2023-2024 Pennsylvania (Perelman)

[Labe]

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Yep same here just not sure if they will actually receive the letters if I submit it like this.

I submitted anyways. I believe they should receive them regardless of whether or not I check the box, and checking boxes I think is just for selecting which ones you would like to be considered. I only have one (committee packet) so they'd have to go and pull it regardless of whether I selected it or not, so it didn't really matter for me.

 

[asfhxmf]

Is anyone else having trouble selecting and saving their letters of recommendation?

Yes, and it looks like an actual programming bug (assuming everyone else is getting a "System.InvalidOperationException" error).

 

[Sunrizon]

Can I list published abstracts as part of publications on the publication tab for MSTP?

 

[Idea_12]

Is anyone else having trouble selecting and saving their letters of recommendation?

Yes, I agree. On the LOR page, when I select the box next to my committee letter and then hit "save" or "save and continue" it takes me to a server error page.

 

[garnmonster]

i’m getting the same error when i attempt to check the box, however the page now shows a green checkmark and that the page is complete.

 

[texasvandy]

One of the secondary questions asks if we have taken an online course. If we say "yes," then we are asked "how many?" and to "list all science courses that you have taken online."

If I have taken 1 online course but it is not a science course, should I just leave the "list all science courses" part blank but still say "yes" and put "1 course"?

Yes, if it is not science leave it blank or say none for listing. So it should go Yes, 1, None

 

[lbj019]

Are y’all submitting since we not able to check the LOR box?

 

[soundofsilence]

Yes Im getting this "the 'document_id' property on 'vwRecommendation' could not be set to a 'System.Int64' value. You must set this property to a non-null value of type 'System.Int32'." error message, anyone else?

Is this something we have to do our is it on their end?

 

[sdfwr312]

Still no secondaries from Perelman and i submitted my app on the first day AMCAS opened and was one of the first to be verified.. Anyone else?

 

[auburn_galaxy]

For listing the "science" courses we took online, I accidentally missed that part and listed all of the ones I took online (5 all vs 1 science). Should I reach out about this or leave it? I included the course numbers and names so you can easily tell the other 4 aren't science, but I am annoyed about my mistake.

 

[Rolltidings123]

Has anyone reached out to the admissions office about the LoR issue and gotten a response?

 

[jshelt01]

My application says the LoRs were submitted w/ my secondary, but they are not selected when I go to my that specific page of my application. Is anyone else seeing this?

 

[garnmonster]

Has anyone reached out to the admissions office about the LoR issue and gotten a response?

i emailed them about an hour ago. will update here if i get a response

 

[Doja Stan]

i emailed them about an hour ago. will update here if i get a response

Has anyone reached out to the admissions office about the LoR issue and gotten a response?

Admissions just replied to my email and I've copied their response below:

"Thank you for letting us know about this issue. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your interest in the Perelman School of Medicine. We have been told by our development team that that you are to submit without checking the box. Please let us know if this does not work and we will be happy to assist further."

 

[mvious]

For the relationship information section asking whether my parents completed an associates or higher in the US, should I still select "no" if they did complete higher education but it was outside the US?

 

[pablo213]

For the relationship information section asking whether my parents completed an associates or higher in the US, should I still select "no" if they did complete higher education but it was outside the US?

I have the same question. I put no since my parent wasn't really able to use their degree here in the US

 

[procrastinating_cheetah]

2023-2024 Pennsylvania (Perelman) Secondary Essay Prompts

1. If you were offered an option to continue courses with a standard grading system or switch to Pass/Fail, and you elected Pass/Fail, please describe the reason(s) for your decision here (500 characters).

2. The Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) is deeply committed to recruiting a class inclusive of diverse perspectives and experiences; this enriches the instruction we provide, enhances team-based learning, and ensures our students’ preparation to address the health needs of a pluralistic society. How would your life experiences contribute to the student body and how would you contribute to an inclusive atmosphere at PSOM? Please explain and limit your response to 1,000 characters.

3. We are all navigating through challenging times, and physicians and physician-scientists must contend with many instances of uncertainty. Describe a time when you faced a situation that was ambiguous, confusing, or uncertain, and how you navigated making a decision without complete information (3000 characters).

4. Please explain your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine and limit your response to 1,000 characters:

Good luck to everyone applying!

Interview Feedback:
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Interview Feedback

Have the MSTP secondaries been released yet?

 

[toastedbutter]

Is anyone attending the information session today? The event listing said the zoom link will be sent out 24 hours prior, but I haven't gotten one yet. If someone has it, could you share it with me?

