2010-2011 University of Hawaii Application Thread

My home school...hoping for a lot of love. all!

haven't heard anything... judging by the looks of this thread no one has yet.

subscribed though.
: )

edit: no shot for me! haha

I can't believe it! JABSOM@UofH is the first school to contact me and my top choice above and by far---I just received the secondary prompts and I have about week to complete them....they don't seem to give a word limit on the two essays...anyone else hear back yet? *so happy right now* -AlohA-

yesterday i got notice that they received my amcas! idk if that means secondary or not... but we'll see.

Anyone know if they only take in-state vs out?

NHBPFA5 said:

yesterday i got notice that they received my amcas! idk if that means secondary or not... but we'll see.

Anyone know if they only take in-state vs out?

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They take a majority of in-state...something like 95% are in-staters. I'll have to check the MSAR.

primary submitted mid june, sec received on 7/9. the due date is 2 weeks after getting your secondary.

the essays are about 1pg single-spaced

NHBPFA5 said:

yesterday i got notice that they received my amcas! idk if that means secondary or not... but we'll see.

Anyone know if they only take in-state vs out?

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Out of 64 students, 6 are usually reserved for out of state.
Usually those go to people with close ties to the state, or excellent stats.

thanks to all who have been posting with additional information thus far!

I recently heard that California residents pay in-state tuition at UofH---at least for undergraduate. Does anyone know if this applies to the medical school? (that'd sure be nice!)

SurfDoctorSD said:

thanks to all who have been posting with additional information thus far!

I recently heard that California residents pay in-state tuition at UofH---at least for undergraduate. Does anyone know if this applies to the medical school? (that'd sure be nice!)

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If you are referring to the WICHE program, it is for undergrad only and oos students pay 1.5 times in state tuition. I would call the school to ask though.

Hi again---can anyone please recommend good, safe (and possibly cheap?) lodging when visiting campus from out of state? arriving in about two weeks for the PBL-information session if that helps the consideration. thanks in advance for any help!

I called the student affairs office and they recommended Ohanahotels.com. I booked a room for only $80/night in Waikiki ("Waikiki Malia") and will plan to report on my experience there in early September, after the information session on Aug 27...

That's a pretty awesome price! Hopefully you can also spend some time and enjoy the area as well.

I heard the PBL demonstration is very good- but I think I'll be heading to the December one since my undergrad classes start that week.

Good luck and hope it goes well!

SurfDoctorSD said:

I called the student affairs office and they recommended Ohanahotels.com. I booked a room for only $80/night in Waikiki ("Waikiki Malia") and will plan to report on my experience there in early September, after the information session on Aug 27...

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Pm me if you have any questions. There are tons of trolley's that roll around the Waikiki area, although most are catered towards Japanese tourists.

HawaiiDoc said:

That's a pretty awesome price! Hopefully you can also spend some time and enjoy the area as well.

I heard the PBL demonstration is very good- but I think I'll be heading to the December one since my undergrad classes start that week.

Good luck and hope it goes well!

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I'll be doing the same.
Just got the secondary yesterday. I gotta fill that out asap.

Does anybody know if they ask about ties to Hawaii in the secondary? I'm OOS with pretty average stats (31O, 3.4ug gpa, 3.96g gpa), but I have some slight ties to the school (father did residency and worked there for a couple years). I'd really love to apply without throwing my money away. Advice?

MirrorTodd said:

I'll be doing the same.
Just got the secondary yesterday. I gotta fill that out asap.

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They give such a short time to do the secondary! lol
I just finished mine today-- which took forever.

Good luck on completing it!

altoid25 said:

Does anybody know if they ask about ties to Hawaii in the secondary? I'm OOS with pretty average stats (31O, 3.4ug gpa, 3.96g gpa), but I have some slight ties to the school (father did residency and worked there for a couple years). I'd really love to apply without throwing my money away. Advice?

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They don't ask about ties in their secondary (I think the two prompts are listed at the top of the thread). I know of OOS that got in with similar stats to yours- so if make a good case to why JABSOM is a good fit for you, then you should be fine.

I do know they have a pretty strict amount of things you need to have to get an OOS interview though. If you have good EC's or have completed your graduate degree, those can hopefully get you more points to make up for the lower undergrad gpa, and score you an interview.

Overall-- it may be a little bit of an uphill battle, but I think you definitely could have a shot. Good luck!

Thanks for the info Hawaiidoc. I added JABSOM to my amcas, so we'll see what happens! Here's to hoping

yeahhhhh got an interview! OOS!

Got an interview!! OOS! but i was born there
anyone know of any cheap airline deals?
thx in advance!

*so nice* to let me know I got an interview (!!!) the day before my flight for the info session this friday!!!!! there is also a ton of very helpful info in the 19 page pdf packet of forms attached to the invite email

does anyone know if the interviews are open or closed file? I can't seem to find any information on this....thanks in advance!

Rejected. At least I didnt have to pay for secondary. Good luck

Got the email for an interview today. Yay!

Grats!

