2008-2009 University of Iowa Carver Secondary Application Thread

[mmagnett]

Iowa is a top choice for me. We are lucky to live in a state with such an all-around great medical school.

you said it best

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[ayushman80]

Maybe I missed this, but who all on here is going to the sept19th interview?
I'll be there. it would be nice to see someone from sdn there.

 

[Cali Anteater]

So with the tough MCAT interview screen of 10s for OOS, is there even a point in submitting a secondary if I am OOS and don't have 10s on all 3?

 

[dan1]

So with the tough MCAT interview screen of 10s for OOS, is there even a point in submitting a secondary if I am OOS and don't have 10s on all 3?

Ya go for it. I scored 9's all across and I received a secondary.

 

[Skorgirl]

Last year Iowa had a much tougher MCAT score requirement for OOS to interview than they did to receive a secondary.. presumably the same this year? 10 per section min score.

...and they sent secondaries to OOS applicants with lower MCATs anyway knowing they wouldn't be invited for interview? I assume this criteria is developed after they've received a bunch of applications and start to develop some minimum standards for interview, otherwise, that would be really wrong.

 

[ayushman80]

All I can say is WOW! What an awesome school with awesome students. Everyone was very nice and welcoming. They genuinely liked their peers and their administration. The case based learning was FUN and the interviewers were really nice. I wish that we would have gotten to see the anatomy lab though Oh well, I understand There are rules

The board scores for both steps are way above the national mean. And it seems that there are TONS of opportunities to go above and beyond the traditional curriculum. They structure the extra activities (e.g. research etc...) such that it wont affect/conflict with your study time. The Case Based Learning and patient simulations in years 1 & 2 seemed really awesome. The students said that they felt it gave them a big step up in the clerkships.

Good luck to everyone on interviews! This is a great school.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

All I can say is WOW! What an awesome school with awesome students. Everyone was very nice and welcoming. They genuinely liked their peers and their administration. The case based learning was FUN and the interviewers were really nice. I wish that we would have gotten to see the anatomy lab though Oh well, I understand There are rules

The board scores for both steps are way above the national mean. And it seems that there are TONS of opportunities to go above and beyond the traditional curriculum. They structure the extra activities (e.g. research etc...) such that it wont affect/conflict with your study time. The Case Based Learning and patient simulations in years 1 & 2 seemed really awesome. The students said that they felt it gave them a big step up in the clerkships.

Good luck to everyone on interviews! This is a great school.

woohoo..excited to interview in a few weeks!

 

[mmagnett]

I wish that we would have gotten to see the anatomy lab though Oh well, I understand There are rules

I've seen the anatomy lab and personally know the director of it. It and he are really, really awesome (although located in a confusing building).

 

[mmagnett]

So with the tough MCAT interview screen of 10s for OOS, is there even a point in submitting a secondary if I am OOS and don't have 10s on all 3?

Iowa is big on extracurriculars and semi big on test scores/gpa. If you have cool life experiences (which arguably everyone does) I would apply and see how it goes. Whats the worst that could happen? You don't get in... Not that big of a deal b/c chances are you will get in somewhere!!!

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

general fyi - per the admissions office, the school is a bit backed up right now, anticipated a week or so to get through secondaries completed over the past few days as they said many applicants recently turned in secondaries. Until they can review the letters, a file will show as "incomplete" even though all info has been submitted.

Per last year's academic screen w/10 min per section mcat scores, OOS, to receive INTERVIEW INVITE (please note this was NOT the cutoff to receive secondaries last year which was lower), it sounds like Iowa's doing great for turning things around fast. I'm excited about hopefully interviewing there soon!

Anyone know how far out the interview dates are scheduled for those who received recent invites? thanks!

 

[UTnut]

I just called earlier today to set up my interview date and the lady mentioned 10/8, 10/13, 10/15, and 10/17 as the next available dates.

 

[DrBrizzle]

stupid question here, but im getting mixed perceptions. If you meet the 10s on MCAT requirement (OOS) they WILL interview you or are you just elligible for interview consideration?

 

[Cali Anteater]

general fyi - per the admissions office, the school is a bit backed up right now, anticipated a week or so to get through secondaries completed over the past few days as they said many applicants recently turned in secondaries. Until they can review the letters, a file will show as "incomplete" even though all info has been submitted.

