2014-2015 Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Application Thread

[SachmoJones]

It let me insert it on windows 7 and 8 but not save the file after doing that. So I still had to print and rescan.

It would let me save on windows 8, but when I was able to add the photo in 7 it would not save any updates to the form, in fact it was going to erase all of the data already there and save the blank form! Needless to say I printed also and scanned it all in.

I am also using the AMCAS letters service.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[hotstewsaturday]

Has anybody submitted their secondary by email yet? If so, HOW DID YOU GET YOUR PICTURE ON THERE!? These locked documents are annoying.

The admissions office just sent out a Microsoft Word version of the personal statement form, check your email

 

[AvrgPreMedKid]

The admissions office just sent out a Microsoft Word version of the personal statement form, check your email

I got that, but I can't get the photo onto that one either. The document is locked, so you can't edit anything. You can only type in the little grey things.

 

[hotstewsaturday]

I got that, but I can't get the photo onto that one either. The document is locked, so you can't edit anything. You can only type in the little grey things.

hmm interesting, did you try clicking on the little icon with the computer monitor inside the box? It should prompt you to insert a picture and you can go from there. I had to get onto a Window's computer to complete this step.

 

[osocyc]

.

 

[SachmoJones]

Btw, submitted Secondary app today! Now the waiting game.

 

[Sean Lee]

Submitted secondary today via postal mail!

All my letters should be in by the end of this week as well.

 

[Sean Lee]

Speaking of letters, how are you all sending them? AMCAS Letter Service?

 

[Glycereine]

Speaking of letters, how are you all sending them? AMCAS Letter Service?

I sent all via AMCAS

 

[Sean Lee]

I sent all via AMCAS

Got it. And I have another question.

Did you tell your letter writers to include your AAMC IDs on your letters?

 

[SachmoJones]

The last letter of mine was actually received today by AMCAS.

 

[Glycereine]

Got it. And I have another question.

Did you tell your letter writers to include your AAMC IDs on your letters?

I didn't specifically tell them that, but I know all 5 of them either mailed the letter request (with the ID on it) with the letter, or uploaded online (all but one did it online I believe).

If you can get them to do it online it gets there the fastest for sure. It also saves them time in the future (you can point that out) if they write letters for anyone else.

 

[Sean Lee]

I didn't specifically tell them that, but I know all 5 of them either mailed the letter request (with the ID on it) with the letter, or uploaded online (all but one did it online I believe).

If you can get them to do it online it gets there the fastest for sure. It also saves them time in the future (you can point that out) if they write letters for anyone else.

Yeah. AMCAS Letter Service needs our AAMC ID and Letter ID in order to correctly upload our letters into our accounts. My concern is whether the ID number has to physically appear in the text of the actual letter, which most likely doesn't have to be.

The AMCAS letter request form is merely used to sync up your letter with your account - it doesn't mean that the AAMC ID has to actually appear in the actual letter.

5/6 of my letters has been uploaded to AMCAS Letter Serivce.

 

[Sean Lee]

Also, I haven't assigned any of my letters to any of the schools yet. Once I receive all my letters, I'll assign them to USUHS.

When will AMCAS actually send those letters? Do they do it automatically as soon as you assign the letters to schools?

 

[Glycereine]

My concern is whether the ID number has to physically appear in the text of the actual letter, which most likely doesn't have to be.

I can say with 100% certainty that it does not need the ID in the text of the letter. At least 4 of my 5 did not have that.

 

[Glycereine]

Also, I haven't assigned any of my letters to any of the schools yet. Once I receive all my letters, I'll assign them to USUHS.

When will AMCAS actually send those letters? Do they do it automatically as soon as you assign the letters to schools?

I am unclear on this part. All of my letters are recieved by AMCAS prior to primary apps going out so I don't know if they went with it or not. I emailed USU to let them know that all were recieved (as requested in an email from them following the secondary app send out). I will let you know what they say back.

 

[Sean Lee]

I am unclear on this part. All of my letters are recieved by AMCAS prior to primary apps going out so I don't know if they went with it or not. I emailed USU to let them know that all were recieved (as requested in an email from them following the secondary app send out). I will let you know what they say back.

Did you manually assign all those letters to USUHS? If you haven't assigned them, then they will not be delivered. But I feel that as soon as you assign them, you should be set.

 

[Sean Lee]

I can say with 100% certainty that it does not need the ID in the text of the letter. At least 4 of my 5 did not have that.

WHEWW...........................That's what I wanted to hear!

Because USUHS says on their instructions that letters should have our AAMC IDs on them - but that's probably in the cases where individuals send letters via postal mail. But once the letter has been uploaded to AMCAS Letter Service, it has already been synced up to our account.

 

[Glycereine]

Did you manually assign all those letters to USUHS? If you haven't assigned them, then they will not be delivered. But I feel that as soon as you assign them, you should be set.

