2018-2019 Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences

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Do all the rejected post-II applicants get placed on an alternate list here without getting directly rejected?
I just got an alternate today as well. Can you share what happened in your situation?

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What is this “alternate” list?? Same as waitlist?
 
What is this “alternate” list?? Same as waitlist?
This is what I found about the alternate list in their “post-interview guidelines”
C701F346-390E-4DC2-B986-9F0FBFC2AD33.jpeg

https://www.usuhs.edu/sites/default/files/media/adm/interview/guidelines.pdf
 
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" An area of concern" ...Goodness, now I'm panicking pre-interview date. Well thanks.
 
Got the call today from the legendary Col Saguil. Truly honored to be part of his last round of calls! Since I have pulled some useful tidbits from these forums over the past years, the least I can do is give back... Figured I'd go ahead and create an account for it. I don't have much to offer at this point, but something is better than nothing, even if only a note of inspiration for some out there who may feel self-conscious about their numbers.

My initial academic credentials are not that impressive... bare minimum GPA and below average MCAT score for matriculates here. I surmise that I got in as a non-trad due to my back-end hustle and the writing skills the military has taught me in order to tell the story properly. So, if you don't have perfect scores across the board... relax. Put in the hard work and you can still be in good position! :)

Reviewing the past few USUHS message boards I have a guess what some folks are gonna ask so I've included that here for future reference:

Scores - MCAT: 507 (125 Chem, 129 CARS, 125 Bio, 128 Psy), Undergrad GPA: 3.29 (2.75 sci), Post-Bac GPA: 3.89 (3.88 sci), Total GPA: 3.35 (3.57 Sci), Post Graduate MBA: 3.93.

Timeline - AMCAS Submission: 17 June 2018, Secondary Requested: 2 July 2018, Secondary Completed: 15 July 2018, AMCAS Processed: 18 July 2018, Application Completed: 29 August 2018 (This was probably delayed by an unsigned LOR that was sent in), Prerequisite Request: 29 August 2018, II Invite: 26 September 2018, Interview Date: 1 November 2018 , Acceptance Call: 18 December 2018.

Military Service - Current Active Duty E-6, USAF.

Supplemental Material - 7 LORs (3 academic, 2 military supervisors, 1 community service leader in hospice field, 1 military physician from shadowing), Filled ECs with diverse life experiences that meshed well with what I interpreted the school's values to be.

My biggest issue throughout the whole process (pre and post application) has been bureaucracy. I missed the EMDP2 three times because of it and almost my chance at acceptance here because AFPC denied my initial request for the required LOA/LOR (Letter of Approval to Apply / Letter of Release). Thankfully, I had some guardian angels up in leadership looking out, but only because they knew what I have been trying to do for years. Fellow enlisted folks in tight career fields... it is VERY important that you impress and INFORM your leadership; then setup to play the long game. Persistence and resilience are key. It's been a long five years of rejection and disappointment... I have faith most of you can beat that, though. :)

Feel free to PM me with questions concerning the process for enlisted USAF applicants. It can be confusing and frustrating at times. I kept all my MFR templates which may or may not still be good for a few more years. Or contact me for anything else, really... I'm more than happy to share my story, struggles, and successes with any hopeful if it helps.

Best of luck to all remaining applicants in this cycle and any future members (or lurkers like myself) digging through this archive for information.
 
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Got the call today from the legendary Col Saguil. Truly honored to be part of his last round of calls! Since I have pulled some useful tidbits from these forums over the past years, the least I can do is give back... Figured I'd go ahead and create an account for it. I don't have much to offer at this point, but something is better than nothing, even if only a note of inspiration for some out there who may feel self-conscious about their numbers.

