10/4/2005
So, it's about time I started writing some of my thoughts down so I can remember this joyous process. As of right now, I have submitted all of my secondaries except Harvard's. I keep putting off that darn HST essay. Ah well, I don't want to move to Boston anyway (I hate the Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins)
I have been on one interview (NYU) and I have 5 more lined up including RWJ this friday and UPenn in November (my number 1 choice.) Not to be outdone, I'm also excited about Cornell and Yale! And UVa should be a great trip since their endocrinology department is top notch and they're playing Florida St. in football that weekend (and I requested some ticket information from the MSTP department, yep i really did)
As for the process of applying I really don't have any complaints except for the $3,000 I had to spend on AMCAS and secondaries. I was really poor for a while and living on a the 12,000 masters stipend doesn't help.
My interview experiences have been going well. The 4 at NYU were nice, interesting, and wanted to know more about my reaserch. Plus I was in a free hotel in NYC which never hurts! I had a great time there and I wouldn't mind at all if I ended up at NYU.
btw, UCSF contacted me through snail mail letting me know that my letters were not received yet. That's perfect cause I sent my secondary the second week in August (sarcasm.) Anyway, I called my pre-med office and it's all straight now.
10/15/2005
RWJ was OK. The program is not the most integrated I've seen, but there are some measures in place to prevent long PhD times. I didn't like the fact that you must have a car to live in New Brunswick. Eventhough I have a car, I don't want to sit in NY/NJ transit traffic everyday. Also the commute between RWJ, Rutgers, Princeton, or the other hospitals that are associated with the program is substantial. In fact, if you choose to do a basic science PhD at Princeton you would essentially have to move there during the grad school years. Housing was also a conern at RWJ. It seems that there are plenty of places to live in the area, but the commute will be difficult. The faculty was friendly and helpful, but the signaling research is limited. Adding Princeton was a nice way to increase the available faculty, but still doesn't enhance the available faculty for translational research. The RWJ campus was beautifully green, some of the buildings were brand new, and you're a short train ride away from the best city in the nation.
UVa was incredible. The program is flexible, well-integrated, and the administration is the most responsive and approachable that I've encountered. The medical school is ranked number 5 in endocrinology research and it has an overwhelming amount of faculty that study signaling. An interesting thing I found out was that you can complete your PhD in BME while doing research in another department. The students were all social, friendly, and willing to help in anyway they can. We were even asked to go out on the town with them after interviews were done and we had a great time. The only negative I can say about the program is its location in Charlottesville, Va. The town just isn't anywhere near anything. The area near the university have several very good restaurants and bars, however the closest city is DC which is about 2 hours away. I can't stress how much I loved the setup of this program. It tops NYU and RWJ with the exception of NYU's location. I don't know which school I'd choose if I had to make a decision today, NYU or UVa.
Some other updates from the last time I wrote are that I finally submitted the Harvard app and I got an interview invitation from Mt. Sinai. I'm off next week, but will be gone the whole week starting on the 24th with Yale on Mon/Tues and Cornell Thurs/Fri.
10/22/2005
I got accepted to UVa!!! I'm psyched, but I celebrated way to hard last night and I'm paying for it now. Anyway, I'm leaving for Yale tomorrow.
10/26/2005
Yale was impressive. I wasn't too excited about Yale when I first started applying but now I love it and I hope I get in. The Yale System is incredible. No grades! No tests(kind of)! The students were by far the happiest and most relaxed I've seen anywhere (even NYU). I went into this process looking for a school where I could do excellent research without giving up the quality of my life. Yale definetely fits this criterion. The students commented about how they were able to leave for NYC for entire weekends without having to fear monday exams. Students at Yale spend a lot of time helping the community since school does not dominate their lives. Of course, there is some pressure and stress, but most of it stems from the personal pressure we, as excellent students, put on ourselves. The atmosphere was very different from the competitive Hopkins environment and I originally thought I wouldn't fit in at Yale because of my competitive nature. Since I was always more of the 'anti-throat' at Hopkins, I found Yale to be a great place to learn. Also, Yale stresses that they require a unique type of 'mature' student that knows how to study independently and thus their average age seems to be a little higher than other programs (about 24 I think).
