2016-2017 University of Arizona - Tucson Application Thread

[dolfin95]

Anything at all yet??

Still nothing.


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[teenagemutant]

"The Admissions Committee has now completed its review of all applications to the College of Medicine. It is our sincere regret that we are unable to offer you a position for the class of 2021 or on the alternate list. "

About time.

LM: 73, so pretty much expected.

 

[alludallu]

"The Admissions Committee has now completed its review of all applications to the College of Medicine. It is our sincere regret that we are unable to offer you a position for the class of 2021 or on the alternate list. "

About time.

LM: 73, so pretty much expected.

Lol! Yup I got that same email 3 years in a row post-interview. Congrats to those who were accepted!

 

[HughBlackfyre]

+3

 

[dolfin95]

"The Admissions Committee has now completed its review of all applications to the College of Medicine. It is our sincere regret that we are unable to offer you a position for the class of 2021 or on the alternate list. "

About time.

LM: 73, so pretty much expected.

+1 wish they would've rejected me a month ago. Good luck to the rest of you!


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[RIPHarambe]

+1 wish they would've rejected me a month ago. Good luck to the rest of you!


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Wish they rejected me 5 months ago

 

[spookyskeletonman]

I haven't received any email...

 

[zerox117]

Reeeeeeeejeeeected! Best of luck all!

 

[spookyskeletonman]

Oh there's the email. Waitlisted. Since they haven't used their waitlist in years, I'll take that as basically a rejection. It's been a fun ride, ladies and gents. Best of luck to all of you, wherever you end up!

 

[pandasaregreat]

Rejected, wish they told me in October..

 

[KangarooMD]

Lol! Yup I got that same email 3 years in a row post-interview. Congrats to those who were accepted!

That's awful!! Why do you keep going back?? There's no way I could take that much torture 3 years in a row!

 

[Got Rice?]

Rejected, but not the end of the world. A golden opportunity to improve myself

 

[KangarooMD]

Rejected, but not the end of the world. A golden opportunity to improve myself

I just wish we would receive these rejections sooner so that we could start preparing ourselves to improve a lot sooner than 2 months before the next application cycle starts!

 

[Got Rice?]

Do people usually apply in the next immediate cycle after rejection? Or do they do it a year after (2018-2019 cycle in our case) if they want a gap year?

 

[alludallu]

That's awful!! Why do you keep going back?? There's no way I could take that much torture 3 years in a row!

That little bit of Hope always brought me back. And I loved the school

 

[NoRagrets]

As for ties to the state all of my husband's family lives in Tucson and has most of his life. I on the other hand grew up in the southwest in a neighboring state. I am just about to graduate with my B.S. and plan on taking courses to up my licensure as an EMT as well as some additional Spanish courses in the interim year after my graduation. All of my time spent in the ED was spent shadowing and doing clinical research. All of my primary care shadowing was done in a rural/medically underserved area. As for the MCAT I am debating on retaking it, but am trying to do a risk/benefit analysis as I of course am worried that there is always a chance my score will decrease.

Well all this information makes you look even better. The only thing I would recommend is a higher MCAT and you are solid to apply anywhere, but like you said it can be a risk. Definitely apply here even with your stats.

 

[newzealand]

Rejected. I have acceptances to 5 other schools and am waitlisted at 5 others. Arizona's loss. Ha ha. Just kidding. I really loved AZ and they were my top choice school. Thanks to all for sharing your AZ journey and all the best to everyone!

 

[Jeepy01]

This is my third application cycle as well. Waitlisted this year, so at least I know my application has improved slightly, even though I'm sure it'll be the same end result. Congrats to all of those who were accepted today!

 

[bettyboop2243]

Rejected. Their loss this year.

 

[toriz]

Thanks for nothing Tucson. 6-7 months is a rediculous amount of time for an applicant to hear a final decision.

On the bright side, now we don't have to worry about that alarmingly low match...
Good luck to everyone accepted; and to everyone else, well at least we don't have to refresh our emails and this thread constantly. Best of luck to everyone in their journeys.

 

[bettyboop2243]

Thanks for nothing Tucson. 6-7 months is a rediculous amount of time for an applicant to hear a final decision.

