2008-2009 Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Secondary Application Thread

[mymembername]

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I have been checking my status daily and it still says my letters have not been received, even though they have been loaded on virtualevals for over a week. Any one else using virtualevals have this problem?

 

[icarus8]

Did anyone ever find out anything more about how they actually take into account how early you turn in your secondary?

I ask because I added MCW late and turned the secondary around right away - I'm kicking myself for not deciding to add it to my list sooner! I guess July 29th is still relatively early.

 

[majahops]

The director told me they take things into consideration... as far as they are concerned, you turned it in right away, anyway... you weren't on their radar until you added them to your list... iow the clock didn't start ticking until then...

Did anyone ever find out anything more about how they actually take into account how early you turn in your secondary?

I ask because I added MCW late and turned the secondary around right away - I'm kicking myself for not deciding to add it to my list sooner! I guess July 29th is still relatively early.

 

[icarus8]

The director told me they take things into consideration... as far as they are concerned, you turned it in right away, anyway... you weren't on their radar until you added them to your list... iow the clock didn't start ticking until then...

Cool - thanks for the info. Makes sense too.

 

[knr228]

can you be considered complete before residency is confirmed? thats all i am waiting on right now

yep, you'll be considered complete. i didn't even fill out the residency form until after I was accepted!

 

[sushichopstickz]

Argh, I am so MAD! I submitted everything on 7/17 and was wondering why I wasn't certified yet. I found out that I had forgot to fill out the "certify" page. SIGH, I just submitted again. Hopefully, I am not considered "late" now. Great... =(

 

[korndoctor]

I have been checking my status daily and it still says my letters have not been received, even though they have been loaded on virtualevals for over a week. Any one else using virtualevals have this problem?

I have the same problemo. i just certified my secondary, but my status for letters is not complete eventho my premed advisor sent them in 2 weeks ago....does it take time for admissions to check off that they received ur letter?

 

[cheasus]

I have the same problemo. i just certified my secondary, but my status for letters is not complete eventho my premed advisor sent them in 2 weeks ago....does it take time for admissions to check off that they received ur letter?

I just submitted my app and my letters by interfolio yesterday. The college emailed me last night about one of my letters not meeting requirements (not sure what that means). I emailed them back last night and they confirmed that it did meet their requirements early this morning. They had an amazing turn around time, I'm really impressed!

 

[bubbles17]

I just submitted my app and my letters by interfolio yesterday. The college emailed me last night about one of my letters not meeting requirements (not sure what that means). I emailed them back last night and they confirmed that it did meet their requirements early this morning. They had an amazing turn around time, I'm really impressed!

since its from interfolio, did you say it was a packet? or individual letters?

Thanks!

 

[amp3r5and]

...by the admissions staff. i've had to call the office several times and they've been super-friendly and helpful.

so...if anybody is fearing calling, don't! they are really nice😉

 

[rebelsim]

Have you ever been charged with or convicted of any offense, other than a speeding violation? Please explain what occured, where, when, and the disposition of the court (fine, how much, community service, etc.)

If you have more than one (1), enter the earliest date in date field and explain the others in detail in the explanation box.

Should I say yes if I've gotten a ticket for a moving violation other than speeding?

 

[drelizabeth292]

Have you ever been charged with or convicted of any offense, other than a speeding violation? Please explain what occured, where, when, and the disposition of the court (fine, how much, community service, etc.)

If you have more than one (1), enter the earliest date in date field and explain the others in detail in the explanation box.

Should I say yes if I've gotten a ticket for a moving violation other than speeding?

oh damn . i hadnt considered that! i said no for that. i guess you can call the school and ask them what they mean specifically...
but if it is off your record due to completing the traffic school class then i would enter no.

 

[drelizabeth292]

my application status changed to complete a few days ago. thankfully! i submitted it on 8/17 so it took less than a week.

 

[icarus8]

IF you are having letter problems, IE you submitted a week or more ago (the letters I mean) and they aren't showing up - call them.

The roommate had this issue - his letters had been in for two and a half weeks, and they just some how missed them on VE or something (who knows). They were nice about it, and marked his file as complete 2.5 weeks ago and all that jazz (since apparently they care about that there) but it still pushed him back. Don't trust them to eventually figure it out - it seems they either get it right away or miss it somehow.

 

[McPoyle]

hey fellow applicants,

Has anyone heard anything regarding an interview yet? I am especially curious to know if anyone knows how would be notified of this, anyone know?


Thanks!

