Harvard Interviews

[johno83]

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Anyone else gotten a Harvard Interview. I got a new pathway one today.

 

[dajimmers]

I haven't received one yet, but I know there have been a few other posts as Harvard interviews start trickling in. How bout you lucky few post when you received/submitted your secondary, to give the rest of us some idea of when we should start to worry (as if we haven't already).

 

[humuhumu]

Submitted the secondary on 9/5.
They received the last LOR on 9/23.
New Pathway invitation (and "complete application" e-mail) on 10/4.

 

[wildcat05]

I thought Harvard didn't have rolling admissions?

 

[ti89]

They don't but they do have to start interviewing at some point.

 

[DeadorAlive]

I got it today to, my dates were the same (got the complete email Monday). SO glad they're not rolling!! Gives me much more time to schedule.

 

[dajimmers]

I got it today to, my dates were the same (got the complete email Monday). SO glad they're not rolling!! Gives me much more time to schedule.

You'll change that point of view come January and February when you still have no idea what's going on at Harvard. I wonder how early they really do make decisions; it’s not like they’ll remember any of the October interviews if they wait till February to decide…

 

[DeadorAlive]

Exactly; what I meant by having more time to schedule and being happy about it, is that I don't intend to go until January. Will save myself running-around now, and also won't wait for months and months to hear back.

 

[humuhumu]

Exactly; what I meant by having more time to schedule and being happy about it, is that I don't intend to go until January. Will save myself running-around now, and also won't wait for months and months to hear back.

Hmm, I wanted to go in January, too -- that's the preference I indicated in my secondary -- but they invited me to interview two weeks from now. Not sure what to make of that.

 

[Bluntman]

I remember reading somewhere on their website that they send out all their acceptances/rejections in march (although i don't exactly remember if that was np or hst or both). Sooo...if they are true to their word about being non-rolling, then it means that they aren't going to start meeting to pick people until feb maybe?

 

[gujuDoc]

They don't but they do have to start interviewing at some point.

We wouldn't want them interviewing all few hundred people on the same day, now would we!! 😀 😀 😛 😉

 

[notabiobot]

Are any of these interviews for the HST program? Or, for those who have NP interviews, did you also apply HST? I'm just wondering if the complete-to-interview response time is longer for those who applied to both programs since their application has to be reviewed twice.

 

[Wahina]

Not to brag or anything, but I interviewed at Harvard on Sept. 13. I was going out of the country, so they let me apply EDP. I got in on Oct. 1! Good luck to all of you future interviewees.

 

[dajimmers]

We wouldn't want them interviewing all few hundred people on the same day, now would we!! 😀 😀 😛 😉

That would be great, though. A full auditorium of all possible applicants. They draw a name from a hat, and ask a question. You have to stand up in front of hundreds of faculty, current medical students, and other applicants, with spotlights shining on you, and "Talk about your weaknesses."

It could be like Survivor: Harvard, and those that win get to go to medical school!

 

[Bluntman]

Not to brag or anything, but I interviewed at Harvard on Sept. 13. I was going out of the country, so they let me apply EDP. I got in on Oct. 1! Good luck to all of you future interviewees.

die.

 

[Wahina]

Yeah, I'm fvcking with you guys. I didn't even bother applying to the H-bomb. Figured I'd keep my app money and buy a few cases. Sorry for being a douche.

 

[ti89]

Yeah, I'm fvcking with you guys. I didn't even bother applying to the H-bomb. Figured I'd keep my app money and buy a few cases. Sorry for being a douche.

Ya funny. Except for the harvard not having an EDP.

 

[notabiobot]

I think my question might have been overlooked. Are any of these interviews for the HST program? Or, for those who have NP interviews, did you also apply HST? I'm just wondering if the complete-to-interview response time is longer for those who applied to both programs since their application has to be reviewed twice.

 

[DeadorAlive]

notabiobot, I only applied to NP.

