2010-2011 Southern Illinois University Application Thread

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first batch has came out already, and im not on it... sigh..🙁 congrats to those who made it though
 
Next batch goes out the end of January. And chances are I have a low enough ranking that other people will be ahead of me then, too. Looks like I'm waiting until April/May/Never. I hate my life.

By the way, I just called Beth, and she said the first batch went out this morning by email and postal mail. I'm a failure.
 
startswithb said:
Next batch goes out the end of January. And chances are I have a low enough ranking that other people will be ahead of me then, too. Looks like I'm waiting until April/May/Never. I hate my life.

By the way, I just called Beth, and she said the first batch went out this morning by email and postal mail. I'm a failure.
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Im hating myself too.🙁.Have faith and hopefully it will work out for both of us.. Just think of it this way, they have only given out about 15% of acceptances (24/160)..
 
fishsticks2629 said:
Im hating myself too.🙁.Have faith and hopefully it will work out for both of us.. Just think of it this way, they have only given out about 15% of acceptances (24/160)..
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Yep, that's true. :xf: I knew going into this that it'd be very possible to have to wait until April and May...now I have to figure out how to not go insane (more insane) for the next several months.
 
startswithb said:
Yep, that's true. :xf: I knew going into this that it'd be very possible to have to wait until April and May...now I have to figure out how to not go insane (more insane) for the next several months.
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Yea I am not agreeing with the way they do their acceptances. Having to wait possibly 7-8 months to know whether you got in after an interview is a little ridiculous. I understand they prob are required to have a strict class size limit bc of state funding, but come on there has to be a better way... Im pretty much counting on a May acceptance at this point and going to try and stay away from this thread.

To anyone who already got accepted, do you mind posting stats ?
 
fishsticks2629 said:
Yea I am not agreeing with the way they do their acceptances. Having to wait possibly 7-8 months to know whether you got in after an interview is a little ridiculous. I understand they prob are required to have a strict class size limit bc of state funding, but come on there has to be a better way... Im pretty much counting on a May acceptance at this point and going to try and stay away from this thread.

To anyone who already got accepted, do you mind posting stats ?
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Sorry to those not accepted. I have been quiet thus far but I will add my two cents now that I have another acceptance and will be withdrawing. SIU pretty much blows with their admissions process. The whole batch thing and ranking is pretty much dumb IMO, but whatever its how they do it.

Anyway, don't listen to everything they say. Last year I interviewed and during the intros the guy (not EW) said 85-90% of AWPA's get accepted, which is simply not true. Then they said they will release AWPA status in March, then it was pushed back to April 1, then finally April 6th or something. I was told at that point I was in the 2nd half of the remaining AWPA. I never ended up getting in, nor did 3/4 other AWPAed friends of mine. I didn't get this because on the website it says the AWPA list is ranked based on how one fits the mission of the school. I was born, raised and went to college in Central/Southern IL and did the whole patient education, community service, but whatever its their choice...(same for 3/4 friends not accpeted)

Then I spoke with EW and asked how I could improve. He said my MCAT score needed to go up a point or two. I asked if my ECs needed improvement and he said they were sufficient, but ECs can always improve. I asked the same about my interview with no negative feedback. Now, as I look on the website I find that my MCAT is in fact the mean MCAT score of accepted students and my GPA is .25 greater than the mean at SIU. So anyway I was pretty dumbfounded by the whole process.

Either way, it was a blessing in disguise because I have been accepted at a school that is a much better fit. The only thing I did different this year is apply more broadly and add some shadowing. Also I applied early, which makes no difference at SIU.

Good luck to everyone else. Who knows, maybe the AWPA list varies from year to year. Fishstix and startswithb, I am pulling for you two!
 
Just FYI to everyone who would like to know, the next committee meeting that will issue out AWPA statuses will be Dec 14.
 
John Lennon said:
Just FYI to everyone who would like to know, the next committee meeting that will issue out AWPA statuses will be Dec 14.
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Does that mean they will e-mail/send out decision on the same day, the 14th, or just the committee meet on that day?
 
RIPSanto said:
Sorry to those not accepted. I have been quiet thus far but I will add my two cents now that I have another acceptance and will be withdrawing. SIU pretty much blows with their admissions process. The whole batch thing and ranking is pretty much dumb IMO, but whatever its how they do it.

