Applying in Illinois

[Kikaku21]

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What I'd really like is to stay in Chicago. My possibilities?

Loyola
Rush
UIC
U of Chicago
Northwestern
Rosalind Franklin

I'm sitting on a 3.65 GPA not including post bacc. Maybe a 3.69 when postbacc is completely over, but certainly not lower than 3.65. Given a decent MCAT score... like about a 30, I'm feeling like U of C and Northwestern would be a reach, but that I will likely get into one of the other 4. I have decent ECs and have worked for awhile and so forth.

Do you think applying ONLY in chicago is a risk? If so, how much of one?

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

between rush, uic, and rfu, it seems to me like you have a very good shot.

do you need to be in chicago, in the chicago region, or in a big city?

if you can stand to be a day's drive from the city, then there's siu (openly biased against chicagoans) and a school in milwaukee that takes oos.

if you want to be in a big city, then add places like gwu to your list.

if you gotta be in chicago, then what other options do you have outside the schools on your list?

 

[jbrice1639]

i'm an illinois resident with a lower gpa/higher mcat than what you're talking about (my stats are in my mdapps link in my signature if you want details). i applied all over the place and was completely ignored by all the schools outside of the chicago area, but did well in-state...so i don't think it's really a risk. in fact, i wish i hadn't wasted money applying out of state since, like you, i didn't want to leave anyways.

keep in mind that rosalind franklin is halfway to milwaukee, so that's not really in the chicago area so much. prtizker and northwestern may be reaches, but you never know, so it's worth a shot. between uic, rush and loyola, you should get some bites hopefully. if you're dead set on staying in the area, then don't waste time and money applying elsewhere.

 

[jbrice1639]

oh...don't forget there's a DO school in Downers Grove...that could be an option for you too.

 

[Kikaku21]

i'm an illinois resident with a lower gpa/higher mcat than what you're talking about (my stats are in my mdapps link in my signature if you want details). i applied all over the place and was completely ignored by all the schools outside of the chicago area, but did well in-state...so i don't think it's really a risk. in fact, i wish i hadn't wasted money applying out of state since, like you, i didn't want to leave anyways.

keep in mind that rosalind franklin is halfway to milwaukee, so that's not really in the chicago area so much. prtizker and northwestern may be reaches, but you never know, so it's worth a shot. between uic, rush and loyola, you should get some bites hopefully. if you're dead set on staying in the area, then don't waste time and money applying elsewhere.

Thats what I'm hoping. It seems like, if I am likely to get into a US med school, then I am likely to get into Rush, Loyola, or UIC... By that I mean, at least one of them. I may apply to WashU... Just for fun. I'm not sure what my MCAT will be, so I feel like that will be the biggest determining factor in whether I have a shot at Northwestern and Pritzker. I honestly feel like I'd be happy at any of them, but Loyola is my top choice.

 

[Zymogen]

I belong in this thread. I'm anxious to find out more about the Chicagoland schools. I'm more or less in the same position as the OP.

 

[LizzyM]

between rush, uic, and rfu, it seems to me like you have a very good shot.

do you need to be in chicago, in the chicago region, or in a big city?

if you can stand to be a day's drive from the city, then there's siu (openly biased against chicagoans) and a school in milwaukee that takes oos.

if you want to be in a big city, then add places like gwu to your list.

if you gotta be in chicago, then what other options do you have outside the schools on your list?

Agree with Dr. Detroit. Also, if within a day's drive is acceptable, then add St. Louis U. and maybe UMich (not sure about the stats).

 

[chef_NU]

I'm an native Chicagoan as well. Feel free to check out my profile if you want to see how the application process went for me. I would have liked to have had Northwestern as an option, but my GPA eats. I ended up choosing Rush over UIC, but it seems like a lot of Illinois people have been happy at both schools.


... Now to hatch a moneymaking scheme and avoid being 60k in debt after the next 10 months...

 

[Kikaku21]

prtizker and northwestern may be reaches, but you never know, so it's worth a shot.

Its really not clear to me what these schools are looking for. If I were to hit a 35 or so on the MCAT, I'd be pretty close to the average numbers here. I know so many people who have these number and don't even get interviews at these schools.

So... Its not clear exactly what they are looking for. You have to have more than the numbers though... That seems clear.

