2016-2017 University of Wisconsin Application Thread

[WedgeDawg]

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Space reserved for prompt.
Please post the essays or lack thereof (in addition to word or character counts) in this thread and tag me and/or @Ismet and we'll update the OP.

Good luck to everyone applying!

 

[Orthosurg1]

Anyone else applying to their WARM program?

 

[binko]

That's umbrella'ed under their main MD program, no?

 

[Orthosurg1]

That's umbrella'ed under their main MD program, no?

From what I can understand, yes. It's a separate option on AMCAS, but you do you first two years in Madison, then go to different rural sites for your clinical experiences.

 

[aztlannation]

incoming MS1. Let me know if you guys have any questions

 

[Glandzburg]

Hey all, MS2 here. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about our school (although questions about the new curriculum will be better addressed by @aztlannation and other MS1's, as us MS2's are the last group going through the old curriculum). Best of luck to you all during the application process!

 

[FettyWapsGF]

Did anyone get this email:
"Dear Applicant,

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW SMPH) is pleased to have received your AMCAS application.

At the point of receipt of the AMCAS application, each medical school has a unique system of processing applications. After we receive your AMCAS application, we will verify that you have received at least one total score of 27 (old version) or 502 on a single test administration of the MCAT and attained an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4.0. Those meeting minimum scores are invited to submit our secondary application. The invitation will come via email accompanied by instructions on how to proceed. Those not meeting the minimum may still be offered a secondary application if our review of your AMCAS application shows evidence of other outstanding experiences and characteristics."

And not received another?

 

[To be MD]

Hey all, MS2 here. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about our school (although questions about the new curriculum will be better addressed by @aztlannation and other MS1's, as us MS2's are the last group going through the old curriculum). Best of luck to you all during the application process!

incoming MS1. Let me know if you guys have any questions

Are both of you IS residents or from neighboring states?

How would you say the school is 'geared towards' the state of Wisconsin specifically. Would you recommend this school as a viable option for OOS students who just want to immerse themselves in the community of the school where they matriculate?

 

[yellowbottlesippin]

Did anyone get this email:
"Dear Applicant,

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW SMPH) is pleased to have received your AMCAS application.

At the point of receipt of the AMCAS application, each medical school has a unique system of processing applications. After we receive your AMCAS application, we will verify that you have received at least one total score of 27 (old version) or 502 on a single test administration of the MCAT and attained an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4.0. Those meeting minimum scores are invited to submit our secondary application. The invitation will come via email accompanied by instructions on how to proceed. Those not meeting the minimum may still be offered a secondary application if our review of your AMCAS application shows evidence of other outstanding experiences and characteristics."

And not received another?

I never received that email. I got the secondary already.

 

[Doctor Dream]

Did anyone get this email:
"Dear Applicant,

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW SMPH) is pleased to have received your AMCAS application.

At the point of receipt of the AMCAS application, each medical school has a unique system of processing applications. After we receive your AMCAS application, we will verify that you have received at least one total score of 27 (old version) or 502 on a single test administration of the MCAT and attained an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4.0. Those meeting minimum scores are invited to submit our secondary application. The invitation will come via email accompanied by instructions on how to proceed. Those not meeting the minimum may still be offered a secondary application if our review of your AMCAS application shows evidence of other outstanding experiences and characteristics."

And not received another?

I got the same email and didn't get anything else. Not worried about it though.

 

[blue327]

I never received that email. I got the secondary already.

Prompts?

 

[yellowbottlesippin]

Okay guys, I am super super embarrassed. I have been posting on this thinking it was the Medical College of Wisconsin. Please disregard all my posts. I wish you all good luck and sorry for any inconvenience.

Prompts?

 

[Glandzburg]

Are both of you IS residents or from neighboring states?

How would you say the school is 'geared towards' the state of Wisconsin specifically. Would you recommend this school as a viable option for OOS students who just want to immerse themselves in the community of the school where they matriculate?

