2015-2016 Oakland University (Beaumont) Application Thread

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winterwind_23 said:
Why is my status for Letters of Recommendations still red? I have them submitted to AMCAS and they are marked as received in AMCAS! Does anyone else have this problem? Should I contact Oakland and let them know about this? 🙁
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They have to pull the letters from AMCAS separately from receiving your primary. They are probably backed up with sending secondaries out, so they haven't pulled everyone's letters yet. They haven't pulled mine either, and most other schools haven't pulled mine. Don't get worried unless a few weeks go by and they still don't show that they have them. At that point, then you might want to contact them.
 
nwts said:
They have to pull the letters from AMCAS separately from receiving your primary. They are probably backed up with sending secondaries out, so they haven't pulled everyone's letters yet. They haven't pulled mine either, and most other schools haven't pulled mine. Don't get worried unless a few weeks go by and they still don't show that they have them. At that point, then you might want to contact them.
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Thanks for the helpful response. Can I assume that they won't be reviewing my application until everything, including the letters, is marked as complete?
 
I'm a little confused on how to enter the lab portion of the pre-reqs. If my lab sections were not integrated into the lecture grade, then it asks that we list it in a separate row. Are we supposed to list both semesters there, 2 credits worth? There is enough room to do so in the course number and course title fields, but for year, there is only enough room for 4 characters. So if I took say general chemistry lab 1 in 2010 and lab 2 in 2011, would I just enter 2010? And put a comma between the grades? Did anyone else have this issue?
 
winterwind_23 said:
Thanks for the helpful response. Can I assume that they won't be reviewing my application until everything, including the letters, is marked as complete?
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Yep, that is correct. They'll start reviewing your application after they pull your letters. Since it seems like they haven't really pulled anyone's letters yet, I don't think they'll start reviewing applications for a little while.
 
orangecreamsicle said:
Did anyone use the optional additional information essay to talk about why Oakland?
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I know that many people use such optional essays for a "Why our school?" essay, but I didn't because I felt it was inappropriate given the prompt. Since the prompt asks about additional information regarding your qualifications for medical school, I felt that a "Why Oakland?" essay did not answer the question. In my opinion, my reasons for applying to Oakland are not qualifications for medical school, especially since the wording is "qualifications for medical school" and not "qualifications for the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine."

This is just my opinion, though. I have no idea if I am correct, or if I'm just reading too much into it. Others might think that this is a great way to answer the question.
 
verified on 6/10 and still haven't received the secondary 🙁
 
nwts said:
I know that many people use such optional essays for a "Why our school?" essay, but I didn't because I felt it was inappropriate given the prompt. Since the prompt asks about additional information regarding your qualifications for medical school, I felt that a "Why Oakland?" essay did not answer the question. In my opinion, my reasons for applying to Oakland are not qualifications for medical school, especially since the wording is "qualifications for medical school" and not "qualifications for the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine."

This is just my opinion, though. I have no idea if I am correct, or if I'm just reading too much into it. Others might think that this is a great way to answer the question.
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So are you implying that OUWB SOM is not a medical school?
 
nRomaleos said:
So are you implying that OUWB SOM is not a medical school?
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No, I am saying that "qualifications for medical school" indicates to me that they are looking for one's qualifications for medical school in general, not any specific medical school. When I hear, "Why are you qualified for medical school?" instead of "Why are you qualified for OUR medical school?" I interpret it to mean that my response should be something that would be meaningful to any medical school in the country. I realize that not everyone will interpret it this way, but I tend to try to respond to the prompt exactly as written, and I think that the use of the general term "medical school" instead of specifically naming OUWB indicates that they want to know about your qualifications to be a student at medical school in general.

Your response seemed rather snide. Did my post upset you? If my response upset you or anyone, it was not intended to. I was not stating that I am certain that nobody should write a "Why Oakland?" essay in response to this prompt. As I stated in my initial post, this is just my opinion about this prompt. Others should feel free to interpret it in whatever way makes the most sense to them. I am not trying to assert that I am right on this matter, I'm only stating my opinion and my reasoning for having that opinion.
 
nwts said:
No, I am saying that "qualifications for medical school" indicates to me that they are looking for one's qualifications for medical school in general, not any specific medical school. When I hear, "Why are you qualified for medical school?" instead of "Why are you qualified for OUR medical school?" I interpret it to mean that my response should be something that would be meaningful to any medical school in the country. I realize that not everyone will interpret it this way, but I tend to try to respond to the prompt exactly as written, and I think that the use of the general term "medical school" instead of specifically naming OUWB indicates that they want to know about your qualifications to be a student at medical school in general.

