2012-2013 University of Washington Application Thread

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OOR folks, I called & found out some info on those elusive tuition fellowships. They have all been given out and an alternate list was formed. If you're like me and hadn't heard anything, you are not on that list.

I'm feeling really confused about what to do now. I really want to go to UW but I don't know if it's a financially responsible thing to do.
 
rachelkj said:
OOR folks, I called & found out some info on those elusive tuition fellowships. They have all been given out and an alternate list was formed. If you're like me and hadn't heard anything, you are not on that list.

I'm feeling really confused about what to do now. I really want to go to UW but I don't know if it's a financially responsible thing to do.
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Aww, sorry! I was rooting for you. Good luck with your decision.
 
this is for all successful reapplicants: did you have an exit interview with dr. teitz? if so, did you address all her concerns and then come up successful the next time? thanks
 
rasta said:
this is for all successful reapplicants: did you have an exit interview with dr. teitz? if so, did you address all her concerns and then come up successful the next time? thanks
Click to expand...

I use the term "successful" with slight reservation (I'm on the waitlist), but I applied last cycle and did not get an interview. My rejection e-mail from UW had some suggested areas of improvement (increase GPA, more shadowing, get some life experience). I tried to address all of these areas in the time between application cycles, and made sure to mention the changes I had made on my new application. I also attended one of the applicant/reapplicant seminars that the admissions office holds, and that helped me improve the quality of my written materials. I did not have an exit interview. Hope that helps.
 
rasta said:
this is for all successful reapplicants: did you have an exit interview with dr. teitz? if so, did you address all her concerns and then come up successful the next time? thanks
Click to expand...

I was on the alternate list last year (over 50), and did an application debrief. It helped and I polished up the areas they suggested and got accepted (I was still and alternate but under 15). I would recommend it because you're basically talking to the pro and you're going to get honest feedback on your interview. I would also repeat Whack Get Out, and say to watch the seminars they have on the admissions page.

Good luck!
 
rasta said:
this is for all successful reapplicants: did you have an exit interview with dr. teitz? if so, did you address all her concerns and then come up successful the next time? thanks
Click to expand...

I spoke at length with one of the Admission staff, but it was not Dr. Teitz. They informed me that everything we talked about would be added to my file for them to access for the next cycle. I actually was really grateful for this- it gave me the opportunity to show them how badly I wanted to attend UW. The conversation went something like this:

1.Redo your MCAT
2.More upper division science courses
3.Better grades
4.More shadowing experience
5.More meaningful medical exposure experiences
6.New personal statement
7.All new letters of recommendation
8.New application- (don't let it look the same as last year's)

I followed these directions and made it in this year. 👍
Hope that helps.
 
big study said:
I spoke at length with one of the Admission staff, but it was not Dr. Teitz. They informed me that everything we talked about would be added to my file for them to access for the next cycle. I actually was really grateful for this- it gave me the opportunity to show them how badly I wanted to attend UW. The conversation went something like this:

1.Redo your MCAT
2.More upper division science courses
3.Better grades
4.More shadowing experience
5.More meaningful medical exposure experiences
6.New personal statement
7.All new letters of recommendation
8.New application- (don't let it look the same as last year's)

I followed these directions and made it in this year. 👍
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Wow, that is a lot of things to do. Congrats on making it in. You definitely deserved it with all those improvements.
 
rasta said:
this is for all successful reapplicants: did you have an exit interview with dr. teitz? if so, did you address all her concerns and then come up successful the next time? thanks
Click to expand...
I was an accepted applicant this year, and I followed the advice they gave me in the email they sent when they rejected me. My weaknesses were very clear cut, so I did not feel a need to investigate further what they meant (I had a friend whose email told her to "improve her communication skills"; she had no idea what exactly she needed to do for that, so in those cases I think it would be helpful to seek further advice.) However, you know yourself better than anyone else, and I think it is important to be introspective and figure out your own weaknesses. If you ask for feedback from multiple schools, you will find that a lot of them will give you different/conflicting feedback, and there is no guarantee that just because you do what they say that they will accept you. So I think it needs to be a balance of listening to them AND knowing yourself and doing the things YOU feel will make you a stronger/more complete applicant. At every single interview I had this time around, they asked what steps I had taken to improve my application this time around, so I think it was good for me (especially at UW) to be able to explain how I had followed their advice and how I also knew myself
 