On the bright side, now we don't have to worry about that alarmingly low match...
Good luck to everyone accepted and to everyone else, well at least we don't have to refresh our emails and this thread constantly. Best of luck to everyone in their journeys.

 

[tmazz235]

Took 5 months to get a rejection.... dang!

 

[BestICanBe_doc]

Got rejected too. Second time applying and I was waitlisted last year. I found out a close family member had terminal cancer 1 day before taking the MCAT, so I totally messed up my exam. 2016 was a very bad year for me. Mentioned that in my 2-ary but I guess that wasn't good enough. Things happen for a reason and I will be back next year. If anybody is retaking the MCAT or would like to chat, hit me up. Best of luck to everybody!

 

[coyote123]

[deleted]

 

[reinesupreme]

Hi all! I believe many of you are going to be VERY surprised about what I have to say. For those of you who did not gain an acceptance at UA, please don't feel bad. Here are the reasons why:

1st: I am from Arizona and went to UA for undergrad, and know many people who have gotten accepted because they are friends with someone on the AdCom or their family member has connections with the school. It's just the way it is, I'm sure at other schools too.

2nd: UA has been accepting a handful of people that do not have the credentials to get in, and rejecting people who have worked incredibly hard to become physicians. How do I know this? My friend is at UACOM and during their annual med-school Vegas trip, they revealed to me the med students in the hotel room next door were doing cocaine with strangers they picked up from who knows where. Congrats UACOM, these are our future doctors of America. Maybe consider doing random drug tests to your med students?? I know another student who spent their gap year sitting on the beach doing nothing, and they got in. But those who spent their gap years doing research, scribing in hospitals, getting Masters degrees... they are pushed to the side and not appreciated by the UACOM.

3rd: When I interviewed at UACOM this past season, we got a "Cheat Sheet" of facts for the school. One of their stats was for match, and it said 96/98 people were successful in attaining residency positions. Well... wait a minute. UACOM accepts a total of 115 per year, where are the other 20 people who didn't apply for the match??? I'll tell you: they either dropped out, fell back a grade, took a year off, or are the select few doing MD/Ph.D. Regardless, that is a terrifying statistic.

4th: To continue off point #4, if UACOM started accepting quality candidates, I believe their match rates would be significantly better. UACOM - if you are reading this (which of course you are), if you continue to accept people who don't deserve to get in, then you can continue to see 10% or even more of your class not match and drop down a grade.

5th: I personally know a handful of students who entered UACOM wanting to do plastics, ortho, dermatology, etc. After they take Step1, they decide to do Family Medicine, Peds, or IM. Hmmm... I wonder why? Again, it all falls back to UACOM not taking quality students. Or, is the medical training not up to par?? We will never know

6th: When I interviewed at UACOM, Dr. Tejal Parikh (the assistant Dean of Admissions!) gave us an introductory talk. She then asked all 10 of us to go around and introduce ourselves. After the first person introduced themselves, she then mentioned a comment about their application, "Oh, so-and-so, you did really great mission work in Mexico". The next person talked and she said, "You did really great research on x, y, and z". Then it was my turn, I introduced myself. And you know what she did? NOTHING. She didn't say a single thing about my application. I was so furious that I was already being treated differently from the other applicants prior to the MMI! It was like as if they had already decided who was going to get in or not prior to even meeting us. It wasn't just me, there were a few others who she just passed over. We were invited to interview, so we obviously have great stats to begin with. Dr. Parikh, was this attitude or behavior even legal to begin with? Is it LEGAL to treat people differently before an interview? UACOM - If there is any video documentation of that event, play it back, and you will see exactly what I'm talking about. I should look into it from a legal standpoint....

Last but not least... More out of state students are getting accepted because UACOM want more OOS tuition, is that fair to the instate residents who are very qualified to be accepted???

I am fortunate enough to be attending a school that appreciates my experiences, talent, and my qualifications. It's time to clean up your act UACOM, this won't last much longer.

To address your 1st and 5th point--I wouldn't be surprised if these things happen at every medical school.

To address the rest of your post, I also interviewed here and loved my experience.

In addition, nothing you stated that occurred sounds illegal....

