2011-2012 University of Arizona Application Thread

[ABQ9988]

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Yes, Arizona does screen applicants before giving out secondaries, so don't worry about wasting $75. Hope you apply, though. I always encourage my fellow SDN friends to apply as broadly as possible 😎

That's good news. BUT I already added Zona to my amcas app, and I received the secondary about an hour later. 😀

Edit: Does Phoenix have the same essays? And does the secondary always deny access the first day?

 

[Matt In The Hat]

That's good news. BUT I already added Zona to my amcas app, and I received the secondary about an hour later. 😀

Edit: Does Phoenix have the same essays? And does the secondary always deny access the first day?

Well, I applied to Phoenix, and most decidedly did NOT receive the secondary an hour later. Got the "we got your application and are reviewing it now" email, but nothing else. I have another MCAT score coming, though, so I'm sure they will wait for that.

Good luck to everyone, and congrats to those who have already received interviews!

 

[ppappui]

Well, I applied to Phoenix, and most decidedly did NOT receive the secondary an hour later. Got the "we got your application and are reviewing it now" email, but nothing else. I have another MCAT score coming, though, so I'm sure they will wait for that.

Good luck to everyone, and congrats to those who have already received interviews!

Most people get that. Phoenix gives out secondary to those who meet the GPA and MCAT cut off line, I believe. I think someone posted that in the thread somewhere. But there are very few who get the quick auto invite and I think they are very strong in-state applicants

 

[ABQ9988]

Well, I applied to Phoenix, and most decidedly did NOT receive the secondary an hour later. Got the "we got your application and are reviewing it now" email, but nothing else. I have another MCAT score coming, though, so I'm sure they will wait for that.

Good luck to everyone, and congrats to those who have already received interviews!

I think you are confusing this thread, Tucson, with the Phoenix thread again. I received the secondary for Tucson within an hour. I just added Phoenix to my list late tonight - so it makes sense I have not heard anything from them.

 

[Matt In The Hat]

Here are a few stats at UA:

In-state
Auto Invite:......... MCAT > 27 + GPA > 3.0

Screened:.... 27 > MCAT > 22 or GPA < 3.0
(80% of these candidates get an interview)

No Interview:...... MCAT < 22
(no exceptions)

Out-of-State
Screened:............ MCAT > 27 + GPA > 3.25

No Interview:...... MCAT < 27 or GPA < 3.25

Ties to Arizona are also considered in the criteria for admission for OOS.

I wonder how strictly they adhere to these criteria. For example, I am a non-trad. I *barely* graduated from undergrad with a bad GPA, but I have a 3.80 graduate school GPA, and a 3.88 GPA in my post-bacc, prereq classes. Last year, I got a 27 on the MCAT, but have retaken it (waiting on scores). If my MCAT goes up, I wonder if my GPA from undergrad (graduated in 1997, and it's less than 3.25) will exclude me from consideration.

Guess we'll find out!

 

[ABQ9988]

Well, I applied to Phoenix, and most decidedly did NOT receive the secondary an hour later. Got the "we got your application and are reviewing it now" email, but nothing else. I have another MCAT score coming, though, so I'm sure they will wait for that.

Good luck to everyone, and congrats to those who have already received interviews!

I posted this earlier, but I added Phoenix to my list late last night. Unlike Tucson, I did not receive the secondary immediately, rather I received the email you were referring to above. Hopefully I get their secondary soon!

 

[Jimmer]

I wonder how strictly they adhere to these criteria. For example, I am a non-trad. I *barely* graduated from undergrad with a bad GPA, but I have a 3.80 graduate school GPA, and a 3.88 GPA in my post-bacc, prereq classes. Last year, I got a 27 on the MCAT, but have retaken it (waiting on scores). If my MCAT goes up, I wonder if my GPA from undergrad (graduated in 1997, and it's less than 3.25) will exclude me from consideration.

Guess we'll find out!

They will definitely take your graduate and post-bacc GPA into account, its a better indication of academic ability because it is more recent (I don't really want to admit that I was still in middle school when you graduated from undergrad.) and when your MCAT goes up you'll be in good shape.

 

[Matt In The Hat]

I don't really want to admit that I was still in middle school when you graduated from undergrad.

Easy there, young whippersnapper! Glad to know that they use some common sense when reviewing candidates. Other schools, not so much. . .

Thanks for the info.

 

[trixter888]

Hey guys, I attend the University of Arizona. I went to an interview workshop they had hear last week. The head of admissions as well as members on the board informed us they just started looking at secondaries about a week ago. They said no one should have received a rejection letter yet.

