IL people

[crazyA]

So...besides the cheap tuition...why else do people on this board desire to go to UIC?

I'm really forcing conversation here to keep this thread on the first couple pages, so that people wil refrain from opening other threads about the IL schools

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[laviddee]

patient population! bottom line!

You take private patients at fancy hospitals like northwestern, and do you think they WANT med students working on them? Plus, these hospitals want to keep their patients happy and will give them what they want. So you'll see patients, but you'll be seeing them over the shoulders of the attendings and residents. Now I'm of course overexaggerating- but don't even think that your clinical exposure and experience will be better at a private hospital.

You take public aid patients at UIC hospitals or at Cook, they WANT to be seen by anyone. They show how appreciative they are of your care and actually trust you more to take care of them. IN addition, b/c of that added trust, you CAN do more and consequently learn more.
Also, typically with public aid patients, (one of the consequences of inadequate preventative healthcare) is that you'll see alot more acute problems. Problems that weren't taken care of earlier on, and as students, you'll get exposure and experience to nth stage illnesses.

Plus- b/c of patient population, you will get exposure to working with different types of PEOPLE- not just different types of illnesses. You will see people of all races and of all demeanors. All of which can hone your bedside skills and make you, in the end, a better doctor.

But don't ask me why I'm choosing Michigan over UIC.

 

[medicnas]

Hey everybody!

I'm pretty new to the boards and I'm from the Chicago land area (Elmhurst to be exact). This year I'm working as an IT consultant for a medical practice consulting firm in order to save up money and travel later on. I graduated this past May and had to take the year off because of a horrible debacle with AMCAS last year (it's a sad story...but hopefully this year will give it a happy ending!!).

Anywhoo....

I just interviewed at UIC on Tuesday (12th). They said that they will be meeting this Friday (tomorrow, the 15th) and will have letters to everybody who I interviewed with out by the end of November or the 1st week in December. The letters will accept/reject/waitlist. Also, a guy from the admissions office said that everybody interviewing that day (and I'm assuming anybody who interviewed earlier) will get their choice of campus because it is still so early. Hopefully that's good news to people

UIC has the following to offer:
-Excellent and diverse clinical facilities. Hospitals with UIC affiliations are all over the Chicagoland area and range from smaller private hospitals to Cook County. One important thing to note, though: UIC is slowly ending their affiliation with Cook County b/c Rush wants it to themselves. This, IMO, is bad because I think Cook County is a great asset on part with Miami's Jackson and Atlanta's Grady. You get to do more in a place like Cook County...do you want to see somebody catheterize a patient, or do you want to do it yourself??

-Pre-clinical curriculum is traditional with integrated PBL. I personally like this type of curriculum (you get great board scores with it) so UIC is good in that aspect.

-You can do the National Guard scholarship if you're an IL resident. UIC isn't THAT cheap (19k tuition / yr for instate). I think that the NG scholarship (I described it in the Military Pay? thread) is the least restrictive and most beneficial of the public scholarships.

-Approachable faculty (this from my M2 friend there).

-Awesome classmates. The people seemed really down to earth and this sentiment is backed up by my friend's (M2) testimony. They study together and party hard....my kind of school.

-Brand spankin' new research building being built now for occupancy by 2k4. It's easy to get into research at UIC.

 

[crazyA]

Ummmm, yeahhh, I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you guys...

True, no-one can contest the spectacular variety of patients we'd see working at the UIC-affiliated hospitals.

However:

About the research, one of the Fellows I work for is trying to get a project set up right now at UIC, and he says due to some IRB snafus a couple years ago, the current research policy is "Just Don't Do It". That is to say, it's really tough to get it done there, according to him.

About the class profile, I have several friends there, and they all claim it's pretty intense and competitive, and that most people don't bother to go to class, which reflects the quality of the lectures. And no one has said anything to me about the faculty.

When I said cheap, what I meant was in comparison to other med schools, that's probably the best base tuition any of us could get.

Hey laviddee, do you have michigan residency, or are you going to pay that horrendous out of state tuition for Michigan?

 

[medicnas]

Originally posted by crazyA


About the class profile, I have several friends there, and they all claim it's pretty intense and competitive, and that most people don't bother to go to class, which reflects the quality of the lectures. And no one has said anything to me about the faculty.

What years are they? My M2 friend said that her class was the most social by far and so I might be getting anomalous data The people I interviewed with were really cool (better than the average bunch)...do you think that matters at all? (eg. that it's valid to assume that those are the types of people who will attend that school?)

