University of Minnesota

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Congrats on your acceptance Skrumpy!! Well deserved :)

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From the waitlist email it says we will know our rank May 10th. Will Stacy or Sara tell us before then? I am scared too. My biggest fear is that I will start school in June at a 3 yr program and get pulled off the waitlist. If that's the case, I wouldn't know what to do :(

I applied for two different programs at U of Min and their deadlines to comfirm enrollment are May 1st, so I need to approximately know where I am in the waitlist as soon as possible. Last interviewees may know their admission decision around April 12th, so Sarah/Stacy should know how many spots are vacant and how many people are likely to be pulled from waitlist. Anyway, time flies as we are close to finals :laugh:
 
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I heard 31 from a professor when he introduced Duluth campus. A pharmacist I know also tells me the same thing. There was a year 60s waitlist got in, so we cant tell anything until they finish the last interview round.
 
Do you guys know how they rank us? Is it based on our stats?
 
Congrats to everyone who got in!!! I am on ranked waitlist :( hope to be able to join u guys in the fall!

I hope so too, keep hanging in there!.. remember they can still pull from the ranked waitlist even though they haven't released the official rankings (as evidenced a week or so ago here on the forums). I think the worst part is the waiting around.. so I hope you guys hear back ASAP!

I think I've heard (I think from Skrumpy?) that they've taken as many as 31. But that last 31 person was notified the day before classes. I'm not really willing to wait until midsummer to find out. In fact I've been meaning to ask if I would get a worse financial aid package the later I would (potentially) get in. That's a huge consideration for me.

Yes, a co-worker of mine got in 4 years ago (she's doing a residency now) on her 2nd try. She got rank waitlisted on her 2nd try as #31 and they called her to come in 2 days after classes had started. I highly doubt that contacting people that late is normal though so I wouldn't plan for that sort of extremely late "surprise" acceptance. I guess if you were worried about it though I'd definitely call.. it seems like they don't have a problem talking about those sorts of things.

I heard that last year they picked 31 out of 80 ranked waitlisters. A friend of mine suggested calling Sarah or Stacy around mid-April to confirm your waitlist status. Any rank below 30s should be fine. I am scared, too.

Either ~31 is a common occurrence or this is just a coincidence.. Stacy said in our informational meeting they got into the unranked waitlist ~3 years ago so there appears to be room for some decent fluctuation from year to year.

Congrats on your acceptance Skrumpy!! Well deserved :)

Thanks!! I'm really excited to meet everyone and get busy with classes. BTW where did you decide on for your final choice?

Do you guys know how they rank us? Is it based on our stats?

I wish I knew.. I could speculate some more though.. but based on my prior attempts you may have better luck just sending an email =). If they do it how they pick residents at our hospital they basically assign everyone a weighted score based on all of their information. So for ex: if you did really well on the PCAT you'd get a 10 in that category and if you bombed your interview you'd get a 1, and so on (again every category is weighted based on importance). Then all your individual scores are averaged and that is your total score. That way you'd be easily searchable in some sort of list. That is my GUESS.. I honestly don't see how else they could to it and keep track of where everyone is in a list without a standardized system of ranking though so IMO it makes sense. I don't think they'd have a problem just telling you the general method of how they do it though if you wanted to have a more concrete answer.
 
I was wait-listed last year & they accepted up to number 22. The reason was that they had over-admitted by five & we ended up having to wait for at least five people to drop out of the program before they even started pulling from the waitlist. So hopefully, they don't over-admit this year & then it won't be as torturous.
 
I was wait-listed last year & they accepted up to number 22. The reason was that they had over-admitted by five & we ended up having to wait for at least five people to drop out of the program before they even started pulling from the waitlist. So hopefully, they don't over-admit this year & then it won't be as torturous.

I believe they will over-admit again. I spoke to Stacy yesterday, and she indicated that it was likely to happen.
 
I was wait-listed last year & they accepted up to number 22. The reason was that they had over-admitted by five & we ended up having to wait for at least five people to drop out of the program before they even started pulling from the waitlist. So hopefully, they don't over-admit this year & then it won't be as torturous.