 

[the brown note]

Without additional specifics about your application, it's really hard to say with much certainty. However, you've probably got a decent shot of getting in at one of those schools if you're in-state (you said you'd like to stay in Chicago--I'm assuming that means you're an IL resident).

I know someone who applied recently with a 3.8+ GPA (both science and overall), good ECs, 29 MCAT, wanted to stay in Chicagoland. He applied to all of the schools you mentioned (plus a couple more), and got in to Rosalind Franklin in the second round. In hindsight, he was glad that he applied to a few more schools, because he wound up liking another school better, and is going there, instead. Unless you have some concrete reason for only applying in Chicagoland (e.g., partner/spouse can't relocate), you might consider applying to a few more schools to potentially give yourself a choice and/or have a larger basis of comparison. You don't have to go nuts and apply everywhere, but a few more carefully selected schools might be worth the time and money. After learning more about individual schools through the interviewing/second look process, you may find that your love for a non-Chicago school might outweigh your desire to stay in Chicago. Going through this process, I found I liked certain schools less "in person" that I thought I would love "on paper" and was really impressed by other schools that I didn't know as much about. It might be worth it to broaden your options a bit. Good luck!

 

[jbrice1639]

Its really not clear to me what these schools are looking for. If I were to hit a 35 or so on the MCAT, I'd be pretty close to the average numbers here. I know so many people who have these number and don't even get interviews at these schools.

So... Its not clear exactly what they are looking for. You have to have more than the numbers though... That seems clear.

I have no idea what they're looking for either...Pritzker interviewed me early in the season while Rush never interviewed me at all. Northwestern also blew me off, which is odd since they are similarly ranked with Pritzker. They're obviously all looking for different things and numbers are just a foot in the door. That's why I'd suggest applying everywhere in the area because you never know what may stick out for one of the schools.

 

[DrVanNostran]

I am all about Chicago as well, unless I get accepted to a warm state🙂

 

[Kikaku21]

Yep. You nailed it on the head. If I have to, I will go elsewhere, but I really don't want to.

 

[the brown note]

Yep. You nailed it on the head. If I have to, I will go elsewhere, but I really don't want to.

That's a tough call, then. It looks like you should be in good shape to get in at at least one of the schools you listed, if your MCAT is in line with your prediction. It's just a matter of your personal preference and priorities and deciding how much distance is too much. You might consider adding MCW in Milwaukee--they take a decent amount of out-of-staters, and it's not too far. To have the best shot there, it's imparative that you have your application complete--including LORs--insanely early (around mid- to late July), since they weight time of completed application pretty heavily.

You could always add a couple of schools you think you'd like to attend within a day's drive or so. If you don't get in, you haven't committed a huge amount of extra time and money. If you do get in, you don't have to go there, but you'd have the option of considering it.

 

[DrVanNostran]

What I'd really like is to stay in Chicago. My possibilities?

Loyola
Rush
UIC
U of Chicago
Northwestern
Rosalind Franklin

I'm sitting on a 3.65 GPA not including post bacc. Maybe a 3.69 when postbacc is completely over, but certainly not lower than 3.65. Given a decent MCAT score... like about a 30, I'm feeling like U of C and Northwestern would be a reach, but that I will likely get into one of the other 4. I have decent ECs and have worked for awhile and so forth.

Do you think applying ONLY in chicago is a risk? If so, how much of one?

With a 3.65ish and hopefully a 30 your numbers are fine for a Chicago school. But it wouldn't hurt to add maybe 4 back-ups; that way you have an even ten. Take a look at some other midwest schools that you wouldn't mind applying to. Good luck!

 

[Kikaku21]

That's a tough call, then. It looks like you should be in good shape to get in at at least one of the schools you listed, if your MCAT is in line with your prediction. It's just a matter of your personal preference and priorities and deciding how much distance is too much. You might consider adding MCW in Milwaukee--they take a decent amount of out-of-staters, and it's not too far. To have the best shot there, it's imparative that you have your application complete--including LORs--insanely early (around mid- to late July), since they weight time of completed application pretty heavily.

You could always add a couple of schools you think you'd like to attend within a day's drive or so. If you don't get in, you haven't committed a huge amount of extra time and money. If you do get in, you don't have to go there, but you'd have the option of considering it.

Yeah... Thats a good point. I could deal with Milwaulkee. Maybe St. Louis too. Chicago is preferred, but there are a few other schools that are still pretty close. I think I can beat a 30 on the MCAT without holding my breath. I just don't want to say because you never know for sure.

