2020-2021 University of Washington

[TheDataKing]

Please tag a pre-allo moderator when the secondary prompt is posted.

Good luck to everyone applying!

Interview Feedback: University of Washington

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[dindjarin87]

I cannot believe that no one has posted in here, yet! I just bought these shoes as a good luck charm. I hope it helps. Good to everybody!!

 

[deleted1040408]

WOW those are such nice shoes haha

I cannot believe that no one has posted in here, yet! I just bought these shoes as a good luck charm. I hope it helps. Good to everybody!!

 

[dindjarin87]

WOW those are such nice shoes haha

Thank you!! I love the react soles. Fun coincidence I found them in Husky colors.

 

[ismyexistenceamemeyet]

Good luck to y’all applying to UW this cycle! A few tips from someone who applied in the last cycle (and thankfully, got in woot woot!):

-Each state works on a different timeline when it comes to interviews. To my knowledge, Seattle has interviews weekly from October through mid February, while Spokane, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming have specific weeks in which they interview. The dates change from year to year, but how they’ve played out last year:

• Seattle: As I mentioned, they interview throughout through the application cycle.
• Spokane: From what I’ve read, non-TRUST interviews took place mid November (November 18-21) and early February (February 3-6); TRUST interviews took place early January (Jan 6-7). All WA TRUST applicants interview at Spokane, if I remember correctly.
• Alaska: They typically take place in late January or early February; this year it was February 10-13, last year it was late January. TRUST interviews take place on the first, maybe second days if there’s many applicants. AK interviews tend to be one of the last ones.
• Montana: MT interviews took place on January 13-16, the year before was around the same. Same situation with TRUST, TRUST applicants get interviewed first.
• Wyoming: WY interviews took place January 27-30, the year before was in early February.
• Idaho: (Thank you @UWIdahoan for the info!) TRUST interviews take place early January, while regular ID interviews take place in early February (last cycle the regular interviews took place February 3-7)

HOWEVER...thanks to COVID-19, interviews for the 2020-2021 app cycle will be held virtually (at least for MD-only applicants). They haven’t decided anything for MD-PhD yet.

-Timeline for acceptances varies by location (and who knows what this will look like with COVID). If you’re in Seattle, you can receive an acceptance anytime from October to March. For AK, MT, WY, ID, and Spokane, excom (executive committee) meetings take place at the end of the interview week, so you hear back at the end of the interview week or at most, the week after. You will receive a call and an email if you get accepted, regardless of location.

-For interviews: prepare using the questions UW gives you! If you get an interview, they’ll send you a link to an interviewee website that has a ton of questions to go through! Formulate responses to these and practice. I would recommend reading up on inequalities/disparities in healthcare or health policy-related stuff. Also do mock interviews if you’re able to! The Alliance for Equal Representation in Medicine does mock interviews in Seattle; for the other sites, usually current students hold mocks (at least that was the case in AK). I’ve heard Seattle interviews are a mixed bag, but the other state interviews tend to be more relaxed. Just be yourself when you go in, smile, make eye contact. The interview is pretty short imo, 30 minutes with 3 excom members, so try to limit your answers to 1.5-2 minutes max. It goes by fast! About 5-6 minutes of the interview will be dedicated to a roleplay scenario, usually dealing with some ethical issue.

-Get your FAFSA in early! (The deadline is January 15th-even if you haven’t been admitted!) This ensures you’re in the running for the UWSOM scholarship (forgot the exact name) and gives you more leeway with financial aid.

-Get your residency information in earlier rather than later! Don’t hold up your app over it; it takes several weeks for residency paperwork to get processed.

-Good news: UW looks favorably on reapplicants and non-trads! For reapps, show what you’ve improved on and done over the past year; for non-trads, I’d recommend looking at what contributions you can bring to your class!

-If you apply to TRUST, you’ll have a few questions related to rural experiences, but I’ve heard that non-TRUST and TRUST interviews are largely the same. If you don’t get chosen for TRUST, don’t worry; you’ll still be considered for the regular MD program!