My initial academic credentials are not that impressive... bare minimum GPA and below average MCAT score for matriculates here. I surmise that I got in as a non-trad due to my back-end hustle and the writing skills the military has taught me in order to tell the story properly. So, if you don't have perfect scores across the board... relax. Put in the hard work and you can still be in good position! :)

Reviewing the past few USUHS message boards I have a guess what some folks are gonna ask so I've included that here for future reference:

Scores - MCAT: 507 (125 Chem, 129 CARS, 125 Bio, 128 Psy), Undergrad GPA: 3.29 (2.75 sci), Post-Bac GPA: 3.89 (3.88 sci), Total GPA: 3.35 (3.57 Sci), Post Graduate MBA: 3.93.

Timeline - AMCAS Submission: 17 June 2018, Secondary Requested: 2 July 2018, Secondary Completed: 15 July 2018, AMCAS Processed: 18 July 2018, Application Completed: 29 August 2018 (This was probably delayed by an unsigned LOR that was sent in), Prerequisite Request: 29 August 2018, II Invite: 26 September 2018, Interview Date: 1 November 2018 , Acceptance Call: 18 December 2018.

Military Service - Current Active Duty E-6, USAF.

Supplemental Material - 7 LORs (3 academic, 2 military supervisors, 1 community service leader in hospice field, 1 military physician from shadowing), Filled ECs with diverse life experiences that meshed well with what I interpreted the school's values to be.

My biggest issue throughout the whole process (pre and post application) has been bureaucracy. I missed the EMDP2 three times because of it and almost my chance at acceptance here because AFPC denied my initial request for the required LOA/LOR (Letter of Approval to Apply / Letter of Release). Thankfully, I had some guardian angels up in leadership looking out, but only because they knew what I have been trying to do for years. Fellow enlisted folks in tight career fields... it is VERY important that you impress and INFORM your leadership; then setup to play the long game. Persistence and resilience are key. It's been a long five years of rejection and disappointment... I have faith most of you can beat that, though. :)

Feel free to PM me with questions concerning the process for enlisted USAF applicants. It can be confusing and frustrating at times. I kept all my MFR templates which may or may not still be good for a few more years. Or contact me for anything else, really... I'm more than happy to share my story, struggles, and successes with any hopeful if it helps.

Best of luck to all remaining applicants in this cycle and any future members (or lurkers like myself) digging through this archive for information.
Congrats on your acceptance and kudos on your perseverance through the bureaucratic hiccups! Thank you for sharing all of your details, as it will be very helpful for other applicants. :)
 
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I recently received an interview invite for 1/17, do you believe this could be strictly for the waitlist?
 
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Got the call today from the legendary Col Saguil. Truly honored to be part of his last round of calls! Since I have pulled some useful tidbits from these forums over the past years, the least I can do is give back... Figured I'd go ahead and create an account for it. I don't have much to offer at this point, but something is better than nothing, even if only a note of inspiration for some out there who may feel self-conscious about their numbers.

My initial academic credentials are not that impressive... bare minimum GPA and below average MCAT score for matriculates here. I surmise that I got in as a non-trad due to my back-end hustle and the writing skills the military has taught me in order to tell the story properly. So, if you don't have perfect scores across the board... relax. Put in the hard work and you can still be in good position! :)

Reviewing the past few USUHS message boards I have a guess what some folks are gonna ask so I've included that here for future reference:

Scores - MCAT: 507 (125 Chem, 129 CARS, 125 Bio, 128 Psy), Undergrad GPA: 3.29 (2.75 sci), Post-Bac GPA: 3.89 (3.88 sci), Total GPA: 3.35 (3.57 Sci), Post Graduate MBA: 3.93.

Timeline - AMCAS Submission: 17 June 2018, Secondary Requested: 2 July 2018, Secondary Completed: 15 July 2018, AMCAS Processed: 18 July 2018, Application Completed: 29 August 2018 (This was probably delayed by an unsigned LOR that was sent in), Prerequisite Request: 29 August 2018, II Invite: 26 September 2018, Interview Date: 1 November 2018 , Acceptance Call: 18 December 2018.

Military Service - Current Active Duty E-6, USAF.