 

[Indryd]

I'm so pissed. I submitted late August, my letters have been on VirtualEvals since late July, and they still say they haven't gotten around to downloading my letters yet. WTF is the point of doing the VE's if the schools won't go download them? If I had had my advisor snail mail them they would have been there a month ago. GARRR!!!!

 

[Risa]

I got a New Pathway interview on 10-4 (and a complete email later that day!). All my secondary stuff was in around late August. Good luck everyone....

To those of you with upcoming interviews, when will you be there? I'm scheduled for the 21st!

 

[humuhumu]

I got a New Pathway interview on 10-4 (and a complete email later that day!). All my secondary stuff was in around late August. Good luck everyone....

To those of you with upcoming interviews, when will you be there? I'm scheduled for the 21st!

October 20th

 

[2009md2b]

I just thought I would clear up a couple of things, since I'm a first year NP student at HMS. Harvard is NOT rolling and won't send out decision letters until really late (compared to other schools). I think it was March or something--right before my college spring break. People in my class were interviewed during the entire admissions cycle, so I don't think there is any advantage to an early interview.

NP and HST interviews are granted by independent committees, but they coordinate them so you do them on back to back days. So if you apply to both and one wants to interview you, they won't contact you until the other committee has made a decision. HST interviews start later than NP, so if you applied to both, you'll find out about interviews slightly later.

The admissions office can be somewhat disorganizes at times. Please don't let it discourage you from HMS! 🙂

 

[humuhumu]

I just thought I would clear up a couple of things, since I'm a first year NP student at HMS. Harvard is NOT rolling and won't send out decision letters until really late (compared to other schools). I think it was March or something--right before my college spring break. People in my class were interviewed during the entire admissions cycle, so I don't think there is any advantage to an early interview.

NP and HST interviews are granted by independent committees, but they coordinate them so you do them on back to back days. So if you apply to both and one wants to interview you, they won't contact you until the other committee has made a decision. HST interviews start later than NP, so if you applied to both, you'll find out about interviews slightly later.

The admissions office can be somewhat disorganizes at times. Please don't let it discourage you from HMS! 🙂

Thanks for the clarifications. So what do think of NP so far? Why did you end up choosing HMS?

 

[2009md2b]

Thanks for the clarifications. So what do think of NP so far? Why did you end up choosing HMS?

Well, I came from a very structured undergraduate program and I think NP is way too unstructured for me. It depends on how you think you learn best. Here's an example of the unstructureness: There are no required textbooks for a course. You just browse the published texts on the subject that you are currently studying and choose what you think works for you. So there are no required readings, no readings to accompany lectures, nothing. Its all up to you to find it and learn it independently. I wish it wasn't so open-ended personally.

My reasons for choosing HMS might dissappoint you. The fact is medicine is competetion after competetion. Its not like after getting into med school you are set. There is intense competetion for residency, fellowships, etc. And I knew I could get a residency in about any field in about any hospital if I went to HMS. Look at the match lists--they are simply amazing. For more reasons to go to HMS: Boston is amazing, I love research and there are tons and tons and tons of excellent well-funded labs here, my classmates are so smart and interesting!, its strictly pass/fail, and my parents get to brag about having a daughter at HMS. Perhaps not the wonderful commentary you were hoping for on a fantastic cirriculum, etc, but its the truth.

 

[humuhumu]

Well, I came from a very structured undergraduate program and I think NP is way too unstructured for me. It depends on how you think you learn best. Here's an example of the unstructureness: There are no required textbooks for a course. You just browse the published texts on the subject that you are currently studying and choose what you think works for you. So there are no required readings, no readings to accompany lectures, nothing. Its all up to you to find it and learn it independently. I wish it wasn't so open-ended personally.

My reasons for choosing HMS might dissappoint you. The fact is medicine is competetion after competetion. Its not like after getting into med school you are set. There is intense competetion for residency, fellowships, etc. And I knew I could get a residency in about any field in about any hospital if I went to HMS. Look at the match lists--they are simply amazing. For more reasons to go to HMS: Boston is amazing, I love research and there are tons and tons and tons of excellent well-funded labs here, my classmates are so smart and interesting!, its strictly pass/fail, and my parents get to brag about having a daughter at HMS. Perhaps not the wonderful commentary you were hoping for on a fantastic cirriculum, etc, but its the truth.