I probably missed some stuff, but let me know if y’all have any questions or need clarification, because I know it’s a long process and a little complex at times. As I mentioned, I’m in the AK cohort, so I’m more familiar with anything AK-related, but the process is generally the same for the other cohorts.

 

[dindjarin87]

Good luck to y’all applying to UW this cycle! A few tips from someone who applied in the last cycle (and thankfully, got in woot woot!):

-Each state works on a different timeline when it comes to interviews. To my knowledge, Seattle has interviews weekly from October through mid February, while Spokane, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming have specific weeks in which they interview. The dates change from year to year, but how they’ve played out last year:

• Seattle: As I mentioned, they interview throughout through the application cycle.
• Spokane: From what I’ve read, non-TRUST interviews took place mid November (November 18-21) and early February (February 3-6); TRUST interviews took place early January (Jan 6-7). All WA TRUST applicants interview at Spokane, if I remember correctly.
• Alaska: They typically take place in late January or early February; this year it was February 10-13, last year it was late January. TRUST interviews take place on the first, maybe second days if there’s many applicants. AK interviews tend to be one of the last ones.
• Montana: MT interviews took place on January 13-16, the year before was around the same. Same situation with TRUST, TRUST applicants get interviewed first.
• Wyoming: WY interviews took place January 27-30, the year before was in early February.
• Idaho: ID interviews took place February 3-7 (funny because in 2018-19, they seemed to have interviewed in early January...)

HOWEVER...thanks to COVID-19, interviews for the 2020-2021 app cycle will be held virtually (at least for MD-only applicants). They haven’t decided anything for MD-PhD yet.

-Timeline for acceptances varies by location (and who knows what this will look like with COVID). If you’re in Seattle, you can receive an acceptance anytime from October to March. For AK, MT, WY, ID, and Spokane, excom (executive committee) meetings take place at the end of the interview week, so you hear back at the end of the interview week or at most, the week after. You will receive a call and an email if you get accepted, regardless of location.

-For interviews: prepare using the questions UW gives you! If you get an interview, they’ll send you a link to an interviewee website that has a ton of questions to go through! Formulate responses to these and practice. I would recommend reading up on inequalities/disparities in healthcare or health policy-related stuff. Also do mock interviews if you’re able to! The Alliance for Equal Representation in Medicine does mock interviews in Seattle; for the other sites, usually current students hold mocks (at least that was the case in AK). I’ve heard Seattle interviews are a mixed bag, but the other state interviews tend to be more relaxed. Just be yourself when you go in, smile, make eye contact. The interview is pretty short imo, 30 minutes with 3 excom members, so try to limit your answers to 1.5-2 minutes max. It goes by fast! About 5-6 minutes of the interview will be dedicated to a roleplay scenario, usually dealing with some ethical issue.

-Get your FAFSA in early! (The deadline is January 15th-even if you haven’t been admitted!) This ensures you’re in the running for the UWSOM scholarship (forgot the exact name) and gives you more leeway with financial aid.

-Get your residency information in earlier rather than later! Don’t hold up your app over it; it takes several weeks for residency paperwork to get processed.

-Good news: UW looks favorably on reapplicants and non-trads! For reapps, show what you’ve improved on and done over the past year; for non-trads, I’d recommend looking at what contributions you can bring to your class!

I probably missed some stuff, but let me know if y’all have any questions or need clarification, because I know it’s a long process and a little complex at times. As I mentioned, I’m in the AK cohort, so I’m more familiar with anything AK-related, but the process is generally the same for the other cohorts.

THIS IS GOLD!! Thank you so much for all of the insight. Much appreciated.

 

[Idahomie]

-Good news: UW looks favorably on reapplicants and non-trads! For reapps, show what you’ve improved on and done over the past year; for non-trads, I’d recommend looking at what contributions you can bring to your class!

Anecdotally, all of my friends that have reapplied at UW were accepted there, so that's one of the many benefits of being a WWAMI resident. Good luck to all my peeps applying this cycle. Let's go git er dun.

