2012-2013 University of Illinois Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Pateln381 said:
Thanks for your reply my friend. I really appreciate it. So class scheduling will be different than undergrad school. ... I still have some qs though. I am sorry if they sound stupid. Lol. Do we still get to pick time slots for those classes? Can we also choose our professors or does university assign us professors for those classes? Thanks in advance. 🙂
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You don't get to pick time slots or professors.
 
Anyone hear anything about whether or not the committee met yesterday? Last year they met the Thursday before second look day and statuses were subsequently updated the following Monday. I don't know if it is different this year or if the flooding caused a change in schedule. Thanks!
 
ewillia8 said:
Anyone hear anything about whether or not the committee met yesterday? Last year they met the Thursday before second look day and statuses were subsequently updated the following Monday. I don't know if it is different this year or if the flooding caused a change in schedule. Thanks!
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I haven't heard, but today was Second Look Day and it was pretty insane with everyone here. Given the amount of work they did for all of the students, I would be surprised if they had met yesterday.
 
ewillia8 said:
Anyone hear anything about whether or not the committee met yesterday? Last year they met the Thursday before second look day and statuses were subsequently updated the following Monday. I don't know if it is different this year or if the flooding caused a change in schedule. Thanks!
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Likewise man, I don't think they met.
 
longshot123 said:
Sharpie: They've usually been posting decisions on Friday after the meeting. Take that for what it's worth, because it is possible they didn't meet at all yesterday. I've been waiting for a decision since December :/
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Yeah for sure, I hope we both get in
 
cjpeters3 said:
I recently was accepted and received the Chicago track. Is there anything else I need to do besides fill out FAFSA?
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Hey CjPeters. CONGRATS on your acceptance!!

In addition to FAFSA, they also need citizenship proof. In my case, I had to go to the financial aid office and show them my Green Card. You need to feel out a form and go in person with your proof. Here's the link of the form I am talking about: www.uic.edu/depts/financialaid/docs/EY/1314_DHS2-E.pdf

They also require an Official Transcript and an Immunization Form www.medicine.uic.edu/UserFiles/Serv...ns/Medical_Immunization_form-Chicago.2013.pdf if you have already decided to go there for your medical school!

I hope this info. helps!
 
Hi!

Can anyone who attended the second look today share some thoughts or impressions about the school?
Was there any new update from the school? (such as curriculum, facilities,...)

I would appreciate a lot.

Thanks ahead! 🙂
 
yangpa said:
Hi!

Can anyone who attended the second look today share some thoughts or impressions about the school?
Was there any new update from the school? (such as curriculum, facilities,...)

I would appreciate a lot.

Thanks ahead! 🙂
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I really enjoyed the day - I felt like they really represented the school well. The presentations were a tad bit rushed but I appreciated how much info they were able to pack into one day. There was clearly a ton of work put into the day.

The biggest update that I didn't remember hearing about at my interview is that they'll be doing what seem to be pretty significant renovations on the medical school building. Apparently work on certain areas will be done this summer, and the bigger renovations will be done by fall of 2014. If other people remember this better, please jump in!

As for the curriculum, they emphasized that they're in the process of updating it to focus on more active learning (TBL, small group etc). They said they're not doing any huge overhaul, but they'll be tweaking things.

That's what I have - anyone else want to say anything?
 
Thank you vegetables!!!

Yes I was wondering how UIC will incorporate active learning to the current curriculum. It sounds like there won't be major changes at least in this incoming class...??!

Anyway, thank you so much again for sharing this 😉
 
yangpa said:
Thank you vegetables!!!

Yes I was wondering how UIC will incorporate active learning to the current curriculum. It sounds like there won't be major changes at least in this incoming class...??!

Anyway, thank you so much again for sharing this 😉
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They did mention something about redoing M4 year, but it wasn't clear to what extent.
 
Sodium22 said:
They did mention something about redoing M4 year, but it wasn't clear to what extent.
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The way M4 year is currently set up so that you are required to do 2-week rotations in a bunch of subspecialties: ENT, ortho, rads, EM, derm, anesthesia, etc. The idea is that you get some exposure and education in every major specialty. However, most students pack the two-weekers into the end of M4 year since they are easy and pass/fail. As a result, most people don't take them very seriously and they are so short that they aren't hugely educational. If you look at my schedule below, my neuro, ENT, and urology rotations were all two weekers that were required under the old system.

