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Does anyone at PENN know the current situation of the waitlist?
PENN waitlist
- Thread starter SCRU
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I'm an MS1 at PENN (and was accepted off the waitlist myself last summer). I'm not sure about the situation this year, and I'm sure they don't like to discuss their current situations. But I'll see what I can find out.
For what it's worth: A significant portion of my class came from the waitlist, and I think that they sent out even fewer initial acceptances this year. Also, I know that if PENN really is your first choice, you should let them know ASAP. Most of us from the waitlist wrote at least one letter telling them how much we wanted to come here. Start the dialogue and good luck!
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"They do certainly give very strange and newfangled names to diseases."
- Plato
[This message has been edited by Lt. Ub (edited 06-02-2000).]
For what it's worth: A significant portion of my class came from the waitlist, and I think that they sent out even fewer initial acceptances this year. Also, I know that if PENN really is your first choice, you should let them know ASAP. Most of us from the waitlist wrote at least one letter telling them how much we wanted to come here. Start the dialogue and good luck!
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"They do certainly give very strange and newfangled names to diseases."
- Plato
[This message has been edited by Lt. Ub (edited 06-02-2000).]
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Thanks Lt. Ub!
Your post gives me hope.
I'm on the first tier and I have written multiple letters telling the committee that Penn is my first-choice.
They told me that the list had been moving since May 22, albeit in a slow manner. When are most people that get off the waitlist notified? Would talking to Gaye help?
Your post gives me hope.
I'm on the first tier and I have written multiple letters telling the committee that Penn is my first-choice.
They told me that the list had been moving since May 22, albeit in a slow manner. When are most people that get off the waitlist notified? Would talking to Gaye help?
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SCRU,
Good to hear that you're showing your interest to the committee - that is definitely the most important thing you can do right now. I actually did talk to Gaye yesterday, but she was in a hurry. It seems that the waitlist is moving like it usually does. I know that's not too clear or much of a comfort. The class for next year can remain pretty stable or it can change dramatically quickly. There are a number of people who are deciding between Penn and somewhere else and trying to haggle with both finnacial aid offices (usually trying to make Penn match another school's money offer). As you can suspect, a group of people are hanging in the balance, and all of them could end up staying here or all of them could go elsewhere. So there's just no way to predict how it will go.
As far as calling Gaye, I don't really have any advice. I know she has seen your letters; they didn't just put them in a file somewhere. I think the best way to communicate is by letter, but I know others in my class on the waitlist made phone calls. If you do call, just make sure you have what you want to say planned out. She is a wonderful person to talk to, but as you would expect, she's also pretty busy. But I wouldn't let that deter you - she is very interested in the student's interest in coming here.
The earliest person I know of to get off the waitlist last year was in the last week of May. I was accepted in the second week of June - that appeared to be the busiest time for the list. So it's definitely not too late. I would encourage you to keep trying. If you can show continued interest without bothering people, then do it!
Lt. UB
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"They do certainly give very strange and newfangled names to diseases."
- Plato
Good to hear that you're showing your interest to the committee - that is definitely the most important thing you can do right now. I actually did talk to Gaye yesterday, but she was in a hurry. It seems that the waitlist is moving like it usually does. I know that's not too clear or much of a comfort. The class for next year can remain pretty stable or it can change dramatically quickly. There are a number of people who are deciding between Penn and somewhere else and trying to haggle with both finnacial aid offices (usually trying to make Penn match another school's money offer). As you can suspect, a group of people are hanging in the balance, and all of them could end up staying here or all of them could go elsewhere. So there's just no way to predict how it will go.
As far as calling Gaye, I don't really have any advice. I know she has seen your letters; they didn't just put them in a file somewhere. I think the best way to communicate is by letter, but I know others in my class on the waitlist made phone calls. If you do call, just make sure you have what you want to say planned out. She is a wonderful person to talk to, but as you would expect, she's also pretty busy. But I wouldn't let that deter you - she is very interested in the student's interest in coming here.
The earliest person I know of to get off the waitlist last year was in the last week of May. I was accepted in the second week of June - that appeared to be the busiest time for the list. So it's definitely not too late. I would encourage you to keep trying. If you can show continued interest without bothering people, then do it!
Lt. UB
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"They do certainly give very strange and newfangled names to diseases."
- Plato
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I am on the waitlist at a different dental school (and going similarly nuts). Just wondering what role this "Gaye" you're talking about has--Director of Admissions?? Administrative Assistant in Admissions?? I also need to write another letter. It sounds like a good idea to address it to the committee. Previously, I sent a letter directed to the person who offered me the spot on the waitlist when I sent back their form. Any suggestions on whom to write/contact?
