2015-2016 University of Pennsylvania (Perelman) Application Thread

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QuantumFlame said:
My understanding is that final determinations for MD financial aid will be made on the 18th, with announcements going out that day or shortly thereafter.

Glad you had a good time at Preview! It was a ton of fun to put on.
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Firstly, thanks for this info, and overall for offering insider insight. Quick question: do you know if there's an established date when award info will be communicated?
 
esabs15 said:
Firstly, thanks for this info, and overall for offering insider insight. Quick question: do you know if there's an established date when award info will be communicated?
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Hi Esabs15, no definite date, but I will say that financial aid will absolutely go out this week. In fact, rumor has it that the scholarship committee met today. Fingers crossed for all you waiting on money info. I remember this was a big source of stress for me around this time in my cycle. 👍
 
My financial aid has been released on my portal but I didn't get an email about it!
 
esabs15 said:
Me too. Just got mine!!!!! I'm completely floored!!! Wow !!!!! 🙂!
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vitaminL said:
Best. School. Ever.
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esabs15 said:
I know!!! I personally was pleasantly surprised! Good luck to everyone else, and I hope everyone's happy with their package.
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So glad it worked out for you all! Hopefully this makes your job in choosing a school that much easier. For those of you for whom this makes the choice even harder, my one unsolicitied piece of advice is to talk to as many people as possible. Current students at all the schools you are considering, admissions staff, faculty etc. Good luck!
 
Has anyone been notified of receiving the 21st Century Scholarship?
 
I know that the answer to this is likely no, but does anyone know if upenn offers merit aid to those accepted off the waitlist. (NYU says they save some scholarships for people off the waitlist so I was wondering if penn had a similar policy)
 
CI45454554 said:
I know that the answer to this is likely no, but does anyone know if upenn offers merit aid to those accepted off the waitlist. (NYU says they save some scholarships for people off the waitlist so I was wondering if penn had a similar policy)
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It has happened in the past! It's definitely possible
 
Anyone started looking for apartments yet? When do people typically start looking, where landlords will allow a move in date of August 1st?
 
gt93 said:
Anyone started looking for apartments yet? When do people typically start looking, where landlords will allow a move in date of August 1st?
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Most places in center city start listing places with an August move in date around June with a few starting in May, so you have a lot of time still!
 
Does anyone know if Penn is giving out iPads this year and, if so, what kind?
 
trino said:
Current MS1 headed into my MS1-MS2 summer. Penn is incredible and after a year I still can't believe I'm here. I'm happy to answer any questions! I may be a little removed from the app process though
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Where does the school stand when it comes to URM applicants?
 
jesussaveslife said:
Where does the school stand when it comes to URM applicants?
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What exactly are you wondering about: The URM community at Penn? The administrative support for URM students? During the admissions cycle, how does the school try and recruit a diverse student body?

I think in general, Penn does a ton to make its URM students feel welcomed and supported. I'd be happy to comment in more detail once I know what your questions/concerns are.
 
Tankstah said:
Is Penn receptive to Letters of Intent if I'm on the waiting list?
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I'm speaking purely as a student, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I would say that a Letter of Intent can't hurt (assuming of course you are honest about it), but it won't magically get you in. My impression is that for most schools, a letter of intent won't do too much to tilt the scales. If I where in your shoes, and were serious about absolutely coming to Penn off the wait list, I would write one and submit it. But I wouldn't expect it to make some drastic different.
 
QuantumFlame said:
I'm speaking purely as a student, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I would say that a Letter of Intent can't hurt (assuming of course you are honest about it), but it won't magically get you in. My impression is that for most schools, a letter of intent won't do too much to tilt the scales. If I where in your shoes, and were serious about absolutely coming to Penn off the wait list, I would write one and submit it. But I wouldn't expect it to make some drastic different.
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I am absolutely 100% committed to Penn if I can get off the wait list. Do you have any tips for writing a letter of intent? And specifically one to Penn?
 
Tankstah said:
I am absolutely 100% committed to Penn if I can get off the wait list. Do you have any tips for writing a letter of intent? And specifically one to Penn?
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Disclaimer: I never wrote a letter of intent. Some general principles I would consider include:

1. Keep it simple and relatively short
2. Highlight why you think Penn is the best match for you
3. Say exactly what you mean: i.e. "If admitted, I will attend"

Found this old thread which you may find useful: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/official-letter-of-intent-letter-of-interest-tips.50676/
 
QuantumFlame said:
Disclaimer: I never wrote a letter of intent. Some general principles I would consider include:

1. Keep it simple and relatively short
2. Highlight why you think Penn is the best match for you
3. Say exactly what you mean: i.e. "If admitted, I will attend"

Found this old thread which you may find useful: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/official-letter-of-intent-letter-of-interest-tips.50676/
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Agreed. A strongly worded letter probably helps for getting off the wait list but is no guarantee and it's definitely not necessary.


