2021-2022 Central Florida

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linddawg said:
It was just an email from them saying my application would go under review on a certain date. Already interviewed.
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when did you receive this after your interview?
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bourgeoisboho said:
@REL Can you tell us if when forming the interview groups every week, aside from all these diversity factors that you listed, do you also consider the date the application went into the AORTA-EFI pool? That is, does the first-in-first-out still apply, all other things being equal in EFI pool? Thank you for the transparency. It is much appreciated!
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We do not subscribe to the first-in, first-out theory. We do have teams of 4-5 faculty members review each application and complete reviews of applications in team meetings. While metrics are always part of the equation, the demonstrated motivations for medicine and humanism during your most recent period (~4yrs) and how an applicant balances academics, life, teamwork, the motivations consistently over that period mean a great deal when an application is selected for an interview.
 
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@REL

Does everybody on the same interview date get reviewed by the committee on the same date. Or will people who are going to get post interview acceptances get reviewed before October 15th whereas those who are going to get waitlisted by the committee going to get reviewed after October 15th? In other words, is review date prioritized by post interview score? I interviewed pretty early but am getting reviewed after the 15th. Is this a bad sign?
Thanks!
 
Feynman said:
@REL How do the research opportunities here compare to that of other powerhouses in Florida like UMMSM, UF COM, and USF Morsani? Asking because I would like to emphasize research during my time in medical school and plan on focusing on academic medicine.
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Unless something has changed at the other programs you mention, none, except UCF, have research in their MD program curriculum. Our Focused Inquiry and Research Experience (FIRE) Program is a required part of the curriculum for all students during the first two years. You will get a chance to define your goal, we'll get a mentor to assist you (unless you have one?) to step-through the research process and, by the completion of the M2 year, you will likely have the chance to deliver a poster/presentation. This has proven to be a strong "ace" in your pocket come time for residency interviews.
 
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DukeSmith said:
@REL

Does everybody on the same interview date get reviewed by the committee on the same date. Or will people who are going to get post interview acceptances get reviewed before October 15th whereas those who are going to get waitlisted by the committee going to get reviewed after October 15th? In other words, is review date prioritized by post interview score? I interviewed pretty early but am getting reviewed after the 15th. Is this a bad sign?
Thanks!
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It is possible that those who interview on a certain date will go to the same committee meeting but we do adjust the groups a little to make sure one group is not all Floridians or non-Floridians, etc.
 
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REL said:
It is possible that those who interview on a certain date will go to the same committee meeting but we do adjust the groups a little to make sure one group is not all Floridians or non-Floridians, etc.
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Thanks! Would you say that chances of being accepted get lower at a later review date?
 
DukeSmith said:
Thanks! Would you say that chances of being accepted get lower at a later review date?
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There may be a lower percentage chance of being selected for an interview based on the increased members of the pool, but if you have a solid application with the metrics and motivations you chances are still strong. I will restate that in general that metrics are good and will get an application noticed, but the consistent and demonstrated motivations will get the interview.
 
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REL said:
There may be a lower percentage chance of being selected for an interview based on the increased members of the pool, but if you have a solid application with the metrics and motivations you chances are still strong. I will restate that in general that metrics are good and will get an application noticed, but the consistent and demonstrated motivations will get the interview.
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Thanks! But, at least to me, the question was asking whether the people at the later interview and review dates had lower chances of being accepted than those who came before (either because they are weaker by virtue of being selected for interview later, or because there are less seats available as the cycle progresses). My guess would be that the answer is no, but, now that the question is out there, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
 
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KnightDoc said:
Thanks! But, at least to me, the question was asking whether the people at the later interview and review dates had lower chances of being accepted than those who came before (either because they are weaker by virtue of being selected for interview later, or because there are less seats available as the cycle progresses). My guess would be that the answer is no, but, now that the question is out there, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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The Admissions Committee portions out acceptance offers and there will be seats available for each group that the committee reviews so that should satisfy the seats available concern. All of the applicants will be reviewed via AORTA. Those teams look well beyond the metrics in their reviews. There will be many mega-metric applicants who have not strongly demonstrated a consistent motivation for medicine and humanism who will not receive an interview. Metrics matter to answer the question regarding probability of graduating, the motivations help to understand the person. So in this scenario numbers (if likely to graduate) then yield to motivations. IF both motivations and metrics are strong there is a high probability of an interview, if both are weak chances are not good. We will also compare metrics to the 3-year MD matriculant averages from an academic program provided by AMCAS. For example a 3.6 from UNC is just as strong as a 3.8 from UF. In the same scenario, re MCAT the average from UNC is 512, UF 510. ((In my 20+ years of reviews of these averages has consistently shown me that Florida programs have a generally liberal grading system and they dont perform as well on the standardized MCAT exam.)) Deeper into the comparisons, consider perceived strengths of applicant majors (Biomed Sci vs Med Lab Science, etc.), or maybe metrics temporarily hindered by a unexpected "life event." I am just scratching the surface of many factors of the metrics. Similarly, we can go just as deep into the motivations, consistency, etc. There is much to consider.
 
