Univ of Washington Interviews for 2006

[TSisk23]

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I am from Idaho and I am interviewing in February. I thought that this was really late and discouraged until I saw that schedule 👍 Now I feel a ton better. Are you an Idaho applicant?

Nope...Wyoming....I interview on Feb 13th.

 

[ohhfrealz]

Has anybody interviewed as a re-applicant? If so, were you asked the same questions you were asked last year (why medicine?, why uw?)? Or was your interview all about what you have done to improve your application? I'm wondering if re-apps are interviewed as if they are applying for the first time or not. Any info on how UW deals with/treats reapplicants would be great. Thanks! 😳

 

[hlph4]

Has anybody interviewed as a re-applicant? If so, were you asked the same questions you were asked last year (why medicine?, why uw?)? Or was your interview all about what you have done to improve your application? I'm wondering if re-apps are interviewed as if they are applying for the first time or not. Any info on how UW deals with/treats reapplicants would be great. Thanks! 😳

It is like you are in there for your first time. The two interviewers who dont know your GPA of MCAT also dont know that you have reapplied, unless it is in your essay. So it is up to you to bring it up to them.

 

[67192]

Thought I'd bump this thread up since theres an EXCOM mtg. tomorrow.

Wait, there really is an EXCOM mtg tomorrow... right...? 😉

 

[olydoc2b]

It is like you are in there for your first time. The two interviewers who dont know your GPA of MCAT also dont know that you have reapplied, unless it is in your essay. So it is up to you to bring it up to them.

Yeah, at my interview we mentioned it briefly and moved on. No big deal at all. The questions weren't the same, but they were certainly typical interview questions.

Best of luck to all tomorrow....

 

[keitaiKT]

Thought I'd bump this thread up since theres an EXCOM mtg. tomorrow.

Wait, there really is an EXCOM mtg tomorrow... right...? 😉

Good !!!

How many more of these excom meetings will I be crossing my fingers for before I hear anything, I wonder?

 

[67192]

Good !!!

How many more of these excom meetings will I be crossing my fingers for before I hear anything, I wonder?

Thanks keitaik! to you too and everyone else in the pool!

 

[homeostatician]

Hey y'all, how soon after the excom meeting do people find out if they're in the pool or not? Do they send emails out right after the meeting?
OH yah, and to everyone during the EXCOM meeting today!

 

[almost_there]

Hey y'all, how soon after the excom meeting do people find out if they're in the pool or not? Do they send emails out right after the meeting?
OH yah, and to everyone during the EXCOM meeting today!

I saw my status change on the website as early as Tuesday after the EXCOM meeting. I don't know if it had changed by Monday (I didn't check). Once I saw the change, I called and found out. (Or you could just wait for the letter to come... 😉 )

I think people who got the competitive pool got an e-mail on Monday.

It may or may not happen the same way this time... probably just depends on when the adminstrators get things done.

Good to all! I hope you get in!

a_t

 

[Nebuloso]

I saw my status change on the website as early as Tuesday after the EXCOM meeting. I don't know if it had changed by Monday (I didn't check). Once I saw the change, I called and found out. (Or you could just wait for the letter to come... 😉 )

I think people who got the competitive pool got an e-mail on Monday.

It may or may not happen the same way this time... probably just depends on when the adminstrators get things done.

Good to all! I hope you get in!

a_t

I got the competitve pool e-mail on the Wednesday following the Excom meeting.

 

[aspiringdoctor]

Well, the EXCOM meeting was over a few hours ago, I wonder if they looked at the competitive pool. According to the calendar, they met at 3:30pm, I don't know how long they met but within a couple hours, how can they be able to look at the applicants they just interviewed last three weeks AND THE COMPETITIVE POOL? Do you think they really do that?

According to my estimate, there must be at least 300 applicants in the competitive pool. Within a couple hours, go through 200 new applicants + 300 applicants in competitive pool?????????

any ideas? how that can be done?

 

[ahumdinger]

Well, the EXCOM meeting was over a few hours ago, I wonder if they looked at the competitive pool. According to the calendar, they met at 3:30pm, I don't know how long they met but within a couple hours, how can they be able to look at the applicants they just interviewed last three weeks AND THE COMPETITIVE POOL? Do you think they really do that?

