2018-2019 University of New Mexico

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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 New Mexico School of Medicine
 
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Anyone receive the secondary yet? My application is close to being verified but I wanted to get a small head start if possible.
 
I just got an email this morning saying my app was received, so it might be a while before I get a secondary. Anyone else get an email sooner?
 
Yay!!! Can you confirm if the secondary is the same as last year? I haven't got mine yet (hopefully) but want to know if I prepared the right prompts!

Sure thing. Not being from New Mexico definitely makes this secondary pretty tough. I am Native American though so my background does match up well with the mission. Let me know if you have any pointers lol I heard you can get an II the next day after the secondary but could wait many months for a decision.

(All 2000 characters)

Background and Diversity
At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. What would you as an individual bring to our medical community?

Interest and Suitability for a Career in Medicine
There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician?

Problem Solving
While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. What do you see as the most significant issues the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and what are some potential solutions for these problems?

Public Health
Part of the goal of the UNM School of Medicine is to address the healthcare disparities that face New Mexico. Once you become a physician, how do you foresee yourself helping to address the healthcare challenges that affect communities in the State of New Mexico?
 
Sure thing. Not being from New Mexico definitely makes this secondary pretty tough. I am Native American though so my background does match up well with the mission. Let me know if you have any pointers lol I heard you can get an II the next day after the secondary but could wait many months for a decision.

(All 2000 characters)

Background and Diversity
At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. What would you as an individual bring to our medical community?

Interest and Suitability for a Career in Medicine
There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician?

Problem Solving
While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. What do you see as the most significant issues the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and what are some potential solutions for these problems?

Public Health
Part of the goal of the UNM School of Medicine is to address the healthcare disparities that face New Mexico. Once you become a physician, how do you foresee yourself helping to address the healthcare challenges that affect communities in the State of New Mexico?

Finally got my secondary yesterday. But having trouble finding the difference between the first and second prompts since I talked a lot about my unique background (and those experiences) already in the first prompt that can easily be used to answer the second. But hey! At least I got it
 
II on 8/20! Secondary complete on 8/17. Anyone else heading to Abq for an interview on September 7th?
 
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Interviewing here on the 19th, would really appreciate some feedback on the interviews if anyone has completed interview day here!!
 
Sure! I just interviewed yesterday. I can give you my quick rundown, and then let me know if you have specific questions.

I had an interview in the morning, so I arrived around 7:15am, and then had a welcome session (15 minutes or so). Then I had my first interview with a faculty physician at 8am, and it was 55 minutes. It was really pleasant! Both of my interviewers did a great job of making me feel very comfortable, so I felt way more relaxed than I anticipated. My second interview was at 10am, so I had an hour to hang out before my interview. I was able to walk around the campus and pretty much do whatever. My second interview was with a current medical student and was also 55 minutes long. Both interviewers covered the basics: Why medicine, what clinical experiences do I have/why were they significant, what do I know about New Mexico's health issues and what will I do to fix them, why do I want to practice medicine in New Mexico, why do I want to be a physician rather than a different type of healthcare provider, etc. (If you want me to share the more specific questions I was asked, PM me. They might not be helpful to everyone, but I can still share them!). A lot of the other questions were woven into conversation and applied directly to me. I did get an ethics question concerning concussions and football, but it was super low-key compared to other ethics questions I've read about online. I genuinely think the interviewers wanted to get to know me and my passion for medicine, and it did not feel at all like they were out there to attack me or make me feel nervous. The interviewers both said they are my advocates (and will be yours as well), so they want to be able to go back to the admissions committee and share positive feedback about me (and you)! Just be comfortable and share your passions and life experiences with them.

After the interviews, I had another hour break and just chatted with other interviewees and med students. Then we had lunch and time to chat with 4 current med students. After that, we went on a tour with those med students and we were encouraged to ask whatever questions we want. Those students told us that they are not part of the adcom, so anything we ask or share with them is not being used for or against us in our admissions decision.

After that, we had an information session concerning the current med school curriculum, and we were given plenty of time to ask questions. Then we were informed about what will happen next concerning admissions. They told us that 30% of students are accepted through rolling admissions, and the other 70% receive acceptance by/around March 2019. For our interview group, they said we should anticipate hearing back about rolling acceptance/rejection by November 1st, and if we don't hear anything by then, that means they are still considering us for the March group.

That's pretty much my quick rundown. As I mentioned earlier, feel free to ask specific questions, and I'll do my best to help out. Best of luck to all future interviewees!! This is a wonderful program, and it's a really neat experience to interview there!
 
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Sure! I just interviewed yesterday. I can give you my quick rundown, and then let me know if you have specific questions.

