2010-2011 University of Michigan Application Thread

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so....has anyone else heard nothing from UM since submitting? I was complete 8/11. crickets.
 
I was waiting for my rejection yesterday, but it didn't happen. I'm still in limbo I guess.
 
stevenpeven said:
Me too. Complete on the same day.
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My file has said "under review" since 9/24, but I haven't received any communication. Is what yours says? Or does that actually mean they are taking a look at it and I'll hear from them in the next couple of week?
 
dpekerholm said:
My file has said "under review" since 9/24, but I haven't received any communication. Is what yours says? Or does that actually mean they are taking a look at it and I'll hear from them in the next couple of week?
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Mine has said File Complete - Under Review since 8/11. Underneath, it says reviews make take up to several months.
 
rjmn said:
This means that they've cut the number of interview slots even more (750 -> 700 -> 670). Not a good sign for folks who haven't been invited.

I still don't understand why med schools prefer applicants from early in the cycle. It seems like some schools ought to focus especially on the later applications, because other schools won't be courting them as much and they're more likely to attend your interview/go to your school as a result.
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A lot of the top schools are NOT rolling admissions (correct me if I am wrong but I believe Harvard, Penn, Yale, Duke, Columbia are all non-rolling, just to name a few). So even if Umich rejects you because you submitted later and they already gave away all of their interview spots, you are put on a more level playing field at some other great schools. 👍
 
Reason #192 Michigan is awesome:

I accidentally left the tote of materials they give you on interview day and my leather document folder at the admissions office on Friday, and they e-mailed me this morning saying they're going to UPS it back to me. Nice!
 
stevenpeven said:
Based on your MDApps profile, you might not have to wait too long.
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You never know. I didn't get an auto invite (may have been because my undergrad was a small liberal arts school) and I'm assuming they review them in order -- so it may take them a while to get to my application reviewed. Nothing is guaranteed.
 
KelMD said:
A lot of the top schools are NOT rolling admissions (correct me if I am wrong but I believe Harvard, Penn, Yale, Duke, Columbia are all non-rolling, just to name a few). So even if Umich rejects you because you submitted later and they already gave away all of their interview spots, you are put on a more level playing field at some other great schools. 👍
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This is kind of misleading...if you get an interview, you are on a level playing field with applicants who interviewed earlier than you did. When it comes to actually nabbing that interview, however, earlier applicants are definitely at an advantage. Later applicants are competing for a much smaller number of interview spots.
 
rhesuspieces said:
This is kind of misleading...if you get an interview, you are on a level playing field with applicants who interviewed earlier than you did. When it comes to actually nabbing that interview, however, earlier applicants are definitely at an advantage. Later applicants are competing for a much smaller number of interview spots.
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I agree, though I think non-rolling schools tend to use a bit more discretion in handing out interviews in the beginning vs schools like Umich. Umich seems to have given out more interviews but reduced the total number yet again (485/675). That is 72% of their interviews but less than a week ago they said they've only reviewed half of their apps. Maybe the other schools have done similar, but I personally find these stats a little disheartening. Note: The processing of all my apps were delayed for my August MCAT retake, so maybe I'm just in denial. :laugh:
 
KelMD said:
I agree, though I think non-rolling schools tend to use a bit more discretion in handing out interviews in the beginning vs schools like Umich.
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Actually you have a point there. Seems like the big names don't have much of a problem sitting on a great app until January and offering an interview then, whereas non-top 10 schools tend to push out huge batches of interviews in August and September.
 
rhesuspieces said:
Actually you have a point there. Seems like the big names don't have much of a problem sitting on a great app until January and offering an interview then, whereas non-top 10 schools tend to push out huge batches of interviews in August and September.
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😕

But UMich is a big name, and is ranked 6th...
 
ColeOnTheRoll said:
Reason #192 Michigan is awesome:

I accidentally left the tote of materials they give you on interview day and my leather document folder at the admissions office on Friday, and they e-mailed me this morning saying they're going to UPS it back to me. Nice!
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Cole, I'm sure they were thoroughly impressed with your note taking/doodling skills.
 
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ElChamaco said:
😕

But UMich is a big name, and is ranked 6th...
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UMich is definitely a big name, but you have to take into consideration what that means for them, namely, who they are in competition with for students. One of the stats thrown out on interview day was that about 99% of applicants who interview with UMich will be accepted into at least one other program. Without a doubt a decent percentage of applicants will be admitted into other Top 10 schools, most of which are Ivy-league and on the east coast.