Your response seemed rather snide. Did my post upset you? If my response upset you or anyone, it was not intended to. I was not stating that I am certain that nobody should write a "Why Oakland?" essay in response to this prompt. As I stated in my initial post, this is just my opinion about this prompt. Others should feel free to interpret it in whatever way makes the most sense to them. I am not trying to assert that I am right on this matter, I'm only stating my opinion and my reasoning for having that opinion.
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Please excuse my sarcasm.

Just curious, because the question is on a school specific application and not on a primary applicatoon for example.
 
nRomaleos said:
Please excuse my sarcasm.

Just curious, because the question is on a school specific application and not on a primary applicatoon for example.
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Oh, okay! I just wanted to make sure that your sarcasm wasn't a response to feeling that my original post was rude or disrespectful to other applicants. Thanks for clarifying!

As far as the question being on a school-specific application and not on the primary, I understand what you're saying, but I still don't like a "Why Oakland?" essay in response to this prompt. I feel that a lot of medical school applicants (at many schools, not just Oakland) tend to try to intentionally interpret questions such that a certain response that they already had in mind would be appropriate. It's hard to say exactly when applicants have gone too far with interpreting the prompt such that their response fits. It's very possible that a "Why Oakland?" essay is exactly the type of response Oakland was looking for, but their prompt just didn't communicate that very clearly. However, I still think that the use of the general term "medical school" means that they are looking for information pertaining to medical schools in general, not Oakland-specific stuff. Additionally, the word "qualifications" makes me feel that a "Why Oakland?" essay is not appropriate. In my opinion, a strong desire to attend OUWB does not make you qualified to attend their school. Basically, I feel that the question would have needed to be a more general: "Is there anything else you'd like the admissions committee to know?" in order to make a "Why Oakland?" essay appropriate. Just my two cents.
 
nwts said:
Oh, okay! I just wanted to make sure that your sarcasm wasn't a response to feeling that my original post was rude or disrespectful to other applicants. Thanks for clarifying!

As far as the question being on a school-specific application and not on the primary, I understand what you're saying, but I still don't like a "Why Oakland?" essay in response to this prompt. I feel that a lot of medical school applicants (at many schools, not just Oakland) tend to try to intentionally interpret questions such that a certain response that they already had in mind would be appropriate. It's hard to say exactly when applicants have gone too far with interpreting the prompt such that their response fits. It's very possible that a "Why Oakland?" essay is exactly the type of response Oakland was looking for, but their prompt just didn't communicate that very clearly. However, I still think that the use of the general term "medical school" means that they are looking for information pertaining to medical schools in general, not Oakland-specific stuff. Additionally, the word "qualifications" makes me feel that a "Why Oakland?" essay is not appropriate. In my opinion, a strong desire to attend OUWB does not make you qualified to attend their school. Basically, I feel that the question would have needed to be a more general: "Is there anything else you'd like the admissions committee to know?" in order to make a "Why Oakland?" essay appropriate. Just my two cents.
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Good insight. Would you mind if i shoot you a PM for my particular approach to this question? See if you think if it is over-interpreting the question a bit?
 
nRomaleos said:
Good insight. Would you mind if i shoot you a PM for my particular approach to this question? See if you think if it is over-interpreting the question a bit?
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Not at all! I'm always happy to converse and analyze!
 
SweetCaroline7 said:
I'm a little confused on how to enter the lab portion of the pre-reqs. If my lab sections were not integrated into the lecture grade, then it asks that we list it in a separate row. Are we supposed to list both semesters there, 2 credits worth? There is enough room to do so in the course number and course title fields, but for year, there is only enough room for 4 characters. So if I took say general chemistry lab 1 in 2010 and lab 2 in 2011, would I just enter 2010? And put a comma between the grades? Did anyone else have this issue?
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How did you end up entering in the labs? Anyone who already submitted- did you fit both lab semesters into one line, or just pick one of the labs?
 
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RealCanadian said:
is it true that for GPA in the states, marks 80+ are 4.0 and 70's are 3.0?
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Lol no. My school is normally 93.5+ is a 4.0 and 83.5+ is a 3.0 with minuses and pluses in between. Average for most of my intro classes is generally about a 75 or so. That's a C, which is a 2.0. For advanced courses, it's generally between 82-84, which is a 2.67, maaayybeee a 3.0.
 
GoGreen13 said:
How did you end up entering in the labs? Anyone who already submitted- did you fit both lab semesters into one line, or just pick one of the labs?
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You should enter either lab--just pick one. It doesn't even necessarily have to be the first semester's lab. Then when they go through and do the verification, they will check for the corresponding second credit. I hope that helps!
 
