2013-2014 University of Connecticut Application Thread

[gettheleadout]

1. If you are interested in pursing an MD/Masters Combined (Check Boxes)

2. If you are applying for the MD/PhD Combined Degree Program, check your preferred areas of concentration

3. Highlight your experiences in the health care field. What insights have you gained about potential problems you will face as a physician? *Required

4. Describe the activity(curricular or extracurricular) from which you gained the greatest personal benefit and insight. *Required

5. How will the University of Connecticut School of Medicine best serve your needs of becoming a physician or physician scientist? *Required

Good luck to everyone applying!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Epinephreus]

Hello everyone! Incoming MS1 who grew up in Farmington and knows the hospital well from undergraduate shadowing/volunteer work. Happy to answer any questions about the area as well as things such as the expansion, curriculum, clinical opportunities, etc. (Granted my knowledge on some of the subjects will be somewhat limited as I have yet to begin). Hopefully, current students will also be able chyme in.

 

[FijiGNR89]

Another incoming MS1 here. Whoa, crazy to say that... but anyway if you ever have any questions, feel free to ask! Went through the app process last year and will be starting in the Fall. I'm somewhat of a non-trad applicant, so if you have anything to ask about that in particular, never hesitate to post/message!

Go Huskies!

 

[SN12357]

Is it worth it to apply as a non-URM OOS applicant? I have family ties to UConn and would love to go there but their OOS percentage seems too low to be worth it.

thanks!

 

[Epinephreus]

If you have family ties, then by all means it's worth a shot. However, do note that about 80% of the class is IS, which is significant considering the class is around 89 students.

Fortunately, the secondary questions offer a chance to really explain you're reasoning for wanting to apply to uconn, so that is something you must take advantage of.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. Good luck!

 

[SN12357]

If you have family ties, then by all means it's worth a shot. However, do note that about 80% of the class is IS, which is significantly considering the class is around 89 students.

Thanks for the reply! My family ties are recent and strong, so I guess I'll throw my hat in the ring. Lots of people would be happy if I were a Husky too

I'm assuming they don't let OOSers switch to in-state tuition eventually?

 

[Epinephreus]

Thanks for the reply! My family ties are recent and strong, so I guess I'll throw my hat in the ring. Lots of people would be happy if I were a Husky too

I'm assuming they don't let OOSers switch to in-state tuition eventually?

I would not think that it is impossible to get IS tuition after a certain period, however this would have to do more with the state regulation on obtaining CT residency than the schools decision to offer IS tuition.

And to support my answer, I found this link:
http://studentservices.uchc.edu/registrar/forms/form_status.pdf

 

[FijiGNR89]

Thanks for the reply! My family ties are recent and strong, so I guess I'll throw my hat in the ring. Lots of people would be happy if I were a Husky too

I'm assuming they don't let OOSers switch to in-state tuition eventually?

They do. I'm a FL resident and I'm doing it. The state of Connecticut allows you to become a CT resident after a year of living/attending school there, at which point your tuition becomes in-state. So beginning in the second year, your tuition will go from ~55k to ~25k.

 

[Captain Sisko]

If you have family ties, then by all means it's worth a shot. However, do note that about 80% of the class is IS, which is significant considering the class is around 89 students.

Fortunately, the secondary questions offer a chance to really explain you're reasoning for wanting to apply to uconn, so that is something you must take advantage of.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. Good luck!

i like the small class size. i think I'll apply anyway, 20% oos isn't that bad... anyone have any data on oos accepted stats?

 

[boomerang33]

Nothing I can find. Average MCAT has been a 31.8 and GPA ~3.7 in the past. I'd anticipate OOS stats being slightly higher.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the class size should be increasing to 100 this year per BioScience Connecticut. (slight corresponding increase in number of MD/PhD students as well).

 

[FijiGNR89]

Correct, class size is going up. Bioscience Connecticut is the bomb... Very exciting time to be interested in uconn!

 

[Epinephreus]

Correct, class size is going up. Bioscience Connecticut is the bomb... Very exciting time to be interested in uconn!

Definitely! For those who do not know about the expansion, basically, around a billion dollars has been allocated to the UConn Medical Campus in order to:

Add brand new research facilities, literally doubling the current amount of research funding
Add a new ambulatory care centers, increasing outpatient services
Add a new hospital wing to increase inpatient, new ER, etc.
Renovate of all academic wings, current hospital wings, etc.
Bring a genomic laboratory to the campus (Jackson Labs), providing more research opportunity to UConn.
Increasing the student size of the medical and dental schools

During my clinical work in the hospital, one of the physicians I spoke with who is also a professor said, "The expansion will just about guarantee UConn's presence as a top 30+ school within the next 5-10 years".