I'm not disappointed in your answer -- I appreciate the candor. Do essentially all of your classmates love research, or is there a place at HMS (in NP) for students who could take it or leave it?

 

[2009md2b]

I'm not disappointed in your answer -- I appreciate the candor. Do essentially all of your classmates love research, or is there a place at HMS (in NP) for students who could take it or leave it?

Well, when most people say "they could take it or leave it" they really mean they don't like it. For the incoming class, I think there is a requirement for a 'scholarly project'. While bench or clinical research is the most obvious way to fulfill this requirement, there are other opportunitites in global health or law or economics, etc. So those are the actual requirements.

As far as admission preferences, yes, I think most people have done a significant research project. A lot of people arrive with the intention of doing research and never do while they are actually at HMS. This is in part why they are instituting the requirement. I haven't spoken about research with everyone in my class, so its definitely an incomplete sample, but I would say that most people are interested in research of some sort, including things like public health.

 

[Lilmspiano]

for a slightly different point of view (I'm a NP 2nd year), I think about half of my class is pretty into research, and the other half (like me) don't really intend to make it a big part of our careers but are interested in other things like global health, public health, health policy, education, blah blah, etc.

Secondly, I would take what the other NP person said with the knowledge that the first course of first year (the one they are talking about) is by FAR the most unstructured course of all of first year. It gets a lot more straightforward after that. For example, we're currently taking neurology and have assigned textbook readings and very structured tutorials, unlike the Body Block that the other HMSer is talking about.

 

[humuhumu]

for a slightly different point of view (I'm a NP 2nd year), I think about half of my class is pretty into research, and the other half (like me) don't really intend to make it a big part of our careers but are interested in other things like global health, public health, health policy, education, blah blah, etc.

Secondly, I would take what the other NP person said with the knowledge that the first course of first year (the one they are talking about) is by FAR the most unstructured course of all of first year. It gets a lot more straightforward after that. For example, we're currently taking neurology and have assigned textbook readings and very structured tutorials, unlike the Body Block that the other HMSer is talking about.

Thanks for the additional perspective. I was starting to get nervous.

 

[CarleneM]

Hi, I'm another HMS NP first year. I haven't found that the majority of my classmates are gungho about research. Rather, it seems everyone has some sort of strong passion for something related to medicine (from extensive community health work, to third world country medical work to clinical and bench research). If you have that passion for a specific field or problem or whatever, just let that come through at your interviews. I think that passion (which the admissions committee assumes will translate into you being a leader in the field. they are real big on this whole leader in the field thing....) is what really characterizes the HMS student.

Regarding the curriculum: I hated small group discussions in college but love them here. Why? Probably because this is a more team oriented, case based approach. You aren't just vaguely arguing BS back and forth about the authors intentions in some obscure novel. You are learning to be on a medical team and also really taking ownership of the material. This is way better than sitting in a lecture hall staring at a powerpoint slide.

 

[GhungrooGuy]

I'm also a New Pathway first year, and can tell you that I'm having an amazing experience so far. While there is a fair amount of "unstructuredness" in our curriculum, there are also a ton of academic resources -- the lecturers all hold office hours, second years give feedback about what worked well for them, and all our lectures are videotaped and accessible online 24/7.

Additionally, by not having a set textbook, you have the freedom to find the one that works best for you and presents the concepts in the way you like best (heavy on the text, light on the figures, or maybe vice-versa). And as far as preparing for tutorial goes, having to look for resources is somewhat analagous to what you're going to face as a clinician, and the actual searching is a learning experience in and of itself.

