FlexMed 2021

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Application for Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai should be opening in August and I didn't see this year's FlexMed SDN thread so I figured I'd go ahead and make it!

2014: FlexMed 2014
2015: FlexMed 2015
2016: FlexMed 2016
2017: FlexMed 2017
2018: FlexMed 2018
2019: FlexMed 2019
2020: FlexMed 2020

I was also thinking this year, with COVID and all, it might be nice to have a more easy-to-access way to communicate and support each other. I was thinking GroupMe, is anyone interested in a GroupMe groupchat?

As a couple people are interested, I made an email to collect information, send your phone number to [email protected] and I'll add you to the GroupMe!

We're almost at a 100 members! Keep em coming-

12/8/20 - groupme very active, join!

12/30/20 - gc very active, don't worry about prefacing your emails with 'idk if this group is still active' lol
-dg

3/1/21 - gc got much smaller after that first rounds fo decisions came out 🙁 we're still active anyway for newbies looking to join
I emailed the admissions office to ask and somehow this year they didn't do rollouts, all interviews and rejections were sent in one day. strange, but maybe bc of covid. I'll be curious to see if there were way fewer applicants or about the same.

"We have seen an increase in applications this cycle compared to previous years but cannot provide the numbers until the admissions cycle ends." adcom


GROUPME UPDATE 3/7/21 - someone randomly deleted literally everyone?? technology issues :/, I am manually adding everyone I remember who got interview back into it but please email me to get added back

So turns out groupme has links and I am dumb, just click here LOL
You're invited to join my group "FlexMed 2020-2021" on GroupMe. GroupMe
 
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Do you guys think the admission process will be different this year because of the pandemic?
 
wendyyy said:
Do you guys think the admission process will be different this year because of the pandemic?
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Honestly no clue, I hope the actual application is fairly similar. Interviews, for those fortunate enough to get them, will probably be online unless things get real cool real fast haha
 
Small updates from the GroupMe for anyone straggling through this SDN thread: we briefly discussed if flexmed would be more lenient about shadowing/volunteer hours affected by COVID and reached the agreement that none of us have any idea, that they would probably understand, and that we really hope they understand lol. Also talked a bit about our majors etc. Nothing important yet.
 
Awesome! Just sent over my phone number to that email! Look forward to applying. I assume they are releasing the application a little late this year?
 
Update for thread, application is finally up today, Aug 25, around 10am EST. Looks the same as described, can't find anything new about it compared to previous years.
 
veer_ said:
Small updates from the GroupMe for anyone straggling through this SDN thread: we briefly discussed if flexmed would be more lenient about shadowing/volunteer hours affected by COVID and reached the agreement that none of us have any idea, that they would probably understand, and that we really hope they understand lol. Also talked a bit about our majors etc. Nothing important yet.
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yeah I'm a little worried too because I was planning on volunteering over the summer. I only have non-clinical volunteering experience, so I'd imagine it would be almost impossible for me without any actual clinical experience.
 
veer_ said:
Honestly no clue, I hope the actual application is fairly similar. Interviews, for those fortunate enough to get them, will probably be online unless things get real cool real fast haha
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Interviews will probably be online like you said. I was apart of the FlexMed 2019 application cohort, and I have friends who applied and got into FlexMed 2020. They had to do virtual interviews and CASPer.
 
cbme123 said:
yeah I'm a little worried too because I was planning on volunteering over the summer. I only have non-clinical volunteering experience, so I'd imagine it would be almost impossible for me without any actual clinical experience.
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Sinai's official COVID response for flexmeders...

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Admissions Statement related to COVID19 and FlexMed Applicants:

We cannot address each prospective applicant’s specific situation. However the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai understands that the COVID19 public health crisis has impacted different facets of each applicant's portfolio. The Admissions Committee will be flexible in evaluating the testing dates for SAT/ACT exams, the number of P/F grades in Spring 2020, the abrupt discontinuation of some activities in Spring 2020 and other elements impacted by the current pandemic. The Admissions Committee evaluates each application holistically and will continue to maintain rigorous holistic review. If your application is impacted by the current crisis, consider writing a short explanation in your application.
 
More updates: some discussion on how many activities to include. Debated whether it is more important to tailor activities towards flex factor or tick off Sinai's "ideal candidate has all these attributes (leadership, committed to medicine, research, service etc)" boxes. No conclusion.