 

[204090]

hey fellow applicants,

Has anyone heard anything regarding an interview yet? I am especially curious to know if anyone knows how would be notified of this, anyone know?


Thanks!

i know that people have already started receiving interviews b/c they've been posting in the interview invite thread....i want to go there sooooooo badly but not a spec of news...i'm going to go bald by the time this waiting game is over

 

[MU BIOM]

oh damn . i hadnt considered that! i said no for that. i guess you can call the school and ask them what they mean specifically...
but if it is off your record due to completing the traffic school class then i would enter no.

I have heard Michael Istwan, MCW's Director of Admissions, speak several times and every time he has emphasized total disclosure of personal conduct. For example, he stated emphatically that if the school were to learn that an M4 had not disclosed an alcohol violation as an undergraduate they would be removed from the program. It sounds a little extreme but he gave no indication that he was kidding. I would play it safe and let them know about it.

 

[medking]

hey fellow applicants,

Has anyone heard anything regarding an interview yet? I am especially curious to know if anyone knows how would be notified of this, anyone know?


Thanks!

People have been receiving interview invites. Look at the Interview Invite thread.

Last year interview invites were sent via email and upon receiving that email applicants called the admissions office to set up their interview date. I'm pretty sure it's the same this cycle.

 

[drelizabeth292]

I have heard Michael Istwan, MCW's Director of Admissions, speak several times and every time he has emphasized total disclosure of personal conduct. For example, he stated emphatically that if the school were to learn that an M4 had not disclosed an alcohol violation as an undergraduate they would be removed from the program. It sounds a little extreme but he gave no indication that he was kidding. I would play it safe and let them know about it.

well i wasnt trying to say that you should lie if you have committed a crime. obviously that is a horrible idea. im just saying that if you got caught running a red light, or not stopping at a stop sign, not wearing your seatbelt, or following too close to another car etc, and you completed traffic school to get it off your record then it doesnt really count..

 

[MU BIOM]

well i wasnt trying to say that you should lie if you have committed a crime. obviously that is a horrible idea. im just saying that if you got caught running a red light, or not stopping at a stop sign, not wearing your seatbelt, or following too close to another car etc, and you completed traffic school to get it off your record then it doesnt really count..

I didn't think that your advice was to lie about the incident. Rather, I wanted to explain my understanding of MCW's admissions perspective. It seems that they want to know everything, absolute total disclosure, so they can get the best understanding of each applicant.

To the OP: Mr. Istwan also said that a single undergraduate alcohol violation, properly explained, would not be a cause for automatic rejection so I wouldn't worry about explaining your moving violation to them.

 

[azuldelcielo]

People have been receiving interview invites. Look at the Interview Invite thread.

Last year interview invites were sent via email and upon receiving that email applicants called the admissions office to set up their interview date. I'm pretty sure it's the same this cycle.

yeah, that's right. i was given 2 dates to choose from in the email, then i called the admissions office to set-up/confirm.

 

[detvar1]

i'm just curious, would anyone mind posting the specific question they ask about institutional action? thanks very much.

also, for that speeding question that someone asked earlier, if you have had a moving violation other than speeding, should you still say yes?

thanks

 

[Raryn]

Anyone gotten this email? Just received this morning:

This is NOT an invitation to interview​

Dear Applicant: Thank you for your continuing interest in the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The committee has completed its review of your application. It has been favorably reviewed and moved to a smaller pool of applicants who potentially will be invited to interview with us. That pool is still much larger than our interview schedule can accommodate. So, candidates are selected to receive an invitation by strength of credentials and completion date of application. Those criteria for your application have now been determined by its completed review. If and when we reach your application in this process we will be happy to email you an invitation. Any further review of your application will occur only if you are interviewed.

Again, thank you for your interest.

 

[funkydrmonkey]

Anyone gotten this email? Just received this morning:


[/SIZE].

I just got it also. Does this mean I am on a hold?

 

[drizzt3117]

Before everyone goes all neurotic, the smaller pool email is a good thing. Most people (if not all) who got this email this early got an interview. I got it in late August last year, interviewed in November and was accepted in December, just for reference.

 

[sully212]

Anyone gotten this email? Just received this morning:

This is NOT an invitation to interview​

Dear Applicant: Thank you for your continuing interest in the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The committee has completed its review of your application. It has been favorably reviewed and moved to a smaller pool of applicants who potentially will be invited to interview with us. That pool is still much larger than our interview schedule can accommodate. So, candidates are selected to receive an invitation by strength of credentials and completion date of application. Those criteria for your application have now been determined by its completed review. If and when we reach your application in this process we will be happy to email you an invitation. Any further review of your application will occur only if you are interviewed.

