2012-2013 George Washington University Application Thread

[ChiveON]

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I was small pooled last year and they asked me to send a LOI. I believe you could either send it via snail mail or send an email to the general admissions address with the letter as a pdf. I did the latter, and got a confirmation email a few days later saying that it was added to my file.

 

[NCPremed]

Hey guys this is my first interview and it's on sept 25th. I'm a little nervous and would appreciate any tips from people who have already interviewed for this year. I read through some of the thread but would love more tips. Are they big into ethical questions? Is it more of a laid back interview? And because it is a blind interview how much detail should you give from your AMCAS. Would appreciate any help.

First, some general interview advice: Going into my first interview last year I was too over-prepared. I didn't quite have answers memorized, but I went a bit too far beyond simply having talking points and ideas, and my answers came across as excessively contrived. My advice; read the interview feedback and have some general ideas about how you will answer the most common questions.

At George Washington, both interviews are "closed file," so your interviewers will know nothing about you. Thus, a "tell me about yourself" question is pretty much inevitable. Answering this isn't as bad as people make it out to be...simply be prepared to give a 1-2 sentence summary about growing up, 2-3 sentences about your initial interest in medicine, then 3-4 sentences about the experiences you most want them to know about (don't feel like you have to include everything...just the highlights). Like I said in the previous paragraph, have some ideas for how you will respond but don't get too specific in your preparation.

 

[MLDM]

I was small pooled last year and they asked me to send a LOI. I believe you could either send it via snail mail or send an email to the general admissions address with the letter as a pdf. I did the latter, and got a confirmation email a few days later saying that it was added to my file.

Whatever this guy says I'd trust. KCCO.

 

[klEEniC]

Whatever this guy says I'd trust. KCCO.

Ah, the comfort of seeing fellow chivers in this application cycle.

 

[ChiveON]

haha First KCCO I've received on SDN! Awesome!
KCCO, my friends!

 

[sagantheman]

Just submitted my secondary today... it's been sitting for over two months due to circumstances earlier this summer...

Anyway, I was looking more into GW today and wow, I feel like I'd be really happy there 🙂

29/3.7.. on the low side but I'm hoping for the best!

 

[miked12]

anyone else not able to connect to the status check webpage?

 

[Chem Hopeful]

anyone else not able to connect to the status check webpage?

I'm having the same issues here.

 

[SoVein]

I am on re-review. Is there anything I should be doing to nudge them to reconsider? (aka telling them my interest in the school?) Also, does anyone think I should send an update that I am enrolled in a course right now (adolescent psych) at a community college to further my education just because I love to learn?

 

[init2winit]

I am on re-review. Is there anything I should be doing to nudge them to reconsider? (aka telling them my interest in the school?) Also, does anyone think I should send an update that I am enrolled in a course right now (adolescent psych) at a community college to further my education just because I love to learn?

I am also on hold for re-review, also taking an additional course. Also wondering if I should nudge them or just sit tight for a couple more months!

 

[TxResident]

I am on re-review. Is there anything I should be doing to nudge them to reconsider? (aka telling them my interest in the school?) Also, does anyone think I should send an update that I am enrolled in a course right now (adolescent psych) at a community college to further my education just because I love to learn?

Well from what ChiveOn said (or whatever his name was), he was small pooled (on-hold or something of the sort), he was actually asked to send a LOI.

As for the update, I personally don't feel that that is sufficient enough to warrant an update letter. Perhaps if you were taking more courses and did not note that before hand and were doing something besides that.

 

[ChiveON]

They small pool people toward the end of the interview season. I had been on re-review since October and received the small pool/LOI request around March.I was basically on a wait list for the last few interview dates of the season. Prior to that, I did not send any update letters.
I believe they are very receptive to update/interest letters and if I'm placed on re-review then I will definitely send one.
Also, I'm a girl 🙂

 

[TxResident]

They small pool people toward the end of the interview season. I had been on re-review since October and received the small pool/LOI request around March.I was basically on a wait list for the last few interview dates of the season. Prior to that, I did not send any update letters.
I believe they are very receptive to update/interest letters and if I'm placed on re-review then I will definitely send one.
Also, I'm a girl 🙂

Semantics 😛.

