2015-2016 University of Miami (Miller) Application Thread

[rukia013]

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for the first 500 word question, about 'the one clinical experience that most significantly influenced your decision to study medicine..', would it be wrong to talk about shadowing since it asks for a clinical experience?

I think it would be okay to talk about your shadowing since you are exposed to a clinical setting and get to see patients/doctors. I don't think clinical experience is necessarily limited to volunteering/working--I've seen some people stretch that definition further and talk about a time when they were the patient... If it has really influenced your medical aspirations, then I'd definitely say go for it! 🙂

 

[grey_wind]

do we send the photo to [email protected] OR [email protected] ?

The PDF says the latter, but the email the PDF came from is the former....

 

[Yolanda]

do we send the photo to [email protected] OR [email protected] ?

The PDF says the latter, but the email the PDF came from is the former....

I sent it to the one on the PDF and got receipt of it's arrival a day later (today).

 

[catnipchips]

I did not get receipt of arrival and i sent my photo 2 days ago. Do you think it matters if you sent it from an email that is not your AMCAS email?

 

[Hupsty]

I did not get receipt of arrival and i sent my photo 2 days ago. Do you think it matters if you sent it from an email that is not your AMCAS email?

I don't know... I used my amcas email, sent it like 8 days ago... And still haven't heard back.

Edit: If anyone else thinks I did something wrong and could point it out to me - I sent them an email with the subject "12345678 Application Photograph" and attached a .jpeg
I sent the email to [email protected]

 

[Yolanda]

I did not get receipt of arrival and i sent it 2 days ago. Do you think it matters if you sent it from an email that is not your AMCAS email?

Hmm...I can see how that might cause a delay if that email address isn't listed on your contact information anywhere, but if you had your AMCAS ID in the subject they should be able to match it with you. Maybe wait until Monday afternoon and send them an email if you don't hear anything since that's where it says to send any questions or concerns.

 

[rukia013]

I had sent my photo to [email protected] on July 7 and didn't get their email confirmation until July 13 so it will take some time since they have to manually go through all the photos and match them with the applicant. If you submitted later than July 7 it may take longer depending on the number of people submitting so just sit tight 🙂

 

[azzeh123]

.

 

[Hupsty]

Ya, I just sent it to the other one that is listed on the application status too.

 

[Caffein3]

Still chugging through this one...holy moly so many essays with the MD MPH

 

[UCGal2016]

I don't know... I used my amcas email, sent it like 8 days ago... And still haven't heard back.

Edit: If anyone else thinks I did something wrong and could point it out to me - I sent them an email with the subject "12345678 Application Photograph" and attached a .jpeg
I sent the email to [email protected]

I sent mine to [email protected] with the subject: Application Photograph AMCAS # 123456789 and attached the jpg file on July 14 . I never did get an acknowledgement saying they received my photo. Currently there is a green check mark on the "Photograph Received" line.

Try sending it again.

 

[Kfranko889]

I am driving myself crazy trying to figure out what to put for these optional questions. I wrote a novel on my travel experiences, sports, arts, and student organization involvement in my AMCAS application; do I need to rehash this or is it redundant??? I saw a similar question was posed earlier but it didn't seem to be resolved.

 

[Flintwire]

I am driving myself crazy trying to figure out what to put for these optional questions. I wrote a novel on my travel experiences, sports, arts, and student organization involvement in my AMCAS application; do I need to rehash this or is it redundant??? I saw a similar question was posed earlier but it didn't seem to be resolved.

Well they are optional, and you can certainly leave them blank if they're really stressing you out, but I would advise you to find a unique facet of your experiences/hobbies/etc. and answer the questions. It's another opportunity to make yourself stand out in front of the adcoms. People always complain about long secondaries (and I'm not exactly arguing with them - some of these secondaries are really hard to fill out), but they're actually an opportunity for you to level the playing field. The secondary is about humanizing yourself. Give the adcoms a glimpse into who you are a little more personally.

