2015-2016 University of Illinois Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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My mom just told me that the letter says I'm 2nd quartile.
Strange how I could be accepted into an OOS public school so early in the cycle, and then not even be close to the top of the waitlist for my own state school that accepts 70% of IS interviewees. Nothing makes any sense haha.

Edit: Lol when I told my mom I might withdraw, she was like "No, don't! What if Cincinnati burns down or gets destroyed by a tornado??"
 
Just got this portal update, not sure how to interpret it:
Screen Shot 2016-05-25 at 5.28.35 PM.png
 
Not a fan of their admissions office by a long shot, but I am glad that they give us the quartiles so we know if it's a waitlist or polite rejection.


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bananafish94 said:
Not a fan of their admissions office by a long shot, but I am glad that they give us the quartiles so we know if it's a waitlist or polite rejection.


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Click to expand...
Have you gotten your letter yet?! I feel like I'm almost as anxious as you to find out....
 
rukia013 said:
Interviewed Sept 14, IS. Placed in the fourth quarter LMAOOOOO. This school by far has been the most frustrating to deal with (from the 3 behavioral science prerequisites required to my interviewer looking at the wrong candidate's file and compromising the notes he took during my interview to calling admissions and them telling me very clearly that a decision was made when it was not, etc.) and honestly at this point I don't know if I would want to come here even if I was accepted.
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I'm right there with you. Interviewed in December and heard nothing for months and placed in the 4th quartile... Even after high praise from 2 interviewers saying I would be an excellent fit for UIC. However, my downfall may have been telling them that I could only be in Chicago due to personal reasons.

I interviewed at 7 schools (9 II) and this one was by far the least organized and transparent.

Very glad I can come one step closer to finally knowing where I'm going next year. To all of you neurotic people reading this for next years cycle... remember that the UIC admissions process is a ****-show. The people on the phone know nothing, the portal shows nothing, and we all know nothing.😉
 
Bromine89 said:
I'm right there with you. Interviewed in December and heard nothing for months and placed in the 4th quartile... Even after high praise from 2 interviewers saying I would be an excellent fit for UIC. However, my downfall may have been telling them that I could only be in Chicago due to personal reasons.

I interviewed at 7 schools (9 II) and this one was by far the least organized and transparent.

Very glad I can come one step closer to finally knowing where I'm going next year. To all of you neurotic people reading this for next years cycle... remember that the UIC admissions process is a ****-show. The people on the phone know nothing, the portal shows nothing, and we all know nothing.😉
Click to expand...

It makes me feel better that such an excellent applicant is also on the waitlist!


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Lannister said:
Also waitlisted. Might end up withdrawing.

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Click to expand...

Why? Might as well play it out and see what happens. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

rukia013 said:
Interviewed Sept 14, IS. Placed in the fourth quarter LMAOOOOO. This school by far has been the most frustrating to deal with (from the 3 behavioral science prerequisites required to my interviewer looking at the wrong candidate's file and compromising the notes he took during my interview to calling admissions and them telling me very clearly that a decision was made when it was not, etc.) and honestly at this point I don't know if I would want to come here even if I was accepted.

I'm sorry @bananafish94 that I didn't get accepted because you know I would have withdrawn in hopes that it would go to you.

Aaand with that I have finally heard back from all my interviewed schools; I'll definitely be withdrawing from the alternate list (too bad I can't stick them in 'Decision Pending' lol)--East Coast here I come! 😀
Click to expand...

Yep. This was why I withdrew. I have had heard too many instances such as this from my peers, older friends, etc from this administration.

bananafish94 said:
Just got this portal update, not sure how to interpret it:
View attachment 204256
Click to expand...

bananafish94 said:
I have not. However, I just checked and received the following portal update:
View attachment 204267
Click to expand...
Ok I honestly can't tell anymore banana...
 
Bromine89 said:
I'm right there with you. Interviewed in December and heard nothing for months and placed in the 4th quartile... Even after high praise from 2 interviewers saying I would be an excellent fit for UIC. However, my downfall may have been telling them that I could only be in Chicago due to personal reasons.

