2015-2016 University of Arizona - Phoenix Application Thread

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groodles said:
Admittedly the two apparent students (alum?) at UA Phoenix posting such negative and disrespectful discourse in the past few pages of this thread makes me wonder about the student culture at this university. This isn't something I've seen on forums for other universities that I've interviewed/been accepted. It makes me a bit apprehensive to pursue this option further, even though I thought the school was beautiful and put together when I interviewed there. Is there a 3rd or 4th year reading this thread that can comment on the culture of learning and respect within? A discussion through PM would be cool too.
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I'm just a 2nd year but I can assure you that this is not part of our culture and I'm shocked to see such disrespect. I can honestly say that none of my classmates would ever be so rude to Dr. Cunningham, each other or to anyone else.
 
groodles said:
Admittedly the two apparent students (alum?) at UA Phoenix posting such negative and disrespectful discourse in the past few pages of this thread makes me wonder about the student culture at this university. This isn't something I've seen on forums for other universities that I've interviewed/been accepted. It makes me a bit apprehensive to pursue this option further, even though I thought the school was beautiful and put together when I interviewed there. Is there a 3rd or 4th year reading this thread that can comment on the culture of learning and respect within? A discussion through PM would be cool too.
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medicalschool1000 said:
I was also wondering if any current student can highlight on what they think of the UA Phx faculty. At the time of my interview, 8/10 of my interviewers were absolutely amazing people but the other two were extremely rude and not in the way they were just asking tough questions. Thanks for any of your input.
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I'm not a current student, but I am a career changer with 10 years of hospital experience, 6 of those years post grad clinician. There are bad eggs in every bunch- any academic program, any job, any extracurricular activity... Any medical school will have unhappy people, just like there are mean doctors who don't like being doctors and don't like patients-- but they somehow got into medical school and became doctors anyway (which drives me crazy because it's so hard to become a doctor!). I am not discouraged by these anonymous posts. Maybe it's because I've learned through my experience that I really appreciate the team approach to provision of medical services, so having a diverse team review applicants seems like the best way to build a class and select quality future physicians... But in any case, I think the Phoenix admission process is comprehensive and fair and these posts are not valuable for the purpose of influencing your decision. In fact, if those are truly UACOM-Phx students/alum, I would say that's an example of admissions letting a couple bad eggs slip through the cracks, IMO.

Also, think about the difference between this forum and other schools' forums. 1) The assistant dean of admissions monitors and responds on this forum. 2) This school has a unique candidate review process including the MMI which isn't super widespread in US MD admissions, as well has having diverse individuals interview and review applicants. 3) Dr. Cunningham and many of the interviewers and individuals reviewing applicants aren't MDs, and there are MDs out there who believe the only valuable education is the MD. Edit: This is to say that this forum is prime territory to cause a ruckus because Dr. Cunningham will see it and UACOM could be targeted for being less traditional in their admissions process than many other schools (which I actually prefer as an allied health career changer).

It is also important to realize that the STARs, students involved in this forum, and proactive students involved with student groups and recruitment etc. are likely to really enjoy the school, so those reports will be biased in light of their positive experiences. In terms of whether or not you liked the interviewers, see discussion of bad eggs in any area above. Last year I had a horrible interview at my state school, where the interviewer was asking me things like "why do you think Hispanics are so lazy when they immigrate to the US but Asians excel at academics?" and made statements like "I don't agree with the ACA because I don't want my tax money to go to a bunch of addicts and lazy people"... I don't feel that was representative of the program as a whole, but the school responded and took corrective action which showed me what type of place that university is. Again, there are always going to be bad eggs.