I believe they will over-admit again. I spoke to Stacy yesterday, and she indicated that it was likely to happen.

What is the purpose of over-admitting? Is it so that they can keep potential WL'd applicants from going to other schools? y0ssarian87 did Stacy say anything else noteworthy?
 
What is the purpose of over-admitting? Is it so that they can keep potential WL'd applicants from going to other schools? y0ssarian87 did Stacy say anything else noteworthy?

I think they try to admit the exact number of people who will attend or as close to it. That helps ensure that people don't sit on the waitlist just to get in later. This helps applicants who end up actually being admitted because it means they hear sooner and can make plans accordingly.

Stacy also said that the letter she sent to the admits regarding tuition and cost of attendance estimates uses the same numbers as what's on the website for last year. It may appear different because the required fees are included together in the number she sent out while tuition and fees on the website are itemized separately. Ultimately, though the numbers for this year won't be posted until the fiscal year in late June/early July, and it's set by the university, not the college. The increase in tuition is due to standard annual increases not due to a change in curriculum. People who are admitted off the waitlist do not get financial aid packages that are different from people who are admitted early on. The financial aid process for all students cannot begin until tuition and fees are set. For now, make sure you've submitted your FAFSA with UMN's school code; you should do this whether you've been admitted or are on the waitlist. Lastly, the material that is being taught will not change in the new curriculum. The only thing that will change is the style of presentation; the basic sciences will incorporate more clinical applications and the clinical courses will incorporate the basic sciences more. Also, she semi-regularly checks on here. To her, it's going to be incredibly obvious who I am, but, just as a heads up, they do check out this forum. This shouldn't be all that surprising, though. Hi, Stacy!
 
Wow thanks for the info y0ssarian87! I tried contacting Stacy yesterday and left a voicemail but she didn't call me back =[ I will try again on Monday. And I didn't know she checks this site! And from the looks of things, it seems like they admit about 30ish or less from the waitlist. I will still keep my hopes up and good luck to everyone else on the waitlist!
 
Wow thanks for the info y0ssarian87! I tried contacting Stacy yesterday and left a voicemail but she didn't call me back =[ I will try again on Monday. And I didn't know she checks this site! And from the looks of things, it seems like they admit about 30ish or less from the waitlist. I will still keep my hopes up and good luck to everyone else on the waitlist!

No problem, but take what I say with a grain of salt. Please always call for clarification, because I would hate to give wrong information and have you believe it.

Today is the last interview day, and after they make the admissions decisions for this week's students and last week's students, they will begin ranking the waitlist. It is still estimated to be ranked by early May. There are going to be about 60 people on that waitlist.

Also regarding the stats from before, the seats aren't all filled up yet despite the fact that more people have been admitted than there are seats. Many students have declined already freeing up space. That is, they haven't begun overadmitting, but they will likely do so when reviewing the apps from this week and last week. This waiting game sucks, but it will be worth it. At least for some people.
 
I think they try to admit the exact number of people who will attend or as close to it. That helps ensure that people don't sit on the waitlist just to get in later. This helps applicants who end up actually being admitted because it means they hear sooner and can make plans accordingly.

Stacy also said that the letter she sent to the admits regarding tuition and cost of attendance estimates uses the same numbers as what's on the website for last year. It may appear different because the required fees are included together in the number she sent out while tuition and fees on the website are itemized separately. Ultimately, though the numbers for this year won't be posted until the fiscal year in late June/early July, and it's set by the university, not the college. The increase in tuition is due to standard annual increases not due to a change in curriculum. People who are admitted off the waitlist do not get financial aid packages that are different from people who are admitted early on. The financial aid process for all students cannot begin until tuition and fees are set. For now, make sure you've submitted your FAFSA with UMN's school code; you should do this whether you've been admitted or are on the waitlist. Lastly, the material that is being taught will not change in the new curriculum. The only thing that will change is the style of presentation; the basic sciences will incorporate more clinical applications and the clinical courses will incorporate the basic sciences more. Also, she semi-regularly checks on here. To her, it's going to be incredibly obvious who I am, but, just as a heads up, they do check out this forum. This shouldn't be all that surprising, though. Hi, Stacy!