Don't stress if you haven't received an interview yet, they haven't even begun! I know people who interviewed in February (nearly the end of the process) who are in our class. Also, I don't know that there's any advantage OR disadvantage to interviewing early (and this probably goes for most non-rolling schools), so it may not be necessarily worth trying to "game" the system. Schedule your interview for a time that (a) is convenient, and (b) you feel ready for.

PM me if you have other questions/concerns... 🙂!

 

[fromthetips]

Does anyone know how many students/applicants the HST program interviews, and how many out of that group are extended invitations?

Thanks

 

[tennisnr]

After sending my letters in through VE 8 weeks ago I finally got a complete email....sigh.

 

[almost_there]

If you haven't seen it already, I'd recommend watching "Survivor MD", a documentary that follows 7 HMS students through 14 years of their lives, starting from the first year of medical school. Fascinating... and kinda scary. 3 out of 3 marriages + divorces in that period.

This was the first class through the New Pathway, and at least one person out of the seven definitely had issues with it.

Any comments from you folks who are at HMS now and have seen the film?

a_t

 

[Indryd]

After sending my letters in through VE 8 weeks ago I finally got a complete email....sigh.

I had my letters on VE for 4 weeks before submitting to Harvard, then it was 10 weeks after that before they acknowledged my letters and sent me the complete email.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

If you haven't seen it already, I'd recommend watching "Survivor MD", a documentary that follows 7 HMS students through 14 years of their lives, starting from the first year of medical school. Fascinating... and kinda scary. 3 out of 3 marriages + divorces in that period.

This was the first class through the New Pathway, and at least one person out of the seven definitely had issues with it.


a_t

I saw that Survivor MD series over the summer. It kinda turned me off HMS. Maybe it b/c I couldn't relate to any of the students in the documentary, or because I haven't met anyone who really likes PBL.

 

[Keg]

Is anyone interviewing on 12/16 at HMS? If so, do you want to share a hotel room - they're so expensive...

 

[pallcare]

Is anyone interviewing on 12/16 at HMS? If so, do you want to share a hotel room - they're so expensive...

i suggest you stay with a student host. the dorms are just across the street from the college so it is VERY convenient.

 

[Keg]

i suggest you stay with a student host. the dorms are just across the street from the college so it is VERY convenient.

The few I emailed said they weren't going to be there - I'm guessing that since I'm interviewing so late in December (relatively), most everyone will be gone for Winter Break.

 

[physiclas87]

I can't find Harvard's match list anywhere... anyone?

 

[Risa]

I can't find Harvard's match list anywhere... anyone?

It's included in the materials you get at interview day. I'm not sure where else it might be available....

 

[unicorn06]

The few I emailed said they weren't going to be there - I'm guessing that since I'm interviewing so late in December (relatively), most everyone will be gone for Winter Break.

You may want to ask if any 3rd years will be around. I don't think they get Winter Break...Haha. I'm interviewing at Duke during Winter Break and was told that there should be student hosts around...

 

[DrCarebear]

I can't find Harvard's match list anywhere... anyone?

Dear Physiclas87,
The match list for the class of 2005 can be found in Appendix D (pp. 70-77) of the 2006 Interview Manual. However, be careful, the list has been known to cause extreme heart palpitations. (I know it did for me . . . but then again, everything about Harvard does that for me. 😍 )
Sincerely,
DrCarebear

 

[Cardiologist]

You may want to ask if any 3rd years will be around. I don't think they get Winter Break...Haha. I'm interviewing at Duke during Winter Break and was told that there should be student hosts around...

Unicorn, i just received an interview invite from Duke today and will have to schedule for an interview in January since I am leaving the country and wont be bac til 24th Jan. when r u interviewing? let me know how it goes?

 

[themadchemist]

Does anyone know how many students/applicants the HST program interviews, and how many out of that group are extended invitations?

Thanks

I don't know about HST, but here are last year's statistics for Harvard overall:

5800 applications, 750-800 interviews, and 165 seats (I don't know what Harvard's yield is, but I imagine they wouldn't have to accept many more than 165 people in order to fill those seats...Maybe 200?)