2010-2011 University of Iowa (Carver) Application Thread

[Lacipart]

Is it too late to apply to this school? I applied to my other schools in July but I looked over the MSAR once more and wanna add Carver... just not sure if its too late to bother..
OOS, my stats are midrange, lower gpa but higher mcat. I figure I'm better safe then sorry and should apply but its silly to just throw $100 away

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[4ksibe]

Is it too late to apply to this school? I applied to my other schools in July but I looked over the MSAR once more and wanna add Carver... just not sure if its too late to bother..
OOS, my stats are midrange, lower gpa but higher mcat. I figure I'm better safe then sorry and should apply but its silly to just throw $100 away

more like 132 bucks

 

[4ksibe]

I would like to second this. I just booked my flight home (west coast) and it was $120 cheaper, round trip, to fly out of moline than from cedar rapids. Consider this, as well as the shuttle costs when making your travel plans, because moline could end up being a lot cheaper! I also just wanted to come in here and wish everyone good luck. I've only been at Iowa a few weeks, but I really like it so far!

[/
Definitely cheaper but how do you get to campus from here?

 

[4ksibe]

more like 132 bucks

booked my flight and im definitely excited!!! Now what is there to do in Iowa on a sunday????

 

[crixx]

booked my flight and im definitely excited!!! Now what is there to do in Iowa on a sunday????

Eat corn? Just kidding. I'm really excited too! What days did everyone pick?

 

[Mizoodles]

I didn't recieve an "official" itenerary.. just a start and end time. Does anyone know what the interview day here looks like? I'm guessing we show up in suits at start time?

 

[ImmortaliaX]

Probably on the suit

The email inviting you to interview had a lot of info on the schedule. Basically, there's a short orientation followed by lunch and tour. I think some people then do their interviews while others participate in the CBL.

 

[ImmortaliaX]

Oh, and then switch after the interview to CBL or CBL to interview.

 

[Robinson Crusoe]

.

 

[isasmommy]

To the person wondering about states/stats:
submit 8/27, II: 8/30 (and complete afterwards), midwest, 32/3.63.

I will also be interviewing on 10/6 so let me know if anyone else will be there too that day! I will be driving and staying at a hotel the night before?

 

[CougarMD]

Is it too late to apply to this school? I applied to my other schools in July but I looked over the MSAR once more and wanna add Carver... just not sure if its too late to bother..
OOS, my stats are midrange, lower gpa but higher mcat. I figure I'm better safe then sorry and should apply but its silly to just throw $100 away

I applied like 3 weeks ago and got an interview. I would say go for it but make sure you turn the secondary around quickly to show your interest It is an awesome school, good luck!!!

 

[dreaming2bdoc]

Since the interview is only 25 minutes long, does anyone have a suggestion for how many questions we should ask the interviewers?

 

[FlankerDoc]

If I received a complete email on 8/31 and haven't received an interview invite yet do you think this means I was passed over?

Minnesota Resident
35Q, 3.75

 

[Midwestern Blot]

If I received a complete email on 8/31 and haven't received an interview invite yet do you think this means I was passed over?

Minnesota Resident
35Q, 3.75

I doubt you were completely passed over. It seemed like they gave an advantage to instate applicants by processing them quicker.

The first interview day was today, I believe. Anybody have anything they'd like to share?

 

[iheartmcats]

I got my secondary for this school a few weeks back and am going to submit it today.. I am instate. How do you guys think I will fair?

 

[Robinson Crusoe]

I doubt you were completely passed over. It seemed like they gave an advantage to instate applicants by processing them quicker.

The first interview day was today, I believe. Anybody have anything they'd like to share?

Nice school. They are still using the same questions that you will find in the interview feedback section.

 

[EH4aR]

Interview Invite 9/20!
OOS
Complete 9/16

Hey does anyone know about what percentage of people who interview get accepted?

 

[LazyDSledge]

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone had advice or experiences to share regarding traveling to this school for interviews.. Both time- and money-wise, Iowa City's a bit off the beaten path. Airports, airlines, driving while there, etc?

Thanks ahead of time!

Also, for those that I know will ask:
Complete 8/3
Invite 9/21
35N, OOS

 

[Midwestern Blot]

Interview Invite 9/20!
OOS
Complete 9/16

Hey does anyone know about what percentage of people who interview get accepted?

