2013-2014 Wayne State University Application Thread

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Cool. Thanks for the input sirgreatly appreciative. Btw good luck to you, maybe ill see if you we both get accepted lol :D.

You're most welcome.

And maybe we will haha, good luck to you as well! :laugh:

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Interview invite as well! :)

Submitted secondary - August 5
Confirmation - August 14

In-state and 31/3.9+
 
Wow that's great, congratulations! I submitted 8/7 and received a complete email on 8/14. Hope I get some good news tomorrow.
 
From what it seems like on here, IS folks got their secondaries much earlier than OOS folks. I am assuming this is because they want IS folks to be complete first, have a chance to interview/be considered for admission first? This would make sense as it is a state school, but maybe someone could comment on whether or not both OOS and IS applicants usually interview in the same time frame?
 
From what it seems like on here, IS folks got their secondaries much earlier than OOS folks. I am assuming this is because they want IS folks to be complete first, have a chance to interview/be considered for admission first? This would make sense as it is a state school, but maybe someone could comment on whether or not both OOS and IS applicants usually interview in the same time frame?

You could probably get a decent idea if you go through the 2012-13 thread.
 
OOS, just received secondary a few days ago. Do we just type our answers into a Word document and just e-mail it to the address provided?
 
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OOS, just received secondary a few days ago. Do we just type our answers into a Word document and just e-mail it to the address provided?

I kept the question prompt I chose for each essay bolded at the top of each page and then had each essay on a page of the word document.
 
Hey guys! I know you are not supposed to add high school things to our application. However, while graduating from my high school, i was awarded salutatorian which meant that I had the second highest GPA in my graduating class. Even though it was 4 years ago, I think its pretty impressive but not sure if I should add it. Any advice?

Never mind guys. Got the answer from another forum. Stay away from high school haha!
 
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Hi guys,

I wanted to ask the current medical students what they personally like about WSU that wouldn't be offered at another university. I know the question is vague but could you guys share your experiences with the class structure, curriculum, extra-curriculars, and the resources available to you by WSU SOM?

I also would like to know if Wayne has any special programs, such as any specific research opportunities or opportunities to get involved in the community?
 
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Long time lurker, first time poster. IS, got screened out pre-secondary, ouch. This one hurts because I have worked at Wayne State Medical School for two years. Best of luck to you all.
 
I had my primary processed and sent the day it opened and I just got my secondary a couple of days ago and I'm in state. I was starting to think that I had gotten denied. Just be patient!
 
Long time lurker, first time poster. IS, got screened out pre-secondary, ouch. This one hurts because I have worked at Wayne State Medical School for two years. Best of luck to you all.

Same here, non-trad, in-state, 3.4 GPA 33 MCAT and I'm about to start grad school at Wayne State. Oh well, good luck to everyone
 
Same here, non-trad, in-state, 3.4 GPA 33 MCAT and I'm about to start grad school at Wayne State. Oh well, good luck to everyone
Just wondering.. how do you know if you've been screened out? Do they notify you?
 
Long time lurker, first time poster. IS, got screened out pre-secondary, ouch. This one hurts because I have worked at Wayne State Medical School for two years. Best of luck to you all.

Just got my rejection letter today as well. I knew Wayne State was a bit of a reach with my stats, but I was hoping to at least get a secondary. rejection pre-interview stings a bit more I think. Good luck to everyone else applying!
 
Just got my rejection letter today as well. I knew Wayne State was a bit of a reach with my stats, but I was hoping to at least get a secondary. rejection pre-interview stings a bit more I think. Good luck to everyone else applying!

got one pre-secondary today too :( IS 3.5/28
 
For those of you who already submitted the secondaries-

Are we just supposed to attach all of our essays and picture in one email and send it to the designated e-mail address? What format did you guys use for the essays (Word, PDF, etc) and picture as well?

Thanks!
 
Hi guys,

I wanted to ask the current medical students what they personally like about WSU that wouldn't be offered at another university. I know the question is vague but could you guys share your experiences with the class structure, curriculum, extra-curriculars, and the resources available to you by WSU SOM?

I also would like to know if Wayne has any special programs, such as any specific research opportunities or opportunities to get involved in the community?