As consumers of information and individuals who will have to make tough decisions forevermore, it's our job to acknowledge all parts of the information presented and make thoughtful decisions. I absolutely loved this school when I interviewed. It's the only school I've interviewed at where the actual dean took the time to speak to the interviewees, where I really liked all the current students and interviewees I met, and where I felt truly valued as a prospective student. If you loved this school when you visited, don't allow two anonymous trolls to turn you off. I mean, go wherever you want and feel most comfortable, but I won't let those posts significantly influence my decision. Dr. Cunningham has reiterated her availability to discuss concerns with these people and they aren't taking her up on that. I'd say it's more their own insecurities with professional identity than a reflection on the school or the culture of the students. They're outliers if they are even legitimate students/alum.

Just my... 5ish cents 🙂 Good luck wherever you end up! I'll be in Phoenix with the holistic folks.
 
I know the admissions process is characterized as "holistic" (a very popular word nowadays in medical admissions) and I do not doubt the intentions of the admissions committee. One thing I am wondering though is why the averages for GPA/MCAT are pretty much consistent every year at UA COM-PHX. I understand that there is a range of students accepted (including "lower" stats), but if the process was truly "holistic", wouldn't there be more fluctuation in class GPA/MCAT year to year? I have no doubt that admissions considers more than GPA/MCAT as they say, but is there a chance this is overstated, just based on the consistency of the class stats? I also find it interesting that schools only publish data on GPA/MCAT, but characterize the admissions process as holistic (I do realize that it's probably because GPA/MCAT are very easy to aggregate/publish). Perhaps schools could start to highlight activities/extra curriculurs that admitted students have participated in? In the eyes of future applicants, I think this could be interesting since it gives insight into the "holistic" nature of admitted students.

Anyways, since some posts here have been negative, I just want to clarify that I did not mean this post to be an attack on the process or people involved in the process. With so many applications, I'm sure it is difficult for them. These are human beings making tough decisions at the end of the day.
 
groodles said:
Admittedly the two apparent students (alum?) at UA Phoenix posting such negative and disrespectful discourse in the past few pages of this thread makes me wonder about the student culture at this university. This isn't something I've seen on forums for other universities that I've interviewed/been accepted. It makes me a bit apprehensive to pursue this option further, even though I thought the school was beautiful and put together when I interviewed there. Is there a 3rd or 4th year reading this thread that can comment on the culture of learning and respect within? A discussion through PM would be cool too.
Click to expand...

medicalschool1000 said:
I was also wondering if any current student can highlight on what they think of the UA Phx faculty. At the time of my interview, 8/10 of my interviewers were absolutely amazing people but the other two were extremely rude and not in the way they were just asking tough questions. Thanks for any of your input.
Click to expand...

You are more than welcome to PM me with specific questions.

I can say this is not the norm, having met many people from all 4 classes who have all been very friendly, welcoming people. Our regular faculty are also generally well-liked as individuals and treat us very nicely. Our current block director for our Neuro block actually just threw us an impromptu pizza party out of her own pocket. In case you're wondering, that's a lot of pizza for 80 students, and med students love free pizza.
 
thephoenixrises said:
I know the admissions process is characterized as "holistic" (a very popular word nowadays in medical admissions) and I do not doubt the intentions of the admissions committee. One thing I am wondering though is why the averages for GPA/MCAT are pretty much consistent every year at UA COM-PHX. I understand that there is a range of students accepted (including "lower" stats), but if the process was truly "holistic", wouldn't there be more fluctuation in class GPA/MCAT year to year? I have no doubt that admissions considers more than GPA/MCAT as they say, but is there a chance this is overstated, just based on the consistency of the class stats? I also find it interesting that schools only publish data on GPA/MCAT, but characterize the admissions process as holistic (I do realize that it's probably because GPA/MCAT are very easy to aggregate/publish). Perhaps schools could start to highlight activities/extra curriculurs that admitted students have participated in? In the eyes of future applicants, I think this could be interesting since it gives insight into the "holistic" nature of admitted students.

Anyways, since some posts here have been negative, I just want to clarify that I did not mean this post to be an attack on the process or people involved in the process. With so many applications, I'm sure it is difficult for them. These are human beings making tough decisions at the end of the day.
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It's worth noting that all schools maintain averages from year to year. This is not something unique to the school. What follows are my own thoughts on the matter, as I'm not affiliated with the Admissions Committee.

