2015-2016 University of Kansas Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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juice31 said:
I am sorry to hear that but I hope everything works out with a different school. What did you think about the interview? Anything I should know beforehand?
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Everyone is extremely nice. Throughout the day different people ask if you have questions for them... So have questions, even if they're just conversation starters. The interviewers are going to as you why medicine? Have an answer ready. They're gong to ask, "why this program?" Know everything you can about the program. They're going to give you and ethical scenario. Don't focus on the answer, focus on the process of how you get to your answer, and then tell them your answer. Breathe and smile, breathe and smile!
 
For the ethical question, are they looking for a certain answer or just want to test your nerves?
 
One of my questions "in the future I'm a transplant surgeon and I have a heart to give, I have two patients. One is an infant with Down Syndrome and another infant born with a defective heart, both need the transplant. Who do you give it to?" The catch is one of your interviewers has a niece with Down syndrome. They want you to ask questions, who got on the list first? Which has a better chance of survival? Who needs it more? These are the tough questions they want you to consider so you're not some idiot.


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Swebb6 said:
One of my questions "in the future I'm a transplant surgeon and I have a heart to give, I have two patients. One is an infant with Down Syndrome and another infant born with a defective heart, both need the transplant. Who do you give it to?" The catch is one of your interviewers has a niece with Down syndrome. They want you to ask questions, who got on the list first? Which has a better chance of survival? Who needs it more? These are the tough questions they want you to consider so you're not some idiot.


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So whatever situation you get, they just want you to ask questions? Not necessarily a right answer?
 
As questions to analyze the situation further and then talk through your though process. My interviewer said that there wasn't necessarily a right answer. They want to see that you can think critically.


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Do they allow you some time to think before you answer?
 
Well I guess your time to think is while they're laying out the scenario, and when you're asking questions to clarify the situation, your brain is scrambling for an answer. But be sure to give one at the end, after you've talked through your thought process, otherwise they'll just think you're avoiding the question. It really helps to bounce some ideas off a friend, coworker or mentor.


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juice31 said:
Do they allow you some time to think before you answer?
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In response to your questions about the interview, these ethical questions have no right answer, they are testing to see if you can logically come to a solution and defend yourself with want to see your problem solving. Almost by definition ethical problems in medicine have no right answer, there are numerous points to contend any answer you come up with. So just be able to defend your line of thought. If they bring up a point you hadn't thought of, don't be afraid to say "that's a good point that may make me re-evaluate my stance." Above all be genuine to yourself. They are very good at detecting BS.

It is never a bad idea to ask for a moment to think of an answer, just have a good one ready to go.
 
Juice31, first interview is with one person and is open file. In my opinion it was pretty relaxed. Second one is with two people, who only have access to your supplemental and personal statement. That's the interview that is more ethics-based, which is probably why the consensus on the day I interviewed was that the second interview was more aggressive. Good luck!
 
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wdr21 said:
Juice31, first interview is with one person and is open file. In my opinion it was pretty relaxed. Second one is with two people, who only have access to your supplemental and personal statement. That's the interview that is more ethics-based, which is probably why the consensus on the day I interviewed was that the second interview was more aggressive. Good luck!
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How many ethical questions did you get if you don't mind sharing?
 
For the top 10% rule accepted after interviews, is that strictly on how the interview went or does it have to do with the whole application?
 
Does anyone have an opinion on KC vs Wichita campus?
 
Anybody want to possibly split the cab fare from the holiday inn express to the airport on Thursday morning?
 
mayacat said:
Does anyone have an opinion on KC vs Wichita campus?
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I live in Wichita and interviewed there last year. It's a really small campus and almost all lectures are virtual, but I heard it is very good for rotations.......that being said my dad is a general surgeon and does take students so I may be biased cause I know a lot of the doctors.
 
A little late on this, but I got my acceptance letter two days before Christmas! Complete 8/13; interviewed 11/17. Good luck to everyone else!

For anyone else who's been accepted, have you joined the Class of 2020 Facebook group? Do you wait to be added to it or do you request to join? Looking forward to meeting you all!
 
Kgosi said:
A little late on this, but I got my acceptance letter two days before Christmas! Complete 8/13; interviewed 11/17. Good luck to everyone else!

For anyone else who's been accepted, have you joined the Class of 2020 Facebook group? Do you wait to be added to it or do you request to join? Looking forward to meeting you all!
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I think you have to request to be joined/be added because it's a private group. If you want to message me your name I can add you!
 
juice31, for me at least, it was almost exclusively ethical questions in the second interview
 
Does anyone here know if those accepted early on get a higher priority for their campus location than those who were selected from the "hold" list? I am speaking for the Kansas City campus of course!
 
From what I can recall from previously in the thread, all those accepted outright (no matter when) are at an equal chance. Those of the wait list don't have as high of priority bc they are taking someone else's (who may have had different preference) spot
 
Interviewed today. Approximately 100 spots left, and for each interview group bottom 50% rejected middle 20% deferred till march, and top 30% accepted outright. Thought I would share these numbers that were discussed today
 
Aggie15 said:
Interviewed today. Approximately 100 spots left, and for each interview group bottom 50% rejected middle 20% deferred till march, and top 30% accepted outright. Thought I would share these numbers that were discussed today
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I was thinking it was only top 10% accepted outright.
 
That's what everyone has been saying in this thread but that's not what admissions said today. So I don't know I'm just letting everyone know what I heard
 
Interview invite received today, OOS, complete early October. KU is definitely one of my top choices and I love the Kansas City area.
 
