2017-2018 Mayo Clinic School of Medicine

[neuroresearchguy23]

Hope we all get to be classmates!! #wholesomethoughts

Being classmates with the one and only Rodgers would be unreal.

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[HarrySolo]

My top two (pretty much a tie) are Mayo and Duke. I've been a patient at Mayo for a while and I have had only excellent experiences there.

dude, me too no joke hahaha

+2
Good luck to you two

 

[DBC03]

+2
Good luck to you two

Thanks! I was all excited about getting a secondary, but now I'm feeling a little less confident. Ah, yes, premed neuroticism at its finest.

 

[DrivenAndDangerous]

The AZ campus is definitely my top choice. The MN campus is my top choice outside of AZ.

+1 r u kidding it's Mayo

 

[thenucleusaccumbens]

Take this how you may, but I had a friend who recently finished his residency at the Jacksonville campus and his primary complaint was that they only accept patients with healthcare. He was mainly concerned about the clinical trials, and I'm not sure how it works in MN. I'll see if I can find out.

I have been a patient there and have nothing but wonderful things to say about patient care and the hospital in general.

MN is different as they have more $ and do a lot of charity care. I've seen patients who are either under-insured or uninsured have huge surgeries completely paid for by Mayo through charity care.

 

[thenucleusaccumbens]

Just received word from the Mayo email. They claim they are only screening based off a preset MCAT cutoff (which basically means they aren't screening).

Looks like we are applying to Mayo just like any other program this year...

There was a more rigid computer screen in previous years that they got rid of last year as our new dean felt it was unfair. He said that he wanted more eyes on review and had concerns that applicants who would be a good fit for Mayo would be missed from this screen. The screen was actually done away with during the cycle last year, which is why some applicants were "un-rejected" after having initially been screened out last year.

 

[7331poas]

There was a more rigid computer screen in previous years that they got rid of last year as our new dean felt it was unfair. He said that he wanted more eyes on review and had concerns that applicants who would be a good fit for Mayo would be missed from this screen. The screen was actually done away with during the cycle last year, which is why some applicants were "un-rejected" after having initially been screened out last year.

Really unfortunate and an anti-applicant decision. Screening benefits everyone.

 

[TheBiologist]

Really unfortunate and an anti-applicant decision. Screening benefits everyone.

what they really wanted was more secondary application fees

 

[aaronrodgers]

what they really wanted was more secondary application fees

Optimistically, this was a chance for us to argue more so why mayo is the right choice. If I had been screened out pre secondary I would have been sad to not have had the chance to state my case

 

[7331poas]

Optimistically, this was a chance for us to argue more so why mayo is the right choice. If I had been screened out pre secondary I would have been sad to not have had the chance to state my case

"your case" likely would not have swayed anyone if they already weren't interested

 

[aaronrodgers]

"your case" likely would not have swayed anyone if they already weren't interested

That's a fair speculation.

 

[Brah of Science]

I figured the screen wasn't too harsh when I added Mayo MN last night and received a secondary this morning -_-

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

I figured the screen wasn't too harsh when I added Mayo MN last night and received a secondary this morning -_-

That was quick! Mayo was one of the first schools I added and I still haven't received a seconary. Verified 6/3. :/

 

[Brah of Science]

That was quick! Mayo was one of the first schools I added and I still haven't received a seconary. Verified 6/3. :/

I'm sure you will get one soon! It's still early

 

[Kingsmen2018]

Submitted <33333

 

[shadow522]

Has anyone received a secondary without any letters submitted? One of my writers has been holding me up and I haven't been able to have my committee letter submitted yet. Likewise, have any MD-PhD applicants received a secondary? Mayo is amazing and I'm hoping to get some love!

I'm also applying mstp. ive gotten most of my other secondaries, but still waiting on this one, stanford and ucsd.

 

[thenucleusaccumbens]

Really unfortunate and an anti-applicant decision. Screening benefits everyone.

