Changes in Stanford for this year

[constructor]

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The policies discussed below in the Dean's Newsletter affect us applying this year...

****Executive Committee Discusses Medical Student Admissions

Over the past year, the Executive Committee has had a number of
discussions about medical student admissions. While everyone
acknowledges that we are most fortunate to have had outstanding
students enter our medical student classes, we have also recognized
the importance of aligning the interests and aspirations of
prospective students to the directions, goals and missions of the
School of Medicine. With the New Stanford Curriculum and its enhanced
focus on scholarship and Scholarly Concentrations, it is increasingly
important to assure that applicants are aware of the School's chosen
emphasis and that the faculty and students are as optimally matched
as possible.

Earlier this year I appointed a Subcommittee of the Executive
Committee to work with Dr. Gabe Garcia, Director of Admissions, to
review and address ways of further optimizing the admissions process.
The Subcommittee was chaired by Dr. Bill Mobley (Neurology and
Neurological Sciences) and included Drs. Ron Pearl (Anesthesia),
Suzanne Pfeffer (Biochemistry), Mary Lake Polan
(Obstetrics/Gynecology), Judy Swain (Medicine), Irv Weissman
(Pathology, Developmental Biology), Kathy Gillam (Special Assistant
to the Dean), and Gabe Garcia. Among the recommendations of this
Subcommittee, which will go into effect immediately, is a request
that applicants familiarize themselves with the New Stanford
Curriculum and write an essay about how the Scholarly Concentrations
help them to achieve their goals. Students who are offered interviews
(clearly a small fraction of the overall pool of applicants), will
meet with a faculty member who matches their area of scholarly
concentration interest as well another faculty member and student.
Importantly, the number of senior faculty members engaged in the
interview process will be expanded (with the support of the Executive
Committee) and the rolling admission process, used in the past, will
be abandoned in favor of a more consolidated interview and admission
season extending from December though February.

The Executive Committee acknowledged the importance of working with
the Committee of Five and Faculty Senate and also recognized the
excellent job that Dr. Garcia has done as Director of Admissions. It
is our shared goal to make the admissions process more meaningful for
applicants and as optimized as possible in selecting students who are
most likely to benefit from the New Stanford Curriculum and equally
become leaders in the future of medicine and the biosciences.

 

[Medikit]

What I am getting from this is that the scholarly concentration essay is really important, and that admissions is no longer rolling. Is that what you guys are getting?

 

[constructor]

yes, and i think you will have an additional interview with a faculty member who's somehow affiliated with the type of research in which you're interested.

 

[Scubadoc]

What I am getting from this is that the scholarly concentration essay is really important, and that admissions is no longer rolling. Is that what you guys are getting?

yeah that's what i am thinking too, medi.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

So if someone didn't indicate their scholarly concentration of choice, I guess they're screwed.

 

[secretasianman]

if it's not rolling admissions, does this mean they'll withold giving any acceptances until the end of the season? ah it doesn't matter, i'm not gonna get an interview frmo stanfurd anyways hah.

 

[foobear]

What?! They are so weird.

The question about scholarly concentration is "How will the Stanford curriculum, and specifically the requirement for a scholarly concentration, help your personal career goals?" This question did not ask what exactly you want to research. Besides, how do they expect people to know? I may not want to continue research in the area that I already have experience in, right?

Needless to say, I did not write about what I want to research. Instead, I answered their question about how it would help my career goals. Am I screwed? 😕

 

[Pinkertinkle]

I know, wtf, shouldn't they make it clear what they want you to write.

 

[bakedlay]

damn stanfurd, i didn't write what i wanted to do research in either. oh well

 

[Long_John]

if it's not rolling admissions, does this mean they'll withold giving any acceptances until the end of the season? ah it doesn't matter, i'm not gonna get an interview frmo stanfurd anyways hah.

this is interesting. no more rolling admissions? In their email reminders they sent us in the beginning of September encouraging us to turn in our secondaries as fast as possible because they were on a rolling admissions system and the earlier we got our stuff in, the better our chances. what's with the contradictions?

 

[Pinkertinkle]

AUGUST - EARLY DECEMBER:
Invitations to complete the Supplementary Application are sent out



JULY - DECEMBER 1:
Stanford receives Supplementary Applications and letters of recommendation



DECEMBER 1:
Deadline for sending Supplementary Applications and letters of recommendation (must be postmarked by this date)



SEPTEMBER - FEBRUARY:
Applications are reviewed




LATE NOVEMBER - APRIL:
Invitations to interview are sent out




FEBRUARY - MAY:
Offers of admission are made on a ?rolling? basis

 

[Pinkertinkle]

With acceptances starting february, might as well not be "rolling."

 

[DianaLynne]

Whoa, it would have been nice if Stanford could have got this information out to us while we were working on our secondaries. 👎

I think that I wrote down that I'm interested in endocrinology research, specifically about sex hormone receptors. What if no one there is doing that work? Is it game over?

Diana

 

[Jessiemmc]

What if you're not interested in doing research? I haven't finished my secondary to Stanford yet, but from the sounds of this it seems like they only want people who want to do research at their school. Should I not apply there?

Thanks

 

[Jessiemmc]

What if you're not interested in doing research? I haven't finished my secondary to Stanford yet, but from the sounds of this it seems like they only want people who want to do research at their school. Should I not apply there?

Thanks

Anyone??

 

[Medikit]

What if you're not interested in doing research? I haven't finished my secondary to Stanford yet, but from the sounds of this it seems like they only want people who want to do research at their school. Should I not apply there?

Thanks

I'm inclined to say you might not want to apply to Stanford. But I get a sense that what they are talking about is different than just straight forward research. There are actually two different options for the scholarly concentration. I bet there is someone at Stanford that could talk to you about it.

 

[LauraMac]

this is my last secondary. glad to know that i don't have to freak out about getting it in soon. i can't believe they wait that long to start interviewing!

 

[constructor]

Anyone??

i would apply there if i were you because you never know... i actually got this information in an e-mail that was forwarded to some students and i'm not sure how strictly they're going to implement what they talk about. i did post everything it said on the e-mail, though.

since it's the first year they're trying this and the instructions on the secondary don't emphasize the scholarly concentration and the revised curriculum as much as the e-mail, i would think that they're going to get a lot of vague answers from people, and they can't just reject qualified folks on the basis of their response to this one question, right?

 

[IndyZX]

i would apply there if i were you because you never know... i actually got this information in an e-mail that was forwarded to some students and i'm not sure how strictly they're going to implement what they talk about. i did post everything it said on the e-mail, though.

since it's the first year they're trying this and the instructions on the secondary don't emphasize the scholarly concentration and the revised curriculum as much as the e-mail, i would think that they're going to get a lot of vague answers from people, and they can't just reject qualified folks on the basis of their response to this one question, right?

except that schools like stanford can reject quality people for almost no reason and they'll be just fine

 

[dandelion]

What if you're not interested in doing research? I haven't finished my secondary to Stanford yet, but from the sounds of this it seems like they only want people who want to do research at their school. Should I not apply there?

Thanks

They also have a scholarly concentration in bioethics, humanties, and the arts. By my understanding of their new curriculum, seems like they are pretty flexible about what you can do. Students are required to do an in-depth project related to medicine, but it doesn't have to be lab research. There were projects where the med student went around the country photographing free clinics . . .