2018-2019 Southern Illinois University

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Cardinals#1Fan

Cardinals#1Fan

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Secondary Prompts
  • Essay question #1: SIU School of Medicine uses a holistic approach to identify and select a diverse student body best suited to fulfill its mission: to assist the people of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health care needs through education, patient care, research, and service to the community. In what ways do you believe you would contribute to this mission? Please limit your answer to 300 words or less.
  • Essay question #2: To be successful as a student at SIU School of Medicine and as a practicing physician, you must be flexible and committed to cultivating and employing critical interactive and learning skills. Describe your experiences that demonstrate: contribution in a teamwork setting; engagement in self-directed and life-long learning (taking personal initiative to identify and address your learning goals and needs); and exposure to the small group tutorial process used in a problem-based learning environment. Please limit your answer to 500 words or less.
  • Essay question #3: If you have previously applied to SIU School of Medicine, please describe how you feel you have strengthened your credentials since that application. Please limit your answer to 300 words or less

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2013-2014 Southern Illinois University Application Thread
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2017-2018 Southern Illinois University Application Thread

Quick Facts
Application timetable
Earliest date: June
Latest date: November 15
Acceptance timetable
Earliest date: November
Response deadline: 2 weeks after acceptance
Screening fee: $75
Oldest MCAT considered: 2016 MCAT for 2019 applications

Data from 2015-2016 cycle [2016 Entering Class]
MD Applications: 1,274
MD/JD applications: 74
Acceptances: 128 (10%)
Matriculants: 71
Mean age: 23 (20-30)
Mean GPA: 3.70
Mean MCAT: 506/31

I am an MS2 as of the 2018-2019 year here at SIU School of Medicine. Please feel free to ask any questions here or send me a private message. @UMVoyager is an MS2 as well and will be available to answer questions too! Best of luck with the cycle!
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When do they send out secondary invites?
Has anyone received one?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Could you confirm if the secondaries above is the right one for this year? Thanks


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sillymoi said:
Could you confirm if the secondaries above is the right one for this year? Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...


Everything is the same with an addition to this line in the first prompt: "In what ways do you believe you would contribute to this mission and the diversity of your medical school class? Please limit your answer to 300 words or less."
 
melaninnMD said:
Everything is the same with an addition to this line in the first prompt: "In what ways do you believe you would contribute to this mission and the diversity of your medical school class? Please limit your answer to 300 words or less."
Click to expand...

Thank you.
I’m still waiting for my secondary.
To those who received secondary, when did you guys receive the AMCAS acknowledgment email from SIU?


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sillymoi said:
Thank you.
I’m still waiting for my secondary.
To those who received secondary, when did you guys receive the AMCAS acknowledgment email from SIU?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...

I received the acknowledgment e-mail on July 2nd
 
I'm a current M3 if anyone has any questions at all. Best of luck to everyone here
 
I'm sad that I still haven't received a secondary...
I guess they screened me out =(
 
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=( Got put on screeners alternate list. I'm so sad
 
tiredpremed5786 said:
Same. Is this basically a waitlist for secondaries?
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From what I know, it’s a rejection. I may be very wrong but reading from previous years, people that are on this list never hear back until their rejection letter at the end of the cycle. :/

Super sad. I’m so depressed 🙁


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What is the last year interview acceptance rate of SIU? How many students interviewed and how many got offers?
 
guys seriously, you actually have a regular MD option on AMCAS ?? I only see the MD/JD
 
Hey guys, current M1 here! We just started classes ~ 2 weeks ago, so I may not have the most helpful info yet, but I am here for your support and to help answer questions if I can! Good luck to everyone applying 🙂
 
premed618 said:
Hey guys, current M1 here! We just started classes ~ 2 weeks ago, so I may not have the most helpful info yet, but I am here for your support and to help answer questions if I can! Good luck to everyone applying 🙂
Click to expand...


How’s it going so far?! Are there any experiences you’d like to share with us?
 
VikMed1790 said:
How’s it going so far?! Are there any experiences you’d like to share with us?
Click to expand...
So far, so good! The problem-based learning is very different from anything that I've ever experienced in my schooling, but it's really interesting and more realistic than just sitting in a lecture hall all day. I'm really enjoying it so far! If you have anything in particular you would like to hear about, just let me know, and I'd be more than happy to share 🙂
 
Asian1995 said:
Where will be classes, In Carbondale or Springfield IL?
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The first year at SIU SOM is entirely based in Carbondale. So currently, I am living in Carbondale, and all of my classes are here. Years 2-4 are entirely based in Springfield. So you get a little bit of both 🙂
 