Interesting. I was wondering if some pharmacy administrators came onto these forums. I guess that answers that question and I can't say that I'm all that surprised. I have no doubt that they could figure out who I am with relative ease, especially since I posted all my stats in the WAMC thread, and discussed other aspects of my life here on the forums. I'm glad to hear that your WL status doesn't affect your options for financial aid. I'm really excited for the new curriculum, a lot of bright individuals worked on it for quite some time and I really hope it pans out as they plan. They were going to implement it last year but decided against it as they didn't feel it was ready. To me that speaks volumes. It shows they aren't going to push forward with something that isn't where they wanted it to be. From listening to the students, it sounds like they really asked for their feedback during the entire process, which I think is also important. It shows they care enough to not make unilateral decisions.
 
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Interesting. I was wondering if some pharmacy administrators came onto these forums. I guess that answers that question and I can't say that I'm all that surprised. I have no doubt that they could figure out who I am with relative ease, especially since I posted all my stats in the WAMC thread, and discussed other aspects of my life here on the forums. I'm glad to hear that your WL status doesn't affect your options for financial aid. I'm really excited for the new curriculum, a lot of bright individuals worked on it for quite some time and I really hope it pans out as they plan. They were going to implement it last year but decided against it as they didn't feel it was ready. To me that speaks volumes. It shows they aren't going to push forward with something that isn't where they wanted it to be. From listening to the students, it sounds like they really asked for their feedback during the entire process, which I think is also important. It shows they care enough to not make unilateral decisions.

Well, I hope everything goes well with the new curriculum. Stacy also said that the syllabi are still being approved, so things really aren't finalized yet. Despite the fact that things aren't finalized though, I have a hard time believing that this change will not be anything but good. It seems like very thoughtful and pragmatic changes will be made to integrate the many aspects of the curriculum.
 
Well, I hope everything goes well with the new curriculum. Stacy also said that the syllabi are still being approved, so things really aren't finalized yet. Despite the fact that things aren't finalized though, I have a hard time believing that this change will not be anything but good. It seems like very thoughtful and pragmatic changes will be made to integrate the many aspects of the curriculum.

That's what I gleaned when I was "grilling" one of the professors spearheading the change. Time will tell how it works out, I am just thankful there are institutions out there that want to make these kinds of changes and are willing to invest in them. They said at the informational meeting that they have 5 PhD educational "experts" that have been working on the curriculum and will continue to work through it as it is being implemented. Any other institution could have easily said "why bother changing things when it won't affect the number of people who apply here"? Whether or not they changed the curriculum they still get the same amount of tuition. We'll have to see how it all plays out and I honestly hope you get in.. would be nice to have an SDN forum buddy to chat with about classes, and I could be your local informant =).
 
That's what I gleaned when I was "grilling" one of the professors spearheading the change. Time will tell how it works out, I am just thankful there are institutions out there that want to make these kinds of changes and are willing to invest in them. They said at the informational meeting that they have 5 PhD educational "experts" that have been working on the curriculum and will continue to work through it as it is being implemented. Any other institution could have easily said "why bother changing things when it won't affect the number of people who apply here"? Whether or not they changed the curriculum they still get the same amount of tuition. We'll have to see how it all plays out and I honestly hope you get in.. would be nice to have an SDN forum buddy to chat with about classes, and I could be your local informant =).

That's mighty kind! Thank you so much. If I end up in Minnesota, I would love to buy you a Nice-to-meet-ya-and-thank-you drink!

I think I'm leaning to Minnesota, but I'm still unable to decide. I like the new curriculum and the fact that there isn't another school of pharmacy in the state. The TC area is also better than Baltimore, in my opinion. I think there are some great points about Maryland too: Johns Hopkins; a large, underserved HIV positive population (I really want to work with this group); and NIH/FDA. I haven't made any headway in choosing between the two.
 
