IF YOU APPLIED TO ARIZONA

[sundevil1]

DId you receive an acknowledgement or return email from the admissions office when you sent your message to the email indicated on the invitation? I didn't, but just want to make sure that I didn't miss anything. Thanks

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[GregM]

I didn't get a reply either. What day is your interview on? I'm scheduled for Oct 9th.

Greg

 

[sundevil1]

I am schedule for the 9th also. I'm in phoenix so I'll drive down that day. I'm sure I'll see you there if the group of interviewees isn't too big. How does UofA rank among your other choices? There are definitely some changes to the admissions process at UofA this year, I wonder if their criteria for selecting students has changed as well.

 

[idunno]

I did not receive a reply email when I confirmed my interview appointment either. Don't sweat it. As far as the UA admit process goes - I think it is very much the same as in years past expect that they have changed the interview format - it used to be that you would have 3 short faculty interviews and 1 comm physician interview - but now its just 1 long (30-50 min) faculty and 1 comm physician. I am wondering if anyone out there has actually been through the comm physician interview. What's it like?

 

[GregM]

U of A is probably my top choice..mostly because the cost to attend is so low compared to other schools. It's also nice since I know lots of people who are in one way or another associated with the school. Lastly, most of my family is here (in Tucson). idunno described the interview setup changes pretty well. I interviewed at the UA last year (this is my second time applying), and I must say, at least in my case, that the outside interview was the best. The physician who interviewed me requested that we meet at a local coffee shop. So, basically we sat around for 2 hrs talking and drinking coffee. He also told me not to 'dress up' for the interview, which was nice. We hit it off so well during the interview we've kept in touch ever since. I doubt that this year I'll be lucky enough have an outside interview similar to that. Other students I talked to were asked to go to the physician's office for a formal interview, similar to the ones you will experience at the College of Med on interview day. So, obviously, the manner in which the outside interview is conducted can vary greatly.

 

[sundevil1]

Well Greg, you are in great shape. UofA accepts quite a few reapplicants. Did you change anything about your application during this past year? I've had several friends with great numbers not get into UofA but accepted at other good schools. UofA isn't so big on numbers, they look at one's well roundedness. I wonder if this criteria has changed with the new dean and all. UofA is my top choice also, for many of the same reasons as you. Well, good luck to the both of you and hopefully we'll all get some good news from them next year.

 

[idunno]

Hey guys,

First off, thanks to GregM for the interview info...

I just wanted to say that I have known some very smart people (4.0, 33+) who did not get into UA but got into much better (more prestigious) schools...to be blunt, UA admissions is wierd - and don't expect that to change. Good luck on interview day everyone...for me that's this coming Tuesday!

 

[Hoosierdaddy]

I agree with idunno in that U of A has very weird admissions. Of the four schools that I interviewed at last year, they were the only one that used a closed-file interview system. I applied as a pseudo-in-state student (4 years living in Phoenix at ASU) with decent numbers (3.8, 35). I got an inteview, but I didn't get in (fortunately I was accepted at another school and waitlisted at two others). I felt the three interviews in Tucson went pretty well, but the interview with the community physician in Phoenix was a little awkward. The guy had me meet him at his office, and it was a formal interview. My interviewer didn't really seem very organized and acted like he didn't know what to ask me. Hopefully you guys will have better experiences. As sundevil1 said, U of A traditionally accepts a lot of reapplicants (I've heard rumors that as much as 50% of every class is made up of reapplicants), so those of you reapplying this year might have a leg up on everyone else. Good luck to everybody!

 

[GregM]

sundevil1...
I did make a few changes: 1. Retook the MCAT this past Aug. (since I didn't do so hot on it the 1st time). I'm pretty sure I did MUCH better this time. 2. Two more (strong) letters of rec. 3. Added 2 more volunteer activities: 1st - helping Alzheimer's patients, 2nd - organizing a party for pediatric HIV and AIDS patients. 4. Since January I've been shadowing a pediatric oncologist at UMC. I think this last one is the most valuable experience...the physician I work with is also a professor at the med school. Over the past 8 months she has taught me so much with regards to oncology and general medicine. She also interviews applicants to the school each year, thus she has been helpful in that area as well (providing advise, etc.). 5. I'm currently taking a post-grad class - supposedly the UA likes to see reapplicants take upper division science courses to show determination. Well, I think this pretty much sums up my application improving adventure.

