2010-2011 Washington University in St. Louis Application Thread

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ksmi117

ksmi117

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Prompts:

(Optional) Do you have unique experiences or obstacles that you have overcome that were not covered in your application about which you would like to inform our Admissions Committee? (limit 3000 characters)

If you have already completed you education, if your college or graduate education was interrupted, or if you do not plan to be a full-time student during the current year, describe in chronological order your activities during the time(s) when you were not enrolled as a full-time student. (limit 1800 characters)

:luck: with your application!
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Hey new applicants!! If you have ANY questions about WashU, please feel free to PM me. I don't know much now except how the application works, but I'll be moving there in 10 days. I'll try to help y'all out as best I can. :luck: :xf:
 
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ksmi117 said:
Hey new applicants!! If you have ANY questions about WashU, please feel free to PM me. I don't know much know except how the application works, but I'll be moving there in 10 days. I'll try to help y'all out as best I can. :luck: :xf:
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FYI: ksmi loves wash U. She's definitely the font of knowledge for the school too :thumbup:

btw ksmi - I guess the mantle's been passed from shemarty to you eh? Couldn't have found better shoulders :)
 
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ksmi117 said:
Hey new applicants!! If you have ANY questions about WashU, please feel free to PM me. I don't know much now except how the application works, but I'll be moving there in 10 days. I'll try to help y'all out as best I can. :luck: :xf:
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Ksmi, how's everything going in st. louis?;)
 
ksmi117 said:
Hey new applicants!! If you have ANY questions about WashU, please feel free to PM me. I don't know much now except how the application works, but I'll be moving there in 10 days. I'll try to help y'all out as best I can. :luck: :xf:
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Good luck at WashU! I'm sure you'll do fabulously.
 
Hi ... the secondary application was online yesterday. I created an account and already have very good impression of this school. The secondary prompts are exactly the same as last year's. Cheers.
 
Am I correct in assuming that most are writing the optional essay?
 
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do we need to receive an email from WashU before starting up the secondary or could we just register and start it up?
 
If you don't have anything that fits the criteria of the question, some really big obstacle that you faced, don't write it.

I didn't write it and things worked out pretty good for me.
 
I just graduated in may, does the second question apply to me?

I don't have much to fill out that I have done since in chronological order, except continuing to volunteer. I plan to find a job and have been actively looking for one in a research lab, but have yet to find one. If the second question does apply to me, should I wait to submit this secondary until I have a job? or...if just submit that i've been volunteering each week. :(
 
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KateD said:
I just graduated in may, does the second question apply to me?

I don't have much to fill out that I have done since in chronological order, except continuing to volunteer. I plan to find a job and have been actively looking for one in a research lab, but have yet to find one. If the second question does apply to me, should I wait to submit this secondary until I have a job? or...if just submit that i've been volunteering 4 hours a week. :(
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You'd be entering a year from now, and during that year you'll be out of college, so I think the question does apply to you!

Certainly write that you're actively looking for a research job and that you plan on volunteering 4 hours a week for the entire year. But I think your essay would be even stronger if you found a job first! Since WashU admits rolling it sounds like you'd be best off if you found a job and then wrote your secondary.

Don't wait too long, though. If things aren't looking up in the job department in late-ish July, you might just want to write your "prospective job" essay and submit it. :)
 
Is it okay to make an account and start the secondary even if I'm not AMCAS verified yet? Or should I wait until I receive an invite?
 
I hope going to WashU as an undergrad helps my chances! Btw the area in St. Louis around WashU is awesome.
 
KateD said:
I just graduated in may, does the second question apply to me?

I don't have much to fill out that I have done since in chronological order, except continuing to volunteer. I plan to find a job and have been actively looking for one in a research lab, but have yet to find one. If the second question does apply to me, should I wait to submit this secondary until I have a job? or...if just submit that i've been volunteering 4 hours a week. :(
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Yes, it applies. I think you could stand to wait a little bit before submitting if you think you could find a job in that time. WashU does interview invites and acceptances about a month later than other schools so waiting a little won't hurt, but if it gets to August and you haven't heard, I'd submit without the job.

cyanide said:
Is it okay to make an account and start the secondary even if I'm not AMCAS verified yet? Or should I wait until I receive an invite?
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You don't need an invite to make an account. Go for it! :)
 
ColeOnTheRoll said:
IS/OOS isn't considered; it's a private university.
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Every medical school considers this regardless of private or public status. For private schools it's less of a big deal, but locals tend to be more likely to enroll than those from far away.
 
mdeast said:
Every medical school considers this regardless of private or public status. For private schools it's less of a big deal, but locals tend to be more likely to enroll than those from far away.
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Yeah, but I'm comparing this to something like Texas schools where 90% of applicants must be IS. Comparatively it's negligible.
 
For the obstacles question, I'm not sure if my situation qualifies. My family got involved in a very ugly lawsuit, big family drama/financial nastiness etc. so I financed all of my undergrad by myself... Would that be too personal to write about? I didn't write about this "disadvantaged" section, because i thought that section applied more to people who came from bad situations BEFORE college (i had middle class upbringing).
 
runawayclock said:
For the obstacles question, I'm not sure if my situation qualifies. My family got involved in a very ugly lawsuit, big family drama/financial nastiness etc. so I financed all of my undergrad by myself... Would that be too personal to write about? I didn't write about this "disadvantaged" section, because i thought that section applied more to people who came from bad situations BEFORE college (i had middle class upbringing).
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I would definitely include that.
 
