Hi everyone. I know this might be a bit late for those applying this cycle, but I thought I'd add to this thread anyway, esp for those who are using this info to apply for next cycle.
I went to the "So you want to be a physician" day yesterday at OHSU. It was put on by the admissions office (who was also the first speaker) and also included info about the curriculum from the dean of the SOM and a student panel.
A few take-aways:
Their admissions office is small (only four staff) but seem completely old-school in a good way. They go through every single app. If you meet the minimum cut-off (2.8-ish GPA and 497 MCAT) they will look through your app. They are happy to work with you if you call/email and have questions (and I can speak from personal experience, I have called and they have been very helpful). They said they appreciate thank-yous if they've helped you with questions.
They're really big on seeing your story/narrative on why you want to work as a physician. "Traditional" students are in the minority here; most of those who are accepted have a unique path to medical school and most with (often multiple) gap years. They want you to be well rounded. And they want you to be able to present your narrative well through your personal statement, secondary application, and interview. Most of the students on the panel had really wild and unique pasts, although there were a few with fairly traditional paths as well. Only half looked like future stereotypical physicians (because, hey, it's Portland! We love tats, piercings, and being super casual!) but no matter what they looked like on the outside, they all seemed to mesh well with each other (which is a sign that the adcoms did good jobs picking collaborative students).
The school is huge into collaboration within and between medical professions. The name of their med school building even has the word "collaborative" in it! You better know how to collaborate.
They recommend committing to whatever you are doing with your life while preparing for medical school, for example, building relationships with physicians through shadowing and really learning about their specialty. If you are going to do something, do it well.
Interview is 8 MMIs with a 22 minute one-on-one interview. They want to know that you are emotionally mature, can handle yourself under stressful situations, to see if you are a good fit for their school, what your motivations for medicine are, what your life experiences are, how can you read a room, and basically be able to be a functionally social human. And to see if can you show clear ownership of your decisions.
Because their applicants are so non-trad, their LOR guidelines are only guidelines. You don't NEED 2-3 professor letters, fewer will do, but you do need STRONG letters. Get letters from whoever can speak to your strengths, especially when it comes to your personal narrative. You are not penalized for having less than the guidelines of professor letters (but I'm going to assume you need at least 1?).
They only look at the most recent MCAT. They also said that if you are going to need to reapply, they should be seeing a lot more improvement in your overall app than a slightly higher MCAT score. Stay busy during app season.
The three components to making decisions on who to offer admission to are as follows: 40% on what your personal route to medicine is (via interview and application), 40% on your MMI (and I assume your one-on-one as well, but that wasn't listed), and 20% on your academic stats. It truly seems that if you can make it through the interview door you have a decent shot. Know your narrative.
They specifically said to avoid online forums (and one speaker mentioned SDN specifically, haha).
Their curriculum is pretty interesting, as they've taken pieces from here and there and seem to have built a cool program. During didactic years they do body systems and work through the basic sciences, clinical sciences, and health systems sciences at the same time instead of going through each "science" one by one. Core and elective rotations during clinical years are interspersed. There are 7-8 weeks dedicated Step 1 study time. Each student has a faculty mentor and does a scholarly project during their time in medical school.
Like I stated before, they're big on collaboration, and group learning seems to be a big part of their program.
The dean specifically stated that they are not a primary care factory, but are committed to seeing you be the best doctor you can be, whatever that may be.
If you are rejected, you can call the admissions office and ask for feedback, and they will give you honest feedback. Someone from the student panel did this one year he was rejected, and it helped him a lot (obviously, as he's now a student!)
The MD/PhD program is fully funded with a stipend!! If I had more research experience I'd consider it!
Mostly, I'd say they are super laid back as a school. Obviously don't take that as an excuse to dress in business casual and be lax during an interview or anything, but don't be super uptight or meek, either. And once you are in, it seems like a really great place to be a student.
I hope that helps someone. Good luck!