If you want to join the groupme definitely email, I check it all the time! - D
 
Okie doke, kids. This is gonna be a long one. This is for all you flexers zooming through this thread in who knows what year.

Lots of concern and discussion about Letters of rec. Sinai has recommended letters, one highschool teacher or college prof, one prof in the sciences, and one mentor. Everyone is aware of this fact, yet COVID has made it hard to acquire (high quality) letters, especially for all three categories. Key points about letters we discussed:
  • Upon talking to an admissions officer, they are very intent on getting a letter from a science professor. A high school teacher in science can possibly be substituted. They emphasized wanting proof that you can excel academically in a rigorous science class. Do not skimp here or substitute this one, even an extra research mentor doesn't do the trick. Science. Professor.
  • Several of us are substituting the HS teacher for another college prof, this seems to be an okay exchange.
  • Many of us have huge science classes and they are foten online. Going to office hours to get to know teachers.
  • Talked about whether it is a good idea to get a letter from a teacher you have this (aka sophomore fall) semester since you don't have much time to impress. Consensus? Yes, you get the whole semester, go for it.
    • How long of a wait time should you give profs for a LOR? Some said 3 months in advance, some said 2-3 weeks in advance. I have no specific answer for this one.
  • Discussed whether an EMT class prof is a science letter. Probably not, AMCAS has strict definitions of a science class (the bios, the chems, the physics and the maths)
  • Now, a big one, Lot of talk about whether we can substitute a science class TA for science LOR. NO consensus. Some yes and no. Maybe if the TA hold a degree? A lot will try to have the TA write it and have the professor sign off, similar to how your lab supervisor could write a letter and the PI signs off. Still, no clear answer. I might ask about this in the webinars (more below) and see what they say.
    • Some students will get their lab mentor to actually write the letter and get sign off, it is not unheard of
  • Some talk about 3 vs 4 recs. Sinai accepts the 4th, does NOT GUARANTEE that the fourth letter gets read, so dont make that your strongest - admit officer someone emailed
    • 'Consensus (THIS IS NOT AN ADCOM OPINION) if all 4 are fine do it, if 4th will be eh dont do it !!!
    • possible sources for a 4th letter, or even the third mentor letter if you dont do research - volunteer advisor, job boss, internship supervisor,
  • What should be in a letter? Motivation for you in medicine, either personal or academic evidence for this and how you are a strong and motivated future medical student. (NOT AN ADCOM OPP)
  • "I spoke to aathe flexmed help desk...the said u can submit letters from whoever but its not going to look as good as getting a letter from each of the sources on the website" - quote from a student in group
    • "they said that replacing a professor letter with an extra research mentor is putting yourself at a disadvantage" - same student from call

Onto the application, most of us have officially started filling it out.
  • Activities section, 20 max, activities and awards all in one. Choose categories for your activity (leadership, research, community service, clinical etc), 150 word description about it and the choose THREE as 'most meaningful' and write another 150 words about why it is meaningful.
  • Which section to start with first? Most seem to be starting with activities bc it is straightforward.
  • Sinai recognizes that many activities may fall into more than one category that is given in the drop down, choose the best one
Test scores...
  • Sinai wants you to report all tests taken, every time. So, I who took the ACT and SAT twice (ye i am dumb) reported 4 exam scores and uploaded PROOF (a screenshot of score on website is good enough according to adcom email) for each and every one.
    • ACT moved to new server, you cant download score reports anymore so you will HAVE to take screenshot. PrtScn button lol
  • No real answer about superscore policy. Email and ask imo
  • We estimate cutoff and weed out score is ACT 30-31+, whatever that translates to SAT (NOT AN ADCOM OPP)
  • "I know someone who got in with a 1350 wbut her activities were amazing", quote from student in group. Do with it what you will
Some talk about Canada
  • Yes, they accept canadian school apps
GPA!!!! Calm down, I know half of yall reading this have strokes about medical school every morning. You'll be fine.
  • Talked about what a competitive GPA is.
  • Median guess was 3.9. Found a THIRD PARTY tutoring service for Flexmed that says that average GPA is indeed 3.91...ding ding ding I was right.
  • Some students cited their respective premed and academic advisors sayings something like "you should have a 3.9 to be competitive or dont bother applying"
  • Decided that "a 3.7 with strong flex factor is superior to 4.0 with weak flex" (NOT AN ADCOM OPP)
  • These are nonofficial data points and estimations.
  • First semester sophomore GPA is counted towards what you report
  • Consensus on HS grades - they probably do take that into account. Not sure how heavy it is weighted
  • Lots of talk about previous threads show lots of students getting cut even with perfect stats, stats seem to be a filter not a ticket to glory
  • App is holistic, kids.
  • School rigor-
    • They probably do take rigor of your school, and any associated inflation and deflation reputation they have (NOT AN ADCOM OPP)
Ivy bias
  • No consensus on if Icahn has ivy bias or not. SOme students say that more students from Ivies get in because it is better advertised there? SO maybe that.
Pass/fail
  • If your entire school goes p/f then you should be fine, dont choose or elect pass fail unless your grade is C/D or lower. Dont retake an A range or B range (B-, B, B+) class, just take higher level classes in that subject and kill it to show that you learn well (my and others opp, NOT ADCOM)
  • Use application explanation section to, well, explain circumstances. 1000 characters.
Submissions
  • No evidence that handing in app early is advantageous for flexmed.
WEBINARS WERE ANNOUNCED MID OCTOBER THIS CYCLE, FOUR WEBINARS: one in october, november, december and early Jan. All recorded. Same info in each one.

