Hello all. I realized it was that time of year again when I was helping with the new M1s orientation this past week. Although I'm sure Milkman has things under control (living the dream with 4th year I hear), I'll be around occasionally too to chime in.
Really, Arkansas? Snail-mail only?
This does nothing to change the preconceived notions I had about your state...
I thought it was an outdated (and inefficient) idea when I applied too, but they're still using it. I'm not sure why although it is one of those things I'll probably ask about to see when they're planning on changing it. They end up emailing you most things anyway, so I can't understand why they would want to mess with the inconvenience of keeping track of paper secondaries.
As far as the preconceived notions, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised for the most part. Arkansas itself is a mixed bag of course (like any state); some cities are very imported, some are touristy, most are nice enough but small/bland, and then there are some look like they're still in the great depression. Generally speaking the western, central, and northern parts of the state are very pretty and pretty imported in places, so you'll meet a good mix of people. East and south is more agricultural and tends to be economically depressed, but there are bright spots too. Little Rock is nicer than I expected when I moved here (but I was expecting it to be pretty crappy, so take that for what it's worth). I like the part of town I live in and the shopping/entertainment is pretty typical of a city this size with a few nicer options as well. There are ample things to do outdoors, there's a better arts/music scene than I had anticipated and several museums ranging from the free small ones to the Clinton Presidential Library, but I don't know how much time you'd have for all that stuff until the summer of M1 year
. More importantly, most UAMS clinical and research facilities are downright amazing compared to most public med schools I've seen, and they are well known for some areas of research and treatment that I wasn't aware of before coming here. Many of the facilities are very new (the school has been on a huge spending/building spree over the last decade) and for the most part, so far anyway, the faculty is approachable and friendly. Educational buildings are more generic, even the new ones, but that wasn't as important to me when I was looking.
Does anyone have any idea of ~ interview dates for instate applicants...either last year or this year...
For those wondering, the interview dates for this year have been set:
In State: October 15, November 12, December 3
Out of State: January 7
It doesn't matter for us OOS, because they have non-rolling decisions. I wish they did, my stats would've looked better
. Oh well, just hope for the best. 1/5 of the class in OOS, which is pretty good.
Do they show love for IL residents?
I have talked to one M1 from Illinois and I know one in our class. There may be more (I don't know where everyone is from) though.
Good luck to all applicants this year and if you have any questions, I'll be around.
-Matt
