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21 days of no wait list movement....blaahhhhhhh😱
University of Arizona Questions
- Thread starter Twiigg
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Hang in there.... There is still time left. I know a fourth year that got in 10 days before orientation so even when they told him it didnt look good. They still call the last person in the class doctor ya know 😀
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Hi! I'll be applying to U of A med school the same year as you!!! I'm actually transferring out to UA now as a junior to finish my undergrad and establish residency in the state. I currently live in FL.
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I am wondering if anyone knows the answer to this.
I attended Purdue University and graduated in December 2005 with a BS in biology, with a GPA of 3.48. I then attended the University of Arizona, and obtained a BS in microbiology in May 2007, with a 4.0.
What I'm wondering is, which do schools look at? Both? The most recent? I completed my 2nd BS in a year and a half, so my course load was a lot smaller, but I took challenging classes.
I have been playing around with that Excel School Selector, and it makes a big difference which GPA I put in. I've been trying to get in touch with the admissions office to ask them, but haven't gotten through yet.
Thanks a bunch.
I attended Purdue University and graduated in December 2005 with a BS in biology, with a GPA of 3.48. I then attended the University of Arizona, and obtained a BS in microbiology in May 2007, with a 4.0.
What I'm wondering is, which do schools look at? Both? The most recent? I completed my 2nd BS in a year and a half, so my course load was a lot smaller, but I took challenging classes.
I have been playing around with that Excel School Selector, and it makes a big difference which GPA I put in. I've been trying to get in touch with the admissions office to ask them, but haven't gotten through yet.
Thanks a bunch.
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I would imagine AMCAS would average the two. A separate GPA is reported for undergraduate and graduate GPA but since the classes you took at Purdue and UA would both be classified as undergrad, I don't think they would separate them. You might be able to find out for sure by calling AMCAS or visiting their website. Just out of curiosity, why two undergraduate degrees?
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The Purdue campus I went to was very small, and only offered a limited number of biology classes. After moving to Arizona (and needing to wait a year to establish residency), I decided to continue coursework. I felt unsure of my education at the smaller campus, equating school size with the level of education you receive. Basically, I wasn't sure I was "ready" to do a Masters. In retrospect, I should have, but it enabled me to explore my passion for microbiology without the stress of writing a thesis. =)
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It's good to see the old thread still going strong...
Since they are bachelors, I think they should both factor into your undergraduate GPA on amcas. Most places look at more recent coursework with a little more scrutiny. You could call AMCAS to see how it will be classified on their application, which may help you plug the numbers into that spreadsheet. The UA admiss office is also really helpful so keep trying to get through (email always worked great for me). They may be on a break or something since schools are only just now starting to get amcas primary apps for the upcoming cycle.
Since they are bachelors, I think they should both factor into your undergraduate GPA on amcas. Most places look at more recent coursework with a little more scrutiny. You could call AMCAS to see how it will be classified on their application, which may help you plug the numbers into that spreadsheet. The UA admiss office is also really helpful so keep trying to get through (email always worked great for me). They may be on a break or something since schools are only just now starting to get amcas primary apps for the upcoming cycle.
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Last I checked, average mcat at UA was about a 30, but it may have gone up since then.
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Or down...
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Dont be so focused on just your MCAT scores though, UofA likes to look at the package deal. Everything from your interviews to your letters of rec, MCAT scores all carry weight. There have been UofA COM students with a MCAT below 20 who later graduated with honors. Rare Im sure but its been done. Just stay positive and be proud of what you have accomplished. And should you not get in the first time, try again and again.
Thanks a lot for the response!! I feel my application is pretty strong (this is what I have been told by many), but just worried about the mcat that I will be taking for the 1st time in two weeks. My practice scores are not as consistent as I want them to be and I have already delayed taking the mcat twice due to this.....
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I think the trend has been up nationally as admission is becoming more competitive, but I don't know if that effects UA so much because it is a bit more isolated from the applicant pool, being so strict about residency and all.
Just focus on doing as well as you can, don't worry so much about what actual score you are going to get or how much UA likes mcat scores, at least at this point. You'll be fine.