Shadowing
  • Some criticism of virtual shadowing, if it is for-profit might not be the absolute best idea. Nonprofit virtual shadowing should be good. (NOT AN ADCOM OPP)
And then we started sharing instagram handles lol. Hope this helps whoever is reading. More to come!
 
jason345 said:
Thank you for all this information. You mentioned a 3.7 with a strong "flex factor." What do you mean by this term?
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so the whole point of flexmed is to give people a way to use two years of undergrad to pursue passions that regular premeds dont have the option to do. that is your flex factor aka what you will use the two extra years to pursue. if you dont have a solid reason to apply to med school early flexmed isnt for you. so what i mean is that for this program you want to prioritize explaining what your unique plan is.
 
jason345 said:
Thank you. I have strong grades (3.85) at a t20 school, good hs gpa and top SAT scores. But my volunteering since has HS has been limited due to corona. Also, due to online and large classes I don't have great options for recs. . Additionally, I don't have a great story as for my flex mentioned above - just more freedom to take electives and spend a semester abroad. I am wondering if it even makes sense to bother my professors for recs or I don't really have a chance. Any thoughts?
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Join our groupme!
 
Also, how is the admissions committee viewing P/NP grades for Fall 2020? I may be getting a B in one of my classes, and am thinking of changing it to P/NP to keep my 4.0 GPA...
 
Hi all 🙂 I was admitted to FlexMed in 2019 and will be taking a couple gap years to work outside of medicine before matriculating to Mt. Sinai. Though I haven't started yet (I'm a current senior), I'd be happy to answer any questions you all might have about the interview process or admissions!
 
Hey all, I'm considering applying for the program and was hoping to get some opinions on my chances. I'm a student at ASU's honors college finishing up my 3rd semester. I'm on pace for a cumulative gpa of 3.87 with a range of possible outcomes from 3.78 to 3.91. My EC's include contact tracing for the county health department and volunteering to help Ethiopian refugee's develop their English skills. I have a standing offer for letters of rec from 2 of my college professors and a HS physics teacher. My main concern is my high school record, my gpa was a 4.4 but my ACT score was a disappointing 29. This program really interests me because I'm passionate about healthcare policy and would love to be able to take more poli-sci/public policy classes. Anyways, should I apply or is my ACT a dealbreaker?
 
Saguti12 said:
Hey all, I'm considering applying for the program and was hoping to get some opinions on my chances. I'm a student at ASU's honors college finishing up my 3rd semester. I'm on pace for a cumulative gpa of 3.87 with a range of possible outcomes from 3.78 to 3.91. My EC's include contact tracing for the county health department and volunteering to help Ethiopian refugee's develop their English skills. I have a standing offer for letters of rec from 2 of my college professors and a HS physics teacher. My main concern is my high school record, my gpa was a 4.4 but my ACT score was a disappointing 29. This program really interests me because I'm passionate about healthcare policy and would love to be able to take more poli-sci/public policy classes. Anyways, should I apply or is my ACT a dealbreaker?
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Not a great score, yes, but not a deal breaker. Good college record and good HS GPA are visible. Do you have a good flex factor, a good reason to apply early? If so, unless $110 is very difficult for you for whatever reason there is no downside to applying and you have as good a chance as any of us.
 
