2015-2016 University of Colorado Application Thread

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The admissions tracker says it was updated on Feb. 1 for me, but it says only 96 offers were issued, which is the same as the January update if I'm not mistaken.
 

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I'm a CU MS4, happy to answer any questions (on the forum or through messaging)! Ask me anything at all, no judgment.

I probably would have asked about getting up to the mountains to ski and hike, etc. The answer is yes, it is most definitely doable! I've averaged 20 ski days per year each year, and I've hiked just as much. If you care enough about it to go once per week you could definitely make that happen, except for when you're on a few classically time-consuming rotations in third and fourth year (which every school has).

My classmates are great, a very friendly and active group. People are always skiing, hiking, climbing, going out, playing basketball, etc., and anyone is welcome to come, really.

Residents and attendings are great to work with, very approachable and eager to teach. If you tell them what you want to get out of working with them they will oblige in the vast majority of cases, you just have to let them know your expectations (this is probably true everywhere).

The administration cares very deeply about med student abuse and constantly admonishes us to report it if anything happens. (I don't actually know of any cases of abuse over the years).

We live in Denver and Aurora - the campus is in Aurora, but living in Denver is very doable. Aurora and Denver, while recognized as different cities, are really the same city in feel - when you drive from one to the other there is no point at which you feel you are crossing over to the other. Denver has downtown, some very nice parks, shopping centers, and cool neighborhoods, but I've stayed in Aurora all four years because a) it's cheaper, and b) it has been a great place to live. Aurora gets a bad wrap, and people have the impression that it is a center of crime or a slum, but honestly I've never seen one instance of anything untoward happening over here. I've lived in two separate places over my four years and both were in quiet, safe neighborhoods, despite being right off of Colfax (supposedly a dangerous place).

DIA is a major airport and it's just 15 minutes from campus. This point probably won't register with you but it's been extremely helpful, especially during residency interview season.

The food around here is great (Denver and Aurora). The population is very diverse, so whatever cuisine you are into, you're likely to have multiple solid affordable options within 10-15 minutes of wherever you are (Thai, Ethiopian, Cuban, Jamaican, sushi, soul food, Mediterranean...).

The mountains are 1.5 hours away, Boulder is 40 minutes away (great hiking, and everything a college campus has to offer).

The campus is one of the newest and nicest in the country (speaking from the experience of visiting places for med school and residency interviews).

Students match into competitive specialties and programs, I do believe we have the resources to get you where you want to go if you seek them out.

I really can't think of any negatives, but if I knew as much about any other med school I would probably have some ideas of things to change at CU I imagine. Anyway, you just have to figure out what is most important to you. For me the X factor is the mountains, really...the people are great too, but my impression from the med school interview process was that med students all over are awesome people. You'll probably have a great time wherever you go, and most importantly, your school will make you a doctor! Good luck to all who see this, I hope you find a perfect fit, wherever that is.
 
For those accepted on 1/30 did you notice a change in your portal? What did it say before?
 
For those accepted on 1/30 did you notice a change in your portal? What did it say before?


I interviewed 1/30, accepted yesterday. Today I received the official email and my portal says "Congratulations, you have been accepted to the University of Colorado School of Medicine, MD Program."

Before, it was just the thank you for interviewing message.
 
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Wow, so like 80 offers sent out in Jan and February, versus 96 sent out in September, October, November, and December combined! Totally fair for those who interview earlier..:shrug:
 
Ah, finally!! This is the fifth version that has appeared, most have disappeared from the website shortly afterward. Does anybody know how many admission offers were given last year?

According to their website, 184 offers were given last year. However, they only interviewed 694 candidates last year as opposed to 728 this year. Hopefully the number of offers increases this year as well? 🙂

http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/c...Admissions/apply/Pages/SelectionCriteria.aspx
 
According to their website, 184 offers were given last year. However, they only interviewed 694 candidates last year as opposed to 728 this year. Hopefully the number of offers increases this year as well? 🙂

http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/c...Admissions/apply/Pages/SelectionCriteria.aspx
I believe the website link you provided does not state how many offers were made, rather the number of seats in the incoming class. I'm pretty sure the number of offers would have to exceed this.
 