Per last year's academic screen w/10 min per section mcat scores, OOS, to receive INTERVIEW INVITE (please note this was NOT the cutoff to receive secondaries last year which was lower), it sounds like Iowa's doing great for turning things around fast. I'm excited about hopefully interviewing there soon!

Anyone know how far out the interview dates are scheduled for those who received recent invites? thanks!

Did the Iowa Adcom post somwhere that a 10 on each section was the cutoff for the OOS interview or is it just rumor? If so, it seems pretty unethical to send an OOS with less than that a secondary if they have such a strict cutoff.

 

[uclamimg]

Did the Iowa Adcom post somwhere that a 10 on each section was the cutoff for the OOS interview or is it just rumor? If so, it seems pretty unethical to send an OOS with less than that a secondary if they have such a strict cutoff.

This is a rumor...I interviewed last yr (OOS) and I don't have a 10+ on all the sections.

 

[Loon]

what, in our incredibly-well-informed estimation, is the minimum GPA for someone with a 10 in each section?

 

[rx515]

I just called earlier today to set up my interview date and the lady mentioned 10/8, 10/13, 10/15, and 10/17 as the next available dates.

Wow, I guess interviews are goin fast.. I called to set up mine last friday, and am interviewing this friday the 26th. I was surprised how fast the invite came. I turned in my secondary last monday night and they still dont have my letters.

 

[Decicco]

Wow, I guess interviews are goin fast.. I called to set up mine last friday, and am interviewing this friday the 26th. I was surprised how fast the invite came. I turned in my secondary last monday night and they still dont have my letters.

cya then

 

[cheasus]

Wow, I guess interviews are goin fast.. I called to set up mine last friday, and am interviewing this friday the 26th. I was surprised how fast the invite came. I turned in my secondary last monday night and they still dont have my letters.

You dont need to submit your secondary to have an interview invite so thats why it came so fast

 

[cheasus]

what, in our incredibly-well-informed estimation, is the minimum GPA for someone with a 10 in each section?

3.7/10 10 10 minimum out of state for an automatic interview
3.4/8 8 8 minimum in state for an automatic interview

Those are the numbers I was told.

 

[Surferboy]

3.7/10 10 10 minimum out of state for an automatic interview
3.4/8 8 8 minimum in state for an automatic interview

Those are the numbers I was told.

I'm OOS 3.62/ 10 9 10
So close but so far...ugh

 

[Loon]

Thanks, cheasus. Do we know how they factor postbac vs. undergrad grades, or how they scale MCATs above 10 10 10 with GPAs below 3.7? Not like that would apply to anyone here or anything...

 

[cheasus]

Thanks, cheasus. Do we know how they factor postbac vs. undergrad grades, or how they scale MCATs above 10 10 10 with GPAs below 3.7? Not like that would apply to anyone here or anything...

I'm not very sure, I dont think you get an automatic interview without those minimum, they'll probably look at your file and if they like what they see, they'll invite you for an interview. If you're a bit below the gpa and a lot above the 10 10 10 mcat, I think you'll likely get an interview, but who knows. Good luck!

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

Hi, thanks (Cheasus) for the update/correction on my posts regarding the 10 min per section.

The source of my 'rumor' of 10/10/10 min for OOS candidates to interview was a feedback session last spring with a Carver admissions person who was reviewing my file; the pereson was VERY helpful. I was below 8 last year for 1 section; it seems that per Cheusus who seems to know this stuff well, the 10/10/10 was not an "absolute" requirement to interview as I was lead to believe (per my notes taken when speaking with the adcomm that day). Thanks for the additional info on this!

 

[Leejwwc]

3.7/10 10 10 minimum out of state for an automatic interview
3.4/8 8 8 minimum in state for an automatic interview

Those are the numbers I was told.

Hmm, I'm not too sure about those numbers.

I am OOS, 3.7, 11, 11, 12, complete 8/20, nothing yet...

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

You may want to check the online app to confirm that your app is "complete" (small print on the top of the first page after you login), this is only done after the school matches LORs to a file which seems to be a manual process. If so & if it's been complete for a few weeks +, I'd call the school to see if they have everything they need, not hearing anything for a month seems like too long. When you call, it seems to help to mention that you have over 10 per section mcat scores.

 

[uclamimg]

Any recent interview invites (within the past few days)?

 

[mmagnett]

Hi all, just got back from my interview and it was AWESOME. I love the CCM.

