2020-2021 Illinois

Started by TheDataKing
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Hey, for the Peoria campus is the first year in Peoria? I read in a different thread that the first year was in Champaign. Is this true?

Also, I was selected to interview at Peoria. Do they ask you if you have a preference for which campus during the interview? My top pick is Peoria, but not sure if that's something I should highlight during the interview.
 
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PaladinX said:
Hey, for the Peoria campus is the first year in Peoria? I read in a different thread that the first year was in Champaign. Is this true?

Also, I was selected to interview at Peoria. Do they ask you if you have a preference for which campus during the interview? My top pick is Peoria, but not sure if that's something I should highlight during the interview.
Click to expand...

They say where you interview doesn't affect which campus you're placed at. Once you're accepted you fill in your campus preferences in the app portal. They say they base their decision of your placement on where they think you'd fit best. From what I've seen/heard a large majority of people put Chicago as #1 so if Peoria is your top choice it's almost guaranteed you'd get it especially if you talk about rural subjects in your application.
 
PaladinX said:
Hey, for the Peoria campus is the first year in Peoria? I read in a different thread that the first year was in Champaign. Is this true?

Also, I was selected to interview at Peoria. Do they ask you if you have a preference for which campus during the interview? My top pick is Peoria, but not sure if that's something I should highlight during the interview.
Click to expand...
The Urbana campus for UICOM has been phased out for the past couple years; they either only have M4s left, or M3s and M4s. Pretty sure if you get placed at Peoria that's where you'll be all 4 years.

I wasn't explicitly asked "which campus is your top pick" at my interview, but I don't think it hurts if you can throw in some tidbits of connections or reasons why you like Peoria! That's my #1 choice too 🙂 Hope we both get accepted and can end up there eventually!
 
LondonVibes said:
Does anyone know how vita is factored into the post-interview admissions decision?
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It doesn't seem like they weighed it at all. I did my VITA (and did horrible on it. Like actually horrible, not typical neurotic premed talk) months before I got my II here and was accepted. So I wouldn't worry about it too much imo.
 
I was assigned to Chicago! Just my portal was updated, but I did email admissions to ask for a timeline on campus decision. Sounds like it will be coming soon for most
 
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mapleapple55 said:
When/who did you talk to? Did they say they're done sending out IIs?
Click to expand...
Without giving out too many details talked to them earlier today and was told they are done interviewing soon. The person I had talked to said they weren’t sure if it was this week or next that was the last week of interviews.
 
How long should it take for UICOM to show up on your Choose Your Medical School tool? I accepted my offer on Friday, so I thought it would show up today, but it is not there yet.
 
is it most probable that you get placed at the campus you interviewed at? I read previously in this thread that most OOS get placed in Chicago but I wasn't sure if this was always true
 
ibl210 said:
How long should it take for UICOM to show up on your Choose Your Medical School tool? I accepted my offer on Friday, so I thought it would show up today, but it is not there yet.
Click to expand...
The CYM tool just launched on Friday, so those of us accepted earlier really don't know how long i takes for the decision to funnel through to AAMC.
 
does anyone know if most acceptances have gone out? been delayed decision for a few months now :/
 
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So
SimilarSinger68 said:
Without giving out too many details talked to them earlier today and was told they are done interviewing soon. The person I had talked to said they weren’t sure if it was this week or next that was the last week of interviews.
Click to expand...
so are they done sending out IIs? Have those II dates/slots been filled? Has anyone been rejected pre-II?
 
Do they that you submit a deposit once accepted? I got the A last week and am trying to find the tab in which you hold your seat, but only found the "I accept the technical requirements" thing.
 
For current international students, what were your funding options? Did you receive any aid/scholarships at all from the school and was the financial aid office helpful in helping you find funding options? Thanks!
 
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Hi everyone,

I've been lurking on this discussion board for a while as I found it to be a rather consistent source for information and updates regarding UICOM's application process. I noticed from previous posts that individuals who emailed the admissions committee inquiring campus placement were more likely to receive a site assignment shortly after. For those in a similar situation of waiting for an assignment, I just wanted to let you know that I confirmed my suspicion, as yesterday afternoon I emailed UICOM and this morning I was assigned a campus. Though I'm certain campus assignments will be distributed within the next few weeks, I encourage those who are eager to start planning and looking at housing options to send [email protected] an email; they seem to be responsive to emails.

But the main reason I'm making this post is because I'd like to send a message addressing those who may not have been interviewed, are on delayed decision/waitlisted, or have been rejected this cycle:

Don't give up.

I'm a reapplicant; this was my second cycle applying. And honestly, being rejected stings, a lot. It's very easy to get into negative mindsets of thinking "I did my best and I didn't get in; I'll never be good enough," or in other cases, "I deserve to be in medical school but the admissions committee messed up skipping over my application," or if you're like me, in an irrational way, a little bit of both. But it's important to come to terms with and eventually see rejection for what it really is: an opportunity to learn from and try again. Take a step back and look at your application as a whole, and identify areas that could be better. For me, I really lacked hands-on clinical experience, so I became an EMT, but your journey might be different. The important thing is we keep exploring our passion for medicine and strive for personal improvement.

There are times where I felt isolated (and a bit envious) last year. Especially when I saw a long string of people posting about how they got accepted while I was still waiting for a decision. But it brought me some solace, and I hope it brings others some comfort as well, to know that I was not alone. In fact, we are far from alone. According to the AMCAS statistics, the majority of applicants per cycle do not matriculate. So being rejected is technically normal, not something that should be seen as isolating or shameful. I fully believe that there are more qualified applicants than open seats available, per cycle.

