2018-2019 University of Iowa (Carver)

[gyngyn]

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Please post the essays or lack thereof (in addition to word or character counts) in this thread and tag one of the pre-allo mods (WedgeDawg, Ismet, Lucca, or gyngyn) so we can update the OP.


Good luck to everyone applying!

Interview Feedback: University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

 

[jessicaday95]

Secondary received!
1-3 are required, 4-5 are "optional, but should be completed if the situations apply to you"
1500 characters for 1, 2, 4, and 5. 3 has max of 15 entries and 175 characters per entry
Question 1: We understand you may be applying to multiple medical schools. Please explain your reasons for applying to the Carver College of Medicine.

Question 2: Describe any unique personal characteristics and obstacles you may have overcome that will contribute to the diversity of, and bring educational benefits to, the entering class.

Question 3: Please list and briefly describe all medically related experiences (paid/volunteer) you have completed during the past 5 years. Do NOT forecast future hours. Please include experiences listed on your AMCAS and also provide any additional experiences NOT listed on your AMCAS.

Question 4: If you are a reapplicant to the Carver College of Medicine, how have you strengthened your application?

Question 5: If you are not currently in a degree-seeking program, please indicate what you will be doing from the time you complete this secondary application to the start of medical school.

 

[hiragana]

anyone know if applying md/mph there are separate questions?

 

[hk94]

good luck everyone! i applied to iowa on a whim but it ended being my first interview and the school i will happily be attending. feel free to message me if you have any questions 🙂

 

[restlessdriven]

Current 3rd year at CCOM checking in! Please feel free to post here or shoot me a PM if you have any questions about the school. I'll try to help as best as I can.

 

[Unlimited Apps]

Any OOS still not receive the secondary?

 

[pgswimmer]

Any OOS still not receive the secondary?

I'm in state and still havent

 

[WerbenJaegerman]

Any OOS still not receive the secondary?

I'm OOS and received one. LizzyM 74

 

[jessicaday95]

good luck everyone! i applied to iowa on a whim but it ended being my first interview and the school i will happily be attending. feel free to message me if you have any questions 🙂

Thanks for being willing to help out! They have a section for entering all clinically related experiences, did you just copy and paste from AMCAS or did you edit/rewrite them?
EDIT: Disregard: just noticed that the descriptions are super short!

 

[PopeKnope23]

Do you guys think it's worth applying here as a WI resident? 506, 3.9+

 

[Astharia]

Do you guys think it's worth applying here as a WI resident? 506, 3.9+

Probably. They have an instate bias but not as much as Nebraska.

 

[AmbientSquid]

Do you guys think it's worth applying here as a WI resident? 506, 3.9+

I think that it would depend on how strong your ECs are, as your MCAT is on the lower end according to MSAR. From what I have been told by a current student, they put an emphasis on clinical experience and volunteering. As I understand it, they save ~100/150 spots for in-state applicants.

 

[PopeKnope23]

I think that it would depend on how strong your ECs are, as your MCAT is on the lower end according to MSAR. From what I have been told by a current student, they put an emphasis on clinical experience and volunteering. As I understand it, they save ~100/150 spots for in-state applicants.

Good to know, thanks! Would you say 110 clinical volunteering and 130 nonclinical is pretty weak?

 

[931408]

Good to know, thanks! Would you say 110 clinical volunteering and 130 nonclinical is pretty weak?

Not particularly - it's the quality of experience and how you convey the experience in words that matters more than the hours.

 

[applebox8]

Is anyone still waiting on a secondary? I'm OOS, for reference.

 

[Astharia]

Me. I'm IS and no secondary yet.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using SDN mobile

 

[Reader88]

Is anyone still waiting on a secondary? I'm OOS, for reference.

You've probably already done this but on the off chance you haven't, check your spam folder. This was the only secondary of the 18 I've received so far that went into my spam folder.

 

[DeadlyWarbler]

OOS secondary received this morning! Looks like a nice set of questions. Eager to get this submitted!

 

[pgswimmer]

Me. I'm IS and no secondary yet.

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Same here. How do they screen?


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[Astharia]

Same here. How do they screen?


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Probably GPA. I'm not sure on exact cutoffs. I'm not sure if I'll get a supp but I had to try (go Hawks!) I know I'm close to their grad GPA cutoff.

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[The Silent Sentinel]

OOS still waiting (not so patiently) for secondary. Hopefully tomorrow 🙂

 

[Astharia]

OOS still waiting (not so patiently) for secondary. Hopefully tomorrow 🙂

Probably not on a Saturday, but it'd be nice.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using SDN mobile

 

[#thriving]

Does anyone know if Iowa does a holistic screen for secondaries? Just wondering bc it’s been ~10 days and no secondary. It seems like they may just be slow with getting them out from what I’ve seen on here.

 

[Unlimited Apps]

Secondary finally received! No idea why it took so long for a Day 1 AMCAS transmission.

 

[Astharia]

Secondary finally received! No idea why it took so long for a Day 1 AMCAS transmission.

IS or OOS?

 

[#thriving]

Also finally received secondary, OOS, AMCAS verified 7/12.

 

[Unlimited Apps]

IS or OOS?

Very much so OOS lol. Could be part of the reason, IDK?

I know some schools decide on composition of secondary batches by geographical location.

 

[pgswimmer]

Should I be worried if i'm in state and still don't have one?

 

[Astharia]

Should I be worried if i'm in state and still don't have one?

