2018-2019 Western Michigan University (Stryker)

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has anyone heard of getting rejected post phone interview?
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~50% Phone II get Campus II and ~50% of campus II get accepts was what I heard during the interview. BTW I am curious...would you guys categorize WMed as a mid-tier or a lower-tier? Their MCAT average falls around mid-tier range...
 
Master Thinker said:
~50% Phone II get Campus II and ~50% of campus II get accepts was what I heard during the interview. BTW I am curious...would you guys categorize WMed as a mid-tier or a lower-tier? Their MCAT average falls around mid-tier range...
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It is low tier
 
Complete with experiences review end of July, still patiently waiting :whistle:
 
Ive heard nothing from this school and applied mid-August what should I think?
 
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Does anyone know how merit scholarships work here? Do they holistically review those or is it just based on MCAT/GPA?
 
trackletedoc211 said:
Does anyone know how merit scholarships work here? Do they holistically review those or is it just based on MCAT/GPA?
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Holistic review, also they take into account your parent’s income (parent’s income not factored in if older than 27, or you meet some other requirements)
 
It is one of the lowest ranked schools according to residency directors. There’s a list floating around somewhere. It’s ranked right next to Central which is why I’m shocked it has a 516 MCAT average.

Here’s the list (it’s ranked close to DO schools):
 
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Dhokla said:
It is one of the lowest ranked schools according to residency directors. There’s a list floating around somewhere. It’s ranked right next to Central which is why I’m shocked it has a 516 MCAT average.

Here’s the list (it’s ranked close to DO schools):
Click to expand...

We’re only a few years in, it takes a while to build up a good reputation. It kind of makes sense that they’re going to want people with great mcats to help them hit the ground running.
 
Dhokla said:
It is one of the lowest ranked schools according to residency directors. There’s a list floating around somewhere. It’s ranked right next to Central which is why I’m shocked it has a 516 MCAT average.

Here’s the list (it’s ranked close to DO schools):
Click to expand...

Dang why is Oakland even lower?

If anything I think it’s a time thing. This school is still pretty new. Even Hofstra is super low on the list and they have a higher average I think
 
Dhokla said:
It is one of the lowest ranked schools according to residency directors. There’s a list floating around somewhere. It’s ranked right next to Central which is why I’m shocked it has a 516 MCAT average.

Here’s the list (it’s ranked close to DO schools):
Click to expand...


Only one small class has graduated, and this came out 6 months ago before those students even started residency. I wouldn't take this too seriously.
 
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soysizle said:
We’re only a few years in, it takes a while to build up a good reputation. It kind of makes sense that they’re going to want people with great mcats to help them hit the ground running.
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drv123 said:
Only one small class has graduated, and this came out 6 months ago before those students even started residency. I wouldn't take this too seriously.
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Yeah, I get that. Do you know how this school is managing to get high scorers, though? Western has a higher MCAT than UMich. Nobody would pick Western over UMich, right?
 
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Dhokla said:
Yeah, I get that. Do you know how this school is managing to get high scorers, though? Western has a higher MCAT than UMich. Nobody would pick Western over UMich, right?
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I'm not sure where you're getting your info...

From MSAR: UMich median GPA & MCAT (3.88, 518) Western GPA & MCAT (3.66, 515)
 
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chaua said:
I'm not sure where you're getting your info...

From MSAR: UMich median GPA & MCAT (3.88, 518) Western GPA & MCAT (3.66, 515)
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Oh, my bad, I don't have this year's MSAR. According to last year, UMich was 516.
 
Dhokla said:
Yeah, I get that. Do you know how this school is managing to get high scorers, though? Western has a higher MCAT than UMich. Nobody would pick Western over UMich, right?
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Dhokla said:
Oh, my bad, I don't have this year's MSAR. According to last year, UMich was 516.
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They do have a higher MCAT, I think they are kind of targeting the high scorers who are getting passed by T20 (and maybe even T40) schools for other reasons like EC's, essays, letters, random chance, etc.
 
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As the goal of going to medical school is to secure a residency position, I think it is important to inform current applicants of the WMed policy for current students who are attempting to attend residency interviews.

1. Students must give a 14 day advanced notice of any absence
2. Students are permitted 1 day of absence in a 2-week clerkship and 2 days of absence in a 4-week clerkship
3. If a student is found to be bypassing this policy by speaking with their preceptor and not informing the clerkship director or submitting the official form, they will receive a Fail in Professionalism, placed on a Learning Contract, and their MSPE will be updated and distributed to schools they have applied to.

I understand you all are 4 years away from this, but it is so important that, as prospective students, you are aware of what this administration is like. While we are a new school, they are incredibly strict and enact old-school policies.