Anyway, don't listen to everything they say. Last year I interviewed and during the intros the guy (not EW) said 85-90% of AWPA's get accepted, which is simply not true. Then they said they will release AWPA status in March, then it was pushed back to April 1, then finally April 6th or something. I was told at that point I was in the 2nd half of the remaining AWPA. I never ended up getting in, nor did 3/4 other AWPAed friends of mine. I didn't get this because on the website it says the AWPA list is ranked based on how one fits the mission of the school. I was born, raised and went to college in Central/Southern IL and did the whole patient education, community service, but whatever its their choice...(same for 3/4 friends not accpeted)

Then I spoke with EW and asked how I could improve. He said my MCAT score needed to go up a point or two. I asked if my ECs needed improvement and he said they were sufficient, but ECs can always improve. I asked the same about my interview with no negative feedback. Now, as I look on the website I find that my MCAT is in fact the mean MCAT score of accepted students and my GPA is .25 greater than the mean at SIU. So anyway I was pretty dumbfounded by the whole process.

Either way, it was a blessing in disguise because I have been accepted at a school that is a much better fit. The only thing I did different this year is apply more broadly and add some shadowing. Also I applied early, which makes no difference at SIU.

Good luck to everyone else. Who knows, maybe the AWPA list varies from year to year. Fishstix and startswithb, I am pulling for you two!
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trust me every school has their ridiculous BS hoops to get through. If this process was clear cut and easy to navigate it'd be grad school not med school.

But don't worry, you don't sound bitter at all...
 
red10 said:
trust me every school has their ridiculous BS hoops to get through. If this process was clear cut and easy to navigate it'd be grad school not med school.

But don't worry, you don't sound bitter at all...
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Im not trying to not sound bitter. I was pretty bitter about it, but I am glad the way things worked out. I am not trying to bash SIU at all either, just the admissions process.

I was also just trying to add my two cents for the two that remain on the AWPA list because thats where I was last year. I just want to let them know that if the end of May comes around and you are still on the AWPA list you should resubmit your AMCAS and at least get verified, that way you have options.
 
I appreciate the input, Santo. I believe the stats for the last few AWPAs has been a 70-80% acceptance rate. I honestly thought I had a fair shot at being good enough for an outright acceptance. Instead, it looks like I'll be waiting until other people withdraw. It just kind of hurts my feelings. I am really disappointed. I can't help it. I can't even imagine what to do after this year because my GPA won't move much and I have to work full-time to support myself. I'm finishing up a grad class, researching, and volunteering at the moment, and will just have to try to live in the moment and take things as they come.

Hopefully I can get another interview in the new year, seeing as I literally have no other options at the moment. 🙁
 
I am not sure that that is a correct stat. Can't tell you what it was, but it seems a bit misleading to think of it that way as it matters more where you rank AFTER whenever the cutoff is than before.

They made it through ~50% of the AWPA list last year after the ranking (note that this does NOT mean 50% of people with AWPA were accepted, because any acceptances/ withdraws are not accounted for).

The process is what it is. They did a hell of a job picking my class, so I am not about to knock it now. They DO know what they are doing.

Don't worry about not getting in the first batch, there are only a few acceptances that go out.
 
Caesar said:
The process is what it is. They did a hell of a job picking my class, so I am not about to knock it now. They DO know what they are doing.
Don't worry about not getting in the first batch, there are only a few acceptances that go out.
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Santo, I really appreciate your input and congrats on your acceptance.

Caesar, its hard for you to criticize/analyze the process because you were accepted in the first batch. Imagine having to wait possibly 7-8 months for a clear answer and knowing that the school kinda wants you , but will only take you after their first picks have chosen other places. Its like getting picked last for dodgeball. Because of this feeling it has made me look more favorably at other schools I interviewed at.

Red10, I know that there are a lot of hoops with applying to med school but it just seems SIUs process is a little extreme/unkind with the wait and how they accept their canidates. It almost seems like they give a sense of false hope bc they say in their AWPA letters that "historically" most people from the list get accepted. This of course leads most to believe they are for sure in. And only after months of agonizing wait does one find out they were'nt good enough. I am more in favor of how other schools go about it with a rolling admissions and thus rewarding those who apply early. It lets people know faster if they are accpeted and it doesnt make you feel like a sloppy second acceptance by only being accepted after others reject the school.

Startswithb, I have true empathy for you. I really hope you get in somewhere.