I did. I only applied to USUHS, no other schools

 

[Sean Lee]

I did. I only applied to USUHS, no other schools

Then you should be all set! When did you submit your secondary?

And is there any reason you only applied to one school?

 

[Glycereine]

Then you should be all set! When did you submit your secondary?

And is there any reason you only applied to one school?

I submitted my secondary on June 27th, the day it came out. I got an email two days ago verifying it was recieved.

I only applied to one school because I am currently an active duty officer already and although I could have gone HPSP, my family would have suffered for the severe pay drop during school.

I want to stay in the Navy no matter what and make a career out of being a Navy doctor, so USUHS is the one for me. I know one school kinda hampers my chances but it's the only one I want to go to.

 

[Sean Lee]

I submitted my secondary on June 27th, the day it came out. I got an email two days ago verifying it was recieved.

I only applied to one school because I am currently an active duty officer already and although I could have gone HPSP, my family would have suffered for the severe pay drop during school.

I want to stay in the Navy no matter what and make a career out of being a Navy doctor, so USUHS is the one for me. I know one school kinda hampers my chances but it's the only one I want to go to.

Did you submit your secondary via email? If so, shouldn't you have received a confirmation right after?

 

[Glycereine]

Did you submit your secondary via email? If so, shouldn't you have received a confirmation right after?

I did send via email. I believe they were backed up.

However they also say that confirmations are not automatic. You need to send a second email requesting a receipt confirmation. I think it's in the instructions pdf. I can find it if you can't, just let me know.

 

[SachmoJones]

I did send via email. I believe they were backed up.

However they also say that confirmations are not automatic. You need to send a second email requesting a receipt confirmation. I think it's in the instructions pdf. I can find it if you can't, just let me know.

"The Office of Admissions does not automatically send receipt confirmations. If you would like to confirm that your materials have been received, you may send a request for verification to the email address of your above listed admissions counselor. Please address your message with the subject heading “CONFIRMATION REQUESTED.” "

It was at the bottom of the first page.

 

[livelovelaugh123]

What does applied "OOM" mean?

 

[SachmoJones]

Can anyone tell me if USUHS interviews are open/closed/semi-open?
Thanks.

-Sachmo

 

[Glycereine]

What does applied "OOM" mean?

I searched and the only thing I can find is "out of mana" in an MMO... so I doubt that applies. I am curious as well

 

[SachmoJones]

I searched and the only thing I can find is "out of mana" in an MMO... so I doubt that applies. I am curious as well

Or memory/money. Curious also. Can we get the context for this?

 

[LaceyMD]

For anyone still struggling with inserting the picture without actually printing out the form and re-scanning, you can download Formulate Pro (https://code.google.com/p/formulatepro/) for free and insert it that way - just finish inputting your essays, save the PDF, then open it in Formulate Pro and select the 'insert image' option.

 

[Abraxas65]

For anyone still struggling with inserting the picture without actually printing out the form and re-scanning, you can download Formulate Pro (https://code.google.com/p/formulatepro/) for free and insert it that way - just finish inputting your essays, save the PDF, then open it in Formulate Pro and select the 'insert image' option.

I could seriously kiss you right now. Thank you.

 

[RiceFive]

I submitted my secondary on June 27th, the day it came out. I got an email two days ago verifying it was recieved.

I only applied to one school because I am currently an active duty officer already and although I could have gone HPSP, my family would have suffered for the severe pay drop during school.

I want to stay in the Navy no matter what and make a career out of being a Navy doctor, so USUHS is the one for me. I know one school kinda hampers my chances but it's the only one I want to go to.

-- I'm in a Similar boat. I'm a Nuke instructor (1210 designator), with a family that is pretty comfortable with the O-2 pay at the moment . USUHS would definitely be the most cost effective route to an MD degree. As a note however, you could also look at the Health Services Collegiate (HSCP) program, it may be a little limited for non-civilian applicants, but it does pay as E-7 active duty through school (doesn't pay tuition though).

 

[Glycereine]

-- I'm in a Similar boat. I'm a Nuke instructor (1210 designator), with a family that is pretty comfortable with the O-2 pay at the moment . USUHS would definitely be the most cost effective route to an MD degree. As a note however, you could also look at the Health Services Collegiate (HSCP) program, it may be a little limited for non-civilian applicants, but it does pay as E-7 active duty through school (doesn't pay tuition though).

I might look into that for next year, however I might be a one cycle applicant as well. I REALLY want to do this, but my career is sort of at a make or break point and if I keep applying and getting permission from chains of command I'm going to shoot myself in the.... foot.

I put on O4 in two months so it's a hard decision already but I am definitely wanting USUHS and military medicine over my current job.