I wonder if anyone can post the stats after today's interview, please.
 
That's mighty kind! Thank you so much. If I end up in Minnesota, I would love to buy you a Nice-to-meet-ya-and-thank-you drink!

I think I'm leaning to Minnesota, but I'm still unable to decide. I like the new curriculum and the fact that there isn't another school of pharmacy in the state. The TC area is also better than Baltimore, in my opinion. I think there are some great points about Maryland too: Johns Hopkins; a large, underserved HIV positive population (I really want to work with this group); and NIH/FDA. I haven't made any headway in choosing between the two.

My brother-in-law's brother lives out in MD and used to work at Johns Hopkins, now he is working for the CIA out there. I know it doesn't necessarily compare but there is also a student run clinic here at the U of M that I'm sure you've heard about. Either sound like it would be a lot of fun to get involved in, as would working/interning at the NIH or FDA. Both would be pretty good facilities to get involved in and the networking opportunities there are undoubtedly amazing. Sounds like you have a tough decision ahead of you. Are both out of state options for you?

I wonder if anyone can post the stats after today's interview, please.

I'm also interested.
 
My brother-in-law's brother lives out in MD and used to work at Johns Hopkins, now he is working for the CIA out there. I know it doesn't necessarily compare but there is also a student run clinic here at the U of M that I'm sure you've heard about. Either sound like it would be a lot of fun to get involved in, as would working/interning at the NIH or FDA. Both would be pretty good facilities to get involved in and the networking opportunities there are undoubtedly amazing. Sounds like you have a tough decision ahead of you. Are both out of state options for you?



I'm also interested.

Yup. Every place is out of state. I'm originally from TX, but I moved here to CA for undergrad. The Texas schools to which I applied consider me out of state because I submitted taxes to the state of CA when I was working here full-time. The problem is that I've been in school here in CA continually since I've moved here for school and my full-time job was just a short-term, contract position so I cannot show intent to be a permanent resident. So that's fun. Not to mention, with my grades, there is no way I'd even get interviews to CA schools.
 
Yup. Every place is out of state. I'm originally from TX, but I moved here to CA for undergrad. The Texas schools to which I applied consider me out of state because I submitted taxes to the state of CA when I was working here full-time. The problem is that I've been in school here in CA continually since I've moved here for school and my full-time job was just a short-term, contract position so I cannot show intent to be a permanent resident. So that's fun. Not to mention, with my grades, there is no way I'd even get interviews to CA schools.

Ahh yea that's right I remember now. My GPA would have probably suffered as well had I been in a state with year round decent weather. Nothing worse than being cooped up inside with sub-zero temps and blistering snow, but at least you have a good reason to stay in and study :). Just saw the drink offer.. definitely won't turn down a free drink!
 
That's what I gleaned when I was "grilling" one of the professors spearheading the change. Time will tell how it works out, I am just thankful there are institutions out there that want to make these kinds of changes and are willing to invest in them. They said at the informational meeting that they have 5 PhD educational "experts" that have been working on the curriculum and will continue to work through it as it is being implemented. Any other institution could have easily said "why bother changing things when it won't affect the number of people who apply here"? Whether or not they changed the curriculum they still get the same amount of tuition. We'll have to see how it all plays out and I honestly hope you get in.. would be nice to have an SDN forum buddy to chat with about classes, and I could be your local informant =).
They received a pretty significant grant to change the curriculum. And whether or not it brings in more applicants I don't think is their focus. U of MN are definitely innovators and policy changers within pharmacy practice and education. And I believe this change in the program is another step towards improving clinical care by introducing methods that teach future pharmacists how to work collaboratively with other healthcare providers. Honestly, it's one of the reasons I am seriously considering the school. I like where their focus is. But now it is just a matter of hearing back. Hopefully it will be sometime this week.
 