My final piece of advice is to have a plan B. Avoid putting yourself in a situation where you think, "If I don't get into medical school this cycle, I'm screwed." Make sure you have a back-up plan either academically (post-bac, master's) or with clinical work (volunteer & shadow, MA, EMT, etc.), or both. Keep pursuing knowledge and experiences related to the field. Admission committees are critical about how you spend your gap years, so things like continuing an education and serving your community go a long way.

Finally, I'd like to part with three sayings that have helped me in my journey:
  1. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
  2. Done is better than perfect.
  3. "We're not looking for perfection; we're looking for improvement." - My high school history teacher paraphrasing The Equalizer
tl;dr

1) Emailing [email protected] about your site assignment seems to expedite your site assignment

2) If you don't get accepted this cycle, that's normal. Keep your chin up and give it a better go the next cycle. Try not to compare yourself with others and know that everyone's journey is different. Whatever you do, don't give up.

Edit: I'm by no means suggesting this cycle is over yet. The delayed decision/waitlist will begin to move on April 30th when the option to commit to a medical school is available on AMCAS. As someone mentioned earlier, last year, about 77% of applicants who interviewed at UICOM were offered an acceptance. Even though those are pretty good odds, I think it would be in the best interest of those not accepted yet to start preparing for the next cycle, i.e., review and revise personal statement and work & activities, plan to submit primary applications the first available day, retake the MCAT if you have too, etc.

The reason I made this post was because I remember being filled with so much anxiety and stress when I was waitlisted last year. I wanted to provide some advice and inspiration to those that find themselves in a similar situation now. I sincerely wish everyone the best in achieving their goals. Stay strong.
 
Last edited:
Schwa said:
Hi everyone,

I've been lurking on this discussion board for a while as I found it to be a rather consistent source for information and updates regarding UICOM's application process. I noticed from previous posts that individuals who emailed the admissions committee inquiring campus placement were more likely to receive a site assignment shortly after. For those in a similar situation of waiting for an assignment, I just wanted to let you know that I confirmed my suspicion, as yesterday afternoon I emailed UICOM and this morning I was placed in my top choice of Chicago. Though I'm certain campus assignments will be distributed within the next few weeks, I encourage those who are eager to start planning and looking at housing options to send [email protected] an email; they seem to be very responsive.

I'd also like to state that the primary reason I chose Chicago is not because I think Chicago is "better" than the other campuses, but rather since I was born and raised in this city, I have a lot of friends and family in the area, and it has the urban demographic I hope to serve long-term. That being said, I still would have been very happy to go to either Peoria or Rockford, as each campus has its own unique benefits. If it weren't for the location, I think I would've preferred Peoria or Rockford's smaller but more tightly-knit medical communities.

But the main reason I'm making this post is because I'd like to send a message addressing those who may not have been interviewed, are on delayed decision/waitlisted, or have been rejected this cycle:

Don't give up.

I'm a reapplicant; this was my second cycle applying. And honestly, being rejected stings, a lot. It's very easy to get into negative mindsets of thinking "I did my best and I didn't get in; I'll never be good enough," or in other cases, "I deserve to be in medical school but the admissions committee messed up skipping over my application," or if you're like me, in an irrational way, a little bit of both. But it's important to come to terms with and eventually see rejection for what it really is: an opportunity to learn from and try again. Take a step back and look at your application as a whole, and identify areas that could be better. For me, I really lacked hands-on clinical experience, so I became an EMT, but your journey might be different. The important thing is we keep exploring our passion for medicine and strive for personal improvement.

There are times where I felt isolated (and a bit envious) when I got rejected. Especially when I saw a long string of people posting about how they got accepted while I was still waiting for a decision. But it brought me some solace, and I hope it brings you some comfort as well, to know that I was not alone. In fact, we are far from alone. According to the AMCAS statistics, the majority of applicants per cycle do not matriculate. So being rejected is technically normal, not something that should be seen as isolating or shameful. I fully believe that there are more qualified applicants than open seats available, per cycle.

My final piece of advice is to always have a plan B. Avoid putting yourself in the situation where you think to yourself, "If I don't get into medical school this cycle, I'm screwed." Honestly, I would have been 100% okay if I didn't get in this cycle. I had a plan to attend paramedic school and become a paramedic, and part of me was kind of excited to explore that route. And if that were the case, in subsequent application cycles, I also would've broadened my application to include DO and Caribbean schools, because at the end of the day, the main objective is to someday practice medicine, regardless where it's learned from. I sincerely hope I do not come across as condescending in saying this, but the MD route may not be right for everyone. Depending on your goals, DO or PA school may be better suited for you. I suggest researching alternative options and keeping an open mind moving forward.

Finally, I'd like to part with three sayings that have helped me in my journey:
  1. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
  2. Done is better than perfect.
  3. "We're not looking for perfection; we're looking for improvement." - My high school history teacher paraphrasing The Equalizer
tl;dr

1) Emailing [email protected] about your site assignment seems to expedite your site assignment

2) If you didn't get accepted this cycle, that's normal. Keep your chin up and give it a better go the next cycle. Try not to compare yourself with others and know that everyone's journey is different. Whatever you do, don't give up.
Click to expand...
This is such a well-written post, I agree with everything you said! I'm also a reapplicant and was an EMT in between, I didn't even apply to UICOM first time around being OOS! good luck to all in this process, keep your head up!
 
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