2014-2015 Rosalind Franklin University Application Thread

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Anyone wanna explore Chicago with me on 9/6?? (edit: and/or share a ride to the airport that day) My flight doesn't leave until the day after the interview haha.
 
Medguy22 said:
Can anyone shed some light on the interview day? The time for my interview says 11 am to 2pm, but I am reading forums from last year, and people are saying their day went from 8:30 to 2pm...so what time do I actually need to be there at?

Will I receive information on who is interviewing me?

Is it 2 interviews? Standard 1 on 1s? groups interviews?

Thanks in advance.
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They completely changed the way they will be interviewing this year so don't worry about what old forums are saying. The email should tell you everything you need to know, and if it's unclear to you, I would call admissions and they will clear it up for you. Good luck!
 
ahutni3 said:
They completely changed the way they will be interviewing this year so don't worry about what old forums are saying. The email should tell you everything you need to know, and if it's unclear to you, I would call admissions and they will clear it up for you. Good luck!
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I was invited for interview but I didn't receive any informational email regarding the interview day. All they sent me was an email to select my interview date and time. Did everyone who got II also get an informational email regarding the interview day? Should I contact the admissions asking for one?
 
DrMinion said:
I was invited for interview but I didn't receive any informational email regarding the interview day. All they sent me was an email to select my interview date and time. Did everyone who got II also get an informational email regarding the interview day? Should I contact the admissions asking for one?
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I just called, they told me they are sending everyone an email shortly, with more information about their interview day.

They might send it today or tomorrow.
 
Any IS people with IIs yet? Can anyone shed some light about how often they send waves of II invites based on previous years?
 
IL Pre Med said:
IS with an II here
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Congrats! ... although it makes me nervous because I have somewhat marginal stats and haven't heard anything yet. I feel like my best chances were early on but I'm still hoping for some IS love!
 
collegedays said:
Any IS people with IIs yet? Can anyone shed some light about how often they send waves of II invites based on previous years?
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There is no discrimination regarding what state you live and admissions. If it helps, the school is roughly a 50/50 split between Midwest and non Midwest students, but they don't make any decisions based on where an applicant resides.

With regard to II waves, it is fairly unpredictable. They have changed the way interviewing will take place this year, so it is hard to say. Last week when they began sending them out they seemed to send them gradually throughout the week but that doesn't necessarily mean that's how they will continue to do it.
 
collegedays said:
Congrats! ... although it makes me nervous because I have somewhat marginal stats and haven't heard anything yet. I feel like my best chances were early on but I'm still hoping for some IS love!
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An applicants chances are always best early, but don't worry so much about that. Counter to that, it is also in a school's best interest to interview all of the best applicants that they have at any given time, as soon as they possibly can. So although you may not be a top choice right now, after all those applicants with better applications (and stats) are interviewed, if you are competitive among the remaining applicants, you will be invited.

And coming from someone who was not accepted anywhere my first time around, the best thing you can do as a current applicant is to concentrate on making your application better for next year, just in case you are not selected this year. That way, if next cycle rolls around and you don't have an acceptance, you can be more confident that your application that time around is better than the one that didn't get you into any schools the year prior. I know it's kind of a cynical view, but it can mean a world of difference in the eyes of an adcom, and I promise you you'll be happy that you did it. With that mindset, you are sure to get in somewhere, at some point.
 
PizzaFactory said:
An applicants chances are always best early, but don't worry so much about that. Counter to that, it is also in a school's best interest to interview all of the best applicants that they have at any given time, as soon as they possibly can. So although you may not be a top choice right now, after all those applicants with better applications (and stats) are interviewed, if you are competitive among the remaining applicants, you will be invited.

And coming from someone who was not accepted anywhere my first time around, the best thing you can do as a current applicant is to concentrate on making your application better for next year, just in case you are not selected this year. That way, if next cycle rolls around and you don't have an acceptance, you can be more confident that your application that time around is better than the one that didn't get you into any schools the year prior. I know it's kind of a cynical view, but it can mean a world of difference in the eyes of an adcom, and I promise you you'll be happy that you did it. With that mindset, you are sure to get in somewhere, at some point.
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I think that's very good advice! Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. It's only the beginning of Sept, so time will show!
 
Got the interview confirmation email - it's now a MMI format.

"Format: Applicants will be interviewed using the Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) system. Candidates have five (5) minutes to answer questions and respond to scenarios at a series of stations, each of which has a different interviewer who will rate the candidate’s performance. You will have one and a half (1.5) minutes to move between stations. An orientation session will be held prior to the MMI. "

/cue freaking out/
 
smileyteaspoon said:
Got the interview confirmation email - it's now a MMI format.