Again, UMich is a great school and Ann Arbor a beautiful city, but when it comes down to it I assume many applicants will choose the Ivy-name and a different location. I think the way UMich handles admissions is a reflection of this. They send out fast/auto-interviews to the strongest applicants, offer them the best scholarships, invite them out to second looks, etc. in an effort to make a strong first impression and give them earlier preference, hoping for reciprocation.
 
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ElChamaco said:
😕

But UMich is a big name, and is ranked 6th...
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Yup, it is...I just phrased that wrong. But when you think about it, the average person on the street is a lot more familiar with Harvard, Columbia, and Stanford as medical school powerhouses than they are with U Mich. I think that holds more sway over the average student's decision than we like to think it does; hence, U Mich's aggressive and early pursuit of top students.
 
AceXIII said:
UMich is definitely a big name, but you have to take into consideration what that means for them, namely, who they are in competition with for students. One of the stats thrown out on interview day was that about 99% of applicants who interview with UMich will be accepted into at least one other program. Without a doubt a decent percentage of applicants will be admitted into other Top 10 schools, most of which are Ivy-league and on the east coast.

Again, UMich is a great school and Ann Arbor a beautiful city, but when it comes down to it I assume many applicants will choose the Ivy-name and a different location. I think the way UMich handles admissions is a reflection of this. They send out fast/auto-interviews to the strongest applicants, offer them the best scholarships, invite them out to second looks, etc. in an effort to make a strong first impress and give them earlier preference, hoping for reciprocation.
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Agree 100%.

And they're definitely going to accept me early because of my doodles.
 
AceXIII said:
UMich is definitely a big name, but you have to take into consideration what that means for them, namely, who they are in competition with for students. One of the stats thrown out on interview day was that about 99% of applicants who interview with UMich will be accepted into at least one other program. Without a doubt a decent percentage of applicants will be admitted into other Top 10 schools, most of which are Ivy-league and on the east coast.

Again, UMich is a great school and Ann Arbor a beautiful city, but when it comes down to it I assume many applicants will choose the Ivy-name and a different location. I think the way UMich handles admissions is a reflection of this. They send out fast/auto-interviews to the strongest applicants, offer them the best scholarships, invite them out to second looks, etc. in an effort to make a strong first impress and give them earlier preference, hoping for reciprocation.
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👍 agreed also


October 15th is too far away. 🙁
 
Anyone else not able to log into the app status page? It won't even load... perhaps a change in status is in the works... maybe a good change in status? :xf:
 
KelMD said:
Anyone else not able to log into the app status page? It won't even load... perhaps a change in status is in the works... maybe a good change in status? :xf:
Click to expand...

I can't log in either, I was hoping the same too:xf:
But who knows :laugh:
 
AceXIII said:
UMich is definitely a big name, but you have to take into consideration what that means for them, namely, who they are in competition with for students. One of the stats thrown out on interview day was that about 99% of applicants who interview with UMich will be accepted into at least one other program. Without a doubt a decent percentage of applicants will be admitted into other Top 10 schools, most of which are Ivy-league and on the east coast.

Again, UMich is a great school and Ann Arbor a beautiful city, but when it comes down to it I assume many applicants will choose the Ivy-name and a different location. I think the way UMich handles admissions is a reflection of this. They send out fast/auto-interviews to the strongest applicants, offer them the best scholarships, invite them out to second looks, etc. in an effort to make a strong first impression and give them earlier preference, hoping for reciprocation.
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Yes, I think this is probably very accurate and on the part of UMich a very rational strategy to assemble the type of incoming class they want.
 
ElChamaco said:
Yes, I think this is probably very accurate and on the part of UMich a very rational strategy to assemble the type of incoming class they want.
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Which apparently works very well for them because, by far, Michigan has the most amazing student body of anywhere I've been so far. How do they get such accomplished students who are all so down-to-earth and normal? Everyone I interacted with I could see myself going to a game at the big house with.
 
Oh wow, I haven't read this in a while. Good luck to all of you waiting for your answers, 4 days lol.
 
UMichMedAdmiss: "File review=mixed feelings. Grateful for all the amazing applicants but will have many more wonderful candidates than interview slots." - About 2:00 PM, 10/11/10


Hmmm.... Does not bode well for me (average stats, waiting for interview offer).

On a lighter note: Best of luck to everyone else waiting for the 15th, or already set up with an interview! Hopefully I can join your ranks soon!
 
