2014-2015 University of Iowa (Carver) Application Thread

[Deeg]

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IS rejected. LizzM~71 Bit of a shocker actually--I was anticipating a waitlist spot. I'm curious what the stats of other accepted IS people are; I was a re-applicant who improved my MCAT score to above their mean, Average GPA, Ivy Grad, 3+ years of fellowship funded research during undergrad, pending publication, and good medically relevant ECs, and I have been doing well in a Special Master's Program taking classes with medical students (grades above the mean compared to the first year medical class). Also thought I nailed the interview.

They offer you an opportunity to schedule a time to go over your application with an admissions person if you are rejected and tell you why, so it will be interesting to hear the basis of their decision. (Last year, they said my MCAT was low (fixed), GPA was meh (fixed with SMP performance), that my letters were fine, and that they consider research and medical exposure equivalent, so were very happy with my years of research) What gives!

Fortunately I was able to secure an acceptance at a school I really liked, and their decision makes me confident about matriculating there--but would have been a tough choice between there and Iowa, mostly due to the in state cost. Really would have liked to have the option to matriculate here, I guess they don't have a lot of in state love (or love for me for whatever reason). Ain't even mad though, their loss.

Good luck to the rest of you; sorry no mo' love Iowa </3

 

[Dare2Dream]

Rejected OOS as well - oh well, my chances with a late interview were slim anyway. Best of luck to the rest of you (the comment above me gave me a chuckle)!

OOS also, interviewed during last interview week, waitlisted. I believe you are right, the late interview which pushed us directly into final pool probably affected our chances negatively. Any OOS with a late interview get accepted?

 

[akiirish]

Waitlist, IS 28. Feeling...decent?

 

[LAtoDavis]

IS rejected. LizzM~71 Bit of a shocker actually--I was anticipating a waitlist spot. I'm curious what the stats of other accepted IS people are; I was a re-applicant who improved my MCAT score to above their mean, Average GPA, Ivy Grad, 3+ years of fellowship funded research during undergrad, pending publication, and good medically relevant ECs, and I have been doing well in a Special Master's Program taking classes with medical students (grades above the mean compared to the first year medical class). Also thought I nailed the interview.

They offer you an opportunity to schedule a time to go over your application with an admissions person if you are rejected and tell you why, so it will be interesting to hear the basis of their decision. (Last year, they said my MCAT was low (fixed), GPA was meh (fixed with SMP performance), that my letters were fine, and that they consider research and medical exposure equivalent, so were very happy with my years of research) What gives!

Fortunately I was able to secure an acceptance at a school I really liked, and their decision makes me confident about matriculating there--but would have been a tough choice between there and Iowa, mostly due to the in state cost. Really would have liked to have the option to matriculate here, I guess they don't have a lot of in state love (or love for me for whatever reason). Ain't even mad though, their loss.

Good luck to the rest of you; sorry no mo' love Iowa </3

Tough break for being IS. Sorry to hear that. Sometimes it's more about "school fit" or other variables you can't control/don't know about. Congrats on being accepted elsewhere.

 

[llamasarefuzzy]

Waitlisted, IS, unknown spot because I'll probably turn it down. Honestly, I'm pretty happy because it would have been really hard to turn down Carver as an Iowa City native, but my heart has been stolen by another school 😍. Best of luck to everyone- you'll love Iowa City, it is a phenomenal place to live, and the faculty at Carver are more than top notch!

 

[unnumzaan]

Hopefully this year the OOS waitlist is forgiving. Two years ago it moved thirty something spots but last year it only moved 2-4 spots.

Edit: Here's a nice healthy dose of neuroticism for y'all. I found this lovely post in the 2012-2013 thread about past years' OOS waitlist movement. Updated to include previous two cycles:

2014: 2
2013: 37
2012: 17
2011: 85
2010: 76
2009: 3
2008: 105
2007: 105

Typically I believe the list is 125 total.

 

[Make Or Break]

Rejected 🙁

 

[MMEbme1992]

Rejected. Best of luck to all of you who are accepted, Iowa City is my favorite place in the world. Go Hawks!

