2014-2015 Southern Illinois University Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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yawehdisciple said:
Why is it so late this year compared to last year? Last year the first batch came out December 2nd. Do you know the reasoning behind it? Thanks Pasmal.
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That date is incorrect (Beth just let me know), I heard conflicting info and should have double-checked before posting. I have updated the previous post to reflect the most current/accurate info.

midwstudent said:
I'm very excited to be interviewing at SIU in a few weeks and I was wondering how soon after interviews are AWPA's released? Is it once a month or do they review on a more frequently?
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I think it's around once a month but I can't say for sure. You definitely won't know right away, and you'll get a snail mail letter and not an email so make sure your mailing address is correct when you attend your interview/thereafter. Good luck!
 
How do they rank students for the AWPA list? Does anyone know?

Also, does anyone know how far out the interview dates are? I'm hoping that if I get an II it won't be in January or later!!!
 
cooper86 said:
How do they rank students for the AWPA list? Does anyone know?

Also, does anyone know how far out the interview dates are? I'm hoping that if I get an II it won't be in January or later!!!
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I was given an II on 9/26 and my interview is on the first day available to me at that time and it is 11/10. So, at that point in the cycle it was a 1.5 month delay for what it's worth.
 
cooper86 said:
I'm hoping that if I get an II it won't be in January or later!!!
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There are plenty who interview after December who get in, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Edit: the interview dates go until March 6 2015 for this cycle, so yeah don't worry plenty of time.
 
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I received an II today!!! First one! Interview dates available the week of Dec 8 and Dec 15!
 
Has anyone who interviewed in October heard back yet?
 
I had my interview today. It went pretty well and was very laid back and conversational. The first guy was the adcom and he had questions for me for about 20-25 minutes then asked me if I had any questions which lasted about another 10-15 minutes (which I thought was good). Then he asked if I had any more questions and I said no, to which he replied "really?!" in a stunned sort of way so I scrambled to think of more things to ask. So have questions ready!!! My 2nd interviewer actually got tied up in surgery so they found someone else to interview me really quickly. It was very similar. He actually started with asking if I had questions for him. Then he had some questions for me and all of it was basic stuff like "why medicine?" "why SIU?" "what are some things you want me to know about you?", then he opened it up for me to ask him more questions. I felt like none of it was scripted. Even the adcom didn't seem to be working off of a list of questions. Overall I was pretty impressed with the school and how it's run. The facilities were nothing special, but my only real complaint is location, otherwise I could see myself there.
3.7/36 from a suburb of chicago and I have an institutional action (got arrested freshman year for being drunk and running from popo joe)

feel free to ask me questions. Just post them on the thread in case my answers are helpful to others too.
 
I heard a rumor when I was applying that SIU's step 1 scores are below average. I just wanted to address that claim with the 2014 step 1 results in case anyone in your cycle has heard that rumor too:

National mean: 230 SD 20
SIU mean: 231 SD 18

National pass rate: 96%
SIU pass rate: 99%
 
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KGJDMD said:
I had my interview today. It went pretty well and was very laid back and conversational. The first guy was the adcom and he had questions for me for about 20-25 minutes then asked me if I had any questions which lasted about another 10-15 minutes (which I thought was good). Then he asked if I had any more questions and I said no, to which he replied "really?!" in a stunned sort of way so I scrambled to think of more things to ask. So have questions ready!!! My 2nd interviewer actually got tied up in surgery so they found someone else to interview me really quickly. It was very similar. He actually started with asking if I had questions for him. Then he had some questions for me and all of it was basic stuff like "why medicine?" "why SIU?" "what are some things you want me to know about you?", then he opened it up for me to ask him more questions. I felt like none of it was scripted. Even the adcom didn't seem to be working off of a list of questions. Overall I was pretty impressed with the school and how it's run. The facilities were nothing special, but my only real complaint is location, otherwise I could see myself there.
3.7/36 from a suburb of chicago and I have an institutional action (got arrested freshman year for being drunk and running from popo joe)

feel free to ask me questions. Just post them on the thread in case my answers are helpful to others too.
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Who were your interviewers? Were both interviews open or closed?
 
