2010-2011 Oregon Health & Sciences University Application Thread

[mashers]

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I actually just randomly check my status today.... It was listed after "Your interview was scheduled for 1/04/2011". So pretty obvious. They also included this mini-letter saying they have a lot of applicants and that many applicants have to be put on hold first before a decision is made on May 15th. Its crazy too because mine was posted on 2/14, so they came to the decision pretty fast, 5.5 weeks!

OK, thanks for the info. I wanted to make sure I was looking in the right place!

 

[FireTop]

Hey guys, I interviewed 1/11 so I am getting pretty ansy waiting!

Sorry if this was asked, but I read that someone was placed on hold, but was not notified and had to find out themselves through the portal.

Well, what if we get accepted here to OHSU? Would we get notified by an email/phone call? Or do we have to check the portal ourselves?

Just wondering. Thanks everyone and best of luck to us all!!!

 

[Thom1986]

Hey guys, I interviewed 1/11 so I am getting pretty ansy waiting!

Sorry if this was asked, but I read that someone was placed on hold, but was not notified and had to find out themselves through the portal.

Well, what if we get accepted here to OHSU? Would we get notified by an email/phone call? Or do we have to check the portal ourselves?

Just wondering. Thanks everyone and best of luck to us all!!!

I got an email, no phone call.

 

[Hopingtobeadoc]

Rejected for an interview. 3.71/40Q In-state. Oh, well. I really wanted to stay in Oregon, but I have had interviews with some really great schools. I wonder what OHSU criteria consists of (other than names out of a hat).

 

[Gara]

Rejected for an interview. 3.71/40Q In-state. Oh, well. I really wanted to stay in Oregon, but I have had interviews with some really great schools. I wonder what OHSU criteria consists of (other than names out of a hat).

Uhh with a 40 on your MCAT I'm dying to know what their reasoning is as well...

You can't think of anything that would have caused them to turn you down? I guess that's pretty personal but I'm pretty shocked you didn't get an interview.

 

[MrAppleseed]

I recently got the pre-interview axe, as well. I love Portland, and would have liked to interview at OHSU, but I'm OOS, so am not surprised.

Good luck to the rest of you!

 

[chuck84]

Rejected for an interview. 3.71/40Q In-state. Oh, well. I really wanted to stay in Oregon, but I have had interviews with some really great schools. I wonder what OHSU criteria consists of (other than names out of a hat).

Your other post said you are 18 years old? My guess is that might have played a part.

 

[Gara]

Your other post said you are 18 years old? My guess is that might have played a part.

Good detective work. That would probably do it.

 

[hopefuldoc97239]

Your other post said you are 18 years old? My guess is that might have played a part.

😉

 

[evo]

😉

You guys are so evil. 😀

 

[Gara]

😉

Seriously though hopefuldoc this is how evil super-villains are created... He'll show us all.

 

[HalfCaff]

Been scouring this year's application thread and I've seen references to the "typical OHSU student." As a future OHSU applicant, I'm curious what you think the typical successful OHSU applicant looks like? Images of the Portlandia characters have been flooding my mind..

 

[URHere]

😉

Haha! I think we've found the new OHSU Med15 class t-shirt...

But, on a more serious note:

Been scouring this year's application thread and I've seen references to the "typical OHSU student." As a future OHSU applicant, I'm curious what you think the typical successful OHSU applicant looks like? Images of the Portlandia characters have been flooding my mind..

I would say that the typical successful applicant has plenty of clinical experience, a strong volunteer record, good social skills, maturity (not just age-based), and a love of the outdoors. The last one isn't a requirement, but >50% of my classmates were avid hikers, rock-climbers, etc. Over twenty are marathoners. And a handful compete in ironmans regularly. Many had previous (strange) careers in things like radio, professional dance, etc.

 

[chuck84]

So it seems the average living expenses for students are in the low 20K's. This seems pretty low and with my mortgage, it wouldn't really be possible. My living expenses would need to be at least 35K. Is it really just me or are there others out there that need more than the low 20s?

 

[URHere]

So it seems the average living expenses for students are in the low 20K's. This seems pretty low and with my mortgage, it wouldn't really be possible. My living expenses would need to be at least 35K. Is it really just me or are there others out there that need more than the low 20s?

I've heard of people taking out less than the standard loan, but I don't personally know anyone who has asked to borrow a larger amount. Perhaps some of the other students know more about this than I do, but I would expect it to be difficult, if not impossible to pull off without taking out a private loan.

