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*** 2022-2023 MD/PhD cycle - Questions, Comments, and other things ***
Started by Current-big-pharma-shill
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lemon.slice
Full Member
from what I have seen, they often mention it on the website!
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f12345
Full Member
Asking for some application cycle advice. I applied to 55 programs this cycle, and so far I've received 11 interview invites (1 MD-only, 10 MD/PhD). I am very incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to be where I am right now. But here's my concern. I got a rec letter from one of my English professors (call them Dr. X) and sent Dr. X's letter to 18 of the 55 schools I applied to. Of those 18 schools that received Dr. X's letter, NONE have contacted me for interviews. So far, only schools that did not receive Dr. X's letter asked me to interview. The 18 schools that received Dr. X's letter are:
University of Illinois
UC Irvine
Thomas Jefferson
UT Southwestern
NYU
Columbia
McGovern in Houston
Harvard
WashU in St. Louis
Kaiser
University of Chicago
University of Wisconsin
Yale
UMass T H Chan
Stanford
UPenn
Medical College of Wisconsin
Mayo
Maybe I'm being excessively neurotic, but I'm starting to worry that Dr. X's letter might have been weak, and that's why schools which received her letter have not contacted me. Dr. X definitely knew me the least well amongst all my letter-writers. If Dr. X wrote me a weak letter of recommendation (but not necessarily a letter that said bad things about me), would that tank my chances of admission at a school? And if so, is there anything I can do to salvage my chances at some of these programs? I should add that I'm 99% confident that all my other letter writers wrote very good things about me.
University of Illinois
UC Irvine
Thomas Jefferson
UT Southwestern
NYU
Columbia
McGovern in Houston
Harvard
WashU in St. Louis
Kaiser
University of Chicago
University of Wisconsin
Yale
UMass T H Chan
Stanford
UPenn
Medical College of Wisconsin
Mayo
Maybe I'm being excessively neurotic, but I'm starting to worry that Dr. X's letter might have been weak, and that's why schools which received her letter have not contacted me. Dr. X definitely knew me the least well amongst all my letter-writers. If Dr. X wrote me a weak letter of recommendation (but not necessarily a letter that said bad things about me), would that tank my chances of admission at a school? And if so, is there anything I can do to salvage my chances at some of these programs? I should add that I'm 99% confident that all my other letter writers wrote very good things about me.
gregmandel
Full Member
Correlation does not imply causation. You are absolutely killing it, don’t stress yourself out with something as trivial as this.
matrihound
Full Member
Haven't received an invite, but I contacted them recently for a different reason and the program coordinator told me that the MD/PhD program only recently began reviewing applications within the last two weeks.
bruh isn't their first interview like on the 22nd? in 2 weeks lol
lemon.slice
Full Member
love that😭 did they happen to mention when they are going to start sending out IIs?? thank you for sharing!
Anyone apply Johns Hopkins have their application technically complete? I submitted mine a while back and got an email about my application going under administrative review. They said they would update when this was complete but I haven't gotten an email. I just want to check if I'm the only one because it has been some time since I got the initial email and I don't know if my application is under review or not.
I got an email that my application had been forwarded to the admissions committee after getting the email that my application was under administrative review. It took 10 days in-between emails.
lemon.slice
Full Member
I know this is an extremely neurotic question, but does anyone know whether the schools send out a mass email at the same time on a day they release interview invites, or do they email one person at a time throughout the day? thankss
lemon.slice
Full Member
I reached out to them and they said they are hoping to have some updates about my app status by the end of this month (I completed the app on 7/30)
texaspremed2023
Full Member
Has anyone heard from UTMB's MD/PhD program? Has anyone received an II for the MD/PhD program or heard anything regarding interviews?
I have not heard from utmb since I was invited to "take the next step with your application" in an email that simply had a link to more essays regarding my specific research interests/experiences/publications. Do any past applicants/current students know if this was a good sign for a future interview or if it was sent to all applicants?
