What's the deal with UPENN?

Hi, can you tell me what makes upenn your first choice? is it a particular faculty you would like to do research with? reputation? thanks!

re: interviews, I know they definitely have started interviewing, for both md and md/phd.

good luck!

 

upenn can kiss my ass. completed since mid. october haven't heard anything.

my friend who's been been interviewed at 7 other top ten schools including stanford still hasn't heard from them (file complete in late aug/early sept.)and he's a legacy there!

penn is weird. i am pretty sure they have a lot of bugs and problems this year. they'll be interviewing through march though. and they wont make decisions till all interviewing is over, so you wont be penalized. they're about 1/2 way done with interviewing, so think about it that way_ it's by no means over. they have to get the other half from somewhere (files are not still being completed).

good luck. interview there i comes by email.

 

i was verified in october or november and mailed in an amcas ap to them in november.

i interviewed dec 13-14 (md/phd)

i don't know how many notches penn is down from the top of the ladder, admissions or otherwise. i think of it as right up there with duke and ucsf and hopkins (i somehow see harvard as standing alone in its unattainable status, but maybe that's silly). i think that most would say that penn is a top 5 school. some people don't like philadelphia all that much but compared to baltimore . . . =D

chances are you WILL probably get an interview, (it sounds like you deserve one!!) but i have to say that this whole thing is such a crap shoot that it's hard to count on any one place. i have stats virtually identical to yours, and while i have gotten lots of interviews, there are places i was outright rejected without interview (washu, cornell, yale, all for md/phd, but still) and places i haven't heard from yet (emory, ucsf, harvard).

good luck! maybe we'll be penn classmates some day (it's one of my top choices too!)

-s

 

application complete Oct. 15th.

MD/PhD interview on Jan 24/25.

I think the MD/PhD process is pretty much separated from the regular MD process, so I'm not sure how helpful this data is to you.

The interview date itself also is insignificant because for MD/PhD Penn has only 1 set interview date for each graduate discipline. All MD/PhD bioengineering applicants interview ONLY on Jan 24/25 regardless of when their app was complete. So even though my app was complete before others who also applied MD/PhD, they may have had interviews sooner than me because their graduate group meets sooner.

 

Ok...I think I take the cake for this UPENN bit. I've been complete there for over two months now! I sent them a paper copy of my AMCAS in Mid September. My application was verified at the end of October and I'm still waiting. A friend who was completed a week or two before received an interview from them over a month ago. I really don't like this non-rolling admissions stuff. I JUST WANT TO KNOW!

It's frustrating because I know people with lower stats who interviewed way before me (not that stats are everything...but it sure counts for a hell of a lot). Well, I guess we'll have to wait!

 

App comp 11/1, int 12/7

 

App complete 11/12, invite to interview 12/8

 

MD

 

MD

side note - does anyone know how many acceptances UPenn offers to fill their class? I noticed the MSAR indicates that U Penn interviews close to 1k people, and their class size is ~140, what gives? Does anyone know what your chances of getting accepted are if you land an interview?

 

I don't remember the exact numbers but during their presentations I think they said they'll be interviewing 800+ people and accepting ~200. So roughly 1/4 once you interview.

Not sure what the app complete date is, but I did their online supp app in september and got the interview invite via email in mid-october. I'd definitely sit tight and not worry, as said above they'll definitely be interviewing through end of feb (easy to say, hard to do huh? I know cuz I am hoping for invites from other schools too)

I liked Penn a lot, the facilities are very nice, they seemed well organized, all the students were friendly & diverse in their interests. They emphasize their curriculum 2000 a lot too. gluck

 

Jessica,
Do you attend UCR?

 

No, I am at CSUSB

 

hi! i'm a first-year at penn med, and absolutely love it (and from what i hear, we're in the most hectic part of the basic sci curriculum right now!). congrats to those who've interviewed already, and to those still waiting, sit tight - we're not rolling, so you're not at any significant disadvantage, i think. if anyone has any specific questions about the school, i'd be happy to answer...

good luck!

 

what is penn's logic/strategy towards interviewing. do they do it by who gets there apps in quicker? is it based on who has a better application? or is it based on geographical location? i ask because many very well qualified ivy league friends of mine haven't heard squat from penn yet and they've been done for several months. on the other hand, i do know of several random, not as qualified applicants that have been complete for several months be called.

what's the deal?

 

sorry...you got me there. i'm not super-involved with the admissions office these days, and i'm not sure what the procedure for interview invites is like. i don't recall a similar problem when i applied, so the problems (if they truly are) may be the result of the amcas screw up this year...

however, i know quite a few people applying this year, and the ones that applied here have received invites in a fairly timely manner - and they're all from different schools. hate to be the millionth-and-one person to say this, but the process truly is a shot in the dark. even super-qualified applicants may not be invited for an interview or two...

 

oh well, what schools were you deciding between

 

when it came to decision-making time, there were a few schools that i had a tough time deciding between. and in the end, it was penn over cornell. it was a blessing to have a choice. trust me, i NEVER thought i'd end up at a place like this.

 

I absolutely fell in love with Penn during my interview. Yale was my top choice, but not anymore. The curriculum is top-notch, the administration is friendly, and the location is great.