On a related note, if you do end up being accepted to the MD/PhD program, you will likely have the same (if not a bigger) problem. For the first two years, the MD/PhD stipend is just over 20K, and it is substantially less once you pay taxes from that amount. As MD/PhD students, we generally don't qualify for additional loans.

 

[evo]

I've heard of people taking out less than the standard loan, but I don't personally know anyone who has asked to borrow a larger amount. Perhaps some of the other students know more about this than I do, but I would expect it to be difficult, if not impossible to pull off without taking out a private loan.

On a related note, if you do end up being accepted to the MD/PhD program, you will likely have the same (if not a bigger) problem. For the first two years, the MD/PhD stipend is just over 20K, and it is substantially less once you pay taxes from that amount. As MD/PhD students, we generally don't qualify for additional loans.

Does the MD/PhD program cover at least part of the student fees? If not, I feel that a loan is likely to be necessary to cover the $8000 / year burden.

 

[URHere]

Does the MD/PhD program cover at least part of the student fees? If not, I feel that a loan is likely to be necessary to cover the $8000 / year burden.

The program covers 100% of tuition, fees, and insurance costs. The only exception is that once you hit grad school, you'll need to pay about $150/term for March Wellness - keep in mind that your stipend will go up by about 5K/year in grad school, so this isn't a huge inconvenience.

 

[thomprya]

Hey, two quick questions to URhere, or anyone else that can answer them. On average how many hours of 'school activites' are there in a week? By activites I mean class time and clinic hours per week? Also, do they video record the lectures? We went over this on interview day but I can't remember. Thanks in advance 😍

 

[URHere]

Hey, two quick questions to URhere, or anyone else that can answer them. On average how many hours of 'school activites' are there in a week? By activites I mean class time and clinic hours per week?

Class is from 8am-12pm daily. There is also afternoon class from 1-5 one day each week, and clinic time from 1-5 one day per week. The other three afternoons are free, although there may be occasional things like clinical skills exams happening during those times.

Also, do they video record the lectures? We went over this on interview day but I can't remember. Thanks in advance 😍

Nope, no video recordings (unless that has changed very recently). Each class tends to audio-record lectures and stream them online, though. Or, at least my class and the one behind us did this.

Also, reading articles near my computer is not ending well for me to day. Too much SDN...🙄

 

[evo]

The program covers 100% of tuition, fees, and insurance costs. The only exception is that once you hit grad school, you'll need to pay about $150/term for March Wellness - keep in mind that your stipend will go up by about 5K/year in grad school, so this isn't a huge inconvenience.

That definitely helps a lot in terms of budget. Thanks a lot for the clarification!

 

[Holderlin]

😉

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

[Holderlin]

I was just reminded of my dream last night where I was interviewing at OHSU.

The place was a dump for some reason and I was really nervous. I kept seeing old acquaintances from undergrad who were like in their 3rd or 4th years and I'm pretty sure an SDNer was giving a talk.

One of my coworkers who is like 40 something got accepted and I was so confused as to why they chose him.

Eventually I believe I ended up with no pants on, stuck in a bathroom where I overflowed the toilet.

What does it mean?

 

[Acoustic]

I was just reminded of my dream last night where I was interviewing at OHSU.

The place was a dump for some reason and I was really nervous. I kept seeing old acquaintances from undergrad who were like in their 3rd or 4th years and I'm pretty sure an SDNer was giving a talk.

One of my coworkers who is like 40 something got accepted and I was so confused as to why they chose him.

Eventually I believe I ended up with no pants on, stuck in a bathroom where I overflowed the toilet.

What does it mean?

Yikes...

 

[Melicopter]

Class is from 8am-12pm daily. There is also afternoon class from 1-5 one day each week, and clinic time from 1-5 one day per week. The other three afternoons are free, although there may be occasional things like clinical skills exams happening during those times.


Nope, no video recordings (unless that has changed very recently). Each class tends to audio-record lectures and stream them online, though. Or, at least my class and the one behind us did this.

Also, reading articles near my computer is not ending well for me to day. Too much SDN...🙄

First-year, and all of that is still true. We've been pushing a bit for video recorded lectures, but if that happens it probably won't be next year. All lectures are audio recorded and posted on the class website, though.

 

[WESTSIDE LOC]

Interviewed 11/2, put on hold in January. The wait until May is literally beginning to drive me insane.

 

[unleash500]

I wonder how the waitlist movement will be this year. The past 2 years seemed to have a decrease in waitlist movement..

 

[martij1]

pretty funny link. I couldn't help but hope that I was not one of the example interviewees!!!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/interviewees

 

[WESTSIDE LOC]

I wonder how the waitlist movement will be this year. The past 2 years seemed to have a decrease in waitlist movement..

