2014-2015 Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Application Thread

[gettheleadout]

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Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional or national organization? If so, please describe; each line allows 100 characters. (Please do not list awards from high school or earlier.) [3 entry fields]

Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? [250 characters, limit not explicitly stated]

Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application?

Are there any special, unique, personal, or challenging circumstances that you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions (siblings/relatives at Penn, applying as a couple, educational environment, culture, ethnicity, etc.)

Please explain your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine. (1000 characters)

Good luck to everyone applying!

 

[darkjedi]

Hey everyone, I'm a current 3rd year in the middle of clinics. Should anyone have any questions I would be more than happy to answer them!

Best of luck to everyone applying!

 

[Person0715]

So excited to be applying here!

 

[trino]

Hi guys, I will be matriculating in August. While I haven't attended classes or anything yet, if anyone is interested in my reasons for choosing Perelman or application stuff, I'd be happy to help. Good luck!

 

[lovereading]

long shot for me, but we only live once... applying here... have my fingers crossed🙂

 

[correctlywrong]

Another long shot. MCAT 37 is just kinda meh here, and my GPA needs half a point to ring the doorbell... I guess this would really be my 1st choice, if I had any hope.

 

[trino]

Another long shot. MCAT 37 is just kinda meh here, and my GPA needs half a point to ring the doorbell... I guess this would really be my 1st choice, if I had any hope.

You're mcat is not just meh here. Be proud of such a great score! Penn attracts amazing people, but everyone is so much more than numbers.

Edit: just an aside, from the people I've talked to in my class, we have stories from every background

 

[gettheleadout]

Hi guys, I will be matriculating in August. While I haven't attended classes or anything yet, if anyone is interested in my reasons for choosing Perelman or application stuff, I'd be happy to help. Good luck!

Hey trino, the results of your application cycle seem pretty surprising to me given your stats. Do you have any comments to offer on the swath of pre-interview rejections you got?

 

[trino]

Hey trino, the results of your application cycle seem pretty surprising to me given your stats. Do you have any comments to offer on the swath of pre-interview rejections you got?

Sure, I can't read the minds of adcoms, but I have my hunches about how my application cycle went. Anyone can send me a pm about it, just to keep this thread about Penn

 

[gettheleadout]

@darkjedi, what's anatomy lab like? Just prosections, or complete dissection too? Thoughts or experiences with the use of simulation/virtual resources during the first two years? It seems to be heavily emphasized on Perelman's website.

 

[darkjedi]

@darkjedi, what's anatomy lab like? Just prosections, or complete dissection too? Thoughts or experiences with the use of simulation/virtual resources during the first two years? It seems to be heavily emphasized on Perelman's website.

The anatomy lab is pretty standard. 4 students per cadaver with complete dissections. For each dissection block, a couple of random cadavers are chosen to be the prosection. Unfortunately since it's been almost 2 years since anatomy, so I don't know the details as far as simulation and virtual resources go starting next year or the one after that. During my year the actual dissections themselves were still very analogue, with simply the Netter Atlas textbook and anatomy handbooks as reference. Anatomy sessions are usually preceded by a lecture by one of my favorite professors here.

Anatomy wound up being one of my favorite classes in pre-clinicals and I think done extraordinarily well here by the course directors.

 

[zukunftarztin17]

@darkjedi, what's anatomy lab like? Just prosections, or complete dissection too? Thoughts or experiences with the use of simulation/virtual resources during the first two years? It seems to be heavily emphasized on Perelman's website.

I'm just an applicant (and Penn is a reach for me), but I recently spoke with an MSI there, and he said that there was no/almost no simulation in the first year, and he isn't sure how much it will be used in second year either, but maybe there will be more. The big simulation center isn't even on the main campus, it's elsewhere in Center City.

 

[Willy38]

Would love to end up at Penn, really excited about applying!

 

[Temerit]

Stoked about sending an application here. Penn rejected me for UG, but here's to hoping I can make a stronger case to Perelman.

 

[Copernicium]

Secondary e-mail received just now

 

[Tappinfool66]

Got the secondary email a little while ago 🙂 Gonna try and submit it by tonight, tomorrow at the latest. Perelman seems like a great school and while it's a bit of a long shot for me (I don't have any research experience) I'm crossing my fingers.

 

[phunky]

Looks like Penn doesn't give you secondary access until they receive your LORs.

 

[bluemachine]

Looks like Penn doesn't give you secondary access until they receive your LORs.

@phunky i dont think so. i got the secondary and my LORS arent in yet

 

[phunky]

@phunky i dont think so. i got the secondary and my LORS arent in yet

I got the secondary, but it won't let me access the website. It specifically says they're waiting for my LORs.

 

[bluemachine]

I got the secondary, but it won't let me access the website. It specifically says they're waiting for my LORs.

err did you try clicking supplemental? the first things are the LORs, but if you scroll down, the rest of the application should be there. my LORs havent been received either but i can still access/fill out the rest of the application

 

[Copernicium]

I got the secondary, but it won't let me access the website. It specifically says they're waiting for my LORs.

I haven't assigned letters on AMCAS yet and I can't access the secondary.

 

[bluemachine]

oh i have them assigned, but not actually received. so maybe thats it?

 

[phunky]

oh i have them assigned, but not actually received. so maybe thats it?

That must be it. I hadn't assigned them yet.

 

[God1st2014]

I am having trouble paying the secondary fee because the page does not redirect to the CyberSource form.... Is anyone else having this problem?

 

[God1st2014]

I am having trouble paying the secondary fee because the page does not redirect to the CyberSource form.... Is anyone else having this problem?

Nvm. I finally got it to work!