 

[UWIdahoan]

• Seattle: As I mentioned, they interview throughout through the application cycle.
• Spokane: From what I’ve read, non-TRUST interviews took place mid November (November 18-21) and early February (February 3-6); TRUST interviews took place early January (Jan 6-7). All WA TRUST applicants interview at Spokane, if I remember correctly.
• Alaska: They typically take place in late January or early February; this year it was February 10-13, last year it was late January. TRUST interviews take place on the first, maybe second days if there’s many applicants. AK interviews tend to be one of the last ones.
• Montana: MT interviews took place on January 13-16, the year before was around the same. Same situation with TRUST, TRUST applicants get interviewed first.
• Wyoming: WY interviews took place January 27-30, the year before was in early February.
• Idaho: ID interviews took place February 3-7 (funny because in 2018-19, they seemed to have interviewed in early January...)

Idaho does two weeks of interviews. The first is usually early January and is when they interview TRUST applicants. The second week is usually late February.

 

[whaxin]

for the secondaries, do you guys think the autobiographical statement should be pretty general (no specific stories, anecdotes, etc) and the secondary, "How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician?" should be more specific & include anecdotes?

 

[ismyexistenceamemeyet]

for the secondaries, do you guys think the autobiographical statement should be pretty general (no specific stories, anecdotes, etc) and the secondary, "How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician?" should be more specific & include anecdotes?

I think that’s a good way of going about it. n=1, but for the autobiographical statement, I looked at it as adding some fun facts about me and showing my non-med side (example: I wrote about being a writer and tied that passion into a future medical career). For “How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician?”, I listed anecdotes from scribing and volunteering and expounded on what I learned from each experience. I then connected the lessons I learned to what I’d encounter as a physician.

 

[whaxin]

I think that’s a good way of going about it. n=1, but for the autobiographical statement, I looked at it as adding some fun facts about me and showing my non-med side (example: I wrote about being a writer and tied that passion into a future medical career). For “How have your experiences prepared you to be a physician?”, I listed anecdotes from scribing and volunteering and expounded on what I learned from each experience. I then connected the lessons I learned to being a physician.

I love that! thank you for the input

 

[meek20]

Incoming MS1 at UWSOM. If anyone has questions about the cycle, I am happy to help answer any questions!

 

[t4fam]

Incoming MS1 at UWSOM. If anyone has questions about the cycle, I am happy to help answer any questions!

As a Texas resident, is it worth applying even if we have strong ties to Washington?

 

[meek20]

As a Texas resident, is it worth applying even if we have strong ties to Washington?

I grew up in Southern California and went to UW undergrad. Our premed advisor told me its highly unlikely to even get an interview without substantial work with underserved populations or coming from a disadvantaged background as OOR. My app was very focused on underserved populations but ended up taking a gap year after graduation to apply with in state residency. After having met our incoming class (virtually) it seems as though this was pretty accurate advice. I think it’s worth a shot but don’t get your hopes up on UW without WWAMI residency.

 

[ismyexistenceamemeyet]

As a Texas resident, is it worth applying even if we have strong ties to Washington?

Unfortunately, I think you’re pretty much shafted as soon as you become a resident of a non-WWAMI state, even if you have ties to WA (someone can correct me if I’m wrong). Could be SDN bias, but individuals on the past years’ threads mentioned getting pre-II Rs who were in the same situation (current OOR resident with strong ties to WWAMI). You would have to make your app all about serving the underserved/being disadvantaged and hit hard with UW’s mission statement. However, I would argue you have nothing to lose besides the $35 application fee, and you may have improved chances with your WA ties. I’d agree with @meek20 and say give it a shot, but don’t get your hopes up.

 

[wonjun1009]

Incoming MS1 at UWSOM. If anyone has questions about the cycle, I am happy to help answer any questions!

I grew up and graduated high school in the Southern Illinois area, but moved to Washington state a week after my high school graduation. As of now, all of my documents indicate I live in Washington state (e.g. driver's license, car registration, etc.). However, I attend college in Virginia.
Would I be considered a WWAMI state resident?