FYI, I am in no way criticizing the school itself, just the admissions process. I had a great time interviewing at the school and really liked what the school had to offer. The people were super friendly and I really dig the curriculum
 
fishsticks2629 said:
Santo, I really appreciate your input and congrats on your acceptance.

Caesar, its hard for you to criticize/analyze the process because you were accepted in the first batch. Imagine having to wait possibly 7-8 months for a clear answer and knowing that the school kinda wants you , but will only take you after their first picks have chosen other places. Its like getting picked last for dodgeball. Because of this feeling it has made me look more favorably at other schools I interviewed at.

Red10, I know that there are a lot of hoops with applying to med school but it just seems SIUs process is a little extreme/unkind with the wait and how they accept their canidates. It almost seems like they give a sense of false hope bc they say in their AWPA letters that "historically" most people from the list get accepted. This of course leads most to believe they are for sure in. And only after months of agonizing wait does one find out they were'nt good enough. I am more in favor of how other schools go about it with a rolling admissions and thus rewarding those who apply early. It lets people know faster if they are accpeted and it doesnt make you feel like a sloppy second acceptance by only being accepted after others reject the school.

Startswithb, I have true empathy for you. I really hope you get in somewhere.

FYI, I am in no way criticizing the school itself, just the admissions process. I had a great time interviewing at the school and really liked what the school had to offer. The people were super friendly and I really dig the curriculum
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Caesar may not have been accepted last batch but there were many people in our class who didn't find out till practically June. I got lucky and got accepted in between batches.
If you realize that AWPA is exactly what it says "when place available" and not "you're in" you'd set yourself up to be less upset

Like I said, every school has sucky processes. How about the people who tell you you're "flagged for review" for 3 months only to flat out reject you without an interview. Or in my case, Iowa who I interviewed at relatively early only to not make it in during rolling, getting a letter saying "You've been placed under review with the final pool" like it was some sort of accomplishment and then not get in that way because pretty much anyone and everyone who interviewed got in the final pool and half a dozen out of staters were excepted.
No one warns you what a sucky process this is....unless you read SDN

And who gives a sh!+ whether you're sloppy seconds or w/e? In the end you get to be a freaking doctor (something you've probably worked hard for for 4 years) and a good program is a good program whether you were their first choice or not. This is not a process that strokes your pre-med ego and tells you how amazing and wonderful and smart you are. If you'd like your ego stroked and to have that "first pick in dodgeball" feeling - medicine is so not the right field....
 
red10 said:
Caesar may not have been accepted last batch but there were many people in our class who didn't find out till practically June. I got lucky and got accepted in between batches.
If you realize that AWPA is exactly what it says "when place available" and not "you're in" you'd set yourself up to be less upset

Like I said, every school has sucky processes. How about the people who tell you you're "flagged for review" for 3 months only to flat out reject you without an interview. Or in my case, Iowa who I interviewed at relatively early only to not make it in during rolling, getting a letter saying "You've been placed under review with the final pool" like it was some sort of accomplishment and then not get in that way because pretty much anyone and everyone who interviewed got in the final pool and half a dozen out of staters were excepted.
No one warns you what a sucky process this is....unless you read SDN

And who gives a sh!+ whether you're sloppy seconds or w/e? In the end you get to be a freaking doctor (something you've probably worked hard for for 4 years) and a good program is a good program whether you were their first choice or not. This is not a process that strokes your pre-med ego and tells you how amazing and wonderful and smart you are. If you'd like your ego stroked and to have that "first pick in dodgeball" feeling - medicine is so not the right field....
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As I said, I am also disappointed that not getting in the first round meant that they didn't like me very much (and therefore my ranking is lower, thus decreasing the probability of an eventual acceptance). And the limbo process is agonizing. It just is. We are just venting our feelings right now. Of course the day you get that acceptance, the feeling is so great, that it probably overshadows much of the frustration that had led up to it. I know I would probably start crying with joy. But for now, I'm fighting feelings of misery. "I'm not good enough, I'll never be good enough, what do I do next? Do I take solace at being on AWPA or do I start making other plans?" It's rough, and if there's one thing I know about dealing with people, is that you can't try to make them feel bad about their emotions. If you can't be sensitive to how others are feeling, regardless of whether or not you think they are stupid or ridiculous or petty, then medicine is so not the right field...
 