My MD interviews were on thursday and they went very well. I felt really good about each conversation and I would like to think that the interviewers felt the same way. The MD/PhD interviews were not as successful. I didn't feel like I left with the same positive outlook on them. There was nothing wrong with the interviews, but they just weren't spectacular. They were just OK. In any case, I think I'm an excellent fit for this school and I hope I get in.
Now, on to Cornell.
11/4/2005
Cornell was a blast. I arrived on thursday and was early for check-in. I got some lunch and walked around the city until they let me check in. My roommate, John, was already in the room when i got there. I sat down, reviewed my materials, and left for my 2pm MD interview. The interview went smoothly and I met some of the first year students that were hanging around the office. I had some free time after the interview and then we all met with first years for dinner. The students were really happy and friendly people. They all loved NYC and no one felt poor on the stipend. My second day also went well. We started with an orientation then 4 more MD/PhD interviews. I had great conversations with each interviewer and it was a really good day. Later there was a lunch, dinner party, and then an MD halloween party along with a night club event. It was probably the best time i've had yet on an interview.
About the program. Students say it take about 7.8 years, and much like Yale there is a lack of grading at Cornell. There are no weekly tests and only a small test at the end of each course. The anatomy labs were nice too. They place an emphasis on PBL which really fits well with my engineering background.
I didn't like the dorm housing first year since i'm used to living in a row house with my own kitchen. I didn't get to see many of the labs, or apartments, but I assume they are nice especially in Rockafeller. Also, since they are away from the university, they don't have an engineering department.
All-in-all, Cornell's curriculum fit well with my studies. I didn't get much of a sense of the integration between programs (like taking graduate courses during med school, or if med classes counted toward grad courses.) I loved the NYC area (upper east side of manhattan) and the students were great. Cornell started as one of my top 5 choices and it probably moved to my top 3 after the visit.
In other updates, UCSF and WashU both contacted me to tell me that they don't have my recc letters. UCSF should have been mailed through the pre-med committee and WashU should have online access. I hate this Virtual Evals thing. i can see how it will be useful in the future, but right now it stinks! Anyway, on to Penn.
11/21/2005
So, it's been a while and I'm not that fresh on Penn, but I'll try to remember. Penn was a great visit. It was my first choice coming into this process and it remains my first choice. Philly is a great, manageable city. It's bigger (and nicer) than Baltimore and New Haven, but smaller than NYC.
Penn just felt right for me. I really liked the fact that the Ugrad institution is right there. It leaves open soo many more collaboration opportunities. In addition, the program has spectacular faculty and a really strong BioEngineering program in case I want to go back to my roots. Also, the support system is excellent at Penn. The director really cares about the program and it shows. The students are all very happy with the program and directors. I thought it would be the opposite since the program is soo large, but I was wrong. They really make an effort to keep tabs on your progress.
The program is setup very well. Students have the option of coming the summer before however, many do not which means I'll finally have a summer of peace and relaxation. The courseload is fairly distributed between lecture and group discussion. After the first block or so, grading changes from P/F to H/HP/P/F, so in comparison to Cornell, this aspect sucks but I'm from Hopkins and we love competition to bring it on. There is 6 mo. of clinic before PhD and then about 14 mo. left after PhD. THe program boasts a 7.52 average length of the program, but I feel like 7 would be hard to do unless you get very lucky with PhD, in contrast to UVa (and Duke) where I think that 7 would be very easy to do since you only have a year left after PhD. Another notable advantage to Penn is that their match list and board scores are incredible. The students at Penn are really good.
