2017-2018 University of Minnesota

[gyngyn]

1. The University of Minnesota strives to ensure diverse educational experiences that promote acceptance, respect and inclusivity. Please describe your experiences with diversity and diverse groups of people. Reflect on your background and the impact it has had on developing your own values and attitudes toward others. Please include how your values and attitudes will foster a positive learning environment during your training, and benefit your future patients through the practice of medicine.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

2. Please share information about important aspects of your personal background or identity as it relates to your desire to pursue medicine. Examples might include, but are not limited to, cultural context, disabilities, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, lived experiences, race/ethnicity, religion or spirituality, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. (This question is not required.)

*3. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment to date.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

*4. Please describe a challenging life experience and how you dealt with it.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

*5. Briefly describe why you are interested in attending the University of Minnesota Medical School Twin Cities campus.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

*6. Are you a resident of the state of Minnesota? Yes No Other

7. If you selected OTHER, please provide a brief explanation as to why.

0 characters (min: 0, max: 1500)

8. If you are a non-resident applicant, do you have any special or significant ties to the state of MN? (Non-resident applicants are not required to have ties to MN and this question is not required.)

0 characters (min: 0, max: 1500)


*9. Please explain any gaps in your education and/or work experiences since high school graduation that are not previously described in your application.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 300)

10. Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor and/or felony?* Yes No

11. If YES, you must include a full explanation below.

12. What other pertinent information would you like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee? This is an opportunity for you to discuss or highlight any aspect of your journey to medicine that you may or may not have already presented in your application. You may also update us with any current experiences that were not included in your AMCAS application. (This question is not required.)

0 characters (min: 0, max: 900)

13. If you are a re-applicant, how has your current application changed or what additional information would you like to highlight for the Admissions Committee? Re-applicant refers to having applied to any medical school in the past. (This question is not required unless you are a re-applicant.)

0 characters (min: 0, max: 900)

Duluth Essays:
Everything is 800 characters.
1. In what ways do you fit the goals of the Duluth medical school program?
2. How familiar are you with life in a rural setting or American Indian community?
3. What are some of the professional and personal advantages and disadvantages of a rural family medicine practice?
4. How have you familiarized yourself with the field of medicine?
5. How have your volunteer experiences influenced your life goals?
6. Briefly describe your career plans in the event that you do not attend medical school.
7. Have you ever struggled with being honest and compassionate at the same time? Describe the situation, the struggles and, if there was one, the resolution.
8. Describe an experience you have had working in a team (other than a sports team), what role you played, and your comfort level with that role.
9. What does lifelong learning mean to you?
10. What are your recreational and leisure activities?
11. Medical school can be stressful. What coping skills have you used in the past to deal with stressful situations?
12. Please use this space to update the information contained in your AMCAS application. Indicate grades earned, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation dates, additions to your extracurricular activities, and anything else you feel the Committee should know.
13. Please describe what you are currently doing. If you have already graduated please indicate what you have been doing since graduation and what your plans are for the coming year.
14. Describe your ties to the state of Minnesota.
15. FOR REAPPLICANTS ONLY: What have you done to improve your application to medical school?
There's also space to explain IA’s and criminal convictions

Good luck to everyone applying!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Dr.somosa]

Hey guys!

I am currently working on my app and planning to take the mcat in Aug. I am just curious where everyone is for this cycle. Just wondering if it's too late to submit my completed app in Sept.

 

[JoJustGotHisScores]

Hey guys!

I am currently working on my app and planning to take the mcat in Aug. I am just curious where everyone is for this cycle. Just wondering if it's too late to submit my completed app in Sept.

This is fairly late. Most medical schools review applications in the order that they are received. Since most applicants are going to be having their applications completed early July/August, you might be a little behind, yes. HOWEVER, I do not think you are out of the game (particularly if you have decent stats for an IS school). You will just want the MCAT to back up your application!