 

[RIPHarambe]

Hi all! I believe many of you are going to be VERY surprised about what I have to say. For those of you who did not gain an acceptance at UA, please don't feel bad. Here are the reasons why:

1st: I am from Arizona and went to UA for undergrad, and know many people who have gotten accepted because they are friends with someone on the AdCom or their family member has connections with the school. It's just the way it is, I'm sure at other schools too.

2nd: UA has been accepting a handful of people that do not have the credentials to get in, and rejecting people who have worked incredibly hard to become physicians. How do I know this? My friend is at UACOM and during their annual med-school Vegas trip, they revealed to me the med students in the hotel room next door were doing cocaine with strangers they picked up from who knows where. Congrats UACOM, these are our future doctors of America. Maybe consider doing random drug tests to your med students?? I know another student who spent their gap year sitting on the beach doing nothing, and they got in. But those who spent their gap years doing research, scribing in hospitals, getting Masters degrees... they are pushed to the side and not appreciated by the UACOM.

3rd: When I interviewed at UACOM this past season, we got a "Cheat Sheet" of facts for the school. One of their stats was for match, and it said 96/98 people were successful in attaining residency positions. Well... wait a minute. UACOM accepts a total of 115 per year, where are the other 20 people who didn't apply for the match??? I'll tell you: they either dropped out, fell back a grade, took a year off, or are the select few doing MD/Ph.D. Regardless, that is a terrifying statistic.

4th: To continue off point #4, if UACOM started accepting quality candidates, I believe their match rates would be significantly better. UACOM - if you are reading this (which of course you are), if you continue to accept people who don't deserve to get in, then you can continue to see 10% or even more of your class not match and drop down a grade.

5th: I personally know a handful of students who entered UACOM wanting to do plastics, ortho, dermatology, etc. After they take Step1, they decide to do Family Medicine, Peds, or IM. Hmmm... I wonder why? Again, it all falls back to UACOM not taking quality students. Or, is the medical training not up to par?? We will never know

6th: When I interviewed at UACOM, Dr. Tejal Parikh (the assistant Dean of Admissions!) gave us an introductory talk. She then asked all 10 of us to go around and introduce ourselves. After the first person introduced themselves, she then mentioned a comment about their application, "Oh, so-and-so, you did really great mission work in Mexico". The next person talked and she said, "You did really great research on x, y, and z". Then it was my turn, I introduced myself. And you know what she did? NOTHING. She didn't say a single thing about my application. I was so furious that I was already being treated differently from the other applicants prior to the MMI! It was like as if they had already decided who was going to get in or not prior to even meeting us. It wasn't just me, there were a few others who she just passed over. We were invited to interview, so we obviously have great stats to begin with. Dr. Parikh, was this attitude or behavior even legal to begin with? Is it LEGAL to treat people differently before an interview? UACOM - If there is any video documentation of that event, play it back, and you will see exactly what I'm talking about. I should look into it from a legal standpoint....

Last but not least... More out of state students are getting accepted because UACOM want more OOS tuition, is that fair to the instate residents who are very qualified to be accepted???

I am fortunate enough to be attending a school that appreciates my experiences, talent, and my qualifications. It's time to clean up your act UACOM, this won't last much longer.

Lol your 6th point is exactly what happened to me and made me feel so lame when every other person at my table was commented on their great work

 

[Trails4MilesnMiles]

Hi all! I believe many of you are going to be VERY surprised about what I have to say. For those of you who did not gain an acceptance at UA, please don't feel bad. Here are the reasons why:

1st: I am from Arizona and went to UA for undergrad, and know many people who have gotten accepted because they are friends with someone on the AdCom or their family member has connections with the school. It's just the way it is, I'm sure at other schools too.

2nd: UA has been accepting a handful of people that do not have the credentials to get in, and rejecting people who have worked incredibly hard to become physicians. How do I know this? My friend is at UACOM and during their annual med-school Vegas trip, they revealed to me the med students in the hotel room next door were doing cocaine with strangers they picked up from who knows where. Congrats UACOM, these are our future doctors of America. Maybe consider doing random drug tests to your med students?? I know another student who spent their gap year sitting on the beach doing nothing, and they got in. But those who spent their gap years doing research, scribing in hospitals, getting Masters degrees... they are pushed to the side and not appreciated by the UACOM.

