2013-2014 Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine

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runningdude said:
Hey everyone, so I am currently working on this secondary application. I am hoping for some advice on the essays. For my background here, I am a re-applicant to Oregon with a 35/3.8 but OOS. This year I have spent more time working on my secondaries, because this was one of my weaknesses last year.

On Oregon's secondary 4/6 questions are about how you dealt with a challenge. Does Oregon place a high priority in admissions on dealing with stress or overcoming challenges?

What characteristics does everyone think the admissions committee is trying to understand in us?
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I know they do put some emphasis on overcoming challenges, if you look at the mission groups that is basically one of the groups. Not sure overall what they are trying to understand though
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Hey guys.

I got in last cycle, in-state caucasian candidate, 3.4 GPA 34MCAT. Non-traditional candidate with 4 years of full time work in clinics/hospitals/nursing homes as a nurse assistant. Also some research in college. But I left college half way through fall senior year and got a semester full of F's for it. Had to come back to college several years later and take two more semesters.

If I got in with that kind of red flag on my application, I think anyone with adequate stats can as well. You just need to put effort into the primary essay, secondaries, and ace the MMI and one on one.

Good luck to everyone, especially Sustinamith, Exitonly, and Dianyla. I imagine it is agonizing to apply for the 2nd (or 4th!) time, but when you get in you will just party twice (or four times) as hard.
 
RurMed said:
Hey guys.

I got in last cycle, in-state caucasian candidate, 3.4 GPA 34MCAT. Non-traditional candidate with 4 years of full time work in clinics/hospitals/nursing homes as a nurse assistant. Also some research in college. But I left college half way through fall senior year and got a semester full of F's for it. Had to come back to college several years later and take two more semesters.

If I got in with that kind of red flag on my application, I think anyone with adequate stats can as well. You just need to put effort into the primary essay, secondaries, and ace the MMI and one on one.

Good luck to everyone, especially Sustinamith, Exitonly, and Dianyla. I imagine it is agonizing to apply for the 2nd (or 4th!) time, but when you get in you will just party twice (or four times) as hard.
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Thanks. Yea applying again is definitely not the most fun but I knew this was going to be a long road when I started this journey so here I go, just really hoping I don't have to apply 4 times like chuck84 did. Awesome he made it but that is a lot of cycles/time
 
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Hi Everyone!

I'm back for Round 2 as well, nice to see I'm not the only one. Last year got an interview, put on hold and then rejected in May (IS; 3.66; 27R). So now I'm back at it again this time bumped the MCAT up to 30 so hopefully that helps. Re-writing these secondaries is definitely turning out to be a pain though, I loved the angle I took last year and having to revamp and refresh it this year is proving challenging. I didn't jump into this forum until after my interview last year but it was so helpful, supportive and encouraging I didn't want to wait this time around! :)

Wishing everyone good luck :luck:
 
dreamdoc821 said:
Hi Everyone!

I'm back for Round 2 as well, nice to see I'm not the only one. Last year got an interview, put on hold and then rejected in May (IS; 3.66; 27R). So now I'm back at it again this time bumped the MCAT up to 30 so hopefully that helps. Re-writing these secondaries is definitely turning out to be a pain though, I loved the angle I took last year and having to revamp and refresh it this year is proving challenging. I didn't jump into this forum until after my interview last year but it was so helpful, supportive and encouraging I didn't want to wait this time around! :)

Wishing everyone good luck :luck:
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Good luck! I had the same out come interview hold rejected as well. I would definitely think a plus 3 on the MCAT would help at OHSU and elsewhere too.
 
Thanks! I'm definitely hoping it'll open a few more doors to interviews this year. It might not be the best MCAT score but I worked extremely hard to get it there so I'm happy with it and hoping it will keep me from being thrown out before schools even look at my application.

I remember you from the last forum and being in the same sad boat of May 8th :( Hopefully this year will go much better for both of us!
 
dreamdoc821 said:
Thanks! I'm definitely hoping it'll open a few more doors to interviews this year. It might not be the best MCAT score but I worked extremely hard to get it there so I'm happy with it and hoping it will keep me from being thrown out before schools even look at my application.

