2015-2016 University of Pittsburgh Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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Those (few) who have interviewed already, what options did you choose for getting from the PIT airport to the school area? How reliable was the bus schedule? For current students-- is it safe to walk at night to/from bus stops?
 
Heisenberg 41 said:
According to USNWR:
Applied: 5534
Interviews: 859
Accepted: 348
Matriculated: 147
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So I was looking back through this thread for the above numbers, and they don't seem too crazy--but why does it feel like there are SO MANY II granted on this thread? Just curious, as I'm watching a few threads and it feels like so many folks on this thread have gotten II. Maybe something self-selecting about this group?
 
bumblebee611 said:
So I was looking back through this thread for the above numbers, and they don't seem too crazy--but why does it feel like there are SO MANY II granted on this thread? Just curious, as I'm watching a few threads and it feels like so many folks on this thread have gotten II. Maybe something self-selecting about this group?
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It's because Pitt, unlike most of the schools (at least of those to which I applied), concludes interviews in December and makes decisions in all cases by January. They are essentially on an accelerated schedule, so they're just MUCH further along in terms of the numbers of interviews released at this point in the cycle.
 
kbird said:
It's because Pitt, unlike most of the schools (at least of those to which I applied), concludes interviews in December and makes decisions in all cases by January. They are essentially on an accelerated schedule, so they're just MUCH further along in terms of the numbers of interviews released at this point in the cycle.
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Makes sense! Thanks!
 
meant4med said:
Those (few) who have interviewed already, what options did you choose for getting from the PIT airport to the school area? How reliable was the bus schedule? For current students-- is it safe to walk at night to/from bus stops?
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I drove, but I got in the night before and walked around the area. It seemed like there were a ton of people out and at no point did I feel unsafe.
 
Mr. Beefy Lion said:
Any inside info on what to expect? I'm nervous for first interviews lol
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It was SO RELAXED. Like, I over prepared to an embarrassing extent. Literally the only thing I am worried about it how conversational/chill my student interview was; I'm concerned I should have acted a bit more reserved. Overall, great day--both students and faculty left a great impression.
 
starlite911 said:
It was SO RELAXED. Like, I over prepared to an embarrassing extent. Literally the only thing I am worried about it how conversational/chill my student interview was; I'm concerned I should have acted a bit more reserved. Overall, great day--both students and faculty left a great impression.
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Did you end up getting paired with a faculty member in one of your fields of interest? Also, were you asked ethics/medical issues questions?
 
starlite911 said:
It was SO RELAXED. Like, I over prepared to an embarrassing extent. Literally the only thing I am worried about it how conversational/chill my student interview was; I'm concerned I should have acted a bit more reserved. Overall, great day--both students and faculty left a great impression.
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IMO, student interviews are better when they are more conversational. I want to know whether or not you'd be a good fit at Pitt Med.

I never asked "difficult" questions, but some of my colleagues may have. Beyond a certain point, it's up to the individual interviewer. Don't read too much into things or you'll drive yourself crazy!

Good luck all!
 
CellPowerhouse said:
Did you end up getting paired with a faculty member in one of your fields of interest? Also, were you asked ethics/medical issues questions?
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Nope not one of my fields! I feel like most interviewees did not, out of the 12 who were there. I wasn't asked any ethical questions explicitly, but the conversation with the faculty member turned towards it a bit, because I was interested in hearing more about the issues she dealt with in her speciality (palliative care). Ethics could have easily been avoided if I didn't bring it up though!
 
starlite911 said:
Nope not one of my fields! I feel like most interviewees did not, out of the 12 who were there. I wasn't asked any ethical questions explicitly, but the conversation with the faculty member turned towards it a bit, because I was interested in hearing more about the issues she dealt with in her speciality (palliative care). Ethics could have easily been avoided if I didn't bring it up though!
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Thank you so much for your input! Best of luck with the rest of your cycle, maybe we'll cross paths someday at Pitt!
 
meant4med said:
Those (few) who have interviewed already, what options did you choose for getting from the PIT airport to the school area? How reliable was the bus schedule? For current students-- is it safe to walk at night to/from bus stops?
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Students have told me to use the 28x flyer from the airport (costs $3.75 and drops you off right at Pitt med area). I'll be trying it myself today
 
wanderyonder said:
Students have told me to use the 28x flyer from the airport (costs $3.75 and drops you off right at Pitt med area). I'll be trying it myself today
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Good luck on your interview!!! I'll be making the trip next week, let me know how the bus route/walking goes if you get a chance!
 
Interviewing here in October (OOS, LizzyM 72-73, complete mid-late July). Anyone know anything about the PSTP application process? Do you apply after the MD interview or only if you have already been accepted to the regular MD program?
 