I wouldn't rehash what you've already written, but try going really small. Focus on one specific story you haven't told before and draw the humanity out of it. You might feel like you've left no corner of your life unturned on the AMCAS, but I'd be willing to bet there's another story you can milk out of something you've done. For example, if you already listed your art hobby in great detail, AND spoke about what it means in your life, maybe talk about a time when you showed your friends something you made and they didn't appreciate it - how did that make you feel? Or how a small offhand comment by an art instructor caused you to reexamine the way you draw nostrils. Or how an artist friend spent all their money on tuition and ended up living on the street trying to sell their art just so they could buy a sandwich ... and that's what finally convinced you to go to medical school.

Just kidding. Don't do that last one. Even if it's true 😉.

 

[rekrul]

I don't know... I used my amcas email, sent it like 8 days ago... And still haven't heard back.

Edit: If anyone else thinks I did something wrong and could point it out to me - I sent them an email with the subject "12345678 Application Photograph" and attached a .jpeg
I sent the email to [email protected]

You lucky bastid...I wish I had your AMCAS #, maybe I wouldn't have to always keep looking it up.

 

[DrZeke]

You lucky bastid...I wish I had your AMCAS #, maybe I wouldn't have to always keep looking it up.

Hehe

 

[callmedocp]

No...if your cumulative is still trash, then that will still count against you. The admissions committee looks at everything.

For the secondary essay question regarding most significant travel... Does it have to be related to service/medicine/science or can it simply be a vacation I took with my family?

 

[Flintwire]

For the secondary essay question regarding most significant travel... Does it have to be related to service/medicine/science or can it simply be a vacation I took with my family?

It can be about a family vacation.

 

[Dr.TonySoprano]

For the secondary essay question regarding most significant travel... Does it have to be related to service/medicine/science or can it simply be a vacation I took with my family?

change your avatar, FSU 😛

 

[idkididk]

Are you guys describing the chronological shadowing/clinical/employment/volunteering activities? They're all in my AMCAS so I was just gonna say Volunteer - Location - Time period. Should I add 2 or 3 sentences?

 

[callmedocp]

Are you guys describing the chronological shadowing/clinical/employment/volunteering activities

I was thinking the same thing. I ended up listing my experiences and then writing a quick note about what I did/saw, what I learned from the exp, etc.

 

[coffee1130]

For the leadership skills essay-do you all think they looking for a specific antecdote or do you think I could write about a leadership conference I attended? I know its silly but I'm having a hard time thinking of a specific story and I talk about my leadership position in my sorority in the student org essay I don't want to be repetitive

 

[Amelie.]

Are you guys describing the chronological shadowing/clinical/employment/volunteering activities? They're all in my AMCAS so I was just gonna say Volunteer - Location - Time period. Should I add 2 or 3 sentences?

I think you should write a sentence or two.... only because I'm worried about mine haha...
I just submitted my secondary and realized after reading this thread that they want descriptions on the chronological list (why would they specify this at the bottom of a separate PDF and not in the prompt?!). All I put was the date (months/year), my position, and the organization. Hopefully that is descriptive enough for them.

 

[dataDyne2]

I think you should write a sentence or two.... only because I'm worried about mine haha...
I just submitted my secondary and realized after reading this thread that they want descriptions on the chronological list (why would they specify this at the bottom of a separate PDF and not in the prompt?!). All I put was the date (months/year), my position, and the organization. Hopefully that is descriptive enough for them.

I had that exact problem. Only saw the "very brief descriptions" on the PDF after I submitted. Not cool, Miami, don't judge me please!

 

[sunnyside987]

Yes, of you don't have anything additional don't do it. Only if you are working on manuscript, or if you have an update, I think it goes here. Copy and paste is a no no, except for a few schools that have you regurgitate your activity timeline.

