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

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I see that USUHS offers a "host program" that matches you up with a current student.

Is participation in this program mandatory? I've already made hotel arrangements for my trip to DC, so I don't need to live with a host student.
 
No, the host program is completely optional. It is a great program for many, but not mandatory.
 
I have a question for you guys about 'file completeness'. I sent in my supplemental info almost 3 weeks ago and received a confirmation they were received and nothing more. Since then my letters have been turned in and I've emailed to inform USUHS, but I haven't received any communication back. Did you all receive information when your letters arrived/file was put forward to review?
 
Trailblazingmed said:
I have a question for you guys about 'file completeness'. I sent in my supplemental info almost 3 weeks ago and received a confirmation they were received and nothing more. Since then my letters have been turned in and I've emailed to inform USUHS, but I haven't received any communication back. Did you all receive information when your letters arrived/file was put forward to review?
Click to expand...

When the admissions office received all my materials (secondary and all LORs), I was notified that my application was complete and forwarded for review. 3 weeks after my application was forwarded for review, I received my II.

You should start to expect an II in the coming week or so. Good luck!
 
I submitted a secondary on 7/7, but have yet to recieve an interview. I'm starting to think they're not interested. I sent an email to Ms Romero last week and she said my app is complete and under review. This is my second round applying to USUHS. Interviewed and Navy waitlisted last year.
Stats:
MCAT 30, GPA 3.91 (3.89 BCPM), ER medical scribe 2000 hours, EMT-B with 1500 hours volunteer, 2x MD LoR and 1 Science prof LoR on top of the PHC letter. Studied abroad a semester, but otherwise nothing special on my ECs.

Is it that my app went in too late and I'm not being patient, or did I just get skipped over because there wasn't much change between my app this year and last year?
 
Fenestrations said:
I submitted a secondary on 7/7, but have yet to recieve an interview. I'm starting to think they're not interested. I sent an email to Ms Romero last week and she said my app is complete and under review. This is my second round applying to USUHS. Interviewed and Navy waitlisted last year.
Stats:
MCAT 30, GPA 3.91 (3.89 BCPM), ER medical scribe 2000 hours, EMT-B with 1500 hours volunteer, 2x MD LoR and 1 Science prof LoR on top of the PHC letter. Studied abroad a semester, but otherwise nothing special on my ECs.

Is it that my app went in too late and I'm not being patient, or did I just get skipped over because there wasn't much change between my app this year and last year?
Click to expand...

Your application most definitely did not went in too late. In fact, you submitted about as early as humanly possible.

I really don't know what to say. Your stats are good, your ECs are strong, and you were wait-listed last cycle. Did you contact the admissions committee last cycle and ask them for feedback? Did you interview late last cycle?

I am no expert in this at all, but how do you think you did on your secondary essays? I get a gut feeling that USUHS really want individuals who WANT to be a part of the military first and foremost; did you adequately express your passion for the military in your essays? Or did you mostly focus on what makes USUHS unique and how you can benefit from the school's unique programs and etc?
 
Sean Lee said:
Your application most definitely did not went in too late. In fact, you submitted about as early as humanly possible.

I really don't know what to say. Your stats are good, your ECs are strong, and you were wait-listed last cycle. Did you contact the admissions committee last cycle and ask them for feedback? Did you interview late last cycle?

I am no expert in this at all, but how do you think you did on your secondary essays? I get a gut feeling that USUHS really want individuals who WANT to be a part of the military first and foremost; did you adequately express your passion for the military in your essays? Or did you mostly focus on what makes USUHS unique and how you can benefit from the school's unique programs and etc?
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Last year, I applied late in the cycle and interviewed in January. On the supp questions this year, I did talk about my affiliation with the Navy (both parents and a brother served) and my work in Hampton Roads which has a high military population. I thought my supplemental answers were adequate, and I tried to make them different from last year's app in order not to be redundant.

I feel I have a strong chance this year. Especially since their waitlist message says "Had a spot been available, you would simply have had it offered to you!"

Guess I'm just frustrated since we are only days away from September.
 
