2015-2016 Southern Illinois University Application Thread

[smylee05]

ACCEPTED Today! via email approx. 3 hours ago.
LizzyM ~71 I believe (4.0 GPA, 511 MCAT)
Interviewed 10/23
AWPA 11/11

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[ComebackMD]

ACCEPTED Today! via email approx. 3 hours ago.
LizzyM ~71 I believe (4.0 GPA, 511 MCAT)
Interviewed 10/23
AWPA 11/11

Really? I was told acceptance batches we're going out December February and March. Odd but either way congratulations!!!

 

[smylee05]

Really? I was told acceptance batches we're going out December February and March. Odd but either way congratulations!!!

Thank you! I looked at last year's thread and saw that a couple acceptances went out prior to Thanksgiving so I was hoping! At my interview date they said late November or early December!

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

ACCEPTED Today! via email approx. 3 hours ago.
LizzyM ~71 I believe (4.0 GPA, 511 MCAT)
Interviewed 10/23
AWPA 11/11

First, CONGRATS! Hopefully a few more of us hear something in early in December!
Second, you said email? I thought they did everything via snailmail?

EDIT: Also, by interviewing 10/23 and AWPA on 11/11...that's a pretty quick turn-around to get accepted on 11/24! Congrats once again!

 

[Pasmal]

Second, you said email? I thought they did everything via snailmail?

You'll get an acceptance email, snail mail will follow.

 

[smylee05]

First, CONGRATS! Hopefully a few more of us hear something in early in December!
Second, you said email? I thought they did everything via snailmail?

EDIT: Also, by interviewing 10/23 and AWPA on 11/11...that's a pretty quick turn-around to get accepted on 11/24! Congrats once again!

Like Pasmal said, I received my snail mail acceptance today! Just put my acceptance form and deposit in the mail! I'm extremely excited! Also, thank you! Hoping the best for you!!
I think the quick turn around was most likely due to me having a later interview invite (not late, just not August/September early lol). However, the shorter wait was much appreciated!
Good luck to you

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

Like Pasmal said, I received my snail mail acceptance today! Just put my acceptance form and deposit in the mail! I'm extremely excited! Also, thank you! Hoping the best for you!!
I think the quick turn around was most likely due to me having a later interview invite (not late, just not August/September early lol). However, the shorter wait was much appreciated!
Good luck to you

@Pasmal Of course! Thanks as well. I do have to wonder though, does this mean the "first batch" was sent out a few days before Thanksgiving as opposed to the traditional December 2nd? Should I be holding my breath for an email on 12/2 still or are we now waiting on Feb 2nd to roll around...? Thanks in advance!

 

[Pasmal]

@Pasmal Of course! Thanks as well. I do have to wonder though, does this mean the "first batch" was sent out a few days before Thanksgiving as opposed to the traditional December 2nd? Should I be holding my breath for an email on 12/2 still or are we now waiting on Feb 2nd to roll around...? Thanks in advance!

Almost certainly this was the first batch. The dates vary a bit depending on when all/most of the adcom is able to meet. Sometimes they shoot for before thx giving break, sometimes that's not possible. Looks like they got it done early this year, so most likely the next major movement will occur in early feb. I'll confirm with Beth and let you guys know Monday. Hope you all had a great holiday weekend and congrats to those just accepted!

 

[chicity243]

First time poster. Congrats on all the acceptances. I interview next Thursday, the 10th. I'm super excited. I'm wondering: is it against the guidelines to post who your interviewers were/are. I'm anxious to know their interview styles. I've mainly read great things minus the interviewer who harangued someone with a 29 MCAT.

After my interview when can I expect an AWPA/potential reapplicant/rejection?

Finally, I've read so many varied statuses compared to stats/experience. I get screening out prior to secondary for lack of compatibility compared to the schools mission but I'm not sure I understand SUPER high stats and rejections once granted an interview. It makes me feel as if(though I know is not the case) this number value placed to candidates on the AWPA is almost arbitrary. Can anyone give any insight as to what they weight more or less heavily when ranking?

Thanks!!

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

First time poster. Congrats on all the acceptances. I interview next Thursday, the 10th. I'm super excited. I'm wondering: is it against the guidelines to post who your interviewers were/are. I'm anxious to know their interview styles. I've mainly read great things minus the interviewer who harangued someone with a 29 MCAT.

After my interview when can I expect an AWPA/potential reapplicant/rejection?

Finally, I've read so many varied statuses compared to stats/experience. I get screening out prior to secondary for lack of compatibility compared to the schools mission but I'm not sure I understand SUPER high stats and rejections once granted an interview. It makes me feel as if(though I know is not the case) this number value placed to candidates on the AWPA is almost arbitrary. Can anyone give any insight as to what they weight more or less heavily when ranking?

