2008-2009 OHSU Secondary Application Thread

[Beardsly]

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Congratulations! I interviewed the day before you, haven't heard any news yet. Who was it in admissions you called, Katy? And do they mind you calling and checking your status, or are they really cool about it?

I spoke with Katy. She seemed agreeable to checking for me and I just made sure to let her know how much I appreciated it. Like any profession - I think it is better to call in the morning and be the first caller of the day rather than the last. Good luck to everyone!

 

[airplanes]

Congrats Beardsly!

 

[AnneS]

No finaid offers until mid summer...sometime between june & July according to the finaid office. They said typically expect 8500 dollars subsized loans (if you have no other outside sources of money like scholarships) and the rest offered in loans (primarily stafford). 1st years don't really get any tuition discounts or scholarships so the price is the price, end of story. Also, no final tuition price will be set for next fall until 6wks prior to class starting. Nice eh?

 

[reezer4]

congrats Beardsly! I hope you guys are right about a less than half full class so far- I want in so bad!

 

[djyujin]

No finaid offers until mid summer...sometime between june & July according to the finaid office. They said typically expect 8500 dollars subsized loans (if you have no other outside sources of money like scholarships) and the rest offered in loans (primarily stafford). 1st years don't really get any tuition discounts or scholarships so the price is the price, end of story. Also, no final tuition price will be set for next fall until 6wks prior to class starting. Nice eh?

Ouch. 🙁

 

[ballerina86]

I spoke with Katy. She seemed agreeable to checking for me and I just made sure to let her know how much I appreciated it. Like any profession - I think it is better to call in the morning and be the first caller of the day rather than the last. Good luck to everyone!

Hey did they say anything about what the hold for the MD/MPH means and how much longer we'll be waiting?

 

[Beardsly]

Hey did they say anything about what the hold for the MD/MPH means and how much longer we'll be waiting?

the way my situation was explained was that I had been accepted to the MD program, regardless. the next step would be for the MPH folks to decide whether they wanted to offer me a spot. this would take at least 2 weeks, if not more. katy said that i would most likely find out about the MPH portion on may 15. i think she also mentioned that the final MD/MPH interviews would be finished soon and only then would the MPH admissions folks decide.

Also - are you on hold for both programs or just MPH?

 

[ballerina86]

the way my situation was explained was that I had been accepted to the MD program, regardless. the next step would be for the MPH folks to decide whether they wanted to offer me a spot. this would take at least 2 weeks, if not more. katy said that i would most likely find out about the MPH portion on may 15. i think she also mentioned that the final MD/MPH interviews would be finished soon and only then would the MPH admissions folks decide.

Also - are you on hold for both programs or just MPH?

They said i'm on hold for both...which i would assume is because i am out of state and i missed that cut off they have by one point with my mcat (if they are really that strict with the cut off which it seems like they are). So I can only get in if I am admitted through the MD/MPH program. Are you in state or out of state?

 

[reezer4]

Today is Thursday...anyone heard yet? 😀

 

[Kaya12]

OMG!

I got in! I am so happy I can't see straight! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 😀

news via email attachment like 10 min ago. Haven't even told my family because I'm sure they'll say "but OR is sooo far away" and totally miss the whole point that this is my # 1 CHOICE!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

[childoftheatom]

OMG!

I got in! I am so happy I can't see straight! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 😀

news via email attachment like 10 min ago. Haven't even told my family because I'm sure they'll say "but OR is sooo far away" and totally miss the whole point that this is my # 1 CHOICE!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Congrats! That's great news for you! 👍 When did you interview, Kaya?

I guess if notifications are going out today, I'll be nervously waiting to see what happens. When did you end up interviewing reezer? I remember we were scheduling around the same time - I ended up going on March 3rd. In any case, I'll probably call them tomorrow if I don't hear anything today.

 

[Kaya12]

Congrats! That's great news for you! 👍 When did you interview, Kaya?

I guess if notifications are going out today, I'll be nervously waiting to see what happens. When did you end up interviewing reezer? I remember we were scheduling around the same time - I ended up going on March 3rd. In any case, I'll probably call them tomorrow if I don't hear anything today.

