2011-2012 Southern Illinois University Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Are the interviews in Springfield or Carbondale? Anyone know? Or does it vary?
 
Donnie1310 said:
Springfield.

And Caesar, wanna spearhead the formation of the SIU student host program this year? 😉
Click to expand...

Donnie, didn't you withdraw post interview from here last year? I'm curious - why reapply ?
 
startswithb said:
Donnie, didn't you withdraw post interview from here last year? I'm curious - why reapply ?
Click to expand...

A lot of my reasons were personal things and had absolutely nothing to do with SIU itself, but the one that did was that I didn't feel like SIU would be the best fit at the time. I had barely gotten an interview (in late spring). I made a LOT of changes since last cycle for the better, and have now been invited to interview in August if that's any indication of how much better my file looks.

I've also warmed to SIU quite a lot since then. I used to be iffy on PBL, but have come to see it very positively and southern is definitely one of the few that really does it right.

I feel like I just wrote a mini reapplicant essay AND had a dear-diary moment. :laugh:
 
DVolle said:
I was verified on 6/24 and received my secondary on 7/12. Have you received your application acknowledgment email? They send that before sending secondaries.
Click to expand...

Got my acknowledgement on the 7th of July. Hopefully I get something in the next week or so. If not, then one less secondary I have to fill out I guess. I am very interested in rural medicine (amish/mennonite medicine actually) but most of my experience has been with south-side Chicago communities for the last 10 years (I am non-traditional). Scores and grades are well above their average but experience might be the sticking point in this application.
 
Donnie1310 said:
Springfield.

And Caesar, wanna spearhead the formation of the SIU student host program this year? 😉
Click to expand...
Springfield.

They actually already emailed my class about that. I need to submit my application for that.... Thanks for the reminder. Regardless, you will see me, I enjoy meeting people too much.
 
Caesar said:
They actually already emailed my class about that. I need to submit my application for that.... Thanks for the reminder. Regardless, you will see me, I enjoy meeting people too much.
Click to expand...

Yay host programs! :clap: The closest hotels are very pricey in Springfield.
 
Speaking of hotels, what would be the best to stay in? My family wants to check out the campus while I'm there.
 
DVolle said:
Speaking of hotels, what would be the best to stay in? My family wants to check out the campus while I'm there.
Click to expand...
There isn't much for them to see. It is attached to one of the hospitals and it is all pretty much restricted access. You'd have to make arrangements with the staff I think.

OH! when you say HOST program you mean a place to stay. I thought you were talking about the ambassador program where you go with the med students on the tours and lunch and what not. There are a couple people / year that stay with a student if they request to with the admissions office.
 
DVolle said:
It might take them awhile to process and schedule. When did you shoot for Einstein?
Click to expand...

True. I chose 9/9, 9/16, and 9/23 I believe. No class on Fridays and I wanted to get in a mock interview at my school for practice before I had an actual interview. How about yourself?
 
I chose September 13, 20, 27 and October 4th. I only have one class on Tuesday and I wanted to get a bit of practice in before the actual interview.
 
While I think some practicing is good especially if you haven't interviewed before or done public speaking. Don't over prepare either. I have seen too many people come of as flat or boring to the interviewer.

A practice or two can be good. Might I suggest looking at some sample question lists and having a smart friend or professor look through your application packet and ask you questions that the application creates. Here is a sample list: www.colorado.edu/aac/PreMed_interviewquestions.pdf

One of your interviewers will have all of your application info and may ask pointed questions based on your grades, MCAT scores, essays, experience, etc. The other interviewer will be new to your application. He/She will probably ask more general questions of you like what you will find on the list or school specific questions. Make sure that you know about the school, the school's teaching style and team work concepts.

Most importantly make sure that you are interesting to the interviewer without being over the top and that you show genuine interest in the interviewer. I was interviewed by the head of Internal Medicine and a Pharmacology professor for example. Look up their bios online before hand. Know what they do. If you can speak intelligently about how your studies or interests are similar, ask them the types of questions that you would if you were sitting down to lunch with them or in their classroom.

Just have fun with the day and don't over stress. I can't stress 😀 that enough.

P.S. Don't be late either. That goes for everything at medical school, even after you are accepted.
 
It sounds like there was a whole group of people you got their secondary’s and then the same group got interviews. Do you think they do this in batches because I have not heard anyone recently say they have received a secondary?
 
Einstein, yes SIU is my first choice. I've grown up in Southern Illinois and love the area, the people and the school. How about you?

Thanks for the link and advice Caesar 👍

mrosekelly, I think they do send out in batches. I know a few of us got secondaries around the same time (we were verified around the same time) and received what I assume were the first batch of interviews. I hope this helps.
 
So I was verified on 7/28 and received my SIU acknowledgment on 7/29. When do you guys think I will hear about a secondary? I was verified during the busy season but I got my acknowledgment email quickly so I'm not sure what the time line would be.
 
I was verified on 7/20, received my SIU acknowledgement on 7/26, and received my secondary on 8/05.

Hope that helps some 🙂
 
So I've been lurking on this thread for quite some time and I guess I finally have the courage to post 🙂 I'm interviewing at SIU next week, and I'm slowly beginning to realize what that entails.

