2015-2016 University of Chicago (Pritzker) Application Thread

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By marked complete do you mean on the timeline it says marked complete (without the Rec bubble filled in) or complete as in recs were also in


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souled394 said:
By marked complete do you mean on the timeline it says marked complete (without the Rec bubble filled in) or complete as in recs were also in


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
My Recs were just marked complete today and I submitted over a week ago
 
Just to add on to the skiplagged conversation earlier, I've done a lot of research on it in the past and I know a lot about the pros and cons. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions!
 
Stoich53 said:
These adcoms are really fast :0 My letters were added Thursday (so officially complete then I suppose) and I got an II yesterday! Super excited to try deep dish pizza!
Click to expand...
Congrats! When did you submit your secondary and when was your amcas verified, including letters?
My letters were all sent in June, secondary submitted last Tuesday, AMCAS verified last Thursday, but they still haven't uploaded my letters and I'm getting pretty impatient now 🙁
 
wanderyonder said:
Just to add on to the skiplagged conversation earlier, I've done a lot of research on it in the past and I know a lot about the pros and cons. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions!
Click to expand...

Could you summarize when (under what circumstances) it should and should not be used?
 
idontknowwhatnametopick said:
Congrats! When did you submit your secondary and when was your amcas verified, including letters?
My letters were all sent in June, secondary submitted last Tuesday, AMCAS verified last Thursday, but they still haven't uploaded my letters and I'm getting pretty impatient now 🙁
Click to expand...
It took them over a week to upload my letters from when everything was submitted on my end.
 
justadream said:
Could you summarize when (under what circumstances) it should and should not be used?
Click to expand...

Sure thing!

USING SKIPLAGGED TO BOOK FLIGHTS

Pros: Saves money... this one's obvious
Cons:
  • You can NOT check a bag. It will arrive at your destination city without you attachFull194273
  • If you book a round trip ticket and you don't finish your flight the first way there, the airline will automatically cancel your return ticket and you'll be left stranded. So book TWO ONE-WAY TICKETS! super important.
  • You lose any frequent flyer mileage, so don't try to accrue these. (tbh it's hard to accrue miles anyway unless you're exclusively limiting yourself to one airline, so this isn't really a consideration imo)
  • If you abuse this rule too often and they notice, they can ban you from ever flying on their airline... which can be bad if it's someone like United or Delta or any major air carrier. That being said, I haven't run into anyone who has been banned, it's just widespread news that is posted on forums and stuff regarding skiplagged as a risk, so I figured I pass it along
  • The airline has the right to change your layover city because they're only responsible for getting you to your destination. So if you book a flight from LA to CHI to Detroit, and there's a hurricane happening in CHI, they have to right to route you through a different layover city like Minneapolis or something, and then you're screwed for your UChicago interview... This is extremely extremely rare (probably like a 0.01% chance of this happening) but it's still something you should keep in mind. For risk-averse people, it makes a difference.
  • This only works for major cities that have lots of layover flights. Any airport that is a hub (United is based in O'hare, Delta is based in Atlanta, etc.) are likely to be layover cities, which is why this works. It's harder (not impossible though) to find a layover in Boston, for example, because it's too far on the coast.
Those are all the cons I can think of off the top of my head. I might be missing a couple, but if you have more questions just ask me specifics.

Note about Southwest:
It's worth noting that all airlines ban hidden city ticketing except Southwest. That being said, Southwest tickets don't show up in skiplagged (or any other website like expedia or orbitz, for that matter) due to third-party licensing limitations. So you would have to do your own searching if you wanted to look for these flights, which is kind of a hassle unless you know the route well and want to spend time. On top of that, the way that Southwest prices makes it difficult to find cheaper hidden city fares anyway. In other words, it's almost always cheaper to just buy a ticket to Chicago then finding a layover city in Chicago for Southwest.

Regarding the lawsuit...:
The case filed by United and Orbitz (they teamed up against skiplagged) has been dropped, but only because of a technicality, so skiplagged is still up and running. So no need to feel like you're a criminal for doing this. If they or another airline sue skiplagged again, skiplagged won't be allowed to offer these hidden city tickets throughout the process of the litigation, so keep an eye out for the news.