I had an interview in the morning, so I arrived around 7:15am, and then had a welcome session (15 minutes or so). Then I had my first interview with a faculty physician at 8am, and it was 55 minutes. It was really pleasant! Both of my interviewers did a great job of making me feel very comfortable, so I felt way more relaxed than I anticipated. My second interview was at 10am, so I had an hour to hang out before my interview. I was able to walk around the campus and pretty much do whatever. My second interview was with a current medical student and was also 55 minutes long. Both interviewers covered the basics: Why medicine, what clinical experiences do I have/why were they significant, what do I know about New Mexico's health issues and what will I do to fix them, why do I want to practice medicine in New Mexico, why do I want to be a physician rather than a different type of healthcare provider, etc. (If you want me to share the more specific questions I was asked, PM me. They might not be helpful to everyone, but I can still share them!). A lot of the other questions were woven into conversation and applied directly to me. I did get an ethics question concerning concussions and football, but it was super low-key compared to other ethics questions I've read about online. I genuinely think the interviewers wanted to get to know me and my passion for medicine, and it did not feel at all like they were out there to attack me or make me feel nervous. The interviewers both said they are my advocates (and will be yours as well), so they want to be able to go back to the admissions committee and share positive feedback about me (and you)! Just be comfortable and share your passions and life experiences with them.

After the interviews, I had another hour break and just chatted with other interviewees and med students. Then we had lunch and time to chat with 4 current med students. After that, we went on a tour with those med students and we were encouraged to ask whatever questions we want. Those students told us that they are not part of the adcom, so anything we ask or share with them is not being used for or against us in our admissions decision.

After that, we had an information session concerning the current med school curriculum, and we were given plenty of time to ask questions. Then we were informed about what will happen next concerning admissions. They told us that 30% of students are accepted through rolling admissions, and the other 70% receive acceptance by/around March 2019. For our interview group, they said we should anticipate hearing back about rolling acceptance/rejection by November 1st, and if we don't hear anything by then, that means they are still considering us for the March group.

That's pretty much my quick rundown. As I mentioned earlier, feel free to ask specific questions, and I'll do my best to help out. Best of luck to all future interviewees!! This is a wonderful program, and it's a really neat experience to interview there!


thank you SO MUCH for this response!! it was super helpful and insightful! I tried to PM you, however it would not let me.
 
thank you SO MUCH for this response!! it was super helpful and insightful! I tried to PM you, however it would not let me.

I had to update my settings to allow for PMs, so hopefully it works now! Sorry about that!
 
How much consideration is put in for OOS applicants? I was born in New Mexico but moved a couple years later. I filed an appeal to be considered as strong ties. I just received my secondary this morning, but was told they wouldn't even look at my appeal until after I pay my secondary fees. Is this school still worth a shot for me?
 
How much consideration is put in for OOS applicants? I was born in New Mexico but moved a couple years later. I filed an appeal to be considered as strong ties. I just received my secondary this morning, but was told they wouldn't even look at my appeal until after I pay my secondary fees. Is this school still worth a shot for me?

I heard that state medical schools receive more funding from the government for IS students than OOS students, and given that UNM is suuuuper cheap, they rely heavily on that funding, which is probably the greatest reason why they prefer IS students... so, that's just something to consider. Unfortunately, having strong ties doesn't really mean much to UNM in terms of receiving that additional funding from the government. But, you never know! If you think you're a good applicant in all other aspects, you might be a good OOS candidate, and they usually choose a few OOS each year.
 
Has anyone that interviewed on 9/7 heard anything yet? I'm getting super anxious.
 
Has anyone that interviewed on 9/7 heard anything yet? I'm getting super anxious.

I interviewed on 9/7 and haven't heard anything. I will definitely post when I do. Hang in there! We're only a few weeks away from potentially hearing some news!
 
Interviewed yesterday. It went extremely well. I had an interview here last cycle so I knew what to expect, but they really make the interview experience pleasurable and comfortable. Of course this varies on the person interviewing you, but the interviews are conducted in a conversational manner. If you have an interview here I would recommend you not being overly-anxious or nervous about anything. Be yourself and give honest answers. Prepare for the obvious questions that they will ask (southpaw mentioned these) and there is no reason you shouldn't do well in this interview. Good luck to everyone who interviewed, those who received interviews and haven't attended yet, and to anyone else applying!
 
So if we don't hear back within the next couple weeks, do we just wait until March? I've heard that their rolling admissions is really just around those two dates.
 
So if we don't hear back within the next couple weeks, do we just wait until March? I've heard that their rolling admissions is really just around those two dates.

They told me in my interview that we would hear back either in 4 weeks (today) or in March lol
 
Well I interviewed on 9/19 and they said rolling admissions and rejections would be sent out till Nov 1st, and if we don't hear anything back then that means we have been waitlisted till March.
 
I would *hope* that those that interviewed in September/October would receive some sort of notice before years end. Whether that is a rejection, acceptance, or an email simply saying that we will hear back in late Feb/March. I just have a tough time believing that there could be 5-6 months of radio silence from the school, but this is just wishful thinking haha.

Good luck to everyone!
 
Did anyone get a tour of UNM's simulation lab on their interview day? I heard nothing about it during my visit/I had no idea it existed, and just saw online that they have a pretty nice sim lab.
 
Early october and nothing. Assuming the ED applicants know by now though. I wonder what percentage of students that is?
 
Called the office of admissions this morning and they said they have not started sending out rolling admissions yet. The only ones who have heard anything are the EDP.

That's more than what I heard from my classmate. He didn't have any information about the people who interviewed earlier than him.
 
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