2011-2012 University of Iowa (Carver) Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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Lefty Doodle said:
Hey Fopo--so you got into Case? If you got into Iowa, which would you choose??? I am in a similar situation...
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Heya!! Yep, I did which is sooo exciting since it was probably my top choice without considering finances. I think I am leaning towards Case just because my wife and I have some friends in Cleveland; but if I get accepted at Iowa it would make me definitely reconsider since both are very prestigious schools, and I think Iowa would be much cheaper in the long run.
Where else are you accepted and where are you from? I am from Idaho so I don't have many "cheap" options and basically anywhere I go is OOS tuition. Case is one of the most expensive for me and living in Cleveland definitely cannot be cheap. So I think as long as I enjoyed the school, curriculum, and could see myself living somewhere if it comes down to it cost will be a major factor.
I have applied to some lower-tiered schools too like Meharry and if I got in there I would still choose Case just cause the facilities were nicer, the hospital in Cleveland is amazing, and I just LOVED it there compared to Nashville! :-D Let me know what you think about the whole thing.
 
I haven't been following this thread too closing, so I was hoping someone could get me up to date with the interview format (open or closed file, common questions, time, etc) before I go leafing through the entire thread. I will be interviewing in the coming weeks.
 
equalizer said:
I haven't been following this thread too closing, so I was hoping someone could get me up to date with the interview format (open or closed file, common questions, time, etc) before I go leafing through the entire thread. I will be interviewing in the coming weeks.
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Closed, 25 minutes in length, 2 faculty members at the same time interviewing you. 1 portion structured, 1 unstructured. Good luck
 
Comeon said:
I hope they stick with a chronological order next year. I interviewed on the 9th of Nov. and have not heard, yet. I am glad that someone from the 5th of Oct was accepted today - congrats - all us oldies are still in the game. My bad luck is probably going to make me the last one to be reviewed. Anyways, if you look at last year's thread, a few final pool e-mails should be out later in the evening.
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+1...I interviewed the last week in September and have been waiting since...I haven't heard either way yet. Do you guys think this is a good or bad sign??? Does anyone know when the rest of the final pool emails will go out? Will it be a mass email or a few at a time like it has been on Tuesdays??
 
It is probably too early to be talking about the waiting list, but I want to understand something:
Does the admission committee rank the applicants on the waiting list according to who is "better"? i.e. the best applicant on the list will be ranked # 1 and so on? or do they rank them according to the time of interview?
 
mcatbuster said:
it is probably too early to be talking about the waiting list, but i want to understand something:
Does the admission committee rank the applicants on the waiting list according to who is "better"? I.e. The best applicant on the list will be ranked # 1 and so on? Or do they rank them according to the time of interview?
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+1
 
While I have no definitive evidence... Im pretty sure that the wait list is ranked by merit as opposed to interview date.
 
deimachy said:
Got a final pool e-mail Wednesday (12/28). I've got pretty good numbers (35Q, >3.9), so I guess my sub-par ECs finally caught up with me. Being OOS probably didn't help either. Oh well, fingers crossed! :xf:
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I am in the same situation. OOS, 35R, >3.9 GPA. I am pretty happy with my ECs too. So.... I don't know ha? They probably get a lot of competitive OOS applicants. So, maybe they want to review them relative to one another in the final pool? I have no clue, but we're in the same boat floating in the same "pool" ha. Best of luck! :xf::luck:
 
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Fopo said:
Heya!! Yep, I did which is sooo exciting since it was probably my top choice without considering finances. I think I am leaning towards Case just because my wife and I have some friends in Cleveland; but if I get accepted at Iowa it would make me definitely reconsider since both are very prestigious schools, and I think Iowa would be much cheaper in the long run.
Where else are you accepted and where are you from? I am from Idaho so I don't have many "cheap" options and basically anywhere I go is OOS tuition. Case is one of the most expensive for me and living in Cleveland definitely cannot be cheap. So I think as long as I enjoyed the school, curriculum, and could see myself living somewhere if it comes down to it cost will be a major factor.
I have applied to some lower-tiered schools too like Meharry and if I got in there I would still choose Case just cause the facilities were nicer, the hospital in Cleveland is amazing, and I just LOVED it there compared to Nashville! :-D Let me know what you think about the whole thing.
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I am fortunate to be accepted at Case as well! What day did you interview? As far as the finances, I don't look at annual tuition. I look at average indebtness based on the MSAR. The average indebtness of Case students relative to Iowa students are pretty darn close actually.
 
Metallica1936 said:
I am fortunate to be accepted at Case as well! What day did you interview? As far as the finances, I don't look at annual tuition. I look at average indebtness based on the MSAR. The average indebtness of Case students relative to Iowa students are pretty darn close actually.
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Yes, I looked at the MSAR average indebtedness as well and that was considered also. I was happy to see that they are very close. I interviewed at Case on December 6th. You?
 
