2016-2017 Medical College of Georgia Application Thread

[cytochromeg]

Same, and it lists all of mine as being received which is really weird. I think I'm going to call tomorrow.

It's still that way for me. I spoke to someone who applied to schools last year, and he said that people were getting interview invitations with the exclamation point still on their status page. I'm also thinking about calling them to understand what's going on.

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[ImmovableMover]

Submitted secondary!

I don't think I have to worry about my tuition/GA residency documents yet, right? I'll have to worry about that after the interview and the hopeful acceptance.

And does anyone know if MCG does any sort of merit aid?

 

[Prilozack]

I'm OOS and haven't been issued a secondary. Do any OOS students have a secondary invite yet?

 

[kbat]

Submitted secondary!

I don't think I have to worry about my tuition/GA residency documents yet, right? I'll have to worry about that after the interview and the hopeful acceptance.

And does anyone know if MCG does any sort of merit aid?

I actually called today and they said they'll send a list of documents that you're missing when you get your interview and you can submit them at that time!

I know they have 6 Harrison scholars per year (3 full scholarships and 3 partial) but I don't know any others off the top or if there are others.

 

[ImmovableMover]

I actually called today and they said they'll send a list of documents that you're missing when you get your interview and you can submit them at that time!

I know they have 6 Harrison scholars per year (3 full scholarships and 3 partial) but I don't know any others off the top or if there are others.

Thanks @kbat!

 

[Apophis]

It's still that way for me. I spoke to someone who applied to schools last year, and he said that people were getting interview invitations with the exclamation point still on their status page. I'm also thinking about calling them to understand what's going on.

I called today and they said someone would change it after taking down my information

 

[Apophis]

For the "if applicable..." prompt, I don't have anything to report that I haven't already said. Is it ok to leave it blank? I answered all the other prompts completely.

Samezies. That's what I ended up doing

 

[UWBadgerGirl]

Have any OOS received a secondary yet?

 

[rrr3]

Nope


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[Prilozack]

Still haven't received a secondary...hmmmm...

And is this secondary free this year?

 

[ImmovableMover]

Still haven't received a secondary...hmmmm...

And is this secondary free this year?

Yes, it's free.

 

[DOrocker0930]

"Please describe the geographical setting in which you think you would most like to practice following medical training. Include the following information if known: The state or region of the country, the name of the county and town."

How is this secondary essay not completely ridiculous? How am I supposed to know where? No pre-med should have the gall to confidently make the decision of where they would want to practice medicine DOWN TO AN EXACT TOWN at this moment in their careers. That'd be presumptions, just like saying "I want to be a pediatric neurosurgeon" when you're a sophomore in college.

Does anyone else feel that this question just wants us to BS stuff about diverse patient populations or medically underserved locations in Georgia? Let's say I honestly wanted to practice in Manhattan after medical school or residency. I wouldn't feel comfortable answering as such.

This is the ONLY secondary essay question? What is the character limit? I am from CA and don't know much outside of my state. What am I supposed to say?? HELP!

 

[ImmovableMover]

This is the ONLY secondary essay question? What is the character limit? I am from CA and don't know much outside of my state. What am I supposed to say?? HELP!

No, there are a couple more essay questions. The limit for the where do you want to practice question is 400 words.

If you're from CA, why are you applying to MCG, if you don't mind my asking? They're looking for people to serve as physicians in Georgia, and they're not too friendly with OOS applicants, other than from nearby Southern states, e.g. Alabama.

Please describe the exposure you have had to the medical profession (ex. summer program, clinical shadowing experience, ER scribe, previous degrees or certificate programs, etc.):

The Admissions Committee regards the diversity of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. The Committee strongly encourages you to share unique, personally important, and/or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, region of residence with respect to its health professional needs, ties to MCG Medical College of Georgia, culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or life and/or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine.

If applicable, indicate any special experiences, unusual factors or other information you have not already addressed that you feel the Admissions Committee should consider when evaluating your application. If you have had any academic problems or unevenness in your academic performance, please address that here as well:

 

[DOrocker0930]

No, there are a couple more essay questions. The limit for the where do you want to practice question is 400 words.

