2011-2012 Oregon Health & Sciences University Application Thread

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Originally Posted by Neuralbunny

First round of screening....you mean post-completion, you have to wait 3 more months to hear about an interview? Well, that's not good.

yep. From the status page:

To applicants who meet one or more Mission-Based groups: Your file is currently being screened in the interview selection process. Please note that due to the large number of files in our applicant pool, this screening may take up to 12 weeks. As soon as a decision is made on your application, you will be notified. The Admissions Committee interviews prospective candidates from October through mid-April.

It seems that SDN applicants who recently received an II were only on review for about a month. That said, things inevitably slow down as you get later in the cycle. Hoping for a speedy reply!

Are this Friday's interviewees excited? Good luck, I think it will be more fun than anything.

So being OOS and having a GPA of 3.55 (MCAT of 36), I don't have much hope at hearing good news from OHSU. I can still have some optimism though, so does anybody know historically when applicants like myself could start hearing from OHSU?

Originally Posted by Diggidy

So being OOS and having a GPA of 3.55 (MCAT of 36), I don't have much hope at hearing good news from OHSU. I can still have some optimism though, so does anybody know historically when applicants like myself could start hearing from OHSU?

I don't know if history will be a very good guide this year with the MMI format switching things up, but you could hear anytime between this afternoon and mid-April. And given that your GPA is beneath the OOS "mission group" cutoff, (although obviously your overall stats look great) it's probably more likely that you'd hear towards the end of that window. Who knows, though? This whole process is crazy.

Any of the early interviewers hear anything? I remember someone mentioned earlier they would start letting people know about acceptances in early to mid December.

Originally Posted by mybubbles627

Any of the early interviewers hear anything? I remember someone mentioned earlier they would start letting people know about acceptances in early to mid December.

I haven't heard anything yet, and I interviewed on 10/14 (the second day of interviews). A little while ago they put this on the status page:

"PLEASE NOTE: Due to the new MMI process, we will notify interviewed applicants of the committee's decision 8-10 weeks after their interview day. For instance, if you interviewed in early October, you should be hearing from us by early to mid-December. Thank you for your patience."

I'm really hoping that I'll hear something soon

i just got wind that they are giving rejections out now, pre II. is this true? i didn't think OHSU gave out rejections so early. i know you can appeal to UCSF, do you know if OHSU is receptive to this?

(i already interviewed, but this is for a friend of mine that i think is a spectacular applicant)

Originally Posted by CocoNutCase

i just got wind that they are giving rejections out now, pre II. is this true? i didn't think OHSU gave out rejections so early. i know you can appeal to UCSF, do you know if OHSU is receptive to this?

(i already interviewed, but this is for a friend of mine that i think is a spectacular applicant)

I think they've always given out rejections pre-II, haven't they? Or are you referring specifically to in-state applicants? (In that case it might usually be either ii or pre-ii hold.) And while I'm sure one can appeal, I've never heard of a successful appeal at OHSU. It's worth a shot, though.

retrospectively, i guess that was a dumb question. i guess i was just extremely surprised by my friend's rejection especially since i haven't heard of many rejections going out right now.

Originally Posted by CocoNutCase

retrospectively, i guess that was a dumb question. i guess i was just extremely surprised by my friend's rejection especially since i haven't heard of many rejections going out right now.

wow...rejections for IS applicants already??? OHSU has me nervous now. Haven't heard back from them as an IS. Been complete since mid-Oct but then again I'm applying for a joint program.

________________
Stop playing games with my heart OHSU

Originally Posted by MDMPH 2016

wow...rejections for IS applicants already??? OHSU has me nervous now. Haven't heard back from them as an IS. Been complete since mid-Oct but then again I'm applying for a joint program.

________________
Stop playing games with my heart OHSU

So I found out on interview day that it normally takes longer for IS to get interviews since they check your residency to verify that you are an Oregonian before they consider you more.

Does anyone know the admissions office's email? I tried looking for it online at their website and all I found was the contact us form. I am trying to email them an in-the-area email and I ended up using the mdadmin@ohsu.edu but it sent me an automatic response:

You are writing to an email address that accepts incoming emails concerning:

· WICHE certification letters

· green cards

· 2012 AMCAS fee waivers (FAP)

· application withdrawals

For all other inquiries, please contact the MD Office of Admissions.

Are they even receptive to in-the-area emails? I am going to the West Coast and coming from overseas and would love to be able to interview here if they are considering me.

Originally Posted by Person X

Does anyone know the admissions office's email? I tried looking for it online at their website and all I found was the contact us form. I am trying to email them an in-the-area email and I ended up using the mdadmin@ohsu.edu but it sent me an automatic response:

You are writing to an email address that accepts incoming emails concerning:

· WICHE certification letters

· green cards

· 2012 AMCAS fee waivers (FAP)

· application withdrawals

For all other inquiries, please contact the MD Office of Admissions.