startswithb said:
As I said, I am also disappointed that not getting in the first round meant that they didn't like me very much (and therefore my ranking is lower, thus decreasing the probability of an eventual acceptance). And the limbo process is agonizing. It just is. We are just venting our feelings right now. Of course the day you get that acceptance, the feeling is so great, that it probably overshadows much of the frustration that had led up to it. I know I would probably start crying with joy. But for now, I'm fighting feelings of misery. "I'm not good enough, I'll never be good enough, what do I do next? Do I take solace at being on AWPA or do I start making other plans?" It's rough, and if there's one thing I know about dealing with people, is that you can't try to make them feel bad about their emotions. If you can't be sensitive to how others are feeling, regardless of whether or not you think they are stupid or ridiculous or petty, then medicine is so not the right field...
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I'm just trying to make the point that at this point you really have no reason to be feeling sorry for yourself. So what if you weren't in the top 20 out of 200 interviewed? does that mean you suck or they think you'll suck at being a doc or that you're never going to get in? hell no. You need thicker skin.

I'm not going to sugar coat anything. sorry, I'm not that nice. I wish you all the best of luck but I'm trying to tell you that life moves on and you can't collapse every time you hit a tiny speed bump. inhale exhale repeat
 
red10 said:
I'm just trying to make the point that at this point you really have no reason to be feeling sorry for yourself. So what if you weren't in the top 20 out of 200 interviewed? does that mean you suck or they think you'll suck at being a doc or that you're never going to get in? hell no. You need thicker skin.

I'm not going to sugar coat anything. sorry, I'm not that nice. I wish you all the best of luck but I'm trying to tell you that life moves on and you can't collapse every time you hit a tiny speed bump. inhale exhale repeat
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She's not nice. I'll vouch for that.

RE: not being in the first batch. I'd wager that there are maybe MAYBE 10 of us here that were, and that is being really REALLY generous. If they put you on the AWPA list, they want you. If not, you'd be on the prospective reapplicant. As EW says, there are many students who the school would love to have there just isn't room. Sucks, but that is the way it is. Less than 10 of 72 spots have been filled. It is totally not a big deal to not be in yet. It says nothing about how the school feels about you (no one even knows when you were accepted at the school).
 
Also, it is not hard for me to empathize. I just want that out there. I answer many PMs about the school, I talk to applicants all the time, I know what it is like.
 
red10 said:
I'm just trying to make the point that at this point you really have no reason to be feeling sorry for yourself. So what if you weren't in the top 20 out of 200 interviewed? does that mean you suck or they think you'll suck at being a doc or that you're never going to get in? hell no. You need thicker skin.

I'm not going to sugar coat anything. sorry, I'm not that nice. I wish you all the best of luck but I'm trying to tell you that life moves on and you can't collapse every time you hit a tiny speed bump. inhale exhale repeat
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Relax dude, noone is having a nervous breakdown or anything like that. We are simply stating that it sucks that we just watched our chances of acceptance become reduced (its not top 24 of 200, bc 200 people havent been put on the AWPA yet). You and Ceasar were fortunate to be in an acceptance batch right after your interviews.

We get it, you love your school and everything about it. However all schools have flaws, including yours. And although it is an extremely small flaw that has no relavance to the quality of school, your admission process sucks. If you were in charge of the admission process would you have the same system? I know I wouldnt. Its obvious there is nothing I can do about the process and I understand that, but I sure have the right to comment about the suckiness of it.

Ceasar, your comments have actually been quite helpful and puts things a little in perspective. The overly extended wait for a desicion probably is the worst part about the whole thing bc more news wont come for another 2 months and even then chances are slim bc more ppl are being interviewed. Your secret admirer (red10) should just be a little less abrasive in the way he defends his school.
 
fishsticks2629 said:
Relax dude, noone is having a nervous breakdown or anything like that. We are simply stating that it sucks that we just watched our chances of acceptance become reduced (its not top 24 of 200, bc 200 people havent been put on the AWPA yet). You and Ceasar were fortunate to be in an acceptance batch right after your interviews.

We get it, you love your school and everything about it. However all schools have flaws, including yours. And although it is an extremely small flaw that has no relavance to the quality of school, your admission process sucks. If you were in charge of the admission process would you have the same system? I know I wouldnt. Its obvious there is nothing I can do about the process and I understand that, but I sure have the right to comment about the suckiness of it.

