2015-2016 Harvard Medical School Application Thread

Started by Ismet
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

Browse articles Compare schools My application plan Read Interview Feedback
Practice for interviews Ask an Advisor
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Do we know a rough estimation of how many people get waitlisted? Given my negative perception of my interview experience, and the relatively stellar quality of other applicants who interviewed to myself, I am just praying I make the waitlist at this point haha.
 
I've just been lurking here all cycle, but I need to ask:

Did anyone who interviewed at HMS have a faculty interviewer who said "you don't have to go to Harvard" or "there are other really good medical schools"? I played it cool when my last interviewer said this to me, but have been thinking about it ever since. Totally unprompted, a fellow applicant at another school told me a story about a friend who heard the same thing from a Harvard interviewer last year and then got accepted to HMS. I was stunned.

Does anyone know if this is just some kind of game that Harvard plays with us? Did anyone hear something similar?
 
Enelysion said:
I've just been lurking here all cycle, but I need to ask:

Did anyone who interviewed at HMS have a faculty interviewer who said "you don't have to go to Harvard" or "there are other really good medical schools"? I played it cool when my last interviewer said this to me, but have been thinking about it ever since. Totally unprompted, a fellow applicant at another school told me a story about a friend who heard the same thing from a Harvard interviewer last year and then got accepted to HMS. I was stunned.

Does anyone know if this is just some kind of game that Harvard plays with us? Did anyone hear something similar?
Click to expand...
I don't think that this is something institutional. Harvard seems to give a lot of flexibility to their interviewers. Based on what you said, I interpret that your interviewer was simply trying to give you his genuine advice.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
abcdeffedcba said:
I don't think that this is something institutional. Harvard seems to give a lot of flexibility to their interviewers. Based on what you said, I interpret that your interviewer was simply trying to give you his genuine advice.
Click to expand...
I agree. They can talk about whatever they want. Given the number of pre-meds who dream of going HMS for the name and because it's the "best medical school" according to the rankings, it doesn't shock me that professors (who do not wear rose-colored glasses and understand that Harvard is not the end-all be-all) would try to tone down the image to something more real.
 
carpediem22 said:
I agree. They can talk about whatever they want. Given the number of pre-meds who dream of going HMS for the name and because it's the "best medical school" according to the rankings, it doesn't shock me that professors (who do not wear rose-colored glasses and understand that Harvard is not the end-all be-all) would try to tone down the image to something more real.
Click to expand...

In addition to this, I feel like this may have been your interviewer's way of asking "why this school?" in person, rather than reading it from an application. It would be a good time to show that you have realistic expectations as well as personal characteristics that make you a good fit with Harvard's didactic style and particular strengths/goals/mission. I wouldn't interpret it as a warning sign or anything so concerning haha.
 
Enelysion said:
I've just been lurking here all cycle, but I need to ask:

Did anyone who interviewed at HMS have a faculty interviewer who said "you don't have to go to Harvard" or "there are other really good medical schools"? I played it cool when my last interviewer said this to me, but have been thinking about it ever since. Totally unprompted, a fellow applicant at another school told me a story about a friend who heard the same thing from a Harvard interviewer last year and then got accepted to HMS. I was stunned.

Does anyone know if this is just some kind of game that Harvard plays with us? Did anyone hear something similar?
Click to expand...

I had a pretty similar experience at my HMS interview! My undergrad institution has one of the top medical schools and one of my interviewers spent a lot of the time talking about how great of a med school my current school is...
 
KimPossible said:
I had a pretty similar experience at my HMS interview! My undergrad institution has one of the top medical schools and one of my interviewers spent a lot of the time talking about how great of a med school my current school is...
Click to expand...

There's worse things in the world than for your interviewer to review your application and meet you in person and think "wow, this person would be qualified to attend any number of highly esteemed medical schools" 😛
I'd be surprised if these kinds of statements were made in an effort to draw your hopes of acceptance down. More likely that Harvard is aware that any applicant they interview likely has other offers at extremely appealing schools, and want you to be aware that those options should not be ignored if you feel you would fit better elsewhere.
 
Enelysion said:
I've just been lurking here all cycle, but I need to ask:

Did anyone who interviewed at HMS have a faculty interviewer who said "you don't have to go to Harvard" or "there are other really good medical schools"? I played it cool when my last interviewer said this to me, but have been thinking about it ever since. Totally unprompted, a fellow applicant at another school told me a story about a friend who heard the same thing from a Harvard interviewer last year and then got accepted to HMS. I was stunned.

