2009-2010 University of Michigan Application Thread

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Glad to see some people who have been complete for a while starting to get invites. I've been complete since 8/9, with what I felt were pretty competitive stats, and have been sitting at "under review" since then.

👍 to you folks getting invites!
 
Interview invite today! Complete 8/10. 38 MCAT, low GPA, OOS.

Finally no longer Under Review. 😀
 
What's the best way of getting to Ann Arbor from Chicago? Train? Megabus?
 
i'm doing that drive myself in a couple of weeks. decided on driving after looking around, and to be frugal since a friend is driving back with me. megabus will be your cheapest bet (<$20), though it's a bit slower than just driving, i think. If you are coming from chicago area, bus or train makes sense. If you are flying already, getting a connection to dtw would be the easiest (and ~$70 one way).
 
My interview is set for 11/20. My question is, and I bet it's silly, will there be snow? Being from CA I cannot understand this concept of frozen water.
 
Hirudo said:
My interview is set for 11/20. My question is, and I bet it's silly, will there be snow? Being from CA I cannot understand this concept of frozen water.
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November -- probably no snow, but for you being from California -- bring all your clothes -- you'll still be cold 😀
 
housemd? said:
November -- probably no snow, but for you being from California -- bring all your clothes -- you'll still be cold 😀
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What a gem. Its almost 4am and I nearly woke up the whole building laughing.:laugh:
 
Is it worth applying here this late? I'm trying to add more schools in this first week of October...
 
Food said:
Is it worth applying here this late? I'm trying to add more schools in this first week of October...
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I think they interview into January. Current invites are for November and December interviews. They've sent out 409 of 675 interview invites, and have received 4169 applications so far. If your stats are high enough you could even get an automatic invite.
 
I interviewed here a few weeks ago. I'm not in the habit of posting, but I had such a great experience here I thought I'd say something. This school wasn't high on my radar before I went, but after visiting I was just blown away. The curriculum is always evolving, they take a lot of feed back from the students, which the students take seriously and seem really proud of. The second years mentioned changes they had proposed that were already in effect. All the lectures are online, you can study when and how you want, and take tests when you want too. This seemed really cool. I interviewed with three professors and they all showed a lot of pride in the curriculum and how the school was run. I work in business, so from an organizational point of view, I was simply impressed by how cohesive the program was and how everyone involved took pride in holding up the core mission, which was to provide a great experience for the students. From a management standpoint, this is hard to fake if you don't actually have a great organization.

I didn't expect much from Ann Arbor, as I'm a city girl, but the place was actually very very charming. Lots of ethnic food, and seemed to be good bars and shopping too. I stayed the weekend and went to a football game, which was also a lot of fun. They definitely get into it there. There are a million great cafes around campus amenable to long afternoons of reading and studying. The campus itself was also gorgeous.

The interview day was extremely well organized, which I think shows a lot of respect for the applicants. I totally agree that the twitter thing seemed weird at first, but seeing it from the inside, they were really working their butts off to be more transparent to applicants, which is something I think more american med schools could take a cue from. As for the earlier comment about twittering the stats, I don't really get the problem since everyone seems to come on here and say "Congrats on your interview, what are your stats?" They simply gave the definitive average. To be sure, this is a new thing and they'll work out the kinks, but it's a big step in the right direction.

Anyways, this place was great. Would be grateful to get an offer here.
 
Latetotheparty said:
Glad to see some people who have been complete for a while starting to get invites. I've been complete since 8/9, with what I felt were pretty competitive stats, and have been sitting at "under review" since then.

👍 to you folks getting invites!
Click to expand...