I tried e-mailing their office (and also calling), yet have gotten no response. (You are directly channeled to voice mail, not a live person.)
Your talk of the 2nd week of June gives me some more hope! Thanks!
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You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
I tried e-mailing their office (and also calling), yet have gotten no response. (You are directly channeled to voice mail, not a live person.)
Your talk of the 2nd week of June gives me some more hope! Thanks!
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You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
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Gaye is the Dean of Admissions at Penn. She is the one who personally called me in June offering me the spot. She is intimately involved in selecting each student in our classes.
So I would address a letter to the Director or Dean of Admissions personally in order to get through to someone. Be sure to include things that you've done that wasn't on your application. Just frame it as an application update of sorts. Awards, graduation, current job or volunteering roles, etc. Of course express your overwhelming interest in their school and that you couldn't imagine going anywhere else! Good luck to you.
Lt.
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"They do certainly give very strange and newfangled names to diseases."
- Plato
So I would address a letter to the Director or Dean of Admissions personally in order to get through to someone. Be sure to include things that you've done that wasn't on your application. Just frame it as an application update of sorts. Awards, graduation, current job or volunteering roles, etc. Of course express your overwhelming interest in their school and that you couldn't imagine going anywhere else! Good luck to you.
Lt.
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"They do certainly give very strange and newfangled names to diseases."
- Plato
I actually just called Penn yesterday because the school I have accepted at was being mean (about housing). I have been on the waitlist for a while and wrote one letter a couple of months ago. I also had some people write a few additional letters of rec for me (people associated with the AmeriCorps project I am working on). The person I spoke with at the admissions office told me that the class was full but they would put a note on my folder indicating that I had called. This was just what I had expected to have happen.
A couple of hours later Gaye called me and eventually got around to offering me a position in the class. I am now in the process of deciding between Penn and Columbia... Gaye did mention that as described above, they had made fewer offers this year than they had actually wanted so there was a place.
Anyway, don't give up hope!
(any help anyone could give me on the decision between the two school would be great)
[This message has been edited by NEM (edited 06-07-2000).]
A couple of hours later Gaye called me and eventually got around to offering me a position in the class. I am now in the process of deciding between Penn and Columbia... Gaye did mention that as described above, they had made fewer offers this year than they had actually wanted so there was a place.
Anyway, don't give up hope!
(any help anyone could give me on the decision between the two school would be great)
[This message has been edited by NEM (edited 06-07-2000).]
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Congrats NEM! With luck and persistance, a few more of us will be in your shoes soon!!! (I hope!) :-D
Thanks, Lt. Ub! I was concerned that a letter addressed to the Committee alone might just get "lost in the shuffle," so to speak.
My situation is a little complicated since I never did meet the Director of Admissions personally. (She was sick the day of my interview.) Instead, the Assoc. Dean of Student Affairs gave us the intro presentation on the school (I assume the Director normally does this?). This Dean of Student Affairs is the one who signed my letter offering a place on the alternate list, and the same person to whom I addressed my original letter when I accepted the spot on the list. Before we left the interview, we were given the card of the Director of Admissions (who we didn't meet).
I interviewed w/one person, an alumnus of the school. I'm not completely sure he's on the committee. (I sent him and the Assoc. Dean thank you notes after my interview.)
So, the question is this: do I send a letter to the Dir. of Admissions (whom I've never met) or another letter to the Assoc. Dean (who seemed to like me)? or potentially a letter to my interviewer? or a combo of these? If so, I wouldn't want to send them all the same exact letter, but I don't have a huge amount to add. (I currently work long hours in the same job; I have a new project, plan to do some more observing...) How long should this type of letter be? One page, perhaps less? How bad would it be to send a few people essentially the same letter (with perhaps a few changes)?
Any thoughts on my situation? Thanks...
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You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
Thanks, Lt. Ub! I was concerned that a letter addressed to the Committee alone might just get "lost in the shuffle," so to speak.
My situation is a little complicated since I never did meet the Director of Admissions personally. (She was sick the day of my interview.) Instead, the Assoc. Dean of Student Affairs gave us the intro presentation on the school (I assume the Director normally does this?). This Dean of Student Affairs is the one who signed my letter offering a place on the alternate list, and the same person to whom I addressed my original letter when I accepted the spot on the list. Before we left the interview, we were given the card of the Director of Admissions (who we didn't meet).
I interviewed w/one person, an alumnus of the school. I'm not completely sure he's on the committee. (I sent him and the Assoc. Dean thank you notes after my interview.)