Does anyone here (especially the current medical students) know where I can find info on medicine in central/southern Illinois? I know the area is underserved, but I'd like to have more background so I can talk about it during the interview. I'm very interested in primary care and I feel that SIU would be a very good fit for pursuing this. Thanks in advance!
 
helade said:
So I've been lurking on this thread for quite some time and I guess I finally have the courage to post 🙂 I'm interviewing at SIU next week, and I'm slowly beginning to realize what that entails.

Does anyone here (especially the current medical students) know where I can find info on medicine in central/southern Illinois? I know the area is underserved, but I'd like to have more background so I can talk about it during the interview. I'm very interested in primary care and I feel that SIU would be a very good fit for pursuing this. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

I'd probably just read the news paper or watch the news to hear about what's going on. The news paper in Cdale is The Southern and the one in springfield is the Springfield Journal Register.
Don't worry about them grilling you on what you know about healthcare down here. The interviews are fairly relaxed. You're more likely to talk about golf than you are likely to be quizzed on what disease is the biggest problem in southern IL
 
Hey everyone.. finally worked up the courage to post.

I am a post-college applicant... applied last year and didn't get in. This year I was granted an interview very quickly, and will be having that interview in two weeks. I am a little nervous having ready some of the posts in this thread, though.

I am from the (very) northern burbs, and went to school in the quad cities. I am very open to practicing in rural areas, but don't really know the best way to convey that during my interview. I am nervous that they won't be able to get past my background!

I would appreciate any and all help anyone might give! thanks in advance!
 
SIU is very focused on educating physicians to serve central and southern Illinois. Just be enthusiastic about wanting to practice in a rural area in those locations and it will show. Best of luck in your interview.
 
If I may, could anyone give me a general idea of how much time there was between your AMCAS verification and receipt of a secondary and, by extension, how much time between your submitted secondary and extension of an interview?

Also, as to hotels in the area, there really aren't many directly by the school. Downtown Springfield is relatively cluttered (and quite boring, for anyone expecting otherwise). I'd have been more than glad to host anyone coming in for an interview had my family not moved two years ago, but good luck everyone!
 
Catgofire said:
Hey everyone.. finally worked up the courage to post.

I am a post-college applicant... applied last year and didn't get in. This year I was granted an interview very quickly, and will be having that interview in two weeks. I am a little nervous having ready some of the posts in this thread, though.

I am from the (very) northern burbs, and went to school in the quad cities. I am very open to practicing in rural areas, but don't really know the best way to convey that during my interview. I am nervous that they won't be able to get past my background!

I would appreciate any and all help anyone might give! thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

If they offered you a interview and you communicate well then the hard part of being a 'northerner' is over. Now just make sure that you talk about your desires to serve in downstate IL in the interview.
 
I just got the secondary from SIU today! YAY!
Did anyone else get a secondary today? I'm wondering if they are sending out emails in bulk.
I was verified 7/28 and received the acknowledgement email from SIU on 7/29.
 
Have been waiting over 2.5 weeks to hear when my actual interview date will be. Hoping to hear back soon, so I don't get screwed for hotels and missing class/work..... anyone else have to wait this long? Or has anyone heard/gotten their actual interview date?
 
I tried to send you a PM Einstein but I don't think it sent. I emailed Ms. Heckler at admissions and she said she is working through the September interview dates and to look for a set date sometime next week. I hope this helps.
 
Hello everyone,
I'm pretty excited about the upcoming interview, and I was wondering if your relative location in the Chicago suburbs mattered. I live in a suburb, but I am just a few minutes north of I-80 (this seems to be our general north/south divider). The area I live in is a mix of farms and suburb commercialism. I can hop on the train and be in Chicago in about 45 minutes, but I can drive 45 minutes south and be pretty deep in central Illinois. Several family members have gone to school in southern Illinois, and I go to school ( in St. Louis) about 20 minutes away from SIU Edwardsville and have been on the SIU Edwardsville campus a few times and really enjoyed the rural atmosphere. Are these relevant points to bring up in the interview? I actually do not have city/rural preference because I kind of grew up in both as strange as that is, and I have spent much of my life in very rural areas. Additionally, my girlfriend is from St. Louis across the Southern Illinois border and would like to live within reasonable driving distance. If you can let me know which of these points seem good to bring up, I would really appreciate it. I'm kind of nervous because I do not really know the extent of their preference. I am more than happy to practice in a rural setting. I will actually be practicing in the military for some time before I settle, and Army bases tend to be in rural areas. Let me know what you think. Thank you very much 🙂
 
Is it true that they have certain restrictions for employment. For example, I heard that you are mandated to work in the rural area or the southern IL? I really don't believe, but it would be nice if someone knows anything about this.
 
alexfoleyc said:
Is it true that they have certain restrictions for employment. For example, I heard that you are mandated to work in the rural area or the southern IL? I really don't believe, but it would be nice if someone knows anything about this.
Click to expand...


