2019-2020 Medical College of Wisconsin

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Our Casper has to be in before they'll review our app, right? been sitting on this secondary for about a month to prioritize others since I took Casper a little more than a week ago.
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Kirby Smart said:
Our Casper has to be in before they'll review our app, right? been sitting on this secondary for about a month to prioritize others since I took Casper a little more than a week ago.
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I took it on July 30th as well. I think Casper is required for review.
 
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II received, OOS. Complete 7/2, received small pool email last week
 
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Just got an II
received the small pool yesterday
OOS Complete 7/2
 
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II received 8/13.
3.74/517

I've heard in the past that this school does two separate 30min interviews (possibly one faculty and one student). Can anyone confirm?
 
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_sdpadres said:
II received 8/13.
3.74/517

I've heard in the past that this school does two separate 30min interviews (possibly one faculty and one student). Can anyone confirm?
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Depends on the campus. This is true for the Milwaukee campus. They try to have one faculty and one student interview but I had two faculty interviews when I interviewed.
 
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Anyone know what’s the attire for the social? Can I just show up in whatever lol
 
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Doctors' Docta said:
Anyone know what’s the attire for the social? Can I just show up in whatever lol
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I'm going to show up in business casual. I wouldn't show up in lounge clothing but nobody would stop you
 
Doctors' Docta said:
Anyone know what’s the attire for the social? Can I just show up in whatever lol
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Unless they tell you something different, casual attire should be fine. The social usually just consists of the applicants and usually just M1s and M2s who have no say in any of the interview process or anything. Especially if you're going straight from the airport, don't feel the need to wear nice clothes while traveling.
 
So we don't have to do the deans certification thing unless we have an IA right? Will it eventually be checked green on the checklist after submitting my app?
 
Kirby Smart said:
So we don't have to do the deans certification thing unless we have an IA right? Will it eventually be checked green on the checklist after submitting my app?
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Yes, you don't have to do it unless you have an IA. Idk exactly when but mine turned green before I was marked complete.
 
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akjr98 said:
Yes, you don't have to do it unless you have an IA. Idk exactly when but mine turned green before I was marked complete.
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Haha gotcha, thanks! I figured, but second guessed it because it says in one place that it's required then in the directions for it it says you have to do it if you have an IA, lol.
 
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Nora Taylor said:
Found a typo in my submitted secondary. Very sad. Said “can” instead of “am”. Probably a neurotic question, but will I be alright?
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You'll live. I wrote "Penn State" in my Netter secondary... :hungover:
 
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Graduated from here last year. I can help answer any questions as well!
 
Gibbwil said:
Graduated from here last year. I can help answer any questions as well!
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Thanks for offering to answer questions!! Thoughts on STEP preparation? What programs were you involved in while you were at MCW? Best and worst parts about going there?
 
allz said:
Thanks for offering to answer questions!! Thoughts on STEP preparation? What programs were you involved in while you were at MCW? Best and worst parts about going there?
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Step prep was largely hands off - there was a peer-to-peer program run by the school to connect 3rd/4th years with second years throughout 2nd year to hit on high yield topics for STEP 1 - it was a small group session (think 2-3 upperclassmen to 4 underclassmen). They also go easy on the last block of 2nd year and allow 2-3(?) weeks off during that summer for dedicated. You can also take a total of 3 months of vacation in one-month blocks split between your third and fourth years. Some people used 1 month of their vacation time to take off for studying for STEP 1 but it's not entirely needed unless you're behind on prep (e.g. you barely did any studying before dedicated hits). As far as how prepared the lectures themselves will make you feel - moderately helpful, but probably on par with most other medical schools? You will definitely have some lectures that are not going to even come close to any high yield topics. As long as you learn Anki early on and start using UFAPS during second year, most people will do very well.

I was in APAMSA (Asian Pacific Medical Student Association), did the summer research program, and did a few shifts at the free clinic downtown (which I think 99% of people do as well). I was also in the research pathway which is more of a class than a program.

