Usuhs

[mslall]

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Why does everyone else get the cool questions? I interviewed on Thursday as well and my questions were all very standard. ("When did you decided to pursue medicine?" "What is a challenge you see yourself facing in medical school/ as a doctor?")

Also I wonder if it was just this Thursday but it seemed like there were a lot more people trying to do Navy than I would have expected. (seemed disproportionate for the number of spots available) Though I guess you can't base those sorts of things off of any one interview group.

when i went back in september it seemed like everyone wanted either army and air force with the exception of 2-3 navy people. I'm sure it all evens out eventually

 

[eschott]

when i went back in september it seemed like everyone wanted either army and air force with the exception of 2-3 navy people. I'm sure it all evens out eventually

I always wondered about that...how much research do most people do before they pick their preference? Are people sitting down and having long chats with people in different branches, or is it more of a "that army guy looks cool, I'll put that as my first choice"? Either way, I think it's hard to go that wrong going in as a physician.

 

[TheGoose]

I always wondered about that...how much research do most people do before they pick their preference? Are people sitting down and having long chats with people in different branches, or is it more of a "that army guy looks cool, I'll put that as my first choice"? Either way, I think it's hard to go that wrong going in as a physician.

i used to watch JAG when it was on TV. i chose navy.

 

[rkonmd]

Just got my unconditional today (Army). Letter dated Nov. 19, 2008.

Best of luck to anyone who is still waiting to hear back.

 

[teacherman84]

can anyone address the navy height limit in the usuhs catalog? I tried to talk to admissions about this but they are busy and I couldnt get an answer. I am 6'4" and according to usuhs I am too tall but just looking at the navy sites I am ok...any experience with this? Is this something that can get a waiver?

 

[TheGoose]

where does it say according to usuhs that youre too tall? there are waivers for height but thats more like the case of David Robinson (7'1"). i wouldnt think 6'4" would be too tall for any service

 

[DrMetal]

when i went back in september it seemed like everyone wanted either army and air force with the exception of 2-3 navy people. I'm sure it all evens out eventually

well, there were definitely 3 of us that were Navy (in uniform), and I talked to couple others that sounded interested in Navy. It seemed like a good number (10-15 by show of hands) put down AF.

 

[177584]

can anyone address the navy height limit in the usuhs catalog? I tried to talk to admissions about this but they are busy and I couldnt get an answer. I am 6'4" and according to usuhs I am too tall but just looking at the navy sites I am ok...any experience with this? Is this something that can get a waiver?

so unless that's brand new I'm pretty sure there are waivers the tallest guys in my class are both navy and I know of others in classes above me that are like 6'7" and navy......that limit is a new one for me

 

[teacherman84]

Ok, I was just going by what the catalog said...it seemed bizarre

 

[giuseppe]

i used to watch JAG when it was on TV. i chose navy.

wow. i watched top gun when i was a kid and picked air force. it wasn't until i was in the air force that i realized it was about naval aviators. thankfully, after spending a semester on exchange to naval academy i realized how good i have it in the air force..

 

[TheGoose]

i didnt think mentioning the Gospel of Top Gun was even necessary when considering my handle and avatar. :+D

 

[boggle]

Had a rough experience so far, but hopefully I will hear from the school soon about an interview. One of my profs didn't send in his letter even though he told me repeatedly he was going to, and because of the backlog at USUHS it got overlooked for awhile. My first secondary sent in ended up being one of the last completed on 11/14. to make matters worse, it was just an extra one, I already had 3 submitted, plus my other letters. I'm hoping that I'm not too late.

I will be going Navy as well btw. Gotta love the bases, the ocean, and the lifestyle. Was going to go Nuke for awhile, but i don't think the Admiral liked it when I started talking about eventually going to med school. Anyway, My brother played football at the academy and is now a major in the marines, do you think a letter from him would help?

 

[notdeadyet]

Anyway, My brother played football at the academy and is now a major in the marines, do you think a letter from him would help?

An LOR from family members will not help you and might possibly hurt you. Avoid.

