2012-2013 Medical College of Wisconsin Application Thread

[einstein1990]

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OOS <30 MCAT

Ahhh, today?? When were you small pooled???

 

[medmedman]

Ahhh, today?? When were you small pooled???

I was small pooled August 13th and received the interview invite yesterday

 

[CholeCystems]

Thanks for posting medman! Giving me hope for having a 29! Good luck

 

[medmedman]

Thanks for posting medman! Giving me hope for having a 29! Good luck

haha no problem! I also got a 29 (8 on verbal). Just present yourself well and diversify your application!

 

[2dogs]

Small-pooled today. Complete 8/15. Yay.

I was complete 8/8. All of my stats are above the averages for accepted students, but I still haven't received a small pool email, not even in my spam folder. Should I start worrying now? 😕

 

[levodopa]

I was complete 8/8. All of my stats are above the averages for accepted students, but I still haven't received a small pool email, not even in my spam folder. Should I start worrying now? 😕

Maybe. I submitted 8/8 and was complete 8/23. I was small pooled yesterday. Maybe send a letter of interest? Idk how they respond to those things though.

 

[2dogs]

OMG I feel old. When I was very young, I even remember my grandparents having a rotary dial phone. It's the one where you spin a wheel and the number clicks instead of a tone... oh never mind.

HA! When I took typing back in jr high/high school, the class used typewriters!

For those of you who were not born in the '70s, a typewriter is this machine into which you have to put a piece of paper and then hit keys to type out words. And you couldn't mess up, because there was no delete key! 🤣

 

[2dogs]

Maybe. I submitted 8/8 and was complete 8/23. I was small pooled yesterday. Maybe send a letter of interest? Idk how they respond to those things though.

Yeah, I don't know. I've checked the status of my application and it just says that I'm complete, no new messages at this time. Given that I've been reading about people being small pooled for a few weeks now, I'm not sure why I haven't heard anything, yet. Weird.

 

[medmedman]

HA! When I took typing back in jr high/high school, the class used typewriters!

For those of you who were not born in the '70s, a typewriter is this machine into which you have to put a piece of paper and then hit keys to type out words. And you couldn't mess up, because there was no delete key! 🤣

Well I lived in the 90s and I had a typewriter that HAD a delete key! and I had another typewriter that was actually digital so you would type it on a screen, and it would go ahead and type it out automatically when you hit enter

 

[HurricaneKatt]

Small pooled

 

[FrontierPsych]

Dang I was small pooled on 8/22 as well but no II for me 🙁

Same here. I imagine that is a bad sign for us both.

 

[eperloff]

Hey guys, I sent in my secondary application yesterday (I know a little late) but how long did it take for them to respond?

 

[2dogs]

Hey guys, I sent in my secondary application yesterday (I know a little late) but how long did it take for them to respond?

I've been complete since 8/8 and still haven't heard a peep! But it looks like several other people have had some luck recently.

 

[Luvahgilahsa]

I submitted my secondary 6/20ish, and was completed 8/30. I was small pooled yesterday. Is that a good sign? I'm in state, that might hae something to do with their fast decision?

 

[2dogs]

Well I lived in the 90s and I had a typewriter that HAD a delete key! and I had another typewriter that was actually digital so you would type it on a screen, and it would go ahead and type it out automatically when you hit enter

Now that's just crazy talk!

 

[CopaceticOne]

Same here. I imagine that is a bad sign for us both.

Nope, not at all. MCW doesn't interview every week like some schools, but once every 3-4 weeks with groups of approx 60. If I remember correctly, they don't send out IIs for the distant dates until they are closer, but I have a strong hunch that they layout who will be in those groups far earlier (with the obligatory shuffling as more & more applications are reviewed).

 

[2dogs]

Nope, not at all. MCW doesn't interview every week like some schools, but once every 3-4 weeks with groups of approx 60. If I remember correctly, they don't send out IIs for the distant dates until they are closer, but I have a strong hunch that they layout who will be in those groups far earlier (with the obligatory shuffling as more & more applications are reviewed).[/QUOTE/]

There may be hope for me, yet!