 

[DG51]

So....does anyone have stats about IS wait list movement in previous years? #30 here, looks like it's going to be a long spring.

 

[Labrine]

Anyone know if there is a facebook page that has been created yet for class of 2019?

 

[ailem]

I haven't really been on here either- but just accepted IS! I can't wait to get in contact with everyone!

 

[ailem]

Anyone know if there is a facebook page that has been created yet for class of 2019?

I couldn't find one.... make it happen!

 

[quiethours]

Hopefully this year the OOS waitlist is forgiving. Two years ago it moved thirty something spots but last year it only moved 2-4 spots.

Edit: Here's a nice healthy dose of neuroticism for y'all. I found this lovely post in the 2012-2013 thread about past years' OOS waitlist movement. Updated to include previous two cycles:

2014: 2
2013: 37
2012: 17
2011: 85
2010: 76
2009: 3
2008: 105
2007: 105

Typically I believe the list is 125 total.

In 2014, last year, the OOS list moved 10+ spots. I don't remember how many spots I moved (as it didn't move enough for me to get off the list), but it was way more than 2. Hope this is encouraging for you!

 

[unnumzaan]

In 2014, last year, the OOS list moved 10+ spots. I don't remember how many spots I moved (as it didn't move enough for me to get off the list), but it was way more than 2. Hope this is encouraging for you!

I'm trying to report how many people were actually accepted off the waitlist, not just how many spots an individual moves. A lot of that movement was probably due to people ahead of you withdrawing, rather than actual movement at the pole position.

Of course I'm just going off what people said in the old thread after calling the office so the information may not be exact. Someone said that they were overenrolled until after traffic day, when eventually 2 people on the waitlist were offered acceptances.

 

[Labrine]

Alright I'll start one! Go ahead and PM and I'll send out invites to the facebook page and people will be able to invite other people they know that are going to be Class of 2019!

Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/784978334926555/

 

[Dare2Dream]

I'm trying to report how many people were actually accepted off the waitlist, not just how many spots an individual moves. A lot of that movement was probably due to people ahead of you withdrawing, rather than actual movement at the pole position.

Of course I'm just going off what people said in the old thread after calling the office so the information may not be exact. Someone said that they were overenrolled until after traffic day, when eventually 2 people on the waitlist were offered acceptances.

Sure but you may have the last two years switched in that list, at least from the numbers I recall.

 

[quiethours]

I'm trying to report how many people were actually accepted off the waitlist, not just how many spots an individual moves. A lot of that movement was probably due to people ahead of you withdrawing, rather than actual movement at the pole position.

Of course I'm just going off what people said in the old thread after calling the office so the information may not be exact. Someone said that they were overenrolled until after traffic day, when eventually 2 people on the waitlist were offered acceptances.

I see what you mean. But I think it's difficult and possibly misleading to separate the two, because both waitlist movement and acceptances offered depend on people ahead of you withdrawing. If you're #10, and 8 people ahead of you withdraw from the waitlist, and 2 spots open up, then you're in. That's what made me assume you were reporting movement from a starting position on the waitlist.

Anyway, best of luck to you. Hope it works out.

 

[elefante2000]

IS waitlist, <5 starting position - Anyone have guesses (or intel) on when we'll see even some little movements?

 

[cavalier08]

the waitlist does not move hardly at all until the April 30 deadline then quickly

Has anyone who has been accepted from final pool received any information about background check or gotten access to ISIS or ICON?

 

[milk1993]

IS waitlist, <5 starting position - Anyone have guesses (or intel) on when we'll see even some little movements?

I am at 6 for IS. Just called the admissions office and she said that she is speaking with a few students who are almost certainly going to defer. Should move a couple spots in the next week, hopefully. Other than that she stated this year will be different because the deadline for holding multiple acceptances was moved up 2 weeks. I don't think it will affect the number that come off the waitlist very much, though.

 

[elefante2000]

I am at 6 for IS. Just called the admissions office and she said that she is speaking with a few students who are almost certainly going to defer. Should move a couple spots in the next week, hopefully. Other than that she stated this year will be different because the deadline for holding multiple acceptances was moved up 2 weeks. I don't think it will affect the number that come off the waitlist very much, though.

