UPitt Dean's Merit Scholarship - who's waiting??

[quideam]

Hey everyone,

Just wondering who here applied for their scholarship... also, did anyone get an e-mail from Dean Curtiss asking them to apply? I heard that this happened previously to people...

In any case, I called and the admissions and financial aid people said that decisions should be out around April 12th-15th, which means it's not that much longer!!! If anyone has any other info to share, or just want to wait together, please post!!!

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[raincrew]

hey quideam,

curtiss spoke to me about the scholarship during my exit interview and i also got the email from him asking me to apply. i'm also waiting excitedly to see what happens. i've heard they have as many as 10 for the academic medicine one?

 

[heifer]

i just emailed my application essay today. that'd be great if the turn around was only about 2 weeks!

 

[duka]

didn't the application say they'd tell people by on May 1?

 

[quideam]

Originally posted by duka
didn't the application say they'd tell people by on May 1?

Yes, but I spoke with him personally, and he said that the deadline is April 7th, and that they should have decisions a week later.

 

[dsp]

out of the 300 odd people who have been accepted so far, how many do you think are applying for the scholarship?

 

[linus]

woah, you guys applied early...isn't the deadline April 5??

i'll be applying.

 

[RoccoWJ]

I am with you linus...I will submit mine some time soon...


Rocco

 

[quideam]

Originally posted by dsp
out of the 300 odd people who have been accepted so far, how many do you think are applying for the scholarship?

300??? Their entering class is around 130, isn't it? I assumed that they accepted around 200, max. Where did you get that number?

 

[personal jesus]

ok what exactly is the deadline because the application I was given says April 1st but then I have seen Apr 5 and 7 as the deadline?

anyway, other question Im just curious what type of medicine is everyone writing about?

 

[PianoGirl04]

I got an email asking me to apply, but it wasn't from Dean Curtiss. It was from the generic "Admissions and Financial Aid" address. According to that email and the attached PDF application, the application deadline is April 5 and notification is May 1.

I would definitely apply except for the fact that I have very little interest in academic medicine or public health...at least not at this point. My essay would be one big lie. I wish there were scholarships for people who just want to go into private practice instead of academics!

 

[TheFlash]

Yeah, I'm curious about this too. If you apply for the scholarship and end up getting it, you're pretty much committed to an academic med oriented education, correct?

 

[personal jesus]

Originally posted by PianoGirl04
I wish there were scholarships for people who just want to go into private practice instead of academics!

I guess the reason there are not that many is because salaries for private practice are high enough to pay off loans in a relatively quick matter. Academic medicine doesnt pay as much so presumably this scholarship would help people pursue this career path.

 

[edik]

Does anyone know whether these scholarships get routinely renewed every year? I realize that if one's grades go south, it is logical that the scholarship gets pulled. But is it pretty much a sure thing for all 4 years if the grades stay good, etc.
Thanks.

 

[SharkFan3]

bump. are we really going to have to wait to hear until may 1st?!

 

[theprizefighter]

"bump. are we really going to have to wait to hear until may 1st?!? - SharkFan3


With the hundreds of applications that have to be evaluated, bet on it.

tpf

 

[TheFlash]

So do the scholarship awards use a quota system? Meaning, do they have X number of awards for students interested in Y type of medicine? I also heard that there are only 15 scholarships. Odds aren't looking so good.

 

[personal jesus]

do you really think hundreds of people applied?

 

[SharkFan3]

Isn't the class size like 160 or so? I know my boyfriend didn't apply since he hates academia...so now its just like 159

 

[quideam]

There's also the question of the e-mail. Supposedly it was only sent to the 'top' candidates. Many of these people will choose to go elsewhere - I only know of 5 people who recieved it, and of those, one is going to UCSF, one to WashU, one to Penn, and the other two are waitlisted at other schools. So let's say that the e-mail was sent to (at most) a quarter of those who were accepted. So let's think about the numbers...