ElanaSilogram said:
Interviewing here in October (OOS, LizzyM 72-73, complete mid-late July). Anyone know anything about the PSTP application process? Do you apply after the MD interview or only if you have already been accepted to the regular MD program?
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They talk about it briefly during the interview day and there is a signup sheet in the admissions office for anyone interested
 
meant4med said:
Good luck on your interview!!! I'll be making the trip next week, let me know how the bus route/walking goes if you get a chance!
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The bus is pretty nice! Takes a little longer (an hour vs. 30 min) from the airport. It passes right through the Pitt medical area, but you may want to confirm that the place you're staying has a stop nearby (use google maps). They only take cash, exact change only, so bring coins. It comes every half hour, 6am-midnight. I took it both there and back without a problem.
 
wanderyonder said:
The bus is pretty nice! Takes a little longer (an hour vs. 30 min) from the airport. It passes right through the Pitt medical area, but you may want to confirm that the place you're staying has a stop nearby (use google maps). They only take cash, exact change only, so bring coins. It comes every half hour, 6am-midnight. I took it both there and back without a problem.
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That's great to hear, makes me a little less nervous! How did your interview go?
 
I was completed way back in mid-July, is the interview season more or less booked or is there still a chance for an II?
 
Ox King said:
I was completed way back in mid-July, is the interview season more or less booked or is there still a chance for an II?
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It's not even close to booked! Hang in there, you still have a long while. They conduct interviews until end of December I believe (don't quote me on that)
 
I am going to stay cautiously optimistic. Looking at past threads, fall II's were typically reserved for superstars applying late, although I did see someone complete in July receive an II in September in one of the older threads.
 
loquaciouslem said:
II today! I'd totally committed to the inevitable rejection letter headed my way--I was complete mid-July. Not sure if my application took longer to process because I'm a reapp, but I'll take it!
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Thank you for giving people like me hope!
 
My interview day was somewhat of a let down :/ The school was great, and I still think it's in my top 5 but the students/staff were just...not inspiring. I didn't feel like they really cared that much about us interviewing there.
 
EbolaOnMyMind said:
My interview day was somewhat of a let down :/ The school was great, and I still think it's in my top 5 but the students/staff were just...not inspiring. I didn't feel like they really cared that much about us interviewing there.
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Inquiring minds want to know?? Do you have an example?? Are you comparing this to other interviews? Some schools really do go all out, with the rah rah rah, we are leaders and best, blah blah blah.
 
To offer a different perspective: I was bombarded with kindness and enthusiasm. I had 5 or 6 current students stop me in the hallway to ask if they could help me get to where I'm going or just to say good luck on my interview. They gave a tour that I think is pretty thorough, took over an hour, and led by an upper level med student who answered a billion questions and talked our ears off too. My student host took me out to dinner and stayed up super late getting to know me and telling me about the school. Both my interviewers were very enthusiastic and engaged, and to me felt very genuinely interested in learning about me and what I'm passionate about. Point is, everyone's experiences are going to be unique and are only really helpful in letting that individual person evaluate the program.
 
It's highly varied depend on the students that you will encounter. Even in my visit, most students are enthusiastic, yet there was one student who was absolutely horrible to talk to - unresponsive, bored, never cracked a smile etc...
 
EbolaOnMyMind said:
My interview day was somewhat of a let down :/ The school was great, and I still think it's in my top 5 but the students/staff were just...not inspiring. I didn't feel like they really cared that much about us interviewing there.
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I interviewed earlier this month, and my experience was the complete opposite. I felt that pretty much everyone we interacted with was extremely welcoming. It was my first interview, and I didn't have anything to compare it to - but my thought at the end of the day was that it would be VERY hard for another school to match the overall enthusiasm. Not trying to challenge you, just offering a different experience/perspective.
 
Hmm, my experience overall during my two interview days (MSTP and MD) were really positive The faculty and many of the current students I talked to were all really, really (like REALLY) nice and all genuinely seemed happy! When I asked if there was anything they didn't like about the school, they all pretty much said no (though there were 1 or 2 things that some people complained about that I didn't think was a big deal). The interview days were super duper chill and Pitt definitely went up on my list of schools after my visit. 🙂
 
