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The SIU secondary is here! Finally!
2008-2009 Southern Illinois University Secondary Application Thread
- Thread starter Markymark2004
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I did.
I think June 20?
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last year i never got a secondary from southern. i was put on some sort of wait list for a secondary.. they really don't send secondaries to everyone so maybe call but either they haven't gotten your application or ...
i haven't gotten one either this year though !
i haven't gotten one either this year though !
This is true. I believe they send you an email stating their received your AMCAS application and that they review applicants before sending a secondary. I am sure it will not hurt to call though.
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SIU screens all applications. If you meet their selection criteria, they send you a secondary. If you submit the form, fees, and requested Letters of Reference, there's a very high chance you will be offered an interview (>90% in my application cycle).
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SIU prefers applicants from south of I-80 as it is their mission to serve the people of central and southern Illinois. I've heard they might make a very, very rare exception for someone from an underserved rural area in the northern part of the state.
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Students from downstate are selected more than those from up north. I don't think they really "screen" northerners out though. Evan gave me a thing that said how they work their secondaries, when I get back to school, I'll try to get in here and post what he said.
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There are a couple from up north there that I am remotely aware of. but generally this is correct.
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I received a secondary a few weeks ago from SIU, and this past Monday I got invited to interview at the school. Since I'm from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, I was a little surprised they expressed an interest in me, but I'm happy nonetheless.
As far as the essay questions go, they are:
* Essay question #1: Why should we admit you as a student to Southern Illinois University School of Medicine?
* Essay question #2: Describe the qualities you possess that are necessary to become a good physician.
* Essay question #3: Describe experiences of yours which you feel are relevant to the study of medicine, self-directed learning, and the small group tutorial process used in the problem-based learning curriculum.
Essay question #4: If you have previously applied to SIU School of Medicine, please describe how you feel you have strengthened your credentials since that application.
Good Luck!
As far as the essay questions go, they are:
* Essay question #1: Why should we admit you as a student to Southern Illinois University School of Medicine?
* Essay question #2: Describe the qualities you possess that are necessary to become a good physician.
* Essay question #3: Describe experiences of yours which you feel are relevant to the study of medicine, self-directed learning, and the small group tutorial process used in the problem-based learning curriculum.
Essay question #4: If you have previously applied to SIU School of Medicine, please describe how you feel you have strengthened your credentials since that application.
Good Luck!
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SIU sent me on e-mail on 7/23 saying they got my verified primary app. Should I be concerned that I didn't get the secondary by now? How long did it take for the ones who already got it? Although I am a northern IL resident, I was pretty sure that I would pass the initial screening.
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i got the same email on the same day and i still haven't got it. i'm northern il too.
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SIU received my primary on 7/3, and I was invited to complete the secondary on 7/30...so roughly a month. I'm assuming they send out batches of secondaries, so I wouldn't worry just yet. If you were verified on 7/23, then it's only been a month (roughly). They probably have more applications to sort through now anyway.
Have you tried calling and asking the admissions office about the secondary protocol?
Have you tried calling and asking the admissions office about the secondary protocol?
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No, I haven't contacted them about it. I guess I will now because it has been over a month since I got that initial e-mail. And the e-mail does say I contact the Director of Admissions. I'll have to wait until after Labor Day.
M
mmagnett
Interview invite 9-30-08!! Wahoooo!
My doc from home went to SIU and he is awesome.
My doc from home went to SIU and he is awesome.
M
mmagnett
FYI I am not from an underserved area in Illinois. I am from a rural area north of I-80.
M
mmagnett
Interview invite via email. Confirmed via webpage. Called for interview date.
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Hey everyone, How many of you that were invited to complete the secondary are from southern il versus northern il? i'm from a north shore suburb and still haven't gotten it OR a rejection letter, and i think my stats and interests are similar to the schools. I'm starting to get worried.
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You literally cannot get any further north in Illinois from my house.
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i am from chicago - my amcas was processed 8/18 and i received the invitation for the secondary on 9/9 (just under a one month turn-around). mcat = 13p, 10v, 12b, m; gpa= 3.65; bcpm gpa = 3.56 with decent ec's and decent lor's. i hope that helps and good luck.
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Anyone hear anything yet?
Nothing here. I think they said something about mailing something out on October 7th so by October 10th we should have something. I am hoping something in the mail tomorrow since I'm not too far from Springfield.
I thought I heard the same thing, but after 2 interviews I thought I was making dates up in my head! I think the admissions committee met on the 7th and are gonna mail out wait list decisions by the 10th. PULLIN MY HAIR OUT! Never thought I would be so anxious to find out I was on a wait list!