ElectricSlide19 said:
Hey all I just interviewed yesterday and here is my synopsis and review of the day:

First thing to do upon arriving is to obtain your I.D. badge and temporary parking pass from the Security guards on the 1st floor. They are extremely nice and just ask you to sign in. Make sure that upon arriving you turn into the second parking lot/ driveway just north of the building as I turned into the first street just south of the med school building and had to walk through the courtyard to the second half of the building to get my badge. Once arriving head up to the second floor and Beth will be there to greet you and escort you into a conference room. Beth gives a presentation on the school and then answers any questions you might have, so have some prepared for then. Following that we were taken to our first interview (Beth walked people to interviews that were close by). Some of the interviews did have to travel so be prepared. Also something great to note is that Memorial is building two new floors onto their hospital that is going to be strictly for teaching and will be ready by 2015. It will have a simulated surgery floor along with various other teaching tools. My first interview was in Memorial, so I did not have to drive as there is a skywalk that connects the med school and the hospital. My first interview was with the Adcom (you can tell right away plus he told me) and it was surprisingly relaxed and conversational the entire time. Although other interviewers stated that this was not the case for theirs. Following the 1st interview we came back to the med school and had a financial aid meeting. Then we had lunch in the hospital cafeteria (6 dollar limit) and had a tour around the med school building which lasted about an hour total. My next interview was not until 2 o'clock and was again in Memorial so I did have some downtime. I headed over to Memorial a little early for the interview and was told by the docs office workers that he was in the OR and to come back at 230. More time to kill. Once the second interview started it did seem like the doc had other things on his mind besides my interview, and I do not blame him. He stated that he had already performed 4 surgeries on the day before my interview. I don't want to say I was disappointed about this, as it was nobody's fault, yet there was a little missing in the interview. After that I just turned my I.D. badge back in and left. Some general comments about the school are that everyone there is extremely nice and caring. One of the interviewers misplaced his car (forgot where he parked :shrug:) before his 1st interview, so Beth drove him to its location. It also gives off that small school feel like my undergrad did and they are looking for the right fit at the school not just the stats. I love the new additions being added to the local hospitals and I am glad that SIU will be able to take advantage of them. Overall the school really impressed me and I would say that it is my number one choice. I believe they said that their first Adcom meeting is Sept. 30th and they will send out AWPAs the next day (Beth said she comes into work early to insure they all get sent out that day). Then it's a waiting game until December :xf:
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Who were your interviewers? Were the interviews open or closed file? Thanks! 🙂
 
cooper86 said:
Who were your interviewers? Were the interviews open or closed file? Thanks! 🙂
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Everyone has a different set of 2 interviewers. One of mine was an orthopaedic surgeon and one was a psychiatrist. One of your interviews will be completely open file and one will be partially open file (just things you have written and no MCAT/GPA). My open file interviewer told me he had all of my information and even commented on my MCAT score. They don't try to hide what information they have and Beth will tell you all of this in the first session.
 
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I've read on previous posts that SIU offers about 150 acceptances to the 300 interviewed. I'm wondering where that 150 came from. All I can find on MSAR or online searches are stats on the number of interviewed applicants and the number of matriculated applicants. How can I find out how many acceptances were offered to interviewed applicants of a given school? Just knowing that a school's final class size is 75 or however many doesn't really tell me how many students were sent that glorious acceptance letter after their interview. Any help on this would be great! Thanks!!!
 
cooper86 said:
I've read on previous posts that SIU offers about 150 acceptances to the 300 interviewed. I'm wondering where that 150 came from. All I can find on MSAR or online searches are stats on the number of interviewed applicants and the number of matriculated applicants. How can I find out how many acceptances were offered to interviewed applicants of a given school? Just knowing that a school's final class size is 75 or however many doesn't really tell me how many students were sent that glorious acceptance letter after their interview. Any help on this would be great! Thanks!!!
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SIU publishes the total number of acceptances offered on the admissions website
 
Accepted! Just received an email at 2 PM today informing me that I've been accepted and will be receiving a hard copy of my admission letter in the mail soon. Such a surprise! Didn't think they would begin sending out acceptances until next week at the earliest.
 
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Arrowsmithgal said:
Accepted!!! Just received an email at 2 PM today informing me that I've been accepted and will be receiving a hard copy of my admission letter in the mail soon. Such a surprise! Didn't think they would begin sending out acceptances until next week at the earliest!
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Awesome. What r ur stats?
 
