2020-2021 Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Application

[byubyunyunyugugu]

Anyone know if the number of rec letters matters? It's clearly that 5 would be optimal, but would 4 be enough?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[speedysloth]

Anyone know if the number of rec letters matters? It's clearly that 5 would be optimal, but would 4 be enough?

Enough for an interview invitation at least. I had 3 and received an interview invitation pretty damn quick. I always feel like quality matters more than quantity when it comes to references

 

[vaneyyik]

Hello everyone! I interviewed on 14 Sep and received an offer on 6 Nov. All the very best to those who are still waiting!! Don't lose hope and stay positive! Really excited to meet all of you guys in school!

woohoo congrats!! hope we get to meet next year~

 

[vaneyyik]

People who did the interview already, how was it??

it was a decent experience and the interviewers are generally quite friendly i think besides the interview, we went overtime with the general introduction and teamlead activities, but otherwise it was run quite smoothly online

 

[vera_hy]

Hi there, anyone here is applying for PhD IBM at DUKE-NUS?
Seem like there is very limited information or sharing about this programme, so hope to have someone who is applying and we can always update each other in anything. Feel free to say hi )))

 

[yj396uquq]

Hello everyone! I interviewed on 14 Sep and received an offer on 6 Nov. All the very best to those who are still waiting!! Don't lose hope and stay positive! Really excited to meet all of you guys in school!

Cong!! Are you a Singaporean or an international applicant if you can tell us?

 

[gallopinghorse]

Cong!! Are you a Singaporean or an international applicant if you can tell us?

Hi! I am a Singaporean

Anyone know if the number of rec letters matters? It's clearly that 5 would be optimal, but would 4 be enough?

I had 4 letters from professors/doctors that knew me pretty well and received an offer

 

[watermelon.hammock]

anyone here international? did you apply for early admissions?

 

[speedysloth]

anyone here international? did you apply for early admissions?

🙋‍♀️ Int'l here, applied early admission from the US, attended first Applicant Day in Sept, still haven't heard anything back T^T

 

[ANNAINTL]

anyone here international? did you apply for early admissions?

Same international here. attended first Applicant Day in Sept. Haven't heard anything back. Start drafting Letter of Appeal in my mind now

 

[speedysloth]

Hi all! Does anyone know if Duke-NUS is need blind or need aware? Like will our financial situation be taken into account when deciding admissions?

I remember being told in the interview that they are need-blind (they didn't use this term specifically but said that financial aid is considered separately and that applying for aid would not hurt one's chance of being accepted, so I interpret that as being need-blind).

 

[kjs8028]

Hi all! Does anyone know if Duke-NUS is need blind or need aware? Like will our financial situation be taken into account

it’s need blind!

 

[J.Wilson]

Hi! I am wondering a weird question...
Will people from Duke in the US see my application for Duke-NUS, or vice versa? I am not sure when I heard it but somebody must mention to me that the decision for Duke-NUS is made by both the faculties in Duke and in NUS.
I just received an II from Duke and I am starting to wonder if they will see my application for Duke-NUS as well. Apparently I wrote they are my top choice in both applications, which I was not supposed to do....

Hello! Not an expert in this but my interviewer did mention something similar, he said that the decision is jointly made. However, based on his wording/my interpretation of his wording, it sounds more like the faculty at Duke-NUS will propose the student (along with the credentials and the notes from the interview) and then the faculties will make a final decision together. (Please do correct me if I'm wrong, not 100% certain about this) Nevertheless, it never hurts to be more prepared, so prepare in case they ask this question and I'm sure you will do fine Good luck!

To everyone else waiting, hang in there, hopefully we will all hear some news soon

 

[woolalalalala]

It is the holiday season soon! Not sure if the school will be sending out any offers these 2 weeks 😵

 

[Jayelle]

Anyone else got a change in application status in the online portal?

I have yet to receive any email from the admissions team but it seems I have been offered a spot in the application portal! (Just noticed it today, and I actually have been logging in to check every few days ) Just waiting for that email confirmation now..

Really excited about it!

EDIT: Email offer came in!

 

[woolalalalala]

Anyone else got a change in application status in the online portal?