The NEW system is that there are different "tracks" for M4s that you can pick: surgery, medicine, flexible, etc. As an example, the "surgery track" would require 4 weeks of anesthesia, radiology, emergency medicine, and a 4 week surgical elective in whatever you want. As a result, students take longer rotations in specialties that are related to their eventual career. There is still a bunch of time for electives otherwise.
 
Second look day was awesome. Nice meeting a bunch of future classmates. I especially enjoyed being able to speak with all the M1s.

In regards to curriculum changes, they mentioned that active learning is being progressively incorporated to reflect recent literature on the subject. Thus team based learning was stressed. The renovation plans reflected this. They showed mock ups of large class rooms with over a dozen tables for groups of 6+. Each table had their own personal projector that they could connect their laptops to, or that the professor could override.

The M4 thing wasn't elaborated on except for saying it will allow for more flexibility.

They also stressed that UIC-COM students develop great clinical skills their first two years especially in regards to physical examination when compared to other Chicago med schools. All the current students said they were extremely happy with the amount of patient interaction, being thrown into it their first week if not their first day.

Eldestone is to be face lifted this summer and should be done before we start. M1s next year will have lecture in the ear and nose infirmary while construction goes on to renovate the current one. I checked out that lecture hall. Not much different than the current one, old, but it did have some comfortable chairs.

All in all, the day got me extremely excited for my future at UIC.
 
Wow thank you so much for all this good info 🙂
 
Still have a "decision pending" status since my interview in December, and I think the last email I received was March 1. The email says they withhold the right to make a decision until June 1st, which to me sounds like a waitlist situation. Anyone know if we are usually notified earlier, or is this just a way of putting us on a waitlist without saying it?
 
jellybean4 said:
Still have a "decision pending" status since my interview in December, and I think the last email I received was March 1. The email says they withhold the right to make a decision until June 1st, which to me sounds like a waitlist situation. Anyone know if we are usually notified earlier, or is this just a way of putting us on a waitlist without saying it?
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As far as I know, April decisions haven't been posted yet. In past years, people with "decision pending" for a few months have gotten in in April. If you are still decision pending after the April status changes occur, they make one more round of decisions in May and then they form the Waitlist.
 
jellybean4 said:
Still have a "decision pending" status since my interview in December, and I think the last email I received was March 1. The email says they withhold the right to make a decision until June 1st, which to me sounds like a waitlist situation. Anyone know if we are usually notified earlier, or is this just a way of putting us on a waitlist without saying it?
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I'm in this same exact situation. Are we notified of anything before May 15? I'm quite curious what happens from hereon out. If we don't get a decision from the April adcom meeting, I'm assuming that's a bad sign?
 
einstein1990 said:
I'm in this same exact situation. Are we notified of anything before May 15? I'm quite curious what happens from hereon out. If we don't get a decision from the April adcom meeting, I'm assuming that's a bad sign?
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I'd assume so, but who knows? I'm probably going to call admissions tomorrow. My patience is wearing thin for this whole process.
 
einstein1990 said:
You and I both. Please let me know if you call and what you find out!
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I called today (although I interviewed later... 3/22) and the lady who picked up the phone said to keep checking my status periodically and she claimed that the committee "doesn't inform 'us' when they meet". She was very nice but unhelpful. If anyone gets a different response I'd be curious to know.
 
Do we have any other late-March or April interviewees on here? I'd be interested to see if they provided any more information to the April interviewees about spots available, timelines, etc.
 
patsfan428 said:
I called today (although I interviewed later... 3/22) and the lady who picked up the phone said to keep checking my status periodically and she claimed that the committee "doesn't inform 'us' when they meet". She was very nice but unhelpful. If anyone gets a different response I'd be curious to know.
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I called last week and got a similar response ("we never know when the committee meets"), which I thought was bizarre but I let it go.
 
juchats said:
I called last week and got a similar response ("we never know when the committee meets"), which I thought was bizarre but I let it go.
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I think maybe we should try calling on a Thursday. It seems like on those days you can talk to an admissions counselor who generally has more info on what's going on. Maybe not though.. has anyone who mentioned calling done so on a Thursday??
 
