2014-2015 Case Western Reserve University Application Thread

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sorry if this has been asked before, but does case reject applicants throughout the cycle?
 
Interviewed here recently. Doubt I'll get accepted. I was kinda shocked at my student interview. I'm not sure if the student was trying to throw me off or seem like a "hard interviewer," but they seemed completely disinterested in my answers and interrupted me with the next question on their list several times. When I told them what I liked to do on my free time (nothing too unusual), the interviewer basically scoffed at me. Several fairly "hostile" questions as well.

Overall looks like a good program. Just don't go into your student interview thinking it'll be super relaxed. I did, and I was wrong.
 
On the other hand my student and faculty interviews were super conversational. Everybody has their own style I guess; don't read too much into your performance for these stress type interviews @zzxxzz
 
zzxxzz said:
Interviewed here recently. Doubt I'll get accepted. I was kinda shocked at my student interview. I'm not sure if the student was trying to throw me off or seem like a "hard interviewer," but they seemed completely disinterested in my answers and interrupted me with the next question on their list several times. When I told them what I liked to do on my free time (nothing too unusual), the interviewer basically scoffed at me. Several fairly "hostile" questions as well.

Overall looks like a good program. Just don't go into your student interview thinking it'll be super relaxed. I did, and I was wrong.
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Could you give me an example of a "hostile" question?
 
I'm rapidly becoming super obsessed with this school, particularly the College Track.... I've been reading the past several editions of the literary magazine, and it's amazing and perfect and so very in line with everything I believe and feel and want to do. If anyone has written any detailed reviews of their visits here this year, I'd love to read them! Any information would be awesome because I'm falling fast and hard for CCLCM 🙂
 
Lamel said:
On the other hand my student and faculty interviews were super conversational. Everybody has their own style I guess; don't read too much into your performance for these stress type interviews @zzxxzz
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Yea I loved my faculty interview. Who knows, it's not like I said anything terrible to the student so I guess we'll see.

Faculty interview asked about research a decent bit, but I did work on multiple projects, and the questioning wasn't as in-depth as I had expected. Few relatively simple ethics questions too.


FictiousForce said:
Could you give me an example of a "hostile" question?
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E.g. after being asked "why do you want to be a physician" I was asked "what makes you think you know what being a physician is like?" I was then challenged repeatedly on my responses. The student suggested my shadowing was insufficient (I have more than most on this site) and downplayed my clinical work experience, which is varied and extensive. Not sure if that was a "stress test" or their actual opinion.

I was also asked several questions by the student about why my main research project did not result in a publication.
 
zzxxzz said:
Yea I loved my faculty interview. Who knows, it's not like I said anything terrible to the student so I guess we'll see.

Faculty interview asked about research a decent bit, but I did work on multiple projects, and the questioning wasn't as in-depth as I had expected. Few relatively simple ethics questions too.




E.g. after being asked "why do you want to be a physician" I was asked "what makes you think you know what being a physician is like?" I was then challenged repeatedly on my responses. The student suggested my shadowing was insufficient (I have more than most on this site) and downplayed my clinical work experience, which is varied and extensive. Not sure if that was a "stress test" or their actual opinion.

I was also asked several questions by the student about why my main research project did not result in a publication.
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Have to agree with you and with zzxxzz. I am not saying that the stress interview approach is an official policy, but I did feel as if my faculty interviewer was trying to bait me and that I was not asked anything related to my file--or to medicine. I was disappointed. Not sure if the difference in interview experiences can be attributed to various interviewer personalities or if particular approaches are reserved for certain applicants. I was expecting to love Case, but left with a less positive impression than I went in with.
 
zzxxzz said:
Yea I loved my faculty interview. Who knows, it's not like I said anything terrible to the student so I guess we'll see.

Faculty interview asked about research a decent bit, but I did work on multiple projects, and the questioning wasn't as in-depth as I had expected. Few relatively simple ethics questions too.




E.g. after being asked "why do you want to be a physician" I was asked "what makes you think you know what being a physician is like?" I was then challenged repeatedly on my responses. The student suggested my shadowing was insufficient (I have more than most on this site) and downplayed my clinical work experience, which is varied and extensive. Not sure if that was a "stress test" or their actual opinion.

I was also asked several questions by the student about why my main research project did not result in a publication.
Click to expand...