Thanks!!

I interviewed with Dr. Constance (dean of admissions) and Dr. Hood (vasc. surgeon). I won't really go into detail about their styles so much...sorry about that. There is not much to tell other than be prepared for a relaxed interview day. Not to say they offer hot stone massages and tea while you wait, but what I mean is they very much make you feel at home and as if you truly fit in at SIU. The first interviewer will have your AMCAS app, the second will have nothing on you at all, so there is a little dynamic between the two and they see different things about you.

In terms of timeline post-interview, you should hear something 2-3 weeks later in my experience, but it all depends on when the adcom meets.

Although I'm not a student there (yet! AWPA though ), I would not say their selection process--when looking at stats, etc--is arbitrary. I think they choose students who have a high level of academic success, who meet their mission, and who show a commitment to service to the community (public service was a good portion of my first interview, in fact). This whole idea of 4.0/35+ MCAT people getting ousted for no reason carries no weight, if you ask me. It comes down to how well you fit the school once you are in the post-interview pool.

Hope that helped. Welcome to SDN

 

[Red G]

My experience with interviewing was similar to SnakeDoc's experience: very casual and conversational. It was so much less stressful than I anticipated. That said, there are still the classic interview questions, so don't slack on preparation. I've heard similar things from a couple classmates who also interviewed at SIU this cycle, and we all had different interviewers.

Beth will let you know the exact date when the committee meets to make a decision regarding AWPA or not. I think the adcoms meet once a month.

Good luck!

 

[Pasmal]

Agree with the above regarding the interview day being way more relaxed than I expected. @chicity243 mission/fit above all is what they look for, good stats only tell them if you can hack it, they don't characterize you well on their own. You are right to know your feeling about the adcom decisions is incorrect. Even people with high stats say some really absurd/catastrophic things during their day here, or are a really bad fit for some other reason. What you see on SDN is not necessarily the full picture.

 

[LaurenKarno]

Got my AWPA! Now to wait until February...Although I was thinking they may release the second batch in January since they released the first batch the month before they said they would? Thoughts??

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

Got my AWPA! Now to wait until February...Although I was thinking they may release the second batch in January since they released the first batch the month before they said they would? Thoughts??

Certainly possible. But I know a big factor is simply when the whole adcom can meet. I'm sure the members have busy schedules, patients, etc to tend to in the mean time. It could be in late January, yes, or it could be slightly after Feb. 2. We shall see!

More importantly, CONGRATS on AWPA....this waiting game sucks, take it from me!

 

[Pasmal]

Next batch will be out late January per admissions

 

[609718]

I got AWPA in Oct I'm really praying for an acceptance. I've interviewed at other schools but I really loved SIU. Hoping for an acceptance in Jan! Good luck to everyone waiting

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

I got AWPA in Oct I'm really praying for an acceptance. I've interviewed at other schools but I really loved SIU. Hoping for an acceptance in Jan! Good luck to everyone waiting

In the same boat as you, best of luck friend!

 

[CoomassieBlue57]

FYI for next year's applicants:

The Admissions Committee has completed the process for the entering class of 2016. The decision was made not to reactivate any of the Screeners' Alternates.

 

[deleted659912]

So has anyone from the Chicagoland area been accepted this cycle? Just got rejected this morning =(

 

[609718]

So has anyone from the Chicagoland area been accepted this cycle? Just got rejected this morning =(

I am from Chicago & i got AWPA. Not an official acceptance though. Im sorry you were rejected. However, I am following a different thread and I saw you were accepted to med school...so congrats on that! I am sure you will end up where you belong

 

[deleted659912]

I am from Chicago & i got AWPA. Not an official acceptance though. Im sorry you were rejected. However, I am following a different thread and I saw you were accepted to med school...so congrats on that! I am sure you will end up where you belong

Thanks. Yeah it's not the end of the world but I really did like SIU. Good luck to you!

 

[609718]

Thanks. Yeah it's not the end of the world but I really did like SIU. Good luck to you!

Thanks!!

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

FYI for next year's applicants:

The Admissions Committee has completed the process for the entering class of 2016. The decision was made not to reactivate any of the Screeners' Alternates.

Would you mind clarifying what you mean by "completed the process"? Does this mean there are no more interviews, all AWPAs have been released, etc? Sorry, just a bit confused.

 

[CoomassieBlue57]

Would you mind clarifying what you mean by "completed the process"? Does this mean there are no more interviews, all AWPAs have been released, etc? Sorry, just a bit confused.