RunDocRun said:
UMichMedAdmiss: "File review=mixed feelings. Grateful for all the amazing applicants but will have many more wonderful candidates than interview slots." - About 2:00 PM, 10/11/10
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That's obnoxious. "Oh, we have so many wonderful applicants. Let's repeatedly cut down the number of interview spots that we intend to offer. Oh, it's such a shame that we have so few slots that we can't interview all of the wonderful applicants who deserve an interview."

I'm supposed to feel sympathy or something? Especially after shelling out over $100 so they can see my application?
 
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i absolutely agree. this whole thing is a racket frankly. let's pump people for money and fill the class with a bunch of prompt applicating-filing gunners. makes a lot of sense.
 
they cut down the interview slots again....only 660 available now.

I wonder how many other schools do this same thing. U Mich seems to be the only one that's transparent about how they conduce the admissions process.
 
boomboomlodge said:
i absolutely agree. this whole thing is a racket frankly. let's pump people for money and fill the class with a bunch of prompt applicating-filing gunners. makes a lot of sense.
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+1 It is sad because all the students seem really nice/happy/normal yet their admissions process seems to SUCK for anyone who doesn't apply by July.
 
KelMD said:
+1 It is sad because all the students seem really nice/happy/normal yet their admissions process seems to SUCK for anyone who doesn't apply by July.
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Totally agree... 🙁

Anyone gotten an interview lately? If so, when were you complete?
 
sml128 said:
Totally agree... 🙁

Anyone gotten an interview lately? If so, when were you complete?
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I don't have an interview, but I have been watching the invite offers. I don't think it has increased recently, so maybe they are waiting to send out the last couple batches of invites?

I was complete sometime in August (their website says my file has been under review since 8/24) but my MCATs weren't in until 9/14. So I'm not sure where that puts me.
 
boomboomlodge said:
i absolutely agree. this whole thing is a racket frankly. let's pump people for money and fill the class with a bunch of prompt applicating-filing gunners. makes a lot of sense.
Click to expand...

Umad? Why didn't you fill out your application "promptly?" It's not like it's somehow unfair.
 
ColeOnTheRoll said:
Umad? Why didn't you fill out your application "promptly?" It's not like it's somehow unfair.
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Yeah, I have to agree. I sympathize with you for feeling you're not getting a fair look here, but all schools have more worthy applicants than they can accept or even interview, and I'd rather they narrow it down on clear criteria (MCAT, GPA, ECs, how early your application gets in) than some random process. You may not like it, but Michigan has the most transparent application process of any school I've ever heard of.
 
ColeOnTheRoll said:
Umad? Why didn't you fill out your application "promptly?" It's not like it's somehow unfair.
Click to expand...

There are many, many reasons why an applicant isn't able to submit his/her AMCAS on June 1 and turn the secondary around within days. While normally I agree that a slight bias towards early applicants isn't worth whining about, U Mich seems to have taken things overboard by giving out half their interviews by September and 75% of their interviews by mid-October.

Promptness is rewarded in the application game, and that's just something we all need to live with. However, it shouldn't be rewarded to the point that those who are a bit later in the game hardly have any chance at all.
 
rhesuspieces said:
There are many, many reasons why an applicant isn't able to submit his/her AMCAS on June 1 and turn the secondary around within days. While normally I agree that a slight bias towards early applicants isn't worth whining about, U Mich seems to have taken things overboard by giving out half their interviews by September and 75% of their interviews by mid-October.

Promptness is rewarded in the application game, and that's just something we all need to live with. However, it shouldn't be rewarded to the point that those who are a bit later in the game hardly have any chance at all.
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I tend to agree with you. I remember someone earlier in this thread mentioning something along the lines of "there is no reason anyone can't submit as early as everyone else" or something like that. There are plenty of reasons. If you have a 40+ hour a week job, it is much more difficult to write the 100+ essays for secondaries as soon as you get them than it is if you are just volunteering at a clinic for 4 hours a week. Some schools favor the second applicant because they can apply earlier.

This doesn't necessarily make the school bad, it's just a product of the medical school admissions system in this country. There are so many applicants with similar stats for so few schools that there has to be something to base cutoffs that can be done quickly. Since the time it takes to submit a secondary is an indirect measure of commitment & dedication to a particular school, it's somewhat of a good start. It's just unfortunate that some people fall through the cracks in this methodology, as a delay in submission doesn't always equate to a lack of commitment. It's just impossible and unrealistic for an admissions committee to be able to do that much work unless they grind to a very slow pace. There are schools that do that to try to eliminate rolling admissions bias, but that comes with an incredibly long wait for applicants. I may not agree 100% with rolling admissions, but Michigan is transparent about it and is trying to make the best of a difficult situation, which is a pretty good comment about the school.
 
