2011-2012 University of Illinois Application Thread

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geez this is the worse secondary i've received so far. seems so redundant. i think i listed my current activities three different times not including everything that was listed on my amcas.
 
geez this is the worse secondary i've received so far. seems so redundant. i think i listed my current activities three different times not including everything that was listed on my amcas.
only 3 times? u must not have done many secondaries 😛 jk
 
UIC is not a fan of AP credit; they like seeing advanced coursework in the area if you use it. You could always call and ask though

Yeah, what is this Behavioral Sciences crap? I was nowhere NEAR aware that there was such a requirement (and especially that two of them be in the same department)... does anyone know if AP credits can count for this, e.g. AP Psychology and AP US History?

They're pretty lenient and you can take the classes pass/fail. I took an online class at a community college during July before starting classes in August. I don't think they care much if you use AP credit for the behavioral science requirement (tho psych may be the only one that qualifies), but won't like it if you use AP credit for bio/chem without advanced coursework. E.g. I used AP Chem, but had advanced organic and inorganic chem classes from college. Since the behavioral science coursework isn't required until you matriculate, they don't really use it as part of the acceptance criteria.
 
3500 characters seems like a lot to talk about what we're doing with our lives. I'm close to 2000 and I feel like anymore is just going to be extraneous...
Thoughts?

I was so confused by this part. At first I thought they just wanted us to type:

-employed full-time as an ophthalmology clinical research assistant
-volunteering at a children's hospital one day per week

...then I realized I have 3,500 characters to work with! Is this really supposed to be a detailed descripsh' of what we're doing these days?
 
The requirements are just prior to matriculation...not application. I wouldn't say "I'll take this class if I'm accepted" lol, however your application won't be penalized because you haven't already taken a pre-req at the time you apply. You technically have 3 semesters to get that figured out.

Exactly. And I would definitely take care of it if need be, so I am definitely applying! 😀
 
uhhhhhhhh
i just realized it said the advanced bio is at least a 200 level course....
...............who has this?!?!??!?!
 
regarding the behavioral sciences? DO IT still.

One option is to submit "behavior science - like" coursework -- send them the syllabi. tell them why you think it is behavioral science like. I can tell you the person to get into contact with if you are really worried about it. The first year I applied I recalled sending in a syllabus for a modern french history class i took [i took alot of current event history classes]

The other option is to take a course or two this fall, spring, or next summer to complete the coursework. You could potentially do it online.

Honestly - i got accepted and they emailed me to let me know I was missing one of the pre-reqs afterwards. I had it on my transcript... I just listed it wrong on AMCAS... and they accepted it. I'm sure they would take over courses too that fit the description.


I wasn't aware of this requirement either.... Did your French class end up fulfilling the requirement? In that case, did you have to use two french classes to have two social sciences in the same area?

And philosophy won't work? I took a class called Moral Problems... I feel like that might fall into that category? Would I send the syllabus now, or wait until they tell me I am missing pre-reqs?
 
I wasn't aware of this requirement either.... Did your French class end up fulfilling the requirement? In that case, did you have to use two french classes to have two social sciences in the same area?

And philosophy won't work? I took a class called Moral Problems... I feel like that might fall into that category? Would I send the syllabus now, or wait until they tell me I am missing pre-reqs?
I never learned if the French history class was accepted or not. It was when I first applied and didn't get accepted.

This time I had 2 anthro courses and 1 pysch course this time.

You could mail in the syllabus now, but I would wait until you got accepted/interviewed and are told that you are missing a pre-req. I think only then will they seriously consider substitute classes. BUT be prepared to take another course to fulfill the requirement -- you will have the time.
 
Seriously u have applied to every US school!! 😛

Lol. Again, no I haven't. I have applied to a pretty normal amount of schools. It is just that I am very vocal in all of the SSD threads. Besides, this is my state school 😉.
 
Lol. Again, no I haven't. I have applied to a pretty normal amount of schools. It is just that I am very vocal in all of the SSD threads. Besides, this is my state school 😉.

I wouldn't be surprised to see you at several interview days 😀
 
Received and submitted mine right away. I simply put "Not Applicable" to the last question about advantages or constraints. Not sure if this was a good idea...
 
Received and submitted mine right away. I simply put "Not Applicable" to the last question about advantages or constraints. Not sure if this was a good idea...

Haha if you didn't have anything to share for the last question, I don't think it'll hurt your chances. Besides, for them it's one fewer essay to read 👍
 
Received and submitted mine right away. I simply put "Not Applicable" to the last question about advantages or constraints. Not sure if this was a good idea...