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REL said:
The Admissions Committee portions out acceptance offers and there will be seats available for each group that the committee reviews so that should satisfy the seats available concern. All of the applicants will be reviewed via AORTA. Those teams look well beyond the metrics in their reviews. There will be many mega-metric applicants who have not strongly demonstrated a consistent motivation for medicine and humanism who will not receive an interview. Metrics matter to answer the question regarding probability of graduating, the motivations help to understand the person. So in this scenario numbers (if likely to graduate) then yield to motivations. IF both motivations and metrics are strong there is a high probability of an interview, if both are weak chances are not good. We will also compare metrics to the 3-year MD matriculant averages from an academic program provided by AMCAS. For example a 3.6 from UNC is just as strong as a 3.8 from UF. In the same scenario, re MCAT the average from UNC is 512, UF 510. ((In my 20+ years of reviews of these averages has consistently shown me that Florida programs have a generally liberal grading system and they dont perform as well on the standardized MCAT exam.)) Deeper into the comparisons, consider perceived strengths of applicant majors (Biomed Sci vs Med Lab Science, etc.), or maybe metrics temporarily hindered by a unexpected "life event." I am just scratching the surface of many factors of the metrics. Similarly, we can go just as deep into the motivations, consistency, etc. There is much to consider.
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How does the review process for selecting applicants for interviews from the EFI pool differ from the review process for AORTA? Is it just as in depth as the AORTA process or is it more nuanced?
 
@REL How does UCF view students who have completed 50+ credits of DIY post-baccalaureate work instead of an SMP when deciding whether to give an interview? Also, does UCF superscore the MCAT or do they only look at composite scores?
 
REL said:
There may be a lower percentage chance of being selected for an interview based on the increased members of the pool, but if you have a solid application with the metrics and motivations you chances are still strong. I will restate that in general that metrics are good and will get an application noticed, but the consistent and demonstrated motivations will get the interview.
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Sorry, I think that the wording of the question was a bit confusing/unclear. I meant to ask about people who have already interviewed and are now undergoing final review/voting. I’m pretty sure that in the past decisions have been released on the 15th for some applicants. Would being assigned a review date after the 15th despite interviewing in one of the earliest slots be a sign that acceptance is unlikely.

thank you for all of your help!
 
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dmblah said:
How does the review process for selecting applicants for interviews from the EFI pool differ from the review process for AORTA? Is it just as in depth as the AORTA process or is it more nuanced?
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Hopefully @REL will correct me if I wrong, but my understanding is that EFI just means you meet their minimums (GPA, MCAT, LORs, etc.). Beyond that, it's not really a review at all. The review is what @REL is describing above.
 
KnightDoc said:
Hopefully @REL will correct me if I wrong, but my understanding is that EFI just means you meet their minimums (GPA, MCAT, LORs, etc.). Beyond that, it's not really a review at all. The review is what @REL is describing above.
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Achieving EFI means that you have passed an "administrative" review to ensure that your file is complete and meets all of the above as noted by Knightdoc as well as state of legal residency, INS requirements, completed the supplemental app, fee payment, etc. Once all of the components of the administrative review are satisfied a file will then become eligible for interview (EFI) for interview consideration. Files will be scheduled for one of our multiple, 4-5 member, Admissions Office Review Team for Applications (AORTA) teams. Each member of the AORTA team will independently evaluate all materials of an application and then meet in a team meeting one week later to discuss and rank each application. Applicants receiving the highest AORTA scores will be places in a group to be contacted to begin the interview process. After the interview process applicants are then batched into groups for the 16 members Admissions Committee to review that will determine your final admissions status. Other than Early Decision Applicants we cannot release any Admissions Committee decisions until October 15.
 