And the interview is basically closed file-- except that they can see your essays and I think your AMCAS biographical data. They cannot see your grades and MCAT scores.

your response about the interview was totally correct and really helped me! yes: the interview was essentially closed file---my interviewer had read my essays and had some of my biographical info, but had no access to my "numbers." I'm not sure if he also had the "activities" section of my amcas. Overall, this made the interview very refreshing in the sense that it was a real chance to tell my story rather than "explain" things (like a C in physics) on my application. My advice in addition is to use google extensively on your interviewer's name and learn as much about them as possible from whatever you can find on the net. For enhanced google searching use quotes around the name and add subjects like "+ medicine". I was lucky that I found a short bio in cyberspace for my first interviewer and that helped me a ton. best to all!

Quick Questions:

1. How long was the turn around for you guys?
2. Also, what does scheduling look like. I am currently in east asia and CANNOT come back for at least a month? Are dates pretty flexible? I think they're non-rolling

Hi, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "turn-around"? (specifically: what part of the application?) The dates for the interview seem pretty flexible---they depend a lot on your interviewer, too. I would make sure to contact your interviewers as soon as you can to schedule your visit well in advance. The packet they sent with the email is extremely informative and has some important documents (such as the letters form)....

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hi! does anyone know if dr. izutsu is still doing the 3rd (exit) interview with all of the interviewees this year? a current med student @ jabsom recently told me that it was taking up too much of his time so they were going to eliminate it this year... wasn't sure if there was any truth to that. can anyone who has already interviewed confirm this? i personally think it'd be a shame.

thanks in advance!

SurfDoctorSD said:

Hi, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "turn-around"? (specifically: what part of the application?) The dates for the interview seem pretty flexible---they depend a lot on your interviewer, too. I would make sure to contact your interviewers as soon as you can to schedule your visit well in advance. The packet they sent with the email is extremely informative and has some important documents (such as the letters form)....

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Thanks for the response.

Oh and I was just curious about the how long they took to review your file after submitting your secondary. ie. how long between secondary submission and interview invite.

ahhh: I thought that's what you meant by "turn-around" but I wasn't sure and YES, they are very fast. My turn-around from secondary to interview was about 10 days--so quick to respond! They also were helpful enough to send it right before the information session. It is very impressive, indeed.

Re: Dr. Izutsu Exit Interview
Thank you for posting this. I was told by my first interviewer to contact Ms. Nishiki because he was under the impression (as of the past)--that this interview was the third interview. My interview invite was only for TWO interviewers--nothing mentioned about meeting with Dr. Izutsu...I think it is highly possible that this third interview is no longer required, but I have yet to confirm....any further information would be appreciated.

SurfDoctorSD said:

ahhh: I thought that's what you meant by "turn-around" but I wasn't sure and YES, they are very fast. My turn-around from secondary to interview was about 10 days--so quick to respond! They also were helpful enough to send it right before the information session. It is very impressive, indeed.

Re: Dr. Izutsu Exit Interview
Thank you for posting this. I was told by my first interviewer to contact Ms. Nishiki because he was under the impression (as of the past)--that this interview was the third interview. My interview invite was only for TWO interviewers--nothing mentioned about meeting with Dr. Izutsu...I think it is highly possible that this third interview is no longer required, but I have yet to confirm....any further information would be appreciated.

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Thank you for your response.

I just got my interviews from JABSOM and asked Marilyn if Dr. Izutsu is interviewing this year--- and it is confirmed that he is not.

So I guess make those two interviews count!

hey, i know you dont want to name who interviewed you, but can you state what their practice is, how they are affiliated with jabsom, type of Q, etc

Did you call or email your interviewers. I was given both the phone numbers and emails of my interviewers to schedule the interview.

I have two internal medicine doctors-- one of who is a faculty of JABSOM and other is not. I am not too sure about the type of questions yet-- but I am probably going to schedule my interviews for October.

I also got the email/phone contacts-- and will go through email.
I heard that some physicians want phone confirmations through their office staff though.... to make sure they don't have patients at that time.

First, interview tomorrow! Nervous and excited.

HawaiiDoc said:

I have two internal medicine doctors-- one of who is a faculty of JABSOM and other is not. I am not too sure about the type of questions yet-- but I am probably going to schedule my interviews for October.

I also got the email/phone contacts-- and will go through email.
I heard that some physicians want phone confirmations through their office staff though.... to make sure they don't have patients at that time.

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I emailed one of my interviewers. She responded quickly and told me to give her office a call to arrange a suitable meeting time. I only had a phone number for the other one, so no choice there.

Interviews for JABSOM are really laid back, so don't worry about it too much. The interviewers are looking to see if you have leadership, team work experience, are service minded, are compassionate, and seems like some other stuff too but I've forgotten it already. But really, just talk with them. One of mine took 4.5 hours because we talked about football the whole time, so they are definitely more of a conversation than an interview.

