~~~Pritzker Class of 2012 Thread~~~

[ICanDoThis]

I am excited to be starting a thread for potential class of 2012 Pritzker students!

Join the fun! Share the love

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[Kikaku21]

I am excited to be starting a thread for potential class of 2012 Pritzker students!

Join the fun! Share the love

Sweet!

Anybody going to a 2nd visit? I have not heard anything from the school since I got my acceptance letter.

 

[ICanDoThis]

There was a yellow sheet of second look dates that came with my letter...I can look up the dates and post them when I return to campus (I'm currently home).

Anyway, I plan on re-visiting on April 18th!

 

[alesdu1]

haha my letter hasnt even come in yet.

Are all of you pretty certain that you'll be attending Pritzker? Waiting out on any other phone calls? Im not going to be able to make 2nd look weekend and I know I have a lot of "concerns" that Im going to want to iron out before I make my final decision...(David Owens told me in my interview though that he'd be happy to do a teleconference with me if I needed to talk to him about the school though...)

Is anyone else like me, not 100% sure if they'll be attending? If so, what are your concerns? Regardless, nice to see all you nice folks Congrats to everyone!

 

[gatrandy]

I am also not 100% sure. This was the only school where current students seemed to be hiding from the interview group. That concerned me. I also did not get the chance to see where people lived, like at other schools. The people at my Yale interview said that Chicago has a similar philosophy but the students work a lot harder.

Has anyone heard about merit-scholarships at Pritzker?

 

[ICanDoThis]

Actually I'm not 100% decided either (hopefully it's not too hypocritical that I made this thread?!)

I certainly liked Pritzker on my visit, and I've been very lucky to have received a substantial merit scholarship from them. However, I am still waiting to hear back from some of the non-rolling schools at which I have recently interviewed.

Some of my concerns about Pritzker include: safety of the campus, ease of transportation between the school and off-campus appartments, and being in class for very extended periods (I seem to remember 9-5, with a 2 hour break in the middle) everyday!

 

[gatrandy]

I actually was lucky to receive merit money as well. Seems they are throwing dollars around! Details have been hard to come by, did you get substantial information about the scholarship in the mail?

Since they moved around the curriculum, I don't know that the schedule will remain 9-5. They removed anatomy from the curriculum and put it in Aug-Sep reducing the overlap in the schedule. The current schedule, of course, does not reflect that.

 

[Kikaku21]

I actually was lucky to receive merit money as well. Seems they are throwing dollars around! Details have been hard to come by, did you get substantial information about the scholarship in the mail?

Since they moved around the curriculum, I don't know that the schedule will remain 9-5. They removed anatomy from the curriculum and put it in Aug-Sep reducing the overlap in the schedule. The current schedule, of course, does not reflect that.

When/how did you guys get info about scholarship?
Looks like I might have to pay for it.

 

[ICanDoThis]

When/how did you guys get info about scholarship?
Looks like I might have to pay for it.

I was told on the phone. My acceptance letter also confirmed it. I think they said that they don't give out all of their $$$ right away, and people still scholarships later on in the year.

Good luck !!!

 

[modelslashactor]

hey guys,

congratulations on the good news! im a current first year at pritzker and am very happy with my choice, the time flies but our class has had a lot of fun this quarter. if you have any questions go ahead and ask in here or send me a pm, i dont come to sdn that often anymore but will probably be pretty bored once winter break starts, if the past few hours of thanksgiving break are any indication. you can also look at last year's thread for lots of good info.

anyway enjoy the rest of your interview seasons and keep an open mind, i didnt make a decision until march and changed my mind at least 10 times.

 

[alesdu1]

maybe im sweating the little stuff, but im a little concerned with the "ease of learning" at pritzker. What I mean by is that amongst the other schools that I am still considering, video tape/tape recording are made for every lecture and students can later download them. I dont feel like I get a lot out of lecture, but if I have the opportunity to "watch" a lecture as Im studying (like I did a few times in ochem) and pause, fastforward, rewind, etc as necessary, I can just soak up the material like a sponge

Also, some of the other schools that im considering provide binder-sized note packets prepared by the instructors of each class so you really dont need a textbook or take too many extra notes in class (per the students' experiences who had taken the course).

if i remember correctly, both of these services didnt exist at chicago.

