2014 Focus Group Session, Questions Submitted with Registration
What are we looking for?
What makes UWSOM different than other medical schools? Why would one choose to go here?
o WWAMI and its opportunities for experiencing health care ranging from a small rural practice to an urban tertiary care Level I trauma center, entire gamut of medical professions including academic scientist, surgical specialist, primary care; a great group of diverse peers, and pass/fail during the Foundations phase of the curriculum.
What do the admissions look for in a prospective student? What makes a competitive applicant? o See presentation from 5-27-2014 and other parts of our website
What can I do to stand out for the University of Washington on the SECONDARY APPLICATION?
o Make sure we know who you are and what you know about medicine. Don’t ignore the autobiography section in the secondary application. It gives you another opportunity to tell us more about yourself.
What is the best way to get your personality across in the application? o Be the real you. Tell us what is important to you.
How much clinical experience are you looking for? o Enough to know what you are getting into.
I find UW to be my ideal school, and I'm lucky it's in my home state. Additionally, I don't really want to go to any other school for financial reasons. I have become fairly grounded in the northwest due to my education, my family, and my job and I think leaving the northwest would almost be detrimental to my medical education. I don't really consider leaving an option anymore. Being rejected from UW was a prime reason why I decided not to pursue offers from other schools and rethink my life a bit. I always hear that "medical school is medical school wherever you go," but I beg to differ. I think different schools offer different opportunities and different cultures that are best suited for particular individuals. To put it simply, I see myself succeeding at UW more than I would at other schools. What is the best way to convey this to the committee on my application, and what are your thoughts? (P.S. I'll be applying for matriculation in 2016)
o Apply broadly. If you are that attached to Seattle you may not be ready for medical school.
Having been a healthcare specialist in the military, it is necessary to spend 40 hours of shadowing? Is it possible to overlap the military service as a health care specialist and shadowing?
o If your healthcare work in the military was independent then you should still spend some time
observing what physicians do. In addition, it would be good to get an idea of the differences between doctors who take care of civilians and those who take care of military personnel.
I am an A-typical applicant. I am older and thus my premed experience has been different than most applicants. Most advice I find is for more traditional students who have gone straight from high school to college. What advice would you offer an older, non-traditional student? Thanks!
o All the advice we give every applicant is pertinent with regard to academics, experiences, letters etc.
In addition, in your personal statement and secondary application, make a compelling case for why you want to go to medical school now.
What separates the students who get an acceptance letter from the others?
Letters of Recommendation:
How does a non-traditional app get viewed with a committee letter from her undergraduate institution and which letters should be in that committee letter?
o Non-traditional isn’t an issue. In letters we are looking for qualities and character traits and these are not discipline related.
Can I keep my graduate letters separate? o yes
I am a re-applicant. I have saved letters using the interfolio service. Can I/should I reuse the same recommendation letters from before or should I try to ask people to rewrite their letters or get all new letters? Would it be beneficial to try to get different people to write letters this time
o You should try to get some or most letters updated. You can ask the writers to change the date or let them know what else you have been doing in case they want to include updates. Most folks who write letters of recommendation for you are interested in you. Different letters may be beneficial if you think all your previous writers wrote about the same thing, e.g. academics. Check out the power point for different areas to emphasize.
As a applicant, do all letters of recommendation need to be from new people, or can previous references be re-used?
o You can use previous references, but it is a good idea to get them updated or at least the date
changed. New letters related to what you have been doing since your last application are also helpful. I have not taken any courses in the past year other than an online course. Am I still required to submit three letters of
recommendation from faculty members, or can I substitute with a letter from an internship advisor or volunteer coordinator?
o UW no longer requires 3 faculty letters so you can substitute others. Keep in mind that other medical schools may still require 3 faculty letters, so be sure to ask them your question.
MCAT:
Is the MCAT 27 really going to hold me back if I can receive almost all A's and A-'s in a heavy science based medical school master’s program?
o Maybe at some schools. See the tables in “Using MCAT Data in Medical Student Selection” from AAAMC. 65% of applicants with MCAT 27-29 are accepted with GPA 3.8-4.0. Refer to the MSAR (from AAMC) for school-specific information.
27 MCAT 3rd try (1st was over 3 years ago),
- M.S. Anatomy from Tulane University SOM special master’s program with first year medical students (Anatomy, histology, neuroscience), Top of my masters class
- 3.67 GPA, 3.56 undergrad GPA 3.46 science, How competitive am I?
o Depends on the school. Refer to the MSAR.