According to their website, 184 offers were given last year. However, they only interviewed 694 candidates last year as opposed to 728 this year. Hopefully the number of offers increases this year as well? 🙂

http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/c...Admissions/apply/Pages/SelectionCriteria.aspx
I believe the website link you provided does not state how many offers were made, rather the number of seats in the incoming class. I'm pretty sure the number of offers would have to exceed this.
"We generally make from 270 to 300 offers annually to fill the 184 positions before classes begin in August. "
From my waitlist letter last year. I believe they made fewer than usual last year "because they did job of selecting students whose top choice was CU," from a phone call with Dr. Zehnder. If I remember correctly it was closer to 250 last cycle. I hope this helps ease some anxiety. We may have to wait a while, but more than 7 offers will be made before August, that I know!!

(Misspelled Zehnder: got it now!)
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Wow, so like 80 offers sent out in Jan and February, versus 96 sent out in September, October, November, and December combined! Totally fair for those who interview earlier..:shrug:

I agree. It's very frustrating to have interviewed months ago and not have heard anything when others interviewing more recently have been accepted. Oh well, that's just how it goes I guess.

So, realistically, there's about 100 spots left for the 551 people post-interview w/o an acceptance? ...18% chance
 
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I agree. It's very frustrating to have interviewed months ago and not have heard anything when others interviewing more recently have been accepted. Oh well, that's just how it goes I guess.

So, realistically, there's about 100 spots left for the 551 people post-interview w/o an acceptance? ...18% chance

Does this number include acceptances from waitlist?
Thank you.
 
I agree. It's very frustrating to have interviewed months ago and not have heard anything when others interviewing more recently have been accepted. Oh well, that's just how it goes I guess.

So, realistically, there's about 100 spots left for the 551 people post-interview w/o an acceptance? ...18% chance
Wow, so like 80 offers sent out in Jan and February, versus 96 sent out in September, October, November, and December combined! Totally fair for those who interview earlier..:shrug:
The odds of admission do not change based on interview date. I doubt that the tracker is accurate, especially temporally. I understand your frustration but they are conservative with acceptances throughout.
Does this number include acceptances from waitlist?
Thank you.
Yes. Most acceptances from here on out will be from the waitlist, which will be formed in the coming weeks. Most years the full high priority and some of the middle priority waitlist has been accepted. However last year they didn't even get through the high priority list so it is hard to predict this year.
 
Have acceptees gotten information regarding portal logins/financial aid information yet?
 
I agree. It's very frustrating to have interviewed months ago and not have heard anything when others interviewing more recently have been accepted. Oh well, that's just how it goes I guess.

So, realistically, there's about 100 spots left for the 551 people post-interview w/o an acceptance? ...18% chance
I would hope that some people who have interviewed may have withdrawn from the applicant pool by now if they are holding on to other more desired (for them) acceptances. But I agree, it's not looking good :/
 
I thought they would offer a total of 300-320 acceptances for 184 spots.
 
Has anyone from 2/12 interview cohort heard anything yet?


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Really wishing they would send out the pre-interview rejection emails already and put me out of my misery.. just over here pretending not to notice all the interview dates are in the past. :whistle:

Best of luck to all still in the running! When you get in there let them know their admissions process is hella rough on the applicants. 🙂
 
Really wishing they would send out the pre-interview rejection emails already and put me out of my misery.. just over here pretending not to notice all the interview dates are in the past. :whistle:

Best of luck to all still in the running! When you get in there let them know their admissions process is hella rough on the applicants. 🙂

^^^Second
 
So for those of us who haven't heard back post interview, will we be allowed to send updates/ letters of intent once we are on the waitlist?
 
So for those of us who haven't heard back post interview, will we be allowed to send updates/ letters of intent once we are on the waitlist?

We're very much in the same boat and I don't think CU accepts post-interview updates!
 