I am applying next year, so I will hit it very, very early.

 

[the brown note]

Yeah... Thats a good point. I could deal with Milwaulkee. Maybe St. Louis too. Chicago is preferred, but there are a few other schools that are still pretty close. I think I can beat a 30 on the MCAT without holding my breath. I just don't want to say because you never know for sure.

I am applying next year, so I will hit it very, very early.

Good for you! You don't have to submit the primary on June 1, but I'd do it before the end of June if possible.

You might also consider Case Western, especially if your score is 31+. It's ~5-6 hours away and they're very supportive of non-traditional students (and traditionals, too! 🙂 ). (Since you mentioned you're doing a post-bacc and worked for a while, I'm assuming you're a non-trad.)

Good luck!

 

[BuckerPark]

Word. Me too. Go Chicago.

On an unrelated and very random note...
Zymogen, each time I see your avatar I think of the Brazilian flag....

I belong in this thread. I'm anxious to find out more about the Chicagoland schools. I'm more or less in the same position as the OP.

 

[Flopotomist]

A couple of points:

1. With just your numbers, it is hard to make any kind of predictions - Loyola for example is notorious for looking at the ENTIRE applicant - so good numbers and crappy ECs can hurt you here.

2. Any applicant that only applies to one geographic region has to be careful that they are not seen as a "not-serious" applicant. Certain schools may perceive an unwillingness to relocate as a weakness - be careful how you approach this.

3. Schools want you to want them for reasons other than geography, so have a reason to attend these schools other than location so that if you are asked why you want to go there, you can say something OTHER than "because of your address."

4. Consider adding the DO school in Chicago.

5. Consider adding a few back ups just in case. Going through the application cycle is very draining, and you want to make sure you only go through it once. Spend the money, and apply to a few more schools (I would suggest at least 12-15 schools minimum).

 

[the brown note]

2. Any applicant that only applies to one geographic region has to be careful that they are not seen as a "not-serious" applicant. Certain schools may perceive an unwillingness to relocate as a weakness - be careful how you approach this.

I completely agree with Flop on his other points (especially #3), but I'm not so sure about how much point #2 might be a factor at the Illinois schools in particular (though I'm sure some schools DO feel the way he described). I'm not sure to which schools he's referring, but schools can't see where you've applied--they'd only get this information from you (by asking you directly in an interview or something like that). I interviewed at most of the IL schools, and none of them asked me where I applied, though there's always the chance your interviewer might do so (a friend of mine was asked at one of our overlapping schools). Some schools even like it if you're concentrating in a certain geographical area if they're in the same area, because it makes them feel like you might seriously consider attending (some schools like accepting people they think might actually attend, all else being equal).

I was asked where else I'd applied at a non-midwestern school, and the interviewer commented specifically that he thought I wasn't that serious about their school (because I'd applied mostly in the midwest), but I had an answer ready for why I wanted to come to that school. He seemed satisfied with my answer, and it couldn't have hurt me that much, because I got in. 👍 Ultimately, there's no telling what an interviewer may think about your application pattern, but it doesn't hurt to have answers handy in case someone is of the mindset that Flop mentioned!

 

[MahlerROCKS]

What I'd really like is to stay in Chicago. My possibilities?

Loyola
Rush
UIC
U of Chicago
Northwestern
Rosalind Franklin

I'm sitting on a 3.65 GPA not including post bacc. Maybe a 3.69 when postbacc is completely over, but certainly not lower than 3.65. Given a decent MCAT score... like about a 30, I'm feeling like U of C and Northwestern would be a reach, but that I will likely get into one of the other 4. I have decent ECs and have worked for awhile and so forth.

Do you think applying ONLY in chicago is a risk? If so, how much of one?

Don't forget Indiana University: they have satellite campuses for the first two years (including one in Gary), and then you transfer to Indy for the last two years

 

[nosugrefneb]

I have no idea what they're looking for either...Pritzker interviewed me early in the season while Rush never interviewed me at all. Northwestern also blew me off, which is odd since they are similarly ranked with Pritzker. They're obviously all looking for different things and numbers are just a foot in the door. That's why I'd suggest applying everywhere in the area because you never know what may stick out for one of the schools.