Are they even receptive to in-the-area emails? I am going to the West Coast and coming from overseas and would love to be able to interview here if they are considering me.

when i looked for an e-mail address, they basically said to snail mail in any correspondence. i tried to call, but never got a response. mine wasn't about being "in the area," though. I was trying to correct something on my primary application. sorry i would say try calling, but i'm not sure if you'll get a response. good luck

ACCEPTED!!
interviewed 10/28, in state.

just let out a huge woo hoo that scared my roommate.

Originally Posted by CocoNutCase

ACCEPTED!!
interviewed 10/28, in state.

just let out a huge woo hoo that scared my roommate.

Congratulations! I applied here but only got a secondary. No II yet. We will see what happens.

I'm still not complete here, but I counted wrong before and it's now 8 weeks. Maybe that's why I haven't heard anything...they know my counting skills are lacking!

Originally Posted by CocoNutCase

ACCEPTED!!
interviewed 10/28, in state.

just let out a huge woo hoo that scared my roommate.

Congrats!!!

Any other October interviewees hear anything today? (10/26 and nothing here yet, obviously.)
Good luck, everybody!

Originally Posted by Northwesterly

Any other October interviewees hear anything today? (10/26 and nothing here yet, obviously.)
Good luck, everybody!

Fingers & toes crossed for you!

Originally Posted by CocoNutCase

ACCEPTED!!
interviewed 10/28, in state.

just let out a huge woo hoo that scared my roommate.

congrats!

did they send you an email or was it a status update?
I keep neurotically checking both

Originally Posted by Pennilane

congrats!

did they send you an email or was it a status update?
I keep neurotically checking both

Thanks guys!

it was via e-mail. my portal thing was updated afterward. the subject only said "OHSU Application" so i was a little scared to open it. good luck to everybody, i hope good news will make its way to you soon.

Originally Posted by Dianyla

Fingers & toes crossed for you!

Just noticed you and Northwesterly are also back again! Glad to see there are some familar names this year. Let's hope they accept a few extra Portlanders this time around. Best of luck to the both of you!!

Originally Posted by pdxjazz

Let's hope they accept a few extra Portlanders this time around.

Here's hoping.
Good luck to you too!

Originally Posted by pdxjazz

Just noticed you and Northwesterly are also back again! Glad to see there are some familar names this year. Let's hope they accept a few extra Portlanders this time around. Best of luck to the both of you!!

Nice to see you around, too! I've been crazy busy with work so I've been mostly in lurk mode this application cycle.

I'm really hoping to stay in state!

Oh no, I just saw that I have been placed on hold for interview until all the applications have been reviewed. Has anyone gotten that message and still gotten an interview, or is that a bad sign?

Originally Posted by ddb

Oh no, I just saw that I have been placed on hold for interview until all the applications have been reviewed. Has anyone gotten that message and still gotten an interview, or is that a bad sign?

Welcome to the club. I looked through all the previous years' threads and I found one example of someone who was pulled from the pre-interview hold pile. Now, that doesn't mean that it is that rare. I'd guess that in many cases people don't even know they were on hold for an interview because OHSU doesn't update status via e-mail. So, unless you're neurotically checking the portal, it wouldn't be apparent that you've been on pre-interview hold. It isn't over until you get a snail mail rejection, so hang in there with the rest of us in the pre-interview hold pool.

Originally Posted by Simplify

Welcome to the club. I looked through all the previous years' threads and I found one example of someone who was pulled from the pre-interview hold pile. Now, that doesn't mean that it is that rare. I'd guess that in many cases people don't even know they were on hold for an interview because OHSU doesn't update status via e-mail. So, unless you're neurotically checking the portal, it wouldn't be apparent that you've been on pre-interview hold. It isn't over until you get a snail mail rejection, so hang in there with the rest of us in the pre-interview hold pool.

Thanks for the encouragement. I was pretty confident about my chances here so it's a let down for sure. But I am going to stay positive about it and wait it out. Good luck to everyone!

Originally Posted by Northwesterly

Here's hoping.
Good luck to you too!

Looks like they have accepted some after our interview dates (I interviewed in early October). Haven't had a status change so still in the game, at least at this point anyway.

Originally Posted by Dianyla

Nice to see you around, too! I've been crazy busy with work so I've been mostly in lurk mode this application cycle.

I'm really hoping to stay in state!

Me too!

Originally Posted by CocoNutCase

ACCEPTED!!
interviewed 10/28, in state.

just let out a huge woo hoo that scared my roommate.

CONGRATULATIONS! Are you a first time applicant or re-applicant? Do you plan to accept the invitation or go somewhere else?