If you're from CA, why are you applying to MCG, if you don't mind my asking? They're looking for people to serve as physicians in Georgia, and they're not too friendly with OOS applicants, other than from nearby Southern states, e.g. Alabama.

Please describe the exposure you have had to the medical profession (ex. summer program, clinical shadowing experience, ER scribe, previous degrees or certificate programs, etc.):

The Admissions Committee regards the diversity of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. The Committee strongly encourages you to share unique, personally important, and/or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, region of residence with respect to its health professional needs, ties to MCG Medical College of Georgia, culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or life and/or work experiences. Please discuss how such factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine.

If applicable, indicate any special experiences, unusual factors or other information you have not already addressed that you feel the Admissions Committee should consider when evaluating your application. If you have had any academic problems or unevenness in your academic performance, please address that here as well:

Thank you!!! You didn't write the word/character limits for these other questions though.

Actually I applied to basically any school within my MCAT score range. Since I have 498, and I know their median is around 500 according to MSAR, I was willing to bet they would not judge my score too harshly. However, I did just take the MCAT a second time and waiting for the scores to arrive Aug. 9th. So do you think its worth submitting the secondary app in my case, because the problem is these schools never explicitly mention anywhere before you turn in their primary that they're looking for people with ties to their state and region. They just want my $$$ I feel like every state has an in-state bias except California where I am from. Not fair!

 

[SusieCarmichael]

Thank you!!! You didn't write the word/character limits for these other questions though.

Actually I applied to basically any school within my MCAT score range. Since I have 498, and I know their median is around 500 according to MSAR, I was willing to bet they would not judge my score too harshly. However, I did just take the MCAT a second time and waiting for the scores to arrive Aug. 9th. So do you think its worth submitting the secondary app in my case, because the problem is these schools never explicitly mention anywhere before you turn in their primary that they're looking for people with ties to their state and region. They just want my $$$ I feel like every state has an in-state bias except California where I am from. Not fair!

When I interviewed back in February there actually was a guy interviewing that was also from California. I'm not sure if he got in or not but I feel that the fact that he even got an interview that late in the game counted for something. I remember him saying that he had no explicit ties to Georgia, but with that being said he was URM and I don't know what his stats or EC's were. In the end, you never know what could happen and it wouldn't hurt to submit one anyway.

 

[ImmovableMover]

Thank you!!! You didn't write the word/character limits for these other questions though.

Actually I applied to basically any school within my MCAT score range. Since I have 498, and I know their median is around 500 according to MSAR, I was willing to bet they would not judge my score too harshly. However, I did just take the MCAT a second time and waiting for the scores to arrive Aug. 9th. So do you think its worth submitting the secondary app in my case, because the problem is these schools never explicitly mention anywhere before you turn in their primary that they're looking for people with ties to their state and region. They just want my $$$ I feel like every state has an in-state bias except California where I am from. Not fair!

Oh, sorry! They're all 400 words. And yeah, go for it and do the secondary. It's not too long and it's free. Good luck on your second MCAT score, man!

 

[desiredmembername123]

.

 

[ImmovableMover]

.

Why do you need to bump this thread for, haha?

 

[rrr3]

Received OOS secondary!


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[ImmovableMover]

Hey guys, I received a secondary today and have a question about the LOE's. It says I need to have the first letter be from "Pre-Medical Advisor / Chairman OR Person representing a Letter Packet" but my school does not do letter packets. I am not that close to the Pre-Med advisor to ask for a strong letter without it being very generic. Could I just use individual letters?

Yes. I called the admissions office and they told me if your school doesn't have a committee or does letter packets, you can just send three (or more) individual letters. In the letter packet spot on the secondary, you can just put the name of an individual.

 

[fizzle_22]

So i just submitted my primary 2 days ago and received the secondary application today!!! wtf! Has this happened to anybody else. I'm so excited.

 

[SusieCarmichael]

So i just submitted my primary 2 days ago and received the secondary application today!!! wtf! Has this happened to anybody else. I'm so excited.

