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

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So I am a re-applicant here, applied last year in November (found out about the school late) and interviewed in January for the waitlist, I was hopeful to get off but the movement was slower than expected. Cali resident 3.7 GPA 29 MCAT (10PS 8VR 11PS) Verbal is so tricky for me, always seems like there are 2 good answers lol. Dr. Saguil and the staff at USUHS are amazing, and USUHS has an incredibly unique feel about it's campus, it's my top choice this time around. Very relaxed feel to the interview, very conversational, students were happy and friendly. Hoping my interview/waitlist status from last year will give me a good chance to interview again and get straight accepted this time!
 
sdbolthead24 said:
So I am a re-applicant here, applied last year in November (found out about the school late) and interviewed in January for the waitlist, I was hopeful to get off but the movement was slower than expected. Cali resident 3.7 GPA 29 MCAT (10PS 8VR 11PS) Verbal is so tricky for me, always seems like there are 2 good answers lol. Dr. Saguil and the staff at USUHS are amazing, and USUHS has an incredibly unique feel about it's campus, it's my top choice this time around. Very relaxed feel to the interview, very conversational, students were happy and friendly. Hoping my interview/waitlist status from last year will give me a good chance to interview again and get straight accepted this time!
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best of luck and thanks for the info you helped me with early on in the application cycle!
 
dancingbacon said:
Hey guys I got the email too, asking if I want to take the MCAT again. The problem is my case is that I took the exam twice, it's just that I got 32 on my first time and 28 on my second try (gah). What should I do in this case?
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When did you take both the exams? Just curious if there was a large gap of time between the two?

My husband just got his MCAT scores back and got a 27 (tested on 6/21). Really disappointing since his avg AAMC FL was 35. He got psyched out on the test and did really poorly for him (timing off, computer issues, etc). He has registered for a retake on Aug 7th. His USUHS app is already in. He called USUHS to get their opinion on a retake and the person he talked to recommended not retaking it bc the rest of his package is really strong (4.0, strong ECs, great LORs, prior service). So now he is torn on whether or not to retake. He is studying and got a 35 on one of the AAMC practice tests just yesterday after 2 days back in studying mode. The possibility of scoring worse is concerning bc we do not know if USUHS takes the highest score or latest score. Sorry I'm not much help, but he is in a similar "to take or not to retake" situation. If you don't mind me asking, in your opinion, why do you think you scored lower on the second test? Thanks for any insight!
 
Premedspouse said:
When did you take both the exams? Just curious if there was a large gap of time between the two?

My husband just got his MCAT scores back and got a 27 (tested on 6/21). Really disappointing since his avg AAMC FL was 35. He got psyched out on the test and did really poorly for him (timing off, computer issues, etc). He has registered for a retake on Aug 7th. His USUHS app is already in. He called USUHS to get their opinion on a retake and the person he talked to recommended not retaking it bc the rest of his package is really strong (4.0, strong ECs, great LORs, prior service). So now he is torn on whether or not to retake. He is studying and got a 35 on one of the AAMC practice tests just yesterday after 2 days back in studying mode. The possibility of scoring worse is concerning bc we do not know if USUHS takes the highest score or latest score. Sorry I'm not much help, but he is in a similar "to take or not to retake" situation. If you don't mind me asking, in your opinion, why do you think you scored lower on the second test? Thanks for any insight!
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USUHS considers the highest score, don't worry, and his score on the practice exam is promising. Seems to me that it was a matter of nerves that threw him off. That being said, however, it is my experience that scores on practice exams aren't really an accurate measure for predicting of how one will do on the official test. If I were a betting man, I would wager that he would do a lot better on the retake, and I would genuinely feel assured about it. He is in a great position too; whoever he talked to already thinks he has a strong application and doing well on the retake will just be the icing on the cake. So with that in mind, I would personally advise that he retake, but not feel so much pressure about it. Stress is a real killer in things like this.

Usual disclaimer about taking advice from random strangers on the internet and etc. Also, needless to say that if he actually does WORSE than a 27 that will obviously be a bad thing and will reflect poorly, but I can't imagine how that could happen given his track record.
 
