2013-2014 University of Washington School of Medicine

[Dawn 12]

got the call from my excom member at 11:30 this morning! good luck you guys!

Congrats! When was your interview?

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[kairos18]

thanks! i interviewed 10/2

 

[Dawn 12]

thanks! i interviewed 10/2

Thanks. Happy Halloween! I guess Halloween is going to be a special holiday for you

 

[joonage]

got the call from my excom member at 11:30 this morning! good luck you guys!

thanks! i interviewed 10/2

Congrats! I interviewed that day too.... who was your excom member by chance?

 

[Mavrick232]

Hey guys,
36 MCAT, 3.8 cGPA. Engineering and Spanish Grad. Complete UW 9/16
I have heard no word from any schools except UCSF who rejected me pre-interview. I mean no word! Zero. I was complete for everyone (16 schools) around early sept. UW took like 3+ weeks to mark my app as complete after I submitted.
Starting to get a little worried. I know they say no news is good news but come on.
Considering writing a letter of update to UW to maybe put me back on the radar. I have been participating in some significantly relevant activities since applying (NAC training, employment as caregiver, volunteering, more shadowing). Do you guys recommend sending this letter? Any input is helpful!

 

[joonage]

Nothing yet?? Seems like decisions came out on the 1st at this time. Hopelessly waiting for an email........

 

[Dawn 12]

Nothing yet?? Seems like decisions came out on the 1st at this time. Hopelessly waiting for an email........

Me too....

 

[t5edr4ws]

II today!

WA resident, complete 9/23 ish, 3.65s/3.77c/36 MCAT.

So relieved.

 

[t5edr4ws]

II today!

WA resident, complete 9/23 ish, 3.65s/3.77c/36 MCAT.

So relieved.

 

[ZuluHotel]

II today!

WA resident, complete 9/23 ish, 3.65s/3.77c/36 MCAT.

So relieved.

told ya you could be optimistic! congrats and good luck

The interview has an ethical situation/role play component so I've been studying this guide to bioethics topics that UWSOM put out. It's pretty concise and has short example situations that could come up, you might find it useful.

 

[royfan]

II today!

WA resident, complete 9/23 ish, 3.65s/3.77c/36 MCAT.

So relieved.

I got an II today also! Did they schedule a specific date for you yet?

IS, below average stats, complete 9/30.

 

[Lexipi]

I got an II today also! Did they schedule a specific date for you yet?

IS, below average stats, complete 9/30.

Got II today. 27 MCAT OOS. Are we supposed to call to schedule a date?

 

[royfan]

Got II today. 27 MCAT OOS. Are we supposed to call to schedule a date?

Congrats! according to the email, they say they will email and inform us of the interview invite? Did it say so in your email as well?? ahhhh im so nervous!

 

[Lexipi]

Congrats! according to the email, they say they will email and inform us of the interview invite? Did it say so in your email as well?? ahhhh im so nervous!

Thanks ! Congrats to you too. Sounds like the emails we got are the same. I guess we just wait

 

[Dawn 12]

Got II today. 27 MCAT OOS. Are we supposed to call to schedule a date?

Congrats to everyone!
No they would send you another email with specific date for II.
And the bioethics website is great; My role play was one of those scenarios.
Good luck everyone!

 

[Fredpac1]

Does this school go in order of complete date? I'm OOS, complete mid September and haven't heard anything... Seems like they are quick to reject though. Do I still have a chance or is my rejection on the way??

 

[t5edr4ws]

I got an II today also! Did they schedule a specific date for you yet?

IS, below average stats, complete 9/30.

They emailed this evening with a date, after I updated my out of town stuff. I'm scheduled for the 19th of November, what about you guys?

 

[royfan]

They emailed this evening with a date, after I updated my out of town stuff. I'm scheduled for the 19th of November, what about you guys?

no, not for me yet. Wow, Nov 19 is coming up fast! Good luck with the interview.

 

[Matt20]

Got a rejection this afternoon pre-secondary. Not surprised since I'm a CA resident, but does anyone know if they allow appeals? I have ties to Washington that I would have explained in my secondary, and I would also like to practice there one day.

 

[cornell13]

So I got my Initial Review around 9/4 and haven't heard anything since then. Yesterday night I get an Incomplete App email from them, telling me to finish my secondary, but I never got an invite haha. Called them today, and they were just as confused. But then they sent me the real secondary invite today. So I guess that's good!

Also, does anyone know how many OOR applicants that complete the secondary get interview invites? I know that a decent amount of OOR people apply, but I wonder how many get secondaries. Thanks!