Only about 15% of OOS applicants are interviewed. Of those interviewed, about 10% matriculate.

For in state, ~80% of applicants get interviewed and ~40% of those people matriculate.

I would say just by having an interview, you have a very good chance, especially this early in the application period.

 

[Midwestern Blot]

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone had advice or experiences to share regarding traveling to this school for interviews.. Both time- and money-wise, Iowa City's a bit off the beaten path. Airports, airlines, driving while there, etc?

Thanks ahead of time!

Also, for those that I know will ask:
Complete 8/3
Invite 9/21
35N, OOS

I would suggest you fly in to the Eastern Iowa Airport, take a taxi to Iowa City (~20-30 min drive), and book a room at the Sheraton downtown. With home football game weekends, you will not be able to find a room for Friday night, unless you get very lucky. You will not need to drive anywhere from downtown, as the city transportation is very good. Take a cambus (or walk) over to MERF before your interview. Just about anything that you will need is in walking distance from downtown.

 

[ImmortaliaX]

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone had advice or experiences to share regarding traveling to this school for interviews.. Both time- and money-wise, Iowa City's a bit off the beaten path. Airports, airlines, driving while there, etc?

Thanks ahead of time!

Also, for those that I know will ask:
Complete 8/3
Invite 9/21
35N, OOS

I'm driving over and staying at the Holiday Inn Express, which I think is 5 minutes away from MERF by car.

Is anyone else interviewing on Monday (the 27th)? Aah, the day's so close now!

 

[Midwestern Blot]

I'm driving over and staying at the Holiday Inn Express, which I think is 5 minutes away from MERF by car.

Is anyone else interviewing on Monday (the 27th)? Aah, the day's so close now!

Make sure you give yourself more time than 5 minutes to get to MERF. On highway 6 through Coralville, it could easily take you 20 minutes or more in morning traffic. Also, stay away from 1st ave off of I-80 because the construction is pretty bad.

 

[startswithb]

I <3 this school. I was actually surprised to find how close it is to my family in IL. for interview...

 

[luckys]

Has anyone tried the AKK housing or is planning on staying there for interviews? Any input is appreciated

 

[4ksibe]

Has anyone tried the AKK housing or is planning on staying there for interviews? Any input is appreciated

will let you know after i stay there in a couple of weeks

 

[Jamiu22]

YAY~!!!

Carver-COM invite today...

AMCAS Added: Sept 01
Secondary Invite: Sept 03
Secondary Completed: Sept 10
Application Complete: Sept 16
Interview Invite: Sept 23
Interview Scheduled: Nov 01 (earliest possible)

Stats: Less than average GPA, Average MCAT; BS/MS Engineering (10yrs work experience in Automotive Industry and Silicon Valley).....

 

[NYC8683DD]

Only about 15% of OOS applicants are interviewed. Of those interviewed, about 10% matriculate.

For in state, ~80% of applicants get interviewed and ~40% of those people matriculate.

I would say just by having an interview, you have a very good chance, especially this early in the application period.

Just curious - is that 40% matriculate or 40% are offered acceptance? Those couuld be very different numbers. And Where did you find those numbers?

Interview 10/25
IS 30O 3.6GPA non-trad (dance major, out of school for 5 yrs)

 

[Midwestern Blot]

Just curious - is that 40% matriculate or 40% are offered acceptance? Those couuld be very different numbers. And Where did you find those numbers?

40% of the people interviewed in-state matriculate so the number of acceptances will be higher than 40%. I don't know how much higher, but I got my numbers from a recent MSAR.

 

[Jamiu22]

40% of the people interviewed in-state matriculate so the number of acceptances will be higher than 40%. I don't know how much higher, but I got my numbers from a recent MSAR.

Know this site... let it be ur friend: http://www.medicalschoolsinusa.com/index.html


The information below contains that for both IS and OOS... you can extract the info needed from there.