veer_ said:
Not a great score, yes, but not a deal breaker. Good college record and good HS GPA are visible. Do you have a good flex factor, a good reason to apply early? If so, unless $110 is very difficult for you for whatever reason there is no downside to applying and you have as good a chance as any of us.
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I appreciate the input. For my letters of recommendation, would a letter from a language professor be ok? She's been my fiercest advocate in college, and I imagine she would write a very strong letter. My other 2 are from my Biology professor and the HS physics teacher.
 
Hi! I'm thinking about applying to the FlexMed program but my SAT score was pretty disappointing at a 1370. I have a 3.99 GPA in college and had a 3.67 in high school (unweighted). I have many hours of both clinical and non-clinal volunteering and I've been told my resume both in high school and college is very impressive. Should I apply or is my SAT score too low?
 
jhaalmishti said:
Hi! I'm thinking about applying to the FlexMed program but my SAT score was pretty disappointing at a 1370. I have a 3.99 GPA in college and had a 3.67 in high school (unweighted). I have many hours of both clinical and non-clinal volunteering and I've been told my resume both in high school and college is very impressive. Should I apply or is my SAT score too low?
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I think the average accepted applicant is a 1520 but they consider 1300+ scores so you could try but it may be a reach, heavily depending on the rest of your application.
 
How are recommendation letters from professors that taught lab classes (such as a 1-credit biology lab course) viewed? He's the only professor in the sciences that I was able to make an actual connection with because of online learning.
 
important points from todays webinar (these were verbal responses to student questions) for you, yeah you digging through this thread years later -

Test scores - ALL SAT/ACT scores required, and NOT superscored! (okay lol nvm one adcom said they don't and another said they do...)

Application submission time doesn't matter, no rolling, submissision early has NO advantage

"applicants are encouraged to include all activities even if they are not science related"

2020 stats - 761 apps, 125 interviews, 40 As, median sat reading 735, median sat math 763, median act 34, undergrad median gpa 3.86

interviews virtual this year, again 😥
 
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phreakingblasian said:
Hi all 🙂 I was admitted to FlexMed in 2019 and will be taking a couple gap years to work outside of medicine before matriculating to Mt. Sinai. Though I haven't started yet (I'm a current senior), I'd be happy to answer any questions you all might have about the interview process or admissions!
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HI! I was wondering, have you heard of people with lower SAT scores being able to get into FlexMed? I feel that I am a strong applicant otherwise but my SAT was a 1370, which worries me.
 
fifteenpapers said:
currently a flexmed student, feel free to shoot me any questions!
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HI! I was wondering, have you heard of people with lower SAT scores being able to get into FlexMed? I feel that I am a strong applicant otherwise but my SAT was a 1370, which worries me.
 
old dug reposts from 2014/2015:

"
Hey FlexMedders, gonna post my take now that I'm in...but first here's incredibly useful advice from 2014's thread from someone who also got in..thought I'd repost:
[Purplownz]
After going through the app process and reading the past HuMed threads, I've come to the conclusion that:

a) Avoiding the MCAT should definitely not be your primary goal when applying. I strongly believe that the students who were accepted are so strong academically that they would achieve strong MCAT scores if they were to take the test. It's not the test itself, it's the time commitment that's necessary to do well on it (and thus time that you could be using productively for your other, interesting extracurricular pursuits) that is important.

b) You should be strong academically. I firmly believe that you MUST have the numbers to be accepted to this program, regardless of how amazing your extracurricular activities are (i.e. high stats are necessary but insufficient). This is because the school has only a limited academic history by which to assess you and gauge your future performance in medical school. The adcoms in the third FlexMed informational video essentially say that students with "Bs or Cs" should strongly consider waiting to apply the regular way. With no MCAT and only 1.5 years of college + high school, any slip ups in grades are much more harmful.

