2014-2015 University of Wisconsin Application Thread

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Applying here OOS! Application is complete. Now just waiting...
 
sahmoc said:
Oops. It was actually an attachment on the receipt of secondary submission email. I didn't notice it at first because I wasn't expecting it. Check that one!
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I didn't get any attachments in the email they sent
 
Oops...accidentally put a future end date (12/2014) for something instead of 12/2013. Hopefully they realize it was just a mistake since I put all of my other activities at ending 7/2014 since they said that was what to do for ongoing...

Hoping for some OOS love here but I'm keeping my expectations low for this one 🙁 I know they're not too OOS friendly but I couldn't pass this one up
 
For the life activities section - anybody have advice for entering a summer job that I did for two separate summers? Enter each summer as a separate date? I don't want it to seem like I was continuing this activity when I was not.
 
@ridethesquid

from the FAQ on the Life Activities section:

Q: How do I report summer or seasonal jobs or experiences that have occurred in multiple years?

A:If, for example, you have had the same job for two or more summers, list the job once as you list activities, give the hours per week that you worked during the season/s and the all inclusive dates of the activity. In the description indicate “summers only at 35 hours per week June through August” (example).
 
ridethesquid said:
For the life activities section - anybody have advice for entering a summer job that I did for two separate summers? Enter each summer as a separate date? I don't want it to seem like I was continuing this activity when I was not.
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Never mind, this is answered in the FAQ on that page.
 
ndafife said:
@ridethesquid

from the FAQ on the Life Activities section:

Q: How do I report summer or seasonal jobs or experiences that have occurred in multiple years?

A:If, for example, you have had the same job for two or more summers, list the job once as you list activities, give the hours per week that you worked during the season/s and the all inclusive dates of the activity. In the description indicate “summers only at 35 hours per week June through August” (example).
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Oh crud. I didn't know to do this. >.<
 
Anyone else have input as to if it is ok to block in the whole 750-1000 character descriptions for each activity? Or did everyone cut them down? I'll just call on Monday if anyone hasn't heard one way or another!

Thanks!
 
jaga1603 said:
Anyone else have input as to if it is ok to block in the whole 750-1000 character descriptions for each activity? Or did everyone cut them down? I'll just call on Monday if anyone hasn't heard one way or another!

Thanks!
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So last year I used the whole character allotment for some of my activities that I had more to say about, directly copied and pasted from AMCAS for others, and cut down a few others that I thought had too much fluff on AMCAS, to just include a concise description. I would say over half of mine took up the full 1000 or however many characters they give you.

Also - If anyone else on this thread has any questions about UWSMPH feel free to tag me or PM me and I'll get back to you. I'll only be an M1 this fall, but I know the admissions process pretty well having just gone through it, and Ive lived in Madison for over 20 years so I can definitely answer questions about living and transportation and what not!
 
Thanks kittykattat.

Submitted tonight.

I also talked to admissions today. In case anyone was wondering, similar to AMCAS if you have high school activities continued through college or just very formative activities, feel free to include them. They said to "include whatever you have done that helps build a strong application."

Good luck to all!
 
kevinsword91 said:
Received Interview Invite 8/1!!!
Secondary Complete: 7/24

OOS, LizzyM 73, some ties to state

Interview date: 9/19

Super excited!!
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Congrats! The turnaround time is particularly impressive. I haven't heard a peep since being complete 7/10.
 
Hi all,
I'll be an M1 at UW in a few days and just wanted to give my two cents. On the chronology I had around 25 entries (I'm 26 and I've done a lot). But yes, include things like club organizations, work experience, sports etc. if it's not on your AMCAS. They want to know who you are! Brevity is your friend but if you have something to add, by all means you should. Everything helps and if they don't want to read it they with just skim over it. In my case I had two 1 page essays about patient experiences in different specialties. I was accepted early so w/e I did worked. Best of luck to everyone!
 
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Admissions tweeted this the other day- "One of our favorite things to do: send out invitations for #UWSMPH interviews - a few have gone out - many more to come!"

