2009-2010 Howard University Application Thread

[cher25]

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i am so nervous I meant interview invites sorry.

According to their secondary, it's likely early September. They said that they send out interview invites approximately 3 weeks prior to the interview and they interview beginning late September.

 

[inevitable]

Such a lengthy answer for such an innocuous question, I thought. (smile).

HUMANITIES:
Some of you have asked about the definition of humanities courses. I googled it and found this from Wikipedia. "Examples of the disciplines, related to humanities are ancient and modern languages, literature, history, philosophy, religion, visual and performing arts (including music). Additional subjects sometimes included in the humanities are technology, anthropology, area studies, communication studies, cultural studies, and linguistics although these are often regarded as social sciences."

PRE-MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS:
And yes, if you have a grade worse than C- in course that fulfills the premed requirements, we strongly suggest that you take it over. (hopefully for a better grade- right!). Be real, people !

That's it more now. (Maybe I should TWITTER!)

Ms Walk, Director

damn this woman doesnt waste time....respect.

 

[OneMCATAway]

damn this woman doesnt waste time....respect.

😆 to the email!

 

[RecyclingBinh]

Ms Walk is on a role. I can tell from the email that she is an affable person.

 

[Go Ducks]

Medical schools should be professional! She may be nice, but she needs to proof-read her emails, as they reflect poorly on the school. If people wrote their essays with the same quality, I highly doubt that they'd get a second look.

 

[alljazz]

Medical schools should be professional! She may be nice, but she needs to proof-read her emails, as they reflect poorly on the school. If people wrote their essays with the same quality, I highly doubt that they'd get a second look.

Hell yes!

 

[not so calm now]

Honestly all the snafus that have happened at this school with the secondary, as well as the obvious lack of professionalism (or even basic proofreading) in that letter sent today have made me give serious thought to even applying here. Is all of the school this disorganized or just admissions?

 

[obgyn_kt]

I agree! I am having a hard time understanding why these secondary e-mails are coming across so harshly. We are applying to professional school and you would think that the school would act as such..

 

[drzing]

My AMCAS was FINALLY verified yesterday and i got an e-mail from "Ms Walk" today with the 2nd clarification but I never recieved an email about filling out the secondary in general....does that mean i was "screened in" and should go ahead and fill out this beast and submit it?

what do yall think?

 

[OneMCATAway]

My AMCAS was FINALLY verified yesterday and i got an e-mail from "Ms Walk" today with the 2nd clarification but I never recieved an email about filling out the secondary in general....does that mean i was "screened in" and should go ahead and fill out this beast and submit it?

what do yall think?

there is no screening for Howard but if you are gonna do the secondary i would call to be sure!

 

[drzing]

there is no screening for Howard but if you are gonna do the secondary i would call to be sure!

cool thanks...i filled it out already but ill definetly call before i send in a money order..

PS: money orders are only 79 cents at Rite aid!

 

[Go Ducks]

I hate to beat up on Howard (after all, I applied to Howard so I clearly like the school and want to go there), but it is odd that it's one of the very few schools that don't honor the AMCAS fee waiver. Isn't Howard devoted to increasing diversity in the medical field? And is not socio-economic status one of the most recognized and talked-about forms of diversity in America? The policy of not honoring the waiver seems to be in direct conflict with their mission.

By the way, I'm not even eligible for the waiver... but I applied to Howard because of its history of service to the underprivileged, so this disturbs me.

 

[Go Ducks]

I posted this to get other people's opinions. Am I overreacting?

 

[PinkIvy08]

No, you're not overreacting - I think it's a great point. Last year, their app fee was only like $45 or so, so I think it wasn't as a big of a deal. This year however, it's $75 for the same application. You would think that if they were going to increase the app fee that much, they could now afford to switch over to a CC and online system...so much more efficient...imo

But, I love, love, love Howard in spite of any application hurdles. Stay positive folks and make the sacrifice if it's worth it to you!

Here's to hoping for a quick turnaround

 

[robrobbberts]

the YES/NO boxes are a little odd. are you guys writing yes or no next to them, or just circling the 'yes' or 'no' after you print it?

 

[OneMCATAway]

the YES/NO boxes are a little odd. are you guys writing yes or no next to them, or just circling the 'yes' or 'no' after you print it?

im putting an X next to the yes or no! you just reminded me if our parents are both college graduates putting an X in that yes box is enough right? or do we have to put yes in everything (high school, etc..) 😕

 

[umw2010]

I just submit my application today even tho i have a low mcat score.

And i agree with some of you that they need to be lil more professional, why would want to look up at wiki for definition for "humanities" dont you suppose to know the def since u r the Admissions and if u want to look it up then look up at more reliable place like dictionary.com or so.

 

[robrobbberts]

im putting an X next to the yes or no! you just reminded me if our parents are both college graduates putting an X in that yes box is enough right? or do we have to put yes in everything (high school, etc..) 😕

Thanks. I didn't even think about using an X. :lol I would just say yes for everything. no loss there.


Oh, another question... about the courses I will be taking.