"Format: Applicants will be interviewed using the Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) system. Candidates have five (5) minutes to answer questions and respond to scenarios at a series of stations, each of which has a different interviewer who will rate the candidate’s performance. You will have one and a half (1.5) minutes to move between stations. An orientation session will be held prior to the MMI. "

/cue freaking out/
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Ugh. Both my med school interviews are MMI, and I spent summer prepping from traditional style
 
smileyteaspoon said:
Anyone wanna explore Chicago with me on 9/6?? (edit: and/or share a ride to the airport that day) My flight doesn't leave until the day after the interview haha.
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I might be willing to! I don't know yet if I need to move my flight to 9/6
 
MMI curve ball...🙁 I kind of regret signing up for the first interview date now since I have only about 2 days to prep for this different type of interview format that I am not familiar with. Does 5 minutes at each station seem a little quick? The MMI stuff I'm researching right now says the typical format is 2 minutes of prep time and then 8 minutes to complete a task/answer a question. This switch to MMI makes me nervous, but hopefully it will work out in my favor.
 
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MMI is silly... You never get to really know the candidate because they never get a chance to relax...
 
PreciousHamburgers said:
MMI is silly... You never get to really know the candidate because they never get a chance to relax...
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MMI is not silly, it is simple statistics. It gives the interview a much more reliable result since your interview performance is not dependent upon 2 or 3 subjective interviews that are fairly constant across time and from school to school (similar questions and format). Instead, a larger and more random sample of evaluations for each candidate are provided, and thus a more reproducible/truthful impression of that individual is provided to admissions.

The purpose of the medical school interview shouldn't be to get to know someone better anyway. It should be a true extension of the application process that can assess an applicant's interpersonal, social, and emotional skill sets, and their ability to think on the fly and handle tough situations professionally.

Don't worry, if you just be yourself and you truly are a good fit for the school and for the profession, you'll do very well with the MMI format. 🙂
 
PizzaFactory said:
MMI is not silly, it is simple statistics. It gives the interview a much more reliable result since your interview performance is not dependent upon 2 or 3 subjective interviews that are fairly constant across time and from school to school (similar questions and format). Instead, a larger and more random sample of evaluations for each candidate are provided, and thus a more reproducible/truthful impression of that individual is provided to admissions.

The purpose of the medical school interview shouldn't be to get to know someone better anyway. It should be a true extension of the application process that can assess an applicant's interpersonal, social, and emotional skill sets, and their ability to think on the fly and handle tough situations professionally.

Don't worry, if you just be yourself and you truly are a good fit for the school and for the profession, you'll do very well with the MMI format. 🙂
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I have to disagree. I have spent quite a bit of time researching MMI's, and watching examples of it online. Generally, what I gathered from each example I saw is that the entire 5-8 minutes was a sales pitch, but not in a good way.
 
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As a Canadian, I am pretty familiar with the MMI format as almost all of our schools do that. I have mixed feelings on it.
The 6-8 minutes they give you is actually a good amount of time (I have found). If you repeat the question in your own words and then talk about each side/choice and then spend time arguing your own side. You'd be surprised how quickly the time goes by. I can see its merits as having the ability to make quick, ethically informed decisions is important as a physician.
However, I believe this format takes the personalty out of the interview. It becomes something you fear rather than something to look forward as with traditional format when you get to learn more about the school, get a tour, meet faculty etc.
Just my opinion.
 
lalalalala123 said:
As a Canadian, I am pretty familiar with the MMI format as almost all of our schools do that. I have mixed feelings on it.
The 6-8 minutes they give you is actually a good amount of time (I have found). If you repeat the question in your own words and then talk about each side/choice and then spend time arguing your own side. You'd be surprised how quickly the time goes by. I can see its merits as having the ability to make quick, ethically informed decisions is important as a physician.
However, I believe this format takes the personalty out of the interview. It becomes something you fear rather than something to look forward as with traditional format when you get to learn more about the school, get a tour, meet faculty etc.
Just my opinion.
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This ^^

Very good points! I've been told that it's good to do what the OP just described. You want to repeat the question in your own words, and talk about BOTH sides. Solid advice!
 
Medguy22 said:
I have to disagree. I have spent quite a bit of time researching MMI's, and watching examples of it online. Generally, what I gathered from each example I saw is that the entire 5-8 minutes was a sales pitch, but not in a good way.

Take the example, "What would you do if you had a gym membership and your friend wanted to use it." Obviously, it is unethical, and it is not fair to people who are actually paying. This friend is placing an unnecessary burden on all of the users of the facility because she isn't paying into the system. In addition, there are other alternatives. Why not tell the friend that I will cancel my own gym membership, and instead just go running or biking with the friend outside. So given that there are a plethora of alternative options, and the fact that it isn't fair to the facility or its users, I would not allow them to use the facility.