 

[ZuluHotel]

So I got my Initial Review around 9/4 and haven't heard anything since then. Yesterday night I get an Incomplete App email from them, telling me to finish my secondary, but I never got an invite haha. Called them today, and they were just as confused. But then they sent me the real secondary invite today. So I guess that's good!

Their application system has some bugs... I received an II a couple weeks ago, confirmed it, and yesterday I got an additional invite from them for a different day. I'm confused but I guess it's good they really want to interview me?!

Also, does anyone know how many OOR applicants that complete the secondary get interview invites? I know that a decent amount of OOR people apply, but I wonder how many get secondaries. Thanks!

I don't know how many OOR people get secondaries but it can't be too many, so big congrats on that. Here's the stats I could get from USNEWS:

OOR applicants
Applied: 3964
Interviewed: 65
Accepted: 39
Enrolled: 20

 

[cornell13]

Their application system has some bugs... I received an II a couple weeks ago, confirmed it, and yesterday I got an additional invite from them for a different day. I'm confused but I guess it's good they really want to interview me?!



I don't know how many OOR people get secondaries but it can't be too many, so big congrats on that. Here's the stats I could get from USNEWS:

OOR applicants
Applied: 3964
Interviewed: 65
Accepted: 39
Enrolled: 20

Thanks for the numbers! Just hoping that getting an invite OOR after completing the secondary is much better than 2% haha. And I'm glad that I'm not the only one getting some system bugs!

 

[ZuluHotel]

Thanks for the numbers! Just hoping that getting an invite OOR after completing the secondary is much better than 2% haha. And I'm glad that I'm not the only one getting some system bugs!

UW is very choosy about OOR, but you can see they accept a majority of the OOR people they interview. To get past the screen you must have something specific they like (usually diverse personal background or experience with rural or underserved populations). They wouldn't waste their time sending you a secondary unless you have a shot!

 

[cornell13]

UW is very choosy about OOR, but you can see they accept a majority of the OOR people they interview. To get past the screen you must have something specific they like (usually diverse personal background or experience with rural or underserved populations). They wouldn't waste their time sending you a secondary unless you have a shot!

Haha thanks, I'd hope so! Well I was born and raised in a diverse yet underserved city that is disadvantaged in its healthcare, education, economy, etc. And I volunteer at my public high school. So hopefully that all helped out! UW is pretty legit, and seems unique in their selection process- I like that.

 

[seattlewapremed]

Anybody heard from them in a while? Interviewed 10/9 and have heard nothing yet. I know someone who interviewed 10/2 has heard back already based off this thread.

 

[evergreen15]

Hey All-

I know its a bit early but for the eager ones out there- I'm a first year med student at UW and we are having our winter clothing sale from now until Sunday, November 17th. Sales go to fund student activities. The bookstore has minimal selection (like one sweatshirt and one shirt) so this provides some variety. My favorite is the Seattle skyline as an EKG. We won't be having another sale until Summer and they make great Christmas gifts...

ttp://www.kotisdesign.com/uwsom

Good luck with the application process! And thank you!!

 

[ArtOfWar]

Pre-interview rejection, IS 32 MCAT, 3.7 GPA. This was my top choice school, any advice on where to go to find out how to improve my application for the next cycle for this school. Any UW MS in Seattle willing to take a look at my app. I'll buy you lunch ;p

 

[BABSstudent]

Pre-interview rejection, IS 32 MCAT, 3.7 GPA. This was my top choice school, any advice on where to go to find out how to improve my application for the next cycle for this school. Any UW MS in Seattle willing to take a look at my app. I'll buy you lunch ;p

I will totally take you up on this. Haha

 

[Nmarchib]

I have a few questions I was hoping somebody (specifically current students but anyone is welcome) might be able to answer

1) What is the community like at UW? Is there a sense of community or because everyone is really only in the same place for 2nd year, is it hard to build relationships? Because the school is so segmented across the different states, I wonder if things feel "cliquey" once you arrive in Seattle and whether WWAMI applicants are treated any differently than the Washington residents.

2) How exactly does the Idaho Track vs. staying in Seattle work for 3rd/4th years? If you're from Idaho, are you required to do a certain number of rotations in Idaho even if you're not part of the official track? And also, if you do choose to stay in Seattle, is it easy to do so? For example, if I decided that the Idaho track wasn't for me and wanted to stay in Seattle, would I 100% be guaranteed to be able to or is there a chance I would get bumped to the Idaho track anyway? I obviously have no idea which one I'd prefer, I'd just like a little more info on how it works.