There is still a screen based on MCAT, so not everyone gets a secondary. The previous screen was really tough and when the dean was discussing the decision to get rid of this with students (which he absolutely did not have to do, but really values student input), he shared examples of applicants who were honestly outstanding candidates who had been screened out and he felt they should not have been. It really seems that this decision was made to benefit all applicants by being more holistic, fair and giving more applicants the chance to be reviewed by actual people

 

[7331poas]

There is still a screen based on MCAT, so not everyone gets a secondary. The previous screen was really tough and when the dean was discussing the decision to get rid of this with students (which he absolutely did not have to do, but really values student input), he shared examples of applicants who were honestly outstanding candidates who had been screened out and he felt they should not have been. It really seems that this decision was made to benefit all applicants by being more holistic, fair and giving more applicants the chance to be reviewed by actual people

Which is a cute conclusion. However in really the benefit is to Mayo because they can collect 40k$ more per cycle. And for what in return? Now applicants do not have the benefit of a screen to let them know if they are more competitive for that institution.

What the dean could have done is made the screen more forgiving. But 2 "why mayo" essays are not going to sway someone.

Also "they still screen by MCAT", so does every other school....and they aren't really screens

 

[lexington251]

Which is a cute conclusion. However in really the benefit is to Mayo because they can collect 40k$ more per cycle. And for what in return? Now applicants do not have the benefit of a screen to let them know if they are more competitive for that institution.

40k$ is nothing in the grand scheme of things, considering Mayo's size and reputation..not to mention Mayo offers great financial packages.

Just because you have a high MCAT/GPA does not mean you are holistically a better applicant. I'd argue schools who screen for high MCAT/GPA's are just trying to boost their stats, and people who have an otherwise compelling application aren't ever given a chance.

What the dean could have done is made the screen more forgiving. But 2 "why mayo" essays are not going to sway someone.

It is more forgiving, hence why it's now an MCAT screening. I agree though that "why mayo" essays may not have a significant impact, considering they have to cut them applicant pool to ~250 for interviews.

Also "they still screen by MCAT", so does every other school....and they aren't really screens

A lot of schools don't screen for anything and just send out secondaries. At least their MCAT cutoff will reduce the number of applicants, regardless of how significant a reduction that is.

 

[7331poas]

40k$ is nothing in the grand scheme of things, considering Mayo's size and reputation..not to mention Mayo offers great financial packages.

Just because you have a high MCAT/GPA does not mean you are holistically a better applicant. I'd argue schools who screen for high MCAT/GPA's are just trying to boost their stats, and people who have an otherwise compelling application aren't ever given a chance

Their screen before this cycle was holistic....

 

[lexington251]

Their screen before this cycle was holistic....

Apparently not holistic enough.

There was a more rigid computer screen in previous years that they got rid of last year as our new dean felt it was unfair. He said that he wanted more eyes on review and had concerns that applicants who would be a good fit for Mayo would be missed from this screen. The screen was actually done away with during the cycle last year, which is why some applicants were "un-rejected" after having initially been screened out last year.

The previous screen was really tough and when the dean was discussing the decision to get rid of this with students (which he absolutely did not have to do, but really values student input), he shared examples of applicants who were honestly outstanding candidates who had been screened out and he felt they should not have been. It really seems that this decision was made to benefit all applicants by being more holistic, fair and giving more applicants the chance to be reviewed by actual people

 

[ScreenName23]

40k$ is nothing in the grand scheme of things, considering Mayo's size and reputation..not to mention Mayo offers great financial packages.

Just because you have a high MCAT/GPA does not mean you are holistically a better applicant. I'd argue schools who screen for high MCAT/GPA's are just trying to boost their stats, and people who have an otherwise compelling application aren't ever given a chance.



It is more forgiving, hence why it's now an MCAT screening. I agree though that "why mayo" essays may not have a significant impact, considering they have to cut them applicant pool to ~250 for interviews.




A lot of schools don't screen for anything and just send out secondaries. At least their MCAT cutoff will reduce the number of applicants, regardless of how significant a reduction that is.

To be honest I think we are sort of making up this MCAT screen thing now (in case I've missed something in this thread which is totally possible). I have a 520 with a high gpa and have been verified since 6/9 with no secondary yet from either mayo. To me it is clear that they are screening in a significant, holistic way or else why not automatically send a secondary to me. Clearly they are being reviewed with some detail at this stage IMO.

 

[lexington251]

To be honest I think we are sort of making up this MCAT screen thing now (in case I've missed something in this thread which is totally possible). I have a 520 with a high gpa and have been verified since 6/9 with no secondary yet from either mayo. To me it is clear that they are screening in a significant, holistic way or else why not automatically send a secondary to me. Clearly they are being reviewed with some detail at this stage IMO.

