2020-2021 Pittsburgh

[med112]

You got a letter in the mail?

ah to clarify i saw that a letter is coming in the mail from Pitt Med via the usps so not sure what it is yet- maybe just general information?

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[HumanAfterAll]

Random question, but how did you A and/or WL folks feel like you did on VITA?

absolute garbage lol. WL here but A at another school that required VITA.

 

[crossstr]

absolute garbage lol. WL here but A at another school that required VITA.

+1

 

[burgh-dude]

Have accepted applicants received a letter in the mail? Are we supposed to expect one?

 

[deleted1038508]

Have accepted applicants received a letter in the mail? Are we supposed to expect one?

Why? Haha wanna frame it?

 

[plsletmein2021]

I interviewed in November and haven't heard back yet? Is this common?

 

[BullBearMan]

I interviewed in November and haven't heard back yet? Is this common?

Did you check your portal? That is how they released decisions.

 

[plsletmein2021]

Did you check your portal? That is how they released decisions.

Oh I found it. I got waitlisted :/

 

[frenchfries7]

Have accepted applicants received a letter in the mail? Are we supposed to expect one?

Haven't got a letter yet or Pitt being shown in my CYMS tool on AAMC

 

[letmebeanMDpls]

has anyone ever tried asking about where they are on the WL? How do we know they dont tell us?

 

[HumanAfterAll]

has anyone ever tried asking about where they are on the WL? How do we know they dont tell us?

might not be disclosed

 

[Rheopecty]

has anyone ever tried asking about where they are on the WL? How do we know they dont tell us?

We know they don't tell us because they instituted this policy in 2018.

 

[deleted899789]

For those who sent in a letter of intent, did they respond to your email, or did they only note its receipt on the application page?

 

[lanadelgay124]

For those who sent in a letter of intent, did they respond to your email, or did they only note its receipt on the application page?

Just noted its receipt!

 

[Rheopecty]

For those who sent in a letter of intent, did they respond to your email, or did they only note its receipt on the application page?

Main Adcom email did not respond, but it was uploaded on the portal. Dean Piraino (I CC'ed/addressed her) replied with an impartial thank you about 10 days later.

 

[tunaktunak]

For those who sent a letter of intent, did you put the letter in the email body or as an attached .pdf?

 

[anud123]

For those who sent a letter of intent, did you put the letter in the email body or as an attached .pdf?

I attached a pdf and just had a short paragraph in the body of the email!

 

[deleted899789]

For those who sent a letter of intent, did you put the letter in the email body or as an attached .pdf?

I think they ask for pdf on their website

Edit: or maybe not... either way, a pdf is more formal

 

[PreMed352]

Any word on whether 2nd Look may be in person or not?

 

[letmebeanMDpls]

who else who was WL got a letter in the mail?

 

[H2P13]

who else who was WL got a letter in the mail?

+1

 

[fianchetto_]

+1

What does the letter say?

 

[lanadelgay124]

who else who was WL got a letter in the mail?

Not yet! is it just a "congrats, you've been WL'd?"

 

[456432]

Compared to other T20s, do you guys think Pitt has more or around the same amount of WL movement? Seems like a LOT of people love Pitt but it might just be the sampling bias of SDN?

 

[lanadelgay124]

Compared to other T20s, do you guys think Pitt has more or around the same amount of WL movement? Seems like a LOT of people love Pitt but it might just be the sampling bias of SDN?

I think it's comparable to other T20s outside of the T10; as in, pretty decent. Also, I think people posting on these threads generally love the school we're posting about, so probably a bit of sampling bias!

 

[bigdawg45]

Borderline disrespectful to send a WL letter lol.

 

[Rheopecty]

Borderline disrespectful to send a WL letter lol.

What....no it's not.

 

[letmebeanMDpls]

Not yet! is it just a "congrats, you've been WL'd?"

just saying yeah that at this time, they decided to place me on the waitlist

 

[lanadelgay124]

just saying yeah that at this time, they decided to place me on the waitlist

Ah yes. They did indeed.

