How do I get to talk to a HUMAN at OHSU?

[Tweetie_bird]

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I have called them 3 times and each time I get this long message that never transfers me to a secretary. Have any of you actually spoken to somebody at OHSU? I want to call about my app status and why I haven't received a post card yet.

Any ideas? The number I have is 503 494 2998.

 

[lola]

hey... i just called too. never received a postcard. i was just going to wait for a couple more weeks. let me know what you find out.

 

[buglady]

I, too, was freaking out about not getting a post-card (my deadline for having all secondary materials in was coming up). I called yesterday and pressed #2, the option of having an "emergency" type question. I did in fact get a human, a very nice and patient one. She said not to worry about the deadline on the bottom of the secondary sheet. She said if I don't hear within another month i.e. receive a post-card, then I should try calling back.

In addition, because I'm not a "preferred" applicant--not an OR resident or from a WICHE, WAMMI state--she said that my file won't even get reviewed until January. So, all of us non-residents need to be patient with OHSU.

 

[Tweetie_bird]

so people in the WAMMI region are also considered preferred applicants???? I thought it was only WICHE.

 

[buglady]

Originally posted by Tweetie_bird
so people in the WAMMI region are also considered preferred applicants???? I thought it was only WICHE.

Oooohhh, not sure. Maybe just WICHE. The lady just said preferred and I just assumed that meant WAMMI also. But know that I look at the secondary, preference is given to: residents of Oregon, URM's defined by the AAMC, WICHE-certified applicants, MD/PHd and MD/MPH combined programs, and applicants with superior achievements, blah blah blah. So I guess WAMMI is not preferred. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[xaelia]

I'm an Oregon resident, and I gave them a call after it had been a month since returning my secondary and I'd not received a postcard...I listened to their long "go away" message, and then eventually just pressed #2 to talk to someone. I apologized profusely, but they were still pretty grumpy. They did, however, check my file and confirmed it was complete and that I simply needed to be patient in waiting for my postcard.

And reiterated, BE PATIENT, "we're getting hundreds of secondaries in the mail every day."

I resisted the urge to say "yeah, so is everyone else and you're two months behind the curve damn you you're costing me thousands of dollars in flights and hotels to schools I have to go interview at despite the fact that I'd rather go to OHSU."

 

[SolidGold]

I thought I would throw in my 2 cents on OHSU. I am an out-of-state applicant. I got the secondary on 9/28 and sent it back the same day and got the postcard on 10/21 letting me know that my app was complete.

I don't think that this school is necessarily two months behind because they do not even start interviewing until November (postcard says Nov-March), so maybe its just the way OHSU does things when it comes to admissions, they start the review process a little later than most schools.

 

[manicmaven]

Oregon is slower than almost every other school in this process. Very few interviews are granted before January and the vast majority of applicants aren't accepted until March...instate and out.

One of the secretaries is great on the phone. But don't just stop by the admissions office for a brochure. Buglady and I did that early this fall and were greeted by the rudest woman alive who looked shocked that we'd have the ba**s to even find the office.
Panties in a bunch. I'll tell ya.

 

[buglady]

Yeah, beware of ladies in big, bulky purple jackets who work in the OHSU admissions office ....😳 She'll make grown men cry.

 

[Tweetie_bird]

Originally posted by buglady
Yeah, beware of ladies in big, bulky purple jackets who work in the OHSU admissions office ....😳 She'll make grown men cry.

LOLLLLLLLLLLLL

Who'd think Barnie could make grown men cry. You make the ladies sound like a cult, Buglady.

 

[zingyraindrop]

Actually I called in to set the change of address thing going at OHSU, and she was awfully nice, and she even checked for my status and made some suggestions that out of staters apps are seen later.

On the whole she was nice and made me want to talk to her more. With this process tears of joy come into the eyes if someone is nice to us...it is so much of a surprise.

 

[Tweetie_bird]

oohhhh I'm inspired. I wanna call now.

 

[Tweetie_bird]

🙁 I got bad news.

 

[lll505]

FYI- I just talked to the lady at admissions and she told me that there is a "preference" group with an MCAT cutoff of 30. The non-preference people aren't even looked at until Jan, and she basically told me they don't really look at them at all.

I guess it does just all come down to numbers.🙁

 

[galen]

Originally posted by Tweetie_bird
🙁 I got bad news.

What was it???😕

 

[Tweetie_bird]

well...basically I fall in their "non-preferred" pile. They never pull people out of that pile. I mentioned that in another thread about OHSU.