According to my estimate, there must be at least 300 applicants in the competitive pool. Within a couple hours, go through 200 new applicants + 300 applicants in competitive pool?????????

any ideas? how that can be done?

that's EXACTLY what I was wondering. At first, I was under the impression that the people who get placed into the competitive pool don't get a second look until the very end of everything. Like, they accept people as they go, and then in april or something they fill out the rest of the class with people from the competitive pool. But I was talking to almost_there the other day, and he said that he thinks they ACTUALLY DO take people out of the competitive pool throughout the process. So what they probably do is give everyone a score (based on evaluations right after the interview) and then each excom meeting they accept a certain # of people, so the folks with highest evaluation scores will get in. I have a feeling a lot of public institutions do this because it's a really fair way to evaluate everyone. That is how university of missouri does it, accepting a predetermined # of students each month, and basically just skimming the cream of the crop. So I have to hope that I eventually make it to that top layer.

Anyway, that's just a theory. Best of Luck to EVERYONE!

 

[aspiringdoctor]

that's EXACTLY what I was wondering. At first, I was under the impression that the people who get placed into the competitive pool don't get a second look until the very end of everything. Like, they accept people as they go, and then in april or something they fill out the rest of the class with people from the competitive pool. But I was talking to almost_there the other day, and he said that he thinks they ACTUALLY DO take people out of the competitive pool throughout the process. So what they probably do is give everyone a score (based on evaluations right after the interview) and then each excom meeting they accept a certain # of people, so the folks with highest evaluation scores will get in. I have a feeling a lot of public institutions do this because it's a really fair way to evaluate everyone. That is how university of missouri does it, accepting a predetermined # of students each month, and basically just skimming the cream of the crop. So I have to hope that I eventually make it to that top layer.

Anyway, that's just a theory. Best of Luck to EVERYONE!

That's make sense. I really need a lot of luck next week. ANYONE Has FINALS NEXT WEEKS? I have 4 finals and 2 papers. The application really distracts me. I'm in the reading period right now, I'm supposed to study, but I spend most of my time checking this website????

 

[JakeHarley]

Swimming laps as of this morning...

Bummer.

Anyone accepted this week?

 

[ahumdinger]

Swimming laps as of this morning...

Bummer.

Anyone accepted this week?

Oy, was the forum down yesterday? I couldn't access it! Yes, the email hit me like a ton of bricks, even though it was what I expected. So I guess I'll be joining your lap lane.

 

[BoogieGnome]

that's EXACTLY what I was wondering. At first, I was under the impression that the people who get placed into the competitive pool don't get a second look until the very end of everything. Like, they accept people as they go, and then in april or something they fill out the rest of the class with people from the competitive pool. But I was talking to almost_there the other day, and he said that he thinks they ACTUALLY DO take people out of the competitive pool throughout the process. So what they probably do is give everyone a score (based on evaluations right after the interview) and then each excom meeting they accept a certain # of people, so the folks with highest evaluation scores will get in. I have a feeling a lot of public institutions do this because it's a really fair way to evaluate everyone. That is how university of missouri does it, accepting a predetermined # of students each month, and basically just skimming the cream of the crop. So I have to hope that I eventually make it to that top layer.

Anyway, that's just a theory. Best of Luck to EVERYONE!

The do accept people from the competative list. I interviewed in October and got put in the competative pool. Just called the admissions office this morning after checking my app status 😀. I guess third times the charm (last friday was the third excom meeting since my interview).

 

[ahumdinger]

The do accept people from the competative list. I interviewed in October and got put in the competative pool. Just called the admissions office this morning after checking my app status 😀. I guess third times the charm (last friday was the third excom meeting since my interview).

OH CONGRATS! And what great news for those of us still swimming! I thought I was doomed to have to wait in silence until April.

Congrats again!

 

[hlph4]

Does anyone know if there is a non-competitive waiting pool as well? A friend of mine got an email that didn't say the words "competitive pool", just that there application could be reviewed at any time before April. Anyone know what this means?
Thanks!

 

[ahumdinger]

Does anyone know if there is a non-competitive waiting pool as well? A friend of mine got an email that didn't say the words "competitive pool", just that there application could be reviewed at any time before April. Anyone know what this means?
Thanks!

yikes! I just re-read my email, and mine only says " the Executive
Committee of the Committee on Admissions considers you to be part of
a pool of applicants who will remain under consideration. " But then they quote the stats about how 39% last year got either an acceptance or a spot on the alternate list. So I think this is the only pool =competitive pool.

 

[hlph4]

Okay good. Because I just got mine and that is what it says too. But last year it said "competitive pool" and it was 51%. I emailed them to ask if their wording and statistics had just changed. Hopefully that is it.