3) For any Idaho/Washington people, how do you like Moscow/Pullman? How much time do you spend at U of I/WSU respectively? Is the medical "campus" separated from the undergraduate at all or is it all integrated? Do you spend any time in clinical settings or is the first year purely classroom time?

4) What is the grading system at UW for pre-clinicals? Is it pass/fail or letter grades?

Thanks for any information!

 

[BABSstudent]

I figure I have some free time so I can pop in to answer your questions from my perspective as a first year. Keep in mind that our class is kind of big with many different personalities so it is only a snapshot of what it is like.

I have a few questions I was hoping somebody (specifically current students but anyone is welcome) might be able to answer

1) What is the community like at UW? Is there a sense of community or because everyone is really only in the same place for 2nd year, is it hard to build relationships? Because the school is so segmented across the different states, I wonder if things feel "cliquey" once you arrive in Seattle and whether WWAMI applicants are treated any differently than the Washington residents.

The community is amazing from what I have experienced. Almost everyone is helpful if you say that you need it. I will break down the community into two sections because we (at the Seattle branch) really experience two different versions of community; during anatomy and regular school.

At the Seattle branch, we are thrown headfirst into anatomy and are forced way out of our comfort zone for five weeks. This is actually nice to do because almost everyone is in the same boat. Some students had previously had anatomy (some even teaching it previously) and will have a relatively easy time and for other students it is their first anatomy course. Sure there were a few breakdowns in the stairs outside the anatomy lab, but everyone made it through. The stress actually brought us all closer together which was nice. However, the people that you get close to are the ones at your dissection table and the tables immediately beside you. It is up to you to go out of your way to other tables. Some tables also have dental students, so some medical students may feel like they don't know many of their classmates for the first part of school. But these dental students will be in some of your classes for first year so it is nice to meet a few of them.

The tests were regular during this time (1st week, 3rd week and 5th week) and pretty much everyone was living, eating and breathing medical school since classes were mandatory. After each test, we had a pizza party to laugh and meet other students. Then it was right back to the lab the following day.

After anatomy, things were changed up a bit. We then had big lecture style classes and people started to skip (either they watched the lectures somewhere else or just read from the syllabus). Most of these classes do not take attendance so you really do whatever is best for your education. We do have a few required classes here or there, but you really do your own thing for most of the learning. We have small groups that get together every week and you keep the same small group for most of the things. Here is where you hang out with some more people that you will get to know really well. These are all medical students in the same year as you. The groups kind of plan their own things, so if you want to be in and out in a half hour the groups will do that. But my group likes to talk and listen to how our weeks went. It is nice to have a group there to talk to.

There are also interest groups that you can join (like emergency med interest group, surgical interest group, peds interest, etc.) and get more of a community.

So I guess you could sum up everything by saying at first you are forced to into a community, but the community alters as the classes change. We are all there to help each other out and we really do. But if you like to be a loner, you can do that too since we don't have that many required classes outside of anatomy.

For people outside of Seattle, I understand that everyone hangs out as a big group because their campuses are way smaller. It is easier to get to know 20 people really well than 100+. After first year, everyone comes to Seattle and people tend to stay in the groups they went through first year with. Of course you blend together a little, but you already set up the study, trivia night, IM groups.

We also all have our own facebook groups along with an overall group page. People rarely post in the big group page unless it is something that branches all the campuses. Even the Seattle group has their own page. Most of the conversations online happen in your own group page since the other campuses are experiencing different things and at different times.

2) How exactly does the Idaho Track vs. staying in Seattle work for 3rd/4th years? If you're from Idaho, are you required to do a certain number of rotations in Idaho even if you're not part of the official track? And also, if you do choose to stay in Seattle, is it easy to do so? For example, if I decided that the Idaho track wasn't for me and wanted to stay in Seattle, would I 100% be guaranteed to be able to or is there a chance I would get bumped to the Idaho track anyway? I obviously have no idea which one I'd prefer, I'd just like a little more info on how it works.

I am only a first year so I am not too sure how everything works at this point. However, I do know that you don't really stay in Seattle (even if you want to). Third and forth year you kind of get pushed around to the various hospitals in the WWAMI area. If you pick a track, you will pretty much do your years in your track location. In Washington, there is only a Spokane track that I know about.

It doesn't look like you have to chose right away if you want to do a track. I am looking at their website (you have to sign in as a medical student to see what I see) and it says that applications for tracks are submitted by "students preparing for their 3rd year rotations."

And for 3rd/4th year you kind of rank your preferences and they work their best to give you those things. But we are required to do a certain number of weeks outside the Seattle area. Transportation to these areas is paid for by the school and they provide housing so it isn't too bad. You just know that you are going to have to do this and you make do with it. If you have a family, I could see how this would be stressful but it is only two years of your education. And of those two years, it is only a few weeks at a time.

