2010-2011 University of Wisconsin Application Thread

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BostonDrwannabe said:
I'm thinking about buying a condo, so that would minimize general maintenance fees. Paying utilities is not really a problem. I hope this is a good move!
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This is just my two cents. Condos are tough to sell, especially in this market. Unless you get a residency in Madison, you might be stuck with it and have to pay a mortgage and rent somewhere else. You could possibly rent it out to professional/graduate students when you leave but there is no guarantee you'll be able to cover the mortgage, property taxes, and association fees with this. I am actually going to be rent a room in a condo someone purchased 6 years ago and wasn't able to sell. Property taxes in Madison are quite high compared to other areas in the state ($4000+/yr for a $120,000 property) and condo fees can be pricey too (at about $200/mo). Buying also ties up a lot of your money as you should put 20% down. I don't know your specific situation, but most new med students don't have $35,000-$45,000 in the bank ($20,000-$30,000 for the down payment and closing costs plus 6 months living expenses). You still can get a loan without 20% down, but you will need to pay PMI, which is just wasted money and you will also not get as good of an interest rate. It is getting harder and harder to get a loan without 20% down (as it should be, since putting people without financial stability into homes they couldn't afford is part of the reason why we are in this current economic mess). Unless you know you are pretty sure you want to be in Madison for residency and can put 20% down, I would just rent. It is less hassle, your $ is easily accessible if you need it for an emergency, and there is less stress. Plus, if you buy a nice place you will want to purchase all kinds of nice things to put in it, which is more money. Med school is just 4 years, after which you could purchase a home you would like to live in for years. Sorry if that wasn't what you wanted to hear, but like I said, that is just my two cents.
 
I think you'd have better luck buying a small single family home than a condo for the purposes of rental. Most condos in madison are new and, therefore, expensive.

One of my classmates bought a 3 bdrm single family home and rents the other two bedrooms for about his entire mortgage payment.

wiscRD said:
This is just my two cents. Condos are tough to sell, especially in this market. Unless you get a residency in Madison, you might be stuck with it and have to pay a mortgage and rent somewhere else. You could possibly rent it out to professional/graduate students when you leave but there is no guarantee you'll be able to cover the mortgage, property taxes, and association fees with this. I am actually going to be rent a room in a condo someone purchased 6 years ago and wasn't able to sell. Property taxes in Madison are quite high compared to other areas in the state ($4000+/yr for a $120,000 property) and condo fees can be pricey too (at about $200/mo). Buying also ties up a lot of your money as you should put 20% down. I don't know your specific situation, but most new med students don't have $35,000-$45,000 in the bank ($20,000-$30,000 for the down payment and closing costs plus 6 months living expenses). You still can get a loan without 20% down, but you will need to pay PMI, which is just wasted money and you will also not get as good of an interest rate. It is getting harder and harder to get a loan without 20% down (as it should be, since putting people without financial stability into homes they couldn't afford is part of the reason why we are in this current economic mess). Unless you know you are pretty sure you want to be in Madison for residency and can put 20% down, I would just rent. It is less hassle, your $ is easily accessible if you need it for an emergency, and there is less stress. Plus, if you buy a nice place you will want to purchase all kinds of nice things to put in it, which is more money. Med school is just 4 years, after which you could purchase a home you would like to live in for years. Sorry if that wasn't what you wanted to hear, but like I said, that is just my two cents.
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wiscRD said:
This is just my two cents. Condos are tough to sell, especially in this market. Unless you get a residency in Madison, you might be stuck with it and have to pay a mortgage and rent somewhere else. You could possibly rent it out to professional/graduate students when you leave but there is no guarantee you'll be able to cover the mortgage, property taxes, and association fees with this. I am actually going to be rent a room in a condo someone purchased 6 years ago and wasn't able to sell. Property taxes in Madison are quite high compared to other areas in the state ($4000+/yr for a $120,000 property) and condo fees can be pricey too (at about $200/mo). Buying also ties up a lot of your money as you should put 20% down. I don't know your specific situation, but most new med students don't have $35,000-$45,000 in the bank ($20,000-$30,000 for the down payment and closing costs plus 6 months living expenses). You still can get a loan without 20% down, but you will need to pay PMI, which is just wasted money and you will also not get as good of an interest rate. It is getting harder and harder to get a loan without 20% down (as it should be, since putting people without financial stability into homes they couldn't afford is part of the reason why we are in this current economic mess). Unless you know you are pretty sure you want to be in Madison for residency and can put 20% down, I would just rent. It is less hassle, your $ is easily accessible if you need it for an emergency, and there is less stress. Plus, if you buy a nice place you will want to purchase all kinds of nice things to put in it, which is more money. Med school is just 4 years, after which you could purchase a home you would like to live in for years. Sorry if that wasn't what you wanted to hear, but like I said, that is just my two cents.
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Thanks for your advice--though it does leave a lump in my throat. I would be reluctant if I were to do it on my own, but my parents are willing to help me out financially with the down payment, and possibly cosign my loan. They have perfect credit, so I'd imagine I would get a good interest rate, plus my earning potential in the future would minimize any risk they would have. I am looking to put 15% down, and I am looking to buy a condo in downtown Madison, so that it would be easier if I decide to resell. I figured that in the event that I can't recover the full value of the apartment, even if I lose money, let's say $20,000, I'd still save 20,000 in the big picture since it would cost me 40,000 to rent anyhow. Maybe my thinking is a little skewed, and to be honest, I am a little nervous about owning property, but I think I will have to go through a lot of the same considerations if I were to buy after med school (i.e will I want to practice where I go to residency, etc.)
 
