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enchantments said:
Thanks for this post! Definitely provides a lot of insight. Do you mind sharing where you received the info? I couldn't find information this comprehensive regarding the selection process on their website, and I don't think they went into it with nearly as much detail during interview day.
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I think this was included as a sheet within the interview folder/packet itself. I distinctly remember reading this same process.
 
SeaHusky said:
I think this was included as a sheet within the interview folder/packet itself. I distinctly remember reading this same process.
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That's definitely possible; I should've looked through the folder more carefully! 😱
 
Still have not received a secondary from WSU, should I reach out to admissions? Thanks!
 
CorgiLover22 said:
Submitted primary on 6/25 and verified on 7/25.
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Did you have to fill out residency verification? If not, and if your LOR's are already submitted, just email the office, and they should get back to you within a day or two. They are very responsive. You definitely should have received a secondary by this time.
 
enchantments said:
Did you have to fill out residency verification? If not, and if your LOR's are already submitted, just email the office, and they should get back to you within a day or two. They are very responsive. You definitely should have received a secondary by this time.
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No I have not received a residency verification form and I have submitted my LORs on the primary app. Alrighty, I will contact them about it. Thank you so much!
 
Mr. Dr. Prof. Patrick said:
I don’t think you would. A little context here and there. But yah, the interview portion of that conference kinda broke down, didn’t it? Lol I either heard it there or when one of their reps came to EWU. But it was definitely from someone on their admissions committee stating that it is an open file.
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It’s a blind interview. Or at least it was when I interviewed two weeks ago.
 
Strigggy said:
Complete 7/26. Still, haven't heard anything -- IS, LM 72-73. Worth reaching out even without an update (as they do not accept updates)? Would love an II interview here being IS.
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+1. Complete 7/3. IS, LM 70. Have gotten interviews at other similarly reputable schools, so unsure of why I haven't gotten one yet.
 
Strigggy said:
Complete 7/26. Still, haven't heard anything -- IS, LM 72-73. Worth reaching out even without an update (as they do not accept updates)? Would love an II interview here being IS.
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Assuming you went to a reputable school, you have some pretty solid stats. What’s your extracurriculars like if you don’t mind me asking? I only ask because there’s a lot more that goes into an interview than the stats, especially at WSU where they blind the applicants numbers during the interview and when they make the actual decision. Also, have you received any other interviews?
 
AdductorMagnus said:
+1. Complete 7/3. IS, LM 70. Have gotten interviews at other similarly reputable schools, so unsure of why I haven't gotten one yet.
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To be completely honest, WSU is so new I think they want people who have cemented ties to the area or the school itself. The administrator, not sure if it was an associate dean, on my interview day seemed very proud of the fact that they have a relatively low 1.9 offer to matriculation ratio so maybe they’re trying to protect that. Did you by any chance get an interview at the UW or PNWU? I only ask about those schools because to me, they’re a good sign of whether you’ll get one here. If you got one at PNWU I’m fairly certain you’d get one here since they only interview people who look committed to underserved populations in Washington state.
 
I only ask because PNWU is a good “canary” per day for WSU. If they gave you an interview that means any and all schools that are committed to underserved and disadvantaged patient populations should at least believe you’re committed to helping that patient group.
 
Strigggy said:
Edited original post!
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I wouldn’t worry about it then. Personally, if you are really worried, I’d apply to western and pnwu to give you a good idea of whether you fit the school’s mission. You have the stats to get in easily and they’re both good fallback options and interview practice.
 
Oh also something that might be holding you back is the fact you go to a top ten undergrad. One of my friends who went to Berkley but lives here didn’t get the interview either. So... there’s that. Either way you’re off to a great start so good luck on your interviews!
 
Sky138 said:
Oh also something that might be holding you back is the fact you go to a top ten undergrad. One of my friends who went to Berkley but lives here didn’t get the interview either. So... there’s that. Either way you’re off to a great start so good luck on your interviews!
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A clinician I'm close with said his colleague's (UW faculty) daughter who went to Berkeley for undergrad but maintained WA IS status didn't even get an II to UW/WSU before subsequently matriculating at Stanford Med. So there's that lol.
 