 

[johnwalldance]

Finally small pooled. Was complete something like August 14? Also sent an interest email to Mrs. Jennifer Haluzak just last Friday.

 

[medicalapp12]

Complete 8/18. No messages at this time.

 

[mavrich]

Finally small pooled. Was complete something like August 14? Also sent an interest email to Mrs. Jennifer Haluzak just last Friday.

What do you write in these interest emails? And is it too soon?

 

[dextor2003]

what do you write in these interest emails? And is it too soon?

+1

 

[johnwalldance]

I had the luxury of meeting Mrs. Haluzak at the NIH Professional and Graduate school fair this summer so I mentioned it was nice to meet her there, and I also mentioned things I liked about MCW such as the Pathways program, the summer research programs, some of the classes in the curriculum, and the chance for early patient contact/exposure.

 

[CopaceticOne]

I had the luxury of meeting Mrs. Haluzak at the NIH Professional and Graduate school fair this summer so I mentioned it was nice to meet her there, and I also mentioned things I liked about MCW such as the Pathways program, the summer research programs, some of the classes in the curriculum, and the chance for early patient contact/exposure.

Just out of curiosity, which classes in the curriculum?

 

[jlescher]

I had the luxury of meeting Mrs. Haluzak at the NIH Professional and Graduate school fair this summer so I mentioned it was nice to meet her there, and I also mentioned things I liked about MCW such as the Pathways program, the summer research programs, some of the classes in the curriculum, and the chance for early patient contact/exposure.

Hmm, wish I would have known she was there. The schedule said the grad school representatives were attending the fair, NOT the medical school.

 

[huwp]

you might find this helpful if applying to mcw

 

[brbEightball]

Informative. You may want to consider posting this to the MCW 2012-2013 application thread though: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=895229&page=9

(assuming it isn't already buried somewhere in those 9 pages)

And now a mod moved it so I look crazy :v

 

[sinombre]

Man, us Californians have it rough.

 

[Krnsaber]

Small pooled today, complete about 2 weeks ago!

 

[1289]

you might find this helpful if applying to mcw

my major NEVER shows up on any of these things. never know what to think of this ha,

 

[MilMD01]

I got small pooled on 8/7, so I'm wondering if that's a bad sign that I didn't receive an II yet... haha. Dang :/

 

[deleted236787]

I got small pooled on 8/7, so I'm wondering if that's a bad sign that I didn't receive an II yet... haha. Dang :/

You may not receive an interview until JANUARY and you may not hear anything before then. They're going to be selecting the people with the highest GPA/MCAT first and then working their way through the pile of applications.

I hate it when people freak out because they don't receive an II in the first month or two. Be patient!

 

[MilMD01]

Haha thanks for the advice. Just nervous because the idea of not getting into anywhere is absolutely mortifying.

 

[1289]

You may not receive an interview until JANUARY and you may not hear anything before then. They're going to be selecting the people with the highest GPA/MCAT first and then working their way through the pile of applications.

I hate it when people freak out because they don't receive an II in the first month or two. Be patient!

FWIW I don't have the highest gpa or mcat and got an interview. Last year I didn't get an interview until February this year got one right away. It's about more than numbers

 

[deleted236787]

FWIW I don't have the highest gpa or mcat and got an interview. Last year I didn't get an interview until February this year got one right away. It's about more than numbers

Thanks.. that's good to know! I was just trying to make the point that you may not hear anything until early 2013 so to not worry if you're not getting an interview right away. Best of luck at your interview!

 

[betheltim]

Haha thanks for the advice. Just nervous because the idea of not getting into anywhere is absolutely mortifying.

I promise you, it's not the end of the world... It's probably (read: most likely) good for you.

 

[jlescher]

I promise you, it's not the end of the world... It's probably (read: most likely) good for you.

If you don't mind me asking, is there any specific reason why you think you didn't get accepted in previous cycles? Did the interviews simply not go well?

