2020-2021 University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM)

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To those that have already interviewed, are you taken to a strange "server error" page when you click on the 'interview' tab of the UIWSOM portal? If not, what do y'all see? Just making sure I'm not alone.
 
Just received an Interview Invite 20 minutes ago! I literally can't express how grateful I am. I am also nervous since I have never done any MMI interviews.
My application was completed Jan 6
STATS from my AACOMAS App
cGPA: 3.74
Overall non-science GPA: 3.94
Overall Science GPA 3.63
MCAT: 498 I know not great 🙁
Major (I don't think it matters or affects how they view apps but who knows): Bachelors in Chemical Engineering, no Master's degree though.


Those who have interviewed, I'd love any feedback or advice for the interview ( how the day is, how long, how many faculty you interview with or do those include students too? and if you feel comfortable I'd love to know what kind of questions they asked as far as the situational ones go?
Do they have your file open and ask questions based on your experience or is it closed file and purely Casper-is questions?
 
TheAfroAvenger said:
To those that have already interviewed, are you taken to a strange "server error" page when you click on the 'interview' tab of the UIWSOM portal? If not, what do y'all see? Just making sure I'm not alone.
Click to expand...
I have that too. I think is January interviews hear back in 6 weeks?
 
Barely_MakingIt said:
Just received an Interview Invite 20 minutes ago! I literally can't express how grateful I am. I am also nervous since I have never done any MMI interviews.
My application was completed Jan 6
STATS from my AACOMAS App
cGPA: 3.74
Overall non-science GPA: 3.94
Overall Science GPA 3.63
MCAT: 498 I know not great 🙁
Major (I don't think it matters or affects how they view apps but who knows): Bachelors in Chemical Engineering, no Master's degree though.


Those who have interviewed, I'd love any feedback or advice for the interview ( how the day is, how long, how many faculty you interview with or do those include students too? and if you feel comfortable I'd love to know what kind of questions they asked as far as the situational ones go?
Do they have your file open and ask questions based on your experience or is it closed file and purely Casper-is questions?
Click to expand...
Congrats on your II. Tbh, I really liked the MMI format. Just prepare speaking confidently/ concisely and you will have no problem.
 
For those that have already interviewed - can you please share some good resources for the MMI's. <3
 
Honestly the best advice for the MMI is not to think about what you might be asked or how you might answer. Hopefully at this point you know yourself and your application well enough to speak to any of those topics regardless of the specific question they ask. The best pointer I can give from when I did mine is to take a DEEP breath as soon as they give you the prompt at each station. Seriously. Breathe really deep, read the question, and then (here's the hard part) don't let your mind just start racing. You only have 2 mins to plan your 6-8 min answer. Instead of wasting that time by letting your thoughts run wild (which is super easy to do under pressure), what is the FIRST thing that comes to mind after reading the prompt? Stop there. Write down a note or two about that first thought. Think about a logical structure on how to speak to those points for the next 4-5 mins. Naturally, you might think of more to say while you're talking, so leave a couple mins for that.

Here's an example (not a real question from my MMI, but just for show-and-tell purposes):
Prompt: What is your greatest weakness?
First thought: I know I'm bad at time management.
(Stop here. Don't let your brain start thinking of "better" answers or "what do I think they want to hear". They don't want a pre-programmed generic response. They want to hear how YOU, a real life human applying to medical school, approach the thought process for this prompt. If you stick with your gut reaction to the prompt, there's a much better chance you will respond naturally and organically rather than wasting precious time trying to form your answer into whatever it is that you think they want to hear.)
Write down: Time management. Efficiency. Working to improve this by breaking my day into blocks of time for specific purposes and sticking to the schedule. Recent example of when I implemented this strategy and what the results were. Goal is to use these tactics to make good use of my study time in medical school.
(Interviewer appears on the screen and asks you to begin your answer.)

You already thought through your answer and made good use of your 2 min prep, now just go for it! Restate the prompt in your own words, answer it directly, and explain how you're improving, share your story about a specific time you improved this weakness, etc. At this point, it's just a matter of talking to your interviewer. The important thing is that you stayed calm, level-headed, and didn't let the pressure freak you out to the point that you started rambling incoherently. You can implement this same basic structure for any of the questions they give you!
 