Now the big question: is it worth it???
Personally, I wouldn't use skiplagged unless the difference is >$50 and the flight times are as good as or better than the alternative. The added stress of even the sliiiightest possibility of your flight being moved or being banned from flying starts to distract me from interviews. So I'd rather just pay a small difference and fly at my heart's content. Some would argue it's not worth it at all because interviews are stressful enough. Others would argue it's no big deal... just deal with it and save your money. Personal preference, find what's right for you before you make a decision.


Hope this helps!
 

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wanderyonder said:
Sure thing!

USING SKIPLAGGED TO BOOK FLIGHTS

Pros: Saves money... this one's obvious
Cons:
  • You can NOT check a bag. It will arrive at your destination city without you attachFull194273
  • If you book a round trip ticket and you don't finish your flight the first way there, the airline will automatically cancel your return ticket and you'll be left stranded. So book TWO ONE-WAY TICKETS! super important.
  • You lose any frequent flyer mileage, so don't try to accrue these. (tbh it's hard to accrue miles anyway unless you're exclusively limiting yourself to one airline, so this isn't really a consideration imo)
  • If you abuse this rule too often and they notice, they can ban you from ever flying on their airline... which can be bad if it's someone like United or Delta or any major air carrier. That being said, I haven't run into anyone who has been banned, it's just widespread news that is posted on forums and stuff regarding skiplagged as a risk, so I figured I pass it along
  • The airline has the right to change your layover city because they're only responsible for getting you to your destination. So if you book a flight from LA to CHI to Detroit, and there's a hurricane happening in CHI, they have to right to route you through a different layover city like Minneapolis or something, and then you're screwed for your UChicago interview... This is extremely extremely rare (probably like a 0.01% chance of this happening) but it's still something you should keep in mind. For risk-averse people, it makes a difference.
  • This only works for major cities that have lots of layover flights. Any airport that is a hub (United is based in O'hare, Delta is based in Atlanta, etc.) are likely to be layover cities, which is why this works. It's harder (not impossible though) to find a layover in Boston, for example, because it's too far on the coast.
Those are all the cons I can think of off the top of my head. I might be missing a couple, but if you have more questions just ask me specifics.

Note about Southwest:
Also, it's worth noting that all airlines ban hidden city ticketing except Southwest. That being said, Southwest tickets don't show up in skiplagged (or any other website like expedia or orbitz, for that matter), so you would have to do your own searching if you wanted to look for these flights. On top of that, the way that Southwest prices makes it difficult to find cheaper hidden city fares anyway. In other words, it's almost always cheaper to just buy a ticket to Chicago then finding a layover city in Chicago for Southwest.

Regarding the lawsuit...:
The case filed by United and Orbitz (they teamed up against skiplagged) has been dropped, but only because of a technicality, so skiplagged is still up and running. So no need to feel like you're a criminal for doing this. If they or another airline sue skiplagged again, skiplagged won't be allowed to offer these hidden city tickets throughout the process of the litigation, so keep an eye out for the news.

Now the big question: is it worth it???
Personally, I wouldn't use skiplagged unless the difference is >$50. The added stress of even the sliiiightest possibility of your flight being moved or being banned from flying starts to distract me from interviews. So I'd rather just pay a small difference and fly at my heart's content. Some would argue it's not worth it at all because interviews are stressful enough. Others would argue it's no big deal... just deal with it and save your money. Personal preference, find what's right for you before you make a decision.


Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the long post.

About the checked bag - I thought the regulations were that if you are not on the plane, your bag doesn't go on the plane either.

But I guess you wouldn't be able to claim it (they'd be like...why do you want it now?) at your layover city.
 
If anyone is wondering for a price comparator, I'm flying from the northeast and got round trip non stop tickets from Southwest for 385. Prolly not ideal but given the time constraints of having to depart Chicago late enough to not conflict with my interview but early enough to get to work the next day I'll take it. Skiplagged didn't really have anything significantly better for my situation
 
Haha these discussions about tickets and stuff make me 1) even more anxious/excited about II's haha, and 2) thankful I live within reasonable driving distance.
 
wanderyonder said:
Sure thing!