Does anyone know if this is just some kind of game that Harvard plays with us? Did anyone hear something similar?
Click to expand...
I also had a similar experience with an interviewer that spent a few moments showering me with complements. I've kind of wondered since then whether it was a test of some sort to see how cocky or how humble/modest I am. But I think the more likely scenario is that there are a lot of interviewers and some of them try to very real/down to earth to counter the perception that one may have of HMS (whether it be the #1 ranking or the presumed snobbishness that may come with it).

Like someone mentioned earlier, a genuine interviewer may feel the need to say something like that after seeing many students falling prey to choosing/dreaming about Harvard merely by the name and prestige. Especially if they don't see any other apparent reason for wanting to attend the school. (I got asked about this as well)
 
Last edited:
It would be interesting to check to see where they attended colleges. Some of them who went elsewhere may simply believe that they got where they are without attending Harvard and so can you?
 
The interviewers are just being real with you. Not everything said and done in an interview ties directly with admissions. As @LizzyM has reminded us, the decision is often made within 5-10 minutes of interaction. They were just having a conversation
 
avgn said:
The interviewers are just being real with you. Not everything said and done in an interview ties directly with admissions. As @LizzyM has reminded us, the decision is often made within 5-10 minutes of interaction. They were just having a conversation
Click to expand...
Thats pretty scary to think about. Its hard to imagine the interviewers at schools I have gotten into decided they liked me after the first 10 minutes of each interview. At the same time, its easy to believe that the schools I didn't get into after the interview didn't like me after that same timeframe lol.
 
It's also important to remember that even if you have a fabulous interview and your interviewer really likes you, does not mean that you will be ultimately accepted.
The interviewer can only serve as an advocate in favor of an acceptance for you. An entire committee votes on whether to accept you, and the interviewer's vote is just one vote of many.
This is what my doc shared with me during my interview there. (S)he basically said "Help me help you, tell me how I convince those guys to vote yes for you".
 
So do we have any kind of inkling of when we'll be hearing back? From previous cycles, it's almost certain that sometime next week is judgment day...
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Does anyone know if the HST decision comes out with the New Pathways next week? Aahhhhh such a nervewracking weekend :nailbiting:
 
phuynh94 said:
I think it's much more stressful to have an expected day. I was doing so well thinking that decisions will arrive in a nice, distant future...
Click to expand...
To be honest I hadn't even been thinking about these non-rolling decisions that were looming until I realized it was already the end of February and people started posting in these threads haha. SDN always brings out the inner neuroticism :scared:
 
Enelysion said:
How confident is your friend about that? I believe we were told to expect decisions in the first half of March, but Monday is still February, no?
Click to expand...
He said someone high up on the admissions committee mentioned that decisions are coming out on Monday. There's a possibility that this adcom person is misinformed, but my friend sounded confident about it.
 
Enelysion said:
How confident is your friend about that? I believe we were told to expect decisions in the first half of March, but Monday is still February, no?
Click to expand...
if it wasn't a leap year, Monday would be March 1st so maybe HMS is just going with that. All final decisions have likely been made already so they probably just want to let us know. Just speculation though haha I could be totally wrong +pity+
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Regina_Phalange said:
if it wasn't a leap year, Monday would be March 1st so maybe HMS is just going with that. All final decisions have likely been made already so they probably just want to let us know. Just speculation though haha I could be totally wrong +pity+
Click to expand...
Sorry for making everyone so nervous! I think it's helpful to know which day to stare at my inbox--otherwise I'd spend all of my time looking at my gmail tab.
 
My HMS source could not confirm it is Monday but not because she heard otherwise, only because she just hadn't heard anything. However she said it was very likely since she thought it was going to be a Monday when I first asked her and said I suspected it would be Thursday based on my SDN thread analysis.
 
avgn said:
My HMS source could not confirm it is Monday but not because she heard otherwise, only because she just hadn't heard anything. However she said it was very likely since she thought it was going to be a Monday when I first asked her and said I suspected it would be Thursday based on my SDN thread analysis.
Click to expand...
giphy.gif
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
2025-2026 Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Application
Replies
35
Views
11K
Namingishard
N
chilly_md
2025-2026 Harvard
2 3 4 5
Replies
200
Views
99K
ssdviod2097
ssdviod2097
wysdoc
2025-2026 ASU John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering
4 5 6 7 8
Replies
351
Views
80K
FutureDrGriffi
FutureDrGriffi
wysdoc
2024-2025 Harvard
5 6 7 8 9
Replies
410
Views
217K
iloveharvard
I
chilly_md
2025-2026 New York Medical College
4 5 6 7 8
Replies
371
Views
135K
Zorazk
Z