So Wayne's curriculum is pretty traditional. The first two years are lecture based, H/P/F curved grading, normal structure/function first year, pathology and pathophysiology second year. Some professors are excellent, some less so. Most are good. By far what is not offered by another med school that I'm aware of is the depth of pathology and experience in the clinical years. Practicing medicine in Detroit is like practicing first-world medicine on patients with third-world health problems. In my third year, I saw three cases of neurosyphilis, and even trench foot (yes, the WWI trench foot). Not to mention the most terribly bad pathologies of garden-variety illnesses (BMI of >100 isn't all that uncommon). You WILL get good at managing very sick patients. Residents and attendings also give Wayne students a lot of latitude in doing procedures... I've put in several chest tubes, intubated, central lines, arterial lines, etc. There were also several instances on Trauma (it's always with a capital T in Detroit) when it was just the chief and I operating in the middle of the night; that's where the real learning takes place. You also get to choose (mostly - it's a lottery but >90% of the students get their first choice of hospital) among several hospital systems where you want to do third year... from big academic tertiary referral centers like DMC and Henry Ford to smaller community hospitals with lots of bread-and-butter medicine like Oakwood.

In terms of research, there are plenty of opportunities in a variety of fields. The issue with Wayne is that it is not super organized, so getting heavily involved requires some initiative on the student's part. There are several students working with the administration to change that, and by the time you guys come in, there is a possibility that there will be a formalized curriculum that will allow protected research time, but not a guarantee yet. There is a summer research fellowship for the M1 summer that provides funding for a project of your choice. A fair number of students take a year off to pursue research through formalized or informal tracks; the administration will work with you if that's something you're interested in. Particularly strong areas at Wayne include heme/onc (we are affiliated with Karmanos Cancer Center, a comprehensive cancer center with lots of bench and clinical research going on [phase 1/2 drug trials included]), optics and vision basic science, HTN/CHF through the ED, and infectious diseases (Detroit is the syphilis and VRSA capitol of the world) all come to mind.

Finally, opportunities to get involved in the community are myriad. You will get emails daily about clinical and non-clinical volunteer opportunities. If you want something more formalized, a large percentage of the class gets involved in co-curricular (http://asp.med.wayne.edu/cocurricular-overview.php), where if you complete 150 hours of volunteering in 1st and 2nd year, you get an extra month off during fourth year. It is a structured opportunity to get involved in many different ways with more structure.

Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.
 
Still no secondary... oos.. thinking it might be time to call them.
 
+1

Also OOS. I thought I got screened out, but I was not alone..?

Last I heard from them was on July 15th, when they said my primary was under review, which could take up to 6 weeks. Guess they weren't kidding about the 6 week thing.
 
OOS 3.67/34....no ii yet :( complete 08/15

Lmao dude..... its only been like 10 business days and a long weekend is coming up? Your numbers are awsome, and you should be happy that you made it so far in this process considering how selective this school is.

In any case, have there been any OOS II's yet? If so, do you guys mind sharing your stats and when you were complete? Thanks.
 
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Hey Anthrax, current M2 here. I want to add to some things that themockjock said, everything of which I agree with. (I'm not so much on the research bent so I have less experience there).

There are a couple of things that I think set Wayne apart from other schools. I say "I think" because I don't go to other schools, but just have to rely on what people say. I have a friend who goes to Michigan (also M2) who is impressed with the level of passion for outreach that a large part of our student body has. Some of this is driven by the cocurricular program, but I think a large segment of our student body would be doing a hefty amount of volunteering whether or not we were getting 4th year credit.

One of the cocurricular tracks is the one I'm involved in, MPAC -- Medicine and Political Action in the Community. In four years it has grown from 20 students to over 130 students enrolled in the program, and the director of it said that it's the first program of its kind at any medical school. We have discussions every month (different guest speakers every month on a variety of topics), and we get the opportunity to go on lobbying trips to Lansing and Washington DC (the DC trip travel expenses and some food expenses were paid by the school). The website is here if you want to take a look: http://mpac.med.wayne.edu/

I would say another strength of Wayne is the depth and variety of pre-clinical volunteer opportunities. If you're the volunteering sort, there are definitely opportunities for you to be deeply involved with any number of organizations that have all been started by students, and continue to be run by students. It's a great way to service the citizens of the city of Detroit and beyond as well as practice some of the things you learn in your clinical medicine courses.