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Glazedonutlove said:
What do you mean?
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Rainbow Zebra said:
Inquiring minds want to know?? Do you have an example?? Are you comparing this to other interviews? Some schools really do go all out, with the rah rah rah, we are leaders and best, blah blah blah.
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So, looking back I think that my reaction to the interview day is entirely characterized by the people I saw. I am comparing this to an interview I had about two weeks ago (State school), where I left feeling incredibly elated at the idea of attending were I to be admitted. But I had to take a step back and realize that my sample size for that school was about ~20 (they had about 40 MS1s/MS2s at our lunch there, and our day was filled with student interactions). At Pitt I saw...4 students, including my host. So I recognize that this is not necessarily characteristic of Pitt Med. My student interviewer was alright but really didn't have much to say about the community at UPSOM when I asked him at the end, which sort of underscored a general attitude I felt from the other students I saw. More of an immediate reaction was due to the organization. The entire day seemed thrown together; we were off in small cramped conference rooms and it just seemed like we were more of an after-thought. They didn't really seem excited to have us there. At my other interviews it was so welcoming and we knew that they were interested in us as much as we were interested in them.


Like I said, Pitt is still one of my top choices and reflecting on how uncharacteristic the day could be has let me re-evaluate that. Thanks for pushing me in a better direction SDNers!
 
First year MS1 here. I'm loving it here and could not be more happier with my decision to come to Pitt. I didn't know it was possible but I am really happy studying medicine here. Pitt is still on the up and up and it's easy to see why because we have such a great and responsive admin and progressive atmosphere. We have the best orientation weeks (it's actually two weeks) probably anywhere. We have so much support from faculty and especially senior students. We're super supportive of each other and everyone has such interesting backgrounds and stories to tell. We have a nice Harry Potter house system for support as well. Future students will also benefit from a new student space tower being built currently.
 
How's the weather year-round? Is it overcast and cold a lot (believe it or not, that's something I'm concerned about as a southerner who's never seen snow before and it was a factor in my school choices except for a select few top schools).
 
SurgeonOfLife said:
How's the weather year-round? Is it overcast and cold a lot (believe it or not, that's something I'm concerned about as a southerner who's never seen snow before and it was a factor in my school choices except for a select few top schools).
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh
There's a little climate subsection under the geography tab that has a ton of information. Looks like it definitely gets cold, but nothing too crazy. 41 inches of snow a year though
 
SurgeonOfLife said:
How's the weather year-round? Is it overcast and cold a lot (believe it or not, that's something I'm concerned about as a southerner who's never seen snow before and it was a factor in my school choices except for a select few top schools).
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It's sunny and 72 right now, though it was cloudier early this morning. I wouldn't say it's constant gray clouds like the poster above me though. Yea, most days will have some sort of cloud cover at some point during the day, but the 84% stat includes days with just 25% cloud cover. *shrug*

If you're worried about it being cold, then yes you might not be happy here during the winter. We haven't gotten that much snow in the past couple of years, but you might want to avoid the NE in general if you're worried about snow/cold.
 
First II!! AMCAS verified 8/14, received secondary 8/17, submitted 8/21, II invitation 9/15.
Don't know my LizzyM score since my undergrad science and overall GPA's are different (3.38 and 3.57 respectively according to AMCAS) and SMP grad GPA is 3.8. Old MCAT 31, new MCAT 522. I was hoping my new MCAT score would balance out my not-so-stellar undergrad science GPA. So happy it did!
 
Jody+Tinkles said:
First II!! AMCAS verified 8/14, received secondary 8/17, submitted 8/21, II invitation 9/15.
Don't know my LizzyM score since my undergrad science and overall GPA's are different (3.38 and 3.57 respectively according to AMCAS) and SMP grad GPA is 3.8. Old MCAT 31, new MCAT 522. I was hoping my new MCAT score would balance out my not-so-stellar undergrad science GPA. So happy it did!
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Hoping to hear similar news -- we have almost the same GPAs and MCAT scores - gives me hope!
 
Jody+Tinkles said:
First II!! AMCAS verified 8/14, received secondary 8/17, submitted 8/21, II invitation 9/15.
Don't know my LizzyM score since my undergrad science and overall GPA's are different (3.38 and 3.57 respectively according to AMCAS) and SMP grad GPA is 3.8. Old MCAT 31, new MCAT 522. I was hoping my new MCAT score would balance out my not-so-stellar undergrad science GPA. So happy it did!
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Congrats!! Amazing new MCAT score!
 
Jody+Tinkles said:
Good luck! I have a few C's on my record so it seems that Pitt is willing to look past that to see if you have more to offer, so I think you stand a pretty good chance!
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Just to add: I really think more schools are truly attempting to look holistically. I have a 30 MCAT and a 3.54 science and AO GPA, but I have extensive research experience, leadership, and ECs. I received an interview. Extremely excited and humbled. Never give up.
 
What is the faculty lead small group discussion during the interview?
 
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