 

[washhyyy]

I grew up and graduated high school in the Southern Illinois area, but moved to Washington state a week after my high school graduation. As of now, all of my documents indicate I live in Washington state (e.g. driver's license, car registration, etc.). However, I attend college in Virginia.
Would I be considered a WWAMI state resident?

I believe the specific requirements are on the school website


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ismyexistenceamemeyet]

I grew up and graduated high school in the Southern Illinois area, but moved to Washington state a week after my high school graduation. As of now, all of my documents indicate I live in Washington state (e.g. driver's license, car registration, etc.). However, I attend college in Virginia.
Would I be considered a WWAMI state resident?

I would refer you to these two pages: Residence Certification - UWSOM Intranet

Residency for Tuition Purposes - Office of the University Registrar

Residency Office Updates On June 9, 2022 S.B. 5874 modified the residency requirements for students using the Affidavit of Residency. Students applying for residency may complete the new form and meet the updated requirements in order to be eligible for residency for tuition purposes under the...

registrar.washington.edu

I think you might qualify since you have WA driver’s license, car registration, other resident documents, etc, as long as you provided proof of attending school in VA and that you were absent from WA for educational purposes only. I‘d also look at your parents’ residency status if you’re still a dependent. Would definitely check with the Registrar’s office though.

 

[climbingtrees]

Hey fellow applicants! Curious to get some feedback on an idea I had for the 250-word autobiographical statement. It might be really stupid, or not too stupid? Be free with your feedback.

To avoid being too repetitive of my primary (since I pretty much answered the full prompt there), what are your thoughts on opening with a humorous anecdote that comes from my early childhood, but demonstrates basic qualities of curiosity and compassion?

• My thought here is to give adcomms a little break to read something different, maybe laugh, see a personal side of me, then get a *highlights* rundown on my journey to medicine?
• My worries -- Is it too off-topic? Do adcomms care about who we were before we got to college? Will I seem like I'm not taking this seriously?

I've written it out this way and will try something more "adult" as well, since it's a short essay, but I'd be glad to hear from my partners in application!

 

[dindjarin87]

Hey fellow applicants! Curious to get some feedback on an idea I had for the 250-word autobiographical statement. It might be really stupid, or not too stupid? Be free with your feedback.

To avoid being too repetitive of my primary (since I pretty much answered the full prompt there), what are your thoughts on opening with a humorous anecdote that comes from my early childhood, but demonstrates basic qualities of curiosity and compassion?

• My thought here is to give adcomms a little break to read something different, maybe laugh, see a personal side of me, then get a *highlights* rundown on my journey to medicine?
• My worries -- Is it too off-topic? Do adcomms care about who we were before we got to college? Will I seem like I'm not taking this seriously?

I've written it out this way and will try something more "adult" as well, since it's a short essay, but I'd be glad to hear from my partners in application!

I think a humorous anecdote that demonstrates a core competencies is great. Obviously, I haven't read your response, but it sounds like the reader would take away that fun and humor are important values to you in addition to the qualities you aim to call attention to.

I used the prompt as a preamble for the responses of later questions. I like that they led with this question because it allowed me to set expectations for my later responses and (hopefully) establish a sense of the values that are important to me as a student, in my future practice, and life in general.

 

[meek20]

I grew up and graduated high school in the Southern Illinois area, but moved to Washington state a week after my high school graduation. As of now, all of my documents indicate I live in Washington state (e.g. driver's license, car registration, etc.). However, I attend college in Virginia.
Would I be considered a WWAMI state resident?

From my experience with the cycle, it seemed as though if you met the initial questionaire for residency you didn’t even have to fill out the residency packed. I was in WA for five years (undergrad + gap year) and completely financially independent with all my ties to WA during the gap year and I didn’t have to fill out the residency packet.

