2020-2021 UT Austin (Dell)

[TheDataKing]

Please tag a pre-allo moderator when the secondary prompt is posted.

Good luck to everyone applying!

Interview Feedback: Dell Medical School

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[deleted880375]

Has anyone received a secondary yet?

 

[SolidDoc]

Has anyone received a secondary yet?

Probs won't start handing them out until end of the month or beginning of July since everything was pushed back

 

[deleted880375]

Probs won't start handing them out until end of the month or beginning of July since everything was pushed back

Thanks! I was thinking that may be the case.

 

[wysdoc]

Hi y'all!

Dell hasn't sent out secondaries yet, and historically hasn't been one of the first schools to do so because they do like to read your primary first!

I will pass on this bit of encouraging news that another SDN member shared with me:

"This is what Dell said in an email they sent out this year:

"Currently only about 7% of the total applicant pool receives an interview. We hope to extend this opportunity to more than 20% of the applicant pool this year without the added expense of travel. Once completed and reviewed, we will then invite approximately 360 candidates for an on campus interview."

So even though going to Dell in person for an interview might be a more complete experience, they plan to try to interview a bigger percentage of applicants because they can do it online.
I have no idea what they mean by the last part about inviting 360 candidates to campus, perhaps that means next year before Match Day comes around.
Anyhow, be patient and work on all those other secondaries you already have while you wait.
Wysdoc

 

[wysdoc]

Dell fanatics might want to tune in to this "Courage Session" on the TMDSAS Facebook page, coming up on July 1.


Courage Sessions are a new and awesome production of TMDSAS and THES that feature interviews with admissions directors from a variety of Texas schools. If you watch them live, you can type in questions which the moderator will present to the featured adcom.
If you miss the time slot, the sessions are archived to watch later.

 

[wysdoc]

If you didn't catch that Courage Session interview with Gaby Loredo, admissions coordinator for Dell Medical School, go do that.

You will learn quite a bit about the school, see a chart of their whole curriculum, hear what they are looking for in students, and more essential details about the school and your application, the video secondary, and the interview style.

A few points
*Dell adcoms are already reading your apps if you are COMPLETE (app, letters, MCAT).
*Dell adcoms will set your app aside to read later if you have no MCAT score yet. They will see on your app that you have a future date.

*The first Dell secondary invitations will go out "Soon". There is no fee.
It is a video secondary: there will be 3 questions relating to Leadership, Innovation, and Community Engagement.
NOT EVERYONE will get the same 3 questions, so don't cheat by prying the questions out of your pre-med friends.
You will speak in the moment, not have a canned response ready.

*They plan to push back their interview schedule, with the first interviews in September and proceeding through February.

It's worth your time, y'all. You will even hear some cautionary tales...

 

[TheTomFord11]

Secondary Received. Application transmitted June 1.

LizzyM 71. UT Austin Alum

 

[rustymuffin]

Just received the video secondary! Transmitted June 15th, LizzyM 77

 

[jb2000]

I just got a secondary invite. Does anyone know if applicants are at a disadvantage if they send in a request for a written secondary? My internet connection at home is incredibly spotty (I am hoping to fix it for this interview season).

EDIT: Since I guess others are doing it: LM 78 (TX Resident)

 

[Chitaku]

Also received secondary. Transmitted 6/23. UT student.

 

[wysdoc]

I just got a secondary invite. Does anyone know if applicants are at a disadvantage if they send in a request for a written secondary? My internet connection at home is incredibly spotty (I am hoping to fix it for this interview season).

Can you go to a place with better internet? They do want to see you speak personally if possible.

 

[Brownkid95]

Secondary received. Lizzy M:67

 

[luluwild]

Any OOS applicants receive a secondary yet?

 

[Gandhis Return]

Any OOS applicants receive a secondary yet?

Also wondering this

 

[Brownkid95]

anyone know what percent of the applicant pool they plan on sending secondaries to this cycle? I know it was 20 percent last year but Im guessing its higher this cycle.

 

[Severedbox53]

It was about 7% last cycle. It should be 20% this cycle.

From an email they sent
"Currently only about 7% of the total applicant pool receives an interview. We hope to extend this opportunity to more than 20% of the applicant pool this year without the added expense of travel. Once completed and reviewed, we will then invite approximately 360 candidates for an on campus interview."

 

[wysdoc]

It was about 7% last cycle. It should be 20% this cycle.

From an email they sent
"Currently only about 7% of the total applicant pool receives an interview. We hope to extend this opportunity to more than 20% of the applicant pool this year without the added expense of travel. Once completed and reviewed, we will then invite approximately 360 candidates for an on campus interview."

