2015-2016 Harvard Medical School Application Thread

[The Real SVB]

Rep + Dem.

Baker is a Republican...?
Or are you making the more general and trite statement that politicians from either party are idiots and untrustworthy?

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[deleted393595]

Baker is a Republican...?
Or are you making the more general and trite statement that politicians from either party are idiots and untrustworthy?

Just a highly cynical statement that there's basically no difference between politicians in both of those parties.

 

[The Real SVB]

Just a highly cynical statement that there's basically no difference between politicians in both of those parties.

At the state and local level, everything is different.

OK – now we bring this thread back to MD admissions!

 

[avatarcycle]

This is true. In Kentucky, for example, Democrats control the state House of Representatives and have had control going back decades. When elections aren't nationalized as often occurs in federal races, local issues dominate. Therefore, in the Bay State, fiscally responsible moderates elected a Republican governor.

 

[jagster92]

At the state and local level, everything is different.

OK – now we bring this thread back to MD admissions!

Haha my apologies. I didn't mean for my clarification of the secondary question to derail this into a political discussion. Yes lets reel this back.

 

[sunshine02]

Hey folks,
I will be matriculating here in the fall. I absolutely fell in love with HMS (especially after revisit). The facilities, opportunities, and (most importantly) the people were truly incredible. I’m extremely humbled and excited about the possibility of joining some amazing colleagues in the fall. There were some students on last year’s thread that were very helpful, and I hope I can do the same.


Stats (for 2014 entering class)-Source
-Applicants 6,614
-Admitted 231 (3.5%)
-Matriculated (includes 13 MD-PhD students) 164
-Men 84 (51%)
-Women 80 (49%)
-Underrepresented in medicine (African-American, Native American, Hispanic, Mexican-American) 31 (19%)
-Asian 56 (34%)

-Average GPA -3.8 Source
- Average MCAT
Verbal-11
Physical Science-12.41
Biological Science-12.67

(from revisit materials- for 2015 entering class)
- Applicants: 6113
- Interviewed: 813
- Total offers (as of revisit): 189
- Total URM: 41
- Total Asian: 56

Age Distribution for 2015 entering class (as of revisit)
View attachment 192028

Undergrad schools for 2015 entering class (as of revisit)
View attachment 192027

2015 Course Requirements (these are slightly different than in the past)

1. Biology-All applicants must complete a full year of biology. We will accept advanced or higher-level biology courses towards this requirement as well.
2. Chemistry-All applicants must complete a two year chemistry sequence that covers inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry.
3. Physics-All applicants must complete a full year of physics.
4.Laboratory Experience
5. Computational Skills/Mathematics-All applicants must complete a one-year mathematics sequence that contains calculus and statistics. Biostatistics is preferred for the statistics portion of the requirement.
6. Analytical and writing skills/ expository writing-All applicants must complete a year of coursework that features expository writing. Generally, any course in the social sciences or humanities that involves substantial essay writing will count towards this requirement.
7. Language- All applicants should be fluent in English. It does also state that “mastery of a foreign language, although not required, is valuable”
8. Additional Requirements for the HST Program
In addition to all the above requirements, the HST curriculum requires that students be comfortable with upper-level mathematics (through differential equations and linear algebra), biochemistry, and molecular biology. This is usually demonstrated through upper level course work, but other approaches may satisfy these requirements. In addition, one year of calculus-based physics in college is required.

2014-2015 Secondary Application
1. If you have already graduated, briefly (4000 characters max) summarize your activities since graduation.
2. If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity, not addressed elsewhere in the application, that you would like to share with the Committee, we invite you to do so here. Many applicants will not need to answer this question. Examples might include significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, identification with a minority culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Briefly explain how such factors have influenced your motivation for a career in medicine.(4000 character maximum)
3. Our interview season runs from midSeptember through January. Please indicate any significant (three or more weeks) restriction on your availability for interviews during this period. If none, leave blank.


*All of these prompts were optional.