Is anyone going to the Open House at USUHS on September 12? Anybody to one of their earlier ones? If so, was it worthwhile?
 
echo87 said:
USUHS considers the highest score, don't worry, and his score on the practice exam is promising. Seems to me that it was a matter of nerves that threw him off. That being said, however, it is my experience that scores on practice exams aren't really an accurate measure for predicting of how one will do on the official test. If I were a betting man, I would wager that he would do a lot better on the retake, and I would genuinely feel assured about it. He is in a great position too; whoever he talked to already thinks he has a strong application and doing well on the retake will just be the icing on the cake. So with that in mind, I would personally advise that he retake, but not feel so much pressure about it. Stress is a real killer in things like this.

Usual disclaimer about taking advice from random strangers on the internet and etc. Also, needless to say that if he actually does WORSE than a 27 that will obviously be a bad thing and will reflect poorly, but I can't imagine how that could happen given his track record.
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Thanks for the insight! He said he already feels less pressure going into this one bc he has secured his pre-acceptance into KU Med with the 27 (he's in an undergrad program that gives him pre-acceptance as long as he completes the requirements and gets a min score on the MCAT). So that is good to go, but USUHS is definitely his top choice and he wants to make himself as competitive as possible.
 
VanEman said:
Is anyone going to the Open House at USUHS on September 12? Anybody to one of their earlier ones? If so, was it worthwhile?
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I went to the one in June. It depends on what you're looking to get out of it. You don't get much of a tour. The two things I found most beneficial were the Q&A panel they had with current students and a short movie they showed about military medicine (emotional). Depending on the questions you and others bring, you'll also be likely to pick up bits of information you didn't know before, even if you've done a lot of research into the school, as was in my case. Otherwise, nothing groundbreaking. I found it to be a rewarding experience though.
 
Is anyone else's admissions officer out of the office until the second week of August?
 
LaceyMD said:
Congratulations!! Would you mind sharing when you were complete and what dates they offered?
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Sure, complete 7/7, received an email on the 7/21 that it was being reviewed, and then II today. They gave me the date for 9/11, but said I could contact them to change it if I needed to. I believe the alternate dates are listed on their website under the "interview information" section or something like that.
 
anne417 said:
Sure, complete 7/7, received an email on the 7/21 that it was being reviewed, and then II today. They gave me the date for 9/11, but said I could contact them to change it if I needed to. I believe the alternate dates are listed on their website under the "interview information" section or something like that.
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Congrats! Sounds like they are starting a little earlier this year. 🙂 Did they send an e-mail or call for the II?
 
UVA2k14 said:
Is anyone else's admissions officer out of the office until the second week of August?
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Who is your admissions officer? Maybe that's our problem...been waiting for a confirmation e-mail since we sent the confirmation request.
 
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For those receiving IIs, do you mind posting your stats? MCAT/GPA? And of course date submitted/completed? Congrats to all receiving II's today!
 
Hi everyone! This is my first post on SDN!
Got my first II today from USUHS and figured I would post my information for those interested.
(OOS, traditional app, no previous mil exp)

Submitted: July 14
Received: July 28
Stats: 34/3.98

Good luck everyone 🙂
 
Louisianahopefuldoc said:
That's what I was thinking, just wasn't sure. Sent in secondary about three weeks ago. Hoping to hear back soon.
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My husband sent his secondary in a few weeks ago, but his AMCAS app just was completely verified and sent to USUHS on 7/25, so hopefully we will hear something in the next couple of weeks. Of course that is assuming that he receives an invite with his current MCAT. He's retaking, but we're hoping that since admissions said he was still competitive with the rest of his package, that he will get an II soon...then hopefully he will have a better MCAT score...we'll see what happens. Good luck to you!
 
For anyone who has received an II, when did you receive an email about your application being complete and being reviewed? I feel like mine was very late compared to when everything was submitted.

edit: autocorrect
 
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So like, how long after your secondary was submitted did you guys get IIs? And do our LORs need to be finalized and in before that?
 
