2009-2010 University of Illinois (UIC) Application Thread

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Avoid Peoria if at all possible I would say. I was there for an interview yesterday and I feel like my undergraduate facilities are better than what they have there. Everything is out of the 70s and the interview day was really unorganized and lots of long time gaps to sit and suffer through. I probably had a total of 2 and a half hours of time just sitting in a chair waiting with nobody talking from the school. I felt like they didn't really talk about what was going to happen for the interview day until that morning. Hopefully Chicago is a different story!

the interview day at rockford was pretty similar. but they kept emphasizing how "happy" everyone was. which i guess they were...
 
Avoid Peoria if at all possible I would say. I was there for an interview yesterday and I feel like my undergraduate facilities are better than what they have there. Everything is out of the 70s
Chicago campus's lecture facilities are old too, but they are well equipped, everything appears to be computerized. Lots of 1950s green-tiled walls lol, very atmospheric.

I don't really care about what the facilities look like so long as they are functional. A lot of other schools gave me pamphlets on how green their new lecture buildings are and who the famous architect was, and I could care less.
 
Chicago campus's lecture facilities are old too, but they are well equipped, everything appears to be computerized. Lots of 1950s green-tiled walls lol, very atmospheric.

I don't really care about what the facilities look like so long as they are functional. A lot of other schools gave me pamphlets on how green their new lecture buildings are and who the famous architect was, and I could care less.

I agree...it actually reminded me of my high school (amazing school despite old building and no AC 😀) and some parts of the architecture as my undergrad. I just attended an interview at a school with beautifully new (few years old) building and although I think that's great...I certainly don't think that is any reason to choose where I will be attending medical school. I'm pretty positive that the age of the building where I attend lectures won't have a drastic affect on the education that I will receive.

Chicago is def. my top choice but as far as ranking my other choices I'm probably at a loss....I don't know anything about Rockford or Peoria and will probably rank them based on distance from Chicago 😕
 
I agree...it actually reminded me of my high school (amazing school despite old building and no AC 😀) and some parts of the architecture as my undergrad. I just attended an interview at a school with beautifully new (few years old) building and although I think that's great...I certainly don't think that is any reason to choose where I will be attending medical school. I'm pretty positive that the age of the building where I attend lectures won't have a drastic affect on the education that I will receive.

Chicago is def. my top choice but as far as ranking my other choices I'm probably at a loss....I don't know anything about Rockford or Peoria and will probably rank them based on distance from Chicago 😕

What if the age causes sickness which causes you to miss a test and fail out of medical school which would cause you to go on a murderous rampage? HMMM bet ya didn't think of that.
 
So, it looks like I shouldn't have doubted "Time Served". And (from my message below), it's option (A). I just got my thick packet in the mail. I'm IN!!! (woo hoo!) :laugh:

Congrats to all who have been accepted. And, to those who are waiting. This is a crazy, convoluted admittance process. But, things work out in the end; don't lose hope.:luck:

Guys, relax. Those with "final decision" notifications, you will be receiving acceptance packets in due time. There are a lot of forms they stuff in that packet. Most likely the packets went out Friday or will be sent out today. So expect something this week, be patient. You know what your decision is so your anxiety should be less now, right?

So, I just got off the phone with the admissions office (I got a little impatient... My status has changed to "Final Decision Made" with the additional correspondence tab, however, I still haven't received a packet).

According to the counselor I spoke to, the AdCom still hasn't sent my packet. He strongly emphasized that he wasn't sure if it was an acceptance or a rejection. So, either:

A) They are going through the list of accepted applicants really slowly (day-by-day)
B) Or, they are sending out the acceptances first, than rejections.

Here's hoping it's (A). 😛 Back to waiting....
 
Hey guys,

for those od you have received your acceptance packet and plan on going to UIC, I have a quick question. The forms say that they must be turned in by the second of November. Now, does this mean that the college needs to receive it by that date, or does it mean that it needs to be postmarked by that date? The reason i ask, is that I do not plan on going home until the 30th of October, which is when I plan on sending in those forms. If anyone knows, and they could lte me know, that would be great! 🙂

I think usually when they give a date (w/ the exception of bills of course lol) they mean postmarked. I think they would've specified if they meant received. "return by" sounds like send/postmark to me...HOWEVER, that being said I would definitely give them a call to double check! 👍 No reason to miss a deadline for reserving a med school seat based on semantics. 🙂
 
Thanks, mybubbles!

And congrats to everyone! So, it looks like the consensus is that everyone who received the 'final decision made' status got accepted. I want to confirm this for the next group of kids that get as neurotic as we were, so that they won't really have to worry. 🙂
 
Thanks, mybubbles!

And congrats to everyone! So, it looks like the consensus is that everyone who received the 'final decision made' status got accepted. I want to confirm this for the next group of kids that get as neurotic as we were, so that they won't really have to worry. 🙂

lol I cosign...👍

CONGRATS to everyone that received good news and I wish the rest of you still going through the process the best of luck.

we were neurotic? ....perhaps an understatement lol
 
62k oos tuition and 85k coa? hmm, i got accepted but not so ecstatic 😛
 
You know, spyderefs, some people would give anything to be in your place. If it is so expensive, why did you waste your time applying here in the first place??
 
