2015-2016 Case Western Reserve University Application Thread

[ejay19955]

Any MSTP applicant with an invite from Case yet?

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[pineapplecake]

Any MSTP applicant with an invite from Case yet?

Nope but I also submitted rather late (7/29)

 

[tiger330]

Same! Haha someone had a theory that that meant an II was imminent. I really hope that's true.

I'm a big fan of this theory! Hopefully all three of us get IIs and we can keep the theory going. Did you both apply to university and college track?

 

[Xenith]

Hey guys, two questions about the research essay: 1) what does it mean by "interpretation of your results with respect to future findings." 2) My essay will be north of 4000 ch. is that okay? I know it won't be cut off, but does it look like I can't follow directions?

 

[Banco]

Hey guys, two questions about the research essay: 1) what does it mean by "interpretation of your results with respect to future findings." 2) My essay will be north of 4000 ch. is that okay? I know it won't be cut off, but does it look like I can't follow directions?

Keep the character count at the limit. I know it doesn't cut off but 500 extra characters is excessive.

 

[HybridEarth]

I'm a big fan of this theory! Hopefully all three of us get IIs and we can keep the theory going. Did you both apply to university and college track?

I did

 

[Xenith]

Darn cutting the this research essay down is going to be tough... especially since spaces are included.

 

[texasdevil]

Think of it as an abstract and remove unnecessary information. I was able to fit both my projects into the character limit

 

[Valid12]

Whew finally submitted my secondary here. What an arduous process writing all those essays.

 

[Lannister]

I'm a big fan of this theory! Hopefully all three of us get IIs and we can keep the theory going. Did you both apply to university and college track?

I only applied UT.

 

[pineapplecake]

Whew finally submitted my secondary here. What an arduous process writing all those essays.

Lol I feelya I applied to UT, CT, and MSTP... @___@ so many essays...

 

[iluvmedicine2]

Lol I feelya I applied to UT, CT, and MSTP... @___@ so many essays...

Same here...I applied to all 3 tracks...hoping for some love from at least one

 

[223sarahsmith]

Some insight in regards to the three different tracks:

Three different tracks = three different admissions committees (at least at Case/CCF).
This means that your application is not sent to each committee for simultaneous review.
Instead, I believe each committee takes turn looking at your application and won't pass it on to the next committee until the previous committee is finished reviewing.

 

[doc_mcd94]

Some insight in regards to the three different tracks:

Three different tracks = three different admissions committees (at least at Case/CCF).
This means that your application is not sent to each committee for simultaneous review.
Instead, I believe each committee takes turn looking at your application and won't pass it on to the next committee until the previous committee is finished reviewing.

Yes, except I don't believe that one committee needs to wait until the previous one is finished to review an application.

 

[Glazedonutlove]

Some insight in regards to the three different tracks:

Three different tracks = three different admissions committees (at least at Case/CCF).
This means that your application is not sent to each committee for simultaneous review.
Instead, I believe each committee takes turn looking at your application and won't pass it on to the next committee until the previous committee is finished reviewing.

In today's technology, it's not hard to make copies..but who knows you could be right

 

[soccerkd]

The different committees don't need to wait for each other. But each committee follows its own, slightly different, timeline.

 

[NotWayneBrady]

Just got an II!

If I'm applying university track only but spoke pretty extensively about research being one of my interests, what would be an acceptable way to respond to "Why not MD/PhD or College MD program?"

I want to treat patients, AND do research. Not the other way around.

Also, does anyone with some experience at the school have some decent material for "Why CWRU?" I would love to go here, but any other specifics I could get about why this school is great would be great for an interview

 

[Giovanni_TR]

Just got an II!

If I'm applying university track only but spoke pretty extensively about research being one of my interests, what would be an acceptable way to respond to "Why not MD/PhD or College MD program?"

I want to treat patients, AND do research. Not the other way around.

Also, does anyone with some experience at the school have some decent material for "Why CWRU?" I would love to go here, but any other specifics I could get about why this school is great would be great for an interview

congrats! did you get an email or portal? would you mind sharing info like stats and complete date? seriously though congratulations again!

 

[Lannister]

Just got an II!

If I'm applying university track only but spoke pretty extensively about research being one of my interests, what would be an acceptable way to respond to "Why not MD/PhD or College MD program?"

I want to treat patients, AND do research. Not the other way around.

Also, does anyone with some experience at the school have some decent material for "Why CWRU?" I would love to go here, but any other specifics I could get about why this school is great would be great for an interview

Congrats! Case places a lot of emphasis on groupwork and self-directed learning, so I'd talk about that.