Sky138 said:
Oh also something that might be holding you back is the fact you go to a top ten undergrad.
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I spoke to someone on my interview day here who attended a T5 undergrad (they weren't even living in WA at the time of the interview) and know of several students attending WSU that attended similarly ranked institutions. Preference for elite undergrads is certainly a bias among many schools, but I can't fathom the inverse of that existing at any school.
 
enchantments said:
I spoke to someone on my interview day here who attended a T5 undergrad (they weren't even living in WA at the time of the interview) and know of several students attending WSU that attended similarly ranked institutions. Preference for elite undergrads is certainly a bias among many schools, but I can't fathom the inverse of that existing at any school.
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Out of curiosity, do you think it's necessarily a bias for applicants from elite undergrads, or is it confounded by the fact that premeds from elite undergrads just statistically tend to be higher-achieving individuals?
 
enchantments said:
I spoke to someone on my interview day here who attended a T5 undergrad (they weren't even living in WA at the time of the interview) and know of several students attending WSU that attended similarly ranked institutions. Preference for elite undergrads is certainly a bias among many schools, but I can't fathom the inverse of that existing at any school.
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Met a couple of T10 school interviewees at my WSU interview day. My impression from the dean of admissions was that they really try to embody holistic admissions, such that they're really looking at your essays
 
SeaHusky said:
Out of curiosity, do you think it's necessarily a bias for applicants from elite undergrads, or is it confounded by the fact that premeds from elite undergrads just statistically tend to be higher-achieving individuals?
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I think it's certainly both haha. I went to a decently competitive undergrad (~T20) after transferring from an unranked state school. Overall I found the students at my alma mater as a whole much more driven not only in terms of academic focus, but in extracurricular involvement. I'm not at all saying these students don't exist at state schools, but I think you tend to find that scholarly interest at larger public schools has a much wider spectrum.

All else being equal though (I know this isn't really possible in real life scenarios), I think most schools would certainly pick the T10 grad over the state school grad, just due to the implication that the T10 grad already displayed extraordinary achievement in gaining acceptance to their school in the first place.
 
SeaHusky said:
A clinician I'm close with said his colleague's (UW faculty) daughter who went to Berkeley for undergrad but maintained WA IS status didn't even get an II to UW/WSU before subsequently matriculating at Stanford Med. So there's that lol.
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Yeah I think yield protection is definitely a concern from some schools.
 
Sky138 said:
To be completely honest, WSU is so new I think they want people who have cemented ties to the area or the school itself. The administrator, not sure if it was an associate dean, on my interview day seemed very proud of the fact that they have a relatively low 1.9 offer to matriculation ratio so maybe they’re trying to protect that. Did you by any chance get an interview at the UW or PNWU? I only ask about those schools because to me, they’re a good sign of whether you’ll get one here. If you got one at PNWU I’m fairly certain you’d get one here since they only interview people who look committed to underserved populations in Washington state.
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I got an II at PNWU a couple of months ago, will be attending that in a couple of weeks. UW is still determining my residency status because I went to undergrad out of state, but kept all ties in WA (drivers license, tax info, bank account, vehicle registration, voter registration, parents address, etc.), so I still have my fingers crossed for UW, but I've been told that living out of state for educational purposes shouldn't affect my residency status. Plus I was told that if WSU sent me a secondary without any type of residency verification then I'm considered a resident.

It's all very hard to say, my LizzyM is only as low as it is because my first year of college (back in 2010) I got a 2.7 GPA. But ever since returning to school in 2014 I've averaged a 3.9, over the course of about 170 credits (changed my major a couple of times), so my overall GPA upon applying was only a 3.75, with a science GPA of a 3.85. I had a strong, balanced MCAT. I'd say my extracurriculars were considerably stronger than my stats. 3,000-4,000 hours of leadership experience in several areas. 1.5 years of consistent research in metabolic disorders. 1,000+ clinical hours, and TONS of volunteering, 1,000+ hours, with a few hundred with the undeserved, though nothing in rural medicine.

I'm totally fine with waiting, but to be honest I though I had a really strong chance at an interview and am surprised that I haven't had one yet. Either I said something in my essays that rubbed the reader the wrong way, or it's just not my time yet. Who knows?
 