Hold is different than waitlist, is it not?

 

[Northwesterly]

Hold is different than waitlist, is it not?

Some of the people on the waitlist will be rejected outright in May rather than put on the waitlist. The admissions website and interview packets seem to imply that it's also possible to receive a May acceptance without going through the waitlist, but I've seen no evidence of that happening any time in the last few years.

unleash500: You can check chuck84's posts from last year if you want to review recent cycles' waitlist numbers--they've declined from near triple digits to the low thirties. I'd guess that anything over 50 (probably over 40) is hopeless, and anything under 20 is a good bet. Getting something in between is a recipe for an anxious summer.

 

[WESTSIDE LOC]

The admissions website and interview packets seem to imply that it's also possible to receive a May acceptance without going through the waitlist, but I've seen no evidence of that happening any time in the last few years.

\

Hmmm-I was under the impression (from reading this thread and from interview info) that most interviewees go on to the hold list and that a large batch of acceptances are offered May 15th. Not sure of the stats on this though...

 

[Northwesterly]

Hmmm-I was under the impression (from reading this thread and from interview info) that most interviewees go on to the hold list and that a large batch of acceptances are offered May 15th. Not sure of the stats on this though...

I don't mean to be a broken record, (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=10376075&postcount=607) but... I just haven't seen any evidence that there's a leftover batch of acceptances sent out May 15th. I would *love* to be proven wrong, but over the last few years the math doesn't seem to support it, nor do any of the reports I've read or heard. The waitlist gives you a real shot--maybe as high as 10% given withdrawals and 30+ spots--but I'm not going to hang my hopes on a pre-waitlist offer any time soon.

 

[drfancypants]

I don't mean to be a broken record, (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=10376075&postcount=607) but... I just haven't seen any evidence that there's a leftover batch of acceptances sent out May 15th. I would *love* to be proven wrong, but over the last few years the math doesn't seem to support it, nor do any of the reports I've read or heard. The waitlist gives you a real shot--maybe as high as 10% given withdrawals and 30+ spots--but I'm not going to hang my hopes on a pre-waitlist offer any time soon.

i was told twice on interview day that most acceptances aren't issued until may (one interviewer insisted it was april), and took that at face value when the hold decision came through. i just looked through last year and didn't see anything but waitlists and rejections in may. this is disconcerting to see. hmm. i hope i'm missing something.

 

[chuck84]

Hmmm-I was under the impression (from reading this thread and from interview info) that most interviewees go on to the hold list and that a large batch of acceptances are offered May 15th. Not sure of the stats on this though...

i also havent really seen a batch of acceptances near may 15th in past years. It seems like the people getting acceptances around april or may are the people that interviewed in march or april. But maybe the big batch of people getting accepted near May 15th just aren't posting on sdn.

From my personal experience, i first interviewed and was outright rejected, then I was put on hold and rejected May 15th and last year I was on hold and put on the waitlist

 

[WESTSIDE LOC]

Dang! Has anyone heard of people being put on hold and being accepted before May 15th?

 

[Northwesterly]

i was told twice on interview day that most acceptances aren't issued until may (one interviewer insisted it was april), and took that at face value when the hold decision came through. i just looked through last year and didn't see anything but waitlists and rejections in may. this is disconcerting to see. hmm. i hope i'm missing something.

My guess is that the admissions office (understandably) doesn't devote a ton of time to briefing every interviewer every year on evolving decision formulae and schedules. As a result a lot of what we're told (15% immediate, admit/reject/waitlist in May, etc.) is probably years out of date. It's frustrating, but I can't really blame them for prioritizing the actual decision making over perfect clarity regarding timing and probabilities.

And WESTSIDE LOC, people are waitlisted or rejected before May 15th quite often--even as early as May 11th!


Anyway, good luck to the March interviewees! (Are folks even interviewing the week after next? Or do they put things on hold for the Match?)

 

[drfancypants]

I don't mean to be a broken record, (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=10376075&postcount=607) but... I just haven't seen any evidence that there's a leftover batch of acceptances sent out May 15th. I would *love* to be proven wrong, but over the last few years the math doesn't seem to support it, nor do any of the reports I've read or heard. The waitlist gives you a real shot--maybe as high as 10% given withdrawals and 30+ spots--but I'm not going to hang my hopes on a pre-waitlist offer any time soon.

