2009-2010 Case Western Reserve University Application Thread

[austen123]

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Sooo.....anyone interviewing at Case on the 26th and 27th of October? I'll be interviewing for both CWRU & CCLCM, so if anyone on this thread is going to be at Case then and wants to be in touch, let me know.

 

[CCLCMer]

It's not an automatic interview - the admissions staff is just reading a ton of applications right now. They receive about 5000 applications and interview around 900 each year. Good luck!

Right, definitely not an automatic interview.

pre-interview hold at case

first "decision" of the year...anyone know how likely it is to get an interview after hold?

I don't think anyone can answer that question other than to say it's not zero. Sorry. 🙁

Congrats to those of you who received interviews!

Perhaps someone could help clarify this but I have a question about the admissions process at Case in general. I know it was said elsewhere on the thread that Case does not review apps in a strictly chronological order.
I was wondering, when an admissions officer finishes reviewing your app are they required to issue a decision (hold, interview, reject) right then? And so if we haven't heard back then that simply means our app hasn't been reviewed?

Sorry, I don't know the answer to that either. But I can't think of a reason why they wouldn't give you an answer if they had already made a decision on your app, so what you said makes sense.

Don't call. All of us who applied to both programs are in the same boat. CCLCM review is what is holding things up.

I agree. If you know that your file is complete, there is no point in calling right now. Every minute that the admissions office spends answering your questions is one minute less that can be devoted to processing apps. Think about whether your question is worth that interruption before you call.

Yeah I'm in the same boat applying to both programs. I'm starting to regret the decision to apply to CCLCM. I decided to after reading these forums and hearing people say it was pointless not to and figured especially since I would be writing the research essay anyway, it wasn't too much extra effort. But I don't see myself getting into it (probably not even an interview) and now it's just delaying the rest of my application. Oh well..

Don't be so pessimistic! You obviously like research enough to write the research essay and to be willing to consider spending a fifth year for research if you came to CCLCM. So making the attempt IS worth it. Also, as discussed previously in the thread, invites have been kind of disorganized this year from CCLCM's end since the admissions secretary left and Dean Franco is going on vacation. So I don't think CCLCM is holding up your UP review, especially because there are people who have gotten invites from the UP and are still waiting to hear from CCLCM.

I'd much rather go to CCLCM than UP, but it is much more competitive, so honestly, I'd take either.

Try to be open-minded. Not that I blame you for thinking CCLCM is awesome, but the UP is awesome also. There are some people who get accepted to both and decide to come to CCLCM, and others who decide to go to the UP. It's impossible to know right now which category you'd fall into. 🙂

Maybe they forgot to coordinate? Unless the CCLCM just didn't want you?

No, CCLCM sent out a bunch of invites early and now I'm not sure when the next batch will go out. See explanation above.

You don't love us?!:cry:

I love you. 😍

One time, I was at a lunch with interviewing students, and one of them asked why I liked CCLCM and didn't like the UP. I said, "Oh, I loved the UP. I just thought CCLCM was a better fit since it has so much research integrated into the curriculum." The look of shock on that kid's face when I said I loved the UP was priceless.

 

[FluffyRabbit]

I just scheduled my interview, and am wondering about student hosting. UP's link to all the email addresses have already been posted on my iApply, but how would I go about trying to find a CCLCM host?

 

[bannie22]

may i ask the diff between cwru and cclcm... and y do students like to do an additional year(5 year) at cclcm?

any benefit?

 

[Bryson17]

may i ask the diff between cwru and cclcm... and y do students like to do an additional year(5 year) at cclcm?

any benefit?

At CCLCM you get an MD degree with an emphasis on research (I forget the term they officially use). You get to take an extra year to do only research. The project looks good depending on what type of residency you want to go into. The other 4 years integrate research more closely into the curriculum.

Oh, and they pay your tuition...

 

[bannie22]

i see. i dont really like the idea of 5 years though...
esp since its 4 at most schools. i prefer an optional like mots schools when u find something ur really interested in...

but i guess the tuition part is very nice. i only applied for cwru. even tho i wrote the research essya, which was optional for me i guess

 

[Homoochan]

Is CCLMC that much more competitive to get in that UP?

what's the acceptance rate like after interview? I'm thinking ~20% ish for both program.. am I mistaken?

