Ask LizzyM (Almost) Anything 2012 edition

[LizzyM]

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Hi LizzyM. Thank you for doing this!

I was wondering how disadvantaged status works if your parents are divorced. One parent made less than 20K a year while the other made significantly more (about 60K) and I grew up spending half of my time with each. I went to an inner city high school, got free lunch, had an ecf of 0, etc but we definitely were not poor. Would it be appropriate for me to utilize the disadvantaged section to explain my situation? Also, does it seem weird if a student fills out the disadvantaged section but doesn't apply for a FAP waiver?

The disadvantaged section is to describe your situation from 0-18. I've seen applicants >25 years old making >$90K click that box to describe their childhood and no one wonders why they don't apply for a FAP waiver.

Everyone is given the opportunity to answer basic questions about average family income during childhood, use of gov't services in childhood, work before age 18 and if this was your own money or to support the household, and how you paid for college.

You split your time betwee two households with a total income of $80k. You say you weren't "poor" so you might not want to self identify as "disadvantaged" but it's your decision.

 

[LizzyM]

Hi LizzyM,

During my first year of college I had a health issue (not because of anything I did) that kept me hospitalized for a few weeks and has affected my life on-and-off (it relapsed recently) since it started a few years ago. I will be applying next cycle, and I was wondering where I could bring this up, or if it be worth bringing up at all? I have several other very productive experiences that I would like to talk about, but I think the struggle that I am going through coping with my new health problem while maintaing my ECs & GPA is significant. It also helped me make the decision to pursue a MD. However, since I have other significant positive experiences that shaped my decision to pursue a MD & that kept me productive, I'm wondering if adding this negative image to my application will help me or hurt me. I don't want to come off as a whiner

I was able to maintain my GPA throughout the ordeal, so I'm not looking to use it as an excuse for that. Thanks!

Hmmmm.... if you want to work this into your personal statement, as an observation of how this illness or the care you received influenced your decision or changed how you thought about a career in medicine, then go for it. That said, if this condition might raise questions about whether you may relapse and if this will have a negative effect on your ability to complete med school, then you might want to take your personal statement in another direction and leave out any mention of your illness/condition.

 

[noncon]

The disadvantaged section is to describe your situation from 0-18. I've seen applicants >25 years old making >$90K click that box to describe their childhood and no one wonders why they don't apply for a FAP waiver.

Everyone is given the opportunity to answer basic questions about average family income during childhood, use of gov't services in childhood, work before age 18 and if this was your own money or to support the household, and how you paid for college.

You split your time betwee two households with a total income of $80k. You say you weren't "poor" so you might not want to self identify as "disadvantaged" but it's your decision.

Most kids I work with come from homes with family incomes of $5,000 or less per year. Sad.

 

[LizzyM]

I feel like this question was sort of addressed earlier, but I'm not exactly sure so apologies if repeated answer!

I took a class at my school called Behavioral Neuroscience which was like 99% science-based (the other 1% was like one lecture on how it connected with certain psychology theories). However, it's listed under the Psychology department and is taught by a psychology/neuroscience professor. Am I allowed to list it under BCPM and would schools think I'm just trying to raise my sGPA? Would they even notice? It was honestly like an "intro to neurobiology" class because I took neurobiology later and there was a lot of overlap.

Thanks!

You can tag it BCPM when you make your application and if AAMC disagrees, the tag will be changed to AO (all other). It is worth a shot.

 

[LizzyM]

Do schools usually announce merit scholarships later in the spring or at the time of acceptance notification? Is there a 'standard' way of doing this or is each school different in their timing? I was wondering if places an applicant is accepted wait to see where else they have been accepted and this then influences scholarship decisions? Thank you!

I don't have any responsibility for scholarships and aid so I really don't know what the people who are in charge of it do in terms of timing, strategies, etc.

 

[noncon]

Hi LizzyM,

Does this schedule sound difficult for Physics (covers both Physics-1 and Physics-2) over the entire summer?

Lecture: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri. 8:45-11:45 am. 3 hours every day.