2014-2015 Important Dates (Dates were obtained from last year’s SDN application thread)
- First secondary: 7/10
- First Interview Invites: Late August (I found the first reported IIs on 8/2)
- Last Interview Date: 1/29
- First acceptances: 3/3/15
- First Waitlist: 5/4 (from last year's application thread)

Financial Aid
- For 2015-2016 Entering Students (MD)
Tuition- $55,850
Budget- $ 87 k

-Harvard uses the unit loan system. The unit Loan System is calculated as follows
Standard Budget - Family Contribution= Financial Need

- For example if the budget is 85k and EFC=0 Need= 85k. Since the unit loan is capped at 33k (for our class) that means that the remainder would be covered by “HMS Scholarship”

-HMS does not offer merit scholarships (all aid is need based). HMS need based aid tends to be one of the most generous. They also have a scaled EFC formula.

-HMS doesn’t match scholarship offers from other schools

Pathways Curriculum

-The Pathways Curriculum is new for this year. The goal was to rearrange the curriculum to start clinical during the first portion of the 2nd year. I will update as I go through it, but I am actually very excited about it.

Of Note
-70-80% of first year students live in Vanderbilt Hall. This is a dorm style setup. Vandy is a cheap alternative to the (ridiculously) expensive housing in Boston. It is also across the street from TMEC (which is where classes are)

- If you are married or not interested in living in Vandy, Harvard does offer graduate student housing. I’m currently looking for housing and will update.

-2015 Match List


I will try to update this thing throughout the cycle. Please let me know if something doesn’t make sense, or if I missed any details.
Good luck!

Citation for formatting- Thank @hellanutella for being a rockstar and starting this trend.

Would you say look at the median gpa or average gpa? MSAR has the median gpa at 3.9 but here it says average gpa is 3.8...

 

[Tupacca]

I personally wouldn't stress about that difference too much. The take home point is that the entering GPA is pretty high. I always personally looked at medians if they were available because these are not as susceptible to skewing by extreme values.

 

[the_ajax_kid]

I'm not really particularly competitive for Harvard Med, but I am going to have a master's degree from Harvard and at least 4 letters of recommendation from Harvard faculty/staff, plus 3 years working at DFCI/BWH. I am considering throwing an app in just to see what happens...

If you have a Master's from Harvard and 4 LORs from Harvard faculty, you're competitive. One of my interviewers at HMS told me towards the end of our conversation (paraphrasing a little), "If we wanted a class full of biology majors from MIT with 4.0s and 38s on the MCAT, we could easily do it. But that would be boring." That's not to discourage you applicants from the trade school down the road, but rather to point out the fact that they genuinely want an interesting group of students. My MCAT was pretty average here, and my GPA was below the mean (and well below the median...). A lot will depend on how your personality, interests, and passions come out in your essays, LORs, and (hopefully) interviews.

Despite the fact that HMS is one of those top tier research powerhouses who i would think are in favor of applicants with heavy research experience/publication, from my discussion with an admissions rep as well as the advent of the Pathways system which seems to have less of a focus on research it doesn't seem to be as big a focus. Can any current students attest to this? I for one would appreciate adcoms with a soft spot for community service in favor of research, but just curious what the vibe is from those that are currently at the institution.

Not an adcom, but my impression is that research is an important component of being a Harvard physician. It may not be the primary component, but they like people who have some experience. If I remember correctly, I believe that a current student posted in last year's thread that about half of his class had a publication or serious research credentials (e.g., a few years in a lab). That's a lot, but it's not overwhelming. I asked my interviewer (the same one as above) about the research versus primary care focus of HMS. He lamented that the school is more research-oriented than primary-care-oriented (he's an OB/GYN), but added, "that's just the type of students who are attracted to Harvard."

Yeah good point. But i mean what would be worse. Say you don't know your non-science professors that well. Which would you rather risk? Being pretty sure that you'd get a run of the mill rec letter or maybe having someone on the adcom at a school think its strange not having a non-science letter?

Your LORs are one of the most important parts of your application. Get the strongest ones that you can. If you don't have a non-scientist who can write one for you, start making friends. Think about the classes that you've enjoyed and done moderately well in, and start communicating with the professor. Meet with them, explain your goals, etc. Most professors will try to help you if you make an effort, are genuine, and are a decent human being (all good qualities for a physician). My non-science LOR was from my stats professor.