Congrats! Thanks for the information. I can't decide how to feel right now so i'm kind of waffling between stress and excitement. It's a weird place.

 

[milk1993]

Congrats! Thanks for the information. I can't decide how to feel right now so i'm kind of waffling between stress and excitement. It's a weird place.

Thanks, to you as well! I don't think I'll be entirely content until I hear for sure, but the admissions office was reassuring. In the last 6 years, the lowest number of people pulled off the IS waitlist was 20, so anyone 20 and under should most likely be okay.

 

[AspiringERMD]

Alright I'll start one! Go ahead and PM and I'll send out invites to the facebook page and people will be able to invite other people they know that are going to be Class of 2019!

Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/784978334926555/

I'm interested in being invited to the Iowa 2019 FB group. Is there a way to join the group itself without going through the verification process of being affiliated officially with Iowa? I'd guess it's about a 75% chance I will be choosing Iowa, but I don't really want to confirm a UIowa email and have my profile now show that I'm going to Iowa because I'm not sure yet. I just joined another school's 2019 group and it didn't require me to confirm anything; I just requested to be added and someone who has the list of admitted students checked my name and let me in.

 

[unnumzaan]

I see what you mean. But I think it's difficult and possibly misleading to separate the two, because both waitlist movement and acceptances offered depend on people ahead of you withdrawing. If you're #10, and 8 people ahead of you withdraw from the waitlist, and 2 spots open up, then you're in. That's what made me assume you were reporting movement from a starting position on the waitlist.

Anyway, best of luck to you. Hope it works out.

Yeah all those numbers deserve to have a massive * next to them. I guess my point was just to illustrate that the amount of movement on the OOS list varies wildly from year to year.

 

[Labrine]

I'm interested in being invited to the Iowa 2019 FB group. Is there a way to join the group itself without going through the verification process of being affiliated officially with Iowa? I'd guess it's about a 75% chance I will be choosing Iowa, but I don't really want to confirm a UIowa email and have my profile now show that I'm going to Iowa because I'm not sure yet. I just joined another school's 2019 group and it didn't require me to confirm anything; I just requested to be added and someone who has the list of admitted students checked my name and let me in.

Feel free to just click on the link or look it up on facebook and I'll add you to the group 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/groups/784978334926555/
I've got a shot at another college as well that I'm toying with the idea of, but I figure this is a good way to meet those who would make up the 2019 class. I'm pretty dead set on Carver, but I agree I'm not necessarily 100% so I understand where you are coming from. Part of what I consider in determining what medical school I want to go with is finding out what the people are like that I'm going to be with for the next four years. So feel free to join and I'll click the button on facebook to let you in since at this time it is a closed group.

EDIT - Looks like I am complete inept at making facebook pages. Because I unwittingly marked the group as associated with the University of Iowa, you are therefore required to verify with an @uiowa.edu email account to join. Sorry about all the confusion. If you guys want I can set up a new one since the group is fairly new that does not require email verification or people can wait until they have an email address to join. Let me know what you guys want to do!

 

[ShabbaRanks]

The website for the SRF has all the details you should need. It said for pre M1s accepted before March 1, your research application is due March 6. The dates are different for M1s and the pre-M1s. Have you already emailed Deanna Nielson? If you are unsure I would just ask her directly.

Do you know if students accepted after March 1 can apply for SRF?

Any pre-M1s applying for a Summer Research Fellowship? I have a mentor figured out and just need to write the proposal, but I'm not sure on the deadline. One application online says February 27th but another place says April 1st. Anyone know for sure?

For the application, what do you mean by proposal? Do mentors have projects already written for students to work on, or do students come up with their own projects and the mentors just fund them? I am a bit confused

 

[AspiringERMD]

Feel free to just click on the link or look it up on facebook and I'll add you to the group 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/groups/784978334926555/
I've got a shot at another college as well that I'm toying with the idea of, but I figure this is a good way to meet those who would make up the 2019 class. I'm pretty dead set on Carver, but I agree I'm not necessarily 100% so I understand where you are coming from. Part of what I consider in determining what medical school I want to go with is finding out what the people are like that I'm going to be with for the next four years. So feel free to join and I'll click the button on facebook to let you in since at this time it is a closed group.