I have already provided a good description of my research in the "most meaningful" section of the AMCAS app. Confused about what I should put for the "brief discussion of research experience" question. I feel like it's bad to repeat what I've already said

 

[horse__pills]

anyone else applying md/mph? 3 essay separate essay questions re: public health really slowed me down

 

[Kfranko889]

Well they are optional, and you can certainly leave them blank if they're really stressing you out, but I would advise you to find a unique facet of your experiences/hobbies/etc. and answer the questions. It's another opportunity to make yourself stand out in front of the adcoms. People always complain about long secondaries (and I'm not exactly arguing with them - some of these secondaries are really hard to fill out), but they're actually an opportunity for you to level the playing field. The secondary is about humanizing yourself. Give the adcoms a glimpse into who you are a little more personally.

I wouldn't rehash what you've already written, but try going really small. Focus on one specific story you haven't told before and draw the humanity out of it. You might feel like you've left no corner of your life unturned on the AMCAS, but I'd be willing to bet there's another story you can milk out of something you've done. For example, if you already listed your art hobby in great detail, AND spoke about what it means in your life, maybe talk about a time when you showed your friends something you made and they didn't appreciate it - how did that make you feel? Or how a small offhand comment by an art instructor caused you to reexamine the way you draw nostrils. Or how an artist friend spent all their money on tuition and ended up living on the street trying to sell their art just so they could buy a sandwich ... and that's what finally convinced you to go to medical school.

Just kidding. Don't do that last one. Even if it's true 😉.

@Flintwire, that was some marvelous advice, thank you . I expanded more on my artistic experience and hobbies, but eventually I had to wrap up this beast of a secondary; submitted 07/23 and celebrating with some serious sleep 😴😴😴

 

[anononononymous]

How long did you guys have to wait between sending Miami the photo and receiving a confirmation/being complete? I sent mine yesterday so I'm not worried yet, but it'd be nice to know how long it usually takes.

 

[rukia013]

How long did you guys have to wait between sending Miami the photo and receiving a confirmation/being complete? I sent mine yesterday so I'm not worried yet, but it'd be nice to know how long it usually takes.

It took me about a week before getting a confirmation email, but since they manually have to match the photo to your file, it may take longer depending on how many other people have submitted. (I submitted mine pretty early, on July 7 and didn't hear back until July 13)

 

[asquared]

I sent in my photo a while ago and received confirmation of receipt a few days after that. However, when I submitted my application yesterday, it said that the photograph was not on my application. The message said that I had to send in the photo to [email protected], not [email protected] that I had sent to earlier. I ended up just re-sending the photo to the new email, but was super confused by this message.

Did this happen to anyone else?

 

[canttellmenothin]

I have a "has been reviewed" message at the bottom of my status page. Anyone else have this? I submitted 7/15 ish

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

Got this secondary beast submitted last night. Just had to stop tweaking and push the button. Glad to get this one out of the way.

 

[goldy490]

I have a "has been reviewed" message at the bottom of my status page. Anyone else have this? I submitted 7/15 ish

I checked out last years thread, I think the message is a good thing. Most (not all) of the people that got it ended up getting interviews. As I understand the alternative is a "hold" status.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

I sent in my photo a while ago and received confirmation of receipt a few days after that. However, when I submitted my application yesterday, it said that the photograph was not on my application. The message said that I had to send in the photo to [email protected], not [email protected] that I had sent to earlier. I ended up just re-sending the photo to the new email, but was super confused by this message.

Did this happen to anyone else?

Yup, it is the same. I think they have to manually update the online application, as the photo was sent by email. Other schools have this all integrated. Their secondary boxes are so out of date with new user interfaces, it is a bit embarrassing that this is their face to applicants.

 

[canttellmenothin]

I checked out last years thread, I think the message is a good thing. Most (not all) of the people that got it ended up getting interviews. As I understand the alternative is a "hold" status.

Awesome! 🙂 Fingers crossed!

 

[Master3930]

Awesome! 🙂 Fingers crossed!

I got this status too

 

[GingerOrange]

How long did you guys write on those essays? There were too many of them, so I chose to write long answers for some of them, and for those questions I was not very familiar with I just put in a paragraph. I am not sure if it looks bad.

Submit 7/21.
Still waiting for a confirmation.

Edit: Got a confirmation email 2 mins ago

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

How long did you guys write on those essays? There were too many of them, so I chose to write long answers for some of them, and for those questions I was not very familiar with I just put in a paragraph. I am not sure if it looks bad.