I interviewed at 7 schools (9 II) and this one was by far the least organized and transparent.

Very glad I can come one step closer to finally knowing where I'm going next year. To all of you neurotic people reading this for next years cycle... remember that the UIC admissions process is a ****-show. The people on the phone know nothing, the portal shows nothing, and we all know nothing.😉
Click to expand...
I think they need to up the capacity at Chicago, or shift things around a bit...considering that their AMCAS title is "University of Illinois at CHICAGO", I think it's a bit of a bait and switch to be like "lol sorry you wanted Chicago but Rockford is just as good we promise, it's such a happening place"
 
Abubobworth said:
I think they need to up the capacity at Chicago, or shift things around a bit...considering that their AMCAS title is "University of Illinois at CHICAGO", I think it's a bit of a bait and switch to be like "lol sorry you wanted Chicago but Rockford is just as good we promise, it's such a happening place"
Click to expand...
Hahaha no matter how they put it, it's not. It's not BAD, but it's not for the people who would like to be in CHicago but got placed in Rockford. Not even comparable.
 
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Abubobworth said:
I think they need to up the capacity at Chicago, or shift things around a bit...considering that their AMCAS title is "University of Illinois at CHICAGO", I think it's a bit of a bait and switch to be like "lol sorry you wanted Chicago but Rockford is just as good we promise, it's such a happening place"
Click to expand...

UIC is already one of the largest schools in the country; if anything, they should increase capacity at the other sites to make it equal to Chicago. And the official title of the school is "University of Illinois College of Medicine". Anyone who applies to the school thinking they'll get into the Chicago site hasn't done their research. Illinois residents should feel lucky to even have access to a public medical school of this size.
 
teatime4449 said:
How many people are in each quartile?
Click to expand...

No clue. I was planning to call admissions and ask a few general questions, including the size of each quartile, but they told me they aren't answering questions again until tomorrow.

MSAR says UICOM gives 60-80 waitlists each year, so I would guess 15-20 people each quartile. MSAR does not say how many people are accepted from the waitlist on average.
 
frenvedd said:
UIC is already one of the largest schools in the country; if anything, they should increase capacity at the other sites to make it equal to Chicago. And the official title of the school is "University of Illinois College of Medicine". Anyone who applies to the school thinking they'll get into the Chicago site hasn't done their research. Illinois residents should feel lucky to even have access to a public medical school of this size.
Click to expand...
I did my research, and came to the conclusion that, being a city boy with no car and no license and a desire to work in urban emergency medicine, Chicago is the only campus that'll work for me. I wish there were a way to express site preferences during the application process, as it'd save everyone time. It's great that UIC has the UPR sites, and especially that there are the rural med programs, but they're not for everyone.
 
Abubobworth said:
I did my research, and came to the conclusion that, being a city boy with no car and no license and a desire to work in urban emergency medicine, Chicago is the only campus that'll work for me. I wish there were a way to express site preferences during the application process, as it'd save everyone time. It's great that UIC has the UPR sites, and especially that there are the rural med programs, but they're not for everyone.
Click to expand...
Then maybe you should have applied to UMED. Unfortunately, med schools aren't like Chipotle burritos; you don't get to customize it however you want. Ultimately, the purpose of the school is to produce physicians that will serve the state of Illinois in the best possible way, and this is what they've done. When you consider that 1/5 IL doctors has a UIC med school education, you see that they've actually done a pretty good job at achieving this goal. They don't exist to serve us, the applicants. They exist to serve the people of Illinois.
 
Abubobworth said:
I did my research, and came to the conclusion that, being a city boy with no car and no license and a desire to work in urban emergency medicine, Chicago is the only campus that'll work for me. I wish there were a way to express site preferences during the application process, as it'd save everyone time. It's great that UIC has the UPR sites, and especially that there are the rural med programs, but they're not for everyone.
Click to expand...

