2016-2017 Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences Application Thread

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sedgeshaveedges said:
Thank you for clarifying! Does everyone receive conditional acceptance prior to unconditional acceptance as a rule, then? I'm asking because I was both medically qualified and turned my SF-86 in at the interview prior to receiving my conditional acceptance -- so if they don't do any additional security clearance prior to orientation, why wouldn't they just send an unconditional acceptance at that point? Forgive my neuroses, I'm finding the process a little complex!
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When I was accepted last year I was offered a conditional pending receipt of my final transcripts. One they got those, I was sent a unconditional acceptance by mail.

Your SF86 that you all filed out for interview are simply screens for things like dual citizenship. I don't know if this form is submitted for any sort of processing-- if it is, I've not heard anything consequential from it. During orientation you will be given instructions on how to complete the online version for your security clearance. The SF86 that you filled out and got back on interview day can then be used as a reference for all the information you've already gathered.

I hope this clears things up a little bit better.
 
ThirtySixAlpha said:
Rejected today, I am not the droid they are looking for.

@Red Lobster Actual , I may be catching up with you for number of USUHS application cycles completed.

With any luck, maybe I'll pick up a promotion before next year...
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Bummer 36A. I know that feeling all too well unfortunately. Towards the spring you can ask the admissions office if there is anything you can do to make your application better and they will send you a letter.

Keep on improving your application. Took me 4 application cycles (last 2 at USUHS) before I made it. I sincerely hope it will not take you that long 🙂
 
Hey everyone! First year student from USUHS here in Army.

Congrats to those who have been accepted.

For those who are waitlisted. I understand. It will be hard knowing when the waitlist will move and not knowing where you are in the paperwork. I applied two cycles and was waitlisted for both until I got the acceptance call this past mid June. I know what it's like to not get into medical school and what it's like to get in at the last minute. Do not lose hope. Especially this early in the cycle!

For those who are waiting for an interview notification, one of my friends interviewed in late January and was accepted, so the timing of the interview is not always a deciding factor.

I've been meaning to come on here every so often to answer questions that some may have. Feel free to message me and I will do my best to answer any questions when I take breaks from studying.

Good luck everyone!
 
maleflutist said:
Hey everyone! First year student from USUHS here in Army.

Congrats to those who have been accepted.

For those who are waitlisted. I understand. It will be hard knowing when the waitlist will move and not knowing where you are in the paperwork. I applied two cycles and was waitlisted for both until I got the acceptance call this past mid June. I know what it's like to not get into medical school and what it's like to get in at the last minute. Do not lose hope. Especially this early in the cycle!

For those who are waiting for an interview notification, one of my friends interviewed in late January and was accepted, so the timing of the interview is not always a deciding factor.

I've been meaning to come on here every so often to answer questions that some may have. Feel free to message me and I will do my best to answer any questions when I take breaks from studying.

Good luck everyone!
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You are my inspiration
 
Oh just an update... I got put on the alternate list, which is behind the waitlist list so I'm out of the race this year friends. Good luck to everyone!
 
PurpleMilosz said:
Oh just an update... I got put on the alternate list, which is behind the waitlist list so I'm out of the race this year friends. Good luck to everyone!
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I'm sorry man! I may be in the same boat.
Did you call to find out?
 
I've been eyeing this thread for a couple weeks and I have finally caved and joined SDN. I'm also a 9/29 interviewee who has not heard. Hopefully that comforts other 9/29s!
 
Just got it by snail mail. My interview didn't feel strong. I didn't express how much I was dedicated to wanting to be a military doctor.
 
Does anyone know if the USUHS accepts HPSP physicas in lieu of the DoD physicals?
 
Red Lobster Actual said:
No. You cannot substitute one for the other. Must do both. 🙁
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Actually, if anyone hasn't done they're HPSP physical yet you can just do the USUHS one. That's what I did. Never set foot in MEPS, so it saved me hours of wasted time. Worked for both HPSP and USUHS. My recruiter had to do a lot of calling, but the policy used to be you didn't have to do both and according to the people he talked to in DC they're considering changing it back.
 
HopefulPilot said:
+1 I was able to use my USUHS one for HPSP. Did have to do some extra things which I don't think were actually required (separate blood work/UA, chest xray, ECG)
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Yeah, mine was just the physical/optometry. My recruiter said they might have to do some blood work, but they never did. It's probably just unique to each person.
 
Has anyone non-military been interviewed yet?
 
Yep, civilian, interviewed in early Sept and accepted in Oct. About half my interview group were non-prior service.
 