 

[MangoTango1130]

what!!!!
i got a rejection letter from arizona but recieved a secondary today???
so i wanted to ask you guys, when you apply through AMCAS to arizona do you apply to two different medical schools located in arizona? ( tucson and phoenix?)
i deleted the rejection email so i'm not sure which campus that was, but got a secondary today from tucson
is that how it works?
im so confused!
🙁

 

[MangoTango1130]

what!!!!
i got a rejection letter from arizona but recieved a secondary today???
so i wanted to ask you guys, when you apply through AMCAS to arizona do you apply to two different medical schools located in arizona? ( tucson and phoenix?)
i deleted the rejection email so i'm not sure which campus that was, but got a secondary today from tucson
is that how it works?
im so confused!
🙁

nope just checked actually, i never applied to phoenix....
so they rejected me and sent me a secondary??
whaaA?!?!?!? i hope this isn't a mistake 🙁

 

[TabletopJoe]

nope just checked actually, i never applied to phoenix....
so they rejected me and sent me a secondary??
whaaA?!?!?!? i hope this isn't a mistake 🙁

You should call the admissions office about that one.

Just got 2dary invite today😀 OOS.

 

[MangoTango1130]

You should call the admissions office about that one.

Just got 2dary invite today😀 OOS.

yea im oos applicant too....
OH WELL...maybe they re-reviewed my app and gave me a second chance? 😀
*whistles* well......guess ill go ahead and fill out the secondary hehe

 

[IDFsoldierboy]

yea im oos applicant too....
OH WELL...maybe they re-reviewed my app and gave me a second chance? 😀
*whistles* well......guess ill go ahead and fill out the secondary hehe

i'd call and make sure (don't want that money to go to waste!)

 

[WildDevil]

I also had a similar experience of receiving a message that was clearly not intended for me, added to the very slow and near absent communication from Tucson admissions. It's the only program that I've not received an invitation to interview.

Getting bored with the program and will likely withdraw my application. I believe the way the admissions process treats you is the way the school treats you.

 

[sector9]

I also had a similar experience of receiving a message that was clearly not intended for me, added to the very slow and near absent communication from Tucson admissions. It's the only program that I've not received an invitation to interview.

Getting bored with the program and will likely withdraw my application. I believe the way the admissions process treats you is the way the school treats you.

Uh you do realize that no one has been invited to interview here yet, right?

And you realize that most med schools are just barely starting up again so a lot of adcom members were on vacation until quite recently?

 

[MrLahey]

Troll

 

[WildDevil]

Haha this guy is so pompus that he us trolling without realizing he's a troll...


"I'm super cool I have sooooo many interviews and and Arizona is the only school that hasnt given me an invite....Jeeze they suck....I mean it's August....Seriously it's getting late in the cycle guys...I mean this school is obviously going to make a terrible place to become a doctor."

Responding to applicant's email messages and answering the phone is not too much to ask, just sayin.

 

[sector9]

Responding to applicant's email messages and answering the phone is not too much to ask, just sayin.

Lol Tuscon was one of the few schools that I have called. I called them twice, and I got a real person on the phone both times. So sounds like you're BS'ing

 

[MrLahey]

Responding to applicant's email messages and answering the phone is not too much to ask, just sayin.

Tucson has gone from 600 applications to 4000 applications in the past 2 years, so if they are not getting back to you be patient....
And their are plenty of schools that have yet to send out interview invites...like harvard...and HALF of the total medical schools in the US...so just because you hav'nt gotten an II yet is by no means a good judge of the school

AND if you tried to contact them this week about y you havent gotten an II yet..first they are not going to respond if you presented with the same attitude as used above...and second if they are planning on sending out II's this upcoming week the could just be waiting to respond by sending your II in the next couple days

 

[WildDevil]

Lol Tuscon was one of the few schools that I have called. I called them twice, and I got a real person on the phone both times. So sounds like you're BS'ing

Yep. That's what I'm doing. Got me. 😴

 

[WildDevil]

Tucson has gone from 600 applications to 4000 applications in the past 2 years, so if they are not getting back to you be patient....
And their are plenty of schools that have yet to send out interview invites...like harvard...and HALF of the total medical schools in the US...so just because you hav'nt gotten an II yet is by no means a good judge of the school

AND if you tried to contact them this week about y you havent gotten an II yet..first they are not going to respond if you presented with the same attitude as used above...and second if they are planning on sending out II's this upcoming week the could just be waiting to respond by sending your II in the next couple days

Thanks. Clearly SDN is pro-Arizona SOM. I get it. Just venting to my fellow SDNers. Thought this was a 'safe zone'.

 

[MrLahey]

Thanks. Clearly SDN is pro-Arizona SOM. I get it. Just venting to my fellow SDNers. Thought this was a 'safe zone'.

Vent with less attitude...and not on the homepage of the school that a lot of people really want to get in too...