I mean, it says "Many applicants will not need to answer this question." From what you wrote it does not seem that this is an appropriate place to write that stuff, especially if it just rehashes stuff from ECs that are already on the app.

Agreed. As FDR once advised: be sincere, be brief, be seated.

Would you say look at the median gpa or average gpa? MSAR has the median gpa at 3.9 but here it says average gpa is 3.8...

It means that the GPA distribution was not Gaussian. That's it. Don't get hung up on the numbers too much. My guess is that if you're in the mid-3 range, you may be competitive depending on what else you bring to the table. There are a lot of boring applicants with great grades and no personality. Throw your hat in the ring - you'll only get one shot!

 

[ChrisMack390]

@the_ajax_kid I feel like Harvard is somewhat well known for both thinking very highly of itself and its affiliates and also for being very into stats and data.....so I can't decide whether my degree and letters will be weighted more heavily than my ****ty GPA or not (3.44 uGPA, though near 4.0 gGPA). Like I said, I'll probably send and app in regardless, ya never know

I'm hesitant because I wouldn't waste my time/money applying to any other top 20 schools, but maybe I have a sort of "in" here. Time will tell.

 

[the_ajax_kid]

@the_ajax_kid I feel like Harvard is somewhat well known for both thinking very highly of itself and its affiliates and also for being very into stats and data.....so I can't decide whether my degree and letters will be weighted more heavily than my ****ty GPA or not (3.44 uGPA, though near 4.0 gGPA). Like I said, I'll probably send and app in regardless, ya never know

I'm hesitant because I wouldn't waste my time/money applying to any other top 20 schools, but maybe I have a sort of "in" here. Time will tell.

I got that same feeling during my interactions with people at HMS. After visiting and interviewing at several (but certainly not all) of the top 20 schools, Harvard definitely seemed to be more... intense than the average.

My uGPA was about 3.5, though my post-bac and grad GPAs were almost 4.0s. Again, don't get hung up on the numbers too much.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Welp I'm sold. As long as I do well on the MCAT I am applying here next year. Thanks ajax!

 

[skooper]

Harvard's been my dream school since I was eleven growing up in downtown Detroit. haha jk
Let's see what happens with my LizzyM of 74 and above average (?) EC package.

 

[Tupacca]

If you have a Master's from Harvard and 4 LORs from Harvard faculty, you're competitive. One of my interviewers at HMS told me towards the end of our conversation (paraphrasing a little), "If we wanted a class full of biology majors from MIT with 4.0s and 38s on the MCAT, we could easily do it. But that would be boring." That's not to discourage you applicants from the trade school down the road, but rather to point out the fact that they genuinely want an interesting group of students. My MCAT was pretty average here, and my GPA was below the mean (and well below the median...). A lot will depend on how your personality, interests, and passions come out in your essays, LORs, and (hopefully) interviews.



Not an adcom, but my impression is that research is an important component of being a Harvard physician. It may not be the primary component, but they like people who have some experience. If I remember correctly, I believe that a current student posted in last year's thread that about half of his class had a publication or serious research credentials (e.g., a few years in a lab). That's a lot, but it's not overwhelming. I asked my interviewer (the same one as above) about the research versus primary care focus of HMS. He lamented that the school is more research-oriented than primary-care-oriented (he's an OB/GYN), but added, "that's just the type of students who are attracted to Harvard."



Your LORs are one of the most important parts of your application. Get the strongest ones that you can. If you don't have a non-scientist who can write one for you, start making friends. Think about the classes that you've enjoyed and done moderately well in, and start communicating with the professor. Meet with them, explain your goals, etc. Most professors will try to help you if you make an effort, are genuine, and are a decent human being (all good qualities for a physician). My non-science LOR was from my stats professor.



Agreed. As FDR once advised: be sincere, be brief, be seated.



It means that the GPA distribution was not Gaussian. That's it. Don't get hung up on the numbers too much. My guess is that if you're in the mid-3 range, you may be competitive depending on what else you bring to the table. There are a lot of boring applicants with great grades and no personality. Throw your hat in the ring - you'll only get one shot!