Additionally, students were misled the first two years of medical school here in several ways, most notably with the concept of the Learning Contract. Students were informed that this contract was just a formality and no one would ever know that the student had to remediate a course summative exam (the policy is you can fail the summative exam, get a chance to retake the exam and Pass, and your transcript would show Pass and no one would ever know). Well, MSPEs came out this year and the first page of the MSPE has a table that explicitly states the student was on a Learning Contract and that they had to remediate basic science summative exams. Transcripts all show a Pass for these courses, mind you.

If you have other acceptances, take those; do NOT come here unless you have no alternative option. While administrative policies vary from institution to institution, WMed is just too new of a school to tolerate putting up with this stress as a student.

It's worth noting that the Class of 2018 passed down that this administration was incredibly inflexible for students needing absences to attend interviews. The administration's response was to crack down even harder. I'm scared to think of what it will look like for future classes if this pattern continues.
 
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WMedStudent said:
As the goal of going to medical school is to secure a residency position, I think it is important to inform current applicants of the WMed policy for current students who are attempting to attend residency interviews.

1. Students must give a 14 day advanced notice of any absence
2. Students are permitted 1 day of absence in a 2-week clerkship and 2 days of absence in a 4-week clerkship
3. If a student is found to be bypassing this policy by speaking with their preceptor and not informing the clerkship director or submitting the official form, they will receive a Fail in Professionalism, placed on a Learning Contract, and their MSPE will be updated and distributed to schools they have applied to.

I understand you all are 4 years away from this, but it is so important that, as prospective students, you are aware of what this administration is like. While we are a new school, they are incredibly strict and enact old-school policies.

Additionally, students were misled the first two years of medical school here in several ways, most notably with the concept of the Learning Contract. Students were informed that this contract was just a formality and no one would ever know that the student had to remediate a course summative exam (the policy is you can fail the summative exam, get a chance to retake the exam and Pass, and your transcript would show Pass and no one would ever know). Well, MSPEs came out this year and the first page of the MSPE has a table that explicitly states the student was on a Learning Contract and that they had to remediate basic science summative exams. Transcripts all show a Pass for these courses, mind you.

If you have other acceptances, take those; do NOT come here unless you have no alternative option. While administrative policies vary from institution to institution, WMed is just too new of a school to tolerate putting up with this stress as a student.

It's worth noting that the Class of 2018 passed down that this administration was incredibly inflexible for students needing absences to attend interviews. The administration's response was to crack down even harder. I'm scared to think of what it will look like for future classes if this pattern continues.
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Hi all, current M4 here. Just wanted to offer another opinion about this.

Interview season is a stressful time for all of us. Some of us have been put in a difficult situation for legitimate reasons such as applying for a small or competitive specialty that requires doing more away rotations and attending more interviews. However, there are several policies in place to address these issues:
  • We are given 16 weeks (4 months) of vacation/interview time in M4 year. This is a very generous amount of time. Even if a student had to use 1 or even 2 months of vacation time for extra away rotations, they are still left with at least 2 full months devoted to interviews.
  • There are also plenty of lower-commitment electives (i.e. independent study) that we could choose if we felt that we really needed more time during interview season.
  • We were informed of the absence policy - 1 day off in a 2 week clerkship, 2 days off in a 4 week clerkship - at the beginning of M3 year, well in advance of interview season. This is not a new policy that started during interview season.
Yes, our school is new. Yes, things can change because our school is new. The school listens to our feedback and is willing to make changes based on our suggestions. The school is not actively misleading us or preventing us from succeeding.

If you are an applicant, please feel free to talk to students about their own experiences while you are on campus. We would be more than happy to answer your questions and concerns. Best of luck guys.
 
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Current M1, can’t really comment on the whole residency interview stuff. But what I can say from the few m4’s i’ve talked about this with, is that all seem pretty happy with the time they have to interview, granted it’s only 4 or 5 people that I discussed this with, none shared the concerns of WMed student.

Bare in mind i’ve only been a student here for a few months now but I can honestly say this school puts in a lot of effort to make sure our voices are heard. We get surveyed, they have a dean’s forum which is basically when the dean of student affairs listens to and addresses student concerns for an hour. I believe it’s once a month. We are constantly being asked for our feedback.

There are some things I’m not thrilled about, like our schools scheduling of events without enough notice sometimes, clearvue the system they upload course material on is a little wacky and seems like professors don’t really know how to use it. They decided to do some school maintenance, making the building inaccessible the weekend before our M1 genetics and metabolic disorders summative exam. Also can’t access recorded lectures this weekend because of it. I will say this is not the norm and seems to just be a one time thing. I can’t comment on clinical rotation stuff because I’m just not there yet. But overall I feel connected to my peers and supported by faculty here.