Class size: around 140
Initially accepted: 250 (guess)
E-mail: 70-80
E-mail and going elsewhere: 20-30 (guess)
E-mail and applying for $: 40-60
Awards available: 10-15 (rumors)

These are obviously just guesses.... the numbers could vary... but I think that there are decent odds of getting them... i'm also wondering just how much MCAT scores play into all of this? Dean Curtiss told me that although some merit scholarships are given out on the basis of MCATs/GPAs, these academic ones that ask for an essay have other criteria...

So who knows. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed

 

[personal jesus]

What are your sources on all of these numbers. Especially, who told you that only top candiates got an email. I think everyone who was accepted was reminded about the scholarship.

 

[personal jesus]

One other thing, does anyone know if this scholarship is seperate of the old merit scholarships that were handed out in previous years or did this scholarship replace the old ones?

 

[quideam]

Hmm... could be! Here's the e-mail I got:

While the Admissions Committee has not yet decided whom to admit and will not
do so until the end of February,my personal view of your application is that it
is in the top tier. When you interviewed at Pitt,you were given the requirements
for submitting an application for the Dean's Merit scholarship. This
scholarship is awarded by the Dean and is intended to support students who have a strong
desire to enter academic medicine. As indicated in the proposal,academic
medicine encompasses a wide variety of disciplines and milieus. Given the excellence of
your credentials,I would encourage you to submit an application for this
scholarship at your earliest convenience. You may send it to Admissions Office,518
Scaife Hall,School of Medicine,3550 Terrace Street,Pittsburgh PA 15261or email it
to [email protected] or fax it to 412-648-8768. The requirements
for submission are given in the attachment to this email. I look forward to
hearing from you.
<<Dean Merit Schol process 9-10-03.doc>>


Edward Curtiss,M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Associate Dean of Admissions
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Is this the "reminder" that other people recieved?

 

[linus]

I got other email reminders about the Dean's scholarship, but definitely not THAT one...that looks pretty unique to me.

Anyway, I decided not to apply because the requirements didn't really match my interests.

 

[pyroseq]

I think everyone received some sort of reminder email about the scholarship, but some (like quideam) had a more personal reminder from dean Curtiss. That might be a great sign for you, quideam! Apparently they didn't give anyone a scholarship application when I went to interview (9/18), so I was quite surprised to get this "reminder". I was able to throw something together before the deadline, fortunately. BTW, are there really 10+ scholarships being awarded? That seems like a really large number (not that I'm complaining!)

 

[raincrew]

this may shed some light into the process.

Dean?s Merit Scholarship Program
Selection Process

INTERNAL USE ONLY

The Dean?s Merit Scholarships will be awarded by decision of the Dean?s Merit Scholarship Committee with the concurrence of the Dean. The committee will consist of:
Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid
(Dr Edward Curtiss) Chair
Director of Admissions (Linda Berardi-Demo)
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Director of Minority
Programs (Paula Davis)
Assistant Dean for the MD/PhD Program (Dr. Michael Gorin)
Associate Dean for Student Affairs (Dr Joan Harvey)
Vice Dean (Dr Steve Kanter)
Assistant Dean for Admissions (Dr Beth Piraino)
Senior Associate Dean (Dr Charles Reynolds)
The final decision regarding awardees will be made by the Dean.

The initial process will consist of identification of potential recipients by Associate Dean of Admissions and the Assistant Dean of Admissions from those students who apply for the scholarship. This initial screening process will focus on those applicants who have received two ?A? grades or higher during the screening process, received a total interview score of 18 or higher, and have received an admissions committee score easily consistent with admission (greater than or equal to 3.9). Every effort will be made to identify applicants whose application suggests creativity and leadership.