I completely agree with this post about interviews from my experience with the first one (I have my 2nd coming up on the 11th)---very laid back interview ~2 hours - it was very much an interview - ie conversation between two people - my interviewer immediately stated he wasn't out to grill me and was very helpful, offering a lot of personal insight on the program and medicine in general. This was so refreshing compared to interviews I've had at other schools!!!!

also: thanks to those posting to confirm that there is no interview with Dr. Izutsu.

Hey everyone Congrats to those who got interviews/secondaries! Just curious, how long did it take for you to receive the supplementary app? I submitted my primary in mid-July but re-took the mcats mid-august (scores released in mid-september.) I'm pretty sure JABSOM doesn't review primary apps until mcat scores are released. All I got was an email last month regarding a Legacy Self-Declaration form...and after that, nothing anyone else had to fill out that form?

simply8o8 said:

Just curious, how long did it take for you to receive the supplementary app?

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Within a week or so of my AMCAS verification.

A question for those who've interviewed: I know your interviewers can see your amcas basic info and essays.. are your extracurriculars included in that?

Thanks!

i'm planning on applying for fall 2012, but this seems to be the latest thread i can find.

At the moment, I'm still mulling/struggling over whether or not I have the ability to become a doctor. My BCPM is around a 3.2 (cum 3.6). I took the MCAT once (in 2008) and got a 9B, 9P, 5V, Q. I got 2 C (gen bio, ochem), and a C+ (gen bio 2). I also got a B in Calc 1 and B+ in Molecular Biology. I ended up taking the second semester of Ochem and both semesters of physics at UH during summer school (I did my undergrad on the mainland) and got A's in all of those classes. I have NO idea why I did so badly on verbal, especially since I was not worried about verbal at all. I'm planning on retaking the MCAT in May 2011.

I just started a MPH, and also taking a biochemistry class at UH. I'm pretty sure that the highest grade I can get in the biochem class is a B/B+. That's if I work myself to death. My situation right now (school, part-time work, taking care of household) is making it really difficult to do that.

So, I guess I'm just looking for any advice, about what I can do to improve, and even honest opinions about my chances. I'm dead set on going to JABSOM - I loved the mainland, but I can't imagine living anywhere else in the world.

Thanks ad good luck to you all who are applying now!!

@tapestry For the interviews, I am pretty sure that the interviewers do not have access to your activities. You will need to talk about the major ones during the interview.

@888lkys I have definitely seen GPA's lower than yours that got accepted, although the lowest MCAT I have heard of (w/o Imi) was 25 which would still make it a long-shot. However, if you can get your MCAT above 27 then your chances would improve a lot more. I know people who have gotten around a 27-28 that have been accepted over 33+ MCAT's with similar activities-- it really just seems a bit random at JABSOM, lol.

I think you should be fine. Just study hard for the MCAT and I think you have a worthwhile shot at admissions. Also be prepared to apply more than once if you apply to here as your only school, especially since the admissions process here is a bit strange-- but hang in there. Good luck!

Pretty quiet thread

My amcas was verified on friday and I recieved a secondary invite today (totally stoaked! ). OOS too THough I am a Colorado resident and there's a pact between the two states (or at least there was for undergrad...)

Anyone know the stats for how many complete secondaries OOS and how many recieve interviews?

StephBee said:

Anyone know the stats for how many complete secondaries OOS and how many recieve interviews?

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I think these statistics might be in the book, but I believe it is pretty low.
To receive an interview they have about 22 possible points they look for in your application, and as an out of state, I believe you need 16 (based on MCAT, GPA, and EC's). This could be a total guess, but I think they send out on average 50 interviews for the 6 out of state seats? If anyone knows more specifics please feel free to edit.

The way they phrase it in the MSAR is weird. "The first screen determines an applicant's ties to the State of Hawaii ... Three of the six categories are required to be a residetn for application purposes. Applicants who pass the second academic screen will be invited for interviews and asked to submit LOR."
Where the secondaries ties in there, no clue other than to say "those who achieve minimum cutoff scores." The secondary doesn't ask anything about the criteria for residence (though I wouldn't be anyway).

There's no real information about how many secondaries they send out. They offered 60 interviews for 7 seats.

Either way, I was happpy to get a secondary since my MCAT isn't stellar (30P). And yay for not being one of thoes 80-100$ fees.

StephBee said:

Pretty quiet thread

My amcas was verified on friday and I recieved a secondary invite today (totally stoaked! ). OOS too THough I am a Colorado resident and there's a pact between the two states (or at least there was for undergrad...)

Anyone know the stats for how many complete secondaries OOS and how many recieve interviews?

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Hey, when did you submit your primary to get it verified by last week friday? I'm still waiting for my primary to get verified.

Anyone know if Jabsom sends out secondaries before amcas is verified? It's getting awfully close to the November 1st deadline and I'm still not verified

I submitted early september. My transcripts took forever (got there like the 24th).

I didn't get my secondary until after verification but you can pre-write all of your essays and submit the day you get it.
I'm still waiting on stanford's secondary and they don't screen! Nov 15th deadline so I'm getting worried too, especially since it's my top choice (even though I probably don't have a shot in h*ll, only a 30P MCAT)