I'm sure you'll get a secondary, just be a little patient

 

[7331poas]

Apparently not holistic enough.

No...It wasn't holistic enough to a dean who wants more money. There is nothing about a "why mayo" secondary that will affect an admission decision VERSUS the huge benefit that screening primaries gives to the applicant pool.

I actually had a ton of respect to Mayo and UCSF for screening before this cycle. Now mayo is just any other admissions team who will gladly take your money with full knowledge that you arent competitive for their program. They see your primary. They see your GPA/MCAT. They see your experiences. A short essay wont change that.

 

[twentyeightmiles]

To be honest I think we are sort of making up this MCAT screen thing now (in case I've missed something in this thread which is totally possible). I have a 520 with a high gpa and have been verified since 6/9 with no secondary yet from either mayo. To me it is clear that they are screening in a significant, holistic way or else why not automatically send a secondary to me. Clearly they are being reviewed with some detail at this stage IMO.

Someone on reddit emailed Mayo and was told they are simply screening by MCAT this year. Secondaries just get sent out slowly, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[~ Doctor~]

No...It wasn't holistic enough to a dean who wants more money. There is nothing about a "why mayo" secondary that will affect an admission decision VERSUS the huge benefit that screening primaries gives to the applicant pool.

I actually had a ton of respect to Mayo and UCSF for screening before this cycle. Now mayo is just any other admissions team who will gladly take your money with full knowledge that you arent competitive for their program. They see your primary. They see your GPA/MCAT. They see your experiences. A short essay wont change that.

I wasnt going to reply but your post is just salty. As someone else pointed out, the amount of money they get from this is barely going to affect their budget or go anywhere. This is true for most top schools tbh. If 3000 people pay 100 bucks due to no screen, thats 300k. Maybe salaries for 2 additional admissions staff? Scholarships for 5 students? . A quick glance at the Mayo Clinic financial report from last year shows that current liabilities was around 7 billion, and assets at 14 billion. So when people get on here talking about how much top schools get from making people pay secondaries, gotta keep things in perspective.

Except you just like feeling special after passing a screen......cos thats a great feeling and it felt good getting that secondary, and not that good knowing its only a gpa screen.

Also, someone I talked to was rejected, then unrejected after the new dean removed the screen last year. She is going to be starting there this fall...which means the old screen clearly had faults.

 

[aaronrodgers]

No...It wasn't holistic enough to a dean who wants more money. There is nothing about a "why mayo" secondary that will affect an admission decision VERSUS the huge benefit that screening primaries gives to the applicant pool.

I actually had a ton of respect to Mayo and UCSF for screening before this cycle. Now mayo is just any other admissions team who will gladly take your money with full knowledge that you arent competitive for their program. They see your primary. They see your GPA/MCAT. They see your experiences. A short essay wont change that.

I wasnt going to reply but your post is just salty. As someone else pointed out, the amount of money they get from this is barely going to affect their budget or go anywhere. This is true for most top schools tbh. If 3000 people pay 100 bucks due to no screen, thats 300k. Maybe salaries for 2 additional admissions staff? Scholarships for 5 students? . A quick glance at the Mayo Clinic financial report from last year shows that current liabilities was around 7 billion, and assets at 14 billion. So when people get on here talking about how much top schools get from making people pay secondaries, gotta keep things in perspective.

Except you just like feeling special after passing a screen......cos thats a great feeling and it felt good getting that secondary, and not that good knowing its only a gpa screen.

Also, someone I talked to was rejected, then unrejected after the new dean removed the screen last year. She is going to be starting there this fall...which means the old screen clearly had faults.

I agree to be mindful and not to take our speculations too far

 

[7331poas]

I wasnt going to reply but your post is just salty. As someone else pointed out, the amount of money they get from this is barely going to affect their budget or go anywhere. This is true for most top schools tbh. If 3000 people pay 100 bucks due to no screen, thats 300k. Maybe salaries for 2 additional admissions staff? Scholarships for 5 students? . A quick glance at the Mayo Clinic financial report from last year shows that current liabilities was around 7 billion, and assets at 14 billion. So when people get on here talking about how much top schools get from making people pay secondaries, gotta keep things in perspective.