WasatchDoc said:
Has anyone non-military been interviewed yet?
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9/8 civilian interview as well, accepted 10/17. It seemed to me that civilians were ~60%. Lots of uniforms. Also more service academy/senior military college that I though there would be. A few I talked to were prior service but had already gotten out so they weren't wearing the uniform.
 
Does anyone know how heavily USUHS weighs the interview in the whole application process?

Also, I interviewed on October 27th and was wondering if I might have an admissions decision before Thanksgiving. Does this seem realistic? It seems like the average decision time is around 4-5 weeks.
 
webster601 said:
Does anyone know how heavily USUHS weighs the interview in the whole application process?

Also, I interviewed on October 27th and was wondering if I might have an admissions decision before Thanksgiving. Does this seem realistic? It seems like the average decision time is around 4-5 weeks.
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I will say that I thought my interview went horribly, and I got accepted the first day, so it's not an end-all-be-all. My interviewers were honestly very awkward or negative. They were nice enough, but it really left a bad feeling in my mouth about the whole thing. If your app is solid, your interview may not kill you if you didn't do as well as you hoped.
 
wildcat2015az said:
I will say that I thought my interview went horribly, and I got accepted the first day, so it's not an end-all-be-all. My interviewers were honestly very awkward or negative. They were nice enough, but it really left a bad feeling in my mouth about the whole thing. If your app is solid, your interview may not kill you if you didn't do as well as you hoped.
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Thats good to hear! I don't think I bombed the interview but it could have gone better, especially the faculty interview. Do you mind sharing stats? I am at a 72 LizzyM.

How long post interview did it take for you to get a decision?

Thanks!
 
Rejected last Thursday, complete 7/25. Ironically got the email while at my brother's graduation from basic military training for the Air Force. Good luck to everyone!
 
webster601 said:
Thats good to hear! I don't think I bombed the interview but it could have gone better, especially the faculty interview. Do you mind sharing stats? I am at a 72 LizzyM.

How long post interview did it take for you to get a decision?

Thanks!
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514 MCAT, 3.82 cGPA, 3.76 sGPA, good amount of military shadowing. I found out the first day they could release decisions, so a month after I interviewed.
 
wildcat2015az said:
514 MCAT, 3.82 cGPA, 3.76 sGPA, good amount of military shadowing. I found out the first day they could release decisions, so a month after I interviewed.
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Thanks for the input! I am feeling a little better now. 515 MCAT with 3.85 cGPA and 3.79 sGPA. GO ARMY!
 
has anyone else who interviewed 10/13 heard back yet? wondering if it's still early.
 
Do we (civilians) have to stress why we want to be military docs? Is that the meat of the interview?
 
zurc2014 said:
Do we (civilians) have to stress why we want to be military docs? Is that the meat of the interview?
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As USUHS is the only military medical school, definitely be able to talk about being in the military. They want to be sure that you are committed and not just trying to get free tuition. For the most part, you already answered why you want to be a military doc in your secondary essay. The interview is your opportunity to elaborate more, but also show how you are as a person.

The extent of how much you show you want to be in the military really depends on your interviewer. When I interviewed in the 2015 cycle, I was asked simple questions like "How would you feel holding a weapon knowing it can harm someone?" For the 2016 cycle, I had two difficult interviewers who focused more on my understanding of the military, asked questions about military history, and successfully made me feel inept. I thought I was done for. But here I am getting ready for our midterm in our second module, so don't worry too much about your interview determining your fate.

If you know what branch you want to join, know their role in the US military and the gyst of how they operate. If you are unsure of what branch to join, do enough research to ask your interviewer the right questions about the different branches(remember you don't have to submit the form giving your branch preference until the end of your interview day).

If you have any more questions, feel free to message me and I'll get back to you. When is your interview?
 
zurc2014 said:
Do we (civilians) have to stress why we want to be military docs? Is that the meat of the interview?
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The extent of my questions regarding military were:
-Why do you want to be a military physician?
-Why military?
-Why USUHS? (kind of two different questions, remember HPSP, FAP, etc)
-Do you know what branch?

They might have asked "What are some drawbacks to being a military physician?" Or "What are some differences between military and civilian medicine?" but I can't remember if they asked them, or if I just prepped for them. Regardless, I suggest having rough knowledge of these anyways.
 
purplefrog13 said:
The extent of my questions regarding military were:
-Why do you want to be a military physician?
-Why military?
-Why USUHS? (kind of two different questions, remember HPSP, FAP, etc)
-Do you know what branch?

