2010-2011 Rush Application Thread

This is totally my top out of state choice, I absolutely love Chicago. I have heard nothing but great things about the environment and community at Rush, but I've never actually visited yet. Anyone have any comments on the school?

I know a couple of people that have graduated from here and one that will be starting her M3 this year and I know they all enjoyed it. I absolutely love Chicago as well and am also considering applying here! I would definitely say go for it if you are at all interested!

I just finished M1 year and I really liked it so far so I definitely recommend applying

i cant say for sure how it is, not having started yet . . . but i did like it significantly more than the other schools i applied to and feel very confident that i made the right decision! i am really excited to start there

edit: the new curriculum is starting this year, so by the time you guys are actually going to be making decisions about where to go, we ought to have some input for you regarding that. but the way they described it sounds really good- they are trying to have us spend less time in lecture, and when we are in lecture, they are trying to make it so that it's more clinically relevant. i'm looking forward to seeing how it all works out.

Does anyone know what the screening process is? I have a 3.92 GPA and a 27M. (10 P, 7V, 10B).

I am scheduled to retake the test on July 8th? would you suggest I do

sedaniel said:

This is totally my top out of state choice, I absolutely love Chicago. I have heard nothing but great things about the environment and community at Rush, but I've never actually visited yet. Anyone have any comments on the school?

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I live right next to rush, and have had no trouble with this school ever. It is a fantastic COMPLETELY UNDERRATED school. Tons of the top doctors in the city attended this school and have also had nothing but great things to say about the school. The facilities are so nice, brand new. The school is adding also a huge new hospital to its campus. Rush also has by far the best Orthopaedic program in the city which is a lot to say considering Northwestern has the Rehab Institute of Chicago which is the top ortho/rehab hospital in the county for the last couple decades.

Very friendly environment and a great location for those who love the city. It is right across the interstate from the United Center (for the Bulls and Blackhawks!!). It is sandwiched (no pun intended) between Greek town and Little Italy. It shares a campus with UIC's west campus but doesn't really have any affiliation. Kind of hard to find apartments right next to the campus (I only found one through a friend who knew a guy who knew a guy, etc.) but you can find many apartments right by UIC which is only about a mile away.

I am applying next year for the first time and this is definitely one of my top choices!

EricMont said:

I live right next to rush, and have had no trouble with this school ever. It is a fantastic COMPLETELY UNDERRATED school. Tons of the top doctors in the city attended this school and have also had nothing but great things to say about the school. The facilities are so nice, brand new. The school is adding also a huge new hospital to its campus. Rush also has by far the best Orthopaedic program in the city which is a lot to say considering Northwestern has the Rehab Institute of Chicago which is the top ortho/rehab hospital in the county for the last couple decades.

Very friendly environment and a great location for those who love the city. It is right across the interstate from the United Center (for the Bulls and Blackhawks!!). It is sandwiched (no pun intended) between Greek town and Little Italy. It shares a campus with UIC's west campus but doesn't really have any affiliation. Kind of hard to find apartments right next to the campus (I only found one through a friend who knew a guy who knew a guy, etc.) but you can find many apartments right by UIC which is only about a mile away.

I am applying next year for the first time and this is definitely one of my top choices!

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That sounds great! I definitely love Chicago I am hoping I have a shot here but I'm guessing it will be a long shot unless they really take into account my graduate GPA and all the other improvements I've made over the past 2 years, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Good luck to you next year!

Is it true that Rush only accepts MCAT scores that are 2 years old from the test date until the date of matriculation?

I took the MCAT in Sept 2008, and was planning on applying to Rush this year, but from their website, it looks like my MCAT scores might be invalid with them. Am I interpreting this "2 year rule" thing right?

I have emailed my question to the admissions department a couple of times now, but have received no response, and they also have no phone number listed to call.

Does anyone know what the true MCAT policy is for Rush?

shoebusiness85 said:

Is it true that Rush only accepts MCAT scores that are 2 years old from the test date until the date of matriculation?