I have yet to receive any email from the admissions team but it seems I have been offered a spot in the application portal! (Just noticed it today, and I actually have been logging in to check every few days ) Just waiting for that email confirmation now..

Really excited about it!

Congrats! When was your applicant day?

 

[speedysloth]

Anyone else got a change in application status in the online portal?

I have yet to receive any email from the admissions team but it seems I have been offered a spot in the application portal! (Just noticed it today, and I actually have been logging in to check every few days ) Just waiting for that email confirmation now..

Really excited about it!

WOW THANK YOU FOR SHARING!! I just went to check (thanks to your post) and my status is now "Offered" too!!! This is the best Christmas gift ever woooooo!

 

[Jayelle]

Congrats! When was your applicant day?

Thank you! Mine was on 19th Oct!

 

[Jayelle]

WOW THANK YOU FOR SHARING!! I just went to check (thanks to your post) and my status is now "Offered" too!!! This is the best Christmas gift ever woooooo!

Congratulations!!! Hopefully we'll see each other around!

 

[ANNAINTL]

Offer!!! Just see it! OMG today is the last day of my final exams. Thinking if I can just skip it now hahahahah

 

[ANNAINTL]

And congratulations to those who are admitted! Merry Christmas!

 

[lichoking]

Has anyone received financial aid decision along with the offer letter? I remember being told that these decisions will come out synchronously but it seems not included in offer letter tho?

 

[speedysloth]

Has anyone received financial aid decision along with the offer letter? I remember being told that these decisions will come out synchronously but it seems not included in offer letter tho?

Yeah, just shot adcom an email to ask about that. Given that we have to make a decision in less than a month, I hope fin aid decision could come out soon...

Also, does anyone know if "accepting the offer" is a final decision? Like does it mean we're committing to Duke-NUS? I'm a little unclear because for schools in the US, accepting the offer now just means you're holding your place in the program (and paying a deposit in most cases), but you won't need to decide which school to attend until later in the spring. If the final decision has to be made by Jan 4th, that'd be hard because there are so many schools I've yet to hear back from Duke-NUS is one of my top choices, but it would still break my heart a little to withdraw from 20+ schools before even hearing a word from them

 

[ANNAINTL]

Yeah, just shot adcom an email to ask about that. Given that we have to make a decision in less than a month, I hope fin aid decision could come out soon...

Also, does anyone know if "accepting the offer" is a final decision? Like does it mean we're committing to Duke-NUS? I'm a little unclear because for schools in the US, accepting the offer now just means you're holding your place in the program (and paying a deposit in most cases), but you won't need to decide which school to attend until later in the spring. If the final decision has to be made by Jan 4th, that'd be hard because there are so many schools I've yet to hear back from Duke-NUS is one of my top choices, but it would still break my heart a little to withdraw from 20+ schools before even hearing a word from them

Please ignore my last message.
Thinking about it twice now, I think I will probably email them again and ask specifically if we are obliged to withdraw from all other schools once we accept the offer. If so, I will just withdraw all my other applications.
But I guess most likely, it is not a final decision as I searched the offer package twice and it did not say anything about final commitment or we are obliged to withdraw from other schools. I will get back here once I get an email reply!

 

[Ian233]

Congrates to all people who got an offer!!!
I am looking forward to get mine right now. Really hope the Nov. applicant batch will come soon

 

[woolalalalala]

Congrates to all people who got an offer!!!
I am looking forward to get mine right now. Really hope the Nov. applicant batch will come soon

Me too me too.. hope it will be out before the year ends

 

[yj396uquq]

Wow congratulations to you offered guys!
Any international student receive any update?

 

[helloooctopus]

Has anyone from the Nov.10 applicant day received an offer yet?

 

[speedysloth]

Wow congratulations to you offered guys!
Any international student receive any update?

International here (from Asia), although I did go to college and work in the US. Attended first Applicant Day in Sept, accepted 2 days ago

 

[lichoking]

For those who had emailed the admissions about Financial Aid decison and whether the intent to enroll is final/binding, could you please post their response once you hear back from Duke Nus?

