2016-2017 University of Washington Application Thread

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namesthegame21 said:
So true. Its so subjective and upto chance at the interview stage

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So true - last year my post II rejection apparently didn't have to do with my interview at all. Still confused by that.

I am so sorry about all of the rejections - get sad and mad - it's healthy - and know that it's nothing about the type of awesome physicians you will all be. But I was rooting for you all and I am in shock about these rejections
 
tamsulosin1989 said:
I'm shocked as well. I'm so hurt.
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I honestly think that interviewing so early in the year was absolutely not in my favor. I feel that I probably didn't get brought up until this meeting, how can they remember someone who interviewed in october as well as someone who interviewed last week. I just don't get it.
 
I know it's not what you want to hear right now- but a lot of it is based on the reports that they type up directly after your interview (literally during, then directly after, they type up a report - each individually, then submit, then as a group write up a report...done this way so there is both independent thoughts not influenced by others as well as a collaborative report)...at least that is my understanding.


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mavric1298 said:
I know it's not what you want to hear right now- but a lot of it is based on the reports that they type up directly after your interview (literally during, then directly after, they type up a report - each individually, then submit, then as a group write up a report...done this way so there is both independent thoughts not influenced by others as well as a collaborative report)...at least that is my understanding.


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True, just a pattern I have seen from the past few years on here for October people.
 
There was something of an inspirational speaker at one of my interviews that helped boost my confidence. He said that we are all going to be doctors, maybe not at his school, but we will all be doctors. No of us have made it to the interview with questionable backgrounds, or unacceptable stats. He said, "if you want it, everyone in this room will be doctors. " Those of you who have been rejected, you will be a doctor someday, and it will be something you will be eternal grateful for. This process is supposed to be humbling and frustrating, because if you don't really want it you would give up.
 
Has anyone who interviewed in Dec or Jan heard back that's not SUC? it seems that most people who are hearing back are from the earlier folks who interviewed. They must be behind?

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Husky28 said:
If it makes you feel any better, they waitlisted me my first year, rejected me my second, and now continue to keep me SUC for the last three months for my third and final try.
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Thanks for the comfort. I'm sorry that is the case, hope you get some great news this year!
I'm trying to stay hopeful and see what I need to do to get in next cycle. I am so convinced UW is the medical school I want to attend, and I'm going to try again in the near future. Hang in there you all!
 
A wise adviser once said something to me about making sure I don't put all my eggs in one basket. I was contemplating starting this whole process and I said something like, "If I get a 4.0 and do really good on my MCATs, given my huge amount of background in healthcare, what are my odds of getting into UW?" Her response was, "not good, if UW is the only place you apply, you will likely never become a doctor as it is a very competitive school to get into." Not that she knows everything about UW, or what exactly it takes to get and acceptance. However, I took to heart the reality that even thought I didn't want to move across the country, and I really think UW is the right school for me, I just might have to in order to pursue this dream. Just my two cents that weren't asked for 🙂
 
Got the R as well. Bummer. I really liked their curriculum and location. And purple would of been fun to wear for a few years, but it doesn't change the doctor I'll become.
 
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missmartian85 said:
I honestly think that interviewing so early in the year was absolutely not in my favor. I feel that I probably didn't get brought up until this meeting, how can they remember someone who interviewed in october as well as someone who interviewed last week. I just don't get it.
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If it helps, I interviewed mid-Dec (Seattle) and got rejected last night. It wasn't my first choice, but considering my stats and experiences and what I thought was a good interview, I'm a bit displeased... especially considering some of the people I knew that DID get in.

UW can have a kind of cliqueish culture, though, to be honest, and can be exclusive based on that. I was just hoping the med school wasn't the same way.
 
namesthegame21 said:
Has anyone who interviewed in Dec or Jan heard back that's not SUC? it seems that most people who are hearing back are from the earlier folks who interviewed. They must be behind?

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Mid-Dec Seattle interview. Rejected last night.
 
psychedskier said:
Mind elaborating on this part?
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High-3.9 GPA, 519 MCAT, researching 2 years with 1 publication (though I didn't know it was accepted when I interviewed), 2.5 years medical volunteering 8 h/week, 1 year non-medical volunteering abroad, 150+ hours physician shadowing, etc...

Above what I've seen in many accepted applicants, and by the stats, at least, above their average posted online.
 
