2010-2011 Medical College of Wisconsin Application Thread

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I would assume most people end up living in Tosa/West Allis, but is it feasible to live out in Milwaukee proper, say on the East Side, Third Ward, or Bay View?

Also, if you have kids you'll want to keep in mind the schools/school districts. Tosa and West Allis no longer do Chapter 220, so if you want to get kids into any of the specialty schools in the Milwaukee district (Language Immersion, Science Magnet, Arts, etc) the only practical way to do that at this point is by living in Milwaukee. If you're looking at straight-up public schools then Tosa and West Allis schools are generally better than Mke.

And if you don't have kids, then just never mind me and my old lady neuroses.

 

[Couch Tomato]

I have now until matriculation... What do you guys recommend I do for housing? I'm out of state, so I can't really afford a visit to Milwaukee to look for housing. It's also been a while since my interview (almost a year), so I don't remember the information on housing very clearly.

I'm indifferent to having a roommate (since I've generally had good luck so far with random roommates), but I'd prefer having one if it's significantly cheaper.

One thing that might be of interest is that my friend has wedding reception in Milwaukee on July 15, so maybe I could kill two birds with stone then.

 

[mauberley]

So, I definitely don't need to worry about school districts, but it's good that you posted that, PH, should anyone be concerned with such matters. 🙂

At this point the most I've decided is that I'm getting the hell out of Waukesha. I think Tosa makes the most practical sense, but I also feel like I've been denying my city-kid roots for far too long. Anyway, there's still lots of time to figure things out.

I have now until matriculation... What do you guys recommend I do for housing? I'm out of state, so I can't really afford a visit to Milwaukee to look for housing. It's also been a while since my interview (almost a year), so I don't remember the information on housing very clearly.

I'm indifferent to having a roommate (since I've generally had good luck so far with random roommates), but I'd prefer having one if it's significantly cheaper.

One thing that might be of interest is that my friend has wedding reception in Milwaukee on July 15, so maybe I could kill two birds with stone then.

I'd take advantage of your July trip to check out the housing market. MCW maintains a roommate registry, so you should hopefully be able to find someone you can get along with. In the meantime, you can keep an eye on Craigslist to get an idea of what's available. Here's the MCW page on housing: http://www.mcw.edu/medicalschool/studentaffairs/housing.htm

 

[letmeinplease12]

for those of you who already interviewed is there any reason to get to the school way before 11am the day of the interview? I was looking at the schedule and it says check in is from 8am to 11am, was wondering if there is any benefit to going early.

 

[cubssox2000]

It is possible to live downtown, and I know a few students that do it, but most of them are people that don't come to class very often. Most students live in Tosa or West Alice within about 5-7 miles from school. There are a few hotspot areas where you can find a good number of students in one complex. There are students that live on Watertown Plank Road (which the school is on) and walk to school every day, but most people have cars even if they live that close to the school.

Having a roommate is mostly about personal preference. The cost will be about the same (usually a little cheaper with a roommate). If you like having a lot of space for yourself, I would suggest living alone. There is something to be said about coming home to a quiet apartment after a long day of studying and not having to deal with people for a few hours. If you are someone that studies in your apartment, having a roommate can definitely be tougher. There are plenty of places to study at school and around the area, so you can always get a larger study session going. (As a side note, I wouldn't really expect to study with your roommate. Your study schedules probably won't matchup too well and you will want some time to study with people that you don't have to deal with on a constant basis.)

 

[Justforkicks4]

for those of you who already interviewed is there any reason to get to the school way before 11am the day of the interview? I was looking at the schedule and it says check in is from 8am to 11am, was wondering if there is any benefit to going early.

Nope, there's no big reason to come to campus before the scheduled time. Leave yourself 30 min to check in/store luggage and what not but other than that it's an afternoon schedule. If you're staying with a student host, s/he may come on campus early to study so you might consider bringing something to do if that's the case. Good luck!

 

[letmeinplease12]

Sorry, but I have another question regarding the interview. Would it look unfavorably if I do not attend the social the night before. I prefer to just rest and prepare for the interview, but will the adcom look at this as not being as enthusiastic about the school?

