2013-2014 Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine

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Another incoming student at OHSU here (along with dsoz). I'm happy to answer any questions you folks have about OHSU/Portland/the app process here. Feel free to PM me questions as well. Good luck in this cycle.
Hey, thanks for your willingness to answer questions. I am an Oregon resident and OHSU is my top choice. I have not yet received a secondary, but am preparing my answers because I hear OHSU asks a lot of questions. Do you have any advice on the secondary applications? I also have a few specific questions about your experience at OHSU:

What do you like/ dislike about OHSU?
What are OHSU's teaching methods and what do you like about the curriculum?
What are clinical rotations like and what is your role in clinicals as a med student (if you've had any yet, if not, what do you foresee your experience being like)?

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Hey, thanks for your willingness to answer questions. I am an Oregon resident and OHSU is my top choice. I have not yet received a secondary, but am preparing my answers because I hear OHSU asks a lot of questions. Do you have any advice on the secondary applications? I also have a few specific questions about your experience at OHSU:

What do you like/ dislike about OHSU?
What are OHSU's teaching methods and what do you like about the curriculum?
What are clinical rotations like and what is your role in clinicals as a med student (if you've had any yet, if not, what do you foresee your experience being like)?

As you may be aware, the curriculum has changed for us incoming students (Class 2018 and beyond). Preclinical MS1 and MS2 years have changed to P/F and the curriculum has been extensively redesigned. So the current upperclassmen may not be able to tell you what to expect as far as the curriculum goes. I've heard there is more team based learning built into the new curriculum. Also, the foundational sciences are structured according to organ systems which could be nice. There's more info if you search "OHSU new curriculum".

The secondary for 2014-2015 app year is likely to be the same as last year.
 
As you may be aware, the curriculum has changed for us incoming students (Class 2018 and beyond). Preclinical MS1 and MS2 years have changed to P/F and the curriculum has been extensively redesigned. So the current upperclassmen may not be able to tell you what to expect as far as the curriculum goes. I've heard there is more team based learning built into the new curriculum. Also, the foundational sciences are structured according to organ systems which could be nice. There's more info if you search "OHSU new curriculum".

The secondary for 2014-2015 app year is likely to be the same as last year.
Good to know. I will do some research on the new curriculum. Thanks for your help!
 
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I have a question for applicants who have applied, were wait-listed (high number, not likely to be accepted), and reapplied to OHSU... what changes did you make/are you going to make to your primary application? My significant other is in this situation, and wants to re-submit the primary before OHSU can schedule a post-exit interview. We are kind of scratching our heads about how to "spruce up" his primary without the feedback he would gain in the exit-interview. Thoughts? Other than adding in new activities and re-writing the personal statement, what other revisions should be considered?
 
I have a question for applicants who have applied, were wait-listed (high number, not likely to be accepted), and reapplied to OHSU... what changes did you make/are you going to make to your primary application? My significant other is in this situation, and wants to re-submit the primary before OHSU can schedule a post-exit interview. We are kind of scratching our heads about how to "spruce up" his primary without the feedback he would gain in the exit-interview. Thoughts? Other than adding in new activities and re-writing the personal statement, what other revisions should be considered?

Personally, I would (have) wait(ed) for the feedback from the previous cycle first. I think that it's more valuable to be addressing the feedback specifically, if possible, than to be submitting the AMCAS early, especially at OHSU; it is reputed that submitting early does not tend to aid your chances of admission as much at OHSU as it does at other places. The SOM admissions office began accepting requests to schedule feedback sessions the last week of May. I would follow up on that ASAP! At least call and see if they are still, and when, they are scheduling such appointments -- or perhaps you already have done so? Maybe you can even ask if it is at all possible to make it sooner. (They actually had to cancel and move my first appointment, so I ended up having it sooner than I expected, in mid-June.) Other than that, you may not really be able to address it much in your primary (after all you're documenting and presenting what you're already done, to date, in AMCAS) and may just be best off planning to use the feedback to improve your secondary application, choice of activities in the coming year, and interview. So just do your best -- I think you're on target in your-thinking. Frankly, the fact that your S.O. got wait-listed, is already a positive sign that his application is strong.
 