My course registration is not complete yet. I am actually trying to get into a class that is already full. If I do get in, I will be dropping a class I am already registered for. My spring registration is also not complete. Where can I explain that? Do I even have to, or is it understood that courses are subject to change?

 

[Go Ducks]

Remember that you can always give the school an update if/when things change.

 

[faith2]

I hope that everything gets better after this unorganized introduction. I think the reason why they are unorganized is due to the volume of applications and questions. For those students that are disappointed about the fee waiver try to come up with the money especially if your stats are low because 75 dollars is cheap compared to if you are granted an interview and have to travel. I know times are hard but please dont be discouraged.

 

[faith2]

this is an advice question: Do you think it is to late to add more schools? I only applied to 8 MD and 2 DO schools and only completed 7 MD secondaries I am working on the 8th now and completed 1 DO I am debating if I want to do the secondary for the other DO school.

Thanks

 

[MegaProjectile]

These emails are hilarious. Ms. Walk sounds like a fun person to have beer with.😎

Now if I can come up with $75........

 

[Go Ducks]

Question: is it too late to add schools?

My answer: Not yet. I just added Creighton to AMCAS on Aug 14, and I already got their secondary, completed it, and sent it... which means that I have Creighton done before Howard and two other schools. Most people are still working on or waiting for at least one secondary.

 

[inevitable]

cool thanks...i filled it out already but ill definetly call before i send in a money order..

PS: money orders are only 79 cents at Rite aid!

I got my money order done at Bank Of America for free. You have to be an account holder though.

 

[RecyclingBinh]

I got my money order done at Bank Of America for free. You have to be an account holder though.

how come they never tell me these things? i've been with B.O.A for 4+ years and always have to spend extra somewhere else just for money orders. 😡😡😡

 

[inevitable]

how come they never tell me these things? i've been with B.O.A for 4+ years and always have to spend extra somewhere else just for money orders. 😡😡😡

I know right. One day I was there and happened to mention I needed a money order, and they were like "we do them here"...so ever since I've just gone there.....I've also been a member for 6 years, and figured out the money oder thing just recently, not even a year ago.

 

[inevitable]

the YES/NO boxes are a little odd. are you guys writing yes or no next to them, or just circling the 'yes' or 'no' after you print it?

I just used a checkmark...

 

[RecyclingBinh]

for the boxes, I X them and highlighted them to make it more visible.

 

[OneMCATAway]

so i first went to rite aid to get it for 0.79 cents that someone mentioned, and our rite aid didnt have any money order or cashier's check, then i go to BOA and they dont have money order and the casheirs check is $7 and I was told that I can just get it at the post office, all this time I passed the post office twice to go from one place to the other, finally submitted today 🙂

 

[drzing]

also found out walmart has money orders for $0.60, which was the cheapest i found for not being a BOA account holder....

rite aid stinks btw, dont go there

 

[PanicAttack]

Honestly all the snafus that have happened at this school with the secondary, as well as the obvious lack of professionalism (or even basic proofreading) in that letter sent today have made me give serious thought to even applying here. Is all of the school this disorganized or just admissions?

This is kind of what I was getting at earlier...I understood the "No Personal Check" thing the first time, didn't need to read it twice on every page of the secondary.
In their defense, I'm sure there are applicants who still send in a check even after all that, or don't follow one of the other instructions.

The emails are a little on the unprofessional side, especially considering the false start secondary that we got. I'm not upset or anything, because they also happen to be freaking hilarious ("Be real, people!"), and I know I followed all of the directions the first time.

I'm definitely gonna wait to pass judgment on the school until I (hopefully) go to visit, not just from this little bit of contact with the admissions office.

 

[futureKenyandoc]

Does Howard screen before dishing out secondaries?

 

[OneMCATAway]

Does Howard screen before dishing out secondaries?

i believe they don't!

 

[AKAdemic]

hey...my high school counselor and a few of my friends are AKA members. 👍

Hey glad to see a 👍 and not a 👎

Best of luck with everything. 😀

 

[Mygoodness]

Does Strongly recommended = Required?

 

[inevitable]

Does Strongly recommended = Required?

It can only help you 🙂

 

[umw2010]

did anyone get "complete" or "received" email yet??, i know my stuff got their either on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning but no news

 

[beerog2003]

I am just writing this to tell everyone Good Luck! I am currently an M1 here at Howard University. I found SD.net to be a very useful resource last year during the application process.

Just a few things I wish I had known about Howard that would have made my decision to come here even easier. Howard University offers many merit scholarships as well as need-based scholarships to incoming freshman medical students. There are also opportunities once you get here to earn full-tuition scholarships by doing well in your coursework. Our class (2013) is about 115 students and we are currently working extremely hard. During the anatomy course there are many cadavers, so the dissection groups are much smaller than most institutions. Something that surprised me is that surgery is one of the most popular specialties here at Howard particularly orthopedics.

Matriculating into any medical institution is an honor. I have said it many times and I will say it again. Howard's greatest asset is the people associated with this institution. The student body and the faculty are one big family.

