2011-2012 Washington University in St. Louis Application Thread

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Originally Posted by cyanide

You don't have to force yourself to come up with something for the optional essay. It really is optional. I left it blank when I applied - interview invite in September and accepted in November.

I'm sure you had killer stats though, just like ksmi

Originally Posted by sexycani

do they need this dean certification thing in order for the app to be complete and be in line for review?

No. You can get an interview invite without having the dean certification form in. You cannot get a decision on your file (post-interview) without the form though.

Does anyone know if we can fax the Dean's Certification Form to our old schools?
It seems to indicate they want the original signed forms.

can someone please tell me by whom we have to get this thing signed off by? like anyone at the registrar's office or what?

I called my registrar and the associate dean said he can sign it and mail it off

Originally Posted by lazy

Is there anyone who doesn't have anything to write for the supplemental essays. If I've never taken time off or had a hardship I think would matter at all, should I even be filling those out?

I haven't done it yet, but I doubt I'm going to be writing anything. I figure it's going to come off a lot worse if I either make up some BS hardship, or really stretch something that wasn't that bad and make it seem terrible when they are going to get essays from people that have had to deal with serious issues.

This is probably a really dumb question...but where do you access the Dean's Certification form? I can't seem to find it.

I would appreciate some advice. For the optional question about unique experiences/obstacles, would it be shallow to discuss a grade that I don't feel reflects my ability? I'd like the opportunity to explain why my GPA is not as high as I feel that it could've/should've been (I basically took on too much that semester, and unfortunately had all my finals on the same day), but I don't want to give the impression that I consider this a hardship while others have experienced serious disadvantages/challenges. Should I leave it blank or go ahead and discuss my grades? I'd value your input. Thanks!

Originally Posted by gbr0509

This is probably a really dumb question...but where do you access the Dean's Certification form? I can't seem to find it.

When you're in the supplemental application, you click "Return to MyApp" on the left-hand sidebar. On the new page's sidebar, you'll see the option "3. Print Dean's Certification." Hope that helps!

Hey guys,

I went to a quarter system school, and I was wondering if I have to convert my quarter units to semester units in the Calculus courses sections? They specifically asked for semester credits, so I was a bit confused!

Thanks!

What college-level calculus courses that included integral and differential equations will you complete prior to starting Medical School? AP credits are accepted if listed on your Transcript.

If I already took the calculus course with other required ones
like Biology, General or inorganic chemistry, Organic chemistry
and Physics, do I still list it or I don't have to do it to repeat ?

Thanks

I listed my calc 1 and calc 2 courses i took in freshman year.

Why do they want to know our SAT/ACT scores and high school GPA? What if they aren't spectacular? Does anybody know how they use this information? Would it look bad if I just left that section blank?

Originally Posted by musik2468

Why do they want to know our SAT/ACT scores and high school GPA? What if they aren't spectacular? Does anybody know how they use this information? Would it look bad if I just left that section blank?

I've been wondering the same thing, and would also like some opinions.

Also, for the "unique experiences or obstacles that you have overcome " question, do you folks think it would be appropriate to discuss the undiagnosed/untreated Celiac disease I had growing up? It was misdiagnosed at least a dozen times (usually as a psychiatric problem, such as "attention seeking" or as anorexia.....in a 6-yr-old!) before being properly diagnosed in my 20's, and it caused me (and my family) a lot of pain and emotional suffering (at certain points in my life I was literally starving, and I looked like it). I just don't know if if would be construed as too dramatic or personal. My diagnosis was a big "why medicine?" inspiration.

Originally Posted by musik2468

Why do they want to know our SAT/ACT scores and high school GPA? What if they aren't spectacular? Does anybody know how they use this information? Would it look bad if I just left that section blank?

my opinion is schools might try to correlate these scores to medical school admissions/success, it's probably purely statistical and has 0% weight in admission.

Originally Posted by Cinclus

I've been wondering the same thing, and would also like some opinions.

