2016-2017 Harvard Medical School Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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DogDays123 said:
Is there a correlation between acceptances at other top schools and HMS admissions? Just wondering if the average HMS accepted gets into numerous top 10s or if it is as random as it would be at other top 10s for multiple acceptances. (Just feeling unsure because of recent rejections/waitlists at other top schools)
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I don't think anyone has this info, but MDApplicants could potentially give you an idea.
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DogDays123 said:
Is there a correlation between acceptances at other top schools and HMS admissions? Just wondering if the average HMS accepted gets into numerous top 10s or if it is as random as it would be at other top 10s for multiple acceptances. (Just feeling unsure because of recent rejections/waitlists at other top schools)
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I can't really speak to this, but I will say that my cycle has been pretty weird. Namely, I got an interview (and acceptance) at my state school, 3 interviews at Ivies, and two interviews at lower-tier MD schools. I realize that n=1 here, but I didn't really get much of a shot at mid-tier MD schools. Given that, statistically, my chances at getting into one of those top schools isn't great, it's a bit disappointing that I didn't get looked at by other decent MD schools, but it is what it is. The process is random, and I'm grateful for my acceptance at my state school. If you look around this thread, it does seem like a lot of the other people who interviewed here did better in the cycle than I did. I am not an URM and my LM is between 70 and 73.
 
I dont remember seeing this before, but i think a "transcript" section may have just popped up under "letters of recommendation" in my document status. Did this happen for everyone? Sorry for false alarm if everyone already had this!


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echo3636 said:
I dont remember seeing this before, but i think a "transcript" section may have just popped up under "letters of recommendation" in my document status. Did this happen for everyone? Sorry for false alarm if everyone already had this!


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below the letters of rec, my portal says something to the effect of 'official transcripts are not required until there is an offer of admission'
 
echo3636 said:
I dont remember seeing this before, but i think a "transcript" section may have just popped up under "letters of recommendation" in my document status. Did this happen for everyone? Sorry for false alarm if everyone already had this!


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I also have it, but I think it's been there for a while.
 
Do we think decisions will be later this week?
 
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So who's going to take one for the team and call the admissions office to ask when decisions go out? ~Not it~


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I volunteered as tribute! The nice lady at the admissions office said that they couldn't provide a specific date but decisions would be released "soon."
 
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geeek said:
I volunteered as tribute! The nice lady at the admissions office said that they couldn't provide a specific date but decisions would be released "soon."
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Thanks for calling! I guess 'soon' is a decent enough answer.
 
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They said first week in March, so should be within the next 3 days.
 
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Pulled this compilation of gems from last year's thread--best of luck to everyone this week!

{originally posted by @Luckystr1ke}

"First and foremost, congratulations. The fact that you are still waiting for acceptances in March means one thing and one thing only: you have interviewed at the some of the greatest institutions of medical education in the world. You are among the finest applicants in the entire 2013-2014 (insert 2016-2017) application pool. For that, you deserve to be proud.

As you may have already experienced, the medical school application process is extremely unpredictable. There are so many subjective variables that go into whether or not you are accepted at a given school. Far too often, we make the mistake of interpreting the list of schools we are accepted/rejected from as a reflection of our intrinsic worth. However, that’s the wrong way to think about things. The fact that you’ve been selected for interviews means that you’ve been identified as folks who have demonstrated excellence to this point and who are projected to continue demonstrating excellence for the rest of your careers. THAT is what you should take away from this process. The dreams that you have of impacting this world are no longer just far-fetched ideals – they should now be realistic expectations.

When the news of your admissions decisions comes forward, remember to be gracious in all things. You may be unbelievably excited by your results, and that’s okay. Just always remember that there are others who worked every bit as hard as you but haven’t enjoyed the success you’re enjoying. You may be heartbroken by your results, and that’s okay too. Just always remember that you have still already been tremendously blessed.

No matter what happens this month, always remember that you are the pride and joy of your family. You are the fulfillment of the dreams your parents have dreamt since the days they prepared to bring you into this world. You have completed a grueling process and have been accepted to medical school. You have represented your loved ones proudly and carried your family's legacy one step forward. You should be proud of yourselves. I, for one, am proud of you."

{originally posted by @Anonymous1991}

"I came into this application cycle feeling as if I was a very strong applicant, and that a school like Harvard was well within my reach. What I have learned, however, both through my cycle results and from fellow applicants on the interview trail, is that I was quite mistaken. At first I was incredibly bitter about being passed over for other applicants because of clinical exposure, volunteer experience, etc. - things that at the time I considered all "part of the game" of medical school admissions. Looking back now, though, I am truly humbled as I consider the accomplishments and experiences of people like you, sitting here waiting to hear back from such a prestigious school.

I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt to not even get the chance to interview at Harvard, but truthfully I have now grown to think that I probably didn't deserve to. You all have done amazing things with your lives thus far, and will, without a doubt, grow to become amazing physicians - something you should remember regardless of the content of your decision today. In short, take a second today to think back to all that you have done up to this point in your lives, and all you have done to get to where you are now. I think sometimes we all get so caught up in the stress and insanity of this process that we don't ever stop to give ourselves credit for what we have already accomplished. You are all deserving of a great medical education, and should know that your experiences and success thus far inspire people like me to continue to push ourselves throughout our education and to strive to achieve even more. So good luck today - I hope to work with some of you down the line in our careers!"