 

[speedysloth]

To anyone following: FinAid just got back to me saying that the results for my bursary will come by today (I applied in Sept after my Applicant Day), but anyone who applied for the merit-based scholarship will have to wait til March-June to hear back. Have yet to hear back about my question regarding intent/commitment to enroll, but I think I should find out soon. I'll update everyone as more info comes in!

 

[yj396uquq]

International here (from Asia), although I did go to college and work in the US. Attended first Applicant Day in Sept, accepted 2 days ago

Ohhhh Cong!!! Thanks!!

 

[ANNAINTL]

Thank you for your email.
Accepting the offer will mean a place in the program and there won’t be a deposit that’s required. You will not be obliged to withdraw your other applications/offers/waitlist from other medical schools.
However, do note that once you’ve signed the MOH service agreement in June/July 2021, it’ll be considered as a “final acceptance” into our school.
As mentioned in our earlier email, we recommend that you accept the offer only if you are fully committed to attending Duke‐NUS. If you are unable to make a decision by 4th Jan, we will place you on our waiting list as you might already know that we have a rolling admissions policy. When you have made a final decision, you should let us know and at that point if a slot is available then we will gladly extend our offer of admission.

Here it is. The reply for the intent/commitment to enroll.
It does not seem to be super strict but we should still consider it seriously for other people's benefits.

 

[ANNAINTL]

Yes, you may stay on the waitlist for other medical schools. However, we recommend that you accept our offer only if you are fully committed to attending Duke‐NUS, as this is only fair to the rest of the applicants who are also anxiously awaiting to hear about their admission status.

And here is another comment to my first email asking about staying on waitlist.
I sent two emails in a roll asking about commitment thing... Now they must think I am very annoying

 

[ANNAINTL]

Anyways, I will struggle through my decisions! My friends kept asking me hitting the soul type of questions over the weekend lol.
I really have to think about it very carefully.
Please PM me if you are going through similar struggles! I really need some insights from other people

 

[lichoking]

For those who applied for FA, did yall get a decent amount of aid? I was wondering how they calculated and came to the final FA decision as I did not receive any FA...It's so frustrating...thought Duke-NUS was pretty generous in terms of giving intl student FAs.

 

[ANNAINTL]

For those who applied for FA, did yall get a decent amount of aid? I was wondering how they calculated and came to the final FA decision as I did not receive any FA...It's so frustrating...thought Duke-NUS was pretty generous in terms of giving intl student FAs.

Not sure what is a decent amount lol. Considering that at most their bursary will only cover 72% of the tuition, I received some money as an international student.
But I also received huge amount of FA during undergraduate years in the US and have loans to pay back. Their money is much less than my undergraduate FA. So maybe their standards are stricter than we imagined.
PM me if you don’t mind and I am happy to discuss about it!

 

[speedysloth]

For those who applied for FA, did yall get a decent amount of aid? I was wondering how they calculated and came to the final FA decision as I did not receive any FA...It's so frustrating...thought Duke-NUS was pretty generous in terms of giving intl student FAs.

Yikes, I'm sorry you feel frustrated about your FA decision Yeah like ANNAINTL said, "decent" can be subjective. Given that the bursary normally covers 14-71% (from their website), I thought they were pretty generous with me (as an international I did not expect much if at all). I know a lot of factors are taken into consideration for FA though, in the US at least they even take into consideration your parents/guardians' income (regardless of whether you plan to depend on them for funding...) so I can imagine the same multitudes of factors considered by Duke-NUS. If you feel like your FA decision was made unfairly though I'm sure you could email and ask for more information. I'm not sure just how much information they can disclose, but they all seem very very friendly, helpful, and approachable throughout the application process, so I'm sure it won't hurt to ask.

 

[yj396uquq]

Anyone who attended 9.14th interview hasn't received any feedback? My portal is still showing under review..so anxious >_<

 

[masalachaiii]

Hi, those who’ve gotten an acceptance, do y’all mind sharing your stats 😭 is it possible to get in w an MCAT score lower than 510?

