2010-2011 University of Illinois Application Thread

[Gara]

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So since the deadline for students to have only one acceptance remaining is May 15th I assumed that UI (like other schools) would have made their decisions by now. I called and they said if I'm still "Decision Pending" that means they'll still consider my application for the May Adcom meeting.

Is it really possible that they haven't filled all the spots by now? Does UI not have a waitlist?

 

[startswithb]

So since the deadline for students to have only one acceptance remaining is May 15th I assumed that UI (like other schools) would have made their decisions by now. I called and they said if I'm still "Decision Pending" that means they'll still consider my application for the May Adcom meeting.

Is it really possible that they haven't filled all the spots by now? Does UI not have a waitlist?

I'm in the same boat as you. According to last year's thread, the waitlist was officially made around June 1st. Status updates were "applicant is waitlisted" and confirmation came in the mail.

 

[coffeenut31]

Hi all!

Congratulations to those that have gotten in this cycle! I was hoping some of you could give me advice on how to better my application for the coming year. I am still "Decision Pending," but I want to turn in my re-application as soon as possible. Here are my stats: MCAT = 32 (VR9, PS11, BS12). sGPA=3.6 Overall GPA= 3.81. I have extensive research experience, worked in a free health clinic, lots of shadowing. Currently, I am working full time in a lab, and have recently started volunteering at a nearby hospital. Any other suggestions? Should I still continue to look into smps?

 

[toppers88]

So i read the last 2 years threads for UICOM- last year, it looks like UICOM had a lot of movement in their wait list but the year before there was little to no movement at all... after reading the thread for 2008-2009, i am VERYYY concerned! especially since someone on this thread previously posted that UICOM has already over accepted!

🙁

 

[immonpath]

Not accepted here yet, but I just found this: https://www.med.illinois.edu/MedCalendar/views/week.php?cal=67&getdate=20110912&sat=0

M1 Calendar. The course schedules look grueling! Class all day from 8-3/5, with small groups some days until the late evening...6-8. I have heard from a faculty member that course evaluations from students are often negative, with the main complaints being too many classes and too much lecture time. As a result, the curriculum committee is working to implement changes to reduce lecture time across the board. I am not sure when these changes will take place, though.

EDIT: this is for the Urbana campus.

Monday, Sept. 19th, 2011
PROGRESS EXAM I
8:00 - 4:30 PM

Embryology, Biochemistry, Histology, Medical Genetics, Physiology and Micro

It will/would be a BIG adjustment for me at least...

No changes have been made for the incoming class per one of the deans I spoke with. Welcome to medical school 🙂

 

[immonpath]

No changes have been made for the incoming class per one of the deans I spoke with. Welcome to medical school 🙂

I just noticed it's class till about 12 or 1pm daily then you meet for small groups about 2-3x a week for two hours. Doesn't sound too bad to me.

 

[startswithb]

No changes have been made for the incoming class per one of the deans I spoke with. Welcome to medical school 🙂

Good to know. I know that at least in Peoria they just hired a new person to help with the LCME mandated curricular changes. They should be going by our 2nd year. Seems LCME supports the trend of more "active learning" and reduced lecture time.

 

[CFO]

In case anyone was curious if the scholarship that grants OOS students IS tuition rates is real, it is. I just got the email offer for it yesterday. The email said about 25 students a year get one and that I can renew it for up to 3 years. I didn't do anything to get this offer, so it seems that the adcom makes the decision to hand these out on their own volition.

 

[Calfox21]

In case anyone was curious if the scholarship that grants OOS students IS tuition rates is real, it is. I just got the email offer for it yesterday. The email said about 25 students a year get one and that I can renew it for up to 3 years. I didn't do anything to get this offer, so it seems that the adcom makes the decision to hand these out on their own volition.

I'll second this one. I just got the email yesterday as well. Although, apparently financial aid and admissions have no idea about it when you ask them.

 

[Rayne]

just wanted to ask any current OOS UIC med students or any other OOS incoming students what they did/plan for the tuition? are you planning to just take out all loans?

 

[Rayne]

also..was wondering if any current uic peoria students could lend some info. it's just the medical school at peoria right? so..for example, there is no undergrad campus...?

the reason i'm asking is that actually music performance is important to me and i'd like to continue this throughout med school...are there any music departments/areas that students could pursue their interests other than medicine?

 

[immonpath]

just wanted to ask any current OOS UIC med students or any other OOS incoming students what they did/plan for the tuition? are you planning to just take out all loans?