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62k oos tuition and 85k coa? hmm, i got accepted but not so ecstatic

Perhaps, you may want to withdraw if you have any other acceptances or as soon as you have the privilege of having multiple acceptances so that others may have the opportunity that you do not seem as excited for.
 
yeaaaah while I agree that the tuition is extremely expensive IS and OOS, this is probably not the right place to express sentiments about not be estactic about your acceptance. Many people who read and post in this thread are still waiting to have the opportunity that you were offered.
 
Sorry guys, I am extremely happy with any acceptances I have, including this one. I didn't mean to come off as ungrateful, only meant it kind of in jest which I guess didn't come off even with the smiley. In reality, I'm still bitter from my humongous undergrad debt.

I loved this school, but I admit I can't afford it and won't be willing to be so much in debt. So if it's in any consolation, I'm withdrawing ASAP and hope it goes to a more deserving applicant! 👍
 
People really need to look in the mirror before they start degrading others based on personal biases and stupid cultural norms.

Your perception that spyderefs is being ungrateful, arrogant, or obnoxious with his statements is more a reflection of your own personal dissatisfaction than any actual slight in spy's comment. People are often jealous or intimidated by others success in life and express it through negative perceptions of them. I'm sure theres a psych term for it, but i'm not a psych major. The problem is in your head and the head of society who's main objective is to drive everyone towards the mean as opposed to embracing the extremes.

Maybe this person received multiple acceptances and has the option to chose schools based on money, weather, facilities, gambling, boozing, prostitution...whatever. It should have no bearing on you or anyone else. Maybe if you put in more work, read more books, were conceived by Richard Feynman, you too could be in the same position. If not, there is no justification in putting down someone who has earned their position in society.

Also, everyone doesnt share the same perception of medical school as society has perpetuated in being an honor and privilege that cannot be questioned. People go for different reasons. Most of the people who read SDN fall into the category of idolizing medicine for something that it is not, only to be disappointed when they get into the profession. Others attend because of the science, money, uncertainty about their future, or stupid cultural norms(other cultures).

Going to law school is no less prestigious than going to medical school, but i'm guessing most law students dont have CLASS OF 2014!!!!!!! plastered as the footer to everything they ever write. Medical school is a step closer to the real world, maybe people should kinda start acting like it. The high school pep rally attitude will surely go away when you spend 36 hours of your weekend studying. That seems to be the cure to pep-itis. I'm hilarious, i know

PS. I got linked to this thread by a friend who just got accepted to UIC and my main objective was simply to embarrass her...and myself apparently too, lol. I usually just do it over email, but publicly is extra fun. I'm not as cynical as i made it seem, but some of the issues i discussed do bug me about society in general. It'd be nice if people could be more individualistic, as opposed to absorbing everything that society is feeding us. Paris Hilton, Nancy Grace, and "John and Kate plus 8" should have zero influence over people, but for some reason we just have to care about every girl that disappears in Aruba, as though it doesnt happen all the time to thousands of other people, but Nancy Grace thinks this girl is really important so we all have to give a hoot. We all have brains, lets use them.

Oh, med school is awesome for reasons that you cant even imagine yet...so you probably should be stoked. Damn me contradicting my own arguments. :hijacked:
 
so i think my interview went totally fine . . . unfortunately they said the committee wont be meeting again til the end of november so it looks like i am in for a long wait :scared:
 
lol Doing pretty well, thanks. Finding it very hard to get the motivation to study after getting that acceptance. 😡
 
so i think my interview went totally fine . . . unfortunately they said the committee wont be meeting again til the end of november so it looks like i am in for a long wait :scared:

Not too long. Trust me, the wait will be over before you know it. Plus, since you interviewed this early in the game, you have a very very good chance of getting in. 🙂
 
lol Doing pretty well, thanks. Finding it very hard to get the motivation to study after getting that acceptance. 😡

+1

I have a biochem test on Friday and a phys test on the following monday (= no halloweeen for me)...but I'm reaaaaaally quite unfocused lol
 
so now that some of us interviewed and got accepted (I hope many more of you guys can join us)

Besides the price, what do you guys especially like and not like about uic. I am very thnkful for my acceptance, and excited about uic, but I do admit the heavily traditional curriculum isn't the best. But years 3 and 4 sound amazing.
 
Hmm ... well, I actually found this on another thread, written by a med student, but whatevs.

1. you'll be in chicago
2. UIC has a hospital and access to some great teaching hospitals in chicago. this is huge in my opinion as ive been able to go to the hospital with various doctors to shadow them, scrub in on surgeries, and volunteer
3. TONS of clinical exposure your first and second year (having completed my m1 year, ive done close to 30-40 histories). as an m2, i spend 6 weeks in the hospital broken up throughout the year
4. uic has a good reputation with residency directors - they often comment on how strong our clinical skills are
5. UIC is a major research school so if you want research opps, uic is superior. uic just opened up a huge research building and is getting more and more research funding from the nih. currently, we're ranked in the 40s for research funding (i believe rfu is ranked in the 100s) and the dean's goal is to move us into the 30 within a few years.
6. if you're pro-active, you can do what you want in terms of leadership, research, etc. as an m1, i was on several executive boards, i did research (w/ an abstract and presentation and a pending publication), and ive developed close contacts with faculty and doctors in chicago
7. very diverse class - probably one of the most diverse in the state
8. Pass/honors grading system

Hope this helps! 🙂
 
Application verified 10/2. Still waiting to hear back for interview or not. Anyone else in the same position?
 