So is today the day or did they already send out all the first batch acceptances last Wednesday? Anybody know?
 
Chemistry1234 said:
So is today the day or did they already send out all the first batch acceptances last Wednesday? Anybody know?
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Admissions stuff changes pretty frequently, just the nature of the business... apparently they had enough time to get things done before thxgiving break, as based on the reported acceptances it seems the first batch has gone out. A pleasant surprise for some, but hang in there if you're still AWPA, plenty of spots to open up in the coming months!
 
When the acceptances are sent out in the batches, is the whole batch sent out at once? AWPA as of Saturday!
 
Hawkeye87 said:
When the acceptances are sent out in the batches, is the whole batch sent out at once? AWPA as of Saturday!
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Congrats! Yes. Check out post #98, should answer your question
 
I had an interview on October 10th and found out I was AWPA on November 13th. I didn't get in the first batch of acceptances but SIU is my top choice. How confident should I be that I will still get in to the program? Is there anything at all I can do to figure out my chances?

I've lived 20 minutes outside of Springfield all my life and go to school in southern Illinois currently.
 
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Hey all, I know that another MS1 and MS2 are already on here but I figured I would throw my hat in too. I'm an MS1 at Carbondale right now, if anyone has questions feel free to PM or post on here and I'll do my best to answer.

Best of luck to everyone, I remember how stressful it was waiting but keep your heads up!
 
Unfortunately I must have misplaced my notes from the interview. Could anyone tell me, if I am fortunate enough to receive it, when I should receive the AWPA letter? I interviewed at the end of November. Thanks in advance!
 
I interviewed yesterday, and unfortunately my second interviewer spent the better part of an hour telling me that my MCAT score was too low for acceptance and that I should feel guilty if offered acceptance because it would be depriving a deserving student of a coveted spot. My MCAT was 10PS/10VR/9BS. Anyone with a lower MCAT accepted this cycle? I feel completely hopeless now.

I had gotten the impression from my academic advisor and my mock interviewers that if a school offers an interview that they already believe you would be academically successful. They said the point of the interview is to evaluate the fit of the school with the applicant.
 
cooper86 said:
I interviewed yesterday, and unfortunately my second interviewer spent the better part of an hour telling me that my MCAT score was too low for acceptance and that I should feel guilty if offered acceptance because it would be depriving a deserving student of a coveted spot. My MCAT was 10PS/10VR/9BS. Anyone with a lower MCAT accepted this cycle? I feel completely hopeless now.

I had gotten the impression from my academic advisor and my mock interviewers that if a school offers an interview that they already believe you would be academically successful. They said the point of the interview is to evaluate the fit of the school with the applicant.
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I'd agree that because you got an interview, they were looking for fit. Furthermore, 10/10/9 is almost balanced except for the 9, which isn't that bad. Your score is right around the average for accepted students and each section is greater than than their 10th percentiles. Check out previous threads to get an idea of the stats of people who were accepted.
 
I definitely thought it was odd because he had his mind made up about me before I even walked in. An appeal of SIU is that it supposedly has a holistic review process for admissions, but according to my interviewer my MCAT score will be the downfall of my application. I'm terrified that his presentation of me during the admissions committee meeting will be that I was a nice enough individual but that I'm not recommended for admission because I'm doomed to fail my STEP exams.
 
cooper86 said:
I interviewed yesterday, and unfortunately my second interviewer spent the better part of an hour telling me that my MCAT score was too low for acceptance and that I should feel guilty if offered acceptance because it would be depriving a deserving student of a coveted spot. My MCAT was 10PS/10VR/9BS. Anyone with a lower MCAT accepted this cycle? I feel completely hopeless now.

I had gotten the impression from my academic advisor and my mock interviewers that if a school offers an interview that they already believe you would be academically successful. They said the point of the interview is to evaluate the fit of the school with the applicant.
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I'm another MS1 down here in Cdale (not sure if I've ever specifically stated that; but like FebReb, feel free to message me questions and I will do my best to answer). While I don't know the stats of the current cycle's acceptances, I can say for sure that at least a couple of people in my class were accepted with MCAT scores of less than 29. kill00 is correct; the score is nicely balanced and perfectly acceptable at SIU. They also wouldn't have offered you an interview if they weren't interested in you as a potential student.

