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what is the pre II dinner? like do you get a zoom link, my interview on Jan 7th , how do I sign up for it

pre-II dinner is an informal, non-mandatory event where you will be having "dinner" virtually via zoom with the med students at UIC only. You can ask them anything (student life, the good, bad, and ugly) and they do not in any way affect your application assessment. With that being said, definitely act professional. You will get an email with more details about when and how to sign up for the virtual dinner.
 
It shows up in the site assignment area right? Mine is still blank 🙁
yeah it should be (here's mine). Hopefully yours will be up soon.

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Hey, I'm wondering if anybody is having the same issue or if I'm just being anal- I am 100% sure I completed the 2º before I submitted (because duh) but I just checked on my status and it appears that the essays have disappeared? Did this happen to anybody else or am I just losing it/suffering from a system glitch/screwed lol
 
Hey, I'm wondering if anybody is having the same issue or if I'm just being anal- I am 100% sure I completed the 2º before I submitted (because duh) but I just checked on my status and it appears that the essays have disappeared? Did this happen to anybody else or am I just losing it/suffering from a system glitch/screwed lol
Are you referring to UMED/GMED/CMED prompts?
 
Has anyone gotten interview invites recently? I'm OOS but have strong ties to Illinois (lived there most of my life) and to the U of I. Haven't heard a peep.
 
Anyone get their Certiphi email for the background check? If not, when are we supposed to get that?
 
So I completed the secondary back in July, but still no updates. I am OOS. has anyone else not heard at all? This is happening to me at a lot of schools it seems
 
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Lots of information here- they would like your FAFSA in January and will release aid notices starting in March.

I finished my FAFSA today with help from this link thank you! I apologize if this sounds silly but I’ve never taken a student loan before (I was blessed with parents who paid for my bachelors and I paid for my own masters degree by working).

What do I do next now that I completed the FAFSA? I don’t expect any help from my parents so I need loans to pay for this. Does FAFSA cover COL loans as well? I don’t imagine I would qualify for any needs based scholarships or grants but I don’t want to be the idiot that has an acceptance and didn’t take the proper steps to set up the finances.
 
I finished my FAFSA today with help from this link thank you! I apologize if this sounds silly but I’ve never taken a student loan before (I was blessed with parents who paid for my bachelors and I paid for my own masters degree by working).

What do I do next now that I completed the FAFSA? I don’t expect any help from my parents so I need loans to pay for this. Does FAFSA cover COL loans as well? I don’t imagine I would qualify for any needs based scholarships or grants but I don’t want to be the idiot that has an acceptance and didn’t take the proper steps to set up the finances.
There should be a place on the site to list which schools you would like it sent to. You can send it just to Illinois, if that is your acceptance, and add other schools later if needed. Yes, you can also borrow enough to cover your rent & expenses. Whichever med school you matriculate at will help you via their financial aid office.
 
I finished my FAFSA today with help from this link thank you! I apologize if this sounds silly but I’ve never taken a student loan before (I was blessed with parents who paid for my bachelors and I paid for my own masters degree by working).

What do I do next now that I completed the FAFSA? I don’t expect any help from my parents so I need loans to pay for this. Does FAFSA cover COL loans as well? I don’t imagine I would qualify for any needs based scholarships or grants but I don’t want to be the idiot that has an acceptance and didn’t take the proper steps to set up the finances.
I am on the same boat and I wondered the same things. Thanks for being on top of it and asking, it’s helping me a lot too!
 
For accepted peeps still in undergrad, are y'all thinking of sending transcripts now as well as after spring semester graduation?? Or just proof later that you have a baccalaureate degree after graduation?? I wasn't sure if I needed to provide evidence that I'm not ~ flunking ~ out of college or something lol
 
for people who were accepted, how long after you submitted your site preference did you get your campus assignment?
 
I received my II for IMED and then MSTP a few weeks ago, but I never got the VITA email. Was VITA on break for the holidays??
 
Okay, so kinda freaking out here. I got an interview invite about a week ago and booked an interview for the later part of the first week of January. I started prepping for my interview and went back to my secondary and noticed I clicked off UMED AND GMED but did not fill the prompts that followed my click off. After reading through SDN I have become aware that the prompts were not visible for a period of time during a glitch in the system but my application is currently submitted and I cannot edit those BLANK prompts. Did anyone else have this issue? What do I do?

For anyone wondering OOS, NY, 3.96 gpa, 512 MCAT
 
went back to my secondary and noticed I clicked off UMED AND GMED but did not fill the prompts that followed my click off. After reading through SDN I have become aware that the prompts were not visible for a period of time during a glitch in the system but my application is currently submitted and I cannot edit those BLANK prompts. Did anyone else have this issue? What do I do?

For anyone wondering OOS, NY, 3.96 gpa, 512 MCAT
Even though it doesn't affect your application to the general UICOM class as said above, if you still want to be considered for those programs I would email admissions as soon as possible to let them know what happened. They had extended the deadline to apply to Global Medicine (GMED) and Urban Medicine (UMED) from December 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 11:59 CT. Even though the deadline has passed, I'd think that they'd be understanding since the portal did have several glitches. I think it'll be okay- best of luck.
 