**c) I have noticed that UNLIKE with HUMED, elite academic undergraduate pedigree seems to have played a much smaller role for FlexMed admissions. Browsing through this thread reveals a wide array of schools (Ivies, mid-low tier state schools and privates). Don't get me wrong, there are still tons of students from Ivies (I go to Columbia) but many students were accepted without the elite Northeast stamp that seemed to be important for HuMed.

d) Continuing with this idea, UNLIKE with HuMed, having already taken traditional pre med requirements did not seem to be deleterious to one's application for FlexMed. In other words, many students seem to have already taken organic chemistry or physics and/or other advanced science courses, even as humanities majors. This did not appear to be the case with HuMed, where taking traditional pre-med requirements often hurt one's chances for admission.

e) That being said, you CANNOT be a "cookie cutter" pre med student. You MUST stand out with some combination of extracurricular activities, awards/accomplishments, and letters of recommendation. Examples of what accepted FlexMed students are doing this summer include: Howard Hughes Summer Research (hyper prestigious research fellowship), leading a project in a 3rd world country for Engineers Without Boarders, and tons of research projects at Hopkins, CHOP, Sinai, Yale and other top REUs. A number fluently speak foreign languages and are going abroad to several different countries.

f) Therefore, you must think carefully about your interests. Get to know faculty who are involved in your academic area of interest (or project leaders, if you are interested in some social issue). Develop your relationship with them and collaborate on projects during your freshman year. By the time you apply, you will already have a well-supported plan and excellent letters of recommendation. Acceptance to FlexMed will allow you to continue pursuing this interest and hopefully make a significant contribution to your area, as well as gain experiences that will be able to enhance your career in medicine.

Good luck everyone! Congrats to everyone who was accepted. It's clearly an incredible group of people that I am honored to be able to be a part of.

EDIT: Stats are 3.9+ cumulative and science. 2250+ SAT. Double major in chem/English. 1 pub at the time of app w/ 1 more expected this summer."

"
I'd echo the same advice. I had a 2250, 3.9, Bioengineering, lots of extracurriculars and internships not related to medicine.

The big question you have to be able to convincingly answer is "Why should they take you now as opposed to 2 years from now?" This is the opposition argument: Waiting 2 years gives them more data on you, more certainty on your quality, less risky to accept you then compared to now....The argument you all have to make is that the 2 years they're giving you are more valuable in terms of personal growth than the certainty they'd get by accepting you later...so the idea is.. simply being more comfortable while you do premed things isn't going to be enough. You have to have dramatic and concrete plans.

If you're "pursuing a healthcare management degree" that's fantastic, but honestly that's super vague compared to someone who is "looking to take [classes] to learn [skills] and use them for [project, extracurricular activity, goal - specifics]"...hopefully that makes sense. Rhetoric is sometimes a good thing, but the committee wants tangibles.

Assuming you've earned it, realize that many people who haven't will be applying with you. If you were FlexMed, realize that after the initial stats-based sifting, the next thing you'd do is throw out all the candidates who are full of fluff but haven't actually done anything. In my interview, for example, we spent like 5 minutes on the issue of "Why Doctor?" and the rest of the time on minute details of my extra-curriculars that seemed rather trivial..."Where in Nicaragua did you go? With who? What was the weather like? What was memorable about the trip?"...questions that I could only answer if I had done those things, questions that, so far as I could tell, were intent upon separating out candidates with big mouths from those who did things. So focusing on tangibles is important.

One more thing - They're looking at limited information, so in this app more than any other, details matter. I'd take any part of the application as an opportunity to showcase something, and make sure you take care to articulate everything clearly and concisely."
 
Hi I'd love for anyone to provide some insight on my situation. I currently am a 2nd-year student at my 4 year university, and am hoping to finish with a overall gpa of 3.91 for the past 1.5 years. However, for my junior and senior year of high school, I only took college classes that will tie into my cumulative GPA, bringing it down to a 3.8 with a sGPA of 3.73. Is there anyway I can emphasize in my application how that doesn't reflect my current performance in school, or am I just going to have to take the L and see what happens?
 
moosalani said:
Hi I'd love for anyone to provide some insight on my situation. I currently am a 2nd-year student at my 4 year university, and am hoping to finish with a overall gpa of 3.91 for the past 1.5 years. However, for my junior and senior year of high school, I only took college classes that will tie into my cumulative GPA, bringing it down to a 3.8 with a sGPA of 3.73. Is there anyway I can emphasize in my application how that doesn't reflect my current performance in school, or am I just going to have to take the L and see what happens?
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I'm in the same boat as you; I emailed them and they said 1) high school dual enrollment classes won't count as part of our college GPA, and 2) B's in the intensive sciences are okay, as long as the rest of your academic record is strong. Hope that's helpful!
 