Sections: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri. for 2 hours every day, anytime between 12:30 and 6 pm.

Laboratories: Once a week, 12:30-3 pm, 4-6:30 pm, or 7-9:30 pm on a day to be arranged.

This is at Harvard Extension - I am considering this course in Physics to meet my pre-med requirements over the summer but I am worried it may be too difficult because they assign a great deal of work. I'd appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Si Se Puede]

It also helps to have offers from 5 top 10 schools.😉

So the schools you apply to know what other acceptances you have gotten??

 

[LizzyM]

Hi LizzyM,

Does this schedule sound difficult for Physics (covers both Physics-1 and Physics-2) over the entire summer?

Lecture: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri. 8:45-11:45 am. 3 hours every day.

Sections: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri. for 2 hours every day, anytime between 12:30 and 6 pm.

Laboratories: Once a week, 12:30-3 pm, 4-6:30 pm, or 7-9:30 pm on a day to be arranged.

This is at Harvard Extension - I am considering this course in Physics to meet my pre-med requirements over the summer but I am worried it may be too difficult because they assign a great deal of work. I'd appreciate your thoughts.

So that's 27 contact hours per week. If you do 2 hours of homework for each hour of classroom, you are up to 81 hours/wk which is >11 hours/day, 7 days per week. That does seem like a heavy load. Now maybe you can get buy with less than 54 hours of homework per week. When I was in college, we typically did 15-20 contact hours per week and were expected to do 3 hrs of work outside of class for every hour in class (including writing papers & lab reports, etc) but we didn't.... and I have the grades to prove it. 😳

And for all the "it is Harvard" and "they assign a great deal of work" it is Harvard Extension and some adcom members don't consider it equal to Harvard College (traditional undergrad).

 

[LizzyM]

So the schools you apply to know what other acceptances you have gotten??

By April they do.

 

[cmc474]

Thank you for answering my previous question regarding accommodations on the MCAT, LizzyM.

I have another question for you. For starters I'll give you a very brief break down of the position that I am in... I am attending a top 10 research university in Canada, the university is located in the city that I reside in, so that is the reason for me attending it.

I am in my second year of a Biochem major, but my school 'career' did not take the 'normal' track of most students... I suffered from ADHD throughout my childhood, and I barely graduated high school... If remember correctly my highest mark in my whole high school career was a 75% and it was in physical education, while taking the easiest courses I could.

The ADHD I suffered from made school extremely challenging for me, and the dream of going into med-school diminished pretty quickly once I got old enough to see the reality of my situation. After graduating high school I worked for a year, while not attending any further education, I developed a type of metacognition that worked extremely well for me and all of the sudden academic material didn't seem very challenging, at the same time I stopped the use of medication for my learning disability. The next year I enrolled into a continuing education program to upgrade my high school courses (chem/bio/math), and the following year I enrolled into my current university.

Two years later I am where I am now, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA w/ full course load.

Now onto my question, as you can see I have over come huge challenges and succeeded exceptionally, but would it be a wise idea to make the adcoms aware of what I have gone through to get to where I am? I am unsure of this because I personally hated being considered "not-normal", which is why I refuse any academic accommodations that I could get and rarely tell anyone of what I have gone through.

Thank you for your time in reading over my question.

 

[DAPI]

So the schools you apply to know what other acceptances you have gotten??

By April they do.

To clarify this, only schools that have accepted you can see where else you have been accepted, not just every school you applied to.

Source: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/amcas/faqs/305002/canschoolsseeotherschools.html

 

[LizzyM]

Thank you for answering my previous question regarding accommodations on the MCAT, LizzyM.Two years later I am where I am now, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA w/ full course load.

Now onto my question, as you can see I have over come huge challenges and succeeded exceptionally, but would it be a wise idea to make the adcoms aware of what I have gone through to get to where I am? I am unsure of this because I personally hated being considered "not-normal", which is why I refuse any academic accommodations that I could get and rarely tell anyone of what I have gone through.