I just got a letter from the admissions office regarding my place on the wait list. It was dated April 13th so hopefully everyone else on the waitlist should be getting their letter soon!
 
badgernerd said:
I just got a letter from the admissions office regarding my place on the wait list. It was dated April 13th so hopefully everyone else on the waitlist should be getting their letter soon!
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AHH I had a feeling they would be coming soon but there was no mail in my mailbox 🙁, none, so either the mailman is running late, skipping my place today, or I'll get it on monday. I wanna know nowwwwwwwww.
 
fnsweet said:
Any idea how much movement occurs on the waitlist? 0 - 30 is quite vague..

If I'm in the top 10 is it likely that I'll get in? Or would that be too presumptuous?
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If you browse this thread as well as last year's thread, you should get an idea of your chances. To sum it up:

if you are in state, the chances are good...there was very little to no movement in the OOS wait list the past 2 years. I was initially put on the alternate list back in march, but I was taken off early April without even being ranked! I definitely lucked out...
 
fnsweet said:
Thanks, good to hear you got your acceptance so soon after being wait listed!

So if I don't hear anything from Madison until after May 15, I don't have to decline the one acceptance I am currently holding on to right? I can just wait to hear if I do get accepted at Madison?
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Yes - you can only hold one acceptance and you don't have one from Madison yet, so the other one is okay. Once your (hopefully) get your madison acceptance you then have to withdraw your other acceptance.
 
depressingly large number on the wait list as an OOS, I know there are 2 wait lists, but how come the letter doesn't say anything about that?
 
fnsweet said:
Yeah I'm wondering the same thing. I've read enough on SDN to believe that the lists are different, but I just haven't heard this to be confirmed or denied by UW Admissions.

So if I understand correctly...
if 20 in-state applicants withdraw, then 20 spots will open on the IS list only,
or if 20 out-of-state applicants withdraw, then 20 will open on the OOS list only?

EDIT: Does anyone have an idea of how likely is it that there will be movement before May 15? Sorry to ask these stupid questions, the wait-list is just a difficult place to be!
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it's not quite that simple, but generally yes.
 
Basically there's a couple factors involved.

1) there's a limit on how many OOS can be in each class.

2) there's more ppl accepted (not a ton, but more) than spots, so even if x people go elsewhere, that doesn't mean x more people get offers.

At least historically, it's significantly more likely to be on the IS list, because you're in line for 80-85% of seats. That said, IS people are much less likely to go elsewhere. The last couple years we haven't taken anyone from the OOS list but there's a different approach to admissions this year so things may be different.

fnsweet said:
Hmm I was hoping it was that simple.. but I guess they want to make their class "look" a certain way..

Files are already closed, so there's nothing that can be done to improve rank

The letter says their policy is to "first offer available positions to those individuals having the lowest (starting at #1) alternate number, and to then move progressively through the alternate list as positions become available."

So it's essentially lowest rank left on the list gets an open spot?
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I'm considering buying a ipad for school but a big deciding factor would be whether I can handwrite notes onto the slides. To that effect, can someone tell me if the study materials at UW are mostly distributed online or are they handed out as paper modules at the beginning of every block? If most the notes are given as paper, there's little use for an Ipad as scanning them into pdfs would just be too time consuming.