Word. I was rejected pre-interview at UIC, Loyola, and Northwestern; waitlisted at Rush and SIU; and accepted at Finch and Pritzker. Weird.

My point is that you unfortunately will never know what a school is looking for. If you are a Russian viola player who was in the Colombian military for a summer while you published a first-author paper in Cancer Research but Loyola's already got one of them, you're screwed. Northwestern, Loyola, and UIC may have already had all the white male a cappella singers they could have ever dreamed for by the time I got to them. The fact is that the less unique you are, the less schools need you, and it's important not to limit the number of schools you apply to even if it turns out to be a waste of money in the end. The waste will be larger, both monetarily and emotionally, if you don't end up anywhere and have to keep reapplying every year indefinitely, so expand your horizons early.

 

[red dot]

hey the brown note. i also have a pom. and he would disown me if i ever put that on him

 

[Ombatay]

Don't forget Indiana University: they have satellite campuses for the first two years (including one in Gary), and then you transfer to Indy for the last two years

Indiana is can be close in location, but from what I understand they are a very difficult school to get into for OOS folks. Worth a shot, no less.

 

[Dr. Giggles]

Also add Iowa, very good school from what I've heard, and takes a decent number of OOSers.

 

[thinknofu3]

Word. I was rejected pre-interview at UIC, Loyola, and Northwestern; waitlisted at Rush and SIU; and accepted at Finch and Pritzker. Weird.

I had a pretty similar experience - I am an IL resident, and it was really important to me to stay in Chicago. I applied to all the Chicago schools except RFU, got into UIC, rejected post-interview at Rush (still not sure why), rejected pre-interview at Loyola and Northwestern (my alma mater), and accepted off the waitlist just last week at Pritzker, my first choice 🙂

I agree that it's somewhat of a crapshoot. Where I interviewed and got accepted doesn't really seem to make any logical sense, but in the end it all worked itself out. Of course, your best shot will be UIC, and I would make sure to get in all your stuff there as early as possible so you can have a good shot at getting the Chicago campus (assuming that's what you want). Plus, the schools all have really different personalities, and that should factor in as well - it was amazing, I absolutely hated U of C when I looked there for undergrad but fell in love with it as a med school. Crazy. You just have to find what fits you the best. Good luck!

 

[the brown note]

hey the brown note. i also have a pom. and he would disown me if i ever put that on him

Yeah--mine would, too--that's why I thought this was so funny! I found this picture and cracked up just trying to imagine that on my dog.... 😀

 

[Zubair]

Hey all,

I've been reading SDN for a bit now and finally decided to join. I had a question. My situation is pretty weird.

I ended highly in 2005, went to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I) for Computer Engineering fall 2005 semester. i took 12 hours there and did HORRIBLE. Got a 2.3 gpa because of all the hard classes I took first semester of college (Calc 3, Physics 3, Discrete Math, etc..) Then I decided to take the Spring 2006 semester off due to financial/other reasons.

I want to switch majors now to go to a more pre med route. I don't want to do Computer Engineering anymore. What I was thinking now is applying to University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) for undergrad and NOT showing them my U of I grades. This way I can start off from scratch.

But the only thing about that is that I'm scared if I don't show med schools my U of I grades, they probably have someway of finding out that I went to U of I. What would you guys suggest?

Thanks,
Zubair

 

[jbrice1639]

Hey all,

I've been reading SDN for a bit now and finally decided to join. I had a question. My situation is pretty weird.

I ended highly in 2005, went to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I) for Computer Engineering fall 2005 semester. i took 12 hours there and did HORRIBLE. Got a 2.3 gpa because of all the hard classes I took first semester of college (Calc 3, Physics 3, Discrete Math, etc..) Then I decided to take the Spring 2006 semester off due to financial/other reasons.

I want to switch majors now to go to a more pre med route. I don't want to do Computer Engineering anymore. What I was thinking now is applying to University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) for undergrad and NOT showing them my U of I grades. This way I can start off from scratch.

But the only thing about that is that I'm scared if I don't show med schools my U of I grades, they probably have someway of finding out that I went to U of I. What would you guys suggest?

Thanks,
Zubair

you can't really hide grades. when you apply to medical school, all of your undergrad grades have to be given to the schools you apply to. but, one semester of a 2.3 is not that big of a deal. do well in your new major and you'll be fine. lots of people on here (myself included) have had a semester or multiple semesters of bad grades and still were successful in applying to schools.