 

[CCLCMer]

I just scheduled my interview, and am wondering about student hosting. UP's link to all the email addresses have already been posted on my iApply, but how would I go about trying to find a CCLCM host?

I don't know if our host list has been assembled yet. We did get an email about signing up though, so it should come out soon. If you don't hear anything in time and want some help finding a host, PM me and I'll see what I can do. That goes for anyone else too.

may i ask the diff between cwru and cclcm... and y do students like to do an additional year(5 year) at cclcm?

any benefit?

CCLCM is the research MD program at Case. People who apply and matriculate at CCLCM have a significant research background. Some are also applying to MD/PhD programs, and some come in already having grad degrees (MS or PhD). Even the people who come straight out of college have a lot of research experience. So this program caters to people who already have a lot of research background and are interested in becoming physician scientists. If you want more info, look at the Case admissions webpage and it will give you descriptions of all three tracks (UP, CCLCM and MSTP).

At CCLCM you get an MD degree with an emphasis on research (I forget the term they officially use). You get to take an extra year to do only research. The project looks good depending on what type of residency you want to go into. The other 4 years integrate research more closely into the curriculum.

Oh, and they pay your tuition...

They call it an MD with Special Qualification in Biomedical Research. Some people also get an MS while they're here, which I am doing.

i see. i dont really like the idea of 5 years though...
esp since its 4 at most schools. i prefer an optional like mots schools when u find something ur really interested in...

but i guess the tuition part is very nice. i only applied for cwru. even tho i wrote the research essya, which was optional for me i guess

If you don't want to take five years, you made the right decision by not applying to CCLCM. If you matriculate here, you are committing to the full five years. 🙂

Is CCLMC that much more competitive to get in that UP?

I don't know how to answer that. Our class size is much smaller than theirs, but fewer people apply to CCLCM, and the applicant pool, while overlapping, is not the same. In other words, there are a lot of UP applicants who don't apply to CCLCM and vice versa.

what's the acceptance rate like after interview? I'm thinking ~20% ish for both program.. am I mistaken?

I don't know that either. They used to post the number of students who applied, interviewed, and were accepted on the website, but I don't see it on there anymore. I do know that for CCLCM, fewer acceptances were given out last year than in previous years.

 

[Myuu]

CCLCMer, which masters are you getting?

 

[FluffyRabbit]

I don't know if our host list has been assembled yet. We did get an email about signing up though, so it should come out soon. If you don't hear anything in time and want some help finding a host, PM me and I'll see what I can do. That goes for anyone else too.

I figured it out now - they'll send an email confirming the interview date and the student list is attached. Thanks!

 

[CCLCMer]

CCLCMer, which masters are you getting?

I'm doing CRSP, the clinical trials track. A lot of CCLCM students who get masters do one of the CRSP tracks because most of the classes are already satisfied by our required med school research classes. We just have to dual-enroll them with the grad school.

For those wondering how MD/MS works, you can get the MS through either Case program. If you do it through the UP, you will have to take a fifth year for research and to complete the extra classes. I'm not sure how much of the UP curriculum can be counted toward the MS by dual-enrolling. For CCLCM students, the only extra classes we have to take are CMED 401, 450 and 458. We also have to attend clinical research grand rounds for one hour per week for a year, which is CMED 404/405. The CRSP classes are offered at both Case and CCF, so it's very convenient to take them wherever you are. It's not just med students who take them. A lot of residents, fellows, even some attendings do too. (Well, at least they do at CCF, where I took mine.)

This outline is from the CCF portal and shows how the CRSP curriculum can be fit into our med school schedule. I pretty much followed that schedule except that I'm taking CMED 458 this spring during my research year. I don't know why they put it on the schedule for spring of second year. As all of you will soon discover, taking an extra class while you're getting ready to study for boards and prepare for third year (we have extra clinical sessions that semester, and I think a lot of other med schools do too) is NOT the brightest idea!

By the way, if anyone wants to look at the CCLCM portal, you can log in as a guest and see some extra info. You won't be able to see a lot of the class things that we do, but you can browse the available MS degree options (UP students can do them all too) and also our research compendiums (lists of faculty who take med students for summer research projects). Research during the summer between first and second year is optional for UP students, required for CCLCM students. Myuu, if you are interested in doing summer research next summer, you might find those compendiums useful to help you find a PI. Researchers on both campuses are included, and students from either program can do research on either campus. I did my basic science summer rotation at Case and my clinical research rotation at CCF.