Another question is about the lecture video recordings. Are they available online for a whole term/some specific duration of time or only on the day of the lecture?
 
byurazorhog said:
I'm considering buying a ipad for school but a big deciding factor would be whether I can handwrite notes onto the slides. To that effect, can someone tell me if the study materials at UW are mostly distributed online or are they handed out as paper modules at the beginning of every block? If most the notes are given as paper, there's little use for an Ipad as scanning them into pdfs would just be too time consuming.
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both, the slides are on ppt, but there is also a paper module.


Another question is about the lecture video recordings. Are they available online for a whole term/some specific duration of time or only on the day of the lecture?
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usually they're available the evening of the day on which they are given and remain online for at least the rest of the term.
 
BostonDrwannabe said:
that doesn't really say what programs the students match into...

EDIT: oh it does..but how can you tell what is a "good" match list
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You can't interpret the list w/o knowing what programs people wanted to go to. That said, the 4th years were all very happy in general. Most people got their first or second choice. We matched people into arguably the best programs in ortho, urology, and derm. Much of the class wanted to stay in the Midwest, and did.
 
drizzt3117 said:
You can't interpret the list w/o knowing what programs people wanted to go to. That said, the 4th years were all very happy in general. Most people got their first or second choice. We matched people into arguably the best programs in ortho, urology, and derm. Much of the class wanted to stay in the Midwest, and did.
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That's a good point. Another thing that I've heard is that a lot of people are more interested into matching a program located somewhere they want to live and work, not a program that's just ranked highly. That makes sense for me because I am really interested in ortho and I have read that the ortho program at Mayo is one of the best in the country, but there is no way I'd want to live in Rochester Minnesota haha. So, I could see me definitely staying at UW, eg, if I ever was so lucky as to have the choice between the two.
 
fnsweet said:
If you go to Wisconsin you can match wherever you want, but that's true of any school.

Rosalind Franklin (I dont mean to offend anyone, but) isn't nearly as good as Wisconsin, yet they match students at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Mayo, Yale, Northwestern, etc (citation 1, citation 2, citation 3)

So pick the school you think is the best fit for you, it doesn't really matter in terms of the match.
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EXACTLY. People really get caught up in the perception of prestige and status when it comes to choosing medical schools. I was no different at this time last year. Residencies are ours to win. No big name on your transcript is going to skate you into a great residency without great scores, letters, interviews etc. I have a really hard time thinking there is an significant number of residencies out there that would toss an applicant for lack of seeing some ivy league school on the app.

Certainly school quality and prestige are not at all the same thing. But it's nice when they coincide. Go UW 😀
 
Btw, how do u decline acceptance? Do you call them or send them an email.

Thanks in advance.
 
gl0baltrader said:
Btw, how do u decline acceptance? Do you call them or send them an email.

Thanks in advance.
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I would think that putting your withdrawal in writing (i.e. email) is probably preferable or even required to simply calling as the school will have something to fall back on in cases of dispute. UW seems to be pretty good at having you sign paper forms and snail mail them back to the school too.

Btw, where have you decided on if I may ask?
 
byurazorhog said:
I would think that putting your withdrawal in writing (i.e. email) is probably preferable or even required to simply calling as the school will have something to fall back on in cases of dispute. UW seems to be pretty good at having you sign paper forms and snail mail them back to the school too.

Btw, where have you decided on if I may ask?
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Thanks for the advice. Decided to stay in CA for med school. I thoroughly love UW Madison but too expensive and the lack of financial aid package makes it nearly impossible for me to attend.

My in-state school is willing to provide me with an amazing financial aid package and I get to live by the beach for the next four years.

Good Luck for whoever is being waitlisted.
 
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Declining my acceptance at UW in favor of UCSD. Good luck to those still waiting!
 
fnsweet said:
Accepted!!

I'm going to UW for sure, do I have until the end of Monday, May 16 to withdraw all my other schools, or did I miss the deadline?
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Congrats!!

Would you be willing to share what # you were on the wait list and if you are IS or OS?
 
fnsweet said:
Accepted!!

I'm going to UW for sure, do I have until the end of Monday, May 16 to withdraw all my other schools, or did I miss the deadline?
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Nope, you're fine. You have until tomorrow but today you can start sending out emails to the schools you're sure you won't attend! Congrats! 🙂
 
Hello guys,
I was accepted to UWSMPH back in March and this is my first time posting on this thread. As decision day for picking a school is tomorrow, I have fully decided on attending UWSMPH for a multitude of reasons and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone attending this great school in August!
I have a question regarding housing in Madison. I have received an e.mail with housing information and some links. I am also aware of the uwmedstudents website. I have been looking for a studio/ efficiency apartment that is 10-15 minutes walk from HSLC. There are many options but I would like to see as many of them as possible in a couple of days. My question is how hard is it to get such an apartment near the school? Is it possible to get it for $600 and less? Where are the best places to look to maximize my chances? I am sorry if this question has been discussed to death on this thread or the 2010 thread. I tried using the search feature on the forum and the results were not very specific. Thanks in Advance!
 