Within each class, however, there will be considerable variability. You think someone with a 24 MCAT (the leftmost tail of my class' distribution, I believe) got in on the merit of their MCAT? Likely not. That's where a holistic review process comes in and the judgment of the committee to balance the potential benefits of having this person who has demonstrated x, y, and z with the risk of academic failure. A lot of money from many different parties is invested for each of us to occupy a seat. Admissions committees are tasked with finding students who fit the schools culture and have a high likelihood of academic success, which involves balancing risk. Can you fill a class with individuals with MCAT scores in the low 20s who likely did good extracurricular work? Probably. Will they be at significant individual risk for failing board exams? The literature tells us yes. Even just having several students fail a board exam is a disaster, as that's a huge red flag for residency programs.

The averages remain consistent because the application process is competitive, and while there are people who have great intangibles, there are many individuals who have great intangibles AND solid numbers. A holistic review process does not ignore the numbers. It just doesn't consider them the be all end all, and I'm sure every class here has students that got in on a similar basis to what I described above.
 
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thephoenixrises said:
PHX. I understand that there is a range of students accepted (including "lower" stats), but if the process was truly "holistic", wouldn't there be more fluctuation in class GPA/MCAT year to year?
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This creates the impression of a false dichotomy. There are so many people that apply, I'm sure most medical schools can fill their classes with individuals who have strong academics AND are great people (meaning there is little fluctuation). A holistic process doesn't mean they stop considering numbers; it means they give applicants who have a deficit in their academics, but otherwise extraordinary experiences/personal characteristics, an opportunity to be considered. UAP has a 10th% of 27 and 3.4cGPA. How could anyone accuse them of discrimination based on numbers?

Honestly, I think that all of the negativity that appears is due to two things: UAP has the best admissions transparency of any medical school I've interviewed at. This also makes it so that disgruntled applicants can fire off cheap pot shots that they know will be seen/read. Secondly, Arizona is unfortunately a very competitive state to get a seat for residents. This is due to a variety of issues mostly related to state politics. I think this does generate bad will which is present in these threads in particular.
 
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I'm an Arizona resident and I find the process for residents in this state frustrating at times- there are only two MD programs and they accept many more OOS than other comparable public universities in other states. That being said, I think UACOM-Phoenix does an amazing job of being extremely transparent in their admissions process and I greatly appreciate that. Whether I agree or disagree with the outcome of this cycle, I don't have a single negative thing to say about the school itself or the people involved with it. I did my undergrad at UA-Tucson and have multiple friends who are now attending UACOM-Phx and absolutely love it.

After how much work Dr. Cunningham and staff have put into this admissions cycle and specifically Dr. Cunningham on this SDN thread, I think it's unfortunate to see people being disrespectful. I understand venting frustrations but being intentionally rude is just unnecessary. I personally applaud the UACOM staff for their willingness to share so much about the admissions process and keep us updated. It's a stressful process but hopefully, the first stressful step on a long stressful career of being a physician 🙂
 
UA COM Phoenix said:
We are still reviewing files for our last few seats. You will know the conclusion of the process by email; we don't "silently" release.
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Thank you. Approx how many more II will you guys be sending out? Also do you guys have a waiting list for II I imagine not everyone offered am II will accept it.. Thank you so much Dr. Cunningham !!
 
F#&$#^&&@theMCAT said:
Thank you. Approx how many more II will you guys be sending out? Also do you guys have a waiting list for II I imagine not everyone offered am II will accept it.. Thank you so much Dr. Cunningham !!
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865 remain eligible for an interview.
31 interview seats left to award.
10 will be placed in a wait list.

Tough road ahead and we will prioritize feedback to AZ residents who did not progress beyond the internal review stages.
 
UA COM Phoenix said:
865 remain eligible for an interview.
31 interview seats left to award.
10 will be placed in a wait list.