I figured it out now - they'll send an email confirming the interview date and the student list is attached. Thanks!

Ok, good. Best advice is to start from the bottom of the list, because most people start from the top so that the As get tons of hosting requests while the Zs get none. If you have any trouble finding a host, let me know.

 

[jjoo915]

I can't believe how fast the interview dates have filled up!
I got my invite today and checked to see the first available date is 10/27 already...

Once you select your interview date online, do you receive a confirmation email? Has anyone gotten one?

 

[bannie22]

I can't believe how fast the interview dates have filled up!
I got my invite today and checked to see the first available date is 10/27 already...

Once you select your interview date online, do you receive a confirmation email? Has anyone gotten one?

congrats. something of that sort i believe.

 

[Nafis64]

I'm not sure if this question has been asked, but if I want to write about a research I did, does it have to be my own or can it be part of a team because I did most of my solid research on a team as an employee?
Also, I feel like another project i worked on motivated me more to become a physician because I worked longer on it, but there was no clear hypothesis and it was more of an epidemiology paper clarifying some of the findings found in the observational data found. What do you guys think?

 

[bannie22]

I'm not sure if this question has been asked, but if I want to write about a research I did, does it have to be my own or can it be part of a team because I did most of my solid research on a team as an employee?
Also, I feel like another project i worked on motivated me more to become a physician because I worked longer on it, but there was no clear hypothesis and it was more of an epidemiology paper clarifying some of the findings found in the observational data found. What do you guys think?

i donno where u are applying. for me i only applied to the 4 year program, where the research essay was 3500characters and optional.
i submitted last saturday. complete monday. interview invite yesterday.

i wrote htat essay. it was about my current summer research. data analysis incomplete. no publication. team.

so i say. they liked it. and wud like urs too

 

[bannie22]

due to lag. i seem to have tripleposted....
mod pls remove. is there a function to remove posts?


sigh. now im goin to get a pm from a mod warning me not to triplepost-.-

 

[bannie22]

I'm not sure if this question has been asked, but if I want to write about a research I did, does it have to be my own or can it be part of a team because I did most of my solid research on a team as an employee?
Also, I feel like another project i worked on motivated me more to become a physician because I worked longer on it, but there was no clear hypothesis and it was more of an epidemiology paper clarifying some of the findings found in the observational data found. What do you guys think?

i donno where u are applying. for me i only applied to the 4 year program, where the research essay was 3500characters and optional.
i submitted last saturday. complete monday. interview invite yesterday.

i wrote htat essay. it was about my current summer research. data analysis incomplete. no publication. team.

so i say. they liked it. and wud like urs too

 

[Nafis64]

i donno where u are applying. for me i only applied to the 4 year program, where the research essay was 3500characters and optional.
i submitted last saturday. complete monday. interview invite yesterday.

i wrote htat essay. it was about my current summer research. data analysis incomplete. no publication. team.

so i say. they liked it. and wud like urs too

Thanks, I will apply to both, just unsure about the whole hypothesis, research methods part because we don't really have one.

 

[bannie22]

I'm not sure if this question has been asked, but if I want to write about a research I did, does it have to be my own or can it be part of a team because I did most of my solid research on a team as an employee?
Also, I feel like another project i worked on motivated me more to become a physician because I worked longer on it, but there was no clear hypothesis and it was more of an epidemiology paper clarifying some of the findings found in the observational data found. What do you guys think?

Thanks, I will apply to both, just unsure about the whole hypothesis, research methods part because we don't really have one.

all the best. although i dont know how u can not at least know ur research methods since u cant do anything without knowing waht ure doing

 

[Nafis64]

all the best. although i dont know how u can not at least know ur research methods since u cant do anything without knowing waht ure doing

haha, no we have methods, it's the hypothesis part, I just meant I don't have much to elaborate on that parts specifically.

 

[Myuu]

Myuu, if you are interested in doing summer research next summer, you might find those compendiums useful to help you find a PI. Researchers on both campuses are included, and students from either program can do research on either campus. I did my basic science summer rotation at Case and my clinical research rotation at CCF.

