2008-2009 University of Utah Secondary Application Thread

[shemarty]

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The personal statement is in addition to the personal comments provided on the AMCAS application. The personal comments from your AMCAS application will not be acceptable as your personal statement, although you may expand on an idea expressed in your personal comments. The personal statement should not be used to list your accomplishments and activities since they are noted elsewhere in your application.

The personal statement is an opportunity for you to present yourself and your motivation for pursuing a career in medicine to the Admissions Committee. Topics for the personal statement may include activities or individuals who have influenced your life and shaped your decision to study medicine. Share what you have learned on a personal level. The statement should be specific, succinct, straightforward and sincere. You should discuss your motivation and your enthusiasm for medicine. The committee is interested in your life long goals, both personally and in medicine, and will want to know that you are committed to excellence in all areas of medicine.

Use the space provided to enter your personal statement. The available space is 4500 characters. You will receive an error message if you exceed the available space. Spell check is not available. You may copy and paste your personal statement from another application/program, e.g., Microsoft Word, WordPerfect

 

[serikk85]

So....I don't meet one of the minimum requirements in my activities to be considered for admission. Pathetic that I don't know the requirements at my own school, I know. Does anybody know if there is any flexibility at all (I'm way above average in every other activity) or is the committee unflinchingly rigid? Funny, Utah was my very last choice, but I'm pretty sad that I'm going to get rejected there.

 

[cougarY]

I'd probably just call the admissions office. I've had to call for a few things...like asking about the diversity requirement and they screwed up my letters. They've been pretty friendly.

 

[shemarty]

ignore. im doing admin stuff.

 

[waterlilly]

I think they are flexible depending on what criterion you aren't meeting. For instance, I don't have a clinical letter but they said if my other letters mention clinical stuff, then it's fine.

 

[phospho]

Sorry if this is a stupid question. Their website says:

All letters of recommendation must have a valid signature and be mailed directly from the letter writer or the Premedical Office to: (their address)

Please tell me interfolio will work. I've searched their site and there is no mention of that at all.

thanks! 🙂

 

[waterlilly]

hmmm...if they don't take VirtualEval then I'm rejecting them

 

[phospho]

hmmm...if they don't take VirtualEval then I'm rejecting them

same here...the fact that they need 6 letters is ridiculous. They know it's a ******ed process as it is, and they're making it worse. If they need the letters sent straight to them, then screw it, i'm not doing the secondary.

 

[serikk85]

same here...the fact that they need 6 letters is ridiculous. They know it's a ******ed process as it is, and they're making it worse. If they need the letters sent straight to them, then screw it, i'm not doing the secondary.

I just VE'd my letters to them, so I'd imagine you're good.

 

[Concubine]

same here...the fact that they need 6 letters is ridiculous. They know it's a ******ed process as it is, and they're making it worse. If they need the letters sent straight to them, then screw it, i'm not doing the secondary.

U of U's secondary is the most brutal of all secondaries. Believe me...I filled out 18 of them.

 

[waterlilly]

U of U's secondary is the most brutal of all secondaries. Believe me...I filled out 18 of them.

18?!?!?!? You applies 18 times?

btw...good to hear they take VE, I just submitted and it was brutal. Seriously...if they are going to tell me there average and minimum requirements, of course I'm going to try and be above average in all areas!

 

[cougarY]

I just submitted as well. I'm OOS and don't have the highest of hopes for Utah but I guess we'll see.

 

[zetabruin]

did u guys all fill up 4500 characters??? do u all think it's bad if i only have, say, 2500?

 

[drelizabeth292]

im still waiting to get this secondary ! im instate and i know that i meet all their requirements so im just wondering whats taking so long. i was amcas verified in late july. how lond thereafter did you guys get yours?
thanks and good luck.

 

[drelizabeth292]

did u guys all fill up 4500 characters??? do u all think it's bad if i only have, say, 2500?

i think that as long as it is good and concise to not worry about the character limits. quality is better than quantity.

 

[drelizabeth292]

i finally got the secondary. and last week i sent them my letters and they have already received them. now just to tackle this new PS.

 

[deleted128562]

Does anyone have any experience with sending LOR's to Utah via Interfolio? They are listed by Interfolio, but Utah says they need letters directly from letter writers. Also, I don't think all of my professors uploaded their letters with letterhead - will that be a problem?

I'd contact the school but I've had to bug them twice in the last 2 days so I thought I'd ask here first. Thanks!

 

[drelizabeth292]

Does anyone have any experience with sending LOR's to Utah via Interfolio? They are listed by Interfolio, but Utah says they need letters directly from letter writers. Also, I don't think all of my professors uploaded their letters with letterhead - will that be a problem?

I'd contact the school but I've had to bug them twice in the last 2 days so I thought I'd ask here first. Thanks!

they are pretty strict about the letterhead thing. but in regards to interfolio-i just had my premed office, who received all my letters, send it to them.