Again, thank you for your interest.


I just received this email too. I'm a reapplicant, and last time that I received this email it wasn't that great of a thing. I received it mid September and then never heard another thing until my rejection in April. So I am not very excited about this email, but hopefully it turns out different this time. I had also talked to Michael Istwan last time about what the email means, and he said that it basically means that my application is on hold and that they are waiting for other applications to come in. If more applications come in that are stronger than mine, then that means no interview. But if your credentials and complete date stay on the top of the pile then you will get an interview. If you are on the bottom on the pile, then they never look at you again. I guess we will see how it goes....anyone else have a different insight on this message?

 

[chessknt]

So.... update letters=pointless since they have already pre-sorted our applications?

And yes, it sounds like a pre-interview hold for the less stellar applicants and based on the previous 2 posters, it seems like it is a toss up as to whether or not an interview will be granted.

 

[drizzt3117]

So.... update letters=pointless since they have already pre-sorted our applications?

And yes, it sounds like a pre-interview hold for the less stellar applicants and based on the previous 2 posters, it seems like it is a toss up as to whether or not an interview will be granted.

It's not necessarily a pre-interview hold. I received an interview invite with the first group of interviewees ~ 2 weeks after the email and had stats much higher than MCW's averages. Some people who received this email did end up not getting an interview but those people usually didn't get it in August/early September. Of course, there are some exceptions. My guess is that if you have stats above their averages and get this email it's likely a good sign.

 

[Marcy1315]

I got this email message too, but I've also been told that this is a good thing to hear this early in the season. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[THX]

Yeah, I received the same update.

 

[DrBrizzle]

me too

 

[Marcy1315]

My premed advisor just emailed me and said that she talked to Mike Istwan yesterday and he said that the October interview invites have gone out already, but that it will be awhile before the November ones go out. So I guess we just have to sit tight.

 

[Fibroblastman]

Anyone gotten this email? Just received this morning:

This is NOT an invitation to interview​

Dear Applicant: Thank you for your continuing interest in the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The committee has completed its review of your application. It has been favorably reviewed and moved to a smaller pool of applicants who potentially will be invited to interview with us. That pool is still much larger than our interview schedule can accommodate. So, candidates are selected to receive an invitation by strength of credentials and completion date of application. Those criteria for your application have now been determined by its completed review. If and when we reach your application in this process we will be happy to email you an invitation. Any further review of your application will occur only if you are interviewed.

Again, thank you for your interest.


I just received this email too. I'm a reapplicant, and last time that I received this email it wasn't that great of a thing. I received it mid September and then never heard another thing until my rejection in April. So I am not very excited about this email, but hopefully it turns out different this time. I had also talked to Michael Istwan last time about what the email means, and he said that it basically means that my application is on hold and that they are waiting for other applications to come in. If more applications come in that are stronger than mine, then that means no interview. But if your credentials and complete date stay on the top of the pile then you will get an interview. If you are on the bottom on the pile, then they never look at you again. I guess we will see how it goes....anyone else have a different insight on this message?

Thanks for the insight, from experience. I received the same mass-email this morning...

 

[chessknt]

My premed advisor just emailed me and said that she talked to Mike Istwan yesterday and he said that the October interview invites have gone out already, but that it will be awhile before the November ones go out. So I guess we just have to sit tight.

Well that is unfortunate :S but not unexpected. Kind of wonder how positive it is to hear this when so many other people are hearing it as well (ie nobody has posted of a rejection, only this theoretically "smaller" pool of applicants).

 

[204090]

so we can't really reach a consensus on whether this is email is good or bad?

 

[drizzt3117]

so we can't really reach a consensus on whether this is email is good or bad?

If you didn't get an interview invite, it's better to have this email than not have it. It doesn't guarantee an interview but you're more likely to get one than someone who hasn't gotten the email. That was the consensus from last year.

 

[JFrusciante]

I got the same mass email this morning. I don't think this is a good sign...

 

[drizzt3117]

I got the same mass email this morning. I don't think this is a good sign...

...

or you could just ignore advice from people who actually interviewed at and were accepted at MCW, either way.

 

[Bradstein]

...

or you could just ignore advice from people who actually interviewed at and were accepted at MCW, either way.

These people are cracking me up.

