2021-2022 Illinois

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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Thank you to @Morningnight for sharing this year's questions!

2021-2022 Illinois Secondary Essay Prompts:

1. Describe a stressful situation that you have experienced. Please detail your reaction, how you managed the situation, and what you learned that will help you handle a similar circumstance in the future. (No word limit indicated)

2. In addition to training as a competent physician please select up to two additional areas of interest from the items below that you may want to pursue during your medical studies. Your responses will have no bearing on applications to joint degrees or special programs to which you might also apply.
  • Simulation
  • Clinical Research
  • Basic Science Research
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration
  • Healthcare disparities
  • Academic medicine
  • Global Health
  • Community Health Urban
  • Community Health Rural
  • Innovation Medicine
Selecting any of the above results in a new box where you describe your interest in that area of interest. (No word limit indicated)

3. Please describe any abrupt changes that you experienced in your preparation for application for medical school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (No word limit indicated)


Good luck to everyone applying!

Interview feedback:
www.studentdoctor.net

University of Illinois College of Medicine Interview Feedback

Review of University of Illinois College of Medicine Interview Feedback. Get the latest information, opinions of fellow students, and LizzyM and SDN Rankings.
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Last edited:
Hello all future applicants! I am an incoming M1 non traditional student that will be starting this fall and am very excited to have gotten into my number one top choice! Good luck to everyone applying and hopefully you all will get in person interviews this year!!!

I had a virtual interview last year and I was extremely impressed with all the hard work that the school put in to bring together a really professional and easy going interview process. The staff are super receptive to emails and are very friendly and I can’t wait to start in August! I also did a campus tour this week and ended up doing 50 flights of stairs and 7000 steps as I got lost in the pharmacy building somehow haha. Feel free to ask questions and good luck to everyone!
 
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Rapsidy said:
Hello all future applicants! I am an incoming M1 non traditional student that will be starting this fall and am very excited to have gotten into my number one top choice! Good luck to everyone applying and hopefully you all will get in person interviews this year!!!

I had a virtual interview last year and I was extremely impressed with all the hard work that the school put in to bring together a really professional and easy going interview process. The staff are super receptive to emails and are very friendly and I can’t wait to start in August! I also did a campus tour this week and ended up doing 50 flights of stairs and 7000 steps as I got lost in the pharmacy building somehow haha. Feel free to ask questions and good luck to everyone!
Click to expand...

Congrats on your acceptance and upcoming matriculation :)
 
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TheOpology said:
So the secondary question about two interests has 3 boxes to fill out. Do we write 300-500 words for each box or do we just write a few sentences for the first two boxes and then write a whole essay in the third one?
Click to expand...
Would you mind posting the secondary promts?
 
effectedtag said:
Would you mind posting the secondary promts?
Click to expand...
The prompts are the same as last year! I don't know how to copy them but you can google "UICOM 2020-2021 SDN" and it'll pop up!
 
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effectedtag said:
Would you mind posting the secondary promts?
Click to expand...
@wysdoc

1. Describe a stressful situation that you have experienced. Please detail your reaction, how you managed the situation, and what you learned that will help you handle a similar circumstance in the future. (No word limit indicated)

2. In addition to training as a competent physician please select up to two additional areas of interest from the items below that you may want to pursue during your medical studies. Your responses will have no bearing on applications to joint degrees or special programs to which you might also apply.
  • Simulation
  • Clinical Research
  • Basic Science Research
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration
  • Healthcare disparities
  • Academic medicine
  • Global Health
  • Community Health Urban
  • Community Health Rural
  • Innovation Medicine
Selecting any of the above results in a new box where you describe your interest in that area of interest. (No word limit indicated)

3. Please describe any abrupt changes that you experienced in your preparation for application for medical school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (No word limit indicated)
 
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Does anyone know if the "Have you applied for admission to medical school previously?" question means if you are a reapplicant to this specific school or in general?
 
NYapplicant61 said:
Does anyone know if the "Have you applied for admission to medical school previously?" question means if you are a reapplicant to this specific school or in general?
Click to expand...

Think it means in general but if you havent applied to uic before they have no way or knowing if youve applied to other schools.
 
dividien said:
Think it means in general but if you havent applied to uic before they have no way or knowing if youve applied to other schools.
Click to expand...
Hmmm, debating if this is a risk worth taking...
Also, the question that pops up if you select "yes" asks you to explain what you have done in the past year, what if you're a reapplicant from more than a year ago? It doesn't seem like they really paid much attention to the way this whole question is formatted...
 
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Is everyone selecting both areas of interest or just 1?
 
dividien said:
Do our ACT/SAT scores actually play a factor in our admission?
Click to expand...

Very highly doubt it. I never took the SAT and that didn’t matter. I also didn’t remember the break down of my ACT just the overall score and it didn’t matter either.
 
Hmm I didn't see that but are you seeing word limits for these prompts anywhere? I think last year the area of interest prompts had a 500 word limit but this year I dont see that
 
Is anyone else having trouble uploading documents? It shows 'Server error uploading documents' every time I try
 
What do we do if we don't remember our ACT score?
 
dividien said:
go to the act website and click forgot username / password and you can get your account details and find out.
Click to expand...
Are we required to give ACT scores or is it like an optional thing to fill out? And do we have to send our ACT scores to them?
 
drthedude said:
Are we required to give ACT scores or is it like an optional thing to fill out? And do we have to send our ACT scores to them?
Click to expand...
they just ask you to input them into their secondary app. we dont actually have to send them or anything. i dont think its optional
 
Is everyone writing something in the covid prompt?
 