Supplemental Material - 7 LORs (3 academic, 2 military supervisors, 1 community service leader in hospice field, 1 military physician from shadowing), Filled ECs with diverse life experiences that meshed well with what I interpreted the school's values to be.

My biggest issue throughout the whole process (pre and post application) has been bureaucracy. I missed the EMDP2 three times because of it and almost my chance at acceptance here because AFPC denied my initial request for the required LOA/LOR (Letter of Approval to Apply / Letter of Release). Thankfully, I had some guardian angels up in leadership looking out, but only because they knew what I have been trying to do for years. Fellow enlisted folks in tight career fields... it is VERY important that you impress and INFORM your leadership; then setup to play the long game. Persistence and resilience are key. It's been a long five years of rejection and disappointment... I have faith most of you can beat that, though. :)

Feel free to PM me with questions concerning the process for enlisted USAF applicants. It can be confusing and frustrating at times. I kept all my MFR templates which may or may not still be good for a few more years. Or contact me for anything else, really... I'm more than happy to share my story, struggles, and successes with any hopeful if it helps.

Best of luck to all remaining applicants in this cycle and any future members (or lurkers like myself) digging through this archive for information.

Wow congrats man!! Sounds like you went through hell of a journey.

Tbh though I was initially very inspired by your MCATs and getting in.. then I saw post bacc and masters and not only that but you aced them. On top of that you had a significant number of LORs, and prior military service. You might as well be AOA with high honors now lol. I am now quasi-inspired.
 
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Should I send an updated transcript directly to USUHS or through AMCAS?
 
Hey need some transportation advice here. For those who have interviewed or have been to USUHS, how did you get there?

I plan on flying in the day before and spending a night at the school. On the interview feedback thing, one of the responses said to go for Reagan airport specifically, but does it really matter? All three airports (Dulles, Washington, Reagan) are about ~30 mins driving and 1hr + bus/metro to USUHS.
 
Hey need some transportation advice here. For those who have interviewed or have been to USUHS, how did you get there?

I plan on flying in the day before and spending a night at the school. On the interview feedback thing, one of the responses said to go for Reagan airport specifically, but does it really matter? All three airports (Dulles, Washington, Reagan) are about ~30 mins driving and 1hr + bus/metro to USUHS.
I flew into Dulles the day before and stayed in a hotel near DuPont circle. I took an Uber from the airport to my hotel and then the metro to my interview the next morning. DC’s metro system is pretty on time so as long as you know the route and plan accordingly it won’t matter which airport you fly into or where you stay.
 
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I flew into Dulles the day before and stayed in a hotel near DuPont circle. I took an Uber from the airport to my hotel and then the metro to my interview the next morning. DC’s metro system is pretty on time so as long as you know the route and plan accordingly it won’t matter which airport you fly into or where you stay.

Give yourself extra time with the metro. The first time I used it, it broke down and I got stuck between stops for a bit. I was on my way to check in, so I got to sit there in my blues. Fun.

I like the plan though. If you stay near DuPont circle, @Vladimir7 , there is an amazing Italian restaurant right there called La Tomate. The spinach ravioli is awesome.
 
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Happy New Year everyone! 2019 is the year we get accepted to medical school!
 
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Is it normal for it to take a while for conditional acceptances to convert to unconditional acceptances? I submitted my tape test about a little over a month ago, and my DoDMERB status says qualified.
 
Is it normal for it to take a while for conditional acceptances to convert to unconditional acceptances? I submitted my tape test about a little over a month ago, and my DoDMERB status says qualified.
Totally normal! Especially with the holidays
 
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If I needed to be taped they would’ve had it in my remedials, correct? I got the remedials I expected but I was like 2 pounds over so I didn’t know if I would have to get taped or if they just attributed it to the fact I had my physical after Thanksgiving.
 
If I needed to be taped they would’ve had it in my remedials, correct? I got the remedials I expected but I was like 2 pounds over so I didn’t know if I would have to get taped or if they just attributed it to the fact I had my physical after Thanksgiving.