Thank you, childoftheatom! I interviewed on Feb 19th, for M.D. only, OOS.

Good Luck to you!!!

 

[Beardsly]

They said i'm on hold for both...which i would assume is because i am out of state and i missed that cut off they have by one point with my mcat (if they are really that strict with the cut off which it seems like they are). So I can only get in if I am admitted through the MD/MPH program. Are you in state or out of state?

I am in-state.

Perhaps an update letter to the MPH admission director would help make your case. They seem to really want to know how the combined degree makes sense for YOU and your goals.

also, congrats Kaya - OR may be far away (for you), but it's pretty great out here.

 

[Kaya12]

I agree w/ you Beardsly, oregon was amazing when I visited! I have been in Florida for 6 years now, so its going to be a big change! I grew up in the upper midwest, so I guess its pretty different from that too 🙂 Is it really as rainy as they say (it was sunny the couple days I was there in Feb)? I've done the freezing tons of snow upper midwest and also the hot and sunny florida climate, but heres to a new change!

 

[Irish37]

Thank you, childoftheatom! I interviewed on Feb 19th, for M.D. only, OOS.

Good Luck to you!!!

way to go, i'm super jealous, i called and was told i'm on Hold. now biting my nails for may 15th and the rankings

 

[reezer4]

Congrats! That's great news for you! 👍 When did you interview, Kaya?

I guess if notifications are going out today, I'll be nervously waiting to see what happens. When did you end up interviewing reezer? I remember we were scheduling around the same time - I ended up going on March 3rd. In any case, I'll probably call them tomorrow if I don't hear anything today.

congratulations Kaya- so exciting! After living in Seattle, I would say Portland is very sunny- but definitely more temperate than the midwest.

I interviewed March 3rd as well- how did you feel about ur interviews? Let me know what you hear, but sounds like if Kaya interviewed in mid-Feb then we may have a couple more weeks to wait. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for us- good luck!

 

[childoftheatom]

I interviewed March 3rd as well- how did you feel about ur interviews? Let me know what you hear, but sounds like if Kaya interviewed in mid-Feb then we may have a couple more weeks to wait. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for us- good luck!

I just got an e-mail update from OHSU. I got put on hold 🙁. I really want to go to OHSU, so the wait is going to be killer. I forget, is being on hold the same thing as being waitlisted? Anyhow, my interviews were interesting, to say the least. The first one went really well, but the second one was really awkward and I got asked some far-out questions. Oh well. I won't lose hope just yet!

 

[reezer4]

I just got an e-mail update from OHSU. I got put on hold 🙁. I really want to go to OHSU, so the wait is going to be killer. I forget, is being on hold the same thing as being waitlisted? Anyhow, my interviews were interesting, to say the least. The first one went really well, but the second one was really awkward and I got asked some far-out questions. Oh well. I won't lose hope just yet!

Argh I just got put on hold as well. gurr this is so frustrating!

No, being on hold is not the same as being waitlisted. Basically it means nothing except that you won't hear their final decison for awhile (potentially until May 15th). Last year I got placed on hold and then was rejected in May....I'm really hoping I have better luck this time. But I did feel that my interviews went really well this time around and like 25 times better than last year's interviews. Oh well... at least we still have a chance. But waiting really sucks.

 

[reezer4]

Now that I'm thinking about it a little harder though...
I would say being on hold is just like being on the waiting list without an official ranking (tell me if I'm wrong). If you don't get accepted outright or rejected outright...then you go into the hold category. So that means if you get rejected after being on hold you would have been too low on the waitinglist to have ever been accepted.

 

[RGMass03]

Now that I'm thinking about it a little harder though...
I would say being on hold is just like being on the waiting list without an official ranking (tell me if I'm wrong). If you don't get accepted outright or rejected outright...then you go into the hold category. So that means if you get rejected after being on hold you would have been too low on the waitinglist to have ever been accepted.