 

[Zarika]

Sorry, but I have another question regarding the interview. Would it look unfavorably if I do not attend the social the night before. I prefer to just rest and prepare for the interview, but will the adcom look at this as not being as enthusiastic about the school?

As far as I know, the adcom will have no way of knowing if you don't come to the social. It's very informal. That being said, I do recommend the social. In a way, it is "preparing" for the interview, b/c it gives a lot of info about the school. Also, because it's an afternoon interview, you have plenty of time to rest and prepare.

 

[letmeinplease12]

Thanks for the feedback I will call tomorrow and let them know I will attend the social.

 

[MWLH]

Accepted!!!!! Emailed at 10:04 AZ time.

 

[doctornick87]

accepted!!! emailed at 11:04 CT

 

[EmLems11]

Accepted via email! Glad I didn't have to wait for snail mail.

 

[DrSmday]

Does anyone know if they still have invites going out?

 

[45408]

I would assume most people end up living in Tosa/West Allis, but is it feasible to live out in Milwaukee proper, say on the East Side, Third Ward, or Bay View?

I lived on the East Side for M3-M4. Depending on where you rotate, it's just as close (or closer, for places like St. Mary's) as living in Tosa. It's a lot more interesting over there too, although my wife liked Tosa more, largely due to Mayfair. 😉

Sorry, but I have another question regarding the interview. Would it look unfavorably if I do not attend the social the night before. I prefer to just rest and prepare for the interview, but will the adcom look at this as not being as enthusiastic about the school?

When I was there, neither your interviewer nor the adcom had any idea who was at the social.

Also, if you have kids you'll want to keep in mind the schools/school districts. Tosa and West Allis no longer do Chapter 220, so if you want to get kids into any of the specialty schools in the Milwaukee district (Language Immersion, Science Magnet, Arts, etc) the only practical way to do that at this point is by living in Milwaukee. If you're looking at straight-up public schools then Tosa and West Allis schools are generally better than Mke.

And if you don't have kids, then just never mind me and my old lady neuroses.

Ugh, MPS is awful! I would keep my children far away.

Tosa has good schools.

 

[45408]

I wasn't expecting to like this place as much as I did but the campus is so gorgeous! And everyone's midwestern accent is kind of the most adorable thing ever. :3

Just a note on the curriculum, my interviewer told me that the most likely route that they'll end up taking is that the pilot program will be stepped up to about half the class for next year, then they'll scale it up as they can, but they will be probably not putting the entire class into the new curriculum next year because there are a lot of things that still need to be prepared. Also, the new curriculum will have NO lectures - just team based learning... so if you like lectures, it's something to keep in mind. But as long as half the class is still in the "classic" curriculum, the lecture recordings and notes will be available to ALL students (whether you are in the pilot program or not).

Ugh, thank God I didn't have that 😛 I strongly preferred lectures (and skipping them).

Class of 2015?? Wow. Time flies. I remember posting in the Class of 2008 thread with Xandie and donnyfire (who are PGY-3s in OB/gyn and urology), and then making two gigantic threads for the class of '09 and '10.

 

[runawayclock]

YESSS! I'm going to Wisconsin! I am so stoked for this school. Anyone know when 2nd look weekend is?

 

[MWLH]

Ugh, MPS is awful! I would keep my children far away.

+1. I grew up outside MKE. The MPS schools are notorious. Even Tosa is suspect. If you have kids, I would suggest moving to Cedarburg or Mequon and commuting. You won't regret it.

 

[Justforkicks4]

YESSS! I'm going to Wisconsin! I am so stoked for this school. Anyone know when 2nd look weekend is?

I'm not sure if MCW is doing a second look this year (they didn't last year). If you want to see campus again you can do what I did and just email the admissions department. Mike Istwan actually gave my family and I a tour because it was a slow day. Not sure if he's able to do that every day. Admissions is great though so you should definitely send them an email if you're interested in something like that!

 

[mauberley]

And everyone's midwestern accent is kind of the most adorable thing ever. :3

I really have to ask what part of the country you'll be coming from that you find the accent adorable. 😉

I lived on the East Side for M3-M4. Depending on where you rotate, it's just as close (or closer, for places like St. Mary's) as living in Tosa. It's a lot more interesting over there too, although my wife liked Tosa more, largely due to Mayfair. 😉

Good to know. 👍 Did you find the cost at all problematic?

