2010-2011 Michigan State University Application Thread

[ksmi117]

Prompts:

1. .Discuss a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone. What were the challenges? What did you learn?.
.(Maximum of 1900 characters, including spaces).

.2. .Describe a personally rewarding experience. What did you learn about yourself through this experience? Do not reiterate any experience already discussed in detail within your AMCAS application (including your personal statement or your experiences) or above in Question One...
.(Maximum of 1900 characters, including spaces).

.3. .If you could present yourself to the Committee on Admissions, what would you want to make sure they knew about you?..
.(Maximum of 1900 characters, including spaces).

with your application!

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[6760French]

Yeah Michigan State!!! There is an awesome new building opening in Grand Rapids this fall!

 

[turkaglew]

debating on whether or not to apply to MSU as an OOSer from ILL

anyone got any advice?

 

[6760French]

debating on whether or not to apply to MSU as an OOSer from ILL

anyone got any advice?

I would! I had a very, very good interview experience at this school. The new facilities in Grand Rapids are going to be awesome!

It is competitive to get in if you are OOS. For OOS students they are looking for good GPAs/MCAT scores and your propensity to work with the undeserved in rural or urban communities as a PCP. Tuition is also a bit high if you are OOS, but it's worth it.

Good luck with applications this year!

 

[turkaglew]

I would! I had a very, very good interview experience at this school. The new facilities in Grand Rapids are going to be awesome!

It is competitive to get in if you are OOS. For OOS students they are looking for good GPAs/MCAT scores and your propensity to work with the undeserved in rural or urban communities as a PCP. Tuition is also a bit high if you are OOS, but it's worth it.

Good luck with applications this year!

Nice, I am all in for PCP and rural medicine. In fact I am applying to UIC Rural MED.

 

[6760French]

Awesome!

MSU also has a rural medicine program in the UP (http://mdadmissions.msu.edu/main/rpp.htm)

 

[ruiner]

Nice, I am all in for PCP and rural medicine. In fact I am applying to UIC Rural MED.

If you are interested in that, then like 6760 said, MSU has a similar program that you might like, though I tend to think rural IL and the rural UP are a bit different.

 

[Disinence2]

Soon to be 4th year here,

Studying in the new building for the first time.

Its pretty sweet!

 

[Prancer]

So, is the school still primarily on the east lansing campus?

 

[ruiner]

I think the official dean and admissions offices, etc. will stay in EL, but there are two concurrent classes going. It's very similar to UIC.

 

[ThaliaNox]

So, is the school still primarily on the east lansing campus?

Theoretically the two campuses will be equal. They will have the same number of preclinical students. The clinical campus is much larger at Grand Rapids than in Lansing. They will both have a presence in admissions, things like interview days will be done at both locations, for example.

Next year should be a time of interesting transition. I wonder myself how much contact there will be between campuses and I'm already seeing a large drive toward online resources and distance learning to accomodate the separate campuses. This is on both ends, not only for Grand Rapids students.

 

[Disinence2]

The dean sure has a pretty sweet office at the new building in GR.

Plus with the opening of VanAndel Institute (Research facility with millions of dollars in grant money towards medical research), and the new children's hospital, its pretty hard to pretend that these campuses are "equal" when it comes to clinical education and opportunities.

It will be interesting to see what happens. Keep in mind that East Lansing doesn't even have a building for CHM. We share space with the college of nursing, DO school, and radiology residency program.

 

[Whites83]

So - anyone received a secondary from MSU yet?

 

[Insulinshock]

So - anyone received a secondary from MSU yet?

I applied fairly early on June 1st and haven't heard anything yet. I'm IS 3.8/33.

 

[ThaliaNox]

They're still clearing up waitlist candidates and I'm sure don't want to be inundated with secondaries yet. The secondary application system will be up and running by the middle of July, I'm pretty sure. The first interviews aren't until early September, even for EDP candidates, so don't worry.

 

[PlayUltimate15]

I'm curious what the relationship between the DO and MD students is like. I spent a day with an MSUCOM student and she had plenty to say! But I'm wondering from the human medicine side of the school what's the perspective of the DO students? Do the two student bodies interact much?