Ceasar, your comments have actually been quite helpful and puts things a little in perspective. The overly extended wait for a desicion probably is the worst part about the whole thing bc more news wont come for another 2 months and even then chances are slim bc more ppl are being interviewed. Your secret admirer (red10) should just be a little less abrasive in the way he defends his school.
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A) I'm a she
B) its hardly a secret if I'm posting all over sdn about my love
C) I'm not trying to defend the process. I'm telling you that the sky has yet to start falling at this point in the afore mentioned sucky process. Time to breathe and get your panties out of a bunch
😉
 
red10 said:
Time to breathe and get your panties out of a bunch 😉
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Likewise.. You seem a little high strung. Sounds like you need a good stress relief, hmm... Ceasar you should handle this.. Lol :laugh:
 
I want to keep this thread positive so I'd just like to add that though you guys didn't get accepted first batch, you could have just as easily been "Ranked Alternate" which some who have posted in this thread already are. You are on the list of people who have what it takes to go to the school.

In about one week, I will find out whether I'm AWPA or not and then I know I'll have to wait another 6 weeks just to see if I'm accepted in the next batch. And yeah, I know it's not fun waiting, but when you get it it'll all be worth it. I've learned from the beginning of this process that med school applications are just a roller coaster ride with ups and downs, and not letting the downs (wait times and rejections) overshadow the ups (interviews and acceptances) will keep us happy and more importantly sane in the months ahead.

I wish you all the best of luck.
 
Wow. I was all excited to see this forum finally made it to the 4th page...until I read the unprofessional banter. Guess its a good thing we aren't "supposed" to be professional yet?

So let's take the forum back to questions about SIUSOM. Committee meets to take the second batch tomorrow December 14th right? I interviewed late November, and still haven't received my letter telling me which "list" I belong two....Fingers crossed they just send me an acceptance. Does it seem like the leters for acceptance of the AWPA list comes out about a week after the committee meetings?

I'm trying to balance appropriate angst versus developing an ulcer during this process....
 
The meeting tomorrow is just to rank those individuals who interviewed since the last committee meeting. They then send out letters to those people informing them of what "list" they are on. Acceptances come from the AWPA list in batches. The first batch was the first week in December, the next batch is the last week in January. So, no one will be getting an acceptance tomorrow. It's either Accept When Place Available, Ranked Alternate, Prospective Reapplicant, or Denied.

dan80 said:
Wow. I was all excited to see this forum finally made it to the 4th page...until I read the unprofessional banter. Guess its a good thing we aren't "supposed" to be professional yet?

So let's take the forum back to questions about SIUSOM. Committee meets to take the second batch tomorrow December 14th right? I interviewed late November, and still haven't received my letter telling me which "list" I belong two....Fingers crossed they just send me an acceptance. Does it seem like the leters for acceptance of the AWPA list comes out about a week after the committee meetings?

I'm trying to balance appropriate angst versus developing an ulcer during this process....
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And Dan, studentdoctor.net forums are not a professional environment. Have you seen what's in pre-allo? *insert gif here*
 
startswithb said:
The meeting tomorrow is just to rank those individuals who interviewed since the last committee meeting. They then send out letters to those people informing them of what "list" they are on. Acceptances come from the AWPA list in batches. The first batch was the first week in December, the next batch is the last week in January.

I must have misunderstood then, thanks for the info!! Do you also know when the final batch is?
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dan80 said:
startswithb said:
The meeting tomorrow is just to rank those individuals who interviewed since the last committee meeting. They then send out letters to those people informing them of what "list" they are on. Acceptances come from the AWPA list in batches. The first batch was the first week in December, the next batch is the last week in January.

I must have misunderstood then, thanks for the info!! Do you also know when the final batch is?
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March I think
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startswithb said:
The meeting tomorrow is just to rank those individuals who interviewed since the last committee meeting. They then send out letters to those people informing them of what "list" they are on. Acceptances come from the AWPA list in batches. The first batch was the first week in December, the next batch is the last week in January. So, no one will be getting an acceptance tomorrow. It's either Accept When Place Available, Ranked Alternate, Prospective Reapplicant, or Denied.



And Dan, studentdoctor.net forums are not a professional environment. Have you seen what's in pre-allo? *insert gif here*
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They are, Pre-allo just is a bit of an exception. It could be much much worse.
 