 

[chessknt]

I just received this email too. I'm a reapplicant, and last time that I received this email it wasn't that great of a thing. I received it mid September and then never heard another thing until my rejection in April. So I am not very excited about this email, but hopefully it turns out different this time. I had also talked to Michael Istwan last time about what the email means, and he said that it basically means that my application is on hold and that they are waiting for other applications to come in. If more applications come in that are stronger than mine, then that means no interview. But if your credentials and complete date stay on the top of the pile then you will get an interview. If you are on the bottom on the pile, then they never look at you again. I guess we will see how it goes....anyone else have a different insight on this message?

This is the main reason why people are concerned. One person says they got an interview/invite, another says they didnt hear anything (both got msg around the same time).

 

[drizzt3117]

This is the main reason why people are concerned. One person says they got an interview/invite, another says they didnt hear anything (both got msg around the same time).

If you really want to be convinced and don't want to take my word for it, do a search for this topic, there was a post nearly identical to this one last year. Ultimately almost everyone who got this email this early got an interview.

Or if you want, you can just keep doing what you're doing and worry about it, either way.

 

[chessknt]

I am not saying I disbelieve you because you obviously go to the school/know what you are talking about, I am just pointing out that it isnt an interview guarantee that I felt you were sort of framing it to be (I may have just misread what you posted).

 

[snusrecluse]

If you really want to be convinced and don't want to take my word for it, do a search for this topic, there was a post nearly identical to this one last year. Ultimately almost everyone who got this email this early got an interview.

Or if you want, you can just keep doing what you're doing and worry about it, either way.

Why aren't you studying, drizzt?

 

[drizzt3117]

Before everyone goes all neurotic, the smaller pool email is a good thing. Most people (if not all) who got this email this early got an interview. I got it in late August last year, interviewed in November and was accepted in December, just for reference.

This is what I said... I'm not sure how that appears to be a guarantee of an interview... I also don't go to MCW... UW /= MCW.

 

[sully212]

I was just saying what happened from my previous experience applying to the school and talking to Michael Istwan. I thought last time when I got the email that I was well on my way to getting an interview, and that didn't turn out to be the case and I was really upset about it. I just don't want anyone, including myself, to think that this means an interview is definitely going to happen and then it doesn't. No doubt that this email is better than a rejection, and I hope that it means that all of us will get interviews! I don't consider the message to be a bad one....but it is definitely not a guarantee of an interview to come, it is just a potential. I think it depends on a lot of things. I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens.... Good luck to everyone!

 

[droshan]

I know its no interview yet, but I'll take it! hope we all end up hearing back on a positive note.

 

[drizzt3117]

The easiest way to think about it is this. If your stats are higher than their averages, and you get the email, you'll probably get an interview. If they're not, then it's less likely but still better than not getting the email. It doesn't mean anything other than the fact that they are not offering you an interview right this second and that they're putting you in a group that potentially will be offered interviews. Being in the group early is better than being in the group late because one of the criteria they use in pulling people out is the date at which they submitted.

From the info I've heard from people there, it's more a sign of "interviewability" if that makes any sense. That doesn't mean you'll get an interview, but means you are qualified for one. I don't see how this can possibly be a bad thing.

In any case, getting the email this year means you'll probably get an interview but isn't a guarantee. That should be clear as there are no guarantees in either life or the medical school admissions process.

 

[cheasus]

The easiest way to think about it is this. If your stats are higher than their averages, and you get the email, you'll probably get an interview. If they're not, then it's less likely but still better than not getting the email. It doesn't mean anything other than the fact that they are not offering you an interview right this second and that they're putting you in a group that potentially will be offered interviews. Being in the group early is better than being in the group late because one of the criteria they use in pulling people out is the date at which they submitted.

From the info I've heard from people there, it's more a sign of "interviewability" if that makes any sense. That doesn't mean you'll get an interview, but means you are qualified for one. I don't see how this can possibly be a bad thing.

In any case, getting the email this year means you'll probably get an interview but isn't a guarantee. That should be clear as there are no guarantees in either life or the medical school admissions process.

Don't let the pre-meds bother you, they just want to whine since the email started out as "This is NOT an invitation to interview" instead of this IS an invitation to interview.

I also received the email.

 

[Brodiewankenobi]

I am re-app and i got this last year and got an interview.....solid advice from above, if you have good stats= good chance in interview. being this early is VERY good for MCW as they fill up fast! Interviews in march are typically only for alternate spots

 

[zenlike]

It seems to me that all the email is saying is: You haven't been rejected, yet. You may or may not be rejected in the future.