im also a bit concerned about preparation time for step I. i know that 4 weeks is the avg amount people study but i was hoping to extend that a bit more (im not a great test taker...i did well on the mcat largely cause i spent a whole summer prepping for it).

can anyone comment on these issues?

 

[modelslashactor]

regarding video lectures, they are available for some of our classes but not every one. i personally go to class every day and have never had a use for them, but i know people in my class have and i do believe the school plans to do more with them in the future.

we definitely do have note services, though. each of our classes distributes their own notes packets and you can get by without most of the big books.

we actually get one of the larger step 1 study breaks of any school, i think, so if you're looking for lots of time you should definitely have it. i should add, though, that a few things will be changing for the preclinical curriculum for your class, so issues relating to the calendar may change. the admissions folks would know the answers to really specific questions like this one.

 

[ICanDoThis]

ok, here's the 2nd look info! Is anyone else thinking about going on the 18th?

They start with dinner at 7pm on the night before. Each actual revisit day runs from 8am -4pm. Each day is capped at 25 accepted students.

Fri Feb 15
Fri Mar 7
Mon Apr 7
Fri Apr 18
Fri May 2

 

[TigerSoup]

I just got called today! I've never been accepted via phone call before. I was really excited afterwards and went around sharing the news with my coworkers, and now I'm wondering if that was an inappropriate thing to do... :-/

Anyway, I also liked Pritzker during my interview but I have the same concerns as people expressed earlier in the thread. Could anyone tell me how long I'll have to wait to get the letter acceptance in the mail?

Grats to the rest of you! I'm excited for second look.

 

[ICanDoThis]

I just got called today! I've never been accepted via phone call before. I was really excited afterwards and went around sharing the news with my coworkers, and now I'm wondering if that was an inappropriate thing to do... :-/

Anyway, I also liked Pritzker during my interview but I have the same concerns as people expressed earlier in the thread. Could anyone tell me how long I'll have to wait to get the letter acceptance in the mail?

Grats to the rest of you! I'm excited for second look.

I think it took about 10 days before I got the letter (I started to wonder if I had imagined the phone call! haha...just kidding...sorta...)

Anyway, congrats to you! The more I think about Pritzker, the more I have come to like them. I have to say they have really impressed me with all of the personal attention I have gotten since my acceptance.

 

[Kikaku21]

I think it took about 10 days before I got the letter (I started to wonder if I had imagined the phone call! haha...just kidding...sorta...)

Anyway, congrats to you! The more I think about Pritzker, the more I have come to like them. I have to say they have really impressed me with all of the personal attention I have gotten since my acceptance.

I also thought that I may have imagined the phone call. Pretty funny what an idle and anxious mind is capable of.

In any case, congrats to all on a terrific achievement!

 

[drowsy12]

TigerSoup, if you dont mind me asking, when did you interview?

 

[TigerSoup]

Hi drowsy,
I interviewed on 10/29.

 

[EBI831]

hi! yay prospective new pritzker people! i'm a first year and will be happy to answer any of your questions. i imagine with the boredom and this nice long 1 month winter break i'll be free to answer any Qs though.
first order of action, dispelling some of your concerns
(1) "it's like yale but people work harder": it depends who you are actually. yeah, like every school we have people who study forever even though it's pass/fail...but they want the security so there's nothing wrong with that. i personally (along with some of my closest friends) didn't study much...i never studied at home on weekdays (hahahh i'm bad) , i studied mainly anatomy in our 3 hour break, and on weekend days(we still had fun stuff to do on weekends) i studied the material for whatever test was coming the next week. it's really not that stressful. and i'm not the best example but i'm perfect proof of the anti-stress motto: i employed a self study method for biochem. and with this laziness, some people in my class would accuse me of working too hard. see, you get a broad spectrum.
(2) "the students were hiding": we probably weren't. we were probably (a) in class (b) lounging around the lobby and since we dont' have flashing hats you couldn't tell us apart from the rest of the building (c) on our 3 hour break: most people go to lunch/gym/sleep; i will say that as it was my first semester and i reserved my studying for that 3 hour break/ or time at school, i didn't get to talk to as many interviewees as i wanted to. sorry but come to second look, we are really fun.