 

[climbingtrees]

I used the prompt as a preamble for the responses of later questions. I like that they led with this question because it allowed me to set expectations for my later responses and (hopefully) establish a sense of the values that are important to me as a student, in my future practice, and life in general.

Great way to think about it. Thanks!

 

[climbingtrees]

Question re: the prompt: "How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or patients you have worked with?"

In answering the question, I'd like to address my exposure to societal inequities through non-clinical employment in fields such as education. However, the prompt specifies "you or patients." Any thoughts on how best to answer this prompt, if the majority of your exposure to disadvantaged groups is non-clinical?

 

[dindjarin87]

Question re: the prompt: "How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or patients you have worked with?"

In answering the question, I'd like to address my exposure to societal inequities through non-clinical employment in fields such as education. However, the prompt specifies "you or patients." Any thoughts on how best to answer this prompt, if the majority of your exposure to disadvantaged groups is non-clinical?

You said "the majority" of your exposure to disadvantaged groups is non-clinical, which I suspect means you have some clinical exposure to members of marginalized or disadvantaged groups. Someone else here may have differing opinions, but I think its important to respond to the actual prompt being asked. Stretch your understanding of social inequity. This is not limited to SES, but also considers race, gender/gender expression, sexual orientation, or ability. UWSOM seeks to train physicians to care for underserved populations, and the prompt asks for your reflections on experiences working with the underserved. If possible, I would reference an anecdote about a patient and segue into your educational background with disadvantaged communities. If the educational piece has been impactful for you in your pursuits toward medicine, I think it is vital to include but I think you also need to ensure you're responding to the given prompt. Hope this helps!!

 

[climbingtrees]

You said "the majority" of your exposure to disadvantaged groups is non-clinical, which I suspect means you have some clinical exposure to members of marginalized or disadvantaged groups. Someone else here may have differing opinions, but I think its important to respond to the actual prompt being asked. Stretch your understanding of social inequity. This is not limited to SES, but also considers race, gender/gender expression, sexual orientation, or ability. UWSOM seeks to train physicians to care for underserved populations, and the prompt asks for your reflections on experiences working with the underserved. If possible, I would reference an anecdote about a patient and segue into your educational background with disadvantaged communities. If the educational piece has been impactful for you in your pursuits toward medicine, I think it is vital to include but I think you also need to ensure you're responding to the given prompt. Hope this helps!!

Really helpful! Thanks again!

 

[dindjarin87]

All of these other school-specific discussion threads are getting so much love and I just wanted to post in the BEST thread and say good luck to all of you!!

 

[sos_sendhelp]

Does anyone know if their MSTP program is as selective with OOS students as the "only" MD program? I'm trying to figure out if it's even worth applying at this point.

 

[gnΩhmChild]

Does anyone know if their MSTP program is as selective with OOS students as the "only" MD program? I'm trying to figure out if it's even worth applying at this point.

The MD/PhD program has no regional bias

 

[MD2025-applicant]

MSTP applicant here. How exactly are we supposed to approach the UWash Preliminary Application? What should I say for the supplement to the PS? Also, how do we approach the "Tell us how you learned about UWash MSTP?" Thanks!

 

[onelastshot]

MSTP applicant here. How exactly are we supposed to approach the UWash Preliminary Application? What should I say for the supplement to the PS? Also, how do we approach the "Tell us how you learned about UWash MSTP?" Thanks!

Did you already receive secondary?

 

[kittensneezes]

MSTP applicants have a different process. There's a "preliminary" that opened on Monday and then after you complete that they send a secondary. No MD secondaries yet as far as I'm aware.

 

[gnΩhmChild]

MSTP applicant here. How exactly are we supposed to approach the UWash Preliminary Application? What should I say for the supplement to the PS? Also, how do we approach the "Tell us how you learned about UWash MSTP?" Thanks!

I submitted mine earlier today. I basically treated the entire thing as a Why UW and tried to touch on that in every comment I made about my activities.

For your second question I just said I learned about the program through an online search

 

[MD2025-applicant]

I submitted mine earlier today. I basically treated the entire thing as a Why UW and tried to touch on that in every comment I made about my activities.

