Harvard Decisions

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Wow, I go away for a day and you guys add 3 pages!

My interview day was a little disappointing too. We were ditched by our students (once in the morning and once for the tour), and the professor that did the presentation just chatted for 30 min and would not answer a single curriculum question. Oh well, at least I was able to see the skull of Phineas Gage.
 
So I'm now a first-year at HMS and happened to come upon this page again as I was reminiscing my pre-med days. It seems that many of you, and rightly so, are concerned about the curricular changes. As a first-year, I have my fair share of complaints about the curriculum, but overall, it is a strong program that is highly innovative. One of the strengths of Harvard is that the curriculum IS dynamic and feedback from students are taken seriously and frequently. In fact, they changed course logistics due to our feedback. Students are highly respected, so if we demand change, it will happen, and it will happen fast. The curriculum this year was not a failure, but they will make changes based on our suggestions this year.

Also, the number of faculty involved in our education is truly amazing...For every course, there are 10-20 lecturers, and then tutorial sessions are led mostly by doctors and leading scientists. Someone also mentioned that HMS does not require students to memorize minute details. This is true. I have really enjoyed my time at HMS because I have not had to spend time memorizing every molecule in textbooks. The emphasis is on problem-solving. Of course, overarching concepts are explained to some degree, but students are self-directed. You learn as much as you want to at that time. People do put substantial amount of work into their courses, and when it comes to the Boards, we do very well.

The "new curriculum" has put a lot of emphasis into social medicine, ethics, and other topics not extensively covered at other medical schools. The tradeoff is that you only have 7 weeks for anatomy (it's true), but I actually liked that it was 7 weeks. I still learned all the parts of the body just as well, and all the concepts are reiterated in physiology and more in second year as well. Regardless of whether anatomy is 7 weeks or 7 months, you will remember all the structures for the Boards.

You'd also be surprised at how much patient exposure there is. I disagree with previous comments that you will get better patient exposure at schools with smaller hospitals. Harvard has 9 affiliated hospitals, so students get to see all different types of clinics. I think this one of Harvard's advantages. Also, HMS students are highly respected on the wards and doctors/scientists love taking HMS students for shadowing, research, etc.

For those of you who had negative interview experiences at HMS, I am sorry. Revisit weekend and orientation "month" are truly amazing. Don't let your interview experience allow you to think that the administration is not responsive to the students or that there is this "Harvard" attitude. I've been highly surprised at how down-to-earth people are here and also the dedication of the faculty to making us happy.

Hope this post helped.
 
Did anybody get a chance to check out the Ether Dome at Mass Gen? I heard that it was an awesome site to see. Do you concur?👎 👍
 
med21 said:
For those of you who had negative interview experiences at HMS, I am sorry. Revisit weekend and orientation "month" are truly amazing. Don't let your interview experience allow you to think that the administration is not responsive to the students or that there is this "Harvard" attitude. I've been highly surprised at how down-to-earth people are here and also the dedication of the faculty to making us happy.

Hope this post helped.
Click to expand...

Great post. Thank you for the input. More proof that Harvard students are awesome . . .
 
melissainsd said:
Wow, I go away for a day and you guys add 3 pages!

My interview day was a little disappointing too. We were ditched by our students (once in the morning and once for the tour), and the professor that did the presentation just chatted for 30 min and would not answer a single curriculum question. Oh well, at least I was able to see the skull of Phineas Gage.
Click to expand...

Wasn't that awesome?!? I took a picture on my camera phone (sshhh don't tell the administration)
 
Hey guys, I've been stalking this thread as well in anticipation of decisions from harvard. The one thing that I got out of my interview experience there was that the students are really what makes it. I have a friend that is a second year and stayed with a first year from my home state, SC, and they were both awesome people. Anyway, just my two cents on why harvard seems like a cool place to be, and good luck to everyone!
 
tch001 said:
Wasn't that awesome?!? I took a picture on my camera phone (sshhh don't tell the administration)
Click to expand...

Ah man, I missed everything that day. I was studying for 3 tests between my interviews. Cough **Nerd** Cough.
 