 

[crazyA]

i have friends/acquaintances/contacts in all 4 years

hmmmm...interesting...oh well, ive been getting so much conflicting information about everything through this process that i just dont trust anyone or anything anymore

 

[laviddee]

Originally posted by crazyA
Hey laviddee, do you have michigan residency, or are you going to pay that horrendous out of state tuition for Michigan?

I'm a resident of Illinois, so i'll be paying out of state. In actuality it's not that bad. It's cheaper than Northwestern which is mid 30s and cheaper cost of living than chicago.
Tuition is really only about 10k more than UIC, so I can deal with that. Well, my loans can.

While I agree that the 'teaching' or the curriculum and research opportunities may not be the best at UIC, it's the clinical training that makes the school stand out. And you know what, that's also what makes med schools stand out from each other. Anyone can learn the same stuff, anyone can read books, and every school will have good teachers and some will have bad ones. But you can't place a value on patients and the freedom to actually practice on em and learn from them.

 

[anxiousmed]

i would choose mich over uic also....its nice to have that choice. I interviewed at UIC last week and Finch this week. I've heard from virigina, they are going to schedule me in the next month or so. Anyways, back to the UIC topic, does anyone know how many peeps they usually take off the waitlist...and/or whats their acceptance rate for in state post interview? Thanks.....good luck to everyone!

 

[anxiousmed]

hey lavidee, congrats on your acceptances......out of curiousity as a fellow UIC interviewee, what were your stats? I want to know if I'm competitive for their "acceptance" pool. Thanks

 

[crazyA]

Aaaarrrghhh...these stats orgies are driving me crazy...or at least, crazier

I believe the MCAT average at UIC is around 28-29, and their average GPA is about 3.5...from what I recall. But since they're a state school, there is a broad spectrum of candidates they accept.

And last year, they did go pretty deep into the waitlist, one of my friends got pulled off in May, and then another was taken off in mid-June...but that might be tied to the AMCAS-dysfunctionality last year

Don't worry if you haven't been accepted yet, they re-evaluate at every meeting throughout the season

 

[guitarguy]

I was told at my uic interview that they interview around 1300 applicants and accept about 700 of those.

 

[laviddee]

and even if you get on the waitlist at uic- they said that about half get accepted. they split up the waitlist into 4 quartiles and the first 2 usually get in.

for UIC- i think they really look for your 'average' applicant- you don't have to be super phenomenal to get in i think. They even list on their selection factors that you need a B average and mcat above the national mean- which is like a 24-25?

i think if you interviewed this early and were not really stupid in your interview, then you should be fine! I had a friend who was an M4 there. she was a student interviewer and she said, as long as you don't get graded in the veryworst way, you'll be fine. There's several areas where they grade you 1-5 in a checkbox or so, and if you get a 1 in any area- they'll reject you.

Just my theory, but the interview at uic is a 'screen OUT' type (just making that up). Which this early it means, you're in UNLESS YOU SCREW UP.
for the more top schools- interviews are screen ins- so you really have to NAIL your interview to get in perhaps.

 

[PluckyDuk8]

I consider myself to be pretty average in terms of stats...I was complete in beginning of Sept. and have had 2 interviews (instate, Loyola and Rush)...I called UIC on Thurs. (I couldn't resist) and I am still under review. I still find it weird that they haven't gotten to me yet.

 

[crazyA]

Originally posted by PluckyDuk8
I consider myself to be pretty average in terms of stats...I was complete in beginning of Sept. and have had 2 interviews (instate, Loyola and Rush)...I called UIC on Thurs. (I couldn't resist) and I am still under review. I still find it weird that they haven't gotten to me yet.

If you interviewed at Rush, I'm sure UIC will interview you too, just relax, I'm sure they're flooded right now

 

[athena21]

AHHHH! UIC adcom met today! That means they know right now whether interviewees have been accepted, rejected or waitlisted! Last month, decisions were received on the 21st. To those who interviewed, look out next week in your mailboxes for some news! It's scary to know that someone knows for sure!

 

[Mixmaster]

What is deal with Southern Illinois University. I did not even get the secondary this year or last. I have friends with lower scores that have gotten it. I live in the northern suburbs. I know they want people from the south but my buddy got it and he lives down the street.

 

[futurdoc11]

Did you get a rejection letter? Or have they just not sent you anything??