Tough road ahead and we will prioritize feedback to AZ residents who did not progress beyond the internal review stages.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for being so transparent during this process, Dr. Cunningham!
 
UA COM Phoenix said:
865 remain eligible for an interview.
31 interview seats left to award.
10 will be placed in a wait list.

Tough road ahead and we will prioritize feedback to AZ residents who did not progress beyond the internal review stages.
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These odds are better than the $1.6 billion Powerball I played this week!
 
You're awesome Dr. Cunningham. Not the odds I was hoping for, but you're still awesome!
 
So the week has almost ended.... 4:38 arizona time.... is this a no?

EDIT: LOVE ME 🙁
 
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cyang said:
So the week has almost ended.... 4:38 arizona time.... is this a no?
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Unless they're planning to work Saturday- in which case, I don't think I can handle another day of this stress :dead:
 
Hey all, I just read that Dean Flynn may be leaving the College? Does anyone know what the reasons for this may be? I really liked him from my interview day and he has definitely lead the college to an awesome place.

I am just a bit worried as this seems like a somewhat precarious time for him to be considering alternative positions in lieu of the accreditation issues?
 
order66.exe said:
Hey all, I just read that Dean Flynn may be leaving the College? Does anyone know what the reasons for this may be? I really liked him from my interview day and he has definitely lead the college to an awesome place.

I am just a bit worried as this seems like a somewhat precarious time for him to be considering alternative positions in lieu of the accreditation issues?
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He sent a message to our current students yesterday, prior to the news story going public.

Per Dean Flynn's message:

"I was asked to look at the formation of this new school and advise on leadership for building the appropriate foundation. It's important to me that you, as students of this college, have fair and transparent information directly from me. To this end, I promise that I will keep you apprised of any updates."
 
order66.exe said:
Hey all, I just read that Dean Flynn may be leaving the College? Does anyone know what the reasons for this may be? I really liked him from my interview day and he has definitely lead the college to an awesome place.

I am just a bit worried as this seems like a somewhat precarious time for him to be considering alternative positions in lieu of the accreditation issues?
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For what it's worth, I doubt the two are related. Dean Flynn and the entire UA team has been hard at work addressing the LCMEs recommendations and already submitted the necessary paperwork and changes. We expect to hear back in the coming weeks regarding the changes requested by the LCME.

But yes, Dean Flynn is awesome, and I think it's a testament to that awesomeness that he is sought after by other institutions. The fact that another new medical school wants him to take the reins and oversee growth is a compliment of the work that's been done here at the UA COM-P.
 
order66.exe said:
Hey all, I just read that Dean Flynn may be leaving the College? Does anyone know what the reasons for this may be? I really liked him from my interview day and he has definitely lead the college to an awesome place.

I am just a bit worried as this seems like a somewhat precarious time for him to be considering alternative positions in lieu of the accreditation issues?
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I thought the same thing when I saw that! I'm glad you asked 🙂 And I'm also worried- I really appreciated his presence and view on medical education during the interview. Hopefully he stays, or they find someone equally as enthusiastic about clinical education as Dean Flynn.
 
is there anyway to find out how many interview slots are left vs how many people are on pre-II hold?
 
medbunny56 said:
is there anyway to find out how many interview slots are left vs how many people are on pre-II hold?
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UA COM Phoenix said:
865 remain eligible for an interview.
31 interview seats left to award.
10 will be placed in a wait list.

Tough road ahead and we will prioritize feedback to AZ residents who did not progress beyond the internal review stages.
Click to expand...
 
order66.exe said:
Hey all, I just read that Dean Flynn may be leaving the College? Does anyone know what the reasons for this may be? I really liked him from my interview day and he has definitely lead the college to an awesome place.

I am just a bit worried as this seems like a somewhat precarious time for him to be considering alternative positions in lieu of the accreditation issues?
Click to expand...

On a completely unrelated note, I just wanted to let you know that I love your username!
 