3rd: When I interviewed at UACOM this past season, we got a "Cheat Sheet" of facts for the school. One of their stats was for match, and it said 96/98 people were successful in attaining residency positions. Well... wait a minute. UACOM accepts a total of 115 per year, where are the other 20 people who didn't apply for the match??? I'll tell you: they either dropped out, fell back a grade, took a year off, or are the select few doing MD/Ph.D. Regardless, that is a terrifying statistic.

4th: To continue off point #4, if UACOM started accepting quality candidates, I believe their match rates would be significantly better. UACOM - if you are reading this (which of course you are), if you continue to accept people who don't deserve to get in, then you can continue to see 10% or even more of your class not match and drop down a grade.

5th: I personally know a handful of students who entered UACOM wanting to do plastics, ortho, dermatology, etc. After they take Step1, they decide to do Family Medicine, Peds, or IM. Hmmm... I wonder why? Again, it all falls back to UACOM not taking quality students. Or, is the medical training not up to par?? We will never know

6th: When I interviewed at UACOM, Dr. Tejal Parikh (the assistant Dean of Admissions!) gave us an introductory talk. She then asked all 10 of us to go around and introduce ourselves. After the first person introduced themselves, she then mentioned a comment about their application, "Oh, so-and-so, you did really great mission work in Mexico". The next person talked and she said, "You did really great research on x, y, and z". Then it was my turn, I introduced myself. And you know what she did? NOTHING. She didn't say a single thing about my application. I was so furious that I was already being treated differently from the other applicants prior to the MMI! It was like as if they had already decided who was going to get in or not prior to even meeting us. It wasn't just me, there were a few others who she just passed over. We were invited to interview, so we obviously have great stats to begin with. Dr. Parikh, was this attitude or behavior even legal to begin with? Is it LEGAL to treat people differently before an interview? UACOM - If there is any video documentation of that event, play it back, and you will see exactly what I'm talking about. I should look into it from a legal standpoint....

Last but not least... More out of state students are getting accepted because UACOM want more OOS tuition, is that fair to the instate residents who are very qualified to be accepted???

I am fortunate enough to be attending a school that appreciates my experiences, talent, and my qualifications. It's time to clean up your act UACOM, this won't last much longer.

Looks like the school dodged a huge bullet by not accepting you. Kudos to them! Your post has a lot of unsubstantiated claims, and smells rather strong of entitlement, jealousy, and rage. These are great attributes. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors.

 

[rogueone]

Hi all! I believe many of you are going to be VERY surprised about what I have to say. For those of you who did not gain an acceptance at UA, please don't feel bad. Here are the reasons why:

1st: I am from Arizona and went to UA for undergrad, and know many people who have gotten accepted because they are friends with someone on the AdCom or their family member has connections with the school. It's just the way it is, I'm sure at other schools too.

2nd: UA has been accepting a handful of people that do not have the credentials to get in, and rejecting people who have worked incredibly hard to become physicians. How do I know this? My friend is at UACOM and during their annual med-school Vegas trip, they revealed to me the med students in the hotel room next door were doing cocaine with strangers they picked up from who knows where. Congrats UACOM, these are our future doctors of America. Maybe consider doing random drug tests to your med students?? I know another student who spent their gap year sitting on the beach doing nothing, and they got in. But those who spent their gap years doing research, scribing in hospitals, getting Masters degrees... they are pushed to the side and not appreciated by the UACOM.

3rd: When I interviewed at UACOM this past season, we got a "Cheat Sheet" of facts for the school. One of their stats was for match, and it said 96/98 people were successful in attaining residency positions. Well... wait a minute. UACOM accepts a total of 115 per year, where are the other 20 people who didn't apply for the match??? I'll tell you: they either dropped out, fell back a grade, took a year off, or are the select few doing MD/Ph.D. Regardless, that is a terrifying statistic.

4th: To continue off point #4, if UACOM started accepting quality candidates, I believe their match rates would be significantly better. UACOM - if you are reading this (which of course you are), if you continue to accept people who don't deserve to get in, then you can continue to see 10% or even more of your class not match and drop down a grade.

