2018-2019 Central Michigan University

[futuredoc0307]

But in a way, we could look at it as the pre-pre II status, lol. Orientation starts on Monday, if I’m not mistaken, so hopefully that’s when things will really ramp up.

lol amen

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[lilsebastian18]

Hi Central Michigan, I know we've only known each other for a short period, but I love you. You don't need to say it back just yet, but I'd love for you to get to know me, I'm free for most of August and September, lets schedule a date.

 

[star.buck]

Hi Central Michigan, I know we've only known each other for a short period, but I love you. You don't need to say it back just yet, but I'd love for you to get to know me, I'm free for most of August and September, lets schedule a date.

Lol...

 

[sotvanpardis]

any interviews yet?

 

[lilsebastian18]

any interviews yet?

According to the MSAR, application reviews did not begin until 7/23 and word on the streets was there was an AAMC conference about the new traffic rules which many of deans attended. First II from last year was early September, if I remember correctly.

 

[futuredoc0307]

But in a way, we could look at it as the pre-pre II status, lol. Orientation starts on Monday, if I’m not mistaken, so hopefully that’s when things will really ramp up.

I have a feeling they replaced the "review completed" status with this "currently under review" status; looking at past year's thread I didn't see anyone posting about the "currently under review" status. they all went from "application complete" to "review complete"

 

[lilsebastian18]

I have a feeling they replaced the "review completed" status with this "currently under review" status; looking at past year's thread I didn't see anyone posting about the "currently under review" status. they all went from "application complete" to "review complete"

Check the second page and part of the third on last years thread. The guy at comment 61 went from under review to complete within a few days. So did a few other people. But all we can do now is wait and hope these next couple weeks fly by.

 

[futuredoc0307]

Check the second page and part of the third on last years thread. The guy at comment 61 went from under review to complete within a few days. So did a few other people. But all we can do now is wait and hope these next couple weeks fly by. You know before the “leader” of our country tweets us into a nuclear fireblast.

Lol yeah I see it now. Patience has never been a strength of mine I wish I can hibernate for a few weeks

 

[lilsebastian18]

Lol yeah I see it now. Patience has never been a strength of mine I wish I can hibernate for a few weeks

I’ve started mini hibernations after work. But then I’m wide awake at night. Started reading again, but then I trail off thinking about all the things I could’ve done to improve my app, lol.

 

[TobyFlendersin]

Just submitted my secondary! Hopefully they send out some IIs soon, but I know some other Michigan schools are waiting until mid-August

 

[FutureDocSW]

I don't know what the screening criteria is, sorry I can't help you with that. I can tell you I was below the 50th percentile for the MCAT, and was accepted. I'm also a highly non-traditional student.

Right now I'm just started my Comprehensive Community Clerkship (CCC), a 6 month program where I am placed in a rural community with a local physician, in addition to specialty, emergency, and surgical experiences in that same community. I absolutely love life right now. I haven't had anything but the time with the local family physician yet (I start pediatric and emergency experiences - probably once a week - this coming week). My preceptor is a family doc, he's been in the community at this local hospital for over 20 years. He's incredibly patient, very skilled with his patients, and seems to love teaching me. He'll take me into his office, draw out diagrams, and take time out of his busy full patient schedule to explain things like how the physiology of congestive heart failure or superficial injury swelling causes edema - and then take me in to see a patient with that exact pathophysiology. The staff here at the local rural community seems to love having me here too, I can't wait to work in the ER and the peds office as well this week.

For rotations, which are usually in Saginaw, a lot of people are still adjusting to the clinical experiences after 2 years of didactic learning. I have heard some stories of rather rough adjustments into those experiences - but I think this is common no matter what school you go to. The transition into clinical training is definitely more gentle for me with the CCC and one on one training from a family physician in a rural community - compared to the city of Saginaw and a larger team of residents and physicians in a much busier lifestyle. I'll be able to speak to this better in January when I'm there as well. I have heard from upperclassmen that the rotations are amazing once you get used to the pace and culture of 3rd year.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!

Were you IS or OOS

 

[FutureDocSW]

Status changed to under review today. Let the games begin.

When were you complete?

 

[lilsebastian18]

When were you complete?

The complete/under review notification came as the same email. I had everything in (MCAT and LOR) when I submitted my secondary on 7/12.

 

[FutureDocSW]

Has anyone who has been complete around 7/27 had their application under review?

 

[star.buck]

Were you IS or OOS

Im IS. However the admissions committee will tell you over and over they don’t have an in state bias. I think the numbers are as they are because of the pool of applicants...

 

[futuredoc0307]

Has anyone who has been complete around 7/27 had their application under review?