Don't give up hope because your interviewer thought your MCAT score wasn't good enough. There is much more than one score to a person's application and it is the entire application they consider. If they decide to offer you an acceptance, it is because they believe you are qualified to attend SIU SOM. The committee believes you will be a valuable asset to the school and will be able to succeed.
 
cooper86 said:
I definitely thought it was odd because he had his mind made up about me before I even walked in. An appeal of SIU is that it supposedly has a holistic review process for admissions, but according to my interviewer my MCAT score will be the downfall of my application. I'm terrified that his presentation of me during the admissions committee meeting will be that I was a nice enough individual but that I'm not recommended for admission because I'm doomed to fail my STEP exams.
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I'll second what athelas had to say. Definitely don't get too down over it. I'm here and I got a 29 on my MCAT so it definitely isn't a disqualifying factor, and I have been well above the curve on our exams so I wouldn't start extrapolating to your performance once you are in anywhere.

Nobody should ever tell you to feel guilty for an acceptance that you are offered. We all know first hand how brutal the app process is and I give full props to anyone who is willing to put themselves through it. Best of luck to you, keep the faith.
 
Arrowsmithgal said:
Accepted! Just received an email at 2 PM today informing me that I've been accepted and will be receiving a hard copy of my admission letter in the mail soon. Such a surprise! Didn't think they would begin sending out acceptances until next week at the earliest.
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Congratulations!! When did you interview?
 
Arrowsmithgal said:
Accepted! Just received an email at 2 PM today informing me that I've been accepted and will be receiving a hard copy of my admission letter in the mail soon. Such a surprise! Didn't think they would begin sending out acceptances until next week at the earliest.
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They emailed you in addition to the hard copy letter? I thought they only sent the letter in snail mail.... Hmm! Has anyone else been emailed before receiving the letter?
 
cooper86 said:
They emailed you in addition to the hard copy letter? I thought they only sent the letter in snail mail.... Hmm! Has anyone else been emailed before receiving the letter?
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Yes, I received an email with the subject line, "SIUMED:Application notification (two weeks)(my last name)".
 
WereGonnaMakeIt said:
I had an interview on October 10th and found out I was AWPA on November 13th. I didn't get in the first batch of acceptances but SIU is my top choice. How confident should I be that I will still get in to the program? Is there anything at all I can do to figure out my chances?
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1. Confident, there is still plenty of time.
2. Nope, good old waiting game. Try and come to terms with things being out of your control, it's tough.

srirachaking said:
Unfortunately I must have misplaced my notes from the interview. Could anyone tell me, if I am fortunate enough to receive it, when I should receive the AWPA letter? I interviewed at the end of November. Thanks in advance!
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It depends on when the next adcom meeting is. PM me if you don't hear back in the next few weeks.

Cooper, your description of your interview is surprising. I've never heard of anything like that happening here. I met only the most caring people when I interviewed and have experienced nothing less since I began school. Have you talked to Beth? If not, I recommend you contact her and explain your concerns about your interview as soon as possible, as it's certainly not representative of what SIU has to offer.

Definitely ask FebReb and Athelas if you guys have questions about SIU, med school life etc, M1s are the most familiar with the process and any recent changes and we're a pretty friendly bunch when we're not in crunch mode for exams. I'll try and stop by here as boards creep closer, but these guys should be able to help with most stuff.

Happy Holidays Everyone 🙂
 
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I know the adcom met yesterday, and thats when Beth Hecker said my file would be presented. Any idea how long it takes from that meeting to when I will hear from them?
 
KGJDMD said:
I know the adcom met yesterday, and thats when Beth Hecker said my file would be presented. Any idea how long it takes from that meeting to when I will hear from them?
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Just out of curiosity, when did you interview? It seems like the general timeline is about 2 weeks after the meetings...
 
KGJDMD said:
All the way back on Nov. 11th...
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I was a Nov. 10th interview that was supposed to be presented yesterday. I am operating under the assumption that letters went out today. Depending on where you live/how the holiday mail falls, it could be this week or next.
 
