2016-2017 University of Washington Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Anyone have any insight on the difference between TRUST and non TRUST interviews? I'm an Idaho TRUST applicant who will interview Jan 25. I'm prepping for: Why Medicine?, Why UW?, Why TRUST?, an ethics question, a healthcare policy type question, etc... Anyone have any advice?


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RopingDoc said:
Anyone have any insight on the difference between TRUST and non TRUST interviews? I'm an Idaho TRUST applicant who will interview Jan 25. I'm prepping for: Why Medicine?, Why UW?, Why TRUST?, an ethics question, a healthcare policy type question, etc... Anyone have any advice?
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Click to expand...

The best way to answer those questions is by looking at the role of a physician, mission of UW, and goal of the TRUST program, and explain to them why you're a great fit for them. For example instead of only emphasizing how UW is great for you (great tuition, location, teachers and curriculum), also tell them how you're good addition to their class and what you bring to the table for them.
Take UW's mission for example: you can tell them how you're a great addition to their class by emphasizing experiences that show you're an academic in addition to your passion to reduce healthcare disparities in rural WA. UW's mission is unique in its diversity. UW really cares about making all types of physicians. If you're not into academics, don't pretend to be. Just lay down your vision for them, and as long as you're not deluded, they'll accept you for it. Since you're applying to TRUST, you probably have a lot to show when it comes to rural care, and you should focus on that.

Students all over the country use UW's Bioethics and Humanities Departments resources for Medical Ethics to prepare for their interview (https://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/), and you should do the same. Just read a few, reflect on them, and get in the right mind-set. You'll never know what they'll throw at you, so don't bother over-preparing. Instead use your time to learn how to think about ethical dilemmas.

To keep up with healthcare policies, you should keep up with the news. If you haven't been keeping up with medically related news recently, for whatever reason, you can just go online and read up on what's been going on. I personally love Heathcare Triage's YouTube channel. You get to learn about current medical events and advancements from Dr. Carroll (major man-crush), who is a graduate from UW school of Public Health. He makes them weekly, and often has live sessions where he talks about the said events in much more detail. It's great. If you're not watching them, you're really missing out.

Good luck!
 
Spokane people who were SUC'd, when should we expect to be updated in January?
 
MedArtist said:
Spokane people who were SUC'd, when should we expect to be updated in January?
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The January interviews are today and tomorrow, so I would expect they will have decisions on everyone by next week? Assuming they aren't going to make anyone in the Spokane cohort wait until March....
 
RopingDoc said:
Anyone have any insight on the difference between TRUST and non TRUST interviews? I'm an Idaho TRUST applicant who will interview Jan 25. I'm prepping for: Why Medicine?, Why UW?, Why TRUST?, an ethics question, a healthcare policy type question, etc... Anyone have any advice?

I would prepare for a question about the for profit med school coming into the state....do you think it is good or bad and why? My personal opinion is "bad" because of limited "quality" 3rd and 4th years training sites in the state, but for profit means big student debt which ='s graduates going into higher paid specialties, NOT typically rural and underserved places. Plus rural physician shortage is related to lack of residency positions, not lack of med school graduates. Do your research and see the # of unmatched graduates/yr vs. # of residency spots overall. If you're applying for TRUST, be prepared to address your rural and underserved experiences. What attracts you to those practice situations?
Click to expand...
 
That's pretty much not it at all - lack of rural physicians isn't due to shortage in spots, it's largely based on most people choosing to speicailize/sub-specialize, and the economics around primary care in undersevered. There is currently zero incentive and huge discentives to do rural care unless you really want to do it - ****tier hours, less resources, less time with patients because of fee for service based models, lower compensation, I could go on and on (I work for a hospital with rural clinics and a large indigent population - and part of my job is financial reporting/auditing/anaylysis, working for our CFO, and my wife is a charge master)...I've also had this discussion with our chief medical officer who's a practicing rural DO who also lead physician recruitment while I was shadowing and preparing for interviews. That was a big part of ACA was to help try to incentivize primary care using increases in reimubrsement in Medicare/medicaid for those fields

And match stats show family med have one of the lower fill rates (still at 95, but most specialities are 99-100.