Mine was complete 7/17. I've been under review for 2 weeks or more now

 

[futuredoc0307]

Just submitted my secondary! Hopefully they send out some IIs soon, but I know some other Michigan schools are waiting until mid-August

It's on Central's website that they don't send II until september.

 

[bigdumbgirl]

Anyone else's portal show "Invited for Interview" = Incomplete, "Interview Scheduled"= Incomplete, "Interview Complete"=Incomplete?

Don't remember seeing these three statuses earlier.

 

[Alex1234*]

Anyone else's portal show "Invited for Interview" = Incomplete, "Interview Scheduled"= Incomplete, "Interview Complete"=Incomplete?

Don't remember seeing these three statuses earlier.

Yeah mine says the same, I think that's normal. They're just reviewing the application right now, and if you get an interview it will probably change to a green check mark or something

 

[masshole1995]

Has anyone who has been complete around 7/27 had their application under review?

I was complete 7/25 and I'm under review now. Not sure when it happened, I think sometime earlier this week.

 

[FutureDocSW]

Im IS. However the admissions committee will tell you over and over they don’t have an in state bias. I think the numbers are as they are because of the pool of applicants...

Oh really?? Looking at Msar it seems like they do haha

 

[FutureDocSW]

I was complete 7/25 and I'm under review now. Not sure when it happened, I think sometime earlier this week.

Did you get an email or just checked the portal?

 

[TobyFlendersin]

Wow, reddit/MCAT got banned and shut down for good. Keep all those precious files close if you know anyone taking the MCAT or might be planning a retake.

 

[sotvanpardis]

Wow, reddit/MCAT got banned and shut down for good. Keep all those precious files close if you know anyone taking the MCAT or might be planning a retake.

do you by any chance know why that happened?

 

[TobyFlendersin]

do you by any chance know why that happened?

Word is that UWorld threatened legal action, they take copyright laws very seriously. The sub had too many strikes after that and Reddit shut it down for good. It's important to not share any UWorld content outside of the textbooks if you get into school.

 

[@LAtraveler]

I was filling out the answer to the secondary prompts. I used 391/400 for the first one, 400/400 for the second and 1/500 because N/A for the third and I am a "This page is incomplete message" . I am so confused, any suggestions?

 

[futuredoc0307]

I was filling out the answer to the secondary prompts. I used 391/400 for the first one, 400/400 for the second and 1/500 because N/A for the third and I am a "This page is incomplete message" . I am so confused, any suggestions?

Are you hitting “page complete” for every single page, not just “save”?

 

[@LAtraveler]

Are you hitting “page complete” for every single page, not just “save”?

I was just hitting save, thank you I figured it out .. I have to hit submit after every page

 

[PopeKnope23]

Has anyone who has been complete around 7/27 had their application under review?

Complete 7/24 and I'm currently under review. Not sure for how long, though, as I only just checked today lol

 

[labtech312]

Hey Guys,

OOS non-trad here. So most likely we all talked about our volunteering and service in our primary application. For the most important volunteering experience question are you guys keeping a chunk of what you initially talked about in your primary then elaborating further?

 

[masshole1995]

Did you get an email or just checked the portal?

Checked the portal!

 

[coffeeandteadoctor]

So I am a reapplicant and for some reason I thought the REAPP question was only for people who replied to this specific school. I do not know what to do now Any ideas?

 

[sotvanpardis]

So I am a reapplicant and for some reason I thought the REAPP question was only for people who replied to this specific school. I do not know what to do now Any ideas?

email the admissions and tell them about it maybe? it happens

 

[Traumahawk]

my status is updated to:

"Your supplemental application is complete and your materials are currently under review. While we make every effort to provide final decisions as early as possible, it is possible that an applicant could remain without an interview decision until February."

looking from last year's thread, this seems to be the pre-interview status. fingers crossed. this is my top school on my list. I wonder if everyone gets this status including the rejected ones.

Indeed, this is the “pre-interview” status that everyone sees. It can take several months from that status to a decision of II or reject, as the ADCOM reviews each application and weighs applicant strengths.

If you have this status, it means the ADCOM has your stuff and will get to your file eventually. However, with >7000 applications annually and rising, the review process does take time.

Patience is the name of the game. Relax, enjoy the rest of your summer, and if you happen to get an II, come see us - we would love to talk to you!

(Current M3 student on clinical rotations. Please feel free to ask me things about the school, the class, the neighborhood, anything you like!)

 

[futuredoc0307]

Indeed, this is the “pre-interview” status that everyone sees. It can take several months from that status to a decision of II or reject, as the ADCOM reviews each application and weighs applicant strengths.