I am an IS resident. One major way that the school is geared toward Wisconsin is the state-wide campus. In your third and fourth year, you will have the opportunity to rotate in other WI cities, both rural (La Crosse, Green Bay, Marshfield, and others) and urban (Milwaukee). Additionally, because Madison is the capital of WI, some students take advantage of the opportunity to meet with lawmakers and lobby for policy change.

Madison is an excellent city to live in if you are interested in immersing yourself in the community. If you are looking for volunteer opportunities, UWSMPH is partnered with many community organizations, including free clinics and food pantries. There is also a ton of activities unrelated to the university; Madison is consistently ranked as one of the top cities in the country for "young people" to live. Examples include the Dane County farmer's market on the lawn of the capitol building every Saturday morning (very popular), concerts and musicals downtown at the Overture Center, miles of lakeside bike/jogging trails. There's really something to do for all crowds, whether you are artsy, athletic, out-doorsy, etc.

They are going to be starting 3rd year rotations soon, but @Jennyfishy or @kittykattat may have more to add.

 

[Eye on MD]

Tossing my hat in the ring for another go.. IS reapplicant who interviewed late last year. I think I've made the necessary changes. Good luck to all!

 

[Jennyfishy]

I am an IS resident. One major way that the school is geared toward Wisconsin is the state-wide campus. In your third and fourth year, you will have the opportunity to rotate in other WI cities, both rural (La Crosse, Green Bay, Marshfield, and others) and urban (Milwaukee). Additionally, because Madison is the capital of WI, some students take advantage of the opportunity to meet with lawmakers and lobby for policy change.

Madison is an excellent city to live in if you are interested in immersing yourself in the community. If you are looking for volunteer opportunities, UWSMPH is partnered with many community organizations, including free clinics and food pantries. There is also a ton of activities unrelated to the university; Madison is consistently ranked as one of the top cities in the country for "young people" to live. Examples include the Dane County farmer's market on the lawn of the capitol building every Saturday morning (very popular), concerts and musicals downtown at the Overture Center, miles of lakeside bike/jogging trails. There's really something to do for all crowds, whether you are artsy, athletic, out-doorsy, etc.

They are going to be starting 3rd year rotations soon, but @Jennyfishy or @kittykattat may have more to add.

@Glandzburg, super appreciative you of you continuing on the SDN question-answering tradition, especially since we're a lot busier now with clerkship! +1 to these responses; every random idea I've come with since starting at UWSMPH with has generally been met with a significant amount of support from faculty/other docs. Want to be more involved in diversity-related efforts? Recruitment? Pipeline programs? Outreach? Anything community-based you can really think of, there's likely already an interest group or community-partnership in Madison that you can become involved with casually, through regular service, as your PoD-related projects, a potential MPH, summer project, research... you get the idea 🙂.

Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with what's going on with the new curriculum and how the new structure will integrate these core values, but based on how excited the school is and how excited the accepted pool last cycle was to give it a go, I'm guessing you'll all be in good hands if you are accepted/choose to join our growing badger fam!

 

[flapjack3d]

I never received that email. I got the secondary already.

What were the questions?

 

[yellowbottlesippin]

Okay guys, I am super super embarrassed. I have been posting on this thinking it was the Medical College of Wisconsin. Please disregard all my posts. I wish you all good luck and sorry for any inconvenience.

What were the questions?

Please see the above message. I did not receive the prompts. I thought this was the Medical College of Wisconsin page.

 

[ImmovableMover]

No one has received the secondary yet, right? I've only gotten the email that said, "Your application to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health has been received."

 

[amber80]

No one has received the secondary yet, right? I've only gotten the email that said, "Your application to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health has been received."

I am OOS and have not received a secondary.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[scorder2377]

Got a secondary yesterday and they said they were testing out a new format so only sending it to a test group.