 

[BoogieGnome]

yikes! I just re-read my email, and mine only says " the Executive
Committee of the Committee on Admissions considers you to be part of
a pool of applicants who will remain under consideration. " But then they quote the stats about how 39% last year got either an acceptance or a spot on the alternate list. So I think this is the only pool =competitive pool.

That's what my email said too, so no worries 🙂. I was just calling it the competative pool since that seemed to be what everyone was calling it. I guess the non-competative pool would be the people that got rejection letters.

 

[aspiringdoctor]

The do accept people from the competative list. I interviewed in October and got put in the competative pool. Just called the admissions office this morning after checking my app status 😀. I guess third times the charm (last friday was the third excom meeting since my interview).

does that mean that you got accepted already? if yes, congratulation.
did your status page change today?

MY STATUS PAGE IS STILL THE SAME. ANYONE'S STATUS PAGE CHANGE?

 

[Seagal]

I'm too afraid to check!! 😱

 

[swman]

Does anybody have the link to the app status check?

When I got my initial competitive pool email I deleted it, because I figured I would have to wait until April no matter what.

But now that people are getting accepted out of that pool, I am once again curious enough to want to check my status.

 

[aspiringdoctor]

Does anybody have the link to the app status check?

When I got my initial competitive pool email I deleted it, because I figured I would have to wait until April no matter what.

But now that people are getting accepted out of that pool, I am once again curious enough to want to check my status.

http://rainier.dom.washington.edu/admiss/uwapp.htmlx

GOOD LUCK

 

[ahumdinger]

http://rainier.dom.washington.edu/admiss/uwapp.htmlx

Your personal identification number (PIN) is the first two letters
of your last name followed by the last seven digits of your social
security number.

 

[BoogieGnome]

does that mean that you got accepted already? if yes, congratulation.
did your status page change today?

MY STATUS PAGE IS STILL THE SAME. ANYONE'S STATUS PAGE CHANGE?

Yup I got in, thanks! My status page did change today. It changed from "Your application is complete" to "Action was taken on your application...".

 

[aspiringdoctor]

Yup I got in, thanks! My status page did change today. It changed from "Your application is complete" to "Action was taken on your application...".

Thank you for the prompt response. CONGRATULATION again.

 

[swman]

Thanks for the link! I was EXTREMELY SURPRISED to find out that action was taken on my application! I knew I wouldn't get rejected this early (waitlisted last year, an amazing interview this year), so it HAD to be an acceptance!! I called to make sure and got the good news!! 😀 😀 😀

 

[okayplayer]

i was definitely reviewed at the meeting and thus far i have had no status change and no e-mail? don't know what is up. anyone in my position?

 

[67192]

i was definitely reviewed at the meeting and thus far i have had no status change and no e-mail? don't know what is up. anyone in my position?

Well, I didn't have a status change or e-mail at the first EXCOM mtg. after my interview until like Thursday of the week after the meeting. It's only Monday, so you'll probably hear in a few days.

 

[aspiringdoctor]

Thanks for the link! I was EXTREMELY SURPRISED to find out that action was taken on my application! I knew I wouldn't get rejected this early (waitlisted last year, an amazing interview this year), so it HAD to be an acceptance!! I called to make sure and got the good news!! 😀 😀 😀

Congratulations.

 

[homeostatician]

Is there any more room in the "pool" for a fellow applicant? Anyone up for a game of underwater hockey to pass the time?

 

[67192]

 

[67192]

I thought they were all fighting over a UW acceptance...

 

[homeostatician]

I thought they were all fighting over a UW acceptance...

When my friend told me that she was involved with this, i couldn't believe that it was a real sport. It'd be interesting if we really did have to fight for our acceptances that way...

 

[moinmoin]

.

 

[ahumdinger]

Post #146 of this thread has the excom calendar attached.

 

[67192]

When my friend told me that she was involved with this, i couldn't believe that it was a real sport. It'd be interesting if we really did have to fight for our acceptances that way...

Haha, hopefully my water polo skills (played in high skool) would come in handy. 😉


So, if we haven't had a status change to our page by now, is it a pretty good bet that we are still swimming in the pool? 🙁

 

[okayplayer]

I'm joining the pool. Hope the water's warm (I'm in Pullman right now taking finals and it is about 5 degrees). 🙂

 

[Nebuloso]

Haha, hopefully my water polo skills (played in high skool) would come in handy. 😉


So, if we haven't had a status change to our page by now, is it a pretty good bet that we are still swimming in the pool? 🙁

That's the deal with my case. I called because my status page hadn't changed and was told that the ex com still hadn't made a decision on my app. 😕 Not sure what to think about this. Must be my lack of water polo skills....

