U of Utah Fan Club

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
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Jaider

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Who is a fan of the University of Utah? Anybody currently attending?

I must say... I've been very very impressed with the way they've handled admissions so far. I've received several personal phone calls and emails from admissions peeps offering help with my application. How lovely... :)

So, if you have POSITIVE things to say about the U of U, please share. (I've probably heard all of the negatives already...)
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I'd love to hear some more info about Utah. I'm equally impressed with the Admissions office so far...and the mountains. Anyone know how much the students get out to play?
 
Get out and play? A lot, I had a seasons pass to Alta for the first year of school, you could do it second year also if you wanted. There are plenty of opportunities for play.

Skialta MSIII
 
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I'm a big fan (it's my alma mater), but at this point just a hopeful as far as the school of medicine is concerned.

And yes we do have the greatest snow on Earth :D maybe not the greatest terrain on Earth though. . .
 
Jaider said:
Who is a fan of the University of Utah? Anybody currently attending?

I must say... I've been very very impressed with the way they've handled admissions so far. I've received several personal phone calls and emails from admissions peeps offering help with my application. How lovely... :)

So, if you have POSITIVE things to say about the U of U, please share. (I've probably heard all of the negatives already...)
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I'm a fan! I'm also the 1st year class president. We have a great class, great support, great activities, phenomenal facilities .. the list goes on and on!! :thumbup: :D Have you rec'd an interview invite yet? I'm happy to meet any of you when you come.
 
Lucky SOB's
I haven't had any personal contact, just "write us a letter since you are from out of state btw, we don't want you anyhow"
 
Rockhouse said:
Lucky SOB's
I haven't had any personal contact, just "write us a letter since you are from out of state btw, we don't want you anyhow"
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Poor Rockhouse. Just remember: you're good enough, you're smart enough, and gosh darnit people like you!
 
Just got an interview invite, maybe I'll be one of the lucky 30 white males to get in......probably not :oops: :mad: :eek:
 
goinverted said:
Just got an interview invite, maybe I'll be one of the lucky 30 white males to get in......probably not :oops: :mad: :eek:
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LOL more like 65 white males my friend
 
30?? I think it is closer to 15-20 and only if you aren't LDS. :laugh:
I go to the U (masters), do my research at the U, work next to the U (Primary Children's), go to all the games, blah blah blah, have an interview at the U and have about 0% chance. I love it!!!! :horns:
Where are ya'll from?? Weber State? BYU? UofU? Utah State? Good luck to ya'll. I'm not counting on attending the U. Too many of my WELL QUALIFIED friends have been turned down, flat out rejected and turned down. So I'm expanding my search. The U does rock though. Go UTES!!!! :thumbup: :mad:
 
MedicineBird said:
LOL more like 65 white males my friend
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Don't quite understand where the 65 comes from. Only 75 are in state and I doubt that 65 white males will be selected with only 10 females and other ethnicities. Really being white, LDS, and from Utah is actually a negative at the U.

Jbone,

I'm from good ol' Utah State.
 
All Matriculated
Utah 424 75
Idaho112 8
NonResi 538 19

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total 1074 102

Female 321 39
Male 753 63

Rural* 9 1
Urban 1030 97
Foreign 35 4

Majority 792 88
Minority 282 14

Isn't being LDS a non-issue? I didn't think it was legal to ask.
 
Dr GeddyLee said:
All Matriculated
Utah 424 75
Idaho112 8
NonResi 538 19

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total 1074 102

Female 321 39
Male 753 63

Rural* 9 1
Urban 1030 97
Foreign 35 4

Majority 792 88
Minority 282 14

Isn't being LDS a non-issue? I didn't think it was legal to ask.
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Not too hard to know without asking. Most schools like to see the two years of missionary service on your application, just seems like the U would rather have you be a minority than be religeous. Your right about it being illegal to ask, but that doesn't mean that they don't know.
 