 

[speedysloth]

Anyone who attended 9.14th interview hasn't received any feedback? My portal is still showing under review..so anxious >_<

While snooping on last year's thread I saw some people who were interviewed in September and didn't hear back (& got accepted) until March. It's anxiety-inducing for sure to wait for so long, but have faith! Keeping my fingers crossed for you

Hi, those who’ve gotten an acceptance, do y’all mind sharing your stats 😭 is it possible to get in w an MCAT score lower than 510?

2020 entering class has an MCAT average of 513, so I'd say it's definitely possible with a score of 510 or less (although I guess depending on how much lower than 510...?) MCAT is just a number though, you know, so I wouldn't rule out any application based solely on it

I have 3.6x GPA, 516 MCAT, 166V/169Q/5.5W GRE (I sent it, not sure if they considered it though because I only applied MD), 2 years full-time research, 2 years undergrad research, 4 pubs, some volunteer here and there, no notable honors or awards (only local and institutional).

 

[Somewhereovertherainbow]

Hey you guys congrats to those who managed to secure an offer!
I’m a local applicant. Sitting for the MCAT on 21st Jan. It will be my first attempt. Not sure if I can score high enough to be considered for the 2021 intake, as it is kind of last min. I wouldn’t be able to retake the MCAT to submit a better score. Any advice for me?

also have all the spots been taken up? What is the lowest MCAT score that has been accepted for this cycle?

Thank you

 

[yj396uquq]

While snooping on last year's thread I saw some people who were interviewed in September and didn't hear back (& got accepted) until March. It's anxiety-inducing for sure to wait for so long, but have faith! Keeping my fingers crossed for you



2020 entering class has an MCAT average of 513, so I'd say it's definitely possible with a score of 510 or less (although I guess depending on how much lower than 510...?) MCAT is just a number though, you know, so I wouldn't rule out any application based solely on it

I have 3.6x GPA, 516 MCAT, 166V/169Q/5.5W GRE (I sent it, not sure if they considered it though because I only applied MD), 2 years full-time research, 2 years undergrad research, 4 pubs, some volunteer here and there, no notable honors or awards (only local and institutional).

Ohh.. thank you for your crossed fingers

 

[helloooctopus]

While snooping on last year's thread I saw some people who were interviewed in September and didn't hear back (& got accepted) until March. It's anxiety-inducing for sure to wait for so long, but have faith! Keeping my fingers crossed for you



2020 entering class has an MCAT average of 513, so I'd say it's definitely possible with a score of 510 or less (although I guess depending on how much lower than 510...?) MCAT is just a number though, you know, so I wouldn't rule out any application based solely on it

I have 3.6x GPA, 516 MCAT, 166V/169Q/5.5W GRE (I sent it, not sure if they considered it though because I only applied MD), 2 years full-time research, 2 years undergrad research, 4 pubs, some volunteer here and there, no notable honors or awards (only local and institutional).

Thank you for sharing! This is very helpful!

 

[speedysloth]

Hey you guys congrats to those who managed to secure an offer!
I’m a local applicant. Sitting for the MCAT on 21st Jan. It will be my first attempt. Not sure if I can score high enough to be considered for the 2021 intake, as it is kind of last min. I wouldn’t be able to retake the MCAT to submit a better score. Any advice for me?

also have all the spots been taken up? What is the lowest MCAT score that has been accepted for this cycle?

Thank you

Hey...not sure if I can answer any of your other questions, but regarding the MCAT, I guess you'll have to send your app in before knowing what the MCAT score is (or maybe your app is already submitted and you're just waiting for the MCAT to complete it)? Either way, I'd say go for it if you think your app looks decent overall The app is free to submit anyway, and even if you don't get in this cycle you can always reapply and bring their attention to how much you've improved and matured a year from now! Improvement and reflection are always great things to see, especially in a prospective physician!!