{orginally posted by @TheKDizzle}

"I just want to take this minute to remind everyone that the limiting factor in the admissions process at most schools, Harvard included, is the number of seats available, not the talent in the applicant pool. Each and every one of you is incredibly talented and capable of just about anything. Whether you get in or not at one particular school does not change that AT ALL. Harvard could fill its class over again with qualified people who would succeed and do great here.

It is hard not to take these things personally with the amount of work and effort we all have put into our medical school goals, but medical school decisions are NOT reflective of our qualities, abilities, or "worthiness". Those are things that are demonstrated with dedication over long periods of time, and you have all already done so. Tomorrow doesn't change that. We would be lucky to have you guys join us!

Best of luck for tomorrow everyone (or whatever day of the week we hear back)!
 
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whataremychancetherapper said:
If you have the patience to make it through the cycle, you can take the time to read a short set of thoughtful statements on the admissions process! It's worth it.
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Ummm what does patience for the cycle have to do with not wanting to read an essay?

carry on


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Best of luck to everyone! Remember to congratulate yourself for having put all of your hard-earned accomplishments under intense scrutiny for the past few months, all so that you may one day have the privilege of practicing medicine; you’ve worked incredibly hard to make it this far, and I hope that you will find happiness in whatever news you may receive! :)
 
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Ok everyone! I'm bored at work, so it's time to commence our nervous speculation about when decisions will be released. I dug through past threads to find the following release dates from previous years.

2016: Wednesday, March 2
2015: Tuesday, March 3
2014: Tuesday, March 4
2013: Monday, March 4
2012: Monday, March 5
2011: Thursday, March 3
2010: Monday, March 15
2009: Monday, March 16

I bet we'll hear back either tomorrow (March 2) or Friday (March 3). Hoping they don't give us a throwback to 2009/2010 and make us wait another 2 weeks lol.
 
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geeek said:
Ok everyone! I'm bored at work, so it's time to commence our nervous speculation about when decisions will be released. I dug through past threads to find the following release dates from previous years.

2016: Wednesday, March 2
2015: Tuesday, March 3
2014: Tuesday, March 4
2013: Monday, March 4
2012: Monday, March 5
2011: Thursday, March 3
2010: Monday, March 15
2009: Monday, March 16

I bet we'll hear back either tomorrow (March 2) or Friday (March 3). Hoping they don't give us a throwback to 2009/2010 and make us wait another 2 weeks lol.
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Were you able to tell the time of day when most of these decisions were released?
 
Hi all! I'm a first year at HMS. I heard back at 9:43 am last year! Sending good wishes to all of you!
 
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So are we hoping for tomorrow or Friday? Or do we have any clue? I just hope we don't have to wait until Monday.
 
neuroguy91 said:
So are we hoping for tomorrow or Friday? Or do we have any clue? I just hope we don't have to wait until Monday.
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soon_(1).jpg
 
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neuroguy91 said:
So are we hoping for tomorrow or Friday? Or do we have any clue? I just hope we don't have to wait until Monday.
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My money is on tomorrow. If you look at the decision dates above, the big release day has been the 2nd business day of March for the past 4 years. Not sure if there are any other patterns in those dates, but I also just want to believe that this will be over with tomorrow haha.
 
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geeek said:
My money is on tomorrow. If you look at the decision dates above, the big release day has been the 2nd business day of March for the past 4 years. Not sure if there are any other patterns in those dates, but I also just want to believe that this will be over with tomorrow haha.
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I hope you're right! Who knows how long it will take, though. I doubt they could do it all in one day. Anyway, good luck, everyone!
 
neuroguy91 said:
I hope you're right! Who knows how long it will take, though. I doubt they could do it all in one day. Anyway, good luck, everyone!
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It's one day. They do it by email.

Edit: IIRC, last year they did it in one day.
 
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Will the news this week be just for acceptances, or will we also hear something if we are waitlisted or rejected?
 
janet0466 said:
Will the news this week be just for acceptances, or will we also hear something if we are waitlisted or rejected?
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I'm pretty sure they sent out all the decisions at once.

Also, I'm guessing no one has heard anything yet?
 
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unclairvoyance said:
I'm pretty sure they sent out all the decisions at once.

Also, I'm guessing no one has heard anything yet?
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If it'll be anything like previous years, we'll see waves of emails sent out throughout the course of one day. Acceptances go out first in a single wave. WL/rejections go out at various times after that. In previous years, you could tell you were WL/rejected if you didn't get the first wave email :(
 
Since it doesn't seem like in the past they've released decisions on a Friday, does that mean I need to start bracing myself to wait all weekend? Any ideas for how to stay distracted?
 
Whales8 said:
Since it doesn't seem like in the past they've released decisions on a Friday, does that mean I need to start bracing myself to wait all weekend? Any ideas for how to stay distracted?
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Have we given up hope for today already?
 
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