Submit 7/21.
Still waiting for a confirmation.

Edit: Got a confirmation email 2 mins ago

Same, I wrote about 350 words for the "required", nothing near the 500 words, then 1 long essay on optionals, but mostly just a couple of paragraphs for 2 of the others. Left 2 or 3 of the optionals blank.

 

[BurghMed]

+1 to "has been reviewed" by admissions committee.

 

[OprahFTWfry]

For the prerequisites, if they consider Humanities for Behavioral Science courses, would I be able to get past that with History and / or Women's Studies courses?

 

[noflag]

I checked out last years thread, I think the message is a good thing. Most (not all) of the people that got it ended up getting interviews. As I understand the alternative is a "hold" status.

Have the same "Reviewed" Status. Where'd you see it was a good sign? i thought everyone gets that after your app has been reviewed

 

[BioEngMD]

Have the same "Reviewed" Status. Where'd you see it was a good sign? i thought everyone gets that after your app has been reviewed

As far as I know everyone gets that status after their application has been reviewed. Your application is scored by three reviewers and your cumulative score determines the order in which interview invites are extended.

 

[mauroz]

IS. Secondary received a few minutes ago, there is still hope.

 

[rukia013]

I submitted 7/15 around 9pm and mine is still under review so it looks like I'll be getting a status change soon

 

[anononononymous]

Yup, it is the same. I think they have to manually update the online application, as the photo was sent by email. Other schools have this all integrated. Their secondary boxes are so out of date with new user interfaces, it is a bit embarrassing that this is their face to applicants.

So does this mean we have to submit the photo again to the admissions.med address? I have the same issue with getting a confirmation email that my photo has been received yet my submitted application says I should send the photo to admissions.med. I have the urge to just be sure and send it again, but I also don't want to piss them off by sending them multiple photos. I'm good looking, but not THAT good looking lol.

 

[bumblebee611]

I'm a bit freaked out: I'm waiting on a committee letter than is taking forever but had one extra letter that I threw in late in the process because it seemed at some schools it would be required (and I added it to Miami when I shouldn't have, and the I couldn't undo it). Anyway, the point is that they have one not very substantial letter and no committee letter but my status says application complete and under review (and it says they have letters) ... could they possibly be trying to review it without seeing the committee letter? I actually don't want that--I feel like my committee packet will probably be a big asset to my application when it finally arrives.

 

[gyrfalcon]

What a beast of a secondary. I thought Duke's took a lot of time, but this one must have taken me twice as long. At least it's done! Good luck everyone.

 

[TwitchBeGone]

I'm a little lost on how to fill out the Prerequisites section. I know it says to not include labs in the table, but my Gen Chem series at my institution was: G-Chem Lecture 1, G-Chem Lecture 2, G-Chem Lab. If I left out that lab class, it would seem like I only took 2 quarters of Chemistry. Anyone else having this issue?

 

[Distraught]

I'm a little lost on how to fill out the Prerequisites section. I know it says to not include labs in the table, but my Gen Chem series at my institution was: G-Chem Lecture 1, G-Chem Lecture 2, G-Chem Lab. If I left out that lab class, it would seem like I only took 2 quarters of Chemistry. Anyone else having this issue?

I excluded labs, so in your case it would just be G-Chem Lecture 1 and G-Chem Lecture 2. Figure they have our primaries anyways.

I have a "has been reviewed" message at the bottom of my status page. Anyone else have this? I submitted 7/15 ish

Status changed to "has been received" as well a couple days after they received my photo. Fingers crossed!

 

[TwitchBeGone]

I excluded labs, so in your case it would just be G-Chem Lecture 1 and G-Chem Lecture 2. Figure they have our primaries anyways.

I think I'm going to leave the Lab in for now since it wasn't a pure lab class. The course was still lecture and lab. I'm going to call tomorrow and I'll let you all know what they say!

 

[musicalscientists]

I submitted my secondary July 8th. Still no status change, but whatever. Sigh....
I love this school... :3