Their website says that "applicants who advance after initial review will be contacted to complete a short form regarding their specific interests at UTMB" but I dont know if these means if there is further review prior to II's or if this form is to help coordinate interviewers?
I have not heard from utmb since I was invited to "take the next step with your application" in an email that simply had a link to more essays regarding my specific research interests/experiences/publications. Do any past applicants/current students know if this was a good sign for a future interview or if it was sent to all applicants?
Their website says that "applicants who advance after initial review will be contacted to complete a short form regarding their specific interests at UTMB" but I dont know if these means if there is further review prior to II's or if this form is to help coordinate interviewers?
Yes, that's fine. I was personally told to wait til the end of my cycle, not sure if anyone has other opinions
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Schools that do provide feedback will usually not provide anything until the cycle is over.
Anyone have any advice on how to ask your PI for time off for interviews? I received one II, was over the moon but my PI made it very clear on several occasions that she was unhappy that I needed to take a day off. Now I have two more IIs and it almost feels like I have to break the bad news to her… especially the 3 day in person interview in November… I get why it’s not ideal given that I already take half days off on Wednesday to do hospital volunteering. But it’s not like I’m just trying to get out of research! Advice or positive energy is much appreciated. 🙏
I didn't have any extra questions. The only "extra" thing I recall is this note in the autobiographical sketch:
Hey friends, I've been lucky enough to receive quite a few interviews so far, which is giving me the (wonderful) dilemma of having to resolve some scheduling conflicts. I'm looking for some advice on how to prioritize interviews and the cons of pushing interviews back until much later in the cycle for "non-rolling" schools.
In my current situation, Program A offered me an interview which conflicted with an interview I already had. Fortunately, Program A was willing to reschedule. This week, I was invited to interview with Program B, which conflicts with the rescheduled date that Program A gave me. Program B is a much stronger and larger program than A, with more investigators in my field of interest as well. I informed Program B of my situation and asked if they could reschedule, since I didn't want to have to ask Program A to reschedule twice. They agreed but offered me dates that are all the way out in mid-January.
My concern is if I take the January interview date with Program B, that it will be one of the last interview opportunities they offer and might reduce my chances of an acceptance; they don't release their admissions decisions until February/March, but I'm not sure if interviewing in January means I will be put at a disadvantage for Program B or not. The original date they offered (the conflict) was early December. Should I prioritize doing both interviews and forget about the disadvantage of interviewing in January, or should I prioritize interviewing earlier with the school that I like better?
Thanks for the help!
In my current situation, Program A offered me an interview which conflicted with an interview I already had. Fortunately, Program A was willing to reschedule. This week, I was invited to interview with Program B, which conflicts with the rescheduled date that Program A gave me. Program B is a much stronger and larger program than A, with more investigators in my field of interest as well. I informed Program B of my situation and asked if they could reschedule, since I didn't want to have to ask Program A to reschedule twice. They agreed but offered me dates that are all the way out in mid-January.
My concern is if I take the January interview date with Program B, that it will be one of the last interview opportunities they offer and might reduce my chances of an acceptance; they don't release their admissions decisions until February/March, but I'm not sure if interviewing in January means I will be put at a disadvantage for Program B or not. The original date they offered (the conflict) was early December. Should I prioritize doing both interviews and forget about the disadvantage of interviewing in January, or should I prioritize interviewing earlier with the school that I like better?
Thanks for the help!
If I understood correctly, in this hypothetical Program B is non-rolling? If so, then there is no disadvantage to interviewing later there, non-rolling schools consider everyone equally when all interviews are done. However, if Program B is indeed rolling, that's a different story. The "disadvantage" of interviewing later at Program B really depends on their internal admissions protocol. It can be marginal, even at rolling schools, or more significant. It's worth digging through old acceptance threads to see when the school normally gives acceptances. Some are known to send out a boatload of decisions right before winter break. Others are more conservative and don't send the majority til the spring.