So does anyone know if the committee actually met last Thursday? My status is still decision pending, as it has been since December. Not sure if I wasn't decided upon during the April meeting and should just give up hope or if they haven't even met yet, since only 1 person posted about a status update...
 
einstein1990 said:
So does anyone know if the committee actually met last Thursday? My status is still decision pending, as it has been since December. Not sure if I wasn't decided upon during the April meeting and should just give up hope or if they haven't even met yet, since only 1 person posted about a status update...
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I'm going to guess that they didn't meet last Thursday. I can't imagine that they would have met and nobody on here (or lurking on here) got in.

Last year a few rejections were sent out before the April meeting so there is precedent for that. I'm hoping that they are meeting tomorrow and some of us will get status updates late tomorrow, Friday, or maybe even Monday.
 
ahhh, just got really frustrated when I saw last years thread and someone who interviewed at the end of March, still had decision pending at the end of May...

I guess they don't have to give us decisions by May 15th...?
 
patsfan428 said:
ahhh, just got really frustrated when I saw last years thread and someone who interviewed at the end of March, still had decision pending at the end of May...

I guess they don't have to give us decisions by May 15th...?
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Yeah not quite sure why that's a thing... I was also quite frustrated when I saw that. :/

EDIT: anyone get a status update today?
 
Last edited:
einstein1990 said:
EDIT: anyone get a status update today?
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Long time lurker, first time poster. No update here.

Did anyone call to find out if they met yesterday? I mean, it would seem unlikely that they could... the people on AdCom are doctors, professors, M4's, etc. It's not like they can just up and cancel a weekend of stuff to make up missing last week.

I think we're stuck waiting until June 1. 🙁
 
Two years ago, the April acceptances went out on April 29th. I can't imagine they would have dedicated the resources to interview people throughout March and April if they did not plan on accepting anyone.

Every past UIC thread has April acceptances, I think we just need to be patient and see what happens.
 
einstein1990 said:
Yeah not quite sure why that's a thing... I was also quite frustrated when I saw that. :/

EDIT: anyone get a status update today?
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No status update over here and I interviewed in early March. God bless those who have been waiting since December. The waiting game is quite tough.
 
patsfan428 said:
ahhh, just got really frustrated when I saw last years thread and someone who interviewed at the end of March, still had decision pending at the end of May...

I guess they don't have to give us decisions by May 15th...?
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They've made a point to say they reserve the right to all decisions by June 1st.

At this point I don't think I really want to go here. Getting stuck in peoria or rockford would be terrible.
 
ikestoys said:
At this point I don't think I really want to go here. Getting stuck in peoria or rockford would be terrible.
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If that's really how you feel, then withdraw. There are actually people who want to go and haven't gotten in (and aren't snubbing their noses at the downstate campuses like you seem to think you have a right to.)
 
jebcane said:
If that's really how you feel, then withdraw. There are actually people who want to go and haven't gotten in (and aren't snubbing their noses at the downstate campuses like you seem to think you have a right to.)
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I haven't gotten in, but UIC becomes a top choice for me if I'm assigned to Chicago, and would be a distant choice if I'm in UPR. I have a feeling many other people who have been accepted to other schools change their preference greatly depending on what campus they are assigned to as well.

I just really don't like how the admissions process is done here. You get in, yay! Now you can spend your medical education in an elite world class city, or Peoria.
 
ikestoys said:
I haven't gotten in, but UIC becomes a top choice for me if I'm assigned to Chicago, and would be a distant choice if I'm in UPR. I have a feeling many other people who have been accepted to other schools change their preference greatly depending on what campus they are assigned to as well.

I just really don't like how the admissions process is done here. You get in, yay! Now you can spend your medical education in an elite world class city, or Peoria.
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To be fair, Peoria is a great city for medical education and is a medical hub for all of southern Illinois and the surrounding states. Their research is well funded and their Step scores are higher than the other campuses.

So it really comes to what your priorities are.
 
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