 

[Sean Lee]

I might look into that for next year, however I might be a one cycle applicant as well. I REALLY want to do this, but my career is sort of at a make or break point and if I keep applying and getting permission from chains of command I'm going to shoot myself in the.... foot.

I put on O4 in two months so it's a hard decision already but I am definitely wanting USUHS and military medicine over my current job.

Lieutenant Commander, eh?

That's the first rank of "senior officers", is it not?

 

[nivus2013]

Has anybody submitted their secondary by email yet? If so, HOW DID YOU GET YOUR PICTURE ON THERE!? These locked documents are annoying.

Not sure if this will work for everyone. But I opened pdf off of the website. Saved it to my desk top (still as a pdf). Opened the pdf and filled it out. I was able to click the icon inside of the box. To insert the picture, the picture itself must ALSO be a pdf file (not a tiff/jpg etc). Once I had the whole thing complete I just clicked print and used the print to pdf option (MAC computer). This gave me a complete pdf with the image attached and I email the document to my assigned contact.

Good luck everyone

 

[VanEman]

A question...What are the pros and cons of going to USUHS versus getting a military scholarship to attend any other medical school? It seems like both require the student to commit to medical service in the military, but I'm missing the finer points of distinction. Can anyone help me on that?

 

[Abraxas65]

I don't go to USUHS I am only applying but below are the Pros and Cons as I see them.

Pros-

• You get paid a salary while in school (more than you would make with the scholarship)
• Access to military training and culture (I like this especially given I am NOT prior service)
• Research opportunities (this is very school and person dependent, but for me USUHS has research projects I am very interested in)

Cons-

• 7 year commitment instead of x years (x being how long you accept the scholarship)
• Forced to do additional military training and deal with military culture while at Medical School (this is person dependent)
• Less say in what residency you can do (this is dependent on which military scholarship you accept)
• Having to wear a uniform to class
• Being forced to go to class

I'm sure other people can give you better information but from my research this is what I have seen.

 

[Glycereine]

I don't go to USUHS I am only applying but below are the Pros and Cons as I see them.

Pros-

• You get paid a salary while in school (more than you would make with the scholarship)
• Access to military training and culture (I like this especially given I am NOT prior service)
• Research opportunities (this is very school and person dependent, but for me USUHS has research projects I am very interested in)

Cons-

• 7 year commitment instead of x years (x being how long you accept the scholarship)
• Forced to do additional military training and deal with military culture while at Medical School (this is person dependent)
• Less say in what residency you can do (this is dependent on which military scholarship you accept)
• Having to wear a uniform to class
• Being forced to go to class

I'm sure other people can give you better information but from my research this is what I have seen.

I've spent alot of time researching this and talking to people who went both routes and this is very accurate and about all I can think of at the moment.

HPSP is a better route to go if you don't want a military career but want to have med school paid for. That said I wouldn't really go with either route if that's the case, you'll end up paying back more time than you think.

 

[VanEman]

I've spent alot of time researching this and talking to people who went both routes and this is very accurate and about all I can think of at the moment.

HPSP is a better route to go if you don't want a military career but want to have med school paid for. That said I wouldn't really go with either route if that's the case, you'll end up paying back more time than you think.

It seems to me that whether or not the HPSP or USUHS is worth it financially depends a lot on what your choices are. If you are a Texas resident who can easily get into a Texas med school and pay their mind-boggling low tuition, there might be a patriotic reason to go with the military but not much of a financial one. But if you're a Californian, your state schools are both notoriously difficult to get into and tuition is fast approaching what a private school costs, it's hard to get into other state schools as an OOS, you're most likely to end up in an out-of-state private medical school that may cost close to $60k a year in tuition in an expensive city, then the military option makes a lot of financial sense as well. I think your expected specialty makes a difference too---if you're confident you're going into a high-paying specialty, it might be easy to pay down the loans quickly, but a primary care physician could be saddled with debt for many years.

 

[swtbrnpelican04]

A question...What are the pros and cons of going to USUHS versus getting a military scholarship to attend any other medical school? It seems like both require the student to commit to medical service in the military, but I'm missing the finer points of distinction. Can anyone help me on that?

I am a current 3rd year USUHS med stud. Here are some of the advantages/disadvantages of USUHS vs HPSP as I see them. ( Broken down by curriculum phase and excluding finances)

Pre-clerkship- 18mo systems based lecture/lab similar to traditional 1st and 2nd year
This is largely curriculum dependent because you are comparing USUHS to the civilian school of your choice.
Adv.-
-Early exposure to Pt care. In the first week you walk over to Walter Reed to practice your interview skills on real patients and start learning and practicing physical exams on your classmates
- Video lecture base recording system, which lets you watch lectures on your own time at the speed of your choosing
- Freedom to learn as you please. Most lectures are not mandatory meaning you can sleep late most days and even not show up to school on others. Explore the MD/DC/VA area, golf, shop, take a mental day. Caveat: You are still held accountable to the course material for labs/OSCEs
- FTX- The field training exercise gives you early exposure to some of the unique aspects of military medicine. Also you really get to know your other classmates well and build a strong support network.
- Our Office of Student Affairs has been very responsive in listening to our feedback and tweaking the new curriculum. The Class of 2015 gave feedback stating that they did not have enough dedicated time for Step 1 studying (just less than 4weeks). OSA in response added two weeks to Class of 2016 Step ! study period bringing it up to six weeks.