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goinverted said:
Not too hard to know without asking. Most schools like to see the two years of missionary service on your application, just seems like the U would rather have you be a minority than be religeous. Your right about it being illegal to ask, but that doesn't mean that they don't know.
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UGH - the truth is that the majority of the men in my class are LDS. In fact I can only think of 14 of them who are not. Only a handful of men are single while most of the women are unmarried. The majority of the women are non-LDS (at least 22). I really am amazed by all of the stereotypes and rumors that fly around about admission at the U. Some people whine about them only taking LDS then others whine that only Non-LDS get in. It's so rediculous --the truth is it just doesn't factor into selection. The reason they're not as impressed by a 2 year mission is because they know that most of the boys that go out only do so because it is a family expectation etc around Utah. They like to see more obviously independent altruism and exposure to cultural and socioeconomic diversity. They need to feel that you have seen the world and are open minded. People who live behind the oft times blinded, rose-colored Utah glasses won't gain admission. Plain and simple. And when you say a person is well qualified, you have to remember that MCAT and GPA account for only 20% of the applicant score.
 
Every applicant that applies to the University of Utah is well qualified in almost all aspects I believe they have the toughest prerequistes out there. To even get an interview you have to have qualifications that not even harvard or Mayo require. To get into the University of Utah is pure luck all canidates are well qualified, and it all comes down to whom you interview with if you get a good interview or a cool med student you will probably get in, but if on the other hand if you dont have a good interview or if you don't see eye to eye with the people you interveiw with you are screwed. The University of Utah seems themselves as some form of God when it comes to applicants making them go above and beyond what top ranked medical schools require and then seems to pick people with any rhyme or reason.
 
So saying that most of the LDS guys go out because of family is complete stereotyping. So those that go out because they really want to, get screwed because the U seems to think that LDS guys go out because of family obligation. Complete bull if you ask me. I have two very good friends who are white, LDS, served missions that did not get accepted at the U and got in at two other higher ranked schools. That seems to be happening to a lot of the guys I talk to.
 
discusdan said:
So saying that most of the LDS guys go out because of family is complete stereotyping. So those that go out because they really want to, get screwed because the U seems to think that LDS guys go out because of family obligation. Complete bull if you ask me. I have two very good friends who are white, LDS, served missions that did not get accepted at the U and got in at two other higher ranked schools. That seems to be happening to a lot of the guys I talk to.
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Hey I am by no means LDS but lived in Utah for some time and am quite in tune with the culture as my gf and many friends are LDS...anyone that thinks its not because of family obligation is just lying to themselves. There are few young men that just go for themselves, however, every tool I went to high school with that I wouldn't trust with a plastic knife went on a mission...mind you not because they wanted personal growth but because their families were big LDS folk and it was expected. Personally I think they have many pluses such as learning a language but what it comes down to is them doing it because of family and cultural pressure. Maybe that's stereotyping but the fact is it's true. I will get slammed by many LDS for this but I personally do not feel it is for the benefit of wherever the missionary is going either. For lack of a better word the work is selfish in nature. To achieve a certain status within the church and have certain privelages one must go on a mission. Frankly I think the mission work an admissions group would find of value is work that benifits a community...such as building houses or supplying healthcare. The LDS mission does neither...it's a recruiting tool. I say kudos to the U for disregarding it because the majority who go on one do in fact do it because it's expected and are not really thinking about the benifit to that society. Just my opinion so all you LDS people don't go ape on me. I've heard everything you could possibly counter that with and this still remains my opinion. Besides it's only one thing so I don't feel it will make or break your app.
 
TSisk23 said:
Hey I am by no means LDS but lived in Utah for some time and am quite in tune with the culture as my gf and many friends are LDS...anyone that thinks its not because of family obligation is just lying to themselves. There are few young men that just go for themselves, however, every tool I went to high school with that I wouldn't trust with a plastic knife went on a mission...mind you not because they wanted personal growth but because their families were big LDS folk and it was expected. Personally I think they have many pluses such as learning a language but what it comes down to is them doing it because of family and cultural pressure. Maybe that's stereotyping but the fact is it's true. I will get slammed by many LDS for this but I personally do not feel it is for the benefit of wherever the missionary is going either. For lack of a better word the work is selfish in nature. To achieve a certain status within the church and have certain privelages one must go on a mission. Frankly I think the mission work an admissions group would find of value is work that benifits a community...such as building houses or supplying healthcare. The LDS mission does neither...it's a recruiting tool. I say kudos to the U for disregarding it because the majority who go on one do in fact do it because it's expected and are not really thinking about the benifit to that society. Just my opinion so all you LDS people don't go ape on me. I've heard everything you could possibly counter that with and this still remains my opinion. Besides it's only one thing so I don't feel it will make or break your app.
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Well said my dear. :thumbup: There are those who truly go because it is their deepest desire. but mostly it's a cultural expectaion. wanna come to med school w/ me? I'll hook you up with the old exams. ;)
 