nope. They are just hoping that you'll stick around. they're fairly good at weeding out people have have zero interest in sticking around, but that being said, you're not tied down here. I'm hoping to do my residency somewhere in a bigger city and/or outside illinois, but maybe come back one day
 
digitalsea11010 said:
Hello everyone,
I'm pretty excited about the upcoming interview, and I was wondering if your relative location in the Chicago suburbs mattered. I live in a suburb, but I am just a few minutes north of I-80 (this seems to be our general north/south divider). The area I live in is a mix of farms and suburb commercialism. I can hop on the train and be in Chicago in about 45 minutes, but I can drive 45 minutes south and be pretty deep in central Illinois. Several family members have gone to school in southern Illinois, and I go to school ( in St. Louis) about 20 minutes away from SIU Edwardsville and have been on the SIU Edwardsville campus a few times and really enjoyed the rural atmosphere. Are these relevant points to bring up in the interview? I actually do not have city/rural preference because I kind of grew up in both as strange as that is, and I have spent much of my life in very rural areas. Additionally, my girlfriend is from St. Louis across the Southern Illinois border and would like to live within reasonable driving distance. If you can let me know which of these points seem good to bring up, I would really appreciate it. I'm kind of nervous because I do not really know the extent of their preference. I am more than happy to practice in a rural setting. I will actually be practicing in the military for some time before I settle, and Army bases tend to be in rural areas. Let me know what you think. Thank you very much 🙂
Click to expand...

If you've made it to the interview, you can stop freaking out about being from chicago.
The people who interview you probably won't even ask about it. If they do, be succinct and genuine. They don't need the laundry list.
 
Does anyone know if admissions sends you a complete email once they get your check/form in the mail?
 
I am from a suburb of Chicago and when I interviewed at SIU one of my interviewers kept bringing up the fact that I'm from northern Illinois. He really didn't seem fond of the North, but that is just one interviewer and I'm sure most won't be too concerned about anyone being from Chicago.
 
Sasbo said:
I am from a suburb of Chicago and when I interviewed at SIU one of my interviewers kept bringing up the fact that I'm from northern Illinois. He really didn't seem fond of the North, but that is just one interviewer and I'm sure most won't be too concerned about anyone being from Chicago.
Click to expand...

Sasbo, did you interview at SIU this admissions cycle?
 
DVolle said:
Sasbo, did you interview at SIU this admissions cycle?
Click to expand...

Yes I did. Good luck with your interview at SIU:luck:! Everyone I met was very nice and their teaching method seems really cool to me. The only downside was the interviewer that seemed to doubt I would ever practice in central/southern Illinois, although I would really like to.
 
Sasbo said:
Yes I did. Good luck with your interview at SIU:luck:! Everyone I met was very nice and their teaching method seems really cool to me. The only downside was the interviewer that seemed to doubt I would ever practice in central/southern Illinois, although I would really like to.
Click to expand...

That's too bad your interviewer held being from Chicago that against you. My personal physician was from Chicago and he now practices in my rural community of about six thousand. I hope that doesn't affect you too much. I have yet to hear back about the status of my interview, although the earliest date I selected was September 12th.
 
red10 said:
If you've made it to the interview, you can stop freaking out about being from chicago.
The people who interview you probably won't even ask about it. If they do, be succinct and genuine. They don't need the laundry list.
Click to expand...

Thank you red10. I did not mean to sound neurotic, but I have absolutely no idea what to expect. I really appreciate the advice.
 
This is my first time posting in here! I received an interview invite earlier today!
 
Congrats on the recent interview invites!!!

One of my suggestions would be to really think about how you would perform in a PBL setting. It's the cornerstone of our curriculum, so they will probably ask about it.
 
The host program at SIU is pretty cool, I stayed with a student and it was fun to see what their life was like at school. and FREE!
 
Autophile said:
The host program at SIU is pretty cool, I stayed with a student and it was fun to see what their life was like at school. and FREE!
Click to expand...

I'd really like to stay with a student when I go to interview! I asked the Admissions Office about a host program, and they replied that they don't have one in place. I'm assuming it's student-led, and I'm wondering who I can contact about it. Have any info on that? Thanks! 🙂
 
Member9103 said:
I'd really like to stay with a student when I go to interview! I asked the Admissions Office about a host program, and they replied that they don't have one in place. I'm assuming it's student-led, and I'm wondering who I can contact about it. Have any info on that? Thanks! 🙂
Click to expand...
... who did you talk to? They asked the 2nd years when we signed up to do student led tours if we would let people crash with us when needed....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

wysdoc
2024-2025 Southern Illinois (SIU)
2 3 4
Replies
181
Views
41K
weewoobusdriver
W
wysdoc
2023-2024 Southern Illinois
2 3 4
Replies
166
Views
40K
discodolphin
D
wysdoc
2024-2025 Illinois
16 17 18 19 20
Replies
997
Views
204K
freezyqueen1432
F
chilly_md
2024-2025 Carle-Illinois
2 3 4 5
Replies
232
Views
55K
User_0202604
User_0202604
wysdoc
2022-2023 Southern Illinois
2 3 4 5 6
Replies
269
Views
52K
sarif24
S
Top