3) For any Idaho/Washington people, how do you like Moscow/Pullman? How much time do you spend at U of I/WSU respectively? Is the medical "campus" separated from the undergraduate at all or is it all integrated? Do you spend any time in clinical settings or is the first year purely classroom time?

Everyone loves the area they go to. The perks of the Pullman/Moscow site is that the class size is super small. Next year, there will only be Idaho people at that site (I believe 25 of them) but will still go between the UI/WSU campus. The campus shares buildings with the undergrads.

At all sites you do clinical stuff your first year. There is a required preceptorship and you can set up additional shadowing if you would like. The preceptorship is arranged for you and the shadowing you can set up. We also have required patient interviews to conduct as part of our Intro to Clinical Medicine course.

4) What is the grading system at UW for pre-clinicals? Is it pass/fail or letter grades?

Thanks for any information!

It's pass/fail and this makes school way less stressful. I definitely recommend going to a school that is pass/fail for the first two years. We have honors in third/fourth year, but not the first two. We are not even ranked against our classmates until third/fourth year.

If you have any more questions, feel free to post them.

 

[Nmarchib]

If you have any more questions, feel free to post them.

Wow, thank you so much for the thorough reply! I really appreciate it. Just to clarify, for 3rd and 4th years everyone applies to a track that corresponds to a WWAMI area? So if you wanted to stay in Washington (and you said that doesn't really mean staying in Seattle) you would apply to the Spokane track? I guess the way I had always thought about it was you could apply to a specific track if you wanted to, but if you didn't the default was to stay in the Seattle area. But it sounds like that's not really true. I can see the pros and cons of moving from hospital to hospital like that. On one hand, I bet you get a wide view of a lot of different environments and populations. But on the other hand, you never really feel grounded and I bet it could get tiring constantly moving around like that. The WWAMI program is definitely unique, I don't know of another med school that does anything like it and based on Washington's reputation, they must be doing something right!

 

[kairos18]

My boyfriend is currently an MS3 at UWSOM, so this is how I understand it. You do not have to apply to a track. If you do, they will arrange your rotations based on your track of interest. If you do not, you still have to do a certain number of rotations outside of the Seattle area and venture into WWAMI-land. From what I hear from talking to current students though, the WWAMI sites are pretty awesome and you get unique exposure to a lot of diverse patient populations and they seem to enjoy it a lot!

 

[BABSstudent]

My boyfriend is currently an MS3 at UWSOM, so this is how I understand it. You do not have to apply to a track. If you do, they will arrange your rotations based on your track of interest. If you do not, you still have to do a certain number of rotations outside of the Seattle area and venture into WWAMI-land. From what I hear from talking to current students though, the WWAMI sites are pretty awesome and you get unique exposure to a lot of diverse patient populations and they seem to enjoy it a lot!

Yep. This is entirely true.

Here is some more information about the track programs.

The WWAMI State Track program allows a select group of students to complete most of their required clerkships scheduled in one specific site/state throughout the WWAMI region. Medical students must participate in an application process, whereby selected students are matched to State Track sites to fulfill their third or fourth year required clerkships.

Third year tracks are offered in Idaho, Spokane, Missoula, Billings and Alaska and Wyoming has a similar experience for students who apply for that track.

Students must complete 5 out of the 6 third-year required clerkships at one state track location (except the Wyoming track where 4 of the 6 requirements need to be met.).

Fourth year tracks are offered in Alaska, Spokane and Idaho. Students must complete three of the four requirements at the track site.
Find more information on tracks as follows:

Source: http://www.uwmedicine.org/EDUCATION.../WWAMI-State-Track-Program/Pages/default.aspx

So if you do not do a track, you are on default to spend your time at the hospitals around the WWAMI region with a majority of them being in the Seattle area. The Seattle area is defined as like a 50 mile radius around Seattle, so it is really big.

I have actually been told that the most hands on stuff happens outside this 50 mile radius because there are often no residents or other medical students. It is just you with a whole medical team. That means you get to scrub in, do parts of the exams, etc. So even though you are outside of the Seattle area, you still get a great education. Plus, the free travel and a place to stay makes it not bad at all.

And the tracks are limited to a small group of students and it is the ones that want to practice in the areas they do their track. They learn more about the unique healthcare situations in that area and are better prepared to deal with them as well as seeing if they really want to practice in those locations in the future.