Yeah that sounds right. I think if youre placed on hold you got about a 1 in 3 chance of getting in (either outright on May 15th or sometime further down the summer from the waiting list). So I kind of think of being on hold as a "no decision" until May 15th. Yeah...it really sucks but lets just all hope for the best. GO TEAM HOLD!!

 

[childoftheatom]

Now that I'm thinking about it a little harder though...
I would say being on hold is just like being on the waiting list without an official ranking (tell me if I'm wrong). If you don't get accepted outright or rejected outright...then you go into the hold category. So that means if you get rejected after being on hold you would have been too low on the waitinglist to have ever been accepted.

I remember them saying that each person that interviews is assigned some score, and that the score threshold for acceptance progressively gets lower as time goes on. Could being on hold possibly mean that your score isn't high enough at this time, but could eventually be enough to earn acceptance before May 15th? That was my understanding of it, but perhaps I'm completely wrong. Has anyone reading this been put on hold and then accepted before May 15th?

In any case, I'm grateful that I wasn't outright rejected. Does anybody have any numbers regarding how many people are waitlisted, and then how many people usually matriculate off of the waitlist?

 

[reezer4]

Yeah that sounds right. I think if youre placed on hold you got about a 1 in 3 chance of getting in (either outright on May 15th or sometime further down the summer from the waiting list). So I kind of think of being on hold as a "no decision" until May 15th. Yeah...it really sucks but lets just all hope for the best. GO TEAM HOLD!!

I second- GO TEAM HOLD!

So does anyone know how many people out of the 525 interviewed get placed on hold?

 

[ballerina86]

I am in-state.

Perhaps an update letter to the MPH admission director would help make your case. They seem to really want to know how the combined degree makes sense for YOU and your goals.

also, congrats Kaya - OR may be far away (for you), but it's pretty great out here.

cool, i sent a letter yesterday so it should get there by early next week. so now that they are done interviewing maybe some news for the MPHers. I haven't actually got a hold email...just a phone call. Maybe the email would have more details.

 

[TheNightMan]

I remember them saying that each person that interviews is assigned some score, and that the score threshold for acceptance progressively gets lower as time goes on. Could being on hold possibly mean that your score isn't high enough at this time, but could eventually be enough to earn acceptance before May 15th? That was my understanding of it, but perhaps I'm completely wrong. Has anyone reading this been put on hold and then accepted before May 15th?

In any case, I'm grateful that I wasn't outright rejected. Does anybody have any numbers regarding how many people are waitlisted, and then how many people usually matriculate off of the waitlist?

I'm copying and pasting the following from a post I wrote a few weeks back:

"If 15% of 500 interviewed applicants are directly accepted(75 interviewees), and 15% are directly rejected(75 interviewees), 350 interviewees are placed in the hold category. If 70 people from the waitlist(probably half of the hold pool) are eventually offered acceptances and we assume the top 40 from the hold pool were admitted on May 15th to make a class of 115, only 110(70+40) out of 350(31%) get accepted. So it's more like 1/3 of the hold pool will be offered acceptances."

The number of students that are accepted off the waitlist has been decreasing every year for the last 3-4 years. They used to get to number 80 or 90. Last year they got to 57. If trends continue, you might need a waitlist number < 50 to get an acceptance this year.

 

[reezer4]

I'm copying and pasting the following from a post I wrote a few weeks back:

"If 15% of 500 interviewed applicants are directly accepted(75 interviewees), and 15% are directly rejected(75 interviewees), 350 interviewees are placed in the hold category. If 70 people from the waitlist(probably half of the hold pool) are eventually offered acceptances and we assume the top 40 from the hold pool were admitted on May 15th to make a class of 115, only 110(70+40) out of 350(31%) get accepted. So it's more like 1/3 of the hold pool will be offered acceptances."

The number of students that are accepted off the waitlist has been decreasing every year for the last 3-4 years. They used to get to number 80 or 90. Last year they got to 57. If trends continue, you might need a waitlist number < 50 to get an acceptance this year.