Fall 2008 Admissions Statistics
Total admissions data..............................2895 applied, 665 interviewed, 290 were accepted, 148 enrolled
In-state admissions data.........................365 applied, 268 interviewed, 133 were accepted, 98 enrolled
Out-of-state admissions data...................2530 applied, 397 interviewed, 157 were accepted, 50 enrolled
Women's admissions data........................1224 applied, 276 interviewed, 135 were accepted, 71 enrolled
Minority admissions data.........................943 applied, 215 interviewed, 86 were accepted, 36 enrolled
International admissions data...................0 applied, 0 interviewed, 0 were accepted, 0 enrolled

Fall 2008 GPA and MCAT Scores
Average undergraduate GPA.....................3.69
Oldest MCAT considered..........................2004
Average MCAT score..............................31.9
Average biological MCAT score ................11.0
Average physical sciences MCAT score......10.5
Average verbal reasoning MCAT score.......10.2
Average writing MCAT score....................P

 

[ImmortaliaX]

Make sure you give yourself more time than 5 minutes to get to MERF. On highway 6 through Coralville, it could easily take you 20 minutes or more in morning traffic. Also, stay away from 1st ave off of I-80 because the construction is pretty bad.

Thanks for the info! Traffic, hopefully, won't be too bad at 10am, but yeah, I was definitely going to give myself more than 5 mins to head over MERF

In-state admissions data.........................365 applied, 268 interviewed, 133 were accepted, 98 enrolled
Out-of-state admissions data...................2530 applied, 397 interviewed, 157 were accepted, 50 enrolled

It'd be nice if MSAR would list these acceptance rates in addition to the apply/interview/enroll ones. Hope we're all part of the 133 or 157!

 

[NYC8683DD]

Thanks for the info!

 

[falcon7]

Does anyone anything about Carver's scholarship/grant money process?

 

[4ksibe]

Thanks for the info!

Anyone getting to Iowa city on Oct 10 (sunday morning)? i need something to do then or someone to hang out (or freak out) with.

 

[FlankerDoc]

Did anyone receive on invite on your application page but not via emial? After relying on SDN to inform me that they send out emails, I'm a bit worried I may have had that invite waiting for a long time.

 

[masterwolfie]

Did anyone receive on invite on your application page but not via emial? After relying on SDN to inform me that they send out emails, I'm a bit worried I may have had that invite waiting for a long time.

ME TOO <3 <3 <3 it wasn't there when I checked last Friday, so you should be good!!! OMG <3 Congrats!

 

[FlankerDoc]

ME TOO <3 <3 <3 it wasn't there when I checked last Friday, so you should be good!!! OMG <3 Congrats!

Well that eases me a bit! Congrats to you too!

 

[transfec]

Yeah! Interview invite!

Complete first week of September.

32Q, 3.96c, 3.94s

 

[Jamiu22]

Yeah! Interview invite!

Complete first week of September.

32Q, 3.96c, 3.94s

Great job guys.... keep em coming...

 

[Carbon inc]

Awesome invite! Submitted 9/8, avg stats for the school and I'm OOS. Anyone know what Iowa City is like?

 

[toastedcheese]

Anyone have any information regarding the Case-Based Learning (CBL) session? How is it structured, what do they have you do, ect.?

 

[HakunaMatata22]

Anyone have any information regarding the Case-Based Learning (CBL) session? How is it structured, what do they have you do, ect.?

Don't even worry about. It's just a way to expose the applicants to how a CBL session works. It occurs at the end of the day. Essentially you're given a case in a step-by-step process and throw out different ideas at each stage. It's lead by M4's.

Initially I was a bit skeptical about the format, but the session really helped put my mind to rest. It was a great way to get a quick look into one of the up-and-coming aspects of the medical school curriculum. Just keep an open mind and you'll be good to go!

to you!

 

[nwilkes]

Anyone have any information regarding the Case-Based Learning (CBL) session? How is it structured, what do they have you do, ect.?

A little bit about interview day: there were 15 people, and we all met in a conference room for the first part of the day - welcome, financial aid discussion, and question time with the curriculum director. Then we were randomly broken off into groups of five for lunch (thick sandwiches, cookies, apples, and pop) with the med student who then led a tour of the place. Then, everyone reconvened - a group of people went in for the CBL session, while another group went out to wait for interviews, then the CBL and interviewees switched. (Just some background, everyone's probably familiar with the format, anyways...)