 

[Dr.somosa]

This is fairly late. Most medical schools review applications in the order that they are received. Since most applicants are going to be having their applications completed early July/August, you might be a little behind, yes. HOWEVER, I do not think you are out of the game (particularly if you have decent stats for an IS school). You will just want the MCAT to back up your application!

When you mean completed app, does that include mcat score. I've heard and read where people submit their app without the mcat just to hold their place in queue. But I have also heard that submitting without the mcat to hold a place is a myth. That they don't review the whole app until everything is in. I am just soooo anxious about applying this year. This is my prefer school but I am applying to others. So I am hoping I am not also late in the cycle for applying to other schools.

 

[JoJustGotHisScores]

When you mean completed app, does that include mcat score. I've heard and read where people submit their app without the mcat just to hold their place in queue. But I have also heard that submitting without the mcat to hold a place is a myth. That they don't review the whole app until everything is in. I am just soooo anxious about applying this year. This is my prefer school but I am applying to others. So I am hoping I am not also late in the cycle for applying to other schools.

I do not know about that, so I cannot say one way or the other, sorry!

 

[----x----]

I considered an August mcat and application submission, but deferred to the following year for a June submission. I'm not confident I would have been accepted had I applied in September.

 

[DRdoctorDRdoctor]

Has any one received secondaries yet? My application got verified weeks ago and i still haven't received a secondary

 

[Ayahuasca]

Has any one received secondaries yet? My application got verified weeks ago and i still haven't received a secondary

AMCAS will be sending apps out to schools on June 30th, so you won't be receiving a secondary before then.

 

[JoJustGotHisScores]

I got a secondary yesterday, but withdrew.

 

[TFredrick]

I got a screening email on Saturday that only asked if youre applying to Twin Cities, Duluth, or both. It said that TC screens while everyone gets Duluth. I'm not a resident but have been living here for a little bit now so I applied to both so we'll see what happens I guess.

 

[Bill1988]

Applying in Sept while still accepted is a bit late. I know someone who applied to UMN the end of October and made the wait-list.

 

[Bill1988]

Anyone get a Secondary Application from UMN TC or Duluth yet???

 

[NicMouse64]

Anyone get a Secondary Application from UMN TC or Duluth yet???

Nothing Yet for me either.

 

[BahnMiOrBanhYou]

I still have no secondary from either campus (I chose to apply to both), though only one of them is supposed to screen

 

[tswol]

Secondary from Duluth on 7/6, OOS. Still waiting on TC though.

 

[Bucks_95]

Just got an email telling me that they're screen applicants. From the email "We screen all primary applications before sending out our campus specific supplemental application. We will not send a supplemental application if you have a pending MCAT score. Please note that this is a different approach from our Duluth campus. If you are an applicant to both campuses, you will likely receive your supplemental from Duluth first.

During the initial screening process, we review several aspects of every application.

- The Twin Cities campus requires a minimum score of 25 on the old exam or a 499 on the new MCAT to receive our supplemental application. If you have both a new and old MCAT score, one of the minimum threshold scores must be obtained to receive our supplemental application. We accept MCAT scores up to three years prior to the application year.

- Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents.

- Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree or graduate degree from a college or university in your country of origin or from a university located in the continental United States or Canada."

 

[BahnMiOrBanhYou]

Just got an email telling me that they're screen applicants. From the email "We screen all primary applications before sending out our campus specific supplemental application. We will not send a supplemental application if you have a pending MCAT score. Please note that this is a different approach from our Duluth campus. If you are an applicant to both campuses, you will likely receive your supplemental from Duluth first.

During the initial screening process, we review several aspects of every application.

- The Twin Cities campus requires a minimum score of 25 on the old exam or a 499 on the new MCAT to receive our supplemental application. If you have both a new and old MCAT score, one of the minimum threshold scores must be obtained to receive our supplemental application. We accept MCAT scores up to three years prior to the application year.

- Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents.

- Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree or graduate degree from a college or university in your country of origin or from a university located in the continental United States or Canada."

I got the same email at 11:40 am CT. Still no word from Duluth.