An alternative option would be to start triaging interviews now that you know that you are an exceptional and competitive candidate. I personally would think that rescheduling the same school (Program A) twice won't look too great, so it's worth considering how strongly you value School A if you're willing to keep bumping it down. Schools will engage in a bit of yield protection if they feel like an excellent candidate is not interested in them. Keep in mind that you will still continue to get interview invites throughout the fall for December/January dates, the cycle hasn't even hit the half way mark yet in terms of IIs given out.
lemon.slice
Full Member
I feel like Stanford and Pitt do send out a lot of Rs relatively early so do not feel like you were "picked on" or something. and Tri-I is pretty intense so I feel like it does show the competitiveness of your app. I am not sure about this because I did not apply to a lot of top schools but i feel like a lot of them have not started sending out interviews yet? (harvard for example?)
That being said, I would love to hear other people's thoughts too and if there are any non-rolling schools that are not among the top schools that I could also potentially consider applying to rn, because i have been contemplating adding more programs as well.
That being said, I would love to hear other people's thoughts too and if there are any non-rolling schools that are not among the top schools that I could also potentially consider applying to rn, because i have been contemplating adding more programs as well.
@Glutenlover1948 First of all, great username! And great advice too. It's hard to tell if Program B is non-rolling, but they send out one main wave of admissions decisions in March, so I think the answer is yes? I will probably keep the January interview date. Thanks again for your perspective!
@thehierophant I feel like you're still doing okay as it is pretty early in the cycle. Clearly if Tri-I is interviewing you then you're competitive! One thing that might reassure you is going back to last year's II thread and seeing that most schools send out multiple waves of interviews throughout the fall, not just September. So you might not be in that first wave for some schools, but that doesn't mean you won't get an invite in October or November! I'm one of the blind leading the blind here but maybe that's helpful.
@thehierophant I feel like you're still doing okay as it is pretty early in the cycle. Clearly if Tri-I is interviewing you then you're competitive! One thing that might reassure you is going back to last year's II thread and seeing that most schools send out multiple waves of interviews throughout the fall, not just September. So you might not be in that first wave for some schools, but that doesn't mean you won't get an invite in October or November! I'm one of the blind leading the blind here but maybe that's helpful.
lemon.slice
Full Member
I agree with @panexm22 on the advice for @thehierophant!! And also @panexm22, if they release one wave of IIs in March I would want to bet they are non-rolling, so I think you should be good with the January date!! Good luck 🙂
I'm in a similar situation. I was sent two interview invitations in August (not to Tri-I, though -- they told me to get lost very early on 🤣), and September has been silent. I think we should sit tight; when were your secondaries (roughly) finished? Most of mine were returned in late July - mid-August, so I suspect many programs just haven't gotten to my file yet or are still deliberating on it. Maybe it's a similar situation for you?
From talking to advisors, I think the general feeling is that the cycle is going slower than previously... take it with a grain of salt, but they said that adding additional schools is unlikely to help, as it might seem too late at this point.
@thr1932359 @MD/PhDWannaBe I'd say definitely add more schools if you're noticing there are other schools you really like (especially in terms of research, curriculum, location, etc.). 8 years is a hell of a long time to commit to a place you don't really like or project you aren't very interested in
Agree with @Shell1 that it's getting late though, so if you're gonna add schools probably do it ASAP...
Agree with @Shell1 that it's getting late though, so if you're gonna add schools probably do it ASAP...
I hear you, thanks for the advice! I've actually added three schools in the past two weeks or so. That being said, I don't expect much out of them, and if I do get an interview, they'd probably send the invitation in November at earliest.
I've also applied to a lot of schools already (>30) and have a balanced list with most schools not being in the Top 20 or 30. Consequently, I bet that if I do end up with an unsuccessful cycle that it'd be because of weaknesses in my application and my failure to build a balanced and broad school list. So I think I'm going to sit tight and send application updates as I make some more progress in the lab.