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Dibs.
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Hi, I am a VERY established 4th gen Arizona native with a family, a house, a business and lots of volunteer and professional involvement with native americans and other underserved folks in the Phoenix area over several years. My dream medical job would be a family doc doing cradle-to-grave medicine with underserved people in Arizona. The only way this works practically (due to pay cuts in primary, etc.) is if I take advantage of the primary care tuition reimbursement program through the AZ state gov't. Otherwise I would have to subspecialize to pay back debts like everyone else, right? 😕
Anyway, at the risk of sounding cocky, does U of A turn people away for being too highly qualified? I have a 4.0 sGPA and a 3.8 cGPA, and although I haven't taken MCAT yet, I expect between 31Q-33S based on practice tests. Not perfect, I know, but higher than the averages I've seen for AZ. I have heard that because U of A prefers people who will stay in-state, high stats are bad because those candidates could potentially get in somewhere more "prestigious" (I'm not really concerned about prestige) and leave AZ permanently. Is this true?
Thanks, and
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Arizona's tuition reimbursement program is a great option if you know you are committed to primary care and would like to stay in Arizona. It is not, however, your only option if you're interested in primary care. There are loan repayment programs through the NHSC and many hospitals offer loan repayment incentives to attract primary care docs. Additionally, with UA's comparatively low tuition costs and considering that even primary care physicians earn six figures, you will still be living comfortably as a FM doc even if you have to take out loans to pay for school.
I think what you've heard about UA turning people away because their stats were "too high" is untrue. There are several people who have been accepted/attending UA with very high scores. UA looks beyond your MCAT and GPA though by evaluating your entire application (interview, ECs, personal statement, etc.) when considering whether or not you are a good fit for UA.
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Good to know...thanks! Is there a significant difference between the students and instruction at the Phoenix and Tucson campuses? Hard to tell based on the website alone. I would prefer to stay in Phoenix, but I know it is one application and am curious what criteria they use to place you in one or the other, if at all.
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It is currently one application submission, but as of this past year both have their own admissions committes. Because of such, you actually are evaluated seperately by each campus, and admitted seperately. It is possible to get accepted/waitlisted/rejected by both, one or the other, or neither. In the coming years, I believe the plan is to have seperate AMCAS' entierly.
The current direction of the College of Medicine is "one school in two places." Therefore, currently the curriculum are highly similar. There are a few differences, the biggest probably being the required, four year scholarly project in phx. In tucson, these are not required per se, but you can do the same kind of thing if you wanted to.
Ultimately, I think they are going to flesh out some more differences in both programs. But for the forseeable future, that won't happen until phoenix is more developed than it is now. Personally, I originally prefered Phoenix, got into both, but ultimately picked Tucson. Eventhough I grew up in phx, I love research, and liked the concept of the scholarly project, I felt phx, being much less developed (at least for now) didn't confer any real advantages to me (you can pm me if you want to know more about that). But some people like the fact that they will be trailblazing at phx. So it really it is up to you; like I said curricular differences are minimal and you can't go wrong either way.
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just in case anyone was wondering, the waitlist went to 65 this year.
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hey, are you in med school?
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It was March 3rd for us this past year, all 158 (Tucson and Phoenix) came out at once, although in years past they did it in waves
This year they're doing semi-rolling admissions. First wave is in December.
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Are you serious?? Why is there nothing on their website about this change or am I missing something??
yes, that is true. They told us at the interview that they are doing what they call "semi-rolling admissions." So, they are going in waves with the first wave being released in December. i believe that they also said that the last wave would probably be in March, although I'm sure that waitlist movement will continue well into the summer.
oh wow!! so are you at an advantage applying early? Also how long from the date you submit your secondary does it take to get an interview? And when is the last day that you can interview to be considered in the first patch of applicants? thanks a lot!
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This Monday was the first week of interviews....so they have started ;-). As to when to interview and still be in the first pool has yet to be determined. They are still figuring out the exact date in December, is what I heard last from the COM office. However it is not just your interview but also your LOR's etc. You have to have a complete file with the COM Admissions office to have your file be forwarded on to the Admissions Committee.
