2013-2014 University of Iowa (Carver) Application Thread

[yoyohomieg5432]

---

Members don't see this ad.

i was thinking about putting my research in the third question that asks about medically related experiences. however, i would have liked to use a paragraph to explain it and not just a sentence or 2. any thoughts on how brief "brief" is?

 

[premed2000]

anyone marked as "complete" yet? I completed all the required parts a week ago and they just downloaded my LORs yesterday. But it still says "Incomplete".

 

[GoPelicans]

Any current students have inspiration for the "Why Iowa?" secondary question? I've been perusing the website, MSAR, etc but don't really see anything that stands out as something I could spin into an answer.

 

[Cambover]

Any current students have inspiration for the "Why Iowa?" secondary question? I've been perusing the website, MSAR, etc but don't really see anything that stands out as something I could spin into an answer.

How much do you like corn?

Kidding, but really Iowa is a great school. Beautiful campus with a new medical school building. The class is fit into four "houses" of sorts. The people are awesome. They have cool distinction tracks. Take a look at a few of the med student responses earlier in this thread or last year's.

If you really cannot figure out what to write, then ask yourself whether you really want to write it at all. Sounds harsh, but you should only apply to schools that you have a genuine interest in.

 

[Labrine]

Just in case anyone needs the heads up I thought I'd let you know about the biochemistry requirements. You can have 2 semesters of general chemistry and 2 semesters of organic chemistry along with a lab BUT you must have biochemistry as well despite all of that. You can still take the class this semester or next, but they will not take you if you do not take the class. It is a new requirement this year so I just wanted to make sure people had the heads up on it. I called today to make sure. Looks like I'm taking biochem on top of my classes for my Masters next year.

 

[Labrine]

If you really cannot figure out what to write, then ask yourself whether you really want to write it at all. Sounds harsh, but you should only apply to schools that you have a genuine interest in.

I second this entirely. I love Iowa City and CCOM is amazing in my opinion. This is coming from someone who has moved 12 times on my own in the past 8 years and lived in towns the size of 900 to quiet literally Beijing. However, you need to take the good with the bad. If you are not used to the cold weather or a medium sized town you may want to consider how this is going to affect your happiness attending CCOM. A happy student is a good student may sound a bit cliche, but its a saying for a reason. If you cannot think of a reason why Iowa is the place where you are going to love (as much as anyone can love the hell which is medical school) to study medicine then you should reconsider applying to CCOM. Why waste the money applying here if there is somewhere else that you can be happier studying.

*If you are an OOS I really recommend you consider the weather as a concern. During my interview day last year there was a guy from California that had this look of horror on his face the entire time due to a very very mild snow storm that was going on outside. I seriously fear for him if he were to try to walk to class in a real blizzard.*

 

[GoPelicans]

I didn't anticipate asking for highlights about the school to incite such an inflammatory response. Sorry if the request offended anyone. The Iowa website is bare-bones when trying to find school-specific highlights, so I was hoping SDN would be able to help.

 

[PlumbLine]

Hey would someone be able to post the prompts as well as the character/word limits?

Thanks!

 

[mnm123]

Hey would someone be able to post the prompts as well as the character/word limits?

Thanks!

We understand you are probably applying to multiple medical schools. Please explain your reasons for applying to the Carver College of Medicine. (1500 characters)

Describe any unique personal characteristics and obstacles you may have overcome that will contribute to the diversity of, and bring educational benefits to, the entering class. (1500 characters)

Please list and provide a brief description of medically related experiences (paid or volunteer) in which you have participated over the past 5 years. (3000 characters)

If you are not currently in a degree-seeking program, please indicate what you will be doing from the time you complete this secondary application to the start of medical school. (1500 characters)

 

[markyb03]

I second this entirely. I love Iowa City and CCOM is amazing in my opinion. This is coming from someone who has moved 12 times on my own in the past 8 years and lived in towns the size of 900 to quiet literally Beijing. However, you need to take the good with the bad. If you are not used to the cold weather or a medium sized town you may want to consider how this is going to affect your happiness attending CCOM. A happy student is a good student may sound a bit cliche, but its a saying for a reason. If you cannot think of a reason why Iowa is the place where you are going to love (as much as anyone can love the hell which is medical school) to study medicine then you should reconsider applying to CCOM. Why waste the money applying here if there is somewhere else that you can be happier studying.