USING SKIPLAGGED TO BOOK FLIGHTS

Pros: Saves money... this one's obvious
Cons:
  • You can NOT check a bag. It will arrive at your destination city without you attachFull194273
  • If you book a round trip ticket and you don't finish your flight the first way there, the airline will automatically cancel your return ticket and you'll be left stranded. So book TWO ONE-WAY TICKETS! super important.
  • You lose any frequent flyer mileage, so don't try to accrue these. (tbh it's hard to accrue miles anyway unless you're exclusively limiting yourself to one airline, so this isn't really a consideration imo)
  • If you abuse this rule too often and they notice, they can ban you from ever flying on their airline... which can be bad if it's someone like United or Delta or any major air carrier. That being said, I haven't run into anyone who has been banned, it's just widespread news that is posted on forums and stuff regarding skiplagged as a risk, so I figured I pass it along
  • The airline has the right to change your layover city because they're only responsible for getting you to your destination. So if you book a flight from LA to CHI to Detroit, and there's a hurricane happening in CHI, they have to right to route you through a different layover city like Minneapolis or something, and then you're screwed for your UChicago interview... This is extremely extremely rare (probably like a 0.01% chance of this happening) but it's still something you should keep in mind. For risk-averse people, it makes a difference.
  • This only works for major cities that have lots of layover flights. Any airport that is a hub (United is based in O'hare, Delta is based in Atlanta, etc.) are likely to be layover cities, which is why this works. It's harder (not impossible though) to find a layover in Boston, for example, because it's too far on the coast.
Those are all the cons I can think of off the top of my head. I might be missing a couple, but if you have more questions just ask me specifics.

Note about Southwest:
It's worth noting that all airlines ban hidden city ticketing except Southwest. That being said, Southwest tickets don't show up in skiplagged (or any other website like expedia or orbitz, for that matter) due to third-party licensing limitations. So you would have to do your own searching if you wanted to look for these flights, which is kind of a hassle unless you know the route well and want to spend time. On top of that, the way that Southwest prices makes it difficult to find cheaper hidden city fares anyway. In other words, it's almost always cheaper to just buy a ticket to Chicago then finding a layover city in Chicago for Southwest.

Regarding the lawsuit...:
The case filed by United and Orbitz (they teamed up against skiplagged) has been dropped, but only because of a technicality, so skiplagged is still up and running. So no need to feel like you're a criminal for doing this. If they or another airline sue skiplagged again, skiplagged won't be allowed to offer these hidden city tickets throughout the process of the litigation, so keep an eye out for the news.

Now the big question: is it worth it???
Personally, I wouldn't use skiplagged unless the difference is >$50. The added stress of even the sliiiightest possibility of your flight being moved or being banned from flying starts to distract me from interviews. So I'd rather just pay a small difference and fly at my heart's content. Some would argue it's not worth it at all because interviews are stressful enough. Others would argue it's no big deal... just deal with it and save your money. Personal preference, find what's right for you before you make a decision.


Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the info!
I definitely agree with your last point on the price difference.
 
justadream said:
Thanks for the long post.

About the checked bag - I thought the regulations were that if you are not on the plane, your bag doesn't go on the plane either.

But I guess you wouldn't be able to claim it (they'd be like...why do you want it now?) at your layover city.
Click to expand...

Your bag goes from one plane to the next and it's stowed away before the passengers even begin boarding. By the time they realize that you've up and left, your bag will still be in the hull of the plane ready to take off to your "final" destination. With just a 1 day interview (unless you're MSTP), I don't think you'll need to check bags anyway, so I wouldn't mess with it.

jagster92 said:
If anyone is wondering for a price comparator, I'm flying from the northeast and got round trip non stop tickets from Southwest for 385. Prolly not ideal but given the time constraints of having to depart Chicago late enough to not conflict with my interview but early enough to get to work the next day I'll take it. Skiplagged didn't really have anything significantly better for my situation
Click to expand...