 

[Hopeful_vet]

Hey guys. Incoming M1 here. If you have any questions on the app/interview process feel free to ask.

 

[BahnMiOrBanhYou]

@gyngyn

I received the TC secondary just now! At work so I didn't take the time to format nicely...


1. The University of Minnesota strives to ensure diverse educational experiences that promote acceptance, respect and inclusivity. Please describe your experiences with diversity and diverse groups of people. Reflect on your background and the impact it has had on developing your own values and attitudes toward others. Please include how your values and attitudes will foster a positive learning environment during your training, and benefit your future patients through the practice of medicine.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

2. Please share information about important aspects of your personal background or identity as it relates to your desire to pursue medicine. Examples might include, but are not limited to, cultural context, disabilities, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, lived experiences, race/ethnicity, religion or spirituality, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. (This question is not required.)

*3. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment to date.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

*4. Please describe a challenging life experience and how you dealt with it.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

*5. Briefly describe why you are interested in attending the University of Minnesota Medical School Twin Cities campus.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

*6. Are you a resident of the state of Minnesota? Yes No Other

7. If you selected OTHER, please provide a brief explanation as to why.

0 characters (min: 0, max: 1500)

8. If you are a non-resident applicant, do you have any special or significant ties to the state of MN? (Non-resident applicants are not required to have ties to MN and this question is not required.)

0 characters (min: 0, max: 1500)


*9. Please explain any gaps in your education and/or work experiences since high school graduation that are not previously described in your application.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 300)

10. Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor and/or felony?* Yes No

11. If YES, you must include a full explanation below.

12. What other pertinent information would you like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee? This is an opportunity for you to discuss or highlight any aspect of your journey to medicine that you may or may not have already presented in your application. You may also update us with any current experiences that were not included in your AMCAS application. (This question is not required.)

0 characters (min: 0, max: 900)

13. If you are a re-applicant, how has your current application changed or what additional information would you like to highlight for the Admissions Committee? Re-applicant refers to having applied to any medical school in the past. (This question is not required unless you are a re-applicant.)

0 characters (min: 0, max: 900)

 

[guccidrizzle]

Hey guys!

I am currently working on my app and planning to take the mcat in Aug. I am just curious where everyone is for this cycle. Just wondering if it's too late to submit my completed app in Sept.

One of my good friends applied in September and will be attending the U's med school this fall, you should be fine!

 

[guccidrizzle]

With a 516 MCAT, 3.842 GPA, (3.7 sGPa or so), and grew up in Minnesota (am an in-state resident who attended college OOS), are chances for me decent?

 

[NicMouse64]

@gyngyn

I received the TC secondary just now! At work so I didn't take the time to format nicely...


1. The University of Minnesota strives to ensure diverse educational experiences that promote acceptance, respect and inclusivity. Please describe your experiences with diversity and diverse groups of people. Reflect on your background and the impact it has had on developing your own values and attitudes toward others. Please include how your values and attitudes will foster a positive learning environment during your training, and benefit your future patients through the practice of medicine.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

2. Please share information about important aspects of your personal background or identity as it relates to your desire to pursue medicine. Examples might include, but are not limited to, cultural context, disabilities, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, lived experiences, race/ethnicity, religion or spirituality, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. (This question is not required.)

*3. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment to date.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

*4. Please describe a challenging life experience and how you dealt with it.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

*5. Briefly describe why you are interested in attending the University of Minnesota Medical School Twin Cities campus.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 1500)

*6. Are you a resident of the state of Minnesota? Yes No Other

7. If you selected OTHER, please provide a brief explanation as to why.

0 characters (min: 0, max: 1500)

8. If you are a non-resident applicant, do you have any special or significant ties to the state of MN? (Non-resident applicants are not required to have ties to MN and this question is not required.)

0 characters (min: 0, max: 1500)


*9. Please explain any gaps in your education and/or work experiences since high school graduation that are not previously described in your application.