They are partially open; interviewers have access to your personal statement and secondary responses but not your activities section on AMCAS
And that’s only the 1:1 interviews right. The MMI interviewers are purely closed file?
 
And that’s only the 1:1 interviews right. The MMI interviewers are purely closed file?

Yes, MMI is closed file. Well, the point of MMI is to be completely unbiased via "blind reviewing", random scenarios. I also haven't heard MMI being open file before.

In contrast, the 1:1 interview is to determine "fit" (aka whether the faculty interviewing you can imagine being a mentor to you as an M1 student and vice versa, for you to see if you can imagine yourself being mentored by faculty such as your interviewer)
 
Can anyone describe the structure of the MMI. It says that there are 5 minute interviews with 7 stations. Do you get time to read and prepare the questions?

They pull you into breakout rooms and in each room you get 2 minutes to read the question and think about your response, you don’t know the question before the 2 minute timer. Then if you don’t use the whole five minutes for response they interviewer will ask follow up questions or inquire more about your response.
 
Hi all! I was wondering if the traditional interview with the faculty member (after the MMI) is a blind interview (do they have your experiences/essays, separately do they have your transcripts/stats etc)

Also, what did you think about the MMI, was it a relatively normal and tame one or do you think they threw in some hard-balls?
this was asked and answered in one of yesterday's posts. it is partially open, in that they have your personal statement and secondary 🙂
 
This might vary, my interviewer definitely had full access my application.

I based my response of what the interviewer had access to (personal statement and secondary application response but NOT activities section) based on Dr. Amiri's interview in 2 podcasts (The premed podcast by Ryan Gray and All Access Podcast). But I agree that there are variability and definitely know your app inside and out.
 
To those that were interviewed and accepted, how did you prepare/how much for the interview? Kind of curious because I have one coming up, so if anyone’s open to questions, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you.
 
I started prepping when IIs started landing in. UIC wasn't my first II but I was roughly prepping like an hr a day for a month before my first II. Make sure you don't script yourself -> know your main points you want to talk about and you should start getting a ghist of what you want to say for the common traditional questions. Afterwards, I just lightly prepped 2x a week and focused on the classic Why Us and changed my Why Med to try to cater to each schools mission. Know the typical questions asked in a traditional sense: WHY MED/WHY US/WHY DOC vs. OTHER FIELDS/Greatest Weakness/Greatest Strenghts/Tell us about yourself/What you see 10 years from now/What you do if you can't do med etc (should be easily found online). Ethical questions and healthcare issues. I felt that UIC was super friendly and really wanted you to show WHO YOU ARE and they were very supportive.

The MMI: Watch youtube videos and make sure you can formulate an argument and focus on what they are asking for. I believe UIC is one of the exceptions where they let you write down notes during the time the question is being shown on the display. Remember that even if you bomb one question, you can make up for it with the other stations, and you'll always get mixed vibes from each different person so don't let that throw you off guard.

happy prepping!
This is so great, thank you! Quick question, and I've had this for a while but when they ask "Tell me about yourself", what are they really asking for? Always confused me so much hearing this.
 
Okay, so kinda freaking out here. I got an interview invite about a week ago and booked an interview for the later part of the first week of January. I started prepping for my interview and went back to my secondary and noticed I clicked off UMED AND GMED but did not fill the prompts that followed my click off. After reading through SDN I have become aware that the prompts were not visible for a period of time during a glitch in the system but my application is currently submitted and I cannot edit those BLANK prompts. Did anyone else have this issue? What do I do?

For anyone wondering OOS, NY, 3.96 gpa, 512 MCAT
Congratulations on your II, I unfortunately do not have an answer to your question but I have another question myself. Do you have ties to Illinois?
 
Hi guys, I submitted my secondary back in September and havent heard anything at all. Is this a silent rejection?
 
Hi guys, I submitted my secondary back in September and havent heard anything at all. Is this a silent rejection?
Probably not. I submitted late August but was officially complete early November bc of my mcat and Casper stuff, and got II last week. If your Casper or mcat was late/delayed, or secondary was not marked complete until later, you probs still have a chance.
 
Probably not. I submitted late August but was officially complete early November bc of my mcat and Casper stuff, and got II last week. If your Casper or mcat was late/delayed, or secondary was not marked complete until later, you probs still have a chance.
How did you feel about casper? Im ambivalent and hope it is not an interview blocker for me
 
How did you feel about casper? Im ambivalent and hope it is not an interview blocker for me
I felt fine about it. Did the practice, leaned the important of having multiple perspectives, few ethical principles like autonomy and stuff, and general tips on dealing with conflict, so it was alright.
 
If someone had to guess, how many interview date have happened or how many acceptances do you guys think were sent out already, I interviewed here today and I was wondering what my chances would be to place in Chicago? I know people will be like "you didn't get accepted yet so why do u care?" but interview they said last year 520/670 interviewees were all given acceptances
 
If someone had to guess, how many interview date have happened or how many acceptances do you guys think were sent out already, I interviewed here today and I was wondering what my chances would be to place in Chicago? I know people will be like "you didn't get accepted yet so why do u care?" but interview they said last year 520/670 interviewees were all given acceptances
Those are nice odds, 520/670. Hope its true because I am still delayed decision.

Edit: delayed decision since Oct.15
 
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