But yes it will be semi-rolling, so if you are not accepted in the first batch you might be in the second and so forth. Thus the more batches that your application is being considered for the better. The Tucson office is pretty good about turnaround time with secondaries and they will send you a email with a link to schedule your interview. Tanisha and Anne are absolutely the best people I have ever worked with. Always nice when you can schedule your interview. The semi-rolling decision was made only a little while ago based on feedback from last year. And these numbers are for the accepted students only, the waitlist will be generated in March or so. Then they will pull off of that list to fill open seats until class starts. Hope that helps! 😛
But yes it will be semi-rolling, so if you are not accepted in the first batch you might be in the second and so forth. Thus the more batches that your application is being considered for the better. The Tucson office is pretty good about turnaround time with secondaries and they will send you a email with a link to schedule your interview. Tanisha and Anne are absolutely the best people I have ever worked with. Always nice when you can schedule your interview. The semi-rolling decision was made only a little while ago based on feedback from last year. And these numbers are for the accepted students only, the waitlist will be generated in March or so. Then they will pull off of that list to fill open seats until class starts. Hope that helps! 😛
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My best suggestion is that you look online for questions and try and come up with answers to those. And make sure you know what you are going say when they start out with the "....tell me about yourself" question. Maybe type a paragraph up with 5-6 points. But dont make it look like you are reading that paragraph right off a teleprompter over their shoulder. You don't have to hit everything as it should be in your AMCAS file too. This is your chance to show what an amazing social professional person you are. So don't assault the person with thousands of things out of the chute. They wont get a chance to write them all down. So hit the big 4-5 points you feel important to convey. Be prepared but not scripted
Also look into current actions in the medical world. Congress just vetoed a huge medicare bill after the president signed it. Or info on Obama or McCain health care reforms policies. Etc you get the picture. And be ready with questions for the person, and not just school specific questions. So the UofA mascot is the wildcat or what programs are highly ranked here? You should know that from looking at the UofA COM web page previously, catch my drift? Ask them about the recent Medicare veto and how their practice is changed or paying sub-specialities to be on call for the ED. And also not a good idea to tell the OB/Gyn that interviews you, that you would rather be hung by your toenails than go into OB, or whatever the speciality of your interviewer. Catch my drift. Like telling the PhD that research blows and you hope to never see another DNA gel again. I also heard from the applicants that were interviewed by PhDs, the always good question of why not research/PhD track?
Also make sure you have all of your clothes ready a few days before the interview day. Don't want to fight with the dry cleaner who just lost your shirt at 8pm the night before or your shirt shrunk etc. And make sure you feel comfy in those spiffy clothes. You will be nervous enough and don't need the frustrations of your suit to make it worse.
Thanks a bunch for the response!! I really appreciate it! Another question, does anyone know what the lowest MCAT for the accepted/wait-listed applicants in 2007-08 was? How important of a role does the score play in admissions at this school if you have met the minimum requirement of 22? Thanks!
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Whoa - seeing this thread again brings a tear to my eye. :cry:
I don't know what the lowest score was, to be honest I don't really care enough to ask anybody. I can tell you the average was about 29-30ish. There are certainly people both below and above the average. The role of the MCAT is the same as at every other school, it provides an objective snapshot of your academic readiness and test taking skills. As such, ideally you should be around or above that average.
As a sidenote, for some reason our waitlist went a little further this past year than it usually does. I think it is probably due to the increasing class size in PHX, multiple acceptances at both campuses, and therefore people ultimately had to choose between one or the other (like I ultimately did).
Overall, one thing I have noticed is that our class is very diverse, which isn't by coincidence. It doesn't seem like a big deal when you are applying and so everybody sticks to worrying about grades and MCAT. But now that I am here, I think it really contributes to the learning experience in medical school. The committe is really looking to build a class where everybody has something to bring to the table.
So far I love it here and wouldn't go anywhere else. You can PM me with questions about curriculum, campuses, tuition whateva. I should have time to answer, at least until we hit the Neuro block next month (or does it hit us?).