20% will get an interview. No doubt a larger % of applicants will be invited to do a secondary.

 

[dptemo]

Secondary received. Transmitted 7/3. LizzyM: 66, TX resident

 

[bumney]

Secondary received. Transmitted 7/3. LizzyM: 66, TX resident

I was complete on 6/30, I guess this means I got screened out :'(

 

[moomoo02]

I was complete on 6/30, I guess this means I got screened out :'(

You probably didn't get screened out! This is still very early in the cycle, and their screening process is unique (and not in the order of transmission). I got a secondary in September last year, whereas some people who transmitted after me got it in August. Likewise, some people who transmitted before me also got secondaries later in the cycle. Keep your head up

 

[dptemo]

I agree with moomoo02, I don't think anyone is screened out yet. I had some friends in previous cycles get secondaries at random times. We still gonna eat!

 

[SolidDoc]

I've had a friend who didnt get a secondary until December last year and interview in January and get in! Dont ever lose hope!!

 

[SolidDoc]

What is the link to the secondary portal?

You have to be invited to complete a secondary application. Dell Med manually reviews each application then determines if they want to send you the secondary. Statistics for how many applicants get a secondary are on the admissions website

 

[wysdoc]

What is the link to the secondary portal?

Secondary by invitation only.
@Mirrored Blue you might be new to SDN, so try not to go to multiple threads with the same question on each thread, but read the thread first and see if your answer is there. Welcome to SDN!

 

[SolidDoc]

Secondary Received!! UT Austin Alum + LM 71. . Transmitted July 10th.

 

[wysdoc]

A reminder for all y'all:
Dell's video secondary questions will be different for each of you (3 questions in all) see my earlier post here: 2020-2021 UT Austin (Dell)

If your friends ask you about your secondary, you may share how it works/the mechanics of it.
DO NOT share the actual questions on this, or on any MMI style interviews you may have.

 

[luluwild]

Received secondary this morning. ORM. LM 75.5. Transmitted July 13th.

In state or out of state?

 

[Hzreio]

Have any reapplicants gotten secondaries?

 

[NPComplete]

In state or out of state?

Oops. I am IS. Added to original post.

 

[vibriofischeri]

My app was transmitted June 10th and I still haven't gotten a secondary (LM 78.3). Do you think there was something wrong with my app? Could I have been already ruled out?

 

[wysdoc]

My app was transmitted June 10th and I still haven't gotten a secondary (LM 78.3). Do you think there was something wrong with my app? Could I have been already ruled out?

They do read your primary fully before deciding on inviting applicants for the secondary. They may also hold on to some to see what else comes in and compare their current applicant pool. Nothing should be read into how quick you get a secondary from this school. Are you complete with letters, MCAT, everything?

 

[fadeinandout]

Do they need all the letters for screening also? My committee letter hasn't been sent, and I was transmitted June 10th, so I'm thinking that's why I haven't received a secondary yet.

 

[Hzreio]

I get the feeling that dell is truly one of those holistic screen schools. I don’t think high stats are by any means a guarantee for a secondary

 

[texasvandy]

Dell looks for people who did a little bit of everything - reasonable in academics, reasonable in research, reasonable in social service. High stats by themselves are not very interesting to them because they know that they are wasting a slot on someone who has a good chance of ending up at Southwestern or Baylor. I would go as far as stating that if one is getting an interview at Southwestern in the first batch of interviewees, they may not get one at Dell.

 

[jazzieyazzie]

Just completed the secondary. I felt like I messed up sometimes and could have given better answers if I wasn't so nervous, but it's out of my hands now. Also, Dell is doing virtual interview, correct? I think they must not have updated the secondary portal because it still says on-campus interviews.

 

[vibriofischeri]

They do read your primary fully before deciding on inviting applicants for the secondary. They may also hold on to some to see what else comes in and compare their current applicant pool. Nothing should be read into how quick you get a secondary from this school. Are you complete with letters, MCAT, everything?

Yes, I have everything in! Thanks for your response, I know this is a little neurotic.

 

[SolidDoc]

Just completed the secondary. I felt like I messed up sometimes and could have given better answers if I wasn't so nervous, but it's out of my hands now. Also, Dell is doing virtual interview, correct? I think they must not have updated the secondary portal because it still says on-campus interviews.

Yes, all interviews are virtual.

 

[Havelock Vetinari]

Just completed the secondary. I felt like I messed up sometimes and could have given better answers if I wasn't so nervous, but it's out of my hands now. Also, Dell is doing virtual interview, correct? I think they must not have updated the secondary portal because it still says on-campus interviews.