I remember you from the last forum and being in the same sad boat of May 8th :( Hopefully this year will go much better for both of us!
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Agreed! Have you or anyone else heard about the curriculum changes coming and if it will be effecting this next years class? As well as what all it will entail.
 
dreamdoc821 said:
This website seems to have a bit of information on it. Our class (hopefully!) would be the first year with the new curriculum and we would start in the new Collaborative Life Sciences building. Hope this helps :)

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/sc...ine/about/curriculum-transformation/index.cfm
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Thanks for the link. More rural clerkships I think is awesome. One thing that struck me was the quote about students being able to go at their own pace and possibly graduate faster, I wonder how that would work. I like the idea of starting with and graduating with the same class, but who knows maybe that's good
 
exitonly29 said:
Thanks for the link. More rural clerkships I think is awesome. One thing that struck me was the quote about students being able to go at their own pace and possibly graduate faster, I wonder how that would work. I like the idea of starting with and graduating with the same class, but who knows maybe that's good
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I caught that too! It will be interesting to see how that actually works. I know the increased rural clerkships really excites me, my eventual goal being to become a Pediatrician in an underserved community. I love OHSU's primary care focus and know how great the need is in some communities. So I think these new clerkships will only increase the awareness and hopefully pull some future physicians away from super specializing (nothing against that of course). :)
 
HI folks

I need some help for the secondary, for the question "Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive" what does this question mean?? I have no clue.
 
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I think this question is more difficult to answer tactfully than it is to interpret. I would avoid calling any overly negative attention to yourself, ie. issues with insubordination, tardiness, etc.
 
Orientation is boring...

The Numbers

We got some stats early in the week. 80+% Oregonians, 28% re-applicants which should make some people here reassured. Only 7 foreign born students, me being one of them, so if you are foreign born you may have an advantage. Record 5000+ applicants for a class of 130-135.

Rumors

Talked to one of the student affairs people, she assured me they do not read people's facebooks and other online material, there just isn't enough time with thousands of applicants, its an urban legend. They look positively at re-applicants as statistic above indicates, but serial applicants who apply over and over again are frowned upon, not sure where exactly the dividing line is. MMI counts for ALOT once you are invited to interview, MMI performance is main metric by which qualified candidates are distinguished.

The class

Very surprised at the people. Many unconventional majors like art or engineering, a group of ex-military guys, 9 people who were "scribes" in a past life (?). Everybody is very alpha, extremely outgoing and extroverted. You know the kid who was captain of the football team AND got good grades? The whole class is composed of people like that. Tons of athletes, outdoors-men, and adrenaline junkies, no nerds. Probably a side effect of the MMI, people who are introverted, self conscious, or shy are weeded out by the process.

...Hope some of this helps. Cannot stress enough how important MMI's are, nobody takes them seriously enough.
 
Thanks for the info RurMed. Yeah, so I am a reapplicant, but I've always wondered if OHSU was maybe not the best landing site for me... I want to be accepted by them, don't get me wrong, but I'm definitely more of an introvert. Not in a bad way, I don't think, but I'm definitely not an alpha. What do you think? Wrong place for me?
 
HamsterHuey said:
Thanks for the info RurMed. Yeah, so I am a reapplicant, but I've always wondered if OHSU was maybe not the best landing site for me... I want to be accepted by them, don't get me wrong, but I'm definitely more of an introvert. Not in a bad way, I don't think, but I'm definitely not an alpha. What do you think? Wrong place for me?
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You should definitely apply, 100%. I am myself a big nerd and introvert, I am talking magic cards and World of Warcraft. I am also a foreigner with a thick accent which contributes to my introversion and discomfort in social situations. I got through the MMI just fine, I know I did well because my stats were borderline and nothing else about me is particularly impressive. However I did spend some years in patient care (nurse assistant) which taught me to smile, be chatty, and to be a good listener when the job required it.

The point is, with the MMI you cannot be the kid that makes no eye contact, mumbles one word answers, looks awkward while staring at his shoes, or talks in a quiet, monotone voice. If you are shy that is perfectly OK, you just need to overcome that to do well on MMI. You have to smile, be passionate and enthusiastic, make eye contact, look confident, and give smart, well thought out, adult responses to the questions. Look at a video of Bill Clinton talking to people, you have to do that for 8-10 interviews 5 minutes interviews. You do not have to extroverted, but you need to act extroverted for an hour. Worked for me.