Feel like I'm taking crazy-pills!

 

[Nebuloso]

What kind of applicants are being accepted right now? Anybody who has been accepted want to share their stats and what you think was behind the decision e.g. special charms you possess, etc.

 

[okayplayer]

Well, I read through pretty much the entire "UWash" thread from last year. It makes me feel better to realize how many people really do get pulled off the waitlist.

 

[ahumdinger]

Well, I read through pretty much the entire "UWash" thread from last year. It makes me feel better to realize how many people really do get pulled off the waitlist.

oh but I'd have to get ON the waitlist first!

 

[swman]

What kind of applicants are being accepted right now? Anybody who has been accepted want to share their stats and what you think was behind the decision e.g. special charms you possess, etc.

Sure. 3.72 GPA, 30MCAT (10 10 10). I think the fact that I was a reapplicant helped a lot. UW favors reapplicants for a few reasons (age/maturity, time to reconsider other options, think twice about entering medicine).


As for special charms, my GPA skyrocketed my junior and senior years, I improved my MCAT from a 26 (Apr04) to a 30 (Aug04). Although I did not apply as a disadvantaged applicant, I did have some family and financial problems beyond my control that I had to fight through during college.

I didn't get in the first time (applied in 2004 as a traditional). I was on the waitlist and had to spend all summer rotting away on it, not to mention 3 others. The main reason was that my extracurriculars and exposure to the medical field were not overwhelming.

During my year off, I spent a bunch of time (about 55 hours) shadowing docs, read up A LOT on the US Health Care System, and this caused me to honestly become more intereted in a career in primary care, at the same time seeing the logic behind the UW's curriculum and goals and how they fit into the bigger picture. I also got a full time job working with a lab company, while still working at my original non-medical related job.

The one thing that helped me the most was reading Delivering Health Care in America by Shi and Singh. Unfortunately, it is about 600 pages, but it gave me more than enough to talk about in the interview.

Hope my story helps.

 

[67192]

Sure. 3.72 GPA, 30MCAT (10 10 10). I think the fact that I was a reapplicant helped a lot. UW favors reapplicants for a few reasons (age/maturity, time to reconsider other options, think twice about entering medicine).


As for special charms, my GPA skyrocketed my junior and senior years, I improved my MCAT from a 26 (Apr04) to a 30 (Aug04). Although I did not apply as a disadvantaged applicant, I did have some family and financial problems beyond my control that I had to fight through during college.

I didn't get in the first time (applied in 2004 as a traditional). I was on the waitlist and had to spend all summer rotting away on it, not to mention 3 others. The main reason was that my extracurriculars and exposure to the medical field were not overwhelming.

During my year off, I spent a bunch of time (about 55 hours) shadowing docs, read up A LOT on the US Health Care System, and this caused me to honestly become more intereted in a career in primary care, at the same time seeing the logic behind the UW's curriculum and goals and how they fit into the bigger picture. I also got a full time job working with a lab company, while still working at my original non-medical related job.

The one thing that helped me the most was reading Delivering Health Care in America by Shi and Singh. Unfortunately, it is about 600 pages, but it gave me more than enough to talk about in the interview.

Hope my story helps.

Yikes, your post worries me! I am very similiar to you (almost same stats: 3.79/31), except I'm you last year as the traditional student that was wait-listed. How did you feel after your interview last year?? How much med. exposure did you have?

Thing is, I felt that my interview went really well... I got across most of what I wanted to and really felt I connected with my interviewers. Although, we didn't focus much on medically related issues... it was more on me. Talked about my research more than volunteer experiences. But the only real medical exposure I have is from volunteering at Children's Hospital ER (been there a year and a half) and peditrician shadowing. And I did have an interview question about "following up" with patients I've helped in the ER on later days, and I had to honestly answer that I've never followed up on any patients... working once a week; most ER patients are gone by the time I come back...

Oh well... did you enjoy your year off from school? 😉

 

[Nebuloso]

Sure. 3.72 GPA, 30MCAT (10 10 10). I think the fact that I was a reapplicant helped a lot. UW favors reapplicants for a few reasons (age/maturity, time to reconsider other options, think twice about entering medicine).


As for special charms, my GPA skyrocketed my junior and senior years, I improved my MCAT from a 26 (Apr04) to a 30 (Aug04). Although I did not apply as a disadvantaged applicant, I did have some family and financial problems beyond my control that I had to fight through during college.