I think they like you as an applicant then. 🙂 I was complete early September, and they put me on hold already.
 
litconsultant said:
I interviewed here a few weeks ago. I'm not in the habit of posting, but I had such a great experience here I thought I'd say something. This school wasn't high on my radar before I went, but after visiting I was just blown away. The curriculum is always evolving, they take a lot of feed back from the students, which the students take seriously and seem really proud of. The second years mentioned changes they had proposed that were already in effect. All the lectures are online, you can study when and how you want, and take tests when you want too. This seemed really cool. I interviewed with three professors and they all showed a lot of pride in the curriculum and how the school was run. I work in business, so from an organizational point of view, I was simply impressed by how cohesive the program was and how everyone involved took pride in holding up the core mission, which was to provide a great experience for the students. From a management standpoint, this is hard to fake if you don't actually have a great organization.

I didn't expect much from Ann Arbor, as I'm a city girl, but the place was actually very very charming. Lots of ethnic food, and seemed to be good bars and shopping too. I stayed the weekend and went to a football game, which was also a lot of fun. They definitely get into it there. There are a million great cafes around campus amenable to long afternoons of reading and studying. The campus itself was also gorgeous.

The interview day was extremely well organized, which I think shows a lot of respect for the applicants. I totally agree that the twitter thing seemed weird at first, but seeing it from the inside, they were really working their butts off to be more transparent to applicants, which is something I think more american med schools could take a cue from. As for the earlier comment about twittering the stats, I don't really get the problem since everyone seems to come on here and say "Congrats on your interview, what are your stats?" They simply gave the definitive average. To be sure, this is a new thing and they'll work out the kinks, but it's a big step in the right direction.

Anyways, this place was great. Would be grateful to get an offer here.
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+1. Michigan Rocks!👍
 
dreampryncezz said:
I think they like you as an applicant then. 🙂 I was complete early September, and they put me on hold already.
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Or they just haven't rejected anyone yet, and I sit in that pile.

I know they've been doing Holds for quite a while now. How about rejections?
 
Latetotheparty said:
Or they just haven't rejected anyone yet, and I sit in that pile.

I know they've been doing Holds for quite a while now. How about rejections?
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They have rejected. My friend has. But I'm also under review - one date later than you for completion.
 
Wa wa wee wah! I looked at my app status page and under "additional stuff" or something like that there was a check mark next to "thank you note"! The did pay attention to those -- how surprising!
 
JJFoshay said:
Wa wa wee wah! I looked at my app status page and under "additional stuff" or something like that there was a check mark next to "thank you note"! The did pay attention to those -- how surprising!
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where exactly?
 
Under "Other Material Received", above "documents received" where an update I sent in is listed.
 
So in one week a lucky few of us will be receiving acceptances (midnight eastern)😱
 
I've been complete since the end of July, still not on hold though. When should I think about sending in an update? What do you think it means that I've been complete for so long and not put on hold? (OOS)
 
UMich is really stats-heavy. That's why it is focusing on the applicants who got auto-interviews first (it already filled 63% of the interview slots for them) and then will look at our "unworthy" files.
 
wahoo2010 said:
UMich is really stats-heavy. That's why it is focusing on the applicants who got auto-interviews first (it already filled 63% of the interview slots for them) and then will look at our "unworthy" files.
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Yeah...I actually was a bit turned-off with their tweet about the avg applicant they've invited for an interview thus far has an MCAT of 38. That's just ridiculous. But, if that's what they're looking for in making their class, then more power to them. I think I'd be a better fit in a class with a more diverse student body or emphasis on other areas. Eh, we'll see...
 
wahoo2010 said:
UMich is really stats-heavy. That's why it is focusing on the applicants who got auto-interviews first (it already filled 63% of the interview slots for them) and then will look at our "unworthy" files.
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Comment is not aimed at wahoo alone -- for all, who have been so negative about U of M, U of M is a great school & time & again their admission staff has said, they are doing everything to take care of the applicants.

If you guys are so negative about the school, I am sure nobody is forcing you to apply to U of M. There is a withdraw application link -- click on it, & you won't have to deal with U of M, otherwise -- have faith & keep your fingers crossed.
 
