2010-2011 University of Michigan Application Thread

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Fly into Detroit and take a shuttle (I used Michigan Flyer...it was fine, $20 but only comes every 2 hours) to Ann Arbor.
 
"Admission Advice: Do NOT underestimate or take less seriously the interview(s) you may/have with medical students-this can be very bad!" -UMich Med Twitter

Wow, wonder what happened....I can only imagine what went down during some of the interviews!
 
i can't imagine what interviewees would do during student interviews to warrant that warning? lean back, kick their feet up, crack open a beer and ask "what up bro?"
 
Pre-secondary interview invite at 7am! I am sooooo happy. Go blue!
 
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The admissions twitter said

"AEC Meeting today 11-2=decisions for all those interviewed 8/27 and 9/10 however no decisions reported to any candidate until October 15!"

What does the "11-2" number mean? Did they admit 11 kids from the first day and 2 from the second? Or did they admit 11-2=9 kids?
 
The admissions twitter said

"AEC Meeting today 11-2=decisions for all those interviewed 8/27 and 9/10 however no decisions reported to any candidate until October 15!"

What does the "11-2" number mean? Did they admit 11 kids from the first day and 2 from the second? Or did they admit 11-2=9 kids?

ooooooorrrrrr it means they met from 11 - 2, Really?
 
What does the "11-2" number mean? Did they admit 11 kids from the first day and 2 from the second? Or did they admit 11-2=9 kids?

🙄 only a pre-med would be so numbers-obsessed as to not be able to recognize a time for what it is. :laugh:
 
ooooooorrrrrr it means they met from 11 - 2, Really?

kUsPW.gif

Sorry everyone, brain must be taking a day off.
 
Would it be too late to arrive ~9pm the night before the interview?
 
"Given depth of applicant pool we will have more discussions about again reducing number of interviews." (http://twitter.com/umichmedadmiss)

Blehh. Slim comfort for a fella who has been under review for a month.
 
"Given depth of applicant pool we will have more discussions about again reducing number of interviews." (http://twitter.com/umichmedadmiss)

Blehh. Slim comfort for a fella who has been under review for a month.

No kidding. Granted, this is my pie-in-the-sky school, but I'd at least like for them to get a chance to meet me and vice versa.
 
The admissions twitter said

"AEC Meeting today 11-2=decisions for all those interviewed 8/27 and 9/10 however no decisions reported to any candidate until October 15!"

What does the "11-2" number mean? Did they admit 11 kids from the first day and 2 from the second? Or did they admit 11-2=9 kids?


I think it's straight forward unless I'm reading it wrong, lol...

I believe they are saying that interviewees from 8/27 & 9/10 would find out the decision on 11-2 (i.e. November 2nd)...

twitter sucks... seems like one of those Mama Grizzly (S. Palin) tweets... confusing.
 
I think it's straight forward unless I'm reading it wrong, lol...

I believe they are saying that interviewees from 8/27 & 9/10 would find out the decision on 11-2 (i.e. November 2nd)...

twitter sucks... seems like one of those Mama Grizzly (S. Palin) tweets... confusing.


Don't think so... Those applicants will be hearing back on October 15. What I think the twitter post means is that they met to discuss applications from 11am-2pm.
 
Would it be too late to arrive ~9pm the night before the interview?

Nah. Airport's only a 25-30 min drive from campus. Also, the day starts off with free breakfast/snack foods and coffee/tea, so you can get caffeinated before interviews start. 🙂
 
Anyone know how they feel about in-the-area emails ?
 
anyone out of state complete around mid-sept get an interview?
 
Can't see how it would hurt. Just send them one.

Yeah I'm definitely considering it. Would save me some nice airfare if I'm lucky enough to get an interview. Just gotta make sure it doesn't sound like I think I'm entitled to an interview or something dumb like that.

Probably just ask for an update on the status of my application
 
anyone out of state complete around mid-sept get an interview?

Isn't it still pretty much mid September? What is the turnaround between completion and invitation at this school?
 
It really freaks me out that 475 out of 700 interviews have already been offered for this school... all this waiting... sheesh I didn't realize this process would put me so on edge.
 
Their most recent tweet "every candidate who has interviewed here now has a decision--wish we could report but must wait until 10/15"

Getting us all worked up! October 15th seems so far away...
 
Isn't it still pretty much mid September? What is the turnaround between completion and invitation at this school?

If your numbers fall into their high range, 2-5 days. For the rest of us, months - I've been waiting since late July. Nice to see that they have already determined who they will accept before reading all files...
 
If your numbers fall into their high range, 2-5 days. For the rest of us, months - I've been waiting since late July. Nice to see that they have already determined who they will accept before reading all files...

It sounds like numbers are really important to this school. I've never heard of any school, even lower tiered ones, offering interviews based on numbers to people who didn't even apply via a secondary. That's unfortunate because I feel numbers mean more to certain schools than I think they do to the career as a whole. Don't get me wrong, I have good ones, but I guess maybe that opinion isn't shared by Michigan.
 