I just got accepted !!!!!! Phone call this morning, I was #12
 
rasta said:
this is for all successful reapplicants: did you have an exit interview with dr. teitz? if so, did you address all her concerns and then come up successful the next time? thanks
Click to expand...

I met with her last year and made sure I improved upon all of my weaknesses. For this year, when they asked me what I had changed, I just went through the list. Worked well I guess 🙂
 
Every time I start feeling ok with going to a different school I start thinking "But I got into UW! Is there some way I can justify going there???" And then it takes another day before I'm like "yo, having almost $500k of debt by the end of residency isn't cool. There are other good schools. Give it up." Repeat. It's driving me crazy and I almost wish they had just rejected me so I didn't have to make the choice to withdraw.

Any other OOR peeps going through this?
 
rachelkj said:
Every time I start feeling ok with going to a different school I start thinking "But I got into UW! Is there some way I can justify going there???" And then it takes another day before I'm like "yo, having almost $500k of debt by the end of residency isn't cool. There are other good schools. Give it up." Repeat. It's driving me crazy and I almost wish they had just rejected me so I didn't have to make the choice to withdraw.

Any other OOR peeps going through this?
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I hear ya! I'm also OOR, and UW is an AMAZING program, but is it really that far above other schools to justify that much extra debt?? EEK. Also, when I interviewed, I had a little extra hope because they said there were some scholarships for OOR folks, but it seems like chances for that are now gone, and I never even heard about it :'(
 
scornev02 said:
Just got the call!! I am in! #13
Click to expand...

Yeahhhhhh!



mdplzzzzz said:
I hear ya! I'm also OOR, and UW is an AMAZING program, but is it really that far above other schools to justify that much extra debt?? EEK. Also, when I interviewed, I had a little extra hope because they said there were some scholarships for OOR folks, but it seems like chances for that are now gone, and I never even heard about it :'(
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So the few "tuition fellowships" they had, which replicated the old graduate tuition waiver, have been given out. But there are still need-based School of Medicine Scholarships. You have to apply for them by the end of May I think (it's on the website). I talked to Diane today (you should call her!) and she says I should be eligible for about $22,000 this year!!! That would bring the cost into line with other schools I am looking at if I got it for all 4 years. I think I'm gonna end up moving to Seattle 😍

I feel like I can finally celebrate getting in! I wasn't sure if I could take my acceptance seriously for a while.
 
I'm number 21! I'll let you know when I hear anything, if we get that far. (we will, right??)
 
Whack Get Out said:
Congrats! I think you were the last person on SDN actively posting about being on the WL before me (28), so it's looking like a nice long stretch of wait list silence...
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Don't forget to keep updating the google doc until you get in.
 
Thanks for the info! I was feeling discouraged. And CONGRATS on getting in and deciding 😀

Also - congrats to #13!!
 
As #36, I will be here for quite some time. Anyone else in the 30s??

Sent from my DROID RAZR using SDN Mobile
 
Well, I will be withdrawing my acceptance from UW today.

As an OOR student I am hugely honored to have been accepted, but after the second look weekend I realized two things: 1) Constant overcast weather (and the rain/drizzle) REALLY bother me, and 2) I love California, my family, and friends, and since I want to do my residency in the Bay Area it just makes sense to stick around here. I was already leaning toward Davis when I got a call last week telling me I will be receiving a merit scholarship worth about 65% of tuition for 4 years, and that was a cherry on top.