 

[Coastie2Doc]

can anyone address the navy height limit in the usuhs catalog? I tried to talk to admissions about this but they are busy and I couldnt get an answer. I am 6'4" and according to usuhs I am too tall but just looking at the navy sites I am ok...any experience with this? Is this something that can get a waiver?

From the USU Catalog on http://www.usuhs.mil/admissions.html page 57:

"Minimum and maximum height for men and women, measured to the nearest quarter inch without shoes, are 60 to 80 and 58 to 80 inches, respectively."

80 inches is 6'8". Why do you think you are too tall?

 

[teacherman84]

Page 58...on the chart there is no weight listed for heights above 75 inches for males 21-27 under the US Navy column. I hoped I was wrong but I just wanted to know if I needed a waiver or something.

 

[TheGoose]

im gonna bet that the fact its not listed means you need a tape test. When you get that tall there are a lot of different body frames and weights that can probably still qualify. just a hunch though

 

[aus627]

Hey I just got "they call" today for AF. I interviewed on 9/18 and I found out a week ago that they were missing my LOA. I'm in ROTC and have been designated pre med for the past 2 years. From what I found out USUHS never got the list of pre med cadets in ROTC, so long story short they were waiting for a LOA from me that they didn't need.

Anyways, I don't know how many people are in the same situation, but if you are maybe you can call up there and double check on the paperwork. Good luck to those still waiting!

 

[utahjazz]

Hey I just got "they call" today for AF. I interviewed on 9/18 and I found out a week ago that they were missing my LOA. I'm in ROTC and have been designated pre med for the past 2 years. From what I found out USUHS never got the list of pre med cadets in ROTC, so long story short they were waiting for a LOA from me that they didn't need.

Anyways, I don't know how many people are in the same situation, but if you are maybe you can call up there and double check on the paperwork. Good luck to those still waiting!

Good thing you got that issue taken care of... it must have sucked waiting to hear for more than 2 months though. Congratulations and good luck with getting your unconditional.

 

[eschott]

Hey I just got "they call" today for AF. I interviewed on 9/18 and I found out a week ago that they were missing my LOA. I'm in ROTC and have been designated pre med for the past 2 years. From what I found out USUHS never got the list of pre med cadets in ROTC, so long story short they were waiting for a LOA from me that they didn't need.

Anyways, I don't know how many people are in the same situation, but if you are maybe you can call up there and double check on the paperwork. Good luck to those still waiting!

Congratulations, you've been waiting a long time!! It serves as a great reminder to everyone to make sure the Admissions people have everything up to date! Have you heard anything about getting a temp AD assignment after commissioning from your school, instead of sitting around not getting paid until august?

 

[mslall]

Have you heard anything about getting a temp AD assignment after commissioning from your school, instead of sitting around not getting paid until august?

he'll get paid at COT wont he? We do get paid for the time at our respective courses (COT, OBC, ODS)? dont we?

 

[eschott]

he'll get paid at COT wont he? We do get paid for the time at our respective courses (COT, OBC, ODS)? dont we?

yes, you'll get paid! ROTC/Academy/Prior Officers don't have to go through COT/OBC/ODS (we've already had our fun!). Sometimes when recent commissionees can't get into their tech school right away (pilot training, intel school, etc.) they'll put them at a base for a temporary job (running errands, etc.) until their spot opens up. I heard this might happen for people going to med school too. Otherwise, we'll have to wait until school starts in august to get any $$.

 

[mslall]

cool, got ya. I had a friend who commissioned in the marine corps post graduation but a spot didnt open up at the basic school until october of the following year so he got a temporary assignment as a recruiter.

I'm pretty sure everyone except prior service officers goes to OBC in the army. As a non-prior that definitely doesn't apply to me, i'm gonna be enjoying....maybe not....the san antonio weather.

also, this page 26 is going on forever

 

[SirGecko]

I don't know about the Air Force but Navy NROTC grads waiting to start working (either waiting to go to their ship, waiting to start flight school, or waiting to start med school, etc) are usually either stashed at their NROTC unit or they get hometown recruiting duty. Either way we start getting paid once we get our commission.

 

[RedLemond]

Well, I got a call yesterday afternoon from the admissions office - but I missed it! The message left on my phone just said "a call concerning my application." Called them back today and the person handling my file is gone until Monday. So, I get to wait it out until then! Is a phone call generally a positive thing?