 

[DrLady]

Can people who are currently attending UIC please speak up? Who knows we might be in the same classes and we may know each other

 

[crazyA]

hey, for all the people stressing about UIC...

according to the pre-med advisor at U of I (Urbana) UIC has only accepted about 30 people so far...looks like they're only taking the top applicants so far, and then getting to everyone else, so those who have already been accepted probably have higher numbers than the typical student at UIC

hope this de-stresses some people

 

[crazyA]

bump

 

[agent]

Any IL people know anything about Roosevelt University?

I may be going there soon for their Bio program. It sounds decent. Expensive though.

 

[Woots32]

Where ya been? Haven't seen you around for awhile.

 

[agent]

Nice av woots! hehe

Ive been depressed and discouraged so I figured it wouldnt do me any good to post on a pre-med forum.

 

[Woots32]

Originally posted by agent
Ive been depressed and discouraged so I figured it wouldnt do me any good to post on a pre-med forum.

Sorry to hear that! Hope everythings going OK. Yeah, this board especially can be discouraging at times, but we're pulling for you!

You might want to go hop over to the Lounge - the random rediculousness over there sometimes helps to pull me out of a funk if I need to vent.

Cheer up!

 

[crazyA]

Perk up Agent, go eat some chocolate or something...aren't you only a sophomore...or am I getting you confused with someone else? It's far too early for you to be depressed...

As for Roosevelt, I am aware of it's existence, but don't know too much else about it. Sorry. When are you thinking of joining the program?

 

[darkhorse]

Is it too late to apply to UIC?

 

[*fatmike*]

For all IL people, what are you favorite IL med schools?

OR

Given acceptances to all of them, which would you attend? You can support your ranking in any way you like, not just on reputation.

Also, how many IL people out there from the suburbs of chicago have or will be interviewing at southern IL? just wondering.

1. Uchicago
2. NW
3. UIC (mostly because of cost & location)
4. Southern IL (PBL system and cost)
5. Loyola
6. Rush
7. Finch (blows)

 

[docman]

Has anyone interviewed at Pritzker and then received a decision?

I'm just wondering how long it takes to hear from them after the interview.

Thanks!

 

[crazyA]

somebody on this site has been accepted to Pritzker...check the official acceptances thread

 

[gramcracker]

Originally posted by docman
Has anyone interviewed at Pritzker and then received a decision?

I'm just wondering how long it takes to hear from them after the interview.

Thanks!

I interviewed September 9, and got a call from the Assistant Dean October 15 (the first day for non-EDP admissions). So I don't know how fast they do their turnaround. I think I was there on the second day of interviews, too, so it was probably a lighter load of files then.

 

[Woots32]

Originally posted by *fatmike*

1. Uchicago
2. NW
3. UIC (mostly because of cost & location)
4. Southern IL (PBL system and cost)
5. Loyola
6. Rush
7. Finch (blows)

I may just be biased because I've already been accepted there, but in my opinion Loyola doesn't seem to get as much respect as it deserves. When I was there for my interview I was very impressed by the quality of the facilities, faculty and staff, and all of the students seemed very friendly and happy. Any ideas on why it isn't as highly thought of as some of the other schools?

 

[gotgirth]

My Illinois rankings

Tier 1:

Loyola, Northwestern

Tier 2:

UIC (Peoria over Chicago)
U of C

Others:

-Rush
-SIU (Nothin against it but haven't seen the place and couldn't see myself in southern illinois)
- Finch

 

[Gumshoe]

Yeah, Loyola seems to be the best med school overall in Chicago. I have had many people tell me that the people and the philosophy are great there. UChicago, of course, is most prestigious, but I think if I had the choice between those two it would be tough.

SIU? That's hick sh_t. UIC of course is solid. There are some good schools in IL, not one is bad.

Gumshoe

 

[medicnas]

I would concur completely with gotgirth's rankings.

I'm baffled as to why Loyola is not a Top 50 (USNEWS) med school...they've got awesome kids, awesome faculty and great facilities. It's weird...but then again so are rankings

 

[Pneumo]

About the U of C response time;

I interviewed there on the 1st of October and got a letter from them announcing my "alternate status" at the very end of October.

University of Michigan, on the other hand, interviewed me on the 11th of October and accepted me on the 15th of October.