So admissions tracker has been updated to 349 interviews as of today. I assume that means if we haven't heard anything by now, we should be expecting a rejection? Kind of an unfortunate way to find out if that's the case.
 
Akktheyakk said:
So admissions tracker has been updated to 349 interviews as of today. I assume that means if we haven't heard anything by now, we should be expecting a rejection? Kind of an unfortunate way to find out if that's the case.
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Oh no. That's an unfortunate way to find out..
 
Akktheyakk said:
So admissions tracker has been updated to 349 interviews as of today. I assume that means if we haven't heard anything by now, we should be expecting a rejection? Kind of an unfortunate way to find out if that's the case.
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How many II do they give out?? This sucks so everyone that hasn't heard is rejected?
 
F#&$#^&&@theMCAT said:
How many II do they give out?? This sucks so everyone that hasn't heard is rejected?
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At last check, the interview tracker was at 310ish. There were 40 interviews left to give out I believe with 10 of those being interview wait list spots. With the tracker now at 349, that seems like that would have been all of them
 
Akktheyakk said:
So admissions tracker has been updated to 349 interviews as of today. I assume that means if we haven't heard anything by now, we should be expecting a rejection? Kind of an unfortunate way to find out if that's the case.
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Everyone will receive a final note. No one is silently rejected.
 
I'm sorry I bummed everyone out- I was just asking a question!

Edit: I also wasn't implying we were being silently rejected- just more curious about when final rejection emails would be sent out. Phoenix has had me holding on for 5+ months, it would be nice to have some closure!
 
I'm getting a bit confused. The last interview day is February 1st, which is where the last set of 40 interviews will be given out, is this correct? Also, are people saying that those interviewees can only expect a wait list and that all the class seats are already full? Please respond ASAP, if possible, because I was just invited to interview and was given 10 days notice to fly across the country! Thank you in advance.
 
AAMM21 said:
I'm getting a bit confused. The last interview day is February 1st, which is where the last set of 40 interviews will be given out, is this correct? Also, are people saying that those interviewees can only expect a wait list and that all the class seats are already full? Please respond ASAP, if possible, because I was just invited to interview and was given 10 days notice to fly across the country! Thank you in advance.
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Our last interview day is Feb 1 and in the event you pass on the interview invitation, we have a small wait list so that we can fill your declined interviews spot. That's what we mean by "wait list" in this sense.

If you come to interview, you are interviewing for an admission offer - not a wait list offer.
 
AAMM21 said:
I'm getting a bit confused. The last interview day is February 1st, which is where the last set of 40 interviews will be given out, is this correct? Also, are people saying that those interviewees can only expect a wait list and that all the class seats are already full? Please respond ASAP, if possible, because I was just invited to interview and was given 10 days notice to fly across the country! Thank you in advance.
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If I'm reading the above posts correctly, the 10 on the wait list are for an interview, in case some individuals decline. If memory serves, acceptances are distributed across all interview days. Dr. Cunningham will have to confirm this, but the above is to the best of my knowledge.

Edit: She beat me to it. Guess I should get back to studying 😛
 
@UA COM Phoenix Im confused so internally the admissions office has a waitlist of 10 applicants? So it is safe to say that if we havent heard back were either on the 10 person waitlist or rejected???

I hope people decline their II lol
 
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Thank you! I am very relieved to here that!
 
F#&$#^&&@theMCAT said:
@UA COM Phoenix Im confused so internally the admissions office has a waitlist of 10 applicants? So it is safe to say that if we havent heard back were either on the 10 person waitlist or rejected???
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A previous recent post states "31 interview seats left to award. 10 will be placed in a wait list." So to me it sounds like there are 31 seats left. (at the time of the post) Of those 31, if people reject those interview spots, it sounds like there is a list of 10 people on a wait list, that at that time, will be offered a spot.

Good luck, I'm waiting to hear back too! Fingers crossed for us.
 