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I'm a CU MS4, happy to answer any questions (on the forum or through messaging)! Ask me anything at all, no judgment.

I probably would have asked about getting up to the mountains to ski and hike, etc. The answer is yes, it is most definitely doable! I've averaged 20 ski days per year each year, and I've hiked just as much. If you care enough about it to go once per week you could definitely make that happen, except for when you're on a few classically time-consuming rotations in third and fourth year (which every school has).

My classmates are great, a very friendly and active group. People are always skiing, hiking, climbing, going out, playing basketball, etc., and anyone is welcome to come, really.

Residents and attendings are great to work with, very approachable and eager to teach. If you tell them what you want to get out of working with them they will oblige in the vast majority of cases, you just have to let them know your expectations (this is probably true everywhere).

The administration cares very deeply about med student abuse and constantly admonishes us to report it if anything happens. (I don't actually know of any cases of abuse over the years).

We live in Denver and Aurora - the campus is in Aurora, but living in Denver is very doable. Aurora and Denver, while recognized as different cities, are really the same city in feel - when you drive from one to the other there is no point at which you feel you are crossing over to the other. Denver has downtown, some very nice parks, shopping centers, and cool neighborhoods, but I've stayed in Aurora all four years because a) it's cheaper, and b) it has been a great place to live. Aurora gets a bad wrap, and people have the impression that it is a center of crime or a slum, but honestly I've never seen one instance of anything untoward happening over here. I've lived in two separate places over my four years and both were in quiet, safe neighborhoods, despite being right off of Colfax (supposedly a dangerous place).

DIA is a major airport and it's just 15 minutes from campus. This point probably won't register with you but it's been extremely helpful, especially during residency interview season.

The food around here is great (Denver and Aurora). The population is very diverse, so whatever cuisine you are into, you're likely to have multiple solid affordable options within 10-15 minutes of wherever you are (Thai, Ethiopian, Cuban, Jamaican, sushi, soul food, Mediterranean...).

The mountains are 1.5 hours away, Boulder is 40 minutes away (great hiking, and everything a college campus has to offer).

The campus is one of the newest and nicest in the country (speaking from the experience of visiting places for med school and residency interviews).

Students match into competitive specialties and programs, I do believe we have the resources to get you where you want to go if you seek them out.

I really can't think of any negatives, but if I knew as much about any other med school I would probably have some ideas of things to change at CU I imagine. Anyway, you just have to figure out what is most important to you. For me the X factor is the mountains, really...the people are great too, but my impression from the med school interview process was that med students all over are awesome people. You'll probably have a great time wherever you go, and most importantly, your school will make you a doctor! Good luck to all who see this, I hope you find a perfect fit, wherever that is.
Do you mind mentioning the two neighborhoods you lived in?
 
We're very much in the same boat and I don't think CU accepts post-interview updates!
Hmmm I knew they don't accept post interview updates, but I was wondering if there would be an exception to this once the waitlist is made so letters of intent can be sent. Does anyone have any insight on this?
 
Hmmm I knew they don't accept post interview updates, but I was wondering if there would be an exception to this once the waitlist is made so letters of intent can be sent. Does anyone have any insight on this?
No exceptions, they will tell you in the waitlist email


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here's hoping those of us who haven't heard yet get some good news today!! 🙂
 
How important do you guys think the Second look visit is?

I'm traveling around, so I'm not sure if I can make it
 
How important do you guys think the Second look visit is?

I'm traveling around, so I'm not sure if I can make it
It is purely to help you make a decision. If you are currently undecided and need more data points, go. If you are dead set on a school, it may not be worth your time aside from the opportunity to meet future classmates, which you will have ample opportunity for in the future. I didn't go to second look because I had a binary situation that second look wouldn't change.
 
Does this school reject anyone pre-interview...? I"ve received nothing but silence for months....
They do not do silent rejections if that is what you are asking.
 