Nice! Thanks. 😀 At the moment, I'm about to start the applied anatomy MS. If I'm not one of the walking dead by the time I get to summer, I'll definitely look into summer research!👍

 

[Myuu]

due to lag. i seem to have tripleposted....
mod pls remove. is there a function to remove posts?


sigh. now im goin to get a pm from a mod warning me not to triplepost-.-

You have to donate to delete posts.

 

[Myuu]

haha, no we have methods, it's the hypothesis part, I just meant I don't have much to elaborate on that parts specifically.

That's the nice thing about epidemiology as opposed to bench research. We just spent a whole block on epi and biostats.👍


I'm sure they won't mind if you write about non-clinical/non-bench research.👍

 

[iceman77_7]

For those wondering how MD/MS works, you can get the MS through either Case program. If you do it through the UP, you will have to take a fifth year for research and to complete the extra classes.

Actually, depending on which master's you do, you may not have to do a fifth year if you're in UP. The MS in Anatomy, for instance, does not require a 5th year while the MPH does. The MD/MBA is also do-able in four years.

 

[CCLCMer]

Actually, depending on which master's you do, you may not have to do a fifth year if you're in UP. The MS in Anatomy, for instance, does not require a 5th year while the MPH does. The MD/MBA is also do-able in four years.

I guess I should have clarified that I was talking about the THESIS masters degrees, which will all require a fifth year for research. 🙂

 

[LaCasta]

I finally submitted this one : S (After about 30 days)

I am officially done with all secondaries in my possesion

I can't believe I finished 35 secondaries

 

[tallandshort]

I finally submitted this one : S (After about 30 days)

I am officially done with all secondaries in my possesion

I can't believe I finished 35 secondaries

Wow, I just wanted to congratulate you on that. Finishing all those secondaries is quite an accomplishment! Now I have to go finish the rest of mine, you're making me feel lazy 😀 Good luck with all your applications!

 

[LaCasta]

Wow, I just wanted to congratulate you on that. Finishing all those secondaries is quite an accomplishment! Now I have to go finish the rest of mine, you're making me feel lazy 😀 Good luck with all your applications!

Thank you, and good luck to you as well. I wish I didn't take so long on Case though; I hope it won't hurt. I thing the best thing to do is just force yourself to put out some ideas for some of the secondaries, even if it is a very rough draft (I know it is still easier said than done)

 

[Myuu]

Thank you, and good luck to you as well. I wish I didn't take so long on Case though; I hope it won't hurt. I thing the best thing to do is just force yourself to put out some ideas for some of the secondaries, even if it is a very rough draft (I know it is still easier said than done)

I wasn't complete until August 31st last year.👍

 

[mrfuumanchu206]

I just got an invite! The next available date was Nov. 2...that's pretty late right?

Either way, I'm very very excited, this is one of my top choices!

 

[Myuu]

I just got an invite! The next available date was Nov. 2...that's pretty late right?

Either way, I'm very very excited, this is one of my top choices!

Nah, that's not late. Next year would be late.👍

 

[CdnHopeful]

In the Case status page..if you're complete, but they haven't notified you of changes other than that...your correspendence would be BLANK right?

same for the college track status?

 

[trueBelief]

For those of you applying to UP and CCLCM, have you heard from the UP atleast? I submitted a while ago and I have no news from both. While I know CCLCM is a bit slow right now, I am not sure what happened to my UP app.

 

[AyCaramba]

For those of you applying to UP and CCLCM, have you heard from the UP atleast? I submitted a while ago and I have no news from both. While I know CCLCM is a bit slow right now, I am not sure what happened to my UP app.

I applied to both, complete as of 7/21, not a peep from either. SUCKS

 

[trueBelief]

I applied to both, complete as of 7/21, not a peep from either. SUCKS

So I guess I am not alone. Seeing that the interview dates being currently offered are getting into Nov, I am not so sure how I feel about this. Do you think we should check in with UP about our application status or just wait patiently?

 

[LAman10]

So I guess I am not alone. Seeing that the interview dates being currently offered are getting into Nov, I am not so sure how I feel about this. Do you think we should check in with UP about our application status or just wait patiently?

there was one fellow here who received invites from both UP and CCLCM, so obviously both are looking through apps now... but I would expect that both look through apps and make decisions independently, so if UP had already gone through your app there should be something under UP correspondence, even if CCLCM hadn't seen it yet

 

[SteinUmStein]

So I guess I am not alone. Seeing that the interview dates being currently offered are getting into Nov, I am not so sure how I feel about this. Do you think we should check in with UP about our application status or just wait patiently?