This seems like an obvious stress interview, which means they are just looking for how you respond. Don't worry about it too much!
 
I also had a faculty interviewer who seemed to disagree with some of my ideas/perspectives and wasn't as warm and friendly as many of my other interviewers this season, but I ended up receiving an acceptance from Case earlier this month! As long as you remained calm and respectful, I wouldn't worry about it too much!
 
Lamel said:
This seems like an obvious stress interview, which means they are just looking for how you respond. Don't worry about it too much!
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Yea, my point was that I did not expect a stress-test from a student at all. Everything I'd heard said the Case student interviews were very conversational, so I was definitely surprised.


BengaliBrat said:
Have to agree with you and with zzxxzz. I am not saying that the stress interview approach is an official policy, but I did feel as if my faculty interviewer was trying to bait me and that I was not asked anything related to my file--or to medicine. I was disappointed. Not sure if the difference in interview experiences can be attributed to various interviewer personalities or if particular approaches are reserved for certain applicants. I was expecting to love Case, but left with a less positive impression than I went in with.
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My faculty interview was pretty heavy on my file - particularly my secondary responses - but they did ask one or two strange questions as well.
 
sunflower18 said:
I have a few questions regarding CCLCM (I know there are a few posters who are either alumni or current students!)...

First, is it going to be a major uphill battle if I'm not published? I submitted a second author manuscript a few months ago, and we are waiting to hear back, but it has yet to be accepted. I have several poster and oral presentations though, a few of which are first author. Is that okay, or I am still at a big disadvantage for gaining admission to CCLCM?
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No, the adcomm doesn't require pubs. It's nice if you have them, but not necessary.

Second, I have been involved with three different research labs throughout college. One was only a summer internship after my freshman year of college, so while I can certainly speak in broad strokes about my project and what it was hoping to accomplish, I don't know very many details because it was three years ago and I wasn't there for very long. In my other two experiences, I've had extensive independence and autonomy over the projects, and can speak in significant detail about the literature and my results. The problem is that my summer internship was my only biomedical research, and my other two experiences have been neuroscience and chemistry. Should I figure out a way to speak more intelligently about my first experience since it's the most medically relevant?
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Did you list it on your app? If so, yes, you should absolutely be able to discuss it at an interview. Anything on your app is fair game to be asked about, and you never know who's going to be interested in hearing about a particular project. Contact your old lab and read up on their pubs so that you can discuss that project. Even if it doesn't come up at CCLCM, it might still come up at another interview. It happened to me.

zzxxzz said:
E.g. after being asked "why do you want to be a physician" I was asked "what makes you think you know what being a physician is like?" I was then challenged repeatedly on my responses.
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As if that med student has any idea himself what being a physician is like. Did he even do any clinical rotations yet, or is he basing his expertise on his extensive experience of examining a few dozen standardized patients since starting medical school? 🙄

Sheer d-baggery. Don't sweat it. And don't be like that guy when you get to where he is.
 
CCLCMer said:
As if that med student has any idea himself what being a physician is like. Did he even do any clinical rotations yet, or is he basing his expertise on his extensive experience of examining a few dozen standardized patients since starting medical school? 🙄

Sheer d-baggery. Don't sweat it. And don't be like that guy when you get to where he is.
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I actually expected more arrogance from CWRU students than I encountered, so overall I was pleasantly surprised. The other students I met were very nice and chill.

Some of the premeds in my interview group...that's another story 😎 several interviewees treated the meet-and-greet with current students as a "tell everyone what you've accomplished" session while the rest of us rolled our eyes.
 
CCLCMer said:
As if that med student has any idea himself what being a physician is like. Did he even do any clinical rotations yet, or is he basing his expertise on his extensive experience of examining a few dozen standardized patients since starting medical school? 🙄

Sheer d-baggery. Don't sweat it. And don't be like that guy when you get to where he is.
Click to expand...
Well said!
 
Sorry if this has been answered before but how long does it usually take for Case Western to get back to us with decisions after an interview?
 
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At my interview they said around 2 weeks, depending on which day your interview was on. Their committee meets on Mondays. This is for UT by the way, not sure if CCLCM is the same
naeun9312 said:
Sorry if this has been answered before but how long does it usually take for Case Western to get back to us with decisions after an interview?
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naeun9312 said:
Sorry if this has been answered before but how long does it usually take for Case Western to get back to us with decisions after an interview?
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At my II they said 30 days. However, based on my/others' experience this cycle it seems schools are drastically overestimating the turnover time.
 