Clerkship- 12 mo (traditional 3rd year)
Adv.
- Rotations at military MTFs across the country (DC, Hawaii, California, Washington, Texas)
- Exposure to residency program directors who are interested in you and who will try to recruit you to their program
- Learning the Military EMR system
Dis.
- We take back to back shelf exams over the course of our assessment weeks, which is not ideal.
- Some of the military hospitals where we rotate are low-volume so you may not get as much case exposure as you would at some civilian hospitals.

STEP 1- 6wks dedicated study period
We take STEP 1 after clerkship year. So far the class ahead of us did better than previous classes. My class has mixed opinions.

Post-Clerkship- 12 4wk electives/sub-internships +Bushmaster+B3
Adv.-
- More AD rotations than HPSP to interview programs (only 1 interview is partially funded)
- Set up electives all over the world including (Germany, Spain, Phillipines)
- Many classmates move to the locations where they matched
- Research opportunities with capstone projects
- Bushmaster- the premier FTX at USUHS and completely unique to our curriculum
Dis.-
- Most of the Post clerkship rotations are unfunded so there is lots of competition for spots in DC/VA

Cons-

• Forced to do additional military training and deal with military culture while at Medical School (this is person dependent)
• Having to wear a uniform to class
• Being forced to go to class

I'm sure other people can give you better information but from my research this is what I have seen.

USUHS generally shelters you from many aspects of being in the military and allows you to primarly focus on being a student. Yes you still do PT tests and mandatory training, but it would be extremely rare that you would have to wake up at 0430 to make a 0530 formation, for example.

Being forced to go to class isn't necessarily true. You do have mandatory labs/lectures/small groups, but for the most part showing up to lecture is optional.

 

[SachmoJones]

I am a current 3rd year USUHS med stud.

I asked this question before and never got a response, now that we have a current student maybe they can shed some light.

Can anyone tell me if USUHS interviews are open/closed/semi-open?
Thanks.

-Sachmo

 

[hotstewsaturday]

I asked this question before and never got a response, now that we have a current student maybe they can shed some light.

Can anyone tell me if USUHS interviews are open/closed/semi-open?
Thanks.

-Sachmo

I believe USUHS is semi-open, the interviewers will have your AMCAS personal statement and USU personal statement. They will not have MCAT score or GPAs.

 

[Glycereine]

I believe USUHS is semi-open, the interviewers will have your AMCAS personal statement and USU personal statement. They will not have MCAT score or GPAs.

That data is accurate from what I just asked the USUHS graduate here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hotstewsaturday]

woops and they will also have work and activities portion from AMCAS.

 

[VanEman]

So when in the process do you take the physical and have to pass the PT test? Is it done at a central site or closer to where you live?

 

[hotstewsaturday]

So when in the process do you take the physical and have to pass the PT test? Is it done at a central site or closer to where you live?

Last year, I completed the physical before my interview and it is at a clinic near your home location. PT will be the during the summer before matriculation. For people who get off the waiting list super late (after PT started), then they may complete it the summer after first year.

 

[Applicant6231]

I just noticed that this secondary requires a full year of organic chemistry lab. I've taken Ochem 1 and 2 and one semester of lab... I haven't heard of any medical school that requires Ochem 2 lab. Any input on this?

 

[LaceyMD]

I just noticed that this secondary requires a full year of organic chemistry lab. I've taken Ochem 1 and 2 and one semester of lab... I haven't heard of any medical school that requires Ochem 2 lab. Any input on this?

Most medical schools that I've seen require all the basic sciences (Bio 1 & 2, Physics 1 & 2, Ochem 1 & 2) to be completed with labs. You may want to go back and double check the requirements for any other schools you are applying to.

 

[Glycereine]

Most medical schools that I've seen require all the basic sciences (Bio 1 & 2, Physics 1 & 2, Ochem 1 & 2) to be completed with labs. You may want to go back and double check the requirements for any other schools you are applying to.

Seconded. I only searched 10 but didn't did ANY that only needed one semester lab


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dancingbacon]

so i completely forgot about sat score thing... do we actually have to request a copy from the collegeboard or can we get away with just self-reporting it on the application? i'm supposed to submit mine by this thursday D:

 

[VanEman]

On the MSAR it doesn't say that USUHS requires calculus, but on their web site they say they do. Hmmmm.