For some reason this post makes very little sense to me, even though I've read it like 403 times.
is this what you are saying roughly?
1) 500 interviewed
2) assume 70 accepted, 70 rejected, 350 left=HOLD
3) waitinglist created= half HOLD pool= 175 ranked (about a 50:50 chance of getting on waitinglist from HOLD pool
4) waitinglist fills remaining 40 spots.

only thing this doesn't take into consideration is that many of the people accepted don't come. So maybe there's a better chance of being accepted outright until they get about 70 "for sure" people and then those of the 40 who don't come account for the variability with the waitinglist acceptances...something like that...
and these are all just guesstimates right? i mean, if more than 70 people actually get rejected outright, then our chances of being on hold, waitinglist and eventually accepted actually increase...

 

[Beardsly]

For some reason this post makes very little sense to me, even though I've read it like 403 times.
is this what you are saying roughly?
1) 500 interviewed
2) assume 70 accepted, 70 rejected, 350 left=HOLD
3) waitinglist created= half HOLD pool= 175 ranked (about a 50:50 chance of getting on waitinglist from HOLD pool
4) waitinglist fills remaining 40 spots.

only thing this doesn't take into consideration is that many of the people accepted don't come. So maybe there's a better chance of being accepted outright until they get about 70 "for sure" people and then those of the 40 who don't come account for the variability with the waitinglist acceptances...something like that...
and these are all just guesstimates right? i mean, if more than 70 people actually get rejected outright, then our chances of being on hold, waitinglist and eventually accepted actually increase...

with all due respect, chance has ALMOST nothing to do with this process. everyone has made their respective cases through their scores, essays and interviews and that alone will determine the outcome. rather than consider the statistics of the waitlist, consider the statistics of the typical class make-up. OHSU is very explicit about what they value - a slightly older candidate with diverse life and medical experience, a strong interview and recommendations that speak to those experiences and indicate a solid familiarity and preparedness for medicine. assess yourself against that profile and I think that will/will not assuage the anxiety of this excruciating period of waiting. i don't mean to sound pedantic, but that was the advice i was given that helped the most. also, i work with and know many of the med students here, and I can attest to the accuracy of that profile. hope that helps (and doesn't just seem smug...)

 

[AnneS]

As much as OHSU does value older students, 2nd time applicants with 'life' experience... I am only 23, first time applicant, Oregon Resident and was accepted outright the beginning of December. So I think there is room to vary from the typical definition of the 'perfect' OHSU candidate. I do agree that they do prefer people with ALLOT of experience in medicine and volunteering with strong letters of rec. They like people who can prove that medicine is the correct path for them. I would base an evaluation of my app more on those factors than age or # of times applying.

Best of luck all...Who knows we could be future classmates!

 

[TheNightMan]

For some reason this post makes very little sense to me, even though I've read it like 403 times.
is this what you are saying roughly?
1) 500 interviewed
2) assume 70 accepted, 70 rejected, 350 left=HOLD
3) waitinglist created= half HOLD pool= 175 ranked (about a 50:50 chance of getting on waitinglist from HOLD pool
4) waitinglist fills remaining 40 spots.

only thing this doesn't take into consideration is that many of the people accepted don't come. So maybe there's a better chance of being accepted outright until they get about 70 "for sure" people and then those of the 40 who don't come account for the variability with the waitinglist acceptances...something like that...
and these are all just guesstimates right? i mean, if more than 70 people actually get rejected outright, then our chances of being on hold, waitinglist and eventually accepted actually increase...

If I remember correctly from previous year's threads, about 150 people are ranked on the waitlist after being put in the hold pool. Out of these 150 people, somewhere around 60 to 90 people are given acceptances. However, many of these people pass on the acceptance to go somewhere else, which is why the waitlist goes down as far as it does.

The 40 people I was talking about refers to people who are accepted around May 15 to fill the initial cap of 115 acceptances given out. My guess is that only around 30 out of these 40 people are actually from the hold pool, since people who interviewed very late(March/April) can get accepted directly after the interview. These people won't hear about acceptances until around May 15, the same time that hold pool applicants hear about their fates.