That was my plan if I didn't get the Scholarship.

 

[Rayne]

That was my plan if I didn't get the Scholarship.

what about any students who have not received the scholarship offer? any other routes u guys are looking to pay for the price tag..

 

[PhDthenMD]

what about any students who have not received the scholarship offer? any other routes u guys are looking to pay for the price tag..

There's always the MD/PhD route.

 

[Rayne]

There's always the MD/PhD route.

i think doing md/phd for the money is not a wise decision.

 

[MUKB24]

i think doing md/phd for the money is not a wise decision.

+1

 

[immonpath]

+1

You could try to apply to the other msp programs for tuition waivers. Ie MBA , law, phd in lots of other fields: community health, the sciences, just choose carefully.

 

[PhDthenMD]

i think doing md/phd for the money is not a wise decision.

Any less wise than joining the military as an alternative, for example? Either way its another four years of your life. Of course you could just finance it all and hope for hyper inflation. It's a tough decision. Anyway the question was about financial alternatives. Certainly becoming a medical scholar is viable for many.

 

[sgbak13]

Any less wise than joining the military as an alternative, for example? Either way its another four years of your life. Of course you could just finance it all and hope for hyper inflation. It's a tough decision. Anyway the question was about financial alternatives. Certainly becoming a medical scholar is viable for many.

if it comes to money, military is A LOT better option than doing phd-md.

 

[PhDthenMD]

if it comes to money, military is A LOT better option than doing phd-md.

That's entirely a matter of opinion.

 

[ColumMcCann]

md phd will always be better than military. If you do military, you can get shipped anywhere.

 

[Rayne]

Any less wise than joining the military as an alternative, for example? Either way its another four years of your life. Of course you could just finance it all and hope for hyper inflation. It's a tough decision. Anyway the question was about financial alternatives. Certainly becoming a medical scholar is viable for many.

i did not say that becoming a medical scholar is not a viable choice...i only said that doing it for the money was not wise in my opinion.

i guess there really aren't any other financial options that people really have at this point :/

 

[sgbak13]

That's entirely a matter of opinion.

no. just numbers.

 

[sgbak13]

md phd will always be better than military. If you do military, you can get shipped anywhere.

if you're talking about deployments, yes for 90 days u can be shipped to a combat zone. if ur talking about stationing, no u will most likely be stationed at one of the bigger army hospitals.

 

[ColumMcCann]

if you're talking about deployments, yes for 90 days u can be shipped to a combat zone. if ur talking about stationing, no u will most likely be stationed at one of the bigger army hospitals.

thus, md phd will always be better than military

 

[sgbak13]

thus, md phd will always be better than military

where does the thus come from?

 

[sdles]

thus, md phd will always be better than military

Don't discount the fact that some people may actually want to serve in the military

 

[ColumMcCann]

where does the thus come from?

You're right, I suppose it depends on whether you prefer being in a lab or being in a combat zone.

 

[sgbak13]

Don't discount the fact that some people may actually want to serve in the military

plus not everyone wants to become a lab rat for four years

 

[ColumMcCann]

plus not everyone wants to become a lab rat for four years

which would you prefer?

 

[Rayne]

these are all just opinions.

didn't mean to start a whole new discussion...but honestly, as an OOS applicant who has had the good fortune to be accepted, the cost is really high to stomach. yes, i've looked into the military route but i find it discouraging that my specialty choice might be limited. i've also looked into md/phd, but even if i were to enter as an M2, i would still have nearly 100,000 dollars of debt from just M1 year alone.

i've talked with some attendings and they were surprised to see how expensive it was...i mean it's great if you have a scholarship and all for OOS but there are only a lucky 25 students with those - there really isn't any other options to pay for such a monster tuition?

would appreciate some constructive advice on this matter.

 

[sdles]

which would you prefer?

You are making a lot of judgments on the career without really understanding what a physician in the military does, where they work, etc. Many of your colleagues are going this route, or have served in the past, and it would benefit you to at least understand where they are coming from/what they are getting themselves into. "Combat Zones" are few and far between and, right now, entirely voluntary.

I can guarantee you that no one in the physician community makes an uninformed decision in joining the military. They have all made their own cost-benefit analysis and deemed it an appropriate choice.

 

[ColumMcCann]

You are making a lot of judgments on the career without really understanding what a physician in the military does, where they work, etc. Many of your colleagues are going this route, or have served in the past, and it would benefit you to at least understand where they are coming from/what they are getting themselves into. "Combat Zones" are few and far between and, right now, entirely voluntary.