I'm in the same boat.

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[Hawk Eye Pierce]

Don’t worry too much about secondary timing if you are IS. I got my Iowa secondary later than most of the other schools I applied to. It was also one of my last interviews. I was accepted and starting in a few weeks. IS applicants are almost gaurnteed an interview as long as you meet the minimum MCAT and GPA. Good luck!

 

[Astharia]

Don’t worry too much about secondary timing if you are IS. I got my Iowa secondary later than most of the other schools I applied to. It was also one of my last interviews. I was accepted and starting in a few weeks. IS applicants are almost gaurnteed an interview as long as you meet the minimum MCAT and GPA. Good luck!

GO HAWKS!!! J.S. Grew up a hawkeye, still am, even though I had to go to Iowa State (location) for undergrad.

 

[pgswimmer]

What is the minimum GPA?

 

[DeadlyWarbler]

Received notification that my secondary app was complete. I'm curious if anyone who has gone through the application process can explain their process. They indicate that "the committee does NOT review applications in chronological order." Does this mean they don't follow the usual rolling admissions practice and review them based on other factors? Does anyone know what these might be? Thanks!

 

[Unlimited Apps]

Received notification that my secondary app was complete. I'm curious if anyone who has gone through the application process can explain their process. They indicate that "the committee does NOT review applications in chronological order." Does this mean they don't follow the usual rolling admissions practice and review them based on other factors? Does anyone know what these might be? Thanks!

I think its just another confirmation of what many adcoms on this site already state. Usually schools stratify all incoming applicants into various groups and schools have their own "priority groups" that they look at first (can be IS, OOS, URM, superstar stats, legacy, etc). But no one really knows anything about this (other than the obvious URM and superstar stats that a lot of schools look at first) and I am sure there are differences between schools as well.

But that being said, submitting in July is 99% going to get you looked at before someone that submitted in September. The only school that I can think of that ABSOLUTELY doesn't review in chronological order is SUNY-Buffalo (they do a weird randomized thing regardless of stats/status I think).

Its more that schools are typically not strictly first come first serve as many assume.

But then again, I am just another applicant so who knows what they really mean?

 

[DeadlyWarbler]

I think its just another confirmation of what many adcoms on this site already state. Usually schools stratify all incoming applicants into various groups and schools have their own "priority groups" that they look at first (can be IS, OOS, URM, superstar stats, legacy, etc). But no one really knows anything about this (other than the obvious URM and superstar stats that a lot of schools look at first) and I am sure there are differences between schools as well.

But that being said, submitting in July is 99% going to get you looked at before someone that submitted in September. The only school that I can think of that ABSOLUTELY doesn't review in chronological order is SUNY-Buffalo (they do a weird randomized thing regardless of stats/status I think).

Its more that schools are typically not strictly first come first serve as many assume.

But then again, I am just another applicant so who knows what they really mean?

This all makes sense to me! Thanks!

 

[Hawk Eye Pierce]

What is the minimum GPA?

3.0 overall with a 3.0 science.

 

[whatsupdoc'19]

What is the minimum MCAT for IS?

 

[Astharia]

What is the minimum MCAT for IS?

I don't think there is one technically. I applied as an IS apppicant with a 503.

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[PopeKnope23]

Finally received the secondary! OOS

 

[angdctr2277]

For those who have submitted secondaries so far (I submitted mine 7/29), what is your application status? Does it say "Your Application is Pending a Final Decision?" <-- sounds super official but I'm not sure if this just means that my completed application has been received.

 

[rguy16]

For those who have submitted secondaries so far (I submitted mine 7/29), what is your application status? Does it say "Your Application is Pending a Final Decision?" <-- sounds super official but I'm not sure if this just means that my completed application has been received.

Submitted 7/31 and mine says "Your file is complete"

 

[angdctr2277]

Submitted 7/31 and mine says "Your file is complete"

Hmmm...interesting! Thanks for your reply. I will be sure to add updates on this (might be helpful in case anyone else is in a similar boat).

 

[OSUbee355]

anyone knows when they will send out IIs?

 

[PopeKnope23]

For the medically related experiences they want us to add, can I include pharmacy technician? I marked it as "nonclinical" in AMCAS but now it's not asking for clinical, but "medically related"

 

[angdctr2277]

anyone knows when they will send out IIs?

MSAR says they are sent out beginning in August. According to last year's thread, it looks like they started to be sent out around August 15th.

 

[liutimot]

For medically related experience, do biomaterial research and genetic research count?

 

[Unlimited Apps]

For medically related experience, do biomaterial research and genetic research count?

I wouldn't include research unless it was clinical.

 

[Thoroughbred_Med]

For medically related experience, do biomaterial research and genetic research count?

I included all of my biomedical research. Medical is in the name!

 

[Astharia]

I wouldn't include research unless it was clinical.

You mean with human subjects?

A biomed lab would be considered medical. I study trich... Is that not medically related? Most common non viral STI...

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[Unlimited Apps]

You mean with human subjects?

A biomed lab would be considered medical. I study trich... Is that not medically related? Most common non viral STI...

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Obviously "medically-related" can refer to anything remotely biological or biomedical, including basic science research, so you are probably fine including it. But in reality they probably just want stuff that is directly medically related. Clinical research would fit the latter because you are working directly with patients.

It probably doesn't matter that much at the end of the day. I stayed on the safe side and included clinical research (along with my volunteering and shadowing) but left out my biomedical basic science research.