Northwestern Acceptance

[radiohead_fan]

For those of you accepted to northewestern,(congratulations by the way), what were your Stats like? specifically..MCAT, research, GPA etc. I am a worried junior who is not sure with what confidence he can apply to that school. Sure, sure, you can never "confidently" apply to any school, but I would just like to get a rough estimate of the type of stats they generally accept. THANKS!

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[moo]

I haven't been accepted yet but I don't think stats are everything. At my interview there were a lot of non-trads... something like 4 teachers, some who have taught overseas. I think they also said their avg age of last year's entering class is 26.5... as long as your gpa is ~3.5 you have a good shot I think...

 

[California]

I do not think there are really any general stats that will ensure an acceptance at NUMS. However, to be in the competitive range, I think you must have an MCAT score above a 30 (with nothing less than a 9 in any of the various sections) and a GPA above a 3.70 (depending on your undergraduate institution). I also think you need to be able to communicate effectively and demonstrate during the course of your interview (as well as in your supplementary application essays) a passion for medicine. I think this is the recipe for sucess, at least it was for me.

Please note I have not received a formal letter of acceptance yet, but I think chances are in my favor. I will definitely let you know. I know only then my words will carry more weight and convince you I am correct.

 

[Sammmeyeam]

California,

Did you feel you had a good interview?

Thanks

 

[California]

Sammmeyeam, I recall you asking fellow NUMS interviewers the same question in another forum. In response to your question, I felt my panel interview and individual interviews were quite strong.

How about you, Sammmeyeam? How did your interview go? I also encourage others who interviewed to provide some feedback. It would be nice to find out if a good interview translates into an acceptance.

 

[Sammmeyeam]

Glad to hear that...

I interviewed on February 5th, and the panel interview went well, so did the individual interview...

"A decision has been made" on my application too, so I'm very eager to find out...

Goodluck to you.

-Sam

 

[California]

Sam:

I think the letters we will be receiving are going to be acceptances. So far, all those who have received a decision have been accepted. I think the Committee does not put anyone on the waitlist until the last meeting, which is March 22, 2002. I think the process works like this. First, you interview. Second, the staff makes sure everything is complete. Then, your application is presented at the first available meeting. If they like you, you are accepted. If they are unsure, they leave you for the next meeting. The process repeats and, in each meeting, recently interviewed candiates are being presented. At the last meeting, if you have not been accepted, you are put on the waitlist and finally notified. This is how I see it. Let me know what you think.

 

[California]

Radiohead_fan:

I'm sorry the topic of your forum has been transformed a little bit. I guess you are witnessing the paranoia of medical school applicants like me who have to know every detail about the process.

 

[Sammmeyeam]

Cali:

What you say sounds right...

We know that the class size is 170, and about 40 -50 are filled with the high-school program, if I remember correctly?

So the actual class size is about 120 for us regular M.D. applicants.

I'm predicting that they have filled up about 70 +/- 20 seats... so I think that's good news in our favor.

Also, by AAMC rules, they have to offer a # of acceptances equivalent to their entering class by March 29th (it was originally by March 15th, but this was extended due to the delays).

This therefore explains why they are meetingon March 22nd, so that they can fill up the class, and as you suggested, also construct the waitlist...

I really liked the school, so I am very eager to hear from them... I will post as soon I get any new info.

 

[Sammmeyeam]

Cali:

I just thought of something. Did you do really well when they asked you the group question, i.e., they asked a question, and you had to work as a team and come up with an answer...

For example, in my interview they said "discuss among yourselves the most significant disease in the last 100 years"...

I felt I did very well during this section (I sort of lead the discussion)...

And as I recall from the website, one of the major purposes of the group interview is to see how you interact with others in a group. Their curriculum utilizes a good portion of small groups and PBL. I think that this "group question" bears a significant score of the interview.

Anyways, I'm trying to figure out if there is any correlation with how well a person does on this question, and their application decision.

What do you think?

 

[California]

Sam:

I am glad to see you are a person of great intuition...something I am not. You can put the pieces together very nicely. I think your numbers are in the general ballpark, but I just want to point out one thing. The dean of admissions at a UC school I interviewed at provided some clarification. Each medical school, by March 15, 2002 (actually, March 29, 2002), must offer acceptances equal to the total size of the class. This means by the end of this month they have to have offered 170 acceptances. However, US News and World Report points out that last year it took 343 acceptances to fill the class (since many people will choice to go to other places, especially with that hefty tuition). I think this means they've accepted around...I don't know...250 +/-50 interviewed applicants.

Anyway, I liked Northwestern as well. It's not my first choice but it is definitely "up there." Please correct me if I'm wrong on any of the above information.

ALSO, I CALL ON FELLOW NUMS INTERVIEWEES TO PLEASE RESPOND WITH SOME INSIGHT. Thanks.

 

[California]

Sam:

I honestly don't know. My group interview ended up being 2-on-2. So, my fellow interviewee and I didn't have a group-oriented question. It would be a little awkward with such few people! (I did notice one of my interviewers looking at me while my fellow interviewee was talking. I guess she did this to check out my body language or something. I am not sure.) However, you are right. The idea of group interaction is very important to the school in general as well as during the interview.

Sam, I don't think too much emphasis is placed on the interview. I believe it is important, but since it is relatively easy (at least, according to most of the people I talked to on my interview day) I think it's difficult to effectively use it as a way to guage applicants. Yes, I know, some applicants can't communicate very well. But, generally speaking, I think the interview is not so bad. In fact, I've encountered a few people who had "okay" interviews and were still accepted. However, good interviews can only help you. Right?

I am just expressing my opinion. I hope I sound reasonable. Take care, Sam, and all else who find this forum helpful.

 

[Papa Smurf]

Uh, not to come off as a total jackass here, but y'all are talking as if you're being graded on your posts! It's the friggin Internet people! No more of this crap:

California: "Sammmeyeam, I recall you asking fellow NUMS interviewers the same question in another forum. In response to your question, I felt my panel interview and individual interviews were quite strong."

California: "I am glad to see you are a person of great intuition...something I am not. You can put the pieces together very nicely."

WTH? Come on already, live a little folks! Throw in a contraction once in a while, of God forbid, some slang! Just kick back and relax, adcoms ain't judging nobody up in here.

 

[California]

Papa Smurf,

You tell it like it is, huh? I guess all those secondaries I was working on six months ago have some how creeped into my everyday writing. I'll be sure to throw in a contraction, a few "WTF's" every now and then, and-of course-an ellipses...

You would never guess that I'm kind of ghetto..at least, I try to be sometimes. Peace out, fool.

 

[BlackPuma]

my god what the heck was that....I broke a sweat and felt the urge to get a paper and pencil to do the math! sigh....

u two should exchange Aol messenger ids....haha

 

[radiohead_fan]

Thanks for the replies guys. Despite straying way off topic, it only further makes the point that the process is a crapshoot. I have decent stats >3.7 and >30, and what it sounds like to me is that the interview process is very important!! Gosh I wouldn't even know how to answer the question "What is the most important disease in the last tweny years or so.." Yikes. Keep posting replies though, I do enjoy reading them