I didn't get in the first time (applied in 2004 as a traditional). I was on the waitlist and had to spend all summer rotting away on it, not to mention 3 others. The main reason was that my extracurriculars and exposure to the medical field were not overwhelming.

During my year off, I spent a bunch of time (about 55 hours) shadowing docs, read up A LOT on the US Health Care System, and this caused me to honestly become more intereted in a career in primary care, at the same time seeing the logic behind the UW's curriculum and goals and how they fit into the bigger picture. I also got a full time job working with a lab company, while still working at my original non-medical related job.

The one thing that helped me the most was reading Delivering Health Care in America by Shi and Singh. Unfortunately, it is about 600 pages, but it gave me more than enough to talk about in the interview.

Hope my story helps.

Thanks! My story is VERY similar to yours...without the acceptance part. I'm starting to think the problem is with my interview, did I pass gas? No...Cry? No...Smell bad? No...Knock their socks off? Oh, that's probably what I forgot to do.

 

[swman]

Yikes, your post worries me! I am very similiar to you (almost same stats: 3.79/31), except I'm you last year as the traditional student that was wait-listed. How did you feel after your interview last year?? How much med. exposure did you have?

Thing is, I felt that my interview went really well... I got across most of what I wanted to and really felt I connected with my interviewers. Although, we didn't focus much on medically related issues... it was more on me. Talked about my research more than volunteer experiences. But the only real medical exposure I have is from volunteering at Children's Hospital ER (been there a year and a half) and peditrician shadowing. And I did have an interview question about "following up" with patients I've helped in the ER on later days, and I had to honestly answer that I've never followed up on any patients... working once a week; most ER patients are gone by the time I come back...

Oh well... did you enjoy your year off from school? 😉

I hate to scare you, but my very first question asked last year was if there were any ER patients that stood out to me, and what I could tell them about this particular patient and their condition, treatment, follow-up, etc., and I didn't really have anything good to say.

I realized that they saw a lack of clinical exposure in my app. right away and decided to call me out on it in the interview by asking me questions such as the above one, what type of doctor I wanted to be (and how I knew this), and others.

Although the rest of the interview went well and they asked questions that pertained to getting to know me, they had ultimately confirmed that I needed more exposure.

When I asked Dr. Samson about it, he said that he put me on the waitlist rather than reject me since I had to work 25 hours a week through college to pay for it, and I had somewhat of an excuse for not having as much of an opportunity.

However, if I were you, I would try to do something new and exciting with lots of patient contact that would knock their socks off. Then update the school (particularly your EXCOM interviewer) ASAP about your new experience, how it has helped confirm your desire to be a physician, as well as your level of interest in the school. Last year, I tried to get a bunch of shadowing experience during my senior year, but it turned out to be too little, too late.

Sorry if I sound like a know it all, but I am just speaking from my experience and trying to help 🙂 .

 

[67192]

I hate to scare you, but my very first question asked last year was if there were any ER patients that stood out to me, and what I could tell them about this particular patient and their condition, treatment, follow-up, etc., and I didn't really have anything good to say.

I realized that they saw a lack of clinical exposure in my app. right away and decided to call me out on it in the interview by asking me questions such as the above one, what type of doctor I wanted to be (and how I knew this), and others.

Although the rest of the interview went well and they asked questions that pertained to getting to know me, they had ultimately confirmed that I needed more exposure.

When I asked Dr. Samson about it, he said that he put me on the waitlist rather than reject me since I had to work 25 hours a week through college to pay for it, and I had somewhat of an excuse for not having as much of an opportunity.

However, if I were you, I would try to do something new and exciting with lots of patient contact that would knock their socks off. Then update the school (particularly your EXCOM interviewer) ASAP about your new experience, how it has helped confirm your desire to be a physician, as well as your level of interest in the school. Last year, I tried to get a bunch of shadowing experience during my senior year, but it turned out to be too little, too late.

Sorry if I sound like a know it all, but I am just speaking from my experience and trying to help 🙂 .

Wow, okay, thanks. Any ideas on how to approach physicians about shadowing? Did you ask the doc's while volunteering at the ER, call the volunteer office, send a letter?

I was able to talk about some of the patients diseases and a couple of kids who really stood out to me and confirmed my desire to become a physician. I just couldn't say anything about following-up on that patient later...

 

[okayplayer]

Merry Christmas everyone.

I think I know what all of us 'competitive pool' people are wanting for Christmas. 🙂