Thank you for your time in reading over my question.

You didn't do well in HS, and now you are doing very well in college. What's your point? Your gpa is on your application. Everyone with a 4.0 has worked hard. Why do you think you need to bring up how poorly you performed in HS? Do you think that your 4.0 will be considered even better than it is because you had poor grades in HS? I don't get the point of this question. And frankly, you really are revealing too much about yourself in these questions. Canada is a small country (in terms of population).

Happy Boxing Day.

 

[noncon]

So that's 27 contact hours per week. If you do 2 hours of homework for each hour of classroom, you are up to 81 hours/wk which is >11 hours/day, 7 days per week. That does seem like a heavy load. Now maybe you can get buy with less than 54 hours of homework per week. When I was in college, we typically did 15-20 contact hours per week and were expected to do 3 hrs of work outside of class for every hour in class (including writing papers & lab reports, etc) but we didn't.... and I have the grades to prove it. 😳

And for all the "it is Harvard" and "they assign a great deal of work" it is Harvard Extension and some adcom members don't consider it equal to Harvard College (traditional undergrad).

The professors suggest AT LEAST 3 hours for every contact hour. I am considering Harvard Extension not for the Harvard name but only because I cannot find any other good semester-based (not quarter-based) university that allows completion of the entire physics sequence over one summer. But that schedule terrifies me. And most students get C- or lower, which is another terrifying thought.

 

[augeremt]

Shadow some primary care docs and apply early. Sometimes we see a good application and wonder why the person didn't get an offer the first time around and "maybe s/he was late" is always a plausible explanation and it is verifiable if you are applying to the same schools the second time around.

Thank you for replying so quickly! I have one more thing to ask you about reapplying.

The new application obviously should not be identical to the first one (as in, copying and pasting my answers), but can the themes remain the same? I'm non-traditional and my reason for pursuing medicine hasn't changed in the last year so I don't see how I can completely revamp my personal statement while clearly explaining my motivations for pursuing medicine. I can state my activities differently and add the things I've done in the last year but the overall themes will remain the same.

Is that ok? Or should I be looking to completely overhaul the reasons that brought me to where I am today?

 

[pittpanthers]

Hi LizzyM thanks for doing this!

I am already accepted to a med school this cycle, and I was wondering what's the policy of the courses I listed as "future courses" on my AMCAS. I have fulfilled all the pre-requisites already, so is it okay to not take all the courses I listed and switch for some other courses? (like a bio course for a psych course) Do schools really care about what courses you take? (assuming you are not slacking off)

Thanks!

 

[cmc474]

You didn't do well in HS, and now you are doing very well in college. What's your point? Your gpa is on your application. Everyone with a 4.0 has worked hard. Why do you think you need to bring up how poorly you performed in HS? Do you think that your 4.0 will be considered even better than it is because you had poor grades in HS? I don't get the point of this question. And frankly, you really are revealing too much about yourself in these questions. Canada is a small country (in terms of population).

Happy Boxing Day.

Thank you for your response LizzyM. My question was not on a basis of if I should say this to make my GPA appear better, but on the basis of showing that I can over come challenges, which I am assuming adcoms look for in applicants. Also I am questioning the how they would think after hearing it I did in fact decide to make them aware, which would either be perceived in a negative way, because I was trying to make make a good GPA appear better than it was compared a positive way in showing my ability to overcome challenges and be successful.

As far as posting to much information, I am not to concerned as enough information is changed in a way to protect my identity.

Thanks again LizzyM, Happy Boxing Day to you as well.

 

[LizzyM]

Thank you for replying so quickly! I have me more thing to ask you about reapplying.

The new application obviously should not be identical to the first one (as in, copying and pasting my answers), but can the themes remain the same? I'm non-traditional and my reason for pursuing medicine hasn't changed in the last year so I don't see how I can completely revamp my personal statement while clearly explaining my motivations for pursuing medicine. I can state my activities differently and add the things I've done in the last year but the overall themes will remain the same.