 

[MPB]

Any thoughts on how to enter a multi-country abroad trip under the global activities question? One entry or multiple?

 

[Lamel]

For the global activities question, do they mean official activities (such as study abroad program, mission trip) or do they want us to include any experiences abroad (travel)?


Also anyone else feel that a 1000 character limit is ridiculously short? Might as well put "I want to be an MD and you are a good school."

 

[Emeryx09]

.

 

[intlerror]

For the economic hardships question, are they looking for current/recent ones or any hardships ever? My family is an immigrant family and when we first moved over here we were basically sustained by my father's grad school stipend. It wasn't disastrous or anything but we did have to scrape to get by...would this be worth mentioning?

 

[Lamel]

For the economic hardships question, are they looking for current/recent ones or any hardships ever? My family is an immigrant family and when we first moved over here we were basically sustained by my father's grad school stipend. It wasn't disastrous or anything but we did have to scrape to get by...would this be worth mentioning?

It says "experienced" so that should count.

 

[jncz]

Also anyone else feel that a 1000 character limit is ridiculously short? Might as well put "I want to be an MD and you are a good school."

It's very short but I don't think it's ridiculous. It seems to me like they would want a concise no bs answer with just enough space for a bit of specifics.

 

[alabamy]

1

 

[Lamel]

It's very short but I don't think it's ridiculous. It seems to me like they would want a concise no bs answer with just enough space for a bit of specifics.

I suppose ridiculous is not the best word to use. Maybe I just like expanding a bit on these; 1000 characters has been the shortest I have seen yet.

 

[Laureatebarrel]

Quick question, would scholarships received at school be considered "state, regional or national organization"? I feel like repeating my AMCAS again.

 

[gettheleadout]

Hi everyone,

what does it mean to be applying "as a couple"? Does this mean married? Why do they include this, what benefit is it to them? Also, is it possible to say we are applying as a couple but should either of us get admitted and the other one not, we would individually still like to attend?
I figured they might put this because if two applicants are very similar on paper (i.e. applicant x and applicant Y who is applying as a couple with applicant Z), they might as well accept the applicant Y if they've already chosen to accept Z and are choosing between X and Y??

It isn't limited to married couples. It is not uncommon for two applicants aiming to continue a long-term relationship to apply to the same schools, and given that both applicants are qualified, some schools will consider this when extending acceptances. It's an attempt at avoiding the two-body problem.

 

[alabamy]

Thank you very much!

 

[slopes23]

Secondary Submitted

 

[Person0715]

Secondary submitted as well! I think out of all the secondary portals I've used so far, Penn's is by far the smoothest and sleekest.

 

[wafflesmd]

Applying here. Does anybody know whether I can submit additional letters to this school that aren't written by faculty members? I have 3 I've already submitted that require the school's requirement, but the application instructions webpage doesn't make it clear whether any additional members have to satisfy the same requirements (i.e. by faculty). Thanks in advance!

This school has a the nicest looking secondary form ever.

 

[trino]

Secondary submitted as well! I think out of all the secondary portals I've used so far, Penn's is by far the smoothest and sleekest.

get used to it (hopefully)! It's not just for the secondary. All the interview information, school information after acceptance, and orientation info come through the same portal. It's so convenient to have everything in one place

 

[gettheleadout]

Secondary submitted and instantly complete! Very nice.

 

[gettheleadout]

I think out of all the secondary portals I've used so far, Penn's is by far the smoothest and sleekest.

On that note, anyone else notice that Emory's and Columbia's are the same exact interface?

 

[wheredidyoufind]

I suppose ridiculous is not the best word to use. Maybe I just like expanding a bit on these; 1000 characters has been the shortest I have seen yet.

You think that's ridiculous, for the "describe your activities between graduation and matriculation" question they give you 250 characters; I took FIVE YEARS off. Am I just supposed to list a bunch of verbs?!?

 

[Lamel]

You think that's ridiculous, for the "describe your activities between graduation and matriculation" question they give you 250 characters; I took FIVE YEARS off. Am I just supposed to list a bunch of verbs?!?

Hahahaha. Are you sure its 250 characters not words?

 

[gettheleadout]

Hahahaha. Are you sure its 250 characters not words?

Yeah he's right, I just checked where it truncated what I initially tried to put and it's definitely 250 characters.

 

[Lamel]

Yeah he's right, I just checked where it truncated what I initially tried to put and it's definitely 250 characters.

Wow that's like 3 sentences. Penn really seems to love brevity I suppose, not really a bad thing.

 

[BrownNerd1337]

Quick question, would scholarships received at school be considered "state, regional or national organization"? I feel like repeating my AMCAS again.

I'm trying to find out this same thing. Anyone have an idea?

 

[FFH]

Hey everyone, I'm a current 3rd year in the middle of clinics. Should anyone have any questions I would be more than happy to answer them!

Best of luck to everyone applying!

Hi darkjedi, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. What are some of the things that you appreciate the most about studying at Perelman? What about living in Philly?

 

[Copernicium]

For the global activities question, do they mean official activities (such as study abroad program, mission trip) or do they want us to include any experiences abroad (travel)?

Also wondering about this.

 

[onceawolverine]

Quick question, would scholarships received at school be considered "state, regional or national organization"? I feel like repeating my AMCAS again.

I'm trying to find out this same thing. Anyone have an idea?

I checked with my advisor regarding that exact question. She said NOT to include stuff from school. This question appears to specifically target state/regional/national orgs, and not a university/college. For example, one of mine was a pat-on-the-back award from a local hospital in recognition of my volunteer service, so I included that. But college honors/academic awards don't seem to count.

Of course, my advisor and I could be completely wrong. In the end, go with your gut. I'm just saying what I put.