2011-2012 Oregon Health & Sciences University Application Thread

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I had to post one last time just for anyone that is not aware of the AAMC traffic rules. All the medical schools have to accept enough MD applicants by March 30th to fill all of their schools expected number of seats. https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/recommendations/62826/policies_admissionofficers.html

So despite only one SDNer receiving an acceptance and the rest of us holds, they will eventually fill all those seats by April. OHSU also states (bolded) on the admissions portlal "Applicants put on hold will remain on hold until May 15". I don't see anything additional or exceptions about applicants possibly being pulled out of the hold pool before May 15th.

So unless something changes on the portal, those of us on hold have no chance for an acceptance before March 30th when they fill the class, and a slim chance for an acceptance if any of those seats open up in April/early May and then would be notified on May 15th along with everyone else that is waitlisted/rejected.

Anyone seeing things differently?

Your opinion on holds is incorrect. When I interviewed last year, one of my interviewers asked me if I knew how the process worked. I told him I had a general idea but that I would love to hear more. He informed me that the way it works is that they accept the top X% automatically post interview, then reject the bottom X%. Example: Accept top 5%, reject bottom 10%, remainder on hold (those are made up numbers, I don't know what the actual values are). The remainder get put on hold. As they continue through the interview process, they will lower that automatic acceptance %. Example: Accept top 7% instead of 5%. Since everyone already has a score that doesn't change, they could be in that top 7% but not the top 5%. Therefore, people in the hold pool with that percent will get an acceptance before May. This continues through the whole process because they are stingy with acceptances and don't want to give too many out too early because OHSU doesn't have a rolling admissions system and wants to give every applicant regardless of interview time an equal change of acceptance. Therefore, people on hold, don't give up yet! There is still hope. Stay positive.

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Your opinion on holds is incorrect. When I interviewed last year, one of my interviewers asked me if I knew how the process worked. I told him I had a general idea but that I would love to hear more. He informed me that the way it works is that they accept the top X% automatically post interview, then reject the bottom X%. Example: Accept top 5%, reject bottom 10%, remainder on hold (those are made up numbers, I don't know what the actual values are). The remainder get put on hold. As they continue through the interview process, they will lower that automatic acceptance %. Example: Accept top 7% instead of 5%. Since everyone already has a score that doesn't change, they could be in that top 7% but not the top 5%. Therefore, people in the hold pool with that percent will get an acceptance before May. This continues through the whole process because they are stingy with acceptances and don't want to give too many out too early because OHSU doesn't have a rolling admissions system and wants to give every applicant regardless of interview time an equal change of acceptance. Therefore, people on hold, don't give up yet! There is still hope. Stay positive.

Thanks bubbles. Not my opinion, it was what I was told by another applicant from last year, and by what is on the admissions portal. I do hope you are right however, it works for me!
 
Would those of you who have received acceptance offers tell us how long you waited post interview? Thank you!
 
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Hi! First time poster here but been checking out this forum for awhile and it's been very helpful!

IS applicant
Secondary submitted: 9/25
Secondary completed: 11/09
Interview Invite: 12/14

Good luck to everyone!
 
Also another thing to remember: people can (and do) hold multiple acceptances until May 15th. Then once they choose one school, positions open up elsewhere. So to say that chances are slim of being taken off hold is not necessarily true. It isn't guaranteed, but I think OHSU's hold list is quite active, right? I remember the lady explaining that most people are put on hold, and lots of the students from the lunch were on hold and eventually got in.
 
Also another thing to remember: people can (and do) hold multiple acceptances until May 15th. Then once they choose one school, positions open up elsewhere. So to say that chances are slim of being taken off hold is not necessarily true. It isn't guaranteed, but I think OHSU's hold list is quite active, right? I remember the lady explaining that most people are put on hold, and lots of the students from the lunch were on hold and eventually got in.

The multiple acceptance thing deals with being on the waitlist, not the hold list. Hold is pre-waitlist.
 
Finally marked complete as of yesterday. What exactly do they do that requires that long to process, since they still require 3 months to decide whether or not you will get an interview? :rolleyes:

Anyone know?
 
Finally marked complete as of yesterday. What exactly do they do that requires that long to process, since they still require 3 months to decide whether or not you will get an interview? :rolleyes:

Anyone know?