Sooo, as to the CBL: group of seven or eight back back in the conference room. Mine was led by an 4th year and an MD/PhD student (who really didn't say much, I assume her role was more to watch/evaluate it all?). Everyone got a little black three-ring binder with like 9 dividers in it, each labeled like Case 1, Case 2. The 4th year had chosen the case. Someone then volunteered (everyone was quite eager, I might add ) to read the first page of information - the chief complaint and presentation, ie, 64 yo man comes into the ER presenting with......We then discussed the page, what information there was, what further questions we wanted to ask the patient, what we thought it might be. Then, when that was exhausted, the preceptor told us to turn to the next page, and someone read it.....more symptoms, history, etc. There were like seven pages of information, background, lab values, and we stopped and discussed each page. Got to the final page, and we had it down to a general diagnosis and finally the 4th year told us the specific diagnosis. Not sure what they were looking for as far as discussion goes - more that you're able to form a coherent sentence, I suppose. I think the main point was really like HakunaMatata22 said, just to let you see what CBL is like. No worries!

PS - the only thing you might worry about is pronouncing the medical words since we read aloud. But really, it's no big deal and kinda fun ;-)

 

[nwilkes]

Hey, other randomness about the interview day:

1. If you're willing to walk ~15 minutes, you can cross the bridge on W Iowa street and park on the main campus area in a parking garage (on N Madison street?). It was only $6 for the day intead of $15.

2. Don't be surprised by a third person in the interview room, besides the two interviewers - they were there as an evaluator of the interviewers, I think.

3. Lunch was short.

4. The curriculum director (or whatever his proper title is ) mentioned how Carver is making changes in the curriculum, and seemed to be something he was very interested in. I mention this because we spent all of the time with him going around the table asking questions - so make sure you have some really good questions to ask! Some of the better ones, I thought, were pretty much straight from the pre-allo main page thread from that 4th year medical student's views on what to look for in a school. *Sigh* I was jealous.

5. If you have rural healthcare experience, the interview would be a great place to bring it up. Seriously. I mentioned my rural background once, and most of my unstructured questions stemmed from farm life! .....but that's one of the great things about the school: they have a good primary care/rural focus, but also some great research!

Okay, I'm done now. Seriously. (And yes, I do know about the interview feedback feature....just thought this thread needed a little more action!)

 

[luckys]

Hey, other randomness about the interview day:

1. If you're willing to walk ~15 minutes, you can cross the bridge on W Iowa street and park on the main campus area in a parking garage (on N Madison street?). It was only $6 for the day intead of $15.

2. Don't be surprised by a third person in the interview room, besides the two interviewers - they were there as an evaluator of the interviewers, I think.

3. Lunch was short.

4. The curriculum director (or whatever his proper title is ) mentioned how Carver is making changes in the curriculum, and seemed to be something he was very interested in. I mention this because we spent all of the time with him going around the table asking questions - so make sure you have some really good questions to ask! Some of the better ones, I thought, were pretty much straight from the pre-allo main page thread from that 4th year medical student's views on what to look for in a school. *Sigh* I was jealous.

5. If you have rural healthcare experience, the interview would be a great place to bring it up. Seriously. I mentioned my rural background once, and most of my unstructured questions stemmed from farm life! .....but that's one of the great things about the school: they have a good primary care/rural focus, but also some great research!

Okay, I'm done now. Seriously. (And yes, I do know about the interview feedback feature....just thought this thread needed a little more action!)

I just wanted to say thank you, that was a very helpful post.

 

[BaronVonZ]

Woohoo, invite!

Two questions I'm hoping someone might be able to answer:

It looks like the latest flights coming out of Cedar Rapids leave at 7:30... did anyone find a later flight? I know the interview day is expected to end at 5:00 but that seems a little bit too tight for comfort - really would like to save the money on a second hotel night if possible.

What is this interview feedback feature you're all talking about? Sounds like a great resource.

Thanks!

 

[nwilkes]

Woohoo, invite!

Two questions I'm hoping someone might be able to answer:

It looks like the latest flights coming out of Cedar Rapids leave at 7:30... did anyone find a later flight? I know the interview day is expected to end at 5:00 but that seems a little bit too tight for comfort - really would like to save the money on a second hotel night if possible.

What is this interview feedback feature you're all talking about? Sounds like a great resource.

Thanks!

1. I didn't find a later flight for my destination...my plane boarded at 6:50 and left at 7:12. But it was fine...I had enough time to drive to a restaurant, change, eat, repack, and then go through security with about twenty minutes to spare (Eastern Iowa Airport ain't no O'Hare! ). It probably depends on when your interview/CBL session is, and whether you have to return a rental car elsewhere besides the airport, but I'd pretty much guarantee you'd be able to make a 7:30 connection.