PinkIvy08 said:
Yeah...I actually was a bit turned-off with their tweet about the avg applicant they've invited for an interview thus far has an MCAT of 38. That's just ridiculous. But, if that's what they're looking for in making their class, then more power to them. I think I'd be a better fit in a class with a more diverse student body or emphasis on other areas. Eh, we'll see...
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Wow. seriously. Michigan is NOT obsessed with stats. But even if they are, I have a problem with your post. Are you telling me that every single 37+/3.9+ person is EXACTLY the same? What, you can't be smart AND unique? Give me a break.
 
I got love from OSU, hopefully, UMich will also show me the same favor.
 
LAman10 said:
Wow. seriously. Michigan is NOT obsessed with stats. But even if they are, I have a problem with your post. Are you telling me that every single 37+/3.9+ person is EXACTLY the same? What, you can't be smart AND unique? Give me a break.
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You can pipe down. What I meant was that (and this is just a personal preference, emphasis on the I's) I'd prefer a school that came out and said something more along the lines of "...of the people we've invited so far, these students excel in x, y, and z, and were president of blah blah blah and did research in yadda yadda yadda" versus UofM's tweet that read "MCAT and GPA averages of our Applicants (32/3.7) and those offered interviews (38/3.8) The pool this year is simply outstanding!" By them highlighting that GPA and MCAT average it appears that this is what they are putting emphasis on in making their selections for their new entering class (you usually highlight that which you put emphasis on). If a school comes out and says that because of certain academic stats this year's pool is fantastic, you can't then turn around and get your panties in a bunch when other people feel that this is what their AdCom is focusing on! I'm not saying that these applicants haven't done anything worthwhile with their lives outside of academics or that they are all the same. What I am saying is that it appears that UofM is heavily focused on numbers...moreso than institutions. And, I also said, that this is just fine - that's their choice. I was also saying that as this cycle progresses, I feel that I'm a better fit with a school that is vocally emphasizing other aspects of an application. Take a chill pill
 
PinkIvy08 said:
You can pipe down. What I meant was that (and this is just a personal preference, emphasis on the I's) I'd prefer a school that came out and said something more along the lines of "...of the people we've invited so far, these students excel in x, y, and z, and were president of blah blah blah and did research in yadda yadda yadda" versus UofM's tweet that read "MCAT and GPA averages of our Applicants (32/3.7) and those offered interviews (38/3.8) The pool this year is simply outstanding!" By them highlighting that GPA and MCAT average it appears that this is what they are putting emphasis on in making their selections for their new entering class (you usually highlight that which you put emphasis on). If a school comes out and says that because of certain academic stats this year's pool is fantastic, you can't then turn around and get your panties in a bunch when other people feel that this is what their AdCom is focusing on! I'm not saying that these applicants haven't done anything worthwhile with their lives outside of academics or that they are all the same. What I am saying is that it appears that UofM is heavily focused on numbers...moreso than institutions. And, I also said, that this is just fine - that's their choice. I was also saying that as this cycle progresses, I feel that I'm a better fit with a school that is vocally emphasizing other aspects of an application. Take a chill pill
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Ok. schools don't post MCAT/GPA because that's what they care about. They post that info because that's info that WE care about, info that's relevant to everyone applying to med school. and every school in the country DOES showcase their avg MCAT/GPAs- they just do it on their websites. If every school had a Twitter account, I'm sure they'd post the same type of information as Michigan does.
 
Interesting to see how applicants who already got interviewed are defending UMich and the others aren't. I haven't received one (and I know I will never get one), but UMich is an amazing school. It's one of my top choices. In my previous post, I wasn't complaining. I was just explaining why many of us are "on hold" for a long time, while the others with auto-interviews and top notch stats are already hearing from UMich.
 
nm, hearsay
 
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That twitter post was from quite a while ago, when it sounded they were still doing heavily stat-based auto invites. They may very well have finished interviewing all those folks and may be moving onto the rest of the larger applicant pool now. They are a pretty prestigious school and have high stats, but their median MCAT is two points lower than that 38 and I doubt they expect all of the highly ranked applicants they interview during the first two months to attend. This will factor into their admissions decisions and the entire interview process -- which goes on for a number of months.