It's Portland, man.

That's why.
 
It's Portland, man.

That's why.
I hear Fred Armisen has to personally review each application and decide if you are "Portlandia" enough. Bonus points if you mention how you espouse the "Dream of the 90s" in your secondary.
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Hi! First time poster here but been checking out this forum for awhile and it's been very helpful!

IS applicant
Secondary submitted: 9/25
Secondary completed: 11/09
Interview Invite: 12/14

Good luck to everyone!

Congrats! Good luck. What dates did they give you as options/what day did you choose to interview?
 
Thanks! They had Dec 30th, Jan 6th, 11th and 13th available and I am interviewing Jan 11th.
 
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Hi! First time poster here but been checking out this forum for awhile and it's been very helpful!

IS applicant
Secondary submitted: 9/25
Secondary completed: 11/09
Interview Invite: 12/14

Good luck to everyone!

Congrats! I'm jealous though since I was complete 11/07 and no word as of yet! I'm a mission based applicant so I assume I'll be hearing pretty soon (hopefully good news).
 
Some information people may be interested of numbers that OHSU gave

5000 Total initial applicants
3000 Applicants complete secondary
1500 Are "Mission-Based" Applicants
500-550 Interviewed
225-250 Accepted
136 Incoming class size
 
Is OHSU receptive to pre-interview updates? e.g. on fall grades?
 
Is OHSU receptive to pre-interview updates? e.g. on fall grades?

I think they say that if your application has been processed and marked complete, updates may not affect your application. I sent in an update prior to being marked complete, but never received any acknowledgment of them receiving it, either. So... who knows?
 
II today!! Complete 11-9! So friggin excited!!!
 
Congratulations! When are you interviewing?

Thanks!!!

I'm was offered Jan 9, Jan 20, or Jan 27 and I am requesting Jan 20. I would love to interview on the 9th but I have a lot I want to do to prepare and with my busy schedule right now I think I would prefer to have a little more time than a week and a half. Also I want to keep the plane ticket cost as low as possible.
 
Just got an interview invite. I think I submitted my secondary in August/September-ish. I am OOS, does that mean that I'm pretty competitive?

They also gave me the option of the 6th, 20th, and 27th. I chose the 27th as my most preferred since my dad reminded me that my state school's interview was going to be in February. That way I could decide around the same time.

Will interviewing the 27th instead of the 6th put me at a disadvantage? Or is it still pretty early in the interview cycle?
 
Just got an interview invite. I think I submitted my secondary in August/September-ish. I am OOS, does that mean that I'm pretty competitive?

They also gave me the option of the 6th, 20th, and 27th. I chose the 27th as my most preferred since my dad reminded me that my state school's interview was going to be in February. That way I could decide around the same time.

Will interviewing the 27th instead of the 6th put me at a disadvantage? Or is it still pretty early in the interview cycle?

Most likely you are considered competitive since OOS students need a 3.65+ and 32+ MCAT to be in the mission group. That said, it makes you competitive to receive an interview, but everyone is roughly on the same playing field once they receive an interview since the interviewers are blind to gpa and mcat scores.

OHSU doesn't do the rolling admission system. They will hold spots so they are available to students who interview on the last day. Also, remember that OHSU is extremely slow in everything they do. So if you interview January 27th, don't expect to hear from them till April.

Finally, this was posted earlier by another member:

An email just went out to the current students regarding interviews. The first interviews will take place on October 7th. Other scheduled interview dates are listed below (for those who care)

October 7, 14, 21, 26, 28
November 4, 11, 18, 30
December 2, 9, 16, 29, 30
January 6, 11, 13, 20, 27
February 3, 10, 17, 22, 24
March 2, 9, 15, 16, 23, 30
April 6

Based on those dates you can determine if you consider yourself as interviewing early or not. If these dates are correct you are interviewing on the 19th interview day out of 31 given dates.
 
Most likely you are considered competitive since OOS students need a 3.65+ and 32+ MCAT to be in the mission group. That said, it makes you competitive to receive an interview, but everyone is roughly on the same playing field once they receive an interview since the interviewers are blind to gpa and mcat scores.