 

[Zubair]

Thank you for your reply,

And I had another question, before transferring to UIC I was planning on taking about 25-30 credit hours (Summer and Fall semesters) at a community college to get my general eds done because they are cheaper at the community college and I'm trying to save money. Do you think this many classes at a community college will hurt me when applying to med school?

 

[jbrice1639]

Thank you for your reply,

And I had another question, before transferring to UIC I was planning on taking about 25-30 credit hours (Summer and Fall semesters) at a community college to get my general eds done because they are cheaper at the community college and I'm trying to save money. Do you think this many classes at a community college will hurt me when applying to med school?

it seems like there's varying thoughts on this. if they're pre-req classes, you may be at a disadvantage, although i haven't seen any real proof of this. if you're just taking general graduation requirements, it shouldn't matter at all. keep in mind, though, there's a very small number of med schools that do not accept any community college credits for pre-req courses. boston university is the only one i can think of off the top of my head.

 

[Zubair]

Thanks for your reply, any more thoughts on this?

 

[nubbey24]

Thanks for your reply, any more thoughts on this?

If they are general Education requirements take them all at the community college. Just make sure and take your pre-med requirements at the university level. Good luck in your transition.

 

[candbgirl]

Note to zubair:

Just a word of advice. My nephew applied to UIC after he had a difficult semester at a private college. He wanted to start fresh too so he didn't inform UIC of his other college experience. When UIC received his high school transcript it showed where they had sent his final transcript. UIC rejected him becasue they said he falsified his application. It didn't matter that he had left voluntarily and in good standing. He wasn't admitted to UIC. So be careful. Being rejected for falsifying your application would not be a good thing to have to deal with when you eventually apply to medical school. And it would be real easy for UIC to check with UofIU/C.

 

[Kikaku21]

Hey all,

I've been reading SDN for a bit now and finally decided to join. I had a question. My situation is pretty weird.

I ended highly in 2005, went to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I) for Computer Engineering fall 2005 semester. i took 12 hours there and did HORRIBLE. Got a 2.3 gpa because of all the hard classes I took first semester of college (Calc 3, Physics 3, Discrete Math, etc..) Then I decided to take the Spring 2006 semester off due to financial/other reasons.

I want to switch majors now to go to a more pre med route. I don't want to do Computer Engineering anymore. What I was thinking now is applying to University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) for undergrad and NOT showing them my U of I grades. This way I can start off from scratch.

But the only thing about that is that I'm scared if I don't show med schools my U of I grades, they probably have someway of finding out that I went to U of I. What would you guys suggest?

Thanks,
Zubair

Dude-

1. You jacked my thread. If you dont' mind, please start your own next time if you have a totally different subject.

2. I went to UIUC and studied engineering. UIC and UIUC are both U of I. UIC will easily know that you went to UIUC because they are essentially the same institution. So--- Don't try to hide anything. IF you only have one bad semester of Computer Science, and this is your first year, just stay at U of I and take classes in what you are really interested in. If you can do well for the rest of college, your 2.3 will not preclude you from medical school.

Word.

 

[Zubair]

Dude-

1. You jacked my thread. If you dont' mind, please start your own next time if you have a totally different subject.

2. I went to UIUC and studied engineering. UIC and UIUC are both U of I. UIC will easily know that you went to UIUC because they are essentially the same institution. So--- Don't try to hide anything. IF you only have one bad semester of Computer Science, and this is your first year, just stay at U of I and take classes in what you are really interested in. If you can do well for the rest of college, your 2.3 will not preclude you from medical school.

Word.

I would have started my own but SDN doesn't let u start ur own thread in the first 24 hours so I looked for the next best thing 😛

 

[Zubair]

how the heck did you get over a 3.5 in engineering at uiuc? wow man can u tell me more details.

 

[Zubair]

any more people wanna share the knowledge?

 

[Kikaku21]

how the heck did you get over a 3.5 in engineering at uiuc? wow man can u tell me more details.

By working really hard mostly. Funny thing is, to be really super competitive in medical school-- like for the top 20 or so, you need more like a 3.8

I knew one person in engineering at uiuc with a 3.8 and one with a 3.9

I knew a lot more people with GPAs that high in biology and liberal arts. Unfortunately, ADCOMs don't weigh the difficulty of your program nearly as high as they weigh your raw numbers.

Sucks.