After the initial screening, the list of candidates who have been identified as outlined above will be submitted to the committee members. Each committee will then individually review the entire application of each candidate identified through the screening process, and will score each candidate on a ten point score (ten being highest). The score will be based on complete review of the application, including academic material (with consideration of quality of undergraduate program and course material taken as well as grade point average and MCAT scores), extracurricular activities with special emphasis on research, leadership activities and activities exhibiting creativity, letters of recommendation and the written material including the scholarship application essay.

The scores will be submitted and averaged. The names of the candidates will then be listed from highest score to the lowest score.

The committee will then meet once to review the top candidates and make a final decision regarding recipients, so that a recommendation can be made to the Dean.

From this list the Dean will then decide on how many scholarships will be offered.

The committee will also review the applications for renewal each year as well as consider mid-year program changes that may be submitted by the student and their mentor. This decision will be based on the awardee demonstrating progress in achieving his/her goals and a letter from the mentor. A decision will be made yearly regarding continuation of scholarship, probation, or for those students placed on probation, termination of the scholarship.

 

[Sean2tall]

Originally posted by quideam
Hmm... could be! Here's the e-mail I got:

While the Admissions Committee has not yet decided whom to admit and will not
do so until the end of February,my personal view of your application is that it
is in the top tier. When you interviewed at Pitt,you were given the requirements
for submitting an application for the Dean's Merit scholarship. This
scholarship is awarded by the Dean and is intended to support students who have a strong
desire to enter academic medicine. As indicated in the proposal,academic
medicine encompasses a wide variety of disciplines and milieus. Given the excellence of
your credentials,I would encourage you to submit an application for this
scholarship at your earliest convenience. You may send it to Admissions Office,518
Scaife Hall,School of Medicine,3550 Terrace Street,Pittsburgh PA 15261or email it
to [email protected] or fax it to 412-648-8768. The requirements
for submission are given in the attachment to this email. I look forward to
hearing from you.
<<Dean Merit Schol process 9-10-03.doc>>


Edward Curtiss,M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Associate Dean of Admissions
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Is this the "reminder" that other people recieved?

Slightly OT, but did any of guys get a similar E-mail when being asked to interview? Before doing the secondary I got an E-mail that said in a similar way "I think you are an excellent candidate so I am giving you an interview before the committee reviews your app. etc"

I was kinda bummed because I got that and yet I am on the waitlist . . so I wonder what I did to lose so much ground? Anyhow . . good luck with the scholarship peeps!

 

[personal jesus]

Wow, where did you get this?

Also, I am disappointed that they have a prescreening process. If they know that some people are excluded from the process then why let them go through the application process?

 

[quideam]

Yup, I got that "Internal Use Only" attachment as well. It isn't that helpful, but at least we know that Curtiss is the chair - that could be good?

 

[theprizefighter]

Hi, All

When I interviewed back in January, Dean Curtiss told me that only two people would get the scholarship.

tpf

 

[personal jesus]

I think 2 scholarships are set aside for people entering the clincial science program (not sure the exact name) but there are more than 2 overall.

 

[indiamacbean]

If these are similar to the old merit scholarships which I think that they are, I know that somewhere around 10-12 people in our class have them. 2 are for CSRTP. they are renewed every year automatically. Looking at that document, I wouldn't be surprised if that was from last year because the scholarships were awarded without application. everyone accepted was considered for the awards. hope this is helpfull.

 

[duka]

Hey everyone,

In any case, I called and the admissions and financial aid people said that decisions should be out around April 12th-15th, which means it's not that much longer!!! If anyone has any other info to share, or just want to wait together, please post!!!

Anyone hear anything today? (or, do you know if they really are telling us this week?)

 

[theprizefighter]

Hello,

According to what I know from the application itself, the scholarships are going to be announced on May 1st. Kind of odd since that will be a Saturday. Anyone hear anything different?

tpf

 

[SharkFan3]

Bump, did anyone ask about the scholarship at second look?

 

[TheFlash]

The faculty member I talked to (she heads the EM dept.) said that they hadn't gone out yet, but she wasn't sure. I also didn't meet anyone that had already received it either.