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Hi everyone!
I am currently an M1 at SIU and just wanted to wish everyone good luck with the application process! I was in your shoes last year and this message board helped me out a lot! Let me know if you guys have any questions about SIU, PBL, or the application process. Sometimes things get pretty busy, but I will try to respond as quickly as I can! I just want to say that I really love it here at SIU. I can't imagine being anywhere else. Everyone is really nice and helpful. We get LOTS of clinical/doctoring experiences the first year, which I think is a huge advantage over some other programs. PBL is an adjustment, but we do get resource sessions to suppliment our learning. I love my PBL group and we have all become great friends! Everyone is willing to help eachother out and is good at sharing notes and resources. Although med school is incredibly stressful and you have to learn about a million things at once over a very short time period, it is also really fun and an amazing experience.
Good luck to everyone! Feel free to PM me if you want
I am currently an M1 at SIU and just wanted to wish everyone good luck with the application process! I was in your shoes last year and this message board helped me out a lot! Let me know if you guys have any questions about SIU, PBL, or the application process. Sometimes things get pretty busy, but I will try to respond as quickly as I can! I just want to say that I really love it here at SIU. I can't imagine being anywhere else. Everyone is really nice and helpful. We get LOTS of clinical/doctoring experiences the first year, which I think is a huge advantage over some other programs. PBL is an adjustment, but we do get resource sessions to suppliment our learning. I love my PBL group and we have all become great friends! Everyone is willing to help eachother out and is good at sharing notes and resources. Although med school is incredibly stressful and you have to learn about a million things at once over a very short time period, it is also really fun and an amazing experience.
Good luck to everyone! Feel free to PM me if you want
Hi everyone!
I am currently an M1 at SIU and just wanted to wish everyone good luck with the application process! I was in your shoes last year and this message board helped me out a lot! Let me know if you guys have any questions about SIU, PBL, or the application process. Sometimes things get pretty busy, but I will try to respond as quickly as I can! I just want to say that I really love it here at SIU. I can't imagine being anywhere else. Everyone is really nice and helpful. We get LOTS of clinical/doctoring experiences the first year, which I think is a huge advantage over some other programs. PBL is an adjustment, but we do get resource sessions to suppliment our learning. I love my PBL group and we have all become great friends! Everyone is willing to help eachother out and is good at sharing notes and resources. Although med school is incredibly stressful and you have to learn about a million things at once over a very short time period, it is also really fun and an amazing experience.
Good luck to everyone! Feel free to PM me if you want
Hey u of i girl. I think i read ur message board last year. How long from your interview did you receive you letter, (AWPA)? Receive your acceptance? Were they mailed or emailed? Thanks
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I interviewed in December (b/c I submitted my AMCAS really late!). I got my AWPA letter on Jan. 19th (via snail mail) and received an official acceptance on May 14th (via email). SIU really has a unique application process. This is my understanding of the admissions process (disclaimer - I am not an expert nor am I on the adcom!) They give out AWPA letters in batches. You will never get a outright acceptance, you will get on the AWPA list first and then they pick accepted students out of that bunch. If you make it on the AWPA it means the adcom deems you acceptable to attend the school. They don't limit the number that can make it on the AWPA list, but only those with acceptable scores from the adcom meeting following the interview are put on the list. Every student gets a numerical value and that ranks them on the list. Acceptances are granted in 3 batches to 72 students. If a student turns down the acceptance, the next highest ranked student on the AWPA is picked. I am not sure when exactly the batches of acceptances are sent out, but you could probably call the school and ask or they might tell you at your interview. After all 72 slots are offered, those that don't get offered an acceptance have to sit around and wait. This is what I had to do! Luckily, there are some that get acceptances to other schools and choose to go there instead, freeing up slots at SIU.
I hope all of that made sense! Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck!
I hope all of that made sense! Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck!
Got AWPA letter
I wish it was an official acceptance though. MORE waiting
When did u interview?
Nevermind I called today and found out I was on the AWPA list. Prayin for a christmas present!
I interviewed on September 11. When did you interview?
Congrats on your AWPA! Yeah, I hope to get accepted in December as well. I doubt I'm that high on the list though, but still hoping for the best!
I interviewed the day before u on the 10th of september. SIU is my first choice so i am praying for a December acceptance. Today I got a call from South Carolina SOM saying I got accepted, so at the end of it all I will be a doc; however, I really wanna stay in-state and go to SIU!
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so im just about to submit this secondary (yes, im way behind all the studentdoc crowd), and i was wondering if there is any word limit on the essays. i have looked and looked and have been unable to find this info anywhere. does anyone know this?