As for the social aspect, I feel comfortable around my classmates. Just because you are introverted doesn't mean your friends have to be. And totally apply, its not going to be any better in another school and this place needs more introverts. :p
 
RurMed said:
You should definitely apply, 100%. I am myself a big nerd and introvert, I am talking magic cards and World of Warcraft. I am also a foreigner with a thick accent which contributes to my introversion and discomfort in social situations. I got through the MMI just fine, I know I did well because my stats were borderline and nothing else about me is particularly impressive. However I did spend some years in patient care (nurse assistant) which taught me to smile, be chatty, and to be a good listener when the job required it.

The point is, with the MMI you cannot be the kid that makes no eye contact, mumbles one word answers, looks awkward while staring at his shoes, or talks in a quiet, monotone voice. If you are shy that is perfectly OK, you just need to overcome that to do well on MMI. You have to smile, be passionate and enthusiastic, make eye contact, look confident, and give smart, well thought out, adult responses to the questions. Look at a video of Bill Clinton talking to people, you have to do that for 8-10 interviews 5 minutes interviews. You do not have to extroverted, but you need to act extroverted for an hour. Worked for me.

As for the social aspect, I feel comfortable around my classmates. Just because you are introverted doesn't mean your friends have to be. And totally apply, its not going to be any better in another school and this place needs more introverts. :p
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+1 I agree with most of this. Except the fact that I don't think that the class is FULL of extroverts. I am also an introvert (in person). I can pretend for a while to be extroverted, but it is very tiring. I think that there are a lot of introverts that are hiding the fact by acting extroverted for the orientation week. I can tell this because instead of standing out at the food line at "breakfast," I go into the lecture hall and there are between 2 and 5 others also in there, and the number keeps growing. The space where the food is spread is just too loud for me. I like a little bit of quiet. :)

HamsterHuey, Don't give up. If you want to get in, then do it. Turn in good secondary essays, and go all in for the MMI. Anyone can ACT like an extrovert for an hour. Make eye contact, shake hands, explain your answers, don't waver in your thought process. I went in with the attitude that I was going to pretend that I knew the person that I was talking to for a long time. They were my "best friend" or my "close cousin" and I was going to answer the question like I would with a family member. In the "acting" MMI, I intentionally reached out and put my hand on the shoulder of the other person to show compassion and console them in their grief. At the end of the time, I offered to "go get coffee or something so we could continue this conversation."

I agree with RurMed, we need more introverts in our class. I think with anatomy starting next week we will see more introvert behavior.

dsoz
 
RurMed and dsoz

Thank you so much for sharing this information with us!! I feel so much better about the MMI format after reading your responses. Of course, I don't have an II for a MMI yet, but fingers crossed!
 
Thanks RurMed and dsoz for your encouragement. That's a lot of great information.

I've turned in my secondary, and - from your feedback dsoz - I was able to give it my best shot! I'll see how it all comes together and will hope for the best. I'm actually starting the MPH program at OHSU this fall, which I am really looking forward to, as well.

As far as being introverted, I can definitely fake it for awhile. I used to run a business and was successful at building connections with clients and such, but I also had a lot of time for myself, which allowed me time to process the socialization. I'm the type who goes on meditation retreats to re-energize :)

I have wondered if medicine was maybe not the best field for me, with all of the interpersonal competition and such, but I've read a few articles that that have indicated a need for introversion in the field. I think this is one good quote:

This post is partly a paean to my father, but it has broader implications. Lately, medical schools have started screening applicants for people skills. This comes from an admirable impulse – we've all felt the sting of doctors who don't listen, or address us or their teams brusquely – but I wonder how effective these tests are. My father wouldn't have shone in that kind of assessment – he doesn't enjoy talking for its own sake – but his patients loved him because they knew how much he cared. Maybe instead of testing for social skills — which can favor a glib charm, even if that's not the medical schools' intention — we should be screening for kindness, curiosity, and a thirst for quiet study.
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Hopefully, medicine is really a field that benefits from having "all types." I know we have to answer a lot of diversity essays on our path to med school, but the truth is that I really do enjoy psychological diversity as well.