Got my ranked alternate today. That blows. I know its not all about stats but I thought the interview went great and I have a 36/3.7... see ya SIU
 
Interviewed 11/11
AWPA 12/18
Accepted 12/18

More than happy to answer questions if anyone has any! Post here or shoot me a private message.
 
jjkelly3 said:
Any recommendations of a good hotel to stay at?
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Abe Lincoln Hotel Springfield (Hilton) is nice, affordable and close to campus. If you're willing to stay a bit farther (10-15 min away) there are quite a few other good hotels like residence inn around town. Those are the only two I've had experience with so far and both are good picks imo.
 
I interviewed Dec 8, and this waiting game is killing me! Beth said my application wouldn't be reviewed until Feb 10. It seems like the Dec batch of acceptances went out the first day of December... so does that mean that I won't even be in the February batch of acceptances if I'm lucky enough to be granted a spot? Would I really have to wait for the March batch (the last one) even though I interviewed at the beginning of Dec? Ahhh!!!! Not sure if I can keep sane!
 
cooper86 said:
I interviewed Dec 8, and this waiting game is killing me! Beth said my application wouldn't be reviewed until Feb 10. It seems like the Dec batch of acceptances went out the first day of December... so does that mean that I won't even be in the February batch of acceptances if I'm lucky enough to be granted a spot? Would I really have to wait for the March batch (the last one) even though I interviewed at the beginning of Dec? Ahhh!!!! Not sure if I can keep sane!
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Adcoms can only work so fast, especially when they're fairly large and want to get to know their applicants as well as ours does. Remember that this is a rolling process. So what if you don't make the February batch? Only 24 people get accepted in that batch. Somewhere around 150- get accepted here every year, so the top 48 will have gotten in by the time the march date rolls around and some of them will have probably already turned down their spot. If you're #49, you'll get in. If you're #130, you'll get in. See what I'm saying?

I know that you just want an answer. Pre-meds, med students and doctors alike tend to want control in most situations. Let go now, you have interviewed and given it your all. It is out of your hands. (repeat that to yourself a few times) I know you're unsure and nervous and all that but you need to find some comfort in your situation. Assume you will be accepted while at the same time thinking about contingency plans. I applied for several masters programs in case I didn't get in, and was accepted to one two days after I got into SIU. I waited just over 6 months between interview and acceptance so believe me when I say that you need to find some way to cope. Focus on other goals... buy rosetta stone, go to the gym a bunch, plan a vacation somewhere crazy, go volunteer for habitat for humanity and vent with a hammer, nails and 2x4s. Just keep busy.
 
Pasmal said:
Adcoms can only work so fast, especially when they're fairly large and want to get to know their applicants as well as ours does. Remember that this is a rolling process. So what if you don't make the February batch? Only 24 people get accepted in that batch. Somewhere around 150- get accepted here every year, so the top 48 will have gotten in by the time the march date rolls around and some of them will have probably already turned down their spot. If you're #49, you'll get in. If you're #130, you'll get in. See what I'm saying?

I know that you just want an answer. Pre-meds, med students and doctors alike tend to want control in most situations. Let go now, you have interviewed and given it your all. It is out of your hands. (repeat that to yourself a few times) I know you're unsure and nervous and all that but you need to find some comfort in your situation. Assume you will be accepted while at the same time thinking about contingency plans. I applied for several masters programs in case I didn't get in, and was accepted to one two days after I got into SIU. I waited just over 6 months between interview and acceptance so believe me when I say that you need to find some way to cope. Focus on other goals... buy rosetta stone, go to the gym a bunch, plan a vacation somewhere crazy, go volunteer for habitat for humanity and vent with a hammer, nails and 2x4s. Just keep busy.
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Thanks for the advice. It's actually really, really great advice. 🙂
 
Based on what I've read on the forums from the past two cycles, it would appear that the next batch should come out this Friday...

The past two had posters beginning to show their acceptances on the third Friday of Janaury. Idk if that will be the case again. Can anyone shed some light on this?
 
gobolts510 said:
Based on what I've read on the forums from the past two cycles, it would appear that the next batch should come out this Friday...

The past two had posters beginning to show their acceptances on the third Friday of Janaury. Idk if that will be the case again. Can anyone shed some light on this?
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It could happen again, but it depends on how their next meeting goes so it's anyone's guess at this point. Could be around that time or later. I'll let you know if I hear anything new as we get closer to the end of the month.
 
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