*If you are an OOS I really recommend you consider the weather as a concern. During my interview day last year there was a guy from California that had this look of horror on his face the entire time due to a very very mild snow storm that was going on outside. I seriously fear for him if he were to try to walk to class in a real blizzard.*

I will say though that although it is a mid sized town, the demographic is obviously heavily weighted towards younger people compared to a lot of other towns. Coming from a big city myself, this is a nice part about IC I'm looking forward to. They also just get a lot of great bands that tour through that wouldn't normally play smaller towns.

Also, hilarious about the OOS and the snow storm!

 

[jeghaber]

I've lived in Iowa City since junior high but went out of state for college, so I'm feeling the need to explain why I want to return to Iowa City of all places 😛 Bad idea to spend 1/2 of my "Why Iowa" essay talking about my connection to Iowa and why I love Iowa City before even discussing Carver or does that seem within reason?

 

[Cambover]

I've lived in Iowa City since junior high but went out of state for college, so I'm feeling the need to explain why I want to return to Iowa City of all places 😛 Bad idea to spend 1/2 of my "Why Iowa" essay talking about my connection to Iowa and why I love Iowa City before even discussing Carver or does that seem within reason?

I spent roughly 1/3 talking about how Iowa became my new home. I say go for it.

 

[yoyohomieg5432]

all of my clinical experiences are in myAMCAS. i feel like this question is just going to be copy paste from amcas??

 

[Purple Yams]

About to send in my secondary. I just wanted to check, can I use either Carver or CCOM as an appropriate abbreviation for Carver College of Medicine?

 

[jcaptian]

About to send in my secondary. I just wanted to check, can I use either Carver or CCOM as an appropriate abbreviation for Carver College of Medicine?

I used CCOM in my secondary but I don't think you'd doom yourself by using Carver. Don't sweat the small stuff 🙂

 

[StudentDrWho]

Complete today according to the online portal, anyone get an email to confirm?

 

[Spica]

Yes, they should send an email confirmation. Maybe you'll receive it Monday since you were complete Friday.

 

[ohioguy]

I hope this post will calm some nerves as I pretty much gave up on Carver after interviewing last cycle and not hearing anything after seemingly every weekly adcom meeting. seeing posts in the Iowa thread from those accepted who interviewed far later than I did was especially discouraging.

Secondary invite: 7/25
Complete: 8/1
Interview invite: 9/5
Interview: 1st week of October
Accepted: 1/22 (No waitlist. 1st straight up acceptance)

Carver will always hold a special place in my heart as my first acceptance. Good luck, it can be a long process.

 

[Spica]

I hope this post will calm some nerves as I pretty much gave up on Carver after interviewing last cycle and not hearing anything after seemingly every weekly adcom meeting. seeing posts in the Iowa thread from those accepted who interviewed far later than I did was especially discouraging.

Secondary invite: 7/25
Complete: 8/1
Interview invite: 9/5
Interview: 1st week of October
Accepted: 1/22 (No waitlist. 1st straight up acceptance)

Carver will always hold a special place in my heart as my first acceptance. Good luck, it can be a long process.

Ohioguy, thanks for sharing your story. You were out of state, right? (judging by your name, and all 🙂)

 

[ohioguy]

Ohioguy, thanks for sharing your story. You were out of state, right? (judging by your name, and all 🙂)

"Ohio"guy is just to throw people off from which state I'm really from but yes, OOS. 🙂

 

[Spica]

"Ohio"guy is just to throw people off from which state I'm really from but yes, OOS. 🙂

Hah, so you're a clever "Ohio" guy 🙂. Thanks again for the info 🙂.