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MoTx333 said:
Honestly the best advice for the MMI is not to think about what you might be asked or how you might answer. Hopefully at this point you know yourself and your application well enough to speak to any of those topics regardless of the specific question they ask. The best pointer I can give from when I did mine is to take a DEEP breath as soon as they give you the prompt at each station. Seriously. Breathe really deep, read the question, and then (here's the hard part) don't let your mind just start racing. You only have 2 mins to plan your 6-8 min answer. Instead of wasting that time by letting your thoughts run wild (which is super easy to do under pressure), what is the FIRST thing that comes to mind after reading the prompt? Stop there. Write down a note or two about that first thought. Think about a logical structure on how to speak to those points for the next 4-5 mins. Naturally, you might think of more to say while you're talking, so leave a couple mins for that.

Here's an example (not a real question from my MMI, but just for show-and-tell purposes):
Prompt: What is your greatest weakness?
First thought: I know I'm bad at time management.
(Stop here. Don't let your brain start thinking of "better" answers or "what do I think they want to hear". They don't want a pre-programmed generic response. They want to hear how YOU, a real life human applying to medical school, approach the thought process for this prompt. If you stick with your gut reaction to the prompt, there's a much better chance you will respond naturally and organically rather than wasting precious time trying to form your answer into whatever it is that you think they want to hear.)
Write down: Time management. Efficiency. Working to improve this by breaking my day into blocks of time for specific purposes and sticking to the schedule. Recent example of when I implemented this strategy and what the results were. Goal is to use these tactics to make good use of my study time in medical school.
(Interviewer appears on the screen and asks you to begin your answer.)

You already thought through your answer and made good use of your 2 min prep, now just go for it! Restate the prompt in your own words, answer it directly, and explain how you're improving, share your story about a specific time you improved this weakness, etc. At this point, it's just a matter of talking to your interviewer. The important thing is that you stayed calm, level-headed, and didn't let the pressure freak you out to the point that you started rambling incoherently. You can implement this same basic structure for any of the questions they give you!
Click to expand...
this extremely helpful omg thank you so much. I'm interviewing Monday and really want to do my best!
 
How is applicant pool this year? Is it more competitive this year or is the class mostly full already? Asking cuz I got waitlisted with a 3.6 and a 515 which is decently above median for this school so I was pretty disappointed. My ECs are good and I even had an interviewer tell me she hoped to see me in the incoming class.
 
adrummingdog said:
How is applicant pool this year? Is it more competitive this year or is the class mostly full already? Asking cuz I got waitlisted with a 3.6 and a 515 which is decently above median for this school so I was pretty disappointed. My ECs are good and I even had an interviewer tell me she hoped to see me in the incoming class.
Click to expand...
you probably too competitive so they don't think you would attend. why would you attend with those stats anyways...
 
Dryad8212 said:
you probably too competitive so they don't think you would attend. why would you attend with those stats anyways...
Click to expand...
Thats not how it works haha

If you get an interview then they believe you have the capabilities to succeed in medical school. At that point, it is based on how they think you fit with the schools mission/vision and how your interview went.
 
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_DrTurkleton said:
Thats not how it works haha

If you get an interview than they believe you have the capabilities to succeed in medical school. At that point, it is based on how they think you fit with the schools mission/vision and how your interview went.
Click to expand...
Agreed. This sounds like something went wrong during the MMI. I'm also surprised that an interviewer would say they looked forward to seeing someone in the entering class because I remember the admissions staff specifically tell us that interviewers are told NOT to react or comment on our responses to preserve the integrity of the process.
 
MoTx333 said:
Agreed. This sounds like something went wrong during the MMI. I'm also surprised that an interviewer would say they looked forward to seeing someone in the entering class because I remember the admissions staff specifically tell us that interviewers are told NOT to react or comment on our responses to preserve the integrity of the process.
Click to expand...
My thought as well, but yeah one of my interviewers said "I hope to see you in the class" towards the end of one of the sessions. I guess there was something wrong on one or more of the stations and didn't realize. Hard to judge your own performance
 
Received and interview invite yesterday; schedule for 5-Feb. I've been accepted to ATSU-SOMA and paid the deposit, but financially, it would be easier for my wife and I to stay in Texas as opposed to moving back to AZ and I wouldn't have to find a new Army Guard unit, so we'll see what happens...
 
