014-2015 Dartmouth University Application Thread

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Do you know if they said whether they are planning on releasing any decisions (aside from the post-four week acceptances) prior to the 14th or will it be silent until then?
I called today and they said something different, that decisions would be released throughout the next two weeks until after the final meeting on April 2nd.
 
Do you know if they said whether they are planning on releasing any decisions (aside from the post-four week acceptances) prior to the 2nd or will it be silent until then?
It seemed so. This is purely conjecture, but it seems they will continue doing what they've been doing (sending out a limited number of decisions) and then will send out the majority of them once they have a complete, ranked list on the 2nd. They said that there are people that have "scores" that would have equalled acceptances last year but that each year things are a little different and so they hold out on releasing most decisions until all interviewees have been scored.

So basically, suppose last year a score of "92" or higher got you an acceptance, and you scored a "93" and they are pretty sure but not positive you'll be accepted yet so they are waiting for a completed ranking. I think if you are an early interviewer and you havent heard yet it's because you're somewhere on either end of the blurred lines for them, being either the rejected/WL side of it or the WL/accepted side of the ranked list. Basically, if you haven't heard it does not at all mean you're a WL, rejection, or acceptance. It means you're just not enough of any of them for them to make an impulsive decision about releasing a decision for you

Sorry for how winded that is, but does that make sense?
 
I called today and they said something different, that decisions would be released through
I called today and they said something different, that decisions would be released throughout the next two weeks until after the final meeting on April 2nd.

out the next two weeks until after the final meeting on April 2nd.

I guess I misremembered April 2nd as instead being April 14th. Sorry about that! In any case, as I said most of what I'm saying is conjecture but the take-away that I'm confident about is that they hold out on releasing any decisions that would be considered grey zone until they are definite about your status in reference to the other interviewees
 
I called today and they said something different, that decisions would be released throughout the next two weeks until after the final meeting on April 2nd.

Hmmm interesting.


It seemed so. This is purely conjecture, but it seems they will continue doing what they've been doing (sending out a limited number of decisions) and then will send out the majority of them once they have a complete, ranked list on the 14th. They said that there are people that have "scores" that would have equalled acceptances last year but that each year things are a little different and so they hold out on releasing most decisions until all interviewees have been scored.

So basically, suppose last year a score of "92" or higher got you an acceptance, and you scored a "93" and they are pretty sure but now positive you'll be accepted yet so they are waiting for a completed ranking. I think if you are an early interviewer and you havent heard yet it's because you're somewhere on either end of the blurred lines for them, being either the rejected/WL side of it or the WL/accepted side of the ranked list. Basically, if you haven't heard it does not at all mean you're a WL, rejection, or acceptance. It means you're just not enough of any of them for them to make an impulsive decision about releasing a decision for you

Sorry for how winded that is, but does that make sense?

Yeah it makes perfect sense, although apparently (see above) there doesn't seem to be a great consensus on this haha. I interviewed mid/late January so it hasn't been too long for me, but the next month probably won't be fun checking my email every waking moment.
 
Yeah it makes perfect sense, although apparently (see above) there doesn't seem to be a great consensus on this haha. I interviewed mid/late January so it hasn't been too long for me, but the next month probably won't be fun checking my email every waking moment.
I looked back earlier in this thread and I'm definitely wrong about the last committee meeting being on the 14th. It is very likely the 2nd
 
I looked back earlier in this thread and I'm definitely wrong about the last committee meeting being on the 14th. It is very likely the 2nd
Haha this process is just too funny. So outrageous.

I do remember them saying at my interview something about mid-April...so they very well may not let us know until around then.
 
I guess I misremembered April 2nd as instead being April 14th. Sorry about that! In any case, as I said most of what I'm saying is conjecture but the take-away that I'm confident about is that they hold out on releasing any decisions that would be considered grey zone until they are definite about your status in reference to the other interviewees

great, thanks for your input.

As far as these "gray zones" go... have they even released any acceptances for people that weren't recently interviewed? Say the threshold for immediate acceptance (as in 3-6 weeks after interview) is 100. Have any of those interviewees scored slightly below 100 heard back? To me those people wouldn't be classified as cusp of WL/acceptance but rather in the pure acceptance range...

the only people that have claimed acceptances so far (only on student doctor) have been people that were recently interviewed (as in interviewed around 1 month before they received an acceptance).
 
great, thanks for your input.

