UConn Secondary

[C.P. Jones]

Did anyone get it yet? I got it just the other day. What's up w/ this "phone screening" deal? That's new...I don't see what it's for though

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[microgin]

Did anyone get it yet? I got it just the other day. What's up w/ this "phone screening" deal? That's new...I don't see what it's for though

Hey C.P. - I'm still waitlisted at UConn this year and am not going to reapply for the class of '07 (gonna take a year to reassess things if need be), but what do you mean by "phone screening"?? Just curious

 

[heeseop]

phone screening?
that's completely new...
do they still have the same secondary questions?

 

[C.P. Jones]

Hey C.P. - I'm still waitlisted at UConn this year and am not going to reapply for the class of '07 (gonna take a year to reassess things if need be), but what do you mean by "phone screening"?? Just curious

that's what i don't get, this phone screening is something new....doesn't make much sense. have any other schools ever done this?

The questions are all the same as last years

 

[microgin]

that's what i don't get, this phone screening is something new....doesn't make much sense. have any other schools ever done this?

The questions are all the same as last years

Does it give any details on the "phone screening" other than saying there will be phone screening? I've heard of schools having a screening process where they will look over an applicant's app and decide if he/she makes the MCAT/GPA number cutoff when deciding whether to send a secondary, but this is different in that the secondary has already been sent. Wouldn't phone screening after the fact just be a phone interview?!?!? Bizarre. One thing's for sure, they're already slow with decisions at different points in the application process, so adding this extra step will surely only slow things down even more.

 

[CTtarheel]

Yeah, that "credential review by phone" is very strange. I don't know if its just a call to say they have all your stuff, or if it's like a pre-interview. And how bout those essays!

 

[C.P. Jones]

yea, there are no other details other than saying there is a phone screening.

Those essays are wonderful aren't they, i'm glad i've already done them twice...just need some tweaking. i'm sure it would be good to rewrite them...but not when there is that much work involved

 

[VPDcurt]

C.P....do you get the Hartford Business Journal by any chance? There is an article called, "UConn Med School Tailoring Admissions for Females." Crazy...the author brings up really good points and in the end he pretty much states that while males should bring action against the school. I completely agree. He said that females tend to have slightly higher GPAs (3.71 vs 3.68), but that males have much higher MCAT scores. White males beat every other racial/gender group in terms of scores, but had the lowest percentage of acceptance. Absolutely ridiculous...and to think that the deans and the entire school lies to your face...saying females tend to have the better applications. Such a load of crap.

 

[C.P. Jones]

C.P....do you get the Hartford Business Journal by any chance? There is an article called, "UConn Med School Tailoring Admissions for Females." Crazy...the author brings up really good points and in the end he pretty much states that while males should bring action against the school. I completely agree. He said that females tend to have slightly higher GPAs (3.71 vs 3.68), but that males have much higher MCAT scores. White males beat every other racial/gender group in terms of scores, but had the lowest percentage of acceptance. Absolutely ridiculous...and to think that the deans and the entire school lies to your face...saying females tend to have the better applications. Such a load of crap.

I don't get that paper, I'll see if i can find that online. Interesting that people actually do notice this other than us applicants! Of course non of the applicants are going to do anything b/c we would definitely not get in after that! Maybe some outside source will actually look into it...but i doubt that too.

 

[Sundarban1]

C.P....do you get the Hartford Business Journal by any chance? There is an article called, "UConn Med School Tailoring Admissions for Females." Crazy...the author brings up really good points and in the end he pretty much states that while males should bring action against the school. I completely agree. He said that females tend to have slightly higher GPAs (3.71 vs 3.68), but that males have much higher MCAT scores. White males beat every other racial/gender group in terms of scores, but had the lowest percentage of acceptance. Absolutely ridiculous...and to think that the deans and the entire school lies to your face...saying females tend to have the better applications. Such a load of crap.

I'm not sure why this is a shock. We've been saying this for the last 2 years! Then we get beanbean and all the UConn women screaming that "Oh, women applicants were just better." Bull****! UConn.

 

[VPDcurt]

I'm not sure why this is a shock. We've been saying this for the last 2 years! Then we get beanbean and all the UConn women screaming that "Oh, women applicants were just better." Bull****! UConn.

The concept is not a shock - the article was just a bit shocking to me...that's all. I think it is complete insanity. Something is going on at UConn with respect to those making the admissions decisions. They have a lot of issues with putting themselves on a pedestal that just doesn't exist outside of the UConn Health Center. Hopefully someone will take action against them...I'm thinking about doing it myself but I feel like I'll be busy enough as it is.

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

that's what i don't get, this phone screening is something new....doesn't make much sense. have any other schools ever done this?