 

[Wahoo]

I'm not sure how useful this info will be, as it may be outdated, but here goes...

I was offered the merit scholarship at Pitt two years ago. The good news comes in the form of a phone call. If I recall correctly, I got the call about one week before the deadline for making a decision of where to attend.

Good luck everyone! It's frustrating because the call comes so late in the process--hang in there.

 

[indiamacbean]

as of last friday, they were still getting the materials together for the review of applications. I can't imagine they have made the decisions yet. cheers

 

[quideam]

indiamacbean,

Do you know if in previous years, you had to write an essay? Some people had said that they recieved scholarships, but never applied for them...

Thanks!
Quid

 

[personal jesus]

bumpin........

 

[quideam]

Oh wow, my heart jumped in my throat when I saw this thread come up - thought someone had heard . Anyway, nothing on my end...

 

[indiamacbean]

no essay in previous years. also I think that the scholarships starting in 2008 come up for renewal each year instead of being guaranteed for 4 years.

 

[quideam]

Thanks, indiamacbean. That's what I thought.... *sigh*... I really don't think i'm going to get it, mostly because of my MCAT. It's a very good score (33), but certainly not an insanely high one. I got the impression that at least in previous years, people who got the scholarship had crazy stats. Oh well - Pitt rocks anyway

 

[southbelle]

Thanks, indiamacbean. That's what I thought.... *sigh*... I really don't think i'm going to get it, mostly because of my MCAT. It's a very good score (33), but certainly not an insanely high one. I got the impression that at least in previous years, people who got the scholarship had crazy stats. Oh well - Pitt rocks anyway

You're correct in assuming that people who get this scholarship are hard-core gunners. I'd say that a 3.85 and 36 are absolute bare minimums for the award, but most people who get it are in the 3.96/38 range with some nice research. It's like that at all other similar schools too(Emory with their 5 woodruff awards, Northwestern with that full tuition scholarship that I cant remember the name of).

 

[tautomer]

why southbelle, did YOU get the award?

 

[southbelle]

why southbelle, did YOU get the award?

No, but one person in my FORMER circle got it and one person didn't(last year). Both were gunners to the highest order with the attached credentials. The one that didn't still got into Hopkins and went. I didn't apply to Pitt. I would have been competitive, but I have no interest in Pittsburgh or academic medicine.

 

[Catalyst]

You're correct in assuming that people who get this scholarship are hard-core gunners. I'd say that a 3.85 and 36 are absolute bare minimums for the award, but most people who get it are in the 3.96/38 range with some nice research. It's like that at all other similar schools too(Emory with their 5 woodruff awards, Northwestern with that full tuition scholarship that I cant remember the name of).

Um, wrong again. A really good friend of mine interviewed for the Emory full scholarship with a 3.7/36, numbers which don't correspond to your "hard-core gunner" stats. Give it a break with all the gunner nonsense, will you? It's incredibly obnoxious.

 

[southbelle]

Um, wrong again. A really good friend of mine interviewed for the Emory full scholarship with a 3.7/36, numbers which don't correspond to your "hard-core gunner" stats. Give it a break with all the gunner nonsense, will you? It's incredibly obnoxious.

well did they get it? 3.7/36 is on the low end for those scholarships at schools in that range. And emory interviews a good number more for the woodruff(just like washU does for the olin) than they give.

 

[personal jesus]

Even my former gunner self may have chosen Maryland in this situation if I didn't get one of Pitt's big scholarships. But who knows; I don't want to think about those days

I dont know belle, in this post from a different thread your certainly imply that you got the Pitt scholarship. Maybe you forgot?

Oh yeah, I second the call for you to shut up about the gunner crap.

 

[southbelle]

I dont know belle, in this post from a different thread your certainly imply that you got the Pitt scholarship. Maybe you forgot?

Oh yeah, I second the call for you to shut up about the gunner crap.

I certainly didn't imply anything of the sort. Do a search and see for yourself.