That's a good point I didn't mention. You may or may not find good times for these flights. Usually for big cities like Chicago, there are lots of options though, since airlines like United and American loooove to route everything through Chicago. Again, I wouldn't sacrifice being nervous and taking stressful overnight flights to save a few bucks, but to each his/her own.
 
idontknowwhatnametopick said:
Congrats! When did you submit your secondary and when was your amcas verified, including letters?
My letters were all sent in June, secondary submitted last Tuesday, AMCAS verified last Thursday, but they still haven't uploaded my letters and I'm getting pretty impatient now 🙁
Click to expand...

I was verified with all letters in by June and I submitted my secondary around July 7th or so. They do everything manually so it took a long time for them to even add my "paid fee" status, and even longer for LORs. I was getting a bit worried myself but once they added both they reviewed my app basically immediately.

I'm honestly not sure what the best route is though... Whether you should call or just wait out out. I think people in this thread have done both with positive results.

Don't stress though! They haven't forgotten anyone 🙂 Best of luck!
 
Stoich53 said:
I was verified with all letters in by June and I submitted my secondary around July 7th or so. They do everything manually so it took a long time for them to even add my "paid fee" status, and even longer for LORs. I was getting a bit worried myself but once they added both they reviewed my app basically immediately.

I'm honestly not sure what the best route is though... Whether you should call or just wait out out. I think people in this thread have done both with positive results.

Don't stress though! They haven't forgotten anyone 🙂 Best of luck!
Click to expand...
I know they aren't forgetting anyone, I just have a bit of an unfortunate obsession with checking things off lists. Thanks for the extra info 🙂
 
so do people recommend staying with a student host then? seems convenient to stay close to campus so I won't have to worry about transportation from a hotel to the interview in the morning, but I'm arriving pretty late like 10:30 pm the night before, hopefully that wouldn't be a problem for the student?
 
catchmoresun said:
so do people recommend staying with a student host then? seems convenient to stay close to campus so I won't have to worry about transportation from a hotel to the interview in the morning, but I'm arriving pretty late like 10:30 pm the night before, hopefully that wouldn't be a problem for the student?
Click to expand...
Definitely stay with a student host if you're comfortable sleeping on a couch/futon. I don't think the late arrival time will be a big deal for most students.
 
catchmoresun said:
so do people recommend staying with a student host then? seems convenient to stay close to campus so I won't have to worry about transportation from a hotel to the interview in the morning, but I'm arriving pretty late like 10:30 pm the night before, hopefully that wouldn't be a problem for the student?
Click to expand...

If you're arriving at the airport at 10:30p, it might be a good idea to have back up arrangements just in case. Even with a cab that'll put you in Hyde Park at later than 11p. I'm guessing you'll probably want to go to bed right away or pretty close to it, so there really won't be much time for you to talk with whoever you're staying with, which is really the main advantage. But you can put your name in the hosting queue and if you get one, e-mail them to make sure that'll work. If it doesn't, then you have your backup plan. If it does, you can cancel your reservation or whatever your plan was.

Outside of your particular situation, staying with a student host is a huge benefit. I would like to look at the data and see, but I would imagine there's a difference in people who end up being accepted and matriculate and those that don't based on whether or not they stay with a host.
 
Do you guys and gals know if the challenge question is about one moment, or could it be about a long period or lifetime challenge?
 
Just wondering if any MSTP applicants have heard back yet? I was marked complete a while ago but just had my last letter checked in Monday and was wondering how long I can expect to wait before any news!
 
AmICrazy said:
Got my first real reject today from Pritzker. Was complete on July 2nd. Not really sure what the reason is...considering I am extremely non-traditional, I possibly do not meet the class profile, or they didn't know how to evaluate me and maybe my MCAT is way too low (I scored a 34)? Anyway, best wishes to you all! It is a great school!
Click to expand...
We will all be right there with you getting our first rejections from somewhere (along with subsequent rejections) in not too long so don't despair! At least Chicago moves quickly with the decision-making process.
 