 

[ThaliaNox]

I'm curious what the relationship between the DO and MD students is like. I spent a day with an MSUCOM student and she had plenty to say! But I'm wondering from the human medicine side of the school what's the perspective of the DO students? Do the two student bodies interact much?

Honestly, in my experience, there is very little interaction. We have some of our basic science classes together, but most people don't go to class, and the tests are held in different rooms for the two colleges. All of our non-science classes are separate.

Some folks have roommates or friends in the DO program, so they would have more contact, but most of us just kind of fly parallel. Things totally separate during the second year and beyond.

To answer your question about persepective, very few people seem to "look down" on the DO students. There is a bit of a viewpoint that their first semester has been significantly lessened in intensity than ours, but I think that is mostly jealousy. (The DO students take anatomy in the summer before the MD students arrive, making their science curriculum in the fall semester lighter. I can't speak for their separate classes and how much time they require.)

 

[Disinence2]

I'm curious what your DO student had to say.

If your in GR for pre-clinical then I imagine now you will never even run across a DO student, other than maybe seeing them on a screen.

My class got along great. You really don't do much of anything together other than sit in lecture. Its pretty common to have some DO preceptors during clinical years as well. No one makes a big deal out of it.

Michigan is a very DO friendly state...

 

[ThaliaNox]

I'm curious what your DO student had to say.

Here's another vote for a dish of gossip on this point. I often wonder what their viewpoint of us is!

 

[PlayUltimate15]

Well as a DO student, I'm sure she was biased! But she was amazingly nice and very positive about msu overall. She said the DO students seemed to be more laid back and had a more supportive relationship with each other (rather than uber competitive). It was also a little funny because I went to class with her on a day right after an exam. The lecture hall was mostly empty, but about 3/4 of the students there were DO students.

That being said, I appreciate that everyone has their own bias. Of course she's going to talk up the DO's... she is one! I wish I'd had the opportunity to talk with an MD student and to get their perspective as well. Anyone willing...? =D

 

[Disinence2]

You've been talking with them!

Anyone who describes CHM as even remotely competitive is dead wrong. I am continually amazed by the willingness of classmates to share study resources and go out of their way to make other students look good on the floors.

Our grading system really encourages students to work together.

 

[ruiner]

Anyone who describes CHM as even remotely competitive is dead wrong. I am continually amazed by the willingness of classmates to share study resources and go out of their way to make other students look good on the floors.

JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET THERE


naw just kidding.

 

[MD Ani]

got the secondary invite today!! but i'm not going to pay right away, since then i have only two weeks to submit it, and i already have three i'm working on. did anyone pay and see the prompts though? curious as to whether they are the same from last year or not.
thanks

 

[mashers]

Secondary Received: OOS, GPA 3.71, MCAT 32L.

 

[alphasyn]

just got a secondary invite too
does anyone know if they pre-screen? i dont have the msar with me at the moment..

 

[loua0731]

just got a secondary invite too
does anyone know if they pre-screen? i dont have the msar with me at the moment..

Nope, they don't screen.

 

[Whites83]

got the secondary invite today!! but i'm not going to pay right away, since then i have only two weeks to submit it, and i already have three i'm working on. did anyone pay and see the prompts though? curious as to whether they are the same from last year or not.
thanks

Yep, same prompts as last year.

 

[2050vlsb]

Prompts:

.2. .Describe a personally rewarding experience. What did you learn about yourself through this experience? Do not reiterate any experience already discussed in detail within your AMCAS application (including your personal statement or your experiences) or above in Question One...
.(Maximum of 1900 characters, including spaces).

Quick question on #2 .. I'm thinking about using one of my leadership experiences to answer this question .. but I did include it in my list of Work/Activities on AMCAS. I didn't mention anything about it in my PS, though ... would that be okay? Since I guess it's not something I've discussed "in detail"

 

[BullDog4Eva]

Did you "discussed in details" in your activities section?

If not, then it's ok.