 

[utahjazz]

Well, I got a call yesterday afternoon from the admissions office - but I missed it! The message left on my phone just said "a call concerning my application." Called them back today and the person handling my file is gone until Monday. So, I get to wait it out until then! Is a phone call generally a positive thing?

When that happened to me and I returned the call, it was a notification of my conditional acceptance... hope the same thing happens to you on Monday.

 

[RedLemond]

When that happened to me and I returned the call, it was a notification of my conditional acceptance... hope the same thing happens to you on Monday.

Thanks! That is good to hear! I hope so too!

 

[aus627]

Congratulations, you've been waiting a long time!! It serves as a great reminder to everyone to make sure the Admissions people have everything up to date! Have you heard anything about getting a temp AD assignment after commissioning from your school, instead of sitting around not getting paid until august?

No I haven't heard anything yet. As far as getting a temporary assignment, I've seen the AF do both. My older brother actually has a 6 month wait after commissioning to go to pilot training, but another guy at our Det got taken on right away at an AF base while he waited for his UPT to start. I'm not sure what their criteria is for choosing between the two...

I know that us rotc and academy people don't have to do COT, but does anyone know if we have to do ASBC instead?

 

[eschott]

I know that us rotc and academy people don't have to do COT, but does anyone know if we have to do ASBC instead?

I'm pretty sure all Doc's do ASBC by correspondence (online). From what I hear, it's way better than sitting through powerpoints again in person, not to mention much shorter!

 

[USUHS2008]

I have a quick question for anyone that might know. I was recently unconditionally accepted to USUHS and I was wondering if anyone knows where I can find a list of text books that are used in the first year courses. I work on an ambulance, and sit around for 55+ hours a week, so I figure I might as well do something constructive. Also, are your books issued to you, or do you get a reimbursement, or how does that work. I figure I will only buy the cheapest books if I can't get my money back. Thanks in advance

As the other poster said, there are no reimbursements at USU, just book issues. So unless you think of selling your books back on half.com counts, I wouldn't shell out serious cash yet. You could buy "First Aid for the Step 1 Exam" to get familiar with the broad overview.

 

[USUHS2008]

Does anyone know if we can do clinical rotations at hospitals abroad? That sheet they gave us at the interview seemed like only domestic, but it would be pretty cool to do surgery at Landstuhl...

You absolutely CAN do it, but you have to take care of your own lodging (pretty cheap on base, in the range of $20-30 per day) and transportation (take a Space Available flight from Andrews AFB for free). But it's definitely done all the time.

 

[USUHS2008]

we were crammed into a room with not enough seats. actually the room didn't even have enough room for the table and the chairs. we were asked 5-7 times if we completed a worksheet (you had to be there, people were asking if this was a joke). the room we eventually moved to was missing a ceiling. the old medical lady (rebecca is new) talked about grey's anatomy and scrubs like we all cared. granted, i assume she was trying to make a joke or put us at ease but in reality it just came across as unprofessional given the situation (you really had to be there to catch on to the awkwardness of it). the slides weren't up to date and the O-6 questioned the validity of several of the statements on the slides like she was seeing them for the first time. etc.. just sloppy.

i mean, once we were done with the admissions side of it, i started enjoying myself. the students at lunch were the best group i've met at any interview and the interviewers were superb. we were free to roam around the campus and many of the students were more than willing to give me the real scoop.

again, some of it was just run sloppy and took advantage of our situation. we all flew out there, some of us as far as the west coast. obviously, the admissions presentation would never change my desire to attend usuhs, but it's not like they're in a war-torn or operational environment struggling to keep their heads above water. in the end of the day, it is an academic institution. coming from another military academic institution, i was slightly aghast with their initial impression (probably the closest thing hundreds of future physicians come to military medicine). all they have to do is look 30 minutes away to the naval academy or any other service academy to see that you can run a military academic institution with as much class as an ivy league school.

do i sound snobbish? i don't mean to. i just see things i wish to fix.