Caesar, red10, I remember last year you two getting snubbed my UIC. I was also pre-interview rejected from there. And to think UICOMP started as the Peoria School of Medicine just 40 years ago, to train downstate physicians...yet less than half have stayed to practice in IL. 😕 Instead they accept people who shudder at the thought of being "stuck" on the UPR track, when someone like me/us who have countless ties to the area are rejected pre-interview. I mean, I have researched here for over 2 years! Worked at the main teaching hospital, went to the groundbreaking ceremony for the research facility, and worked at a prominent local physicians group that includes almost its entire surgical teaching faculty!

Sorry, I just had to rant. This is really tough. Oh well, I liked SIU better anyway. 😀
 
startswithb said:
Caesar, red10, I remember last year you two getting snubbed my UIC. I was also pre-interview rejected from there. And to think UICOMP started as the Peoria School of Medicine just 40 years ago, to train downstate physicians...yet less than half have stayed to practice in IL. 😕 Instead they accept people who shudder at the thought of being "stuck" on the UPR track, when someone like me/us who have countless ties to the area are rejected pre-interview. I mean, I have researched here for over 2 years! Worked at the main teaching hospital, went to the groundbreaking ceremony for the research facility, and worked at a prominent local physicians group that includes almost its entire surgical teaching faculty!

Sorry, I just had to rant. This is really tough. Oh well, I liked SIU better anyway. 😀
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Yea i havent gotten any love from UIC either! Who knows what they want👎
 
Their admissions system is terrible. Not just because I didn't get any love, but because the people I know on the committee aren't sure why some people like me aren't getting love.

It's no matter, SIU >>> UIC. There is no circumstance where I would have chosen them over SIU so It no skin off my back haha.
 
What's up guys? Any new interview invites, AWPAs, or acceptances?
 
So, I interviewed recently (my first) and it was an interesting experience. I hated having the day start at 8:15 with my interviews not until much later in the afternoon.

My first interviewer admittedly said he barely had time to go over my application and hence, it was a very casual interview and relatively brief. He was interested that I lived in Islamabad, Pakistan for 2 years in high school yet was born and raised in IL. So, we talked about that for a little bit. He went to the same undergrad school as me which made me feel less weird about having gone to undergrad in Chicago 😀. Asked why medicine, what my favorite class was, etc. He was an extremely nice guy.

The second interviewer had access to my full file. He asked me about my MCAT score, asked if I thought I could do better on it, etc. He asked me what I thought the worlds biggest problem to humanity was and how to fix it (a pretty loaded question, huh?) He asked me a few other general questions about my app, why medicine, what would I do if i took a year off, what my favorite class was, etc. He asked me if I knew a certain doctor in the area (turned out the person he referenced used to be my neighbor and his daughter was in the same high school class as my older brother). He was also intrigued about me having lived in Pakistan for 2 years, and we spent a good portion of our interview time talking about the situation in Afghanistan/Pakistan and how to fix it. Man, if I had an answer for that I'd be getting a Nobel Peace Prize! He was also a very nice guy.

All in all, I think I did all I could do to have a good interview. Thinking back, I probably could have worded some of my answers better or probably said a few things I shouldn't have, but that's that. I was pretty pleased overall. Hope it helped my case for being accepted.
 
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Glad you had a good experience, Shogun. Did you happen to find out when the next batch comes out? Usually they go over the dates with you at the intro meeting. I was told it's "late January" but may want to call to know the exact date. :meanie:😏
 
Shogun00 said:
So, I interviewed recently (my first) and it was an interesting experience. I hated having the day start at 8:15 with my interviews not until much later in the afternoon.

My first interviewer admittedly said he barely had time to go over my application and hence, it was a very casual interview and relatively brief. He was interested that I lived in Islamabad, Pakistan for 2 years in high school yet was born and raised in IL. So, we talked about that for a little bit. He went to the same undergrad school as me which made me feel less weird about having gone to undergrad in Chicago 😀. Asked why medicine, what my favorite class was, etc. He was an extremely nice guy.