Good luck with interviews, it is kinda strange seeing you all in the suits, as you tour the student lounge, knowing that I was in that spot less than a year ago.
I don't know what the lowest score was, to be honest I don't really care enough to ask anybody. I can tell you the average was about 29-30ish. There are certainly people both below and above the average. The role of the MCAT is the same as at every other school, it provides an objective snapshot of your academic readiness and test taking skills. As such, ideally you should be around or above that average.
As a sidenote, for some reason our waitlist went a little further this past year than it usually does. I think it is probably due to the increasing class size in PHX, multiple acceptances at both campuses, and therefore people ultimately had to choose between one or the other (like I ultimately did).
Overall, one thing I have noticed is that our class is very diverse, which isn't by coincidence. It doesn't seem like a big deal when you are applying and so everybody sticks to worrying about grades and MCAT. But now that I am here, I think it really contributes to the learning experience in medical school. The committe is really looking to build a class where everybody has something to bring to the table.
So far I love it here and wouldn't go anywhere else. You can PM me with questions about curriculum, campuses, tuition whateva. I should have time to answer, at least until we hit the Neuro block next month (or does it hit us?).
Good luck with interviews, it is kinda strange seeing you all in the suits, as you tour the student lounge, knowing that I was in that spot less than a year ago.
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WWWWOOOOOWWWWWWW! You have no idea how much I wish you had posted this Monday night. If I didn't know better I would think you were the person who interviewed me 😀
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Amen Rooter.... I totally agree. The diverse class didnt make sense until you see just how different we are and the different ways we plan to head post med school. Also I can try and answer any questions you guys might have as well.... so PM away! And I thought Neuro was more of a hit us, then back up and run over again or known has the what was the license plate of that mack truck that just nailed us.
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Thanks again to everyone for being so helpful!! I hate to keep asking about the MCAT, but why does the UofA give students a secondary and interview if they have a minimum score of 22? I mean realistically will they or do they take students with such scores? And I don't mean to be rude by saying this because I don't have such a fantastic score!
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I think the average is 29ish or something like that, but that is the average. All Arizona residents get an interview as a gift to the residents.... even though UofA doesn't take out of state applicants...yet. I would say interview strong and really push your volunteering and clinical experiences. Show that while you may not have done rock star on the test, you are still a strong student that has lots to offer UofA COM. Previously I think the lowest MCAT score that matriculated was a 18 or 19. So low MCAT doesn't mean you will never be a student, it just means that you will have to work hard to show your positives. It can be done! 😎
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Yes, my interviewer was a trauma surgeon and I made the mistake of saying "I think EM would be a great specialty for the shift work so I'd have the time to have a family". After which he responded, "I've been up for 22 hours and done 18 surgeries, and I couldn't be happier with my choice of specialty."
So, advice: don't say anything that would seem to suggest you're not anything but in it only and all for the medicine. Keep lifestyle and money as the last two considerations in wanting to be a doctor. Also, get a feel for your interviewer. If he/she has books all about public health on the wall, try to bring up relatable experiences so the interview has more substance than simply a discussion of your qualifications.
Also, Krosburg, didn't Bush veto and congress override the veto? Were you referring to the legislation re: cutting physician payments?
Go Congress! There must be at least some lobbyists for doctors out there!
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Anyone know U of A's policy for your spouse working at U of A or UMC? My wife is a RN and I heard that if she works for U of A then tuition would be way cheaper. Does this include UMC work too?
I know, I should probably worry about getting accepted first, but this is just a really exciting possibility for me. If no one knows I'll just call Fin Aid...
I know, I should probably worry about getting accepted first, but this is just a really exciting possibility for me. If no one knows I'll just call Fin Aid...
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That is what I mean to say ;-) Congress did override and prevent a 11 percent cut in reimbursements.
And I am not a hundred percent but I am pretty sure that having a spouse work at UMC will not get you anything for discounts. I believe they would have to work directly for UofA. UMC is not really related to UofA in that respect. I am not even sure if the same tuition discount applies to the medical school over undergraduate. But you could ask Yolanda in Financial Aid. She knows pretty much everything in that world, and best friend to all med students for that reason.