UConn has always been a strong program, but limited by size. This transformation literally makes it a powerhouse for research opportunity in CT and New England for what its more.

For more information, http://biosciencect.uchc.edu/index.html.

 

[KCCMadeline]

Hi Everyone,
Has anyone received an email from UCONN yet inviting them to complete the secondary or acknowledging the receipt of their application? Best of Luck to everyone!

 

[BundleofHis]

Hi Everyone,
Has anyone received an email from UCONN yet inviting them to complete the secondary or acknowledging the receipt of their application? Best of Luck to everyone!

Just got the secondary today. I'm having trouble opening it, though….

Edit:

No word count that I can see...

3. Highlight your experiences in the health care field. What insights have you gained about potential problems you will face as a physician? *Required
4. Describe the activity(curricular or extracurricular) from which you gained the greatest personal benefit and insight.
5. How will the University of Connecticut School of Medicine best serve your needs of becoming a physician or physician scientist?

 

[FijiGNR89]

And so it begins

 

[BundleofHis]

And so it begins

Are you an incoming M1?

 

[FijiGNR89]

Are you an incoming M1?

Yes, I am

 

[BundleofHis]

Yes, I am

Whoops, just saw your first post!

I'm a FL resident too, so this is a major shot in the dark for me… but I love UConn! So, I figured I'd give it a shot. I wonder why nobody else is posting about the secondary…

 

[polyatomic]

Quick question! I'm not too sure how to approach this one:

Highlight your experiences in the health care field. What insights have you gained about potential problems you will face as a physician?

At first I answered it by focusing on one of my recent experiences and the problems in healthcare I saw through that. But do you think they want us to literally talk about ALL of our health care experiences and what we found from them?

 

[hvairline]

Is anyone having difficulty logging in?

 

[FijiGNR89]

At first I answered it by focusing on one of my recent experiences and the problems in healthcare I saw through that. But do you think they want us to literally talk about ALL of our health care experiences and what we found from them?

These questions are a bit open ended on purpose. It's up for your interpretation and whatever answer you provide, as long as its sincere, is appropriate. Having that said that, I wouldn't suggest writing about every single experience, because you may end up trying to BS something you think they want to hear. Pick meaningful experiences that really provided you insight and talk about them. If that's ALL of them, then go with it. I talked about one in mine.

 

[FijiGNR89]

Whoops, just saw your first post!

I'm a FL resident too, so this is a major shot in the dark for me… but I love UConn! So, I figured I'd give it a shot. I wonder why nobody else is posting about the secondary…

Best of luck to you, my friend.

 

[smc1106]

Is anyone having difficulty logging in?

I had the same problem, but they fixed it this afternoon.

 

[MedWonk]

I had the same problem, but they fixed it this afternoon.

I logged it today, my session timed out as I went to do something (my essays are all done anyway). I go to log back in and it basically says there's no secondary available. Hope they fix that soon.

 

[polyatomic]

These questions are a bit open ended on purpose. It's up for your interpretation and whatever answer you provide, as long as its sincere, is appropriate. Having that said that, I wouldn't suggest writing about every single experience, because you may end up trying to BS something you think they want to hear. Pick meaningful experiences that really provided you insight and talk about them. If that's ALL of them, then go with it. I talked about one in mine.

Thanks for that! I'll just stick with my one then. So excited to apply to UConn

 

[FijiGNR89]

Thanks for that! I'll just stick with my one then. So excited to apply to UConn

So as a FL resident, what makes you so enamored UConn? Are you an undergrad close by?

 

[polyatomic]

So as a FL resident, what makes you so enamored UConn? Are you an undergrad close by?

Actually...I'm from Connecticut! No Florida here.

 

[FijiGNR89]

Ah, Bundle is the FL res. Fine, same question to him.

 

[KCCMadeline]

Hey...does anyone know if there is a word/character limit on the secondary questions? thanks!

 

[BundleofHis]

Ah, Bundle is the FL res. Fine, same question to him.

Her

"One of the school’s main beliefs is that physicians are scientists, and the educational structure is designed to reflect that principle." <---- I love that! I have two science majors and two science minors and couldn't agree more with this quote. Also, I love their research opportunities and their post-sophomore pathology fellowship.

 

[survive5]

Those who have got their secondaries, have you been verified by AMCAS?
I was wondering if UConn screen for secondaries. Thx!

 

[HopefulReapp]

So does the fact that I just rescued a Husky make me any more attractive to the school?

 

[mononoke]

For this question:
4. Describe the activity(curricular or extracurricular) from which you gained the greatest personal benefit and insight.

I feel like this is too similar to the primaries where they ask you to pick your 3 most meaningful. Do you have any advice as to not sounding too repetitive??