I'm not arguing which campus is better. In fact, I wouldn't go to UIC if I wasn't at the Chicago campus personally. But the size of the Chicago class alone is comparable to other medical schools so there's no reason they should increase it. If someone wants to get placed into Chicago, they know what they need to do to maximize those chances: apply early, interview early and well, and have a good application/qualifications
 
frenvedd said:
I'm not arguing which campus is better. In fact, I wouldn't go to UIC if I wasn't at the Chicago campus personally. But the size of the Chicago class alone is comparable to other medical schools so there's no reason they should increase it. If someone wants to get placed into Chicago, they know what they need to do to maximize those chances: apply early, interview early and well, and have a good application/qualifications
Click to expand...
Fair enough. Yeah I had a hectic summer last year, so even though my portfolio is strong, submitting in August probably didn't help.
 
chocoholicsoxfan said:
Then maybe you should have applied to UMED. Unfortunately, med schools aren't like Chipotle burritos; you don't get to customize it however you want. Ultimately, the purpose of the school is to produce physicians that will serve the state of Illinois in the best possible way, and this is what they've done. When you consider that 1/5 IL doctors has a UIC med school education, you see that they've actually done a pretty good job at achieving this goal. They don't exist to serve us, the applicants. They exist to serve the people of Illinois.
Click to expand...
Of course they don't. But just because he wants to stay in Chicago doesn't mean he has to apply to a program he may not have interest in? That just comes off as unusually dismissive of his situation.
 
oshanimalia said:
Yep. This was why I withdrew. I have had heard too many instances such as this from my peers, older friends, etc from this administration.
Click to expand...
I told my parents I was gonna withdraw and they told me to just ride it out "because you never know!" even though I would not come here over my current acceptance. They're like "well what if the other school accidentally sent you the acceptance and later this summer they'll rescind on their offer?" They're telling me that I need to stop burning my bridges...even if I don't ever plan to cross them 🙄

On the plus side, if it turns into an acceptance I'll give it to @bananafish94
 
rukia013 said:
I told my parents I was gonna withdraw and they told me to just ride it out "because you never know!" even though I would not come here over my current acceptance. They're like "well what if the other school accidentally sent you the acceptance and later this summer they'll rescind on their offer?" They're telling me that I need to stop burning my bridges...even if I don't ever plan to cross them 🙄

On the plus side, if it turns into an acceptance I'll give it to @bananafish94
Click to expand...
From a game theory perspective it makes no sense for somebody to withdraw their application. Hopefully all of us will get in off the waitlist.
 
bananafish94 said:
From a game theory perspective it makes no sense for somebody to withdraw their application. Hopefully all of us will get in off the waitlist.
Click to expand...
Well I would withdraw out of courtesy for others who want to go here in order to help the process along--at this point adcoms are looking for fill their seats for good so if I have no intention of going even if granted an offer, it is better that I withdraw. I've got my fingers and toes crossed for you and I really hope you get an acceptance!! #TeamBananafish2k16
 
rukia013 said:
Well I would withdraw out of courtesy for others who want to go here in order to help the process along--at this point adcoms are looking for fill their seats for good so if I have no intention of going even if granted an offer, it is better that I withdraw. I've got my fingers and toes crossed for you and I really hope you get an acceptance!! #TeamBananafish2k16
Click to expand...
You are a good person!
 
I mean, for the record, if I get off of a waitlist I am going to withdraw my application everywhere else. But that's just my personal philosophy--it's not logical.
 
bananafish94 said:
I mean, for the record, if I get off of a waitlist I am going to withdraw my application everywhere else. But that's just my personal philosophy--it's not logical.
Click to expand...
I want to withdraw my application from places that I would not consider over my current acceptance but my parents are so scared that my acceptance was a fluke ("what if it's like one of those accidental mass acceptance emails and they didn't mean to pull you off the waitlist?!") so they want me to stay on said waitlists as a safeguard lol
 
If we're being honest, I'm holding onto my first quartile waitlist spot so when people ask me "Why did you choose your school?", my answer isn't "They were the only one to accept me."

There's also the highly unlikely possibility of a large scholarship.
 
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Alternate Second Quartile. Decision Pending since early December. LOLOLOLOLLLLLLLLL. It would have made life so much easier if I had been accepted here, sigh . . . will most likely be withdrawing since I am lucky enough to have other options.
 