MedicineBird said:
Well said my dear. :thumbup: There are those who truly go becasue it is thier deepest desire. but mostly it's a cultural expectaion. wanna come to med school w/ me? I'll hook you up with the old exams. ;)
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Well I hope to get an interview first at UTAH...but if i get in i will definately take you up on your offer.
 
I can honestly say that I did not go because of family pressure. Am I lying to myself? I went because I wanted to.
 
discusdan said:
I can honestly say that I did not go because of family pressure. Am I lying to myself? I went because I wanted to.
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that's great. that's the way it should be and I applaud that.
 
discusdan said:
I can honestly say that I did not go because of family pressure. Am I lying to myself? I went because I wanted to.
Click to expand...
What about cultural pressure? Your family cannot make you. But you cannot honestly say that one does not feel obligated being LDS can you? The point is not to say you are forced to go it is just highlighting the point that those that participate do so because of pressures...whether it be family or the culture around them. Its not a big deal...its why most people do what they do, LDS or not LDS. I just feel that if it wasnt an emphasized practice hardly anyone would do it, like you find in most religions...people do go on missions but not to the same degree that the LDS do...and this I feel is because of said pressures. Like I said just my opinion so its obviously open to be disagreed with.
 
Why should admissions committees care that you went on a mission? Particularly when missionaries in Utah are a dime a dozen. I thought "Diversity" was the key term that admissions committees use.

I'm very tired of the white, LDS, Utah males b*tching about not getting in to the U. It seems they like to forget the admissions committees philosophy (or they're foolish enough not to find it out): that you can survive the curriculum if you can meet the minimum MCAT and GPA requirements, so you need to DISTINGUISH yourself through your activities. I think it's a valuable admissions approach, whether I get in or not.
 
Wow, one thing I definitely learned on my mission was tolerance, something that some of you are obviously lacking at this moment. Whether someone went because of social pressures or not, they stay for the right reasons. I don't know how anyone can comment on it's effectiveness on molding character or developing selflessness without having experienced it for yourselves. A mission is not a two year vacation and has been one of the most challenging and rewarding things that I have ever experienced. I know of very few missionaries who could hack out two years of something that they hated, right in the prime of their lives. There are also so many missionaries that come from other countries where they are the extreme minority, where is the social pressure to serve in their case? Every school that I have interviewed at has spent more time talking about my mission experience than anything else. I feel that 30 different people all spending time in thirty different countries, learning about cultures which they can use to help them be more compassionate physicians is pretty dang diverse if you ask me.
 
I was speaking of diversity in terms of the entering class. You may have had a valuable experience on your mission, but so did a lot of the other people applying to the U. So, what then is the value of your mission to the committee at the U? It doesn't make you unique. That was my point. It wasn't to downplay the value of your experience. I've lived abroad myself, though not on a mission, so I know the potential value of living within a different culture. I would assume that your mission experience would be more interesting to out-of-state committees.
 
Jaider said:
I was speaking of diversity in terms of the entering class. You may have had a valuable experience on your mission, but so did a lot of the other people applying to the U. So, what then is the value of your mission to the committee at the U? It doesn't make you unique. That was my point. It wasn't to downplay the value of your experience. I've lived abroad myself, though not on a mission, so I know the potential value of living within a different culture. I would assume that your mission experience would be more interesting to out-of-state committees.
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Agreed, it is hard to stand out above the already high bar. Thanks for clarifying your comments. :thumbup:
 
goinverted said:
Agreed, it is hard to stand out above the already high bar. Thanks for clarifying your comments. :thumbup:
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I just want to clarify that I am not putting down the LDS mission trip either. I do think there is much value in the mission trip. I think it was best said earlier. In UTAH the LDS mission just does not allow you to stand out and is not seen as anything unique just because so many applicants will have that experience. I agree with the statement that many out of state schools would be more interested in the experience. Again please dont take offense to the comments...I do understand the value as many of my friends and gf are LDS so I am not speaking from an anti-LDS point of view. Best of Luck.
 