As far as these "gray zones" go... have they even released any acceptances for people that weren't recently interviewed? Say the threshold for immediate acceptance (as in 3-6 weeks after interview) is 100. Have any of those interviewees scored slightly below 100 heard back? To me those people wouldn't be classified as cusp of WL/acceptance but rather in the pure acceptance range...

the only people that have claimed acceptances so far (only on student doctor) have been people that were recently interviewed (as in interviewed around 1 month before they received an acceptance).
I'm pretty sure back in this thread some earlier interviewees (sep/oct interviewees) had posted they had been accepted
 
Jan 20?

I don't think it matters, though. I just finally made the cut.
 
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ACCEPTED!

OMG. I have some thinking to do.

Congrats that's so awesome! Wishing you the best with your decision making! Did they e-mail or call you? And around what time were you notified?
 
MS1 here so I can speak to this a little bit

1. Failing a quiz - sounds pretty terrible, right?? The reality is that it's not a big deal so don't get too stressed by that! We have quizzes every 2-3 weeks, with each cycle having 4 quizzes - 1 for each of the courses we are taking. Given that it's piled up like that, there are just going to be times where you don't get to prep enough for a particular class. Sometimes you just have a lot of personal things going on during that particular 2 week stretch that makes it very difficult to keep on top of the material during that time period and so unfortunately, you may fail a quiz. Luckily - the only thing that actually matters is whether or not you pass the course!

I, myself, failed a quiz this past term *GASP* lol but I did have some acute personal family issues on my plate on during that cycle of quizzes and had little time to really learn the material to the level of detail that was required. How did the rest of the course end up? Somewhere >90% for my course average which is forever recorded as a P (No Honors)!

Moral of the story is - we all strive to do the best we can, but because we are a pass/fail school WITHOUT rank during our first two years (pretty important too IMO), it ultimately gives us the flexibility to not have to ALWAYS worry about school and instead, gives us the freedom to be a real person who will sometimes have to deal with real world personal issues, so long as we quickly return to making school our priority. As a result, I feel like I've really been able to enjoy my time in medical school, make some amazing friends, keep active by going to the gym and going out, and visit friends in Boston/New England all while still being able to do well in my medical school courses since I have the peace of mind knowing that I can take a small hit, if necessary, and it won't have serious repercussions. Whether this is specific to Dartmouth or just any true pass/fail med school, I can't say - all I know is that it is definitely the case here lol.

That said, I don't want people to think that we take advantage of this and aim for a 70% aka just passing either lol. Students here definitely work hard because they want to do as well as they can, even though they know they won't be receiving Honors, no matter what they score. We all want to feel that we know the material as well as possible for the sake of our futures as health care providers. Hope that gives you a better insight into the whole "failing a quiz" comment!

2. I've heard the same thing from MS3 and MS4's as well. I haven't been using a Step I study aid in conjunction with my classes, although I know some classmates who do (which they say is quite helpful for some courses where the material is not necessarily as organized). Since I'm only an MS1, I'm probably not the most helpful person for this topic - sorry!!

3. For Boards - I believe we still offer 5-6 weeks of prep but I'm not entirely certain. If there are any 2nd years on here, they would definitely be able to answer that for you!

If you have any other questions - feel free to post them and I'll try to give answers whenever I'm on here!

I have a question! I can't afford to come to the accepted student visit days in April. I know that's when some people start looking for roommates and housing. Will I have any trouble finding a roommate and apartment?
 
Definitely not! Generally, at most med schools, majority of people who attend the school won't even be at second look or will be accepted after May 15th so don't stress over not meeting your future roommate at Second Look! Definitely use the FB group as that is where majority of people that I know of found their future roommates and then their apartments at either Sachem Village, North Park, Timberwood Commons or a house near town. Additionally, if you're planning on living at Dartmouth Graduate housing like North Park - that is done through random assignment with other graduate students so you don't have to go through finding a roommate.

Ok, great thanks for your response!

Just didn't want to feel like I was missing out on something important. If I was, then I'd make sure I somehow got there!
 