 

[BBQ7]

Secondary received, OOS

 

[miaprgase0512]

Also received a secondary OOS

 

[Doctor Dream]

Secondary received, OOS

Also received a secondary OOS

Prompt(s)?

 

[BBQ7]

Data/demographic information, life activities section (effectively re-do your AMCAS Work/Activities section for us here), then two optional essays.

1) "The Admissions Committee takes many factors into consideration when reviewing your application. A successful applicant is frequently one who communicates what makes them exceptional and why they will become an outstanding physician. You are invited but not required to provide additional information in this essay. Some applicants tell us about hardships and challenges that they have faced in their lives and how these experiences have helped them become caring and compassionate individuals. Other applicants use this space to emphasize a particular passion they have related to their future career in medicine. If you are not a resident of Wisconsin, you may want to tell us why you are interested in the University of Wisconsin or about a special connection that you may have to our state or people who live here. Our goal is to gain insight into you as a unique applicant. You may include anything in this essay that you feel is relevant. (Limit response to 500 words.)"

2) "Only for previous applicants to the UW MD program. Individuals who are reapplying are required to submit a statement indicating what has changed since the previous application to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health MD program (e.g., additional academic work, new letters of recommendation, work and volunteer experience, life changes, etc.). Please limit your response to 500 words."

 

[KoolKeith]

Secondary OOS with in-state ties

 

[doctorbob23]

OOS +1 secondary

Does anyone know if this school screens and how receptive they are to OOS?

 

[Jennyfishy]

OOS +1 secondary

Does anyone know if this school screens and how receptive they are to OOS?

Extensively, but you'll get a biased subset since ppl who use SDN tend to be more "on top of it and following directions" and meet the minimum screen criteria lol. We get over 5k OOS applications and have to trim it down eventually to 200IIs 😉, so that's just one of the many stages of screening. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G925V using SDN mobile

 

[flapjack3d]

Oos 2nd

 

[valenceoctet]

In-state, secondary received! Though of course, can't submit till August.

 

[valenceoctet]

Extensively, but you'll get a biased subset since ppl who use SDN tend to be more "on top of it and following directions" and meet the minimum screen criteria lol. We get over 5k OOS applications and have to trim it down eventually to 200IIs 😉, so that's just one of the many stages of screening. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G925V using SDN mobile

Do you happen to know what the screen is like for IS?

 

[Orthosurg1]

In-state WARM applicant here, secondary received this morning!

As for the screen: "After we receive your AMCAS application, we will verify that you have received at least one total score of 27 (old version) or 502 on a single test administration of the MCAT and attained an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4.0. Those meeting minimum scores are invited to submit our secondary application. Those not meeting the minimum may still be offered a secondary application if our review of your AMCAS application shows evidence of other outstanding experiences and characteristics."

 

[HIV]

Since they don't start interviews till late September is it worth it to submit the secondary till mid-August? My thinking is that I can include activities completed this summer?

 

[Gurby]

The "re-do your activities section for us" thing is so ridiculous.

We realize that this information has already been entered on your AMCAS application; however, when entered into the secondary application, it is formatted in a bar graph, which makes it easy for our reviewers to see an overall history

It should be pretty easy to write a computer script to parse primary apps and organize activities into a bar graph. They must be making it painful for us on purpose? Tempted to write the script for them, and then post it in my optional essay with instructions on how to use it and a plea to change their application process for next year.

 

[KoolKeith]

The "re-do your activities section for us" thing is so ridiculous.



It should be pretty easy to write a computer script to parse primary apps and organize activities into a bar graph. They must be making it painful for us on purpose? Tempted to write the script for them, and then post it in my optional essay with instructions on how to use it and a plea to change their application process for next year.

Please do that. I've wasted so much time re-entering my coursework and activities on secondaries.

 

[amber80]

The "re-do your activities section for us" thing is so ridiculous.



