2013-2014 University of Arizona - Phoenix Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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Hi Dr. Cunningham:
Can you share how many interview invites are left?
Thanks!
 
i submitted my secondary on 6/30. (very first secondary 🙂 ) I m wondering if I should call and ask whats up

4 months of review seems a tad long lol
 
Dr. Cunningham,
Could you share if there is an algorithm for MCAT and GPA that is used in order to be reviewed by the committee? Is there different ones for in/out state and URMs?
Thank you
 
jamiechan said:
i submitted my secondary on 6/30. (very first secondary 🙂 ) I m wondering if I should call and ask whats up

4 months of review seems a tad long lol
Click to expand...

You are always welcomed to call our office --- 602-827-2005
 
Hello Dr. Cunningham:
If we see people who are getting interviews who have submitted their secondaries after us, does that mean we have been "passed over?" Is there still a chance of receiving an interview? Thanks for your help!
 
medschool20141 said:
Hello Dr. Cunningham:
If we see people who are getting interviews who have submitted their secondaries after us, does that mean we have been "passed over?" Is there still a chance of receiving an interview? Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

Interview invitations are not decided by submission dates - if you have not heard anything, you remain under review. Otherwise, you are released. So not hearing means the committee members are not ready to say "no" to your application. What may be perceived as out of sequence invitation is actually a decision that an applicant is more competitive and therefore, invited quickly.
 
UA Phoenix Med said:
Interview invitations are not decided by submission dates - if you have not heard anything, you remain under review. Otherwise, you are released. So not hearing means the committee members are not ready to say "no" to your application. What may be perceived as out of sequence invitation is actually a decision that an applicant is more competitive and therefore, invited quickly.
Click to expand...
Dr. Cunningham,

How does your school define "more competitive"?
Is it simply cumulative GPA and MCAT score? Or are there other factors in making that determination?
 
raney said:
Dr. Cunningham,

How does your school define "more competitive"?
Is it simply cumulative GPA and MCAT score? Or are there other factors in making that determination?
Click to expand...

She has answered variations of this question multiple times in this year's thread and last years. If you go to their admissions page http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/admissions/admission-qualifications there are three parts to your application that make you competitive.
1.) Academic Readiness - http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/admissions/admission-qualifications/academic-requirements
2.) Personal Readiness - http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/admissions/admission-qualifications/personal-readiness
3.) Professional Readiness - http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/admissions/admission-qualifications/professional-readiness

If you can hit each of those with awesome qualifications then you will be competitive.
 
QuantumQuark said:
She has answered variations of this question multiple times in this year's thread and last years. If you go to their admissions page http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/admissions/admission-qualifications there are three parts to your application that make you competitive.
1.) Academic Readiness - http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/admissions/admission-qualifications/academic-requirements
2.) Personal Readiness - http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/admissions/admission-qualifications/personal-readiness
3.) Professional Readiness - http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/admissions/admission-qualifications/professional-readiness

If you can hit each of those with awesome qualifications then you will be competitive.
Click to expand...

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my question and copy links from UA's website. However, I think the majority of applicants would agree that school websites tend to be similar and vague in their desires. We all know that schools want students who are academically, personally, and professionally ready for medical school. These factors are usually assessed from GPA, MCAT, volunteering, research, leadership, etc. The higher the GPA and MCAT, and the higher quality and quantity of ECs the better. However, students are admitted to schools with only some of those attributes or weaker in some of those attributes than others. Clearly we can't all get a 45 on the MCAT, a 4.0 GPA, be first author in a Nature publication, start a community service organization, cure cancer, and vaccinate children in the jungles of Indonesia.

Also, the website lists what they expect for a student who matriculates to the school. We all know that part of the process for matriculation involves an interview. Therefore, one can conclude that the determination for an invitation for an interview cannot incorporate all of the things listed in what they desire from a matriculant. After all, what would be the point of an interview if they could determine all of those things simply from the primary and secondary applications? So, there must be a set of criteria that the admission committee uses to determine who gets an interview and who does not (obviously, there will be some corollaries with the list of desired qualities of a matriculant). And, if in the process of determining who gets an interview, they consider some applicants "more competitive" than others, there must be a subset of those qualities that they place a higher importance on compared to the other qualities.

Dr. Cunningham has done us all a favor and helped shed some light on this mysterious process. My question to her was to help shed a little more light on what the admission committee is focusing on in terms of interview invitations and competitiveness for those slots.
 
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Seeing people get rejected pre interview with such high numbers is upsetting :s I love this school and really want an interview but my chances seem to be looking very slim. 3.99 29 OOS complete mid September and just waiting. I am really hoping they are looking at more than just numbers or I am out!
 
Highjump4life said:
I am really hoping they are looking at more than just numbers or I am out!
Click to expand...
Trust me, they are. One of my numbers wasn't competitive at all for reasons that would take too long to explain. I interviewed. Hang in there, it's not over yet!
 
Highjump4life said:
Seeing people get rejected pre interview with such high numbers is upsetting :s I love this school and really want an interview but my chances seem to be looking very slim. 3.99 29 OOS complete mid September and just waiting. I am really hoping they are looking at more than just numbers or I am out!
Click to expand...

hope2b62a said:
Trust me, they are. One of my numbers wasn't competitive at all for reasons that would take too long to explain. I interviewed. Hang in there, it's not over yet!
Click to expand...

I second this. Both of my numbers are not as competitive and I got the II.