@eqofhaoishfasiofho and @jpwsurf21

Thank you for your replies! @eqofhaoishfasiofho I hope your match day went well!!

@jpwsurf21, thank you for such a detailed response. It is a relief to hear you talk about the quizzes like that, as I have heard these quizzes are more like "midterms" haha. Also, what is a typical first year schedule like? On a day-to-day or week-to-week basis?

I really loved Dartmouth because it seemed like they emphasized having a "work-life balance" which is very, very important to me.
 
Hi jpwsurf21!

Thanks for offering to take the time and help answer our questions! I was recently accepted to Geisel last week, and am super excited 🙂 Everyone seemed really friendly and welcoming. I have a question that may be a bit strange. During my interviews, I noticed that the medical school buildings look like they haven't been renovated in a while - are there any plans for renovation or new med buildings in the works? I know there's a relatively new Life Sciences building next door, but do Med students use that/have classes there too? The main campus is absolutely beautiful, but I feel like the Geisel campus got left behind... lol

Also, do most MS1's live in North Park? Or do they live in off-campus housing? Ideally, I'd love to be closer to where most students are!

Thanks again!


MS1 here so I can speak to this a little bit


If you have any other questions - feel free to post them and I'll try to give answers whenever I'm on here!
 
@eqofhaoishfasiofho and @jpwsurf21

Thank you for your replies! @eqofhaoishfasiofho I hope your match day went well!!

@jpwsurf21, thank you for such a detailed response. It is a relief to hear you talk about the quizzes like that, as I have heard these quizzes are more like "midterms" haha. Also, what is a typical first year schedule like? On a day-to-day or week-to-week basis?

I really loved Dartmouth because it seemed like they emphasized having a "work-life balance" which is very, very important to me.

I too would love to hear more about what a typical first-year schedule is like, either on a daily or weekly basis! I'm also a bit confused about the pre-clinical curriculum - I thought it was in the process of undergoing a redesign, but apparently not? Could you perhaps describe what the curriculum will be like for M1s next year? Thank you so much, @jpwsurf21!
 
Does anyone know definitively whether we should have our decisions by April 2nd or April 14th? Both dates seem to be floating around, but no one seems to be too certain (myself included).
 
i don't remember hearing either of those dates, where did you get that?
They were mentioned earlier in the thread (a couple weeks ago believe). The last committee meeting was said to be the 2nd and someone said they called and were told by the 14th.
 
I interviewed on Tuesday (3/24) and they said the committee was meeting twice more - today (3/26) and again on April 9th. Decisions will start rolling fairly quickly after that.
Ha! My point exactly...everyone keeps being told and reporting different things.
 
Ha! My point exactly...everyone keeps being told and reporting different things.

I called yesterday and Joan told me that she didn't have a specific date, but that the last interview is next Tuesday, so more decisions may be coming after then, which is when the waitlist will be formed.

Waiting is hard, huh 🙂
 
I called yesterday and Joan told me that she didn't have a specific date, but that the last interview is next Tuesday, so more decisions may be coming after then, which is when the waitlist will be formed.

Waiting is hard, huh 🙂
Literally so hard. A good problem to have, but nonetheless, still a "check your email every 4 minutes" problem.
 
So hard!!! and even harder because now we have 4 dates that the last meeting will be on lol (april 2nd, april 14th, april 9th and now march 31st). Is there some trolling going on or is Dartmouth trying to confuse us all haha. Doesn't matter too much tho because at least we know we should all find out in the next two weeks (hopefully). Im particularly anxious because Ill be sending out an LOI to one of the schools I was waitlisted at and it will depend on the news from Dartmouth whether I send it or not! good luck to all! its a special place!
 
Interviewed this week so I can verify: there is a committee meeting tonight and one 4/9. But they said it may take a few days for acceptances to go out after those dates.
 
Interviewed this week so I can verify: there is a committee meeting tonight and one 4/9. But they said it may take a few days for acceptances to go out after those dates.

Cheers to that!! Warm fuzzies to help them on their way :]
 
Just called the admission office; no decisions being released today. Next day of release is after the next committee meeting (they didn't say a date) Womp.
Thanks for taking one for the team and letting us all know! Saves me (and I assume others) from refreshing my email every 5 minutes in anticipation.
 
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