I confirmed a few things: (1) There is a numbers cut-off (computer program) for an interview (different for IS and OOS) but I don't know what they are (cheasus is credible though), (2) If you don't meet those numbers, they have humans who look at your activities and life experiences and grade trends (3) a medical education is EXPENSIVE, (4) CBL session is the best part of the day and definatly nothing to be concerned about.

I had a really cool interviewing group too so that made everything seem even better. Hopefully I'll remain a Hawkeye for the next 4 years!! gulp...

 

[Leejwwc]

You may want to check the online app to confirm that your app is "complete" (small print on the top of the first page after you login), this is only done after the school matches LORs to a file which seems to be a manual process. If so & if it's been complete for a few weeks +, I'd call the school to see if they have everything they need, not hearing anything for a month seems like too long. When you call, it seems to help to mention that you have over 10 per section mcat scores.

Thanks, I was actually complete since 8/15 according to the online status page. I will call tomorrow!

 

[Decicco]

Hi all, just got back from my interview and it was AWESOME. I love the CCM.

I confirmed a few things: (1) There is a numbers cut-off (computer program) for an interview (different for IS and OOS) but I don't know what they are (cheasus is credible though), (2) If you don't meet those numbers, they have humans who look at your activities and life experiences and grade trends (3) a medical education is EXPENSIVE, (4) CBL session is the best part of the day and definatly nothing to be concerned about.

I had a really cool interviewing group too so that made everything seem even better. Hopefully I'll remain a Hawkeye for the next 4 years!! gulp...

Thanks for the report! Was the interview itself stressful? What part of the day was it? Many curveballs (healthcare, ethics, etc)? Congrats!

 

[mmagnett]

Thanks for the report! Was the interview itself stressful? What part of the day was it? Many curveballs (healthcare, ethics, etc)? Congrats!

No. Actually my interview had only 3 structured questions and an intro question

Intro: Tell me about yourself?

Structured questions:
(1) How to deal with organ shortages
(2) Why Medicine
(3) and.. can't remember the third (show's you how stressfull it was.. wah wah wahhh)

It was just like conversing with my professors -- easy, but done respectfully.

 

[cheasus]

No. Actually my interview had only 3 structured questions and an intro question

Intro: Tell me about yourself?

Structured questions:
(1) How to deal with organ shortages
(2) Why Medicine
(3) and.. can't remember the third (show's you how stressfull it was.. wah wah wahhh)

It was just like conversing with my professors -- easy, but done respectfully.

Glad to hear it went well! You are the perfect out of state applicant for the school.

As far as the interview invites: I gave the numbers in the above post according to a presentation from the carver college of medicine last year, they explicitely told us the numbers I listed before for automatic interviews. This means that you should get an interview if you have a 3.7 and 10/10/10 if youre out of state but it doesn't mean you won't get an interview if you don't have those numbers. I don't want to sound like I am privy to any private/extra information, I was just suprised by how low the numbers were for automatic interviews instate and I remembered them from the presentation.

 

[Decicco]

No. Actually my interview had only 3 structured questions and an intro question

Intro: Tell me about yourself?

Structured questions:
(1) How to deal with organ shortages
(2) Why Medicine
(3) and.. can't remember the third (show's you how stressfull it was.. wah wah wahhh)

It was just like conversing with my professors -- easy, but done respectfully.

Cool. #1 actually seems very difficult... I'll have to think about that one. Where the interviews in the morning or afternoon (after a tour, etc)? Thanks

 

[cheasus]

Cool. #1 actually seems very difficult... I'll have to think about that one. Where the interviews in the morning or afternoon (after a tour, etc)? Thanks

My interview was in the afternoon, after intro, financial aid talk and tour. The interviews were between 1:30-3pm.

 

[Poiu86]

Had my interview at Carver today. I was very very very impressed! Like mmagnett said, pretty low stress. I really enjoyed it, a great first interview.

 

[rx515]

How many "unstructured" questions did they get in? Was most of the 25 min spent answering only the 3 structured questions?

 

[Poiu86]

Everybody gets three structured and as much of the 25 minutes that you need to talk about them. For me they prob lasted 10-15 mins, then spent the rest of the time unstructured.

Everything I had heard about in the past said the structured part was awful with stone faced interviewers. My experience was nothing like that. True, they didn't talk... but they did smile, nod, etc... It was not like talking to a brick wall as I've heard it compared before. Overall the interview was not stressful a bit. Check out the interview feedback and have some idea how you would address the Q's and you'll do just fine!

