Getting into Oregon Health and Sciences

[Ragzpie]

Hi everyone,

I am applying to medical school this year and Oregon Health Sciences is my first choice. I am a Maryland resident and understand that they strongly favor Oregon residents. My MCAT is a 32R, my post-bac GPA is a 3.93, and my undergrad GPA is a poor 3.14.

Would those of you who got into Oregon H and S have any advice on what I should include in my primary application to catch the eye of the Oregon H and S adcom?

Thanks so much for your help!!

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[UCLAMAN]

Actually OHSU doesn't get as much money from the state anymore and so aren't as stringent with their out of state admissions. One just needs to meet their cutoff numbers(30 mcat but i forget the gpa) as an out of stater.

I got accepted to OHSU and was a California resident. As far as what you can put in your primary to catch their eye? Hmm...I really don't think you should tailor your primary to any one specific school as all schools will see this. However, if you happen to get a secondary from OHSU I know they had a rural medicine rotation maybe you can say that you are interested in it. They are also known for primary care(however, they make it clear during your interview that one can choose any specialty they wish at ohsu). Also maybe if you express that you want to practice in oregon and state good reasons why in your secondary, it may help.

 

[Ragzpie]

Sweet! Thanks for the info...Good luck at Northwestern!

 

[ironey]

Yeah, OHSU is mostly a private institution anymore. They have some preference for in-state applicants, but only in the cut-off criteria for interviews:

Out of state students must have 30+ MCAT and a 3.5 GPA to get an interview (you can check this info for yourself at their website, it might have changed from last year).

From my experience, OHSU doesn't care if you have a wish to practice medicine in the state of Oregon, or if you wish to serve in rural/underserved populations in the state. Speaking with their students, many/most of them were matching in specialties outside of primary care. With the current budget crisis in Oregon, OHSU receives practically no subsidies from the state. As a result, OHSU has increased its class size and designated those new spots specifically for out-of-state students.

One thing you should keep in mind, though, is that OHSU does things very slowly. They have a "hold pool" system where they accepted the top 5% or so of interviewees, reject the bottom 20 or so % and then place everyone else in a hold pool until May 15. Despite what they say at the interviews, the hold pool is not automatically turned in to a ranked wait list or acceptance in May. So, you can literally interview in November, be placed on "hold" and then get rejected in late May. It's definitely not a family-friendly process.

Best of luck!

 

[karma4me]

OHSU definitely favors older applicants who have gone and done something with their lives after undergrad. So, it sounds like you've already got an advantage in that area. And, although OR residents have a preference in the admissions process when it comes to handing out interviews, acceptances are a completely different story. Last year, 70% of the acceptance letters went to out-of-staters.

That being said, I have been through this process with OHSU twice now, and it is defintely a screwy system. Make sure that you apply to a good range of schools, because OHSU is never a sure bet. And, as someone mentioned earlier, you might not know until July if you've been accepted at OHSU.

As far as catching the adcoms'eyes, they appreciate applicants who have "life experience" and have a particular interest in serving underrepresented members of the community. . . (whatever that means!!!)

Best of luck. I'll be starting at OHSU in the fall... hope to see you there next year.

 

[karma4me]

I forgot to say that as long as you meet the minimum out of state requirements (3.5 cum GPA, and 30 MCAT) you automatically get a secondary from OHSU. So, maybe save the targeted essay for the secondary?

 

[ORMDwannabe]

Mythili,

If you can figure out the answer to your question, you will be the first person EVER to figure out exactly what OHSU wants. I'm an Oregon resident and went to undergrad in Oregon. From what I have seen, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of rhyme or reason to whom they accept. To be quite frank, I had already guaranteed myself that I would get accepted there, and then OHSU turned out to be the only school that I got rejected from that I had interviewed at. I am an Oregon resident, I earned a 34 on my MCAT, and graduated with a 3.91 cum GPA. I'm from rural Oregon (a town with about 500 people in it), worked as a medic in college, and had letters of rec from faculty members at OHSU........all things which they claim to focus on. Then after being on their famous waitlist for 8 months, they teed me up and whacked me right into the rejection pile. And, I know I'm not alone in this. I personally know several other Oregon residents who had similar activities, grades, etc... to myself who also got the big "R" from Oregon.