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REL said:
Achieving EFI means that you have passed an "administrative" review to ensure that your file is complete and meets all of the above as noted by Knightdoc as well as state of legal residency, INS requirements, completed the supplemental app, fee payment, etc. Once all of the components of the administrative review are satisfied a file will then become eligible for interview (EFI) for interview consideration. Files will be scheduled for one of our multiple, 4-5 member, Admissions Office Review Team for Applications (AORTA) teams. Each member of the AORTA team will independently evaluate all materials of an application and then meet in a team meeting one week later to discuss and rank each application. Applicants receiving the highest AORTA scores will be places in a group to be contacted to begin the interview process. After the interview process applicants are then batched into groups for the 16 members Admissions Committee to review that will determine your final admissions status. Other than Early Decision Applicants we cannot release any Admissions Committee decisions until October 15.
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This is super helpful! Thanks for clarifying :)
 
Does UCF issue pre-interview rejections throughout the cycle or just at the end?
 
hateithere said:
Does UCF issue pre-interview rejections throughout the cycle or just at the end?
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We typically issue most rejections toward the end as long at the applicant gains EFI status. One reason for that is the 3 application "updates" that you can add at your portal that helps applicants to provide more information after the original application materials are submitted.
 
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REL said:
We typically issue most rejections toward the end as long at the applicant gains EFI status. One reason for that is the 3 application "updates" that you can add at your portal that helps applicants to provide more information after the original application materials are submitted.
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just got a pre II R rn
 
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anyone know what to do for sending thank-you notes?
 
chzsux said:
anyone know what to do for sending thank-you notes?
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I didn't send any as the email with the interview invite said: "Thank you notes to interviewers are discouraged so do not worry about getting contact information after the interview."
 
Got an II today!! Complete 7/12, IS, LM 71.5
 
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Just got a II earlier today! Wondering what other interview slots everyone had available to them. The earliest I had was this Friday and the latest was October 25th.
 
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jepadu said:
Just got a II earlier today! Wondering what other interview slots everyone had available to them. The earliest I had was this Friday and the latest was October 25th.
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my earliest one when I got mine a few weeks ago was 10 days after the date. don't remember the latest
 
jepadu said:
Just got a II earlier today! Wondering what other interview slots everyone had available to them. The earliest I had was this Friday and the latest was October 25th.
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my options are the same
 
@REL I really appreciate your insight on the whole process so thank you for answering our questions! I have a question about submission dates or the consequences of applying late. I completed in mid-late September and I know that's fairly late but it seems like each school varies in when they review our applications. For example, I've noticed at some schools (like UF) they seem to review URM applicants very quickly because the turnaround date from submission to II can be as a little as a week. Other than URM status, are there any other factors that might result in an application being reviewed sooner? Based off of previous years it seems like UCF goes by chronological order so it might take another month or two before I hear anything but I'm just curious as to when my application actually makes it in front of a reviewer
 
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So our process is chronological in the beginning in that groups get reviewed based on when they applied and were deemed EFI. From that point the file complete date is not a factor. Applications are reviewed by the AORTA teams. The scores from AORTA will determine the next steps. Those with higher AORTA scores will likely be selected for an interview above those with lower scores. Applicants are added to the pool weekly so the higher scores will continue to be invited as we move through the cycle. Matriculating a diverse class is the goal of every medical program and the AORTA teams and Admissions Committee includes this as a factor when they review an application for a possible interview or offer of acceptance.
 
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REL said:
So our process is chronological in the beginning in that groups get reviewed based on when they applied and were deemed EFI. From that point the file complete date is not a factor. Applications are reviewed by the AORTA teams. The scores from AORTA will determine the next steps. Those with higher AORTA scores will likely be selected for an interview above those with lower scores. Applicants are added to the pool weekly so the higher scores will continue to be invited as we move through the cycle. Matriculating a diverse class is the goal of every medical program and the AORTA teams and Admissions Committee includes this as a factor when they review an application for a possible interview or offer of acceptance.
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Thank you for the response, that makes sense! To clarify, once we have "AORTA - EFI" status that means that complete date is no longer a factor and our application has been reviewed?
 
got an II two days ago, info in sig
 
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