2012-2013 Michigan State University Application Thread

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Really no updates here following last Wednesdays decision date?
 
Sorry...I know this is probably flooded with last year's applicant hopefuls but here's some potentially useful information for this year's applicants (not necessarily specific to this year)


Just met with an admissions counselor an hour ago and thought I'd share. Basically I'm applying this year so I thought I'd sit down and talk.

Basically, the biggest thing I took out of it was make sure your PS, essays, and app fit their mission statement (go read the mission statement...apparently there is one). Also all the usual stuff like know your personal statement and when you copy & paste don't make the mistake of putting another school. They want someone who has MEANINGFUL CLINICAL EXPERIENCE. She said if you (not at me) don't have one clinical experience or you can talk with me about it, I don't want you at our medical school. Also, it really helps (as in improves your chances) if you have a letter from a clinical experience. It's not absolutely mandatory but she told me:

"if you can't produce one letter and you've done a lot of clinical experience, that's not a good sign" :scared:

I'm kinda scared because I skipped some volunteering days recently...


Also, some other things:

They look at your whole application when they receive secondaries. Everyone gets a secondary.

All those 27-29ers out there should have hope. I have a 3.8 sGPA and 28 MCAT and she wasn't too worried about the score- she admitted it wasn't ideal but that I was a reasonable applicant. She said a 30 would definitely help alot but at this point I should make I sell myself well in my essays and tell my own story. We talked about retaking and said they don't look at apps until they get secondary so if I were to take the MCAT at the beginning of June and get my score by July I could send it along with the secondaries and it wouldn't be much different.
 
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Hey guys,

1. I have a question. So for MSUCHM I was looking thru this thread for the specific post but lost it but basically someone said that the school "didn't buy their commitment to rural medicine" but the applicant didn't seem like he was applying to the specific program. I have no particular interest in rural medicine relative to an urban-disadvantaged, urban, or suburban setting. Does MSUCHM look for those interested in rural medicine. All their website emphasizes is they want those who are likely to stay in MI. I definitely want to stay in MI if I can but will this rural thing be something they look at. I didn't ask at my meeting.

2. Also, did any accepted candidates get a letter of recommendation from shadowing a physician and use it for their healthcare experience letter? As I said in my last post, this was a big thing they liked to see.

3. During my meeting I told them about my volunteering in hospice and I said that they person doesn't know me very well and then the person said that I should show her the requirements so that she can write a letter. What are the requirements for the clinical experience letter?

This I found the answer to the 1st question on their website actually:


Q: Do applicants who also apply to the Rural Physician Program get special consideration when applying to CHM?

A: No. All applicants to CHM are evaluated on their own merit during the regular admission process. Applying to the Rural Physician Program (RPP) does not give an applicant any advantage in the application process. Only after being admitted through the regular admission process will admission to the RPP be considered. If you are not interested in the RPP program, do not apply to either of them in anticipation of preferential treatment of your application.
 
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Don't try to be interested in rural medicine if you are not. There are very few of us who are, and I can tell you that its rather easy to tell if you are serious or not. That said, I don't think the fact that you are not particularly interested in rural medicine will hurt you. Just be honest about your intentions and your personality, background, and experiences should speak for themselves as to whether you are a good fit or not.
 
How long does it take after the clear CBC is released to get the formal acceptance e-mail?
 
BrosefStalin said:
How long does it take after the clear CBC is released to get the formal acceptance e-mail?
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Complete blood count? :laugh:

I completed my information by the end of February and received by formal acceptance by March 19th.
 
Not sure how far I should be looking into this, but it appears as if the MSU class of 2017 facebook group has 222 members. If this number is accurate for the number of students that plan to attend, there may not be much, if any, waitlist movement this year.
 
weezynation said:
Not sure how far I should be looking into this, but it appears as if the MSU class of 2017 facebook group has 222 members. If this number is accurate for the number of students that plan to attend, there may not be much, if any, waitlist movement this year.
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I'm praying there is a lot of movement. Also I heard that there is a lot of current students in the group. But still 222 is a bit high..
 
There are a lot of people in the classes ahead that are in the 2017 fb group. There are over 350 people in the class of 2016 group, for what it's worth!
 
Reaction said:
I'm praying there is a lot of movement. Also I heard that there is a lot of current students in the group. But still 222 is a bit high..
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Yeah I am doing the same. Looks like Kalamazoo below confirmed what you heard.

Kalamazoo said:
There are a lot of people in the classes ahead that are in the 2017 fb group. There are over 350 people in the class of 2016 group, for what it's worth!
Click to expand...