nosleeponlyschool said:
I'm in the same boat as you; I emailed them and they said 1) high school dual enrollment classes won't count as part of our college GPA, and 2) B's in the intensive sciences are okay, as long as the rest of your academic record is strong. Hope that's helpful!
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Thanks for the response. So do I still report those classes as college classes or high school classes or both on the application? The only reason I’m still worried is because those classes were affiliated with 4-year universities, but they did count towards my high school requirments so I don’t know how to classify them.
 
Does anybody here put high school EC on their activities section? Otherwise, 20 activities is a lot for 1.5 years ....

(I feel like I just asked a stupid question =))

Also, can international applicants actually get in or do they just say that international students can apply???
 
moosalani said:
Thanks for the response. So do I still report those classes as college classes or high school classes or both on the application? The only reason I’m still worried is because those classes were affiliated with 4-year universities, but they did count towards my high school requirments so I don’t know how to classify them.
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I see what you mean... I would email them and ask to be safe. I took my dual enrollment classes at a community college so it's slightly different in my case.
 
12/27/20 updates for future stragglers:

discussed how many of the 20 activities to fill out. range 12-20, most around 14-16ish. discussed whether to include HS activities and if yes, how many. webinar officers said include HS activities to show continued interest in stuff. few accepted students from years past said they did add a few HS activities. general consensus it to keep is to last 2 years of HS when possible. make sure to include long time sports or leadership.

talked about whether to fill out the optional "Were there any adverse circumstances in your premedical or Graduate School preparatory journey including but not limited to recent impact from COVID-19?". Decided that unless it was something extraordinary generally not a great idea i.e. "if you have to think about what to put in there, don't put anything in there".

median undergrad gpa in the past few years has been closer to 3.91.

if you have awards you can write 0 for the hours.

that's about it
 
3.7 college gpa competitive top university. 3.7 for competitive high school. excellent extra circular and a good amount of clinical shadowing and brigades. pretty good flex factor, strong LOC, and 1440 superscored sat- thoughts?
 
"Thank you for submitting your application to the FlexMed Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai."
submitted

I plan to take MCAT in June or July if I get rejected from Flexmed
 
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Anyone applied for
Summer Undergraduate Research Program(SURP @ Sinai) ?
 
😢
Thank you for your application to the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. After careful consideration by the Admissions Committee, we regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you admission to the program.


We received applications from a large number of highly qualified students, and for this reason, must withhold offers of acceptance to many worthy applicants.


We wish you success in your academic and professional pursuits.
 
Anyone know when will the interview invitation come out?
 
Interview invites sent 2/25 at around 2pm EST. First round. First round Rs sent soon after.



I was fortunate to get one. Good luck to all FlexMed applicants, future and current.
 
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Rejected! Had a 4.0 undergrad cumulative, 3.96 hs unweighted with 1540 SAT & 35 ACT; lots of hospital volunteering (500hrs), a bit of research, and a few leadership roles in community health teaching programs. Only thing holding me back was my weak Flex Factor, i think. Good luck to everyone moving forward in the program!!
 
Some interview information. It's virtual this year ofc, idk if they'll keep it for future years for you 2022 and beyond kids.

This is what the email was:

Dear veer_,

We have reviewed your application and are very impressed with your accomplishments. The Selection Committee is pleased to invite you for interviews at Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai. During your interview day, we hope to give you a sense of what makes Icahn School of Medicine’s educational experience special.
To accept our invitation to interview, please schedule your interview by logging in to your application and selecting the interview tab. Please schedule your interview by Monday, March 1.
If you have any questions, please email Jackie Chudow at [email protected] or the Admissions Office at [email protected].
Log in here: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Online Application
The day is scheduled to begin at 10:00a.m. EST. More information about the interview day can be found on the "Interview Day Schedule" tab in the interview scheduling system. Our virtual interview day will include a welcome and information session, open file interviews with faculty and/or senior medical students, as well as discussions with current students. Please allow about 5 hours for your interview day with scheduled breaks throughout.
In addition, we invite you to browse our online view book and Virtual
Interview Folder on the application system.
You will receive information on the Zoom link closer to the date of your interview.
In order to interview at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, we must receive confirmation from you through our online scheduling system.
We look forward to meeting you on your virtual interview day.
Sincerely,

Valerie Signature

Valerie Parkas, MD
Senior Associate Dean for Admissions and Recruitment
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

They also have some resources like information about the school and their programs you can familiarize yourself with. So, if you don't know a lot about Icahn don't worry, you get a lot of good info from them in the "interview packet". They have virtual student hosts, too.