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Main-Match-Results-and-Data-2015_final.pdf

And to your last point, AAMC itself released a report a few years ago "New Report Shows Medical Student Debt Not the Determining Factor in Specialty Choice"

I assume you're talking about PNWU? Because if you are, your point gets even murkier now the WSU has a school and additional 3rd/4th year rotations. Honestly, neither of them should effect UW's rotations all that much.


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I got an email indicating a divergence of opinion following my interview at UW and inviting me for a second interview. I'm scared of what this could possibly mean... Can anyone share some insights and/or personal experiences?
 
UncertainUgrad said:
I got an email indicating a divergence of opinion following my interview at UW and inviting me for a second interview. I'm scared of what this could possibly mean... Can anyone share some insights and/or personal experiences?
Click to expand...
I also had this happen and interviewed a second time. It was totally fine and the second interview was very similar to the first. It's basically a chance for you to start over fresh. I believe that your second interviewers have access to your ExCom member's comments from your first interview. I personally felt that both interviews went really well. Sometimes there is just one interviewer who disagrees and the school wants to give you the fairest shot possible so they offer you another interview slot. Hope this helps!
 
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UncertainUgrad said:
I got an email indicating a divergence of opinion following my interview at UW and inviting me for a second interview. I'm scared of what this could possibly mean... Can anyone share some insights and/or personal experiences?
Click to expand...
I would say that's good news rather than bad news. At least there was one person rooting for you!!
Interview date? Good luck on your second! 🙂
 
I take it nobody from mid-December has heard anything yet? I interviewed 12/14 and haven't heard a word.
 
I called the admissions office today to get an update on my status post interview on 12/6/16. They replied back saying that I should have gotten an email in late December regarding my status. However, they sent me another email few minutes later stating that I have been placed in a pool of applicants who will continue to be considered throughout the rest of the admissions season. So the wait continues...
 
Interesting - anyone else get a Jan SUC? Or I guess you most likely just got the Dec one but pushed out today maybe?


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freak7 said:
Do they send post SUC acceptances/rejections in batches or do they wait until the end of March and do one big batch?
Click to expand...

As far as I could tell, they alerted people throughout the process. I was earlier than some of my classmates and I think the last student found out in March.
 
Good luck to all the Spokane folks who interviewed today and yesterday!

Also to the person who asked if the missing SUCs happened last year too - I don't think so? I recall someone getting an SUC on xmas eve last year - savage. Could have been some technical glitch this year. Unfortunate but it happens. Hopefully the frequency of excom meetings will start ramping up soon in the home stretch until March! I just want everyone to get accepted already...
 
mavric1298 said:
That's pretty much not it at all - lack of rural physicians isn't due to shortage in spots, it's largely based on most people choosing to speicailize/sub-specialize, and the economics around primary care in undersevered. There is currently zero incentive and huge discentives to do rural care unless you really want to do it - ****tier hours, less resources, less time with patients because of fee for service based models, lower compensation, I could go on and on (I work for a hospital with rural clinics and a large indigent population - and part of my job is financial reporting/auditing/anaylysis, working for our CFO, and my wife is a charge master)...I've also had this discussion with our chief medical officer who's a practicing rural DO who also lead physician recruitment while I was shadowing and preparing for interviews. That was a big part of ACA was to help try to incentivize primary care using increases in reimubrsement in Medicare/medicaid for those fields

And match stats show family med have one of the lower fill rates (still at 95, but most specialities are 99-100.

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Main-Match-Results-and-Data-2015_final.pdf

And to your last point, AAMC itself released a report a few years ago "New Report Shows Medical Student Debt Not the Determining Factor in Specialty Choice"

I assume you're talking about PNWU? Because if you are, your point gets even murkier now the WSU has a school and additional 3rd/4th year rotations. Honestly, neither of them should effect UW's rotations all that much.


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Click to expand...

I was referring to the Burrell Group's ICOM; I was responding specifically to the post regarding Idaho TRUST applicants.
 
mooxamillion said:
I also had this happen and interviewed a second time. It was totally fine and the second interview was very similar to the first. It's basically a chance for you to start over fresh. I believe that your second interviewers have access to your AdCom member's comments from your first interview. I personally felt that both interviews went really well. Sometimes there is just one interviewer who disagrees and the school wants to give you the fairest shot possible so they offer you another interview slot. Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

2nd group of AdCom interviewers do not have access to the comments; only ExCom does.
 