Is that ok? Or should I be looking to completely overhaul the reasons that brought me to where I am today?

Unless your theme is terrible (e.g "all the doctors that treated my late mother were terrible and I'm going to show the world what a real doctor is important") you should be fine recycling your old essay.

 

[LizzyM]

Hi LIzzyM thanks for doing this!

I am already accepted to a med school this cycle, and I was wondering what's the policy of the courses I listed as "future courses" on my AMCAS. I have fulfilled all the pre-requisites already, so is it okay to not take all the courses I listed and switch for some other courses? (like a bio course for a psych course) Do schools really care about what courses you take? (assuming you are not slacking off)

Thanks!

I've never heard that it matters much. After all, you need not even list the courses you have not yet taken, right?

 

[bigbird23]

dear LizzyM,

i have an interview coming up in about a month. I have chosen a suit that i found on sale at a jc penny's and wanted to know what you think about the look. The link i posted is not my actual suit but looks almost exactly like it (this suit is a few hundred dollars more expensive because its a Hilfiger brand suit) along with the tie and shirt. I havent removed the tags so i can return the suit easily, i couldnt pass up the deal tho haha... not sure if stripes are ok and if i can wear black shoes with this..

http://www.menswearhouse.com/shop/p...751_700288707_-1_700000935_____noSpecialSizes

Yay, meh or nay??


also im poor, and skinny-ish so whats a guy to do on a budget?

 

[LizzyM]

Thank you for your response LizzyM. My question was not on a basis of if I should say this to make my GPA appear better, but on the basis of showing that I can over come challenges, which I am assuming adcoms look for in applicants. Also I am questioning the how they would think after hearing it I did in fact decide to make them aware, which would either be perceived in a negative way, because I was trying to make make a good GPA appear better than it was compared a positive way in showing my ability to overcome challenges and be successful.

As far as posting to much information, I am not to concerned as enough information is changed in a way to protect my identity.

Thanks again LizzyM, Happy Boxing Day to you as well.

Academic challenges and overcoming academic difficulties is not highly valued by adcoms, it is expected of everyone.

An external challenge outside of academics(personal cancer diagnosis, family home and business is lost in a weather-related disaster) might be worth mentioning showing that the applicant can do well in the face of an unexpected challenge.

 

[LizzyM]

dear lizzyM,

i have an interview coming up in about a month. I have chosen a suit that i found on sale at a jc penny's and wanted to know what you think about the look. The link i posted is not my actual suit but looks almost exactly like it (this suit is a few hundred dollars more expensive because its a Hilfiger brand suit) along with the tie and shirt. I havent removed the tags so i can return the suit easily, i couldnt pass up the deal tho haha... not sure if stripes are ok and if i can wear black shoes with this..

http://www.menswearhouse.com/shop/p...751_700288707_-1_700000935_____noSpecialSizes

Yay, meh or nay??


also im poor, and skinny-ish so whats a guy to do on a budget?

That looks fine but I'm no expert.

 

[TheShaker]

Unless your theme is terrible (e.g "all the doctors that treated my late mother were terrible and I'm going to show the world what a real doctor is important") you should be fine recycling your old essay.

By recycling, do you mean word for word or just using the same general idea? I'm thinking about this too as I don't have anything new to say for the personal statement (in the event that I need to reapply).

 

[LizzyM]

By recycling, do you mean word for word or just using the same general idea? I'm thinking about this too as I don't have anything new to say for the personal statement (in the event that I need to reapply).

If your PS is so great that it can't be made better, then copy word for word. If you think it could benefit from some editing, then edit it.

 

[augeremt]

Unless your theme is terrible (e.g "all the doctors that treated my late mother were terrible and I'm going to show the world what a real doctor is important") you should be fine recycling your old essay.

Sounds like I should be fine then. Thank you again.

 

[Iampanic]

You didn't do well in HS, and now you are doing very well in college. What's your point? Your gpa is on your application. Everyone with a 4.0 has worked hard. Why do you think you need to bring up how poorly you performed in HS? Do you think that your 4.0 will be considered even better than it is because you had poor grades in HS? I don't get the point of this question. And frankly, you really are revealing too much about yourself in these questions. Canada is a small country (in terms of population).