The limiting factor for my secondaries getting completed was financial - for a while in the summer every time I got a paycheck I sent in another couple secondaries. I understand well the frustrations of feeling like you've been disadvantaged because you didn't have everything in at the earliest possible date.

That said, I think that the way Michigan runs its admissions department is probably the most professional, transparent, efficient, and sensible of anywhere I'm applying (Mayo is also good, although not as automated/interactive. Pretty much everywhere is is a ****-show. Honestly, half of these websites, if they were made by an Computer Science undergrad for a web design class, would get a failing grade). Some top-tier schools seem to take their exalted status as a license to be disorganized, unhelpful, and hostile - they obviously feel they can get away with it. I'm extremely happy to see that, as an organization, Michigan hasn't fallen into this trap. It really attracts my attention, and it's making me a lot more interested in this school, as opposed to some of the elite east-coast places.
 
Acoustic said:
I tend to agree with you. I remember someone earlier in this thread mentioning something along the lines of "there is no reason anyone can't submit as early as everyone else" or something like that. There are plenty of reasons. If you have a 40+ hour a week job, it is much more difficult to write the 100+ essays for secondaries as soon as you get them than it is if you are just volunteering at a clinic for 4 hours a week. Some schools favor the second applicant because they can apply earlier.

This doesn't necessarily make the school bad, it's just a product of the medical school admissions system in this country. There are so many applicants with similar stats for so few schools that there has to be something to base cutoffs that can be done quickly. Since the time it takes to submit a secondary is an indirect measure of commitment & dedication to a particular school, it's somewhat of a good start. It's just unfortunate that some people fall through the cracks in this methodology, as a delay in submission doesn't always equate to a lack of commitment. It's just impossible and unrealistic for an admissions committee to be able to do that much work unless they grind to a very slow pace. There are schools that do that to try to eliminate rolling admissions bias, but that comes with an incredibly long wait for applicants. I may not agree 100% with rolling admissions, but Michigan is transparent about it and is trying to make the best of a difficult situation, which is a pretty good comment about the school.
Click to expand...




Sure, there are a multitude of reasons why people can't submit their apps early....there's work, or research, or relationship drama, or a string of crazy parties every other night...the list goes on, and there's no way to assess these factors in medical school admissions. I definitely agree with you that some reasons are more valid than others. However, we are trying to become doctors who can manage time well, multitask, separate a rigorous work life from personal life, and get stuff done without using excuses. If applicants really have no time, then they need to prioritize what's important. It's common knowledge that earlier is better, so in my opinion there's really no one else to blame than yourself if you apply late....(unless your college's pre-med committee screwed you over by making you late which in that case....haha)

i worked a 40-hour week during the entire application process, applied to 30+ schools, moved from my home, and had a long-term relationship breakup at the same time.....I still managed to get my secondaries in "early" and get early interviews.....and my time management skills are very shabby compared to many other pre-meds I know. For me personally, an improved chance at UMICH was worth losing a few extra hours of sleep a night for a week. If your aim is to enter the ranks of top schools like UMICH, it's time to start thinking like a physician-in-training, like your future classmates who will be able to pull off ridiculous schedules promptly without complaints....think of it as making sacrifices instead of excuses.

i'm not tryin to target anybody at all, but this is just my opinion. We're trying to enter one of the most prestigious professions here....and excuses bother me, that's all haha.

Good luck UMICH applicants!
 
phltz said:
Some top-tier schools seem to take their exalted status as a license to be disorganized, unhelpful, and hostile - they obviously feel they can get away with it.
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hahahaha *cough*Harvard*cough*. Direct quote from a certain top school's secondary page post submission: "No, you can't check your status. No, we don't want your essays. You have marked your application as finalized and it cannot be edited, you pathetic little whiner."