2. The interview feeback is here: http://www.studentdoctor.net/interview-feedback/ It's also a link at the very top of the page, in the blue SDN banner. And yes, it is a great resource! They are still using the same questions from previous years (and I'll go post mine there, too....)

 

[BaronVonZ]

1. I didn't find a later flight for my destination...my plane boarded at 6:50 and left at 7:12. But it was fine...I had enough time to drive to a restaurant, change, eat, repack, and then go through security with about twenty minutes to spare (Eastern Iowa Airport ain't no O'Hare! ). It probably depends on when your interview/CBL session is, and whether you have to return a rental car elsewhere besides the airport, but I'd pretty much guarantee you'd be able to make a 7:30 connection.

2. The interview feeback is here: http://www.studentdoctor.net/interview-feedback/ It's also a link at the very top of the page, in the blue SDN banner. And yes, it is a great resource! They are still using the same questions from previous years (and I'll go post mine there, too....)

Thanks for the help Its that time gap that scares me... Carver says interviews go from 10:30 to 5:00, and the latest flight I can find leaves at 7:20 out of Cedar Rapids. So if I leave the interview at 5:20 (a little leeway), change, repack, spend 40-50 minutes driving to the airport, 25 min to check in a car, that'll put me right at ~6:45 for check in... the plane will be boarding by then! AND thats all under the assumption that everything works to schedule

Also, would you all recommend renting a car or taking that shuttle? Are student hosts your recommended place to stay? I'm a little on the poor side

Sorry for all the questions, I've read through the thread and Carver's interview FAQ page but this being my first OOS interview I'm a bit paranoid. Thanks for any advice you all can spare me!

 

[nwilkes]

Thanks for the help Its that time gap that scares me... Carver says interviews go from 10:30 to 5:00, and the latest flight I can find leaves at 7:20 out of Cedar Rapids. So if I leave the interview at 5:20 (a little leeway), change, repack, spend 40-50 minutes driving to the airport, 25 min to check in a car, that'll put me right at ~6:45 for check in... the plane will be boarding by then! AND thats all under the assumption that everything works to schedule

For me, and what I've heard from the other interviewees for this year, the day ended around 4. I think the admissions office tells you 5, so they have leeway. One thing you could do is contact the admissions office and explain your predicament; you might be able to ask to do the CBL first, and then have the first interview after that, so you'd be among the first done. Again, I did interview, then wait, then CBL and was done at 4.

The other thing that will take some time is getting out of IC...red lights and really bold pedestrians! So, yeah, I would put it 40 minutes getting to the airport. (I walked to my car ~15 min away, got lost, and left at 4:40, and got to the airport ~5:20. It's not bad once you get on the interstate).

Why do you think you'll need 25 min to check a car? ...all I can say is, on Weds evenings at 6 pm, the airport wasn't exactly hopping. But, true, that can vary from day to day.

I guess: if the interview day ends at 5, allow yourself 1 hour to get to your car, leave, and get to the airport. That should give you another 30 minutes to gather your belongings (backpack and suit-bag work great for OOS interviews...and I'm a girl who fit all her makeup, hair stuff, and calculus books into one bookbag ) and check the car. If absolutely necessary, you don't need to change, even so, change at the airport if you feel you really need the extra time...getting through security - depends on the day, but 10 minutes has been the length in the past for me on weeknights. So it's 6:45, and you should be waiting for your plane! And, if your plane leaves at 7:20, it should start boarding at 7:00-7:10 (at the earliest, provided it's on time.) So, I would assume you'd be fine. Best advice would be, I guess, to call admissions and ask about scheduling.
(Sorry for the long winded response!)

Also, would you all recommend renting a car or taking that shuttle? Are student hosts your recommended place to stay? I'm a little on the poor side

I stayed with family, but definitely recommend student hosts!! Don't know about a car/shuttle....being from the midwest, I depend on a car. You should be able to get one from the airport for $30? The shuttle around IC is good (you just have to know the time schedule and it does tend to run ~5 min late), and the shuttles from the hotel to the school would be fine, too, but I don't know about getting to the airport. Everyone OOS on my interview day rented a car I believe.

 

[BaronVonZ]

Nwilkes - You've been wonderful!! Thanks for all your help I'll give the admissions office a ring, make sure things rarely if ever run past 5, and then go ahead and book a flight out that same night. Rental car sounds good as well. Thank you!!

 

[mes415]

How do you check your status for Carver?