0 characters (min: 1, max: 300)

10. Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor and/or felony?* Yes No

11. If YES, you must include a full explanation below.

12. What other pertinent information would you like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee? This is an opportunity for you to discuss or highlight any aspect of your journey to medicine that you may or may not have already presented in your application. You may also update us with any current experiences that were not included in your AMCAS application. (This question is not required.)

0 characters (min: 0, max: 900)

13. If you are a re-applicant, how has your current application changed or what additional information would you like to highlight for the Admissions Committee? Re-applicant refers to having applied to any medical school in the past. (This question is not required unless you are a re-applicant.)

0 characters (min: 0, max: 900)

Im Jelly. When did you get it/when were you complete?

 

[BahnMiOrBanhYou]

Im Jelly. When did you get it/when were you complete?

Let's see... transcripts received on 5/10, submitted on 6/4, verified on 6/16. I received the secondary today (7/12) at 10:24 am central time.

I'm sure you'll get yours soon! Good luck!

 

[Hopeful_vet]

With a 516 MCAT, 3.842 GPA, (3.7 sGPa or so), and grew up in Minnesota (am an in-state resident who attended college OOS), are chances for me decent?

Your chances are stellar with those stats as long as the rest of your app is up to par.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[penguinPremedJ]

Any ideas on my chances as an OOS applicant with cGPA 3.78 and sGPA 3.80 with MCAT 510? I have three dozen relatives in Minnesota, four family members who went to U of M for undergrad, three were varsity athletes, and one continued in U of M grad school so I have connections to the state but never lived there.

 

[NicMouse64]

Any ideas on my chances as an OOS applicant with cGPA 3.78 and sGPA 3.80 with MCAT 510? I have three dozen relatives in Minnesota, four family members who went to U of M for undergrad, three were varsity athletes, and one continued in U of M grad school so I have connections to the state but never lived there.

how is your research experience?

 

[GodonlyKnows]

I am one of those interesting candidates with a lower GPA (3.5) and a pretty solid MCAT score (519). I graduated undergrad in may 2014 and took the MCAT now 3 years later. I have always lived in Minnesota apart from attending an OOS school in undergrad. I have unique experiences including a couple years working as a full-time missionary. I have also 1.5 years of experience working in the medical field with a variety of volunteering experiences. Research, leadership experiences, and LOR's are also up to par. I am currently also teaching a formal MCAT course, mostly to remain academically fit. Looking for honest feedback on how likely it will be to have an admissions member overcome my subpar GPA?

EDIT: btw, another reference for everyone regarding timeline:
-AMCAS submitted: 6/1/17
-AMCAS verified: 6/1/17
-email to select TC/duluth: 6/30/17
-Secondary: not yet received

 

[tswol]

I am one of those interesting candidates with a lower GPA (3.5) and a pretty solid MCAT score (519). I graduated undergrad in may 2014 and took the MCAT now 3 years later. I have always lived in Minnesota apart from attending an OOS school in undergrad. I have unique experiences including a couple years working as a full-time missionary. I have also 1.5 years of experience working in the medical field with a variety of volunteering experiences. Research, leadership experiences, and LOR's are also up to par. I am currently also teaching a formal MCAT course, mostly to remain academically fit. Looking for honest feedback on how likely it will be to have an admissions member overcome my subpar GPA?

Your GPA is below average, but not terrible! The best way to make up for a lackluster GPA is to have a high MCAT, and it looks like you killed it. You stand a fine chance.

 

[penguinPremedJ]

how is your research experience?

I did EEG research before college presenting at the Virginia Academy of Science symposium twice before college. I worked in a neuroengineering lab using DBS in rats, got some experience with IRB approval process with a psychology project on the side that culminated in a poster presentation, and have been doing ECoG research in two clinical neurosurgery labs (one lab by my university and currently collaborating with one in Pittsburgh this summer before returning to my main lab) using multivariate statistics and machine learning to do brain mapping and decoding of activity in end-stage epilepsy patients (doing data processing in lab, and data collection + OR and clinic shadowing involving patient exposure).