 

[reezer4]

If I remember correctly from previous year's threads, about 150 people are ranked on the waitlist after being put in the hold pool. Out of these 150 people, somewhere around 60 to 90 people are given acceptances. However, many of these people pass on the acceptance to go somewhere else, which is why the waitlist goes down as far as it does.

The 40 people I was talking about refers to people who are accepted around May 15 to fill the initial cap of 115 acceptances given out. My guess is that only around 30 out of these 40 people are actually from the hold pool, since people who interviewed very late(March/April) can get accepted directly after the interview. These people won't hear about acceptances until around May 15, the same time that hold pool applicants hear about their fates.

thanks for the explanation- that makes a lot more sense to me now ;o)

 

[Irish37]

I'm referring to the post. This is my unique outlet for all the nervous energy i'm harbouring waiting for May 15th, and i guess since we're all either on hold or accepted at this point there's not much to update or to ask...

But still, with everything out of my hands this is only the place that provides new stimuli, and it seems this too is running dry. I hate to sound 5 years old (though i'm sure many can empathize here), may 15th is forever away!

alright, got that out of my system (temporarily)

 

[ballerina86]

I'm referring to the post. This is my unique outlet for all the nervous energy i'm harbouring waiting for May 15th, and i guess since we're all either on hold or accepted at this point there's not much to update or to ask...

But still, with everything out of my hands this is only the place that provides new stimuli, and it seems this too is running dry. I hate to sound 5 years old (though i'm sure many can empathize here), may 15th is forever away!

alright, got that out of my system (temporarily)

Best post ever! I agree.

 

[medipost]

Wow, so according to the calculations it seems like only 27-31% of people in the hold pool are eventually accepted either on May 15 or afterwards (depending on if the wait list goes to 57 or 70). I thought it was higher than that. Dang, that makes me worry even more as we approach judgement day (May 15). This of course assumes that of exactly 500 people interviewed this cycle exactly 15% were rejected and exactly 15% accepted outright.

 

[radxbandit]

joining team hold.

 

[GeekyJen]

are people on hold alerted via email as well?

oh man this process is painful

 

[medipost]

Actually to re-kindle optimism, I should say that I looked at OHSU's website and their numbers add up a little differently than the calculation of 1/3 acceptance from hold pool as previously mentioned. According to the OHSU SOM page, class size = 115, number of people interviewed = 530+, acceptances offered = 210+. Assuming that 10-15% of people interviewed are immediately rejected, this means that between 44% and 47% of people in the hold pool are eventually accepted. This looks better than the 20%-30% figures.

Maybe we could publish a peer-reviewed journal article about these calculations? LOL

 

[Dapper Dan]

are people on hold alerted via email as well?

oh man this process is painful

Yeah Jen, it's an e-mail for acceptances or holds.

Actually to re-kindle optimism, I should say that I looked at OHSU's website and their numbers add up a little differently than the calculation of 1/3 acceptance from hold pool as previously mentioned. According to the OHSU SOM page, class size = 115, number of people interviewed = 530+, acceptances offered = 210+. Assuming that 10-15% of people interviewed are immediately rejected, this means that between 44% and 47% of people in the hold pool are eventually accepted. This looks better than the 20%-30% figures.

Maybe we could publish a peer-reviewed journal article about these calculations? LOL

I like your numbers, medipost.

 

[RGMass03]

Actually to re-kindle optimism, I should say that I looked at OHSU's website and their numbers add up a little differently than the calculation of 1/3 acceptance from hold pool as previously mentioned. According to the OHSU SOM page, class size = 115, number of people interviewed = 530+, acceptances offered = 210+. Assuming that 10-15% of people interviewed are immediately rejected, this means that between 44% and 47% of people in the hold pool are eventually accepted. This looks better than the 20%-30% figures.

Maybe we could publish a peer-reviewed journal article about these calculations? LOL

HAHA...that would be sweet if we all got together and published an article on this. I'm afraid most journals would reject it on the fact that it would have an obscene amount of expletives in it from all the frustration going on from this horribly long wait. But thanks for the update medipost. Hopefully these numbers hold true this year...no pun intended...haha.