 

[Sampats]

Hey guys! Pitt is a dream school of mine and wanted to ask if you guys think I have a realistic chance of getting in next cycle? I'm ORM and OOS

Cumulative: 3.86
Science: 3.77

Freshman: 3.57/3.4
Sophomore: 3.95/4.0
Senior: 4.0/4.0

MCAT: 521

*I graduated in three years with an upward trend as shown above*

Activities Summary:

Clinical Volunteering: 1,210 Hours
Non-Clinical Volunteering: 1,475 Hours
Shadowing: 247 Hours (Nephrology, Neurosurgery, General Surgery, Pediatrics)
Research: 4,720 Hours
3 Posters (All presented at national conferences)
*6 Publications (4 First Authors)*
Music Teacher (700+ Hours)

*I think my 6 publications with 4 first-author publications is my strong factor that can hopefully get me some interviews at the top 20s.*

 

[Rheopecty]

Hey guys! Pitt is a dream school of mine and wanted to ask if you guys think I have a realistic chance of getting in next cycle? I'm ORM and OOS

Cumulative: 3.86
Science: 3.77

Freshman: 3.57/3.4
Sophomore: 3.95/4.0
Senior: 4.0/4.0

MCAT: 521

*I graduated in three years with an upward trend as shown above*

Activities Summary:

Clinical Volunteering: 1,210 Hours
Non-Clinical Volunteering: 1,475 Hours
Shadowing: 247 Hours (Nephrology, Neurosurgery, General Surgery, Pediatrics)
Research: 4,720 Hours
3 Posters (All presented at national conferences)
*6 Publications (4 First Authors)*
Music Teacher (700+ Hours)

*I think my 6 publications with 4 first-author publications is my strong factor that can hopefully get me some interviews at the top 20s.*

T20 admissions are random, but you have a fair shot at any research-heavy T20, not just Pitt.

 

[Sampats]

T20 admissions are random, but you have a fair shot at any research-heavy T20, not just Pitt.

Thank you so much for your message! Do you think adcoms will look over my freshman grades because I showed a huge upward trend?

 

[Rheopecty]

Thank you so much for your message! Do you think adcoms will look over my freshman grades because I showed a huge upward trend?

"Look over", I mean did you get a C or lower in a prereq course? If not, then you benefit from upward trend,

Just do a WAMC and Goro/Faha will give you a balanced school list to add if T20s burn you (OSU, Case, etc.).

 

[lanadelgay124]

Thank you so much for your message! Do you think adcoms will look over my freshman grades because I showed a huge upward trend?

Yes.

 

[PoorProspects]

Hey guys! Pitt is a dream school of mine and wanted to ask if you guys think I have a realistic chance of getting in next cycle? I'm ORM and OOS

Cumulative: 3.86
Science: 3.77

Freshman: 3.57/3.4
Sophomore: 3.95/4.0
Senior: 4.0/4.0

MCAT: 521

*I graduated in three years with an upward trend as shown above*

Activities Summary:

Clinical Volunteering: 1,210 Hours
Non-Clinical Volunteering: 1,475 Hours
Shadowing: 247 Hours (Nephrology, Neurosurgery, General Surgery, Pediatrics)
Research: 4,720 Hours
3 Posters (All presented at national conferences)
*6 Publications (4 First Authors)*
Music Teacher (700+ Hours)

*I think my 6 publications with 4 first-author publications is my strong factor that can hopefully get me some interviews at the top 20s.*

I think you definitely have a real shot at getting into Pitt. Your stats are what you'd want to apply to Pitt (and even exceed Pitt's averages), and your ECs are incredible. Just show a genuine passion for medicine and have some clear reasons why you'd love the chance to attend to Pitt, and I think you'll be in a good position!

 

[cockadoodledothecowsaymoo]

What is the waitlist movement like historically here?

 

[lanadelgay124]

What is the waitlist movement like historically here?

Pretty decent -- I believe MSAR used to cite ~65 students taken from the WL. That said, it's impossible to know how many people we're sharing the WL with, and where we're at on it.

 

[hambone34]

Pretty decent -- I believe MSAR used to cite ~65 students taken from the WL. That said, it's impossible to know how many people we're sharing the WL with, and where we're at on it.

Is that 65 students total taken off the waitlist, or 65 students from their class are from the waitlist?
if it was only 65 students total off the waitlist, then would that mean a waitlist size of ~300 (just an estimate based off of how many IIs this year and R’s reported here), then there’s about 20% chance of getting off the waitlist?