Personally, I would (have) wait(ed) for the feedback from the previous cycle first. I think that it's more valuable to be addressing the feedback specifically, if possible, than to be submitting the AMCAS early, especially at OHSU; it is reputed that submitting early does not tend to aid your chances of admission as much at OHSU as it does at other places. The SOM admissions office began accepting requests to schedule feedback sessions the last week of May. I would follow up on that ASAP! At least call and see if they are still, and when, they are scheduling such appointments -- or perhaps you already have done so? Maybe you can even ask if it is at all possible to make it sooner. (They actually had to cancel and move my first appointment, so I ended up having it sooner than I expected, in mid-June.) Other than that, you may not really be able to address it much in your primary (after all you're documenting and presenting what you're already done, to date, in AMCAS) and may just be best off planning to use the feedback to improve your secondary application, choice of activities in the coming year, and interview. So just do your best -- I think you're on target in your-thinking. Frankly, the fact that your S.O. got wait-listed, is already a positive sign that his application is strong.

Thank you for the advice. Unfortunately, as of 2 weeks ago, and they weren't ready to start interviewing people from the wait list. They wouldn't even give a timeline of when they might be ready, just said to "call back later". There's just so many different parts of the application process, it seems like you could make changes to all of them. On the other hand, if they really liked a certain aspect of your application, you wouldn't want to change it too much. Hopefully they are going to open the interviews up to wait-listed folks soon.
 
Thank you for the advice. Unfortunately, as of 2 weeks ago, and they weren't ready to start interviewing people from the wait list. They wouldn't even give a timeline of when they might be ready, just said to "call back later". There's just so many different parts of the application process, it seems like you could make changes to all of them. On the other hand, if they really liked a certain aspect of your application, you wouldn't want to change it too much. Hopefully they are going to open the interviews up to wait-listed folks soon.

I am still on the waiting list and was able to get a feedback session a few weeks ago.....maybe they changed that though.
 
I am applying for 2015. Just received my MCAT score of 26 (verbal 10, bio 9, ps 7) (pretty disappointing); sGPA is good around 3.8 (AMCAS is still verifying); cGPA is around 3.9. Oregon resident. Non traditional student. 2 years of RN experience. Do you think I should try applying with this MCAT? Thank you! Appreciate responses.
 
I am applying for 2015. Just received my MCAT score of 26 (verbal 10, bio 9, ps 7) (pretty disappointing); sGPA is good around 3.8 (AMCAS is still verifying); cGPA is around 3.9. Oregon resident. Non traditional student. 2 years of RN experience. Do you think I should try applying with this MCAT? Thank you! Appreciate responses.
PM'd you.
 
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Hi Everyone! I interviewed recently at OHSU, and I was wondering how, those who were accepted to the school, felt post-interview? Did you all feel confident about all 8 of your MMI stations? Were there maybe a couple that you felt were shaky? Just wanted to get an idea of how my interview felt in context!
 
I felt a bit shaky on two... One because I had no idea how the physician I interviewing with engaged in the activity I was arguing against, the other was an SP scenario and I may have promised the patient too much. I think the main interview matters the most. I think that went quite well, although they asked some probing 'what would have have done differently' questions related to my essays which reflected some of the toughest parts of my life. Generally, they're looking for people who have demonstrated high interest in social and health equalities and issues and excellent soft-skills. if you conveyed that in a clear and confident way you on the right track.
 
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I definitely felt like I botched 3, maybe 4 of the MMIs. There's really no way to tell. I know the current students here also said that they botched at least a few, but got accepted anyways. But I agree with the above statement, your main interview I believe really does matter, particularly since that interviewer is likely your advocate at their meetings. I only realized afterwards that mine was the Assistant Dean. Probably for the better to not know during it.
 
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