I'm thinking business casual? Not sure though...
2013-2014 Uniformed Services University of the Health Science Application Thread
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Yeah, I would think it's business casual as well.
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So March 15th has past, which means some of those holding acceptances that are not medically qualified or have DoDMERB problems may be dropped. Anyone hear of any waitlist movement? I interviewed 1/30, and found out I was on the waitlist around late Feb. It sounds like within the next month or so it'll move slowly until May/June and then it'll move quick. Dr. Saguil told me I'm in a good spot on the waitlist so I'm hoping to hear sooner rather than later (but aren't we all). Good luck to everyone.
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That's interesting... I interviewed 2/6, so not much later than you. And I'm still waiting to hear anything.
Are there any February interviewers who have gotten a status update?
I interviewed the same day. Nothing yet.
Similar experience as well... wait-list notification through mail, but no call. I didn't (and wouldn't) expect a call, however, I am curious about those who did.
For those who mentioned they spoke with doctor Saguil: Did he call you? Were you asking about your spot on the wait-list, or did he offer that information?
Also, for anyone who might clarify this, I've noticed some mention of "tiers" on the wait-list and some appear to know which tier they are in. Are there tiers and how could I learn which tier I might be ranked?
Thank you all and any for your help and/or response.
For those who mentioned they spoke with doctor Saguil: Did he call you? Were you asking about your spot on the wait-list, or did he offer that information?
Also, for anyone who might clarify this, I've noticed some mention of "tiers" on the wait-list and some appear to know which tier they are in. Are there tiers and how could I learn which tier I might be ranked?
Thank you all and any for your help and/or response.
Dr. Saguil called me on his own, I did not try to contact him or the admissions office first. At first I thought I was getting my acceptance call, but was let down haha.
Their are no "tiers" for the waitlist. There are 2 "waitlists" however, the actual waitlist and the alternate list. If you were placed on the waitlist, it means when the admissions committee met to discuss your application, they said "hey, we think this guy/girl would be a great addition to our class, lets accept him!" This is no different than people who were accepted earlier this year. When they went to send out your acceptance letter, however, they saw the class list was full for your selected branch of preference, so they put your acceptance on hold and put you on a "waiting list" to be accepted once a spot opens up. This waiting list is not ranked. Every time a spot opens up in your branch, the admissions committee looks over everyone on the waiting list for that branch and selects the most qualified applicant within that list. This means that if you interviewed at a later date, but are more qualified than someone who interviewed at an earlier date who was placed on the same waiting list, you are not at a disadvantage for interviewing later. To best improve your chances to get off, Dr. Saguil advised sending in frequent updates to let them know you are committed and to improve your application compared to others on the list. I send one at the end of every month.
The second waitlist, or the "alternate list", is equivalent to every other schools waiting list. It means when the admissions committee sat around to discuss your file, they said, "this applicant might make a good fit in our class, but maybe not. lets put him/her on the alternate list and if a spot opens up after all of our qualified applicants have had a chance, then they can have it." This means that in order for someone on the alternate list to get a spot, the entire waitlist for that persons branch preference has to be exhausted before they start looking at the alternate list.
This ends up working similar to every other medical school. Most schools over accept, but USUHS cant since they are paying their students and can't budget for the over-accepted population, in case that were to happen. To prevent that scenario, they accept only the amount of spots they have. Everyone on the waitlist would have been accepted as part of the "over-acceptance number" that other schools have, but USUHS has to work differently.
Hope this helps! I received all of this information from Dr. Saguil when he called me. Dr. Saguil also sent up a follow up email for the people he called at the end of the interview season, did you receive that email? I thought he sent it to everyone on the wait list (not alternate list).
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I resigned my spot in the class yesterday (Navy) so one of you should be getting a call soon! Best of luck to everyone. I loved USUHS and it was a tough call, but ultimately had to go a different route.
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So if he told us we were on the "primary" waitlist that just means not on the alternate list, right?
That's correct.
Which branch's seat did you give up? Just wondering!
Also, just called them and spoke with Dr. Saguil. He told me there's still 3 more meetings before everything is in place for the waitlist/alternate lists so for those that interviewed late, they might have not looked at your stuff yet. He also said because of that, they cannot give any info on chances/etc. because more people are getting onto the lists. Also, there wasn't a lot of movement on the 3/15 date because almost everyone completed the medical qualification this year. He also said he wouldn't tell me what 1/3 of the waitlist I was on anymore because that information was not useful last year and doesn't think it will help for us to know. This puts all the people with other acceptances/HPSP in quite a limbo if they're interested in USUHS as well. Since I am on the Navy waitlist, he told me that there's already over 70 people on that waitlist. Didn't ask about other branches.... hoping there's still a lot of movement this year but as of right now, it doesn't seem like there will be.