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How much weight do they place on the interviews here? I had an amazing interview last year (interviewer and I still keep in touch) but didn't even earn a place on the waitlist. My numbers were slightly lower and one of my publications didn't get accepted until this year, but I was just curious if anyone knows how much weight they place on the interviews in general?
Thank you!!
Thank you!!
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so i have briefly skimmed everyone's troubles w/ residency and now im a little scared! U of A is my first choice and i absolutely would love to go there. i did consider cali schools, too, but in my situation it would really make the most sense to be in az.
i am an AZ resident, my parents live there. i went to high school there for my last 2 yrs, but i went to college at a private school in MA. long story, don't want to bore anyone, but im basically here bc i have an almost 4 yr old daughter and they have a parent program. i want to go to U of A because my entire family lives in az...it is hard being here on my own w/ my daughter, and if im going to be in medical school, i really want the support and help of my family.
i am registered to vote in AZ, driver's license is AZ, plates, insurance, my rents claim me and file me under their taxes each year...i did spend this past summer in arizona, and i go home for vacations...but are they going to give me trouble about my residency??? 😕
i am an AZ resident, my parents live there. i went to high school there for my last 2 yrs, but i went to college at a private school in MA. long story, don't want to bore anyone, but im basically here bc i have an almost 4 yr old daughter and they have a parent program. i want to go to U of A because my entire family lives in az...it is hard being here on my own w/ my daughter, and if im going to be in medical school, i really want the support and help of my family.
i am registered to vote in AZ, driver's license is AZ, plates, insurance, my rents claim me and file me under their taxes each year...i did spend this past summer in arizona, and i go home for vacations...but are they going to give me trouble about my residency??? 😕
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According to the tour guides when I interviewed last week the interview has almost no weight towards acceptances and is used more to determine rejections. So, if your interview went horribly it might cause you to be rejected but if it went amazingly it doesn't really do much for you.
I'm away for undergrad too, and I've had no problems with residency. The admissions office has actually been incredibly accommodating about scheduling my interviews around when I'll be in town. So I wouldn't worry about residency unless they say something to you, just keep up what you're doing.
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That is going rather far in my opinion. They do count and most are trying to see what type of person you are. There are 20 of us that do the tours so its hard to say where that person was coming from. I do believe that the interview can really help some people and not just for rejection. Just my thoughts on that subject.
Some of our class worried about the residency issue as well, and everything turned out great. Your voter reg being AZ and your car plates being AZ will most likely make it an easy case for you to get residency. Your parents and high school also being in AZ will definitely help as well. Overall the residency issue only caused trouble with a few people. All were able to resolve it pretty quickly, faxing in a few more sheets etc. I wouldnt be scared about it at all. Sometimes just need you to tell the story versus just looking at your application sheet. And likely you will be approved without even a second look. Ann and Tanisha are the awesome people in the Admissions office and they can usually get things settled very quickly and easily. Hope that helps! 😎
Just curious, any particular reason why you think you were rejected? You seemed like a good/ well-rounded applicant to me!
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Just curious, any particular reason why you think you were rejected? You seemed like a good/ well-rounded applicant to me!
Thanks for the positive words of encouragement. I'm pretty sure it was a number of factors (I never actually called them so this is just a guess), but mainly being that my MCAT score was slightly lower overall (but I applied anyway, free interview so I figured why not). Also, one of my publications was still in the review stage but was finally accepted this year 🙂)) and I hadn't yet started my master's. So for this year I guess the only basic differences I'm re-applying with are the MCAT score increase, additional publication, biomed master's degree (will finish in spring 09), more clinical experience (both physician shadowing and hospice volunteering), and additional LOR from this past year.
If I don't get in anywhere again, I'm honestly not really sure if I'm up for re-applying a second time because I really feel I've done what I could to strengthen my re-application. BUT I've been told that I'm a very competitive applicant for osteopathic schools so hopefully I'll have some luck there as well.
Good luck, my interview dates are in my MDApps, maybe I'll see you there??
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If your spouse works for the College of Medicine, tuition is free. I doubt the same benefit applies if your spouse is working for UMC or UA.
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