Best parts - Collegiality among the class. Everyone seems to want to help each other out with learning even though it's still graded and not pass/fail. The location is pretty nice - you're close enough to Chicago and downtown Milwaukee while still having a little more suburb-feel around the medical campus. Rent is cheaper compared to big cities as well - I payed a hair under $400/mo throughout school living 2 miles away. If you want to rent a room in a house within 0.5 miles of the school, you might pay 600-800 + utilities for one bedroom of a 2 bed / 1 bath shared with a classmate. There are also a little more bougie apartments in Wauwatosa within 1-2 miles if you want to pay 1200-1500/mo. The peer to peer tutoring from 1st year basic science/phys and 2nd year pathology was pretty nice and I definitely utilized it. Ample exposure to most all specialties if you want to explore a competitive field.

Worst parts - The free on-campus gym is terrible and not well maintained. It seems like such a small thing, but if you are into fitness/working out at all you have to spend $50+/mo to workout at the gym across the street - an expense that builds up if you're already cash strapped and living off of loans. Adding to that, tuition is pretty expensive and the quality is perhaps a little better than UW-Madison which is MUCH less for an in-state student. I would say it's not a great value if you're in-state compared to UW. Student support for the match is mediocre, and I know about 10 of our ~190 student class had to SOAP - including me who applied to a below average specialty with a 235-245 STEP 1 score range. There isn't really the big names or reputation at MCW to help you get into the higher-tier residency programs without extremely good stats. Now I will point out that 180/190 match rate is like 95% success which is good, but it really sucks being in part of the 5% that did not match.

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any follow-up questions or anything else about the school!
 
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WaterFlow said:
congrats! when were you complete if you do not mind me asking? also, what were the interview dates?
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Thank you! I was complete 7/25 and the first interview date available is Friday September 6th. Seems like they interview most Fridays until March 6th.
 
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Gibbwil said:
Step prep was largely hands off - there was a peer-to-peer program run by the school to connect 3rd/4th years with second years throughout 2nd year to hit on high yield topics for STEP 1 - it was a small group session (think 2-3 upperclassmen to 4 underclassmen). They also go easy on the last block of 2nd year and allow 2-3(?) weeks off during that summer for dedicated. You can also take a total of 3 months of vacation in one-month blocks split between your third and fourth years. Some people used 1 month of their vacation time to take off for studying for STEP 1 but it's not entirely needed unless you're behind on prep (e.g. you barely did any studying before dedicated hits). As far as how prepared the lectures themselves will make you feel - moderately helpful, but probably on par with most other medical schools? You will definitely have some lectures that are not going to even come close to any high yield topics. As long as you learn Anki early on and start using UFAPS during second year, most people will do very well.

I was in APAMSA (Asian Pacific Medical Student Association), did the summer research program, and did a few shifts at the free clinic downtown (which I think 99% of people do as well). I was also in the research pathway which is more of a class than a program.

Best parts - Collegiality among the class. Everyone seems to want to help each other out with learning even though it's still graded and not pass/fail. The location is pretty nice - you're close enough to Chicago and downtown Milwaukee while still having a little more suburb-feel around the medical campus. Rent is cheaper compared to big cities as well - I payed a hair under $400/mo throughout school living 2 miles away. If you want to rent a room in a house within 0.5 miles of the school, you might pay 600-800 + utilities for one bedroom of a 2 bed / 1 bath shared with a classmate. There are also a little more bougie apartments in Wauwatosa within 1-2 miles if you want to pay 1200-1500/mo. The peer to peer tutoring from 1st year basic science/phys and 2nd year pathology was pretty nice and I definitely utilized it. Ample exposure to most all specialties if you want to explore a competitive field.

Worst parts - The free on-campus gym is terrible and not well maintained. It seems like such a small thing, but if you are into fitness/working out at all you have to spend $50+/mo to workout at the gym across the street - an expense that builds up if you're already cash strapped and living off of loans. Adding to that, tuition is pretty expensive and the quality is perhaps a little better than UW-Madison which is MUCH less for an in-state student. I would say it's not a great value if you're in-state compared to UW. Student support for the match is mediocre, and I know about 10 of our ~190 student class had to SOAP - including me who applied to a below average specialty with a 235-245 STEP 1 score range. There isn't really the big names or reputation at MCW to help you get into the higher-tier residency programs without extremely good stats. Now I will point out that 180/190 match rate is like 95% success which is good, but it really sucks being in part of the 5% that did not match.

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any follow-up questions or anything else about the school!
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235-245 and had to SOAP? Could you explain why?

Also thanks so much for the transparency.
 