Also, for the "unique experiences or obstacles that you have overcome " question, do you folks think it would be appropriate to discuss the undiagnosed/untreated Celiac disease I had growing up? It was misdiagnosed at least a dozen times (usually as a psychiatric problem, such as "attention seeking" or as anorexia.....in a 6-yr-old!) before being properly diagnosed in my 20's, and it caused me (and my family) a lot of pain and emotional suffering (at certain points in my life I was literally starving, and I looked like it). I just don't know if if would be construed as too dramatic or personal. My diagnosis was a big "why medicine?" inspiration.

Go for it Just don't sound melodramatic and like you're seeking sympathy but use it to show an insight into what drives you.

Anyone else receive an information pack from this school?
I just got an envelope in the mail outlining their admissions process with what looks like this years prospectus.
Postmarked June 21st.
Good luck everyone!

Originally Posted by sam500

Anyone else receive an information pack from this school?
I just got an envelope in the mail outlining their admissions process with what looks like this years prospectus.
Postmarked June 21st.
Good luck everyone!

I got a packet in the mail just like that today. I thought it was really nice and hospitable of them to send out something physical like that

yeah got that pack in the mail today. postmarked on the 21st. nice of them to send something physical in the mail.

If we transferred, do we need to get a dean's certification from both schools or only the school we graduated from?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by dancinchic511

If we transferred, do we need to get a dean's certification from both schools or only the school we graduated from?

Thanks!

Only schools where you expect to get a degree.

Do we need our picture uploaded to be complete and considered for interview? Or can we wait on that like the dean's certification form?

I'm still so reluctant to send my app off here, all my friends in med school at other top schools and what I've seen in statistics is that this school is extremely number oriented. I'm not sure how I feel about a school so obsessed with numbers.

Originally Posted by YouNeverKnow22

I'm still so reluctant to send my app off here, all my friends in med school at other top schools and what I've seen in statistics is that this school is extremely number oriented. I'm not sure how I feel about a school so obsessed with numbers.

You should probably change your name, lol

Originally Posted by rrmix

You should probably change your name, lol

Originally Posted by EliteBeat9

Do we need our picture uploaded to be complete and considered for interview? Or can we wait on that like the dean's certification form?

that's a good Q, i'm wondering the same thing

submitted the secondary

Originally Posted by MilkIsGood

submitted the secondary

Congrats. I did too. Have my picture uploaded, fees payed and certification sent. Now the waiting game!

Originally Posted by BMEN

Congrats. I did too. Have my picture uploaded, fees payed and certification sent. Now the waiting game!

is your mcat score received? my primary hasnt been verified yet, so just wondering.

Originally Posted by MilkIsGood

is your mcat score received? my primary hasnt been verified yet, so just wondering.

Everything but my letters and my dean certification

Do you think family illness would be appropriate to discuss in the "unique experience/obstacles" section? I mentioned it briefly - only like one sentence in my PS - so I'm wondering if I should elaborate. I don't want to sound trite though since family illness is a common hardship..

Originally Posted by EliteBeat9

Do we need our picture uploaded to be complete and considered for interview? Or can we wait on that like the dean's certification form?

also wondering this

Originally Posted by ksmi117

WashU is trapped in the middle of the country, it's still a great place to go to school.

Have you had a chance to meet Dr. Gregory Polites yet?
He's the best ever!!!

Is anyone marked complete on their secondary website that has everything in except the dean's certification? My letters are received, photo uploaded, fee paid, and secondary submitted but it still says application incomplete.

Mine is missign Certification and Letters?(wtf) and fee

Originally Posted by rxnfiend

Is anyone marked complete on their secondary website that has everything in except the dean's certification? My letters are received, photo uploaded, fee paid, and secondary submitted but it still says application incomplete.

I emailed and asked about this very same situation. They said that someone had to go in and verify each file and then they'd mark it as complete. This process could take a week.

Originally Posted by sam500

I emailed and asked about this very same situation. They said that someone had to go in and verify each file and then they'd mark it as complete. This process could take a week.