Fenestrations said:
Last year, I applied late in the cycle and interviewed in January. On the supp questions this year, I did talk about my affiliation with the Navy (both parents and a brother served) and my work in Hampton Roads which has a high military population. I thought my supplemental answers were adequate, and I tried to make them different from last year's app in order not to be redundant.

I feel I have a strong chance this year. Especially since their waitlist message says "Had a spot been available, you would simply have had it offered to you!"

Guess I'm just frustrated since we are only days away from September.
Click to expand...

That's definitely your problem.

If I were you, I would consider sending an email directly to Dean Saguil. I've heard great things about him on this thread, and I believe some SDNers have had success after directly contacting him and expressing a genuine desire to become a part of the USUHS class. However, don't quote me on anything though.
 
Sean Lee said:
That's definitely your problem.

If I were you, I would consider sending an email directly to Dean Saguil. I've heard great things about him on this thread, and I believe some SDNers have had success after directly contacting him and expressing a genuine desire to become a part of the USUHS class. However, don't quote me on anything though.
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Dr Saguil is pretty fantastic, like you said. I emailed him and he replied quickly saying my application has been put on hold. "It is shaping up to be a very competitive year, and the committee would like to view more charts before extending an interview invitation."
 
II! My first one!

I am so happy I just want to dance around all day!! But, motivated by you guys, I just started exercising and my poor legs are sore and stiff as hell. No happy dance for me... 😉
 
So I just got an interview confirmation email from USUHS. It tells me to consider bringing a explanation for grades C or lower to the interview. Is this really necessary?
 
Sean Lee said:
So I just got an interview confirmation email from USUHS. It tells me to consider bringing a explanation for grades C or lower to the interview. Is this really necessary?
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Hmm I didn't get any email saying that.. I have a couple of C's and one C- from undergrad..
 
DrMinion said:
Hmm I didn't get any email saying that.. I have a couple of C's and one C- from undergrad..
Click to expand...

It is basically an interview confirmation/reminder email from Ms. Ferrell.

Here is what parts of the email says:

"Update your Record
Take this opportunity to bring any new information that will assist the Admissions Committee in making a more informed decision on your application, such as statements of new clinical experience or recent publications. If you received any grades of "C" or below, you may want to bring a written explanation to submit your update sheet."
 
Dr. Minion, when do you have your interview? If i recall correctly, it's early September?
 
Sean Lee said:
Dr. Minion, when do you have your interview? If i recall correctly, it's early September?
Click to expand...
Oh I just re-read all my emails from USUHS and it DID say the same thing on my confirmation email. I just totally forgot about that part since I had received the email over a month ago. Yes, my interview is next Thursday and I'm getting super nervous!!!!
 
DrMinion said:
Oh I just re-read all my emails from USUHS and it DID say the same thing on my confirmation email. I just totally forgot about that part since I had received the email over a month ago. Yes, my interview is next Thursday and I'm getting super nervous!!!!
Click to expand...
Don't be nervous! You're going to do great and they'll love you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
DrMinion said:
Oh I just re-read all my emails from USUHS and it DID say the same thing on my confirmation email. I just totally forgot about that part since I had received the email over a month ago. Yes, my interview is next Thursday and I'm getting super nervous!!!!
Click to expand...

I am sure it is the standard interview confirmation email they send to everyone.
 
Glycereine said:
Got an interview invite a couple hours ago for 23 October! Super excited. I was starting to stress because I completed everything super early and it seemed I had been passed by.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Congratulations, awesome news!!
 
Is it bad if we have nothing to update on? AMCAS allows us to list all future end dates for our activities, and I didn't take any additional classes after submitting my primary.
 
Sean Lee said:
Is it bad if we have nothing to update on? AMCAS allows us to list all future end dates for our activities, and I didn't take any additional classes after submitting my primary.
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I'm in the same boat. I was deployed since them but that's irrelevant for med school.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Can anyone shed some light on what to expect at the interview?

I am assuming that if the school offers an interview, it means that you are good enough to join the class, and that the interview will now play a major role in determining the final outcome?
 
Just out of curiosity, when did you guys take your MCAT? Did you take it in 2014?
 
Out of curiosity, for the people who got II's yesterday, when was your application complete? I submitted mine on June 27, but one of my recommenders didn't submit his letter until August 15, and I was confirmed complete on August 19 🙁
 
Sean Lee said:
Can anyone shed some light on what to expect at the interview?