I took the MCAT in Sept 2008, and was planning on applying to Rush this year, but from their website, it looks like my MCAT scores might be invalid with them. Am I interpreting this "2 year rule" thing right?

I have emailed my question to the admissions department a couple of times now, but have received no response, and they also have no phone number listed to call.

Does anyone know what the true MCAT policy is for Rush?

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Their site is down but MSAR says January 2008 is the latest they'll accept so you're good.

Just go an invite to complete Rush's secondary-- a month earlier than last year!

And this application is always a killer!! ahhhhhh!

edit: OH THANK GOD! It's just an email with information and sample essays

Avoidthetiger said:

Just go an invite to complete Rush's secondary-- a month earlier than last year!

And this application is always a killer!! ahhhhhh!

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Just got it too, yay. This is my top choice so I have most of the essays filled out already (assuming it is the same as last years). Good luck everyone!

sedaniel said:

Just got it too, yay. This is my top choice so I have most of the essays filled out already (assuming it is the same as last years). Good luck everyone!

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Are the essays the same as last year? Or if not, could you post the essays? I'm still waiting for AMCAS verification (!!) so probably won't be getting the secondary for a while. Thanks a lot!

this secondary is a BEAST.

Does anyone know whether the essay questions on the sample application are the same as the ones on the real application? Thanks!

2050vlsb said:

Are the essays the same as last year? Or if not, could you post the essays? I'm still waiting for AMCAS verification (!!) so probably won't be getting the secondary for a while. Thanks a lot!

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Officially secondary won't be out til mid-July/August -- just sample application now.

reads7187 said:

Does anyone know whether the essay questions on the sample application are the same as the ones on the real application? Thanks!

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Must likely they will be the same. They were last year. They might rephrase or change something, but I would write the essays now anyways.

reads7187 said:

Does anyone know whether the essay questions on the sample application are the same as the ones on the real application? Thanks!

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I would hope they would be. Some of the questions seem similar to, but different than last year's, so I hope they would be the actual questions.

2050vlsb said:

Are the essays the same as last year? Or if not, could you post the essays? I'm still waiting for AMCAS verification (!!) so probably won't be getting the secondary for a while. Thanks a lot!

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The sample secondary is here:

https://www.rushsupp.com/html/SampleApp2011.asp?201044223.66

I just finished reading the whole email and I guess the secondary won't be up until mid-July. Don't understand why they invited me to complete it when it isn't technically available yet lol but I get the impression that the sample secondary has the same questions as the real one will.

sedaniel said:

The sample secondary is here:

https://www.rushsupp.com/html/SampleApp2011.asp?201044223.66

I just finished reading the whole email and I guess the secondary won't be up until mid-July. Don't understand why they invited me to complete it when it isn't technically available yet lol but I get the impression that the sample secondary has the same questions as the real one will.

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WOW... that is one beast of a secondary!!

It's silly to have to repeat so much information that is already on the primary (like all the EC info they ask for)...

Anyone getting secondary invites before they were verified?

Do I need like a passport photo or will like a nice professional photo cut out do for the signature form? Maybe I can just cut out my passport picture from the scanned version they also make me send in.

I'm opting for the beer bong and solo cups pic....

jk..

For Rosalind Franklin I used a Cap and gown pic. IDK, to like prove I graduated or something lol

It sounds like (based on the email I received) they're going to begins creening with a certain cutoff. From there, they will send out apps around 30 July...great!

They did refer us to a link for a sample app, which you guys have probably already seen.

Asyouwereatrio said:

It sounds like (based on the email I received) they're going to begins creening with a certain cutoff. From there, they will send out apps around 30 July...great!

They did refer us to a link for a sample app, which you guys have probably already seen.

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Don't think so..

"The next step for you in Rush Medical College’s application process is to complete our secondary application, which is available at https://www.rushsupp.com from mid-July through December 31 to all applicants who have submitted an AMCAS application to Rush."