It sounds like numbers are really important to this school. I've never heard of any school, even lower tiered ones, offering interviews based on numbers to people who didn't even apply via a secondary. That's unfortunate because I feel numbers mean more to certain schools than I think they do to the career as a whole. Don't get me wrong, I have good ones, but I guess maybe that opinion isn't shared by Michigan.

Yeah, I'm starting to feel the same way - my uGPA won't turn any heads and my MCAT is just average for the school. I'm really happy at UMich and like A2 (I'm a grad student here now) and would have loved to stay (the med school is amazing and I'd be thrilled to attend), but it's looking more and more likely like I've been rejected and they're just waiting until a set date to send those letters out. Oh well, not much I can do at this point - just keep hoping that no news is good news.
 
Agreed. I came to the conclusion weeks ago that this school is an extremely number driven. Auto-invites to people with high stats, aggressive recruiting of people with really high mcat scores.... o well, I think ill stop holding my breath for this school now, because it is not looking good.
 
I would say don't be discouraged by numbers. My stats are average (34M MCAT, 3.7 GPA) and I am interviewing here in November. Super excited! So I'm sure they look at other aspects of your application as well.
 
Agreed. I came to the conclusion weeks ago that this school is an extremely number driven. Auto-invites to people with high stats, aggressive recruiting of people with really high mcat scores.... o well, I think ill stop holding my breath for this school now, because it is not looking good.

I think UM is just more open with their admissions process. A lot of other schools do these things too, they just aren't as open about it. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong and my sub-40 MCAT score will result in no interview. However, being a UM undergrad I've run into a lot of med students here (I work in a lab associated with the med school/roomed with one for the summer/had a handful of friends go here) and they are some of the happiest and chill I've seen. I wouldn't write it off just yet. 🙂
 
I think UMich admissions might be reading this thing...they just tweeted the following

"Are grades and scores important? Absolutely! Are they the only consideration-of course not!"

I still stand by my original statement though. They are a top 10 school, so i guess they are entitled to all the top stat students.
 
I think UMich admissions might be reading this thing...they just tweeted the following

"Are grades and scores important? Absolutely! Are they the only consideration-of course not!"

I still stand by my original statement though. They are a top 10 school, so i guess they are entitled to all the top stat students.

Thanks for the update. I don't have/use twitter...

I agree that grades and scores are important, I mean to be a doctor you need to have certain academic abilities. I typically only place a heavy weight on the MCAT though - if research tells you anything it's that the best comparisons are between values from the same source, and GPAs are never from the same source. The spectrum between numbers and everything else just might be slightly in one direction for this school. But who knows, maybe not...
 
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I think UMich admissions might be reading this thing...they just tweeted the following

"Are grades and scores important? Absolutely! Are they the only consideration-of course not!"

I still stand by my original statement though. They are a top 10 school, so i guess they are entitled to all the top stat students.

I'd agree with that. I'm just surprised they would auto-interview anybody when they are talking about reducing the number of interviews and said earlier they put more weight on the secondary essays than the AMCAS essay, yet they'll interview people automatically who haven't even completed the secondary yet.

Just based on that, I think they place more weight on GPA/MCAT than other schools, at least when deciding who to interview.
 
Really enjoyed the interview day. I loved the candor of the admissions staff in explaining the admissions process. For those that are interested:

-Interviews occur in the morning after a quick introduction/breakfast (the day doesn't actually start until 8:00; the stuff before is breakfast, so I wouldn't be too worried if you miss it). There are three interviews of 30 minutes each: one with an alum, one with an admissions committee member, and one with a student. I thought they were all fairly relaxed and conversational.
-Also in the morning is a lecture by a faculty member (basically saying why they like Michigan) and a presentation by Robert Ruiz about the admissions process. I really liked the admissions presentation. It's pretty interesting stuff.
-Lunch is a "healthy" lunch: sandwiches, fruit, and cookies/brownies. A gaggle of students will come in for lunch and move around the room talking to people. They also do a Q&A student panel for some time.
-The last event of the day is a small group tour.

Some facts I found interesting from the admissions presentation (some of which is available on the website):

-5000+ applications, 670 interviews, 350 admission offers, 170 member class size
-About 80-120 admission offers (of the 200 people that have interviewed by then) will go out Oct. 15th at midnight
-Waitlist = death

As far as transportation goes, I used the Michiganflyer shuttle. It actually wasn't too bad and was by far the cheapest option, but the only problem is that it doesn't come very often (every 2 or 3 hours or so). The shuttle also doesn't drop you off at the campus; you'll need to either get picked up from the drop-off point or take a cab to the school/your host's apartment. Taxis from Detroit Metro are $58 one-way; the other shuttle service the school recommends is $30 one-way; and the Michiganflyer shuttle is $15 one-way.

Best of luck!
 