I think I'll be posting a full thread in the pre-med forum regarding some advice I have for future applicants, but it's really true that this medical school process shows you a lot about who you are and what makes you happy. It also really humbles you and shows you that you should be grateful for any acceptances you receive. In reality I always THOUGHT I wanted to move away from CA and experience something different, but now I know that this is far from the truth and in the end things work out in a funny/good way.

Good luck to the rest of you in your medical careers. I'm sure we will cross paths again. 👍
 
Good luck to you as well! And congrats to WL #14 wherever you are.

I also really thought I wanted to move away from the NW. I am from this area and I still get really tired of the winters. I might buy one of those fancy SAD-lights this year. But you're right, the application process does tell you a lot about where you are in life and what is important, and this region is definitely home for me.
 
Also, is it foolish to move to Seattle at the beginning of August? Think that's enough time to settle in & get familiar with the city before school starts? I am basically living rent-free until I move and I can't afford to pay Seattle rent over the summer without sacrificing all of my summer camping ambitions.
 
I'm actually an applicant/on the alternate list for UW's School of Pharmacy, but I've come here to read about waitlist movement and gain some insight on the process since our thread is essentially dead.

I'm aware that UWSoM's class size is nearly twice as large as UWSoP, but does anyone have any insight as to why the waitlist moves nearly three times faster? I would expect medical school waitlists not to move much as people would attend wherever they are accepted.

Also, does UWSoM usually overshoot their initial acceptances? Or do they only send out the same number of acceptances for the number of spots they have?

I also noticed from the google doc/other threads that UWSoM's waitlist acceptance rate is relatively constant from year to year; however, many schools say that waitlist movement cannot be predicted and varies annually - does anyone have anymore input on this?

I apologize if my questions added to anyone's anxiety 😳
 
Hey everyone, congrats to all the wait listers who have been accepted!! I too was once a wait lister, now I am almost a 4th year here at UW!

Anyway I have some books for sale, thought I'd offer them to you who have gotten in...

I have a grays anatomy, most current edition, that I'm selling for $50. Pretty much brand new, no highlighting. Brand new price on amazon is $75...

I also have a whole bunch of books for 2nd year that I am selling as well. I realize that is far off for all of you but if anyone is interested let me know and I'll send you the list of stuff I have. All the books I bought were brand new from amazon and they are all still in pristine condition.

Please email me if interested!!

Crystal
[email protected]
 
BABSstudent said:
It took me about an hour and a half of searching to find the exact thing I was looking for. The sad thing is that it was the second post on last year's school specific thread. I had to go through way too may threads to find the exact link.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...authkey=CPrT4MoP&hl=en&authkey=CPrT4MoP#gid=0

End of April/beginning of May is the big movement time.


We should make a table too, so future applicants can see what happened for us so they know what to expect. I have started a table. Just fill it in when you have a chance.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhALVGOB-FHydHlYS0hEc2p3T0dMSFgxS2dZcHFWOXc&usp=sharing
Click to expand...

Because someone asked for it.
 
So I am curious... What does everyone think about the health insurance plans through UW??? I have yet to look into them and I wanted to get opinions from others before I read up later today or tomorrow.
 
Hey All,

Tried to use the search function etc. to no avail so I thought I'd ask here.

Born and raised in WA. Parents and younger brother still live there. I'm currently a rising junior at an east coast university. I still hold a WA driver's license and am claimed as a dependent by my parents on their tax returns. However, I am not registered to vote in WA...registered to vote in PA during freshman orientation and I voted in the past election. Would this disqualify me from being considered in region?? Any help from you veterans would be most appreciated! UWSOM is definitely my top choice!
 
I would re-register in WA immediately. Any legal ties to PA like that are going to be scrutinized.
 
Thanks for getting back to me! Would I simply have to register in WA and then my registration in PA is nullified?
 
I would call the UW residency office. They also have a website with a lot of details.
 
Will do! It's amazing how little information there is online about how to un-register to vote. I called the various offices and I just need to submit stuff in writing to the PA office and then register online in WA. Wish I had known this as a freshman! Thanks for your help!
 
rachelkj said:
I would re-register in WA immediately. Any legal ties to PA like that are going to be scrutinized.
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Definitely agree with this. You want to have every detail showing you are a resident. But even then, getting into UW is very difficult. Out of my ten friends that applied, only one got in and he was from Idaho.