Asyouwereatrio,

I thought the same thing, but if you read the email closely, it is talking about interview invites being carefully screened.

NHBPFA5 said:

I'm opting for the beer bong and solo cups pic....

jk..

For Rosalind Franklin I used a Cap and gown pic. IDK, to like prove I graduated or something lol

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Yes, but is this "passport-style"? Pasport-style usually means full-face, white background, ect. I'll probably give them a call tomorrow. I'm fearing medical schools just tossing out my application for little dumb mistakes like wrong photos or LOR. ugh

also -- almost just put a facebook pic with someone holding a beer glass... but no, stupid fear of medical schools facebook stalking me prevented me from showing this awesome photo of me to the world (awesome as in silly ass beer-aholic)

This secondary is turning me off. its big + i don't have anything to check for accomplishments.

ownage said:

This secondary is turning me off. its big + i don't have anything to check for accomplishments.

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other?

I think 2 years ago when I applied I mentioned HS art classes (haha). Probably won't do that again.

-- hopefully I will be published in lets say two weeks (even though it hasn't been submitted yet. haha)

also-- careers outside of medicine -- can I go to the fun extreme:
1. Politician (UN Style) 2. Vet 3. Pilot
(or should I write PA, PT, OT -- which is what I probably would do)

edit: I also still plan on being a city politician of some sort in my 50s (many MDs seem to run) and I also might get my private pilot certificate one day -- though def not for a career in aviation. and my desire to be a vet is what made me interested in people medicine... so it does make sense, just... not what they might want.

Avoidthetiger said:

Yes, but is this "passport-style"? Pasport-style usually means full-face, white background, ect. I'll probably give them a call tomorrow. I'm fearing medical schools just tossing out my application for little dumb mistakes like wrong photos or LOR. ugh

also -- almost just put a facebook pic with someone holding a beer glass... but no, stupid fear of medical schools facebook stalking me prevented me from showing this awesome photo of me to the world (awesome as in silly ass beer-aholic)

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i'm using a photo i took myself standing against the house (monotone) outdoor. it is full on and full face, but from the chest up. i put on a nice but casual shirt. didn't see the point of paying someone to take an ugly photo of me with bad lighting! i didn't see them specify passport style.

TFS said:

i'm using a photo i took myself standing against the house (monotone) outdoor. it is full on and full face, but from the chest up. i put on a nice but casual shirt. didn't see the point of paying someone to take an ugly photo of me with bad lighting! i didn't see them specify passport style.

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They write passport-style in both places they mention the photo.
1. Where you attach the photo on the signature page it says passport-style photo.
2. On the How to Apply page it says "2"x2" passport-style photo"

Just... they really are stressing the passport-style photo.

taylormade2006 said:

Asyouwereatrio,

I thought the same thing, but if you read the email closely, it is talking about interview invites being carefully screened.

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Thanks for catching my mistake!

However, I noticed we cannot access a 2011 application until the 30th of July, so does that mean we need to use the "sample application" on the left for questions and such?

Best of luck to everyone applying! I just finished up my first year at Rush and absolutely loved it! If anyone has any questions about the school or application process feel free to PM me

what do we use for "Proof of U.S. Citizenship/Permanent Residency "

jjwoo said:

what do we use for "Proof of U.S. Citizenship/Permanent Residency "

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nm found it

photocopy of birth cert
passport
resident card

jjwoo said:

nm found it

photocopy of birth cert
passport
resident card

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Should we mail in the form prior to submission of the secondary by late July?

crap, they changed basically all the questions on the secondary huh??? how annoying.

jjwoo said:

crap, they changed basically all the questions on the secondary huh??? how annoying.

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What do you mean? The sample secondary is up...Are you referring to last year's thread? They're not "significantly different"

i would argue that the questions are significantly different.

For question #2: what do they mean exactly by, "reflect upon it from the perspective of an observer"??? And I'm not exactly sure how to answer this without repeating what I talked about in my personal statement.