goinverted said:
Wow, one thing I definitely learned on my mission was tolerance, something that some of you are obviously lacking at this moment. Whether someone went because of social pressures or not, they stay for the right reasons. I don't know how anyone can comment on it's effectiveness on molding character or developing selflessness without having experienced it for yourselves. A mission is not a two year vacation and has been one of the most challenging and rewarding things that I have ever experienced. I know of very few missionaries who could hack out two years of something that they hated, right in the prime of their lives. There are also so many missionaries that come from other countries where they are the extreme minority, where is the social pressure to serve in their case? Every school that I have interviewed at has spent more time talking about my mission experience than anything else. I feel that 30 different people all spending time in thirty different countries, learning about cultures which they can use to help them be more compassionate physicians is pretty dang diverse if you ask me.
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You mentioned that elders stay for the right reason...Sorry but I have to say that the only thing more eyebrow raising than a young man that does not go on a mission is one who comes home early. Rumors fly around the ward in a regrettable fashion. Not that any of that has to do with med school admissions. ;)
 
Wow. All of a sudden, being an applicant who is not Male, White, LDS or from the state of Utah makes me feel so unworthy...
But what I can tell you, my friend, is that I am probably just as capable as the next guy, and I do not think you are able to truly judge who the better candidate is...
It's not just about gpa, mcat, how much you researched, how much you volunteered in the hospital... what applicant hasn't jumped thru all those hoops?
The system may suck and seem unfair, but you know? the Med school's been around for quite sometime, and the people who interview you aren't rookies either...
I think it's safe to say that they are a better judge than we on who will make a good fit for their school...
just my two cents. :D
 
First of all I woundn't say that a mission is a trip. Nor would I classify a mission as the same as living oversea's for a while. Certain restrictions make it completely different. But at the same time the restrictions make it such a unique expeirence that I think is more valuable then just living in a foreign country. Second I would disagree with the last comments on them being a better judge for the school. I interviewed there last year and in the process of interview day the tour guide explain why they are putting pateint rooms in the top floor of the new school. They found that alot of the applicants had no prior clinical exposure other than stocking hospital departments. The problem with the University of Utah as I have said before is that all your extra curriculiar activies as well with the MCAT and GPA account for only 20% or you score for admissions while 80% lies with the interview, making interviewing a major portion of getting in. So people who interview well should apply to the University of Utah becuase you will get in ,but other more rounded students who might interview just fine will not, even though in the long run they would be more qualified physicians. This is why I feel applicants from Utah seem so jaded towards the University of Utah for the reason they require so much from you, but in the end it they toss it aside like garbage.
 
TSisk23 said:
What about cultural pressure? Your family cannot make you. But you cannot honestly say that one does not feel obligated being LDS can you? The point is not to say you are forced to go it is just highlighting the point that those that participate do so because of pressures...whether it be family or the culture around them. Its not a big deal...its why most people do what they do, LDS or not LDS. I just feel that if it wasnt an emphasized practice hardly anyone would do it, like you find in most religions...people do go on missions but not to the same degree that the LDS do...and this I feel is because of said pressures. Like I said just my opinion so its obviously open to be disagreed with.
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I'm not LDS but I've lived in Utah for most my life and I have to disagree with you pretty strongly here. There may be a higher percentage of those who choose med school because of cultural and religious pressures, but to say that if you're mormon and in med school it can always be solely attributed to the religion is assuming way too much. Utah is a little more diverse than you think and even practicing mormons aren't all mindless autamatons.
 