(3) reasons to consider pritzker that you may not have heard of at the interview (a) social rounds: fridays the 4th years host it in the hospital lounge, drinks, games, free food, and fun faculty (b) did i mention a month long christmas break? (c) true p/f for first 2 years...no ranking at all (d) research opps up the wazoo: fully funded and lots and lots of them (e) free transportation: the bus is free with a chicago id and yes it will take you to off campus apartments (the majority of people live in regents park if you were wondering) (e) smaller class size so it's like a family (f) and many, many more including reputation, location, and other important things

 

[Kikaku21]

hi! yay prospective new pritzker people! i'm a first year and will be happy to answer any of your questions. i imagine with the boredom and this nice long 1 month winter break i'll be free to answer any Qs though.
first order of action, dispelling some of your concerns
(1) "it's like yale but people work harder": it depends who you are actually. yeah, like every school we have people who study forever even though it's pass/fail...but they want the security so there's nothing wrong with that. i personally (along with some of my closest friends) didn't study much...i never studied at home on weekdays (hahahh i'm bad) , i studied mainly anatomy in our 3 hour break, and on weekend days(we still had fun stuff to do on weekends) i studied the material for whatever test was coming the next week. it's really not that stressful. and i'm not the best example but i'm perfect proof of the anti-stress motto: i employed a self study method for biochem. and with this laziness, some people in my class would accuse me of working too hard. see, you get a broad spectrum.
(2) "the students were hiding": we probably weren't. we were probably (a) in class (b) lounging around the lobby and since we dont' have flashing hats you couldn't tell us apart from the rest of the building (c) on our 3 hour break: most people go to lunch/gym/sleep; i will say that as it was my first semester and i reserved my studying for that 3 hour break/ or time at school, i didn't get to talk to as many interviewees as i wanted to. sorry but come to second look, we are really fun.
(3) reasons to consider pritzker that you may not have heard of at the interview (a) social rounds: fridays the 4th years host it in the hospital lounge, drinks, games, free food, and fun faculty (b) did i mention a month long christmas break? (c) true p/f for first 2 years...no ranking at all (d) research opps up the wazoo: fully funded and lots and lots of them (e) free transportation: the bus is free with a chicago id and yes it will take you to off campus apartments (the majority of people live in regents park if you were wondering) (e) smaller class size so it's like a family (f) and many, many more including reputation, location, and other important things

Hi-

Thanks for taking the time to clear the air about some things and answer some questions. I have one or 2.

Is the free transportation CTA? Will it take you downtown and back? Can I commute from the North side for free?

Is fourth year also unranked?

What about taking other kinds of classes on the U of C campus. Say I want to take a statistics class to improve my understanding research methodology. Is this something that is easy to do?

Thanks so much!

 

[EBI831]

Hi-

Thanks for taking the time to clear the air about some things and answer some questions. I have one or 2.

Is the free transportation CTA? Will it take you downtown and back? Can I commute from the North side for free?

Is fourth year also unranked?

What about taking other kinds of classes on the U of C campus. Say I want to take a statistics class to improve my understanding research methodology. Is this something that is easy to do?

Thanks so much!

(1) Public transportation: sorry, it's only in hyde park. are you set on living in the north side? unless you are from there and have family there or living there, it might be a hassel if you don't know the city really well. very few of my classmates live outside of hyde park (in the first year) and they all complain about the drive and how they don't get to hang out with all of us as much. but then again, while some of them are moving to hyde park next year while about 5 hyde park people are moving downtown. and 3rd year, about 20 of us want to move downtown. so living is not an issue. but, there's no free transportation. but as far as going to other parts of chicago, we usually go on the CTA and it's 2 -4 bucks. but, i'm no transportation guru.
(2) nope, 3rd and 4th year are ranked ; you have to have grades you know in some way to show residency directors that it's not just all laid back. not too bad tho. 4th year (IMO) isn't really a year actually, it's a lot of down time and interviewing time...3rd year is the real rotation year...4th year (if i'm right) is just elective rotations, a few required short rotations, vacations, and interviews for residency.
(3) U of C classes: we can take them as electives but they don't count for medical credit (understandable) but especially in spring quarter of first year you have the free time to take them . i'm planning on taking an english class since i love writing and miss writing papers and reading books for a grade. The administration says its easy to take classes at the university undergrad campus...i'm just a first year so i'm not very familiar with it yet.

