2012-2013 University of Wisconsin Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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MCATagain said:
I interviewed on 11/9 and got the call on 12/10...Good luck!
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Is it possible that they group multiple interview dates together for review? Seems strange that they would contact someone who interviewed on 11/9 before reviewing someone from 11/2.
 
Jkeegan said:
Is it possible that they group multiple interview dates together for review? Seems strange that they would contact someone who interviewed on 11/9 before reviewing someone from 11/2.
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Have you heard? You were 11/2 too right
 
II 12/14/12. Complete 10/22/12. OOS. I've heard awesome things about this school. Good luck to all those waiting to hear back from this school!
 
Hi all, second year UW-SMPH student here. Post a reply or send me a personal message to let me know if you have questions about Madison, the school, interviewing, life as a student here, etc.
Do have exams coming up next week and it is date night tonight but I might have a bit of time and I can try to answer your questions honestly and openly.

Best of luck to all.
 
muszie to robic said:
Hi all, second year UW-SMPH student here. Post a reply or send me a personal message to let me know if you have questions about Madison, the school, interviewing, life as a student here, etc.
Do have exams coming up next week and it is date night tonight but I might have a bit of time and I can try to answer your questions honestly and openly.

Best of luck to all.
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If I recall correctly, during MS1, students need to score 80% or higher to pass exams...this is in sharp contrast to having the passing mark set at merely 65% at some other top schools.

How does that fact sit with the student body?

Is there some sort of "curve" that results in almost no one scoring below an 80%?

I find it hard to fathom...all these students on SDN saying that an 80-85% is a great grade for med school -- yet at UW it is barely passing.
 
Adding onto that, they mentioned that first year is P/F and second year is an Honors/P/F kind of thing. I think students were still trying to get second year changed to true P/F also, right?
 
Blais said:
If I recall correctly, during MS1, students need to score 80% or higher to pass exams...this is in sharp contrast to having the passing mark set at merely 65% at some other top schools.

How does that fact sit with the student body?

Is there some sort of "curve" that results in almost no one scoring below an 80%?

I find it hard to fathom...all these students on SDN saying that an 80-85% is a great grade for med school -- yet at UW it is barely passing.
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I remember at the start of first year, everyone hearing "80%" and being unsure about it, but it really was not an issue at all. They adjusted the "pass" percentage appropriately for tests, sometimes 78, sometimes 76, depending. If a person "fails" a test it does not mean you fail medical school in the first year (okay maybe if you got 2%). Test averages were usually at least 90 during the first year. The format of the tests is not to try to trip you up and make you fail. Everyone works hard in medical school and passing the tests is really not an issue.

Pass fail was awesome my first year, tests were written well, and the "80%" pass (which is adjusted based on the way the test is written) was motivating for me to actually learn the information.
 
rachelkj said:
Adding onto that, they mentioned that first year is P/F and second year is an Honors/P/F kind of thing. I think students were still trying to get second year changed to true P/F also, right?
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Hm, maybe you heard the grading scheme incorrectly? Or maybe it will be changed for incoming students?
Either way, right now for all students, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year are all on a grading scheme.

A, AB, B, BC, C, F

Honestly, people seem to really step it up to another level when we get grades, which I think, is good to prepare you for third and fourth year.

So, is there more stress the second year? Yes. There's a lot more information, it is graded. But in these short few months of second year I feel like I have gone from knowing a lot about "medical science" to feeling completely comfortable in the clinic, and really knowing everything that's going on.

I know P/F has been mentioned for the 2nd year at UW, but I don't think it will come to pass any time soon.

When it comes to the school you choose, maybe grading scheme should be lower on the list, just based on experience. What matters more to "stress levels" is the people you will be spending your time with.
 
muszie to robic said:
Hi all, second year UW-SMPH student here. Post a reply or send me a personal message to let me know if you have questions about Madison, the school, interviewing, life as a student here, etc.
Do have exams coming up next week and it is date night tonight but I might have a bit of time and I can try to answer your questions honestly and openly.

Best of luck to all.
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Thank you for offering your time in the middle of a busy time! Could you please break down what your interview day was like as well as your advice for the interview?

Also, how much does UW integrate patient contact into the curriculum during the first two years? Do you have one day a week in clinic/shadowing a physician, do you have 'rounds' that complement what you are studying, or are you assigned a physician as a mentor and stay with them for the first two years?

Thanks again and good luck on your exams!
 
muszie to robic said:
Hm, maybe you heard the grading scheme incorrectly? Or maybe it will be changed for incoming students?
Either way, right now for all students, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year are all on a grading scheme.

A, AB, B, BC, C, F

Honestly, people seem to really step it up to another level when we get grades, which I think, is good to prepare you for third and fourth year.