I got the invite too, I'm so excited. Is anyone else leaving SAT scores and high school class size and GPA blank? I have no idea what they are, and I don't think my high school guidance counselors are in for the summer.
 
just got it this morning too, i would just call your school and get the info. still debating whether i have any substance for the optional essay
 
KateD said:
I got the invite too, I'm so excited. Is anyone else leaving SAT scores and high school class size and GPA blank? I have no idea what they are, and I don't think my high school guidance counselors are in for the summer.
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I have a copy of my HS transcript, so I'm including it. I wouldn't worry too much about it, but if you're able I would fill it in.
 
mdeast said:
Every medical school considers this regardless of private or public status. For private schools it's less of a big deal, but locals tend to be more likely to enroll than those from far away.
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some private schools give a small advantage to IS students. upenn comes to mind. congrats on stanford btw
 
Hmm--haven't gotten an official invite yet. Cole, did you already start your wustl secondary before invite? I did.
 
I received my secondary invite an hour after I submitted my AMCAS application. It was crazy fast. Am I the only one that this happened to???
 
This may be a dumb question...but what is a dean's certification form? Do all med schools require them? From which of my schools (undergraduate, study abroad, college classes in high school) do I need to request it? Thanks
 
patshops said:
This may be a dumb question...but what is a dean's certification form? Do all med schools require them? From which of my schools (undergraduate, study abroad, college classes in high school) do I need to request it? Thanks
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It's just a WashU thing.

Edit: see next post
 
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The Dean's Certifications says to get it from schools where you got your degree, in addition to schools where you were involved in disciplinary action. So I think I'll stick with just my undergrad.

Ksmi (or others), on the obstacles essay, would it be appropriate to write about obstacles as a first generation immigrant (sort of cliche I know) and also serious family problems (these did not affect academic performance, but were personal issues)? Or is this essay only to explain academic issues? Not sure how to read between the lines on this one, maybe I should leave it blank.
 
RB93 said:
The Dean's Certifications says to get it from schools where you got your degree, in addition to schools where you were involved in disciplinary action. So I think I'll stick with just my undergrad.
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There we go. I thought the form explained it.

Ksmi (or others), on the obstacles essay, would it be appropriate to write about obstacles as a first generation immigrant (sort of cliche I know) and also serious family problems (these did not affect academic performance, but were personal issues)? Or is this essay only to explain academic issues? Not sure how to read between the lines on this one, maybe I should leave it blank.
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If there was any obstacle, I personally think non-academically-related would be better, that truly had a significant impact on your life, write about it. Don't write something, just to write something.
 
KateD said:
I got the invite too, I'm so excited. Is anyone else leaving SAT scores and high school class size and GPA blank? I have no idea what they are, and I don't think my high school guidance counselors are in for the summer.
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I don't know any of these :(
Would it hurt me if I leave them blank?
 
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For the unique experiences question, can I talk about producing an album? I mentioned it for like two sentences on AMCAS but wanted to expand on it. The only reason i ask is that it has nothing to do with "obstacles" or "overcoming" anything--I didn't know if that was the real focus of the question. KSMI?
 
Do LORs submitted through AMCAS count as a "packet" or individuals?

Thanks! :)
 
athenalux said:
Do LORs submitted through AMCAS count as a "packet" or individuals?

Thanks! :)
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It can be either, it depends on how your school submitted them. Read the AMCAS instructions it should clarify
 
Quaero said:
I don't know any of these :(
Would it hurt me if I leave them blank?
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If you don't know them, leave it blank. If you can find them out, I would try to.

thebillsfan said:
For the unique experiences question, can I talk about producing an album? I mentioned it for like two sentences on AMCAS but wanted to expand on it. The only reason i ask is that it has nothing to do with "obstacles" or "overcoming" anything--I didn't know if that was the real focus of the question. KSMI?
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Um, this is tough. Definitely a unique experience, but I'm not sure that's what they are looking for. Though, I don't think it'd hurt to write about it. It does meet the criteria of the question, I just wouldn't count on it getting you extra points.
 
runawayclock said:
For the obstacles question, I'm not sure if my situation qualifies. My family got involved in a very ugly lawsuit, big family drama/financial nastiness etc. so I financed all of my undergrad by myself... Would that be too personal to write about? I didn't write about this "disadvantaged" section, because i thought that section applied more to people who came from bad situations BEFORE college (i had middle class upbringing).
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I would write about that for sure.
 
"Individual evaluations from teachers/research mentor"

no one else allowed?
 
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For the section asking for calculus classes taken, should I put in my statistics class if I'm using that to fulfill a semester of the calculus requirements?
 
Sorry to keep bringing this up but I do have an obstacle that I have faced during my life but it was also the main focus of my personal statement... do you think I should write about it again?
 
SodaScientist said:
Sorry to keep bringing this up but I do have an obstacle that I have faced during my life but it was also the main focus of my personal statement... do you think I should write about it again?
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If there's anything else to say.
 
burningheat said:
"Individual evaluations from teachers/research mentor"

I worked 20 hours/week as a job that I feel like gave me much experience in becoming a doctor, also I believe my boss wrote me a good LoR. Can I not use it?
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I'd think you can, but it wouldn't hurt to call and ask. You may still need X number of letters from professors/mentors, and you can add this one on top.

cottonrabbit said:
For the section asking for calculus classes taken, should I put in my statistics class if I'm using that to fulfill a semester of the calculus requirements?
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I'd think so, but again, it doesn't hurt to call and ask.

SodaScientist said:
Sorry to keep bringing this up but I do have an obstacle that I have faced during my life but it was also the main focus of my personal statement... do you think I should write about it again?
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The question asks about things that haven't been covered in your application. If you've covered it, don't write about it again.

Let me emphasize my point about this essay. Do not write something just to write something or because you feel like they want you to. I didn't write anything and am attending on full-tuition scholarship. I promise it won't hurt you to leave it blank.
 
Thanks guys! I wasn't planning on writing anything but just wanted to make sure.
 
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