2015-2016 Harvard Medical School Application Thread

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ehh might as well just name it. UW-Madison. go badgers.
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Yeah it's beautiful! The med school is not part of the "main" campus (main campus doesn't really apply since the whole university is spread out over a mile or so). The medical/pharmacy schools and biomedical research centers have their own campus about 2 miles from there.
 
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mojanglez said:
in my case, 50k+
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UCF?
cxra said:
ehh might as well just name it. UW-Madison. go badgers.
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Ah, nice! I don't consider that any old "state school." I think people mean like University of Arkansas or something when they say "state school." UW, U-Dub, UMich, UVA, UCs, are all esteemed and resourced enough that the characterizations don't fit them anymore!
 
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mojanglez said:
arizona state. might be the biggest in the country
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Yeah you're right. USNews data is just outdated. Damn 67k undergrads is like all 8 Ivies put together lol
 
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avgn said:
UCF?

Ah, nice! I don't consider that any old "state school." I think people mean like University of Arkansas or something when they say "state school." UW, U-Dub, UMich, UVA, UCs, are all esteemed and resourced enough that the characterizations don't fit them anymore!
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I don't know.. UW is a state school and proud of it. It's the state's flagship university, people take a lot of pride in it as our state institution.
 
cxra said:
I don't know.. UW is a state school and proud of it. It's the state's flagship university, people take a lot of pride in it as our state institution.
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Well, duh I know it's a public institution. But to me, "state school" has particular characteristics that I don't think fit UW. Things like being unheard of, underfunded, few labs, odds stacked against in the cycle, poor rigor, etc. They're all ****ty generalizations but basically somewhere like UW doesn't fit that at all
 
avgn said:
Well, duh I know it's a public institution. But to me, "state school" has particular characteristics that I don't think fit UW. Things like being unheard of, underfunded, few labs, odds stacked against in the cycle, poor rigor, etc. They're all ****ty generalizations but basically somewhere like UW doesn't fit that at all
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I guess we see the term "state school" differently. I consider it essentially the opposite of what you described. I'm glad we can agree that UW is great!
 
cxra said:
I guess we see the term "state school" differently. I consider it essentially the opposite of what you described. I'm glad we can agree that UW is great!
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:shrug: Yeah, personal biases I guess. I've just never considered my friends who've attended great public colleges to have gone to state schools. These institutions can be ****ing palaces, no more no less than the Ivies
 
justadream said:
You can call them "public ivies."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Ivy
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That is a ridiculous term and I refuse to say it. Personally, I don't care that those same schools are renowned for the amount of research moolah they bring in. I literally don't care. Calling them "Ivy" invokes all the negative connotations that are often associated with elite private schools (well-deserved based on history, I argue, though all of them have reformed drastically since) and there is no reason for that. It also implies that the Ivies have some special thing that these schools also happen to have. No. I don't want to call them any sort of "Ivy League." The education sector needs to stop with the branding nonsense. They are great schools with plentiful resources (broadly defined) for their students to succeed. They are awesome in their own right and deserve their own recognition separate from another set of institutions that historically have shared little in common with them. Ivies can be Ivies and that's perfectly fine, but outstanding state flagships are just that – a set of outstanding public institutions (though private money is gradually taking over, e.g., UVA) that give their students damn good educations at great prices.

Ok I'm done, let's return to HMS-related topics lol
 
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Thanks for sharing. (Aww, a dratini.) I'm from a top 5, applying HST/NP. I am also male. My hobbies include stressing about my future online. I enjoy indoor activities.
 
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felixfelicis said:
Thanks for sharing. (Aww, a dratini.) I'm from a top 5, applying HST/NP. I am also male. My hobbies include stressing about my future online. I enjoy indoor activities.
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It's not NP anymore. Just P :p
 
avgn said:
It's not NP anymore. Just P :p
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Thanks.

Can any current HST students / people who know HST students chime in about their stats? I've heard it's a hugely self-selected bunch, several with PhDs already, many publications, Rhodes, etc. I'm just curious what the typical HST student profile looks like.
 
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I can't log into my account after completing my application. Is this the same for everybody else?
 
FresherAir said:
I can't log into my account after completing my application. Is this the same for everybody else?
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+1

We will probably get automatic admission due to this mental trauma.
 
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II!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also heard back from baylor today. What a swell day.
 
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avgn said:
Noob SDNer is noob? Wow didn't expect HMS to start giving IIs so soon
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Ya I mean seems odd that someone's first 2 posts are getting an acceptance before even attending an interview and then getting the first II at a place like Harvard but I like to give ppl the benefit of the doubt before I judge haha.
 
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The Harvard confirmation email it says "Applications are reviewed by the Committee on Admissions from September through mid-January. Applicants selected for interviews will have been notified by the first week of January. Offers of acceptance will be made from this group. All applicants are notified of our final decision in early March." So....unless Harvard has misleading information (unlikely because it's not even September), this person is most likely a troll of sorts.
 
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Is anyone else having trouble logging into the portal?

Edit: Nevermind. Just read posts above with the same issue.
 
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can't seem to log in either. I emailed them about the issue.
 
LloydChristmas90 said:
The Harvard confirmation email it says "Applications are reviewed by the Committee on Admissions from September through mid-January. Applicants selected for interviews will have been notified by the first week of January. Offers of acceptance will be made from this group. All applicants are notified of our final decision in early March." So....unless Harvard has misleading information (unlikely because it's not even September), this person is most likely a troll of sorts.
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Is this e-mail you're referring to an "application complete" e-mail? I never got one, all I have so far is the "Thank you for your interest in Harvard Medical School. Your HMS Supplemental On-Line Application has been received" e-mail.
 