 

[texasvandy]

Yes Im getting this "the 'document_id' property on 'vwRecommendation' could not be set to a 'System.Int64' value. You must set this property to a non-null value of type 'System.Int32'." error message, anyone else?

Is this something we have to do our is it on their end?

Y'all need to learn programming so you can tell them how to fix this. 🙂 I cant believe Penn has so many issues this year with their portal.

 

[Debeney]

I am currently on the information session and they mentioned this. They are aware of this issue and are working with AMP on it. They said when you get to the LOR section you can click save and continue without checking each individual and submit.

 

[largefriend]

Would a high school award like Regeneron Science Talent Search be extraordinary enough to put in the awards section? Named top 300 HS scientist in US.

 

[oatmilkplease]

Anyone else having trouble submitting? They haven't received my LORs yet (just sent them) so that part of the application is 'incomplete', is that why it's not letting me?

 

[crazyfish123]

I have the same question. I put no since my parent wasn't really able to use their degree here in the US

Also confused. My parents have a college degree which they use, but it was not attained in the US.

 

[texasvandy]

Would a high school award like Regeneron Science Talent Search be extraordinary enough to put in the awards section? Named top 300 HS scientist in US.

Did they give you money to pay for college? If you did research and published/presented something, you get to discuss about it too.

 

[texasvandy]

Also confused. My parents have a college degree which they use, but it was not attained in the US.

They are looking for people whose parents were not educated. It is irrelevant where they got their degree.

 

[pablo213]

They are looking for people whose parents were not educated. It is irrelevant where they got their degree.

Well it specifically asks if the associates was earned in the US though. It is not irrelevant as you may not always be able to use a degree earned outside the country as was the case with my parents.

 

[crazyfish123]

Well it specifically asks if the associates was earned in the US though. It is not irrelevant as you may not always be able to use a degree earned outside the country as was the case with my parents.

Exactly, and if they were interested in knowing if parents were not educated, it would have made more sense if they asked "Do your parents have a college-level degree or higher" So for anyone looking at this thread later, I just went ahead and put no since I was answering the question they asked.

 

[vtea6131]

OOS haven't received a secondary yet 😢 anyone else?

 

[sdfwr312]

OOS haven't received a secondary yet 😢 anyone else?

i have not yet too. I was verified in June, too.

 

[coffeespin23]

Is anyone willing to share their topic (generally of course) for the uncertainty prompt? Feeling stuck. I was considering writing about my decision to apply to a combined Masters program in undergrad even though it was the first year of the program and there wasn't much information about it, but not sure if that's the best portrayal of my decision making...

 

[thegarden123]

I'm kind of confused. Do we check the box on the "Letter of Recommendation" page or no? I see on the website it says not to but there aren't any specific instructions on the portal itself

Home | MD Admissions | Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

 

[Debeney]

I'm kind of confused. Do we check the box on the "Letter of Recommendation" page or no? I see on the website it says not to but there aren't any specific instructions on the portal itself

Home | MD Admissions | Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

There’s an issue with the portal system which is why they’re asking us to not check the boxes. If you check a box and hit submit, it will generate an error. This is their workaround for that.

 

[ok-patient]

Is anyone willing to share their topic (generally of course) for the uncertainty prompt? Feeling stuck. I was considering writing about my decision to apply to a combined Masters program in undergrad even though it was the first year of the program and there wasn't much information about it, but not sure if that's the best portrayal of my decision making...

Also struggling with this one. And I feel like every idea I have that might work will certainly not fill up 3000 characters as they more minor things... I think your idea could work if you explain how you sought out information and made a decision even though there wasn't a lot available to you

 

[coffeespin23]

Also struggling with this one. And I feel like every idea I have that might work will certainly not fill up 3000 characters as they more minor things... I think your idea could work if you explain how you sought out information and made a decision even though there wasn't a lot available to you

Thanks for the support! And happy to toss around ideas if you're still working on this one!

 

[Debeney]

Also happy to brainstorm with y'all, I was working full-time during the pandemic and wrote about how our team navigated that uncertainty to keep things going

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Would a high school award like Regeneron Science Talent Search be extraordinary enough to put in the awards section? Named top 300 HS scientist in US.

I don't think it hurts, especially if you are going for PhD/MSTP. STS has a great track record and is very rigorous.

 

[ok-patient]

"Were there changes to your academic work and/or personal circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic that you would like to share with the committee?"

Not sure if I should answer this, there were changes to my academic work with mandatory P/F classes which is not a big deal and they say this is fine, and had clinical and research extracurriculars canceled, but I assume that's not what they mean by "personal circumstances." Idk. What are other people doing?