 

[yoyohomieg5432]

did you guys go into much detail when describing clinical experiences? like how many sentences?

 

[cookiemonsters]

did you guys go into much detail when describing clinical experiences? like how many sentences?

GL all, loved this school

 

[StudentDrWho]

did you guys go into much detail when describing clinical experiences? like how many sentences?

Mine was VERY brief. They were all only one or two sentences. Since everything was on my AMCAS already (and I feel like that is true for most of us), I think that question is mainly to give interviewers a quick and easy glance at our experiences (without the extra detail AMCAS has).

 

[jcaptian]

did you guys go into much detail when describing clinical experiences? like how many sentences?

As I said earlier, my responses last year were all around a few sentences. That should be sufficient. My clinical research was the longest section at 3 sentences (I just pulled up my secondary).

If the committee wishes to have more details they can simply review your primary application.

 

[yoyohomieg5432]

ok, UI secondary is kind of odd, we submit many different parts.. I did my essays and submitted and did "final application" and submitted. both say completed. i also paid. does this mean my secondary is complete? do they send out emails? did you guys do anything for "academic record update" or "additional information"? both seem to be something that you submit later down the road

 

[StudentDrWho]

ok, UI secondary is kind of odd, we submit many different parts.. I did my essays and submitted and did "final application" and submitted. both say completed. i also paid. does this mean my secondary is complete? do they send out emails? did you guys do anything for "academic record update" or "additional information"? both seem to be something that you submit later down the road

It should say if your application is complete or incomplete on the main status page. I know it took mine several days after I paid to fully "process" the payment and say I was complete online. A couple days after that I got an email saying that they had received all my materials/confirming that I was complete.

 

[Captain Sisko]

decided to apply, thanks to the relatively large number of oos and relatively cheap secondary.

secondary is screened, right? is it a competitive screen or a minimums screen?

 

[jcaptian]

ok, UI secondary is kind of odd, we submit many different parts.. I did my essays and submitted and did "final application" and submitted. both say completed. i also paid. does this mean my secondary is complete? do they send out emails? did you guys do anything for "academic record update" or "additional information"? both seem to be something that you submit later down the road

Yes the secondary can be confusing! Personally I don't love the layout and I made my feelings known in the survey you will complete at the end of the application cycle.

You are correct. The update and academic update can be submitted all the way up until sometime in January (the 31st I think?). You don't have to fill this out to complete the secondary. In fact I never submitted those portions.

Your status (next to file status) should change in a few days. It takes time to be marked complete so just be patient. That being said, it can also take a couple of days for the office to process your payment. So don't freak out if you pay and you don't see an immediate change. 🙂

 

[jcaptian]

decided to apply, thanks to the relatively large number of oos and relatively cheap secondary.

secondary is screened, right? is it a competitive screen or a minimums screen?

Yes. Essentially, it is a minimum screen. I elaborated on the process in earlier pages of this thread.

 

[Captain Sisko]

Yes. Essentially, it is a minimum screen. I elaborated on the process in earlier pages of this thread.

my bad, should've looked- was on my droid. I take it you're the thread's resident med student? (lol)

 

[jcaptian]

my bad, should've looked- was on my droid. I take it you're the thread's resident med student? (lol)

It's all good 🙂

Well, there are a couple of us. Markyb03 is my classmate who is also on this thread. We are both MS1 at Carver. SDN was a great resource for me when I was applying so I thought I'd pay it forward and help out anyway I can.

 

[coffeeman]

Got an interview invitation here today. Scheduled for 9/16. Seems like a great school. Can anyone tell me what the interview is like?

 

[DocOpotamus]

Got an interview invitation here today. Scheduled for 9/16. Seems like a great school. Can anyone tell me what the interview is like?