No word limit....I wrote a novel. Just a heads up, when u submit it may seem as though some of it is cut off if u write a lot. However, it is not! When you get your confirmation letter you will see it is all there.
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so i have my interview for SIU SOM 11/6/08. any advice? for those of you on the AWPA list, how soon were you notified after your interview?
i'm going down to Springfield this weekend to get a better feel for the city and have something to talk about during the interview. Were the interviewers tough? I'm nervous, I was invited to two other interviews today
i'm going down to Springfield this weekend to get a better feel for the city and have something to talk about during the interview. Were the interviewers tough? I'm nervous, I was invited to two other interviews today
so i have my interview for SIU SOM 11/6/08. any advice? for those of you on the AWPA list, how soon were you notified after your interview?
i'm going down to Springfield this weekend to get a better feel for the city and have something to talk about during the interview. Were the interviewers tough? I'm nervous, I was invited to two other interviews today
I took about a month to receive the letter in the mail. I'm not sure how often the committee meets but I am guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of once a month. I interviewed on the 11th and they met on the 7th of the following month.
My interviews were not stressful by any means. One interview did not even seem like an interview as we just talked about sports and other hobbies. One interviewer is an open file so they will likely as questions from your AMCAS and the second interviewer just has your secondary application. Overall, the day went smoothly and my only compliant was I didn't eat a real breakfast and they don't serve lunch so I was hungry
I took about a month to receive the letter in the mail. I'm not sure how often the committee meets but I am guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of once a month. I interviewed on the 11th and they met on the 7th of the following month.
My interviews were not stressful by any means. One interview did not even seem like an interview as we just talked about sports and other hobbies. One interviewer is an open file so they will likely as questions from your AMCAS and the second interviewer just has your secondary application. Overall, the day went smoothly and my only compliant was I didn't eat a real breakfast and they don't serve lunch so I was hungry
My interview was low stress, nothing too complicated in terms of questions. Took a month exactly to get the AWPA letter. However, I am lucky that I have other interviews to occupy my time so that I am not pulling out my hair too much waiting on a decision.
The same as above is true wrt the interview content. I had lunch with a M4 student, so I had some form of food. I am not sure if each interview is the same in that respect. Best to eat breakfast to be safe!
hey guys, MS1 here. Questions/PMs are definitely welcome. Good luck!
thRob ur still on here? I looked over ur page last year when u guys were goin through the same thing we are now! My question is did u have any other acceptances that SIU, and if so, what made u choose SIU over the other? And also how is the 1st year in Carbondale going so far?
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Yeah, I'm still here
As for my application history, I turned in 15 primaries but only followed up with 3 secondaries because I had decided at that point that tuition > 25,000 would not be worth it. I got accepted to an out of state school with in state tuition in october and then a few days later got my AWPA from SIU. Once I got the AWPA, I cancelled my UoI interview.For me, the choice was easy. I had a lot of experience in undergrad with organized group academics. That, coupled with the fact that I absolutely hate lectures, led me to decide on SIU.
1st year is going well so far, thanks for asking! I have so much more free time than I ever anticipated. I basically study the general principles of the week's case in a review book and then pick up the stuff I might have missed in the 3-4 hours of lecture we have per week. Its very low stress
As for the city of Carbondale? Meh... I went to undergrad in Saint Louis and my apartment was one block off of the loop, so I'm really missing the diversity and trendiness that I had so readily available to me last year. To be honest, I wish all 4 years were in springfield - its just that much closer to STL (home) and that much further from obnoxious undergrads. Luckily, I live in a really nice townhouse complex for graduate students and about 15 other med students also live here.
M
mmagnett
Had my interview today, went well! Everyone in Springfield was extremely nice and understanding of the stressful process we are going through (that is not to say they didn't hit me with some hard questions in the interview). Since I am from Northern Illinois, and the SIU mission is to serve rural and underserved areas in mid-southern Illinois, this came up in the interview.
Additionally, they have an open file (for me both interviewers seemed to have an open file as they both referenced specifics; even though I was told one would have a completely open file and the other would have biographical information).
SIU seems like a really good place to become a doctor! Problem based learning sounds awesome! Bump.
Additionally, they have an open file (for me both interviewers seemed to have an open file as they both referenced specifics; even though I was told one would have a completely open file and the other would have biographical information).
SIU seems like a really good place to become a doctor! Problem based learning sounds awesome! Bump.
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So I haven't received my secondary yet and I decided to call the admissions office. The woman told me I will be receiving a letter next week. Does that mean rejection? I'm guessing that letter doesn't mean a secondary... what a bummer
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