I received an email from Ms. Wilsnack a couple months ago to get a tape test done. I'm guessing she'll be the one who'll contact you if you happen to need one.
 
Officially rejected today. I have to say, I'm really, really puzzled. I'm not complaining, I'm blessed to have an acceptance at an excellent school, but 6 months ago I would have bet anything that I was headed to USUHS. Such is life. Best of luck to all of you!
 
Well everyone, finally got my ejection email from USUHS today and it doesn't appear as if I'm getting an interview anywhere else, either, so I'm headed back into the Army to be a pilot instead.

Best of luck to you all in your various branches of service and endeavors in life.
 
Does anyone know how long it takes to hear back about a decision?
 
Does anyone know how long it takes to hear back about a decision?
depends on when you interview this is the guidance I got in an email with my interview information:
Response Times
DO NOT CALL THE OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW TO CHECK YOUR APPLICATION STATUS. We will NOT give you your status over the phone if you call. Please use the following as a general guideline regarding response times from the Admissions Committee. These time frames will be lengthened if you are taking fall classes, did not secure a Letter of Approval, or any other extenuating circumstance.

If you interview in September/October, you MAY hear a response in four to six weeks.
If you interview in November/December, you MAY hear a response six to eight weeks.
If you interview in January, you MAY hear a response in eight to ten weeks.
If you interview in February or thereafter, you MAY hear a response in ten or more weeks.

I interviewed on November 8th, so I'm gonna be hitting the 8 week mark this week, I'll keep the forum posted if I hear something.
 
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depends on when you interview this is the guidance I got in an email with my interview information:
Response Times
DO NOT CALL THE OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW TO CHECK YOUR APPLICATION STATUS. We will NOT give you your status over the phone if you call. Please use the following as a general guideline regarding response times from the Admissions Committee. These time frames will be lengthened if you are taking fall classes, did not secure a Letter of Approval, or any other extenuating circumstance.

If you interview in September/October, you MAY hear a response in four to six weeks.
If you interview in November/December, you MAY hear a response six to eight weeks.
If you interview in January, you MAY hear a response in eight to ten weeks.
If you interview in February or thereafter, you MAY hear a response in ten or more weeks.

I interviewed on November 8th, so I'm gonna be hitting the 8 week mark this week, I'll keep the forum posted if I hear something.
Thank you!
 
Is this school still giving out II?
 
No they update the II dates list regularly. They will have interviews in February and potentially onward.
 
Just received my call from Col. Saguil to let me know I have been accepted for ARMY class of 2023. BEYOND HAPPY right now. Thank you SDN I will post a full description of myself/application on this forum to try and pave it forward. sdn has helped me out alot so I hope to do the same for others. Good luck everyone!! I interviewed Nov. 6
 
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Just received my call from Col. Saguil to let me know I have been accepted for ARMY class of 2019. BEYOND HAPPY right now. Thank you SDN I will post a full description of myself/application on this forum to try and pave it forward. sdn has helped me out alot so I hope to do the same for others. Good luck everyone!! I interviewed Nov. 6
Congrats!!!
 
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Hi all so as promised, here is the breakdown of my credentials and some info Col. Saguil shared with me about why I was accepted, if any of you have any questions that aren’t covered in this break down feel free to message me:

Undergraduate
Case Western Reserve University Class of 2016
Medical Anthropology with Minor in Chemistry
cGPA: 3.506 sGPA: 3.25

Extracurriculars:
Clinical/Shadowing Hours during college: 200 hours
Research hours: ~200 hours
Community service/volunteer hours: 1500 (established and ran local chapter of Camp Kesem for 3 years which took a large chunk of my time)

MCAT: 513 (128 chem, 129 CARS, 128 Bio, 128 Phys)


Post Graduation:

Served in the Gambia as a Peace Corps Health Extension Volunteer from October 2016 to February 2018. Was supposed to serve until December 2018 but had to be med evac'd back to states for shoulder reconstructive surgery. Long but funny story.