Can any current students speak to extracurricular activities or student organizations on campus? (either in Springfield or in Carbondale). Specifically involving pediatrtics and/or community health? Thanks! 🙂
 
futureMD618 said:
Can any current students speak to extracurricular activities or student organizations on campus? (either in Springfield or in Carbondale). Specifically involving pediatrtics and/or community health? Thanks! 🙂
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There is a lot to get involved with. First year, myself and a lot of my classmates mostly focused on getting used to the new learning style and medical school in general and stuck to more sporadic volunteer things. For example, there is Tar Wars that you only end up doing once or twice where you go to grade schools to talk about the dangers of smoking/tobacco. There is a day when you can go help do kindergarten physicals with some residents and a few days when you can help out with high school students coming to the school. A lot of my class also participated in a walk for autism. So essentially if you want to get involved you can. There are also student positions like class reps, president, etc. Second year is when there are more structured, year long groups if you want. There are so many for pediatrics that you'll learn about on INFO night at the beginning of the year. There is a pediatric interest group specifically and then several groups that involve you hanging out with/mentoring kids in some fashion as well as many groups where community health and improving it specifically is the goal. Hope this helps!
 
sophialively444 said:
I'm from Chicago and I received the screener's alternate email..but I'm very interested in this school and volunteered with an alum MD and was born in a developing country where I witnessed the challenges of rural medicine during visits...all of which I intended to talk about in the secondary I didn't get...

Do you guys think I should email/call to explain these connections to the school/rural med/would they be receptive to that sort of thing?
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I'm sorry to hear this. It sounds like you definitely have some cool experiences. I personally think a better approach would be to follow up at a later date and ask them how you can improve your application for the future if things don't work out for you this cycle. I know it's hard, but they will be more than willing to give you specific feedback to try to help you. They have your personal statement; did you hit on any of these things in that? I have nothing to do with admissions of course so take this advice with a grain of salt but that's just my opinion. Good luck with everything!
 
Cardinals#1Fan said:
I'm sorry to hear this. It sounds like you definitely have some cool experiences. I personally think a better approach would be to follow up at a later date and ask them how you can improve your application for the future if things don't work out for you this cycle. I know it's hard, but they will be more than willing to give you specific feedback to try to help you. They have your personal statement; did you hit on any of these things in that? I have nothing to do with admissions of course so take this advice with a grain of salt but that's just my opinion. Good luck with everything!
Click to expand...

I would have to second this opinion. Reaching out to an admissions committee for anything besides specific feedback on how you can better your application is fairly taboo, and may even hinder your chances. So much of medicine (and SIU even moreso) is about learning to take quality feedback to improve yourself.

I'm also very sorry to hear about you being screened. But absolutely the best way to improve your chances are to ask what they would like to see you improve. Don't bring up any of the stuff that 'makes you unique'...that can often send the wrong message
 
premed618 said:
So far, so good! The problem-based learning is very different from anything that I've ever experienced in my schooling, but it's really interesting and more realistic than just sitting in a lecture hall all day. I'm really enjoying it so far! If you have anything in particular you would like to hear about, just let me know, and I'd be more than happy to share 🙂
Click to expand...


Thank you!! I’m very interested in the PBL program. I’m an active learner so I believe this would work well for me. I do have a couple questions for you. Can you tell me how soon you started doing cases? Do you do lectures too? Thank you!
 
premed618 said:
Hey guys, current M1 here! We just started classes ~ 2 weeks ago, so I may not have the most helpful info yet, but I am here for your support and to help answer questions if I can! Good luck to everyone applying 🙂
Click to expand...
What was your interview like? Can you remember any interesting/off the wall questions you were asked?
 
VikMed1790 said:
Thank you!! I’m very interested in the PBL program. I’m an active learner so I believe this would work well for me. I do have a couple questions for you. Can you tell me how soon you started doing cases? Do you do lectures too? Thank you!
Click to expand...

Hey M2 here popping back into SDN! In terms of M1, once orientation is over you will begin a case the following Monday. You work on these cases in small groups called "tutor group" every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 3 hours per session. Once you transition to M2 year tutor group decreases to twice a week for two hours per session. Lectures, or "resource sessions" as SIU SOM calls them, are also incorporated into the curriculum. Resource sessions are known to be held on Thursdays but usually there are some scattered randomly throughout the week as well. The majority of the lectures are optional.
 
VikMed1790 said:
Thank you!! I’m very interested in the PBL program. I’m an active learner so I believe this would work well for me. I do have a couple questions for you. Can you tell me how soon you started doing cases? Do you do lectures too? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Yeah, of course! So our orientation was August 8-11, which ended with our White Coat Ceremony of the 11th. We started classes on the next Monday, so the 13th. Our first case was opened on this day, and we actually saw a standardized patient to practice history taking the next day. So you kind of do get thrown in at the beginning - although it's not as scary as it sounds because our whole class was doing it together 🙂 At this point, we are about to wrap up our third case, and we have now seen two standardized patients and have started learning how to do a physical exam. There are also lectures throughout the week. Most of them are optional, some are strongly recommended, and case wraps from our patients in tutor group and for our standardized patients are always required. Overall, the curriculum is very unique, and I really do feel like it helps me learn better. It's extremely different and weird at first because it's so self directed, but it's definitely worth it! Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂
 
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