So, I guess to make a long story short, I wouldn't focus on trying to make my application palatable to OHSU. It seems to me that they don't really know what they want until they read a particular application, and by they time they read the next app....they already are looking for something else. To me, I think being totally straightforward with them is the best ticket, cause if you write an essay about your vast life experiences at the age of 43 years old and your desire to practice family medicine in the most godforsaken place on the corner of southeastern Oregon, chances are they will have already accepted someone like that and will want someone different.

 

[roxtu]

As an out-of-state applicant to ANY state school, I think a good thing to emphasize is any way you're connected to the state.

I was accepted to OHSU as a WA resident (working in Washington for the past 2 years) but was an OR resident before that. I did end up talking about Oregon in my PS but that was because a lot of the reasons I ended up being interested in medicine/direct experiences I had with medicine had to do with my being an Oregonian.

You could definitely work any Oregon connection into your secondary, though.

Alternately, if you were planning to talk about ethical situations in your PS, you could use Oregon examples. Lots of interesting things have been going on in Oregon lately in the ethical/political arena: assisted suicide, universal health care proposals, the cost of malpractice insurance premiums & their effect on care in rural communities, etc...

 

[indo]

Originally posted by karma4me
OHSU definitely favors older applicants who have gone and done something with their lives after undergrad. So, it sounds like you've already got an advantage in that area. And, although OR residents have a preference in the admissions process when it comes to handing out interviews, acceptances are a completely different story. Last year, 70% of the acceptance letters went to out-of-staters.

But 60% of instate applicants are offered acceptances

 

[vigils]

I did a post rejection interview and was told a trend of better grades bumps you up a notch in your gpa category. So if you have a 3.5, a better trend, you might be in the competitive category, mind you that is only one category. They look at every category. To get an interview though I have heard you need something like a 3.5 or above, thats why they interview fewer out of state applicants. They are much more competitive in the hard statitics category. In the end, your interview is weighted 80% in the admissions process, and your combined gpa and mcat is 20%. I would guess you would have a hard time being accepted even with an excellent interview. But what the heck apply anyways, if you have some unique characteristic you still have a chance, you've just got to be really outstanding in all categories. Just make sure you apply to some backup schools, like I did, where I got accepted and will go to med school. Screw OHSU the stupid bastards!

 

[ORMDwannabe]

I recently discovered another little pearl of wisdom regarding admission to OHSU. After talking with some lady in the admissions office (whom I called to find out what the reasoning was behind my rejection, I figured what the hell-I had nothing to lose...), apparently if you are holding a whole bunch of acceptances to other schools when OHSU ranks their waitlist, your application is looked upon less favorably. Now, this makes no sense to me whatsoever. I am assuming that most students, like myself, would like to know what all of their options are before committing to one school for the next four years. Evidently, OHSU assumes that you will go to one of the other schools on your list, and not OHSU.

Hmmm....I wonder if this has anything to do with an attempt to garner higher ratings? After all, most ratings include the percentage of accepted students who actually matriculate to said school. Something to think about for people holding lots of acceptances.......

 

[ironey]

Originally posted by ORMDwannabe
I recently discovered another little pearl of wisdom regarding admission to OHSU. After talking with some lady in the admissions office (whom I called to find out what the reasoning was behind my rejection, I figured what the hell-I had nothing to lose...), apparently if you are holding a whole bunch of acceptances to other schools when OHSU ranks their waitlist, your application is looked upon less favorably. Now, this makes no sense to me whatsoever. I am assuming that most students, like myself, would like to know what all of their options are before committing to one school for the next four years. Evidently, OHSU assumes that you will go to one of the other schools on your list, and not OHSU.

Hmmm....I wonder if this has anything to do with an attempt to garner higher ratings? After all, most ratings include the percentage of accepted students who actually matriculate to said school. Something to think about for people holding lots of acceptances.......

That is ridiculous!! That's just another reason why it's questionably ethical for schools to know the overall application status of each student in their application pool. It should be none of their business whether an applicant has one acceptance or ten.

 

[Jillianrae]

In my experience, OHSU is not real big on WA residents. I think my undergrad only had about 2 or 3 people get interviews at OHSU. All but 1 of us who applied and were rejected pre-interview were accepted at other schools. Must be because UW doesn't take any OR residents.

 

[14457]

whoa ....OHSU..is tough...