 

[NotWayneBrady]

congrats! did you get an email or portal? would you mind sharing info like stats and complete date? seriously though congratulations again!

39MCAT
3.88cGPA
Completed 7/29/2015

Let me know anything else you want to know

Congrats! Case places a lot of emphasis on groupwork and self-directed learning, so I'd talk about that.

I'm reading up on their website... and so far their curriculum seems awesome. Clinical exposure from the first year, and tons of self-directed learning/group problem solving/PBL.

 

[Lannister]

I'm reading up on their website... and so far their curriculum seems awesome. Clinical exposure from the first year, and tons of self-directed learning/group problem solving/PBL.

I knowww :'( please Case, offer me an interview! I'm begging you.

 

[Giovanni_TR]

I knowww :'( please Case, offer me an interview! I'm begging you.

+1

 

[raindropx]

what else is good about case other than curriculum?

 

[doc_mcd94]

what else is good about case other than curriculum?

Cleveland Rocks

 

[Lannister]

what else is good about case other than curriculum?

Cleveland gets a bad rep but there's been a lot of developments in University Circle during the past four years, and it's kind of exciting to live in a place where they're always opening new stores and restaurants.

There's a really nice student run free Clinic in East Cleveland that med students can volunteer at.

And, Case is affiliated with not only University Hospital, but Cleveland Clinic, one of the best hospitals in the country, in addition to the VA hospital that's located right next to campus.

 

[raindropx]

Cleveland gets a bad rep but there's been a lot of developments in University Circle during the past four years, and it's kind of exciting to live in a place where they're always opening new stores and restaurants.

There's a really nice student run free Clinic in East Cleveland that med students can volunteer at.

And, Case is affiliated with not only University Hospital, but Cleveland Clinic, one of the best hospitals in the country, in addition to the VA hospital that's located right next to campus.

I thought cleveland clinic was just for the other cclm students?

 

[NotWayneBrady]

Cleveland gets a bad rep but there's been a lot of developments in University Circle during the past four years, and it's kind of exciting to live in a place where they're always opening new stores and restaurants.

There's a really nice student run free Clinic in East Cleveland that med students can volunteer at.

And, Case is affiliated with not only University Hospital, but Cleveland Clinic, one of the best hospitals in the country, in addition to the VA hospital that's located right next to campus.

+1. Cleveland Clinic is ranked in the top 5 best hospitals in the country atm. Their cardio/heart surgery is #1.

 

[NotWayneBrady]

I thought cleveland clinic was just for the other cclm students?

Nope, CWRU students can do their clinical rotations there.

 

[Lannister]

I thought cleveland clinic was just for the other cclm students?

I thought that UT students could do clerkships at CC, but I could definitely be wrong about that. I know the nursing students do their clinicals at both UH and CC, so I feel like it'd be weird if the med students didn't also.

 

[Lannister]

+1. Cleveland Clinic is ranked in the top 5 best hospitals in the country atm. Their cardio/heart surgery is #1.

Cleveland Clinic is such a great hospital, I've had excellent experiences there as a volunteer and a patient!

 

[raindropx]

too late to add this school now? 4.0 but 30 mcat

 

[NotWayneBrady]

too late to add this school now? 4.0 but 30 mcat

No clue if it's too late now but worst-case scenario, you don't get in. I say go for it.

 

[Valid12]

too late to add this school now? 4.0 but 30 mcat

Definitely not too late IMO. I say go for it!

 

[raindropx]

Added! crying after looking at the essays

 

[Valid12]

LOL tell me about it..
Lots of introspection involved with those essays but feels great when you're done!

 

[Almighty Saguaro]

Looking for some advice for the research essay...
Did you guys/gals include actual numbers when reporting describing your research (background, results, etc)? Or did you leave it purely qualitative? I'm guessing that the numbers may not be super meaningful if the person reading it isn't familiar with the subject area (i.e a basic scientist MAY not be too familiar with some of the stats used in clinical research and vice versa).
I'm thinking that the the point of the prompt is to demonstrate the applicant's mastery of his/her research topic, so I figure that being able to explain it to a wider, non-expert audience is more what their looking for than an "impressive" recital of esoteric statistics. But what do I know...

Thoughts?

