2020-2021 Iowa (Carver)

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9/30 Interview. I feel like we'll hear back in the next wave of acceptances, so next week *fingers crossed*

I could have misread it, but on last year's thread it looks like they were sending out acceptances in waves every other week rather than every week?
 
I could have misread it, but on last year's thread it looks like they were sending out acceptances in waves every other week rather than every week?
Hm could be. Guess we'll just have to wait and see!
 
Does anyone know if Iowa considers strong ties to the state in the admissions process for out of state students? I lived in Iowa for 14 years before moving to Indiana and am hoping this helps my application! Completed secondary 9/16 but still waiting to hear back about II. I know they don't review chronologically, but at this point, I feel like my chances of an II are decreasing by the day, and I'm losing hope :/
 
i should be more conservative during these interviews right. i heard iowa is gonna stay red.
interview soon.
stats: 3.6 CS major african.
 
i should be more conservative during these interviews right. i heard iowa is gonna stay red.
interview soon.
stats: 3.6 CS major african.

Iowa as a state leans red, but if you were to give a conservative answer at the most liberal University in the state you’d probably stick out in a bad way. I’d pay money to watch that exchange lol.
 
anyone know how scholarships work for Iowa?? Do they wait and release merit/need-based scholarships in February with the rest of the financial aid offers? Tried calling financial aid to ask and all she knew was that normal FAFSA stuff comes out mid-feb
 
anyone know how scholarships work for Iowa?? Do they wait and release merit/need-based scholarships in February with the rest of the financial aid offers? Tried calling financial aid to ask and all she knew was that normal FAFSA stuff comes out mid-feb

During my interview, they mentioned that merit scholarships are normally given at the time of acceptance and that OOS students normally receive higher merit scholarships to offset OOS tuition cost. But they didn’t say anything about specific qualifications for merit scholarships!
 
Did anyone IS here back today?
I did not hear back and man I'm stressed out lmao. Interviewed 9/11, plus I'm a reapplicant and I've worked on what they gave me feedback about (in a post-bacc Master's the past year/thru this spring to improve my GPA and I greatly improved my MCAT this summer) so I'm hopeful I get accepted this time around!! 😳
 
Welp it's tuesday...

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but based on last year's thread it seems more likely they'll release acceptances weekly (i.e. every Thursday for this cycle) as opposed to on Tuesdays. As far as I understand, Tuesday was the day last year just because of where Oct 15th fell.
 
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but based on last year's thread it seems more likely they'll release acceptances weekly (i.e. every Thursday for this cycle) as opposed to on Tuesdays. As far as I understand, Tuesday was the day last year just because of where Oct 15th fell.

this was my interpretation as well
 
At my interview they said the committee meets on Tuesdays and sends the acceptance emails afterwards. The only reason it was on Thursday last week is probably because it was the earliest they could do it, but they still met last Tuesday probably and held the emails until the 15th. So there might be some news today...
 
i should be more conservative during these interviews right. i heard iowa is gonna stay red.
interview soon.
stats: 3.6 CS major african.
I mean, obviously don't directly talk about politics - but you can certainly have answers to questions that might address policy, social inequality, that kind of thing. A big part of our curriculum is social determinants of health, implicit bias, how healthcare policy affects some people more than others, etc. I think showing that you are aware of these issues (assuming they come up organically) is a good thing.
 
Does this pretty much mean we're final pooled as OOS if we interviewed towards the beginning of September and haven't heard back?
 
Does this pretty much mean we're final pooled as OOS if we interviewed towards the beginning of September and haven't heard back?
No. As stated at the interview, applications are not reviewed chronologically by interview date, so who knows how they stratify. There's only been two "waves" of acceptances, it's very, very early.
 
Have any OOS applicants who submitted during late September hear back about an II?
 
Interviewed today. Really loved the atmosphere, everyone from the faculty, to the med students, to even the other applicants were all just great. Best of luck to everyone, seems like a fantastic school.
I also interviewed today! Hoping we hear good news soon 🙂

Same here! You guys were a blast to chat with. I'm rooting for us!
 
This is the dumbest question ever
M from overseas. just moved here couple months ago for interviews (but then i realized they were virtual LOLLL). honestly i don't know the American culture too well. i kinda assumed that interviews would touch upon politics?! but i guess not?! okay?!

and what are your stats?
 
M from overseas. just moved here couple months ago for interviews (but then i realized they were virtual LOLLL). honestly i don't know the American culture too well. i kinda assumed that interviews would touch upon politics?! but i guess not?! okay?!

and what are your stats?