 

[BABSstudent]

I just found out you can tag usernames with the new layout. If you need a question answered by a current med student, just type @BABSstudent

My phone will buzz and I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. Keep in mind, I am kind of busy sometimes (med school, who would have guessed it takes up my time) so don't get upset if it takes a day or two to get back to you.

 

[Dawn 12]

Does anybody know when the EXCOM would meet again? Or if any other acceptance offers were sent out?

 

[kairos18]

I think they meet once a month and my guess is that the one in October was on the 30th. But who knows how all of this works... I still haven't gotten an e-mail after my call so I've had some moments when I have to make sure I didn't imagine it....

 

[joonage]

Does anybody know when the EXCOM would meet again? Or if any other acceptance offers were sent out?

I think they meet once a month and my guess is that the one in October was on the 30th. But who knows how all of this works... I still haven't gotten an e-mail after my call so I've had some moments when I have to make sure I didn't imagine it....

They've met already I believe (since acceptances already come out ... haha). I'll called last week and I asked for my status and they said I was still under consideration, which is the SUC status from previous years. The odd thing is that they haven't sent out emails ...

 

[Dawn 12]

They've met already I believe (since acceptances already come out ... haha). I'll called last week and I asked for my status and they said I was still under consideration, which is the SUC status from previous years. The odd thing is that they haven't sent out emails ...

I'm not even brave enough to call them and ask about my status. I have a feeling so many more people got the acceptance call, and they just don't post here. For some reason, last year applicants were more enthusiastic about SDN, and they updated their status all the time. This long wait is driving me crazy

 

[Rocktapus]

I'm not even brave enough to call them and ask about my status. I have a feeling so many more people got the acceptance call, and they just don't post here. For some reason, last year applicants were more enthusiastic about SDN, and they updated their status all the time. This long wait is driving me crazy

Interesting, the first years I met there were the most anti-SDN of any school I've visited. UW definitely has a different feel than the other big name schools.

 

[BABSstudent]

Interesting, the first years I met there were the most anti-SDN of any school I've visited. UW definitely has a different feel than the other big name schools.

SDN is the site that everyone uses but nobody admits to.

That said, SDN doesn't really help medical students until we get closer to applying for residency.

 

[royfan]

Got II today. 27 MCAT OOS. Are we supposed to call to schedule a date?

Have you received a date yet? I haven't and Im getting anxious

 

[t5edr4ws]

Have you received a date yet? I haven't and Im getting anxious

Not to make you more anxious, but I got an email for my date the same day as my II. Maybe you should call?

 

[royfan]

Not to make you more anxious, but I got an email for my date the same day as my II. Maybe you should call?

Yea, I was wondering if thats because you updated your out of town stuff?? But anyways, I prolly should give them a call 2morrow...its been a week since I received the invite :-s.

 

[seattlewapremed]

Yea, I was wondering if thats because you updated your out of town stuff?? But anyways, I prolly should give them a call 2morrow...its been a week since I received the invite :-s.

I waited 3 weeks before I got my interview date.

 

[royfan]

I waited 3 weeks before I got my interview date.

phew, thanks, now im less worried! Lol. How soon was the actual interview date from when you received the confirmed date? Thanks!

P/S: The 3-week wait could prolly have been due to the fact that you might have completed your secondary early and UW does not start interviewing until Oct?

 

[Lexipi]

Have you received a date yet? I haven't and Im getting anxious

I got my email with the date a few hours after I got the II email. Scheduled for mid Dec.

 

[SweetDee04]

phew, thanks, now im less worried! Lol. How soon was the actual interview date from when you received the confirmed date? Thanks!

P/S: The 3-week wait could prolly have been due to the fact that you might have completed your secondary early and UW does not start interviewing until Oct?

I got my interview invite on September 23rd, the interview date was sent on October 4th, and my interview was on October 22nd.

 

[royfan]

I got my email with the date a few hours after I got the II email. Scheduled for mid Dec.

ughhhh i got the invite the same day as you did but have not heard anything

I got my interview invite on September 23rd, the interview date was sent on October 4th, and my interview was on October 22nd.

thanks for the timeline! at least its good to know im not out of the norm yet - its been 7 days for me.

 

[MDOnlyWillDo]

I'm not even brave enough to call them and ask about my status. I have a feeling so many more people got the acceptance call, and they just don't post here. For some reason, last year applicants were more enthusiastic about SDN, and they updated their status all the time. This long wait is driving me crazy

I agree, I'm too nervous to call as well.

 

[t5edr4ws]

I got my interview invite on September 23rd, the interview date was sent on October 4th, and my interview was on October 22nd.

Oh interesting, they seem to be kind of all over the board then. My II and date came on 11/6 and my interview is scheduled for 11/19.