5th: I personally know a handful of students who entered UACOM wanting to do plastics, ortho, dermatology, etc. After they take Step1, they decide to do Family Medicine, Peds, or IM. Hmmm... I wonder why? Again, it all falls back to UACOM not taking quality students. Or, is the medical training not up to par?? We will never know

6th: When I interviewed at UACOM, Dr. Tejal Parikh (the assistant Dean of Admissions!) gave us an introductory talk. She then asked all 10 of us to go around and introduce ourselves. After the first person introduced themselves, she then mentioned a comment about their application, "Oh, so-and-so, you did really great mission work in Mexico". The next person talked and she said, "You did really great research on x, y, and z". Then it was my turn, I introduced myself. And you know what she did? NOTHING. She didn't say a single thing about my application. I was so furious that I was already being treated differently from the other applicants prior to the MMI! It was like as if they had already decided who was going to get in or not prior to even meeting us. It wasn't just me, there were a few others who she just passed over. We were invited to interview, so we obviously have great stats to begin with. Dr. Parikh, was this attitude or behavior even legal to begin with? Is it LEGAL to treat people differently before an interview? UACOM - If there is any video documentation of that event, play it back, and you will see exactly what I'm talking about. I should look into it from a legal standpoint....

Last but not least... More out of state students are getting accepted because UACOM want more OOS tuition, is that fair to the instate residents who are very qualified to be accepted???

I am fortunate enough to be attending a school that appreciates my experiences, talent, and my qualifications. It's time to clean up your act UACOM, this won't last much longer.

This is a sad post. I made an account just so I could reply to it. Essentially everything you wrote is opinion and anecdotal. And feeling singled out about not having your accomplishments recognized during introductions? You are not special, nor am I or anyone else. Stop whining about it.

It's unfortunate that this is your reaction to rejection, and I have no doubt that you'd be singing a different tune if you had been accepted to this school. You need to develop thicker skin. You'll only get so far in life by taking offense at anything you don't agree with and putting down others.

 

[dabke]

Hi all! I believe many of you are going to be VERY surprised about what I have to say. For those of you who did not gain an acceptance at UA, please don't feel bad. Here are the reasons why:

1st: I am from Arizona and went to UA for undergrad, and know many people who have gotten accepted because they are friends with someone on the AdCom or their family member has connections with the school. It's just the way it is, I'm sure at other schools too.

2nd: UA has been accepting a handful of people that do not have the credentials to get in, and rejecting people who have worked incredibly hard to become physicians. How do I know this? My friend is at UACOM and during their annual med-school Vegas trip, they revealed to me the med students in the hotel room next door were doing cocaine with strangers they picked up from who knows where. Congrats UACOM, these are our future doctors of America. Maybe consider doing random drug tests to your med students?? I know another student who spent their gap year sitting on the beach doing nothing, and they got in. But those who spent their gap years doing research, scribing in hospitals, getting Masters degrees... they are pushed to the side and not appreciated by the UACOM.

3rd: When I interviewed at UACOM this past season, we got a "Cheat Sheet" of facts for the school. One of their stats was for match, and it said 96/98 people were successful in attaining residency positions. Well... wait a minute. UACOM accepts a total of 115 per year, where are the other 20 people who didn't apply for the match??? I'll tell you: they either dropped out, fell back a grade, took a year off, or are the select few doing MD/Ph.D. Regardless, that is a terrifying statistic.

4th: To continue off point #4, if UACOM started accepting quality candidates, I believe their match rates would be significantly better. UACOM - if you are reading this (which of course you are), if you continue to accept people who don't deserve to get in, then you can continue to see 10% or even more of your class not match and drop down a grade.