 

[betheltim]

If you don't mind me asking, is there any specific reason why you think you didn't get accepted in previous cycles? Did the interviews simply not go well?

I’ve actually posted this in a few others places, so I’ll copy and paste most of what I’ve said before. To be concise:

I first applied three years ago—7 schools, 2 interviews, 1 waitlist (at my state school). I spoke to the dean of admissions at the school regarding my application, and he said it was mostly that I had limited clinical experience. At that time, I had only shadowed two physicians and volunteered for four months on an oncology floor at a hospital. He said I should get more clinical experience and consider retaking my MCAT (31 was two points lower than the average matriculant there). Perhaps more significantly, he recommended I sit out a year to improve my application, since back-to-back applications really doesn’t give you enough time to improve your application significantly.

Of course, being young, restless, and probably pretty immature, I didn’t take his advice and applied the next year. Both schools that interviewed me rejected me pre-interview, and I didn’t get any interviews until the end of the cycle (just one). I emailed the dean again and he basically said, “Well, you did these things [getting clinical experience], but not to the level we wanted to see.”

The reality is that he was serious—a year isn’t enough time, and if you’re a re-applicant, you have a significantly lower chance unless you are really impressive. It makes sense, but at the time I was skeptical, and I’ve paid for it. However, I’ve had a TON of incredible opportunities since then, and looking back, I’m glad I was rejected in some respects. I wasn’t ready then, and was pretty better, as many of my friends got in, and even some people I mentored on how to prepare for medical school (even people I personally tutored). However, as time has passed I’ve realized how many qualified applicants there are, and am happy they were accepted, because they are truly incredible people with great potential.

But I’m ready now, and am more excited than ever to get started on my medical career. I’m incredibly grateful and happy to be where I am, and can only hope admissions committees see that and give me a shot.

To summarize: It was most likely a few slight deficits that were exacerbated by me applying two straight years rather than taking a year off and making my application substantially stronger.

 

[jlescher]

Thank you. This process never fails to amaze me. I say that because it is odd that the main reason was lack of clinical experience, yet it is blatantly apparent on your application. Why interview you if they know you lack the clinical experience they desire? Anyway, sorry to digress everyone and thanks again for the input.

 

[betheltim]

Thank you. This process never fails to amaze me. I say that because it is odd that the main reason was lack of clinical experience, yet it is blatantly apparent on your application. Why interview you if they know you lack the clinical experience they desire? Anyway, sorry to digress everyone and thanks again for the input.

Yeah, I have a lot more clinical exposure now (I suppose you could say I have over 5000 shadowing hours for about 75 physicians, hahaha...). However, I didn't have most of this the first time around, and although at that time I would have said the same thing ("Why would you interview me if you knew I didn't have what you wanted?"), my guess is that they would have considered me more seriously if I had blown them away in the interview. I'm assuming I didn't blow them away, so they said, "Try again in a few years once you have a little more experience."

So I guess in that way, perhaps I didn't interview well enough the first time. I WILL say my interview at the second school in my first application cycle WAS a disaster... It was pretty awkward, haha... Hopefully that's not the case anymore!

 

[pachewisc]

@betheltim thanks for the advice and personal story.

It hits pretty close to home because I also have fairly limited medical experience. I had a meeting with an admissions staff member at my university to see why I was rejected, besides OOS, and she was very forward and honest when explaining that my medical experience was too limited to be considered. Other schools are also likely very hesitant of my ~150 hours of hospital volunteering and only 5 shadowing experiences (at the moment, working really hard this semester for more).

I actually have sent update emails addressing this issue. Hopefully the schools take my explanation to heart and "look past my past" to focus on the present.

 

[jlescher]

@betheltim thanks for the advice and personal story.

It hits pretty close to home because I also have fairly limited medical experience. I had a meeting with an admissions staff member at my university to see why I was rejected, besides OOS, and she was very forward and honest when explaining that my medical experience was too limited to be considered. Other schools are also likely very hesitant of my ~150 hours of hospital volunteering and only 5 shadowing experiences (at the moment, working really hard this semester for more).