Guess what, that answer took 45 seconds at the the most, and I just failed the MMI. My answer was clear, concise, and to the point. Unfortunately, I didn't spend 6 minutes repeating myself using different words and synonyms. I didn't sell it, I did it wrong. I needed to go on detailing possible situations such as, is my friend obese? Can they even afford the gym membership? Etc. etc.

So in essence, I disagree with the MMI because they don't truly evaluate the person on a deeper level. You don't get to see if they are genuine or kind. The only thing you get to see is if the person can ramble for 6 minutes and repeat themselves.
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You've kind of proven my point, and I think you're misinterpreting the way your performance is evaluated. The entire purpose is to get a glimpse of who you are in difficult snap decision type of scenario. Do you crack easily and fumble on your words or are you concise, honest and genuine in your answer? If you answer in the way that you wrote out here, in a concise professional manner with some justification of your reasoning, then you have absolutely not failed this individual MMI. And even if you did "fail" it, the MMI format allows for a lot more chances for you to help round out your score, or save face in the remaining 5 minutes of a given interaction. This is in comparison to one of your two standard interviewers not liking you for whatever reason, thereby drastically reducing your chances of acceptance even though you might have what it takes to become an amazing physician one day.

The whole point of all this is that in the wards, while patient interactions have some conversational characteristics (as would be evaluated by a standard interview), but they more closely resemble MMI like interactions of varying difficulty. So as a school, we want to make sure you have the social skill sets that we cannot teach in medical school BEFORE we invest in providing years of medical training with a white coat that has our institution's name on it. What's more, if someone succeeds in an MMI format, they likely have strong interpersonal and conversational skills in the first place. Whereas a good conversationalist is not necessarily high functioning in the realm of the difficult fast paced social interactions that one will face as a physician.

Just don't overthink it too much, be honest and to the point, and I have every reason to think you'll be wildly successful with the MMI format.
 
I submitted my secondary some time in early-mid August and JUST got the complete email:

"Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your continued interest in the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS).

Your application is currently complete and under review with the Admissions Committee. Due to the large number of applications we receive, please allow 6-8 weeks for us to send you an email update regarding the status of your application. We appreciate your patience during this time.

Please note, we cannot accept any additional information or materials for your file beyond our application requirements, unless it concerns Institutional Action, Felony, Misdemeanor or Military Discharge.

Please note that admissions counselors are unable to provide you any further updates by phone or email regarding your status other than that you are currently in primary screening.

Again, thank you for your interest in RFUMS.

Office of Admissions and Recruitment
Division of Strategic Enrollment Management
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science"

Is it normal for it to take this long to be complete? Should I have called them earlier to make sure it was?
 
PizzaFactory said:
You've kind of proven my point, and I think you're misinterpreting the way your performance is evaluated. The entire purpose is to get a glimpse of who you are in difficult snap decision type of scenario. Do you crack easily and fumble on your words or are you concise, honest and genuine in your answer? If you answer in the way that you wrote out here, in a concise professional manner with some justification of your reasoning, then you have absolutely not failed this individual MMI. And even if you did "fail" it, the MMI format allows for a lot more chances for you to help round out your score, or save face in the remaining 5 minutes of a given interaction. This is in comparison to one of your two standard interviewers not liking you for whatever reason, thereby drastically reducing your chances of acceptance even though you might have what it takes to become an amazing physician one day.

The whole point of all this is that in the wards, while patient interactions have some conversational characteristics (as would be evaluated by a standard interview), but they more closely resemble MMI like interactions of varying difficulty. So as a school, we want to make sure you have the social skill sets that we cannot teach in medical school BEFORE we invest in providing years of medical training with a white coat that has our institution's name on it. What's more, if someone succeeds in an MMI format, they likely have strong interpersonal and conversational skills in the first place. Whereas a good conversationalist is not necessarily high functioning in the realm of the difficult fast paced social interactions that one will face as a physician.

Just don't overthink it too much, be honest and to the point, and I have every reason to think you'll be wildly successful with the MMI format.
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I see you're point. I haven't actually had an MMI yet, so my opinion will likely change. I suppose this method might be preferred, considering not everyone "clicks," and being denied to a medical school simply because one person (your interviewer) didn't quite like you does seem very unfair.
 
I received my II last Friday and still haven't received an email regarding the interview day/MMI... Should I call the admissions?? Did everyone else get the interview day email after their II?
 
DrMinion said:
I received my II last Friday and still haven't received an email regarding the interview day/MMI... Should I call the admissions?? Did everyone else get the interview day email after their II?
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After you pick a date you should get a confirmation email from them. After that they should send you some more detailed info about the interview day itself. If your interview is coming up on Friday though you'll want to definitely call.
 