I do wish the MSAR had IS vs. OOS average indebtedness. Iowa is almost certainly a better financial deal than Case for Iowans, but probably a bit more expensive for most OOS folks.
 
Anyone know when they start giving out rejections pre-interview? And how they do so?
 
Fopo said:
Yes, I looked at the MSAR average indebtedness as well and that was considered also. I was happy to see that they are very close. I interviewed at Case on December 6th. You?
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December 9th! I was very happy to see that they are close in overall price. I saw people talking about how Case is so expensive somewhere on SDN, and I looked at the average indebtness stats and saw that it isn't that much different from most other relatively inexpensive schools.
 
Northwesterly said:
I do wish the MSAR had IS vs. OOS average indebtedness. Iowa is almost certainly a better financial deal than Case for Iowans, but probably a bit more expensive for most OOS folks.
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Excellent point. You Iowans are lucky your in-state school is so darn good. Same goes to Michigan residents with UMich.
 
Matteo said:
While I have no definitive evidence... Im pretty sure that the wait list is ranked by merit as opposed to interview date.
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+1
And, I know that there are separate wait lists for IS and OOS folks
 
Re: Iowa and Case. I looked it up and the cost of attendance at Iowa for an out of stater is $5k less per year than Case. A pretty insignificant difference. I looked up cost-of-living indices and it looks like Iowa City may be, on average, more expensive to live in than Cleveland but I bet that's just the areas right around the university, I bet there are good deals to be had not too far away.

In my case, I didn't get invited to apply for a merit scholarship at Case, so I am pretty sure I won't have any help there. So those of us who have already been accepted can kind of guess if we will get something from Case or not.

Reading past threads, it seems like plenty out of staters get some help to reduce the tuition to in-state level. Roy and Lucille Carver donated a boatload of money to the medical school, as have other Iowans (I love how much they seem to love their medical school!) so there is money for that.

Don't you think it's possible more Case students are getting help from their parents and that is why their indebtedness is not so high?
 
I have no idea actually. I just know the average indebtness is slightly lower at Iowa. Pricing wise, it seems like Iowa and Case are comparable. How long after being accepted at Case do they offer ppl merit based scholarships? I didn't know they do that, and they haven't said anything to me yet. I have been accepted there for a little over a week. Have you done your FAFSA yet?
 
I live in Iowa City. I won't comment on the tuition because it is available online. However, I'm living in a a four bedroom apartment that is really close to downtown (like 5 min walk) along with 3 other roommates and we pay around 465 $ each a month for rent, bills and 2 parking spots. I spend 200 $ more a month on food and other activities ( Food is expensive at the medical school cafeteria: I'm talking about 10 dollars or more on a sandwich and a drink!!) So I go to Walmart and buy groceries and cook for myself... I spend around 150 $ a month doing that. and the other 50$ is for going out, etc...
If you want to live near the medical school campus:
I bet you can find a really close 2 bedroom apartment for 600$ or LESS a month.
You don't need a car in Iowa city and cambus takes you almost everywhere for free. if you want to go outside of the U of I boundaries you can take the city bus for 10 $ a month.
Really looking at the amount of money they include as living costs in the loans, I think they are more than enough.
I can't comment on Cleveland but really Iowa City is not that expensive.
 
Lefty Doodle said:
Reading past threads, it seems like plenty out of staters get some help to reduce the tuition to in-state level. Roy and Lucille Carver donated a boatload of money to the medical school, as have other Iowans (I love how much they seem to love their medical school!) so there is money for that.
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This is great to hear! I am in a bind with regards to funding my interview trip that is coming up and hearing that there is a chance, if I am accepted, for merit aid helps cushion the short-term financial blow.
 
indonacious said:
This is great to hear! I am in a bind with regards to funding my interview trip that is coming up and hearing that there is a chance, if I am accepted, for merit aid helps cushion the short-term financial blow.
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You might want to check with them about reimbursing you for part of travel expenses. Especially if you receive the AMCAS fee waiver, you might get about $100 for travel expenses from them. I found this out when I got there for the interview.
 
arkpremed said:
You might want to check with them about reimbursing you for part of travel expenses. Especially if you receive the AMCAS fee waiver, you might get about $100 for travel expenses from them. I found this out when I got there for the interview.
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Yep, you have to have a good reason but it sure does work. I got $150 back, OOS. :-D
 
I need some thoughts on this. I was recently offered a clinical information manager job at a hospital but I turned it down because they wanted me to make a year long commitment. I turned it down because I hope to start med school in August. Should I send this info as an update to Iowa CCOM?
 
utariq said:
I need some thoughts on this. I was recently offered a clinical information manager job at a hospital but I turned it down because they wanted me to make a year long commitment. I turned it down because I hope to start med school in August. Should I send this info as an update to Iowa CCOM?
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I personally wouldn't because I would see this as something more coercive/appeal rather than an update :-/