This is a great summary for all of those questions. For what it's worth, I had similar impressions (from interviewers and from students) about the type of people that HMS looks for.

I got that same feeling during my interactions with people at HMS. After visiting and interviewing at several (but certainly not all) of the top 20 schools, Harvard definitely seemed to be more... intense than the average.

My uGPA was about 3.5, though my post-bac and grad GPAs were almost 4.0s. Again, don't get hung up on the numbers too much.

+1 Same vibes(more or less)

 

[phuynh94]

Applying! What an absolute dream school. Good luck to everyone out there!

 

[ResidencyHopeful123]

I'll be throwing my hat in as well! LizzyM is ~ 77, but I'm concerned about my lack of publications. As has been noted above, it seems like Harvard really values published applicants.

I've designed and been working on an independent project for 2 years now, which has even received a ~$20,000 award. However, I'm only now beginning the process of writing a manuscript.

I hope this doesn't put me out of the running!

 

[Tupacca]

I'll be throwing my hat in as well! LizzyM is ~ 77, but I'm concerned about my lack of publications. As has been noted above, it seems like Harvard really values published applicants.

I've designed and been working on an independent project for 2 years now, which has even received a ~$20,000 award. However, I'm only now beginning the process of writing a manuscript.

I hope this doesn't put me out of the running!

If it makes you feel better I did not have a pub while I applied (we submitted a manuscript in March). I just had a poster presentation and a great LoR from the PI. Plus, if you are able to get a pub, that should be a nice update.

 

[ResidencyHopeful123]

If it makes you feel better I did not have a pub while I applied (we submitted a manuscript in March). I just had a poster presentation and a great LoR from the PI. i

Thanks for the information! I'm hoping for the best!

 

[DR.MIke]

Is the MCAT weighed more heavily than GPA at top schools like harvard? I have a 3.95, which is above the average, but a 33 MCAT which is why I am hesitant to apply. Any thoughts?

 

[bobmccorweg]

Is the MCAT weighed more heavily than GPA at top schools like harvard? I have a 3.95, which is above the average, but a 33 MCAT which is why I am hesitant to apply. Any thoughts?

From what I read about these top schools, once you pass a certain GPA/MCAT threshold your personality, experiences, LORs and other stuff like that are the real determinant. I would think 33 is above that threshold, but take all this with a grain of salt. I'm in your exact same position.

 

[skooper]

From what I read about these top schools, once you pass a certain GPA/MCAT threshold your personality, experiences, LORs and other stuff like that are the real determinant. I would think 33 is above that threshold, but take all this with a grain of salt. I'm in your exact same position.

TITCR

 

[skooper]

Is the MCAT weighed more heavily than GPA at top schools like harvard? I have a 3.95, which is above the average, but a 33 MCAT which is why I am hesitant to apply. Any thoughts?

you won't be rejected on the basis of those stats. It'll be the rest of the package that does you in

 

[musicalscientists]

.

 

[chemist_acs]

Does anyone know how strict they are with 8 hours of biology with lab? They don't take AP credits. I have one bio with lab. And second higher level bio without lab. I have a lot of upper level chemistry lab since I'm a chem major
Also the 6 hours of writing requirement? Don't take AP for that either. I have a lot of humanities courses but no actual English courses

 

[Eb123]

Does anyone know how strict they are with 8 hours of biology with lab? They don't take AP credits. I have one bio with lab. And second higher level bio without lab. I have a lot of upper level chemistry lab since I'm a chem major
Also the 6 hours of writing requirement? Don't take AP for that either. I have a lot of humanities courses but no actual English courses

They changed their requirements to be more general, satisfied in a number of ways: https://hms.harvard.edu/departments/admissions/applying/requirements-admission

In regards to lab requirements:

"4. Laboratory Experience

Required laboratory components of biology and chemistry are no longer defined as discretely as they were in the past. Lengthy laboratory components of the required science requirement courses are not necessarily time well and efficiently spent. Proper focus on hypothesis-driven exercises, problem solving, and hands-on demonstrations of important principles should take precedence over lengthy laboratory time commitments that steal time away from other, more productive educational opportunities. Active, sustained participation in faculty-mentored laboratory research experiences is encouraged and can be used to meet requirements for the acquisition of laboratory skills."