EDIT - Looks like I am complete inept at making facebook pages. Because I unwittingly marked the group as associated with the University of Iowa, you are therefore required to verify with an @uiowa.edu email account to join. Sorry about all the confusion. If you guys want I can set up a new one since the group is fairly new that does not require email verification or people can wait until they have an email address to join. Let me know what you guys want to do!

I think it's probably best if a new one were created, if it isn't too much trouble!

 

[Labrine]

I'll do that now and let the few people in the group know to switch 🙂

I couldn't find one.... make it happen!

Alright I'll start one! Go ahead and PM and I'll send out invites to the facebook page and people will be able to invite other people they know that are going to be Class of 2019!

Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/784978334926555/

I'm interested in being invited to the Iowa 2019 FB group. Is there a way to join the group itself without going through the verification process of being affiliated officially with Iowa? I'd guess it's about a 75% chance I will be choosing Iowa, but I don't really want to confirm a UIowa email and have my profile now show that I'm going to Iowa because I'm not sure yet. I just joined another school's 2019 group and it didn't require me to confirm anything; I just requested to be added and someone who has the list of admitted students checked my name and let me in.

I'll do that now and let the few people in the group know to switch 🙂

Here is the new one that everyone should be able to join! No @uiowa.edu email is required at all!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/431028727063796/

 

[AspiringERMD]

I'll do that now and let the few people in the group know to switch 🙂






I'll do that now and let the few people in the group know to switch 🙂

Here is the new one that everyone should be able to join! No @uiowa.edu email is required at all!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/431028727063796/

Thank you so much! 😀

 

[yogini13]

IS and waitlisted yesterday. Was #27 but I've moved up to 25 since. Anybody have stats on how many they've taken off this list in years past (similar to the OOS breakdown)? I heard 26-32 from a current student, but not sure if this is accurate...

 

[sahmoc]

I'll do that now and let the few people in the group know to switch 🙂






I'll do that now and let the few people in the group know to switch 🙂

Here is the new one that everyone should be able to join! No @uiowa.edu email is required at all!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/431028727063796/

I totally just tried to request to be in the group while on my husband's Facebook. So if you see that, that was me. Embarrassing.

 

[unnumzaan]

IS and waitlisted yesterday. Was #27 but I've moved up to 25 since. Anybody have stats on how many they've taken off this list in years past (similar to the OOS breakdown)? I heard 26-32 from a current student, but not sure if this is accurate...

IS is much more consistent than OOS. It seems to move twenty something spots on most years.

 

[hawkfansince92]

Do you know if students accepted after March 1 can apply for SRF?




For the application, what do you mean by proposal? Do mentors have projects already written for students to work on, or do students come up with their own projects and the mentors just fund them? I am a bit confused

I'm not sure how it is with other mentors for sure, but with my situation I wrote the proposal. My research mentor had a project in mind that followed what his lab does and fit my interests, so he gave me the idea and concept of it and I took it from there. The first round of applications for the SRF are due on March 6th, but there is a second due date on April 1st for pre-M1s accepted after March 1st!

 

[jazzhands]

I emailed the director for the SRF Dr. Nielson and she says that they're waiting to find out if there is any funding left over for more applications. She won't know until the end of this month though. She does however say we can still search for a potential mentor and other ways to get funding.

 

[markyb03]

Congratulations everyone!!! All those years of studying, test taking, pipetting, hospital volunteering have paid off! For those of you on the waitlist, keep your chin up because it definitely does move, and they are nice enough to let you know exactly where you stand - something more schools should do IMO. Feel free to call them and check on movement, but expect most of it to happen closer to May, and if you do call post it here so others can see how far down the list they are.