I echo what everybody else is saying: all the students, and fellow interviewees, that I spent time talking to were awesome people.
 
med21 said:
So I'm now a first-year at HMS and happened to come upon this page again as I was reminiscing my pre-med days. It seems that many of you, and rightly so, are concerned about the curricular changes. As a first-year, I have my fair share of complaints about the curriculum, but overall, it is a strong program that is highly innovative. One of the strengths of Harvard is that the curriculum IS dynamic and feedback from students are taken seriously and frequently. In fact, they changed course logistics due to our feedback. Students are highly respected, so if we demand change, it will happen, and it will happen fast. The curriculum this year was not a failure, but they will make changes based on our suggestions this year.

Also, the number of faculty involved in our education is truly amazing...For every course, there are 10-20 lecturers, and then tutorial sessions are led mostly by doctors and leading scientists. Someone also mentioned that HMS does not require students to memorize minute details. This is true. I have really enjoyed my time at HMS because I have not had to spend time memorizing every molecule in textbooks. The emphasis is on problem-solving. Of course, overarching concepts are explained to some degree, but students are self-directed. You learn as much as you want to at that time. People do put substantial amount of work into their courses, and when it comes to the Boards, we do very well.

The "new curriculum" has put a lot of emphasis into social medicine, ethics, and other topics not extensively covered at other medical schools. The tradeoff is that you only have 7 weeks for anatomy (it's true), but I actually liked that it was 7 weeks. I still learned all the parts of the body just as well, and all the concepts are reiterated in physiology and more in second year as well. Regardless of whether anatomy is 7 weeks or 7 months, you will remember all the structures for the Boards.



Hope this post helped.
Click to expand...


wow, this was very helpful. Thanks for all the info....after talking to those people, I was a little worried but now i'm feeling a LOT better about NP. Here's to getting in now 😕 😎
 
Hi Guys,

I got a call from the Harvard MD/PhD office with good news today. I know it's not the same for HST and NP, but it's evidence it's starting to happen. I don't have any more information about anything, but good luck to everyone!

-CHO
 
CampusHippo said:
Hi Guys,

I got a call from the Harvard MD/PhD office with good news today. I know it's not the same for HST and NP, but it's evidence it's starting to happen. I don't have any more information about anything, but good luck to everyone!

-CHO
Click to expand...

Wow, congratulations!!!!!!
 
med21, thank you for reading our posts and writing yours - super helpful! 🙂 My student host and her classmates also told me that the administration is really responsive. I was also struck by the down-to-earthness during my visit - quite a pleasant surprise, I must say! (it did much to dispel the myth for me; people still reply with a "Really?!😱 " when I tell them how approachable everyone is at HMS, haha =)

CampusHippo, CONGRATS!!!! 👍 Mind sharing your mdapp link with us? 😉
And, you sure you didn't get in simply because of your freshman mechanics class pulley anecdote?! Just Kidding!!! 😀 Do you have to choose between HST & NP now?

One more week (or hopefully a bit less) guys! Good luck! (Inside, I'm as :scared: as ever)
 
CampusHippo said:
Hi Guys,

I got a call from the Harvard MD/PhD office with good news today. I know it's not the same for HST and NP, but it's evidence it's starting to happen. I don't have any more information about anything, but good luck to everyone!

-CHO
Click to expand...

I sense a tremor in the Force... like a thousand pre-meds trying to login to the HMS financial aid page...
 
CampusHippo said:
Hi Guys,

I got a call from the Harvard MD/PhD office with good news today. I know it's not the same for HST and NP, but it's evidence it's starting to happen. I don't have any more information about anything, but good luck to everyone!

-CHO
Click to expand...

Congrats!!!!!

Now for us NP or HST people, they *don't* call, right?
 
foofish said:
Congrats!!!!!

Now for us NP or HST people, they *don't* call, right?
Click to expand...

Nope, NP and HST letters WILL come out on Friday (or so I was just told). I got the MD/PhD phone call and I still don't know if I made it NP or HST.
 
Accepted MD/PhDers...Does the financial aid page login thing work for you yet? Let us know when it does...

I swear, if some web guy is at Harvard looking at the "failed logins" log for that site, he's going to see some sad people...myself included!!! Why can't I stop myself from trying it like twice a day? I didn't used to be like this...
 
CampusHippo said:
Hi Guys,

I got a call from the Harvard MD/PhD office with good news today. I know it's not the same for HST and NP, but it's evidence it's starting to happen. I don't have any more information about anything, but good luck to everyone!