I have a question. Someone mentioned earlier that the patient populations at Oakland and Wayne State differ quite a bit. Can anyone expand on that a bit?
 
chocoholicsoxfan said:
I have a question. Someone mentioned earlier that the patient populations at Oakland and Wayne State differ quite a bit. Can anyone expand on that a bit?
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Beaumont hospital and the University (quite a distance apart BTW, as the Oakland is in Rochester and Beaumont hospital is in Royal Oak, about 15 miles apart) are both in nice suburban locations. Wayne State school and hospitals are Downtown Detroit. Beaumont hospital is in fairly direct competition with U of M for patients (and actually has more beds than U of M). Beaumont use to have ads on TV/Radio about "do you have a Beaumont Doctor". The joke at U of M, "Did your Beaumont Doctor train at U of M"? Wayne State has a HUGE underserved population of all kinds of races/ethnicities. Beaumont has probably some, but nowhere near the Detroit population. BTW, at U of M, the medicaid population is only 13%. For Detroit, I'm guessing it is around 50-60%. Beaumont much like U of M.

As they say about Wayne State, "First World Medicine practiced in a third world environment". If you are interested in EM, Wayne State is the place to be, as you'll see it all. Now, Wayne State is a well established, huge medical campus and I think one of the largest medical schools. Oakland is new, and a much smaller medical school.
 
chocoholicsoxfan said:
I have a question. Someone mentioned earlier that the patient populations at Oakland and Wayne State differ quite a bit. Can anyone expand on that a bit?
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I can imagine they would be quite drastically different. OU is in Royal Oak/Rochester, which are very nice, cute towns. Wayne State is in Detroit (I think that speaks for itself). So if you are looking to gain experience in an underserved community with vast diversity, WSU is your answer.


EDIT: oops sorry, just saw the post above me already answered the question (and in much better detail). But I guess this serves as reinforcement for the huge difference in OU and WSU communities!
 
Rainbow Zebra said:
Beaumont hospital and the University (quite a distance apart BTW, as the Oakland is in Rochester and Beaumont hospital is in Royal Oak, about 15 miles apart) are both in nice suburban locations. Wayne State school and hospitals are Downtown Detroit. Beaumont hospital is in fairly direct competition with U of M for patients (and actually has more beds than U of M). Beaumont use to have ads on TV/Radio about "do you have a Beaumont Doctor". The joke at U of M, "Did your Beaumont Doctor train at U of M"? Wayne State has a HUGE underserved population of all kinds of races/ethnicities. Beaumont has probably some, but nowhere near the Detroit population. BTW, at U of M, the medicaid population is only 13%. For Detroit, I'm guessing it is around 50-60%. Beaumont much like U of M.

As they say about Wayne State, "First World Medicine practiced in a third world environment". If you are interested in EM, Wayne State is the place to be, as you'll see it all. Now, Wayne State is a well established, huge medical campus and I think one of the largest medical schools. Oakland is new, and a much smaller medical school.
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Thank you for the insider response! I got into Wayne State as a BS/MD student but elected not to go because the undergrad was at Michigan Tech. I was thinking of applying again now, but it looks like the favor Michigan residents quite a bit?

Anyway, fun fact: at my WSU interview, my interviewer asked me what I was most apprehensive about if I got in there. I said "Being a White Sox fan in Detroit." He laughed and told me then and there to expect an acceptance.
 
pink/\floyd said:
Hey guys! I will be starting school at OUWB this year! FYI, OUWB has a twitter page that they use to answer questions that you post on sdn, so definitely check that out!

Their response to the optional essay question:




Their response to "how to enter lab grades question" :

Link to their twitter page: https://twitter.com/ouwbadmissions
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Excellent post of the twitter. I'll add it to my feed too. Thx!!
 
Essay #1: How have your experiences serving others contributed to your personal growth? (400 words)

Is this question only referring to volunteering or could I also mention serving others in the form of paid tutoring and/or working as an EMT?
 
Khaleesi3 said:
Essay #1: How have your experiences serving others contributed to your personal growth? (400 words)

Is this question only referring to volunteering or could I also mention serving others in the form of paid tutoring and/or working as an EMT?
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Curious about this as well
 
I think you can serve others in a paid position, as well, but I would highlight elements that are not a part of the job description and were truly ways in which you chose to "serve" those you worked for/with. At least, I hope that's true...I had two examples and one was a paid position. For that role, I used specifics that were "extra" and not necessarily required of me but I chose to partake in order to serve others.
 
IS secondary submitted and complete as of 7/9! Hoping for an interview as this is my top choice!
 