I'll take your advice on the MMI. Does anyone have suggestion of how / where to practice? I know my school's career center offers practice interviews which might be a good start.
 
sustinamith said:
Same here. It took a month from the time I submitted my secondary. Submitted 7/21 complete 8/19.
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I am guessing you are OOS? From last year they tend to front load processing and interviews to IS folks. Either way you are still way early, earliest interviews invites last year weren't until late September
 
I am really having a hard time with this questions:
Question 4 - Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted.

I am a non-trad. 30 yo. I am sure I have been in plenty of situations... but if I dont get something, I will try harder to get, or move on because it wasn't mean to be...
 
Brpremed said:
I am really having a hard time with this questions:
Question 4 - Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted.

I am a non-trad. 30 yo. I am sure I have been in plenty of situations... but if I dont get something, I will try harder to get, or move on because it wasn't mean to be...
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I don't necessarily think I would say the last part about moving on if you don't get something, think being rejected from Med school and just giving up not something I think admissions would like to hear, the basis of your point sounds a lot like me though if I don't get it well then I probably didnt deserve it, anyway ever been passed up for a job promotion, not received a grade on something you worked hard on....it's definitely a hard question
 
Brpremed said:
I am really having a hard time with this questions:
Question 4 - Describe a time when you did not receive what you felt you deserved, and how you reacted.

I am a non-trad. 30 yo. I am sure I have been in plenty of situations... but if I dont get something, I will try harder to get, or move on because it wasn't mean to be...
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Like a good politician, you must reframe questions you can't answer into ones you can. For a person like you, I suggest answering the question by describing how you failed to get something one way, only to get it (or something better) by using a different method.
 
RurMed said:
Like a good politician, you must reframe questions you can't answer into ones you can. For a person like you, I suggest answering the question by describing how you failed to get something one way, only to get it (or something better) by using a different method.
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Thank for the help! I just finished and submitted! OHSU is my top school!! I hope they show this Duck some love!
 
RurMed said:
Everybody is very alpha, extremely outgoing and extroverted. You know the kid who was captain of the football team AND got good grades? The whole class is composed of people like that. Tons of athletes, outdoors-men, and adrenaline junkies, no nerds. Probably a side effect of the MMI, people who are introverted, self conscious, or shy are weeded out by the process.
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Give it some time. You'll soon see that people's personalities during orientation and the first 1-2 months when there are constant social get togethers (that everyone feels obliged to attend) are an illusion that will completely be gone by the second week of CSF.
 
God I hate it when employers/admissions ask these kind of questions: Give an example of personal feedback in the last few years that was difficult to receive. How did you respond?

In other words: Please oh please give us insight into why we should reject your application. They're basically screening for people who will make excellent bullsh** artists in their professional lives.
 
TheLadyVanishes said:
OHSU is my top choice school, although I'm OOS (California resident).
I'm a first generation college student, non-traditional, 3.7 cGPA/3.65 sGPA (dunno what my AMCAS numbers will be), 37 MCAT, tons of clinical experience but no research.
I am technically over their threshold for "superior achievements in academics" though not overwhelmingly so.
I went to school and lived in the Pac NW for more than a decade. It wasn't Oregon, but a University of Washington feeder state. I would love nothing more than to move back to the Pac NW and, if accepted to medical school, practice there. Since I'm now a California resident I can't apply to UW and OHSU is my best shot at returning.
Do I stand a chance? Would it help to send them an LOI?
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I bet you stand a damn good chance. With those stats, you're likely to get an interview, which is the time you really need to shine. Apparently 80% of the criteria based upon which you're considered come from the interview. You just need one mission group to be seriously considered for an interview, and your academics put you in one. Godspeed! Hope to see you up here next summer.
 
