OFFICIAL: 2003 UPenn countdown

[jkai]

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Here's the letter I got:
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The Committee on Admissions wants to communicate to you their very strong, continuing interest in your application for admission. We enjoyed meeting you during the interview process, and we continue to be very impressed with your academic and personal accomplishments.

The School of Medicine has limited its first round of acceptances to only a very small number of students. We struggle every year at this time because there are so many outstanding students, like yourself, whom we would like to accept.

Your application was very highly regarded by the Committee on Admissions and therefore you have been placed on the first tier waitlist -- among those at the very top of the list. This placement means that you could be one of the first students considered for admission from the waitlist. Because we have accepted only a small number of students in the first round, we expect to utilize our waitlist beginning April 15. We encourage you to visit the waitlist website at www.med.upenn.edu/apps/AppStatus where there is additional information for waitlist candidates (i.e. Waitlist Questions and Answers, information about Penn and Philadelphia).

We recognize that you will be considering multiple offers of admission from a number of very competitive medical schools. However, if you remain interested in Penn and if you believe that your learning style is compatible with our educational philosophy, we hope that you will confirm your interest in Penn by completing the Waitlist Response Form on the web so that we may continue to consider your application for admission.

We truly hope that your interest in Penn remains as strong as our interest in you. We believe thatyou will be an outstanding physician. However, if you know that you are committed to attending another medical school and do not wish us to consider your application further, please withdraw your application on the web. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at anytime at 215-898-8001

 

[Redbeanmochi]

yup, my letter is the same as jkai's.

i've heard different things about penn's waitlist movement. is there significant movement or not, or does this vary by year?

good luck to all those on the waitlist...

-r

 

[Neuronix]

I know that the MD/PhD program tends to accept about 40 people through May for about 20 slots. They wouldn't tell me how many they accepted or usually accept in the first batch though.

 

[whatsupdoc]

Since it looks like there are two letters, I'm wondering if everyone who is waitlisted has the same info. on the website.

Does everyone have this below waitlist, tier 1.

It's not over yet. Hang in there!!! The Committee on Admissions has a very strong interest in your application, and you will be one of the first candidates to be considered for admission.

Can anyone confirm that there are in fact two letters???

Good luck to everyone waiting.

 

[Neuronix]

Yeah, the info on the website is all the same no matter which tier 1 letter you got. From what I understand, that was a last minute change.

 

[whatsupdoc]

Neuronix,

Thanks for the reply. Do we know that there are two different letters. It seems like to only confirmation that we have is Desdemona who typed in several lines above. However, no one else has mentioned that they received the same letter as Desdemona. Can anyone else confirm!!!

 

[Desdemona]

I know 3 other people who are on the Tier 1 waitlist, and none of them mentioned that their letter said anything about being at the top of the list and one of the first for consideration or anything similar. I'm sure they would have mentioned that, as I would have, if their letter said that.


At my interview, one of the current students flat-out said that Penn plays games. He said Penn waitlists as many people as they can and initially accepts as few people as they can, and they wait to see what other schools you've been accepted at before taking people off the waitlist. I think the date they can see where else you have been accepted is April 15th. Funny how that corresponds to the date Penn mentions for when they will consider the waitlist. And if they rank the waitlist, they should just say that they rank the waitlist instead of lying. The FAQs about the waitlist say that they don't rank it, they just subdivide it into two tiers (since they don't have the balls to actually reject anyone, so they lead everybody on). But clearly there are at least two subdivisions on the tier 1 list. Surely schools know about the existence of sites such as this one, and that we would figure it out? WTF?

Anyways, to all you other people on the Tier 1 list, good luck. I just withdrew from Penn. I absolutely refuse to take part in the games that Penn is playing. I have an acceptance at my second choice school, which is in the top 20, so the only thing going to Penn would do for me is add more prestige. Woo! Not worth it.

 

[Bonds756]

Originally posted by Desdemona

At my interview, one of the current students flat-out said that Penn plays games. He said Penn waitlists as many people as they can and initially accepts as few people as they can, and they wait to see what other schools you've been accepted at before taking people off the waitlist. I think the date they can see where else you have been accepted is April 15th. Funny how that corresponds to the date Penn mentions for when they will consider the waitlist. And if they rank the waitlist, they should just say that they rank the waitlist instead of lying. The FAQs about the waitlist say that they don't rank it, they just subdivide it into two tiers (since they don't have the balls to actually reject anyone, so they lead everybody on). But clearly there are at least two subdivisions on the tier 1 list. Surely schools know about the existence of sites such as this one, and that we would figure it out? WTF?

Not sure who you talked to. Penn accepted about 200 people for the 150 or so spots. That seems more than reasonable. If they accepted more than that, and too many people matriculated, Penn would be in big, big trouble. And they already have one of the highest matriculation percentages as it is. Some other top schools accept even fewer students above the number in the entering class just to make their matriculation percentages look better.
Most schools say they don't rank the waitlist, but they know students are smart enough to realize that they necessarily must rank the waitlist to figure out who they are going to let in. In Penn's case, they let a lot of people of Tier 1 in, so they don't have to be as meticulous in ranking the waitlist as they truthfully indicate.
Anyway, congratulations on your other acceptance and good luck.

 

[Dr.Tong]

so is this april 15th thing for 1st tier upenn waitlist serious, or are they just blowin smoke up our as-s

 

[Dr.Tong]

i'll give it one more shot at the top

 

[Redbeanmochi]

Dr. Tong,

I think April 15 is too early. The movement will most likely occur in May, so hold on... Only a couple more weeks or so.

Are any of y'all waitlisted candidates planning on going to Penn Previews?

-R