 

[BullDog4Eva]

Just submitted today, making this my 12 schools submitted (or that doesn't require a 2ndary). Just 15 more to go.

Anyone in a similar boat?

I really like Mich State's "print your essay" format. It came out so nicely formatted... unlike some schools that smush everything together.

 

[runfastnow]

Just submitted today, making this my 12 schools submitted (or that doesn't require a 2ndary). Just 15 more to go.

Anyone in a similar boat?

I really like Mich State's "print your essay" format. It came out so nicely formatted... unlike some schools that smush everything together.

I am with you bulldog, complete at 13 schools, waiting on confirmation at 5, and waiting for a secondary from 12 or so.

 

[NHBPFA5]

submitted... This makes 6 of an available 7 to me.... Still have a bunch more to receive. It's making me nervous that I haven't heard from over half of them yet.

 

[BullDog4Eva]

submitted... This makes 6 of an available 7 to me.... Still have a bunch more to receive. It's making me nervous that I haven't heard from over half of them yet.

It's possible you applied to many of the ones that send out 2ndaries really late.

I submitted 06/01 and verified 06/04 and still have 17 schools I haven't heard back yet.

 

[Turtlespeed]

Did everybody that received secondaries have a verified app? or do you get them after its verified??

 

[BullDog4Eva]

Did everybody that received secondaries have a verified app? or do you get them after its verified??

Well... they don't screen primaries. So if you haven't gotten one yet, it's because your primary isn't verified.

 

[aw42]

Is anyone else having problems brainstorming on the third prompt? Does anyone know what they are trying to get at with this question?

 

[loua0731]

Is anyone else having problems brainstorming on the third prompt? Does anyone know what they are trying to get at with this question?

Yeah I'm not sure how to approach it either. I could talk about my attributes, but I feel like almost any pre-med you meet will have many of the same ones, i.e. hard-working, driven, etc. so it won't really stand out. I may try to incorporate some stuff from my diversity essays to show more of who I am.

 

[aw42]

Yeah I'm not sure how to approach it either. I could talk about my attributes, but I feel like almost any pre-med you meet will have many of the same ones, i.e. hard-working, driven, etc. so it won't really stand out. I may try to incorporate some stuff from my diversity essays to show more of who I am.

That's a good way to approach it. Although, I'm starting to think that they are just getting a little lazy and want us to sum up the PS, ECAs, LORs, and even their own secondary into 1900 characters... or maybe they are trying to extract from us, what we think is most important to experience out of all the things we have already described.

I don't know- this was my sister's suggestion. As she isn't at all in the medicine world, she might have a pretty sane interpretation of the question.

 

[BullDog4Eva]

Is anyone else having problems brainstorming on the third prompt? Does anyone know what they are trying to get at with this question?

Sounds to me like stuff that they wouldn't guess from just meeting you or something not revealed anywhere else in your app.

For instance, you might identify as GLBT and this would add to your candidacy in that you can better related to GLBT patients. Same with disability or some other condition you may have. They would not know this unless you mention it.

 

[sedaniel]

2. Describe a personally rewarding experience. What did you learn about yourself through this experience? Do not reiterate any experience already discussed in detail within your AMCAS application (including your personal statement or your experiences) or above in Question One.

How strict do you think this is? I want to talk about founding my local sorority because it is by far one of the most (if not the most) rewarding experiences I've had and is something I'm very passionate about. However, I did list "Founding President" as a leadership activity/experience on my AMCAS app and talked about it (approximately 700 characters worth). I did not talk about it in my personal statement and am not talking about it in the other two MSU secondary app essays. Whata you guys think?

 

[BullDog4Eva]

How strict do you think this is? I want to talk about founding my local sorority because it is by far one of the most (if not the most) rewarding experiences I've had and is something I'm very passionate about. However, I did list "Founding President" as a leadership activity/experience on my AMCAS app and talked about it (approximately 700 characters worth). I did not talk about it in my personal statement and am not talking about it in the other two MSU secondary app essays. Whata you guys think?