I had a great time out on the town and I already knew Philly was great. Some bad things about the school is the lack of housing. Students are on their own to find housing in the city which means parking stinks and a car is a huge hassle. Housing is cheaper than NYC, but more expensive than Bmore. The grading wasn't ideal, but I don't really care. I was happy with the program and I'm excited to hear if I get in.
Mount Sinai
I went to Mount Sinai the M/T after Penn. It was an OK visit. I didn't know when i got there that Sinai has a history of being 'where the rich Jewish boys went to medical school,' said an interviewer. Note that he said this in a context such that he was discrediting that stigma. There is a large Jewish population in both the student body and the patient pool. It was slightly noticeable and another interviewee even made a comment about it too. I guess I should have expected such with a name like Mt. Sinai. Anyway, it doesn't really matter to me at all I just thought I would mention it. I hope that didn't sound too bad (I really am very PC most of the time)
Sinai had great interviewers. I had really great conversations with two of my interviewers. They were really excited about my reasearch and asked me some interesting questions. To be honest I was more impressed with their faculty than their students, but I guess that's what you want in a school. I must say that the Sinai match-list was super impressive. Everyone is going to really good schools. I'm starting to think that all MD/PhD programs have really good match lists. I guess they wouldn't show them if they didn't.
Sinai is located on the upper east side of manhattan and the housing is incredible. All the views overlook either the east river or central park. You can live a block away from the park or on Park Ave. for under 1200/mo. That's insane.
All of the students seemed happy, but not as happy as I thought they would be. For some reason i got the impression that those at cornell were much happier. The entire program is P/F and students definitely enjoy the city and the park. The students told me about the recreation office that can get really cheap play/movie/event tickets. They said their stipend goes a long way.
Duke
I'm here at Duke and today we had the whole medical school deal. It wasn't very except for the fact that we got to learn about the first year curriculum. The first year is unique in that it combines the first two years at a 'normal' medical school into one. The second year is then all of your core clinical rotations. It's a nice idea. You go into grad school really knowing what you like and dislike and it helps especially if you want to do translational research. Students say it helps when you're talking about your research and helps with the boards by giving you a core foundation in science in a clinical context.
The area is nice. It really reminds me of Charlottesville and UVa. I didn't get to see much of campus because it was pouring today but maybe I'll see it tomorrow. Students are happy with the program and each one has their own reasons for being there. I noticed that students are there because they want to be. Unlike some other schools I've been to, students here were accepted to many other programs and choose Duke.
I'll talk more about the program details some other time since I'll know more about it tomorrow.
12/2/2005
The students love Durham. They are all very interested in doing outdoor activities (mountain climbing, hiking, camping, etc.) Those that liked to hit the bar/club scene said it's much better in Raleigh and they usually go out there. The combination of Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill is a very nice college scene.
So the second day of the Duke interview is much better than the first. The program is very nice. Since I got lost walking around trying to get to interviews, I missed lunch but got a chance to see more of the campus. It's really nice. I was impressed by the campus and the faculty I spoke with. The MSTP students all seemed like Duke was their first choices when they were deciding on which school is for them. Also, Duke students seemed more mature is some way. I think it's because most of them have been through the clinics already. They all had a very firm grasp on what they wanted to do in the future. They all said that the clinics surely change your impressions on the fields of medicine you are interested in and that seems very important before you get into the PhD years. Overall I liked the program and campus I just don't know if I could move to Durham.
I finally heard from Harvard. The HST MD program wants to interview me, but the MSTP rejected me. Oh well. I'll go check out the MD anyway since it's Harvard. I've had over 2 weeks off which is really nice and I'm going to Columbia on the 9th and Harvard on the 13th. After that I think I'll finally be done.
12/14/2005
First off I got accepted to Cornell which is amazing news. I had a great time on that interview and I'm psyched about getting accepted. Now, I'm in good shape. Cornell is certainly not a bad fall-back!
Columbia
I went to Columbia after hearing getting the Cornell news and being off the interview circuit for two weeks. Needless to say, I wasn't enthusiastic about the interview at all. I've only heard good things about their Neuro department and little else. Since I'm not interested in Neuro, Columbia has been slowly falling off my list of top choices.