If you are still deciding between Iowa and another school, definitely make sure you come to 2nd Look Day (also called Get Acquainted Day). It is an amazing day. In fact even if you are already 100% set on Iowa, still come because it is a great chance to meet future classmates (or roommates), upperclassmen, and the faculty. They give you a more indepth tour of the whole place, there is great food, and you hear about all the extra programs you completely forgot about the first time because you were so stressed about you upcoming interview 😉. You will also get to meet Dr. Cooper which itself will be worth the trip to Iowa City. I went to 3 different second look days and this one sold me on Iowa.

I'm going to try to link to a Med School Survival Guide made by a student committee here at Iowa, but it should also be on icon under Caduceus. It has a ton of useful information in it, so check it out. We are working on updating it this year because there is a section for specific class tips that hasn't been changed for the new curriculum yet, but there is way more than just study tips in it. I still open it up from time to time just to make sure I'm making the most of what Iowa City has to offer.

Also just an FYI for those not from Iowa City, the apartment companies try to sign leases generally 4-5 months ahead of time. A lot earlier than the city I used to live in. If you have any specific questions about where to live or anything else for that matter just ask!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5zt28g398yo984s/Med School Survival Guide.pdf?dl=0

And if you somehow haven't checked out these videos yet, do it! They're great plus yours truly may or may not be in one of them...
http://www.medicine.uiowa.edu/md/whyiowa/

 

[sahmoc]

I just received my financial aid packet and was wondering if any current students could speak on their experiences with financial aid. It says they reevaluate each year, but have you received about the same each year?

 

[markyb03]

I just received my financial aid packet and was wondering if any current students could speak on their experiences with financial aid. It says they reevaluate each year, but have you received about the same each year?

It will pretty much always stay the same. Merit based scholarships will always be there as long as you aren't failing classes. I've never heard of them changing the financial aid package once you get it. Not sure about the need based money.

 

[NonTradJp]

Do they give early estimate or actual fin aid packages? How is there need based scholarships and loans? Would anyone be able to comment on that?

 

[sahmoc]

Do they give early estimate or actual fin aid packages? How is there need based scholarships and loans? Would anyone be able to comment on that?

As far as I can tell it is the actual package. They gave me a very generous need based grant. I'm OOS, so I am not sure if that changes things. If you want more information message me.

 

[pakipride]

Hi, first of all, I would like to congratulate all the people who got accepted. I am sure it is the start of a new journey! For those who were not as fortunate from Carver, I hope that things work out well for you at other places and you are able to pursue your dream! Stay positive! There's always a light at the end of the tunnel!

I had a question about immigration and financial aid. I would really appreciate it if somebody who has similar experience as myself or knows some information about it would be willing to share with me and help me out of this misery! At this point in time as I write this post, I do not have a permanent resident card. However, my immigration "approval" came last year in April. According to USCIS and Dept. of Homeland Security guidelines, I can only apply for permanent residentship 12 months after immigration approval - for me that is April of this year (2015). The question I have is, is it possible for me to apply for FAFSA or any other form of financial aid at this point in time since I am almost 2 months away from getting my permanent resident card?

I have been pulling my hair out thinking about this and I don't really know the answer to this question. I have not been able to find anything online either. If anybody who knows something about this topic would be willing to share their information with me, I would be really grateful! Thank you so much!

 

[a1a1]

how long do acceptees have to decide to accept or withdraw? ... just wondering if waitlist may start moving at least by a bit in March

 

[pakipride]

how long do acceptees have to decide to accept or withdraw? ... just wondering if waitlist may start moving at least by a bit in March

According to what I know, the acceptees have 2 weeks from the date of acceptance to "respond" to the offer. Applicants may "accept" as many offers as they want from multiple schools (if they got accepted into multiple) but they HAVE to resort to ONE school by April 30th 2015. After April 30th, students are not allowed to hold acceptances from more than one place. Hope this helps! 🙂

 

[markyb03]

I had a question about immigration and financial aid. I would really appreciate it if somebody who has similar experience as myself or knows some information about it would be willing to share with me and help me out of this misery! At this point in time as I write this post, I do not have a permanent resident card. However, my immigration "approval" came last year in April. According to USCIS and Dept. of Homeland Security guidelines, I can only apply for permanent residentship 12 months after immigration approval - for me that is April of this year (2015). The question I have is, is it possible for me to apply for FAFSA or any other form of financial aid at this point in time since I am almost 2 months away from getting my permanent resident card?