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For clarity and for people reading this thread next application cycle...

UIC did not give out any post-II rejections until April and those rejections were for people interviewed in March & April. If you were rejected earlier than April there is a possibility to getting invited to apply for their post-bacc. All flat out rejections before April were all pre-II (I think). So once you were interviewed early you were either accepted, "decision pending" status until May that turns into a wait-listed, or invited to post-bacc.

Has anyone been rejected post-II and not invited to the post-bac? Maybe those people are just not on this thread.

My theory is that if you are not rejected pre-II, post-interview you are either accepted, wait-listed or invited to apply for post-bacc.
 
I called admissions to ask a few questions - here is what I learned, maybe this will help guide your decision making as well:
  • They cannot tell us the size of each quartile
  • They cannot tell us if UICOM overfilled their seats
  • They will not accept letters of intent
  • Waitlist movement typically starts in early June and is mostly done by the end of June, which seems consistent with previous years' SDN threads
 
FlipOneSock said:
I called admissions to ask a few questions - here is what I learned, maybe this will help guide your decision making as well:
  • They cannot tell us the size of each quartile
  • They cannot tell us if UICOM overfilled their seats
  • They will not accept letters of intent
  • Waitlist movement typically starts in early June and is mostly done by the end of June, which seems consistent with previous years' SDN threads
Click to expand...
So we're best off applying for AMCAS 2017, just so we're not screwed if they don't notify until mid July that we're not getting off the waitlist
 
FlipOneSock said:
I called admissions to ask a few questions - here is what I learned, maybe this will help guide your decision making as well:
  • They cannot tell us the size of each quartile
  • They cannot tell us if UICOM overfilled their seats
  • They will not accept letters of intent
  • Waitlist movement typically starts in early June and is mostly done by the end of June, which seems consistent with previous years' SDN threads
Click to expand...

thank you for calling and letting us know!
 
reesegclark said:
For clarity and for people reading this thread next application cycle...

UIC did not give out any post-II rejections until April and those rejections were for people interviewed in March & April. If you were rejected earlier than April there is a possibility to getting invited to apply for their post-bacc. All flat out rejections before April were all pre-II (I think). So once you were interviewed early you were either accepted, "decision pending" status until May that turns into a wait-listed, or invited to post-bacc.

Has anyone been rejected post-II and not invited to the post-bac? Maybe those people are just not on this thread.

My theory is that if you are not rejected pre-II, post-interview you are either accepted, wait-listed or invited to apply for post-bacc.
Click to expand...

Huh. I would've thought that "quartile" implies equal groups of four, but go figure.


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Hopefully819 said:
I think I read somewhere that says as long as you have it all done before orientation. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. As for Hep B, you just have to be in the process of getting it since we have to wait 6 months between the second and third shots.
Click to expand...
Do you by any chance remember where you read this?
 
frenvedd said:
UIC is already one of the largest schools in the country; if anything, they should increase capacity at the other sites to make it equal to Chicago. And the official title of the school is "University of Illinois College of Medicine". Anyone who applies to the school thinking they'll get into the Chicago site hasn't done their research. Illinois residents should feel lucky to even have access to a public medical school of this size.
Click to expand...
I don't think anyone is applying to UIC thinking they will for sure get into the Chicago campus. Additionally, for the number of applicants in IL, the size of UIC and SIU is pretty weak compared to other state schools around the country.

Personally, I took the risk applying here hoping to get placed in Chicago, but that doesn't seem like it will happen. If we are all being honest, unless you have family or friends at their other locations, the Chicago campus is more favorable for most applicants. However, I can't complain too much because I'll likely be right next door at a program that I got a much better feeling from.
 
Has anyone heard back from appealing for a site reassignment? Just curious if that has already begun, or will pick up in the upcoming weeks with the waitlist just being formed.
 
jih said:
Where did you get those dates? I am on the UPR track and they say that immunizations need to be completed by orientation.
Click to expand...
So the July 1st dates from Pamela Slaughter over the phone and the August 9th from the website. Please correct me if I am wrong..
 
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