That is actually pretty encouraging. Nice to know. Thanks.
 
weezynation said:
Yeah I am doing the same. Looks like Kalamazoo below confirmed what you heard.



That is actually pretty encouraging. Nice to know. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I just did a quick count of the group members and it looks like out of 222, there are at least 90 that are current CHM students.
 
So I'm stuck working today and can't make the post-Second Look Day tour of the East Lansing campus, are there any current students at that campus who can give me some perspective on it? I interviewed in Grand Rapids and loved the city and the building, but I can't shake this feeling that I'd miss the university atmosphere in EL.
 
Napapiiri said:
I just did a quick count of the group members and it looks like out of 222, there are at least 90 that are current CHM students.
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Thanks 🙂 I'm sure most of us on the alternate list are very grateful for you taking the time to do this
 
Thanks from me as well for counting the current students in the group.

So anyone want to speculate on what that means...? Hoping it means there are still a lot of spots to be handed out but we're probably all reading too much into this.
 
weasel23 said:
Thanks from me as well for counting the current students in the group.

So anyone want to speculate on what that means...? Hoping it means there are still a lot of spots to be handed out but we're probably all reading too much into this.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone can accurately predict what will happen. I will say that there are people in the facebook group (including me!) who are still making final decisions on schools. The deadline to choose 1 school is May 15th. I suspect most of the waitlist movement will be shortly after that date as those with multiple acceptances decide where they want to attend and spots in the incoming class open accordingly.I'm not sure I would read too much into the facebook numbers--who knows how many hold multiple acceptances and how many aren't in the facebook group.
I hope that you remain hopeful! There are still several months for things to get sorted out. Best of luck!
 
DrBtobe said:
I don't think anyone can accurately predict what will happen. I will say that there are people in the facebook group (including me!) who are still making final decisions on schools. The deadline to choose 1 school is May 15th. I suspect most of the waitlist movement will be shortly after that date as those with multiple acceptances decide where they want to attend and spots in the incoming class open accordingly.I'm not sure I would read too much into the facebook numbers--who knows how many hold multiple acceptances and how many aren't in the facebook group.
I hope that you remain hopeful! There are still several months for things to get sorted out. Best of luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response! I know we're all looking into the facebook group too much, just bored being on the alternate list 🙁 But yeah, we won't hear anything until late May.
 
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SuperDhooper19 said:
Hey guys,

1. I have a question. So for MSUCHM I was looking thru this thread for the specific post but lost it but basically someone said that the school "didn't buy their commitment to rural medicine" but the applicant didn't seem like he was applying to the specific program. I have no particular interest in rural medicine relative to an urban-disadvantaged, urban, or suburban setting. Does MSUCHM look for those interested in rural medicine. All their website emphasizes is they want those who are likely to stay in MI. I definitely want to stay in MI if I can but will this rural thing be something they look at. I didn't ask at my meeting.

2. Also, did any accepted candidates get a letter of recommendation from shadowing a physician and use it for their healthcare experience letter? As I said in my last post, this was a big thing they liked to see.

3. During my meeting I told them about my volunteering in hospice and I said that they person doesn't know me very well and then the person said that I should show her the requirements so that she can write a letter. What are the requirements for the clinical experience letter?

This I found the answer to the 1st question on their website actually:


Q: Do applicants who also apply to the Rural Physician Program get special consideration when applying to CHM?

A: No. All applicants to CHM are evaluated on their own merit during the regular admission process. Applying to the Rural Physician Program (RPP) does not give an applicant any advantage in the application process. Only after being admitted through the regular admission process will admission to the RPP be considered. If you are not interested in the RPP program, do not apply to either of them in anticipation of preferential treatment of your application.
Click to expand...


Here are my 2 cents. I'm only a pre-med, albeit a successful applicant. Take my advice with a grain of salt, it's what worked for me and what I learned from the process:

1. Read the mission statement. MSU is not committed to rural medicine (although it is part of their program). They are looking for people who will become excellent physicians--it's more about communication, respect, and integrity. Read over the mission statement and decide for yourself what makes a good doctor good. Write your PS and secondaries with those qualities in mind and how you demonstrate those qualities (don't say you have them, show that you have them through your examples from your life experiences).

2. I would get LORs from people who can strongly (and positively!!) attest to your character, work ethic, etc. Only get a letter from a dr. you shadowed if you think they know you well enough to write that letter. If you decide to get a letter from a clinical reference who doesn't know you or your work well, make sure that your other letter writers have indicated that they will write you strong letters.