Husky28 said:
If it makes you feel any better, they waitlisted me my first year, rejected me my second, and now continue to keep me SUC for the last three months for my third and final try.
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Did you interview on Nov 1st by any chance?
 
neuroguy91 said:
High-3.9 GPA, 519 MCAT, researching 2 years with 1 publication (though I didn't know it was accepted when I interviewed), 2.5 years medical volunteering 8 h/week, 1 year non-medical volunteering abroad, 150+ hours physician shadowing, etc...

Above what I've seen in many accepted applicants, and by the stats, at least, above their average posted online.
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Well, with stats and experience like that I doubt you will have a hard time getting in at other places. On paper you sound like the ideal medical student that any school would want.

Makes me wonder what they are actually looking for. I have a 4.0 in my post-bach, but my original degree didn't have grades. I got a 507 MCAT. I have a semester of research 10 years ago, but nothing since. My main extracurricular is working in social services for 10 years. I have been banking on that last part as the piece that set me apart, but seeing all the volunteer work you did makes me wonder. On my interview day a lot of the other applicants really emphasized that they played an instrument or majored in music, and I also noticed that the first years we spoke to also shared this trait. So, maybe this is their main criteria.. 🙂
 
OKILUS said:
You sounded familiar... I felt like I'd met you during my interview. But I interviewed on the 1st, and I doubt your name's Dan?
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Nope, not Dan! Haha. There's someone else that had the same exact thing happen to them as well?!
 
Husky28 said:
Nope, not Dan! Haha. There's someone else that had the same exact thing happen to them as well?!
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Yup! We talked quite a bit about interview-day-nervousness since he'd had much more experience than me. For what it's worth... I hope both of you finally make it.
 
psychedskier said:
Well, with stats and experience like that I doubt you will have a hard time getting in at other places. On paper you sound like the ideal medical student that any school would want.

Makes me wonder what they are actually looking for. I have a 4.0 in my post-bach, but my original degree didn't have grades. I got a 507 MCAT. I have a semester of research 10 years ago, but nothing since. My main extracurricular is working in social services for 10 years. I have been banking on that last part as the piece that set me apart, but seeing all the volunteer work you did makes me wonder. On my interview day a lot of the other applicants really emphasized that they played an instrument or majored in music, and I also noticed that the first years we spoke to also shared this trait. So, maybe this is their main criteria.. 🙂
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Well, I play a couple, and it came up in interviews, so it can't be that. In all seriousness, though, I think it's just about fit. UW is huge on primary/family care and on diversity, so I'm guessing the white male from an upper-middle class background that wants to specialize in ophtho or neuro (they asked in the interview) just didn't feel to them like a fit. But who knows?

And don't downplay the 10 years in social work. Shows a huge commitment to others.
 
neuroguy91 said:
Well, I play a couple, and it came up in interviews, so it can't be that. In all seriousness, though, I think it's just about fit. UW is huge on primary/family care and on diversity, so I'm guessing the white male from an upper-middle class background that wants to specialize in ophtho or neuro (they asked in the interview) just didn't feel to them like a fit. But who knows?

And don't downplay the 10 years in social work. Shows a huge commitment to others.
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UW states they are huge on diversity, but stats show they admit 70-80% white students accross campuses each year. Makes sense since they are probably trying to admit folks from the rural areas they hope to populate with more physicians. Just think the diversity thing is over hyped, but as they say they are looking for 'diversity of experiences' so there's that too

But with stats/experience like yours I bet you'll end up with many other schools to choose from! I agree with the person who said focusing on one school alone is unreasonable, that type of obsession can cost years and have little return....There are plenty of great schools out there!

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namesthegame21 said:
UW states they are huge on diversity, but stats show they admit 70-80% white students accross campuses each year. Makes sense since they are probably trying to admit folks from the rural areas they hope to populate with more physicians. Just think the diversity thing is over hyped, but as they say they are looking for 'diversity of experiences' so there's that too

But with stats/experience like yours I bet you'll end up with many other schools to choose from! I agree with the person who said focusing on one school alone is unreasonable, that type of obsession can cost years and have little return....There are plenty of great schools out there!