Does the school drug test on interview days? Not that its a problem, just seems weird to me that they would do so. No school I've received invites from thus far have made a point of indicating that they will do so but the college track seemed to. Suppose it makes sense though considering youre interviewing to basically be a junior doctor as opposed to a med student
 
anon12345678910 said:
Does the school drug test on interview days? Not that its a problem, just seems weird to me that they would do so. No school I've received invites from thus far have made a point of indicating that they will do so but the college track seemed to. Suppose it makes sense though considering youre interviewing to basically be a junior doctor as opposed to a med student
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No they dont
 
Does anyone else have trouble getting a response from student hosts? Thanks.
 
@harvst

This past week was an exam week for M1s, and the upcoming week is one for M2s. They may be a little busy to respond currently.
 
harvst said:
Does anyone else have trouble getting a response from student hosts? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yeah I had to try 3 times (checked 2-3 students each time) before someone responded. But just keep trying and someone will eventually respond haha.
 
Has anyone received a decision lately? Interviewed 10/10 and admissions tweeted that my interview day was reviewed last monday
 
hopeful_derm said:
Has anyone received a decision lately? Interviewed 10/10 and admissions tweeted that my interview day was reviewed last monday
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Ooh, looks like mine was reviewed last Monday, too! The tweet said it would be a "few" weeks. I'll start frantically checking my email next week (errrmmm...like I'm not already...)

I'm on pins and needles! Loved Case!
 
hopeful_derm said:
Has anyone received a decision lately? Interviewed 10/10 and admissions tweeted that my interview day was reviewed last monday
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I have a feeling that decisions may be released tomorrow. So far all of my correspondence with the school have taken place on Wednesdays (excluding obvious time-sensitive ones like survey forms and confirmations). Also, timing wise, tomorrow will be 2-3 weeks for most people who were interviewed on the dates that they tweeted.
EDIT: I'm referring to the UT track.
 
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Hey Guys, I just received an update from the Lerner program that my application has been put on hold for future consideration for an interview. Anybody has suggestions on what i can do right now to increase my chances of getting an interview soon? Thanks in advance....
 
hustle3 said:
Hey Guys, I just received an update from the Lerner program that my application has been put on hold for future consideration for an interview. Anybody has suggestions on what i can do right now to increase my chances of getting an interview soon? Thanks in advance....
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I was placed on hold in late August and given an II threeish weeks ago. I'm not entirely sure what the hold meant, but it's definitely not a death sentence! Hopefully the hold doesn't mean I have a lesser shot at an acceptance, since CCLCM is currently my top choice... But regardless, it's definitely possible to go from hold to invite!
 
sunflower18 said:
I was placed on hold in late August and given an II threeish weeks ago. I'm not entirely sure what the hold meant, but it's definitely not a death sentence! Hopefully the hold doesn't mean I have a lesser shot at an acceptance, since CCLCM is currently my top choice... But regardless, it's definitely possible to go from hold to invite!
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Thanks Sunflower18, so did you send any updates after you were put on hold? Thank you for this, I feel much better, was freaking out...
 
ProbablyAPenguin said:
No they dont
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sunflower18 said:
I was placed on hold in late August and given an II threeish weeks ago. I'm not entirely sure what the hold meant, but it's definitely not a death sentence! Hopefully the hold doesn't mean I have a lesser shot at an acceptance, since CCLCM is currently my top choice... But regardless, it's definitely possible to go from hold to invite!
Click to expand...
I know they're giving out less interview this year than in years past, for what its worth
 
mostlyharmless1 said:
I have a feeling that decisions may be released tomorrow. So far all of my correspondence with the school have taken place on Wednesdays (excluding obvious time-sensitive ones like survey forms and confirmations). Also, timing wise, tomorrow will be 2-3 weeks for most people who were interviewed on the dates that they tweeted.
EDIT: I'm referring to the UT track.
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I might have jinxed it...
 