I think I see now why SDN can be such a poisonous place. This wasn't Northwesterly's intent, but I for one felt a little sucker punched after seeing this reminder and after looking over old forums. I came to decide, though, that I will continue to take what the admissions dean told us (or at least what I remember she told us!) at face value. I have no reason to doubt it other than a paucity of May "accepted" postings in this forum last year. It appears the vast majority of acceptances aren't posted on SDN anyway, so I'd wonder about any conclusions that can be taken from SDN posting statistics.

That said, even if the great SDN hivemind is right, I somehow remembered that it just doesn't matter. The decisions for all of us are in a black box somewhere, and obsessing about odds or dates isn't going to change a damn thing. I know I did my best, I'm sure most of you can confidently say the same, and any news that isn't from OHSU or our schools of choice won't affect the outcome. I need to be focused on things that I can change, like upcoming final exams and job prospects, not "oh noes, my odds are worse than I once thought!". I'm sure everybody knows this, but it's easy to forget when we're so distracted by all the noise coming from SDN and the rest of the internet. The successful doctor (or a successful anything) will always plan for the best and plan for the worst, not fret and worry about odds and how the Jones' are doing.

Well there you go, that was my adieu to SDN. I'm sure people have said this many times before, but it felt good to say anyway. I really wish the best of luck for everyone here, we all deserve a chance to test ourselves in medical school.

 

[Northwesterly]

I think I see now why SDN can be such a poisonous place. This wasn't Northwesterly's intent, but I for one felt a little sucker punched after seeing this reminder and after looking over old forums. I came to decide, though, that I will continue to take what the admissions dean told us (or at least what I remember she told us!) at face value. I have no reason to doubt it other than a paucity of May "accepted" postings in this forum last year. It appears the vast majority of acceptances aren't posted on SDN anyway, so I'd wonder about any conclusions that can be taken from SDN posting statistics.

That said, even if the great SDN hivemind is right, I somehow remembered that it just doesn't matter. The decisions for all of us are in a black box somewhere, and obsessing about odds or dates isn't going to change a damn thing. I know I did my best, I'm sure most of you can confidently say the same, and any news that isn't from OHSU or our schools of choice won't affect the outcome. I need to be focused on things that I can change, like upcoming final exams and job prospects, not "oh noes, my odds are worse than I once thought!". I'm sure everybody knows this, but it's easy to forget when we're so distracted by all the noise coming from SDN and the rest of the internet. The successful doctor (or a successful anything) will always plan for the best and plan for the worst, not fret and worry about odds and how the Jones' are doing.

Well there you go, that was my adieu to SDN. I'm sure people have said this many times before, but it felt good to say anyway. I really wish the best of luck for everyone here, we all deserve a chance to test ourselves in medical school.

That's a very healthy attitude, and I agree that SDN can make it easy to obsess over meaningless minutiae. That said, for those of us who are applying to a limited number of schools (or only one!) knowing whether OHSU hands out 30 or 130 May acceptances can make a small but genuine difference in planning the coming year/application cycle. I wish I didn't have to worry about it, but when juggling a job, a family, and the possibility of future med school applications, these things sometimes *do* matter.
I'm sorry if my posts pushed any buttons--I'm simply trying to share what information I can, and I think that for some of us it can be both helpful and comforting to know more rather than less. To each his or her own, of course. Good luck.

 

[FireTop]

I seriously just wished I knew where I was going to end up in the fall! I am getting so anxious (don't get me wrong, I am unbelievably thankful for my one acceptance--I am a reapplicant) I just wish I knew by now!

So, I interviewed 1/11 MD/MPH, and obviously haven't heard yet? Does this mean they likely have not reviewed my application? I also read that the closer we get to May, it could be likely that I might be just thrown on a waitlist...is this true? Have they even looked at my app yet and not made a decision? Or, maybe they just haven't had a chance to review me yet?

Ah sorry if all the questions are scrambled or redundant, but this process is bananas!

Best of luck to us all!!🙂

 

[byurazorhog]

I seriously just wished I knew where I was going to end up in the fall! I am getting so anxious (don't get me wrong, I am unbelievably thankful for my one acceptance--I am a reapplicant) I just wish I knew by now!

So, I interviewed 1/11 MD/MPH, and obviously haven't heard yet? Does this mean they likely have not reviewed my application? I also read that the closer we get to May, it could be likely that I might be just thrown on a waitlist...is this true? Have they even looked at my app yet and not made a decision? Or, maybe they just haven't had a chance to review me yet?

Ah sorry if all the questions are scrambled or redundant, but this process is bananas!