Hopefully we hear back soon! (Sorry all you ISers, your time is coming!)
 
jlescher said:
Hi all,
I'll be an M1 at UW in a few days and just wanted to give my two cents. On the chronology I had around 25 entries (I'm 26 and I've done a lot). But yes, include things like club organizations, work experience, sports etc. if it's not on your AMCAS. They want to know who you are! Brevity is your friend but if you have something to add, by all means you should. Everything helps and if they don't want to read it they with just skim over it. In my case I had two 1 page essays about patient experiences in different specialties. I was accepted early so w/e I did worked. Best of luck to everyone!
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Did you also include things that you started after submitting AMCAS? Thanks and congrats!
 
Hey does anyone know if having alumni helps your admission? My dad went to UW Madison for undergrad and both my parents went to UW Madison for their PhDs. Do you think that would help at all?


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I doubt it'd help at all... especially because neither went to the UWSMPH
 
Anyone have any updates on what the curriculum situation is looking like for next year. Will our entering class be the first to study in it?
 
baconcures said:
Did you also include things that you started after submitting AMCAS? Thanks and congrats!
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I listed a few papers that were being written/submitted and updated them on the progress at the interview. The interview day is also the ONLY opportunity you have to update your application.
 
@jlescher, would you be willing to share your impressions of the interview and any advice you might have? Thanks.
 
I'm OOS 3.6/33. This is one of my top choices, a bit of a reach, considering OOS.

I'm actually really excited about the activity list on the secondary because I had to pick and choose which activities to list on my AMCAS.
 
asyouwish said:
@jlescher, would you be willing to share your impressions of the interview and any advice you might have? Thanks.
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I think the interviews at UW are some of the best. They actually try to set you up with a faculty interviewer that practices your field of interest if one is available that day- ie. if you do neuroscience research they might have a neurologist interview you. It's a nice touch.

In general (for all your interviews) I would say it's good to have a well thought out answer for the "why medicine" and the "tell me about yourself" questions. It's easy to get caught rambling answering the latter. Beyond that just be yourself and enjoy it. The faculty interview is the only stressful part of the day. Once that's over you can relax. Do not worry about the group interview (2 medical students and 2-3 applicants). It's serious and counts, but more than anything they are just assessing if you get along well with people. Don't dominate the conversation. Don't direct all of your attention toward the interviewers and ignore the other applicants. Engage your fellow applicants!
 
jlescher said:
I listed a few papers that were being written/submitted and updated them on the progress at the interview. The interview day is also the ONLY opportunity you have to update your application.
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So should I not list the new jobs that I've started since submitting AMCAS then? Sorry for the repetition, I just really am not sure what to do.. a lot happens in the between June 3rd and Aug 17th haha.
 
I would definitely include a new job that was started after submitting your primary. They will ask for updates to your application at the interview as well, but it's better to get any relevant information in front of them ASAP.
 
Woohoo! So exciting to follow the app cycle for this year! I am also an MS1 (we start next week), so if you all have questions about the application, interview, stats, or experience living here, feel free to shoot me a PM or just ask directly on the thread 🙂. I was an OOS applicant from California with no ties to Wisconsin.

Looking forward to meeting some of you come interview season!
 
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baconcures said:
So should I not list the new jobs that I've started since submitting AMCAS then? Sorry for the repetition, I just really am not sure what to do.. a lot happens in the between June 3rd and Aug 17th haha.
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Absolutely list them.
 
Rejected today. First one. Stings a little bit but I know the OOS hill is a tough one t0 climb.

OOS, 36+, 3.8+
 
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jaga1603 said:
Rejected today. First one. Stings a little bit but I know the OOS hill is a tough one t0 climb.

OOS, 36+, 3.8+
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What?! Sorry to hear that. I actually met with someone from admissions before the cycle and she pretty much told me that the chances of getting in OOS are really low and that I should do anything I can to be considered IS. She had my stats and activities in front of her, so I am not expecting much here either :/
 
sahmoc said:
What?! Sorry to hear that. I actually met with someone from admissions before the cycle and she pretty much told me that the chances of getting in OOS are really low and that I should do anything I can to be considered IS. She had my stats and activities in front of her, so I am not expecting much here either :/
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Yes, it's true the OOS numbers are very low, since the school is required to accept a certain percentage of IS applicants. This year, about 4300 OOS applicants submitted secondaries and about 200 were offered interviews.