-5000+ applications, 670 interviews, 350 admission offers, 170 member class size
-About 80-120 admission offers (of the 200 people that have interviewed by then) will go out Oct. 15th at midnight
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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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.

No. Why should some schools cater to later applicants if they can fill their class with excellent applicants who apply earlier in the cycle? Everyone has the opportunity to apply early (unless they have circumstances outside of their control). If you choose to apply later, then you play the hand you're dealt. Also, these 'rules' (if you wish to call them that) are not absolute. People who apply early may never get interviews while people who apply later in the cycle receive interviews.
 
No. Why should some schools cater to later applicants if they can fill their class with excellent applicants who apply earlier in the cycle? Everyone has the opportunity to apply early (unless they have circumstances outside of their control). If you choose to apply later, then you play the hand you're dealt. Also, these 'rules' (if you wish to call them that) are not absolute. People who apply early may never get interviews while people who apply later in the cycle receive interviews.

I understand what both of you are saying, and ultimately it is up to the school to do what is best for them. In this case, I think it is beneficial to accept early and then cherry pick late applications.

I didn't decide I wanted to apply to medical school until May of this year, and I couldn't schedule my MCAT until mid-August because of my wedding/honeymoon. My scores didn't come until mid-September so I am way behind the curve now, and it is frustrating...but it is my fault, rather than the schools fault. Unfortunately.
 
That's really interesting Cole...so they are going to outright accept 80-120 of the first 200 people they interviewed? Is that what they told you? Considering that 350/670 is over 50%, it seems like accepting 80/200 would be a relatively low percentage (especially when considering that the high-stat auto invites that would presumably be in the first group).

Really enjoyed the interview day. I loved the candor of the admissions staff in explaining the admissions process. For those that are interested:

-Interviews occur in the morning after a quick introduction/breakfast (the day doesn't actually start until 8:00; the stuff before is breakfast, so I wouldn't be too worried if you miss it). There are three interviews of 30 minutes each: one with an alum, one with an admissions committee member, and one with a student. I thought they were all fairly relaxed and conversational.
-Also in the morning is a lecture by a faculty member (basically saying why they like Michigan) and a presentation by Robert Ruiz about the admissions process. I really liked the admissions presentation. It's pretty interesting stuff.
-Lunch is a "healthy" lunch: sandwiches, fruit, and cookies/brownies. A gaggle of students will come in for lunch and move around the room talking to people. They also do a Q&A student panel for some time.
-The last event of the day is a small group tour.

Some facts I found interesting from the admissions presentation (some of which is available on the website):

-5000+ applications, 670 interviews, 350 admission offers, 170 member class size
-About 80-120 admission offers (of the 200 people that have interviewed by then) will go out Oct. 15th at midnight
-Waitlist = death

As far as transportation goes, I used the Michiganflyer shuttle. It actually wasn't too bad and was by far the cheapest option, but the only problem is that it doesn't come very often (every 2 or 3 hours or so). The shuttle also doesn't drop you off at the campus; you'll need to either get picked up from the drop-off point or take a cab to the school/your host's apartment. Taxis from Detroit Metro are $58 one-way; the other shuttle service the school recommends is $30 one-way; and the Michiganflyer shuttle is $15 one-way.

Best of luck!
 
Anyone know if that first round of rejections scheduled to go out yesterday was aimed solely at those who had interviewed, or at applicants who they decided not to interview as well?
 
I understand what both of you are saying, and ultimately it is up to the school to do what is best for them. In this case, I think it is beneficial to accept early and then cherry pick late applications.

I didn't decide I wanted to apply to medical school until May of this year, and I couldn't schedule my MCAT until mid-August because of my wedding/honeymoon. My scores didn't come until mid-September so I am way behind the curve now, and it is frustrating...but it is my fault, rather than the schools fault. Unfortunately.

Technically, if the process is to be completely fair, then medical schools shouldn't review any applications until after the deadline. That way everyone gets a thorough review. :shrug:

I am sorry about your situation, but just because you are applying later in the cycle does not = automatic rejection. You (and everyone else) still have a shot. :luck:
 
Anyone know if that first round of rejections scheduled to go out yesterday was aimed solely at those who had interviewed, or at applicants who they decided not to interview as well?

I'm not positive, but it seems like to me, and I assumed, that everyone who interviewed (up until this past Friday) would not hear any answer at all until October 15th.
 
I'm not positive, but it seems like to me, and I assumed, that everyone who interviewed (up until this past Friday) would not hear any answer at all until October 15th.

That would make sense. Otherwise, if you interviewed and didn't hear anything yesterday, you'd know you were in.
 
That's really interesting Cole...so they are going to outright accept 80-120 of the first 200 people they interviewed? Is that what they told you? Considering that 350/670 is over 50%, it seems like accepting 80/200 would be a relatively low percentage (especially when considering that the high-stat auto invites that would presumably be in the first group).

That's what Mr. Ruiz said during his presentation. He also said that's just an estimate, and they may accept more or less depending on the particular applicants.
 
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