PJFAN said:
First of all I woundn't say that a mission is a trip. Nor would I classify a mission as the same as living oversea's for a while. Certain restrictions make it completely different. But at the same time the restrictions make it such a unique expeirence that I think is more valuable then just living in a foreign country. Second I would disagree with the last comments on them being a better judge for the school. I interviewed there last year and in the process of interview day the tour guide explain why they are putting pateint rooms in the top floor of the new school. They found that alot of the applicants had no prior clinical exposure other than stocking hospital departments. The problem with the University of Utah as I have said before is that all your extra curriculiar activies as well with the MCAT and GPA account for only 20% or you score for admissions while 80% lies with the interview, making interviewing a major portion of getting in. So people who interview well should apply to the University of Utah becuase you will get in ,but other more rounded students who might interview just fine will not, even though in the long run they would be more qualified physicians. This is why I feel applicants from Utah seem so jaded towards the University of Utah for the reason they require so much from you, but in the end it they toss it aside like garbage.
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You are right. I think every med school admissions system has flaws.. and a large percentage of med schools are finding that their students lack patient contact skills: this is not just an isolated problem at Utah. I know that at U Washington, they implemented a new system that encorporates more clinical time into their second year curriculum, and many schools like Sinai and NYU hire ppl to act as patients, so their students have time to learn evaluation skills...
It's a long, grueling process at Utah. It's a long grueling process period.

well, Good Luck!
and PJ rocks! I remember going to all ages shows when they were just starting out, back when I was like 13... ;)
 
To PJ Fan,

Wow, I really disagree with you. I would argue that living as a missionary in a foreign country is NOT a more valuable learning experience than living in a foreign country as an independent.

How truly can a missionary live within and learn about a foreign culture when their entire objective in being there is to spread their OWN culture? Think fairly about this. In moving abroad, the missionary walks into an organized, controlled system. You've got your paperwork done, your living arrangements made, you're assigned a companion, and your daily activities are controlled. You have to admit that you're living within a Mormon bubble, of sorts. While you may learn tolerance for that foreign culture, and come to appreciate it, I doubt you TRULY experience it because you're not truly living it. As an independent, you have to orienteer, take care of yourself, and you have more opportunities to immerse yourself in that foreign lifestyle. You can work there, study there, use their social services, enter relationships, become a legitimate part of a family, and participate in their culture without strict restrictions about what's appropriate. When you're on a MISSION to spread "the truth" and encourage them to adopt your own lifestyle, you may be able to enjoy some of that foreign culture, but certainly not all of it. And, no, I'm not speaking superficially about the naughty things that LDS people don't participate in at home either. I mean, you're not enjoying all of the culture, because you're not fully immersed in it-- as an employee, a student, a pseudo-citizen, a family member, a friend, and so on.

You said you think the restrictions of a mission make it a more valuable experience than simply living abroad. How? You could just restrict yourself at home. Do you grow from resisting the foreign temptations? Do you grow from the isolation? Do you grow from the experience of being a minority, sometimes a despised minority? You have to deal with isolation, adversity, and prejudice simply living abroad too. I did.

So, I'm not trying to argue, I am really curious-- why do you think living abroad as a missionary is more valuable than living abroad as an independent?

P.S. And now I really just want to be honest and cheeky-- Pearl Jam sucks.
 
I value your opinion jaider, I don't think you fully understand everything a missionary does. Yes it is true we do proselyte but that is not all we do, most of our time is done serving the community in almost all aspects. I worked weeks on end building houses, fixing roofs, providing clean up after natural disasters, and all sorts volunteer work. This gave me the opportunity to truly get to know the people I lived around, and get fully immersed in their culture and well become very close and personnal with the people and villages. Some areas I served are very proverished communities which in turn I lived in a grass hut and boiled my water, you develop the same diseases and suffer the same affirmaties that the people around me did. I truely lived it I was not some long term tourist. From your aspect I did not have the same opportunites as going to thier clubs or drinking at another countries bar, or dating foreign girls. I don't find this being part of thier culture. I became part of the village. They accepted me as one of them, and to this day I still call them my friends and family. I learned from these people the reason for thier culture first hand and participated daily in it.
 
I know they tell you at the interview that most of the class receives a letter in the first week of April, but I've also heard that some are accepted much earlier. I interviewed in mid-September and was just wondering if anyone had been accepted yet? Or, if any of the current attendees may have heard before the April dates?
 
