2010-2011 Oregon Health & Sciences University Application Thread

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ksmi117

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Prompts:

All applicants have two required essays:

1. Personal Essay, 4000 chars:
Please answer the following: "Future physicians are expected to work in an interprofessional environment, meaning in a team of other health care professionals that may include people with a variety of backgrounds and skills. Using your own experiences, tell us how you have developed the qualities and values you believe are important and will bring to your role as physician-leader of the health care team."

2. Diversity Essay, 4000 chars:
Please discuss the diversity that you would bring to the OHSU School of Medicine and the profession of medicine. You may want to consider important aspects of your life experience such as early educational opportunities, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or life/work experiences and how these circumstances have shaped your perspective of medicine and better prepared you to become a physician.

They want the last 5 years of Work/Activities, 150 chars to describe each.

If you mark down that you experienced Adversity in childhood (akin to AMCAS' disadvantaged status) you have a 4000 char space to describe this.

If you have any criminal stuff, you have a 1500 char space to describe this.

MD/MPH essay, 4000 chars:
Please explain: 1) why you are applying for the MD/MPH Combined Degree Program at OHSU and 2) how you think you will use the medicine and public health training offered at OHSU in your career plans.

MD/PhD essay, 4000 chars:
The School of Medicine requires a statement explaining your desire for admission to the MD/PhD Combined Degree Program that outlines your goals regarding your career development. Include any comments that might be helpful to the Admissions Committee in their evaluation of your application. To this statement add a list of any academic honors, awards, or honor society memberships you have received and any publications of which you are the author or in which you were cited for assistance. Also, include any job or extracurricular experiences you have had which you consider relevant to your career development in biomedical research.

Please submit your statement below, using the text area provided. Your essay cannot exceed the 4000 character limit. No particular formatting or spacing is required.

:luck: with your application!

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I love and miss Portland, and I'd kill to go to OHSU! Although going back to the 200 days of mist/rain a year could be a hard transition from southern California.
 
When I went to my post-rejection meeting with an admissions counselor at OHSU I really drilled her to get to the bottom of this crazy process. This info is specific to OHSU and really just confirmed to me some of the things other people have posted about OHSU's selection process.

First of all, you are interviewed by one physician on the committee and one non-committee physician. Both turn in an evaluation form and at least one must attend the meeting when you are discussed.

When you are discussed in the committee meeting you are given a percentage score for academics (GPA, MCAT) and a percentage score for everything else (interview, personal statement, activities, etc.).

To rate you in "everything else" they use your interview and application materials to evaluate things like your maturity level, your ability to communicate and your drive for a career in medicine.

Then these scores are weighted, 20% academics and 80% everything else.

Hope this ends up being helpful to somebody ;)
Jen
 
I can't find what the secondary essays have been in the past. Anyone know?
 
I can't find what the secondary essays have been in the past. Anyone know?
The official 2008-2009 secondary thread:
shemarty said:
PERSONAL ESSAY (REQUIRED):
How will you evaluate your success as a medical student? (Please submit on a separate sheet of paper, do not exceed one page. No particular format, font or spacing is required.)

EMPLOYMENT/ACTIVITIES HISTORY (REQUIRED):
Using the format below, give us a brief chronological account of your major activities and employment, including volunteer and summer activities, for the five years immediately preceding your proposed entry to medical school.

A paraphrase of the prompts from 2010:
I don't have the exact question because they took it off the application once we submitted but I think they were:

1. How will you evaluate your success as a medical student?
2. How will you bring diversity to OHSU?
 
When I went to my post-rejection meeting with an admissions counselor at OHSU I really drilled her to get to the bottom of this crazy process. This info is specific to OHSU and really just confirmed to me some of the things other people have posted about OHSU's selection process.

First of all, you are interviewed by one physician on the committee and one non-committee physician. Both turn in an evaluation form and at least one must attend the meeting when you are discussed.