 

[Hopeful_vet]

I am one of those interesting candidates with a lower GPA (3.5) and a pretty solid MCAT score (519). I graduated undergrad in may 2014 and took the MCAT now 3 years later. I have always lived in Minnesota apart from attending an OOS school in undergrad. I have unique experiences including a couple years working as a full-time missionary. I have also 1.5 years of experience working in the medical field with a variety of volunteering experiences. Research, leadership experiences, and LOR's are also up to par. I am currently also teaching a formal MCAT course, mostly to remain academically fit. Looking for honest feedback on how likely it will be to have an admissions member overcome my subpar GPA?

EDIT: btw, another reference for everyone regarding timeline:
-AMCAS submitted: 6/1/17
-AMCAS verified: 6/1/17
-email to select TC/duluth: 6/30/17
-Secondary: not yet received

I think you'll be fine. Your GPA isn't bad and your MCAT is stellar. I was accepted with a lower GPA and much lower MCAT.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[J~ingle]

My sGPA is 4, cGPA is 3.85, have +3000 hours of clinical experience working at ICU and nursing home, 30 hours for non-clinical volunteering (I know this is too little), no research experience, and will take MCAT next spring, assuming that I will get a good MCAT score, what are my chances of getting in with so little volunteering and research experience?

 

[Hopeful_vet]

My sGPA is 4, cGPA is 3.85, have +3000 hours of clinical experience working at ICU and nursing home, 30 hours for non-clinical volunteering (I know this is too little), no research experience, and will take MCAT next spring, assuming that I will get a good MCAT score, what are my chances of getting in with so little volunteering and research experience?

Do you have clinical volunteering? Obviously your clinical experience is robust, but 30 total volunteer hours would be pretty low, especially combined with no research.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Cauterized_and_Atrophied]

Okay I will be starting Medical School in 2 weeks here. I had a 500 MCAT, 3.6 GPA and OOS with no ties to Mn, and got in so worry less about your stats, and more about your application. Write a stellar essay, explain hardships you've gone through and be very open/frank. Edit your essay as many times as possible (5 times for me), and if you have a LinkedIn, update it as I have heard some schools look at that. Also, the interview is extremely important! I cannot stress this enough! if anyone of you gets an interview invite, message me and I'll give you the name of the book I used to prep for all my interviews. The schools I got into told me I had one of the best interviewing of all applicants and I will tell you it was largely due to the info I got from this book (a very affordable book btw). I'm not here to scam anyone but I've been in your shoes before and it's scary. Good luck you guys!

 

[J~ingle]

No clinical volunteering either? Another question I have is would working as a lab technician or lab assistant count as research experience? Thanks in advance!

 

[TFredrick]

I work at the medical center at the UM, really hoping I get a secondary and interview here...

 

[Cauterized_and_Atrophied]

No clinical volunteering either? Another question I have is would working as a lab technician or lab assistant count as research experience? Thanks in advance!

Yes it will, as long as you have a paper you wrote/co-authored readily available. It also primarily depends on your level of involvement. I was a lab tech for a few months in Boston and I was able to squeeze a paper out of it and it counted towards my research experience so try and make the best out of every experience you've had on your essay/secondaries

 

[BahnMiOrBanhYou]

Anyone receive the Duluth secondary yet?

 

[Smoak]

Anyone receive the Duluth secondary yet?

I got a secondary to Duluth at 4pm today!!!!
(twin cities came 7/16)
IS, verified 6/13