You don't, you just have to realize that due to the nature of the school's charter the civilian part of the school is just as if not more "powerful" at USU than the military side of the house. This school will not meet your expectations in the slightest if you are thinking that it will be another Academy. Throw 4 different uniformed services on top of that with all sorts of differences in the way things are done and you most definitely do not have an organization that will run like clockwork to impress. It's a bizarre hybrid, which sometimes makes for some weird rules and inconsistencies. Nothing I couldn't live with, but it's good to know to expect it.

Not sure what happened with the Admissions office, though: they've always been top notch in my experience (I interviewed prospective med studs most weeks all last year, and they always were WAY ahead of the curveball organizing everything).

 

[USUHS2008]

can anyone address the navy height limit in the usuhs catalog? I tried to talk to admissions about this but they are busy and I couldnt get an answer. I am 6'4" and according to usuhs I am too tall but just looking at the navy sites I am ok...any experience with this? Is this something that can get a waiver?

One of the graduating USU students this year is Navy and is 6'11" so put your mind at ease...

 

[177584]

As the other poster said, there are no reimbursements at USU, just book issues. So unless you think of selling your books back on half.com counts, I wouldn't shell out serious cash yet. You could buy "First Aid for the Step 1 Exam" to get familiar with the broad overview.

You might consider buying a used copy of the BRS for biochem...don't break the bank I guess they issue this now but this is typically an area people struggle in. If you do not have a strong background in cell biology some review there couldn't hurt. I'm not sure if they issue Netter's or not...they did not issue it to my class and if they didn't issue it last year that will be something worth while.

 

[RedLemond]

FYI :for those of you following interview/acceptance dates

my interview was on Oct 16th, and I received a "conditional" acceptance phone call Nov. 25 (which I missed, but it was verified today). I applied for US Navy.

I received a "qualified" letter from dodmerb around 11/20, but I don't think USU knew about it b/c they asked me over the phone how that was going...

Hope that is helpful, and good luck everyone! 👍

 

[DrMetal]

FYI :for those of you following interview/acceptance dates

my interview was on Oct 16th, and I received a "conditional" acceptance phone call Nov. 25 (which I missed, but it was verified today). I applied for US Navy.

I received a "qualified" letter from dodmerb around 11/20, but I don't think USU knew about it b/c they asked me over the phone how that was going...

Hope that is helpful, and good luck everyone! 👍

cool, congrats! thanks for sharing, that helps the rest of us know where they're at.

 

[utahjazz]

FYI :for those of you following interview/acceptance dates

my interview was on Oct 16th, and I received a "conditional" acceptance phone call Nov. 25 (which I missed, but it was verified today). I applied for US Navy.

I received a "qualified" letter from dodmerb around 11/20, but I don't think USU knew about it b/c they asked me over the phone how that was going...

Hope that is helpful, and good luck everyone! 👍

Congrats! I'm glad it turned out to be good news.

 

[airforcedukie]

Any air force ppl hear?

 

[TheGoose]

^^ i guess we'll have to postpone that ironman training. alt list for me. im pretty surprised. eh, SMP here i come. Best of luck to everyone else.

 

[Brocimus]

^^ i guess we'll have to postpone that ironman training. alt list for me. im pretty surprised. eh, SMP here i come. Best of luck to everyone else.

Seriously? That's too bad, man. You sounded competitive. Were you navy or af?

 

[skim87]

^^ i guess we'll have to postpone that ironman training. alt list for me. im pretty surprised. eh, SMP here i come. Best of luck to everyone else.

haha I'm actually in SMP right now. Hard program and it makes it so that you hear back late from schools as far as decisions/interview notifications go but it's worth it I think.

 

[mslall]

has anyone who is in unconditionally and sent in their transcripts gotten any sort of feedback or confirmation from the admissions dept yet?

 

[utahjazz]

^^ i guess we'll have to postpone that ironman training. alt list for me. im pretty surprised. eh, SMP here i come. Best of luck to everyone else.

Wow, I'm really surprised and disappointed to hear that. You definitely seem like the type of student they want. Are you still waiting to hear back from other schools for this cycle?

 

[skim87]

Due to delays related with the upcoming holidays, I was told that I shouldn't be surprised to hear back as late as late january. I interviewed October 2nd...This could be related to the fact that I am in the SMP program @ Georgetown and they just received some of my first semester grades but that's just a general sign I think that they are running a bit behind this year...