OHSU doesn't do the rolling admission system. They will hold spots so they are available to students who interview on the last day. Also, remember that OHSU is extremely slow in everything they do. So if you interview January 27th, don't expect to hear from them till April.

Finally, this was posted earlier by another member:

An email just went out to the current students regarding interviews. The first interviews will take place on October 7th. Other scheduled interview dates are listed below (for those who care)

October 7, 14, 21, 26, 28
November 4, 11, 18, 30
December 2, 9, 16, 29, 30
January 6, 11, 13, 20, 27
February 3, 10, 17, 22, 24
March 2, 9, 15, 16, 23, 30
April 6

Based on those dates you can determine if you consider yourself as interviewing early or not. If these dates are correct you are interviewing on the 19th interview day out of 31 given dates.


Thank you for all that good info! :)
I called to see if I could change my date to the 6th, and it seemed to have filled up pretty quickly. Looks like I'll be interviewing on the 27th.. I'm just glad it won't hurt my changes of acceptance.
 
Thank you for all that good info! :)
I called to see if I could change my date to the 6th, and it seemed to have filled up pretty quickly. Looks like I'll be interviewing on the 27th.. I'm just glad it won't hurt my changes of acceptance.

No problem. I'm not surprised that the 6th filled up. People usually take the 1st option given to them if they can. People tend to want to interview earlier so they will know earlier. I had to take the 2nd date offered to me cause I was out of the country for the 1st or I would have done the same.
 
Benefits of applying late: Submitted secondary 12/21, marked processed & complete today 12/28. :thumbup:
 
For those put on hold, can I email the admissions and ask what my position ranking on the hold is? I would like to know if I should feel good about an acceptance or if I should send a letter of intent to another school if my ranking at ohsu is bad anyways.
 
For those put on hold, can I email the admissions and ask what my position ranking on the hold is? I would like to know if I should feel good about an acceptance or if I should send a letter of intent to another school if my ranking at ohsu is bad anyways.

They won't tell you. They put a majority of the applicants on hold. OHSU won't even tell you what your ranking is if they reject you post hold and don't put you on the waitlist. You only know your ranking if you are placed on the waitlist in May.
 
ohh :(. and from what I understand, the next time they'd contact me would be May right? As in, theres no chance I will hear back early?

also, would a letter of intent at this point do me no good?
 
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ohh :(. and from what I understand, the next time they'd contact me would be May right? As in, theres no chance I will hear back early?

also, would a letter of intent at this point do me no good?

Well there is good and bad news. In the past, if you were put on hold, it meant that you most likely wouldn't hear until May. However, this year because of the new interview system, they said that if you are placed on hold its possible that you could hear anytime from being put on hold until May. I am very skeptical about that though and wouldn't get my hopes up to hear much before May if placed on hold. Finally, a letter of intent will do you no good. OHSU doesn't like/or even read updates that are received most interview. They even tell you that if you want to send updates they must be received before you set your interview date. It also says on the portal that updates will not reopen your file.
 
rejected post-interview :(
I really liked OHSU, but at least I have another acceptance to ease the pain.

good luck everyone, I'm jealous of y'all and wish you the best!
 
rejected post-interview :(
I really liked OHSU, but at least I have another acceptance to ease the pain.

good luck everyone, I'm jealous of y'all and wish you the best!

I'm sorry to hear that. At least you will definitely be attending medical school. May I ask how you found out? Was it just updated on the portal or did they send you an e-mail as well? Thanks in advance.
 
I'm sorry to hear that. At least you will definitely be attending medical school. May I ask how you found out? Was it just updated on the portal or did they send you an e-mail as well? Thanks in advance.

I just looked in the portal, I didn't receive an email.
 
Post interview Hold. Interviewed early Nov, no email, checked Portal and saw Hold decision. And as with others, "Applicants put on hold will remain on hold until May 15"
 
Has anyone else actually been accepted post interview? I remember 1 person posted that they were and every other person has been placed on hold.
 
yes, I had a friend accepted in early December. This person interviewed in October I believe.
 
Benefits of applying late: Submitted secondary 12/21, marked processed & complete today 12/28. :thumbup:

What?! I submitted my secondary on 11/21/2011 and I'm still not complete on 1/6/2012.