Does anyone know if the first acceptances will be coming at the end of October like last year? I don't think they gave a time frame for decisions when I interviewed.
 
premeddy said:
Does anyone know if the first acceptances will be coming at the end of October like last year? I don't think they gave a time frame for decisions when I interviewed.
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that’s what we were told on my interview day, but WSU trickles our acceptances very slowly, and most people will end up hearing back next year.
 
enchantments said:
that’s what we were told on my interview day, but WSU trickles our acceptances very slowly, and most people will end up hearing back next year.
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Same here. We were told end of October, December, and March would be times that they send stuff out
 
Last edited:
Another student who interviewed the same day as me said she thought they were going to start sending stuff 10/15. Anyone hear anything?
 
Premednurse123 said:
Another student who interviewed the same day as me said she thought they were going to start sending stuff 10/15. Anyone hear anything?
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On my interview day we were told "around the end of October." I think last year they started calling the week of 10/23ish, aka this week. Regardless, most eventual matriculants will hear back after January, so don't hold your breath lol.
 
enchantments said:
On my interview day we were told "around the end of October." I think last year they started calling the week of 10/23ish, aka this week. Regardless, most eventual matriculants will hear back after January, so don't hold your breath lol.
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They offer 50% Seats pre January, the rest of the acceptances after January. They want to have the most equitable admissions and capture the low SES applicants who are statistically more likely to apply ‘late.’ It sucks to wait, but I do truly admire the equity and transparency in their process.
 
Mr. Dr. Prof. Patrick said:
They offer 50% Seats pre January, the rest of the acceptances after January. They want to have the most equitable admissions and capture the low SES applicants who are statistically more likely to apply ‘late.’ It sucks to wait, but I do truly admire the equity and transparency in their process.
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What does low SES have to do with applying late?
 
Sky138 said:
What does low SES have to do with applying late?
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Not having the resources to be aware of the fact that the “deadline” is literally the latest you can apply not the latest you should. People being low income and unable to afford application or MCAT until the end. And literally dozens of other factors
 
I'm a little confused regarding the timing of acceptance offers. If we interviewed early (i.e. August), does that mean they might not make decisions for half of us until after January? Or they just hold our decisions until the new year?

I guess I'm just wondering how they compare our apps to each other post-interview. I totally support the rationale for boosting equity for low SES applicants, but the process is a little confusing.
 
SeaHusky said:
If we interviewed early (i.e. August), does that mean they might not make decisions for half of us until after January? Or they just hold our decisions until the new year?
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Yep. In my boredom one day, I tracked all the II's and subsequent decisions in the past two years' threads on SDN. There was basically no correlation between interview date and final decision, albeit the sample size was admittedly very small. Interestingly, quite a few of the first reported A's last year were from those who had interviewed in early October. But if you take a brief look through the threads you'll find quite a few people who interviewed on the first few dates every year who didn't hear back for a while, and many of them were WLed or got the R in March.
 
enchantments said:
Yep. In my boredom one day, I tracked all the II's and subsequent decisions in the past two years' threads on SDN. There was basically no correlation between interview date and final decision, albeit the sample size was admittedly very small. Interestingly, quite a few of the first reported A's last year were from those who had interviewed in early October. But if you take a brief look through the threads you'll find quite a few people who interviewed on the first few dates every year who didn't hear back for a while, and many of them were WLed or got the R in March.
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Love this level of investment, @enchantments! However, i do not like that so many people from early days didn't hear back until late!!!
 
MrsDrDr said:
Love this level of investment, @enchantments! However, i do not like that so many people from early days didn't hear back until late!!!
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Haha same here, especially having interviewed on the first day, and seeing that the first accepted applicants in the thread last year (at least those reported on SDN) had interviewed in October (recency effect?!?!). This school is still my first choice though, and I'd obviously be grateful for the A at any point in the cycle.

But sooner than later would be nice
 
Thank you!!! Was a good-ass way to come back from lunch

guy sensei crying.gif
 
Holisthiq said:
UH WTFWTF GOT THE ACCEPTANCE CALL TODAY!!? INTERVIEWED EARLY OCT, DEF WAS NOT EXPECTED TO HEAR BACK SO SOON!!!!
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OMG ME TOOOO!!! The dean started the convo like "so tell me why you want to be a doctor", and I was thinking...is this another interview? 😳 But no! He was just making conversation and I am so excited!
 
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