2014-2015 Washington University in St. Louis Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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Um.... what is this Dean's certificate...This is very frustrating that they would ask for this now without previous notice.
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I just received this secondary. I want to make sure my browser isn't being buggy. The only courses the secondary specifically asks you to enter are the calculus ones. Was it like this for everyone?
 
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gettheleadout said:
You don't need it to be "complete" and have your file reviewed, they just can't offer you an acceptance until they have it.
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Thanks for the information. In other words, we can be evaluated, and get this in eventually?
 
2. (optional) Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. (maximum 3000 characters including spaces)

I sort of want to write about something from my senior year of high school for this question. I know high school stuff is generally frowned upon, but during my senior year of high school, I took 100% of my classes at a local university, so I was effectively in college even though I didn't have my high school degree yet. What do you think? This is the only topic I can think of where I meaningfully failed at something.
 
rhythmisadancer said:
Thanks for the information. In other words, we can be evaluated, and get this in eventually?
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That's the impression I get from their application instructions PDF.
phunky said:
2. (optional) Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. (maximum 3000 characters including spaces)

I sort of want to write about something from my senior year of high school for this question. I know high school stuff is generally frowned upon, but during my senior year of high school, I took 100% of my classes at a local university, so I was effectively in college even though I didn't have my high school degree yet. What do you think? This is the only topic I can think of where I meaningfully failed at something.
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I think that would be fine.
 
Thanks for the info. Will WashU send an email to my LOR writers? If so, that's a deal breaker.
 
gettheleadout said:
I love how the second prompt is "optional."
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When you say this do you mean it's not really optional and everyone should do it or it's funny because it's implying the caliber of student is so high that they may not have ever failed? Just really want to make sure that by not submitting it I may be hurting myself
 
ethan59 said:
When you say this do you mean it's not really optional and everyone should do it or it's funny because it's implying the caliber of student is so high that they may not have ever failed? Just really want to make sure that by not submitting it I may be hurting myself
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Haha the former, basically. I was poking fun at the fact that it's a prompt that actually offers a chance for insight into an applicant's character, so anyone with something meaningful to say there should do so (and most people have failed.) If you can't think of a good response though, it might be better to leave it blank rather than make them read a cheesy/BS essay, but that's just speculation on my part. Personally I answered the prompt.
 
What IS a Dean's certification form though?
 
iceroll said:
What IS a Dean's certification form though?
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Follow the "Print dean's certification form" (or whatever it's called) linked on the secondary to get some insight. Wash U essentially wants your undergraduate school's Dean of Students to send them a form describing your disciplinary record, if any. I googled "xyz university dean of students" and found the dean of students page for my school, where they had a form for requesting similar info from the dean. I printed both the undergrad and Wash U forms, put my name on them, and put them in an envelope to be sent to the dean.

Hopefully this is the right way to do it.

Does anyone know if there are many other schools who require this also?
 
I already submitted the Dean's certification but I'm suddenly paranoid for some reason about this: under your birthdate and AAMC ID you're supposed to check "I waive" right?
 
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ksmi117 said:
Hello all! I'm a 4th year at WUSM who took a year off for the MA/MD program. Happy to answer questions, as well. Best of luck with all the applications!
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Hi, for the optional essays (MD only) do you recommend submitting anything? Is there any disadvantage if I skip the essays?
 
minion16 said:
Hi, for the optional essays (MD only) do you recommend submitting anything? Is there any disadvantage if I skip the essays?
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If you have something to say that would add something to your application, go for it. Or even if you want to elaborate on something that you've previously mentioned. But if you feel like you are just writing to fill space and to avoid leaving a question blank, there's probably little to gain. I left the obstacles question blank and it does not seem to have hurt me at all.
 
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A little turned off to WashU based on the fact that my application account password must be 8-10 characters. So restrictive... :p
 
ksmi117 said:
If you have something to say that would add something to your application, go for it. Or even if you want to elaborate on something that you've previously mentioned. But if you feel like you are just writing to fill space and to avoid leaving a question blank, there's probably little to gain. I left the obstacles question blank and it does not seem to have hurt me at all.
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That's interesting. I might leave BOTH blank because the only disadvantage I can think of is that i'm one of the few people in my family who didn't become high school teachers or truck drivers, so talk of me going to med school was like blasphemy. I literally cannot think of anything major that I failed at. I got a few B's in college? I'm pathetic haha.
 
glibra said:
That's interesting. I might leave BOTH blank because the only disadvantage I can think of is that i'm one of the few people in my family who didn't become high school teachers or truck drivers, so talk of me going to med school was like blasphemy. I literally cannot think of anything major that I failed at. I got a few B's in college? I'm pathetic haha.
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I don't think it has to be a major failure, just something that didn't go as well as you planned.
 
mjhhockey98 said:
I don't think it has to be a major failure, just something that didn't go as well as you planned.
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What hockey said. The point is to show how you deal with hard situations and what you learned from failing, while showing some humility.
 
CitrusJ said:
What hockey said. The point is to show how you deal with hard situations and what you learned from failing, while showing some humility.
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I agree with this. I think most people should have something worth saying to this question.
 
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I wanted to submit 5 letters but they only have spots for 4 on the app (my school doesn't have a pre-med committee, so it's all individual letters for me). Any advice?
 
Salt Salt said:
I wanted to submit 5 letters but they only have spots for 4 on the app (my school doesn't have a pre-med committee, so it's all individual letters for me). Any advice?
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I'm in the same situation. I just listed out four letters, and I'm hoping that the fifth will also arrive and be read. I imagine it must be. I don't think anything else can be done. You could call the school and get their official answer, but I didn't bother.
 