PhD_to_DO said:
Received and interview invite yesterday; schedule for 5-Feb. I've been accepted to ATSU-SOMA and paid the deposit, but financially, it would be easier for my wife and I to stay in Texas as opposed to moving back to AZ and I wouldn't have to find a new Army Guard unit, so we'll see what happens...
Click to expand...
Good luck! I hope you can stay in Texas! When were you complete? Were you on the interview waitlist?
 
soccerdoc3333 said:
Good luck! I hope you can stay in Texas! When were you complete? Were you on the interview waitlist?
Click to expand...
Thank you 🙂 I was complete on September 23rd; I never received any notice about an interview waitlist or for that matter, any communication beyond the notice that they'd received my secondary after I submitted it. TBH, I'd forgotten about applying here until I got the email inviting me to the interview yesterday afternoon!
 
adrummingdog said:
My thought as well, but yeah one of my interviewers said "I hope to see you in the class" towards the end of one of the sessions. I guess there was something wrong on one or more of the stations and didn't realize. Hard to judge your own performance
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say something went wrong. That being said, I absolutely BOMBED one of my MMI stations, had above average stats, and was waitlisted as well. There could have been a candidate or two that they just deemed was a better fit. We're only halfway through the cycle so they don't hand out a ton of acceptances. I know my class wasn't solidified until mid July.
 
_DrTurkleton said:
I wouldn't say something went wrong. That being said, I absolutely BOMBED one of my MMI stations, had above average stats, and was waitlisted as well. There could have been a candidate or two that they just deemed was a better fit. We're only halfway through the cycle so they don't hand out a ton of acceptances. I know my class wasn't solidified until mid July.
Click to expand...
Lol at better fit. How do they know if you are a good fit or not? If you have above average stats and a normal human being you should get accepted vs someone who has average and a "better fit"
 
Dryad8212 said:
Lol at better fit. How do they know if you are a good fit or not? If you have above average stats and a normal human being you should get accepted vs someone who has average and a "better fit"
Click to expand...
it is very possible to have above average stats, be a normal person AND not be a good fit for a school. They are clearly mission based and if your interview or application points towards endeavors post med school that do not align with you working in South Texas, primary care, working in community-based health, etc then you are not a good fit regardless of your stats and you being "normal". I have a friend with a 521 and 3.9 and an amazing personality and SOOO much experience who did not get accepted to certain schools because she just did not fit their mission, etc. All I can say is you can never be too sure no matter how good your stats are. they say holistic review for a reason.
 
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the_cobulin said:
Well, just got the interview waitlist email. Has anyone actually gotten off that? Does anyone know if it’s ranked or just by time put on the list? I really liked this school.

Stats:
MCAT 507
cGPA: 3.91
sGPA: 4.0
Click to expand...
apparently they didnt like you...jk. did you apply to any other Texas school? nice stats
 
Taskha said:
Is this an Interview waitlist? Is there new interview dates left at UIWSOM? Thank y'all!
"This email is to inform you that your application is still being considered. Due to the limited number of space at each interview session we are currently unable to extend an invitation to participate at this time. However, if space permits, an offer may be extended for a future interview date. Interviews are held throughout the fall and spring."
Click to expand...
I got this same email today!
 
Hi everyone I have received this email

Thank you for your interest in the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine. This email is to inform you that your application is still being considered. Due to the limited number of space at each interview session we are currently unable to extend an invitation to participate at this time. However, if space permits, an offer may be extended for a future interview date. Interviews are held throughout the fall and spring.

however, on the portal, I can schedule an interview for February 22nd !

so what should I do? schedule an interview ? or wait for another email? am i put on the pre-II hold list?
 