I arrived on Thursday night and stayed with a student host. He was a MS1 student who lived in Bard, the first year dorm. Bard is a complete shithole. The rooms are the smallest I've seen in a dorm...ever. The building has communal showers and bathrooms. On the other hand, it also has the nicest 'in house' gym I've seen in the basement. Bard is connected to Tower I which has very big and nice rooms. So if i do go to Columbia I will have to find some way of getting 'couple' status and join the second years in the Towers.
Everyone was really happy with their lives in NYC. They liked living slightly away from downtown since it gives them a little room to escape and get some studying done. While I was there, the second years were finishing exams and the first years were preparing for exams so no one was ready to party. In any case, they all still seemed very nice and good classmates.
The program is described as 'traditional.' There is no emphasis on PBL or pre-PhD clinical work. It was very plain but from what I heard, why fix something that isn't broken.
I was pleased with the area. I don't mind being surrounded by Dominicans (maybe I might even prefer it.) All of the building were close together and walking around (even in 6 inches of snow) was very easy. I talked with some great non-Neuro faculty who were excited about the research at Columbia.
I left feeling very excited about the possibility of spending 7 years there (the program is very strict about the 4-year PhD.) I was impressed with the resources and faculty. My initial feelings on Columbia were thoroughly extinguished when I left and I think it is once again one of my top choices.
Harvard
OK so I got rejected from the MSTP (damn MCAT,) but I heard good things about the HST so I thought I would give it a shot. First thing I noticed was that MD-only applicants get treated much worse than MD/PhD. haha, I guess I've been spoiled on many of my interviews. We (the applicants) all randomnly met each other as we waited for lunch. Some got there earlier in the week to interview for NP. We got some lunch and then sat around. There was no tour, no jazzy folder with information in it, and no dinner planned. I essentially did nothing but talk with applicants and wander around from 2pm till 4pm when my first interview was scheduled.
My first interview was a panel interview. There was an MD/PhD, an MD, and a student all present. It was a fairly painless interview. It was a little on the long side (about an hour) but there were no difficult questions. Mainly they want to know about my interests in medicine, my scientific interests, career goals, and my about my ECs. All very standard topics. We had a good time and I found myself connecting well with them and laughing together on a few occasions. Who knows how they felt about me, but I had a good time. Usually I learn something about the school/program when I interview but I learned almost nothing at Harvard. There were no people trying to 'sell' their labs or program to me and I guess it makes sense because they're Harvard and they are going to get good students no matter what.
My other interview was with a student and we had a great conversation and I think he felt good about me. Overall my interviews went really well and I think I have a good shot at getting in.
The program is set up ideally for an engineer. The medicine is taught with a focus on the mechanisms. Everything is very research and science-based. Time is specifically alloted for research and I felt like many students continue on to get their PhD even though they were not MD/PhD candidates. I was really impressed with the hst program and I think all medical schools should teach like Harvard. Now to the big question. Would I even consider going to the hst if accepted? I'm not really sure what the answer to that question is yet. Of course, financing would be a concern. If i got adequate funding from Harvard I would definitely have to consider it.
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Well...as of today I am done interviewing. I have a Case interview setup for January but I'm going to cancel it. I am completely sick of traveling and interviewing. Now, I'm going to sit back and wait for acceptance letters. By the way, I had a JHU rejection letter sitting at my house when I got back. It stated that I would not be receiving an interview from either the mstp or the md program. I'm trying not to be bitter, but I can't help it. I rank in the top of my class in the BME program, but i get no love from the medical school. Let this be an example for anyone young reading this: if you want to go to Hopkins Med DO NOT GO TO JHU!
merry christmas and good luck with your application cycles.
12/27/2005
Received a Stanford MD interview, but I will not be attending. I'm also going to call WashU to find out what their deal is.