I would definitely say that the pre-clinical curriculum is pretty standard. Kind of meh. Some instructors are great and some instructors are not so great. But the student body (and the volunteer opportunities that come from a vocal and passionate student body) and the experience you gain in clinical years (not that I know that yet, but enough people have said so that I tend to believe them) is what really makes Wayne stand out.

Good luck!

Hi guys,

I wanted to ask the current medical students what they personally like about WSU that wouldn't be offered at another university. I know the question is vague but could you guys share your experiences with the class structure, curriculum, extra-curriculars, and the resources available to you by WSU SOM?

I also would like to know if Wayne has any special programs, such as any specific research opportunities or opportunities to get involved in the community?
 
To any OOS people still waiting on a secondary:

It had been close to 6 weeks since I got the "we're processing your primary..." email, so I called to ask about my status. I was told that they were really backed up, and that I shouldn't worry. About 2 hours afterwards, I received a secondary.
 
II :D

Stats on MDApps, IS, complete 8/22
 
Interview invite just now! IS, complete e-mail received 8/15. Good luck everyone!
 
Hey Anthrax, current M2 here. I want to add to some things that themockjock said, everything of which I agree with. (I'm not so much on the research bent so I have less experience there).

There are a couple of things that I think set Wayne apart from other schools. I say "I think" because I don't go to other schools, but just have to rely on what people say. I have a friend who goes to Michigan (also M2) who is impressed with the level of passion for outreach that a large part of our student body has. Some of this is driven by the cocurricular program, but I think a large segment of our student body would be doing a hefty amount of volunteering whether or not we were getting 4th year credit.

One of the cocurricular tracks is the one I'm involved in, MPAC -- Medicine and Political Action in the Community. In four years it has grown from 20 students to over 130 students enrolled in the program, and the director of it said that it's the first program of its kind at any medical school. We have discussions every month (different guest speakers every month on a variety of topics), and we get the opportunity to go on lobbying trips to Lansing and Washington DC (the DC trip travel expenses and some food expenses were paid by the school). The website is here if you want to take a look: http://mpac.med.wayne.edu/

I would say another strength of Wayne is the depth and variety of pre-clinical volunteer opportunities. If you're the volunteering sort, there are definitely opportunities for you to be deeply involved with any number of organizations that have all been started by students, and continue to be run by students. It's a great way to service the citizens of the city of Detroit and beyond as well as practice some of the things you learn in your clinical medicine courses.

I would definitely say that the pre-clinical curriculum is pretty standard. Kind of meh. Some instructors are great and some instructors are not so great. But the student body (and the volunteer opportunities that come from a vocal and passionate student body) and the experience you gain in clinical years (not that I know that yet, but enough people have said so that I tend to believe them) is what really makes Wayne stand out.

Good luck!

Hello, thank you for your detailed reply. :)

Yes I definitely see why the volunteering opportunities make Wayne stand out. I looked through all of the website and all of the programs/clubs students can get involved in. I was truly impressed by the amount and diversity of community outreach initiatives at Wayne.
 
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Interview invites are by email? or by a hard copy from USPS?
 
I wouldn't count yourself out if you are on the low stats side. There are plenty of people enrolled here from a diversity of stats. The admissions committee does their mysterious thing where they put together a class full of people who they think are right for the school. People with all kinds of stats get screened out (or don't get interviews), while people above and below them make it through. If you've gotten this far I'd say send the secondary in. But of course I'm biased.

Prim verified 7/15
Just received secondary... WUT?!?! :eek::eek::eek:
I'm not sure if I am sending in this secondary... Considering that I am on the lower side stat-wise.
 
To the medical students of Wayne:

Do you think Wayne is good place to be non-trad? If so, why?

Is there more age-diversity at Wayne than other schools?
 
Turns out, I can speak on this as well.