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that is incorrect advise.... just need to be smarter adding some specific programs. Some schools behave with early decision process (incl. rejections), while others keep a larger pool of competitive applicants that select every month for interviews. PM me if needed
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Hello @Fencer , I hope you are doing well. Whenever you get the chance, do you mind please commenting with your thoughts on the cycle so far, and if possible, sharing some numbers if you are allowed to? In general, am curious how you think this cycle is shaping up, and if we have hit ~50% of interview invites yet.
love the plots but please +theme_bw() next time 😉
I can concur on this. The school I attend now does not make interview decisions until ~2-5 weeks out from their interview dates in case of late competitive applicants and/or if their pool of “maybe” applicants show continued interest.
I would recommend submitting any secondaries you have left by the end of this week over adding any new primaries, but also shoot your shot.
As an example, I submitted my last batch of 8 primaries last year on September 27th and had all secondaries out by October 4th. Got 3 interviews out of it, including my current school.
Giving me hope, then! I'll go ahead and finish things up in my free time. Hopefully something comes of it.
Hi all, has anyone received an II to TAMU? If so, who did y'all email to confirm the interview? The email is a bit confusing/vague
I confirmed via the portal, I think. Check the "interview" tab for any buttons you can interact with.
It looks like I responded to their confirmation request e-mail in the "communications" tab of their AMP site.
They invited me more than a month ago and I still don't really know what's up with the interview day besides that interview tab information so just know that's par for the course.
I noticed my interview was already confirmed on the interview tab, but I definitely didn't do that so I'm wondering if it's somehow linking up with a different amp portal because I had an interview on that date already somewhere else. IDK, super weird, thanks for the info!
Just to follow up on this in case anyone is interested- there was no information specific to whether MSTPs were rolling or not, so I made my decision based off of what I could find about MD admissions. In hindsight, this wasn't great because the MSTP and MD admissions are two completely separate committees at most schools. If I have this problem again, I will simply email admissions and ask what the timeline after the interview is. I think schools are understanding that you may have multiple interviews, and I am not as concerned anymore that admissions would take this as lack of interest.
Here’s a fun question: what are y’all wearing as bottoms during your interviews? My suit pants are super comfy and feel more “professional” but wearing them for every single interview is a lot of wear and tear and my room gets VERY hot at times. Any downsides to wearing athletic shorts?
No question I'm wearing shorts. Will certainly be an interesting interview if I'm asked to stand up or something 🤷♂️🤷♂️
lemon.slice
Full Member
I wear black jeans or pants that are not a part of the suit/more casual fit. I figured the camera does not transmit a video that high of a quality for them to see the actual difference of what kind of pants i am wearing...
lemon.slice
Full Member
I envision your profile picture being what they would see if you are asked to stand up🤣
Gonna wear the same jacket, but will probably change the white shirt (I have like 2, one isn't as nice so it'd be sus in person but no way they'll be able to tell through Zoom). Will probably also change ties
Anyone have any virtual "dinner" or "lunches" with current students/faculty during their interview schedules? Do you just make your meal and eat over the screen virtually?
I've had a couple and no one actually eats on camera 🙁
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lol I was afraid that would be the case
gregmandel
Full Member
How are you guys dealing with juggling interview conflicts with classes? Some of my teachers have not been as flexible with accomodating my absences. It doesn't help that most interviews run over the course of two days.
take a look over here: fencers-corner.1469960
Be the change you want to see in the world
matrihound
Full Member
Does anyone have advice on how/when (if ever) to show continued interest in programs? I want to make sure I will be considered for some of the later interview slots that might go out from programs I'm really interested in, but don't have any new publications to report at this point. Would it be beneficial to reach out to the labs I am interested in? I got advice to do this early on while I was working on apps, but the ones I did reach out to basically gave me some form of "would love to talk, hope I see you in the interview" so I didn't commit much more time to that since I was flooded with essays at that point. Would love to hear about others' experiences.