As far as the new dean is concerned, I've met with him on several occasions. From my own experiences I would have to say we are very fortunate to have him. He's a very down to earth kind of person and quite pleasant to be around. According to him, numbers only describe 50% of an applicants viability, while the remaining 50% is determined by the nature of the person applying, i.e. are they altruistic, caring, empathetic, and have they become involved in activities that demonstrate these qualities. Like Hoosierdaddy said, the UA admissions process is strange. I think though that it's kind of nice having a unique medical school. The med students I know like it very much, and every time I see them they make me that much more anxious to get started. Anyway, on the 9th, I am scheduled for 9:45 am. Students are scheduled in blocks of four throughout the day, so say hey if you're there at that time. We all have to wear name tags.

Greg Middleton

 

[ewells]

Does anyone else have their interview set up for this Tuesday? I will be there at 9:45. Sorry for not posting earlier, I have been pretty busy. To answer the question that you asked, no I did not receive any response to my email.

 

[sundevil1]

I'm there on Oct. 9 but not until the 11:45 group so it looks like we are at different times. Anyway, for you guys going this tuesday please post and let us know how it went, how the day was scheduled and any useful tips. GOOD LUCK

 

[GregM]

I hope everyone's interviews have been going well. Let us know how they went!

 

[ewells]

Had my interview this morning. They try very hard to make the whole process as stress free as possible. I showed up at 9:30 or so (15 minutes early)and waited with the other morning interviewees until orientation began. We met the head of admissions, then another admissions person explained the days events for us. Sometime during this orientation, we opened the packets they gave us, which contained the name of the faculty member we would be interviewing with and also the community physician that we need to contact for our second interview.
At 11:00, we went off for our interviews. Each was single and closed file. For me it was great. The doctor who did my interview is in the field that I want to go into and has the same sort of family background that I have (meaning he was married and had children while he went through med school). It ended up being more of a conversation than an interview. In fact, most of the questions I had for him were answered while we were just talking. There were no surprise questions. He never said "Why do you want to be a doctor?", but the questions he asked definitely led the discussion in that direction. When we were finished, he gave me some informal feedback, saying that I had done well.
Afterwards, we had lunch and a tour with two med students and the group of interviewees coming for the afternoon session. The students seemed very happy with the school and love the instructors. I have had some of the med school teachers for undergrad classes and I agree with the med students' assesment.
Although Arizona does not get mentioned with some of the great medical schools in any of the literature I have seen, the word of mouth that I have heard has always been very positive. I am satisfied that I could really enjoy my education here.

 

[sundevil1]

glad to hear everything went so smoothly for you ewells. I hope everything goes okay for me also. Thanks for all of the info.

 

[GregM]

ewells...Thanks for the great info! Well sundevil, as far as sdn is concerned, I think we're next for interviews. Best of luck to you!! I'm sure we'll both do well.

Greg

 

[jargon124]

Hi all,

I am the poster formerly known as "idunno" (my ID got messed up somehow when I triend to update my email addres). Anyway, I too interviewed at UA this past Tuesday. My overall experience was good, although I am somewhat unsure how my interviewer felt. Sometimes it's hard to get a handle on people. The best advice is really just to relax and be yourself. Also, the admissions lady who gave us a short orientation was very nice...she mentioned that they were expecting 400 apps this year as a ballpark figure...considering they have 100 spots, I would guess that about 125-150 will be admitted and 25 others waitlisted. Seems like good odds to me! Especially considering Stanford's acceptance rate is 3.3%...Good luck all and let's keep the U of A discussion board active from time to time...

 

[GregM]

Glad to hear your interview went smoothly. With 400 applicants and 125-150 acceptances, that IS very good odds. Last year about 450 applied, so it looks like the numbers are down a bit. This is definitely not something to complain about!

I agree, it's nice having an Arizona/UA discussion for once. Let's keep it going until we've all been accepted!

 

[GregM]

So, sundevil, how'd the interview go?