DoctorStrange said:
I submitted my secondary some time in early-mid August and JUST got the complete email:


Is it normal for it to take this long to be complete? Should I have called them earlier to make sure it was?
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That's totally normal so don't worry. August is one of the busiest times for admissions as many of the non early birds submit their materials. Also, that 6-8 week time frame is just an estimate so don't start to panic once week 8 rolls around. Given the time of year, if you don't hear any updates about your application within 10-12 weeks I would give them a call about it.
 
Did anyone notice in their confirmation email that the interview changed from 11-2 to 1-4?
 
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Mine still shows 11-2, but it's an October interview due to work scheduling.
 
Just a warning to anyone scheduling interviews. The time displayed is your local time so convert it to Chicago time when thinking about purchasing plane tickets. I booked a 5 pm flight with the plan to quickly get to the airport after the interview ended at 2 pm. Turned out the interview ends at 4 pm.
 
Ugh. Double checked my flute and glad I picked the 9pm after that news.
 
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RachieRach said:
Did anyone notice in their confirmation email that the interview changed from 11-2 to 1-4?
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Neither of those days are possible interview dates to my knowledge. You might want to contact admissions to see.
 
PizzaFactory said:
Neither of those days are possible interview dates to my knowledge. You might want to contact admissions to see.
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I just called the admissions and it seems like there was a confusion with the difference in time zone. If you signed up for an interview from 11-2 then it's actually going to be from 1pm-4pm in the Chicago time zone.
 
I rented a car and will totally drop you off! I'm also just in Chicago tonight and tomorrow of anyone wants to hang out!
smileyteaspoon said:
Anyone wanna explore Chicago with me on 9/6?? (edit: and/or share a ride to the airport that day) My flight doesn't leave until the day after the interview haha.
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Did anyone get an email telling them their interview has been canceled despite not requesting any cancelation?
 
Yes, they were fixing the time issue discussed above and enlarged the time slot to 4.5hours. They sent an e-mail at ~1545 pacific explaining it all.
 
Just got the time change email but mine says 12-4:30 pm now not 1-4pm. Also has anyone with an interview scheduled for October gotten any informational email that talks about the MMI format?
 
med15 said:
Just got the time change email but mine says 12-4:30 pm now not 1-4pm. Also has anyone with an interview scheduled for October gotten any informational email that talks about the MMI format?
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I'm also interviewing in October, and I haven't heard anything about the format yet. I'm sure they'll let us know closer to 🙂
 
DrMinion said:
I just called the admissions and it seems like there was a confusion with the difference in time zone. If you signed up for an interview from 11-2 then it's actually going to be from 1pm-4pm in the Chicago time zone.
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lalalalala123 said:
As a Canadian, I am pretty familiar with the MMI format as almost all of our schools do that. I have mixed feelings on it.
The 6-8 minutes they give you is actually a good amount of time (I have found). If you repeat the question in your own words and then talk about each side/choice and then spend time arguing your own side. You'd be surprised how quickly the time goes by. I can see its merits as having the ability to make quick, ethically informed decisions is important as a physician.
However, I believe this format takes the personalty out of the interview. It becomes something you fear rather than something to look forward as with traditional format when you get to learn more about the school, get a tour, meet faculty etc.
Just my opinion.
Click to expand...

So far I've had two MMI interviews, including one at CMS yesterday. Both of them still give you a tour and the opportunity to talk to medical students and faculty. The only part that is different is that you do MMIs as opposed to traditional interview. You'll still have a great opportunity to explore the campus and understand the "feel" of that medical school.
 
med15 said:
Just got the time change email but mine says 12-4:30 pm now not 1-4pm. Also has anyone with an interview scheduled for October gotten any informational email that talks about the MMI format?
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I'm scheduled for 9/24 and still haven't received the informational email. I called the admissions earlier this week and they just said the email will be sent out shortly.
 
I submitted my secondary 2 days from receiving it. Been a week now so just wondering how long it took you guys to get the complete email?
 
K1NG said:
I submitted my secondary 2 days from receiving it. Been a week now so just wondering how long it took you guys to get the complete email?
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I'm wondering too, submitted mine 8/17 and still no word yet...
 
uvrsol said:
you didn't get a complete email? i submitted july 12th and got complete email july 28th.
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I received a complete email 7-8 weeks ago and haven't heard anything since. The email stated that the review process would take 4-6 weeks.

So I'm not sure if it's just taking the Admissions Committee longer to review my file due to the volume of applications, or if it should have been reviewed by now and I should follow up with them.
 
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