 

[ICanDoThis]

Hi EBI831,

Thanks for all of your very insightful comments! I have a couple more questions for you:

1. In terms of the quality of basic science teaching--how do you feel about it? Do you think the professors are generally clear in their teaching methods? Also, do they make the material more applicable by pointing out clinical correlations? I know Pritzker has a more "traditional" lecture-based curriculum, but I just wanted to know how effective you think this method is (compared to something more PBL-like, I suppose).

2. On a completely different note , is it difficult to buy groceries around Hyde Park? I know Regents comes with a grocery store inside, but are there other options near by? (i.e. will I need to bring my car?)

3. I know the curriculum will be different next year--anatomy will start earlier. I know you may not be very familiar with these changes, but based on your own experienes, do you think this will be a good change? Will it affect the length of time spent in class each day?

Thanks again for all your help!!!!

 

[EBI831]

Hi EBI831,

Thanks for all of your very insightful comments! I have a couple more questions for you:

1. In terms of the quality of basic science teaching--how do you feel about it? Do you think the professors are generally clear in their teaching methods? Also, do they make the material more applicable by pointing out clinical correlations? I know Pritzker has a more "traditional" lecture-based curriculum, but I just wanted to know how effective you think this method is (compared to something more PBL-like, I suppose).

2. On a completely different note , is it difficult to buy groceries around Hyde Park? I know Regents comes with a grocery store inside, but are there other options near by? (i.e. will I need to bring my car?)

3. I know the curriculum will be different next year--anatomy will start earlier. I know you may not be very familiar with these changes, but based on your own experienes, do you think this will be a good change? Will it affect the length of time spent in class each day?

Thanks again for all your help!!!!

(1) the curriculum: it's traditional in the sense that it is mainly lecture based and focuses heavily on stuff/hard facts you'll find in textbooks. yet, it's not stiff/limited as the term traditional implies. courses are revamped yearly to meet student suggestions and clinical correlations are brought in a lot. for instance, in anatomy we have physicians come in and teach us about their field of work and tell us about some applications of the section we're studying, in physiology, we have simulation labs where we actually (it was fun) for respiratory physiology for example went into the lab with the residents and got to use the exercise fitness test machines and breathing machines and found out how they worked and stuff. in biochem, he talks about some interesting diseases that pertain to the topic like zebra cases and stuff too (like scrapie where sheep with amyloid plaques ie abundance of beta sheet proteins go crazy b/c they're itchy and just scrape themselves against the walls and bleed...gross hahahha). and in cell bio that i'm about to take i just got the new teaching curriculum and apparently we are doing it in 3 sections per lesson: day 1 we get a case and discuss it, day 2 we lecture on cell bio pertaining to the case, and day 3 we present the case and what we think it is....pretty novel and interesting IMO. so yes, it's traditional but in spite of that it's not rigid, it's rather flexible and open to student suggestion. Also, if you want clinical stuff, we have a clinical skills class where from the first month you get patient contact, rotate with residents, interview patients etc.
How effective is this method: i think it's the golden mean actually. i think it's a shy version of PBL just touted up as traditional b/c it doesn't exactly fit the complete definition of PBL. I think that (and i'm not exactly overly familiar with PBL) it has the advantage of allowing for the establishment of a solid background in a subject before tackling the clinical aspects/ problem based aspect of it ie we don't sacrifice the knowledge/info for the practice because honestly you can't practice to your best ability if you don't have all the knowledge and i think pritzker's really good at giving you that.

(2) groceries: you can do it without a car...using the various buses. there are stores on 55th, 51st, and some quick marts along the way. but alot of people drive down into the supermarket in the city...but you might just be in luck actually because the co-op is closing (the prices were high and it wasn't the best food) and being replaced by a Jewell which is the place people used to drive into the city to go to and this right on 55th and easily reachable by the free 171 bus. so no groceries shouldnt be a problem. also, a lot of my classmates (at least in the beginning) carpooled/hitched a ride to get groceries...but as i mentioned its a lot easier to coordinate these things when you live in regents (and i dont so i use my car or the bus or walk)

(3) Yes, this will be an AWESOME change. i'm envious. you see, now we have anatomy, physiology, biochem, and clinical skills all at the same time and anatomy includes embryology and histology and anatomy so that can be quite a lot and involve more class time. i think ultimately you'll have less class time and more free time and you'll also be spared the frequent tests we've gone thru and the stress of not only being new to the med school thing but most likely to the anatomy thing. it's hard enough getting used to med school but trust me it's a lot harder when you try to keep arteries straight while cramming physio. this is a great change. the only sad part is you'll have to start earlier (we didn't start til late september) but hey all other med schools start then anyway. i don't know how they'll work out orientation and all that seeing as second years run it and we'll still be on vacation/doing research projects as our schedule still starts in late september but i'm sure they will...the faculty is tres capable.