I'm no expert but thought I would offer my input 🙂
 
GoZags said:
I personally wouldn't because I would see this as something more coercive/appeal rather than an update :-/

I'm no expert but thought I would offer my input 🙂
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Oh no thanks for that I appreciate your input! Hmm i hear what you are saying but I am still confused lol
 
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utariq said:
Oh no thanks for that I appreciate your input! Hmm i hear what you are saying but I am still confused lol
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I suppose what I'm saying is if I saw someone who said: hey I turned down this job because I'm trying to get into medical school, I would treat it as an appeal to pity rather than something that improved candidacy for that person. Also, I would consider that everyone is, in one way or another, making sacrifices to even apply to medical school. It's expensive, time consuming, requires traveling and time away from other commitments. Nevermind the sacrifices that will need to be made once you're actually a medical student.

I really mean all of this in an informative way I hope I don't insult you in any way.
 
utariq said:
I need some thoughts on this. I was recently offered a clinical information manager job at a hospital but I turned it down because they wanted me to make a year long commitment. I turned it down because I hope to start med school in August. Should I send this info as an update to Iowa CCOM?
Click to expand...

GoZags said:
I personally wouldn't because I would see this as something more coercive/appeal rather than an update :-/

I'm no expert but thought I would offer my input 🙂
Click to expand...

I wouldn't either. An update would consist of information that belongs in your AMCAS if you were to fill it out now. That is, if you had started a new job/volunteer position, or you had additional pubs/abstracts/posters/accomplishments to add, that would be considered an update. Telling the adcom what you're NOT doing won't be helpful to you or them in improving your applicant profile.

I can see your thought process from the intentions of a "letter of interest" standpoint, but again, I don't think telling them what you chose to give up for the potential of starting med school is delivering the right message. Usually you want to talk about why that particular school should interview/accept you in that sort of missive. Highlight your interests and goals and why the school is a good fit for you to pursue them.

Hope that helps. I wrote an update/letter of interest for my dream school recently, and I had a person that's on the adcom look over it. He had two big pieces of advice: not to repeat anything in my AMCAS because they'll have it with them when they read my letter and don't be coercive or demanding in any way. Some phrases can be risky. If it's a reach, they'll perceive it as such. Best of luck. :luck::xf:
 
AnnPerkins said:
I wouldn't either. An update would consist of information that belongs in your AMCAS if you were to fill it out now. That is, if you had started a new job/volunteer position, or you had additional pubs/abstracts/posters/accomplishments to add, that would be considered an update. Telling the adcom what you're NOT doing won't be helpful to you or them in improving your applicant profile.

I can see your thought process from the intentions of a "letter of interest" standpoint, but again, I don't think telling them what you chose to give up for the potential of starting med school is delivering the right message. Usually you want to talk about why that particular school should interview/accept you in that sort of missive. Highlight your interests and goals and why the school is a good fit for you to pursue them.

Hope that helps. I wrote an update/letter of interest for my dream school recently, and I had a person that's on the adcom look over it. He had two big pieces of advice: not to repeat anything in my AMCAS because they'll have it with them when they read my letter and don't be coercive or demanding in any way. Some phrases can be risky. If it's a reach, they'll perceive it as such. Best of luck. :luck::xf:
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Oh Okay Thank you guys!!! I see what you are saying AnnPerkins and I have decided not to do it. I had a similar hunch and I guess I needed some reinforcement! 😳
 
+1 AGAIN!!

Good luck everyone! Today could be the day! (I say this every Tuesday...)
 
I just sent a second update (first one was in November). Do you think that it will make a difference for an interview?
 
just watching... waiting... waiting...😱
 
i see lots of green dots under screen names... everybody is watching lol. Myself included :scared:
 
BaM74 said:
i see lots of green dots under screen names... everybody is watching lol. Myself included :scared:
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2074yu4sw2.gif
 
Can anyone confirm that they DID in fact meet??... nothing like being on pins and needles for absolutely no reason lol
 
I finally get home from work and... still no news
gah
 
Have to remember that SDN is still a pretty small representation of the whole. Perhaps they did meet today but nobody from our small group was informed 😕
 
If they use the same schedule as last year, we only have two review meetings left before hearing about final pools. Waitlist/reject info. would come later on in early March. Come on Iowa, I thought I had a great interview at your school (aside from the tell me about yourself question). The interviewers were happy too!
 
I have a couple questions... does anyone know if Iowa allows people to gain in-state residency after the first year or if they are of the once oos always oos mentality. Also, would interviewing in mid-january likely translate to being a waitlist spot?
 
indonacious said:
I have a couple questions... does anyone know if Iowa allows people to gain in-state residency after the first year or if they are of the once oos always oos mentality. Also, would interviewing in mid-january likely translate to being a waitlist spot?
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I believe that once you start med school as an OOS you will always be treated as one. For the second question: it says on the secondary web page that their rolling admission process ends at the end of this month, so you still have a chance to be reviewed during this phase of the process. Good luck!
 
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