Hey All-

Seeking some input. For the service question, I am thinking about writing about my experience helping my brother. When I was in college (I'm a non-trad) he developed substance abuse issues and severe behavioral problems. My college was close to home and I spent a lot of time trying to help him with school work, managing anger etc. It was an incredible learning experience for me although not directly related to community service. Do you think this would be an OK topic to write about for my OU secondary?

Thanks!
 
lemmonhead said:
Hey All-

Seeking some input. For the service question, I am thinking about writing about my experience helping my brother. When I was in college (I'm a non-trad) he developed substance abuse issues and severe behavioral problems. My college was close to home and I spent a lot of time trying to help him with school work, managing anger etc. It was an incredible learning experience for me although not directly related to community service. Do you think this would be an OK topic to write about for my OU secondary?

Thanks!
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I think it would be okay since the wording in the question is "serving others." To me, being of service to your family (beyond ways that are basically required of people such as doing the laundry and vacuuming the floors) is serving others.
 
I am imagine most of you guys already indicated your current activities on your primaries.

So how have you guys approached the question asking us to summarize are our current activities? 400 words??
 
I left it blank. I took it to mean that it was only if for some reason my current activities were not well-explained in my application. So, for example, if you traveled for 6 months during your gap year (I wish), there wouldn't be anywhere to put that on your application.. but they would want to know what the heck you were doing during that time if you didn't have a job/weren't going to school.

Hope that helps!
 
How do we know if we are complete?? On my application, I have green check marks next to supplementary app submitted and app fee paid. I have red exclamation marks next to LOR and app file complete. However, next to the LOR part, it is showing my letter. Soo... why the red "!"?
 
PSiloveU2013 said:
How do we know if we are complete?? On my application, I have green check marks next to supplementary app submitted and app fee paid. I have red exclamation marks next to LOR and app file complete. However, next to the LOR part, it is showing my letter. Soo... why the red "!"?
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Maybe they haven't paired it with your secondary? Give it a day or two then contact them if nothing changes.
 
Thanks @wsu11 - it's just odd to me because next to the LOR and red "!", it shows my letter and the date that the school received it. I will give it a few more days before bugging them 😡)
 
rachiie01 said:
This might be a really dumb question, but where we're asked to put course number, what exactly are we supposed to enter?

For example, if took "psych 101" is the course number 101?
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I would just put the abbreviation version that appears on your transcript. For me, it's "PSYCH 101."
 
rachiie01 said:
Just to be clear....
For "Course Number" you would enter "Psych 101" and for "Course Name" you would enter "Intro Psych"???
I just want to make sure I do this right lol.
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Yeah. That's what I've been doing.
 
I usually use the optional essay to talk about "why that school"
it seems that for this school you guys don't recommend it?
Nothing amazing has happened in the two weeks since I submitted... so I guess leave it blank?
What kind of things is everyone else writing there?
 
neonghost said:
I usually use the optional essay to talk about "why that school"
it seems that for this school you guys don't recommend it?
Nothing amazing has happened in the two weeks since I submitted... so I guess leave it blank?
What kind of things is everyone else writing there?
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From Oakland's twitter: "Clarification-when we say optional for essays, we mean it. Special circumstances and nontraditional paths only. Not for you to be creative."

I left it blank.
 
wsu11 said:
From Oakland's twitter: "Clarification-when we say optional for essays, we mean it. Special circumstances and nontraditional paths only. Not for you to be creative."

I left it blank.
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Ok I am going to as well!
Thank you!
 
MatthewDamon said:
Haha, thank you! Just for reference, LizzyM~69 and submitted secondary within the first few days.
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My LizzyM is ~69, too, but I think I may have a prohibitively low GPA. I submitted my secondary the day after I received it. Maybe I have been passed over this round. 🙁 🙁 🙁

Or maybe one of my LORs sunk my app. I had a professor ask me to write my own letter, which looking back, was probably a bad idea. I hate for one letter to sink my app. 🙁
 
winterwind_23 said:
My LizzyM is ~69, too, but I think I may have a prohibitively low GPA. I submitted my secondary the day after I received it. Maybe I have been passed over this round. 🙁 🙁 🙁

Or maybe one of my LORs sunk my app. I had a professor ask me to write my own letter, which looking back, was probably a bad idea. I hate for one letter to sink my app. 🙁
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Calm down! From last year's thread, a lot of people got IIs at different times, regardless of stats. I'm sure you'll be okay 🙂
 
wsu11 said:
Calm down! From last year's thread, a lot of people got IIs at different times, regardless of stats. I'm sure you'll be okay 🙂
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Thanks for the reassurance. Is this your first interview invite? Seems like Oakland usually sends out II earlier than other schools.
 
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