When you are discussed in the committee meeting you are given a percentage score for academics (GPA, MCAT) and a percentage score for everything else (interview, personal statement, activities, etc.).

To rate you in "everything else" they use your interview and application materials to evaluate things like your maturity level, your ability to communicate and your drive for a career in medicine.

Then these scores are weighted, 20% academics and 80% everything else.

Hope this ends up being helpful to somebody ;)
Jen

That's great to know, thanks so much!
 
I wonder when this one will come out this time... It was something like September last year!
 
I wonder when this one will come out this time... It was something like September last year!
IIRC last year's infamous delay in sending secondaries was because they were going live on a new computer system for online application status. Hopefully they've worked out the kinks this year! :xf:


(But I am not holding my breath... OHSU laid off significant percentages of their IT workforce in the past few years.)
 
IIRC last year's infamous delay in sending secondaries was because they were going live on a new computer system for online application status. Hopefully they've worked out the kinks this year! :xf:

Here's hoping.

And while they might have laid off a lot of IT folks, the people I've spoken to (I'm a volunteer there and periodically need to reset my password or fix access issues) have been some of the better computer helpline staff I've encountered. Not that they necessarily have any connection to the IT people for admissions, of course.
 
And while they might have laid off a lot of IT folks, the people I've spoken to (I'm a volunteer there and periodically need to reset my password or fix access issues) have been some of the better computer helpline staff I've encountered. Not that they necessarily have any connection to the IT people for admissions, of course.
Yep, I've had mostly positive experiences when contacting them as well. Disclaimer: I work in IT for another big hospital system here in town. I think some of OHSU's IT architecture & practices are a little... I dunno, iffy? Not bad iffy, just sort of primitive and not fully-developed. On the other hand, they are a fairly small shop, and they're for-profit so they aren't as cush as over here in NunLand. ;)
 
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The one positive in that article is that there's a scholaship fund now. As far as I know, no one was receiving any sort of school sponsored scholarships except for MD/Phd I think. Unless someone knows otherwise.
 
The one positive in that article is that there's a scholaship fund now. As far as I know, no one was receiving any sort of school sponsored scholarships except for MD/Phd I think. Unless someone knows otherwise.

I don't think they had much in the way of scholarships before. I know that Searun (3rd year medical student) was accepted and not offered anything, but had multiple acceptances elsewhere and ended up with a full tuition ride at an ivy league. Hopefully this year they can finally afford to give out at least some incentives to top Oregon students to keep them in Oregon.
 
Traditionally, all scholarships at OHSU are applied for during first year, and given out from second year onward. I'll grant that I don't think many of those scholarships were substantial, but there was some funding available before.

The new scholarship fund sounds excellent, but I wouldn't get too excited about scholarship packages being offered to incoming MS1 students just yet. It is quite possible that OHSU will stick with the old system and make current students apply for that scholarship money once a few quarters of grades have rolled in.
 
Traditionally, all scholarships at OHSU are applied for during first year, and given out from second year onward. I'll grant that I don't think many of those scholarships were substantial, but there was some funding available before.

The new scholarship fund sounds excellent, but I wouldn't get too excited about scholarship packages being offered to incoming MS1 students just yet. It is quite possible that OHSU will stick with the old system and make current students apply for that scholarship money once a few quarters of grades have rolled in.

bummer...
 
According to their website, the Admissions Portal to check app status and do online secondaries was to be available by mid-July. I called them today, after waiting just a few more days, trying to not seem completely neurotic! :laugh:

Left a VM asking about when it might be available, and will post again if I hear back from them.
 
Thanks for checking, Dianyla!
I know it doesn't make any real difference, but is an auto-generated "we got your application, now sit tight" message too much to ask? I suppose it's hardly the worst indignity of this process, but like a Hawaiian calendar at the DMV, the little touches are always nice.