Dr GeddyLee said:
I'm not LDS but I've lived in Utah for most my life and I have to disagree with you pretty strongly here. There may be a higher percentage of those who choose med school because of cultural and religious pressures, but to say that if you're mormon and in med school it can always be solely attributed to the religion is assuming way too much. Utah is a little more diverse than you think and even practicing mormons aren't all mindless autamatons.
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If I read your post right you are thinking that I said that those that apply to medical school do it because of pressures. That was not what I was saying in my post...we were talking about the LDS mission....not going to medical school. I agree applying to med school is an individual choice but we were discussing whether or not the LDS mission was and the reasons the admissions committee doesnt find it of much value. Hope that clears my post up.
 
altateleskier said:
I know they tell you at the interview that most of the class receives a letter in the first week of April, but I've also heard that some are accepted much earlier. I interviewed in mid-September and was just wondering if anyone had been accepted yet? Or, if any of the current attendees may have heard before the April dates?
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I interviewed yesterday and really hope to hear from them before April! The new education building just blew me away. Beautiful facilities, and what a dramatic setting up there in the foothills.

And is it true that the interviews are worth 80% of the final score??
 
Once you've interviewed with Utah, you get a score from each of your interviewers (on a scale of 1 to 5). The combined score from your interviewers must be a 7 or above (out of a total of 10) to go to selections committee.
once there, the committee sees your interview scores, activities form, your application, etc. The committee members then independently grade each applicant. These grades are averaged for a rank score that constitutes 80% of the candidate's final ranking. The remaining 20% comes from a gpa/mcat score they tabulate.
So, although the interview counts for a good portion, it's doesn't make up the entire 80% of your ranking...

hope that helps. :D
 
emeraldcity said:
Once you've interviewed with Utah, you get a score from each of your interviewers (on a scale of 1 to 5). The combined score from your interviewers must be a 7 or above (out of a total of 10) to go to selections committee.
once there, the committee sees your interview scores, activities form, your application, etc. The committee members then independently grade each applicant. These grades are averaged for a rank score that constitutes 80% of the candidate's final ranking. The remaining 20% comes from a gpa/mcat score they tabulate.
So, although the interview counts for a good portion, it's doesn't make up the entire 80% of your ranking...

hope that helps. :D
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Thanks -- I guess I wasn't listening to Dr. Samuelson as closely as I should have. :oops:
 
*haha*
not at all..
this is what my friend told me...
I usually zone out when Dr. Samuelson speaks too ;)
I think you interviewed last year too, right?
well, here's to hoping us repeat offenders get in this year!!!
Good luck to you!!! :D
 
emeraldcity said:
*haha*
not at all..
this is what my friend told me...
I usually zone out when Dr. Samuelson speaks too ;)
I think you interviewed last year too, right?
well, here's to hoping us repeat offenders get in this year!!!
Good luck to you!!! :D
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Nope, first time applying to med school. Thanks for the :luck: !
 
weird...
don't know why i thought you applied last year... oh well!
in either case, let's both get our butts into Utah, shall we?? :luck:
 
emeraldcity said:
weird...
don't know why i thought you applied last year... oh well!
in either case, let's both get our butts into Utah, shall we?? :luck:
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I'd be honored. :)
 
goinverted said:
Wow, one thing I definitely learned on my mission was tolerance, something that some of you are obviously lacking at this moment. Whether someone went because of social pressures or not, they stay for the right reasons. I don't know how anyone can comment on it's effectiveness on molding character or developing selflessness without having experienced it for yourselves. A mission is not a two year vacation and has been one of the most challenging and rewarding things that I have ever experienced. I know of very few missionaries who could hack out two years of something that they hated, right in the prime of their lives. There are also so many missionaries that come from other countries where they are the extreme minority, where is the social pressure to serve in their case? Every school that I have interviewed at has spent more time talking about my mission experience than anything else. I feel that 30 different people all spending time in thirty different countries, learning about cultures which they can use to help them be more compassionate physicians is pretty dang diverse if you ask me.
Click to expand...

You think this would be true, but it is not neccessarily so. I have been amazed at how intolerant SOME return missionaries are; they use their religious moral judgements onto how others live and this affects the care they want to provide.
 
