2015-2016 Stanford University Application Thread

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Hey! I'm in your boat. I interviewed on 11 Dec and got the call at around 10pm last night. However I haven't gotten any form of written confirmation of my acceptance... did you also get an email or something, or just the phone call? #paranoid
You should get an admissions packet emailed to you about ~1 week after the call
 
In case this is helpful: Stanford has 16 interview days with 30 people each. You're split into groups for the MMI as you may have seen online. Tomorrow 1/23 is the 12th day. No idea how far along they are with giving out the remaining IIs, though. Hope this helps
 
+1, being an academic physician was a big part of my application so that's the only thing I can think of that has delayed my rejection. Let's see what happens.
 
+1, being an academic physician was a big part of my application so that's the only thing I can think of that has delayed my rejection. Let's see what happens.
Me too! I put I wanted to go into academic medicine. Maybe having a Ph.D. is helping me stay alive?
 
Well given that we know so clearly how many days are left and that there's super duper many spots left, it ain't close to being over yet
 
Well given that we know so clearly how many days are left and that there's super duper many spots left, it ain't close to being over yet
How do you know there's super duper many spots left?
 
Waitlisted.. Interviewed 12/9..

Does Stanford place everyone who isn't accepted on the waitlist?
 
Just placed on the wait list... Interviewed mid December. Looking like California is a no-go this cycle.
 
They did say they have a pretty robust wait list which is not ranked in any form.
 
I've heard that in previous years no one has come off the waitlist
This may seem self-serving but I don't think that is true. I've seen profiles on MD apps of previous years where people have "accepted off waitlist " for Stanford. I don't know how you manage to fill a class that is precisely 90 people unless you see how many people are going to take your offers.
 
I've heard that in previous years no one has come off the waitlist

I believe that was an exception 3 years ago where they more people accepted than they expected, so the waitlist didn't move at all. However, the following years have had waitlist movement. Don't know how much though
 
This may seem self-serving but I don't think that is true. I've seen profiles on MD apps of previous years where people have "accepted off waitlist " for Stanford. I don't know how you manage to fill a class that is precisely 90 people unless you see how many people are going to take your offers.

I believe that was an exception 3 years ago where they more people accepted than they expected, so the waitlist didn't move at all. However, the following years have had waitlist movement. Don't know how much though

This makes me feel a lot better. Ty guys.
 
This may seem self-serving but I don't think that is true. I've seen profiles on MD apps of previous years where people have "accepted off waitlist " for Stanford. I don't know how you manage to fill a class that is precisely 90 people unless you see how many people are going to take your offers.

One alternative could be that they keep interviewing until they get a full class. I know for a fact two years ago someone interviewed in early April and was accepted. I have no idea how they do this--given the amount of people required to run an MMI it doesn't seem like they would do it for just one person. Maybe they just create a new interview date and bring in X more?
 
One alternative could be that they keep interviewing until they get a full class. I know for a fact two years ago someone interviewed in early April and was accepted. I have no idea how they do this--given the amount of people required to run an MMI it doesn't seem like they would do it for just one person. Maybe they just create a new interview date and bring in X more?
The problem with that is that they can't precisely predict how many people they accept are going to actually take up the offer and matriculate until after April 30th. Stanford is a hell of an institution but that also means that they accept plenty of people with other options (scholarships, other great schools closer to home/friends/family, etc.). Every medical school therefore has a notable chunk of accepted students that decide to matriculate elsewhere, and the size of that chunk varies from year to year. So if a school wants exactly 90 (like Stanford), they will inevitably have to pick up students who aren't initially accepted after X number of accepted students choose to go somewhere else. I heard one of their deans say that they make close to 200 admissions offers for each class; theres no reason to think that all of those offers are made before April 30th because you wouldn't magically come out with 90 students every year.

There are some schools that don't have waitlist movement (i.e. Keck). I believe these schools may do something similar to what you mentioned, but I also think schools that do this tend to be more lax on the exact size of the matriculating class.
 
The one year they had excess enrollment was the year they suddenly jumped to 2. Since they have stayed at 2 for 3 years now, they have a better control on predicting yield and admitting per realistic expectations.
 
Has anyone gotten rejected or an II that applied to the biomedical ethics and medical humanities scholarly concentration? I'm just wondering if that has to do with why I haven't heard anything because it is probably less common.
 
Rejected. Completed in July. Good luck all!
 
Has anyone gotten rejected or an II that applied to the biomedical ethics and medical humanities scholarly concentration? I'm just wondering if that has to do with why I haven't heard anything because it is probably less common.
I didn't think Stanford specifically considers you based on this. But I might be wrong
 
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Thank you, that puts my mind at ease. I guess I'm just having a hard time believing that I was actually accepted to Stanford... who woulda thunk it? Have a good night!