How do you think they would feel for a status update on one's application?

I have been complete and under review (not on-hold for rereview) since 8/20 and its approaching the 4th week of being complete (most people were put on hold within 1-3 weeks) and I understand I was complete a lot later than most people which may be the reason I'm still at the complete stage.

 

[ChiveON]

Personally, I would wait until a decision has been made. If you are placed on re-review, then definitely send one. If you receive an interview, there is a chance you'll be wait listed- another good opportunity to send one. From what I gathered on SDN and other sources, update letters are great for either case described above or if you have a really, really good update like published research. I wouldn't pull out all the stops just yet! But it's your application, so do whatever you feel is best!

 

[TxResident]

Personally, I would wait until a decision has been made. If you are placed on re-review, then definitely send one. If you receive an interview, there is a chance you'll be wait listed- another good opportunity to send one. From what I gathered on SDN and other sources, update letters are great for either case described above or if you have a really, really good update like published research. I wouldn't pull out all the stops just yet! But it's your application, so do whatever you feel is best!

Alright thanks, only reason I asked was because I know some people have stated that there were errors in the system application when they called GWU, so I was getting worried something may have happened to mine.

Edit: I guess it is also kind of early in the cycle still too.

 

[MsPlasmodesmata]

Semantics 😛.

How do you think they would feel for a status update on one's application?

I have been complete and under review (not on-hold for rereview) since 8/20 and its approaching the 4th week of being complete (most people were put on hold within 1-3 weeks) and I understand I was complete a lot later than most people which may be the reason I'm still at the complete stage.

I'm in my 7th week of being complete and not on hold yet, though I did already send an update letter about classes I took in the summer. I included a couple paragraphs about my interest in GW, too.

 

[TxResident]

I'm in my 7th week of being complete and not on hold yet, though I did already send an update letter about classes I took in the summer. I included a couple paragraphs about my interest in GW, too.

Ah 🙁, alright thanks. Guess they really are that backed up. I regret not submitting earlier, but whats done is done! Thanks for the heads up, hopefully you hear back favorably from them soon!

 

[MsPlasmodesmata]

Ah 🙁, alright thanks. Guess they really are that backed up. I regret not submitting earlier, but whats done is done! Thanks for the heads up, hopefully you hear back favorably from them soon!

Thanks, I certainly hope so! It's a rough wait.

 

[cinamin]

.

 

[Fuska2012]

Checked today...on hold for re-review 🙁 ... guess I'll start drafting that LOI

 

[williamiv4]

Does on hold basically mean they'll review you in February or continually throughout the season they pull out your file?

 

[cinamin]

Checked today...on hold for re-review 🙁 ... guess I'll start drafting that LOI

when were you complete?

 

[Fuska2012]

when were you complete?

Hey so I submitted my secondary on 7/28 but didn't note down the exact date that my status changed to complete. sorry!

 

[RG3forPresident]

on hold for re-review.

This was one of the schools I was definitely hoping to get an interview at.

Complete around 8/21.

 

[init2winit]

on hold for re-review.

This was one of the schools I was definitely hoping to get an interview at.

Complete around 8/21.

Same here...was really hoping for an interview. I was complete about 10 days before you and also put on hold for re-review. It seems from this thread that there has been A LOT of putting on hold for re-review at GW. Though I do personally know someone who flew out a couple of weeks ago for her interview. Oh well, keep on waiting.

 

[RG3forPresident]

Same here...was really hoping for an interview. I was complete about 10 days before you and also put on hold for re-review. It seems from this thread that there has been A LOT of putting on hold for re-review at GW. Though I do personally know someone who flew out a couple of weeks ago for her interview. Oh well, keep on waiting.

what sucks for me is I'm a reapplicant, and I got the exact same status last year. Didn't hear back again until February saying I wouldn't be getting an interview.