I can guarantee you that no one in the physician community makes an uninformed decision in joining the military. They have all made their own cost-benefit analysis and deemed it an appropriate choice.

I'm afraid you've misinterpreted the tone of my comments. I was genuinely curious as to which you would personally subscribe. My father worked as a military MD and loved it, the rest of his family did not.

 

[ColumMcCann]

these are all just opinions.

didn't mean to start a whole new discussion...but honestly, as an OOS applicant who has had the good fortune to be accepted, the cost is really high to stomach. yes, i've looked into the military route but i find it discouraging that my specialty choice might be limited. i've also looked into md/phd, but even if i were to enter as an M2, i would still have nearly 100,000 dollars of debt from just M1 year alone.

i've talked with some attendings and they were surprised to see how expensive it was...i mean it's great if you have a scholarship and all for OOS but there are only a lucky 25 students with those - there really isn't any other options to pay for such a monster tuition?

would appreciate some constructive advice on this matter.

I've also questioned attendings about whether or not they think it's worth going to a school that's going to cost roughly 400k at the end of it, and they unanimously rebuked the idea. However, most of them had to pay for their medical tuition out of their own pocket. If you can get your parents to finance a good portion of it for you, I don't think it's entirely unfeasible.

 

[Rayne]

I've also questioned attendings about whether or not they think it's worth going to a school that's going to cost roughly 400k at the end of it, and they unanimously rebuked the idea. However, most of them had to pay for their medical tuition out of their own pocket. If you can get your parents to finance a good portion of it for you, I don't think it's entirely unfeasible.

yeah my parents won't be able to unfortunately 🙁

i've honestly been thinking about reapplying...but it's so frustrating trying to talk to the financial aid office. some of the staff can be downright rude.

 

[Gara]

these are all just opinions.

didn't mean to start a whole new discussion...but honestly, as an OOS applicant who has had the good fortune to be accepted, the cost is really high to stomach. yes, i've looked into the military route but i find it discouraging that my specialty choice might be limited. i've also looked into md/phd, but even if i were to enter as an M2, i would still have nearly 100,000 dollars of debt from just M1 year alone.

i've talked with some attendings and they were surprised to see how expensive it was...i mean it's great if you have a scholarship and all for OOS but there are only a lucky 25 students with those - there really isn't any other options to pay for such a monster tuition?

would appreciate some constructive advice on this matter.

Has anyone mentioned the competitiveness factor of the MD/PhD route? I mean at my state school there are 3 MD/PhD spots so it's hardly worth considering out of the blue (without strong ties to research).

 

[ColumMcCann]

yeah my parents won't be able to unfortunately 🙁

i've honestly been thinking about reapplying...but it's so frustrating trying to talk to the financial aid office. some of the staff can be downright rude.

yea, i've spoken to them as well and they're definitely not the most compassionate people. But it IS a state school, you can't expect it to be average cost.

 

[Rayne]

Has anyone mentioned the competitiveness factor of the MD/PhD route? I mean at my state school there are 3 MD/PhD spots so it's hardly worth considering out of the blue (without strong ties to research).

point taken - i was saying that IF i were to land an MD/PhD spot which is unlikely in it of itself. it IS very competitive, absolutely...and internal applicants are not viewed as favorably when i talked to the md phd office.

 

[Rayne]

yea, i've spoken to them as well and they're definitely not the most compassionate people. But it IS a state school, you can't expect it to be average cost.

i just didn't expect it to be that high. i believe there are less than 5 schools with a higher cost than uic OOS, and the unfortunate thing is that the tuition is expected to rise even further.

 

[ColumMcCann]

i just didn't expect it to be that high. i believe there are less than 5 schools with a higher cost than uic OOS, and the unfortunate thing is that the tuition is expected to rise even further.

You've gotta find the humor in this. There's a huge PMD shortage in Illinois, but the states makes it harder to become one. Ironies, ya'll.

 

[immonpath]

point taken - i was saying that IF i were to land an MD/PhD spot which is unlikely in it of itself. it IS very competitive, absolutely...and internal applicants are not viewed as favorably when i talked to the md phd office.

Talk to the MSP Director at Urbana. You've already been accepted which is half the battle to MD/PhD. To be quite honest they (Urbana) made it seem relatively simple to join the MSP program. (After year 1 I think) It seemed to be recommended (if you can handle it) by the people I spoke to. I do understand that the Chicago MDPhd is a bit different than the Urbana MDPhd.