According to their website, the Admissions Portal to check app status and do online secondaries was to be available by mid-July. I called them today, after waiting just a few more days, trying to not seem completely neurotic! :laugh:

Left a VM asking about when it might be available, and will post again if I hear back from them.
 
Thanks for checking, Dianyla!
I know it doesn't make any real difference, but is an auto-generated "we got your application, now sit tight" message too much to ask?
I know, right? I just... wanna know I exist! *sniff* :laugh:

I suppose it's hardly the worst indignity of this process, but like a Hawaiian calendar at the DMV, the little touches are always nice.
I'll just be happy if we don't have to wait til September like last year's cohort. :xf:
 
Because OHSU gives preference to out-of-state applicants from certain WICHE states, I don't really know what to make of their in-state/out-of-state numbers.

Do applicants without ties to Oregon/Wyoming/Montana have a shot at OSHU? Or are their out-of-state numbers misleading due to giving preference to Wyoming/Montana people?
 
Because OHSU gives preference to out-of-state applicants from certain WICHE states, I don't really know what to make of their in-state/out-of-state numbers.

Do applicants without ties to Oregon/Wyoming/Montana have a shot at OSHU? Or are their out-of-state numbers misleading due to giving preference to Wyoming/Montana people?
I don't know this for certain, but I seem to recall that the WICHE residents are counted and reported as IS.
 
I don't know this for certain, but I seem to recall that the WICHE residents are counted and reported as IS.

Not sure either, but I did talk to the U of Colorado about how they count the WICHE matriculants and they are reported as OOS. They only took a handfull however so maybe that is also true of OHSU in either case.
 
Not sure either, but I did talk to the U of Colorado about how they count the WICHE matriculants and they are reported as OOS. They only took a handfull however so maybe that is also true of OHSU in either case.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what is WICHE?
 
I love Montana, but I feel a little homeless for not having an in-state school. :cry:
 
I love Montana, but I feel a little homeless for not having an in-state school. :cry:

Can't say I sympathize but can certainly empathize. I do not take it for granted at all that I can apply to Umass Medical, which will absolutely not accept any OOS (many state schools will accept 10 to 30% OOS). The only other state that would be nice to have residency is CA, but IMO, has the MOST competitive state schools so I wouldn't want to be in that applicant pool.
 
Can't say I sympathize but can certainly empathize. I do not take it for granted at all that I can apply to Umass Medical, which will absolutely not accept any OOS (many state schools will accept 10 to 30% OOS). The only other state that would be nice to have residency is CA, but IMO, has the MOST competitive state schools so I wouldn't want to be in that applicant pool.

Yeah, I'm in that position (CA resident). Since my MCAT isn't too competitive, I don't think I have too much of a shot with my state schools (but I would LOVE to go to any of the CA schools), so I'm applying broadly everywhere else too. But most schools seem very OOS-unfriendly, it took me forever to research through all the schools to find OOS-friendly schools that where somewhat within my range (a good portion of them are private schools unfortunately).

I think it would've been nice to be a TX or PA resident or something from what I've heard. Lots of schools with variety!!
 
Yeah, I'm in that position (CA resident). Since my MCAT isn't too competitive, I don't think I have too much of a shot with my state schools (but I would LOVE to go to any of the CA schools), so I'm applying broadly everywhere else too. But most schools seem very OOS-unfriendly, it took me forever to research through all the schools to find OOS-friendly schools that where somewhat within my range (a good portion of them are private schools unfortunately).

I think it would've been nice to be a TX or PA resident or something from what I've heard. Lots of schools with variety!!

TX for sure! I go to school in OK with a ton of TX kids, and there are SO MANY schools down there. On top of that, it's basically, "don't bother applying if you're not a resident." Big surprise. Not that I'd really want to live in Texas anyway, I guess. I've had my share of the south.
 