I have been pulling my hair out thinking about this and I don't really know the answer to this question. I have not been able to find anything online either. If anybody who knows something about this topic would be willing to share their information with me, I would be really grateful! Thank you so much!

Definitely a complicated situation and I really have no experience in the area. The closest thing I can think of is a friend at Carver who is a citizen of a different country, but I'm actually not sure how her financial aid works. If you have been accepted at Iowa or WL, I would go ahead and email/call someone in financial aid. Some of the nicest people in that department, so if they can't help they might be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[markyb03]

how long do acceptees have to decide to accept or withdraw? ... just wondering if waitlist may start moving at least by a bit in March

IIRC when I applied there was no deposit required for Iowa, so if it is still the same way I'd imagine most people would just accept and hold the acceptance until April 30th. Of course there will be some movement as people hear about financial aid/other schools, but I'd still expect the majority of the movement to be associated with the cutoff date.

 

[Labrine]

Definitely a complicated situation and I really have no experience in the area. The closest thing I can think of is a friend at Carver who is a citizen of a different country, but I'm actually not sure how her financial aid works. If you have been accepted at Iowa or WL, I would go ahead and email/call someone in financial aid. Some of the nicest people in that department, so if they can't help they might be able to point you in the right direction.

Absolutely call and ask. I had a different question about my financial aid and I got a phone call the next day with an answer and someone from the admissions even sent me a personal congratulations letter since I am a re-applicant and the remembered me. The admissions and financial aid staff are some of the nicest people you will ever meet and definitely individuals you want to be on the good side of!

 

[NonTradJp]

Does anyone know the average expected debt at graduation?

 

[Kantanan]

Does anyone know the average expected debt at graduation?

Average debt is maybe not the best indicator of what any one student's debt will be. The range is enormous depending on many different factors (IS vs. OOS, merit/need-based scholarships, family contribution, housing decisions, military programs, etc). That said, when I was applying Iowa was on the lower end of the debt spectrum for OOS students (I don't know about IS). My financial aid package was also much better than at other schools I was considering. They also have a habit of giving some sort of grant/scholarship money to nearly every OOS student even if they would not qualify for need-based assistance (again speaking from personal experience - can't comment on IS). Those who do qualify for need-based probably get even more. Finally, for those who are intent on spending as little as possible, there are two (co-ed) medical fraternities near campus that offer low cost living with students from all four years.

tl;dr: They really try to keep the debt low for their students in general.

 

[Kantanan]

Do they give early estimate or actual fin aid packages? How is there need based scholarships and loans? Would anyone be able to comment on that?

Your financial aid award will not go down from what it is now, but there is a chance a grant may go up slightly. Unlike some schools, Iowa reserves aid money for those who get in late off the waitlist. Once the class is set and all the aid is assigned, any leftovers will be distributed. I got an extra, small amount added on once school started and they were done assigning all the aid. Also, my aid did increase a little for M2 year (I haven't received my M3 package yet). To be clear, these were in the form of grants. The merit scholarship was unchanged from the start and will be the same each year.

 

[NonTradJp]

Your financial aid award will not go down from what it is now, but there is a chance a grant may go up slightly. Unlike some schools, Iowa reserves aid money for those who get in late off the waitlist. Once the class is set and all the aid is assigned, any leftovers will be distributed. I got an extra, small amount added on once school started and they were done assigning all the aid. Also, my aid did increase a little for M2 year (I haven't received my M3 package yet). To be clear, these were in the form of grants. The merit scholarship was unchanged from the start and will be the same each year.

Thank you Kantanan for the info. Iowa is generous.

 

[ShabbaRanks]

Can anyone comment on the new curriculum and the amount of time students are given to study for step 1? Looking on the CCOM website It looks like there is only a two week step 1 block