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Current M1 here to answer any questions (again I'm brand new here so I can mostly only talk about my experience so far/my interview day - which I LOVED by the way!!). Also for you out of staters I'd just like to plug for the student host program. I'm gonna be a host and I stayed with a host last year and really loved how open my host was about giving me an off-the-record review of MCW and show me around a little bit. It's a great program and a good way to get the inside scoop!
 
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Sunbodi said:
235-245 and had to SOAP? Could you explain why?

Also thanks so much for the transparency.
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Not completely sure why I failed to match (even the Dean looked at my application and was confused). I believe it was a combination of multiple factors, however. Slightly too-low numbers of interviews attended (I went to 10 interviews for advanced positions), lack of a program director letter, overemphasis on wanting to do a fellowship afterwards, and not enough "lower-tier" interviews - everywhere I interviewed were highly ranked programs. I had three great letters in my specialty of choice (and was told this on the interview trail), and a great application otherwise.

As I was saying, MCW doesn't have many "big names" in most specialties where a letter from someone can boost your application that much and it lacks the reputation of the higher tier schools (outside of Wisconsin / nearby). Which is why the fact that not having a letter from the program director hurt me so much (I honestly didn't even think to ask, as I didn't work with him a ton personally on my electives). I don't think this should be the case though - I feel like I learned a ton of medicine and was very prepared to enter residency out of medical school. I'm in a transitional year right now and my training at MCW has helped so much with easing the first few months of internship. It's just the reality of the situation that you can have great letters and still only match into some middle or lower-tier residencies due to reputation, no matter what your scores say.
 
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Gibbwil said:
Not completely sure why I failed to match (even the Dean looked at my application and was confused). I believe it was a combination of multiple factors, however. Slightly too-low numbers of interviews attended (I went to 10 interviews for advanced positions), lack of a program director letter, overemphasis on wanting to do a fellowship afterwards, and not enough "lower-tier" interviews - everywhere I interviewed were highly ranked programs. I had three great letters in my specialty of choice (and was told this on the interview trail), and a great application otherwise.

As I was saying, MCW doesn't have many "big names" in most specialties where a letter from someone can boost your application that much and it lacks the reputation of the higher tier schools (outside of Wisconsin / nearby). Which is why the fact that not having a letter from the program director hurt me so much (I honestly didn't even think to ask, as I didn't work with him a ton personally on my electives). I don't think this should be the case though - I feel like I learned a ton of medicine and was very prepared to enter residency out of medical school. I'm in a transitional year right now and my training at MCW has helped so much with easing the first few months of internship. It's just the reality of the situation that you can have great letters and still only match into some middle or lower-tier residencies due to reputation, no matter what your scores say.
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Would a letter from the program director have boosted you into a higher tier program?

Also excuse my lack of knowledge but does program director mean the director of the medical school or the director of the specialty you were interested in at the hospital you did rotations at? Or is it something else?

It's worrying if reputation means this much in med school admissions. Do you know if there's any way to get over this obstacle or is the only option to work towards higher MCAT scores?
 
Sunbodi said:
Would a letter from the program director have boosted you into a higher tier program?

Also excuse my lack of knowledge but does program director mean the director of the medical school or the director of the specialty you were interested in at the hospital you did rotations at? Or is it something else?

It's worrying if reputation means this much in med school admissions. Do you know if there's any way to get over this obstacle or is the only option to work towards higher MCAT scores?
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I was told by a couple program directors that it was not necessarily a red flag, but a definite negative that I did not get a letter from my home program director for the specialty that I was applying for.

I think when you area applying to schools, it is worth it to get into the best medical school that you can feasibly swing both financially and otherwise. Additionally, if you know exactly what you want to do, look to see how highly rated the program is for the specialty that you want at the schools. Although this is somewhat subjective and is difficult to do even for those who are looking at programs during first and second year.

Some ways to get past this obstacle is to do away rotations at higher-tier programs that you want to match at, as well as doing research (usually the summer between your 1st and 2nd years) at a program with an attending who is highly regarded in the field. Additionally, make sure you work with your home PD if your school has a program in the specialty you're applying for, and get a letter from her/him.
 
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II email just now for a regional campus. Complete 7/21.
 
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meepdog said:
MCOW out here making us neurotic on the weekends too
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No Kidding. Got the email at 9:34pm on a Saturday. To make things even more predictable, I never received the "small pool" email.
 