If anything, getting an interview at this point with lower stats probably means your application was looked at more closely and they're considering your fit with the school to a greater degree. Don't get snarky because they gave early attention to applicants with better stats than you -- they're a highly ranked school, and in order to keep that high ranking they have to adopt those kinds of practices to recruit the best students. If you interview there, though, I think you will see that their focus goes beyond this area and the school itself has a truly unique culture.
 
Anyone know when they start to look at students who are on hold?
 
LAman10 said:
Ok. schools don't post MCAT/GPA because that's what they care about. They post that info because that's info that WE care about, info that's relevant to everyone applying to med school. and every school in the country DOES showcase their avg MCAT/GPAs- they just do it on their websites. If every school had a Twitter account, I'm sure they'd post the same type of information as Michigan does.
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Totally agree. When SDN people come on here to ask about people who have interviews, no one says "For those of you who've received invites, would you mind letting the rest of us know what are some nice unique qualities about you?" They say "stats?"
 
litconsultant said:
Totally agree. When SDN people come on here to ask about people who have interviews, no one says "For those of you who've received invites, would you mind letting the rest of us know what are some nice unique qualities about you?" They say "stats?"
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x2
 
Ok...I'm confused. According to Admission Tracker, 409 out of 650 interviews are offered. This leaves 37% of interviews "non-auto." However, on Twitter, "Automatic Interview=File with MCAT/GPA in top of our pool get expedited review for interview-this leaves 75% of our interviews "non-auto" So...which one then?
 
wahoo2010 said:
Ok...I'm confused. According to Admission Tracker, 409 out of 650 interviews are offered. This leaves 37% of interviews "non-auto." However, on Twitter, "Automatic Interview=File with MCAT/GPA in top of our pool get expedited review for interview-this leaves 75% of our interviews "non-auto" So...which one then?
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They've been doing non-auto reviews for a long while now. I'm one of the 409, and I definitely did not get an auto-interview. So the 75% non-auto interviews seem about right.
 
wahoo2010 said:
Ok...I'm confused. According to Admission Tracker, 409 out of 650 interviews are offered. This leaves 37% of interviews "non-auto." However, on Twitter, "Automatic Interview=File with MCAT/GPA in top of our pool get expedited review for interview-this leaves 75% of our interviews "non-auto" So...which one then?
Click to expand...

Have they really reduced the # of interviews to 650??? Do you know that for a fact?
No pun intended, I really just want to know.
 
wahoo2010 said:
Ok...I'm confused. According to Admission Tracker, 409 out of 650 interviews are offered. This leaves 37% of interviews "non-auto." However, on Twitter, "Automatic Interview=File with MCAT/GPA in top of our pool get expedited review for interview-this leaves 75% of our interviews "non-auto" So...which one then?
Click to expand...

housemd? said:
Have they really reduced the # of interviews to 650??? Do you know that for a fact?
No pun intended, I really just want to know.
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actually, their admissions tracker says 409 of 675 interviews have been offered - but that still leaves 39% still up for grabs.
 
housemd? said:
Have they really reduced the # of interviews to 650??? Do you know that for a fact?
No pun intended, I really just want to know.
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They reduced it to 675, not 650.

I want to know the pun too.
 
deleted
 
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"Sorry to say the next 75 days will be slow/deliberate as we compare lots of files that are under review in effort to offer more interviews."

via twitter
 
RevDM said:
"Sorry to say the next 75 days will be slow/deliberate as we compare lots of files that are under review in effort to offer more interviews."

via twitter
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Proof that it pays to apply early
 
This seems to me like they're taking more time on individual apps instead of auto-invites, stats driven invites, and STELLAR EC invites that require less time to determine.

...or maybe it's wishful thinking lol
 
These are the hardest days I've had since waiting for my MCAT score...slowly realizing that if I get rejected here it's going to be rather devastating. I imagine I'm not the only one second guessing everything about my app and the interview day... I really wanna go blue!
 
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