 

[BundleofHis]

Ah, Bundle is the FL res. Fine, same question to him.

Also, through looking at the 2012 feeds, I've gathered that you got many early II!! Do you have any advice for us?

 

[maliro]

Has anyone got a complete email? I have an email saying that I have successfully completed my secondary, but when I check the status I get an error message and it says my application is still in progress....

 

[BundleofHis]

Has anyone got a complete email? I have an email saying that I have successfully completed my secondary, but when I check the status I get an error message and it says my application is still in progress....

Also getting an error message.

 

[ilikeargyle]

I'm also getting the error message. Does anyone's supplemental fee not show up as submitted either? I paid well over a week ago and according to my materials, it is not submitted yet.

 

[BundleofHis]

I'm also getting the error message. Does anyone's supplemental fee not show up as submitted either? I paid well over a week ago and according to my materials, it is not submitted yet.

Same here… looks like they're having some technical issues. My app still says "not submitted" but then I have a submission date on another page. I got a receipt for paying the fee, but it appears to be unpaid on the site… and then the error message when I try to view my status.

 

[FijiGNR89]

Also, through looking at the 2012 feeds, I've gathered that you got many early II!! Do you have any advice for us?

Haha somebody has been doing their research! But yes, my advice is simply that time is of the essence. I creeped on SDN like it was my job and had written the secondaries for every school to which I applied by the time I received them. The secondaries rarely change from the year before, so you can safely assume that last year's questions will be the same. I turned them around within a day or two of receiving them. I sent in my AMCAS the first day I could too, so I was really on the top of every pile every time. Your probability of getting an interview is somewhat a function (aside from the quality of your application) of how early you get it in.

Also, don't tell them what you think they want to hear. Be earnest. They have a spidey sense for that sort of thing. Best of luck to you guys! I got my II for UCONN in early August, so who knows... The time could be nigh!

 

[sh0rtstop34]

I'm also getting the error message. Does anyone's supplemental fee not show up as submitted either? I paid well over a week ago and according to my materials, it is not submitted yet.

I submitted on the 16th and got a confirmation email. It also says application complete when I check the status.

 

[Govols13]

3. Highlight your experiences in the health care field. What insights have you gained about potential problems you will face as a physician?


4. Describe the activity(curricular or extracurricular) from which you gained the greatest personal benefit and insight.



Is anybody else writing about the same activity for both? I worked as an ED tech for a while and it is probably the best answer for both of these questions. I'm obviously not copying and pasting, since the questions are a little different.

 

[FijiGNR89]

3. Highlight your experiences in the health care field. What insights have you gained about potential problems you will face as a physician?


4. Describe the activity(curricular or extracurricular) from which you gained the greatest personal benefit and insight.



Is anybody else writing about the same activity for both? I worked as an ED tech for a while and it is probably the best answer for both of these questions. I'm obviously not copying and pasting, since the questions are a little different.

It is perfectly fine to write about the same experience for both. I wrote about the same one last year.

 

[polyatomic]

Just got an interview invite by phone! So excited!!!!!!

 

[sh0rtstop34]

Just got an interview invite by phone! So excited!!!!!!

Same, first one too! super pumped

 

[polyatomic]

Same, first one too! super pumped

Grats! I'm signed up for Sept 20th. I think I'm falling in love with UConn.

 

[sh0rtstop34]

Grats! I'm signed up for Sept 20th. I think I'm falling in love with UConn.

Congrats as well! I am signed up for October 21st...I wanted earlier but I go to school in Ohio and I am from CT. I will be home for fall break that week and want to combine the trips and save a little money haha. Good luck!

 

[joeschmo1991]

Is anyone else not seeing a date next to the "Supplemental App Fee" on the secondary? I paid a week ago and still don't see anything.

Also - my current admissions status is "Interview Invite Stage" and the contact section says "our last contact with you was interview pending on ..."

Does this just mean they are reviewing the file, or did I miss something?

 

[sh0rtstop34]

Is anyone else not seeing a date next to the "Supplemental App Fee" on the secondary? I paid a week ago and still don't see anything.

Also - my current admissions status is "Interview Invite Stage" and the contact section says "our last contact with you was interview pending on ..."

Does this just mean they are reviewing the file, or did I miss something?

I think since they are calling for II, they post the decision online first and just have to manually get around to calling you. mine said interview invite pending since 7/27 but I just got the official call today 7/30

 

[BundleofHis]

Congrats on the II, guys! Are any of you OOS?

 

[joeschmo1991]

Hm mine has said interview pending since 7/27 as well but no call.

Shortstop, under the "check documents" section is it showing a date next to the supplemental fee? I paid mine but I don't see a date.