Yep! MCG sends out their secondary without verification of the Primary.

 

[fizzle_22]

Yep! MCG sends out their secondary without verification of the Primary.

I was actually looking forward to having some down time but I guess not lol. I'm pumped regardless


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[SusieCarmichael]

You can take some down time AFTER you're a doctor! Lol.

 

[MD2B_2016]

After extensive scrolling through last cycle's thread, it looks like ED started getting interviews in August, acceptances in September. For RD they started seeing interview invites in September but didn't really hear back on acceptances until late November (around Thanksgiving)...even the ones who interviewed Sept/Oct. I'm not sure how accurate this is though, because it looks like they had a lot of technology problems last cycle-especially in the beginning. Does this coincide with what others are hearing?

 

[ksturdy]

I called today and they said someone would change it after taking down my information

Did your red exclamation points ever get fixed? I noticed that mine were still red yesterday even though my letters were in AMCAS before I even received my secondary. I'm stressing out about it! I don't want my application to get delayed just because of a computer glitch.

 

[ImmovableMover]

I just called the admissions office and talked to a lady who manually changed it from the red exclamation to the green checkmark. I don't know if having the red exclamation for the LORs tells the system that your app isn't finished yet (when it really is), but I called, just in case.

 

[DOrocker0930]

Do you have the upload all the documents like Georgia driver's license, tax forms, utility bills, etc. on the secondary app if you are OOS? So I am gonna have to do that for my hometown and state correct? But I can't choose to leave that section blank?

 

[ksturdy]

I spoke with admissions today (very nice people, BTW) and was told that the red exclamation point is nothing to worry about for regular decision applicants. It just means they haven't reviewed your application yet because they are focusing on ED applicants right now in order to get those people finished.

 

[DOrocker0930]

How am I supposed to write 400 words on this:

Please describe the geographical setting in which you think you would most like to practice following medical training. Include the following information if known: The state or region of the country, the name of the county and town.

How in detail are you guys going into this question? What if I say San Francisco, CA?

 

[ImmovableMover]

How am I supposed to write 400 words on this:

Please describe the geographical setting in which you think you would most like to practice following medical training. Include the following information if known: The state or region of the country, the name of the county and town.

How in detail are you guys going into this question? What if I say San Francisco, CA?

I don't think they expect most people to fill up 400 words for this prompt. Are you an IS applicant? Then I think it'd be wise to talk about practicing in Georgia. My response talked about my interests briefly (underserved, culturally diverse communities) and how practicing in X would allow me to best fulfill my interests, with X being a general area/city in Georgia.

Obviously, no matter how much you might want to practice in San Francisco, CA, I don't think it'd be wise to say that as it's opposed to the mission of MCG.

 

[Apophis]

Did your red exclamation points ever get fixed? I noticed that mine were still red yesterday even though my letters were in AMCAS before I even received my secondary. I'm stressing out about it! I don't want my application to get delayed just because of a computer glitch.

Nope still red.

 

[NeuResurgens]

How am I supposed to write 400 words on this:

Please describe the geographical setting in which you think you would most like to practice following medical training. Include the following information if known: The state or region of the country, the name of the county and town.

How in detail are you guys going into this question? What if I say San Francisco, CA?

I filled like only half the space after name dropping the small suburban town in Georgia that I grew up in and describing what I loved about it.

 

[DOrocker0930]

I filled like only half the space after name dropping the small suburban town in Georgia that I grew up in and describing what I loved about it.

Ok I will do something similar, except I can't name a town in Georgia since I am OOS. That's a huge disadvantage for me I feel but hey the secondary app fee is $0 so why not give it a shot?

 

[DOrocker0930]

I don't think they expect most people to fill up 400 words for this prompt. Are you an IS applicant? Then I think it'd be wise to talk about practicing in Georgia. My response talked about my interests briefly (underserved, culturally diverse communities) and how practicing in X would allow me to best fulfill my interests, with X being a general area/city in Georgia.

Obviously, no matter how much you might want to practice in San Francisco, CA, I don't think it'd be wise to say that as it's opposed to the mission of MCG.