 

[MadEvans]

I have heard that OOS applicants only have to pay OOS tuition for the first year. Is this true?

 

[drelizabeth292]

I have heard that OOS applicants only have to pay OOS tuition for the first year. Is this true?

ive never heard that. im IS though-maybe they dont tell me these things. i know that for undergrad you have to work for a year without going to school in order to be considered IS.

 

[cougarY]

At my interview, I asked about this. You have to have lived in Utah for a consecutive 12 months, have a Utah driver's license, your car registered in utah, registered to vote in Utah, a couple other things (like not being claimed as a dependent of your OOS parents on your taxes) but I can't remember them all. But it only takes those 12 months to get residency. So after a year I'd assume you'd be paying IS tuition.

 

[subrown]

Has anyone else here interviewed at the U yet?

 

[cougarY]

I have, PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[strater]

I interviewed on 9/22. I hope they send out some notifications in January like they did last year. The wait is killing me.

 

[drelizabeth292]

i interview tomorrow! ah!😀

 

[subrown]

How did it go?

 

[drelizabeth292]

How did it go?

it went fine. it was my fourth interview so i wasnt very nervous. the students and faculty members are very nice-and the dean is clearly a great guy and funny too. its too bad that they dont give you a tour of the hospital. the questions are all pretty standard and just explore your AMCAS application activities in depth.

 

[SearchLite]

I have heard that OOS applicants only have to pay OOS tuition for the first year. Is this true?

I'm OOS. They told me it's based on credits rather than length of time. I don't remember the exact credit amount, but you end up paying OOS tuition for 1.5 years. It would be two years, but you get 1.5 times the credits if you're a graduate student.

 

[MadEvans]

I'm OOS. They told me it's based on credits rather than length of time. I don't remember the exact credit amount, but you end up paying OOS tuition for 1.5 years. It would be two years, but you get 1.5 times the credits if you're a graduate student.

This is what I heard recently too. 1.5 years. That's not bad. Interview coming up here for me in about a month. Did anybody else intentionally schedule their interview for winter so they could enjoy the amazing Utah snowboarding/skiing?

 

[drelizabeth292]

This is what I heard recently too. 1.5 years. That's not bad. Interview coming up here for me in about a month. Did anybody else intentionally schedule their interview for winter so they could enjoy the amazing Utah snowboarding/skiing?

a lot of people in my interview group did and planned their trip so they could ski for 2 days after the interview. sounds like a good plan for me-if only i like the snow that is! good luck!

 

[skirgal16]

I'm OOS. They told me it's based on credits rather than length of time. I don't remember the exact credit amount, but you end up paying OOS tuition for 1.5 years. It would be two years, but you get 1.5 times the credits if you're a graduate student.

Rumor has it that tuition is going to increase for everyone next year, and class size is going to decrease. Just passin' on what I've heard.

 

[guestdoc]

Rumor has it that tuition is going to increase for everyone next year, and class size is going to decrease. Just passin' on what I've heard.

Source? Cause I heard that tuition is going to increase and class size is going to increase as well... to be honest I can't remember where I heard that, though...

 

[skirgal16]

Source? Cause I heard that tuition is going to increase and class size is going to increase as well... to be honest I can't remember where I heard that, though...

I'll let you know after our meeting with the dean. But basically it's been going around the medical school for weeks now.

 

[guestdoc]

I'll let you know after our meeting with the dean. But basically it's been going around the medical school for weeks now.

Ah ok. Well, I'll check back here for more info later on!

Unfortunately, I'm all about lower tuition (and lower debt)--it's almost to the point where Utah students can find lower tuition at some OOS places... I'm not sure what to think about the class size... Why would they go smaller with the "call to increase enrollment" thing?

 

[skirgal16]

Ah ok. Well, I'll check back here for more info later on!

Unfortunately, I'm all about lower tuition (and lower debt)--it's almost to the point where Utah students can find lower tuition at some OOS places... I'm not sure what to think about the class size... Why would they go smaller with the "call to increase enrollment" thing?

If rumors are correct....legislation budget cuts. Less money for the medical school, so they have to cut something which is students.

 

[skirgal16]

tuition will be much higher, class size will be smaller next year. If things remain as they are, worst case, 20 to 30 spots could be cut from next year's class.

 

[guestdoc]

tuition will be much higher, class size will be smaller next year. If things remain as they are, worst case, 20 to 30 spots could be cut from next year's class.

Blegh... have you heard how much higher? This isn't very good news... 🙄

 

[LoVEiT]

hey guys! i have an interview at U of U next week and was just wondering if any of you have any tips! i would greatly appreciate! every school is different...those who have been interviewed, do you have any suggestions? thank ya! 😉

 

[skirgal16]

Hey Love I can try to give you some tips. I didn't interview there this year but a recent year, and I don't think the process has changed. There are 2 interviews, one with faculty and one with a 4th year student. They have your application, but do not have your MCAT score or GPA, so if you don't tell them they don't know. Mostly you'll get ask questions about things on the app like research, volunteering, etc. Some students got asked the hard ethical questions (like abortion, what's wrong with health care,...) but I didn't so it's hit or miss.

