2015-2016 University of Pennsylvania (Perelman) Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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dreamer659 said:
Is penn receptive to pre interview updates? I feel like after this week they probably wont be sending out anymore IIs. I still don't have the SOD and it's been my top choice for years
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Same boat here; I don't have the SOD, but not liking the prospects here :-(
 
January 20th? Sad. Time to say goodbye to my hopes of returning to a Quaker school!
 
dreamer659 said:
Is penn receptive to pre interview updates? I feel like after this week they probably wont be sending out anymore IIs. I still don't have the SOD and it's been my top choice for years
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I emailed the admissions office with a pre-interview update last week, and they told me to upload it on my portal under "letters" and then "other correspondence." Not sure if they're receptive to them, since I haven't gotten a II, but I figured it's worth a shot!
 
to those who have interviewed:
what is the latest we finish on the day of the interview?
i'm trying to book my flight out but the schedule in the portal went away...
thanks!!
 
p0gono said:
to those who have interviewed:
what is the latest we finish on the day of the interview?
i'm trying to book my flight out but the schedule in the portal went away...
thanks!!
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4PM EST. Good luck on your interview. The school was amazing! You'll love it 😀
 
HeismanMD said:
Thank you! Just got a II! Secondary submitted late July. I have completely embraced the randomness of this application
cycle!
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HeismanMD said:
Thank you! Just got a II! Secondary submitted late July. I have completely embraced the randomness of this application cycle!
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+1. Had SOD first, but for less than a week.
 
ImmunoLove said:
Well it's not an outright rejection but I'm treating it as such at the moment. In a nutshell: I'm a very very unusual applicant and thus only appeal to a certain subset of schools (all schools want "diversity" and people who have "overcome adversity" but both terms are quite variable, and in my case, a bit more extreme than most, which frankly doesn't appeal to many SOMs). I suspect that I'm a little too "out there" for Penn, and they (understandably) have reservations. Why take a chance on me (though honestly I'd argue I'm anything but a risk) when there are other highly qualified, wonderful, passionate applicants? I completely understand why I would not appeal to such an excellent school in light of so many exceptional applicants. That said, I'd also argue I'm a rare kind of bad-ass (just not for everyone...). Not sure if that clarified things...
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Stop your nonsense. Each candidate is unique and has something to offer. I'd rather have a student who understands the hardship of life than someone whose life has been easy. Penn is no 'dummy'. If they see your grit they may like you. Keep your chin up.
 
HopefulERDoc2016 said:
Stop your nonsense. Each candidate is unique and has something to offer. I'd rather have a student who understands the hardship of life than someone whose life has been easy. Penn is no 'dummy'. If they see your grit they may like you. Keep your chin up.
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I don't quite understand what you're saying. I would like to point out that I certainly don't think penn is a dummy-- I was merely stating that I'm not surprised at the SOD as I may not be viewed by them as a good fit. Please feel free to clarify if you'd like.
 
ImmunoLove said:
I don't quite understand what you're saying. I would like to point out that I certainly don't think penn is a dummy-- I was merely stating that I'm not surprised at the SOD as I may not be viewed by them as a good fit. Please feel free to clarify if you'd like.
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I was merely reacting to the pity I felt I read in your statement. I think you are selling yourself short. That is all. You perceive your hard knocks as a not a good fit. Why??? Because Penn is Ivy League? Are they too good for the person you perceive yourself to be? I don't mean to be offensive. I am trying to get you to see that what you may have gone through may be very valuable, even to a school like Penn.
 
HopefulERDoc2016 said:
I was merely reacting to the pity I felt I read in your statement. I think you are selling yourself short. That is all. You perceive your hard knocks as a not a good fit. Why??? Because Penn is Ivy League? Are they too good for the person you perceive yourself to be? I don't mean to be offensive. I am trying to get you to see that what you may have gone through may be very valuable, even to a school like Penn.
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Awe thanks! That's quite sweet and very much appreciated. Certainly I've learned to respect that I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but perhaps I could be better at advocating and believing in myself. Thank you. 🙂
 