TSisk23 said:
If I read your post right you are thinking that I said that those that apply to medical school do it because of pressures. That was not what I was saying in my post...we were talking about the LDS mission....not going to medical school. I agree applying to med school is an individual choice but we were discussing whether or not the LDS mission was and the reasons the admissions committee doesnt find it of much value. Hope that clears my post up.
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OK My bad, I misunderstood. :oops:
 
TSisk23 said:
If I read your post right you are thinking that I said that those that apply to medical school do it because of pressures. That was not what I was saying in my post...we were talking about the LDS mission....not going to medical school. I agree applying to med school is an individual choice but we were discussing whether or not the LDS mission was and the reasons the admissions committee doesnt find it of much value. Hope that clears my post up.
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I think it depends partly on how you frame the mission experience. If they ask you what you gained from your mission and you say that it "really strengthened my testimony," that might not go over so well. However, if you emphasize things like cultural diversity, foreign language immersion, leadership, service, etc., you might get some mileage out of it....
 
humuhumu said:
I think it depends partly on how you frame the mission experience. If they ask you what you gained from your mission and you say that it "really strengthened my testimony," that might not go over so well. However, if you emphasize things like cultural diversity, foreign language immersion, leadership, service, etc., you might get some mileage out of it....
Click to expand...
Definately a possibility.
 
Wow, I didn't think my little LDS comment would go this far. This is why many Utahns are choosing other schools. You don't find this crap anywhere else but at the U. As for the mission stuff: I served in probably one of the most unique locations in the world located in southeast Asia. I paid my own way, my parents had nothing to do with my choice, I slept on dirt floors, lived in jungles, ate crap you wouldn't even look at, speak 4 languages, have a multitude of friends all around the world, both LDS and non-LDS and I guess I'm still not considered "cultured" and my experience should be discounted WTF?? Why, because I didn't drink or go into a strip joint in Asia to get the "REAL PICTURE"??? Give me a FREAKIN break :thumbdown:. If you have never been on a mission, then you have no idea what the hell you are talking about so shut you pie hole :eek: . Many of the other schools I have interviewed at thus far have been fascinated with my experiences and ALL of them have made positive comments on it. I'm not saying that I'm better than the next guy because of it, nor do I feel that I should receive "special" treatment, but to completely discount a mission as "common" is complete ignorance and BS. And this is the very reason the U is dropping in the rankings. No longer top 50 (US news 2006)WHY? They lose many excellent Utah students because they feel like the don't belong or fit in. Honestly, why do you want to attend the University of Utah if your a resident??? Tuition. That's about it. If you think it's for the quality of instruction or facilities then you need to get out more my friend. You can get that from other schools as well without the BS. I would rather pay more and feel like I am wanted and appreciated than save a couple of bucks and feel like I "lucked" into my home school. I know many WELL qualified students that didn't even get looked at by the U, only to be taken up by a higher ranking school. My best friend graduated with 4.0, (from the U) had a 37 on the MCAT, fantastic personality, was published 3 times (at the U), worked at a hospital for over 3 years, volunteer experience up the ying-yang (including a mission) and was accepted by some of the most prestigious institutions in the world. The U...they didn't even wait-list him :eek: Their loss.
If the guy/girl is purple, brown, white, male, female, mix, LDS, catholic, worships goats :horns: , whatever, the BEST qualified student should get the nod, PERIOD. Look, I love the U, but it has problems. I guess what it comes down to is where do you feel most comfortable. If you don't get that fuzzy feeling from the U, there are a lot of other places out there that will "fuzz" you up. If the U doesn't consider the LDS mission or other volunteer experience as special then go to a school that does, because there are plenty of them out there. :thumbup: Besides, we obviously need more culture in our "bubble" lives anyway, right? Give me a break. :barf:
 