Application verified 10/2. Still waiting to hear back for interview or not. Anyone else in the same position?

what does your application status say? If it says application in progress they probably haven't had a chance to look at it yet...however it can go back and forth but make sure you keep checking periodically. If you don't catch it right away you will receive something in the mail w/ the invite, however the only Chicago date available to me was gone within a day or two so if I had found out in the mail I would've missed that.

Anyways....good luck, some people who submitted before you have waited much longer (and are still waiting) to get to applicant in process, so it's still pretty early for you since it's only been a few weeks.
 
what does your application status say? If it says application in progress they probably haven't had a chance to look at it yet...however it can go back and forth but make sure you keep checking periodically. If you don't catch it right away you will receive something in the mail w/ the invite, however the only Chicago date available to me was gone within a day or two so if I had found out in the mail I would've missed that.

Anyways....good luck, some people who submitted before you have waited much longer (and are still waiting) to get to applicant in process, so it's still pretty early for you since it's only been a few weeks.

I am OOS, and yeah been waiting with the status being "application in progress."
11 V 11 B 8 P on MCAT, hopefully I can get an interview. =/
 
Ive been application in process forever! Do you really think that means they haven't even looked at your app yet? That would be depressing...
 
Ive been application in process forever! Do you really think that means they haven't even looked at your app yet? That would be depressing...
Couple things that may be going on:

1. You have always been "application in process" and just haven't been reviewed yet
2. You were "application in process" then "applicant in process" briefly (meaning you were under review) and now are back to "application in process" meaning you are on hold and will be reconsidered later.
 
What does being "applicant in process" for like 6 weeks mean?
 
you are currently under review... still, lol
 
is the interview laid back?

VERY....(depending on the interviewer...1 of mine wasn't but that was just his style and he was a very "seasoned" alumni). my student interview was extremely laid back and the faculty one was very much just a conversation with a few secondary/PS specific questions and a few "standard interview" questions mixed in.
 
did you guys send thank you emails/notes to your interviewers?
 
None of them gave me any info.! So I searched around and got 1 of them because he was the only actual faculty member. I sent him a thank you.
 
Another option (if you don't have the interviewer's information) is usually to send it to the Admissions Office address, then write Attn: "Interviewer" at the bottom left-hand corner of the envelope. Admissions will then forward the note to the appropriate person. I've done this with pretty much all of my interviews, but I would call the UIC Admissions Office first to be sure this is okay (haven't had my interview yet). Hope this helps!
 
My application has been complete since September. Please please send me an invite.

Thanks 🙂
 
So how's the interview in Peoria? According to the website Monday was open in Chicago, but when I called I ended up in Peoria on the 12th. It's still one-on-one interviews right?
 
So how's the interview in Peoria? According to the website Monday was open in Chicago, but when I called I ended up in Peoria on the 12th. It's still one-on-one interviews right?
Not from what I've heard. My friend had a 30min 3 on 1 in Peoria...
 
interview invite! 🙂 checked through status.
i called and there were NO chicago interviews open .. grr.
has anyone interviewed at rockford? and how is it??
 
Hi all. I recieved acceptance to UIC in the first round. I wonder if anyone recieved the CBC email? I did not recieve one yet.
 
Hi all. I recieved acceptance to UIC in the first round. I wonder if anyone recieved the CBC email? I did not recieve one yet.
No CBC email for me yet and I've already returned all their forms.
 
interview invite! 🙂 checked through status.
i called and there were NO chicago interviews open .. grr.
has anyone interviewed at rockford? and how is it??

Congrats and good luck!

No CBC email for me yet and I've already returned all their forms.

Apparently that was a glitch last year...or they just changed it. I remember reading in other threads how individuals knew they were accepted (before schools actually notified them) via cbc emails. Looks like we won't be getting any until january 1 per amcas website (for us regular admission people at least).

http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/background.htm
 
Complete 8/20, Interview Invite 10/29

So they have slots available for 11/2 (this Monday) and I would like to do it then since there are slots for Chicago available. However, I just saw this now and the office is closed already. I wonder if they would let me do a PM interview on Monday if I call Monday morning. Hmmm...
 
Complete 8/20, Interview Invite 10/29

So they have slots available for 11/2 (this Monday) and I would like to do it then since there are slots for Chicago available. However, I just saw this now and the office is closed already. I wonder if they would let me do a PM interview on Monday if I call Monday morning. Hmmm...


I just scheduled mine yesterday thinking I'd go on Monday, but according to the admissions office they're full that day. 11/11 and 11/12 were my options.
 
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