 

[corsair]

I work with a bunch of applicants and one by one they are getting acceptance letters....ARGH! The waiting is painful.

What's worse is everyone asking everyday, "Hear anything yet?"

 

[radxbandit]

I work with a bunch of applicants and one by one they are getting acceptance letters....ARGH! The waiting is painful.

What's worse is everyone asking everyday, "Hear anything yet?"

I can think of only one thing. We'll hear soon enough, keep your head up.

 

[djyujin]

I work with a bunch of applicants and one by one they are getting acceptance letters....ARGH! The waiting is painful.

What's worse is everyone asking everyday, "Hear anything yet?"

Where do you work corsair?

 

[corsair]

Where do you work corsair?

The other Level 1 Trauma Center in Portland. It's a great place to learn, but I'm so hoping I get to quit my job this summer for school.

 

[RJones7]

Hi all, so I am still trying to decide between OHSU and another school. Since there is no formal revisit, I was wondering if there are any second or even first year OHSU med students who would be willing to meet up with me and answer some questions? PM me if so, thanks!

 

[Beardsly]

Hi all, so I am still trying to decide between OHSU and another school. Since there is no formal revisit, I was wondering if there are any second or even first year OHSU med students who would be willing to meet up with me and answer some questions? PM me if so, thanks!

I suggest that you call the admissions office with your question. they may be able to put you in touch with someone.

 

[ballerina86]

So I'm not sure if this question is too personal or not...but I am trying to unravel their mission group nonsense (something to keep my brain going as bench research is slowly driving me crazy) but has anyone who has been admitted so far not met any of the mission groups for the med school only (number cut offs, residency cutoffs, diversity, blah blah blah), even if they have applied to the dual degree programs?

 

[pedsCCU786]

Does anyone know when the white coat ceremony for OHSU is? I think it's Aug 10th, but maybe I'm wrong.

Also, has anyone received a financial aid package? I was told it would be around 6 weeks before matriculation....When should we look out for that info.?

Thanks!

 

[djyujin]

OHSU Whitecoat ceremony is Aug. 21st (I think that's a friday).

 

[brianmartin]

This wait is killing me slowly 😱

 

[URHere]

Hi all, so I am still trying to decide between OHSU and another school. Since there is no formal revisit, I was wondering if there are any second or even first year OHSU med students who would be willing to meet up with me and answer some questions? PM me if so, thanks!

If you contact the admissions liason, he'll shoot out an email to the first and second years to ask for volunteers for whenever you are going to be in town. It is probably better to contact him directly than to go through the admissions office.

If you don't have any luck on that front, PM me. I can probably show you around or find someone else who can.

So I'm not sure if this question is too personal or not...but I am trying to unravel their mission group nonsense (something to keep my brain going as bench research is slowly driving me crazy) but has anyone who has been admitted so far not met any of the mission groups for the med school only (number cut offs, residency cutoffs, diversity, blah blah blah), even if they have applied to the dual degree programs?

I know of at least a few students in my class who are out of state, white, and have comparatively low scores, so don't be discouraged, it is definitely possible. Personally, I am out of state, white, fairly traditional, and my numbers are low for the MD/PhD program, but things worked out in my favor too.

 

[ballerina86]

If you contact the admissions liason, he'll shoot out an email to the first and second years to ask for volunteers for whenever you are going to be in town. It is probably better to contact him directly than to go through the admissions office.

If you don't have any luck on that front, PM me. I can probably show you around or find someone else who can.



I know of at least a few students in my class who are out of state, white, and have comparatively low scores, so don't be discouraged, it is definitely possible. Personally, I am out of state, white, fairly traditional, and my numbers are low for the MD/PhD program, but things worked out in my favor too.

gah...the plight of white people

 

[chuck84]

Just found out about this sdn forum. Glad to see I'm not the only one on hold. I was wondering if a lot of you guys who are already accepted were previously on hold or did you get accepted right after your interview?