TheLadyVanishes said:
OHSU is my top choice school, although I'm OOS (California resident).
I'm a first generation college student, non-traditional, 3.7 cGPA/3.65 sGPA (dunno what my AMCAS numbers will be), 37 MCAT, tons of clinical experience but no research.
I am technically over their threshold for "superior achievements in academics" though not overwhelmingly so.
I went to school and lived in the Pac NW for more than a decade. It wasn't Oregon, but a University of Washington feeder state. I would love nothing more than to move back to the Pac NW and, if accepted to medical school, practice there. Since I'm now a California resident I can't apply to UW and OHSU is my best shot at returning.
Do I stand a chance? Would it help to send them an LOI?
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even being in the mission group OHSU is hard for OOS.
35% of their class was OOS (47/132) which isnt terrible

what is frightening is that they interview 6.4% of OOS applicants
they get 4118 OOS applicants, and interview 264. Even if you were to do some estimation on who fits into a mission group, youd assume that a decent amount of people apply who are in the mission groups.
good luck though
 
I'm also fairly certain LOIs don't really do much for a school like this. They do a good job of making sure they're rating everyone based upon as identical of criteria as possible. I'm still fairly certain that IS doesn't give you a better shot, so long as you fit into one of the mission groups.
 
LogicofMan said:
I'm also fairly certain LOIs don't really do much for a school like this. They do a good job of making sure they're rating everyone based upon as identical of criteria as possible. I'm still fairly certain that IS doesn't give you a better shot, so long as you fit into one of the mission groups.
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in state definitely gives you a better shot, OHSU is partially funded through state taxes and by law has to take a certain percentage of oregon residents
 
Do you guys think most people have submitted their secondary applications by now? Just curious. I know you are supposed to submit them ASAP but when do the majority of people actually end up getting them in?
 
diplo123 said:
Do you guys think most people have submitted their secondary applications by now? Just curious. I know you are supposed to submit them ASAP but when do the majority of people actually end up getting them in?
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I think a lot haven't, lots of people aren't even verified via AMCAS, they are only on July 14th so quite a few people have a long ways to go
 
diplo123 said:
Do you guys think most people have submitted their secondary applications by now? Just curious. I know you are supposed to submit them ASAP but when do the majority of people actually end up getting them in?
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I submitted my secondary in later Sept. last cycle and interviewed in January (due to being out of the country most of Dec). No reason to delay (other than the essay Q's being a royal pain).
 
diplo123 said:
Do you guys think most people have submitted their secondary applications by now? Just curious. I know you are supposed to submit them ASAP but when do the majority of people actually end up getting them in?
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It really doesn't matter when you get your secondary in for OHSU because they are a non-rolling school. Everyone has an equal chance of acceptance regardless of when they interview because they hold spots till the end.
 
It sort of matters in the sense that an applicant who submits later could be competing for fewer interview slots. At this point, though, no IIs have gone out (if I recall correctly), so it may not be a concern in your case. Either way, all you can do is submit and hope for the best. Good luck!
 
diplo123 said:
Do you guys think most people have submitted their secondary applications by now? Just curious. I know you are supposed to submit them ASAP but when do the majority of people actually end up getting them in?
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In the secondary email they sent me it says: "The secondary application is made available to applicants on a rolling basis. Not all applicants have access to the secondary application at this time. Applicants are given 5 weeks to complete the secondary application and not all applicants have the same secondary submission deadline."

My deadline was August 27, so I submitted pretty close to then. I don't know if it's a hard deadline, but five weeks is pretty reasonable to complete a secondary, even if it is a beast.
 
mybubbles627 said:
It really doesn't matter when you get your secondary in for OHSU because they are a non-rolling school. Everyone has an equal chance of acceptance regardless of when they interview because they hold spots till the end.
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When does OHSU send out all notices of acceptance? March or February? I remember I was rejected last time in December so I thought they were rolling admission. But maybe I was rejected so early because I didn't even get to interview first? :(
 
margopdx said:
When does OHSU send out all notices of acceptance? March or February? I remember I was rejected last time in December so I thought they were rolling admission. But maybe I was rejected so early because I didn't even get to interview first? :(
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Typically it's not until the week before May 15th although they state it won't happen until May 15th. This is when all folks on post interview hold also find out their status of accept, reject, or waitlist
 
exitonly29 said:
Typically it's not until the week before May 15th although they state it won't happen until May 15th. This is when all folks on post interview hold also find out their status of accept, reject, or waitlist
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Thanks for answering my question! But yeesh, that seems late relative to what I've seen elsewhere. OHSU sure does take its sweet time :rolleyes:
 
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