I have no idea. I was officially rejected today. I'm assuming they have completed the interviewing process? That was just a courtesy post for next year's applicants.

 

[midwstudent]

I have no idea. I was officially rejected today. I'm assuming they have completed the interviewing process? That was just a courtesy post for next year's applicants.

All it indicates is that they have read through all of the primaries and have decided that they sent secondaries to enough qualified applicants to fill the class and will not be using the screeners alternate list. Typically at SIU, secondary=interview. Interviews will continue throughout the next few months as secondaries are submitted.

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

 

[LaurenKarno]

The wait is killing me! Really hope they send out the second batch of acceptances soon and hope to hear good news!

 

[609718]

The wait is killing me! Really hope they send out the second batch of acceptances soon and hope to hear good news!

ikr i check hthis thread daily to see if someone says they got the email.. i hope we get some good news soon too! I really loved SIU

 

[the4thlion]

The wait is killing me! Really hope they send out the second batch of acceptances soon and hope to hear good news!

I was told that the admission committee is meeting on January 26th.

 

[futuresmalltowndoc]

FYI for next year's applicants:

The Admissions Committee has completed the process for the entering class of 2016. The decision was made not to reactivate any of the Screeners' Alternates.

SIU does things very differently from most schools. Whether they are actually different or whether they are simply more upfront about their process, I am not sure, but the story they tell is extremely different from any other school to which I have applied in either cycle (15 last year and 20 this year). I am a reapplicant and I interviewed in October last year and last week for this cycle. They may or may not be offering more interviews. Of that I am unsure, although like someone on this thread posted earlier, secondary application almost always = interview. I know that they are still interviewing and they do so through the end of February/beginning of March. The committee meets again on Jan 26 (this info came directly from the dean of admissions during my interview) so the next batch of decisions (both AWPAs and full acceptances) will be sent out (AWPA/Alternate/Deny via snail mail, full acceptances via email) on January 27. Then another batch of acceptances are set to be released in the middle of March. After the March batch is sent out, acceptances will be offered one by one as seats are turned down by others. Those acceptances are taken first from the ranked AWPA list and then, if that list is exhausted (which has not happened in the last 10 years - also directly from the dean of admissions) then people are pulled off the ranked alternate list. Official acceptances are offered up until the final seat in the class (of 72) is filled officially, which means there are usually one or two acceptances offered as late as the week before matriculation.

 

[609718]

SIU does things very differently from most schools. Whether they are actually different or whether they are simply more upfront about their process, I am not sure, but the story they tell is extremely different from any other school to which I have applied in either cycle (15 last year and 20 this year). I am a reapplicant and I interviewed in October last year and last week for this cycle. They may or may not be offering more interviews. Of that I am unsure, although like someone on this thread posted earlier, secondary application almost always = interview. I know that they are still interviewing and they do so through the end of February/beginning of March. The committee meets again on Jan 26 (this info came directly from the dean of admissions during my interview) so the next batch of decisions (both AWPAs and full acceptances) will be sent out (AWPA/Alternate/Deny via snail mail, full acceptances via email) on January 27. Then another batch of acceptances are set to be released in the middle of March. After the March batch is sent out, acceptances will be offered one by one as seats are turned down by others. Those acceptances are taken first from the ranked AWPA list and then, if that list is exhausted (which has not happened in the last 10 years - also directly from the dean of admissions) then people are pulled off the ranked alternate list. Official acceptances are offered up until the final seat in the class (of 72) is filled officially, which means there are usually one or two acceptances offered as late as the week before matriculation.

Thanks for the info! Last year did you get AWPA? I am nervous about not getting a official seat. I got AWPA in October and I'm hoping to get an official acceptance soon.

 

[ncklkrt]

Correct - the second of the three big batch acceptances will be sent out at the end of this month, effectively filling 2/3 of 2016's entering class. Keep in mind positions move throughout the year as they interview more people and people confirm / deny seats. A decent amount of people in my class were notified as late as June last year that they were accepted. Lots of movement happens towards the end of April as the multiple acceptance deadline gets closer, so don't be too bummed if you don't get an official acceptance with this batch or the one in March as movement does happen pretty regularly in late April.

However, my class did NOT exhaust the AWPA list, meaning enough people accepted seats before getting to everyone on the AWPA list. AWPA means a pretty good chance of an acceptance but certainly not a guarantee. Good luck to everyone - waiting is the hardest part!

 

[futuresmalltowndoc]

Thanks for the info! Last year did you get AWPA? I am nervous about not getting a official seat. I got AWPA in October and I'm hoping to get an official acceptance soon.

I was on the Prospective Reapplicant list last year. Hoping for AWPA this time around!