They might have asked "What are some drawbacks to being a military physician?" Or "What are some differences between military and civilian medicine?" but I can't remember if they asked them, or if I just prepped for them. Regardless, I suggest having rough knowledge of these anyways.
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I see HPSP on here a lot. Do people apply to those separately? Do I need to know about the other programs going into my interview? Do I need to be clean shaven and go in there looking like a 8 year old boy?
 
zurc2014 said:
I see HPSP on here a lot. Do people apply to those separately? Do I need to know about the other programs going into my interview? Do I need to be clean shaven and go in there looking like a 8 year old boy?
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People do apply to those separately. I wouldn't say you need to know about the programs going to the interview...they won't ask you questions about it. But it might help to know about them to make sure you are making the right choice for your future. They all have different pros/cons. If you want to be a military physician, I think you should be well informed on the different pathways available.

I'll leave your last question to someone else
 
I shaved but I had a beard in the image I sent to USUHS. I don't think you need to but I would look like a professional and know you will have to be clean shaven for your years in service. Additionally, I heard back from my interview on 10/13, conditionally accepted to the Navy.
 
zurc2014 said:
I see HPSP on here a lot. Do people apply to those separately? Do I need to know about the other programs going into my interview? Do I need to be clean shaven and go in there looking like a 8 year old boy?
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They just want to see that you understand the difference between the two programs and have thought them out. Especially since USUHS means a longer service commitment, different environment for medical school, etc. Whenever I was asked why USUHS vs. HPSP (or vice-versa) , I answered with something along the lines of: "Sir/M'am, my goal is to become a medical officer. I don't just want to heal, I want to lead others in healing while serving ____ (country, higher calling, etc.). [add in optional nice sounding words]. My experiences have equipped me to pursue military medicine b/c _____ and I understand the implications of such a career b/c______. As both programs are competitive I thought it would be prudent to not put all my eggs in one basket. Should I be accepted to both I will have a hard decision to make."

If they push at USUHS, you can mention how USUHS would in fact give you better preparation/training for military medicine but it's okay to to say "I don't have a 100000000% sure answer" if you don't. Again, they don't expect you to have the next 40 years of your life planned out down to the hour. They just want to see mature thought concerning the matter. You can fluff a little but DO NOT blow smoke, every military officer I've met (including dear old father) has some pretty stout BS detectors.
 
jdhpylo said:
I shaved but I had a beard in the image I sent to USUHS. I don't think you need to but I would look like a professional and know you will have to be clean shaven for your years in service. Additionally, I heard back from my interview on 10/13, conditionally accepted to the Navy.
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When did you hear back and what area code was the # from?
 
zurc2014 said:
Do we (civilians) have to stress why we want to be military docs? Is that the meat of the interview?
Click to expand...

I definitely think you need to emphasize both why military and why medicine in your interview (and I personally think that you should probably feel pretty strongly about service in both capacities if you are interested in USUHS).

As a civilian, I wasn't asked anything totally crazy -- I was asked why in particular I felt that military medicine was a good fit for me, what I knew about differences between military and civilian medicine, and what I thought were pros and cons of military medicine. My first interviewer (faculty) and I also talked a lot about her experience with HPSP (but I wasn't asked about it in particular or if I was considering that as an option) and a lot about GMO tours and operational medicine. My second interviewer (student) also asked me why military medicine, but I thought that interview was less specifically military oriented (and even more informal than the first).

Your mileage may vary -- I know some current students I spoke to were asked more specifically military-oriented questions --some got military-specific ethical scenarios, at least one person told me they were asked who their favorite civil war general was(!) In general, I would recommend being able to articulate why you are interested in a mil med route (this shouldn't be hard, you did that in your secondary essays) and having a general knowledge of how the medical corps works (and it is perfectly fine to not know things too, but a basic understanding is good preparation).

Good luck!
 
Hoping today is the day for 10/13 interviews.....but I doubt it 🙁
 
Did anybody stay with a student when they interviewed? If so, how was that?
 
gizmoo said:
Did anybody stay with a student when they interviewed? If so, how was that?
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I did! It was good to have the opportunity to talk and ask questions other than the dinner. They might try to pair you with someone in the same branch of service you are interested if they are available.

I highly recommend it.
 
Asclepius293 said:
Accepted for Navy today! With multiple acceptances, do you all know if we can hold this one until April 30 as well while we think it over? Not to sound unappreciative ha.
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I believe you can hold it until April 30th, but I would think you would want to make your decision before then, what with ODS and all.
 
gizmoo said:
Did anybody stay with a student when they interviewed? If so, how was that?
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I did, highly recommend it. I lucked out and stayed in a house with 3 USUHS students (Navy and 2 AF). Great guys and they gave me a ton of good insight/info, plus it was nice to see the kind of personalities that attend the school. Also helped with getting on and off the base as I thought the whole shuttle/metro/flying carpet shindig I'd have to do otherwise seemed.
 
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