-sorry for the longwinded response. feel free to ask any more Qs.

 

[TarHeel55]

I'm so happy to join this thread! Nice to meet you all... and thanks so much EB and Modeslash for taking the time to answer our questions about U of C! I really enjoyed Chicago on my interview day. The staff and faculty were exceptionally attentive and thoughtful. The students I talked with seemed very talented and sharp, yet oh so very chill at the same time. Looks like I will be coming to Chicago next year, and I couldn't be happier!

Quick question for you current students... I noticed that U of C owns a lot of graduate student apartments, but when I quickly scrolled through last year's U of C class thread, it seemed that the university-owned housing wasn't really mentioned in discussions of housing. Is the university-owned housing in Hyde Park not so desirable? Any thoughts as to why? Can you recommend any good apartment complexes in the Hyde Park area? Anything good units within walking distance of the med school?

Thanks so much current students... I'll probably be peppering you with questions over the next few months if you will indulge me. Best of luck to all of you folks still making decisions, and happy holidays to all!

 

[modelslashactor]

hey tarheel,

congrats on the good news! housing is always a heated topic because it really depends on what you want. i don't live in university housing, but having visited a classmate that lived there and asking his opinion on it, it's not the best option. the benefits are probably cost and location near campus, but the places themselves are not as nice as what you could be getting in HP (this opinion based on on only one experience).

most of us did not secure our housing until june-july (for september start, probably move that back a month or two for you guys) because housing is not hard to get in chicago, and some moved in the first month or so of class, so there's no rush with this (one exception being if you think you might want to live at regents, go ahead and reserve a place. i think you can cancel at any time, and the earlier you get in the better chance you have at getting a scenic room). however, if you want a really nice place you have to look around because the nicest places are usually privately owned and often inconspicuous. to run through the housing options that most people look at:

the most popular is regents park, which is nice because much of your class will be there (probably 30-40 in our class live there), nice location on the lake, very safe, and there is a nice med student discount and great amenities included. the downside is you have to take the bus to class and it gets pretty crowded/slow in the winter, and there are nicer places available if you look.

most others live in random apartments scattered through HP. like i said before, these tend to be nicer than in regents (many have wood floors, new kitchens, etc), you can find reasonable condos if youre into buying, and the prices can be very good. you can also get housing literally across the street from the hospital or BSLC. the downside is walkups are not going to be as safe, it can be a pain to get home late at night, and you have to spend time/energy finding a good place. if you choose this option, i wouldn't live south of the midway as crime increases heavily as you go south of campus, but many in our class still live down there and as far as i know no one in our class has had their place broken into.

if you have a car, living downtown or in the south loop is a good option. the places are nicer and closer to downtown bars/clubs, but getting down there to party is not a problem from HP so this probably shouldn't be the main reason to live there. most people that live there, at least in first year, have family/spouses that live/work up north and they want to be closer to them. the drive is not bad at all, probably 20-30 min from downtown so the commute isn't really a factor (heck, the regents bus takes that long some days).

if i had to break it down, it's probably 35% in regents, 40% elsewhere in HP, and 25% downtown or south loop. this changes as the years go by, but for first year ive enjoyed living in HP. we still socialize with people outside HP so living up north definitely doesn't mean you won't be able to bond with your class. when you come for second look or in the summer or something you can take some time to scope out options, and if you talk to students you'll get some different opinions on things (the biggest debates probably being regents or non-regents and HP vs downtown). so for now, enjoy your free time (although if you're anything like me, you'll be having more fun once you get to med school)!

 

[TarHeel55]

Thank you so much for the rundown on housing, Modelslashactor! There's tons of time to figure out housing, of course, but I'm so excited right now that all I want to think about are things Pritzker- and Chicago-related.

Hmmmmmm, will it be HP or Regent's? It's kinda fun to move on to a different set of choices.

I'm sooooooo glad to hear that life gets even more fun in med school!