About the MCAT, here are some things I found helpful to keep in mind back when I took it:
- Eat & drink enough before the test and during the breaks, please!! Being hungry & dehydrated can make your brain act funny 😂
- Ignore other people, only focus on doing your thing. Some people will finish way before the allotted time is up, some will come into the break room saying things like "whew that was super easy," some will seem absolutely crushed...None of this matters to you, don't let it affect you!
- You're almost always, ALWAYS, doing better than you think you are! Think you bombed the last section? Doesn't matter!! You probably did fine, it's just your nerves telling you otherwise. What matters more is moving on and acing the next section. Only focus on the questions that are right in front of you, not the ones you can't go back to!
- After the test, no matter how you think you did, know that you did very well!! Completing that excruciatingly long and stressful test alone is a huge task and is worth celebrating!! Give yourself that much-deserved break and celebration, there's not much more to do about it now except waiting

Good luck, I'm sure you are amazing and you will do great!

 

[Jayelle]

Hey you guys congrats to those who managed to secure an offer!
I’m a local applicant. Sitting for the MCAT on 21st Jan. It will be my first attempt. Not sure if I can score high enough to be considered for the 2021 intake, as it is kind of last min. I wouldn’t be able to retake the MCAT to submit a better score. Any advice for me?

also have all the spots been taken up? What is the lowest MCAT score that has been accepted for this cycle?

Thank you

If you're taking the MCAT in sg, bring your passport!! I remember someone being rejected on test day because they don't accept the NRIC as a valid ID.. They need an ID with your signature according to AAMC regulations..

Good luck for your MCAT and application!

 

[Somewhereovertherainbow]

Thank you so much for your kind words and advice! Appreciate it Good luck with school!

Hey...not sure if I can answer any of your other questions, but regarding the MCAT, I guess you'll have to send your app in before knowing what the MCAT score is (or maybe your app is already submitted and you're just waiting for the MCAT to complete it)? Either way, I'd say go for it if you think your app looks decent overall The app is free to submit anyway, and even if you don't get in this cycle you can always reapply and bring their attention to how much you've improved and matured a year from now! Improvement and reflection are always great things to see, especially in a prospective physician!!

About the MCAT, here are some things I found helpful to keep in mind back when I took it:
- Eat & drink enough before the test and during the breaks, please!! Being hungry & dehydrated can make your brain act funny 😂
- Ignore other people, only focus on doing your thing. Some people will finish way before the allotted time is up, some will come into the break room saying things like "whew that was super easy," some will seem absolutely crushed...None of this matters to you, don't let it affect you!
- You're almost always, ALWAYS, doing better than you think you are! Think you bombed the last section? Doesn't matter!! You probably did fine, it's just your nerves telling you otherwise. What matters more is moving on and acing the next section. Only focus on the questions that are right in front of you, not the ones you can't go back to!
- After the test, no matter how you think you did, know that you did very well!! Completing that excruciatingly long and stressful test alone is a huge task and is worth celebrating!! Give yourself that much-deserved break and celebration, there's not much more to do about it now except waiting

Good luck, I'm sure you are amazing and you will do great

 

[Somewhereovertherainbow]

Thank you so much! Would have jusy brought my NRIC! Is there anything else I should know?
Are we really not allowed to bring in notes to the test centre?
And are we not allowed to use our phones and revise during the breaks?

Thank you
If you're taking the MCAT in sg, bring your passport!! I remember someone being rejected on test day because they don't accept the NRIC as a valid ID.. They need an ID with your signature according to AAMC regulations..

Good luck for your MCAT and application!

 

[Fwfw]

Thank you so much! Would have jusy brought my NRIC! Is there anything else I should know?
Are we really not allowed to bring in notes to the test centre?
And are we not allowed to use our phones and revise during the breaks?

Thank you
If you're taking the MCAT in sg, bring your passport!! I remember someone being rejected on test day because they don't accept the NRIC as a valid ID.. They need an ID with your signature according to AAMC regulations..

I took it years ago, i rem we are not allowed to take out our notes to revise. Breaks are in this main area right in front of the staff counter.

There was someone who only took lunch break, basically went through all the sections at top speed.


Reapplicant here, just submitted on Xmas day!

 

[Somewhereovertherainbow]

I took it years ago, i rem we are not allowed to take out our notes to revise. Breaks are in this main area right in front of the staff counter.

There was someone who only took lunch break, basically went through all the sections at top speed.


Reapplicant here, just submitted on Xmas day!

Thank you for that all the best to you!