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Oh, I definitely agree. I wasn't at all focused on UW - I have at least two other schools higher on my list. But I did hope (and almost expect) to at least get SUCed. Not the end of the world, but annoying all the same.
 
neuroguy91 said:
I wasn't at all focused on UW
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Perhaps the interviewers could sense this, and that was a factor? There's so much randomness in this process, though, that it's hard to pin down any one thing. I have stats close to yours, am a very diverse applicant (not a racial URM but underrepresented on 3 or 4 other axes), and yes, UW certainly seems to have responded to that. At the same time, I didn't get a single interview anywhere else. Stochasticity, I guess.
 
kvallian said:
Perhaps the interviewers could sense this, and that was a factor? There's so much randomness in this process, though, that it's hard to pin down any one thing. I have stats close to yours, am a very diverse applicant (not a racial URM but underrepresented on 3 or 4 other axes), and yes, UW certainly seems to have responded to that. At the same time, I didn't get a single interview anywhere else. Stochasticity, I guess.
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I meant as in not obsessed with one school, as others somewhat implied - I was certainly interested. But even so, they may have picked up on it. Not sure. But they do appear quite capricious in their choices, and do appear to have a particular zeal for anything diverse. I think you hit the nail on the head. I'm not too worries about it - it wasn't huge best fit for me... I just also don't know if I'm going to to be accepted to those programs that ARE the best fits.
 
freak7 said:
Umm..
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I mean, yeah, so does any school, but I wonder if the interesting experiences I've had, and have been able to control, match up in their minds to the diverse backgrounds some people come from (and can't control). Sorry if my wording doesn't make sense. Been up for way too many hours today...
 
neuroguy91 said:
I mean, yeah, so does any school, but I wonder if the interesting experiences I've had, and have been able to control, match up in their minds to the diverse backgrounds some people come from (and can't control). Sorry if my wording doesn't make sense. Been up for way too many hours today...
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That's not what I was trying to say. Without getting into too much detail, I'd advise you to look at the UW entry on MSAR.
 
freak7 said:
That's not what I was trying to say. Without getting into too much detail, I'd advise you to look at the UW entry on MSAR.
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Ah, gotcha. Well, they at least stress diversity a lot, even if they don't always follow through, assuming that's what you're implying (don't have my MSAR handy at the moment).
 
neuroguy91 said:
But they do appear quite capricious in their choices, and do appear to have a particular zeal for anything diverse. I think you hit the nail on the head. I'm not too worries about it - it wasn't huge best fit for me... I just also don't know if I'm going to to be accepted to those programs that ARE the best fits.
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Today on "I'm not sure that word means what you think it means"....I'm not sure how you put capricious in the same sentence as "having a particular zeal" - those are kinda antonyms.

All kidding aside, I have to strongly disagree. They are well known for not being all about stats, and as is clearly evident in the stats of accepted students matrix, being at the very top doesn't particularly help your chances. They are more about other aspects of the application, and if you fit well in the culture, and have displayed the characteristics they find appealing/necessary to fulfill their mission.

Also diversity isn't in the slightest limited to race or ethnic backgrounds. Life history, age, social background, etc are all sources of diversity that schools look for.





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mavric1298 said:
Today on "I'm not sure that word means what you think it means"....I'm not sure how you put capricious in the same sentence as "having a particular zeal" - those are kinda antonyms.

All kidding aside, I have to strongly disagree. They are well known for not being all about stats, and as is clearly evident in the stats of accepted students matrix, being at the very top doesn't particularly help your chances. They are more about other aspects of the application, and if you fit well in the culture, and have displayed the characteristics they find appealing/necessary to fulfill their mission.

Also diversity isn't in the slightest limited to race or ethnic backgrounds. Life history, age, social background, etc are all sources of diversity that schools look for.





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I'll try to clarify my ramblings... I believe they have a zeal for the diverse and different, but this, coupled with the fact that interviews only convey so much of you as the specific questions they ask can get across, means that it's nearly impossible to determine who would and would not get in in advance. Even if we assume that all the interviewers are looking for diversity and looking for things beyond the applicant's stats, each individual interviewer will have their own ideas of what that means and what is most important to them on this front.

To use an example, interviewer A could find applicant X's overcoming an abusive and poverty-stricken family more compelling than applicant Y's volunteer work abroad for the underserved; interviewer B, however, might prefer applicant Y's diverse experiences to those of applicant X. But if you're applicant X or Y, you're only going to get one of two representing you at the admissions meetings. They try to mitigate this by having three interviewers, but it's still somewhat of a crapshoot. So some people with outstanding experiences won't get in while others will, sometimes stats be damned, and as an institution it can be capricious as to what types of diversity they seem to care about.

Holistic review of applicants and an aim for diversity is all well and good in theory, but it's extremely subjective. Most people have some things that make them truly diverse. For many, they aren't the "...race...ethnic background...Life history, age, social background, etc" that you mentioned, yet it's interesting that those are what you mentioned while (I infer) defending diversity as a criterion. Aside from very recent life history, applicants can't control any of those things, and for many (like myself), race, ethnic background, life history (before college), social background, and to some extent age are all rather boring.