Aggie15 said:
That's what everyone has been saying in this thread but that's not what admissions said today. So I don't know I'm just letting everyone know what I heard
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Hey, it would be great news for me! I'm hoping you are right. I'm here waiting for a month like you for a decision.

And then maybe another month.
 
Aggie15 said:
Interviewed today. Approximately 100 spots left, and for each interview group bottom 50% rejected middle 20% deferred till march, and top 30% accepted outright. Thought I would share these numbers that were discussed today
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I was there today too and can confirm the above. We will also hear something by around the first week of Feb, and then it could be mid march if they're still unsure on your app
 
HollaMD said:
I was there today too and can confirm the above. We will also hear something by around the first week of Feb, and then it could be mid march if they're still unsure on your app
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Okay that is what I heard at my interview. How did it go for you guys/gals today?
 
Not bad, interviewers knew my father so that makes for an interesting circumstance. Other than that nothing different from what I have heard before although I did not have any ethics questions.
 
Aggie15 said:
Not bad, interviewers knew my father so that makes for an interesting circumstance. Other than that nothing different from what I have heard before although I did not have any ethics questions.
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I really wonder what their GPA/MCAT cutoff is this cycle. I obviously got the interview but I feel like it was only because I'm in state.
 
Not sure. I have a 31 MCAT overall undergrad GPA 3.3 and graduate GPA 4.0 so hopefully that will be enough to get me in lol I'm a reapplication so they must have liked something
 
Aggie15 said:
Not sure. I have a 31 MCAT overall undergrad GPA 3.3 and graduate GPA 4.0 so hopefully that will be enough to get me in lol I'm a reapplication so they must have liked something
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I'm around 3.4/27 so we will see. Your numbers are great, you got it!
 
mayacat said:
Does anyone have an opinion on KC vs Wichita campus?
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Wichita and KC are both excellent, and Salina is as well. From what we see of Wichita from KC, it seems the Wichita students enjoy podcasting, I'd say there's probably 10-15 of them that show up to class out of a class of 28. In KC it's much more like a traditional kind of experience. We have a bigger class than Wichita or Salina, for our class (M1) I would say we have 50 or 60 who come to class still pretty consistently. You'll interact a bit with the nurses, PT, OT, lab sciences, and so on. There's a lot of stuff that goes on on the KC campus with so many students and there's lots of ways to get involved on campus. That being said, in Wichita you get the advantage particularly on surgical rotations where you don't have to fight with as many people so there's just more chances to do stuff. And it'll also come down to where you want to live. KC is a big place which is fun but can also be isolating if you don't connect easily with people. Wichita people will complain is boring but there's lots of stuff to do if you put some effort into it. Salina you get that rural, tight-knit feel.

No matter where you are, you're in med school so you'll spend a lot of time in front of your computer.
 
scribeforlife said:
+3

🙂
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+4

About the top 30% discussion per interview group: Is this talking about the whole group of people who interview on one day or the individual groups that interviewees are assigned to on the day (i.e. groups A,B,C, and D? Let me know if my question doesn't make sense haha.
 
juice31 said:
I really wonder what their GPA/MCAT cutoff is this cycle. I obviously got the interview but I feel like it was only because I'm in state.
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My manager at KU Hospital told me the cutoff was 25 this year..
 
tibnick said:
My manager at KU Hospital told me the cutoff was 25 this year..
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So what exactly does our second interview do for us? I felt like my first one went good but my second one was great. The first interviewer is on the committee so it has all of the pull. What is the second one serve as?
 
juice31 said:
So what exactly does our second interview do for us? I felt like my first one went good but my second one was great. The first interviewer is on the committee so it has all of the pull. What is the second one serve as?
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Not sure... I'm interviewing later this month. I guess I should have clarified: I work at the hospital and am applying to the school. My boss mentioned it in my job interview, but beyond that I don't have any more of the inside scoop. haha I wish. Are you sure the second interviewer wasn't on the admissions committee? If not, maybe they just want to have at least one person "in the room" who has met you personally when they discuss your application. I'm sure your second interviewer was able to inform adcom's decision in writing (at a prior interview, the two interviewers met and discussed how my interviews went before writing their "score" of my application, almost as if it was a group decision) just some thoughts :cyclops:
 
juice31 said:
So what exactly does our second interview do for us? I felt like my first one went good but my second one was great. The first interviewer is on the committee so it has all of the pull. What is the second one serve as?
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The first interviewer sits on the committee and has access to everything in your file, including everything that is a number, and is your advocate to the committee. The second interviewer has a closed file, that is, they have access to your personal statement and letters of rec, stuff like that, but no GPA, no MCAT. It takes out bias of numerical scores. They write up a report about what they thought about you that is taken into consideration by the committee but are not voting members of the committee.
 
Anyone willing to comment on what the acceptance letter looks like? Is a regular sized envelope, size of a Manila envelope, or something else? I just want to know what to keep an eye out foror what to be scared of lol
 
Aggie15 said:
Anyone willing to comment on what the acceptance letter looks like? Is a regular sized envelope, size of a Manila envelope, or something else? I just want to know what to keep an eye out foror what to be scared of lol
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I thought they sent emails first?
 
No idea last year I got a letter but I interviewed in February so it could have been the final letter cause I interviewed so late
 
KU is snail mail unless you were early decision
 
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