@gyngyn
Duluth Essays:
Everything is 800 characters.
1. In what ways do you fit the goals of the Duluth medical school program?
2. How familiar are you with life in a rural setting or American Indian community?
3. What are some of the professional and personal advantages and disadvantages of a rural family medicine practice?
4. How have you familiarized yourself with the field of medicine?
5. How have your volunteer experiences influenced your life goals?
6. Briefly describe your career plans in the event that you do not attend medical school.
7. Have you ever struggled with being honest and compassionate at the same time? Describe the situation, the struggles and, if there was one, the resolution.
8. Describe an experience you have had working in a team (other than a sports team), what role you played, and your comfort level with that role.
9. What does lifelong learning mean to you?
10. What are your recreational and leisure activities?
11. Medical school can be stressful. What coping skills have you used in the past to deal with stressful situations?
12. Please use this space to update the information contained in your AMCAS application. Indicate grades earned, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation dates, additions to your extracurricular activities, and anything else you feel the Committee should know.
13. Please describe what you are currently doing. If you have already graduated please indicate what you have been doing since graduation and what your plans are for the coming year.
14. Describe your ties to the state of Minnesota.
15. FOR REAPPLICANTS ONLY: What have you done to improve your application to medical school?
There's also space to explain IA’s and criminal convictions

Happy writing everyone!

 

[tswol]

Anyone receive the Duluth secondary yet?

I received it a couple weeks ago

 

[GodonlyKnows]

Does anyone (maybe previous applicants) know a ballpark timeframe for when Minnesota starts sending some of their earlier interview invites?

 

[Cauterized_and_Atrophied]

Does anyone (maybe previous applicants) know a ballpark timeframe for when Minnesota starts sending some of their earlier interview invites?

Some Invites go out in mid-late July

 

[NicMouse64]

Does anyone (maybe previous applicants) know a ballpark timeframe for when Minnesota starts sending some of their earlier interview invites?

Not before we get this secondary lmao. GodonlyKnows when they will send this thing out /endrant

 

[GodonlyKnows]

Not before we get this secondary lmao. GodonlyKnows when they will send this thing out /endrant

My secondary was sent on Sunday 7/16 and I submitted later that day. I bet you'll get one in the near future!

 

[penguinPremedJ]

My secondary was sent on Sunday 7/16 and I submitted later that day. I bet you'll get one in the near future!

When was your AMCAS verified?

 

[GodonlyKnows]

When was your AMCAS verified?

AMCAS was verified on 6/1.

 

[northernpike]

Should I be worried I haven't received a secondary yet (for TC)? I was verified 7/3 and received the email to choose a campus on 6/30. Should I send an e-mail or just be patient? It's the last secondary I'm waiting on lol

 

[TFredrick]

Should I be worried I haven't received a secondary yet (for TC)? I was verified 7/3 and received the email to choose a campus on 6/30. Should I send an e-mail or just be patient? It's the last secondary I'm waiting on lol

I haven't gotten the secondary from TC or Duluth and beginning to worry. was verified and sent the choose campus email right around when you did as well. Also one of my last ones.

 

[bootsandspooky]

Should I be worried I haven't received a secondary yet (for TC)? I was verified 7/3 and received the email to choose a campus on 6/30. Should I send an e-mail or just be patient? It's the last secondary I'm waiting on lol

I wouldn't be too worried since it seems like most (?) of us in this thread haven't gotten it yet. I was verified 6/2 and received the 6/30 email like you guys and chose TC that day. I'm OOS so maybe lower priority? I'll probably check in next week - the only time constraint I see is that the screening process "may take three or more weeks from the time of your campus selection."

 

[Anna3]

Okay I will be starting Medical School in 2 weeks here. I had a 500 MCAT, 3.6 GPA and OOS with no ties to Mn, and got in so worry less about your stats, and more about your application. Write a stellar essay, explain hardships you've gone through and be very open/frank. Edit your essay as many times as possible (5 times for me), and if you have a LinkedIn, update it as I have heard some schools look at that. Also, the interview is extremely important! I cannot stress this enough! if anyone of you gets an interview invite, message me and I'll give you the name of the book I used to prep for all my interviews. The schools I got into told me I had one of the best interviewing of all applicants and I will tell you it was largely due to the info I got from this book (a very affordable book btw). I'm not here to scam anyone but I've been in your shoes before and it's scary. Good luck you guys!

are you starting TC? What was your mcat score if you dont mind?

 

[----x----]

are you starting TC? What was your mcat score if you dont mind?

They mentioned 500 in their post you quoted