 

[Just_Trying]

Space reserved for prompt.

Please PM the essays or lack thereof to me when the secondary is available and I will update this.

Good luck to everyone applying!

Do you know if Harvard has MSTP essays in the secondaries? If so, could you possibly ask for them/post them as well?

Thanks!

 

[FutureBenCarson]

Hey I just wanna throw this out there:

According to the MSAR, last year 96% of HMS matriculates had research experience... while 4% isn't a huge number, that still means that there were like 6-7 people matriculated without ANY research. While I'm sure the rest of their apps were absolutely stellar, I think its still saying something.

Update: only 25% had employment in a medical field, and only 84% had clinical volunteer experience. Which I find interesting too.

 

[FutureBenCarson]

Also, is 1500-2000 hours in a lab over 2 years doing an independent undergraduate thesis substantial enough to apply here? My cpa is 3.99 (state school) and my mcat was 520+. I want to apply here, but I'm worried about 2 things.

1) I went to a State school (although the state school I went to is on the list of accepted students last year that was posted earlier in this thread)
2)I only have one potential publication, that I don't think will fall thru in the near future, so while I have research, I have no publication, only my undergrad thesis

 

[G.NA]

Hey I just wanna throw this out there:

According to the MSAR, last year 96% of HMS matriculates had research experience... while 4% isn't a huge number, that still means that there were like 6-7 people matriculated without ANY research. While I'm sure the rest of their apps were absolutely stellar, I think its still saying something.

Update: only 25% had employment in a medical field, and only 84% had clinical volunteer experience. Which I find interesting too.

I guarantee you that the 16% without "clinical volunteer" classified their clinical experiences as "employment" or some other category. I can almost guarantee that the 6 people without any research are non-trads.

 

[G.NA]

Also, is 1500-2000 hours in a lab over 2 years doing an independent undergraduate thesis substantial enough to apply here? My cpa is 3.99 (state school) and my mcat was 520+. I want to apply here, but I'm worried about 2 things.

1) I went to a State school (although the state school I went to is on the list of accepted students last year that was posted earlier in this thread)
2)I only have one potential publication, that I don't think will fall thru in the near future, so while I have research, I have no publication, only my undergrad thesis

..that is an obscene amount of hours in research, honey...
What's the debate here? If you can talk about your experience in a meaningful way and especially if your advisor wrote an LOR, please apply. You won't be held back by your research, oh no.

 

[FutureBenCarson]

..that is an obscene amount of hours in research, honey...
What's the debate here? If you can talk about your experience in a meaningful way and especially if your advisor wrote an LOR, please apply. You won't be held back by your research, oh no.

Yeah but thats the other thing, my PI is like really busy and without being rude, Kinda cranky. So I never got an LOR from her. I just feel like despite the length of time of my research and the amount of hours, it wasn't "productive" enough if that makes sense. And I think no LOR from my PI is essentially an app killer despite my stats

 

[phuynh94]

Yeah but thats the other thing, my PI is like really busy and without being rude, Kinda cranky. So I never got an LOR from her. I just feel like despite the length of time of my research and the amount of hours, it wasn't "productive" enough if that makes sense. And I think no LOR from my PI is essentially an app killer despite my stats

No one ever applies to Harvard thinking, "I'm going to be accepted." It's a long shot for everyone, regardless of stats or ECs. If you're applying and really like HMS, there's little harm in applying. The worst that could happen is that you get rejected and lose some money/time.

As for your PI, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have a grad student who mentored you in the beginning about the research and could write the LOR for you? The grad student could also bug for the PI to co-sign, but that would relieve the burden off your shoulders.

 

[FutureBenCarson]

No one ever applies to Harvard thinking, "I'm going to be accepted." It's a long shot for everyone, regardless of stats or ECs. If you're applying and really like HMS, there's little harm in applying. The worst that could happen is that you get rejected and lose some money/time.

As for your PI, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have a grad student who mentored you in the beginning about the research and could write the LOR for you? The grad student could also bug for the PI to co-sign, but that would relieve the burden off your shoulders.