 

[ICanDoThis]

Thank you so much for the rundown on housing, Modelslashactor! There's tons of time to figure out housing, of course, but I'm so excited right now that all I want to think about are things Pritzker- and Chicago-related.

Hmmmmmm, will it be HP or Regent's? It's kinda fun to move on to a different set of choices.

I'm sooooooo glad to hear that life gets even more fun in med school!

Congrats Tarheel!! I'm also pretty likely to end up at Pritzker next year, and yesterday, I went to check out Regents. While it's not as fancy as it looks on-line, it certainly was nice (I esp. liked the fitness center/pool with retractable roof during the summer..haha). Anyway...I know I will definitely end up at Regents if I do go to Pritzker. So excited

 

[TarHeel55]

Hi ICanDoThis! Congrats to you as well!! How cool it is that you visited Regents yesterday. Do you live in the Chicago area? Regents sounds very comfortable and safe, and with such a large percentage of the class living there, the quasi-dorm-like sense of community is very appealing. Then there is the bargain-hunting, adverse-to-communting side of me that wants to find some hidden gem of a studio or 1-br within walking distance of the BSLC. I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait for spring/early summer to really explore housing options. Good luck with your decisions... it sounds like you have some wonderful options!

 

[ICanDoThis]

Hi ICanDoThis! Congrats to you as well!! How cool it is that you visited Regents yesterday. Do you live in the Chicago area? Regents sounds very comfortable and safe, and with such a large percentage of the class living there, the quasi-dorm-like sense of community is very appealing. Then there is the bargain-hunting, adverse-to-communting side of me that wants to find some hidden gem of a studio or 1-br within walking distance of the BSLC. I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait for spring/early summer to really explore housing options. Good luck with your decisions... it sounds like you have some wonderful options!

Hi! My parents live in a suburb north of Chicago, and since we were heading into the city the other day, we thought that we might as well check out some apartments in Hyde Park.

I definitely agree with you that one of the most appealing aspects about Regents is the fact that a large percentage of students end up living there. I think I will enjoy the convenience of having classmates near by. My parents also pointed out that Regents seemed to have the most ideal parking situation (so even if I don't bring my car initially, if I ever did, I'd be able to find indoor parking for it). Additionally, they thought it would be easier to move into Regents than into a walk-up (i.e. curb-side parking/moving might be rough).

Conversely, I noticed a lot of cute walk-up places closer to campus, so I think there definitely are attractive alternatives to Regents. It's still very early in the process, so I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to figure everything out! Good luck and have fun with the apartment-hunting process!!

In case you're still interested in Regents, here are their 2008 Pritzker med-student prices (includes DSL connection):
Studio- $995; 1Br- $1185; 2Br- $1475; 3Br- $1875

 

[TarHeel55]

Thanks so much for posting the med student rates at Regents! Useful information to have. I can't wait to check out HP and even possibly Regents for myself.

I'm wishing you folks the happiest of holidays!

 

[EBI831]

so are you all (the people mainly looking at housing) set on pritzker? happy holidays.

 

[TarHeel55]

so are you all (the people mainly looking at housing) set on pritzker? happy holidays.

I'm set on Pritzker. I am looking forward to visiting again and finding a place to live.

 

[mahasanti]

(2) groceries: you can do it without a car...using the various buses. there are stores on 55th, 51st, and some quick marts along the way. but alot of people drive down into the supermarket in the city...but you might just be in luck actually because the co-op is closing (the prices were high and it wasn't the best food) and being replaced by a Jewell which is the place people used to drive into the city to go to and this right on 55th and easily reachable by the free 171 bus. so no groceries shouldnt be a problem.

I'm pretty sure the co-op will actually be replaced by a Dominick's or a Treasure Island. I'd hate it if anyone makes the decision to come to pritzker because of it's close proximity to a Jewels only to find Treasure Island instead.

Anyway, I agree about the grocery thing. I am soooo looking forward to getting the coop out of there and a good grocer in it place.

Holiday Cheers!

 

[EBI831]

I'd hate it if anyone makes the decision to come to pritzker because of it's close proximity to a Jewels only to find Treasure Island instead.
Holiday Cheers!

hhahahhaha. i know this wasnt meant as a joke but its humorous to me. i'd feel bad for anyone who made the decision to come to pritzker solely based on its proximity to a Jewels. Sorry for the wrong info guys...as you can tell. i just shop wherever is convenient and mooch of my roomie (i'm lucky as she's my best friend of over 4 years).