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Sorry, should have been more specific...Navy.
Hope this helps! I received all of this information from Dr. Saguil when he called me. Dr. Saguil also sent up a follow up email for the people he called at the end of the interview season, did you receive that email? I thought he sent it to everyone on the wait list (not alternate list).[/quote]
Pawprint... thank you for the response. You clarified much of what I was suspecting and cleared-up some probable misnomers I had picked-up from reading SDN posts.
I have not received any emails from USUHS other than those confirming the reception of my updates. I did receive a letter in the mail updating my status "to placement on the wait list," but this is all. Does USUHS strictly apply the terminology of wait list and alternate list in their communications? I ask simply because it would be nice to solidly confirm whether I am on the wait list, or on the alternate list. Their letter did specifically state "wait list."
Lastly, I gave equal preference to two military branches and slightly less preference to the other two. The letter updating me to my wait list status did not state whether I was on a waiting list for a particular branch. It made no mention of branch. Is there anyone who has be wait listed without any mention of branch as well?
PS- thank you all for being so helpful.
Pawprint... thank you for the response. You clarified much of what I was suspecting and cleared-up some probable misnomers I had picked-up from reading SDN posts.
I have not received any emails from USUHS other than those confirming the reception of my updates. I did receive a letter in the mail updating my status "to placement on the wait list," but this is all. Does USUHS strictly apply the terminology of wait list and alternate list in their communications? I ask simply because it would be nice to solidly confirm whether I am on the wait list, or on the alternate list. Their letter did specifically state "wait list."
Lastly, I gave equal preference to two military branches and slightly less preference to the other two. The letter updating me to my wait list status did not state whether I was on a waiting list for a particular branch. It made no mention of branch. Is there anyone who has be wait listed without any mention of branch as well?
PS- thank you all for being so helpful.
From my experience, I wasn't told which branch I am on the wait list for, but I put the AF as my top choice, followed by Navy and then Army. I guess in your situation it wouldn't hurt to call maybe? Also, USUHS differentiated between "wait list" and "alternate list" in my letter. I was told specifically that I am on the wait list, "which is not the same as the alternate list." Hope this helps!
Edit: fixed quote
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I cannot say the same for other interview groups, but Dr. Saguil was not present for the 10/24/13 interview date. He was out of town doing something, so perhaps he didn't call us 10/24ers because he never formally met us. Just a thought. I am pretty sure my letter explicitly stated I was on the waitlist and not on the alternate list. I will have to check that after work.
I assume you are going to St. Louis university? What made you decide to go there instead of USUHS?
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Hey everyone, I've posted a couple times before, but for anyone who has already heard they are in and is starting to look for housing, I just thought I'd post again. I'm a 4th year I have a 4BR/3BA single family home in Rockville/Aspen Hill I am looking to rent out. It will be available starting 1 June, with 1-2 year leases available. If you send me a PM, I can give you a little more info including a link to pictures. For those looking to buy or rent something different, I can also give you a realtor's name/contact info and you can get in touch with him -- he has been happy to help people find rentals.
Good luck to all those on the waitlist, and those still weighing out their options. Please let me know if I can answer any questions!
Good luck to all those on the waitlist, and those still weighing out their options. Please let me know if I can answer any questions!
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Yes, there is one. You have to be invited first though I believe.
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Got the waitlist call today for Air Force!
I had interviewed 2/6.
I had interviewed 2/6.
This question may sound obvious, but... they called you to announce your placement on the wait list?
I ask only because I've heard of many receiving calls, but I received a letter in the mail. Anyone have suggestions as to why? Still the same wait list, right?
My state school communicates everything very uniformly: acceptances receive a phone call... wait listed applicants get the exact same email... etc.
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It could be something as simple as the availability of the people making the calls... Like maybe they sent out your letter on day when they couldn't make calls because they were doing other things.
Ahh... simple answers elude the frantic/paranoid mind. Thank you Zooey. I apologize, just really pulling for this school so my intensity level necessitates constant check.
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Does anyone know the stats of how many people get off USUHS' waitlists usually?
Especially Air Force, since that's the waitlist I'm on. Haha...
Especially Air Force, since that's the waitlist I'm on. Haha...
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I believe Dr. Saguil said they went through almost the entire Air Force wait list last year, as well as the entire wait list for the Army. I think he said two people that were on the 'on hold' list made it in for the Army as well- which would mean they went through the alternate list.