Best of luck to us all!!🙂

You guys seriously need to chill out. Obsessing everyday over whether your app has or has not been reviewed can't possibly help with maintaining your sanity in this capricious process. When OHSU said 8-10 weeks they really mean it and my impression is that they just don't have enough people to get to our apps quickly enough.

 

[FireTop]

You guys seriously need to chill out. Obsessing everyday over whether your app has or has not been reviewed can't possibly help with maintaining your sanity in this capricious process. When OHSU said 8-10 weeks they really mean it and my impression is that they just don't have enough people to get to our apps quickly enough.

With respect in tact, I think there is quite a bit of irony in your post. Saying "you guys need to chill out" isn't just unnecessary, but also makes me want to tell you to re-read your own post and take your own advice.

It has been said on SDN countless times that this forum is used for that applicants own personal reasons--to vent, to receive advice, etc. Everyone on this OHSU thread, I am positive, is doing their best to "chill out." Do your best to realize that maybe "obsessing everyday" is an avenue for us to "chill out."

I am sure you have made notable contributions to SDN, and I commend you for that. But, it's posts like these that give SDN a bad name at times.

 

[nicolebirch]

With respect in tact, I think there is quite a bit of irony in your post. Saying "you guys need to chill out" isn't just unnecessary, but also makes me want to tell you to re-read your own post and take your own advice.

It has been said on SDN countless times that this forum is used for that applicants own personal reasons--to vent, to receive advice, etc. Everyone on this OHSU thread, I am positive, is doing their best to "chill out." Do your best to realize that maybe "obsessing everyday" is an avenue for us to "chill out."

I am sure you have made notable contributions to SDN, and I commend you for that. But, it's posts like these that give SDN a bad name at times.

Hi Whatupron. I am also awaiting feedback after the 1/11 interview, and if it's any consolation, our 8 week mark isn't until tomorrow 🙂

Here's to hoping news comes sooner rather than later, and that it's good news to boot. In the meantime I'll be stressing alongside you!

 

[FireTop]

Hi Whatupron. I am also awaiting feedback after the 1/11 interview, and if it's any consolation, our 8 week mark isn't until tomorrow 🙂

Here's to hoping news comes sooner rather than later, and that it's good news to boot. In the meantime I'll be stressing alongside you!

What's up nicolebirch! Good lookin' out and thanks for the heads up on the 8 week mark. I didn't even realize it was already tomorrow!

And you interviewed with me at OHSU 1/11? Just in case you were wondering, I was the guy from California 🙂


Hopefully we get some love from OHSU really soon. I have a good feeling!

 

[Champaigne]

Put on Hold today...lame, I really loved my trip up to OHSU and would have liked to have gone here. Notified via checking my own status. The status page says a final decision will be provided May 15th.

 

[chuck84]

Are there still a lot of MD/PhD applicants who haven't heard back yet (any on hold like me)? I believe tomorrow is the last batch of interviews for MD/PhD.

 

[oceansoul]

Are there still a lot of MD/PhD applicants who haven't heard back yet (any on hold like me)? I believe tomorrow is the last batch of interviews for MD/PhD.

Well, URHere mentioned they weren't going to make any more offers until the rest of the interviews are finished. I haven't heard anything yet - no rejection (knock on wood) or hold, or waitlist, but it's only been 7 weeks since my interview.

 

[hopefuldoc97239]

I'm a little bummed not to see any new acceptances yesterday or today... I want to meet my future classmates!

 

[Gara]

I'm a little bummed not to see any new acceptances yesterday or today... I want to meet my future classmates!

Hopefuldoc, nice to meet you. I'm Gara. You know I'll get that pesky interview out of the way any day now...

 

[oceansoul]

Are there still a lot of MD/PhD applicants who haven't heard back yet (any on hold like me)? I believe tomorrow is the last batch of interviews for MD/PhD.

Got the "refuse" today. :-( :-(

Good luck to the rest of you.

 

[secondyrapp]

Hi Whatupron. I am also awaiting feedback after the 1/11 interview, and if it's any consolation, our 8 week mark isn't until tomorrow 🙂

Here's to hoping news comes sooner rather than later, and that it's good news to boot. In the meantime I'll be stressing alongside you!

Just so you guys know. I was waitlisted at OHSU last year, after being put into the hold pool. It took them about 12 weeks to review my file. so don't put too much weight on the 6-8wk thing. They are just really slow.

Also. you won't get an email about being placed into the hold pool. They only email about the wait list rankings (happened on May12th last year) and acceptances (and I believe rejections).

 

[byurazorhog]

Accepted!!!!
Interviewed 1/13, IS