I'm just taking this status to be a silent rejection. Sigh.

And I thought I had improved my application enough to get an interview this time...

 

[williamiv4]

what sucks for me is I'm a reapplicant, and I got the exact same status last year. Didn't hear back again until February saying I wouldn't be getting an interview.

I'm just taking this status to be a silent rejection. Sigh.

And I thought I had improved my application enough to get an interview this time...

Does anyone have an idea on how many holds actually result in an interview

 

[kickster]

There was a group of people who were on hold and then got interviews a couple weeks back, I've been on hold since early August, but I don't know an actual stat.

 

[TxResident]

Hey so I submitted my secondary on 7/28 but didn't note down the exact date that my status changed to complete. sorry!

on hold for re-review.

This was one of the schools I was definitely hoping to get an interview at.

Complete around 8/21.

Oh man guys 🙁. I submitted on 7/28 and was complete on 8/20, yet my application is still waiting to be reviewed (not re-reviewed). I'm getting worried theres a glitch in the system with my application now

 

[MsPlasmodesmata]

Oh man guys 🙁. I submitted on 7/28 and was complete on 8/20, yet my application is still waiting to be reviewed (not re-reviewed). I'm getting worried theres a glitch in the system with my application now

I was complete nearly a month before you, and I'm still just complete. Don't freak out yet.
Though, at this point, being put on re-review would be a relief. At least I'd know my app wasn't deleted.

 

[TxResident]

I was complete nearly a month before you, and I'm still just complete. Don't freak out yet.
Though, at this point, being put on re-review would be a relief. At least I'd know my app wasn't deleted.

+1 👍

But... but... but what if we're both errors in the system!? 😱

More waiting then 🙄

 

[phillies1]

Worth sending a letter of interest pre-interview invite after being place on hold? Or are LOIs more appropriate after being placed on a wait list following interviews?

 

[feredizzle]

i have been on re-review for a bout a month now, so i guess no hope for me 😕

 

[cinamin]

+1 👍

But... but... but what if we're both errors in the system!? 😱

More waiting then 🙄

i'm in the same boat.. complete longer than those who got re-review status today so i guess i have been reviewed... not put on hold.. not invited... silent rejection or a rejection letter in the winter??? 😕😡

 

[GomerPyle]

What do you guys suggest for low mcat/low gpa OOS student who has VERY strong extracurriculars and essays? Try it or no? I have the secondary.........and I am waiting for my MCAT score (i think I did better than the 29 I got the first time, but think I got very low verbal...). 😕

 

[NCPremed]

What do you guys suggest for low mcat/low gpa OOS student who has VERY strong extracurriculars and essays? Try it or no? I have the secondary.........and I am waiting for my MCAT score (i think I did better than the 29 I got the first time, but think I got very low verbal...). 😕

You don't mention your GPA, but I don't think your MCAT score would hold you back at GW, where people with some pretty low stats have received interview invites. Of course, the process is going to be a little random here because they are trying to weed ~14,000 applicants down to ~1,000 interviewees. If you'd really like to go here, make sure your secondary is extremely well written and researched...that will give you at least a semi decent shot at scoring an interview. If money is not a factor for you, then all they can do is say no.

 

[mirimonster]

So I was reading through GWU's info to prepare for my interview and I came across this Integrative Medicine track program: http://www.gwumc.edu/smhs/students/opportunities/integrative-medicine/curriculum.cfm

It sounds harmless enough, until I found that a sample list of lecture topics includes: Reiki Therapy, Acupuncture and Self-hypnosis. (These are listed in a pamphlet that I found and printed out a few weeks ago, and now I can't find the link again)

I just find it a little troubling that a school that claims to foster a culture of evidence-based medicine would have an MD track dedicated to a field of "medicine" that denies or avoids evidence. Maybe this bothers me more than it should, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and if given multiple acceptances, this could sway me away from GWU. Can any current students give any insight into how many people choose to take this track, and how seriously the medical school takes it? Or is it just an outdated program that they haven't bothered to get rid of yet?