 

[GeniusMD]

Alright, just wanted to stop here and say congrats to those accepted as recent as yesterday. Fall will be here soon and we will all hit the ground running.Those with pending interviews/decisions - keep your head high and never say never.

 

[runawayclock]

I really have to ask what part of the country you'll be coming from that you find the accent adorable. 😉

I'm from Quebec so all I get are former NY brooklyn-Jewish accents and french canadian accents. 🙄

Frankly I'm quite happy to not have to hear the JOISEY ACCENT.

 

[Midwestern Blot]

Alright, just wanted to stop here and say congrats to those accepted as recent as yesterday. Fall will be here soon and we will all hit the ground running.Those with pending interviews/decisions - keep your head high and never say never.

 

[klr34]

Is MCW still sending out interview invites? If yes, when?

 

[hema987]

Heyy! Is anyone else going to the interview this Friday?

Also. Has anyone had difficulty answering interview questions? I just want to make sure they do not ask questions that come from now where.

 

[CharlieDay]

Heyy! Is anyone else going to the interview this Friday?

Also. Has anyone had difficulty answering interview questions? I just want to make sure they do not ask questions that come from now where.

No real questions out of nowhere in my interview. Just make sure you know why you want to go to the school and you should be ok. I think it is better just being yourself instead of trying to be the person you think they want (they can see right through that).

Good luck!

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

Heyy! Is anyone else going to the interview this Friday?

Also. Has anyone had difficulty answering interview questions? I just want to make sure they do not ask questions that come from now where.

Yup I'll be interviewing tomorrow as well. Hope to see more SDNers there!

 

[DJtiesto]

.

 

[runawayclock]

Heyy! Is anyone else going to the interview this Friday?

Also. Has anyone had difficulty answering interview questions? I just want to make sure they do not ask questions that come from now where.

I didn't even get "Why Medicine?/Why MCW?". Both of my interviewers wanted to talk about my research (electric fish research 😎). It's ACTUALLY really relaxed. You have nothing to worry about.

 

[Raryn]

Heyy! Is anyone else going to the interview this Friday?

Also. Has anyone had difficulty answering interview questions? I just want to make sure they do not ask questions that come from now where.

There have been reports from some of my classmates that they got asked some odd questions during their interviews, but generally the interviewers are expected to be pretty relaxed here.

Firsthand, of my two interviews one was with a PhD who went through the usual why medicine, why mcw, tell me about X activity, what kind of specialty are you considering and why, etc. He liked the direct approach, which might put some people off, but I just ran with it. The other was with a third year student who we just ended up chatting about the school and my hometown and such for almost the entire time. In the end, he pretty much said that he could definitely see me as a classmate/colleague of his (which gives you a hint of how relaxed it was).

Just to emphasize... Remember: The interviewers are not out to get you. Your academic record has been examined, and if you got an interview you are up to par. For the interview itself, they're evaluating whether they could see you as a student, comparing you to prior students (or in the case of M3/M4 interviewers, comparing you to classmates). If you come off distant or like you don't care, it will be noticed. But if you're sincere and you answer the questions truthfully and with enthusiasm, that will be also be noticed.

Good luck, and I'll look forward to seeing you all sometime next year 🙂

----
Just an amusing aside: Oddest question that one of my friends has said he was asked here: How many uses for a brick can you come up with in a minute? (That one is very googlesque and I'm sure it was just asked to check his creativity)

 

[phylumchordata]

Also. Has anyone had difficulty answering interview questions? I just want to make sure they do not ask questions that come from now where.[/QUOTE]

No offense but you cannot make sure of something like that-regardless of your preparation. I felt some of my interview questions at MCW were somewhat "out of nowhere" making them something impossible to have prepared for ahead of time. Such is the nature of interviewing at any med school. The vast majority of MCW interviewees will tell you that you can expect a pretty chillax interview with straightforward questions. The biggest piece of advice I could confer on the matter is this: if you're asked a really abstract or seemingly random question, and no answer comes to mind at first, TAKE YOUR TIME. There are no bonus points for rattling a response off in record time. This was hard for me at first to get down because it feels really akward when no one's talking and you're trying to put together a meaningful and cogent response, so you instinctively just start talking as you're thinking.