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Anyone else's letters of recommendation say "Not Reviewed"? Not sure what that means, probably just they have to verify them manually?
 
Redman3122 said:
Hmm I didn't see that but are you seeing word limits for these prompts anywhere? I think last year the area of interest prompts had a 500 word limit but this year I dont see that
Click to expand...
I was going to try to do around 400-500 words for these. With the limit removed, are you adjusting yours (lengthwise)?
 
Got a nice welcome to the 2019-2020 application cycle email this morning?
 
Can someone please check their secondary status and let me know if their letters of recommendation says "Not Reviewed"?
They received them all for so long but it just says not reviewed and is the only thing stopping my application from being complete.
 
TheOpology said:
Can someone please check their secondary status and let me know if their letters of recommendation says "Not Reviewed"?
They received them all for so long but it just says not reviewed and is the only thing stopping my application from being complete.
Click to expand...
They will probably review them at a later time and enter them.... that's on them and not you. As long as they are received them, you're good.
 
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TheOpology said:
Can someone please check their secondary status and let me know if their letters of recommendation says "Not Reviewed"?
They received them all for so long but it just says not reviewed and is the only thing stopping my application from being complete.
Click to expand...
+1
 
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Does anyone see a request for a profile photo? I remember we had to put one before.
 
Is anyone unable to access the secondary portal? Whenever I click on the link it "This site can't be reached."
 
pecanpie18 said:
Is anyone unable to access the secondary portal? Whenever I click on the link it "This site can't be reached."
Click to expand...
Yea I bookmarked the site and it kept saying that. But when I went back to the link they gave us in the email, it worked!
 
Redman3122 said:
Yea I bookmarked the site and it kept saying that. But when I went back to the link they gave us in the email, it worked!
Click to expand...
It worked! Thank you so much :) Good luck to you this cycle!!
 
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Rapsidy said:
Hello all future applicants! I am an incoming M1 non traditional student that will be starting this fall and am very excited to have gotten into my number one top choice! Good luck to everyone applying and hopefully you all will get in person interviews this year!!!

I had a virtual interview last year and I was extremely impressed with all the hard work that the school put in to bring together a really professional and easy going interview process. The staff are super receptive to emails and are very friendly and I can’t wait to start in August! I also did a campus tour this week and ended up doing 50 flights of stairs and 7000 steps as I got lost in the pharmacy building somehow haha. Feel free to ask questions and good luck to everyone!
Click to expand...
Where do you interview? I am from and live in Rockford which is the campus I 100% prefer. If given the chance, do you happen to know where interviews are located? gracias
 
al53211 said:
Where do you interview? I am from and live in Rockford which is the campus I 100% prefer. If given the chance, do you happen to know where interviews are located? gracias
Click to expand...

Hello! Unfortunately I wasn’t given the opportunity to actually interview at a campus last year due to Covid. So when I was given my interview I “technically” interviewed under the banner of the Chicago campus and my application portal said they hoped I would consider ranking the Chicago campus as my number 1. But in reality I interviewed via zoom and we had representatives from all 3 campuses on the zoom interview.

I do not know if the interviews will be virtual again this year but I will say although it was disappointing to not actually get to go to a campus for the interview, the school and faculty themselves did a really good job of providing a great virtual interview and I didn’t feel like it was depersonalized in any way. Also since you want the Rockford campus specifically if you get an acceptance I would say your chances of getting that campus for assignment are very good since most people want Chicago.
 
how much are you guys writing for the unlimited characters essay? would 1000 be okay?
 
Does anyone know if Snapshot is required for this school? I did casper and duet, but I have not done the Snapshot portion.
 
kitkat08 said:
Does anyone know if Snapshot is required for this school? I did casper and duet, but I have not done the Snapshot portion.
Click to expand...
I believe it is required for this year. I think they mentioned it somewhere on their website. I received an email from ALTUS about extending snapshot and duet deadlines so maybe you can still take it if the school wants it!
 
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Just submitted this secondary. Does anyone know whether the scholarly concentration essays have to be filled out to be considered for an interview? I have selected a couple but I haven't finished writing them, they're a lot and I'd rather knock out a few more secondaries instead if they're not relevant to being interviewed
 
Screamapillar said:
Just submitted this secondary. Does anyone know whether the scholarly concentration essays have to be filled out to be considered for an interview? I have selected a couple but I haven't finished writing them, they're a lot and I'd rather knock out a few more secondaries instead if they're not relevant to being interviewed
Click to expand...

They are not needed to be considered. I had no interest in doing a scholarly concentration and skipped both and was interviewed/accepted with no issues. They really are meant for people who want to focus on those issues, so don’t feel pressure to fill them out.
 
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Rapsidy said:
They are not needed to be considered. I had no interest in doing a scholarly concentration and skipped both and was interviewed/accepted with no issues. They really are meant for people who want to focus on those issues, so don’t feel pressure to fill them out.
Click to expand...
Thanks!
 
How much weight does UIC put on CASPER in the application process?
 
Today I received a “thank you for your application” email. Only problem is I have not applied to this school this cycle? This is one of two schools that this has recently happened with. Anyone else experiencing this? What does it mean? 🤣🤣
 
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