For those of you that have successfully interviewed and were accepted to CU, would you mind sharing your admission statistics? I'm an in-state applicant that is a current pharmacist and former graduate of the Anschutz pharmacy program with a GPA of 3.75 in both pharmacy and undergrad, however, my MCAT score was very poor and I'm currently in the studying process to retake the exam. Colorado is by far my #1 choice and I'm trying to assess my admissions probability. Appreciate all advice/feedback!
 
Does anyone have an idea of how many more executive admissions committee meetings are left and when we might expect the waitlist to be established?
 
Does anyone have an idea of how many more executive admissions committee meetings are left and when we might expect the waitlist to be established?
Waitlist should be established any day now
 
Waitlist should be established any day now
Does that mean all the outright acceptances have already gone out?

Thanks for everything you post on this thread!


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I found out I was waitlisted a few weeks ago, I called and spoke with someone in admissions. I was offered a great new job and if it looked like I may not get accepted to CU (my top choice) this year, I was going to take it. Luckily, the people in admissions were nice enough to understand my situation and help me make my decision. I feel like she said that I wouldn't be officially informed I was on the waitlist until the end of March though...
 
I found out I was waitlisted a few weeks ago, I called and spoke with someone in admissions. I was offered a great new job and if it looked like I may not get accepted to CU (my top choice) this year, I was going to take it. Luckily, the people in admissions were nice enough to understand my situation and help me make my decision. I feel like she said that I wouldn't be officially informed I was on the waitlist until the end of March though...

Thanks for sharing the info. May I ask if there is a rank to the waitlist?
 
As far as I know, it's separated into 3 tiers: high priority, mid priority, and low priority. I know waitlist movement can vary from year to year, like last year they didn't make it all the way through the high priority list, but other years they may make it to the mid priority tier. I think generally the low priority is a polite rejection. I'm not sure if there is an internal rank within each tier or not though.
 
Does that mean all the outright acceptances have already gone out?

Thanks for everything you post on this thread!


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That I don't know. I would doubt it but if so the number is probably small. The problem is I don't know where the numbers stand right now.
As far as I know, it's separated into 3 tiers: high priority, mid priority, and low priority. I know waitlist movement can vary from year to year, like last year they didn't make it all the way through the high priority list, but other years they may make it to the mid priority tier. I think generally the low priority is a polite rejection. I'm not sure if there is an internal rank within each tier or not though.
Correct. I don't think there is an internal rank because they are crafting a class, but I could be wrong there.
 
Updated Admissions tracker:

Admissions Tracker
Updated March 8, 2016

  • Applications: 7,320
  • Secondary Applications: 4,784
  • Interview Offers: 728
  • Admission Offers: 176
Interesting... not as big as a jump as I would have expected. They need to make 8 more offers by the 15th, right?
 
Updated Admissions tracker:

Admissions Tracker
Updated March 8, 2016

  • Applications: 7,320
  • Secondary Applications: 4,784
  • Interview Offers: 728
  • Admission Offers: 176
Interesting... not as big as a jump as I would have expected. They need to make 8 more offers by the 15th, right?

I think you're right about the 8 more offers before the 15th. I'm just not sure how reliable these numbers are since the February 25th update had listed 177 offers already made.
 
I think you're right about the 8 more offers before the 15th. I'm just not sure how reliable these numbers are since the February 25th update had listed 177 offers already made.

Good call. I wonder if those are accepted offers and someone dropped out?
 
FYI I called admissions yesterday and they said that the committee meets again on Friday to review applicants from the 2/5 interviews.
 
Do you mind mentioning the two neighborhoods you lived in?

The area around East Middle School in Aurora, and the area around Star K Ranch in Aurora. They're not really neighborhoods I guess, just small areas within the city that feel secluded.
 
FYI I called admissions yesterday and they said that the committee meets again on Friday to review applicants from the 2/5 interviews.

Really? That seems weird because I interviewed on 2/12 and was told my batch of applicants was being discussed on 2/19, so it's strange they would wait 5 weeks to discuss the people who interviewed before us...but I haven't heard back yet so anything could be possible
 
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