I did the same thing. I'm assuming it's better to do this than to stretch something into an obstacle or constraint that isn't.
 
I was so confused by this part. At first I thought they just wanted us to type:

-employed full-time as an ophthalmology clinical research assistant
-volunteering at a children's hospital one day per week

...then I realized I have 3,500 characters to work with! Is this really supposed to be a detailed descripsh' of what we're doing these days?

I was wondering the same thing... I think I'm going to go with the "less is more" strategy.
 
Can someone please post ALL of the secondary questions, ALL of them. If they ask about what you are doing with your life, that is a question I want to see. Please list them ALLLLLL in one post.
 
Anyone know when they first start changing our statuses and actually reviewing applications??
 
This secondary only gives you two slots per subject to identify your prerequisite courses. What if I was on a quarter system and needed 3 classes to fulfill my year of coursework?
 
Received and submitted mine right away. I simply put "Not Applicable" to the last question about advantages or constraints. Not sure if this was a good idea...

I don't think it's a bad idea. I still felt like I had to write something there and wrote about how I worked hard because I was given so many great opportunities and felt the need to make the best of them because I knew other people did not have the same advantages I had. Obviously not in those words at all, but something along those lines.
 
This secondary only gives you two slots per subject to identify your prerequisite courses. What if I was on a quarter system and needed 3 classes to fulfill my year of coursework?

+1.

i just listed my first two quarters. i dont think it'll be a big problem since our courses are listed in our primary app
 
This is what I did too... I'm glad we both thought of the same thing independently. Means it must be right. 😉

My thought was that this was a prerequisites section, not a list-all-that-you-have-done section. They want to make sure you have your bases covered. I'm sure picking any two qualifying courses will suffice.

But way to try to force an interesting post/discussion with essentially no fodder, HatWobble.
 
I'm not sure what people are talking about when describing a 3500-character section. Can anyone inform me?
 
I'm not sure what people are talking about when describing a 3500-character section. Can anyone inform me?

That essay is only for people who answered no to the question about being enrolled in a college or uni
 
submitted! dang it's hot as balls here in chi-town.
i kinda miss the snow...

The four seasons of Illinois: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and road construction. Right now, definitely missing our other three seasons which are actually tolerable. :laugh:
 
Def hoping for some love from Uic, refreshing the status page like errrr day. 🙂
 
If my permanent legal residence is in Illinois yet I haven't lived there in about nine months due to my job, can I still claim that I was a resident twelve months prior to the AMCAS filing?
 
If my permanent legal residence is in Illinois yet I haven't lived there in about nine months due to my job, can I still claim that I was a resident twelve months prior to the AMCAS filing?

I'd just contact UIC and ask. If it were for school I think you'd be fine, but I don't know about work.
 
confused about this q: Describe any advantages and/or complications you encountered during your progression in education. Please include any noteworthy achievements and/or obstacles. (Examples: Acute or chronic illnesses, employment, financial difficulty, managerial role in household, etc.) (Don't exceed 150 words) If you did not experience an advantage and/or complication during your education please indicate 'Not Applicable'

Should I write about an academic award i won? It asks for "advantage/complication" but then it says "noteworthy achievement"...

also, i'm having trouble with my "stressed situation" essay. mine right now is from high school...seems kind of long ago and i browsed last yr's thread and ppl were saying it's not good to talk about high school. the alternative i have is talking about grades (doesn't that seem bad though?). curious what others put....
 
Btw, i saw this on last year's thread and thought it might be useful:
Originally Posted by QuinnWatson
Hi everyone! I decided to post this time line (posted on past years' threads) that was of great service to me this past cycle. I hope that it finds you well. 🙂

START

I. Submit Primary.

II. Wait for the email from UIC giving you your login information for the Applicant Status Check site (usually arrives within 2 weeks of submitting your primary): https://mercury.comd.uic.edu/appstat

III. Login, and check your status in the second page.

---

A. "Application Not Complete" = Secondary not yet complete.

B. "Application in Process" = You are complete. --> Goto C.

C. "Applicant in Process" = Your file is being reviewed, 3 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Select Interview Date" = You are good enough for an interview. --> Goto D.
2. "Application in Process" = You are not good enough to grant an interview yet, but might be later on in the cycle. Check back periodically. --> Go back to B.
3. "Final Decision Made ..." = You are not good enough. --> Goto X.​
D. "Select Interview Date" (A grid of dates shows up) = Call and schedule an interview date, after which "Interview Scheduled on ... " shows up. After the interview, Goto F.