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Hi guys, I haven't been posting on here, but since I've been watching this thread for the last week or so, I just wanted to throw out there that I'm also one of the ones anxiously sitting on the wait list. I ranked air force as my first choice, with army as a close second.
I called the admissions office out of curiosity last week to find out if they'd seen much in the way of wait list movement, but was told it was "much too early" for that.
I'm really pulling for a seat, because USUHS is my first choice.
I called the admissions office out of curiosity last week to find out if they'd seen much in the way of wait list movement, but was told it was "much too early" for that.
I'm really pulling for a seat, because USUHS is my first choice.
Hey everyone! I found out at Second Look today that the wait list for navy is ~80 students and ~50 for the Air Force and army. They said movement starts to pick up around the end of April and they expect a lot of movement in May, and they still believe that particularly for Air Force and Army that basically all the students will get off the wait list.
Seeing USUHS again made me remember how much I LOVE the school, so I'm really hoping that the wait list starts moving soon!!
Seeing USUHS again made me remember how much I LOVE the school, so I'm really hoping that the wait list starts moving soon!!
I cannot thank-you enough for that update RoundEyes. Much appreciated!
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seconded! that gave me a lot of the information that I've been wanting to find out.
Dr. Saguil also said that if anyone currently on the Navy waitlist is leaning towards another preference, to email him and let him know. It won't eliminate you from the navy waitlist (unless that is what you want) but in case another spot opens in another branch after everyone on that branch's waitlist has been offered a spot, you can obtain a spot in that other branch. He said to email him your interest level for the Navy if you are not 100% Navy but are on the Navy Waitlist.
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Hi everybody!
I have a question for those of you who have already requested a waiver. Do you have any advice?
Also, does anybody else have experience requesting a waiver for having low B12 levels?
Any comments would be much appreciated!
Thanks!
I have a question for those of you who have already requested a waiver. Do you have any advice?
Also, does anybody else have experience requesting a waiver for having low B12 levels?
Any comments would be much appreciated!
Thanks!
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Army.doc.14, I had to get a waiver as well (I'm actually getting some disability from before when I was in), so I'll give you my two cents. Keep in mind every scenario's different, but they tend to be more lenient with people going into the medical corps when it comes to waivers.
With your B12 levels, I'm assuming that the DoDMERB physical isn't the first time this came up, so you should definitely have an evaluation with your primary care, or at least send them a copy of some visits. What you want them to know is: #1) this isn't going to adversely affect any physical/learning activities in your future, #2) the current status of this deficiency -- for instance was it due to a vegan diet that you're no longer practicing, or is it due to some underlying condition. If it's due to a diet, but you haven't had measurably low levels in a while, I can't imagine them not giving you a waiver. I think the only question would arise if it requires regular supplementation (what if you can't get access to this due to some military condition), and if you've been noticeably affected by low levels before.
I was actually able to get my waiver pretty quickly by pulling the patient care reports from the veteran's administration and sending in a copy of the relevant (and latest) ones, as well as a statement from me about how these conditions never hindered my physical activities while I was in.
Anyways, just my two cents.
TL;DR, get something from your primary care that says, "physical (or learning) activities shouldn't be a problem for Army.doc.14"
With your B12 levels, I'm assuming that the DoDMERB physical isn't the first time this came up, so you should definitely have an evaluation with your primary care, or at least send them a copy of some visits. What you want them to know is: #1) this isn't going to adversely affect any physical/learning activities in your future, #2) the current status of this deficiency -- for instance was it due to a vegan diet that you're no longer practicing, or is it due to some underlying condition. If it's due to a diet, but you haven't had measurably low levels in a while, I can't imagine them not giving you a waiver. I think the only question would arise if it requires regular supplementation (what if you can't get access to this due to some military condition), and if you've been noticeably affected by low levels before.
I was actually able to get my waiver pretty quickly by pulling the patient care reports from the veteran's administration and sending in a copy of the relevant (and latest) ones, as well as a statement from me about how these conditions never hindered my physical activities while I was in.
Anyways, just my two cents.
TL;DR, get something from your primary care that says, "physical (or learning) activities shouldn't be a problem for Army.doc.14"
One tip for you is to submit something from your primary care to both USUHS and DODMERB.
I was medically disqualified by DODMERB for low back pain on 11/22/13, so I went to my primary care and had her write me a letter assessing my situation (did not affect me at all- I was coaching wrestling then and still very active with other sports. The punchline I think was that I had no signs of nerve damage and had full functionality of my extremities yada yada via physical exam).