They received a pretty significant grant to change the curriculum. And whether or not it brings in more applicants I don't think is their focus. U of MN are definitely innovators and policy changers within pharmacy practice and education. And I believe this change in the program is another step towards improving clinical care by introducing methods that teach future pharmacists how to work collaboratively with other healthcare providers. Honestly, it's one of the reasons I am seriously considering the school. I like where their focus is. But now it is just a matter of hearing back. Hopefully it will be sometime this week.

I just wish they would post the syllabi online so that I could look over them and see the differences between the old and new. There is already a lot of collaboration at the teaching hospital (University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview) attached to the school. Pharmacists go on rounds with the medical staff during rounds. Anything to improve upon that experience would be great.
 
Couple questions on financial aid.

1. On the website it says scholarships are awarded at time of admission. If I didn't do FAFSA until after acceptance, could you still be offered?

2. I completed FAFSA a couple weeks ago. When will I see my offered loans?

Thanks!

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Couple questions on financial aid.

1. On the website it says scholarships are awarded at time of admission. If I didn't do FAFSA until after acceptance, could you still be offered?

2. I completed FAFSA a couple weeks ago. When will I see my offered loans?

Thanks!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using SDN Mobile

One of the things Stacy told me was that financial aid cannot be calculated until the tuition and fees are actually set. This means the financial aid office won't even be able to look at financial aid packages till June/July when those numbers are set in stone. Please check with her to confirm.
 
If I get in, I would be so excited, but I would be so sad to be leaving this:

ImageUploadedBySDN Mobile1364931202.161841.jpg
 
Wow y0ssarian87, what beach do you live by in Cali? I too will be missing the beach when I leave for school. Btw, does anyone know if we can send in additional information to update our application like LORs or Letter of Intent, etc?
 
Wow y0ssarian87, what beach do you live by in Cali? I too will be missing the beach when I leave for school. Btw, does anyone know if we can send in additional information to update our application like LORs or Letter of Intent, etc?

My bf's brother is out of town, so my bf and I are house-sitting. His brother lives two blocks from the Strand here in Manhattan Beach. Where are you located?
 
I'll be missing Asian food.

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I'll be missing Asian food.

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There's quite a bit of good food in the TC area from what I understand. Make sure you have a rice cooker and you can make anything at home :)

I think there is a decent Vietnamese population in Minneapolis. Not quite like the Somali population, though. I've had Ethiopian food here in LA, but I'd love to try Somali food!
 
One of the things Stacy told me was that financial aid cannot be calculated until the tuition and fees are actually set. This means the financial aid office won't even be able to look at financial aid packages till June/July when those numbers are set in stone. Please check with her to confirm.

I wonder how much they are increasing it.. :scared:

If I get in, I would be so excited, but I would be so sad to be leaving this:

Yes but you'll get to experience this!

Minnesota-Ice-Fishing.bmp
 
I wonder how much they are increasing it.. :scared:



Yes but you'll get to experience this!

Minnesota-Ice-Fishing.bmp

Haha that's so funny! I have to admit, despite everything being blanketed in snow when I visited and being from TX and CA, one of the biggest benefits to moving to MN for me is all the natural beauty. I was blown away by how gorgeous Minneapolis is. I'm still scared of the crazy cold and heavy snow. The record lows that are less than -30°F are truly distressing.
 
Haha that's so funny! I have to admit, despite everything being blanketed in snow when I visited and being from TX and CA, one of the biggest benefits to moving to MN for me is all the natural beauty. I was blown away by how gorgeous Minneapolis is. I'm still scared of the crazy cold and heavy snow. The record lows that are less than -30°F are truly distressing.

I really should have said, "...despite (and because of) everything being blanketed in snow..."
 
My bf's brother is out of town, so my bf and I are house-sitting. His brother lives two blocks from the Strand here in Manhattan Beach. Where are you located?

