2015-2016 Northwestern University (Feinberg) Application Thread

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Doc City said:
@NaijaBoy0912 / @Laurel95

Given the distinctive educational philosophy and curriculum at FSM, describe how your personal characteristics and learning style would fit the institution.

Describe the coping skills (not problem solving skills) you use when confronted with difficult situations.

Describe your career plans and goals. Be as specific as your current thinking will allow.

(if applicable): If you have (or expect to have) a year or more between college graduation and medical school matriculation, describe your activities and/or plans.

(After a number of questions relating to diversity) If you wish, use this space to provide more detail about your selections above and how you would bring diversity to the Northwestern community. (Let me know if you want me to expand on this)

Do you (or an immediate family member) have an affiliation with the Feinberg School of Medicine?

All are 250 words or fewer.
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Thanks!
 
also got the email about waiving the secondary fee, applying now 😀
 
I received a secondary like two weeks ago, im ready to actually submit now after finishing a whole bunch of other secondaries and now when I try to log in it says I dont have access? And btw also received the URM please apply here email... Any help?
 
got the URM email also, deciding to go ahead and apply since they are encouraging me to
 
Doc City said:
@NaijaBoy0912 / @Laurel95
(After a number of questions relating to diversity)
Click to expand...
Hey, I'm writing the essay of the question on diversity and I will not receive the secondary app till tuesday. Would any of you be able to tell me what the questions relating to diversity were? I just don't want to pre-write an essay and see that it is completely irrelevant to the questions that come before it haha. Thanks!
 
NaijaBoy0912 said:
Hey, I'm writing the essay of the question on diversity and I will not receive the secondary app till tuesday. Would any of you be able to tell me what the questions relating to diversity were? I just don't want to pre-write an essay and see that it is completely irrelevant to the questions that come before it haha. Thanks!
Click to expand...

These are all of them (Except number 4 which didn't apply to me and I can't remember what it was now)

Essay 1: Given the distinctive educational philosophy and curriculum at FSM, describe how your personal characteristics and learning style would fit the institution. (250 words)

Essay 2: Describe the coping skills (not problem solving skills) you use when confronted with difficult situations (250 words)

Essay 3: Describe your career plans and goals. Be as specific as your current thinking will allow. (250 words)

Essay 5 (on the diversity page): If you wish, use this space to provide more detail about your selections [note: this is about your racial background, sexual identity, and social background] above and how you would bring diversity to the Northwestern community.
 
Hi everyone, is there any way to view our secondary responses after submitting them?
 
Congrats to those with II!

Sorry if already asked/answered, but how does Northwestern feel about pre-II updates? Just wanna remind them of my existence 😛
 
Doc City said:
Congrats to those with II!

Sorry if already asked/answered, but how does Northwestern feel about pre-II updates? Just wanna remind them of my existence 😛
Click to expand...

I sent an email to the admissions office updating them regarding research and they told me: "Thank you for your update. It will be added to your file for consideration."
 
omnxbeast said:
Does anyone know NU's policy/receptiveness on ITA emails?

Thanks.
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They are not receptive, I sent them one and the quickly responded with something like "no decision has been made yet on your app, therefore we cannot coordinate interviews. Our admissions policy is dadadadada"
 
I know I wrote a super bitter post a few months ago. A lot of my classmates were angry. But that is really how I felt. That said, I feel differently now and so I think that I should write another post. Life is hard in med school. It really is. You study a lot. You’re expected to juggle a lot of different things. It doesn’t always feel like you have the time to get everything you need to do done. Sometimes you fail. Sometimes you feel trapped. These past couple of weekends, I’ve felt like I can’t go home to my family. That makes me feel trapped. I know that I can’t have the social life that I want and have time to go to the gym and have time to cook. Maybe someone can, but I don't have the time to do everything. I have to choose. That makes me feel trapped. But. I also feel blessed. I started becoming more aware of it in second year. I think I opened myself up to it. I feel blessed when I sit in a class and someone opens up to us about personal issues, like addiction. When a patient lets me do a physical exam and violate the space that they seldom let others violate without even the belief that I am healing them — this exercise is simply one from which I gain, serves the purpose of my education. I feel blessed when I’m allowed to cut into a human body in anatomy lab. I don’t have to just learn about the human body from a book — I can see it right before my eyes. I feel blessed when a physician takes the time to drive out from the suburbs just to teach a small group on how to read a journal article. Because we need that skill. Medical knowledge is constantly evolving and I need to know how to take new knowledge and incorporate it into my practice. I feel blessed when I’m given a lecture on how to think clinically. I feel blessed when they teach me how to use an ultrasound, when I look into a human being’s eye with an ophthalmoscope. When I listen to a heart. When I am given the tools and knowledge to observe a human body and determine the cause of human suffering. There is something…secret and hidden about that. Some treasure is worth risking things for, is worth a journey that takes years, worth a journey filled with pain and reward. I’ve been using the word blessed, but that’s not the right word… I feel like…Harry Potter sometimes. As weird as it sounds. Maybe I did go to Hogwarts. Maybe this world is strange and overwhelming, with staircases ever shifting, with some hardcore villains — ranging from infectious to chronic disease. But I have the privilege of being a part of it. Of being entrusted with a great responsibility. My opinion on my school has changed because my outlook has changed. Yes, they do overwhelm us. And yes, they probably need to just add that four months back into the curriculum because it really is overwhelming sometimes. It does take away from our ability to develop our individuality and pursue things that are key to our individual development. I'm not denying that isn't a problem. But I've decided not to let that influence my ability to appreciate what Feinberg does give us. Little that we are taught and little that we are asked to do is actually useless or devoid of provoking wonder. It all holds meaning and it's up to me to derive that meaning from it. I think Feinberg understands that the wonder of medicine doesn't just stop at science -- we need to see the other parts of this ridiculously foreign world to become a part of it. Harry Potter has a class for spells. But there is also a class for flying, for potions, for arithmancy, for astrology, for all the "beasts," for all the herbs. Because spells are not all that there is to magic. This is a world that one must be initiated into. Sorry for the cheesy Harry Potter analogy. Harry Potter infused wonder, awe, and imagination into my childhood; I'm starting to feel like medicine is doing the same for me now. I have to give credit to Feinberg for that.
 