 

[2050vlsb]

Heyy! Is anyone else going to the interview this Friday?

Also. Has anyone had difficulty answering interview questions? I just want to make sure they do not ask questions that come from now where.

I think you've definitely got some great advice here, but I'll add one more tidbit in .. my interviews were also on the whole pretty chill, but I can imagine it's possible you could get someone who's a little more difficult. Regardless, one suggestion I've found very useful is to try and find some common ground with your interviewer. Besides making the experience even more casual, it might shift the attention from the typical interview questions and just allow you to have a conversation.

My first interview was with a 4th year, who, despite growing up in WI was interviewing for a residency position at UCSF ... so we chatted for a while about California and UCSF and how she'd never miss Wisconsin weather. With my PhD interviewer, I mentioned I love to cook and bake as a relaxation technique .. he asked me if I've ever made (being Indian) naan bread, and we ended up chatting about that for a while.

You definitely won't be able to think ahead and prep for finding like these, but just keep an eye out for them ... if you find some kind of shared experience or interest or anything, go with it! Good luck 🙂

 

[futIDdoc]

despite growing up in WI was interviewing for a residency position at UCSF .)

Uhh, what exactly do you mean by this?

 

[2050vlsb]

Uhh, what exactly do you mean by this?

Haha, just that she'd spent her entire life in Wisconsin, and had never been to California ... so it was an opportunity to spend ten minutes chatting about restaurants, public transportation, sightseeing, the weather and other stuff she should check out while in San Francisco.

I guess what I meant was ... despite having lived her whole life in WI, she was interviewing for residencies in CA. My intention was definitely not that someone from Wisconsin couldn't do residency in California, if that's where you were going..

 

[Evil_Abed]

Interviewed at MCW the other day. The facilities seemed really nice. My first interview went really well and I'm very happy with how that turned out. However, my second interviewer was really, really hard to read and I have absolutely no idea how that one went. He/She would ask a question and after I finished my answer, keep staring at me for a good 5 secs or so as if expecting more (and this happened every single time after I finished answering); it was disconcerting, to say the least and I think I may have rambled on a couple of times later in the interview because of this awkward pause. He/She would also keep checking his/her watch every couple of minutes and yawned several times during the interview. I'm sure he/she didn't intend to, but it came off as if he/she was uninterested in what I had to say.

The questions themselves were nothing hard and pretty much echoed what the interview feedback has. It was just the body language of the second interviewer that was really off-putting. I pretty much walked out of that interview feeling bad for taking up the interviewer's time and it put a damper on the rest of the day (the tour and everything).

Seems like my interview experience is an outlier compared to what most people have experienced though. Other than that, the social, my student host, and everyone else I met there seemed really nice and very enthusiastic about the school. And I really enjoyed my first interview; probably the most fun I had talking to an interviewer in the trail so far. Even though the second interview did not go like I would've liked it to, I really hope I hear back good news from the school. I guess I'll find out in a week or so.

 

[doctornick87]

hey krafty, i had a similar interview experience and got accepted the next week. i think we always subconsciously expect the interviews to be conversational and would prefer some kind of immediate feedback, but oftentimes the tone of the interview is no reflection on how well it went. the interviewers are just looking to get as much information as they can in the short amount of time provided.

 

[Econ2MD]

Hey, just wanted to give a shout out to Justforkicks4 and the other MCW students involved in interview day last week. I had a great time and was very impressed with the facilities, staff and students. I have interviewed at (and been accepted to) several schools and found MCW compares favorably to all of them.

My student hosts were great and all the students I met were friendly and approachable. All in all, I would say MCW feels like a good "fit"...a place where I would enjoy going to school for the next several years.

 

[rpgdude21]

Interviewed at MCW the other day. The facilities seemed really nice. My first interview went really well and I'm very happy with how that turned out. However, my second interviewer was really, really hard to read and I have absolutely no idea how that one went. He/She would ask a question and after I finished my answer, keep staring at me for a good 5 secs or so as if expecting more (and this happened every single time after I finished answering); it was disconcerting, to say the least and I think I may have rambled on a couple of times later in the interview because of this awkward pause. He/She would also keep checking his/her watch every couple of minutes and yawned several times during the interview. I'm sure he/she didn't intend to, but it came off as if he/she was uninterested in what I had to say.