I am assuming that if the school offers an interview, it means that you are good enough to join the class, and that the interview will now play a major role in determining the final outcome?
Click to expand...


I interviewed last year. They started with a presentation giving an overview of military medicine, have some speakers including the dean of students, have a tour of their campus, tour of their simulation center (off site), boxed lunch, then do interviews in the afternoon. The interview was 2 individual 30-45 minute interviews. My first was a Captain practicing in ID/epidemiology I think and the other was a Navy M4. The interview by the student was really laid back, he asked fairly basic questions, and read through my file pretty extensively. The Captain, on the other hand, asked questions from a list and jotted down notes as I answered (felt a bit more pressured in this one). Overall it was a nice day and made me want to go there 10 times more.
 
Glycerine - see you on Oct 23!! 😀

Sean - May 2014!

Llamas (love your name!) - Confirmed complete Aug 18. Don't sweat it!

Fenestrations (man, why does everyone have cool names?) Thank you so much for recounting your interview experience! 😀
 
So, I know if you don't meet the weight requirement you have to take your physical again in a month- should I just schedule my physical later in the first place if I know it will take me a few weeks to get to that weight? I'm around it but I don't want to have to go twice!

Thanks guys!
 
typicalpremedx said:
So, I know if you don't meet the weight requirement you have to take your physical again in a month- should I just schedule my physical later in the first place if I know it will take me a few weeks to get to that weight? I'm around it but I don't want to have to go twice!

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

My advice is to wait as long as possible in order to pass the test the first time. I failed the hearing test last year because of a head cold. It was expensive, stressful, and time consuming process to get that failure overturned.
 
II today! Submitted June 27, complete August 19 (one of my letter writers was slow...). MCAT 31. Undergraduate cGPA about 3.3, sGPA about 3.1. Graduate GPA about 3.7, with all classes being science classes. 1000+ hours clinical research and publications. URM.
 
I had usuhs admissions send me the secondary 7/24 and my representative sent me an email on 7/31 that my "secondary application has been received by the admissions office"
 
For clarification the subject line on mine was "Secondary application complete" and it went on to say

"Thank you for submitting your supplemental application materials. At this time, your file is complete and all letters of recommendation have been received. Your application will receive a thorough and fair review and the Admissions Committee will take all of your credentials into consideration. It is not necessary to submit additional materials at this time."

Hope that helps.
 
lol havent gotten that, one of my letter writers was pretty slow, and all of the letters werent into AMCAS until 9/03... 🙁 just making sure: the LOR's we need are Two science, one nonscience, and two personal?
 
Ah, sorry, that's very aggravating. Not sure on the requirements. Should be available on the website and/or in the secondary instructions. I only had 2 science, 1 nonscience, and a physician letter
 
So I guess mine would be: submited 7/31, completed...? Should I call/email them or just wait?
 
This is from the supplemental instruction page:

"Please notify your Admissions Counselor by email when you receive notification from AMCAS that they have received an LOR on your behalf."

So I'd go ahead and email your Admissions counselor.
 
llamasarefuzzy said:
II today! Submitted June 27, complete August 19 (one of my letter writers was slow...). MCAT 31. Undergraduate cGPA about 3.3, sGPA about 3.1. Graduate GPA about 3.7, with all classes being science classes. 1000+ hours clinical research and publications. URM.
Click to expand...

When is your II?
 
When do we do the physical fitness test? It isn't with the medical exam- right?
 
llamasarefuzzy said:
October 30!
Click to expand...

Thanks! My husband's package has been in for awhile - his MCAT was holding him back, but he just got the results from his retake and the lady at USUHS said they would make sure his package is relooked at and that she looks forward to meeting him! 🙂. I am hoping he snags an interview soon. His first test just went poorly, but the 2nd was much more in line with his abilities. 4.0 cgpa, 34 MCAT. We'll see...I'm just hoping it's not too late. Congrats on your II!
 
had my interview yesterday (9/11). Such a great experience. I would highly recommend taking advantage of the student host program as well as going to the social. Interview day is awesome and everybody does an amazing job of welcoming you and giving you information/opinions/advice
 
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