 

[Valid12]

Looking for some advice for the research essay...
Did you guys/gals include actual numbers when reporting describing your research (background, results, etc)? Or did you leave it purely qualitative? I'm guessing that the numbers may not be super meaningful if the person reading it isn't familiar with the subject area (i.e a basic scientist MAY not be too familiar with some of the stats used in clinical research and vice versa).
I'm thinking that the the point of the prompt is to demonstrate the applicant's mastery of his/her research topic, so I figure that being able to explain it to a wider, non-expert audience is more what their looking for than an "impressive" recital of esoteric statistics. But what do I know...

Thoughts?

I think you're spot on. I tried to explain my research by culminating the objective, hypothesis, results, and importance. I think you should be able to demonstrate this without actual numbers/stats and it would sound much more eloquent.

 

[clueless192]

Nope but I also submitted rather late (7/29)

Me neither, but I also submitted late (8/9)

 

[smiley buckeye]

Nope but I also submitted rather late (7/29)

Submitted 7/15, marked complete 7/16--still no II applied CT and MSTP!

 

[Almighty Saguaro]

I think you're spot on. I tried to explain my research by culminating the objective, hypothesis, results, and importance. I think you should be able to demonstrate this without actual numbers/stats and it would sound much more eloquent.

Thanks for the reassurance!
The project I'm describing was accepted for an abstract competition and oral presentation recently. Do you guys think it would be tacky to add this update to my research essay?

 

[Valid12]

Thanks for the reassurance!
The project I'm describing was accepted for an abstract competition and oral presentation recently. Do you guys think it would be tacky to add this update to my research essay?

My research is published but I did not mention this in the essay because it is already included in the activities on AMCAS. If you have not mentioned it there then I suppose you could.

 

[HalpSendHalp]

if you guys want another facet of the research question - if you weren't a science major and wrote a senior thesis paper for a social science, i believe that counts as well

 

[panda16]

Cleveland gets a bad rep but there's been a lot of developments in University Circle during the past four years, and it's kind of exciting to live in a place where they're always opening new stores and restaurants.

There's a really nice student run free Clinic in East Cleveland that med students can volunteer at.

And, Case is affiliated with not only University Hospital, but Cleveland Clinic, one of the best hospitals in the country, in addition to the VA hospital that's located right next to campus.

The free clinic sounds amazing, one of the things I'm most attracted to

 

[Lannister]

The free clinic sounds amazing, one of the things I'm most attracted to

I volunteered once for their syringe exchange program, it's a really cool place. I feel like I should volunteer there more, it's only like a block from Case.

 

[Almighty Saguaro]

For the research essay, what do you guys think about using phasing like "I studied". The prompt ask to describe "your research" so I feel like saying "my research group studied" makes it sound like I wasn't that involved/responsible. However, "I" just seems kind of cocky, as though I single-handedly did everything...or maybe I'm just overthinking this.

 

[Glazedonutlove]

For the research essay, what do you guys think about using phasing like "I studied". The prompt ask to describe "your research" so I feel like saying "my research group studied" makes it sound like I wasn't that involved/responsible. However, "I" just seems kind of cocky, as though I single-handedly did everything...or maybe I'm just overthinking this.

my research was independent so I used "I." If you were assisting a grad student then maybe use "we"

 

[Valid12]

For the research essay, what do you guys think about using phasing like "I studied". The prompt ask to describe "your research" so I feel like saying "my research group studied" makes it sound like I wasn't that involved/responsible. However, "I" just seems kind of cocky, as though I single-handedly did everything...or maybe I'm just overthinking this.

It is fine to just say "The aim of this study was" or "We investigated" etc. Using "we" is actually quite commonplace in research articles so don't worry about the perception.

 

[Almighty Saguaro]

It is fine to just say "The aim of this study was" or "We investigated" etc. Using "we" is actually quite commonplace in research articles so don't worry about the perception.

Yeah, I'm used to using we on abstracts and presentation but was wondering if a different tone might be better suited to a medical school application, where you're trying to sell yourself.

 

[Doc City]

Yeah, I'm used to using we on abstracts and presentation but was wondering if a different tone might be better suited to a medical school application, where you're trying to sell yourself.

I wrote about my senior thesis and so I used "I" when I specifically did the experiments, ie Western Blots, then used "we" when it was more of a joint effort where I was learning from the post-doc.

 

[redsorghum]

It is fine to just say "The aim of this study was" or "We investigated" etc. Using "we" is actually quite commonplace in research articles so don't worry about the perception.

Other than my PI, I was the only one involved in the research I wrote about for CW. In this case, should I use"I"? Or use "we" since my PI is involved too?