I had to move locations at one point because my connection was spotty. Then I had audio issues after I’d already done the test run. I’m just hoping my responses were understandable

 

[SolidDoc]

For the video, does the timer for the two minutes show ? I didn’t see it explicitly in the instructions for the emails they sent

 

[Havelock Vetinari]

For the video, does the timer for the two minutes show ? I didn’t see it explicitly in the instructions for the emails they sent

It does, but there’s an option to click and hide it. Presumably if it makes you nervous.

 

[Texan789]

Couple of quick questions. For those who have completed the secondary, did you have to enter your name or login of any sort once you clicked the secondary link? I didn't and I am assuming the link is personalized to your email so this is not required. Also, did you receive an email confirmation that the secondary has been completed?

 

[Havelock Vetinari]

Couple of quick questions. For those who have completed the secondary, did you have to enter your name or login of any sort once you clicked the secondary link? I didn't and I am assuming the link is personalized to your email so this is not required. Also, did you receive an email confirmation that the secondary has been completed?

No to both questions. But if I return to my invite e-mail and click the same link, I get:

Dell Medical School - Video Secondary Application 2020-2021
It seems you have already applied for this program in the past. We are looking over your information.

 

[SolidDoc]

Just completed the secondary. As per most people and I am no exception, I certainly feel like I could've done better haha. Hoping for the best! Goodluck to everyone.

 

[ek786]

Dell looks for people who did a little bit of everything - reasonable in academics, reasonable in research, reasonable in social service. High stats by themselves are not very interesting to them because they know that they are wasting a slot on someone who has a good chance of ending up at Southwestern or Baylor. I would go as far as stating that if one is getting an interview at Southwestern in the first batch of interviewees, they may not get one at Dell.

Hi there! Current Dell student, just made an account because I found this comment a bit misleading and thought I would offer a different opinion. A lot of my classmates (& not to flex too hard but, myself included) had Baylor and SW offers and chose to come to Dell. Others didn't, and they are just as fantastic and inspiring classmates. Dell doesn't shy away from high stats. They want people who fit their mission, and that doesn't always include 99th percentile stats. Sometimes it does! Either way, don't think you're wasting your time here if you have high stats. They definitely don't guarantee you an interview like most TX schools, but that's more because Dell is mission focused, not because they are anti-high stats. And as a general side note (not that I believe texasvandy was insinuating this), don't let anyone talk you into feeling like you have to go for certain schools over the others based on prestige alone. All the TX schools offer unique and challenging programs, and you should find what works best for you. Explore all your options! Just my two cents. Again just made the account, but feel free to dm me (assuming I don't have to change any settings to allow that) with any Dell question and I'll do my best to answer

 

[deleted872555]

Hi there! Current Dell student, just made an account because I found this comment a bit misleading and thought I would offer a different opinion. A lot of my classmates (& not to flex too hard but, myself included) had Baylor and SW offers and chose to come to Dell. Others didn't, and they are just as fantastic and inspiring classmates. Dell doesn't shy away from high stats. They want people who fit their mission, and that doesn't always include 99th percentile stats. Sometimes it does! Either way, don't think you're wasting your time here if you have high stats. They definitely don't guarantee you an interview like most TX schools, but that's more because Dell is mission focused, not because they are anti-high stats. And as a general side note (not that I believe texasvandy was insinuating this), don't let anyone talk you into feeling like you have to go for certain schools over the others based on prestige alone. All the TX schools offer unique and challenging programs, and you should find what works best for you. Explore all your options! Just my two cents. Again just made the account, but feel free to dm me (assuming I don't have to change any settings to allow that) with any Dell question and I'll do my best to answer

thanks for this!

if we didn't receive a secondary at first, we shouldn't worry since they send them out throughout the cycle?

 

[ek786]

thanks for this!

if we didn't receive a secondary at first, we shouldn't worry since they send them out throughout the cycle?

Exactly! People who submit their primary at similar times can get secondaries at very different times. From my understanding, Dell is very intentional about keeping seats open for those getting interviewed later in the cycle, so even if the secondary and interview invite come later, it won't necessarily decrease your chances as much as some other schools that fill up seats faster. Hopefully that helps a little bit with the stress of the waiting game! Hang in there, y'all got this!

 

[texasvandy]

Exactly! People who submit their primary at similar times can get secondaries at very different times. From my understanding, Dell is very intentional about keeping seats open for those getting interviewed later in the cycle, so even if the secondary and interview invite come later, it won't necessarily decrease your chances as much as some other schools that fill up seats faster. Hopefully that helps a little bit with the stress of the waiting game! Hang in there, y'all got this!