 

[mahasanti]

hhahahhaha. i know this wasnt meant as a joke but its humorous to me.

HAHA...It totally was a joke. My humor is just too dry sometimes (me and dr. meredith...). But really though, you don't know how absolutely excited I am that we get a real grocery store. So whoever you are EB, I hope you had a great holiday break and will see you shortly!

As for everyone else, all I can say is that Pritzker really is a great school! I actually am way excited to get back to school. Its virtues are innumerable. I really never expected it to be this cool

As for housing, I am one of the hyde park, non Regents Park people, and I love it. If you have any questions about housing outside of Regents but still in hyde park, I'd be glad to give what info I have.

 

[DulyNoted]

Anyone live in the international house or know someone that does? Are rooms essentially single-occupant dorms? Without a car, how do you imagine it compares to living off campus?

 

[TigerSoup]

Hi again! Thanks to all the students who've been generous enough to answer questions. Here's one more thing I've been wondering about:

Everyone always describes Pritzker as looking for a "good fit" when admitting students. Well, now I'm sort of curious what what being a good fit with Pritzker is. Is there some kind of student stereotype that Pritzker looks for/avoids? Do you current students feel like you are all particularly suited for the school and for your fellow classmates?

 

[modelslashactor]

Anyone live in the international house or know someone that does? Are rooms essentially single-occupant dorms? Without a car, how do you imagine it compares to living off campus?

i actually don't think i know anyone that lives in international house. some people stayed there for interviews but i don't know that it would be a nice place to live. if you are carless you could probably get by just fine anywhere in hyde park, but living outside could be a problem for getting to class unless you lived in the south loop close to the metra line.


to tigersoup, i don't know that there's anything in particular they're looking for, but there are some things we generally share in common. essentially everybody is really easy to talk to, so that is probably what they look for above all. much of our class is athletic, we have a team in pretty much every intramural and the gym is filled with med students of all years most of the day. nearly everybody has done research and probably about half of us took some time off to do research, international work, or just explore some other interest. it seems like a good portion of our class has a good handle on what they would like to do in medicine and are pretty self-motivated in pursuing it. i can't speak for everybody but i really love it here and definitely have made some great friends.

really the school just wants to put together a group of people who are capable and motivated enough to handle the material while at the same time taking advantage of a system that is MUCH more relaxed than most schools. since we have the benefit of a pass/fail system (and passing pretty much every test so far in the first year has been very doable with a couple days of studying) it makes sense they would want a class with people who would make the most of the extra freedom. as far as i know these are the same things that most academically-oriented med schools look for.

 

[azmohiu]

Hey

Just wondering, were you notified of your merit scholarships via the phone call or the letter?

I'm worried because I was called this morning (!) but I wasn't told of any merit scholarship.

Thanks!

 

[ICanDoThis]

Hey

Just wondering, were you notified of your merit scholarships via the phone call or the letter?

I'm worried because I was called this morning (!) but I wasn't told of any merit scholarship.

Thanks!

I was notified over the phone first and then in the letter when it came (approx 10 days later). I'm pretty sure they give out more merit scholarships later in the cycle too. Congrats & good luck!

 

[Kikaku21]

Have any of you recieved anything about financial aid? When should we fill out FAFSA?

Also, what is the deal with independence/dependence? FAFSA says that I am dependent b/c I was born before 1985, but the Pritzker documentation says that you should include parental info and that you are not independent if you are < 30 years old. To top it off, the financial aid lady that picked up the phone at Pritzker said that I should claim independent if my parents provide less than 50% of my income--but she was just the person that picked up the phone.

Anybody have any insight on this, or know who the person at Pritzker is to talk to? Should I just be waiting on some mail from Pritzker and sitting tight for the meantime??

Thanks!

 

[nosugrefneb]

Congrats to those of you who've been accepted! This is my first time seeing this thread—this year has flown by—but I'm happy to answer questions too. Modelslashactor and EBI831 have been right on the money with everything else.

Can you tell we love it here?

 

[freelove]

I'm interviewing here in a couple of weeks... any advice?

 

[nosugrefneb]

1. Don't be nervous. This is perhaps the worst thing you can do. Hopefully my having told you this hasn't itself made you more nervous than you otherwise would be.