 

[carrigallen]

Originally posted by ORMDwannabe
you can figure out the answer to your question, you will be the first person EVER to figure out exactly what OHSU wants. I'm an Oregon resident and went to undergrad in Oregon. From what I have seen, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of rhyme or reason to whom they accept. To be quite frank, I had already guaranteed myself that I would get accepted there, and then OHSU turned out to be the only school that I got rejected from that I had interviewed at. I am an Oregon resident, I earned a 34 on my MCAT, and graduated with a 3.91 cum GPA. I'm from rural Oregon (a town with about 500 people in it), worked as a medic in college, and had letters of rec from faculty members at OHSU........all things which they claim to focus on.

Whoa. my story is pretty similiar to yours. my stats were close to as good as you. I worked at ohsu, and knew many students. In addition, I also worked as a volunteer at ohsu, a hospital which refuses most volunteer applications.

Let's just say OHSU is a tough act to follow. Based on the rejections of a number of my peers, I personally believe that the admissions chair is unable to determine which students are a match for the school. I've seen brilliant, handsome, outstanding, gracious people of all ilks get rejected by ohsu inexplicably...all people who'd have prefered their state school to places like hms or baylor.

you can try searching for the thread, "ohsu = frustration situation" from last year.

 

[sacrament]

The admissions process at OHSU is a complete nightmare. Their office is ran by monkeys, the decisions are made by Magic 8-Balls. Easily, easily the worst aspect of the entire school.

 

[indo]

So having sex with almost everyone on the ad com isn't going to work?
Well then, I guess I have been wasting my weekends for the last 2 months.

 

[ironey]

Originally posted by indo
So having sex with almost everyone on the ad com isn't going to work?
Well then, I guess I have been wasting my weekends for the last 2 months.

Actually, why don't you follow through with that approach and tell the rest of us how it works out.

 

[indo]

here's un update; been at it for a while now and I haven't made any progress. It might pay off when I apply in june though.

 

[DMO]

I was hoping to apply to OHSU sometime in the future. Thanks for the heads up

 

[sweetstuff25]

very very scared.

 

[Supadupafly]

OHSU gives preference to MD/MPH applicants.

Also, why not move to Portland? I think the residency requirements are pretty lenient. I moved here thinking I wanted to go to OHSU, but then changed my mind & decided to go back east; always good to get an idea of what you're getting yourself into.

 

[sacrament]

Originally posted by Supadupafly
OHSU gives preference to MD/MPH applicants.

Also, why not move to Portland? I think the residency requirements are pretty lenient. I moved here thinking I wanted to go to OHSU, but then changed my mind & decided to go back east; always good to get an idea of what you're getting yourself into.

The residency requirements are not particularly lenient: you must work in Oregon for one full year prior to becoming a full-time student. Meaning that virtually nobody who comes here to go to school ever becomes an Oregon resident.

 

[ixitixl]

The cutoffs aren't even really that concrete. My MCAT made the so-called cutoff but my GPA was way below the cut for out-of-staters. Still, it didn't present any problems.

 

[ilovemed]

Does anyone know about OHSU's MD/ENT program? I am very interested. Is it an accelerated program or just a gauranteed residency placement?
I have an interview at OHSU coming up, and I would like to know where I can find out more while I'm in PDX.
Thanks!

 

[mdforme]

BBBUMP

 

[ilovemed]

BUMP

 

[LoneCoyote]

Does anyone know when OHSU stops offering interviews? I have been complete there for several months and have heard nothing. Thanks.

 

[indo]

From what I've read they are pretty slow up there. They might still be interviewing the day before class starts.

 

[Soccrtrela]

Originally posted by ixitixl
The cutoffs aren't even really that concrete. My MCAT made the so-called cutoff but my GPA was way below the cut for out-of-staters. Still, it didn't present any problems.

Ok, I was wonderin about that... my mcat was only a 29, and even though I grew up in Oregon, I'm now a WA state resident. Supposedly, they screen before secondaries, and I rcvd one. And my secondary has been complete for almost 3 months now. Maybe I am just a rejection waiting to happen? Or maybe my previous Oregon residency (and I still have many ties to Oregon) helps out...

ixtixl, did you get an interview from ohsu?

 

[citygirl]

Originally posted by indo
From what I've read they are pretty slow up there. They might still be interviewing the day before class starts.

I interviewed there last year in February (the 14th ) and got accepted in the early batch (for them) six weeks to the day. I believe they interview until about mid April.

 

[speedbird001]

Hi, is there anyone who interviewed at OHSU in December and heard back from them?? Are final decision letters sent out on a rolling basis? It's been at least 6 weeks since I interviewed. Thanks!