I also applied to both and haven't heard anything... should we be worried yet? Or are there plenty more invites to be sent by both programs?? 😕

 

[st0w]

there was one fellow here who received invites from both UP and CCLCM, so obviously both are looking through apps now... but I would expect that both look through apps and make decisions independently, so if UP had already gone through your app there should be something under UP correspondence, even if CCLCM hadn't seen it yet

Read the rest of this thread. Application review when applying to both UP and CCLCM has been discussed several times already - your expectation is not entirely accurate.

 

[thinker]

same here.. complete 7/29 and no news yet. this is very unsettling

 

[crazycab]

Me too... I was complete 7/31 and I haven't heard anything. I was trying not to worry, but knowing the earliest interviews now are in Nov. is really unsettling.

 

[msgrizzly]

is there student hosting available at case western? if so, could someone post the website or the contact person's email? thanks a lot!!

 

[Bbon]

People who have received interview invites that applied to both programs seem to be the exception, rather than the rule. Based on that, and this is pure conjecture of course, perhaps the admissions people have done a quick look through the applications and if there is anyone that really stands out that both programs are certain they would love to interview, they have already sent invitations to those people. People that are "maybes" for one or both get thrown in a pile for closer review, from which they'll consider for interview once they get more applications and can compare the field. If you're a maybe for one program but a strong candidate for the other, they'll wait till they decide for the other program before sending you an invite. If you seem like a poor candidate for one but a wonderful candidate for the other, they might go ahead and interview you for just the one. That might contradict some of what has been said here, but it's just my theory and I figured I'd throw it out there. Maybe some of the experts can help out if it's obvious that I'm way off base.

 

[LAman10]

People who have received interview invites that applied to both programs seem to be the exception, rather than the rule. Based on that, and this is pure conjecture of course, perhaps the admissions people have done a quick look through the applications and if there is anyone that really stands out that both programs are certain they would love to interview, they have already sent invitations to those people. People that are "maybes" for one or both get thrown in a pile for closer review, from which they'll consider for interview once they get more applications and can compare the field. If you're a maybe for one program but a strong candidate for the other, they'll wait till they decide for the other program before sending you an invite. If you seem like a poor candidate for one but a wonderful candidate for the other, they might go ahead and interview you for just the one. That might contradict some of what has been said here, but it's just my theory and I figured I'd throw it out there. Maybe some of the experts can help out if it's obvious that I'm way off base.

You know, if one--just one--of these adcoms at ANY school published their review process online or something, just so that we can get an idea of how adcoms REALLY review these files, it would dispel a lot of these theories. It wouldn't take much work (maybe a few hours of just writing up the procedure and posting it online), and at the same time it'll save them the trouble of answering phone calls and emails from obnoxiously neurotic applicants who want to know what's going on with their applications or why they haven't heard from X school in the last Y days. It's a win-win situation. I feel like after forking over $70-100 the process should at least be as transparent as possible, but idk maybe it's just me...

 

[Myuu]

Here's a thought: I've yet to find a neurotic classmate.

 

[BBender716]

Here's a thought: I've yet to find a neurotic classmate.

oooo +1 for Case Western! lol

 

[LAman10]

Here's a thought: I've yet to find a neurotic classmate.

well, obviously! who's gonna be neurotic AFTER they've gotten into med school?

 

[trueBelief]

well, obviously! who's gonna be neurotic AFTER they've gotten into med school?

hahaha i like.

 

[Myuu]

well, obviously! who's gonna be neurotic AFTER they've gotten into med school?

Old habits die hard. Believe me.

 

[AyCaramba]

Here's a thought: I've yet to find a neurotic classmate.

People are very good at concealing neuroses in real life. I find that online message boards, due to anonymity and the pack mentality, tend to expose and magnify character flaws that are otherwise unnoticeable.

 

[Hyperstudyosis]

I have a question. On my status page, it says "University Program Correspondence" and "MSTP/CTSTP Correspondence". Is CTSTP for College Track something or other? Because I applied to UP and CCLCM, but not MSTP.