How was you community service? At the ucDavis conference the admissions rep mentioned that they don't consider people with no community service since they are huge on it. It is on YouTube if you want to hear what she really said. I'm sorry to hear that though, I'm sure you're a great candidate and student because your statistics are great!
 
VitalBeansprout said:
How was you community service? At the ucDavis conference the admissions rep mentioned that they don't consider people with no community service since they are huge on it. It is on YouTube if you want to hear what she really said. I'm sorry to hear that though, I'm sure you're a great candidate and student because your statistics are great!
Click to expand...
Wrong school thread?
 
NickNaylor said:
It can be either, though most applicants mention a specific episode.
Click to expand...
Ok thank you, my life is just too great and I never have any specific challenges (or more likely that I rationalize them all away by forcing myself to enjoy everything that I do).
 
So I've been complete for two weeks now without a peep... just sent adcom a brief publication update yesterday, which they added to my file. But should I be concerned that the turn around is going so fast for everyone else...? no rejection, no hold, no II....
 
Im not verified yet, and I just received a secondary from them. Is this normal? Do they send out secondaries to everyone??
 
Since UChicago doesn't have a hard cap on the words for their essays, is it alright to go with 440 words instead of 400 on the second (challenge) essay?
 
Tankstah said:
Since UChicago doesn't have a hard cap on the words for their essays, is it alright to go with 440 words instead of 400 on the second (challenge) essay?
Click to expand...
The consensus from before seemed to be that you could go over a bit, so yes that should be alright.
 
I may have shot myself in the foot with this school. I was so undecided on filling out my secondary for this school. I am already below the stats and it's a far reach for me...and my indecision has resulted in waiting 20 days to turn in secondaries. Sighhh....crossed fingers...but thinking this will be my first rejection... :\
 
I'm quite shocked that I haven't been rejected yet Haha. I submitted the secondary the first day possible and was complete on 7/6, so they must have reviewed my app by now!
 
tick_tock_tick_tock said:
So I've been complete for two weeks now without a peep... just sent adcom a brief publication update yesterday, which they added to my file. But should I be concerned that the turn around is going so fast for everyone else...? no rejection, no hold, no II....
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat as you my friend
 
charlie517 said:
I may have shot myself in the foot with this school. I was so undecided on filling out my secondary for this school. I am already below the stats and it's a far reach for me...and my indecision has resulted in waiting 20 days to turn in secondaries. Sighhh....crossed fingers...but thinking this will be my first rejection... :\
Click to expand...
I have not turned mine in either, hoping to send it tonight, do not fret!
 
charlie517 said:
I may have shot myself in the foot with this school. I was so undecided on filling out my secondary for this school. I am already below the stats and it's a far reach for me...and my indecision has resulted in waiting 20 days to turn in secondaries. Sighhh....crossed fingers...but thinking this will be my first rejection... :\
Click to expand...
Tankstah said:
Is waiting 20 days really an application killer?
Click to expand...

I have a friend who submitted his secondaries in October and got in all over the place, both rolling and non-rolling (he's incoming M1 at Stanford now). While submitting early is ideal, it's certainly not a deal-breaker to submit a few weeks later. Will your chances go down? Very marginally. We're all neurotic people here at SDN and want to get everything in on the first few days, but that's certainly not the norm. Submit when you're ready, preferably soon, and do the best you can!
 
Just rejected. I was so excited for this school :/ Oh man, that was my first response too. Now I'm a bit worried about how the rest will go. Is it possible that an outright pre-interview rejection means that I have some huge red-flag? I think I'll call them tomorrow and ask. See if they have any comments.

Edit: received secondary 4/3, submitted 7/15. Rejected in 8 days.

"Dear [my name]:

The Admissions Committees of the Pritzker School of Medicine and the Medical Scientist Training Program have completed their review of your application and have decided not to pursue your application further. Thank you for your interest in the Pritzker School of Medicine and the effort you invested in your application. Best wishes to you as you pursue your interests in medicine."
 
Rejected MSTP.. Ik dosnt necessarily foreshadow rest of cycle, but still not a great way to start out. Very pessimistic now
 
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