Happy Boxing Day.

Hi LizzyM,

Thank you again. Since I see you know about boxing, I'm an amateur boxer and now my school has an amateur boxing team and I'm part of it (not school sanctioned ). Will adcoms see this as a sport since boxing is not longer part of college athletics.

 

[idontcaureuknow]

So I put myself in a slightly bad spot:
I interviewed at a school that starts in June. I'm waitlisted (and as well as everywhere as of now... uh-oh). I really liked this school on my interview day (though I'm pretty sure I didn't interview too well), and would like the opportunity to attend it. However, due to the start date in June it currently affects my boss's business. He's a small business owner and I'm his only employee (other than his wife). If I don't go to the aforementioned school, he is going to leave the country for a month (visit his family overseas). However, if I do end up attending this school, he isn't going to leave. While he's very understanding, and is willing to wait till end of May/June to book travel plans, this will cost him extra money. Would it be stupid to contact the school and see if they can tell me any admissions chances by like end of april-ish?

I'm voting this would be dumb, but IDK, I feel bad about possibly costing my boss an extra thousand dollars just cause of applications (which he is already very accommodating about).

 

[lizlemon123]

Hey LizzyM
I graduated early from a top 20 LAC with one half of a pre-req class left to take (wanted to save $$$, already had a good GPA), and will be taking the remaining half of the pre-req as a post-bacc at a much lower ranked public school.

Can this be viewed as taking it at an "easier" place to inflate my GPA, or does the fact that I already had a good GPA in all my other science classes taken at my school (and an A in the first half of the pre-req that I took at my school) put that away? and if so what can I do to combat this view?

 

[LizzyM]

Hi LizzyM,

Thank you again. Since I see you know about boxing, I'm an amateur boxer and now my school has an amateur boxing team and I'm part of it (not school sanctioned ). Will adcoms see this as a sport since boxing is not longer part of college athletics.

I think you've confused Boxing Day (Dec 26) with the Feats of Strength and Airing of Grievances on Festivus (Dec 23). 😀 Or maybe not.

Boxing Day has nothing to do with the sport of Boxing (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day) but I'll answer your question just the same.

The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics take a dim view of boxing. See:

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2002/07/08/hlsb0708.htm

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/09/12/hlbf0912.htm

No doubt it will be looked upon as a club or activity... one that has as its objective to render an opponent unconscious.

 

[La Presse]

In order or importance, after you receive your secondary and the committee begins to review your info, what info do they look at and discern for you to get an invitation to interview at the school?

 

[Josh7]

Do you ever bring a few of the really bad applicants to the committee meetings just as a joke?

Are there designated people that are supposed to grill applicants during interviews or do you let people interview the applicants in any way they desire?

Thanks LizzyM

 

[LizzyM]

So I put myself in a slightly bad spot:
I interviewed at a school that starts in June. I'm waitlisted (and as well as everywhere as of now... uh-oh). I really liked this school on my interview day (though I'm pretty sure I didn't interview too well), and would like the opportunity to attend it. However, due to the start date in June it currently affects my boss's business. He's a small business owner and I'm his only employee (other than his wife). If I don't go to the aforementioned school, he is going to leave the country for a month (visit his family overseas). However, if I do end up attending this school, he isn't going to leave. While he's very understanding, and is willing to wait till end of May/June to book travel plans, this will cost him extra money. Would it be stupid to contact the school and see if they can tell me any admissions chances by like end of april-ish?

I'm voting this would be dumb, but IDK, I feel bad about possibly costing my boss an extra thousand dollars just cause of applications (which he is already very accommodating about).

Can you look at last year's school specific thread (it will be locked but still exists) to see when the waitlist started moving and how much moving took place?

Until the May 15 deadline, applicants can hold more than one offer so there isn't much time for waitlist movement between that date & your school's start date which may make for a rather hectic time but on the other hand, people with an offer there can't wait around to get off a waitlist elsewhere because they don't have much time so there is less opportunity for movement June 1 and later.