Rejected this morning pre-interview. Idaho resident, 72.3 Lizzy M., good extracurriculars. Or at least what I thought were good.
 
Long time lurker, first time poster, but interviewed back in Oct. Currently SUC. Just got into another school out of state, but WA is my first choice, so hoping they can make their bulk decisions soon so I'll know where I'll be going. Any clues as to when the next EXCOM meeting is or if they'll be meeting regularly now that holiday's over? dying to know!
 
TheFubeca said:
Rejected this morning pre-interview. Idaho resident, 72.3 Lizzy M., good extracurriculars. Or at least what I thought were good.
Click to expand...

Same boat here. Similar Lizzy M, good ECs. Sent in my grade update for the semester as they requested, with stellar grades, and they responded with a rejectance. Good luck to the rest in the running.
 
Hey Everyone, interviewed today, boy it was intense! I am not sure how to feel, but I am praying for the best....wonder if since there were a couple interviews this week there will be an excom meeting next week?
 
namesthegame21 said:
Hey Everyone, interviewed today, boy it was intense! I am not sure how to feel, but I am praying for the best....wonder if since there were a couple interviews this week there will be an excom meeting next week?
Click to expand...
Namesthegame21, I HEAR THAT. I interviewed in December and the more I think about how my interview went, the worse I feel about it. I'm struggling, dude. I'm glad I'm not alone in this very weird limbo.
 
namesthegame21 said:
Hey Everyone, interviewed today, boy it was intense! I am not sure how to feel, but I am praying for the best....wonder if since there were a couple interviews this week there will be an excom meeting next week?
Click to expand...
fade2blackstreet said:
Namesthegame21, I HEAR THAT. I interviewed in December and the more I think about how my interview went, the worse I feel about it. I'm struggling, dude. I'm glad I'm not alone in this very weird limbo.
Click to expand...
For suuuure! The whole thing felt like a lightning round and then it was over.
 
Any thoughts on the earlier step 1 with the new curriculum? Not sure how I felt about the condensed preclinical and review time.


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DatInterviewDood said:
Any thoughts on the earlier step 1 with the new curriculum? Not sure how I felt about the condensed preclinical and review time.


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The first class with the new curriculum is taking step 1 in about a month. So right now there is no objective measure of how people do with condensed pre-clinical/review.
 
Optikala said:
The first class with the new curriculum is taking step 1 in about a month. So right now there is no objective measure of how people do with condensed pre-clinical/review.
Click to expand...

Any thoughts regardless of data? I think the previous curriculum had the test in May-June.


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DatInterviewDood said:
Any thoughts regardless of data? I think the previous curriculum had the test in May-June.


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The previous curriculum....was not working well for step 1 scores :/ UW's scores last year were definitely below the national average. Now part of this is explained by the fact that a LOT of UW students go into primary care and don't need or want to gun for a 260. But from speaking with a couple older students who took step 1 last year and were the last class of the old curriculum....something had to change. So I don't think they would design the new curriculum without thinking about trying to prepare students for step 1.
 
Whyamionhere said:
The previous curriculum....was not working well for step 1 scores :/ UW's scores last year were definitely below the national average. Now part of this is explained by the fact that a LOT of UW students go into primary care and don't need or want to gun for a 260. But from speaking with a couple older students who took step 1 last year and were the last class of the old curriculum....something had to change. So I don't think they would design the new curriculum without thinking about trying to prepare students for step 1.
Click to expand...
Just to clarify my point - I think the new curriculum can only be better for boards prep. I also don't think that UW ever wants or needs to try to compete with other top 10 schools for step 1 scores - their mission isn't to send everyone into ortho and derm. It's an incredible school that focuses a lot on primary care. UCSF also sees lower board scores than the other "top" schools, and similarly is ranked highly in primary care like UW.
 
Hi all, espeically any current students who might be checking the thread, I quick question about the FAFSA deadlines. I know many of us applicants received an email this morning listing the priority FAFSA deadline as January 15. However, on the UWSOM financial aid webpage, the FAFSA deadline is listed as February 28 (see this webpage).

What is the difference between the priority deadline and the deadline? Do I need to get this done in the next 2 days?
 