So, is there more stress the second year? Yes. There's a lot more information, it is graded. But in these short few months of second year I feel like I have gone from knowing a lot about "medical science" to feeling completely comfortable in the clinic, and really knowing everything that's going on.

I know P/F has been mentioned for the 2nd year at UW, but I don't think it will come to pass any time soon.

When it comes to the school you choose, maybe grading scheme should be lower on the list, just based on experience. What matters more to "stress levels" is the people you will be spending your time with.
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Thanks! I know that bit about the people you spend your time with is definitely true. Grading systems were not something I really put a lot of thought into personally until I got on the interview trail and heard a lot of med students heavily emphasize how important they thought pass/fail grading was. But regardless, I loved the people at U of Wisconsin and I'm really stoked to be in.
 
bass33 said:
Thank you for offering your time in the middle of a busy time! Could you please break down what your interview day was like as well as your advice for the interview?
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I really liked the interview day. Several physician members of the admissions staff make time to come talk about the school. During the day there are two interviews: a one-on-one with a physician faculty member, and then a second group interview with two medical students and three applicants. The interviews felt pretty low-pressure & conversational. Other than that, the usual interview day stuff...hospital tour, lunch with a few current med students & all the interviewees.

There is also a social gathering the night before, which is optional. It's just an opportunity to hang out & talk with current med students and ask questions. I found it pretty helpful and it was cool to see how engaged the students are and how highly they think of the school.
 
Interviewed 11/2. Just received my letter saying I got wait listed. Anyone have any idea how many people UW typically waitlists?
 
rachelkj said:
Thanks! I know that bit about the people you spend your time with is definitely true. Grading systems were not something I really put a lot of thought into personally until I got on the interview trail and heard a lot of med students heavily emphasize how important they thought pass/fail grading was. But regardless, I loved the people at U of Wisconsin and I'm really stoked to be in.
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No problem, it is nice to have the first year (aka only the Foundations--Biochem, Genetics, Cell Structure and Function, Anatomy, Physiology, and Neuroanatomy) pass fail. I say that because although I had a very strong background in biochemistry/genetics, not every student did. I know others who had taken many years off or didn't have a strong science background and having the first year as pass fail to "catch up" so to speak really was a big deal for them. That way by 2nd year we were learning all the most important "clinical" medicine, which was graded, but everyone by that point had an even shot at doing well.
I think that any good public Midwest school will generally be like Madison -- relaxed, kind, genuine people.

Good luck to all this application season. I know UW is getting more competitive each year so don't take it too hard if it doesn't work out this time around, I know several people who needed to wait until the second time around and if you don't get in Madison can give you feedback on what your application was "lacking" so to speak.

If you're still going to be interviewing this season, a few tips--be yourself, smile, ask lots of questions about the school (know your stuff about programs you might be interested in), be passionate, and be respectful.

See some of you next August.
 
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Jkeegan said:
Interviewed 11/2. Just received my letter saying I got wait listed. Anyone have any idea how many people UW typically waitlists?
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Ahh I am dying to hear!! Are you IS? I know that they will send out a ranking in April and that last year they made it down to #30 ish on the in state list. Im not sure the total that are wait listed
 
I heard p/f was going to be instituted starting this next year for m2; that was what one of the guys on the student advisory commitee told me.

muszie to robic said:
Hm, maybe you heard the grading scheme incorrectly? Or maybe it will be changed for incoming students?
Either way, right now for all students, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year are all on a grading scheme.

A, AB, B, BC, C, F

Honestly, people seem to really step it up to another level when we get grades, which I think, is good to prepare you for third and fourth year.

So, is there more stress the second year? Yes. There's a lot more information, it is graded. But in these short few months of second year I feel like I have gone from knowing a lot about "medical science" to feeling completely comfortable in the clinic, and really knowing everything that's going on.

I know P/F has been mentioned for the 2nd year at UW, but I don't think it will come to pass any time soon.

When it comes to the school you choose, maybe grading scheme should be lower on the list, just based on experience. What matters more to "stress levels" is the people you will be spending your time with.
Click to expand...
 
drizzt3117 said:
I heard p/f was going to be instituted starting this next year for m2; that was what one of the guys on the student advisory commitee told me.
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I know they had presented it to the WMS and discussed it. I wouldn't know if it passed, you could be correct! Since it doesn't affect my class there is a chance that no one knows/cares enough to discuss it. We have finals this Wed, Thu, Fri so there is a chance that if it was recent, everyone is too knee deep in renal, pds and gram negatives/fungi to notice.
 