I guess it can't hurt to contact that school in April to ask about the likelihood of getting off the waitlist.

 

[Si Se Puede]

I think you've confused Boxing Day (Dec 26) with the Feats of Strength and Airing of Grievances on Festivus (Dec 23). 😀 Or maybe not.

Boxing Day has nothing to do with the sport of Boxing (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day) but I'll answer your question just the same.

The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics take a dim view of boxing. See:

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2002/07/08/hlsb0708.htm

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/09/12/hlbf0912.htm

LOL'd

 

[LizzyM]

Hey lizzyM
I graduated early from a top 20 LAC with one half of a pre-req class left to take (wanted to save $$$, already had a good GPA), and will be taking the remaining half of the pre-req as a post-bacc at a much lower ranked public school.

Can this be viewed as taking it at an "easier" place to inflate my GPA, or does the fact that I already had a good GPA in all my other science classes taken at my school (and an A in the first half of the pre-req that I took at my school) put that away? and if so what can I do to combat this view?

Get an A at the other school, too. There isn't much else you can do.

 

[Si Se Puede]

Just to clarfiy, approximately how many different adcom members view an application before voting on it? And are some adcom members more picky (e.g. they may favor applications they have more connections towards like if they both did a certain sport, etc) or are they trained explicitly based on certain standards?

 

[LizzyM]

In order or importance, after you receive your secondary and the committee begins to review your info, what info do they look at and discern for you to get an invitation to interview at the school?

Everything in your AMCAS application, LORs and secondary. grades and scores tend to be most important. If you don't have grades and scores that are the minimum necessary to get through med school, you won't get much further.... however that minimum is low and there are ten applicants for every interview slot so beyond grades they look at clinical exposure, service to others, research, motivation for medicine, interest in the school, leadership and activities.

 

[LizzyM]

Do you ever bring a few of the really bad applicants to the committee meetings just as a joke?

One year it happened by accident (the computer system was new and some people who should have been rejected preinterview were invited to interview). It was obvious that they were not in the same league with the people who had been intentionally invited. It was rather sad and no one was laughing.

Are there designated people that are supposed to grill applicants during interviews or do you let people interview the applicants in any way they desire?

Thanks LizzyM

At my school, we can do as we please within certain parameters (we are told not to ask questions about marital status, sexual orientation, etc.). Some schools will give a list of suggested questions.

 

[LizzyM]

Just to clarfiy, approximately how many different adcom members view an application before voting on it? And are some adcom members more picky (e.g. they may favor applications they have more connections towards like if they both did a certain sport, etc) or are they trained explicitly based on certain standards?

Somewhere between 8 and 15 review the application after the interview. They give an opinion and a reason for that opinion. Everyone in the group eventually sees the opinions of all the others and we get to know the biases of the other members of the committee. Pretty much, at the end of the day, we all balance one another.

 

[smarts1]

Somewhere between 8 and 15 review the application after the interview. They give an opinion and a reason for that opinion. Everyone in the group eventually sees the opinions of all the others and we get to know the biases of the other members of the committee. Pretty much, at the end of the day, we all balance one another.

So then what is the minimum number of votes necessary to get an admit vs. a waitlist vs. a rejection post interview?

 

[MelissaThompson]

One year it happened by accident (the computer system was new and some people who should have been rejected preinterview were invited to interview). It was obvious that they were not in the same league with the people who had been intentionally invited. It was rather sad and no one was laughing.


At my school, we can do as we please within certain parameters (we are told not to ask questions about marital status, sexual orientation, etc.). Some schools will give a list of suggested questions.

So did you eventually end up interviewing these inferior applicants??

 

[Iampanic]

I think you've confused Boxing Day (Dec 26) with the Feats of Strength and Airing of Grievances on Festivus (Dec 23). 😀 Or maybe not.

Boxing Day has nothing to do with the sport of Boxing (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day) but I'll answer your question just the same.