If you have this status, it means the ADCOM has your stuff and will get to your file eventually. However, with >7000 applications annually and rising, the review process does take time.

Patience is the name of the game. Relax, enjoy the rest of your summer, and if you happen to get an II, come see us - we would love to talk to you!

(Current M3 student on clinical rotations. Please feel free to ask me things about the school, the class, the neighborhood, anything you like!)

Thanks a lot for your input, 2 questions:

With the current curriculum at CMU, are you able to get enough sleep if you were to not procrastinate? or is sacrificing sleep inevitable at any med school? (definitely priority lol)

How is the general area around campus like on the weekends and such? I hear the school is in the middle of nowhere, are there things to do when not studying?

 

[sendhelppls19]

Ok so they as if I am first generation, (defined as neither parent has a bachelors degree)... do i count as first gen if my parents have a bachelors degree but not from america?

 

[B4y 4RE4 N4Tiv3]

Ok so they as if I am first generation, (defined as neither parent has a bachelors degree)... do i count as first gen if my parents have a bachelors degree but not from america?

lol I asked my dad and he responded "What degree" therefore I said I was first gen

 

[sotvanpardis]

Ok so they as if I am first generation, (defined as neither parent has a bachelors degree)... do i count as first gen if my parents have a bachelors degree but not from america?

You are first generation if neither of your parents attended college whether in US or outside.

 

[FutureDocSW]

How is this school with OOS?

 

[TobyFlendersin]

How is this school with OOS?

A current student mentioned above that it is mainly IS but they don't have a policy against OOS or anything. It's probably just the smaller class size, emphasis on more rural medicine, and location that limits OOS applications.

 

[Traumahawk]

Thanks a lot for your input, 2 questions:

With the current curriculum at CMU, are you able to get enough sleep if you were to not procrastinate? or is sacrificing sleep inevitable at any med school? (definitely priority lol)

How is the general area around campus like on the weekends and such? I hear the school is in the middle of nowhere, are there things to do when not studying?

Ah, the inevitable "can you sleep in medicine?" question. I approached my study plan from the opposite direction: I know I require 5.5 hours of sleep to avoid zombie status, and perform my best with seven. Therefore, I put a hard stop on my study days of being in bed and asleep by 2300 in order to be up at 0600. You will have plenty of time in the curriculum to learn what you need to know with that schedule. I also made extensive use of my "logistics time" (cleaning, cooking, shopping, driving downstate to visit family, etc) for studies. Cleaning your apartment? Throw on a DIT or OnlineMedEd video (something that doesn't necessarily need video to be effective). Standing in line at the grocery store? Load an Anki app on your phone (not the $24.99 one, there's a free version that works just fine), or the UWorld app if you've invested thus, and do a few flashcards while you wait. Even if you're not doing hardcore focused repetition and mastery, just hearing the material over and over will make key concepts stick.

As for campus, this question is necessarily divided by virtue of the fact that we have a split campus: your first two years are in Mt Pleasant, while your latter two are in Saginaw and wherever you post for your CCC (community clinical clerkship, 6-month longitudinal study in primary care, what @star.buck is doing right now and I start in January). Mt Pleasant actually has a lot to recommend it, as small college towns go. Yes, it's kind of a hike from any major city, but that's a relative consideration in Michigan, where, as I once explained to my future in-laws, everything is at least an hour from anywhere, even between Detroit suburbs at times; and if you can't get what you want at Meijer's, you can get it from Amazon. (Absolutely do invest in a Prime subscription, if you haven't already. Best value for your $99 ever.) There are plenty of fun community events, tons of opportunities to hike, camp, fish, hunt, etc if you're of the outdoorsy persuasion, the farmers' market in the summer and fall is second to none for those who like to cook, and there's tons of stuff to do on campus. (If I had one complaint about CMED vs CMU, it's that the rest of CMU kind of doesn't know we exist - therefore there are buckets of events you can go to for free or very cheap, and if you want to get involved in community service or outreach, people will welcome you with open arms.) Plus, if you're coming from a major metropolis, apartment rents are laughably cheap in Mt P. Do be aware that some parts of town have a higher undergraduate population, which means modestly increased noise, though not nearly what I experienced living in Boston or Ann Arbor. If you absolutely must have pin-drop silence in your home, there are quite a few apartment complexes that cater to professionals in the area.