 

[Pasmal]

Thanks for the info! Last year did you get AWPA? I am nervous about not getting a official seat. I got AWPA in October and I'm hoping to get an official acceptance soon.

Took me 6 months from II to acceptance fwiw. Have a backup plan if you don't hear by April but also realize your chances are still very good.

@futuresmalltowndoc I agree with everything you said, but to clarify one part (as @ncklkrt said) the AWPA getting exhausted is anything but a regular occurrence. It can happen but I think the general feeling is that RA means you have a good shot of getting on AWPA next year if you improve one or two things. Other than that though +1 to the above

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

It's also a good idea to remember that even though we may not get an acceptance in Jan/Feb, that is still just the first 1/3 of the whole ~150 acceptances. You actually stand a better chance of getting accepted post February than you do before, looking at the odds.

 

[609718]

I was on the Prospective Reapplicant list last year. Hoping for AWPA this time around!

I hope you get AWPA as well. Good luck!

 

[609718]

Took me 6 months from II to acceptance fwiw. Have a backup plan if you don't hear by April but also realize your chances are still very good.

@futuresmalltowndoc I agree with everything you said, but to clarify one part (as @ncklkrt said) the AWPA getting exhausted is anything but a regular occurrence. It can happen but I think the general feeling is that RA means you have a good shot of getting on AWPA next year if you improve one or two things. Other than that though +1 to the above

Great!! & the website says that they send our 15o acceptances total. So at the end of this month, only 50 acceptances will have gone out by the end of this month. So.. chances are still good. Thanks alot!

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

Does anyone know what their policy/expectation is on grade updates? Specifically for AWPA applicants I suppose. I assume it is something I should do and that it cannot hurt, but I also don't want to send an update if they don't expect any from AWPA status applicants. Thanks!

 

[Pasmal]

Does anyone know what their policy/expectation is on grade updates? Specifically for AWPA applicants I suppose. I assume it is something I should do and that it cannot hurt, but I also don't want to send an update if they don't expect any from AWPA status applicants. Thanks!

Your rank on AWPA will not change once you're on it. Updates/LOIs won't affect the process at that point.

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

Your rank on AWPA will not change once you're on it. Updates/LOIs won't affect the process at that point.

Okay, thank you. I didn't necessarily mean "will this improve my chances"...I more so was curious if they expected to see fall grades etc to make sure students are still on track and not slacking off during senior year--stuff like that. I spoke with Laura in admissions today and got squared away. I sent them fall grades and a quick blurb about what's been going on since interview day. Thanks for all your great help

 

[the4thlion]

Okay, thank you. I didn't necessarily mean "will this improve my chances"...I more so was curious if they expected to see fall grades etc to make sure students are still on track and not slacking off during senior year--stuff like that. I spoke with Laura in admissions today and got squared away. I sent them fall grades and a quick blurb about what's been going on since interview day. Thanks for all your great help

Did you send them your fall grades as an official or "unofficial" transcript?

 

[Skol_Vikings]

When I applied last year I never sent anything else in after the secondary until I sent my deposit to reserve my seat (after being accepted off AWPA). Some schools require updates I believe, but SIU is not one of them.

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

Did you send them your fall grades as an official or "unofficial" transcript?

Both actually, unofficially I just typed them into an email at the request of Beth. But I also had an official transcript sent out to Beth (also at her request). Hope that helps

 

[MD2ndBorn]

Hello all, wishing to remain ANON, so please no stat questions. Just wanted to share I received a spot on the AWPA list, letter-via mail today. So check your mailbox.

 

[chicity243]

AWPA today

 

[workout123]

Does siu sdm have a store where they sell dental school apparel like sweats, tshirts

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

Adcom is meeting on the 26th, correct? I feel like that is what I have read but it was never confirmed. Thanks!

 

[futuresmalltowndoc]

Adcom is meeting on the 26th, correct? I feel like that is what I have read but it was never confirmed. Thanks!

Yep! And that is the last adcom meeting before they send the next batch of full acceptances from the AWPA list.

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

Yep! And that is the last adcom meeting before they send the next batch of full acceptances from the AWPA list.

So I assume that means we can expect some "officials" to be handed out a day or two after that

*crosses fingers*

 

[futuresmalltowndoc]

So I assume that means we can expect some "officials" to be handed out a day or two after that

*crosses fingers*

I think so! Really hoping to get that official email!!

 

[futuresmalltowndoc]

So, this is me over analyzing everything WAY too much, but I can't seem to think about anything else. . .those of you that have already been offered full acceptances, what time of day did you get your email and was it on the day of the adcom meeting or after? Really hoping to hear today!!!!!!!