Except you just like feeling special after passing a screen......cos thats a great feeling and it felt good getting that secondary, and not that good knowing its only a gpa screen.

Also, someone I talked to was rejected, then unrejected after the new dean removed the screen last year. She is going to be starting there this fall...which means the old screen clearly had faults.

And how much is 100 to us? 2 weeks of groceries? It's a huge burden. Those essays are not worth that.

 

[DBC03]

And how much is 100 to us? 2 weeks of groceries? It's a huge burden. Those essays are not worth that.

More like a half week of groceries for this married couple. It is quite a financial burden. I haven't paid any secondary fees and I am dreading it.

But I am really grateful for getting the opportunity to tell them why I want to attend as i probably would have been screened out last year...

 

[Professional Student]

Saying that $300k is nothing to Mayo and that's not why they did it is ridiculous. I don't care if you're Mayo, Harvard, Apple, or Amazon, if you can add $300k to your annual profit you do it in a heartbeat.

 

[Civelle]

Let's complain about the cost of secondary fees instead the cost of med school. /sarcasm

If money is a true issue, then there are fee waivers for those who need it. If you're going to go to medical school a $100 fee is the least of your worries.

 

[7331poas]

Let's complain about the cost of secondary fees instead the cost of med school. /sarcasm

If money is a true issue, then there are fee waivers for those who need it. If you're going to go to medical school a $100 fee is the least of your worries.

You're crazy if you think fee waivers help everyone who needs it. They use parental income. Not your own.

 

[DBC03]

You're crazy if you think fee waivers help everyone who needs it. They use parental income. Not your own.

So true.

I turn 36 this week. When I was 17 My parents wouldn't pay for me to apply to more than 2 universities and they only paid for a small portion of the tuition - I paid the rest. At the time they owned a business, multiple homes, an RV, etc. so it wasn't that they couldn't pay - they just wouldn't. And now med schools tell me that they have to consider my parents income for financial aid as if my parents will actually pay anything (thank goodness they just retired).

I have an odd app this year and have to apply broadly - 25-30 schools. That's nearly $1200 right off the bat for primaries. Then let's add approx $100 per secondary and I'm looking at paying around $4000 in application fees alone. I'm only within driving distance of four schools, or seven if you think a 12-hour road trip is fun (thank goodness we do). So now I both want and dread an interview as that's just another massive fee I have to pay. It's more than I've paid for my entire post bac so far and a huge financial burden even to people who don't qualify for aid.

That said, I still appreciate the opportunity to state my case. It sounds like some people were accepted from the previous rejection pile, so I'll take my $100 chance.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Cashews]

Hey guys,
1. Does anyone know if Mayo considers Canadian applicants as 'Out of State'?
2. Forgive me if this is a naive question (I am still getting familiar with the American application process). Is it typical for American schools to do 2 rounds of pre-interview screening like Mayo does (as in only a select few get a) secondaries b) LOR request)?

Thanks!

 

[Pleides]

Hey guys,
1. Does anyone know if Mayo considers Canadian applicants as 'Out of State'?
2. Forgive me if this is a naive question (I am still getting familiar with the American application process). Is it typical for American schools to do 2 rounds of pre-interview screening like Mayo does (as in only a select few get a) secondaries b) LOR request)?

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure Canadian applicants are considered as internationals, which makes it very hard to get in. Also Mayo seems to have changed their application process this year, so the screening is very minimal and pretty much everybody should receive a secondary. The vast majority of American medical schools do not do pre-screening. The most notable that do screen prior to secondaries are the University of California schools.

 

[BillaBeaver]

If applying to the Minnesota campus, does selecting the Florida Focus program as your first priority change the way you are considered for just the straight up four years in Minnesota?

 

[COMED2468]

There was a more rigid computer screen in previous years that they got rid of last year as our new dean felt it was unfair. He said that he wanted more eyes on review and had concerns that applicants who would be a good fit for Mayo would be missed from this screen. The screen was actually done away with during the cycle last year, which is why some applicants were "un-rejected" after having initially been screened out last year.

Really unfortunate and an anti-applicant decision. Screening benefits everyone.

Which is a cute conclusion. However in really the benefit is to Mayo because they can collect 40k$ more per cycle. And for what in return? Now applicants do not have the benefit of a screen to let them know if they are more competitive for that institution.