 

[Colloquialism]

Wow Slack3r, I'm getting a seizure looking at that god-awful gif. Almost quoted it too before I realized what that'd do, haha.

And I'm assuming the interview invites are taking longer because of the changes to the MMI format. IIRC, it was UCLA's first time using this format last year and their interview invites went out much later than previous years.

 

[Jimmer]

Getting bored with the program and will likely withdraw my application.

👍

 

[Limetime]

Hi all future 2016ers,

I just wanted to pop in and hopefully puts your minds at ease with interview invites. I am a current student, and first, the admissions group are great and really responsive to questions. I can also say they are actively starting the new admissions season. I can only speculate as to the timing of invites, but they are changing the format. There are actually practice/training sessions for interviews for undergrads and interviewers this and next weekend. They are also going through the process of nominating new adcom members. Admissions is also really involved in getting the new class settled with orientation activities, so that may have kept them really busy until recently. Again, this are just my speculations, but I can assure you they are wonderful, as is the entire administration.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I am an OOS student, so it is definitely possible.

I wish you all the best!

 

[WildDevil]

Hi all future 2016ers,

I just wanted to pop in and hopefully puts your minds at ease with interview invites. I am a current student, and first, the admissions group are great and really responsive to questions. I can also say they are actively starting the new admissions season. I can only speculate as to the timing of invites, but they are changing the format. There are actually practice/training sessions for interviews for undergrads and interviewers this and next weekend. They are also going through the process of nominating new adcom member

Please let me know if you have any questions. I am an OOS student, so it is definitely possible.

Are you a Phoenix student? This is the Tucson thread and my experience
with Phoenix has been positive. Two threads is getting confusing for some.

 

[Jimmer]

Are you a Phoenix student? This is the Tucson thread and my experience
with Phoenix has been positive. Two threads is getting confusing for some.

Phoenix is sticking with the MMI again this year and Tucson announced they are changing their admissions format ... i hope this clarifies any confusion.

 

[Quicksilver005]

I also had a similar experience of receiving a message that was clearly not intended for me, added to the very slow and near absent communication from Tucson admissions. It's the only program that I've not received an invitation to interview.

Getting bored with the program and will likely withdraw my application. I believe the way the admissions process treats you is the way the school treats you.

I agree with this part! Troll or not, this is a wise statement. 👍 How they treat you now will likely not change in the future if you get accepted.

 

[Limetime]

Are you a Phoenix student? This is the Tucson thread and my experience
with Phoenix has been positive. Two threads is getting confusing for some.

I am a Tucson student - I am in the right spot. I just dropped by to offer to answer questions. The adcom in Tucson is changing the interview format for this year to MMI, so they are holding practice sessions in both formats for undergrads applying here and other schools.

 

[Dagni]

Hey guys, I attend the University of Arizona. I went to an interview workshop they had hear last week. The head of admissions as well as members on the board informed us they just started looking at secondaries about a week ago. They said no one should have received a rejection letter yet.

Any tips from the interview workshop? Wish I wasn't halfway across the country....

 

[stefspets]

I really hope they send out interview invites this week. I am getting impatient! 😛

 

[theMan2012]

is it okay to answer why tucson? with the same answer as why phoenix? it seems like they have they same sort of programs, etc.?

 

[ppappui]

is it okay to answer why tucson? with the same answer as why phoenix? it seems like they have they same sort of programs, etc.?

You can if you think that way. Just trying to save some time in writing secondaries, right? Admissions committee will notice that too.
Seriously, no you do not simply copy/paste same essay for different schools when the question is "Why us?" There are many things that makes each medical school unique, not just the program and curriculum or prestige. It is your job to research those if you seriously wish to attend, as that will be reflected in your essays.
I did keep several things similar/same in Tucson (I wrote the Phoenix first) but had to do some extra research about UA Tucson just so I could be more specific about Why Tucson. Good luck 😎

 

[IDFsoldierboy]

is it okay to answer why tucson? with the same answer as why phoenix? it seems like they have they same sort of programs, etc.?

id say its ok as long as u dont have phoenix in the answer by mistake lol...I think it would be better to list tuscon in it...I like to put in advantages of being in that town or city when asked "why us"

 

[centrigeugle]

Eyeballing this school as I love the state and I have some weak family ties there.

But god, what a horrible secondary. It also seems like they're hint-hint nudge-nudging that if you don't speak spanish, sucks to be you.

 

[Slack3r]

Eyeballing this school as I love the state and I have some weak family ties there.

But god, what a horrible secondary. It also seems like they're hint-hint nudge-nudging that if you don't speak spanish, sucks to be you.

The school is 60 miles north of the US-Mexico border...