However, those OOSers that I have met and talked to were all very different, and not all of them had "exceptional stats" (myself included). UW is very specific in the types of applicants they are looking for, and it definitely goes beyond whether you're just competitive number wise. Plenty of 33+ MCAT/3.7+ GPAs get rejected every year, even though many of them will go on to interview at top schools.

The school seems to really love those with strong clinical experiences; the more information you can give them in your activities + optional essay to really convey why their program/curriculum aligns with your skills + interests (and give a "holistic view" of who you are), the better your chances of receiving an II (especially if you cannot get IS status).

I'm probably stating the obvious, but this was just what I gathered after my interview last year, haha
 
Jennyfishy said:
Yes, it's true the OOS numbers are very low, since the school is required to accept a certain percentage of IS applicants. This year, about 4300 OOS applicants submitted secondaries and about 200 were offered interviews.

However, those OOSers that I have met and talked to were all very different, and not all of them had "exceptional stats" (myself included). UW is very specific in the types of applicants they are looking for, and it definitely goes beyond whether you're just competitive number wise. Plenty of 33+ MCAT/3.7+ GPAs get rejected every year, even though many of them will go on to interview at top schools.

The school seems to really love those with strong clinical experiences; the more information you can give them in your activities + optional essay to really convey why their program/curriculum aligns with your skills + interests (and give a "holistic view" of who you are), the better your chances of receiving an II (especially if you cannot get IS status).

I'm probably stating the obvious, but this was just what I gathered after my interview last year, haha
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I knew it was a long shot applying here for the very reasons you stated, but I figured it would be nice to not have to move from a city my family has grown to love. I am actually eligible for residency in WI because I have been living in Madison for a year. I'm pretty sure they have passed me up which stings a little, but hey, it's not over until it's over.
 
sahmoc said:
I knew it was a long shot applying here for the very reasons you stated, but I figured it would be nice to not have to move from a city my family has grown to love. I am actually eligible for residency in WI because I have been living in Madison for a year. I'm pretty sure they have passed me up which stings a little, but hey, it's not over until it's over.
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Well, I'm rooting for you sahmoc! good luck.
 
Rejected today. OOS, LizzyM 79. I lived and worked in Wisconsin for a year, so I thought I might have a decent shot OOS. Best of luck to everyone still in the running!
 
Also got the axe yesterday. Rejected, LizzyM 77+ OOS no ties. Guess I won't be visiting Wisconsin for the first time ever.... oh well. Best of luck everyone!
 
So any updates on the new curriculum and 2nd year grading changing to P/F?
 
Does anyone know if the entries in the Life Activities section have to be entered in chronological order? I entered mine randomly and am wondering if I should go back and redo the order. thanks.
 
emergencymedred said:
Does anyone know if the entries in the Life Activities section have to be entered in chronological order? I entered mine randomly and am wondering if I should go back and redo the order. thanks.
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If i remember correctly, it states you can enter them in any way you want it will order it. The instructions are in the secondary app itself and I can no longer open it up.
 
Does anyone know what time us in-state folks are able to submit tomorrow? If it's not until 9am or something, I'd rather not stay up until midnight in order to try 🙂
 
Ruby109 said:
Does anyone know what time us in-state folks are able to submit tomorrow? If it's not until 9am or something, I'd rather not stay up until midnight in order to try 🙂
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I am not sure, it doesn't really state. I guess I'll try around then to do it! I'm excited! Let's go Badgers!
 
sahmoc said:
The only extra activities I added were parenting (because that doesn't really fall into the categories on AMCAS) and my recent volunteering. I think the purpose of the activities section here is so that they can see if you were doing things throughout undergrad and, if applicable, time off after graduation. They organize it into a bar graph, more like a timeline, so it shows the duration of activities and when they overlap. They will automatically include when you are in school on the graph as well. If you have more activities then I would say why not? You just want to make sure that your "timeline" is filled out and shows you have been committed to a variety of things since high school.
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I'm planning on expanding mine since my AMCAS was 'bundled'. Doesn't say there's a limit/recommended amount, so yeah why not?

EDIT: Just found a weird typo in one of my 'most meaningful' activities... argh. It's just a bunch of random characters, not sure how it got in there!
 
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Anyone else practically have a countdown going, or is that just me? ConsultantMD, this thread is so quiet, I feel like you and I are the only in-staters. Where my Wisco people at?!
 
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