 

[sundevil1]

Well Greg, the interview went well but my interviewer wasn't very conversational. He was really focused on keeping the interview to a certain structure and made sure he got to all the necessary points rather than let the conversation dictate the direction. This made it kind of choppy. I felt comfortable during the interview though. He told me the trauma room at UMC shut down, this worried me. Overall a good experience now I just have one more to go. How about you?

 

[GregM]

You know, my interviewer also mentioned the trauma room closure. As far as I know, it was the last one in Tucson (I know Tucson Medical Center's trauma room shut down awhile back). Definitely not a good sign.

Man, that's too bad your interview was set up like that. It's MUCH more enjoyable when the interview is mostly regular conversation, and questions are derived from whatever you're talking about. Mine was very conversational. He only had a couple of prepared questions, and the rest were just made up along the way. Like you, overall, I think it went well. By the way, I was interviewed by a psychiatrist!! That certainly made things a bit more interesting. I set up my community physician interview yesterday. It's scheduled for next Tuesday with a family doc. How about you, any luck setting that up yet?

Greg

 

[sundevil1]

Greg,

I set up my community physician interview, it is in about 5 hours. THis guy seemed really cool though so I'm not worried. I wish I would have had some MD or somebody who is into medicine rather than a basic researcher maybe he would have been more excited or curious then. I hope to balance this out with the community physician interview. Good luck with yours.

 

[sundevil1]

just got back from my community physician interview. This is what I envisioned the first one being like. It went really well, lets hear from all you other guys. This doesn't only have to be about U of A, it would be nice to see how this whole process is treating us Arizonans.

 

[jargon124]

Hi guys,

I have a question for you all. My community physician interview is tomorrow (he's a family practice doc in Phoenix). I am meeting him at a coffee shop. My question is - should I wear a suit? My feeling is that since we set up the interview on a Saturday afternoon in a coffee shop, I should assume that it is informal. Of course, I won't show up in jeans and a t-shirt, but at the same time I don't think a suit would be appropriate. I'm thinking khakis and a nice shirt. What do you all think?

 

[GregM]

Hey Jargon,

I think I mentioned this before, last year when I interviewed, my community physician asked that we meet at a coffee shop. Before we met he made it very clear that wearing a suit to a coffee shop is quite unnecessary, and in fact a bit ridiculous (he sounded like he was getting tired of applicants showing up to his coffee shop interviews wearing suits). So, I think your plan is perfect...dress nicely, but informally.

Greg

 

[jargon124]

Greg,

Thanks for the imput - I agree that wearing a suit to a coffee shop - especially on a Satuday afternoon - just seems wrong. The interview went GREAT! I really liked the guy and we had a genuine and interesting conversation.

Just one more thing - I get the impression that UA weighs the faculty interview much more heavily that the comm physician interview in terms of using the imput for admissions. It's just a suspicion of mine, but I think its on target. Anyone else get the same feeling or have evidence of this? For my sake, I hope that the comm physician interview holds some weight, since it went much better for me than the faculty one...not that the faculty interview was bad - but it was not nearly as enjoyable as this one...I guess only time can tell...

 

[sundevil1]

hey jargon124,

I definitely think we had similar experiences. My faculty interviewer was dry, didn't really introduce himself and seemed more interested in getting through the questions rather than talking to me. My comm. physician interview was great also, the guy was really nice and we really just had a normal conversation for an hour. I really hope this will balance out , what I thought was, a bit of a rough interview in Tucson. My evaluation of the interviewers will definitely reflect this discrepancy between the both of them. well, all we can do is wait now.

 

[jargon124]

Anyone get an "app complete" notice from UA? I'm just wondering, since I've completed all my interviews and everything and am just playing the waiting game now...sucks.

 

[sundevil1]

haven't heard anything either. I finished my last interview 2 weeks ago. Give them some time though. We really won't know anything until February so we better learn some patience.

 

[GregM]

No application complete notice here either. I assume they'll eventually get around to it. Do you guys have any other interviews lined up yet?

 

[sundevil1]

Greg
I was just at Pritzker and UMichigan last week. Both were great but that's all for now. Have heard absolutely nothing from all the other schools.