Does the UW red-green chart use the AMCAS GPA or the UW weighted GPA? o It is the AMCAS GPA
Is it a good idea to submit your application prior to taking the MCAT exam in order to take advantage of applying early? (Considering I am fully aware an interview or acceptance decision could not be made prior to receiving the score). I plan on taking the exam before September 30th to matriculate Fall of 2015.
o We don’t screen applications until the secondary application and supporting materials are all in. See below.
If WWAMI students are automatically granted secondary application, will MCAT re-take scores be waited for?
o Applicants are asked on the AMCAS application to include the MCAT exams that they have taken
and/or are scheduled to take. If they report that they will have newer MCAT scores, our UWSOM admissions system will automatically hold the application until we get the new scores. If applicants do not report that they are retaking the MCAT, our UWSOM admissions system will proceed as if we have all the pieces in the application. Withholding a future MCAT date will impact their application with us and their applications with other medical schools as well.
If I have a 10,11,12 on the MCAT and I think I can get the 10 up to an 11 or 12, should I take it again or not risk having one of the other scores go down? (GPA is over 3.75 and experiences are solid). Would the answer be different for other schools?
o I would leave well enough alone. A 33 MCAT with 3.75 has a 79% acceptance rate nationally. The rate moves to 82% with an MCAT of 36. Please see the AAMC tables
I have a four point difference between my Verbal score and my Biological and Physical Sciences scores. Where does this place me on your GPA-MCAT chart? Do I average my scores, choose the highest score, or choose the lowest score?
o The chart uses the total MCAT score. Verbal scores below 7 are problematic unless English is not your native language. If that’s the case, be sure you mention that somewhere in your application.
GPA/Classes/Postbac:
How much is GPA considered as a part of the application process?
o It is considered with the MCAT. No particular weighing. We look at GPA/MCAT combination tables from AAMC for predictability of graduating from medical school.
How does a post-bac program fit into the admission process? When would you recommend the applicant complete either a post-bac program or classes to enhance academic credentials?
o A post-bac program is useful for applicants who had GPA below 3.5 as undergrads and/or <27 MCAT, or non-traditional students with minimal science exposure and low MCAT.
o Please see the AAMC tables and decide for yourself what percentage acceptance rate you are
comfortable with. If you have tried to improve your MCAT and haven’t been successful, showing that you can do well in medical school-level courses will be helpful.
When calculating a GPA on a class that has been retaken, does the most recent and higher grade negate the previous lower grade, or is it an average GPA between the two classes? Does physics 101: "Introduction to Physics" class count toward the minimum 3 quarters of physics or is it necessary that it is 3 quarters of "General Physics"? I have yet to take my 3rd quarter of physics, can I be considered for admission pending I take this last class prior to matriculation?
o Not negated. AMCAS will average them so GPA may appear different from what is on your school’s transcript. Either course technically meets our pre-reqs. However, the more complete the work at the time we review the application, the better. Finishing the course is also better preparation for taking the MCAT.
I can't complete the last Org Chem lab or any Bio Chem courses until my senior year which is next year. Is it worth applying this application cycle or should I wait until the next one?
o Better to have the biochem, especially, under your belt before taking the MCAT and probably also advantageous before applying, especially if you are not a science major and there are not many science courses for us to look at.
Does UWSOM give significant weight to upward trends with respect to academic records? o Yes
How can students show that they had a rough time first year and a few other rough quarters due to family emergencies but there is an upward trend in grades however overall gpa is less than 3.5?
o Write about what was going on somewhere in your personal statement or secondary referring to when this was happening. Most committees will figure out that these events occurred during your rough quarters whether you specifically mention your grades or not.
Interview:
What is the best way to prepare for our interview?
o Practice talking to people who don’t know you well about why you want to be a doctor. Ask for feedback.
Is the interview process one-on-one or is it MMI style? o 3 interviewers simultaneously.
What should I bring to the Interview? o Nothing.
I've found it helpful to bring a notebook and copy of my application to interviews (for reference or clarification... or just as a security blanket for my empty hands), is this acceptable for UW med school interviews?
o Yes but don’t hand us copies like you might in a job interview. We have all seen your application already.