If you want to pursue law- you would have to take the LSAT by a certain year (tuition waiver for the md portion), if you want to pursue an MBA (there are also grad assistantships (?) which will cover your MD tuition)

I wouldn't say this route is easy by any chance, but there are plenty of opportunities at Uni of Illinois to tackle the debt. Some way or another it involves committing more years.

Don't forget if you're going into primary care there are loan forgiveness programs. And based on my research in specialty salaries, it's pretty common to see groups/hospitals offer some sort of loan forgiveness package included in the salary.

Personally I wouldn't re-apply because costs are constantly going up as well as the stiff competition. Nothing is guaranteed so don't ruin your future over money.

 

[Rayne]

Talk to the MSP Director at Urbana. You've already been accepted which is half the battle to MD/PhD. To be quite honest they (Urbana) made it seem relatively simple to join the MSP program. (After year 1 I think) It seemed to be recommended (if you can handle it) by the people I spoke to. I do understand that the Chicago MDPhd is a bit different than the Urbana MDPhd.

If you want to pursue law- you would have to take the LSAT by a certain year (tuition waiver for the md portion), if you want to pursue an MBA (there are also grad assistantships (?) which will cover your MD tuition)

I wouldn't say this route is easy by any chance, but there are plenty of opportunities at Uni of Illinois to tackle the debt. Some way or another it involves committing more years.

Don't forget if you're going into primary care there are loan forgiveness programs. And based on my research in specialty salaries, it's pretty common to see groups/hospitals offer some sort of loan forgiveness package included in the salary.

Personally I wouldn't re-apply because costs are constantly going up as well as the stiff competition. Nothing is guaranteed so don't ruin your future over money.

mm thanks for the input. i'm trying to see if i can get some sort of grad assistantship during the m1 year and maybe apply for the msp...that would be awesome. even doing the md/phd is a big hurdle, but to have nearly 100,000 dollars in debt is quite a huge amount...would be great to see if they take care of the m1 tuition as well.

 

[Calfox21]

mm thanks for the input. i'm trying to see if i can get some sort of grad assistantship during the m1 year and maybe apply for the msp...that would be awesome. even doing the md/phd is a big hurdle, but to have nearly 100,000 dollars in debt is quite a huge amount...would be great to see if they take care of the m1 tuition as well.

So I know the military route hasn't been particularly well recieved here, but there is an alternative to HPSP (the active duty scholarship). The National Guard started a program recently, and comparitively the comittment is much less. They only cover tuition, but it also means no overseas.

 

[AutumnChild]

Anyone know anything about what's going on for the people who are STILL decision pending? I think it's a bit ridiculous that they haven't given final decisions to everyone yet.....ugh

 

[startswithb]

Anyone know anything about what's going on for the people who are STILL decision pending? I think it's a bit ridiculous that they haven't given final decisions to everyone yet.....ugh

I agree, especially since it's after May 15th. In one of their decision pending emails they stated that they reserve the right to withold all final decisions until June 1st. Not sure why it takes them so much longer than every other school...

 

[antelopemd]

Not many people posting about withdrawals either so I'm getting kinda worried about any possible movement now as well.

 

[rierphfft]

I agree, especially since it's after May 15th. In one of their decision pending emails they stated that they reserve the right to withold all final decisions until June 1st. Not sure why it takes them so much longer than every other school...

So does that mean they'll accept/reject and create a waitlist june 1? It seems pretty late but at least they gave a date. Maybe they've already weeded out most of the rejections and all of us decision pending people have a good chance? Maybe there's only like 30 of us and we all get in!!!

 

[startswithb]

So does that mean they'll accept/reject and create a waitlist june 1? It seems pretty late but at least they gave a date. Maybe they've already weeded out most of the rejections and all of us decision pending people have a good chance? Maybe there's only like 30 of us and we all get in!!!

Haha, that would be nice. Last year's thread had people being waitlisted or called for an acceptance June 2nd or 3rd.

 

[Gara]

So does that mean they'll accept/reject and create a waitlist june 1? It seems pretty late but at least they gave a date. Maybe they've already weeded out most of the rejections and all of us decision pending people have a good chance? Maybe there's only like 30 of us and we all get in!!!

Never mind my negativity.

 

[Gara]

Haha, that would be nice. Last year's thread had people being waitlisted or called for an acceptance June 2nd or 3rd.

Really? That's so late though. Oh well it's good to know there's still the possibility of acceptance.