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The email I was referring to was titled "Order Confirmation". It looks like a receipt, but at the bottom it has a little bit of information about the process. Sorry about the confusion.
 
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LloydChristmas90 said:
The email I was referring to was titled "Order Confirmation". It looks like a receipt, but at the bottom it has a little bit of information about the process. Sorry about the confusion.
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Gotcha, thanks for clarifying!
 
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LloydChristmas90 said:
The email I was referring to was titled "Order Confirmation". It looks like a receipt, but at the bottom it has a little bit of information about the process. Sorry about the confusion.
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Thanks, Hadn't bothered to read the fine prints on a payment receipt. :)
 
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Are there any students that can that talk about family life as a medical student at Harvard? My wife and I have a 15 month old and I'm curious if anybody has any advice about whole process. If there are any current students living in the area, I'd really appreciate your input.
 
I remember my friend was a first year and she was living in what seemed to be the equivalent of a 'freshman dorm,' Vanderbilt Hall. Maybe it was optional though.
 
LloydChristmas90 said:
Are there any students that can that talk about family life as a medical student at Harvard? My wife and I have a 15 month old and I'm curious if anybody has any advice about whole process. If there are any current students living in the area, I'd really appreciate your input.
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Vanderbilt Hall is a pretty much a dorm, with single rooms, shared bathrooms and kitchen, a gym, and common areas (it's actually a perfectly fine place to live). You are not required to live there, though, and my wife and I have a nice apartment off campus. Harvard University has a number of housing options for grad students, couples, and families. Most of them are closer to the main campus in Cambridge. I believe that the closest one to HMS is over at the Trilogy building, about 0.5 miles from HMS. It's a good spot, around the corner from Fenway, but you'll be paying market rates. Most of the married folks that I know in the first-year class tend to live a little farther away in order to keep the rent down. The Harvard housing also has some pet restrictions, so that didn't work for us.

As for children, I can't think of anyone off the top of my head. I believe that a current second-year has a child or two, but they won't be back on campus until next week. Finding affordable child care in Boston will be as difficult as any other urban area. I believe that some of the affiliated hospitals may have some limited child care options, though I suspect that they are expensive and restricted. My impression is that you will need to find a way to take care of your child on your own. (At Columbia, I remember that daycare was available through Presbyterian for about $2k/month. And availability was based on seniority, so med students were at the very bottom of the list.)
 
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the_ajax_kid said:
Vanderbilt Hall is a pretty much a dorm, with single rooms, shared bathrooms and kitchen, a gym, and common areas (it's actually a perfectly fine place to live). You are not required to live there, though, and my wife and I have a nice apartment off campus. Harvard University has a number of housing options for grad students, couples, and families. Most of them are closer to the main campus in Cambridge. I believe that the closest one to HMS is over at the Trilogy building, about 0.5 miles from HMS. It's a good spot, around the corner from Fenway, but you'll be paying market rates. Most of the married folks that I know in the first-year class tend to live a little farther away in order to keep the rent down. The Harvard housing also has some pet restrictions, so that didn't work for us.

As for children, I can't think of anyone off the top of my head. I believe that a current second-year has a child or two, but they won't be back on campus until next week. Finding affordable child care in Boston will be as difficult as any other urban area. I believe that some of the affiliated hospitals may have some limited child care options, though I suspect that they are expensive and restricted. My impression is that you will need to find a way to take care of your child on your own. (At Columbia, I remember that daycare was available through Presbyterian for about $2k/month. And availability was based on seniority, so med students were at the very bottom of the list.)
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Thank you so much for your response. I really appreciate it.
 
Did anyone get a complete email from Harvard or was it just a "your application has be received" email?
 
How long does it take to get a secondary? I still haven't received one from HMS. I was verified 8/13, MCAT scores received & HMS added 8/18, but still at 2 ref letters / 4 in AMCAS (should be resolved by mid-next week).. Are they a bit slower to send them out?
 
bearintraining said:
How long does it take to get a secondary? I still haven't received one from HMS. I was verified 8/13, MCAT scores received & HMS added 8/18, but still at 2 ref letters / 4 in AMCAS (should be resolved by mid-next week).. Are they a bit slower to send them out?
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I transmitted my primary the same day and I haven't got mine yet either
 
Is there a stat for HMS? what are typical matriculating HMS MD/MD-PhD students accomplishments? I'm finishing up to submit bc not applying would mean 100% no , but I am keep getting discouraged...so I would just like to know
 
Any news for those of us waiting for secondaries? I added them to my primary app on Aug 19 and still no secondary. I was verified awhile ago and have all my apps and scores in.
 
tenblackalps said:
Any news for those of us waiting for secondaries? I added them to my primary app on Aug 19 and still no secondary. I was verified awhile ago and have all my apps and scores in.
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I just got mine! Yours will probably be in soon
 
I just received a II from here as well!! The website says applicants will be invited for interviews from August- mid January.
 
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gotime15 said:
I just received a II from here as well!! The website says applicants will be invited for interviews from August- mid January.
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Really?! According to their receipt of payment email: "Applications are reviewed by the Committee on Admissions from September through mid-January." So I'm surprised that they have even started looking at applications...

P.S. Congratulations! :)
 
limeindacoconut said:
Really?! According to their receipt of payment email: "Applications are reviewed by the Committee on Admissions from September through mid-January." So I'm surprised that they have even started looking at applications...

P.S. Congratulations! :)
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Thanks! Yeah when I saw that on here I just rechecked everything because I thought maybe it was some type of horrible prank but it's from HMS :) I have my interview scheduled for the third week in September
 
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