The questions themselves were nothing hard and pretty much echoed what the interview feedback has. It was just the body language of the second interviewer that was really off-putting. I pretty much walked out of that interview feeling bad for taking up the interviewer's time and it put a damper on the rest of the day (the tour and everything).

Seems like my interview experience is an outlier compared to what most people have experienced though. Other than that, the social, my student host, and everyone else I met there seemed really nice and very enthusiastic about the school. And I really enjoyed my first interview; probably the most fun I had talking to an interviewer in the trail so far. Even though the second interview did not go like I would've liked it to, I really hope I hear back good news from the school. I guess I'll find out in a week or so.

Hmmmm.... sounds like I had the exact same interviewer! I had never had an interview like that before but I ended up being accepted so who knows, I think its just the way some interviewers are. Maybe to intimidate, no idea but I wouldnt be too freaked out.

 

[Yeeds]

Just received an interview invite. OOS

...interview is for the wait list. Is anyone familiar with MCW's historical trends with regards to the wait list movement?

 

[Kchen22]

Just received an interview invitation! Only two dates left 3/25 and 4/8 and only waitlist positions are available...should I even bother going to this one? Does anyone know roughly howl much of the waitlist gets an acceptance every year?

 

[EpicBearMan]

Same, just got an interview for waitlist, hmm.

 

[Alexandro]

interview invite today too. I'm already on 4 waitlists... I guess trying to make it 5 wont hurt.

 

[EpicBearMan]

I'm scheduled for the March 25th waitlist interview + shuttle and social.

Interviewing for a waitlist spot in itself is kinda disappointing, but I don't have an acceptance yet and MCW looks like a great school, so I'll still pretty stoked for the invite.

 

[Lack of Name]

+1 on the Mar 25th waitlist interview...

 

[HawaiiDoc]

Interview invite too. Signed up for 04/08 and social.
Hope to see someone there!

 

[medking]

These are the rules:

If you don't have an acceptance yet, interview.

If you don't have an acceptance yet, interview.

......and finally,

If you don't have an acceptance yet, interview.

I don't know about the current M1 class, but in my class I know a good amount of people that were taken off the waitlist. One of my buddies I hang out with interviewed the very last day possible, was waitlisted, and got in. You never know what will happen.

Good luck to you guys!

 

[cubssox2000]

Absolutely agree with medking. If you don't have an acceptance yet, it's not worth throwing away this chance.

As for waitlist movement, it varies depending on year. My year had a decent amount of movement (from what I can tell from people in the class). Last year there was little movement on the thread. You can't really predict something like this.

Best of luck.

 

[Justforkicks4]

Hey, just wanted to give a shout out to Justforkicks4 and the other MCW students involved in interview day last week. I had a great time and was very impressed with the facilities, staff and students. I have interviewed at (and been accepted to) several schools and found MCW compares favorably to all of them.

My student hosts were great and all the students I met were friendly and approachable. All in all, I would say MCW feels like a good "fit"...a place where I would enjoy going to school for the next several years.

Great to meet you too! It's always fun to meet fellow SDNer's. Hopefully our couch wasn't too uncomfortable.

Congrats to everyone who just received interview invites. If you have any questions, shoot me a PM!

 

[dbeast]

Got the invite but am withdrawing my application... Not worth the price for a waitlist spot when I've got other options. Hope it goes to one of you guys!

 

[NYR56]

I'm going to the 3/25 interview as well. They told me 20-25% of the class is filled from the waitlist, although that obviously includes people from the whole interview season. Does anyone know how well people invited for these waitlist interviews fair?

 

[flannelfriday]

I just signed up for the 25th and the social the night before.

Anybody from MCW able to give us more info about the actual prospects of getting a decent spot on the waitlist? The lady I talked to today said they divide the waitlist into three tiers, but I'm wondering if it's even possible to get a decent spot (like one that would lead to an acceptance)...

Hope to see some of you on the 25th!