I was thinking of doing that. I'm kinda being mentored by this MD/PhD student in the lab. I just am worried about timing and everything. Thanks, you've been helpful and honestly comforting too lol

 

[FutureBenCarson]

No one ever applies to Harvard thinking, "I'm going to be accepted." It's a long shot for everyone, regardless of stats or ECs. If you're applying and really like HMS, there's little harm in applying. The worst that could happen is that you get rejected and lose some money/time.

As for your PI, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have a grad student who mentored you in the beginning about the research and could write the LOR for you? The grad student could also bug for the PI to co-sign, but that would relieve the burden off your shoulders.

Oh and Go low SES FAP people!! lol free apps!!!! I am definitely going to apply here, it literally won't cost me anythin, just take up one of my free 15 spots

 

[G.NA]

Yeah but thats the other thing, my PI is like really busy and without being rude, Kinda cranky. So I never got an LOR from her. I just feel like despite the length of time of my research and the amount of hours, it wasn't "productive" enough if that makes sense. And I think no LOR from my PI is essentially an app killer despite my stats

I will say, it is kind of odd that you have 2000 hours but nothing to show for it besides an undergrad thesis. Either your project was hard as **** or you're kinda a slow worker, but idk if people would think this about you. No PI LOR is definitely not an app killer, just check the prior HMS and top school threads. I'm sexy af and I'm not worried about no PI letter at all.

Again, you won't be rejected on the basis of your research. It would be the rest of the package that does you in

 

[G.NA]

Oh and Go low SES FAP people!! lol free apps!!!! I am definitely going to apply here, it literally won't cost me anythin, just take up one of my free 15 spots

FAP FAP FAP FAPFAP FAP FAP ftw
still an awkward acronym. Reminds me of ******* boyfriends I've had who would repeat that like a kid

 

[FutureBenCarson]

FAP FAP FAP FAPFAP FAP FAP ftw
still an awkward acronym. Reminds me of ******* boyfriends I've had who would repeat that like a kid

were they asian?

 

[FutureBenCarson]

FAP FAP FAP FAPFAP FAP FAP ftw
still an awkward acronym. Reminds me of ******* boyfriends I've had who would repeat that like a kid

But honestly... I live at around 50% of the US poverty line and worked full time while going to school to support my family. Weird name or not, without it I WOULD NOT be applying to med school. Thank you aamc for making my dreams possible

 

[G.NA]

were they asian?

Yes...we've been over this already babe

 

[timeflies]

I will say, it is kind of odd that you have 2000 hours but nothing to show for it besides an undergrad thesis. Either your project was hard as **** or you're kinda a slow worker, but idk if people would think this about you. No PI LOR is definitely not an app killer, just check the prior HMS and top school threads. I'm sexy af and I'm not worried about no PI letter at all.

Again, you won't be rejected on the basis of your research. It would be the rest of the package that does you in

what.....

 

[FutureBenCarson]

what.....

You mean the random "im sexy af" comment? lol

 

[G.NA]

what.....

right? this person is all about his/her looks. good thing interviews have a beauty pageant component

Brighten up fellas..

 

[bobmccorweg]

right? this person is all about his/her looks. good thing interviews have a beauty pageant component

You mean the random "im sexy af" comment? lol

Brighten up fellas..

I thought it was funny.

 

[FutureBenCarson]

I thought it was funny.

did you see my "lol"? I mean, if thats truly her picture, she's rather attractive tbh. But it was just funny cause it has nothing to do with med school.

Edit: actually, I feel like subconsciously people like more attractive people more, if you get an interview, being attractive could help

 

[G.NA]

Edit: actually, I feel like subconsciously people like more attractive people more, if you get an interview, being attractive could help

Being attractive definitely helps. everywhere imo. last year when i took the MCAT I think someone like @LizzyM mentioned that there was a committee member who would always rate the attractive young girls very highly during meetings and everyone would and eventually started ignoring his votes on those chicks? lol

 

[FutureBenCarson]

how funny would it be if G.NA is really a 99999lb, 80 year old dude, who's not even a pre-med

Clarification: no hate

 

[timeflies]

I thought it was funny.