For other people who already interviewed, were you able to introduce yourself to each interviewer and thank them at the end or was there not enough time? Also, would you say the MMI system was a conversation between you and the interviewer, or did you just talk the whole time to answer the prompt? I know you spend 2 minutes walking to the next station, 2 minutes reading each prompt and preparing, and then are you in the room for 6 or 8 minutes?

Originally Posted by mybubbles627

For other people who already interviewed, were you able to introduce yourself to each interviewer and thank them at the end or was there not enough time? Also, would you say the MMI system was a conversation between you and the interviewer, or did you just talk the whole time to answer the prompt? I know you spend 2 minutes walking to the next station, 2 minutes reading each prompt and preparing, and then are you in the room for 6 or 8 minutes?

Well, the clock's ticking the moment you enter the room, so it's kind of up to you what to say. There's certainly time to shake hands and introduce yourself, but it's not like you have a minute or two to chit chat and settle in before the timer starts. As to whether it's a conversation, it depends very much on the station. Do you have an interview coming up? If so, good luck!

Originally Posted by mybubbles627

CONGRATULATIONS! Are you a first time applicant or re-applicant? Do you plan to accept the invitation or go somewhere else?

For other people who already interviewed, were you able to introduce yourself to each interviewer and thank them at the end or was there not enough time? Also, would you say the MMI system was a conversation between you and the interviewer, or did you just talk the whole time to answer the prompt? I know you spend 2 minutes walking to the next station, 2 minutes reading each prompt and preparing, and then are you in the room for 6 or 8 minutes?

thanks, i am a first-time applicant, and i'm not 100% sure (or even 20% sure) where I'll end up next year. although staying in portland would be really nice.

-there's time to introduce yourself, you have to hand them a sticker with your name on it anyways. and i always said thank you before leaving the room. all very brief though.
-i would say that it's not conversational. you are suppose to answer a question, and those 8 minutes go by pretty fast. so there's not much back and forth unless they are telling you that you are off topic (which happened to me)
-so really, don't stress it. i'm not the most verbose nor charming person. i had moments where the interview asked me "how's it going" and i stuttered and stumbled over a few words before spitting out "a little nervous." good luck

Put on hold, for the second year in a row. Jesus. I really, really, really wasn't expecting this.

Originally Posted by Northwesterly

Put on hold, for the second year in a row. Jesus. I really, really, really wasn't expecting this.

I'm really sorry to hear that northwesterly! Fingers crossed this changes for you. I'm sure it's more common this year since they are doing this new system and its hard for them to judge the scores.

dang placed on hold too. when they say: Please note that further updates will not reopen your file or change the committee's decision.

Does that mean if I send them a letter of intent, it won't help at all?

Sorry to hear about the holds, guys I'm not sure if I'm on hold or not - is there an actual message that says "hold", or is it just when it says "secondary application processed"?

Originally Posted by masterwolfie

Sorry to hear about the holds, guys I'm not sure if I'm on hold or not - is there an actual message that says "hold", or is it just when it says "secondary application processed"?

There is a possibility of being on hold both pre / post interview. These recent references have been to post interview holds--and I'm not sure how that is conveyed. Pre-interview holds have a message like:

"Your file has been screened and is currently on hold for an interview, pending further review."

Originally Posted by fastfingers

dang placed on hold too. when they say: Please note that further updates will not reopen your file or change the committee's decision.

Does that mean if I send them a letter of intent, it won't help at all?

Yes that is what it means. I know the way it worked last year is the committee would review your application and give you a number score. Then they would accept people whose scores were above a certain number, and reject people whose scores were below a certain number. The remainder were placed and hold and accepted/waitlisted/rejected as they continued through the process. If you send an update the committee won't read it and they won't change the score you were assigned.

I was put on hold last year and the message was conveyed in the portal. It would say:
Decision: Hold

Originally Posted by Simplify

There is a possibility of being on hold both pre / post interview. These recent references have been to post interview holds--and I'm not sure how that is conveyed. Pre-interview holds have a message like:

"Your file has been screened and is currently on hold for an interview, pending further review."

Thanks! I did mean pre-interview, sorry I didn't specify!

anyway you can see ur number score?

Originally Posted by fastfingers

anyway you can see ur number score?

I wish. When I had my feedback response/exit interview after interviewing last year I asked, and they won't tell you the score or where you ranked outside the waitlist. So if the waitlist is 125 people, you could have been number 126 and they won't tell you.

Originally Posted by mybubbles627

I wish. When I had my feedback response/exit interview after interviewing last year I asked, and they won't tell you the score or where you ranked outside the waitlist. So if the waitlist is 125 people, you could have been number 126 and they won't tell you.