Saxappeal1 said:
So like, how long after your secondary was submitted did you guys get IIs? And do our LORs need to be finalized and in before that?
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The people who are getting II's now (and some who haven't gotten them yet) were the people who submitted immediately, were verified before AMCAS sent apps to USUHS, and who got their secondaries in within the first couple of weeks.

From what I understand, yes they will need all of your LORs before pushing to the invite stage.
 
lol so even if I submit my secondary tomorrow, it will be a long time before an II?
 
I don't mean to be bothersome, but can you give me an estimate if I submitted tomorrow?
 
Saxappeal1 said:
I don't mean to be bothersome, but can you give me an estimate if I submitted tomorrow?
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Honestly no idea. I had my primary verified before the very first day and I submitted my secondary 1 day after they were sent out (June 28th). I have not gotten an II at this point.

Sorry I know that's not that helpful, but your chances are better the sooner you submit because it's rolling admissions.
 
Premedspouse said:
For those receiving IIs, do you mind posting your stats? MCAT/GPA? And of course date submitted/completed? Congrats to all receiving II's today!
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Hey all --
Good luck to everyone this year! I'm -sort of - a repeat applicant. The Navy made me withdraw my application last year before I could attend my interview. Got my application in this year in june, completed the first week of July, 32mcat 3.6GPA.
I got the email today with the interview invite (II).

Now I just need to start doing my homework: getting all of the paperwork done, physical done, and reading up for and preparing for the interview...!

Good luck all!!!!
 
Does the physical need to be done before secondary submission?
 
Congrats to everyone getting an II!

I submitted before July 15th, and my counselor emailed me that all my file is complete and that she's forwarding my app for review on July 16th. I did submit everything via postal mail.

Still no II. Hopefully I'll get one soon!
 
DrMinion said:
I believe the physical examination needs to be done for those who have been invited to interview prior to interview day.
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But can the physical be done anywhere at anytime? And will the II provide information regarding who/where to go for the physical? What if someone can't complete the physical before interview? And is the physical the same thing as the DoDMERB medical check?

This is all assuming that I actually get an II, lol
 
Make sure you email for confirmation guys. I sent in my material July 8th and I just got an email back saying they don't have my stuff...
 
echo87 said:
Make sure you email for confirmation guys. I sent in my material July 8th and I just got an email back saying they don't have my stuff...
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Did they not receive your secondary, or are they missing all your letters?
 
They didn't have my secondary, must've gotten lost in the email shuffle, as they say. Doesn't really matter though since my committee is taking forever to send out packets, but just got it all figured out over the phone.
 
echo87 said:
They didn't have my secondary, must've gotten lost in the email shuffle, as they say. Doesn't really matter though since my committee is taking forever to send out packets, but just got it all figured out over the phone.
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I see. Are you sending it again via email? You could try postal mail, though there's no guarantee that it won't get misplaced.
 
Sean Lee said:
I see. Are you sending it again via email? You could try postal mail, though there's no guarantee that it won't get misplaced.
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Yea I re-sent it and confirmed over the phone with Ms. Mayo. Very pleasant. 👍
 
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Do you guys think it is at all necessary to email and ask for my status?

My admissions counselor has already confirmed with me that everything has been received (verified primary, all letters, completed secondary), and that my secondary has been sent for review in mid July. USUHS hasn't contacted me for any additional information, so I am assuming that I am still in the review stage.

I am afraid that because I sent in my secondary via mail, it might have gotten lost somehow.
 
Sean Lee said:
But can the physical be done anywhere at anytime? And will the II provide information regarding who/where to go for the physical? What if someone can't complete the physical before interview? And is the physical the same thing as the DoDMERB medical check?

This is all assuming that I actually get an II, lol
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You need to call this number provided on your II to have your social security in their system first. Then they give you this website to schedule your physical in your region. I don't think you need to complete the physical before the interview as long as you schedule it because the form provided on II only asks you the date of your scheduled physical. And yes, I believe the physical is the same thing as DoDMERB.
 
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