Fran0412 said:
Hi all, espeically any current students who might be checking the thread, I quick question about the FAFSA deadlines. I know many of us applicants received an email this morning listing the priority FAFSA deadline as January 15. However, on the UWSOM financial aid webpage, the FAFSA deadline is listed as February 28 (see this webpage).

What is the difference between the priority deadline and the deadline? Do I need to get this done in the next 2 days?
Click to expand...
Hey - from what I understood the priority deadline is required to be considered for everything beyond stafford and grad plus loans - so if you want to be eligible for the school of medicine scholarship, grants, etc, you have to have FAFSA in by the 15th.
 
fade2blackstreet said:
Namesthegame21, I HEAR THAT. I interviewed in December and the more I think about how my interview went, the worse I feel about it. I'm struggling, dude. I'm glad I'm not alone in this very weird limbo.
Click to expand...
My heart sank when I saw the uwsom emails in my inbox this morning, just to find financial aid stuff! The anxiety can't be healthy, med friends are telling me to seriously just stay busy and forget about it. But the struggle is real, day 1 since interview and overanalyzing like crazy

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Out of curiosity, did the school used to accept updates or letters of interest? Or do they still?


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Hey guys, you should totally fill out the FAFSA and assign it to UW because you'll need funding while you go here. Oh wait you didn't get in yet? Well isn't that silly! 😉

-UWSOM

🤣
 
DatInterviewDood said:
Out of curiosity, did the school used to accept updates or letters of interest? Or do they still?


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Hey there,

It seems like they used to but as of last year (?) they no longer accept updates. I sent in an update earlier this week and received the following response: "Unfortunately we cannot add activity or experience updates to your application. The committee prefers to make decisions based on the materials they already have, as well as your interview." Hope this helps.
 
Hey y'all what were the other emails you got? Only received the one from financial aid, but I turned in my FAFSA several weeks ago.
 
namesthegame21 said:
My heart sank when I saw the uwsom emails in my inbox this morning, just to find financial aid stuff! The anxiety can't be healthy, med friends are telling me to seriously just stay busy and forget about it. But the struggle is real, day 1 since interview and overanalyzing like crazy

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Click to expand...

Welcome to the long wait, and the relentless checking of SDN threads for new waves of acceptances/rejections/SUC...The anxiety does get better. But, a month an a half later I probably still check this forum and my email almost daily.
 
It was only 2 separate financial aid emails....but they sent each one twice. Or maybe I need to read more closely but I'm 99% sure I got duplicates. 1 FAFSA and 1 general fin aid email
 
ajb1219 said:
Hi everyone! I was accepted to the Spokane campus in November! I was just wondering if any one else that has been accepted has received an AAMC email for the background check. Thanks!
Click to expand...
I got mine yesterday via email.
 
Whyamionhere said:
It was only 2 separate financial aid emails....but they sent each one twice. Or maybe I need to read more closely but I'm 99% sure I got duplicates. 1 FAFSA and 1 general fin aid email
Click to expand...

You're right. I was just ignoring them for now so I just saw 4 come through, but yeah 2 emails that were both duplicated. Strangely one was the next day.


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Good thing they sent it, I had no idea the new deadline was a month sooner than last year. Just turned it in.
 
Anyone have any idea when we will hear back from Spokane cohort..... The wait is killing me
 
huskeec1 said:
Anyone have any idea when we will hear back from Spokane cohort..... The wait is killing me
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Can't say for sure....but based on last year and the timing of the Nov decisions, I would keep your phone nearby today....can't say for sure if their meeting happened though with MLK day yesterday (although we had Thanksgiving the week of the November interviews, and still heard back the following Tuesday)
 
Just interviewed this last week for the Spokane cohort, and a few days later I received an email from AMCAS asking to do a background check. It didn't say for which school, but based on my current applications I am assuming it is UW. In the email, it said the background check is done on students who are either waitlisted or conditionally accepted. Do you think this means decisions have already been made, and has anyone received a similar email.?
 
SVUGRAD66 said:
Just interviewed this last week for the Spokane cohort, and a few days later I received an email from AMCAS asking to do a background check. It didn't say for which school, but based on my current applications I am assuming it is UW. In the email, it said the background check is done on students who are either waitlisted or conditionally accepted. Do you think this means decisions have already been made, and has anyone received a similar email.?
Click to expand...

I received that as well without acceptance yet. I think it goes to everyone
 
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