Yeah, what's up with that? (Because honestly, if I was ~400th out of 500 interviewees last year I would've known better than to try again with only a .05 GPA boost and another couple hundred volunteer hours.) The cynical part of me wonders if it's really quite so cut and dry, but I guess whatever they're looking for, grades and MCAT aren't it.

Anyway, nobody needs my doom-mongering around here two weeks shy of Christmas. Good luck, everybody, and maybe I'll see you back here in May.

Got the hold as well guys... At least I will be attending medical school next year but certainly would have much preferred to stay in Portland. You never know about holds at OHSU though, it looks like last year they waitlisted around 125 of those on hold in May, and eventually accepted somewhere around applicant #100 off the waitlist. That may have been an usual year to reach out that high. Not sure how many of those on hold they accepted without first being waitlisted.

Northwesterly- please correct me if I'm wrong on those numbers or if you can add anything.

Originally Posted by Northwesterly

Yeah, what's up with that? (Because honestly, if I was ~400th out of 500 interviewees last year I would've known better than to try again with only a .05 GPA boost and another couple hundred volunteer hours.) The cynical part of me wonders if it's really quite so cut and dry, but I guess whatever they're looking for, grades and MCAT aren't it.

Anyway, nobody needs my doom-mongering around here two weeks shy of Christmas. Good luck, everybody, and maybe I'll see you back here in May.

What's funny is while your .05 GPA boost might mean little, your hundreds of volunteer hours mean a LOT more than you're giving them credit for. If you look at the OHSU averages, they aren't known for having the highest GPAs or MCAT scores, what they do like is the volunteer stuff. So hold in there, you are probably in a lot better place than you think.

Originally Posted by pdxjazz

Got the hold as well guys... At least I will be attending medical school next year but certainly would have much preferred to stay in Portland. You never know about holds at OHSU though, it looks like last year they waitlisted around 125 of those on hold in May, and eventually accepted somewhere around applicant #100 off the waitlist. That may have been an usual year to reach out that high. Not sure how many of those on hold they accepted without first being waitlisted.

Northwesterly- please correct me if I'm wrong on those numbers or if you can add anything.

More than number 100... I know someone #109 that got off the waitlist to matriculate. If I'm not mistaken, getting to high numbers on the waitlist is now more of the trend at OHSU.

I was put on hold post-interview as well. Do we really have to wait until May for a final decision, or was I reading that wrong? Is there a possibility of hearing from them before May? I'm confused because this makes it sound like we could hear before May: "The Admissions Committee will be discussing applicants through the beginning of May, which means that you will be notified of a final decision regarding your application no later than May 15, 2012." But this makes it sound like we won't hear until May: "Applicants put on hold will remain on hold until May 15, when final decisions will be made. At that point you will hear a decision of Accept, Alternate, or Refuse."

Originally Posted by ploichompu

I was put on hold post-interview as well. Do we really have to wait until May for a final decision, or was I reading that wrong? Is there a possibility of hearing from them before May? I'm confused because this makes it sound like we could hear before May: "The Admissions Committee will be discussing applicants through the beginning of May, which means that you will be notified of a final decision regarding your application no later than May 15, 2012." But this makes it sound like we won't hear until May: "Applicants put on hold will remain on hold until May 15, when final decisions will be made. At that point you will hear a decision of Accept, Alternate, or Refuse."

From years past, it seems that they don't really look at you again until May.

Originally Posted by NatrixCaelicola

More than number 100... I know someone #109 that got off the waitlist to matriculate. If I'm not mistaken, getting to high numbers on the waitlist is now more of the trend at OHSU.

Thank you!

Put on hold as well =/ see u all again in may! Does anyone know if they are interviewing less ppl than usual this year for the mmi format?

Originally Posted by Pennilane

Put on hold as well =/ see u all again in may! Does anyone know if they are interviewing less ppl than usual this year for the mmi format?

Not sure. You could make an educated guess based on how many people are interviewed during each session. Last year they interviewed 3 days a week, they are down to 1 and occasionally 2 days. Therefore, if they interview less than 3 times the amount in each session, it would be logical to assume they are interviewing less people. This is just an educated guess though.

I had to post one last time just for anyone that is not aware of the AAMC traffic rules. All the medical schools have to accept enough MD applicants by March 30th to fill all of their schools expected number of seats. https://www.aamc.org/students/applyi...nofficers.html

So despite only one SDNer receiving an acceptance and the rest of us holds, they will eventually fill all those seats by April. OHSU also states (bolded) on the admissions portlal "Applicants put on hold will remain on hold until May 15". I don't see anything additional or exceptions about applicants possibly being pulled out of the hold pool before May 15th.

So unless something changes on the portal, those of us on hold have no chance for an acceptance before March 30th when they fill the class, and a slim chance for an acceptance if any of those seats open up in April/early May and then would be notified on May 15th along with everyone else that is waitlisted/rejected.

Anyone seeing things differently?