AAMM21 said:
I'm getting a bit confused. The last interview day is February 1st, which is where the last set of 40 interviews will be given out, is this correct? Also, are people saying that those interviewees can only expect a wait list and that all the class seats are already full? Please respond ASAP, if possible, because I was just invited to interview and was given 10 days notice to fly across the country! Thank you in advance.
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I apologize if my post was the source of your confusion- congrats on your interview! 🙂
 
What is the typical turn-around for acc/WL/rej after an interview?
 
She probably can't/won't comment on that because she doesn't want wait list invitees to know they were wait list invitees. There are still a potential of ten people receiving them if ten people declined interview offers.
 
dextertrip said:
She probably can't/won't comment on that because she doesn't want wait list invitees to know they were wait list invitees. There are still a potential of ten people receiving them if ten people declined interview offers.
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Okay, that is understandable if she cannot comment on that.

So, do you think that those who have not heard back yet are wait list invitees?
 
thephoenixrises said:
Okay, that is understandable if she cannot comment on that.

So, do you think that those who have not heard back yet are wait list invitees?
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I'm not sure if there is any way of knowing. They might just send a mass reject once all interview spots (including replacements for those that withdraw) are filled or all interviews are complete.

My heart is hoping that not having heard means wait list though.
 
Hello everyone,

After reading the comments on the forum since my last posting, I am pleased that people are asking questions about what a holistic approach truly means. In addition, I am saddened to hear that some have not received the news they would have liked and I hope that you have gotten offers at other places for next year. If not, try to inquire to feedback as much as you can to improve. It is hard to see now but events do occur for a reason. I think if medical school is truly where you would like to be then it will happen in someway, shape or form. Congratulations to those who have been accepted as well!

Other students and I have given our concerns about the holistic process and transparency within the UACOM-P. After working through the application process and most of medical school at this point, all of us are entitled to those opinions. This includes the students who have responded in a somewhat antagonizing way simply to criticism towards the school we all belong to. In response to those who have been calling me and other current students trolls on the forum, subsequently demanding a more respectful environment, I believe my statement in itself points to the hypocrisy of these students. For anyone who wants to read my perception of UACOM-P admissions, simply go back to December to read through if you would like. The only point I would like to reiterate is that within any institution, whether academic or not, there is a place for criticism without fear of reprisal by others. Particularly, in this case, those who cannot separate emotion from objectivity. My opinion may be shaped by my experience at this college but my classmates share a similar outlook. I will be honest in saying that there is definitely a divide between the opinions of the Classes of 2016/2017 and the first/second years. It is best to take the feelings from your interview day and the notable comments on this forum to make your own opinions. Either way do not be fully swayed by any one comment. Again, this is just a few perspectives to the experience at Phoenix.

For those who PMed me personally I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. Interviews are just finishing up and I wanted to give you proper responses to your questions.
 
AAMM21 said:
I'm getting a bit confused. The last interview day is February 1st, which is where the last set of 40 interviews will be given out, is this correct? Also, are people saying that those interviewees can only expect a wait list and that all the class seats are already full? Please respond ASAP, if possible, because I was just invited to interview and was given 10 days notice to fly across the country! Thank you in advance.
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I read it as 10 will be waitlisted for an interview...

I can't imagine they would waste their time interviewing Just to pick people for a waitlist. Dr. Cunningham told us they accept an average of 10-12 students per interview date. They accept like 120 students for the 80 seats and don't make much of a wait list because they admit 150% of the class size knowing that at least 40 people will choose other schools. If you got an II, you are just as likely to get an acceptance as people who interviewed in October. That's my understanding anyways. I'm sure Dr. Cunningham can clarify though.
 
UA COM Phoenix said:
We have just begun reviewing applications - one group will be invited for the Feb 8 interview day and the other group for the Feb 22 interview day - these invites will be sent at least two weeks prior to each day.
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Is this Feb 22 interview date no longer happening?

Congrats to those of you that snagged an II!
 
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