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To anyone who is stressing about the application cycle, be patient for the II. MCW sent me one a literal 3 days before the last interview day of the season and I'm currently an M1 here. I also know at least 5 other people from that day are also attending. BTW, I applied THE MOMENT I RECEIVED THE SECONDARY. So don't worry if it takes a while to hear back.

Also, metrics aren't everything. I know someone with a 516 MCAT, I know someone with a 501 (ORM too, before you assume) I know people with 3.3's and people with 3.9's. There's someone who's 38 and there's someone who's 19.

Bottom line is, relax and enjoy your last year before medical school. Because when you're in the 3rd week of class and have to learn the nerves and muscles of the arm, you're going to fondly remember when your biggest concern was waiting for the II.

Good luck!
 
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athorcommens said:
To anyone who is stressing about the application cycle, be patient for the II. MCW sent me one a literal 3 days before the last interview day of the season and I'm currently an M1 here. I also know at least 5 other people from that day are also attending. BTW, I applied THE MOMENT I RECEIVED THE SECONDARY. So don't worry if it takes a while to hear back.

Also, metrics aren't everything. I know someone with a 516 MCAT, I know someone with a 501 (ORM too, before you assume) I know people with 3.3's and people with 3.9's. There's someone who's 38 and there's someone who's 19.

Bottom line is, relax and enjoy your last year before medical school. Because when you're in the 3rd week of class and have to learn the nerves and muscles of the arm, you're going to fondly remember when your biggest concern was waiting for the II.

Good luck!
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This man gives me hope
 
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athorcommens said:
To anyone who is stressing about the application cycle, be patient for the II. MCW sent me one a literal 3 days before the last interview day of the season and I'm currently an M1 here. I also know at least 5 other people from that day are also attending. BTW, I applied THE MOMENT I RECEIVED THE SECONDARY. So don't worry if it takes a while to hear back.

Also, metrics aren't everything. I know someone with a 516 MCAT, I know someone with a 501 (ORM too, before you assume) I know people with 3.3's and people with 3.9's. There's someone who's 38 and there's someone who's 19.

Bottom line is, relax and enjoy your last year before medical school. Because when you're in the 3rd week of class and have to learn the nerves and muscles of the arm, you're going to fondly remember when your biggest concern was waiting for the II.

Good luck!
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I want to just reiterate all of this from an M2 perspective! This isn't just the M1 class. I received an interview invite for the MKE campus 2 days before the last interview day (although my app wasn't complete until November - partly self-sabotage, partly technical issues on their side). And there are at least 9 classmates of mine that were also at the last interview day with me, most likely more and I just don't remember. Our class age range isn't as wide as the current M1's, but we have students in their 30s and several students that started at 21. Our average MCAT was 509, but I know lots of classmates that fell well below that mark. I had a 506, so I had lost a lot of hope of being accepted when I applied...

I am on Student Doctor Network mostly to give hope to those students that don't fit the "mold" of what many users on SDN will tout that you HAVE to be to get into medical school. I was 27 when I started. I was a reapplicant. I had taken the MCAT a total of 3 times (twice old version, once new). I took 4 years to work on my application between cycles. I have a chronic illness that I talked about (lots of people advised against discussing that, but it's a big part of my motivations). If you really want to be a doctor and you work hard enough and stick with it, I believe you can give yourself a great shot at getting accepted.

So YES to everything @athorcommens said and more!
 
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google12 said:
Out of curiosity did you get an email that you had moved on to a separate pile to be reviewed further (like someone else earlier in this thread)?
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No I didn’t which is why I was surprised lol
 
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HOLY CRAP I JUST GOT AN II!!!
First MD II. Received about 1 minute ago. Complete 7/2.
 
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To those who know the area, will I be okay with a 6:15pm flight out of MKE on the day of the interview? This appears to be my latest option.
 
doodle4210 said:
To those who know the area, will I be okay with a 6:15pm flight out of MKE on the day of the interview? This appears to be my latest option.
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I'd say most likely, it only takes about 20 mins to get from MCW to the airport, so as long as you bring your things with you and leave right after your interview ends then you'll probably be fine
 
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Pre-II rejection. OOS, complete 7/16. LM ~70 and WARS ~70. RIP bois, this one hurt
 
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I got the small pool email this morning, what’s the consensus on this? Has anyone gotten this email and ended up not getting an II? Hate to be neurotic but I love this school haha
 
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