jbone said:
Wow, I didn't think my little LDS comment would go this far. This is why many Utahns are choosing other schools. You don't find this crap anywhere else but at the U. As for the mission stuff: I served in probably one of the most unique locations in the world located in southeast Asia. I paid my own way, my parents had nothing to do with my choice, I slept on dirt floors, lived in jungles, ate crap you wouldn't even look at, speak 4 languages, have a multitude of friends all around the world, both LDS and non-LDS and I guess I'm still not considered "cultured" and my experience should be discounted WTF?? Why, because I didn't drink or go into a strip joint in Asia to get the "REAL PICTURE"??? Give me a FREAKIN break :thumbdown:. If you have never been on a mission, then you have no idea what the hell you are talking about so shut you pie hole :eek: . Many of the other schools I have interviewed at thus far have been fascinated with my experiences and ALL of them have made positive comments on it. I'm not saying that I'm better than the next guy because of it, nor do I feel that I should receive "special" treatment, but to completely discount a mission as "common" is complete ignorance and BS. And this is the very reason the U is dropping in the rankings. No longer top 50 (US news 2006)WHY? They lose many excellent Utah students because they feel like the don't belong or fit in. Honestly, why do you want to attend the University of Utah if your a resident??? Tuition. That's about it. If you think it's for the quality of instruction or facilities then you need to get out more my friend. You can get that from other schools as well without the BS. I would rather pay more and feel like I am wanted and appreciated than save a couple of bucks and feel like I "lucked" into my home school. I know many WELL qualified students that didn't even get looked at by the U, only to be taken up by a higher ranking school. My best friend graduated with 4.0, (from the U) had a 37 on the MCAT, fantastic personality, was published 3 times (at the U), worked at a hospital for over 3 years, volunteer experience up the ying-yang (including a mission) and was accepted by some of the most prestigious institutions in the world. The U...they didn't even wait-list him :eek: Their loss.
If the guy/girl is purple, brown, white, male, female, mix, LDS, catholic, worships goats :horns: , whatever, the BEST qualified student should get the nod, PERIOD. Look, I love the U, but it has problems. I guess what it comes down to is where do you feel most comfortable. If you don't get that fuzzy feeling from the U, there are a lot of other places out there that will "fuzz" you up. If the U doesn't consider the LDS mission or other volunteer experience as special then go to a school that does, because there are plenty of them out there. :thumbup: Besides, we obviously need more culture in our "bubble" lives anyway, right? Give me a break. :barf:
Click to expand...

Amen, brother! :D
 
Hey "Jbone"--

You said:
"I slept on dirt floors, lived in jungles, ate crap you wouldn't even look at, speak 4 languages, have a multitude of friends all around the world, both LDS and non-LDS and I guess I'm still not considered "cultured" and my experience should be discounted WTF?? Why, because I didn't drink or go into a strip joint in Asia to get the "REAL PICTURE"???"

I say:
You just don't get it, do you. Arguments like yours are completely boring because you ignore major points that others have made in favor of being dramatic. :sleep: I specifically said that you DON'T have to drink or go to a strip joint, or do other things that are against your religion in order to experience a culture. I also specifically said that your experience shouldn't be discounted-- I'm not undervaluing it. The POINT was that many other people, particularly missionaries in Utah, have experienced similar things so the bar is set high.

You, so eloquently, said:
"If you have never been on a mission, then you have no idea what the hell you are talking about so shut you pie hole :eek: . "

My response?
You sound like a simpleminded jerk, to me-- hardly a cultured, compassionate man of god. And hardly someone I'd want to be my physician. And by the way, you don't have to be a missionary to have a profound experience abroad. Did I live abroad? Yes. Travel extensively around the world? Yes. Do I speak several languages? Yes. Have LDS and non-LDS friends from around the world? Yes, probably more than you do. :laugh: Eat crap you wouldn't even look at? Yes, including dirt and bugs. Am I a missionary? No.

You reiterated my point:
"Many of the other schools I have interviewed at thus far have been fascinated with my experiences and ALL of them have made positive comments on it."

So I say:
Touche. Precisely my point-- that outside of the state, you AND I might be considered more unique and your experience might be better valued.

You argue:
My best friend graduated with 4.0, (from the U) had a 37 on the MCAT, fantastic personality, was published 3 times (at the U), worked at a hospital for over 3 years, volunteer experience up the ying-yang (including a mission) and was accepted by some of the most prestigious institutions in the world. The U...they didn't even wait-list him :eek: Their loss.

And I wonder what exactly your point was...
There's plenty of other similar cases. Nobody ever said the admissions process was logical or predictable. Who knows? One might guess that being one of their own, the U should have been rather familiar with your friend and the value of his accomplishments. Maybe he's just unlucky. Or maybe he is quite perfect but the other applications considered that day were even better. Ya never know...
 
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