Clinical experience: OVER 9000. (But actually, lot of clinical work, community development, and public health work during my service)


Current Employment: Work as a Social Worker and Case Manager that works in community development and case management for the Near East Side of Columbus Ohio, community that was hit hard from the crack epidemic of the 90s.


Military Service: I have no prior military service but come from a long line of family that has served.


What to take away from my experience?: Don’t sell yourself short just because you may not have good grades or a lot of familiarity with the military. Understand your own motivations to serve in the military and express them both with your work and your interview. When Col. Saguil spoke to me, he told me that the biggest thing that stood out in my application and a big reason of why I was accepted was my commitment to service in my community and experience doing it for “my country” as a peace corps volunteer (side note: I appreciate that he phrased it that way but I still feel serving your country in the military is different than joining the PEACE corps). He said: “commitment to service is not something that you can fake”. This to me is what I think this school wants to see out of all the people who apply to the school, especially those who don’t have military service. There’s a lot of highs that come with military service but also a lot of lows and trade-offs when it comes to flexibility and what you are or are not allowed to do. Having a clear understanding of this is what I feel will allow you to understand what it means to attend the school, but also understand what your future as a physician will look like.


As you can see my grades were never that great because I was an idiot in undergrad and didn’t take it as seriously as I should have, but I took the MCAT after I graduated, before I left for the peace corps, used it as an indicator of whether or not I could actually keep up with the material in med school, and then used the Peace Corps as a time to really understand why I want to work in global health as a physician and also what my personal motivations for service are. Some interview questions that I received were: Because you can serve your country, and your community in many ways. But why do you want to serve? Why do you want to serve through medicine? Why do you want to work specifically as a military physician and serve? Having a good understanding for my own personal reasons and my track record of service are what I believe helped me get into the school.

If there are any questions that I haven’t answered feel free to ask or PM me and I’ll definitely try to respond. Have a great day y’all, done with the rant.
 
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Hi all so as promised, here is the breakdown of my credentials and some info Col. Saguil shared with me about why I was accepted, if any of you have any questions that aren’t covered in this break down feel free to message me:

Undergraduate
Case Western Reserve University Class of 2016
Medical Anthropology with Minor in Chemistry

cGPA: 3.506 sGPA: 3.25

Extracurriculars:
Clinical/Shadowing Hours during college: 200 hours
Research hours: ~200 hours
Community service/volunteer hours: 1500 (established and ran local chapter of Camp Kesem for 3 years which took a large chunk of my time)

MCAT: 513 (128 chem, 129 CARS, 128 Bio, 128 Phys)


Post Graduation:

Served in the Gambia as a Peace Corps Health Extension Volunteer from October 2016 to February 2018. Was supposed to serve until December 2018 but had to be med evac'd back to states for shoulder reconstructive surgery. Long but funny story.

Clinical experience: OVER 9000. (But actually, lot of clinical work, community development, and public health work during my service)


Current Employment: Work as a Social Worker and Case Manager that works in community development and case management for the Near East Side of Columbus Ohio, community that was hit hard from the crack epidemic of the 90s.


Military Service: I have no prior military service but come from a long line of family that has served.


What to take away from my experience?: Don’t sell yourself short just because you may not have good grades or a lot of familiarity with the military. Understand your own motivations to serve in the military and express them both with your work and your interview. When Col. Saguil spoke to me, he told me that the biggest thing that stood out in my application and a big reason of why I was accepted was my commitment to service in my community and experience doing it for “my country” as a peace corps volunteer (side note: I appreciate that he phrased it that way but I still feel serving your country in the military is different than joining the PEACE corps). He said: “commitment to service is not something that you can fake”. This to me is what I think this school wants to see out of all the people who apply to the school, especially those who don’t have military service. There’s a lot of highs that come with military service but also a lot of lows and trade-offs when it comes to flexibility and what you are or are not allowed to do. Having a clear understanding of this is what I feel will allow you to understand what it means to attend the school, but also understand what your future as a physician will look like.