I second the advice to call the residency office and find out what else you need to do.
 
I was wondering the same thing, thanks for the tip. I was wondering, how much emphasis and or experience with undeserved populations where emphasized when you were applying? I know they say it's not a requirement... But it seems to be a huge part of their mission. I am definitely interested in this but as a post bacc don't have a ton of clinical hrs in this area. I mentored undeserved high schoolers for a year and am doing trauma research in a level one urban hospital. I'm applying next year, any advice for things to work on? FYI I grew up in a rural town but not sure if I want to do rural med or not.
 
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beethousand said:
I was wondering the same thing, thanks for the tip. I was wondering, how much emphasis and or experience with undeserved populations where emphasized when you were applying? I know they say it's not a requirement... But it seems to be a huge part of their mission. I am definitely interested in this but as a post bacc don't have a ton of clinical hrs in this area. I mentored undeserved high schoolers for a year and am doing trauma research in a level one urban hospital. I'm applying next year, any advice for things to work on? FYI I grew up in a rural town but not sure if I want to do rural med or not.
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It is definitely a large part of their mission. It may be a tiny bit less important if you are in-region. But from the language I have heard a lot of the faculty use, "OOR acceptance" is basically synonymous with "has a large amount of underserved community experience."
 
rachelkj said:
It is definitely a large part of their mission. It may be a tiny bit less important if you are in-region. But from the language I have heard a lot of the faculty use, "OOR acceptance" is basically synonymous with "has a large amount of underserved community experience."
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Awesome thanks. Hopefully they count me as in state, I lived and worked in Seattle for two years and am in Portland for school now. It seems like they're pretty strict with the residency status. I wish we had more options in the nw, albeit the schools that are here are fantastic. 🙄
 
beethousand said:
Awesome thanks. Hopefully they count me as in state, I lived and worked in Seattle for two years and am in Portland for school now. It seems like they're pretty strict with the residency status. I wish we had more options in the nw, albeit the schools that are here are fantastic. 🙄
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I was born & raised in WA (and got a BA at the Evergreen State College!), but I have lived in Portland for about 6 years. The first three I was not going to school. I have no convincing way to prove that I will be in WA for reasons other than school, so I'm OOS. Are you paying in-state tuition in Oregon? If you are, that may be a sign that you are in trouble as far as WA residency goes unless you live & work in WA for a year before matriculating.
 
rachelkj said:
I was born & raised in WA (and got a BA at the Evergreen State College!), but I have lived in Portland for about 6 years. The first three I was not going to school. I have no convincing way to prove that I will be in WA for reasons other than school, so I'm OOS. Are you paying in-state tuition in Oregon? If you are, that may be a sign that you are in trouble as far as WA residency goes unless you live & work in WA for a year before matriculating.
Click to expand...

I am paying OOS tuition in Oregon. I'm attempting to keep as many ties to WA as I can. I grew up in Idaho, so I'm hoping that may help even though I'm no longer a resident.
 
beethousand said:
I was wondering the same thing, thanks for the tip. I was wondering, how much emphasis and or experience with undeserved populations where emphasized when you were applying? I know they say it's not a requirement... But it seems to be a huge part of their mission. I am definitely interested in this but as a post bacc don't have a ton of clinical hrs in this area. I mentored undeserved high schoolers for a year and am doing trauma research in a level one urban hospital. I'm applying next year, any advice for things to work on? FYI I grew up in a rural town but not sure if I want to do rural med or not.
Click to expand...

It's super important. I think it even makes a difference as an in-state applicant.

Edit: Adding the google doc link for this year so people don't have to go back four pages.

https://docs.google.com/a/uw.edu/sp...VGOB-FHydHlYS0hEc2p3T0dMSFgxS2dZcHFWOXc#gid=0
 
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