People are on edge waiting to hear if they'll make the cut this year. Don't take it too personally!

I interviewed this week and there were zero political questions (unless you wanted to infuse it into your answers for whatever reason, but I wouldn't recommend it, haha). If you got that idea from watching our politicized news, you'll be happy to hear that people don't typically talk about politics unless they're beyond the professional level (like good friends from work maybe).

The interview questions they'll ask you are listed on a different section of SDN if you google "Iowa interview questions" to prepare yourself. It's a laid back conversation so don't stress too much over it.
 
Never mind, I got accepted! Email told me to log into portal! Interviewed 9/14, OOS, I knew telling them my favorite boba tea order would get me in c:
If you don't mind, could you say what prompted that? For questions like "We interview tons of applicants, what will make us remember you" (different than "what separates you from other applicants?"), I've thought about saying something unique like that, but was worried it may seem unprofessional, probably just depends on vibe with interviewer. but would love to know your thoughts, and Congrats!
 
If you don't mind, could you say what prompted that? For questions like "We interview tons of applicants, what will make us remember you" (different than "what separates you from other applicants?"), I've thought about saying something unique like that, but was worried it may seem unprofessional, probably just depends on vibe with interviewer. but would love to know your thoughts, and Congrats!

My interviewers were so chill that I called them by their first names by mistake, haha. I hope they didn't notice....

Every interviewer is different but mine asked me if there was anything else I wanted to tell them at the very end of the interview. That's a spot where you could say anything at all.
 
My interviewers were so chill that I called them by their first names by mistake, haha. I hope they didn't notice....

Every interviewer is different but mine asked me if there was anything else I wanted to tell them at the very end of the interview. That's a spot where you could say anything at all.
Everyone I talked to on my interview got cut off at the end of their interview and didn't get a chance to tell them anything else. I guess it depends on how many questions you have for the faculty -- I asked two and a half before we were cut off.
 
If you don't mind, could you say what prompted that? For questions like "We interview tons of applicants, what will make us remember you" (different than "what separates you from other applicants?"), I've thought about saying something unique like that, but was worried it may seem unprofessional, probably just depends on vibe with interviewer. but would love to know your thoughts, and Congrats!

Haha thanks!

My interviewers were very chill, and it was quite conversational after the three scripted questions. I think that really helped me to relax. After that, they just asked what I did for fun, so I talked a little bit about my hobbies and mentioned drinking tea to relax which led to talking about boba (though they called it bubble tea). Then we talked about what were my favorite breeds of dogs (fluffy corgis, Samoyeds, and golden retrievers!). Kinda forgot how we got to talking about dogs and cats though.

I think it's not so much about sounding unique, but about being genuine and truly yourself. You want to show that you're knowledgeable about current medical affairs and show what made you want to be a doctor, and why they should choose YOU to be at Iowa.

Plus, I freaking LOVE boba. I guess I managed to convey that during the interview. I can't contribute it totally to being memorable with my boba answers, but I had very solid answers for all three of the scripted questions they asked. The boba would be the cherry on top of the solid ice cream answers. I also snuck in that I was interested in doing research and a particular professor's research during the stage where I got to ask questions, so that helped to show that I was truly interested in Iowa.

All interviews are different, and sometimes you just don't get to vibe as nicely with your interviewers (which happened with my second school interview). It sucks, but sometimes it really depends on luck. But stay calm with a smile and stay genuinely interested. I guess I would say I have a bright personality normally, so I was pretty much the bubbly me that I am for that day, or as bubbly as I can be for a bright and early morning interview.

Good luck, everyone, and perhaps we'll be classmates one day!
 
Everyone I talked to on my interview got cut off at the end of their interview and didn't get a chance to tell them anything else. I guess it depends on how many questions you have for the faculty -- I asked two and a half before we were cut off.
Yeah I was getting my second question answered when we got cut off
 
Same here, I was in the middle of giving them the closing statement they asked for and I was sucked out of the breakout room.

I went weirdly under time? I answered all their questions and asked them 3 questions and finished with like 2-3 minutes left and sat in Zoom silence while the interviewers wrote their notes <3 Just wanted to share my experience here as well for people who might feel worried if they don't go for the entire time.

I take that it still went well enough considering the outcome lmao, but it def worried me a lot at the time since everyone always talks about how talkative and friendly their interviewers are 😳
 
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