Thank you, @AtulFarmer , for taking the time to share so much with us! It is really important for us to learn as much as we can about the schools to which we are applying, and to hear from people with different (and changing!) viewpoints. I know that time is precious to medical students, so thank you for taking some of yours to help us learn more about Feinberg and what medical school has been like for you!
 
Does anyone know the # of applicants interviewed and then accepted?
 
Xenith said:
Does anyone know the # of applicants interviewed and then accepted?
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At my interview date, they said they interview approximately 600 people. ~25% will be accepted on the November date and another 25% will be accepted later on in the cycle/off the wait list.
 
starlite911 said:
At my interview date, they said they interview approximately 600 people. ~25% will be accepted on the November date and another 25% will be accepted later on in the cycle/off the wait list.
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So acceptances are sent in mass in November? Does that mean if I haven't received an II that my chances are getting slim? Or do they interview people after November? I was complete almost a month ago.
 
Sir.SavaLottaLife said:
So acceptances are sent in mass in November? Does that mean if I haven't received an II that my chances are getting slim? Or do they interview people after November? I was complete almost a month ago.
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They interview people after November! They have another mass acceptance in March as well, and they send out acceptances sporadically in between these two dates (I think) as well.
 
Did they tell you when in November? It is a bit strange, as they sent out acceptance on Oct 15th last year.
 
BphysDoc said:
Did they tell you when in November? It is a bit strange, as they sent out acceptance on Oct 15th last year.
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They didn't mention specifically, and the MSAR just says "November 2015". I'd guess the 1st? Or at least towards the beginning, since at my interview he said we should hear something within 8 weeks
 
Interview Day Review: PBL. Like, if you aren't sure if that learning style is for you, Feinberg might not be the place for you. There are like 7 different small groups you are a part of at once while a first year student or something.
 
panda16 said:
Interview Day Review: PBL. Like, if you aren't sure if that learning style is for you, Feinberg might not be the place for you. There are like 7 different small groups you are a part of at once while a first year student or something.
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Yes, there are a lot of small groups. We have around 7 small groups at the moment, 6 of which meet pretty regularly.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the small groups. They are HUGE time sinks. I think some of the small groups could be done away with. For example we have small group sessions biweekly for our stats class where we go over problem sets. These sessions can easily be replaced by posting an answer key online.

On an average week, we can expect to have 7-9 hours of mandatory small group sessions.
 
Sir.SavaLottaLife said:
So acceptances are sent in mass in November? Does that mean if I haven't received an II that my chances are getting slim? Or do they interview people after November? I was complete almost a month ago.
Click to expand...

Current M1 at Feinberg here. Myself and I feel like the majority of my friends here interviewed December-Febraury. A few even on the last day. So you are definitely never out of it! I know they say the second wave of acceptances is in March but for us it came mid February.
 
heebeejeebies said:
II, wow in a state of shock...

Time to plan, is there any student hosting program? If not I'll have to plan a tight window of Greyhounding in, getting to the hotel, sleeping and then getting to campus for the interview bright and early.
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Yep, there is a student host program.
 
For people who interviewed, did you guys email thank you notes to your interviewers? I wasn't exactly sure of their policy on this.
Thanks
 
NJvincanity said:
For people who interviewed, did you guys email thank you notes to your interviewers? I wasn't exactly sure of their policy on this.
Thanks
Click to expand...
I sent a thank you email to the student interviewer and hand-written notes to the two doctors who interviewed me. I have since grown more hardened by process and am sticking to exclusively emails from now on.
 
Is the panel interview with multiple interviewers and with multiple students? How relaxed was the faculty interview?
 
Glazedonutlove said:
Is the panel interview with multiple interviewers and with multiple students? How relaxed was the faculty interview?
Click to expand...
My panel interview was one M4, three interviewees. One of my faculty interviews was--hands down--the best and most comfortable interview that I've had. The other one was stiff and a little awkward. It all depends on who you get though I suppose!
 
Is it weird to send an In The Area email if I'm from Chicago, but go to undergrad out of state?
 
Lannister said:
Is it weird to send an In The Area email if I'm from Chicago, but go to undergrad out of state?
Click to expand...

If your temporary address is out of state and they know you are still attending X OOS undergraduate institution an ITA would be appropriate.
 
@resiroth PBL and group sessions seem inefficient. I love chicago and the prestige of northwestern, but the curriculum seems horrendous. I dont understand why schools are flocking to PBL, it just seems like a waste of time. The major benefits that will help your career as a physician are the group interaction which you will need when you are dealing with nurses, residents, attendings and patients. But wouldnt it be more effective to change how rotations are structured to include more on increasing group skills rather than doing this in preclinical years which is tailored towards helping students pass boards?

I'm oversimplifying suffice to say that I am not a fan of PBL 🙂 I welcome any responses, I'm in need of a good schooling (just no PBL pls).
 
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