So, the question is this: do I send a letter to the Dir. of Admissions (whom I've never met) or another letter to the Assoc. Dean (who seemed to like me)? or potentially a letter to my interviewer? or a combo of these? If so, I wouldn't want to send them all the same exact letter, but I don't have a huge amount to add. (I currently work long hours in the same job; I have a new project, plan to do some more observing...) How long should this type of letter be? One page, perhaps less? How bad would it be to send a few people essentially the same letter (with perhaps a few changes)?
Any thoughts on my situation? Thanks...
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You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
This was my second year applying to medschool after being on three wait lists last year. I read then to be very agressive about it (calling writing etc) but never quite believed it. Now I'm somewhat more impressed with this technique.
As I'm sure you've heard before, you need to let the school know that it is your first choice (if that is actually the case) and that if they accept you, they can expect to see you in the fall. When speaking with current students who did get in off of wait lists at different schools, they all seemed to agree that more contact was better. I know that it was hard for me to believe that the school wouldn't get "turned off" to me with so much correspondence but as I said, I feel slightly different now.
Know this, every contact that you make with a school will be noted in some way in your folder. When it comes time to look at folders to see who they want to fill an newly vancant slot, more contact indicates more interest. So that's my advice, be somewhat agressive and try to spread out your contacts. (i.e. make someone pull your file multiple times).
Good Luck.
As I'm sure you've heard before, you need to let the school know that it is your first choice (if that is actually the case) and that if they accept you, they can expect to see you in the fall. When speaking with current students who did get in off of wait lists at different schools, they all seemed to agree that more contact was better. I know that it was hard for me to believe that the school wouldn't get "turned off" to me with so much correspondence but as I said, I feel slightly different now.
Know this, every contact that you make with a school will be noted in some way in your folder. When it comes time to look at folders to see who they want to fill an newly vancant slot, more contact indicates more interest. So that's my advice, be somewhat agressive and try to spread out your contacts. (i.e. make someone pull your file multiple times).
Good Luck.
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Thanks for the advice. I plan to get a letter out this week! NEM, you're a poster child for the positive results that come from being assertive! I'm not ready to give up yet!!!
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You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
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You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
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Good to hear NEM -
Concerning where you should attend in the fall... you, of course, know where my biases lie. You'll have a good time here, and you don't want to let Gaye down - especially after showing so much interest. Congrats on PENN.
Lt.
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"They do certainly give very strange and newfangled names to diseases."
- Plato
Concerning where you should attend in the fall... you, of course, know where my biases lie. You'll have a good time here, and you don't want to let Gaye down - especially after showing so much interest. Congrats on PENN.
Lt.
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"They do certainly give very strange and newfangled names to diseases."
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Hey NEM, where are you choosing between Columbia and Penn. I chose Columbia because of the great residency placement record, good preclinical education, and of course living in NYC is an experience of a lifetime.
Good luck.
adebola(Columbia class of 2004)
Good luck.
adebola(Columbia class of 2004)
I just got back from a quick trip out to both schools. I liked both and and felt pretty comfortable at both but for no other reason than it felt more "right" I decided on Penn.
Thanks for all the help and good luck to everyone on a waitlist.
Thanks for all the help and good luck to everyone on a waitlist.
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Yes I was wait listed initially at Columbia (my 1st choice for many of the same reasons listed by Adebola above) And I wrote a thank you letter telling how much I would like to go to school there, and I got the call 2 weeks later. The last thing a school wants to do is send out an acceptance and find out that you went somewhere else....it drives up the acceptance rate as well as being a royal pain to everyone involved.....
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SCRU - Great news! Will you be here in the fall?
NEM - Good to hear that you chose PENN. It's a great school and you'll have a great time here.
We just took our last exam this morning, and I am taking off for the summer. Our class just had a huge BBQ and I'm a little tipsy right now. We have had a great year, and I've made some awesome friends. I'm from the midwest and had a difficult time out here at first. But I'm actually gonna miss Philly while I'm gone this summer.
I'll see you guys in the fall (see if you can pick me out of the crowd!)
Philly
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"They do certainly give very strange and newfangled names to diseases."
- Plato
NEM - Good to hear that you chose PENN. It's a great school and you'll have a great time here.
We just took our last exam this morning, and I am taking off for the summer. Our class just had a huge BBQ and I'm a little tipsy right now. We have had a great year, and I've made some awesome friends. I'm from the midwest and had a difficult time out here at first. But I'm actually gonna miss Philly while I'm gone this summer.
I'll see you guys in the fall (see if you can pick me out of the crowd!)
Philly
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"They do certainly give very strange and newfangled names to diseases."
- Plato
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Congrats to all who got into Penn Med- my dream med. school...if you want to, then could you please tell me your GPA's, MCAT scores, and also the undergraduate school you attended....also why did you specifically choose UPENN...thanks alot and again congrats on gaining admission to such a great school!
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