I have no problem with diversity, but it should be the things you've chosen to do that make you diverse, if it's going to be a criterion for application decisons. And I don't know how you make it anything but highly subjective.

To be fair, though, most interviews are rather subjective as a criterion for acceptance...
 
neuroguy91 said:
I have no problem with diversity, but it should be the things you've chosen to do that make you diverse, if it's going to be a criterion for application decisons.
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You should be mindful of who you choose to share this opinion with.
 
freak7 said:
You should be mindful of who you choose to share this opinion with.
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People in an uproar about racial minorities having advantages when they statically don't. Just look at any med school entering class at any non HBCU. Thats the idea behind encouraging increasing enrollment of underrepresented minorities, they aren't being represented.

I really do believe that UW is focused on diversity of experience though and not ethnic minorities, again based on their consistent statistics favoring white students. UCLA was another top choice for me, stated emphasis on diversity, with a 40% white enrollment rate. Stats show where admissions truly place emphasis, otherwise it's just a guessing game

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For the record, I am more than just a minority. Didn't bring it up once in my interview, and still had a great discussion about all of my experiences. I know I have a lot more to bring than apparent diversity

Update: didn't mean for that to sound charged, was posting right after work and was a long day. I think we can all agree this is a pretty subjective process and all anyone can do is give it their best shot and not take it to personally if you aren't selected, just keep working for it and you'll make it somewhere! Like someone said, it just a matter of when!

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freak7 said:
You should be mindful of who you choose to share this opinion with.
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I respect and completely understand the opposing view, and in reference to things one could not change which represent real challenges overcome, I will note that I overspoke. Regardless, I do not intend to offend, and would hope that respectful discourse could take place instead of an implicit need to be quiet/careful who I talk to.

Of course, I don't barge into interviews spouting this, if, alternately, that was what you were implying.
 
namesthegame21 said:
People in an uproar about racial minorities having advantages when they statically don't. Just look at any med school entering class at any non HBCU. Thats the idea behind encouraging increasing enrollment of underrepresented minorities, they aren't being represented.

I really do believe that UW is focused on diversity of experience though and not ethnic minorities, again based on their consistent statistics favoring white students. UCLA was another top choice for me, stated emphasis on diversity, with a 40% white enrollment rate. Stats show where admissions truly place emphasis, otherwise it's just a guessing game

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I do agree. I do think UW is sincerely looking not for diversity of race but background, experiences, and character. I just worry that too much stress on diversity could lead to generally overly-subjective criteria for admission. Then again, they may honestly just be very good at picking out people who wouldn't fit in as well with UW's mission and ethos. Hard to say.
 
neuroguy91 said:
I respect and completely understand the opposing view, and in reference to things one could not change which represent real challenges overcome, I will note that I overspoke. Regardless, I do not intend to offend, and would hope that respectful discourse could take place instead of an implicit need to be quiet/careful who I talk to.

Of course, I don't barge into interviews spouting this, if, alternately, that was what you were implying.
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Oh I wasn't bothered at all. It was legitimate advice just because I could see many many people getting rather worked up over it. Sorry if it came off that way
 
So your example is exactly opposite the way UW does it. Each member of your interview (three) writes a report separately before talking to the other two. Then they write a group report. The one member that goes to excom, presents all this info together, so a picture of you from technically 4 perspectives is given. If two interviewers disagree strongly, then you are reinvented to interview again. This eliminates any of the issues you brought up.

Secondly, you're putting wayyyy too much into this "zeal for diversity". They aren't choosing diverse people over more qualified people, they are choosing people that fit with their mission, and that they think will add to the class as a whole, and be successful. And of course you can't determine who would get in in advance, thats the whole point of the interview. There isn't X and Y quality they are looking for, this isn't some checklist to be completed. The whole point is even with its huge limit on how much they can figure out about you in a short interview, is to get a "feel" for you.

To be honest, your coming off a sounding privileged, like UW owed you something because you have high stats and did this checklist of things you think you should have done. And personally, I think you're absolutely wrong. You decisions aren't everything, and thats the point. You want people that bring different viewpoints - and it's often those things that I mentioned that provide those. Can you honestly say you know what it's like to grow up as a person of color? What about living in poverty, or being super privileged and rich. These things inherinently add to a class, and allow people to be exposed to things different than they otherwise would. Yes your decisions matter as well, but by your logic you would end up with a class full of people that had the financial means to not work and to only expand their activities to look at good as possible. People like me - non-trad, 30, and have a family, would be a huge disadvantage because working 50 hours a week and taking 2 classes, I didn't have the same time you did you work at the food bank or homeless shelter.
 
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