 

[reese2023]

Is it ok to submit the UPenn secondary prior to letters being received by AMCAS? They've been sent from Interfolio to AMCAS but not showing up yet in the application portal

 

[texasvandy]

Is it ok to submit the UPenn secondary prior to letters being received by AMCAS? They've been sent from Interfolio to AMCAS but not showing up yet in the application portal

They are all separate pieces

 

[oiveyve]

"Were there changes to your academic work and/or personal circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic that you would like to share with the committee?"

Not sure if I should answer this, there were changes to my academic work with mandatory P/F classes which is not a big deal and they say this is fine, and had clinical and research extracurriculars canceled, but I assume that's not what they mean by "personal circumstances." Idk. What are other people doing?

I answered the personal circumstances part by describing how I had to take on a role as a caregiver for my family along with being a full-time student. But also used it to share how I got back into certain hobbies to share a more personable side of me!

 

[whatitdo1]

I submitted my secondary with a checked box for LoR. I am now seeing that their website said not to check it. Will this mess with my application and make it invalid or something? What should I do about it

 

[lbj019]

I submitted my secondary with a checked box for LoR. I am now seeing that their website said not to check it. Will this mess with my application and make it invalid or something? What should I do about it

Ur fine. They said not to back when it was causing an error to do so. I’m sure either way is ok

 

[oiveyve]

I submitted my secondary with a checked box for LoR. I am now seeing that their website said not to check it. Will this mess with my application and make it invalid or something? What should I do about it

Yeah you’re fine, I did the same thing and my app is under review!

 

[SR-71]

Re: First prompt. If you were offered an option to continue courses with a standard grading system or switch to Pass/Fail, and you elected Pass/Fail, please describe the reason(s) for your decision here (500 characters).

Is it OK/desirable to provide a hypothetical answer, supporting the basis for P/F with a brief discussion of acceptable reasons/scenarios? The question starts with hypothetical "If" and "and you elected".

All of my marks are letter grades, we were not given any options to choose a P/F scheme. Does the question then become optional? As there is merit in P/F, I would like to answer the prompt in the hypothetical, IF that is what is expected.

Thanks to all.

 

[toastedbutter]

Re: First prompt. If you were offered an option to continue courses with a standard grading system or switch to Pass/Fail, and you elected Pass/Fail, please describe the reason(s) for your decision here (500 characters).

Is it OK/desirable to provide a hypothetical answer, supporting the basis for P/F with a brief discussion of acceptable reasons/scenarios? The question starts with hypothetical "If" and "and you elected".

All of my marks are letter grades, we were not given any options to choose a P/F scheme. Does the question then become optional? As there is merit in P/F, I would like to answer the prompt in the hypothetical, IF that is what is expected.

Thanks to all.

Please don't do that.

 

[SR-71]

Thank you for your prompt reply. I appreciate you.
So it is a question that I should view as optional and thus ignore?

 

[toastedbutter]

Thank you for your prompt reply. I appreciate you.
So it is a question that I should view as optional and thus ignore?

Yes. And for any other schools you might be applying to, only answer questions that are directly applicable to you i.e. don't develop hypothetical responses to questions about reapplicants or gap years if those don't apply to you (regardless of if the question is explicitly marked optional or not).

 

[SR-71]

Wonderful, thanks so much for the clarification, especially the "regardless of if the question is explicitly marked optional or not".
Best wishes to you in your application!

 

[opabiniafan]

Re: First prompt. If you were offered an option to continue courses with a standard grading system or switch to Pass/Fail, and you elected Pass/Fail, please describe the reason(s) for your decision here (500 characters).

Is it OK/desirable to provide a hypothetical answer, supporting the basis for P/F with a brief discussion of acceptable reasons/scenarios? The question starts with hypothetical "If" and "and you elected".

All of my marks are letter grades, we were not given any options to choose a P/F scheme. Does the question then become optional? As there is merit in P/F, I would like to answer the prompt in the hypothetical, IF that is what is expected.

Thanks to all.

what are you asking 😭

 

[oatmilkplease]

Re: First prompt. If you were offered an option to continue courses with a standard grading system or switch to Pass/Fail, and you elected Pass/Fail, please describe the reason(s) for your decision here (500 characters).

Is it OK/desirable to provide a hypothetical answer, supporting the basis for P/F with a brief discussion of acceptable reasons/scenarios? The question starts with hypothetical "If" and "and you elected".

All of my marks are letter grades, we were not given any options to choose a P/F scheme. Does the question then become optional? As there is merit in P/F, I would like to answer the prompt in the hypothetical, IF that is what is expected.

Thanks to all.

Lmao no flame at all but this actually made me crack up. On a more serious note, I agree w Mr. butter. This prompt is def just targeted towards people who elected P/F