5th: I personally know a handful of students who entered UACOM wanting to do plastics, ortho, dermatology, etc. After they take Step1, they decide to do Family Medicine, Peds, or IM. Hmmm... I wonder why? Again, it all falls back to UACOM not taking quality students. Or, is the medical training not up to par?? We will never know

6th: When I interviewed at UACOM, Dr. Tejal Parikh (the assistant Dean of Admissions!) gave us an introductory talk. She then asked all 10 of us to go around and introduce ourselves. After the first person introduced themselves, she then mentioned a comment about their application, "Oh, so-and-so, you did really great mission work in Mexico". The next person talked and she said, "You did really great research on x, y, and z". Then it was my turn, I introduced myself. And you know what she did? NOTHING. She didn't say a single thing about my application. I was so furious that I was already being treated differently from the other applicants prior to the MMI! It was like as if they had already decided who was going to get in or not prior to even meeting us. It wasn't just me, there were a few others who she just passed over. We were invited to interview, so we obviously have great stats to begin with. Dr. Parikh, was this attitude or behavior even legal to begin with? Is it LEGAL to treat people differently before an interview? UACOM - If there is any video documentation of that event, play it back, and you will see exactly what I'm talking about. I should look into it from a legal standpoint....

Last but not least... More out of state students are getting accepted because UACOM want more OOS tuition, is that fair to the instate residents who are very qualified to be accepted???

I am fortunate enough to be attending a school that appreciates my experiences, talent, and my qualifications. It's time to clean up your act UACOM, this won't last much longer.

the 6th point happened to me, I felt lame too like RIPHarambe said, haha. I was curious about the 96/98 number as well since I know they accept 115. Anyway, just saying that #6 happened to me

 

[bettyboop2243]

@reinesupreme @Trails4MilesnMiles @rogueone ....umm nothing coyote123 said was off base....they prefaced their argument by saying "reasons,"not facts, not proof, not objectives. Reasons can be opinions, subjective, and perception based. Which does not automatically invalidate their argument...and by the way certain discriminations are ILLEGAL. We cannot Definitively confirm nor deny the existence of illegal discrimination in this case based simply on coyote123's brief description of their experience. @coyote123 thanks for sharing your opinion and experience!

 

[ifnotnowwren]

A few things...

• Dr. Parikh did the same thing when I was interviewing. She did not mention anything I had done during the introductions. I was accepted. I was accepted the first round of acceptances after my interview. Did it psych me out at the time? For a moment, and then I realized I was silly to project intentions onto someone. Maybe she was trying to give some people with weaker apps confidence. Maybe she was trying to demonstrate to the room that she had really read our apps and knew who we were. Maybe she was trying to show us that we were a group who had had unique experiences and could play different roles at the school. Maybe she was shaking up the monotony of "Hi I'm X and I went to Y school and did Z job/studied A major". Either way, it actually psyched me up for the interview, I wanted to make sure the people interviewing me knew exactly who I was, what I had accomplished, and I wanted them to remember me. TLDR: I am living proof that "not receiving special acknowledgment during introductions" does NOT = rejection/you were a filler interviewee.
• Please don't diss family med, IM, and peds. These are important fields. Plenty of "quality" (using your word) people enter these fields. I'm pretty sure you were qualified to be in medical school if you passed USMLE and were accepted into a residency, whether or not it was the #1 competitive program in the #1 competitive field. If you are 100% set on a very competitive speciality, it is on YOU to hack it on Step 1. If your school isn't adequately preparing you, then YOU need to figure out how to score high enough to be competitive for the speciality you are interested in. Go check out the medical student forums. "I didn't score high enough for derm!! Help!" posts are common and not unique to any one school.
• I spent my gap year working two jobs - one in research and one as a scribe. Some of my classmates also spent their gap years working hard doing typical pre-med activities or finishing degrees or attaining grad degrees. Other classmates applied while they were working hard in previous careers - law, nursing, etc. We were not pushed aside. Other classmates did more relaxing things during their gap years. It's a GAP year, as someone currently going through the grind of medical school, who I am to judge how someone wants to spend their last real break? I worked right up until school started and looking back I wish I had taken some time to go to the beach or something.
• I do not personally know any classmates who have a substance abuse problems. I am not using my anecdotal evidence to refute your anecdotal evidence. However, I will say, you are pointing out an issue that is well established in peer reviewed research - doctors, medical students, and other healthcare professionals sadly do face substance abuse issues at similar or higher rates than the general population. This is not unique to any one school.