Saginaw is a bigger city, with all that implies: more events, more restaurants, more bars, a minor league hockey team, and immediate proximity to the I-75 corridor, from which Detroit is a one-hour drive. Most of your clinical rotations will be at Covenant, which is a major regional healthcare facility (643 beds, ACS Level II trauma, neuro-interventional, PCI, regional NICU, air ambulance program, etc). As for CCC sites, the whole point of the CCC program is to place students in medically underserved regions, and by necessity many of those are quite rural. You do get some input into where you go, though, and the bonus to working in an area where there are only one or two physicians is that you get that attending's educational attention all to yourself for six months, which is an incredible bonus you absolutely don't get in big teaching hospital rotations. Plus, northern Michigan is just drop-dead beautiful.

Hope this helps - if there's anything I didn't answer, please don't hesitate to ask!

 

[TobyFlendersin]

Ah, the inevitable "can you sleep in medicine?" question. I approached my study plan from the opposite direction: I know I require 5.5 hours of sleep to avoid zombie status, and perform my best with seven. Therefore, I put a hard stop on my study days of being in bed and asleep by 2300 in order to be up at 0600. You will have plenty of time in the curriculum to learn what you need to know with that schedule. I also made extensive use of my "logistics time" (cleaning, cooking, shopping, driving downstate to visit family, etc) for studies. Cleaning your apartment? Throw on a DIT or OnlineMedEd video (something that doesn't necessarily need video to be effective). Standing in line at the grocery store? Load an Anki app on your phone (not the $24.99 one, there's a free version that works just fine), or the UWorld app if you've invested thus, and do a few flashcards while you wait. Even if you're not doing hardcore focused repetition and mastery, just hearing the material over and over will make key concepts stick.

As for campus, this question is necessarily divided by virtue of the fact that we have a split campus: your first two years are in Mt Pleasant, while your latter two are in Saginaw and wherever you post for your CCC (community clinical clerkship, 6-month longitudinal study in primary care, what @star.buck is doing right now and I start in January). Mt Pleasant actually has a lot to recommend it, as small college towns go. Yes, it's kind of a hike from any major city, but that's a relative consideration in Michigan, where, as I once explained to my future in-laws, everything is at least an hour from anywhere, even between Detroit suburbs at times; and if you can't get what you want at Meijer's, you can get it from Amazon. (Absolutely do invest in a Prime subscription, if you haven't already. Best value for your $99 ever.) There are plenty of fun community events, tons of opportunities to hike, camp, fish, hunt, etc if you're of the outdoorsy persuasion, the farmers' market in the summer and fall is second to none for those who like to cook, and there's tons of stuff to do on campus. (If I had one complaint about CMED vs CMU, it's that the rest of CMU kind of doesn't know we exist - therefore there are buckets of events you can go to for free or very cheap, and if you want to get involved in community service or outreach, people will welcome you with open arms.) Plus, if you're coming from a major metropolis, apartment rents are laughably cheap in Mt P. Do be aware that some parts of town have a higher undergraduate population, which means modestly increased noise, though not nearly what I experienced living in Boston or Ann Arbor. If you absolutely must have pin-drop silence in your home, there are quite a few apartment complexes that cater to professionals in the area.

Saginaw is a bigger city, with all that implies: more events, more restaurants, more bars, a minor league hockey team, and immediate proximity to the I-75 corridor, from which Detroit is a one-hour drive. Most of your clinical rotations will be at Covenant, which is a major regional healthcare facility (643 beds, ACS Level II trauma, neuro-interventional, PCI, regional NICU, air ambulance program, etc). As for CCC sites, the whole point of the CCC program is to place students in medically underserved regions, and by necessity many of those are quite rural. You do get some input into where you go, though, and the bonus to working in an area where there are only one or two physicians is that you get that attending's educational attention all to yourself for six months, which is an incredible bonus you absolutely don't get in big teaching hospital rotations. Plus, northern Michigan is just drop-dead beautiful.

Hope this helps - if there's anything I didn't answer, please don't hesitate to ask!

I started laughing when you pluralized Meijer. Apparently, us Michiganders are known for pluralizing names that don't have an 's' (Ford's Motor Company, Krogers, Meijers etc)

 

[altblue]

I started laughing when you pluralized Meijer. Apparently, us Michiganders are known for pluralizing names that don't have an 's' (Ford's Motor Company, Krogers, Meijers etc)

Or when you bump into someone

OPE!

 

[lilsebastian18]

I started laughing when you pluralized Meijer. Apparently, us Michiganders are known for pluralizing names that don't have an 's' (Ford's Motor Company, Krogers, Meijers etc)

Not a Michigander, but I literally get so much grief for saying Krogers....this has to count as a connection to the state.

 

[star.buck]

Thanks a lot for your input, 2 questions:

With the current curriculum at CMU, are you able to get enough sleep if you were to not procrastinate? or is sacrificing sleep inevitable at any med school? (definitely priority lol)

How is the general area around campus like on the weekends and such? I hear the school is in the middle of nowhere, are there things to do when not studying?