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Is anyone else's letters still not showing as received? I submitted everything a week ago and they are still not showing as received.
 
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Is anybody complete? Everything has been received but my dean's certificate, yet i'm not marked as complete.
 
ProbablyAPenguin said:
Is anybody complete? Everything has been received but my dean's certificate, yet i'm not marked as complete.
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I think they need the dean's certificate for your app to be complete.
 
Ace Khalifa said:
I think they need the dean's certificate for your app to be complete.
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I don't believe so. In previous years, you only need a completed dean's certificate before they can extend an acceptance offer. You don't need the dean's certificate in order to be complete/even at the interview.
 
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Salt Salt said:
I wanted to submit 5 letters but they only have spots for 4 on the app (my school doesn't have a pre-med committee, so it's all individual letters for me). Any advice?
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I submitted 9 (I'm applying MD-PhD though) and I just listed 4, but then they added the extra ones I sent on the application status page. Hope this helps!
 
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ProbablyAPenguin said:
Is anybody complete? Everything has been received but my dean's certificate, yet i'm not marked as complete.
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Ace Khalifa said:
I think they need the dean's certificate for your app to be complete.
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Abstractions said:
I don't believe so. In previous years, you only need a completed dean's certificate before they can extend an acceptance offer. You don't need the dean's certificate in order to be complete/even at the interview.
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The status page straight up says: "Once we receive your recommendations, your supplemental application fee, your MCAT scores and AMCAS has verified your application, your file will be complete and ready for review."

Don't lose those VR skills guys. ;)

Complete as of today! No email notification though.
 
gettheleadout said:
The status page straight up says: "Once we receive your recommendations, your supplemental application fee, your MCAT scores and AMCAS has verified your application, your file will be complete and ready for review."

Don't lose those VR skills guys. ;)

Complete as of today! No email notification though.
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All of my components are marked as received, but I still get the message 'According to our records and procedures your file is Incomplete." - *sigh* hopefully it's a processing thing, and I'll be cleared within the next couple of days.
 
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ProbablyAPenguin said:
All of my components are marked as received, but I still get the message 'According to our records and procedures your file is Incomplete." - *sigh* hopefully it's a processing thing, and I'll be cleared within the next couple of days.
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That's because that message seems to be a reflection of the checklist above it, which includes the Dean's Cert. I'm quite certain that if you have checks by everything listed in the statement I quoted, you're complete.
 
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ProbablyAPenguin said:
Is anybody complete? Everything has been received but my dean's certificate, yet i'm not marked as complete.
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When did you send yours? I mailed the form to the Dean's Office at my undergrad weeks ago, but it's still marked as incomplete. I'm starting to worry it got lost in the depths of the office...
 
They still haven't marked my letters as received. Is it looked down upon to email them and see what's going on?
 
Having just gotten my MCAT back yesterday, I just noticed that their 10th percentile for the MCAT is a 34, according to the MSAR. Damn. o_O
 
ProbablyAPenguin said:
All of my components are marked as received, but I still get the message 'According to our records and procedures your file is Incomplete." - *sigh* hopefully it's a processing thing, and I'll be cleared within the next couple of days.
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Application marked as complete - submitted secondary 6/29. Sounds like processing is moving!
 
My university does not have a "Dean of Students" or comparable. Closest thing I guess would be Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs?
 
soccerusa said:
Is anyone else's letters still not showing as received? I submitted everything a week ago and they are still not showing as received.
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AspiringERMD said:
When did you send yours? I mailed the form to the Dean's Office at my undergrad weeks ago, but it's still marked as incomplete. I'm starting to worry it got lost in the depths of the office...
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I went to the office of student affairs on Tuesday, July 1st. They said they'd send it out ASAP. WASH U received it yesterday. Snail mail takes some time!
 
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So I think it's done through my uni's office of Student Conduct... but I went to the location of their office and the entire floor in that building is under construction... haha I'm glad we don't need this to be complete!
 
wolverine2015grad said:
I went to the office of student affairs on Tuesday, July 1st. They said they'd send it out ASAP. WASH U received it yesterday. Snail mail takes some time!
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Hmmm, okay. I'm pretty sure I sent it to my school in mid-June, and still nothing... but I'm kind of expecting to be rejected pre-interview anyway, now that I have my MCAT score and have seen Wash U's median :laugh:
 
My application is complete, including Dean's Certificate
 
My application is almost complete, but somehow one of my letters hasn't been received. They were all individual letters on AMCAS, does anyone have any ideas why they weren't all transmitted together? Or did anyone else have the same problem?
 
Mine says incomplete but I have all check marks. Hmmm..
 
phunky said:
I just received this secondary. I want to make sure my browser isn't being buggy. The only courses the secondary specifically asks you to enter are the calculus ones. Was it like this for everyone?
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That's the only thing I'm seeing too. Seems strange....
 
My application shows complete without Dean's Certificate check marked
 
Is anyone having trouble viewing their application status? Whenever I log on it just kicks me back out to the log in screen but I'm pretty sure all my log in info is correct...
 
I submitted 7/6 and my letters still haven't been marked received. I haven't had this issue at other schools
 
HeLaDeala said:
I submitted 7/6 and my letters still haven't been marked received. I haven't had this issue at other schools
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I submitted 7/2 and they just marked my letters today. I wouldn't worry.
 
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