 

[order66.exe]

1. I'm a life long Tucsonan and UA grad who came into school with 4.0/35 and many years spent in research, volunteering and work. Not only did UA accept me immediately after my interview, but they gave me a nice scholarship. UA was also the only school to make an effort to recruit me, show off the schools and address my concerns. Many of my classmates have a similar story.

The idea that UA has some bias against in state students is nonsense. UA builds a class of people who have the intention of staying in Arizona to become physicians, focusing on people interested in primary care (but not solely), not to build a a class of gunners that premeds can masturbate over. Take a look at the past application threads to see the same sour grapes for in-state students who didn't get in. Guess what? UA is probably one of the few schools who will not hold being a reapplicant against you. There are several re-applicants in my class so this pure outrage is crap.

2. I personally know a few students who want to pursue ortho, plastics and derm and guess what? They studied hard for the step and continue to pursue it. I think someone posted a research article that showed performance in our curriculum is the strongest predictor of step 1. Here is a beautiful case study featured right on Firecracker's blog: How this Firecracker scored a 269 Step 1 of the USMLE

3. It really saddens me that so many people take this place to vent about the application cycle. This especially when UA does try to make their process more transparent. There were certainly schools I applied to that gave me a fat silent rejection before sending me an email in August as I was starting school.

 

[toriz]

Possible STRONG opinion, please don't read if you might be offended. This is an open forum after all...

There is a dramatic difference in opinions between accepted students and rejected students here...just an observation.

The coyote123 post is what happens in every US MD/DO school. In my interview they said nothing extra to me, and I never took it personally, honestly. In this field you can't please everyone, and you can't let something like that tarnish your confidence. The system is broken, and if you want to be a physician get used to it because this is only the beginning. Also, in regards to entitlement... Working hard does not = acceptance. That is the sad reality. No, its not fair. Yes, it makes people angry. That is also why online forums exist, not just to share info with one another but to also have a supportive place where one can diffuse anger and celebrate in successes amongst people who understand the struggle...hopefully in a mature fashion.

A different school I interviewed at, during the introductions with the dean this girl and the dean found out that they went to the same high school and grew up on the same street. I later saw the same dean (before interviews!) speaking with another dean outside the conference room and asked about the "girl from____" and to "pull her file" and he gave her a look. IT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE. It is not illegal, as frustrating as it is. Personally I found it highly unprofessional for them to discuss that within earshot of the other applicants...

Finally, if we are speaking about what is "legal", consider the interview questions at some schools. I won't say which school, but I had a question asking about refugees receiving health care, and interviewer went into very politically charged questions, borderline asking my political views to the point where it made me uncomfortable. Was this fair? NO. Could I have filed a formal complaint? Probably. This is all part of the broken system, a system that a great application on paper will not = successful applicant. Just gotta learn how to work the system in your favor.

 

[aidnaltiam]

Possible STRONG opinion, please don't read if you might be offended. This is an open forum after all...

There is a dramatic difference in opinions between accepted students and rejected students here...just an observation.

The coyote123 post is what happens in every US MD/DO school. In my interview they said nothing extra to me, and I never took it personally, honestly. In this field you can't please everyone, and you can't let something like that tarnish your confidence. The system is broken, and if you want to be a physician get used to it because this is only the beginning. Also, in regards to entitlement... Working hard does not = acceptance. That is the sad reality. No, its not fair. Yes, it makes people angry. That is also why online forums exist, not just to share info with one another but to also have a supportive place where one can diffuse anger and celebrate in successes amongst people who understand the struggle...hopefully in a mature fashion.

A different school I interviewed at, during the introductions with the dean this girl and the dean found out that they went to the same high school and grew up on the same street. I later saw the same dean (before interviews!) speaking with another dean outside the conference room and asked about the "girl from____" and to "pull her file" and he gave her a look. IT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE. It is not illegal, as frustrating as it is. Personally I found it highly unprofessional for them to discuss that within earshot of the other applicants...

Finally, if we are speaking about what is "legal", consider the interview questions at some schools. I won't say which school, but I had a question asking about refugees receiving health care, and interviewer went into very politically charged questions, borderline asking my political views to the point where it made me uncomfortable. Was this fair? NO. Could I have filed a formal complaint? Probably. This is all part of the broken system, a system that a great application on paper will not = successful applicant. Just gotta learn how to work the system in your favor.