I'm located down in the OC. So I will miss Huntington and Newport beach :(
 
I'm located down in the OC. So I will miss Huntington and Newport beach :(

Oh man, I go there pretty often. I was just in Huntington Friday night with my old roommate (he lives there) and a couple other friends from undergrad. Also, I was just in Newport for the first night of Passover with one of my other friends from undergrad. I love the beaches :)
 
To Skrumpy and other TC folks: is St. Paul cheaper than Minneapolis in terms of rent? One student mentioned that they lived in St. Paul by the UMN campus there, and they take the campus shuttle to school. Is this a cheaper option?

Also, Skrumpy what were those cheap $200/month options you mentioned in another thread?

Basically, what are some cheaper options around the area?
 
Haha that's so funny! I have to admit, despite everything being blanketed in snow when I visited and being from TX and CA, one of the biggest benefits to moving to MN for me is all the natural beauty. I was blown away by how gorgeous Minneapolis is. I'm still scared of the crazy cold and heavy snow. The record lows that are less than -30°F are truly distressing.

Yea although -30°F isn't common, it is those nasty windchills that can really get to you. I'd take a good -30°F over a 0°F with wind any day of the week. People forget how to drive when there is an inch of snow on the ground and people with SUVs believe that they rule the road (and end up in ditches). I complain about the cold but I do like a good mild day with some snow on the ground.

To Skrumpy and other TC folks: is St. Paul cheaper than Minneapolis in terms of rent? One student mentioned that they lived in St. Paul by the UMN campus there, and they take the campus shuttle to school. Is this a cheaper option?

Also, Skrumpy what were those cheap $200/month options you mentioned in another thread?

Basically, what are some cheaper options around the area?

St. Paul is definitely cheaper, and the commute isn't that bad. The main reason Minneapolis is more expensive is because that is prime real estate. Those houses for $200/mo are basically 5 people all sharing a house together, and are basically slums. A small handful of people own the majority of them and they do the bare minimum to maintain them, essentially enough to keep them from collapsing. I wouldn't recommend living there unless you really wanted to save the $$ and didn't mind living with 4 other random people. Most (all?) of the classes are supposed to be recorded anyways.. so if you really wanted to I would imagine you could just not come in for class except on exams/labs/etc. A couple of folks mentioned they did that in Duluth during inclement weather.
 
Isn't that just outside of Weaver hall?

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Another picture to post:

View attachment 23260

=)

Where is this at?!

Isn't that just outside of Weaver hall?

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Yep that is Weaver-Densford Hall (where the CoP is located). If you want a google maps view you can go here. Should take you right to those trees (which all look dead ATM). If you scroll south a block and a half you'll see the University of MN Medical Center (where I work).
 
Where is this at?!

Isn't that just outside of Weaver hall?

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Yep that is Weaver-Densford Hall (where the CoP is located). If you want a google maps view you can go here. Should take you right to those trees (which all look dead ATM). If you scroll south a block and a half you'll see the University of MN Medical Center (where I work).

Yep, it's Weaver-Densford Hall! I took the picture on my way out of the interview.
 
Hey guys! I'll be attending UMinn this fall and was wondering if anyone is looking for a
female roommate/aptmate?

I've been looking around stadium village area/dinkytown area since i kind of prefer to be closer to campus since i'll be coming from socal and Minn will be an entirely dif experience for me!

Also, if anyone has any recs for buildings to look at, please let me know! Thank you in advance!
 
Regarding the waitlist...

Stacy Tomhave said:
Greetings!

We are finished reviewing applications for admission to the University of Minnesota and will now begin ranking applicants on the wait list. We currently have 77 applicants on the ranked wait list and currently no seats open in the program. The ranking process will take us a couple of weeks and I expect to notify applicants of their placement on the ranked waitlist about the date of May 1st.

Last year we offered admission to approximately 30 applicants on the ranked waitlist. I expect similar numbers this year, but cannot make any certain predictions. We will begin offering admission to applicants on the waitlist as soon as a seat opens.

Please let me know if you have any questions, but please note that I will not have any specific information as to your placement on the wait list prior to May 1st.
Also, please let me know if you have any changes to your contact information.

Best Regards,

Stacy
 
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