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There's a bunch of apartments on old university ave that would fit your bill. I believe there's a few a bit further on down univ towards main campus that are $600ish, but I'm not really sure what current rent costs. Try posting on the fb group.

Pr0xy said:
Hello guys,
I was accepted to UWSMPH back in March and this is my first time posting on this thread. As decision day for picking a school is tomorrow, I have fully decided on attending UWSMPH for a multitude of reasons and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone attending this great school in August!
I have a question regarding housing in Madison. I have received an e.mail with housing information and some links. I am also aware of the uwmedstudents website. I have been looking for a studio/ efficiency apartment that is 10-15 minutes walk from HSLC. There are many options but I would like to see as many of them as possible in a couple of days. My question is how hard is it to get such an apartment near the school? Is it possible to get it for $600 and less? Where are the best places to look to maximize my chances? I am sorry if this question has been discussed to death on this thread or the 2010 thread. I tried using the search feature on the forum and the results were not very specific. Thanks in Advance!
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drizzt3117 said:
There's a bunch of apartments on old university ave that would fit your bill. I believe there's a few a bit further on down univ towards main campus that are $600ish, but I'm not really sure what current rent costs. Try posting on the fb group.
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Thanks Drizzt for this info and for all the info you've posted so far, really (I have gone through all 12 pages on this thread lol)! I will check the FB page too!
 
Strange question: Has anyone ever heard of applicants being rejected and subsequently put back on the waitlist for a re-review? I've heard of this happening at other schools and I'm curious if Wisconsin has ever done this. Thanks!
 
IS wait list status:

Called the office today, I was 56, I am now 45. I asked the representative what the chances are, and she said "not very good." Adjust expectations accordingly.
 
DeadlyWarbler said:
Strange question: Has anyone ever heard of applicants being rejected and subsequently put back on the waitlist for a re-review? I've heard of this happening at other schools and I'm curious if Wisconsin has ever done this. Thanks!
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Mcw has, we have not.
 
petitprincesse said:
IS wait list status:

Called the office today, I was 56, I am now 45. I asked the representative what the chances are, and she said "not very good." Adjust expectations accordingly.
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I hope my spot goes to you! Best wishes and don't lose faith...you never know! 🙂
 
I was originally between #15-20 on the waitlist. Anyone have any idea/guess on how likely it is I get in? Thanks 🙂
 
Question (probably for Drizzt): I know that they post lectures online. I was wondering if it is possible to listen to them on an iPhone. It helps me solidify knowledge just to hear it again, even if I am not fully paying attention, so I am hoping to listen to lectures during marathon training runs etc. So, basically, do they need flash/are there other iPhone compatibility issues? (I understand if you aren't sure, its kind of an out there question)
 
dragonbush said:
Question (probably for Drizzt): I know that they post lectures online. I was wondering if it is possible to listen to them on an iPhone. It helps me solidify knowledge just to hear it again, even if I am not fully paying attention, so I am hoping to listen to lectures during marathon training runs etc. So, basically, do they need flash/are there other iPhone compatibility issues? (I understand if you aren't sure, its kind of an out there question)
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I haven't tried it before but don't think you can. I don't think that'd be worth it anyways.
 
Accepted!! Just got the call this afternoon. I was #19 on the IS wait list. Now I have to decide between MCW and UW. Any opinions on which is better?
 
Pianoman MD said:
Accepted!! Just got the call this afternoon. I was #19 on the IS wait list. Now I have to decide between MCW and UW. Any opinions on which is better?
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Um yeah, UW. By a long shot. However, that's based heavily on my own criteria of what's important for the next 4+ years of MY life. You need to know what you want to get out of med school in both terms that are practical and comprehensive. You need to know where you want to live and if tuition matter, and if so how much etc. One example off the top of my head to consider is that the first year between MCW and UW will have stark contrasts between curriculum organization. Maybe it matters to you. Maybe not.

By now you really should have a good inclination between the 2 schools. Unfortunately, in my experience, you can talk to students at any school all day long and they will never have enough good things to say about their med school, so objective assessments from them are hard to standardize. Know yourself first and the choice should become obvious. If not, **** it. Flip a coin. You're going to a good med school either way, brotha.
 
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