Hi guys, first off congratulations to those accepted! It's a huge relief once you have at least one school under your belt and know you will be going somewhere. Hopefully there are many more where that came from. For those of you waitlisted (like myself last cycle) keep your heads up. While Wayne may not have the most active waitlist as someone mentioned (I'm not sure who is keeping track of this stuff), it definitely has an active waitlist. It truly is a game of patience though. I was on the Waitlist for four months before being accepted, so you just have to move on (don't obsess!) and stick it out. I'm not sure if the school has changed its stance on updates or what impact they truly have (if any) on your admission, but I submitted a Letter of Interest/Update Letter last year about two months after being placed on the waitlist. Many schools take the stance that they only want letters from students on the Waitlist (not from every applicant) and some schools don't want anything at all. It is in your best interest to respect the wishes of the school, so by all means call and ask before acting on my advice. In my opinion though, once you're on the waitlist for a period of months things may have changed (you have other admissions, you have additional accomplishments to share, etc.) so it makes sense to let them know if you are still interested and that you are an even more attractive applicant than the one they saw a few months back. For those of you still waiting to hear back, never count yourself out until they tell you. You'd be surprised how nonsensical this whole process appears on the applicant's end in terms of timelines, accepted student's stats, etc.
I stated previously that the school is most assuredly not increasing class size, and as for the number of interviews slated, I don't see them completing 1,000 at the current rate. There are a total of 24 interview days scheduled on the calendar (I help give tours) and so far 11 of the 24 have been completed (but more than that have already been scheduled). From what I've seen there are two groups each Interview day (a morning and an afternoon group), and each group has 10-15 students. Assuming about 30 students are being interviewed each day, it looks like about 720 students or so will be interviewed. They could increase the number of students interviewed for future dates or add more II dates, but as of now 1,000 seems like an overestimation. Additionally, 526 IIs have been granted according to the website, so someone with access can see how many II dates are still available and if my projections are in the ballpark. Just my two cents.
I also recall being completely overwhelmed on trying to differentiate medical schools during my cycle since schools have much more in common than not given the strict LCME standards that basically force schools to meet strict requirements for curriculum, resource availability and class structure. There are differences, but they are often minute in the grand scheme of things, and each year it seems like more and more programs are stepping in line with national trends rather than maintaining their unique qualities. A few things rather unique to Wayne:
- One of only six schools in the country (last I heard) that still uses a full-body dissection course as opposed to a prosection-based course. This means students are in the gross anatomy lab much more than at most other schools and are expected to find every structure on their cadaver (as opposed to having most strucutures already dissected for them (a prosection) by faculty or older medical students). Prosections are available but are not the basis of the learning process. This is great if you are a visual learner and enjoy the physicality of finding each structure, or a drag if you hate having to spend time pulling apart fascia and searching for nerves. Since the LCME is pushing for less and less class time, it has been a foreseeable trend for fewer and fewer schools to keep the more time-intensive full-body dissection approach.
- One of only seven schools (again, last I heard) in the country that includes significant ultrasound education in their curriculum (and I believe the first school to include it nationwide). All four years students get hands-on ultrasound training from various technicians and physicians multiple times a month. The technology is becoming more common in nearly every clinical setting due to its affordability, its decreased size (there are handheld ultrasound devices now), and the growing concern for radiation exposure with other imaging techniques. The primary reason you don't see ultrasound as the primary imaging technique for a large variety of procedures and diagnostics is because it is a difficult technique to master and interpret, but that's not an excuse. Being very familiar with this technique as a student and resident makes you quite the asset on the hospital floor.
- Wayne State is serving one of the most, if not the most, vulnerable urban populations in the country. It is a tragedy that Detroit has the highest poverty rate of any urban population, one of the highest uninsured rates, etc., and while these problems need to be addressed, as a medical student this truly is a phenomenal setting to observe and treat a whole host of diseases and progressed disease states that many other students may not be able to experience. The demand for medical intervention is high, which also means that Wayne has dozens of clinics and community health programs that are student or school run that provide you meaningful hands-on experiences early on. Other than Wayne State, the only other medical schools in the Detroit metropolitan center (with 4.3 million people) is a satellite campus for Michigan State School of Osteopathic Medicine (which is on the same medical campus with Wayne and only has about 100 students total) and the new Oakland University MD school out in Rochester. I was in school all but two weeks and had a physician teaching me how to administer rapid blood panels, flu shots, identify different viral rashes, etc. Early clinical exposure is undoubtedly a national trend, but this is something that Wayne does exceptionally well (and partially out of necessity) due to the extremely vulnerable population and the lack of resources to accommodate all of the need, which is where medical students are then turned to and utilized.
- Wayne has the largest single-campus medical school class size in the country. With 290 students per class (about double the national average of an MD school) the school is often hammered in rankings for its resource to student ratios, but honestly, my initial concerns (which are valid concerns to have) are still unfounded. Wayne has had a large class size for decades, which means the resources are in place to make things work. I've never felt abandoned or lost and have been impressed with the dedication of faculty and upperclassmen to host review sessions, create mock practicals, etc. I haven't struggled personally, but I've had friends struggle early on with the first few exams and was impressed how quickly and effectively administration stepped in to help these students get on track by assigning tutors, having the student meet with academic counselors and faculty, etc. This is anecdotal, but I had a friend go from about a 50% to an 85% between his first and second exams, and he attributed the improvement to the help the school provided him. Basically, while the class size is large, it doesn't mean students are neglected. Additionally, the benefits of having a large class size include a larger variety and, in my opinion better quality, student run organizations and clinics, a more diverse student body (assuming Admissions does their job well, which has improved markedly), and a massive alumni network (I believe Wayne has the 3rd highest number of practicing physicians of any medical school in the U.S).
- The Co-Curricular Program at Wayne is impressive. Students are required to complete a minimum of 35 hours each year of community and clinical outreach, but many students can then choose to pursue an additional 35 hours (for a total of 70 hours each year) to complete one of four Co-Currilucar program tracts (one tract focuses on public policy, one on alternative medicine, one on more general community outreach, and the last focuses on assisting Administration with updating curriculum and the like). You can read more about this online, but basically it is well-organized, largely student run, and complements the medical curriculum well. While some gripe about requiring hours, many students (at any medical school) are often torn between wanting to give back and the desire to study more (which is valid). Requiring hours is sometimes that extra little push that forces you into the community and out of your comfort zone to remind you why you are putting yourself through Hell.
- Wayne's OOS tuition is no laughing matter. It is slightly compensated for with the lower living expenses despite being in a major U.S. city, but still...
Undoubtedly I'm biased and many other medical schools offer amazing clinical opportunities, alumni networks, etc. This is just what I've noticed from my own experiences and from talking with friends currently attending other programs (hardly scientific).
As a final note, utilize student hosting programs during the interview process if they are available (most schools offer them). Not only are you saving money, but more importantly, you will garner a more honest and complete assessment of the school than you could ever get from an Admissions' event. When I was deciding on schools most of the information I utilized on making decisions came from the students I interacted with and their opinions, not from the glossy brochures and school websites (you'll soon learn, if you haven't already, that every school meets or exceeds the national average Step1 scores, match rates, etc.).