Going through cycles of anxiety in the morning as I'm hopefully waiting for news, followed by disappointment in the afternoon when I realize work hours are over...:nailbiting:-->:penguin:
 
Anyone happen to know how lenient they are with senior year grades after an acceptance before rescinding an offer? I'm finding it very difficult to care about my classes, all of which are incredibly uninteresting...
 
dingbat14 said:
Anyone happen to know how lenient they are with senior year grades after an acceptance before rescinding an offer? I'm finding it very difficult to care about my classes, all of which are incredibly uninteresting...
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Can totally sympathize. I know for sure you don't want to dip below 3.0 though.
 
dingbat14 said:
Anyone happen to know how lenient they are with senior year grades after an acceptance before rescinding an offer? I'm finding it very difficult to care about my classes, all of which are incredibly uninteresting...
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I'd say just do as best as you can, for yourself. Trust me! I get it... This is my last semester of undergrad, but I want to finish with a great gpa for myself. Also, is the semester almost over for you?
 
f4reignbeauty said:
I'd say just do as best as you can, for yourself. Trust me! I get it... This is my last semester of undergrad, but I want to finish with a great gpa for myself. Also, is the semester almost over for you?
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Yes, but I have another semester to go. I'm taking an easy spring semester though. Such a long, long road till we can finally start med school!
 
dingbat14 said:
Yes, but I have another semester to go. I'm taking an easy spring semester though. Such a long, long road till we can finally start med school!
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Well hang in there, and remember you're doing this for you. I think my last semester has been the most challenging, but I'm extremely grateful because I've had to learn how to reinvent the things I'm learning.

Senioritis is super real though ahaha. Good luck and congrats!!
 
f4reignbeauty said:
Well hang in there, and remember you're doing this for you. I think my last semester has been the most challenging, but I'm extremely grateful because I've had to learn how to reinvent the things I'm learning.

Senioritis is super real though ahaha. Good luck and congrats!!
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Thank you! 🙂 Yeah I'll try to not get totally jaded through the rest of undergrad.
 
Lamel said:
Don't wish for undergrad to end too soon now. In med school you will be reminiscing; make the most of your last few months.
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Heck, as a gap year applicant, I find myself wishing I was still in undergrad all the time.
 
So, at this point, I know I picked the right school in Case. Here's why:
- Exams only every 3 months, P/F unranked.
- Less than 10 hours of required classes weekly.
- Excellent support systems. My dean knows all his students by their first name, when I told him of my specialty interests, he directed me to FIVE Profs open to shadowing/research. He provided invaluable personal support when a family issue was impacting my studying. All students have been paired with an M2 "buddy," mine has been an outstanding source of advice (and surprise snacks!) over the past months.
- Epic research opportunities, even as a first year. Get at least 2 emails a week about PIs looking for students to do research.

The only weaknesses I've found for this school thus far are:
- Lack of infrastructure if you have interests in rural medicine in particular
- Because of the nature of the curriculum, you have to be a self-starter to do well. For the accepted people, this is something I would think about when the time comes to choose a school. Some in my class would have definitely done better in a more traditional setting.


Best of luck to all of you!
 
Leoz M Jiliums said:
So, at this point, I know I picked the right school in Case. Here's why:
- Exams only every 3 months, P/F unranked.
- Less than 10 hours of required classes weekly.
- Excellent support systems. My dean knows all his students by their first name, when I told him of my specialty interests, he directed me to FIVE Profs open to shadowing/research. He provided invaluable personal support when a family issue was impacting my studying. All students have been paired with an M2 "buddy," mine has been an outstanding source of advice (and surprise snacks!) over the past months.
- Epic research opportunities, even as a first year. Get at least 2 emails a week about PIs looking for students to do research.

The only weaknesses I've found for this school thus far are:
- Lack of infrastructure if you have interests in rural medicine in particular
- Because of the nature of the curriculum, you have to be a self-starter to do well. For the accepted people, this is something I would think about when the time comes to choose a school. Some in my class would have definitely done better in a more traditional setting.


Best of luck to all of you!
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Awesome summary @Leoz M Jiliums! Do you mean Epic as in 'amazing'? Or Epic as in the EMR? I know Cleveland Clinic uses Epic.
 
Leoz M Jiliums said:
- Because of the nature of the curriculum, you have to be a self-starter to do well. For the accepted people, this is something I would think about when the time comes to choose a school. Some in my class would have definitely done better in a more traditional setting.
Click to expand...

Would you be willing to expand on this thought a bit more? Do you just mean because of the lack of required lectures and exams only three months? I am interviewing next week and would love some clarification. Thanks!
 
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