The schedule we were given, this probably mimics what in-person would be like. Nice to know you get time to get acclimated before actual evaluative interviews.

10:00am Introduction to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

11:00am – 1:15pm Interviews (exact schedule will be given in the future)

1:30pm – 2:00pm Conversation with Current Students

2:00pm – 2:30pm Next Steps & Farewell from Admissions


Oh yeah, you also have to upload a photo that adcoms and your LOR writers see. so uh get yourself a professional-looking picture taken in February because they only give you like 3 days to respond and have it uploaded
 
some information about interviews this year

we estimated about 125 interviews, I'm sure they'll give out the exact number in the future. interviews took place throughout the month of March on Zoom, of course, and lasted about half a day. quick presentation and chance to ask Dr. Parkas a question or two, then introductions with others interviewing that day, two one on one interviews with faculty and/or senior med student, then chat with current students.

from my experience, and a few others', interviews this year were a bit different content-wise. in years past it sounded like the interviews were fully focused on the flex factor and activities from your application, sort of making sure you actually did/cared about the stuff you said you did and that you have a real reason to get in early. One one of my interviews was about these topics this year, the faculty asked about my application and "what can flexmed do for you" aka why let you in two years early lol.
my second interview was fully advocacy/service-based and the interviewer explicitly told me "today I will be assessing your advocacy and service" at the very start of the interview. That was startling, to say the least. Lots of questions about defending people's backgrounds and identities, bullying, serving a community and standing up for others/outreach for the underserved followed. It felt totally like what I expect a normal MD interview would be because I didn't get a single flexmed or application based question from my second interviewer.

This was very interesting to me and I talked to a few others about it, many of whom has similar experiences with two very different interviews. It seems (and this is a pure rumor from a current Sinai student that some of us heard) each interviewer has a "theme" they direct the interview towards. The first was clearly "flexmed" and the second was clearly "advocacy". I haven't heard of this for flexmed before, it sounded like the early assurance interviews were always about the flex factors and stuff. But I am assuming the traditional MD interviews had this two theme format and they transplanted that in for flexmed this year...maybe?

I think the interview also represents what flexmed is now looking for in applicants. Sinai has always been a school that takes service/outreach/advocacy pretty seriously, it's something they showcase front and center in the presentations of the school. However, they are also research heavy, entrepreneurial and demand solid clinical experiences out of flexmed applicants. from my research on years past it looked like the path to getting an interview was great stats+at least some clinical exposure+a passion for one or two of the activities Sinai values (either research or volunteering or leadership etc) plus a really legit flex factor. However, this year the common denominator for applicants interviewed seems to be service/advocacy. I am guessing it is due to the nature of 2020-2021 and how much social upheaval we are seeing but I think Sinai is making it clear that they value service/advocacy more than anything else. I would anticipate this would carry into years in the future. all the applicants I talked to in the gc before interviews were out and those that got interviews were all usually strong stat wise, had cool activities and solid reasons to apply early but the general trend I personally have noticed for those that got interviews was a pretty significant service experience or aptitude, particularly towards underserved communities, whatever you may define it as. or perhaps leaving your comfort zone and working with communities other than your own.

Again, these are just my thoughts. However, I do believe we are seeing Sinai make service and advocacy a much more important factor in who they take, even for flexmed. and whereas the interview was once mostly defending your application activities and flex factor, it now includes emphasis on showing them that you are determined to serve the communities Sinai prides itself on helping. I am guessing no amount of research or clinical experience can substitute service, though I may be wrong. Just something to keep in mind as yall future applicants both decide whether to apply and, if you do, which of your activities to highlight.

ps: if there are n=1, 2, 3 or even 50 people who had no service and got interviews please share that as well, again this is just my experience and what I am taking away from it but if you think I misanalyzed whats happening then add your own pov, the more we can help future apps the better 😀
 
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