I have been up most of the night studying so please excuse any spelling errors. PM me if you have any specific questions. I look forward to seeing you all during the interview season.

 

[RecyclingBinh]

Just received this email from Ms. Walk. I laughed so hard reading what people have been sending in.

In addition, please don't send:
Support letters from your pastor, kindergarten teacher, or BFF Journal/Research articles on which you are barely mentioned Powerpoints that you presented in class in your freshman biology lab.
Photos of you or your friends standing around in a hospital.
CDs of your American Idol audition

If we don't ask from them, we don't need them. If we need them, we will ask for them. Remember - the time we spend on things we did not request is time taken away from reviewing applications.

😆😆😆

 

[POW16]

Wow, way to send aggressive and out of tone emails.

 

[inevitable]

Just received this email from Ms. Walk. I laughed so hard reading what people have been sending in.

In addition, please don't send:
Support letters from your pastor, kindergarten teacher, or BFF Journal/Research articles on which you are barely mentioned Powerpoints that you presented in class in your freshman biology lab.
Photos of you or your friends standing around in a hospital.
CDs of your American Idol audition

If we don't ask from them, we don't need them. If we need them, we will ask for them. Remember - the time we spend on things we did not request is time taken away from reviewing applications.

😆😆😆

American Idol audition roflmao!!! classic

 

[PinkIvy08]

That email made me literally lol!! 🤣
I mean...what are people sending?!? And why on earth would you send such nonsense??? I wonder what the thought process of these people...

At least they're nice in reiterating what they want. If you think their email is aggressive or out of tone, you should be happy I'm not in admissions - your app would either immediately be rejected or my email would be over-the-top to hammer home my point, because subtlety clearly isn't getting it through some peoples' thick skulls...

When people do foolish things, it usually takes a more foolish response for people to see their stupidity...imho

 

[mechtel]

I have found these e-mails hilarious, but somewhat harsh and complete outliers from what I have received from any other schools.

Does anyone know if they are a fair representation of the culture at HU in general or if it is simply the admissions office?

 

[Luboy]

I am not quite sure how to take these emails. They make me laugh, but at the same time, they are a bit unprofessional. I hope this is not how medical education is at Howard.
Student: Prof., do u think atherosclerosis causes left heart failure, that is what I think.
Prof: If we don't ask you, we don't need to hear it. If we need to know, we will ask. Btw, what is your bff doing here?
lol, jk

 

[mechtel]

.

 

[DRIN]

Why do I get the impression this lady sending these emails is iCarly or Hannah Montana?

In addition, please don't send:
Support letters from your pastor, kindergarten teacher, or BFF
Journal/Research articles on which you are barely mentioned
Powerpoints that you presented in class in your freshman biology lab.
Photos of you or your friends standing around in a hospital.
CDs of your American Idol audition

XD

 

[BlackDr2b]

Hey everybody! I am a current MS1 here at Howard and I wanted to chime in if you don't mind. I think everybody needs to relax a little bit. Ms. Walk is not a mean person nor is she unprofessional. She does an excellent job as the director of admissions here. From what I have been told, Ms. Walk has completely changed admissions here for the better. Ms. Walk is a very real person and that goes for everybody here. She has no problem telling you how it is. At the same time, she is one of the sweetest and fun people you could meet.

I know people are a little frustrated and stressed out about the cycle, but realize that stressing doesn't make anything any better. Everything is going to work out the way it is supposed to.

HUCM is a wonderful school. I am so blessed and fortunate to be able to attend this school. The education here is one that will prepare you to be a phenomenal physician. We have a new clinical skills lab here that is beautiful. Howard is truly a special place and if Howard is where you want to be, be sure to let Ms. Walk know. They want people who are passionate about the underserved and are willing to work extremely hard towards your goals.

There is so much more I could say but I have a quiz on friday and an exam on monday. If you have any questions, pm myself or Beerog and we will do our best to get back to you. if we take a lil bit of time, its nothing personal, its just medical school. Good luck and God bless you all on this cycle and I look forward to meeting some of you when you interview here!

 

[faith2]

I think Ms. Walk is being very ice other schools would just reject you and six months later you are still wondering why. I think as medical application you should feel ashamed if you can not follow directions. Howards secondary was not comlpex nor were the recommendation request. I hope to attend here I have never been to a black school.

 

[faith2]

please excuse my typos I just had a long day teaching high school kids

 

[RecyclingBinh]

I think Ms. Walk is being very ice other schools would just reject you and six months later you are still wondering why. I think as medical application you should feel ashamed if you can not follow directions. Howards secondary was not comlpex nor were the recommendation request. I hope to attend here I have never been to a black school.

the email was just funny b/c of what people have been sending in. We're not laughing at Ms. Walk...we're laughing with her. Why would people send in Idol CDs, pictures of BFF, etc???? That's just stupid. Those peopel should be outright rejected to make room for those of us who followed directions. If you can't follow simple directions, you don't deserve to get into medical school, period.