I submitted this letter to USUHS on 11/25/13 and requested a waiver.
KEY POINT: a month later, I submitted the same letter to DODMERB (I did try to earlier but their fax wasn't working and I put it off for a few weeks), and I was cleared by DODMERB within 3 days. I would suggest that you submit the letter to your USUHS and DODMERB at the same time. That is the best advice I could give you. DODMERB is the ultimate authority, so if they clear you, you do not need a waiver.
I did email USUHS to ask what to do with the waiver since I was cleared by DODMERB, and Wilhelmina just told me I was cleared. It seemed like a vague answer because it didn't really answer what I was supposed to do with the waiver, but I'm rolling with it.
I hope this helps you.
I was medically disqualified by DODMERB for low back pain on 11/22/13, so I went to my primary care and had her write me a letter assessing my situation (did not affect me at all- I was coaching wrestling then and still very active with other sports. The punchline I think was that I had no signs of nerve damage and had full functionality of my extremities yada yada via physical exam).
I submitted this letter to USUHS on 11/25/13 and requested a waiver.
KEY POINT: a month later, I submitted the same letter to DODMERB (I did try to earlier but their fax wasn't working and I put it off for a few weeks), and I was cleared by DODMERB within 3 days. I would suggest that you submit the letter to your USUHS and DODMERB at the same time. That is the best advice I could give you. DODMERB is the ultimate authority, so if they clear you, you do not need a waiver.
I did email USUHS to ask what to do with the waiver since I was cleared by DODMERB, and Wilhelmina just told me I was cleared. It seemed like a vague answer because it didn't really answer what I was supposed to do with the waiver, but I'm rolling with it.
I hope this helps you.
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I'm having a bit of a crisis now. I was accepted to Dartmouth, but it sounds like getting off the Air Force wait list is a very real possibility. That will be a really tough choice.
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As someone with a similar crisis, I know how tough that can be.
Can anyone comment on the strategy of declaring "no preference" after being wait-listed?
I prefer one branch over others, but getting in this school is much more important than being in a particular branch. What exactly happens if one were to declare "no preference?" Does one get placed at the bottom of each branch's wait list?
I prefer one branch over others, but getting in this school is much more important than being in a particular branch. What exactly happens if one were to declare "no preference?" Does one get placed at the bottom of each branch's wait list?
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I would guess you get placed on the shortest list.
Did you mention that you preferred a branch over the others? They will put you on whichever branch you ranked first. If you had no preference at all, maybe you can check with admissions to see which branch's list they put you on?
If you put navy as your first choice but you don't really care whichever branch you get into, I would email Dr. Saguil and let him know. They mentioned at Accepted Students Day that you can tell them to move you to a different list if you're currently on the Navy waitlist but not deadset on it.
Also wait listed...no preference.
Interviewed Jan16th.
Received a call, notifying me of my wait list status, in early March from Mrs. Stearman.
Haven't heard anything since attending Second Look. Any other wait listers heard anything?
Good luck everyone!
Interviewed Jan16th.
Received a call, notifying me of my wait list status, in early March from Mrs. Stearman.
Haven't heard anything since attending Second Look. Any other wait listers heard anything?
Good luck everyone!
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I do not know of anyone
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I have a preference and I am currently on the Air Force list. Just curious what exactly happens when someone changes to "no preference." Do you get placed on each branch's list?
Reading previous SDN years, it sounds like many changed their preference to "no preference" once they got placed on the wait list. I assume their decision was motivated by the perception that "no preference" has a better chance/odds of being accepted rather than having a preference to a particular branch.
I like Air Force, but would rather get into the school in any branch than never get off the AF wait list. Do "no preference" have a statistically better chance?
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I feel like you may just get moved to Army or stay on Air Force, maybe whichever is shorter, because I doubt they would move someone to the navy list when that seems to be the hardest branch to get into... unless another branch would have a reason to REALLY love something on your app
I think you are right. Thanks.
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This wait is killing me, is there a date their adcom meets each month or something to discuss any open positions and who gets them? Ordo they just call right after a spot gets dropped? I wish I knew if they only called on Fridays or something so I wouldn't constantly be checking my phone!
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In a recent call from Dr. Saguil he said there is currently a little movement of the waitlist but he does anticipate more in May and June. I imagine this is kind of a very slow period as far as acceptances go. A lot of kids are still weighing which school is right for them before the May 15 deadline and schools are getting together and preparing their wait list instead of focusing a lot on more acceptances. This month is going to seem extremely long for all of us that are still waiting.