Wow...
 
What?! I submitted my secondary on 11/21/2011 and I'm still not complete on 1/6/2012.

Wow...

Are you a mission group applicant? If not that may explain the delay.
 
What?! I submitted my secondary on 11/21/2011 and I'm still not complete on 1/6/2012.

Wow...
I wondered if it processed faster this time because I'm a reapplicant, as re-verifying my Oregon residency should have been fairly trivial.

You might wish to call, just in case.
 
I wondered if it processed faster this time because I'm a reapplicant, as re-verifying my Oregon residency should have been fairly trivial.

You might wish to call, just in case.

I doubt it has anything to do with being an in-state re-applicant. I am an in-state re-applicant and it took them almost twice as long this year to verify me than last year. I don't think OHSU has a very organized system about completing people in order or inviting them for interviews in order of their application. I agree that calling and verifying that nothing went wrong is a good idea.
 
Does anybody know how often OHSU updates statuses post-interview (monthly, bi-weekly, etc)? And do they give out acceptances on one day, on-hold's another day, and rejections on another day? I only ask because so far this cycle the only post-interview news that we've seen on this forum so far has been:

12/9: 2 acceptances
12/13: 5 on-hold
12/27: 1 rejection

I guess I might be over-analyzing this and I'm definitely a little bit obsessive. But I still think it would be interesting to know if there is some sort of pattern or method to their notification madness.
 
I wondered if it processed faster this time because I'm a reapplicant, as re-verifying my Oregon residency should have been fairly trivial.

You might wish to call, just in case.

Think about that for a second... wouldn't they have to verify that in the last year (or more) you didn't switch residency? If so, they might as well just reverify that you are an Oregonian.
 
Are you a mission group applicant? If not that may explain the delay.

I'm OOS and meet their posted MCAT and GPA requirements for non-residents though I have a bit of a nontraditional/redemption background.

I'll just give them a call.
 
I'm OOS and meet their posted MCAT and GPA requirements for non-residents though I have a bit of a nontraditional/redemption background.

I'll just give them a call.

No offense, but just meeting the requirements isn't necessarily enough. The statistics given were that about 5000 people apply via primary. Approximately 3000 of those submit the secondary. About 1500 of those people fill one of the mission group. Then they only interview about 500 of those 1500. Therefore, just meeting the mission group requirement doesn't guarantee an interview. OHSU is notoriously slow for everything they do. I don't know your exact stats or activities but I say your best bet is to call them and ask how much longer it will be but also be prepared for a lot of waiting with OHSU at every step of the way. It could also take longer if you are applying to a joint program. Good luck. Hopefully you hear something soon.
 
No offense, but just meeting the requirements isn't necessarily enough. The statistics given were that about 5000 people apply via primary. Approximately 3000 of those submit the secondary. About 1500 of those people fill one of the mission group. Then they only interview about 500 of those 1500. Therefore, just meeting the mission group requirement doesn't guarantee an interview. OHSU is notoriously slow for everything they do. I don't know your exact stats or activities but I say your best bet is to call them and ask how much longer it will be but also be prepared for a lot of waiting with OHSU at every step of the way. It could also take longer if you are applying to a joint program. Good luck. Hopefully you hear something soon.

Did I say anything about an interview? I was posting about the completion/processing of my secondary application - and nothing more. No need to remind me of the admissions stats when I think we're all aware of how selective most schools are.
 
No need to get all mad. It wasn't just an interview point but that OHSU receives a lot of applications and that they are known to be slow for each stage and not to get discouraged but confirm with them what the hold up is. Sorry if you took that to be offensive.
 
No need to get all mad. It wasn't just an interview point but that OHSU receives a lot of applications and that they are known to be slow for each stage and not to get discouraged but confirm with them what the hold up is. Sorry if you took that to be offensive.

My bad but you made it sound as if I expect success because of my stats or that feel I am guaranteed an interview. And nothing I've posted would suggest that. I only mentioned my stats because another posted asked me if I met the posted thresholds for mission groups.

My original question targeted the discrepancy between posters' submission and completion dates. It's just odd how the system works and, yes, I've heard OHSU can be somewhat slow. I'm just making sure I didn't miss something or that something didn't go wrong with my application.
 
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