Congrats!!! I think u are the first : )

 

[StudentDrWho]

Got an interview invitation here today. Scheduled for 9/16. Seems like a great school. Can anyone tell me what the interview is like?

Nice! Anyone else get an interview here today?

 

[coffeeman]

Nice! Anyone else get an interview here today?

Thanks! I'm pretty excited, I think I would love to go to Carver. Beautiful campus, prominent research, great residency match list. Looking forward to learning more.

 

[IllinoisHopeful]

Does the status change from complete to anything else ? Such as under review, interview, etc...?

 

[coffeeman]

Does the status change from complete to anything else ? Such as under review, interview, etc...?

I got an email.

 

[Cambover]

I got an email.

Congrats again! That's awesome. Iowa is such a good school. Are you OOS (sorry on mobile).

 

[coffeeman]

Congrats again! That's awesome. Iowa is such a good school. Are you OOS (sorry on mobile).

Thanks! Iowa rocks.

I'd rather not say, I hope you understand. I want to retain a little anonymity, the internet is a big scary place.

 

[Cambover]

Thanks! Iowa rocks.

I'd rather not say, I hope you understand. I want to retain a little anonymity, the internet is a big scary place.

Completely understand. Your anonymity is your anonymity. I'm open about this whole process and just try to moderate my posts accordingly. Perhaps that's not always the best choice, but I stand by it.

Wish you the best!!!

 

[coffeeman]

Completely understand. Your anonymity is your anonymity. I'm open about this whole process and just try to moderate my posts accordingly. Perhaps that's not always the best choice, but I stand by it.

Wish you the best!!!

Sent you a PM.

 

[runnergirl6]

Finally submitted the secondary. I was on vacation when I got it so I didn't get around to writing the essays til now. Hoping for good news!

 

[xiaoxiy]

IS student here. I just got an interview invite today too.

 

[Govols13]

How long did it take people to get LORs accepted by UI?

Received at AMCAS: 8/7
Imported from AMCAS: 8/12
But still blank for Accepted by CCOM

My secondary app/questions was completed 8/8

 

[Cambover]

How long did it take people to get LORs accepted by UI?

Received at AMCAS: 8/7
Imported from AMCAS: 8/12
But still blank for Accepted by CCOM

My secondary app/questions was completed 8/8

A week or two. They'll probably mark them as complete by the end of next week.

 

[markyb03]

Got an interview invitation here today. Scheduled for 9/16. Seems like a great school. Can anyone tell me what the interview is like?

First off congrats to you and all the others with interviews!!! Make sure you check out the interview feedback page for Iowa because their interviews are a little bit different... And enjoy the interview day - it was one of my favorites for sure.

For those of you still waiting for an interview, hold tight and don't lose hope! It's still really early in the season and there are many more interviews to be handed out.

 

[Captain Sisko]

just submitted, oos

 

[yoyohomieg5432]

have any of you guys been marked as "complete"? i submitted my app a week ago (8/12) and also paid the fee a week ago, but it still says i'm incomplete. i know there's 2 optional sections (academic record update and additional info) that i didn't do so is that the reason i'm marked as incomplete? it's kind of making me nervous. for those sections it says "none received" am i supposed to hit submit on the blank page for each of those sections or what?

they've also had my letters since 8/7 but haven't been labeled as "accepted by CCOM"

 

[Spica]

have any of you guys been marked as "complete"? i submitted my app a week ago (8/12) and also paid the fee a week ago, but it still says i'm incomplete. i know there's 2 optional sections (academic record update and additional info) that i didn't do so is that the reason i'm marked as incomplete? it's kind of making me nervous. for those sections it says "none received" am i supposed to hit submit on the blank page for each of those sections or what?

they've also had my letters since 8/7 but haven't been labeled as "accepted by CCOM"

It takes them some time to mark you complete, you just gotta be patient 🙂.