Doesn't Mayo have a phone secondary? They do something over the phone.

I think they blow bubbles into your ear.
"Hello, I'm calling from Mayo's Medical School. Pbbt pbtt pbtt"

 

[microgin]

The concept is not a shock - the article was just a bit shocking to me...that's all. I think it is complete insanity. Something is going on at UConn with respect to those making the admissions decisions. They have a lot of issues with putting themselves on a pedestal that just doesn't exist outside of the UConn Health Center. Hopefully someone will take action against them...I'm thinking about doing it myself but I feel like I'll be busy enough as it is.

VPD - what is the date of that issue of the HBJ? The article is not available online, but I think I'd be able to order a copy of the mag through their website. Thanks!

 

[ADeadLois]

C.P....do you get the Hartford Business Journal by any chance? There is an article called, "UConn Med School Tailoring Admissions for Females." Crazy...the author brings up really good points and in the end he pretty much states that while males should bring action against the school. I completely agree. He said that females tend to have slightly higher GPAs (3.71 vs 3.68), but that males have much higher MCAT scores. White males beat every other racial/gender group in terms of scores, but had the lowest percentage of acceptance. Absolutely ridiculous...and to think that the deans and the entire school lies to your face...saying females tend to have the better applications. Such a load of crap.

This is nothing new. It's been a subject of controversy in CT for years. I once talked to a former UConn adcom member about it. He said that he thinks the gender aberration has more to do with matriculation patterns than a bias on the part of the adcom. He said that more women end up matriculating to UConn since it's more rural and more primary-care focused, whereas more men tend to matriculate in the urban schools with more of a research, specialy-focused school.

 

[VPDcurt]

This is nothing new. It's been a subject of controversy in CT for years. I once talked to a former UConn adcom member about it. He said that he thinks the gender aberration has more to do with matriculation patterns than a bias on the part of the adcom. He said that more women end up matriculating to UConn since it's more rural and more primary-care focused, whereas more men tend to matriculate in the urban schools with more of a research, specialy-focused school.

My point exactly - this adcom member is doing what the rest of the people at that institution do - he/she is lying. The reason is not because of matriculation as you have been told - the article is citing a discrepancy in the acceptance rates. Therefore it is new in the sense that people from the outside are finally realizing and talking about the crap that goes on there, rather than believing all of the BS that the school spits out - especially at the interview.

 

[VPDcurt]

VPD - what is the date of that issue of the HBJ? The article is not available online, but I think I'd be able to order a copy of the mag through their website. Thanks!

It was the most recent issue. Not sure of the exact date. I can find that out though - I'm just not at home right now.

 

[ADeadLois]

My point exactly - this adcom member is doing what the rest of the people at that institution do - he/she is lying. The reason is not because of matriculation as you have been told - the article is citing a discrepancy in the acceptance rates. Therefore it is new in the sense that people from the outside are finally realizing and talking about the crap that goes on there, rather than believing all of the BS that the school spits out - especially at the interview.

First, please be careful who you call a liar. The adcom member I spoke of happens to be a family friend, and both of my parents are affiliated with the medical school. There isn't some massive conspiracy.

I read a similar article in the Journal Inquirer which seems to be similar (if not the same) as the one in HBJ. Although the author does make a compelling case, I think it doesn't create a bulletproof one. It is also entirely possible that the female applicants simply had better ECs and wrote better PSs, and interviewed better.

Again, the author makes some good points, but not enough to justify some massive conspiracy against some white males.

If the HBJ article presents more evidence, please let me know.

 

[Sundarban1]

Gender-based admissions tailoring needs mending
By: Gerry Garibaldi

In its landmark 2003 affirmative action decision, Grutter v. Bollinger, the
Supreme Court upheld the use of narrowly tailored race-conscious admission
policies to achieve a "critical mass," citing the educational benefits that
flow from a diverse student body.

But it seems that the definition of narrow tailoring depends on who's
holding the scissors.

Should the Grutter decision apply to gender-conscious admissions as well?
The tailors at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine appear to
think so.

Admissions figures for the entering Class of 2005, obtained in response to
a freedom-of-information request, show some surprising things.

Of the 791 white females who applied, 85 (10.7 percent) were given
admission. White males didn't fare nearly as well. Of the 709 white male
applicants, only 50 (7 percent) made the grade.

Though women had a slight edge in overall grade-point average in college
(3.71 vs. 3.68), men markedly outscored them in the demanding MCAT tests,
which gauge an applicant's aptitude and potential in the medical field. Of
a possible 15-point total in each area, in verbal reasoning men bested
women 9.00 to 8.86; in physical science 9.75 to 8.78; and in biological
science 9.99 to 9.35. In fact, with the exception of Asian males, white
males outpointed every race and gender.