Thanks for your help!

 

[chasingsummers]

The fact that this could be the one reason to deter you from going to GWU is really troubling. If you don't support integrative medicine, don't pursue the track. It's really as simple as that. It's one track of many...but just as a side note, integrative medicine has become increasingly popular in our country and schools like GWU and Cornell have incredible research centers devoted to studying various practices like reiki and acupuncture to see if there is scientific merit and evidence for their effects...so don't be so quick to discount them. In combination with traditional medicine, they could really be very powerful, at least in my opinion.
Anyways, my real point is - there are plenty of awesome things about GWU and I would hate to see this be a reason to rule out the school. After all, most schools do have integrative medicine student groups and programs nowadays (not all but a good majority that I have researched).

 

[NCPremed]

So I was reading through GWU's info to prepare for my interview and I came across this Integrative Medicine track program: http://www.gwumc.edu/smhs/students/opportunities/integrative-medicine/curriculum.cfm

It sounds harmless enough, until I found that a sample list of lecture topics includes: Reiki Therapy, Acupuncture and Self-hypnosis.

I just find it a little troubling that a school that claims to foster a culture of evidence-based medicine would have an MD track dedicated to a field of "medicine" that denies or avoids evidence. Maybe this bothers me more than it should, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and if given multiple acceptances, this could sway me away from GWU. Can any current students give any insight into how many people choose to take this track, and how seriously the medical school takes it? Or is it just an outdated program that they haven't bothered to get rid of yet?

Thanks for your help!

I recently interviewed here (not a student), and I don't think the Integrative Medicine track is meant in any way to substitute for evidence-based medicine. It is merely a series of optional electives you can take that introduces you to alternative medicine, which some individuals might be interested in exploring scientifically. It is not intended to "indoctrinate" students into thinking alternative medicine is the definitive way to approach patient care.

Also, I didn't get the impression that this was a popular track. Most of the students I met on interview day were interested in either the Global Health or the Community/Urban Health tracks. In contrast, not once did anyone mention the integrative medicine track.

My humble opinion is that the mere presence of this track should not influence your decision if otherwise you find GWU to be a good fit. The optional integrative medicine track is not indicative of a greater institutional failure to utilize evidence-based medicine.

 

[MsPlasmodesmata]

i'm in the same boat.. complete longer than those who got re-review status today so i guess i have been reviewed... not put on hold.. not invited... silent rejection or a rejection letter in the winter??? 😕😡

I certainly hope a silent rejection isn't the case for those of us who have been "complete" for months. From what I've read on last year's thread, everyone who got a pre-interview rejection e-mail in November (seemingly the earliest rejections) was on hold for re-review at some point before that.
If anyone has any anecdotal evidence to the contrary, let me know so I can prepare myself.

 

[Girly X]

A lot of naturopathy is also cultural or religious. The point is to be open to understanding and respecting other things your patients may be doing as a complement to the treatments you are prescribing, even if you feel those other alternatives add nothing to their prognosis. What would you do if you have a patient in the ER with a broken leg who is Native American and insists on speaking to his medicine man before you proceed? Try to convince him that your way will work better and you must proceed now? I recommend you spend some time on this website. http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/index.html It has helped me already with interviews.

EDIT: Not trying to change your mind, just be aware that it is out there and used by a large percentage of your patients in various forms from burning candles to relax, to prayer, to regular massages, even yoga may fall in this category. Personally I think it is a fascinating field and I am glad top research schools are looking into its effects as a complement to traditional treatment.

 

[init2winit]

I don't know enough about alternative medicine to argue one way or another, and I do understand both perspectives of this discussion. It did bring to mind the salient piece published just last week the Archives of Internal Medicine on acupuncture for chronic pain.

"Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain and is therefore a reasonable referral option. Significant differences between true and sham acupuncture indicate that acupuncture is more than a placebo. However, these differences are relatively modest, suggesting that factors in addition to the specific effects of needling are important contributors to the therapeutic effects of acupuncture."

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1357513

Interesting stuff! To each his/her own.

 

[Geebeejay]

Being accepting of other cultures and endorsing naturopathy are two very different things. If my patient wished to see a medicine man, I would respect that. However, I would not act as a medicine man or refer a patient to a medicine man as an effective form of treatment.

Not sure why I'm getting flamed on SDN for not wanting to go to a school that practices naturopathy. Anyways, I'm done with this discussion. One person answered my question.

Edit: I want to clarify that I am not against looking into these treatments scientifically, as I said before

Probably because GW doesn't "practice naturopathy". It only offers a track where you learn about it. So why deface the school and its entire program for this reason? Be more openminded. Or don't be. Diff'rnt strokes for diff'rnt folks.

You're probably being "flamed" because other people who like the program think you're overreacting to a very small aspect of the school.

 

[ceasefire]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n1W6_L1ZOg[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Girly X]

Read my original post. I was not defacing anything. I was simply asking about the nature of a part of the program that concerned me, which is a perfectly legitimate question. Then immediately people start jumping down my throat about how I should appreciate naturopathy and questioning my cultural competence. I don't believe that GW practices naturopathy, but having a program dedicated to it does endorse the practice, and I was wondering about the nature of that endorsement. NCPremed gave a measured response about the program, and that was all that I wanted.

And, no, the flames are all coming from people saying I should give acupuncture a chance, not people saying I was overreacting about a small aspect of the program.

Yes, this is only a small aspect of the program. Interviewed there last week and no one mentioned it at all. Didn't even know this was one of their track programs. But, I expect most schools at this point to have something going on with regards to looking further into the field, that's all.

Point taken about moving on...lets go back to talking about hold statuses 😀

 

[TxResident]

Yes, this is only a small aspect of the program. Interviewed there last week and no one mentioned it at all. Didn't even know this was one of their track programs. But, I expect most schools at this point to have something going on with regards to looking further into the field, that's all.

Point taken about moving on...lets go back to talking about hold statuses 😀

I have been placed on hold for re-review after being complete on 8/20 and submitting on 7/18 (or something like that).

 

[MsPlasmodesmata]

I have been placed on hold for re-review after being complete on 8/20 and submitting on 7/18 (or something like that).

Me too, after submitting 7/29 and being marked complete 7/31.
At least we're not glitches 👍
Now....more waiting
I take back what I said before. I don't like this on-hold feeling. It's definitely not a relief.

 

[TxResident]

Me too, after submitting 7/29 and being marked complete 7/31.
At least we're not glitches 👍
Now....more waiting
I take back what I said before. I don't like this on-hold feeling. It's definitely not a relief.

Nothing is a relief.

And btw you got marked complete real quick o_o... I even submitted before you hah. But hey, we're both on-hold for rereview now... Hopefully good news comes !

 

[MsPlasmodesmata]

Nothing is a relief.

And btw you got marked complete real quick o_o... I even submitted before you hah. But hey, we're both on-hold for rereview now... Hopefully good news comes !

Here's to good news for both of us, sooner or later
Maybe I was marked complete quicker because my AMCAS was verified before any secondaries came out, and my primary went to them on the first AMCAS info dump day in late June? Unless that's also the case for you too.
Anyway, this wait is gonna suck. And I already sent a substantial update/interest letter hybrid after my summer classes ended in August. I guess there's nothing else I can do. Unless I can send a brief update in a month with midterm grades? Is that worthy of an update?
The earliest rejection e-mails came in early November last year, so I guess I won't freak out til then. And no more daily checking of my status.

 

[cinamin]

Me too, after submitting 7/29 and being marked complete 7/31.
At least we're not glitches 👍
Now....more waiting
I take back what I said before. I don't like this on-hold feeling. It's definitely not a relief.

I am still just complete... complete before 8/20.