The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics take a dim view of boxing. See:

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2002/07/08/hlsb0708.htm

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/09/12/hlbf0912.htm

No doubt it will be looked upon as a club or activity... one that has as its objective to render an opponent unconscious.

Thank you for the info. It will help me to respond in case , I'm asked in my interviews.

I'm quoting the same article of the pediatrics association. "The overall risk of injury in amateur boxing is actually lower than in some other collision sports such as football, rugby, and ice hockey."

Amateur boxing is different to professional boxing. There is much more protection for the athletes.

 

[LizzyM]

So then what is the minimum number of votes necessary to get an admit vs. a waitlist vs. a rejection post interview?

You need a majority plus one to be assigned to a category (admit, waitlist, reject).

 

[LizzyM]

So did you eventually end up interviewing these inferior applicants??

Yes, by the time they were invited, it was too late to say , "Sorry". 😳

 

[muhali3]

Were these applicants all rejected, or were any waitlisted/accepted?

 

[Cautionary]

Hi LizzyM,

Thanks for all the great responses! I am currently a sophomore in college, and I was wondering whether I should go to a summer research program this summer (before junior year) or continue my research with my current Post-Doc/ PI at my college. Will you, as an admissions officer, see a summer program (most of them pay $4000 stipend) as more prestigious than continued research in my college. If I continue the research I am currently doing , I will have been doing it for about 2 years.

Thanks!

 

[LizzyM]

Were these applicants all rejected, or were any waitlisted/accepted?

I didn't keep score but I don't recall any of them being so impressive during the interview that they leapfrogged ahead of our other applicants.

 

[LizzyM]

Hi LizzyM,

Thanks for all the great responses! I am currently a sophomore in college, and I was wondering whether I should go to a summer research program this summer (before junior year) or continue my research with my current Post-Doc/ PI at my college. Will you, as an admissions officer, see a summer program (most of them pay $4000 stipend) as more prestigious than continued research in my college. If I continue the research I am currently doing , I will have been doing it for about 2 years.

Thanks!

A program that pays a stipend is sweet. Continuing research at your own school so that you have a 2 year tenure in the same place is good too. It would be a wash. If the summer were your only experience, the summer program would be better (more prestigious) than just being at a lab at your school.

 

[treesloth16]

One year it happened by accident (the computer system was new and some people who should have been rejected preinterview were invited to interview). It was obvious that they were not in the same league with the people who had been intentionally invited. It was rather sad and no one was laughing.

Hi LizzyM, just curious, can you tell me what the bold/italicized means? Sometimes you can determine the intellectual capability of a person through interviews; but sometimes you can't. Thanks!

 

[dwills]

By April they do.

Just to clarify, do schools you are still holding acceptances from see everywhere you have been accepted to or only schools that you have been accepted to and not withdrawn from?

I only ask because I don't want to withdraw acceptances from a school i am not going to attend if having multiple acceptances makes me seem more desirable and eligible for more scholarships/grants

 

[LizzyM]

Hi LizzyM, just curious, can you tell me what the bold/italicized means? Sometimes you can determine the intellectual capability of a person through interviews; but sometimes you can't. Thanks!

It wasn't the intellectual capacity, it was the life experiences as well: they just didn't haave the same sorts of experiences (research, leadership, etc) that we often talk about during closed file interviews.

 

[LizzyM]

Just to clarify, do schools you are still holding acceptances from see everywhere you have been accepted to or only schools that you have been accepted to and not withdrawn from?

I only ask because I don't want to withdraw acceptances from a school i am not going to attend if having multiple acceptances makes me seem more desirable and eligible for more scholarships/grants

I'm not exactly sure as I haven 't seen this list in many years but I think that every school that has made an offer shows up on the list whether or not you've withdrawn. But when I saw the list it was at the end of the cycle and it showed the person's name, some other stuff about them, the school where they matriculated and then a field listing the other schools that offered the person admission. It comes down to schools wanting to know, "where did the ones who got away from us end up?"