Except I am from OOS CA so I can't exactly state a town in Georgia because I wouldn't know the first thing about it. So I though San Francisco because it has medical undersserved population with high numbers of homeless. Or maybe I should choose a less well known city (more rural) so it seems more aligned with MSG mission...but yea it's risky and i'm applying because secondary is free.

 

[Apophis]

Except I am from OOS CA so I can't exactly state a town in Georgia because I wouldn't know the first thing about it. So I though San Francisco because it has medical undersserved population with high numbers of homeless. Or maybe I should choose a less well known city (more rural) so it seems more aligned with MSG mission...but yea it's risky and i'm applying because secondary is free.

I'd say it aligns with half of their mission. The other half is training physicians who want to stay in GA, since the entire state is pretty medically underserved and the largest city, Atlanta, has a large medically underserved populations throughout. Also MCG is pretty much the only in state med school

 

[studentdr12]

Are the OOS students accepted here those with higher stats (>508MCAT, 3.7 GPA) vs IS, or is there no significant difference between the two?

 

[Thoroughbred_Med]

Are the OOS students accepted here those with higher stats (>508MCAT, 3.7 GPA) vs IS, or is there no significant difference between the two?

Perhaps, but even more important than stats is your desire to serve in Georgia. If you align with their mission and show a passion and commitment to MCG than you have a better shot. Regardless, very few OOS get looked out and you definitely have to be something special

 

[studentdr12]

Perhaps, but even more important than stats is your desire to serve in Georgia. If you align with their mission and show a passion and commitment to MCG than you have a better shot. Regardless, very few OOS get looked out and you definitely have to be something special

My mom tells me I'm special and she's the smartest person I know!

 

[Dr. KBH]

Have any of y'all received an indication that MCG has received your letters from AMCAS? That red exclamation point is driving me crazy!

Yes, same issue today. I just sent them an email to clarify about that.

 

[Dr. KBH]

Yes. I called the admissions office and they told me if your school doesn't have a committee or does letter packets, you can just send three (or more) individual letters. In the letter packet spot on the secondary, you can just put the name of an individual.

Do they actually require letter from pre-health advisory committee? I only have letters from professors and physician.

 

[ImmovableMover]

Do they actually require letter from pre-health advisory committee? I only have letters from professors and physician.

They say they "require" it, because my school doesn't have such a committee. And I'm definitely not going to go to my school's pre-med advisor I've never talked to.

I called them and they said it's fine if you just put down 3 individuals in all the slots for the recs.

 

[ImmovableMover]

PLS, MCG. Send out some IIs! Being impatient does not go well with med school admissions.

 

[desiredmembername123]

PLS, MCG. Send out some IIs! Being impatient does not go well with med school admissions.

Probz will have to wait until late august/early sept

 

[ImmovableMover]

Probz will have to wait until late august/early sept

On last year's thread, I think the first II someone posted about for RD was on August 14th. Since our cycle started earlier than last year, hopefully we can see our first II before the 14th! *fingers crossed*

 

[Dr. KBH]

They say they "require" it, because my school doesn't have such a committee. And I'm definitely not going to go to my school's pre-med advisor I've never talked to.

I called them and they said it's fine if you just put down 3 individuals in all the slots for the recs.

Cool bean, apprreciate it!

 

[ariz92]

Does anyone know how strict they are about the 2-week deadline? I finished about 3/4 of the application and thought I had submitted it. I finally submitted yesterday but it was like 2 weeks later than the deadline. Should I contact the admissions committee about this or what?

 

[desiredmembername123]

IIRC for most schools the 2 week deadline is really more of a "suggestion". Unless it is EDP. I would just submit and hope they don't notice. But you may decide it is worth calling them.

 

[sullen-burger]

I've also been plagued by the "incomplete." I'm guessing one possible solution to the red exclamation mark would be to take a green sharpie and color-in the point on my computer screen....

 

[MedLife24]

For the final question in the secondary application (discuss any unevenness in you academic...), would you discuss a low MCAT score? Or is that too negative? What if I end on a positive note and discuss how my retake improved?