I still feel it violates the "already discussed in details" clause but if you can manage to describe it without repeating any info in your 700 characters worth of description then I say go for it. I would dig deep and try to find something else to talk about to be on the safe side.

 

[sedaniel]

I still feel it violates the "already discussed in details" clause but if you can manage to describe it without repeating any info in your 700 characters worth of description then I say go for it. I would dig deep and try to find something else to talk about to be on the safe side.

Well I'm definitely describing it from a different point-of-view; in AMCAS I explained what the activity was and what I did. In the MSU essay I am focusing on what I learned about myself, like leadership skills, teamwork, etc. I think it's different enough, but I think I still might email their office and ask how strict they are about this... Thanks for your reply!

 

[manoosh]

how do the adcom consider multiple mcat scores: highest single, highest subscores, most recent, etc?

 

[jcwhitts]

With regard to the third prompt, I approached it like one of the "is there anything you want us to know" about you question. It felt like what they wanted, I suppose we'll see.

 

[Insulinshock]

Anyone know how fast Mich State is in terms of correspondence?

 

[DavisStudent]

Well I'm definitely describing it from a different point-of-view; in AMCAS I explained what the activity was and what I did. In the MSU essay I am focusing on what I learned about myself, like leadership skills, teamwork, etc. I think it's different enough, but I think I still might email their office and ask how strict they are about this... Thanks for your reply!

Please let us know what you find out if you do/did email their office? I'm in a somewhat similar situation and am trying to find out if I have too much overlap. I want to discuss a specific experience from my work and what I learned from it... problem is, I went into detail about my job on the application. I wonder what they would think about using a specific experience that came from an activity you described in depth on the app. Thanks!

 

[sedaniel]

Please let us know what you find out if you do/did email their office? I'm in a somewhat similar situation and am trying to find out if I have too much overlap. I want to discuss a specific experience from my work and what I learned from it... problem is, I went into detail about my job on the application. I wonder what they would think about using a specific experience that came from an activity you described in depth on the app. Thanks!

Yeah, I got a response yesterday:

Me: I have a question regarding the secondary application. On question #2, it states "Do not reiterate any experience already discussed in detail within your AMCAS application." The experience I wish to discuss is one that is extremely important to me, however, I did list it in the activities section of the AMCAS application. I was wondering how strict of a requirement this is? Will it be okay to talk about this experience in question #2 as long as I approach it from a different point-of-view than I did in my AMCAS application?

Them: Yes, you may address your previous experience is question #2 as long as you did not go into detail about it in your AMCAS application.

So... I think I was pretty clear in my email that I did list this activity on my AMCAS, so I take her response to me that as long as you don't just reiterate what it says in your AMCAS app, that it should be fine. I wrote up a second essay before I got this response on another activity just in case, so now I'm deciding between the two (but I still like my first one better ).

 

[DavisStudent]

Yeah, I got a response yesterday:

So... I think I was pretty clear in my email that I did list this activity on my AMCAS, so I take her response to me that as long as you don't just reiterate what it says in your AMCAS app, that it should be fine. I wrote up a second essay before I got this response on another activity just in case, so now I'm deciding between the two (but I still like my first one better ).

Awesome, thanks for the information! Very helpful!

 

[Disinence2]

Some tips...

For the 2nd prompt, you can always include a new volunteer activity, or a new experience etc that you have started since you submitted your AMCAS.

For the 3rd prompt, this is your chance to say whatever you want to the admission committee directly. Try to focus on what makes you a better applicant than all the rest. Need to make any clarifications or explain any red flags in your primary app?

Any other q's feel free to PM me.

 

[ThaliaNox]

Everyone seems to take question 2 far too literally. Don't pull some insignificant activity out of your behind just because it isn't on your primary. Write about one of your most significant activities from a different aspect or point of view. Generally, primary descriptions are for fact. Secondary essays are for emotion and motivation.

Example: Someone worked at a summer camp. They put the dates worked, the number of children responsible for, the organizing organization, location and theme of the camp in their primary application. They then write about making a difference in the life of a particular child at that camp for their secondary application.