I'm just talking/thinking out loud here, but I understand the frustration that @coyote123 is going through.

Much respect to @toriz for writing this post. I couldn't agree more, especially "Working hard does not = acceptance". This is my second time applying. Although I have received multiple acceptances at other places this round, I couldn't express how heart-broken I was when I did not gain acceptance at my dream school both times. Last cycle I took my application to multiple highly-regarded people who have years of admissions experience who could not give me a clear answer as to why I was not accepted. I let it mess with my head. My brain flooded with insecurities, self-doubt, and rage. I think what hurt the most about not being accepted was seeing others who you know personally get accepted... knowing the quality of their application and their character... and knowing that in your opinion, they really shouldn't be there. I felt like I was crazy. I published papers in undergrad, won awards, did a plethora of volunteer work, was disadvantaged, had stellar grades... what did these people have that I didn't. And yes, it is extremely frustrating when someone gets in who you feel is privileged, had it a little too easy in life, and/or is legacy and gets in underneath their dad or mom's white coat.

After much needed self-reflection I realized that in order to heal I had to listen to the advice that a multitude of mentors and med students had given me over the years: Stop. Comparing. Yourself. To. Other. People. Medical school admissions is a crap shoot. Even the dean at John Hopkins medical school a few years back admitted that there really isn't a clear answer as to why some applicants get accepted over others. There are just A LOT of qualified people applying.

Anyways, sharing my two cents, all I care about is studying medicine. If I obsess about the competition for the rest of my life I'll just go crazy. All I really care about doing is studying medicine, working, and taking care of people. You can't please everyone in this field like what @toriz said, and you just have to remember the reason why you're doing this. Rejection is a part of life and not everyone is going to believe in you and your dream.

p.s. on a side-note, this goes to everyone, be extremely careful what you post on SDN. Although you think your identity is hidden, in this day and age pretty much anyone can find anything they want out about you. You'd be surprised. Believe me you wouldn't want to get an email from a dean, etc., telling you to cool it on SDN because of your hot-headed posts. So just be careful. Write it in a word doc, wait a couple days, and then laugh it off when you've cooled down. Wouldn't want you to wreck your career over something dumb.

 

[awesim]

Accepted off the waitlist today! Stay hopeful!

 

[SecretAdmirer]

deleted

 

[RightTwix]

Just withdrew today. Good luck to the waitlist.

 

[SurgicalTechUtahMan]

Accepted off the waitlist today! OOS, interviewed in August.

 

[rossatron7]

Accepted off the waitlist! I can't feel my face!!!

 

[spookyskeletonman]

Accepted off the waitlist today too! OOS, interviewed in August and received a million of those continuing to evaluate emails. So to all future applicants, don't give up hope!

 

[UAZ COM-T Admissions]

Just wanted to give an update. We're deep into our waitlist. (No, we will give status updates or your rank)

 

[NoRagrets]

Just wanted to give an update. We're 32 deep into our waitlist. (No, we will give status updates or your rank)

I feel for our admissions staff! The past few years have been hard to predict, over accepting and under accepting. haha

 

[serviam9]

Accepted off waitlist today! Interviewed October

 

[myboysiddartha]

In case anyone is interested, there was a good amount of waitlist movement this year, which just goes to show that you never really know from one year to the next. So for those who didn't make it this year, I know it's ****ty, but do not lose hope because your time is coming. You are on no one's timeline but your own, and it's never over till it's over.

The class size this year is 115, for those interested as well. Best wishes everyone!

 

[Gutsy]

For those who applied last cycle, how did you answer the question about failure? I'm having a hard time finding something appropriate to answer this question

 

[groodles]

For those who applied last cycle, how did you answer the question about failure? I'm having a hard time finding something appropriate to answer this question

Come on now - you've never failed at anything? I don't believe that for a second. Yet if you never have, get out and try new things more often! ;-P

 

[Gutsy]

Come on now - you've never failed at anything? I don't believe that for a second. Yet if you never have, get out and try new things more often! ;-P

No that's not what I meant. I've definitely have failed and was humbled through those experiences. But I was asking more along the lines of what kinds of things people have written about in the past. Does that make sense?