That makes me feel so much better also!! After I didn't receive an e-mail following the phone call (and still haven't) I started worrying it was a prank call...I even ended up googling the phone number that called me (thankfully it matched the phone number of the Dean of Admissions...) #paranoidx10000
 
I interviewed on 10/6 and haven't heard back yet. I emailed them and they said they're still reviewing my application. Is anyone else in the same boat? I wish they would just waitlist me already haha the wait is agonizing :/
 
Has anyone gotten rejected or an II that applied to the biomedical ethics and medical humanities scholarly concentration? I'm just wondering if that has to do with why I haven't heard anything because it is probably less common.
I put ethics since I was a philo major. I doubt this has anything to do with getting II, though. People on my interview day were interested in all kinds of SCs
 
I'm interviewing on 1/28/16!
Coming from SoCal. Anybody down to carpool?
Plane tickets are so expensive. I might have to cancel if I don't find a cheaper way to travel.
 
I'm interviewing on 1/28/16!
Coming from SoCal. Anybody down to carpool?
Plane tickets are so expensive. I might have to cancel if I don't find a cheaper way to travel.
Try southwest, they typically have decent flights, at least into San Jose. If not, maybe you could Greyhound it?
 
Try southwest, they typically have decent flights, at least into San Jose. If not, maybe you could Greyhound it?
That's what I was thinking. Another possibility would be to train + bus it. Would probably take me like 14+ hours though.
 
I'm interviewing on 1/28/16!
Coming from SoCal. Anybody down to carpool?
Plane tickets are so expensive. I might have to cancel if I don't find a cheaper way to travel.
You can always play craigslist rideshare roulette!
 
@Sir.SavaLottaLife speaking of scholarships... any thoughts on how medical schools generally view scholarship recipients? If a school thinks you are going to ask for deferred matriculation, would that hurt your chance of acceptance?
 
"Most people don't know that yesterday, I narrowly escaped my deranged Craigslist rideshare by disappearing into the crowd at the In-n-Out in Kettleman City, where I stole a uniform and worked a few shifts mopping the floors and peeling potatoes in order to afford a plane ticket here".
Haha I can make that be "an interesting fact about me"
 
Previous years have seen IIs into March-April. Also, see the following: https://med.stanford.edu/md-admissions/how-to-apply/timeline.html.
I have friends who interviewed in late March in previous years. And they were accepted!
Maybe in previous years, but there is a new dean of admissions this year so everything has changed. We were told specifically that there are 16 interview days this year. The 12th just passed and the dates for the 13-15th in Feb were posted in this thread a couple of posts before this. Maybe the 16th is in March nut since revisit weekend is 4/1-4/3, late March and April are not probable interview days.
 
Maybe in previous years, but there is a new dean of admissions this year so everything has changed. We were told specifically that there are 16 interview days this year. The 12th just passed and the dates for the 13-15th in Feb were posted in this thread a couple of posts before this. Maybe the 16th is in March nut since revisit weekend is 4/1-4/3, late March and April are not probable interview days.

What are you? The MD calendar ninja?! :hello:

(shhh I'm procrastinating and currently really into these little smiley faces)
 
@Sir.SavaLottaLife speaking of scholarships... any thoughts on how medical schools generally view scholarship recipients? If a school thinks you are going to ask for deferred matriculation, would that hurt your chance of acceptance?
I'm not sure if I understand the question(s), nor do I feel that I'm the person to ask.
 
I'm not sure if I understand the question(s), nor do I feel that I'm the person to ask.
@Sir.SavaLottaLife speaking of scholarships... any thoughts on how medical schools generally view scholarship recipients? If a school thinks you are going to ask for deferred matriculation, would that hurt your chance of acceptance?
I believe you are thinking of scholarships that require a year of study (i.e. Rhodes). The scholarships I was referring to are from the medical school, like top notch students receiving some percentage or total coverage of tuition or cost-of-attendance on the basis of merit. There are quite a few schools that do this and it often lures students into their program. So there are plenty of people that get into Stanford that have some of these offers from other schools and may decide to go elsewhere with the way cash money funds $$$ are a contributing factor to pretty much everything.

Stanford doesn't give merit aid. That being said, they have very good need-based aid so their graduating debt is still relatively low.

To answer your question, I think someone who gets a Rhodes-like scholar should've probably taken a gap year for several reasons. But I couldn't say whether schools discriminate against students that have indication that they wont attend for a whole year.
 
I interviewed on 10/6 and haven't heard back yet. I emailed them and they said they're still reviewing my application. Is anyone else in the same boat? I wish they would just waitlist me already haha the wait is agonizing :/

I also interviewed on Oct 6. I haven't heard a peep from them either. I know it's hard to wait, but maybe we'll get accepted at the end. That way all of our suffering will not be for naught.
 
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