12/29/2005
Wow! Out of nowhere I get a rejection from NYU. I guess it's not that big of a deal after the Cornell acceptance, but I'm still a little hurt. I thought I was a great interviewer!!! (my physician side's arrogance, I suppose.) Ah well...it was my first interview and I think I got much better as the process went on. At least now I'll have to worry about one less choice in the end.
Also, I heard back from WashU and they tell me that they are still deciding on my application. They said they have 15 interview slots left and they've narrowed the applications down to 40. I should be happy that I'm still in the mix, but I don't really care. In fact, I think I'm going to tell them to pull my app since moving that far away from my family is not really an option for me. So I hope that opens up a spot for someone more needy of an interview.
Looking back I probably should have retaken the MCAT. I think I could have done a lot better since I was pulling 38's on my practice tests. I think a higher MCAT would have opened the doors for Harvard, Hopkins, and WashU MSTPs. But on the flip side of things, I had no desire to move to Boston, stay in Baltimore, or go to St. Louis. I've come to find that location has become the most important priority in my decision-making process (even more so than strength of program!) I don't want to spend the next 7-9 years away from my friends and family. Call me silly, but that's how it is.
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1/21/2006
Ok, this is weird. I get a rejection letter from Hopkins and all of a sudden I get a phone call for an interview. I guess I should go.
:( I'm still not done.
2/15/2006
I just completed the first day of the Hopkins interview and I'm slowly warming up the idea of remaining in bmore another decade. The students were really nice and the department seems to really care you their 'prize' students. This is truly unexpected since I had a much different impression of Hopkins Med. I thought that the labs would be post-doc run and no one gave 2 cents about the graduate students. It seems the complete opposite is true. I wish I went to a different ugrad so then I could be more excited about Hopkins Med a little more. I also feel a little better about the whole rejection/invite thing because I interviewed with someone I know in my department and he said he would love to have me in the program. I don't know why that makes me feel better, but it does. Final answer: Although I'm warming up to staying in bmore, I still have my sights set on a better city and Hopkins is going to have to do some major impressing me tomorrow to keep me around.
More importantly...I came home to get dressed for dinner with students and I have a large envelope on the table from COLUMBIA! Woohoo, another NYC acceptance...I'm psyched.
As this whole process is coming to a close, I am beginning to feel overwhelmed with the decision I'm going to have to make. I know it sounds pretty stupid that I'm stressing out about deciding over schools like Cornell, Columbia, Penn, etc. since you can't go wrong, but I am.
3/3/2006
I was waitlisted for Duke's MSTP and accepted MD only. I'm strangely happy that it turned out this way. I really didn't want to consider Duke. The area is beautiful and the program is strong, but I don't want to move that far away from NJ. I'm glad I don't have to think about it. Hopefully they accepted someone that is more excited about Durham.
3/14/2006
Hopkins continues to f with my head. First a rejection...then an interview, and now an email from the financial aid department congratulating me on my acceptance to the medical school and asking to have my paper work turned in. But still no word from the MD/PhD. I guess i was accepted to the medical school at least!
3/15/2006
The office called me this morning and I was accepted MD/PhD. woohoo. There are still some funding issues in question tho. We'll see.
3/16/2006
waitlisted by Harvard's HST today. It's probably better this way. Now I don't have to consider ditching the MD/PhD and going straight MD. The temptation is now gone. The HST waitlist is only 25 people long and it's not ranked. They suggested that we send them updates on what we've been up to in order to put us in a better situation. Maybe I should tell them that my Nature Cell Bio paper went was submitted today :) I'm sure that would make a splash. haha, maybe I'll wait until the deadline gets closer.
Well, it's really on Penn that I'm waiting for. Yale still hasn't told me but at this point I've lost some interest and I know it sound's bad, but I just don't even want to consider another option. I always hoped I would have plenty of options when this time came around but now I regret it. I wish I had 1 solid acceptance so the decision would be easy. But then again what in my life so far has been easy. The path we have chosen is not an easy one. Sometimes we make the decision between life and death and sometimes we just have to choose between No. 2 and No. 4. It sounds silly when you think about it.