2. Learn everything you can about Pritzker before the interview day. This includes the website, SDN, blogs, podcasts, word of mouth, local newspapers, etc.

3. Know yourself. Know your primary application, your secondary application, your academic record, your activities and why you did them, your research and why you did it and what it means, and what kind of a person you are. Then, be able to articulate and/or show this to us.

4. Learn everything you can about Pritzker during the interview day. This includes questions for interviewers, questions for administrative staff, questions for random students, questions for janitors, questions for squirrels questions for the giant fake tree in the BSLC lobby, and close observations in between. Write stuff down if possible; these small sorts of things tend to fade quickly and meld with other schools when you're interviewing a lot, and first impressions—gut impressions—tend to be frighteningly spot-on. The interview is as much about us getting to know you and you showing us who you are as it is about you getting to know us and us showing you who we are. It might even be more of the latter.

5. We tend to give out fewer interviews relative to the total number of applications than many schools. This means we like you. We really, really like you. So, be yourself—the person that we already like—and don't be nervous.

Good luck!

 

[TwoShelves]

Hey all, another 2012er. My heart goes to Pritzker 100%. Looking forward to spending the coming years with y'all.

As for housing, I am one of the hyde park, non Regents Park people, and I love it. If you have any questions about housing outside of Regents but still in hyde park, I'd be glad to give what info I have.

Hey mahasanti, I am interested in the Graduate Student Housing and other housing within walking distance to the BSLC. Do you mind sharing some thoughts regarding their availabilty, convenience to grocery, safety, condition,etc? Thanks a lot!

 

[Falco2525]

Hey guys congrats on your acceptances...Pritzker really is a great place to be studying medicine and I could not be happier with my choice to attend. I am willing to answer any questions for those who are concerned about the weather as I am from Texas and have had to adapt to the colder temps. It really has not been as bad as I expected though. Anyways I am also willing to answer any questions you need answered as you each make your choices on where to attend.

 

[Cadoo]

Twoshelves and azmohui - when did you guys interview? I still haven't heard anything for a while and am wondering whether I was passed over.

 

[TigerSoup]

Hey guys congrats on your acceptances...Pritzker really is a great place to be studying medicine and I could not be happier with my choice to attend. I am willing to answer any questions for those who are concerned about the weather as I am from Texas and have had to adapt to the colder temps. It really has not been as bad as I expected though. Anyways I am also willing to answer any questions you need answered as you each make your choices on where to attend.

So how bad has it [the weather] been? Are there lots of icy-sidewalk days? I have a bit of an ice-phobia ever since I slipped and broke out some teeth (I am so graceful).

 

[mahasanti]

Just really quick regarding housing.

I think someone asked about the International house, and there is one 2011er that lives there. He seems to like it ok.

About graduate student housing, the feeling I get is that it really depends on what graduate student housing you are in. Some of it is nice, some not so nice. If you are married and have kids, graduate student housing can be a great deal--although it might not be as nice as what you find in the community. Honestly I can only think of a handful of students who went this route.

Quite a few of us live in (non-regents park) 1 br apartments or studios within a walking distance of the university. Again the quality varies greatly. Studios will run you about $650-800 month, and 1 bedrooms from about $700-1000. These are just rough estimates and you can find a bit cheaper or way more expensive if you want.

Many students come out sometime in the summer to find housing and secure a contract. I came a bit late (at the end of august) but was still able to find a great 1 bedroom that I am really happy with.

You'll find that a lot of these places are very close to hyde park's only real grocery store (currently in the process of being replaced by a new grocery store) which is very convenient. Safety-wise, again you will find some variety. A few of the bigger places have doormen and I feel are quite secure. I am in a three story walk-up with a surrounding gate, and an interior, locked set of backstairs and feel very safe as well. Still though, burglary is not unheard of, and some places are probably less safe.

TigerSoup--About the weather... well it is a bit cold. We just got hit with quite a bit of snow. Overall, the sidewalks get cleared pretty quickly. Salt is everywhere, and I haven't really seen much ice. Just snow. I have seen a few people slip though...

Peace.

 

[TwoShelves]

Thanks a lot for the info, mahasanti! I am really glad that there are many housing options out there, and finding a place to live won't be a headache. Well, I guess there is no need to look into the calendar for apartment hunting until June or July this year.