(italicized portions may be embellished for dramatic effect)
 
Jage said:
Sure, there are a multitude of reasons why people can't submit their apps early....there's work, or research, or relationship drama, or a string of crazy parties every other night...the list goes on, and there's no way to assess these factors in medical school admissions. I definitely agree with you that some reasons are more valid than others. However, we are trying to become doctors who can manage time well, multitask, separate a rigorous work life from personal life, and get stuff done without using excuses. If applicants really have no time, then they need to prioritize what's important. It's common knowledge that earlier is better, so in my opinion there's really no one else to blame than yourself if you apply late....(unless your college's pre-med committee screwed you over by making you late which in that case....haha)

i worked a 40-hour week during the entire application process, applied to 30+ schools, moved from my home, and had a long-term relationship breakup at the same time.....I still managed to get my secondaries in "early" and get early interviews.....and my time management skills are very shabby compared to many other pre-meds I know. For me personally, an improved chance at UMICH was worth losing a few extra hours of sleep a night for a week. If your aim is to enter the ranks of top schools like UMICH, it's time to start thinking like a physician-in-training, like your future classmates who will be able to pull off ridiculous schedules promptly without complaints....think of it as making sacrifices instead of excuses.

i'm not tryin to target anybody at all, but this is just my opinion. We're trying to enter one of the most prestigious professions here....and excuses bother me, that's all haha.

Good luck UMICH applicants!
Click to expand...

I guess it's the age-old debate between understanding the process it took to produce results and not caring how the results are produced, just that they are in a timely fashion. I agree with most of what you say, though, I'm just more interested in the process it took to produce results. I don't think most of the posters are making excuses, and rarely in life is there one answer that fits all situations.

But it sounds like you have a lot of dedication and went through a lot this cycle! Good luck and hopefully it all pays off in the end!
 
rhesuspieces said:
hahahaha *cough*Harvard*cough*. Direct quote from a certain top school's secondary page post submission: "No, you can't check your status. No, we don't want your essays. You have marked your application as finalized and it cannot be edited, you pathetic little whiner."

(italicized portions may be embellished for dramatic effect)
Click to expand...

Thanks for giving me a good laugh :laugh:
 
Thought this school had auto-invites? I am over the line of the auto-invite stats that were listed and just found out today that I was denied an interview.
 
CaptainSSO said:
Thought this school had auto-invites? I am over the line of the auto-invite stats that were listed and just found out today that I was denied an interview.
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I dont know whats up with my app, its been under review since 8/24 and havent heard a thing yet, and Im below the auto invite stats... wonder why yours would already be denied and not just put on hold. Would yours go directly to being reviewed due to your high stats and then they would let you know their decision faster?
Well Im sure with your great stats you will get any someplace, good luck
 
Acoustic said:
I guess it's the age-old debate between understanding the process it took to produce results and not caring how the results are produced, just that they are in a timely fashion. I agree with most of what you say, though, I'm just more interested in the process it took to produce results. I don't think most of the posters are making excuses, and rarely in life is there one answer that fits all situations.

But it sounds like you have a lot of dedication and went through a lot this cycle! Good luck and hopefully it all pays off in the end!
Click to expand...


Good luck to you too!
 
CaptainSSO said:
Thought this school had auto-invites? I am over the line of the auto-invite stats that were listed and just found out today that I was denied an interview.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about it. I was denied an auto-invite with a 41/4.0 and got an interview a couple of weeks after I was complete.

Edit: did you mean you were rejected?
 
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Acoustic said:
I tend to agree with you. I remember someone earlier in this thread mentioning something along the lines of "there is no reason anyone can't submit as early as everyone else" or something like that. There are plenty of reasons. If you have a 40+ hour a week job, it is much more difficult to write the 100+ essays for secondaries as soon as you get them than it is if you are just volunteering at a clinic for 4 hours a week. Some schools favor the second applicant because they can apply earlier.

This doesn't necessarily make the school bad, it's just a product of the medical school admissions system in this country. There are so many applicants with similar stats for so few schools that there has to be something to base cutoffs that can be done quickly. Since the time it takes to submit a secondary is an indirect measure of commitment & dedication to a particular school, it's somewhat of a good start. It's just unfortunate that some people fall through the cracks in this methodology, as a delay in submission doesn't always equate to a lack of commitment. It's just impossible and unrealistic for an admissions committee to be able to do that much work unless they grind to a very slow pace. There are schools that do that to try to eliminate rolling admissions bias, but that comes with an incredibly long wait for applicants. I may not agree 100% with rolling admissions, but Michigan is transparent about it and is trying to make the best of a difficult situation, which is a pretty good comment about the school.
Click to expand...

That was me. If you read my post, I am pretty sure I wrote a clause in there to the tune of "unless you have circumstances out of your control" or something like that. Technically, the fairest way (for applicants) would be for the admissions committee to not take any action whatsoever until the primary & secondary deadlines had passed, then give everyone a review. However, the name of the game is get your app in on time. From the adcoms perspective, it seems like the most time-efficient way to get the class that they want, I guess. :shrug:
 
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