 

[ewells]

I had my community physician interview yesterday. I got some mixed signals. He was very friendly, and our conversation was pleasant, but it was very short. I was out of there in about twenty minutes. As soon as he had finished the list of questions, he said that he was done. I got the feeling that it may have been because he had enough to give me a good recommendation, but I am not sure. We had some things in common; his dad grew up in New Jersey andwent to school where I started. Also, the doctor played rugby and college so we talked about that a little. Hopefully, my first impression was right.
Good luck with your interviews.

 

[jargon124]

Just got an app complete notice from UofA. Just thought I'd pass it along - though it doesn't matter much considering we won't be hearing anything for about 3 months!

 

[oneironaut]

Anybody have a 'community physician' interview with Dr. Sandor? -Oneiro

 

[jargon124]

Anyone hear anything about the total # of apps this year at UA? I know they were estimating 400 in early October, but any news since then?

Also, I'm curious to know - if you applied to UA this year - is UA your first choice? What is your first choice? UA is definitely not my first choice. It's a decent enough school but I am anxious to get out of AZ. My dream school is Hopkins but that is a major reach.

 

[sundevil1]

jargon,
UA is my top choice. You can't beat the combination of price and quality. I just want to be a doctor, I don't need to go to some prestigious school. I'm really interested in serving the Phoenix community so getting trained here is important to me. Plus here, I'm close family and friends. It's nice to have the support system close by. UA has a great undergard component, that is definitely important to me. Plus, I love to golf and it is also very cheap to live in Tuscon. Could you imagine leaving med school with little or no debt! Jargon, if you get in and give up your spot, tell them sundevil will take it. Jan. 31 is getting closer and closer. Any other interviews/acceptances for you guys yet? My next choices would be any california school (I hope to get at least one acceptance).

 

[oneironaut]

My interview at the school is December 3rd. I still have to schedule my community physician interview.

 

[ewells]

Mayo is my first choice (it is cheaper than U of A), but after my interview Arizona moved way up in my estimation. More than anything else, I was impressed by how happy the students seem, and how much support they seem to get.

I just received an invitation to my second interview, Penn St. After submitting most of my secondaries in August, it was nice to finally hear from somebody.

 

[jargon124]

Sundevil1: I pretty much agree with you about UA's high points. It would be nice to stay close to family/friends. And you are right that UA is a great value - we would be graduating with no debt basically. Still though, loans can be repaid. I'm not so concerened about it. Also, personally, as someone who has been living in AZ since a kindergardener, I want to get out of the state and explore somewhere new. I am still fond of the idea of leaving for med school and then coming back to AZ for residency. About hearing from UA - don't expect anything till early or mid-February. When we interviewed the lady informed us that they expect to be at least a week behind on that -just so you know.

Ewells: Be careful about drawing too many conclusions about how happy the students are at UA just based on what you saw at your interview. The job of the student tour guides is to sell the school. Make no mistake about it. I'm sure there are lots of indifferent of even unhappy students enrolled at UA meds - its just that we are not likely to see them on a 45 min tour - and they aren't likely to want to talk to us! We see what they want us to see. I'm not trying to be skeptical, just realistic. Also, I have spoken with several profs who teach at the med school and they are pretty much in agreement about the fact that the quality of the student body at UA is not up to par with "better" (or more prestigious) schools. You learn a lot from your peers in med school, so its just something to think about...By the way, congrats on the Penn St. interview - I'm still waiting to hear from them.

My other interviews so far are all NY schools: Columbia, Mount Sinai , and Albert Einstein.

Good luck everyone.

 

[eagle26]

Thanks for telling me about this threat, sundevil. I didn't know it was out here! Anyway, my interview was on 10/9. It went VERY well. My community physician interview was 2 days later. Very pleased..I just can't wait till February, I'm so damned impatient! Other than that, I've had at interview at VCU/MCV...they're sending out their next round of acceptances on saturday, but since I'm out of state they said it was likely I wouldn't know until February or so. Just my like.

And my rejection to Mayo without even asking for an interview! Must be a screening on MCAT scores. Oh well..I just applied their because of the Arizona subsidy.

Joe

 

[sundevil1]

welcome to the group

 

[eagle26]

typo..I meant thread, not threat.

 

[ewells]

I have my phone interview with Mayo tommorrow; I am incredibly excited. I am trying to keep an even keel here and not get my hopes up too far. In a way its like just another secondary, but this is my top choice.

 

[eagle26]

Good luck on the phone interview!!