When does MS1 start? By that I really mean "When should I move to Madison?" I am in school until June and I will need to start making plans to say goodbye to the Northwest by reserving some wilderness area camping permits, which has to be done months in advance for some areas.
 
rachelkj said:
When does MS1 start? By that I really mean "When should I move to Madison?" I am in school until June and I will need to start making plans to say goodbye to the Northwest by reserving some wilderness area camping permits, which has to be done months in advance for some areas.
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M1 year started on Aug 14th for me, M2 started Aug 17th, so it will probably begin sometime then.
 
I was looking at the Wonderland Trail that circumnavigates Mt. Rainier - It's ~90 miles & takes about 2 weeks to hike. But it also sounds like the right season for it is mid-July & later...which is cutting it close.

I imagine I will want to be in Madison a little while beforehand to find a place & settle in a tiny bit. Is the rental market hard to get into/is it hard to find roommates? Here in Portland a housing search can take a couple months in you want to live close in.
 
rachelkj said:
I was looking at the Wonderland Trail that circumnavigates Mt. Rainier - It's ~90 miles & takes about 2 weeks to hike. But it also sounds like the right season for it is mid-July & later...which is cutting it close.

I imagine I will want to be in Madison a little while beforehand to find a place & settle in a tiny bit. Is the rental market hard to get into/is it hard to find roommates? Here in Portland a housing search can take a couple months in you want to live close in.
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i currently live in the HIlldale area, which i'm told a lot of med students/grad students live in as well? and I found this apartment in late June and could've moved in as early as mid July. and this wasn't a last resort- there were other options around this area that were still available then as well.

i can't comment on finding roommates but yes, it is certainly not impossible to find an apartment last minute.
 
1289 said:
i currently live in the HIlldale area, which i'm told a lot of med students/grad students live in as well? and I found this apartment in late June and could've moved in as early as mid July. and this wasn't a last resort- there were other options around this area that were still available then as well.

i can't comment on finding roommates but yes, it is certainly not impossible to find an apartment last minute.
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Agreed, I also live near the Hilldale area and there is never a problem finding housing. A good time to get ready for school/get settled and used to Madison is probably at least 2 weeks, maybe no more than 3. Leases begin around August 1st in the areas you want to be in, which is plenty of time.
A good place to look is here is you're looking for a medical student/pharmacy student roommate.

http://uwmedstudents.com/uw-medical-student-marketplace/
 
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rachelkj said:
I was looking at the Wonderland Trail that circumnavigates Mt. Rainier - It's ~90 miles & takes about 2 weeks to hike. But it also sounds like the right season for it is mid-July & later...which is cutting it close.

I imagine I will want to be in Madison a little while beforehand to find a place & settle in a tiny bit. Is the rental market hard to get into/is it hard to find roommates? Here in Portland a housing search can take a couple months in you want to live close in.
Click to expand...

I found an apartment on Old Middleton Road (a 5-10 minute drive from the med school) this past September after about 2-3 days of searching and moved in less than two weeks after that. Not sure if I just got lucky or not, but there are plenty of apartment complexes right around where I live so you might be able to find something in this area.
 
OMG ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!! i absolutely cannot believe it
 
Congrats on the acceptance 1289! Care to give me your MCW spot?😉
 
Got an II today, IS. Such a great Christmas present. I was put on hold in November.
 
jlescher said:
Got an II today, IS. Such a great Christmas present. I was put on hold in November.
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Congrats! I recieved an email in November saying I was not being interviewed at this time but app was being held for possible later interview. Is that what your initial email said as well? I would really love to stay in state and near family and have been hoping there is still a shot for an interview.
 
addiekm07 said:
Congrats! I recieved an email in November saying I was not being interviewed at this time but app was being held for possible later interview. Is that what your initial email said as well? I would really love to stay in state and near family and have been hoping there is still a shot for an interview.
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Mine said the same thing. I would love to come home for school as well. My interview is feb15 so there are probably a month and a half of interviews still open. I was not expecting to hear anything until after the holidays.
 
Hey drizzt, or any other M3 and above here.. can you comment/discuss your opinion on living outside of madison for rotations? From what i know so far about this it is the biggest (and really the ONLY) con for uw for me
 
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Accepted!!!! OOS. Interviewed 12/7; got a call 12/21!!! (Just my luck that I would get accepted on the day the world was supposed to end 🙂) They told us on interview day that it would be seven weeks before we would hear anything, so it was a complete surprise after only two. I guess letters are going to be delayed because of the snow.
 