F. "Decision Pending" = File pending review at the next adcom meeting (every 3rd Thursday of the month). There are 2 options from here, depending on the month:
1. Before May. --> Goto M.
2. On or After May. --> Goto N.​
M. Before May, 2 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Final Decision Made ... " --> Goto S.
2. "Decision Pending" (No Status Change) + "We'll keep reviewing you" Email (a few days later) = You are a good candidate, but not good enough to grant an acceptance yet. UIC will keep reviewing you at every adcom meeting. --> Go back to F.​
N. On or After May, 2 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Final Decision Made ... " You are (very likely) rejected. --> Goto X.
2. "Applicant is Waitlisted" = Waitlisted. --> Goto Y.​
S. There are 2 additional conditions from here:
1. There is an "Additional Correspondences" Tab in the upper-right corner on your status page AND you get a CBC Email (a few days later) = You are (very likely) accepted. --> Goto Z.
2. There is no "Additional Correspondences" Tab and/or you don't get the CBC Email = Rejection. [Note: This is tricky. The CBC email usually comes a few days after (1-4 is the consensus) the status change. Be patient. Sometimes, the email never comes, which might be because you already had a CBC done due to an acceptance at another school. In some instances, the CBC Email even comes after the snail-mail. If after a week, neither the tab nor the CBC email shows up, it's very likely a rejection. You've probably already received snail-mail by now alerting you to it.] --> Goto X.​
X. "Final Decision Made ..." = Rejection 🙁 ... Wait for a "Thin Letter" via snail-mail.

Y. "Applicant is Waitlisted" = Waitlisted. :xf: ... The CBC Email no longer acts as an indicator of an acceptance. If you get accepted off of the waitlist, then Goto Z, else Goto X.

Z. "Final Decision Made ..." + "Additional Correspondences" Tab + CBC Email = (very likely) Acceptance 😀 ... Wait for a "Fat Packet" via snail-mail. [Note: Sometimes CBC emails come after the packet. CBC emails also might never arrive if you got an acceptance to another school that also does CBC through AMCAS.]

FINISH

---

*** PLEASE BEAR IN MIND that this info came from last year's thread! Therefore, the whole process may have changed since then, and there is no guarantee to this information. But it worked for me (even though I was given the same warning) and the time line was accurate.

Good look to all of you class of 2015 applicants!! 😀
 
Hey,

So my status changed to process complete, but I have yet to receive a secondary. I called admissions and all they said was that they received my amcas and that they screen before sending secondaries............ I think I just got screened out 🙁...........did anyone get this status before the got secondaries?
 
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oh i'm sorry to hear that titilaya, good luck on your other apps! chin up 🙂

as far as my q's..i don't want to have to wait till thursday to call them and get an answer. any opinions on my q's above?
 
oh i'm sorry to hear that titilaya, good luck on your other apps! chin up 🙂

as far as my q's..i don't want to have to wait till thursday to call them and get an answer. any opinions on my q's above?


Im assuming you concur with my thoughts of getting screened out and you didnt get that status changed before getting your secondary?
 
no i got the secondary a while ago but I was super early. I was referring to my q's about the essay q's above.
 
i think i wouldn't nec. assume you're screened out yet though b/c i think maybe the 'process' could mean they've decided whether to give you one and you should expect it in a few days? dont' want to give you false hope but you gotta stay positive in this process!
 
i think i wouldn't nec. assume you're screened out yet though b/c i think maybe the 'process' could mean they've decided whether to give you one and you should expect it in a few days? dont' want to give you false hope but you gotta stay positive in this process!


Thanks for the encouragement!!! At least if I do get screened out I save some money 🙂
 
confused about this q: Describe any advantages and/or complications you encountered during your progression in education. Please include any noteworthy achievements and/or obstacles. (Examples: Acute or chronic illnesses, employment, financial difficulty, managerial role in household, etc.) (Don't exceed 150 words) If you did not experience an advantage and/or complication during your education please indicate 'Not Applicable'

Should I write about an academic award i won? It asks for "advantage/complication" but then it says "noteworthy achievement"...

also, i'm having trouble with my "stressed situation" essay. mine right now is from high school...seems kind of long ago and i browsed last yr's thread and ppl were saying it's not good to talk about high school. the alternative i have is talking about grades (doesn't that seem bad though?). curious what others put....

Bump
 
is anyone writing about a "noteworthy accomplishment' in the 3rd essay space?!
 
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