My short answer is "yeah, sure, why not?" Like I said before, I don't know what it's like at other schools so I can't really speak on what I would be comparing it to. Just by nature of us being a big school there's going to be some kind of age diversity. The age range of our class upon matriculation was 18-40, and I think that the average was 26. I'm above that average by .. oh let's just say 6 years or so.. and I've found it to be perfectly fine. There is a significant chunk of us that meets up as a non-trad group on a semi-regular basis (a lot of us are pretty busy so it doesn't work out as much as I'd like). I have friends in other classes that are around my age, but I also have totally traditional friends. One of my best friends in the class is 23.

I would say that the age thing disappears if you let it. No one harps on it, and it doesn't seem like anyone cares. That said, I do remember what it was like to be 23 and not even being able to comprehend being 30, so some of your classmates will probably make comments like "wow that [person] looks really good for being 32!" That's about as controversial as it gets though. I was in grad school at 22 and had peers in their 30s at the time, so now I'm experiencing the flip of that situation. The administration is supportive and appreciative of the perspective that coming in from a first career can bring (we tend to not sweat the small stuff so much), so from all ends it ends up being pretty okay.

That said, I'm not sure what place would be a bad place to be a non-trad. The only instance I could imagine it being a problem is if you let it -- focus too much on the age difference and what that "should" be getting you -- (board positions on orgs, automatic respect from your peers, better grades, whatever). You'll still be measured by what you bring to the table, regardless of age, so you can either use your experience as an advantage or you can let it hinder you.

If you want me to clarify anything or want to talk more about this, send me a message!

To the medical students of Wayne:

Do you think Wayne is good place to be non-trad? If so, why?

Is there more age-diversity at Wayne than other schools?
 
Turns out, I can speak on this as well.

My short answer is "yeah, sure, why not?" Like I said before, I don't know what it's like at other schools so I can't really speak on what I would be comparing it to. Just by nature of us being a big school there's going to be some kind of age diversity. The age range of our class upon matriculation was 18-40, and I think that the average was 26. I'm above that average by .. oh let's just say 6 years or so.. and I've found it to be perfectly fine. There is a significant chunk of us that meets up as a non-trad group on a semi-regular basis (a lot of us are pretty busy so it doesn't work out as much as I'd like). I have friends in other classes that are around my age, but I also have totally traditional friends. One of my best friends in the class is 23.

I would say that the age thing disappears if you let it. No one harps on it, and it doesn't seem like anyone cares. That said, I do remember what it was like to be 23 and not even being able to comprehend being 30, so some of your classmates will probably make comments like "wow that [person] looks really good for being 32!" That's about as controversial as it gets though. I was in grad school at 22 and had peers in their 30s at the time, so now I'm experiencing the flip of that situation. The administration is supportive and appreciative of the perspective that coming in from a first career can bring (we tend to not sweat the small stuff so much), so from all ends it ends up being pretty okay.

That said, I'm not sure what place would be a bad place to be a non-trad. The only instance I could imagine it being a problem is if you let it -- focus too much on the age difference and what that "should" be getting you -- (board positions on orgs, automatic respect from your peers, better grades, whatever). You'll still be measured by what you bring to the table, regardless of age, so you can either use your experience as an advantage or you can let it hinder you.

If you want me to clarify anything or want to talk more about this, send me a message!


This is really useful information. That is a great age range and makes me want an interview from Wayne all the more. The more I hear about the school, the more I think it would be a great fit for me.

And yes, I hear what you are saying about the entitlement that may come with age. One of the toughest aspects of transitioning from running a business to being a premed student (and currently a grad student) is the loss of status. I've adapted to it, but I can't say it was easy.

Thanks!!
 
I have a question for anyone who has gone to an interview - what is the interview day like? I have been told to come for an interview at a certain time, but when can I plan to leave? If I have a morning interview, can I fly out later that same afternoon? Is there a tour or other meeting?

Thank you!
 
Definitely yes you can make your flight. The interview is pretty relaxed, doesn't take more than an hour. If I remember correctly the tour is scheduled through admissions, but it's current students who give the tours. I'm sure you would have enough time to look around/ask current students questions when you were there after your interview but before your flight .. even if it's not scheduled that way.

Good luck!

I have a question for anyone who has gone to an interview - what is the interview day like? I have been told to come for an interview at a certain time, but when can I plan to leave? If I have a morning interview, can I fly out later that same afternoon? Is there a tour or other meeting?

Thank you!
 
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