Here's the entire question:
The journey to a career in medicine requires special motivation and a high level of commitment. Describe your personal and academic preparation for a career as a physician and reflect upon it from the perspective of an observer. Include any changes in your career path, change of major, time gaps in your education, period of grades below a 3.0 level, serious events/crises in your life that affected your path, either positively or negatively. (1000 characters max)

yeah, the secondary does suck. i also remember being irritated with how long it took to be marked complete, how i had to send in a bunch of stuff via snail mail, etc.

but . . . totally worth it. i don't know if it's intentional or not, but the fact that its such a pain probably does keep the number of secondaries received more manageable. i like how Rush looks at everybody carefully and doesn't give out tons and tons of interviews. compared to other schools where i interviewed (and felt like i was just numbers on a page) i really felt like Rush wanted to get to know me as a person.

so my point is- yes the secondary is a beast. haha. but take it seriously and do your best, because they really do look at it. good luck everybody and try not to freak out when it takes a thousand years before you're complete.

Should we mail the Signature form prior to submitting the SEcondary? meaning, the signature form can be sent now and we just wait until the end of the month/beginning of next month to send off the secondary?

bpost137 said:

For question #2: what do they mean exactly by, "reflect upon it from the perspective of an observer"??? And I'm not exactly sure how to answer this without repeating what I talked about in my personal statement.

Here's the entire question:
The journey to a career in medicine requires special motivation and a high level of commitment. Describe your personal and academic preparation for a career as a physician and reflect upon it from the perspective of an observer. Include any changes in your career path, change of major, time gaps in your education, period of grades below a 3.0 level, serious events/crises in your life that affected your path, either positively or negatively. (1000 characters max)

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bump!

I have the same question..

What do you think this: "reflect upon it from the perspective of an observer" is asking for exactly?

do you guys know if the questions on the "sample application" are the same questions asked on the actual application? i logged into the rush site and it said they werent posting the actual application until aug 2. i know from others' comments/ last year's application that its a beast, though, so i thought id get a start on it if the sample app is, indeed, the same (or is typically the same) as the actual one

.

marshmallow said:

I have the same question..

What do you think this: "reflect upon it from the perspective of an observer" is asking for exactly?

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i take it to mean put yourself in the shoes of an adcom

have you guys indicated LORS to be sent to Rush on AMCAS yet?

marshmallow said:

I have the same question..

What do you think this: "reflect upon it from the perspective of an observer" is asking for exactly?

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Yeah, I wish I know what this meant too. The question it's a part of is ridiculous too. They really want us to think about and mention all this stuff
"personal & academic prep, reflection, changes in career path, major, time gaps, periods of below 3.0, serious events/crisis..." in 1000 characters??

...
.

baileybrown said:

do you guys know if the questions on the "sample application" are the same questions asked on the actual application? i logged into the rush site and it said they werent posting the actual application until aug 2. i know from others' comments/ last year's application that its a beast, though, so i thought id get a start on it if the sample app is, indeed, the same (or is typically the same) as the actual one

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Why email us the link and suggest we get oriented if it is not the same? I would be really angry.

MaryLennox said:

last year, the real one was the same as the sample. which is the same as the sample you guys are looking at. i don't think it would be different.

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Ya, I think they're the same. The email says: "please note that once you create a login/password at the website, you will have 30 days in which to complete and submit the online application. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you click on “Sample Application” on the home page to preview the application questions before you create a login/password."

Makes me think they are of course the same

This is just my personal opinion, but yeah, Rush likes their applicants to be different. Put your own perspective into it make sure you use your own voice. As long as the written well it doesn't really matter how you interpret the question. Also, yeah I know the secondary app may seem to be a pain but it's worth it in the end!

for questions like the one asking if we've ever held any health care-related jobs and if yes, describe our duties.. if we already described that job in the activities section of the AMCAS, should we just copy and paste that into the Rush secondary?