Stuthedew said:
Accepted!!!! OOS. Interviewed 12/7; got a call 12/21!!! (Just my luck that I would get accepted on the day the world was supposed to end 🙂) They told us on interview day that it would be seven weeks before we would hear anything, so it was a complete surprise after only two. I guess letters are going to be delayed because of the snow.
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Did the person who called you mention if you have to make a deposit to hold the seat? I forgot to ask. Thanks

Or any other accepted can answer this question for me as well. thank you
 
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twentythousand said:
Did the person who called you mention if you have to make a deposit to hold the seat? I forgot to ask. Thanks

Or any other accepted can answer this question for me as well. thank you
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Nope, no deposit required!
 
Stuthedew said:
Accepted!!!! OOS. Interviewed 12/7; got a call 12/21!!! (Just my luck that I would get accepted on the day the world was supposed to end 🙂) They told us on interview day that it would be seven weeks before we would hear anything, so it was a complete surprise after only two. I guess letters are going to be delayed because of the snow.
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Wow! I interviewed on 12/4 OOS and haven't heard anything back yet, but now I'm going to check my phone/mail every five minutes :laugh:
 
VictorAlpha said:
haven't checked back in on this one in a while... Really happy for this guy^^. Love the Avi.

congrats to everyone accepted and stay strong to anyone still waiting... 🙂
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Thanks!
 
I will obviously email the financial aid office with this, but for current students, I have a question about applying for financial aid. My mom is on permanent disability and has no income, but she got remarried when I was 20. Do I need my stepfather's financial info on the FAFSA to be considered for institutional aid at UW? He already refused to give me his info for my FAP application earlier this year, so I don't even know if I can get it. I am really hoping that doesn't exclude me from possible institutional scholarships. Thanks if you can help!
 
1289 said:
Hey drizzt, or any other M3 and above here.. can you comment/discuss your opinion on living outside of madison for rotations? From what i know so far about this it is the biggest (and really the ONLY) con for uw for me
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Hey, I am a current fourth year at UW and this was a huge issue for me. I really wish I would not have bought into this whole "Wisconsin Idea" bs. I traveled outside of Madison for 24 weeks last year and to a large extent the teaching was absent from these sites (Marshfield, La Crosee) with Milwaukee being the only site I went to where I felt I might be getting my money's worth. I was married during this time and despite what they told me on interview day, the administration absolutely DOES NOT take this into consideration. So, unless you are a woman who gets herself pregnant, or possibly a man who gets his SO pregnant plan on traveling to hickville Wisconsin to receive what they call "education".

Fourth year has been a bit better, though I will still have to travel for six weeks, though I scheduled this after match day so... yeah...

Honestly, I was really happy with my decision first and second year. The teaching was great, the faculty are approachable, lots of opportunity to explore research and such. However, third year changed everything. Those lucky ones who have to travel very little, or none at all, definitely are receiving a better clinical education - the teaching is better, the expectations are higher, and while there is no patient diversity in Madison there is more here than rural Wisconsin.

I really wish I would have put more thought into this. Especially as an OOS student. I could have gone to my state school but was sold on UW's shiny appearance, the friendliness of everyone on my IV day, and how they sold this "Wisconsin Idea" - which is really "Hey we want to add more seats but don't have the necessary faculty here in Madison, lets farm them out to these rural community hospitals" . Now that I am almost done, I can honestly say that I whole heartedly regret coming here based purely on my experience third year. I'm sure I could have gotten a great preclinical education anywhere, without the hassle of how UW handles third and fourth year.

So for me, as an OOS student, coming from a real city, I would encourage anyone in a similar position to me to take some time and rethink things. Do you really want to spend more than you should to get your "clinical education" at a hospital in rural Wisconsin where teaching is lacking. Do you really want to live in Madison with its lack of culture and lack of diversity? For some people these things are not issues, they like small college towns, they don't mind the travel, and maybe they are set on a career in primary care - for them, this would be the ideal school.

And, obviously, if you are in state then things change. You'll be close to family, plus you'll pay far less than I did.

Feel free to PM if you have any other questions.
 
^^^ Wow, thanks for the candid opinion. As someone also with a SO, being forced into many weeks worth of "away" time during 3rd/4th year is my main reservation about this school.

Is there an option to rank your preferenced sites? If so, are there a lot of sites within 1-2 hours of madison?
 
Wow thanks for that too. What you described is exactly my biggest fear. I'm single but nevertheless I am all too familiar w the rural parts of Wisconsin as a native of the state and just cannot see myself being happy living there for weeks at a time. Will be PMing you
 
Blais said:
^^^ Wow, thanks for the candid opinion. As someone also with a SO, being forced into many weeks worth of "away" time during 3rd/4th year is my main reservation about this school.

Is there an option to rank your preferenced sites? If so, are there a lot of sites within 1-2 hours of madison?
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LaCrosse is ~2 hours, Marshfield is about 2.25 hours, and Milwaukee is a bit over an hour. I'm not sure where the other locations are, but I know of those since I live in the area.
 
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