Also, who else will be anxiously watching their phones today.......... it's only 8am AZ time :nailbiting::nailbiting::nailbiting:
 
Thanks that makes me have some hope! Now I just need to wait for some news!
 
Announcement:

Applicants who visited campus on October 21 will receive an admission decision next Friday, November 15, a one-week change from the tentative schedule provided during the small-group discussion with me.

All applicants deferred from previous rounds (Sept 13, Oct 15 and Oct 25) will receive an update after today's meeting. As always, the meeting will conclude well into the late afternoon and updates sent into the early-evening.
 
I'm going to set a record for surviving rounds of adcoms without actually being accepted! 😉
 
hope2b62a said:
Yes. Early on...
Click to expand...
Well the bright side is they don't hate you! My guess is you'll probably find out before the end of the year. That, or I would call. Especially if it's been months since your interview. :<
 
Hi Dr. Cunningham,

I have a quick question about the Physics Requirement. Does UACOM-Phx accept online physics and/or community college Physics?
Thank you so much!
 
dabke said:
Hi Dr. Cunningham,

I have a quick question about the Physics Requirement. Does UACOM-Phx accept online physics and/or community college Physics?
Thank you so much!
Click to expand...

Yes. How and where you obtain the knowledge is your decision and our expectation is that you have a strong foundation from which we will add to in medical school.
 
Hi Dr. Cunningham,

Would you mind sharing how secondaries are analyzed by your office (i.e. are they reviewed sequentially from date of completion or some is some other method used)? And if applications are reviewed sequentially, would it be possible to tell us what date you guys have reviewed through?

As always, thanks for all your help.
 
Wooowwwwww just got an ii here!! I can't believe it. I haven't been this excited about an ii. Top choice! OOS 29 3.99 best day ever!
 
Did you guys get official "complete" emails? I didn't so I'm wondering if I should follow up on it.
 
Dr Cunningham

Is it possible to know when the next batch of rejections will be going out? Thanks
 
Just kidding I got a pretty good rate. I just had to call a few to find it!
 
moto_za said:
Dr Cunningham

Is it possible to know when the next batch of rejections will be going out? Thanks
Click to expand...

Pre-interview releases are communicated daily - post-interview decisions will be communicated after our next committee meeting on Friday, Nov 15.
 
UA Phoenix Med said:
Pre-interview releases are communicated daily - post-interview decisions will be communicated after our next committee meeting on Friday, Nov 15.
Click to expand...

Dr. Cunningham,

Thank you for your time. If we were complete fairly early (early August) and still have not received either an interview invitation or rejection, is it a fair assumption to say we are on hold? Or are rejections sent out at different times regardless of completion date?
 
MasterChieff said:
Hi Dr. Cunningham,

Would you mind sharing how secondaries are analyzed by your office (i.e. are they reviewed sequentially from date of completion or some is some other method used)? And if applications are reviewed sequentially, would it be possible to tell us what date you guys have reviewed through?

As always, thanks for all your help.
Click to expand...

The question is a good one and I'm trying to choose my words carefully so not to set an unattainable expectation. Supplemental applications are reviewed and screened upon receipt, however the timing of actual completeness is based upon the work load of the screeners. Once screened, the student is forwarded to a reviewer who is kept to a weekly schedule. However, some applicants are kept on hold for continued review.

Not as clean cut of an answer that I suspect you want, but the best I can do considering the complexity of our multiple stage review process.
 
seattlewapremed said:
Dr. Cunningham,

Thank you for your time. If we were complete fairly early (early August) and still have not received either an interview invitation or rejection, is it a fair assumption to say we are on hold? Or are rejections sent out at different times regardless of completion date?
Click to expand...

Exactly correct - you must be on hold, aka "under review."

ALL - you are welcome to call our office at 602-827-2005 whenever you have a question about your application.
 
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UA Phoenix Med said:
The question is a good one and I'm trying to choose my words carefully so not to set an unattainable expectation. Supplemental applications are reviewed and screened upon receipt, however the timing of actual completeness is based upon the work load of the screeners. Once screened, the student is forwarded to a reviewer who is kept to a weekly schedule. However, some applicants are kept on hold for continued review.

Not as clean cut of an answer that I suspect you want, but the best I can do considering the complexity of our multiple stage review process.
Click to expand...

Dr. Cunningham,

Thank you for the help, I really appreciate it. Also, if we were screened upon receipt of our supplemental application, and then added a new piece of information to our file, say a new MCAT score from AMCAS, are we automatically re-screened? Or must we let your office know of the update?

Thank you very much, in advance.
 
MasterChieff said:
Dr. Cunningham,

Thank you for the help, I really appreciate it. Also, if we were screened upon receipt of our supplemental application, and then added a new piece of information to our file, say a new MCAT score from AMCAS, are we automatically re-screened? Or must we let your office know of the update?

Thank you very much, in advance.
Click to expand...

MCAT scores automatically appear - no need to inform us.
 
Thanks for all your help Dr. Cunningham. 🙂 Now I just gotta hope for some in state love!
 
seattlewapremed said:
Dr. Cunningham,

Thank you for your time. If we were complete fairly early (early August) and still have not received either an interview invitation or rejection, is it a fair assumption to say we are on hold? Or are rejections sent out at different times regardless of completion date?
Click to expand...

Hello Dr. Cunningham:
Is there an official hold email that would have gone out? Or should we just assume we are on hold if in this situation (ie complete in august and have not heard)?
 
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