For your second question I just said I learned about the program through an online search

Do you know if the first question, which is the "supplement to your PS" question is supposed to be used as a Why UWash essay or a chance for us to put an diversity/adversity essay? Thanks!

 

[gnΩhmChild]

Do you know if the first question, which is the "supplement to your PS" question is supposed to be used as a Why UWash essay or a chance for us to put an diversity/adversity essay? Thanks!

In last year's secondary they had a specific question about diversity (below) so its up to you. If you have multiple things you can talk about on the subject of adversity/diversity it could be a viable strategy

• What perspectives or experiences do you bring that would enrich the class?

 

[Ligamentriosum]

Is UW sending out secondaries? Has anyone received it?

 

[dindjarin87]

Is UW sending out secondaries? Has anyone received it?

In last year's thread, the first MD secondary was 7/30 and the year before was 7/18. Considering the delays with COVID, I suspect August is a good time to expect the MD secondary.

 

[fishberry]

MSTP applicant here. How exactly are we supposed to approach the UWash Preliminary Application? What should I say for the supplement to the PS? Also, how do we approach the "Tell us how you learned about UWash MSTP?" Thanks!

Hi! Would you mind posting the prompts?

 

[dodoitlater]

Hi! Would you mind posting the prompts?

If you're MSTP you can access the preliminary app to see them. If you're MD I'm pretty certain the MSTP app is completely different than the MD app.

 

[fishberry]

If you're MSTP you can access the preliminary app to see them. If you're MD I'm pretty certain the MSTP app is completely different than the MD app.

Thanks! I’m MSTP but my app has yet to be verified. Will I get an email regarding the prelim app?

 

[kittensneezes]

@fishberry You will not, but you can find it here!

 

[fishberry]

@fishberry You will not, but you can find it here!

Thank you very much. I really appreciate this.

 

[MD2025-applicant]

Does anyone know if secondaries for UWash MSTP are screened? I submitted my MSTP prelim and got a secondary on the same day.

 

[dodoitlater]

Does anyone know if secondaries for UWash MSTP are screened? I submitted my MSTP prelim and got a secondary on the same day.

They are so congrats! Do you mind posting the prompts?

 

[MD2025-applicant]

They are so congrats! Do you mind posting the prompts?

1. Use this opportunity to provide any autobiographical information which you feel would be helpful for the MSTP office.
2. If you are not currently enrolled in coursework (nor planning to be enrolled throughout the application process), please describe your activities in this period.

Anyone know the general consensus on how to approach autobiographical info prompts? loll

 

[fishberry]

1. Use this opportunity to provide any autobiographical information which you feel would be helpful for the MSTP office.
2. If you are not currently enrolled in coursework (nor planning to be enrolled throughout the application process), please describe your activities in this period.

Anyone know the general consensus on how to approach autobiographical info prompts? loll

Hello! Can you please tell me the word counts?

 

[fishberry]

They are so congrats! Do you mind posting the prompts?

Do you mind posting the prelim questions? I'm not yet verified can can't access them

 

[fishberry]

@fishberry You will not, but you can find it here!

Do you mind posting the prelim questions? I'm not yet verified can can't access them

 

[MD2025-applicant]

Hello! Can you please tell me the word counts?

Word count was not specified unfortunately. Prelim is:


1. Personal Statement
Please use this space to supplement your AMCAS Personal Comments. (MSTP will consider information provided here as well as your AMCAS Personal Comments):

2. How did you find out about the University of Washington's Medical Scientist Training Program?

 

[fishberry]

Word count was not specified unfortunately. Prelim is:


1. Personal Statement
Please use this space to supplement your AMCAS Personal Comments. (MSTP will consider information provided here as well as your AMCAS Personal Comments):

2. How did you find out about the University of Washington's Medical Scientist Training Program?

Thank you!!

 

[kittensneezes]

@fishberry You also have to reenter your research and clinical experiences and supplement them with any additional information you wish to add.