 

[Decicco]

Everybody gets three structured and as much of the 25 minutes that you need to talk about them. For me they prob lasted 10-15 mins, then spent the rest of the time unstructured.

Everything I had heard about in the past said the structured part was awful with stone faced interviewers. My experience was nothing like that. True, they didn't talk... but they did smile, nod, etc... It was not like talking to a brick wall as I've heard it compared before. Overall the interview was not stressful a bit.

Questions about organ donation, blood transfusion, etc don't seem all that stress-free to me. Especially when I will be the only one talking, uninterupted for 10-15 minutes. Is there something I'm missing?

 

[rx515]

It was not like talking to a brick wall as I've heard it compared before. Overall the interview was not stressful a bit.

Totally agree, my interviewers were great. They smiled and were very friendly. Great way to start the interview season!

 

[Decicco]

Totally agree, my interviewers were great. They smiled and were very friendly. Great way to start the interview season!

Awesome interview! Nothing to get stressed about. Plus the MERF building is really cool!

 

[cheasus]

I heard that students received acceptance letters as soon as the 18th of October last year. Anyone else excited!?

 

[ayushman80]

I heard that students received acceptance letters as soon as the 18th of October last year. Anyone else excited!?

Man I sure hope that this year acceptances are sent out on Oct 15th!

 

[rx515]

I would love that. I interviewed in late September so hopefully that enough time. It would so amazing to know so early and have so much less stress for the rest of my interviews...

 

[seven87]

I would love that. I interviewed in late September so hopefully that enough time. It would so amazing to know so early and have so much less stress for the rest of my interviews...

Not to be a downer, but their "You'll hear sometime before March 15th" leaves me to believe we're probably not likely to hear in October. It is possible, but not likely.

 

[ayushman80]

Not to be a downer, but their "You'll hear sometime before March 15th" leaves me to believe we're probably not likely to hear in October. It is possible, but not likely.

I interviewed at carver on sept 19th. They explained their acceptance procedure to us:

1) You interview with them.
2) Committee makes a decision on acceptance, rejection, or final list.
3) You are sent your initial decision as soon as they are ready (oct 15th at the earliest). They said that they will do their best to get decisions out early this year (so I am assuming around oct 15th).
4) If you have an acceptance or rejection then you will know soon. If you are put on the final list you will be put on hold till March 15th.
5) At that time you will be compared to other applicants in the hold pool for acceptance.
6) At that time final decisions will be handed out.

Hope this helps *crossing fingers for oct 15th acceptance*

 

[Decicco]

I interviewed at carver on sept 19th. They explained their acceptance procedure to us:

1) You interview with them.
2) Committee makes a decision on acceptance, rejection, or final list.
3) You are sent your initial decision as soon as they are ready (oct 15th at the earliest). They said that they will do their best to get decisions out early this year (so I am assuming around oct 15th).
4) If you have an acceptance or rejection then you will know soon. If you are put on the final list you will be put on hold till March 15th.
5) At that time you will be compared to other applicants in the hold pool for acceptance.
6) At that time final decisions will be handed out.

Hope this helps *crossing fingers for oct 15th acceptance*

They also said that the majority of applicants will be put in the final pool, so we should not expect to hear a decision in October.

 

[MDWannabe2009]

I was complete at Iowa by the end of August and havent heard back. Anybody else in a similar situation?

 

[ayushman80]

They also said that the majority of applicants will be put in the final pool, so we should not expect to hear a decision in October.

They never mentioned that to us. I guess it also depends upon how many OOS were in your interview group. We had zero. They told us that we would know something in octoberish.

 

[seven87]

They never mentioned that to us. I guess it also depends upon how many OOS were in your interview group. We had zero. They told us that we would know something in octoberish.

There were all instate in my group also, and they told us we will "hear something before March 15th". They made no assurances that anyone would hear in October. They said you might, but you might not.

Interesting that they would say different things on different days.

 

[Decicco]

They never mentioned that to us. I guess it also depends upon how many OOS were in your interview group. We had zero. They told us that we would know something in octoberish.

We were about 75% instate. Said that most of us would not hear in october.

 

[tbucky]

I was complete at Iowa by the end of August and havent heard back. Anybody else in a similar situation?

I'm in the same boat you are. I called the adcom office to see if I could glean any information from them, but all I really got was a polite "be patient."