 

[The Beta Blocker]

Pitt is my #1. I love everything this school has to offer and every single interaction I've had with people in administration, or students, or you guys has been positive. So when I got waitlisted, I knew I was going to write a LOI. Because of my crazy schedule these past two weeks, I didn't have a chance to write it until this weekend. I emailed it in yesterday and saw that it was added to my portal today!

But today, out of nowhere, I've had this anxiety about writing a LOI! I don't regret it by any means and I meant every word I wrote. However, a LOI is like a contract of honor and I'm all of a sudden paranoid that some extenuating circumstance is going to occur and prevent me from going even if I get off the WL and that I'll get blacklisted come residency application time. I realize that is just the anxiety talking, but does anyone else just feel even more nervous after writing a LOI?

 

[lanadelgay124]

Pitt is my #1. I love everything this school has to offer and every single interaction I've had with people in administration, or students, or you guys has been positive. So when I got waitlisted, I knew I was going to write a LOI. Because of my crazy schedule these past two weeks, I didn't have a chance to write it until this weekend. I emailed it in yesterday and saw that it was added to my portal today!

But today, out of nowhere, I've had this anxiety about writing a LOI! I don't regret it by any means and I meant every word I wrote. However, a LOI is like a contract of honor and I'm all of a sudden paranoid that some extenuating circumstance is going to occur and prevent me from going even if I get off the WL and that I'll get blacklisted come residency application time. I realize that is just the anxiety talking, but does anyone else just feel even more nervous after writing a LOI?

Absolutely. I think in a situation in which commitment may cost 200k+ on the low end, it's easy to get cold feet. That said, while we (hopefully) write these letters in good faith, I think adcoms realize that plenty of applicants don't (which is why, incidentally, they likely don't have the impact we wish they did). I don't think people are actually blacklisted in the majority of cases! Life does indeed happen.

 

[Hopeful_MD_Cat_Mom]

Maybe dumb question! I was put on the WL but I didn't receive an email to check my portal, or a letter in the mail? It was just updated when I logged in to check the portal for activity. Has this been the case for everyone?

 

[turquoisetortoise]

Maybe dumb question! I was put on the WL but I didn't receive an email to check my portal, or a letter in the mail? It was just updated when I logged in to check the portal for activity. Has this been the case for everyone?

Not a dumb question at all. Pitt's a little unorthodox in this sense - but for me, and it seems many others in this thread, there was no email notification with the portal update. Though, I have heard of some receiving a snail-mail with their decisions.

 

[lanadelgay124]

Not a dumb question at all. Pitt's a little unorthodox in this sense - but for me, and it seems many others in this thread, there was no email notification with the portal update. Though, I have heard of some receiving a snail-mail with their decisions.

Yup, no email! I did receive a letter; I think they might be sent out in batches, or are just taking longer to reach some than others!

 

[ohmggthissux]

Do we make a new conspiracy about whether or not you received letter in the mail corresponding to tier 1/tier 2 WL?👀

 

[lanadelgay124]

Do we make a new conspiracy about whether or not you received letter in the mail corresponding to tier 1/tier 2 WL?👀

Letter = consolation prize for tier 2

ETA: did receive letter

 

[456432]

Letter = consolation prize for tier 2

ETA: did receive letter

Nooo I really hope this isn't true

Also, is anyone hopeful for some WL movement mid-late this month? I really hope we don't have to wait till April/May.

 

[lanadelgay124]

Nooo I really hope this isn't true

Also, is anyone hopeful for some WL movement mid-late this month? I really hope we don't have to wait till April/May.

I don't actually think it's true lol; likely totally random. I'm most def hoping for earlier waitlist movement.

 

[BullBearMan]

I don't actually think it's true lol; likely totally random. I'm most def hoping for earlier waitlist movement

Haha, everyone is going to receive a letter. Postal service has been on the frits for the last few months due to budget cuts, so it'll definitely vary by how long it takes to get to you.

 

[gramnegative]

Any advice on when to send a LOI for Pitt? Should I wait closer until 4/30 or send one earlier?

 

[The Beta Blocker]

Haha, everyone is going to receive a letter. Postal service has been on the frits for the last few months due to budget cuts, so it'll definitely vary by how long it takes to get to you.

I haven't received a letter yet. I choose to believe it's because I've secretly been accepted this whole time and they didn't want to waste paper sending me a waitlist letter when they knew they were going to send me an acceptance letter this month.