Though their MCAT scores trailed significantly from white females, minority
females in simple acceptance percentage terms turned in an impressive
performance (429 applied and 45 were accepted, or 10.5 percent). Indeed, in
a state population that is roughly 73 percent white, members of racial
minorities now outnumber the total number of white males accepted by 66-50.

Overall male acceptance rates at UConn's medical school have now reached a
historical low, with 135 women entering and just more than half as many
men, 71, winning admittance.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court cautioned that to be constitutional a
race-conscious admissions policy would not "unduly harm members of any
racial group" or "unduly burden individuals who are not members of the
favored racial or ethnic group."

Yet while "unduly" and "compelling" are elastic items, UConn's numbers are
not. The burden placed on white males (and males generally) applying to
UConn's medical school is plain.

But is UConn's aggressive gender tilt a clear violation of the law?

"Soft variables" were also factors the court addressed in the Grutter case,
referring to the personal essays of applicants, in which they are given
license to bare their soul and contend hardship, discrimination, or
personal struggle. This is a key element in the holistic admission process
as Justice Sandra Day O'Connor envisioned it.

The word "soft" indicates that this area of consideration is both
inscrutable and, more importantly, unverifiable. As with today's
marketplace of enterprising autobiographers, narratives and characters are
often found to be cribbed or wholly fictionalized. Indeed, in our climate
of lurid sensationalism, a frank and truthful essay that celebrates a
stoic, wholesome life could be a costly mistake in any university application.

In defending its policies before the court, the University of Michigan Law
School contended that diversity promoted cross-cultural understanding,
helped break down racial stereotypes, and made classroom discussion
"livelier, more spirited, and simply more enlightened."

This was an artful argument to make with regard to race, but can the
University of Connecticut School of Medicine compellingly assert that
science is better served when more white females are sitting next to fewer
white males in, say, Bio Chem 200? Or that the history of social injustice
toward women is reason enough to extend broad preferences to a new
generation of women who can't justly claim to have suffered by it?

Clearly UConn thinks that it has such a case. All the university requires
is a new gender study or two to salt its reasoning.

It was with a note of irony that Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the
dissenting voices in the Grutter case, scorned "critical mass" as too
"mystical," and perhaps presciently suggested that students not adequately
included in this critical mass might choose to litigate. It may be time for
white males to consider this alternative. At UConn the tangibles support
their case.

The writer is a teacher and freelance writer who lives in Essex. His new
novel, "Pager," is to be published by Asia Books.

 

[VPDcurt]

First, please be careful who you call a liar. The adcom member I spoke of happens to be a family friend, and both of my parents are affiliated with the medical school. There isn't some massive conspiracy.

I read a similar article in the Journal Inquirer which seems to be similar (if not the same) as the one in HBJ. Although the author does make a compelling case, I think it doesn't create a bulletproof one. It is also entirely possible that the female applicants simply had better ECs and wrote better PSs, and interviewed better.

Again, the author makes some good points, but not enough to justify some massive conspiracy against some white males.

If the HBJ article presents more evidence, please let me know.

My family is closely associated with the UConn Medical School as well, and we have family friends that work on the admissions committee. For better or for worse, our families probably know each other. I was told by most of them, including my own father, to go elsewhere for my medical education. I'm sorry to say it, but there are liars in that bunch. I am not just calling them liars without justifying it. I know who they are and I know that they lied to me and other people that have gone through this process. I am not going to name the liars for various reasons, but I can assure you that there are many dishonest people there. I also get a kick out of their logic when they say the school is caters to the underserved community...oh, like the towns of Farmington, Simsbury and Avon? There are no two ways about it.

The author does make a compelling case, and if it were a bulletproof one, it wouldn't simply be an article in the newspaper; it would be in the courts already. No one is claiming that it is bulletproof.

 

[VPDcurt]

First, please be careful who you call a liar. The adcom member I spoke of happens to be a family friend, and both of my parents are affiliated with the medical school. There isn't some massive conspiracy.

It is also entirely possible that the female applicants simply had better ECs and wrote better PSs, and interviewed better.

Directly said to me during a meeting with one of the Deans at UConn:

DEAN: So, what are your MCAT scores, GPA, and Clinical experiences?
ME: blah blah blah
DEAN: Oh, it's unfortunate you're a white male.
ME: What about research, personal statement and LORs?
DEAN: We don't care about those. Every LOR says the same thing..."john doe is the greatest." We really only focus on those three things I told you about.

Be careful who I call a liar? I call them liars because they lied to me. I wouldn't call them names otherwise.

 

[C.P. Jones]

I also get a kick out of their logic when they say the school is caters to the underserved community...oh, like the towns of Farmington, Simsbury and Avon?

well said