3/17/2006
The letters have been signed and a little birdie told me that I should expect 'good news' in the mail next week. Yes baby!
3/22/2006
Officially heard about Penn. woohoo. I can't wait for the revisit.
3/30/2006
Received an official waitlist letter from Yale. As I mentioned above, I'm pretty happy it worked out this way. I began to lose interest in Yale and I really didn't think that I fit in with the students there. I will withdraw my waitlist.
I have finally heard back from everywhere and now it's time to decide. I hope the revisits help me narrow the field.
Also, I withdrew from Duke Med and MSTP waitlist.
I'm leaving for UVa revisit tonight. It should be a good time, but I think my gf gave me the flu. It may get pretty bad while I'm there. I'll post some updates when I get back.
4/10/2006
The UVa revisit may have solidified the fact that Charlottesville is not for me. I did, however, meet some more really cool students. I am absolutely sure that if this program, director, and students were in a better location (closer to a city), then I would be going to it.
The Columbia revisit just confused me even more. I thought that it would be down to Cornell and Penn, but now Columbia is also in the mix. I was really impressed with their BME faculty. They all were young, eager, and excited about their research. And NYC is the best city in the world. I can't imagine how a city could be better. They have something for everyone. If you're ever bored in NYC, it's your fault cause there is always something to do. Also, the first year students seemed to party ridiculously hard! I loved it. They were all really cool, athletic, and talented in ways unrelated to science/medicine. Also the P&S club was awesome. They have tons of sports, wine tastings, and stuff like that. I really shouldn't have went on the revisit cause now I'm even more confused then when I started.
5/8/2006
this is it...decision day. it's down to cornell or penn and i have to tell cornell whether or not i'm coming today. i have thought about this a lot and i think penn is going to take it by a 51-49% split. I really can't say why i'm choosing penn but i guess i will talk about what i like about the program. first off skip and maggie have been one of the most approachable administrators i've met anywhere (probably tied with gary and elizabeth from uva). they have written me countless emails and have treated me like gold every time i visited or had a question. they really made me feel wanted and comfortable and that says a lot.
also, i like the penn atmosphere. as an undergraduate, i liked the campus in the city feel of jhu and penn has that same feeling. i like that the undergrad campus is nearby with its beautiful gym and intramural sports. and i don't mind philadelphia. of course, it's no NYC but it's much like a better, bigger baltimore so i know i'll be happy there. And if i want to go to nyc, i'll go...it's only a short train ride away. i like that i'll be living in a house in philly. the past 3 years i've had a row house in balitmore and i cant' see myself moving into a dorm again. i'm sure i would get used to it, but it's another plus for penn.
i met some great people on penn's revisit that i would be able to work with. i know that i missed cornell's revisit and i most likely would have met some great people there too. ah well. in my mind, you can do great research whereever you go. i got some great advice from a professor at penn. he said, [paraphrase]it doesn't matter where you get your phd, it only matters what work you do and how good you are at it. BUT when you talk about your medicine training, everyone wants to know what school you went to.[end] If i take that to heart, then i was more impressed with penn med than cornell.
last and certainly the least too, i need some time off. i will be happy to have the summer off and then get started in august. i need some time to travel and hang out with my friends and gf. i've reached burn out status this past year while finishing the masters and i started to question why i was even doing this marathon program. i think in a month i will feel much better and will be excited to start research again. In this sense the md/phd really fits my personality. i get tired of doing the same thing all the time. i need to keep chaning and stay fresh. the combination of reaserch and medicine is perfect for my interests and mind state.
I wish everyone that is reading this the best of luck in all of their careers and thanks for coming with me on this exciting path.
M.D.G. Penn MSTP Class of 2014 (plus or minus 2 years)
We help students become doctors. TM