I actually have sent update emails addressing this issue. Hopefully the schools take my explanation to heart and "look past my past" to focus on the present.

I'm in the same boat. To be honest I have taken the approach of gaining more research experience because I think it is imperative to becoming a good physician. I also want to pursue a career focused more on clinical research and less on family medicine for example. I have never done anything on my application to get into medical school, I did it to prepare for being a physician. I think clinical volunteering is crammed down our throats as yet another hoop to jump through.

I have grilled every doctor I know (some adcom members) about this topic and ironically most of them say it doesn't matter. I think it depends on the school more than anything. Paranoid and nervous.

 

[blujhae]

Man, us Californians have it rough.

Yes. You're correct in some ways such as getting into CA schools. But you're in luck with MCW. MCW actually takes in A LOT of us California kids. Ref: http://www.mcw.edu/FileLibrary/User/pconfer/Admissions/Classof2015ProfileInfo.pdf

Each class each year, Californians make up about 1/5 of a total class of 204...quite hefty I think.

For all of you freaking out about small-pooling and interview invites, I urge you to try and not freak out. The committee chooses applicants based on MANY things outside of STATS, like many schools. Interviews run until early spring, so this is still really early in the cycle. And to reiterate one of my fellow classmates from an earlier post, MCW interviews in big batches (~60) every other week or so in a very efficient way surprisingly. They roll them out when time comes closer to a certain interview date.

 

[bluecabinet]

Are they receptive to pre-pool LOI? Been completed like late July...nothing yet...🙁

 

[dextor2003]

are they receptive to pre-pool loi? Been completed like late july...nothing yet...🙁

+1

 

[medicalapp12]

+1

+2, I want to dive into the pool too

 

[BeancheBlanco]

I was complete 8/8. All of my stats are above the averages for accepted students, but I still haven't received a small pool email, not even in my spam folder. Should I start worrying now? 😕

No you shouldn't. They don't necessarily small pool people in the order that they are complete. Just relax and don't assume anything.

I think clinical volunteering is crammed down our throats as yet another hoop to jump through.

You say that like medical schools set arbitrary requirements that pre-med students grudgingly have to pass. There's a legitimate reason that schools like to see clinical volunteering.

 

[jlescher]

No you shouldn't. They don't necessarily small pool people in the order that they are complete. Just relax and don't assume anything.



You say that like medical schools set arbitrary requirements that pre-med students grudgingly have to pass. There's a legitimate reason that schools like to see clinical volunteering.

Trust me, I understand the reasoning. I only say that because in the pre-med world volunteering is touted as beeing the end all be all to getting accepted. It is critical and for good reason, we are trying to become doctors. I just think more often than not, volunteering is a joke of an EC that most applicants polish up on the application as being somthing that it was not. I know many people have qualtiy experiences, but from what I have experineced it seems rare. I just think it is possible to have a good grasp of the profession without volunteering in a clinic for 500 hours.

 

[betheltim]

Trust me, I understand the reasoning. I only say that because in the pre-med world volunteering is touted as beeing the end all be all to getting accepted. It is critical and for good reason, we are trying to become doctors. I just think more often than not, volunteering is a joke of an EC that most applicants polish up on the application as being somthing that it was not. I know many people have qualtiy experiences, but from what I have experineced it seems rare. I just think it is possible to have a good grasp of the profession without volunteering in a clinic for 500 hours.

Having a good grasp of the profession and getting accepted to medical school are two very different things though, and volunteering helps you with both.

 

[jlescher]

Having a good grasp of the profession and getting accepted to medical school are two very different things though, and volunteering helps you with both.

I agree. I guess I was being too cynical. It's definitely not a useless hoop to jump through. It has a purpose.

 

[hypocrazy]

I am a postbac. I'm working in the Clinical Center in a radiology lab. Where are you?

Sweet me too, I'm in building 50 in a virology lab.