TX for sure! I go to school in OK with a ton of TX kids, and there are SO MANY schools down there. On top of that, it's basically, "don't bother applying if you're not a resident." Big surprise. Not that I'd really want to live in Texas anyway, I guess. I've had my share of the south.

Yeah, I didn't even think about applying to Texas once I saw their OOS acceptance %s. And I've also completely avoided applying to Southern schools. I lived in the South for a few years (not TX though) and decided it wasn't for me :D.
 
Yeah, I didn't even think about applying to Texas once I saw their OOS acceptance %s. And I've also completely avoided applying to Southern schools. I lived in the South for a few years (not TX though) and decided it wasn't for me :D.

One thing about Texas schools is that the stats may not show the full story. One of my good friends just got accepted to a Texas medical school (Tech) and they are giving him in-state status even though he is a cali resident. And I know this has happened to several people, especially at Texas Tech (3 people I know are in the same situation next year.)
 
Yeah, I didn't even think about applying to Texas once I saw their OOS acceptance %s. And I've also completely avoided applying to Southern schools. I lived in the South for a few years (not TX though) and decided it wasn't for me :D.

I was intimidated by Baylor's OOS acceptance rate... but they seem so focused on Primary Care and working with underserved that I thought I'd give it a shot rather than living my life wondering "What if...?"
 
I was intimidated by Baylor's OOS acceptance rate... but they seem so focused on Primary Care and working with underserved that I thought I'd give it a shot rather than living my life wondering "What if...?"

If you really like the school, then go for it!!! They still do accept OOSers, but just not as much. If you have ties to Texas, I'm sure that would help you out too. Good luck! :luck:

I don't know much about the TX schools, but I found so many other schools outside of TX that I liked (with better OOS acceptance %), so I'm good :).
 
One thing about Texas schools is that the stats may not show the full story. One of my good friends just got accepted to a Texas medical school (Tech) and they are giving him in-state status even though he is a cali resident. And I know this has happened to several people, especially at Texas Tech (3 people I know are in the same situation next year.)


WHHAAA?:eek: What's the situation?
 
Left a VM asking about when it might be available, and will post again if I hear back from them.
I never did hear back from them, but the online Admissions Portal now has a notice that it will be available for a few hours tomorrow. Sounds like they're getting ready to go-live on the new system for this app cycle. :)

Oh, heh! I just checked the main page and they've also changed the little announcement that used to say "the system will be available by mid-July" to "end of July". :rolleyes:
 
WHHAAA?:eek: What's the situation?

Not real special situation, they just wanted him. A lot of students at my university apply to Texas schools even though they are not residents and fair number get in. All I know is he is starting there in August and is in-state. They offered it to him when they accepted him.
 
Not real special situation, they just wanted him. A lot of students at my university apply to Texas schools even though they are not residents and fair number get in. All I know is he is starting there in August and is in-state. They offered it to him when they accepted him.

Wow. They must have really wanted him and want to sweeten the deal as much as possible to have him matriculate there.
 
Not real special situation, they just wanted him. A lot of students at my university apply to Texas schools even though they are not residents and fair number get in. All I know is he is starting there in August and is in-state. They offered it to him when they accepted him.

Where's your undergrad? That is so weird because everyone at OU has horror stories about TX and their super-duper statism, lol
 
Yup, admissions portal is up now for 2011. All mine says is that they have my primary and have not mailed me a secondary.
 
I got the email invite, but the site is only half-up. You can log in, but you can not access the secondary questions or take any actions.
 
sorta? explain :)


Like Thom1986 says, there's an email invite, eligibility requirements and instructions for completing the secondary, but when you log in the site says "The secondary is not yet available."
 
It also shows a deadline of the 30th to turn it in... which is 4 days from now.
 
Hmm, I havne't gotten it yet, but probably because I am OOS...good luck! Is it "meaty"?
 
How likely are they to grant you in-state status after a year? What if after you move to Portland your spouse finds a job there, you buy a house, etc?
 
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