-CHO
Click to expand...

WOW AWESOME
Congratz!!!!!!!!!!!
 
QuakerPreMed said:
Accepted MD/PhDers...Does the financial aid page login thing work for you yet? Let us know when it does...

I swear, if some web guy is at Harvard looking at the "failed logins" log for that site, he's going to see some sad people...myself included!!! Why can't I stop myself from trying it like twice a day? I didn't used to be like this...
Click to expand...

Nope, the Financial aid page for me says that the info is not available yet and to contact them...but I have a Mac, so who knows.
 
Congrats Jeniffer and CampusHippo! That's awesome!🙂
 
Hey-

Thanks, I'm pretty psyched. I was really excited about HST and actually didn't get an interview for it. I don't know what that means, (probably that the process is really random...). I don't know the link for the financial aid site (I was focusing on the MSTP funding...) but if someone can direct me to it I'll try. My MDapps is 07063 (so much for anonymity, but I guess there was a search function).

The pulley story never really came up in interviews. I did tell a story about sneaking into the steam tunnels in my AMCAS statement though...

CHO

UPDATE: I get the same financial aid message as JLo.


amester07 said:
CampusHippo, CONGRATS!!!! 👍 Mind sharing your mdapp link with us? 😉
And, you sure you didn't get in simply because of your freshman mechanics class pulley anecdote?! Just Kidding!!! 😀 Do you have to choose between HST & NP now?

One more week (or hopefully a bit less) guys! Good luck! (Inside, I'm as :scared: as ever)
Click to expand...
 
Congratulations!!:hardy: :clap:


This thread just got a lot more serious...
 
Congratulations guys!
 
CampusHippo said:
Hey-

Thanks, I'm pretty psyched. I was really excited about HST and actually didn't get an interview for it. I don't know what that means, (probably that the process is really random...). I don't know the link for the financial aid site (I was focusing on the MSTP funding...) but if someone can direct me to it I'll try. My MDapps is 07063 (so much for anonymity, but I guess there was a search function).

The pulley story never really came up in interviews. I did tell a story about sneaking into the steam tunnels in my AMCAS statement though...

CHO

UPDATE: I get the same financial aid message as JLo.
Click to expand...


Huge congrats!! does the financial aid page let you log in? does it say the financial aid information isn't available, or does it say login failed? thanks🙂 and again, congrats! :luck: :luck: everyone waitin
 
when i log in it used to say login failed.
now it says that information is not yet available.
has this happened to anyone else?
 
stantheman6 said:
when i log in it used to say login failed.
now it says that information is not yet available.
has this happened to anyone else?
Click to expand...


When I try, it says:
"Sorry, that information isn't available right now. Please contact the Financial Aid Office."


what does this mean? yikes, now I'm all nervous.
 
Anyone here know how to make one of those polls
so we can see how many say login failed vs. info not available?
 
I am also still "login failed" ... oh well, didn't really expect to get in. Or maybe i'm reacting prematurely...we shall see.
 
Hey Stan, did you apply MDPHd or MD? Looks like one combined degree person above is getting "info not availible" ... wondering if it's a reaction from being in two databases at once (also attempting to hold onto hope)
 
Would it be to early to say CONGRATS yvan eht nioj - or could we
still both be waitlisted? - or maybe this just has no meaning at all?
 
QuakerPreMed said:
Hey Stan, did you apply MDPHd or MD? Looks like one combined degree person above is getting "info not availible" ... wondering if it's a reaction from being in two databases at once (also attempting to hold onto hope)
Click to expand...

i applied np only
 
QuakerPreMed said:
Hey Stan, did you apply MDPHd or MD? Looks like one combined degree person above is getting "info not availible" ... wondering if it's a reaction from being in two databases at once (also attempting to hold onto hope)
Click to expand...

Two.... Both Lopez and Chippo.
 
stantheman6 said:
Would it be to early to say CONGRATS yvan eht nioj - or could we
still both be waitlisted? - or maybe this just has no meaning at all?
Click to expand...

Hey Stan, I think this is an encouraging sign, but I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch.... but just in case, early congrats to you! Also, I applied NP-only.
 
i got that weird message too- it's making me really nervous.

i applied np/mph...
 
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