Oh I definitely laughed. It's just funny to see where these threads end up when @FutureBenCarson and @G.NA get going

 

[G.NA]

how funny would it be if G.NA is really a sexy af 80 year old dude, who's not even a pre-med

Clarification: no hate

Fixed that for you hon'

 

[FutureBenCarson]

thats a picture of a korean pop star. but yes if the G.NA in this thread is the G.NA celebrity, then she is rather attractive

ohhhh haha. I have no idea whats going on in the world. Is this G.NA famous enough where I should definitely know her?

 

[FutureBenCarson]

haha no its something i randomly stumbled upon while watching a gaming stream on twitch a while back

ahhh so I don't feel that dumb.

 

[the_ajax_kid]

I'll skip the past few posts and try to get back on track...

Hey I just wanna throw this out there:

According to the MSAR, last year 96% of HMS matriculates had research experience... while 4% isn't a huge number, that still means that there were like 6-7 people matriculated without ANY research. While I'm sure the rest of their apps were absolutely stellar, I think its still saying something.

Update: only 25% had employment in a medical field, and only 84% had clinical volunteer experience. Which I find interesting too.

"Aw, you can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. Forty percent of all people know that."

Although 96% is probably not too far off the mark. Does it say anything about the length or degree of their research? Almost everyone who applies to HMS has probably done some amount of research in some capacity in the past. Don't get too hung up on these kinds of details...

Also, is 1500-2000 hours in a lab over 2 years doing an independent undergraduate thesis substantial enough to apply here? My cpa is 3.99 (state school) and my mcat was 520+. I want to apply here, but I'm worried about 2 things.

1) I went to a State school (although the state school I went to is on the list of accepted students last year that was posted earlier in this thread)
2)I only have one potential publication, that I don't think will fall thru in the near future, so while I have research, I have no publication, only my undergrad thesis

...especially if you have 2000 hours of research under your belt! That's a solid 10-20 hours/week for two years. Far more than I did! Probably more than many of us. With a 3.99 and an MCAT in the 95th+ percentile? I'm sure that whatever school you attended is fine. You apparently got a good education out of it, and no doubt destroyed the grading curve. They might be more concerned if you had gone to a 3rd-tier public school and came out with a 3.3, but I think that you're fine. Also, don't worry about being an undergrad without a publication. That's... I don't even know where to begin. The horror of being 20 years old and not a first author in Nature! Nah. There are plenty of other things to worry about in life. Like jellyfish.

Look, I know that this process is unbelievably stressful. I do not envy you at all. There's a lot of uncertainty, apprehension, self-criticism, and unrealistic comparisons. I wish that I could give you some sort of easy reassurance that you will be accepted everywhere you apply, but that's not how it works. Y'all need to take a deep breath, be proud of everything that you accomplished so far, push those toxic doubts to the back of your mind, and dive right in.

Yeah but thats the other thing, my PI is like really busy and without being rude, Kinda cranky. So I never got an LOR from her. I just feel like despite the length of time of my research and the amount of hours, it wasn't "productive" enough if that makes sense. And I think no LOR from my PI is essentially an app killer despite my stats

The most important thing is that you get an LOR from someone who can write strongly about your best attributes. That said, an MD/PhD student may not be the best choice. You probably want someone who has a graduate degree (preferably a PhD if involved in research) and/or functions in some sort of official supervisory position. I would advise against having a medical student write you an LOR to medical school. Asking him to help you out in getting an LOR from your PI sounds like a great idea, though. Especially since he has been in your position recently and will likely be sympathetic.

No one ever applies to Harvard thinking, "I'm going to be accepted." It's a long shot for everyone, regardless of stats or ECs. If you're applying and really like HMS, there's little harm in applying. The worst that could happen is that you get rejected and lose some money/time.

As for your PI, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have a grad student who mentored you in the beginning about the research and could write the LOR for you? The grad student could also bug for the PI to co-sign, but that would relieve the burden off your shoulders.

This. And even after you get accepted, you will convince yourself that they must have made some mistake, or that you were the last one on the list!