 

[Drnunia]

I was just windering, I thought they were suppose to meet on the 15th and we should have maybe heard by now. I interviewed over a month ago and am still waiting. I was just wondering how much more I have to wait. Anyone?

 

[athena21]

Drnunia,
I'm waiting too and going crazy! We should get an answer any day now. Post when you find out something!

 

[PluckyDuk8]

I liked Loyola, I just wish the med school could be transplanted as is at their downtown campus (those lucky lawyers). I'll post more later...

 

[BobbyDylanFan]

hey sdners,

i was just wondering if any of you could fill me in on any special things Loyola looks for in its applicants. If you want to post your stats ,thats cool. I see their avg is 3.6 and ~30 MCAT (correct me if i'm wrong). Maybe you got a feel of what they are looking for at the interview or something. Any help is appreciated...I will be applying their next year and it will be one of my tops.

thanks

 

[PluckyDuk8]

Originally posted by BobbyDylanFan
hey sdners,

i was just wondering if any of you could fill me in on any special things Loyola looks for in its applicants.

thanks

I wish I knew for sure and then I could make a mean buck. I think Loyola saw something special in me because I interviewed with them early and it was my only interview that early (and since then I have heard from only one other school). In my meeting with the dean she said my essays were excellent, and that I did what I did (my volunteering that I talked about in my essays I suppose) for all the right reasons. She said some other stuff too but I was so surprised and speechless that I've forgotten what she said! Anyways, I really think they are great at looking at the whole person.

 

[whatfun]

i think i'm in the same category as plucky. loyola was my 1st interview and they invited me only a week after my application was complete, something i was not expecting at all. the asst. dean said lots of nice things about me too, but i think i fulfilled a "non-traditional" candidate background. my mcat is slightly below their average, but they liked my volunteer and work experience in medicine and my unique undergrad experience (i was a public policy major in college).

i think loyola looks for some non-traditional or unique candidates that they feel would thrive in their system. i think they probably chose me because their medical center has done alot to improve the quality of care through improved management and policies: for example, they are currently using a program to apply clinical and scientific research findings to patient care (for example, how to minimize the time a patient is on a ventillator) and create more standardized practices for reducing that time, to improve their recovery time and general care experience. they probably think i'm interested in this kind of "care management improvement", and they're right, i am. so, i think i do fit in there.

Of course, this is just my perception and i'm just one of many people they considered, but i think they are careful about selecting students that fit their medical school and their philosophy.

 

[crazyA]

Originally posted by Drnunia
I was just windering, I thought they were suppose to meet on the 15th and we should have maybe heard by now. I interviewed over a month ago and am still waiting. I was just wondering how much more I have to wait. Anyone?

I interviewed on Oct. 10 and heard back from UIC about Oct 21...

As I recall, some people who interviewed in September said that they received emails notifying them that they'd been waitlisted during the later part of October.

As for Loyola's low ranking, I think one of the biggest reflections of a school's rep is its Match List...does anybody know how Loyola's looks?

 

[PluckyDuk8]

Originally posted by whatfun
i think i'm in the same category as plucky. loyola was my 1st interview and they invited me only a week after my application was complete, something i was not expecting at all.

Same exact thing with me...it was wild, no? My MCAT's were a little below average as well. I was tearing my hair out whether to take it a second time in August and I am very happy it is turning out well.

Of course, this is just my perception and i'm just one of many people they considered, but i think they are careful about selecting students that fit their medical school and their philosophy. [/B]

Very well said. Hey whatfun, would u mind pm'ing me with where u are from and what u do?

 

[BobbyDylanFan]

pucky,
i pmed you

 

[PluckyDuk8]

Pm'd u back

 

[kissacefan1978]

I am a graduate student. Got accepted into Midwestern and had an interview at NOVA. But no allopathic interviews yet.

 

[gotgirth]

Someone asked earlier about the turnaround time for UIC...They are sending out at least some acceptances now to those who interviewed as late as 11-14 (got one today ).

 

[athena21]

congratulations gotgirth!

 

[PluckyDuk8]

Got my nice rejection from UIC today. I'm really not sure why, I figured I'd be their type of candidate, or at least I'd get on the wait list (and no interview?!?). I'm not that angry about it because thank goodness I have my first acceptance, but I'm definitely going to call to figure out why...I'm confused.

 

[futurdoc11]

Sorry to hear that .
When was your application complete? Mine was complete mid-October and I was told I would not hear anything probably until mid-December. If you don't mind me asking what are your stats?