Will "The Interview" be recorded and posted anywhere for a viewing outside of the session as well? o yes
Is it acceptable to request discussion instead of a role play scenario? While I understand the value in how someone responds in the moment, real situations seem to HEAVILY rely on background information i.e. the dr-pt history, current checkup results, patient progress etc. Plus pretending someone like the Dean of admissions is an
argumentative pediatric patient I just met seems pretty unrealistic. I think I could better explain my process of working with a patient via discussion, to allow for such caveats.
o You don’t need background information. We are not expecting you to have medical knowledge. We specifically want to see how you talk to someone who is anxious or distressed about something or who needs some help. Explaining a hypothetical situation doesn’t tell us anything about eye contact, body language, changing patterns of speech, empathy etc.
Miscellaneous:
Is the written aspect of the primary application personal statement and works and activities reviewed before the secondary application is sent out to applicants?
o Only for applicants from outside of the WWAMI region. All WWAMI applicants are automatically sent a secondary application.
Do acceptance rates vary between your campuses?
o Yes. Washington applicants have a 15% chance of being accepted (same for Spokane and Seattle). Wyoming residents have a 34% chance of being accepted. Alaska residents have a 22% chance of being accepted. Montana residents have a 32% chance of being accepted. Idaho residents have a 19% chance of being accepted. Applicants whose state of residence is outside of the WWAMI region have a 0.42% chance of being accepted.
As a dual citizen living in Canada, would I have to declare my citizenship while applying, and if so, would my
residency status and thus tuition rates change after living and attending school in Washington after a certain period of time? Or is one stuck with the status and tuition that they accept an offer on?
o You need to be a US citizen to be considered at UW, so definitely declare that.
o Washington residency has specific criteria (see UW home page and type in Washington state of residence) many of which are difficult to achieve while being a medical student (eg working 20 hours per week). Residency status does not change solely from living in WA. Once you are a WA state resident, the tuition does change.
I consider myself a competitive candidate. As a re-applicant, I've improved my qualifications from my last time applying three years ago. However, last time I applied, I received a pre-interview rejection because the admissions committee couldn't glean from my application what I learned from my experiences. I never understood why I received this notification because I thought I had great experiences that taught me a lot about medicine. What more would you like me to do in my application? If you'd like me to write in poetic verse, I can certainly do so.
o Have someone else read what you wrote and see if s/he can tell you what you learned.
What is the statute of limitations for the three time limit for applying here? If a student had significant changes in their life, could they be eligible to apply again in five years or so?
o No. Consideration of three completed applications is a school of medicine policy, regardless of timing.
What resources are available for URM students?
o CEDI (Center for equity, diversity, and inclusion) faculty, students, student organizations, main campus diversity offices and activities, plus our usual counselors and learning specialists available to all of our students.
How do you view in-state vs. out-of-state applicants?
o Out of region applicants must have an exceptional record of service or come from a disadvantaged background to be considered.
Do you value working with underserved populations (in a medical and non-medical setting)? o Yes. Medicine is a service profession.
How should I approach the "Works and Activities" section in the AMCAS? o Please see the 5-27-14 presentation and other parts of our website.
What is considered a previous application?
o The application has to have been complete, i.e. including the secondary, letters of recommendation, MCAT scores etc. The primary application alone does not count towards our policy of considering only 3 applications.
Is it acceptable to send updates to be able to include research that I am planning to do in the future?
o You can always send updates, but it makes no sense to tell us about something you are PLANNING to do. Updates should be about additional things you have done.
The difference between the preparations for M.D. program and M.D./PhD. program.
o MD/PhD program expects significant research experience, likes publications, and expects a high GPA and MCAT (usually in the 35-40 range)
I plan on applying this year for the third time. The majority of activities included on last year’s application will also be included in this year’s application, but I have not participated in the activity for several years. I would like to know what the admissions committee expectations are for describing the activities differently. Is it necessary for me to present them in a new manner?
o If your perspective on what you learned has changed then rewrite. If you feel the same way about the
activity as you did when you wrote your reflection previously, then leave it as is.
Are there programs which would allow one to volunteer at a hospital or clinic on a daily basis instead of just a few hours per week?
o Likely, yes. You just have to find them. This may be more likely with free clinics which require many
volunteer staff members.
What is UW Med's Spokane program like?
o It is great. You will be in class of 40 students which means you get to know all your classmates and
faculty members well. Starting with the entering class of 2015 the curriculum will be changing for all students at all WWAMI sites. Classes at all sites will have the same content, objectives, method of delivery, and assessment.