ImmunoLove said:
Awe thanks! That's quite sweet and very much appreciated. Certainly I've learned to respect that I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but perhaps I could be better at advocating and believing in myself. Thank you. 🙂
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That's right. Get your confidence together BEFORE med school. The world of medicine is a dog fight with your inner self among many things. If you can't see yourself as worthy regardless of your background you need to find something else to do. Becoming a doc will eat at you like the plague with every exam, every rotation, every patient. You will question your worthiness at every turn. In addition to good grades you need to have a healthy and confident view of what you have to offer. They never teach you that in premed courses, do they. Were you homeless? Well now you will understand better the plight of them! Did you go to subpar schools? Well then you understand the value of education! All your experiences taught you something. When/if you interview bring THOSE things out. Be proud of the off road education you received. Not everyone gets to come through it and apply to med school. Really, you have something to teach and give to others. Pep talk over. Now go study something.
 
HopefulERDoc2016 said:
That's right. Get your confidence together BEFORE med school. The world of medicine is a dog fight with your inner self among many things. If you can't see yourself as worthy regardless of your background you need to find something else to do. Becoming a doc will eat at you like the plague with every exam, every rotation, every patient. You will question your worthiness at every turn. In addition to good grades you need to have a healthy and confident view of what you have to offer. They never teach you that in premed courses, do they. Were you homeless? Well now you will understand better the plight of them! Did you go to subpar schools? Well then you understand the value of education! All your experiences taught you something. When/if you interview bring THOSE things out. Be proud of the off road education you received. Not everyone gets to come through it and apply to med school. Really, you have something to teach and give to others. Pep talk over. Now go study something.
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I think you've got the pep talk down. I will say that I do think I bring something valuable to the field, I don't question my worthiness and I'm not worried it'll beat me down-- life lessons have taught me to rise. Despite my arduous path, I am now a rather successful researcher/dept chair in a large medical center. I do consider myself a badass. I didn't feel any self pity with Upenn, but just the understanding that I am not what they're looking for. Though I maintain a (modestly) confident view of myself, I still think not every school is going to be keen on me, and neither do they need to-- I just need one to make it happen. 🙂
 
ImmunoLove said:
I think you've got the pep talk down. I will say that I do think I bring something valuable to the field, I don't question my worthiness and I'm not worried it'll beat me down-- life lessons have taught me to rise. Despite my arduous path, I am now a rather successful researcher/dept chair in a large medical center. I do consider myself a badass. I didn't feel any self pity with Upenn, but just the understanding that I am not what they're looking for. Though I maintain a (modestly) confident view of myself, I still think not every school is going to be keen on me, and neither do they need to-- I just need one to make it happen. 🙂
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Ah, I would have never guessed you were all that from that first post I replied to. Good for you. And you are right, you only need ONE school to show you some love. Good luck to you. Ill be curious to see where you end up.
 
HopefulERDoc2016 said:
That's right. Get your confidence together BEFORE med school. The world of medicine is a dog fight with your inner self among many things. If you can't see yourself as worthy regardless of your background you need to find something else to do. Becoming a doc will eat at you like the plague with every exam, every rotation, every patient. You will question your worthiness at every turn. In addition to good grades you need to have a healthy and confident view of what you have to offer. They never teach you that in premed courses, do they. Were you homeless? Well now you will understand better the plight of them! Did you go to subpar schools? Well then you understand the value of education! All your experiences taught you something. When/if you interview bring THOSE things out. Be proud of the off road education you received. Not everyone gets to come through it and apply to med school. Really, you have something to teach and give to others. Pep talk over. Now go study something.
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*Drops mic* Real talk there. Real talk. But really, that's so true. Thanks for the comment!
 
shoopshoop said:
SOD and late december - guess i have to say goodbye to penn. this one stings, i worked here for a summer and a semester and really enjoyed my time there.
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I really feel you there. Everything will work itself out. Just don't give up hope. If not this school, there is another awesome school. If not this school this year, maybe this school next year. If not this school for med school, maybe you'll be here for residency/faculty position. You just never know. Keep your chin up, and be proud of how far you've gotten. We're all in this together. 🙂
 
shoopshoop said:
SOD and late december - guess i have to say goodbye to penn. this one stings, i worked here for a summer and a semester and really enjoyed my time there.
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I really feel you there. Everything will work itself out. Just don't give up hope. If not this school, there is another awesome school. If not this school this year, maybe this school next year. If not this school for med school, maybe you'll be here for residency/faculty position. You just never know. Keep your chin up, and be proud of how far you've gotten. We're all in this together. 🙂
 
What about people on the waiting list from last year? I heard that they look at the waiting list from the year before prior to looking at the candidates. Is that true?
 