Hi there! Current Dell student, just made an account because I found this comment a bit misleading and thought I would offer a different opinion. A lot of my classmates (& not to flex too hard but, myself included) had Baylor and SW offers and chose to come to Dell. Others didn't, and they are just as fantastic and inspiring classmates. Dell doesn't shy away from high stats. They want people who fit their mission, and that doesn't always include 99th percentile stats. Sometimes it does! Either way, don't think you're wasting your time here if you have high stats. They definitely don't guarantee you an interview like most TX schools, but that's more because Dell is mission focused, not because they are anti-high stats. And as a general side note (not that I believe texasvandy was insinuating this), don't let anyone talk you into feeling like you have to go for certain schools over the others based on prestige alone. All the TX schools offer unique and challenging programs, and you should find what works best for you. Explore all your options! Just my two cents. Again just made the account, but feel free to dm me (assuming I don't have to change any settings to allow that) with any Dell question and I'll do my best to answer

While what you are saying may be true that people do come to Dell with high Stats after declining Baylor/UTSW, that was not my point.

UTSW auto invites people who meet certain stats without having a complete application or a full review (their first batches have the highest stats in applicant pool) but as far as I know this is not Dell's process. So if you were to say I am misleading, you would need to give us stats that show Dell and UTSW interviewed same candidates who attended interviews at both in August/ early September timeframe.

Out of curiousity, do you have a poll of how many people turned down Baylor and/or Southwestern to be at Dell?

 

[ek786]

Out of curiousity, do you have a poll of how many people turned down Baylor and/or Southwestern to be at Dell?

Sorry I wasn't clear before - the part I thought was misleading was this idea that Dell would think they were "wasting a slot" on applicants just because of high stats. To me that sounded like people with high stats wouldn't get interviews at Dell and also are expected to choose Baylor/SW over Dell if given the choice (hence, wasting an interview slot). Maybe you didn't even mean to imply that, but that's what I took away from it and I wanted to be share my thoughts on that subject in case other applicants read it that way.

I'm familiar with the SW automatic invite for high stats (I was in that group), and you're right, Dell doesn't do it that way. Iirc, Dell even takes stats out of their apps for a period of time during the review process. So I totally agree that Dell doesn't treat stats like other schools do. I just wanted to be clear that high stats would never be the reason anyone is not invited. When I didn't get invites from a couple lower ranked schools in Texas, I told myself it was because my stats are too high & they didn't want to "waste a slot" on me, so I could feel better about myself lol. But the truth is, some schools have specific missions, and if you don't fit with that, you don't get in. Not because you're "too good" for them because of a test score or something. This was the idea I was trying to push back against.

I don't have that info! Some classmates are more open about sharing their application experience than others. Feel free to dm me if you want to continue the conversation, but I feel like it may have moved outside the scope of this thread/what's helpful for the applicants here. TBH I think we mostly agree, I just thought the wording of the original post was misleading, which is why I called it misleading and not wrong.

 

[texasvandy]

I'm familiar with the SW automatic invite for high stats (I was in that group), and you're right, Dell doesn't do it that way. Iirc, Dell even takes stats out of their apps for a period of time during the review process. So I totally agree that Dell doesn't treat stats like other schools do. I just wanted to be clear that high stats would never be the reason anyone is not invited. When I didn't get invites from a couple lower ranked schools in Texas, I told myself it was because my stats are too high & they didn't want to "waste a slot" on me, so I could feel better about myself lol. But the truth is, some schools have specific missions, and if you don't fit with that, you don't get in. Not because you're "too good" for them because of a test score or something. This was the idea I was trying to push back against.

I don't have that info! Some classmates are more open about sharing their application experience than others. Feel free to dm me if you want to continue the conversation, but I feel like it may have moved outside the scope of this thread/what's helpful for the applicants here. TBH I think we mostly agree, I just thought the wording of the original post was misleading, which is why I called it misleading and not wrong.

Dell even takes stats out of their apps for a period of time during the review process.

But the truth is, some schools have specific missions, and if you don't fit with that, you don't get in. Not because you're "too good" for them because of a test score or something.

@ek786 you hit all the high notes here. I think DELL is one of the small schools where your high stats wouldn't matter primarily because they had so few secondary and interview slots and they have to focus solely on the mission as opposed to STATs to narrow down applicants. There may be a slight change this year since they plan to talk lot more students. In reality, this is reverse of most other schools in Texas which are much larger and can interview 700-1000 people who are all considered great students as their starting point.

Which year are you?