 

[LoVEiT]

Thanks! 🙂

 

[drelizabeth292]

Hey Love I can try to give you some tips. I didn't interview there this year but a recent year, and I don't think the process has changed. There are 2 interviews, one with faculty and one with a 4th year student. They have your application, but do not have your MCAT score or GPA, so if you don't tell them they don't know. Mostly you'll get ask questions about things on the app like research, volunteering, etc. Some students got asked the hard ethical questions (like abortion, what's wrong with health care,...) but I didn't so it's hit or miss.

do you know by how much tuition will be raised?

 

[MadEvans]

tuition will be much higher, class size will be smaller next year. If things remain as they are, worst case, 20 to 30 spots could be cut from next year's class.

Wow, so much for my chances as an OOSer.

 

[books]

I interviewed on 9/22. I hope they send out some notifications in January like they did last year. The wait is killing me.

Where do you get the info from last years notifications? I have searched and can't find it anywhere. That would be AWESOME if they did give out info in January. Interviewed in Sept also and gosh...this is a LONG wait until April!

 

[skirgal16]

Where do you get the info from last years notifications? I have searched and can't find it anywhere. That would be AWESOME if they did give out info in January. Interviewed in Sept also and gosh...this is a LONG wait until April!

They send out a very few acceptances at the beginning of January to the best of the best (you could say, it's not many), but the majority are at the end of March/April. I assume that since they won't know about funding from the legislature until the beginning of March and thus the size of next year's class, the majority of the acceptances will come in April. Yet I could be wrong.

 

[LoVEiT]

i was there for an interview on 12/08 and the dean said he has a meeting with the legislators and will try to decide on the number of seats that will be available so they can start making decisions. They will let know the "best of the best" and the ones that do not have a chance to get in in January-February so "people can plan their lives accordingly". The rest of "maybe's" will have to wait until March... He did not mention how much the tuition will increase but 40% of state funding was cut for next year... Thats the info I got when I was there...hope it helps.

 

[clinicallabguy]

So, I think I'm behind the curve in hearing about the budget cut and how it will affect the U Med school.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5033068

This article from ksl claims that the class size could be cut as much as 20%.

How much do you think the loss of "millions of federal dollars" could affect the medical education that one might get at the U. Will there be less opportunity to do research because money is limited?

Did those of you who interviewed recently get this impression, or do you think that ksl is exagerating?

 

[skirgal16]

So, I think I'm behind the curve in hearing about the budget cut and how it will affect the U Med school.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5033068

This article from ksl claims that the class size could be cut as much as 20%.

How much do you think the loss of "millions of federal dollars" could affect the medical education that one might get at the U. Will there be less opportunity to do research because money is limited?

Did those of you who interviewed recently get this impression, or do you think that ksl is exagerating?

Sadly, they're not exagerating. The deans told us med students the class could be cut around 20-30%. The reasoning is that they don't want to cut the quality of the education, so they're having fewer students with the money they have to try to keep things the same education-wise (although, next year is the first year of the new curriculum). I want to say education will be the same, but we keep hearing about the new curiculum, but I think they will try to keep it the same.

As for research, doing research is up to the student, a lot don't choose to do research, plus you really only have the summer between MS1 and MS2 to do it and there are other options for that summer (or most just do nothing). I think in that case it is up to the department to pay for your research, not the medical school. That is unless they implement the new curiculum next year, in which I've heard you don't get the summer off between MS1 and MS2 and instead you have to use the summer to do research or do an abroad trip or something "medical".

But, nothing limits your ability to do research unless you specifically want to be paid which might be were the problem is. I'm sure any group would have you, especially if you worked for free. 🙄

 

[LoVEiT]

The dean said that they are implementing a new curriculum next year (1 and 2 year will have more clinical stuff and 3 and 4th will have some science classes). They are cutting down the seat number to save the rest of the educational experience the same. In fact, he said, that they are moving forward with teh curriculum and other investments they have planned beforehand because if they dont spend money on that now, they will lose the money anyway. So I dont think the education quality will suffer, likely the diversity of student body and number of professors will though.

 

[UofU2009]

Hey guys,

I was just wondering if anyone has heard from the U yet regarding acceptance for this cycle. A good friend of mine received their acceptance letter last week and was wondering if more people have been getting them this early as well...

I hate this waiting game. I interviewed in September and most likely won't know anything until late March.

 

[Snowman5214]

Your friend was already accepted to Utah this cycle? My buddy interviewed two weeks ago and Dr. Samuelson said they wouldn't be sending out any letters until January or February due to them not knowing how many students they will accept this year.

I too interviewed in September and I'm dying to know!!!