No matter where you end up, there will always be a few rogue students that are pissed off about where they ended up and have had a crappy attitude about their school from the getgo. Just wanted to provide another perspective. If I didn’t care about this school or was unhappy I wouldn’t feel the need to defend it on sdn.
 
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med_student_ said:
Hi all, current M4 here. Just wanted to offer another opinion about this.

Interview season is a stressful time for all of us. Some of us have been put in a difficult situation for legitimate reasons such as applying for a small or competitive specialty that requires doing more away rotations and attending more interviews. However, there are several policies in place to address these issues:
  • We are given 16 weeks (4 months) of vacation/interview time in M4 year. This is a very generous amount of time. Even if a student had to use 1 or even 2 months of vacation time for extra away rotations, they are still left with at least 2 full months devoted to interviews.
  • There are also plenty of lower-commitment electives (i.e. independent study) that we could choose if we felt that we really needed more time during interview season.
  • We were informed of the absence policy - 1 day off in a 2 week clerkship, 2 days off in a 4 week clerkship - at the beginning of M3 year, well in advance of interview season. This is not a new policy that started during interview season.
Yes, our school is new. Yes, things can change because our school is new. The school listens to our feedback and is willing to make changes based on our suggestions. The school is not actively misleading us or preventing us from succeeding.

If you are an applicant, please feel free to talk to students about their own experiences while you are on campus. We would be more than happy to answer your questions and concerns. Best of luck guys.
Click to expand...

Another current WMED student here. I could not agree more with this - our fourth year offers more vacation time than the vast majority of medical schools. The policy has always been in place to notify the school if you can’t show up for a shift, and then generally speaking you’re just expected to make up that shift another time. I don’t find this to be irrational.

When it comes to issues with the first two years that the original commenter mentioned, it’s safe to say that the M4’s experience with WMED’s curriculum has changed significantly through the years as the school makes changes based on previous classes survey responses and recommendations. Personally, I didn’t have any issues with how the school handled our first two years. I recognize that the school could’ve been more clear at times with policies involving the MSPE and such, but I never believed I was misled or lied to. How they handle dean’s letters and cases of professionalism/falling behind in courses does not differ significantly from other schools.

My experience at WMED has been excellent. I’m very happy that I attended the school, and I am looking forward to my future as a physician. If I were a prospective student, I would not let one post on SDN dissuade me from ANY medical school (WMED included). Do your own research, reach out to people (more than one) that go to the school, and you’ll find a place you enjoy. Good luck to everyone applying!
 
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chiefchiefchief said:
Congrats to all accepted! I got waitlisted which is supposed to be a good thing at this school but it certainly doesn't feel good today. It's a long cycle though. Keep your head up, everyone!
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Also got waitlisted today. Hoping for the best. Interviewed 10/12.
 
Just got a secondary from them after 3 months from submitted primary. In case you are still waiting for a secondary, don't lost hope!
 
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Phone interview invite today. Experiences review was complete 8/29.
 
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phone II today after experience review being completed 8-17
 
II today! Phone interview 10/22. Good luck all you future doctors!
 
After the consideration for phone interview email, approximately how long until you heard from the admissions team again?
Also, their portal is the same link for the secondary right? It keeps giving me an error message.

Thank you for your help!!!
 
Anyone complete with experience review end of July still waiting? Does this school reject post-experiences review or do they just keep in silence?
 
Kiwi95 said:
Anyone complete with experience review end of July still waiting? Does this school reject post-experiences review or do they just keep in silence?
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from other posts, it seems like they do send Rs after the experiences review
 
Pablito101 said:
After the consideration for phone interview email, approximately how long until you heard from the admissions team again?
Also, their portal is the same link for the secondary right? It keeps giving me an error message.

Thank you for your help!!!
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it seems like a lot of people have this error message. I got my "consideration" email on July 30, and got the email for a phone interview on August 8. Later in the cycle, however, there may be a longer gap period between each step. Good luck !
 
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anyone knows the post II acceptance rate at Wmed?
 
wesleysnipes said:
surprising to me. Especially since this is a MCAT heavy school.
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Yeah me too. I was right around their 10th for gpa and well above their 90th for MCAT but there are more important things than stats!

Oh well, good luck to everyone else still in the running!
 
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Does anyone who had an interview remember how we were meant to send Thank you emails? Did they say to send them straight to our interviewer or were we meant to send them to the admissions email address?
 
fjk;as said:
Does anyone who had an interview remember how we were meant to send Thank you emails? Did they say to send them straight to our interviewer or were we meant to send them to the admissions email address?
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Pretty sure we send them to admissions email and then they distribute them. Also, are people writing them to just the one on one interviewer or everyone?
 
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