3.No requirements to the letter that I know of other than you will want to make sure that the person who is writing it for you will write a positive letter and has strong communication skills. Don't ask someone to write a letter if you are uncertain as to if they will write positively--these letters are confidential to you. Ask them to mention the clinical nature of the experience and their views on your performance in that clinical setting.
For me, I gave my letter writers a copy of my CV, an explanation of what I was doing (applying to med school) and why (basically my PS). I also included examples of times I thought I demonstrated certain qualities and that I would be honored if they agreed and could discuss them.

Best of luck!
 
Last decision date is tomorrow! Maybe calls for some of you tonight? Best of luck everyone! 🙂
 
I can personally say I know people who hold multiple acceptances to several schools instate, including MSUCHM, Wayne, OU, and even MSUCOM. So to all of you on the wait-list, there is definitely still hope. Like someone else mentioned earlier, I wouldn't look too much into the facebook group members count. I would however keep a close eye at the May 15 deadline. I anticipate a majority of the wait list movement will occur shortly after that, so hang in there!
 
danorlan said:
Oh wow that's great news, perhaps that's a good predictor of alternate list movement! Did you a receive an email or phone call?
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Email. Then a phone call. Good luck to all still waiting!
 
Can anyone shed some light as to when financial aid decisions will be released? Also, does MSU give out much in the way of scholarships? I understand that state schools tend to give out less than privates
 
pachewisc said:
Can anyone shed some light as to when financial aid decisions will be released? Also, does MSU give out much in the way of scholarships? I understand that state schools tend to give out less than privates
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The scholarship application process isn't until later in the summer. June or even maybe July. You will probably get a financial aid notice with loans before that.

There are several scholarships that are for incoming students. Not everyone that applies gets one, but I know several students that did. I personally applied for three and was awarded one that was for a substantial amount. Also, there are more scholarships that you will be able to apply for in January of each year.

Hope that helps.
 
Napapiiri said:
The scholarship application process isn't until later in the summer. June or even maybe July. You will probably get a financial aid notice with loans before that.

There are several scholarships that are for incoming students. Not everyone that applies gets one, but I know several students that did. I personally applied for three and was awarded one that was for a substantial amount. Also, there are more scholarships that you will be able to apply for in January of each year.

Hope that helps.
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That definitely helps. I was looking at the list of scholarships (http://www.finaid.msu.edu/sships.asp), and they almost all look need-based. Are there non-needs based scholarships to your knowledge? I think with my parents' income I won't qualify because schools have to assume parents will make a contribution 🙁
 
pachewisc said:
That definitely helps. I was looking at the list of scholarships (http://www.finaid.msu.edu/sships.asp), and they almost all look need-based. Are there non-needs based scholarships to your knowledge? I think with my parents' income I won't qualify because schools have to assume parents will make a contribution 🙁
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They are not all need-based. The CHM scholarships are not listed on that site since they are awarded by a committee at CHM and not the MSU admissions office. CHM will send out a separate list around June with the scholarships specific to CHM students.
 
Napapiiri said:
They are not all need-based. The CHM scholarships are not listed on that site since they are awarded by a committee at CHM and not the MSU admissions office. CHM will send out a separate list around June with the scholarships specific to CHM students.
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Ahhhh, okay. I gotcha. Thank you! 👍
 
Just took my last exam of my second year of med school! Wahooooooooo! It feels good. Now, hopefully I passed 😀.
 
Requested GR campus, where my family still lives and where I lived for 18 years, but was placed in East Lansing...
 
I withdrew my acceptance here yesterday. It was a tough decision. Good luck to everyone on the waitlist!
 
Hey sorry to hijack the thread for a second. I'm looking at applying to CHM this year and I had a quick question about the clinical campus placements. When I apply I'll be married and my wife will most likely find a job near my preclinical campus and we are concerned about having to uproot and move after two years. With that in mind I was just wondering if anyone has any insight on the odds of staying in one location for all four years?
 
Family situations with spouse's employment in the area qualify for special consideration.
 
I had to make the very tough decision to withdraw. Best of luck to everyone on the WL.

Stats in MDApps.
 
pachewisc said:
I had to make the very tough decision to withdraw. Best of luck to everyone on the WL.

Stats in MDApps.
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So you are saying that you withdrew because you didn't get your preclinical campus? If so that sounds kind of douchey.....
 
Supisak said:
So you are saying that you withdrew because you didn't get your preclinical campus? If so that sounds kind of douchey.....
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That was not the reason I withdrew. There were multiple reasons. I've PMed you.
 
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Does anyone know if there will be any movement here? Thanks!
 
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Withdrew yesterday afternoon. Good luck to those on the waitlist!
 
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