Just got waitlisted too... anyone know if they've seen movement? I have my second shot at the MCAT scheduled for the end of March lol
 
Interviewed 1/11 and I got waitlisted this morning. I am very disappointed because I thought that my interview went extremely well 🙁
 
ecma239 said:
Just got waitlisted too... anyone know if they've seen movement? I have my second shot at the MCAT scheduled for the end of March lol
Click to expand...
There is usually quite a bit of waitlist action later in the spring (April, May).

Is your repeat MCAT in preparation for re-applying if needed? I’m not sure a March score would be considered for this app cycle.
 
wysdoc said:
There is usually quite a bit of waitlist action later in the spring (April, May).

Is your repeat MCAT in preparation for re-applying if needed? I’m not sure a March score would be considered for this app cycle.
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm planning on just reapplying this summer if I have to. Just reeeaally would prefer not to (like a lot of others that have been waitlisted). I honestly applied this cycle on a whim as I was intending to retake my MCAT, so I'll take this over a rejection. The overlap between waiting for a decision and beginning to prep for the next cycle is just brutal.

As of right now my stats are:
MCAT 495
sGPA 3.5
cGPA 3.76
I'm a May 2020 Grad with a BA in Spanish (I am bilingual) and a BS in Agriculture and Medical Biotechnology with a minor in Microbiology
 
Wait listed post interview as well, higher stats applicant w multiple acceptances so not to worried. Might be a good idea to send a letter of intent guys!
 
tennis2222 said:
For anyone else who got post-interview waitlisted, what did your email say? Mine didn't sound all that encouraging.
Click to expand...
This was mine:

"Application to our School of Osteopathic Medicine has been quite competitive. At this time we are unable to offer you admissions to our entering fall 2021 class; however, you have been placed on the waitlist. Although we anticipate some waitlist movement, we are unable to predict the extent. As this is a fluid process, information on waitlist ranking will not be released."

I feel like this was pretty standard-- "Sorry we can't let you in but we can keep your anxiety on 10 for the next 6 months!!", welcome to the grey area, my friend.
 
bassam khatib said:
Hi everyone I have received this email

Thank you for your interest in the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine. This email is to inform you that your application is still being considered. Due to the limited number of space at each interview session we are currently unable to extend an invitation to participate at this time. However, if space permits, an offer may be extended for a future interview date. Interviews are held throughout the fall and spring.

however, on the portal, I can schedule an interview for February 22nd !

so what should I do? schedule an interview ? or wait for another email? am i put on the pre-II hold list?
Click to expand...
If it were me... I would definitely schedule the interview in the portal and then email admissions to let them know. Good luck!!
 
tennis2222 said:
Do you think, perhaps, their class is full already?
Click to expand...
From my understanding, I think most DO schools are full given the huge increase in applicants. I’ve been waitlisted from a bunch of schools, and it doesn’t make sense reading last years application cycle. I also haven’t seen to many acceptance recently. A lot of applicants were being accepted this time the last few years.

In my opinion people are being waitlisted earlier this cycle, but hey there should still be movement! DO acceptances will eventually move to MD or closer to home. Hope!
 
This thread is really odd to me because it always seems like you're either accepted or waitlisted after the interview - little to no rejections actually. I wonder if they just waitlist everyone.
 
I ema
ColorfulMed said:
If it were me... I would definitely schedule the interview in the portal and then email admissions to let them know. Good luck!!
Click to expand...
I emailed them last night about it, they haven't replied back but now I can't schedule an interview!
 
MoTx333 said:
Agreed. This sounds like something went wrong during the MMI. I'm also surprised that an interviewer would say they looked forward to seeing someone in the entering class because I remember the admissions staff specifically tell us that interviewers are told NOT to react or comment on our responses to preserve the integrity of the process.
Click to expand...
I actually had an interviewer comment and react to my answers —
adrummingdog said:
My thought as well, but yeah one of my interviewers said "I hope to see you in the class" towards the end of one of the sessions. I guess there was something wrong on one or more of the stations and didn't realize. Hard to judge your own performance
Click to expand...
do you think we had the same interviewer 😂. I felt I bombed a station in the follow up response so I’m quite terrified :/
 
I received the “can’t offer interview right now but will reach out as spots open” over a month ago :-((
Do I assume I won’t get an interview since it’s just been so long since that email?
 
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