If it turns out I do hear back late Jan that would mark 16 weeks after my interview 🙁

 

[DrMetal]

^^ i guess we'll have to postpone that ironman training. alt list for me. im pretty surprised. eh, SMP here i come. Best of luck to everyone else.

suprising, you're so on top of things regarding milmed. Well, hopefully you'll get in elsewhere . . going hpsp?

 

[Roberie]

This whole process is supremely frustrating. I'm sure this has been said before, but it seems like so many seemingly qualified applicants are being turned away. What gives? What criteria are they using to determine who gets an acceptance and who does not? And, whatever happened to that rhetoric at the interview about "just making sure we're normal"?😡😕

Good luck, Goose. I wish you nothing but the best.

 

[speedyk]

This whole process is supremely frustrating. I'm sure this has been said before, but it seems like so many seemingly qualified applicants are being turned away. What gives? What criteria are they using to determine who gets an acceptance and who does not? And, whatever happened to that rhetoric at the interview about "just making sure we're normal"?😡😕

Good luck, Goose. I wish you nothing but the best.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have to dip into the alternate list this year... I have seen a lot of non-priors with excellent stats getting in and people with traditionally good stats by USU standards being put on the alternate list. My friend with a strong interest in the military (and a rich family tradition of service in the military) was put on the alternate list with a 3.6, 31, and better ECs than me. I think they are overconfident about how many people will actually matriculate in the fall due to the lousy economy & the rapidly rising bar in MD admissions. Either that or they will accept a disproportionately large number of late interviewees.

No offense, but it's pretty naive to buy the "we're just making sure you're normal" routine they put on. They have a < 15% acceptance rate and only accept ~55% of people they interview in most years and the people I interviewed with were the best bunch out of all the schools I have interviewed at by far.

 

[Roberie]

No offense, but it's pretty naive to buy the "we're just making sure you're normal" routine they put on. They have a < 15% acceptance rate and only accept ~55% of people they interview in most years and the people I interviewed with were the best bunch out of all the schools I have interviewed at by far.

Sure, I by no means "bought" their rhetoric. I'm merely venting my frustration at an overtly unpredictable situation where I have very little control over the outcome.

 

[DrMetal]

I wouldn't be surprised if they have to dip into the alternate list this year... I have seen a lot of non-priors with excellent stats getting in and people with traditionally good stats by USU standards being put on the alternate list. My friend with a strong interest in the military (and a rich family tradition of service in the military) was put on the alternate list with a 3.6, 31, and better ECs than me. I think they are overconfident about how many people will actually matriculate in the fall due to the lousy economy & the rapidly rising bar in MD admissions. Either that or they will accept a disproportionately large number of late interviewees.

No offense, but it's pretty naive to buy the "we're just making sure you're normal" routine they put on. They have a < 15% acceptance rate and only accept ~55% of people they interview in most years and the people I interviewed with were the best bunch out of all the schools I have interviewed at by far.

I think your assessment of the situation is right on the money, especially the part about not buying the "just making sure you're normal" routine.

everyone seems to do fine during the interviews (only a few bomb it, only a few rock it). So if everybody does ok during the interviews (I'm basing this off of the almost universal positive comments about the interview process at usushs), then I don't think they're using the interviews as the make or break factor. They probably going back through the entire application, and looking at everything wholistically (mcat/gpa/essays, yadda yadda).

So if you had say a 27 mcat and got an interview, you might end up on the alt. list per your low mcat score, no matter how well you interviewed. kinda sucks . . you wish they'd not even invite you for an interview, so you could save the $500 bucks on airfare and not get your hopes up.

such is the med school admissions procedure! argh!!!

 

[DrMetal]

Sure, I by no means "bought" their rhetoric. I'm merely venting my frustration at an overtly unpredictable situation where I have very little control over the outcome.

Roberie, how long have you been waiting? what's your status?

 

[Roberie]

I interviewed Oct 23rd. So I'm just now approaching the six week mark.

On the bright side, (not that it's of particular importance to you folks) I did get the "medically qualified" email today.