 

[Kekeirda]

Oh ****! I just read through my secondary (post submission) and realized that in the why Tucson essay I had two places where I referenced the school as Phoenix. (which is weird because I have another place in the same essay where I say Tucson.

dammit!!! it had to happen to me!

There is no going back from this is there?

 

[ppappui]

Oh ****! I just read through my secondary (post submission) and realized that in the why Tucson essay I had two places where I referenced the school as Phoenix. (which is weird because I have another place in the same essay where I say Tucson.

dammit!!! it had to happen to me!

There is no going back from this is there?

Oh man...Dunno what to say but I'm pretty sure it happens frequently given the number of schools ppl apply to. That might not affect you a lot if they don't read the secondary essays pre-interview and invite you to an interview. But it might affect you when they decide to review your entire file.
If they consider it minor mistake, you might be off the hook. If they feel like you're disrespecting them by not being careful enough and think that you copy-pasted a lot of your essays (which they might) it might be bad.
Hoping for the positive outcome for you here

 

[IDFsoldierboy]

Oh man...Dunno what to say but I'm pretty sure it happens frequently given the number of schools ppl apply to. That might not affect you a lot if they don't read the secondary essays pre-interview and invite you to an interview. But it might affect you when they decide to review your entire file.
If they consider it minor mistake, you might be off the hook. If they feel like you're disrespecting them by not being careful enough and think that you copy-pasted a lot of your essays (which they might) it might be bad.
Hoping for the positive outcome for you here

well in seeing that they will know he copy/pasted his response for UofA-Phoenix and itll look negatively...and im sure they read the essay pre-interview...tho I know most essays are read very quickly that it might not be noticed....we'll see

 

[centrigeugle]

The school is 60 miles north of the US-Mexico border...

So are you agreeing that no spanish = SoL?

I'm not going RAWAAAR ENGLISH SHOULD B OFISHIL LANGuAGE, I just don't want to waste money on the secondary if they're just going to laugh at it and throw it in the "doesn't speak spanish" bonfire.

 

[sector9]

Oh ****! I just read through my secondary (post submission) and realized that in the why Tucson essay I had two places where I referenced the school as Phoenix. (which is weird because I have another place in the same essay where I say Tucson.

dammit!!! it had to happen to me!

There is no going back from this is there?

Based on this post, I just searched my Phoenix secondary for the word "Tucson" so that I could be sure to avoid this mistake..

 

[stefspets]

Based on this post, I just searched my Phoenix secondary for the word "Tucson" so that I could be sure to avoid this mistake..

Lol, I did the same thing...

 

[Kekeirda]

Based on this post, I just searched my Phoenix secondary for the word "Tucson" so that I could be sure to avoid this mistake..

Well I'm glad my mistake could be of service. I just pray that they overlook it, since I clearly rewrote the essay to reflect their school, (I just left too much of the backbone intact)

 

[Luke Skywalker]

Lol Tuscon was one of the few schools that I have called. I called them twice, and I got a real person on the phone both times. So sounds like you're BS'ing

+1 UofA is extremely responsive and they always have been so

 

[Colloquialism]

So are you agreeing that no spanish = SoL?

I'm not going RAWAAAR ENGLISH SHOULD B OFISHIL LANGuAGE, I just don't want to waste money on the secondary if they're just going to laugh at it and throw it in the "doesn't speak spanish" bonfire.

I don't think you're in a SoL type of situation. The essay seemed to ask about your experiences dealing with another language, not necessarily having to speak it. I think as long as you've had some meaningful experience and interaction, and are receptive to learning, then it'll probably be fine.

 

[MrLahey]

I predict II's come out....FRIDAY!!!!! Trust me I might one day be a doctor!

 

[ABQ9988]

I predict II's come out....FRIDAY!!!!! Trust me I might one day be a doctor!

An interview invite on Friday would be a nice birthday present for me!

 

[notorious725]

So are you agreeing that no spanish = SoL?

I'm not going RAWAAAR ENGLISH SHOULD B OFISHIL LANGuAGE, I just don't want to waste money on the secondary if they're just going to laugh at it and throw it in the "doesn't speak spanish" bonfire.

How ignorant do you sound? Have you taken a look at the class profile? In both Tucson and PHX? Does everyone speak Spanish? NO! I know 5 people who go to Tucson, none of them speak Spanish and they told me that 90% of the class does not speak Spanish. What a classy MD you are going to be....

 

[ppappui]

How ignorant do you sound? Have you taken a look at the class profile? In both Tucson and PHX? Does everyone speak Spanish? NO! I know 5 people who go to Tucson, none of them speak Spanish and they told me that 90% of the class does not speak Spanish. What a classy MD you are going to be....

👍 it's nothing new really, lol