This is what I have under my portal
The Committee on Admissions reviewed your application but has not invited you for an interview at this time. Additional reviews will occur and any change in your status will be communicated to you.

I am assuming it is a NO from Penn 🙁
 
dermocrat88 said:
This is what I have under my portal
The Committee on Admissions reviewed your application but has not invited you for an interview at this time. Additional reviews will occur and any change in your status will be communicated to you.

I am assuming it is a NO from Penn 🙁
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That is the statement of death. SOD
 
If we don't have the SOD at this point then what does that mean?! They are basically done interviewing right?
 
There is still possibility of II after the SOD, but it is getting quite late...
 
How do we go about sending Penn our transcripts from last semester (post-interview)?

EDIT: Do we even need to?
 
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Is AOA based on preclinical grades here? I assume it would be because of the grading system.

Also, if the answer to the above question is "yes,"

1) Do grades during the pass/fail portion of preclinicals count toward AOA?
2) Is AOA based on the actual number you score (e.g., scoring 99% would be better than scoring 98%)) or just the category you place in (so Honors would be better than Pass but all grades that count as "Honors" would be considered equal)?
 
justadream said:
Is AOA based on preclinical grades here? I assume it would be because of the grading system.

Also, if the answer to the above question is "yes,"

1) Do grades during the pass/fail portion of preclinicals count toward AOA?
2) Is AOA based on the actual number you score (e.g., scoring 99% would be better than scoring 98%)) or just the category you place in (so Honors would be better than Pass but all grades that count as "Honors" would be considered equal)?
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New brand of SDN gunners are born 😛
 
justadream said:
Is AOA based on preclinical grades here? I assume it would be because of the grading system.

Also, if the answer to the above question is "yes,"

1) Do grades during the pass/fail portion of preclinicals count toward AOA?
2) Is AOA based on the actual number you score (e.g., scoring 99% would be better than scoring 98%)) or just the category you place in (so Honors would be better than Pass but all grades that count as "Honors" would be considered equal)?
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Oh come on.

1) yes, getting honors marginally affects chances at AOA.

2) it's an insignificant portion of the AOA percentage. It's literally the easiest thing ever to get honors in pre-clinicals. No percentage in the honors category does not alter anything... 90%=100%, there's no difference.
 
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Second version of Status of Death:

"Complete - Additional Application Update
Your application continues to be reviewed but there is no change in your status. Reviews will continue.
ALL ADMISSIONS DECISIONS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY MARCH 15."

Is Penn even sending IIs still?
 
They end interviews 1/20 so everyone is done
 
bearintraining said:
Second version of Status of Death:

"Complete - Additional Application Update
Your application continues to be reviewed but there is no change in your status. Reviews will continue.
ALL ADMISSIONS DECISIONS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY MARCH 15."

Is Penn even sending IIs still?
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SOID...Status of Impending Doom
 
bearintraining said:
Second version of Status of Death:

"Complete - Additional Application Update
Your application continues to be reviewed but there is no change in your status. Reviews will continue.
ALL ADMISSIONS DECISIONS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY MARCH 15."

Is Penn even sending IIs still?
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So I'm pretty sure they're done sending out invites but my status still says I'm in the screening process / I never got the SOD. Just thought I'd throw another data point out there
 
p0gono said:
any1 else think it's funny that Penn is the only place that doesn't give out a pen on interview day
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Neither does UVA. They literally give you nothing, not even a folder 🤣. Not complaining, just think it is funny. Got some pretty sweet dessert though. haha. I've taken some joy in collecting the pens at the places I've gone to, ill say that. A hat is something I haven't heard yet though!
 
RunnerforLife14 said:
Neither does UVA. They literally give you nothing, not even a folder 🤣. Not complaining, just think it is funny. Got some pretty sweet dessert though. haha. I've taken some joy in collecting the pens at the places I've gone to, ill say that. A hat is something I haven't heard yet though!
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The nicest hat!
 
Rejected here as well! Submitted the secondary on 7/30, and noticed the SOD mid-November. Best of luck to those in the running!
 
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