What the dean could have done is made the screen more forgiving. But 2 "why mayo" essays are not going to sway someone.

Also "they still screen by MCAT", so does every other school....and they aren't really screens

I'd argue it's not that anti-applicant given that I was initially rejected last cycle, unrejected when they opened up applications a second time, and now I'm fortunate enough to be attending the AZ campus starting tomorrow. I'm not sure what about my application got me screened out at the start of last cycle, but I'm infinitely grateful they cared enough to look at my whole application rather than whatever quantitative or numerical screen they had previously with the computer system.

 

[badboy12435]

Did anyone submit their secondary yet?

 

[twentyeightmiles]

Did anyone submit their secondary yet?

Yeah, I submitted June 14. Really had to power through the essays -- not because they were hard, but just because they were so unexpected!

 

[thenucleusaccumbens]

Which is a cute conclusion. However in really the benefit is to Mayo because they can collect 40k$ more per cycle. And for what in return? Now applicants do not have the benefit of a screen to let them know if they are more competitive for that institution.

What the dean could have done is made the screen more forgiving. But 2 "why mayo" essays are not going to sway someone.

Also "they still screen by MCAT", so does every other school....and they aren't really screens

While I appreciate your cynicism, I don't believe they got rid of the more rigid computer screen to make extra money. I'd also like to point out that by increasing the number of applicants who get eyes on review, it greatly increases the amount of work for admissions as it takes time to read through thousands of applications.

Many Mayo students and faculty attended "fireside chats" with the dean to discuss these changes and he shared with us exactly why he felt it was important to get rid of the older screen. He gave specific examples of applicants who were highly qualified but were unfairly screened out before having an actual person review their application. I don't feel comfortable sharing more specific information but I can tell you that everyone I spoke with agreed that these applicants should not have been screened out. Believe what you want but getting rid of that screen came from a good place.

You don't think the "why Mayo" essays will sway anyone, but as a Mayo student who was accepted with a GPA significantly below their average, with a discrepancy between my GPA and MCAT, I can tell you that fit truly matters here. I never would have gotten in if it didn't. Being able to answer "why Mayo" absolutely matters. Mayo could EASILY fill the entire class with 4.0/520+ students if they wanted to, but they are looking for more, they care about fit and are holistic in reviewing applicants. The fact that there are students in the incoming class who were initially rejected last year when they were using the original computer screen, but then had their applications further considered and looked at by an actual person from admissions, supports my belief that they are giving all applicants who are invited to complete a secondary full consideration.

 

[7331poas]

Mayo could EASILY fill the entire class with 4.0/520+ students if they wanted to, but they are looking for more, they care about fit and are holistic in reviewing applicants.

And they could do that...before making us pay 100$ for secondaries.

If what you say is true, why not make these essays FREE to submit, and then make us pay a fee to be interviewed.

Im just tired of spending money. This process always benefits the rich.

 

[Civelle]

why not make these essays FREE to submit,

Cause adcom doesn't want to read applications where people didn't try. You make it free to submit and then everyone is like "oh why not just submit it -- nothing to lose"

If secondaries were free then every med student would apply to 50 schools.

Then adcom is overwhelmed with applications from people who aren't serious even if they have good stats and have to waste more time sifting through people to find who is truly interested in the school.

 

[bluelamin]

got the MSTP secondary!

 

[Noctámbulo]

@bluelamin Is this different from the MD?

 

[bluelamin]

@bluelamin Is this different from the MD?

yes it is

 

[thedarkniteeee]

For the letters of recommendations sheet, can we put other people besides our rec letter writers? Some of mine were so hard to get out that I'd rather just withdraw this application than go through it again.

 

[Noctámbulo]

yes it is

Could you please post the MSTP prompt(s)?

 

[echo5050]

Submitted! It's probably a reach for me stats wise, but holistically I think I'm ok. We'll see! Good luck everyone!

 

[TheBiologist]

Submitted! It's probably a reach for me stats wise, but holistically I think I'm ok. We'll see! Good luck everyone!

what are your stats?

 

[bluelamin]

Could you post the MSTP prompt(s)? It would be of great help!

its a joke: In the space below, write a brief paragraph explaining why you are specifically applying to the Mayo Clinic Medical Scientist Training Program. (Limited to 500 characters.)