It should be pretty easy to write a computer script to parse primary apps and organize activities into a bar graph. They must be making it painful for us on purpose? Tempted to write the script for them, and then post it in my optional essay with instructions on how to use it and a plea to change their application process for next year.

Lol!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[TRPMinus]

Secondary received and submitted. Easiest one I've done thus far.

 

[djokingaround]

if i am OOS, do you think it would be frowned upon to not answer the "why university of wisconsin?" question. i would rather answer the "what makes you unique" or "particular passion in medicine question"..

 

[minnesotapremed]

if i am OOS, do you think it would be frowned upon to not answer the "why university of wisconsin?" question. i would rather answer the "what makes you unique" or "particular passion in medicine question"..

You could always answer both. 500 words is a lot of space

 

[UWBadgerGirl]

incoming MS1. Let me know if you guys have any questions

Hey all, MS2 here. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about our school (although questions about the new curriculum will be better addressed by @aztlannation and other MS1's, as us MS2's are the last group going through the old curriculum). Best of luck to you all during the application process!

Thank you both!!!! I am IS and curious if you guys had to wait to submit if you were declaring residency?

 

[UWBadgerGirl]

if i am OOS, do you think it would be frowned upon to not answer the "why university of wisconsin?" question. i would rather answer the "what makes you unique" or "particular passion in medicine question"..

I would personally suggest touching on why you like the school as their 2015 data had about 30% of matriculates as out of state (but a lot of the time with ties to the school/state). I would focus on how you are unique though!

 

[Iwannaknow]

How are you guys putting in hrs/week for life activities like shadowing? Are you assuming it's talking about the week in which you did it, or are you trying to average it out over the time span?

 

[Glandzburg]

Thank you both!!!! I am IS and curious if you guys had to wait to submit if you were declaring residency?

Yes I did. To be eligible for IS tuition, you have to be a WI resident within one year of starting classes, hence the mid-August submission date.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Hopeful_vet]

Does anyone know if Wisconsin shows any preference to Minnesota residents? I'm not competitive for UW as an OOS applicant, but I would throw my hat in if being from Minnesota helped me in any way.

 

[mischief managed]

So the activities section is pretty similar to AMCAS, except you can only talk about current activities up until the present month, correct? No activities can be projected to matriculation?

 

[Jennyfishy]

Does anyone know if Wisconsin shows any preference to Minnesota residents? I'm not competitive for UW as an OOS applicant, but I would throw my hat in if being from Minnesota helped me in any way.

Considered OOS just like the rest of us - no reciprocity like the undergrad folks. If you have connections or a specific reason for wanting to come to uw/you think you're a good fit for reasons x,y,z, you never know what could happen though 😉

Sent from my SM-G925V using SDN mobile

 

[tistheseason]

Anyone know when first IIs are sent?

 

[Mandalore]

Can I apply to both WARM and the regular application separately? I could see myself going either way, but it isn't really clear if you must choose one option or can apply to both.

 

[Orthosurg1]

Can I apply to both WARM and the regular application separately? I could see myself going either way, but it isn't really clear if you must choose one option or can apply to both.

No, you have to pick WARM, and if you don't get accepted to WARM you are considered for admission into the regular MD program.

 

[Mandalore]

So if I select WARM, and I don't get accepted to WARM, I'm automatically thrown into consideration for regular MD?

I'm guess I'm wondering what's the cost/benefit of applying to WARM if it appeals to me.

 

[Orthosurg1]

So if I select WARM, and I don't get accepted to WARM, I'm automatically thrown into consideration for regular MD?

I'm guess I'm wondering what's the cost/benefit of applying to WARM if it appeals to me.

That is correct, as far as I am aware! Here's my source, apparently that only applies if you are a WI resident:

"Admission is limited to applicants whose state of legal residence is Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois or Iowa. All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Wisconsin residents who apply to the WARM program will automatically also be considered for the regular MD Program in the Wisconsin resident applicant pool."