The second interviewer had access to my full file. He asked me about my MCAT score, asked if I thought I could do better on it, etc. He asked me what I thought the worlds biggest problem to humanity was and how to fix it (a pretty loaded question, huh?) He asked me a few other general questions about my app, why medicine, what would I do if i took a year off, what my favorite class was, etc. He asked me if I knew a certain doctor in the area (turned out the person he referenced used to be my neighbor and his daughter was in the same high school class as my older brother). He was also intrigued about me having lived in Pakistan for 2 years, and we spent a good portion of our interview time talking about the situation in Afghanistan/Pakistan and how to fix it. Man, if I had an answer for that I'd be getting a Nobel Peace Prize! He was also a very nice guy.

All in all, I think I did all I could do to have a good interview. Thinking back, I probably could have worded some of my answers better or probably said a few things I shouldn't have, but that's that. I was pretty pleased overall. Hope it helped my case for being accepted.
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I think I can guess who one of those interviewers were. Some of them like to ask loaded questions to see your thought process, they know you can't solve the middle east, they just want to see if you know the limitations of your own arguments and concede that there are issues with all points.
 
hey guys, so I'm new here and don't quite get the acceptance process. AWPA/ranked alternate/prospective reapplicant status is decided by the admission committees right? next meeting is at the end of Jan? So if I haven't heard anything yet post-interview, should I expect AWPA/ranked alternate/prospective reapplicant as well as acceptance at the end of this month or would I be in the March meeting?
 
startswithb said:
Glad you had a good experience, Shogun. Did you happen to find out when the next batch comes out? Usually they go over the dates with you at the intro meeting. I was told it's "late January" but may want to call to know the exact date. :meanie:😏
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I believe they said they were meeting January 18th and people should expect to hear back the following week. Also, my friend interviewed the next day and strangely enough, he fell into a later date, with the committee meeting feb 8th (if I'm not mistaken).
 
Hey All!
This is officially my first post on SDN. I was accepted in the first batch of students and LOVE SIU. I also had the opportunity to sit through a PBL session and it was really incredible. I had been kind of weary about learning in such a different way but after you sit through a session it makes total sense. I honestly think the only reason other places do not do it is because they don't have enough faculty to staff the large amount of students. I hope to hear some more excited premeds that are accepted here! Not gonna lie, it took me a while to find the SIU hopefuls so I was feeling kind of lost. Best wishes and PM me if you have any specific questions about interview day! Good luck! Can you believe we are really going to get to be doctors!?!?!?!
 
HappyGirl23 said:
Hey All!
This is officially my first post on SDN. I was accepted in the first batch of students and LOVE SIU. I also had the opportunity to sit through a PBL session and it was really incredible. I had been kind of weary about learning in such a different way but after you sit through a session it makes total sense. I honestly think the only reason other places do not do it is because they don't have enough faculty to staff the large amount of students. I hope to hear some more excited premeds that are accepted here! Not gonna lie, it took me a while to find the SIU hopefuls so I was feeling kind of lost. Best wishes and PM me if you have any specific questions about interview day! Good luck! Can you believe we are really going to get to be doctors!?!?!?!
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That's awesome that you got in...most of us here are still waiting. :xf: Mind sharing your stats?
 
HappyGirl23 said:
Hey All!
This is officially my first post on SDN. I was accepted in the first batch of students and LOVE SIU. I also had the opportunity to sit through a PBL session and it was really incredible. I had been kind of weary about learning in such a different way but after you sit through a session it makes total sense. I honestly think the only reason other places do not do it is because they don't have enough faculty to staff the large amount of students. I hope to hear some more excited premeds that are accepted here! Not gonna lie, it took me a while to find the SIU hopefuls so I was feeling kind of lost. Best wishes and PM me if you have any specific questions about interview day! Good luck! Can you believe we are really going to get to be doctors!?!?!?!
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...were you recently visiting us down in Carbondale?
 
startswithb said:
That's awesome that you got in...most of us here are still waiting. :xf: Mind sharing your stats?
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I had a 30R/3.7 and extracurriculars out the wazooo but everything I am involved in was out of genuine interest. They are really looking for students that are going to be personable doctors rather than people that can spit out facts. It is all about making a connection with someone and making them feel comfortable.
 
Caesar said:
...were you recently visiting us down in Carbondale?
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I was fortunate to get to visit some of the M1's down in Carbondale and must say I enjoyed my time their immensely. My group was very honest and friendly so if you were one of them thank you for your hospitality.
 
As some of you know, the committee meeting was yesterday. If those who were set to be reviewed could kindly post when they received their status letter in the mail, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
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