I'll input a little too, from the perspective of a non-science based nontrad who struggled a bit with the dense curriculum load and the difficulty of the material at times (it's med school, to be expected). I sacrificed sleep the first year, to my own detriment; not because I procrastinated but because I thought that's what was expected in med school. Second year (which is arguably more difficult, with the neuro course and Step prep starting for many) I made sure I got 8 hours of sleep - and did better with grades, mental health, and overall performance. So - to answer your question - sacrificed sleep is not inevitable, if you make it a priority you will do better and likely remember more and retain more than the classmates that sacrifice that very important time for their brains.

There's not a whole lot in Mt. Pleasant, there are a few great little restaurants and coffee shops, and some hiking/parks in the area. You may not miss the hopping scene however, due to the need to study and the class volunteer opportunities that seem to always be available. There are nice mid-sized cities within about an hour, if you really need that symphony concert or special anniversary meal/outing. Michigan is gorgeous - Lake Michigan is about 2 hours away (stunning in my opinion), as are a lot of world renowned nature areas.

I'm doing the 6 month (it's actually more like 5 months) Longitudinal Community Clerkship. Basically it's a 5 month long family medicine rotation - but don't think that's the only thing you're doing. I spend 2 1/2 days per week in the family clinic with a physician that loves teaching me, showing me procedures, and helping me understand the physiology and science behind some very complex diagnosis. He helps me come to diagnosis, then puzzle through what tests and what treatments are needed. I'm learning very valuable patient communications in addition to the sciences. Then I spend time in the ER or OR - or the offices of these specialists. I spent 7 hours in the ER yesterday. In a month I've splinted, sutured, removed staples, removed moles and skin tags, seen over a dozen surgeries and scrubbed in on a few as well, I've seen patients with amyloidosis, bladder cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer, I've seen paraplegia due to spinal fracture, STI's, shingles, scabies, wrist fractures... I could go on. The best part of it all - is I'm the only student, with one physician (per specialty, I've now worked with 6 different physicians in about 5 weeks) and a team of nurses and assistants. The docs ask me questions, want me to learn, and want to help me, they all love showing me techniques and seeing me succeed. The nurses show me techniques to make procedures easier. The med assistants have my number to call me in if I'm home studying and a patient is on the way that I should see. It's rural - an hour and a half from Saginaw... there's nothing really to do unless I want to travel. I'm willing to pay that cost of lack of entertainment for the educational experience I have. Everyone at the little community hospital is thrilled I'm here and wants to teach me. Basically - imagine med school heaven - and that's where I'm at - for 5 months.

 

[coffeeandteadoctor]

I just realized that I accidentally thought that the third REAPP question is only for people who reapplied to THIS specific school. I honestly do not know how I did not catch that What should I do now? I submitted three weeks ago.

 

[futuredoc0307]

did anyone get any new updates on their review status? I think around now is when they finish reviewing for some, according to last year's forum.

 

[mariposas905]

I'm a current student, starting M3 year in a few weeks. Let me know if you have any questions for me!

How do you feel being a non-trad in this school? I see that CMU has lots of traditional applicants, and I'm wondering if you feel like you fit in socially with the class? That's one of my concerns :/

Also, do you feel CMU's unranked status hinders applicants when it comes to applying to competitive residencies?

 

[mariposas905]

Im IS. However the admissions committee will tell you over and over they don’t have an in state bias. I think the numbers are as they are because of the pool of applicants...

Could you share when you were complete when you applied and what your timeline looked like? Do you think it would be too late to add CMU next week?

 

[mariposas905]

Indeed, this is the “pre-interview” status that everyone sees. It can take several months from that status to a decision of II or reject, as the ADCOM reviews each application and weighs applicant strengths.

If you have this status, it means the ADCOM has your stuff and will get to your file eventually. However, with >7000 applications annually and rising, the review process does take time.

Patience is the name of the game. Relax, enjoy the rest of your summer, and if you happen to get an II, come see us - we would love to talk to you!

(Current M3 student on clinical rotations. Please feel free to ask me things about the school, the class, the neighborhood, anything you like!)

For this question: Please tell us about the most important volunteer experience you have had. What have you learned from this experience about service? 400 words

Do you know if it's okay to write about an experience that we did summer before college and freshman year that was not included in our primary? I didn't include it because I needed space for more recent activities (I'm a non-trad), but it was a pretty meaningful activity to me. Since the prompt says to talk about the most important one I've had, I'm wondering if this would fit...