Throwaway bc I know IUSM admissions officers frequent this thread...
I think what should happen is that when you submit your preferences through the portal, it should automatically place you in your top-most ranked campus. First choice is South Bend? Is there a spot? Yes, congrats you are at SB. No? Go to next one down on list, etc. They DO NOT do this, however, which makes me suspect a few things...
1. It is VERY concerning that no one in the admissions office seems to know what is going on. Which probably means that isn't true. Which means that they DO know what is going on. Why won't they tell us? Because they know that if they told us, we'd call them out on questionable practices or the unfairness of the process. What would they have to hide otherwise?
2. The placement process, although it is claimed to be "transparent" and "fair", is not nearly as fair as they wish we'd believe. If it were fair, the entire campus wouldn't be forced to go all at once, but could pick like I explained above. My guess? They are waiting for recruited students to pick and confirm, before using the algorithm to place students.
2. Because I imagine that there is a large mass exodus of students who are assigned some of the lower-ranked campuses to other med schools, I think that IU is going to make us wait until after we are forced to commit on the 15th of May, thus locking students into whatever campus they are assigned.Which of course, eliminates the need for ANY algorithm, and they can place students wherever they choose. Parent is an alum? You might get a better choice. Accepted by the skin of your teeth? Maybe you're a poorer student who will be less likely to donate to IUSM? Probably less important that you get a campus with better resources.
Although this method will bolster their statistics for this year (think about it--they will be pulling less students off of waitlist), they are just setting themselves up for problems in the future. I don't know if I could chance getting stuck at one of my lower ranked campuses, if I were to apply next year, and I'd probably look more seriously at other places. And I'm sorry, but not all campuses are equal (I've lived near three of them already, and visited the rest). What's going to happen is that IU is going to see a smaller and smaller applicant pool, and thus a smaller matriculant pool with lower statistics. They are really screwing themselves over if they go this route.
What's really unfortunate for us students is that housing options are dwindling, and quickly. The Foundry, which is literally next door to the South Bend med school, is on a waitlist, as are most Indy apartments. Housing selection for pretty much all campuses has occurred, meaning that affordable options are gone unless you want to travel 30 minutes. And I refuse to live in a rat hole apartment, when I've been working three jobs this year and saving EVERYTHING to afford a nice place that's close to the medical schools. I've even placed a $500 non-refundable hold on an apartment with the hope that I might get off the waitlist at that complex. I'm about to place a $100 (fortunately a refundable fee) to be on a waitlist for an apartment at a second campus.
Please don't construe my comments above as criticisms of IUSM, just the admissions office. I love IU and I believe it's where I'm meant to be. But I hate being manipulated, and manipulated so obviously without regard for us. Remember folks, people who aren't doing anything wrong have nothing to hide.