Perfect, thanks!

Originally Posted by Nomdeplume

I got a packet in the mail just like that today. I thought it was really nice and hospitable of them to send out something physical like that

I got the packet today. After looking through the information I have to say I'm very excited about this school...it looks amazing. I'm still in the early stages of my application, but I'm hoping I'll be fortunate enough to receive an interview. I'm from a lesser known state school so I hope I can still be competitive. Good luck to everybody!

Originally Posted by chaingangdx

Have you had a chance to meet Dr. Gregory Polites yet?
He's the best ever!!!

Yes, Dr. Polites is the best. He was my clinical mentor this year when we went into the hospitals to interview patients and he is in charge of the whole first year Practice of Medicine class.

Originally Posted by ksmi117

Yes, Dr. Polites is the best. He was my clinical mentor this year when we went into the hospitals to interview patients and he is in charge of the whole first year Practice of Medicine class.

I'm currently an undergraduate here ; he teaches Medprep at the UG campus and a lucky few (myself included) had a chance to shadow him at Charles F knight..

I got the packet too. Nice of them. My committee letter is still missing from my WUSTL status but they finally got my fee yay. Kinda wondering about the committee letter since it was the kind I selected in AMCAS. oh well ill give it a week or two

Originally Posted by Cinclus

undiagnosed/untreated Celiac disease I had growing up? It was misdiagnosed at least a dozen times (usually as a psychiatric problem, such as "attention seeking" or as anorexia.....in a 6-yr-old!)

Sorry to hear about it. It's a depressingly common story, though. Apparently everyone thinks that humans evolved to eat grass seed and can handle its many toxins with no ill effects; after all, that's how we got our large brains and predator-quality vision... from picking out cereal grains... with spears and fire. Check out the Paleo diet. And the work of Thomas Szasz, if you want to stick it to psychiatry, which deserves it too.

As a re-applicant, I wrote about being rejected and the internal character flaws I had to overcome in the "obstacles" section. Any opinions on such an option? It was a bit of a gamble - but so is Wash-U. Better than a BS story of hardship - not that coming to America as penniless Soviet refugees wouldn't count - but c'mon, I don't want my app to elicit a conditioned response of nausea.

Originally Posted by BMEN

I got the packet too. Nice of them. My committee letter is still missing from my WUSTL status but they finally got my fee yay. Kinda wondering about the committee letter since it was the kind I selected in AMCAS. oh well ill give it a week or two

Don't worry! It says letters won't be marked as received until after july 1st.

Originally Posted by rrmix

Don't worry! It says letters won't be marked as received until after july 1st.

Good sir you are my sanity savior. Cheers

What's the consensus on the optional essay question? I can definitely think of some obstacles that I could talk about, but they happened long ago and really don't impact me much anymore, so I'd risk sounding insincere or like I was just looking for pity. All of my unique experiences were already mentioned in my primary. Should I just leave it blank?

Originally Posted by musik2468

What's the consensus on the optional essay question? I can definitely think of some obstacles that I could talk about, but they happened long ago and really don't impact me much anymore, so I'd risk sounding insincere or like I was just looking for pity. All of my unique experiences were already mentioned in my primary. Should I just leave it blank?

IMO, if someone has to ask about this I dont think you should write anything. Not to be hard or anything like that.

Hmm... leaving the "optional" essays blank seems a bit iffy... Can we have more opinion on this? I don't really have any particularly unique experiences or hardships/challenges. Having lived in different countries might be a bit unique but is not so unique that it'd look that special if I wrote about it.

I submitted my secondary on the 20th, and they still haven't received my letters. I wonder if I need to email them...

Originally Posted by nadaba

I submitted my secondary on the 20th, and they still haven't received my letters. I wonder if I need to email them...

No need - it says online that they won't start recording letters as received until after July 1.

Originally Posted by zqx

No need - it says online that they won't start recording letters as received until after July 1.

Completely missed that. Thanks!