As you can see my grades were never that great because I was an idiot in undergrad and didn’t take it as seriously as I should have, but I took the MCAT after I graduated, before I left for the peace corps, used it as an indicator of whether or not I could actually keep up with the material in med school, and then used the Peace Corps as a time to really understand why I want to work in global health as a physician and also what my personal motivations for service are. Some interview questions that I received were: Because you can serve your country, and your community in many ways. But why do you want to serve? Why do you want to serve through medicine? Why do you want to work specifically as a military physician and serve? Having a good understanding for my own personal reasons and my track record of service are what I believe helped me get into the school.

If there are any questions that I haven’t answered feel free to ask or PM me and I’ll definitely try to respond. Have a great day y’all, done with the rant.

Columbus, Ohio represent! I work at OSU, mainly at East. I interviewed a week after you and there was someone else in my group from Columbus.

Congrats once again on your acceptance. Your Peace Corp experience sounds amazing and it really aided you in your acceptance.
 
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Any current students care to share how they feel about Step 1 being taken during January of M3 year instead of Spring of M2? Does it really matter any particular way? I can think of pros (longer to prepare, clerkship experience might help?) and cons (I don't know of any other schools that do it this way... Does this give enough time to choose what specialty/ies you're thinking of and the feasibility of that wrt your Step 1 score?), but I'm interested in any other thoughts that I'm missing.
 
It’s been one day since my interview... can I get a decision yet?!?! Lol. *2 month long drum roll*
 
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It’s been one day since my interview... can I get a decision yet?!?! Lol. *2 month long drum roll*
Really though.

Dr. Saguil, plz call me haha

@jcrane92 is 2 months how long they said it'd be? I didn't catch that on interview day. Yikes.
 
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Really though.

Dr. Saguil, plz call me haha

@jcrane92 is 2 months how long they said it'd be? I didn't catch that on interview day. Yikes.

depends on when you interview this is the guidance I got in an email with my interview information:
Response Times
DO NOT CALL THE OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW TO CHECK YOUR APPLICATION STATUS. We will NOT give you your status over the phone if you call. Please use the following as a general guideline regarding response times from the Admissions Committee. These time frames will be lengthened if you are taking fall classes, did not secure a Letter of Approval, or any other extenuating circumstance.

If you interview in September/October, you MAY hear a response in four to six weeks.
If you interview in November/December, you MAY hear a response six to eight weeks.
If you interview in January, you MAY hear a response in eight to ten weeks.
If you interview in February or thereafter, you MAY hear a response in ten or more weeks.

I interviewed on November 8th, so I'm gonna be hitting the 8 week mark this week, I'll keep the forum posted if I hear something.

I interviewed November 15th so here’s hoping I get a call next week!
 
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I am not trying to be a spoilsport, but I am getting a feeling there may be delays in notifications on acceptances, etc due to the government shut down. If anyone does get notified between now and when the shutdown ends (hopefully very soon!), please post on here so we know. If you are waiting for a call/letter and it is "overdue" based on your interview date; do not fret and just write your representative!
 
I am not trying to be a spoilsport, but I am getting a feeling there may be delays in notifications on acceptances, etc due to the government shut down. If anyone does get notified between now and when the shutdown ends (hopefully very soon!), please post on here so we know. If you are waiting for a call/letter and it is "overdue" based on your interview date; do not fret and just write your representative!

The military is funded through the year, so the military faculty and board members will still be there, including Dr. Saguil. However, you make a good point. I don't know if the board will still be meeting since I don't know what percentage is made of non-military members.
 
Does anyone here know how much the monthly base allowance and housing allowance is roughly? I know I'm getting ahead of myself but I wanted to try and start looking at apartments in the area and figure out pricing and moving slowly
 
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