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University city vs center city. Where should i live? pros and cons?
 
gt93 said:
University city vs center city. Where should i live? pros and cons?
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I'm an applicant too but grew up in Philly and was a Penn undergrad - here's my take

Center City
Pro:
- Buildings generally nicer/better maintained. Less likely to deal with campus slumlords (a very real issue for my years in w. philly)
- More restaurants, bars, stores. Center city is ostensibly where most of the nightlife among Perelman students is
- Still walkable to campus
- More variety of buildings (big apt buildings, walkups, and everything in between)
- Better able to access the rest of the city by transit/car
Con:
- More expensive (perhaps on the order of ~20%)
- Louder, but Philly is not an objectively loud town
- Proximity to yuppies/business district/tourism (if you're not into that)

West Philly
Pro
- Closer to campus
- A bit more hipster than center city
- Quiet
- More diverse
- Cheaper
- Greener
Con
- Proximity to undergrads
- Further from nightlife scene
- Housing stock seems by and large a bit more run down and tends to be walkups or small apartment buildings
- Fewer grocery stores
- Proximity to some relatively unsafe areas
 
Glashutte32 said:
I'm an applicant too but grew up in Philly and was a Penn undergrad - here's my take

Center City
Pro:
- Buildings generally nicer/better maintained. Less likely to deal with campus slumlords (a very real issue for my years in w. philly)
- More restaurants, bars, stores. Center city is ostensibly where most of the nightlife among Perelman students is
- Still walkable to campus
- More variety of buildings (big apt buildings, walkups, and everything in between)
- Better able to access the rest of the city by transit/car
Con:
- More expensive (perhaps on the order of ~20%)
- Louder, but Philly is not an objectively loud town
- Proximity to yuppies/business district/tourism (if you're not into that)

West Philly
Pro
- Closer to campus
- A bit more hipster than center city
- Quiet
- More diverse
- Cheaper
- Greener
Con
- Proximity to undergrads
- Further from nightlife scene
- Housing stock seems by and large a bit more run down and tends to be walkups or small apartment buildings
- Fewer grocery stores
- Proximity to some relatively unsafe areas
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Pretty spot on I'd say. One more thing to consider is that a majority of the class (~70%) lives in the center city/grad hospital/Rittenhouse/Fitler square area. Pros: close to friends for studying/socializing. No real con to that (at least for me, which is why I live there).
 
QuantumFlame said:
Pretty spot on I'd say. One more thing to consider is that a majority of the class (~70%) lives in the center city/grad hospital/Rittenhouse/Fitler square area. Pros: close to friends for studying/socializing. No real con to that (at least for me, which is why I live there).
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Price is the con ;-)


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Hello, neurotic waitlist comrades.

Last year, the first (and only) report of a waitlist acceptance came on May 13th. And in 2014, the only report was on May 23rd. So maybe within the next week or two things will start moving. Not that Penn really ever has much significant movement, but hey. It's not over till it's over.
 
Dence said:
Hello, neurotic waitlist comrades.

Last year, the first (and only) report of a waitlist acceptance came on May 13th. And in 2014, the only report was on May 23rd. So maybe within the next week or two things will start moving. Not that Penn really ever has much significant movement, but hey. It's not over till it's over.
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I guess this is good news in a sense. Having to wait until June or July would be very painful. At least this way we have a good sense of whether or not we have a realistic shot at coming off the waitlist by the end of May. Thanks for searching through the older threads and sharing those dates! Good luck to you 🙂
 
Dence said:
Hello, neurotic waitlist comrades.

Last year, the first (and only) report of a waitlist acceptance came on May 13th. And in 2014, the only report was on May 23rd. So maybe within the next week or two things will start moving. Not that Penn really ever has much significant movement, but hey. It's not over till it's over.
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As of today, my spot is up for grabs! Good luck all.
 
I asked the office about waitlist movement. Here's what they said...

"There has been some movement with our waitlist, but the overall number has been extremely small. If the Committee finds that they still have seats to fill, they will review applications and the Director will get in touch to have a discussion with the individual to see if coming off of the waitlist makes sense at this point in time. As to how much more movement there will be, it's hard to say, but if there is any, it will be negligible. "
 
Dence said:
I asked the office about waitlist movement. Here's what they said...

"There has been some movement with our waitlist, but the overall number has been extremely small. If the Committee finds that they still have seats to fill, they will review applications and the Director will get in touch to have a discussion with the individual to see if coming off of the waitlist makes sense at this point in time. As to how much more movement there will be, it's hard to say, but if there is any, it will be negligible. "
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Sorry to hear that, man 🙁. Hope it all works out.
 
Has anyone heard anything about the background checks? The portal has a date by which we need to have turned in the forms, but I haven't received any other info about them. Thanks!
 
mscs2014 said:
Has anyone heard anything about the background checks? The portal has a date by which we need to have turned in the forms, but I haven't received any other info about them. Thanks!
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This may be a dumb question, but where can we access these forms? I can't seem to find any online for some reason. Were they mailed (I used my parents address for everything)?
 
CreedThoughts said:
This may be a dumb question, but where can we access these forms? I can't seem to find any online for some reason. Were they mailed (I used my parents address for everything)?
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Precisely my issue. I can't find them either and they weren't mailed to me.
 
I WANT IN at this school SOOOO badly.

Chances are low but it's still not impossible.

Really praying for some news
 
meme12 said:
I WANT IN at this school SOOOO badly.

Chances are low but it's still not impossible.

Really praying for some news
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May be not the best idea to want this school "soooo badly"----your journey will take you where you need to be.
 
Does anyone know if their secondary question that asked

  1. Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? No Yes
    Please describe your activities during this time:

has a character/word limit like the other ones?
 
FootballFoot said:
Does anyone know if their secondary question that asked

  1. Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? No Yes
    Please describe your activities during this time:

has a character/word limit like the other ones?
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I am not sure, but mine was 232 characters with spaces.
 
From The 2014-2015 thread, the first post mentioned it was "250 characters, limit not explicitly stated"

Hope that helps.
 
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