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UTAH Acceptance?!?
Started by sassy24673
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Okay, so I have a question. At some point I stumbled across a page for the U before my acceptance that had apartments that students were renting out. Problem is, I cannot for the life of me find that site again. So I'm hoping that one of you guys might know where it is. As a tangent, if anyone is interested in finding some housing together, let me know 🙂.
Edit: I found it. For those interested, it's http://umed.med.utah.edu/, although nothing of interest to me right now. Seriously, if anyone wants to consider getting an apartment together, drop me a PM.
Edit: I found it. For those interested, it's http://umed.med.utah.edu/, although nothing of interest to me right now. Seriously, if anyone wants to consider getting an apartment together, drop me a PM.
We got the e-mail on May 1st (yes, I just looked it up). Finally, checking e-mail at least 10 times a day paid off... 😛
So I talked to a first year student today, and he confirmed (like everyone has been saying) that they got a crazy amount of applications this year. He said the rumor is acceptances might come after the time they went out last year.
Wonderful. I don't exactly know how this would change the situation though. If everyone has been getting a score throughout the process and they take the top x amount of students, it should be pretty straight-forward and mathematical, correct?
I think so. I would guess (but definitely not sure) that the increase in applicants is at least partially due to the changes in the MCAT. If today was the last day of interviews, I wonder how many people they interviewed for those coveted spots?
hi everyone,
i interviewed at the UUSOM two weeks ago, and at that point they were saying they interviewed 535 applicants. There were only four other people there that day interviewing with me; but they said that the numbers could reach a little more than 10 each interview day. So, I'm guessing they maybe interviewed 40 more since then give or take.
That is some stiff competition for just over 100 spots. Seems a bit higher than normal, no?
Quite a bit higher than normal. Last year when I interviewed in December, they said that they were expecting to interview around 430 applicants, so that would make it around 100 more this year when compared to last. That is some stiff competition indeed.
And archidoc, do you know if that was the total they were planning on interviewing, or if that was just up until when you interviewed? They should know how many people they are interviewing by that time, so I'm just curious.
Yesterday was supposedly the last day of interviews. As you all know the interviewees sit in on our classes at various times through out the morning. I only saw 2 interviewees. Hang in there.
SCOOTDOC
That sucks. Everyones chances went from 1:4 to 1:5, unless the additional interviewees were out of state applicants.
I would say our chances are much better than 1:5. Although a few spots filled in January, there have been a lot of post-interview rejections. Of course without knowing the exact number of acceptances and rejections given to this point, I can't begin to estimate, but I feel confident that a decent portion of the ~550 interviewed applicants have already been rejected.
Also, I've heard speculation on this thread that the reason there were more applicants this year was because of the change in the MCAT schedule. This was exactly my case. I wasn't planning to apply until next year, but I decided I could squeeze in the MCAT on the last possible day of August thanks to the increased number of test dates, giving me the ability to apply for 2008 instead of 2009. I wouldn't be surprised if many other applicants fall into this category as well.
I am pretty sure they were saying it was 535 up to that day. But, I may have heard wrong... being pre-occupied with being all nervous for the interviews 😀. But yah.. either way, it is some stiff competition.
I was also told they usually give out more accpetances by this time in the cycle; but they are having such a hard time because there are a lot of excellent applicants.
oh, and they did say they were planning on sending out letters at the end of march or the first week of april.
good luck to everyone who has applied this year!!!!
that was my situation as well. I wasn't planning to apply until next year, but i squeezed in OChem 2 this past summer and then took my MCAT two weeks later. In the end, i applied late because of the later MCAT date and I was also juggling planning my December wedding 🙂
OR (hopefully) the additional interviewees were in state applicants.
naturally..
Hey guys, I spoke with a 4th yr med student yesterday and they said that the total interviewed was mid 600's and that letters will be sent out the first week in April!! Also, I know of 12 kids who already have acceptances, 8 from Utah and 4 from BYU... so I bet there is more out there from Weber, Utah State, and other Utah schools (and even more from reapps). So they've actually accepted a lot more than we think... luckily 1 of those aren't staying! I'm just waiting like everyone else, but it isn't looking good... BOO!
Hey do you mind me asking you where you this info from? Are those 12 kids and 8 from the U and Y, respectively, just people you knew or did you get this info from the medical school or some pre-med office somewhere?
First week of April it is then. I'm from Westminster College, if that matters.
1st week of April. Or, in other terms...300+ days after I submitted my primary application...nearly 200+ days after submitting my secondary...150+ days after my interview.
Here is to patience...😎
Here is to patience...😎
I hear ya. Submitted primary June 8th, completed secondary in mid August, and interviewed september 13th. Don't you love it?
Oh.. the agony!!!So. What are the odds an out-of-stater gets in?
How many spots do they give?
Maybe...in a strange and twisted sort of way. I mean, if they notified early in the season like most other schools, what would I have to look forward to no aside from getting on with the rest of my life?
Anyone know how many Idaho residents interviewed at Utah?
Yeah - and how many OOS?
According to their admissions brochure, they give about 19 spots for non residents, 8 for Idaho residents, and 75 for Utah residents
That would be interesting to see the breakdown for OOS, Idaho res, and IS applicants who were interviewed. I wonder if they would even release that information.
But, I think it will only add to the anxiety and agony of the rest of our wait for their decision. 😛 (~2 1/2-3weeks!) I'm already having nightmares of that fateful day where I reach into the mailbox and pull out their letter. lol
I asked Dr Samuelson this question and his answer was that the instate to oos applicant ratio this year was roughly the same as in previous years. Didn't ask about interviews.
Hey guys, I'm new. I've been following this thread for some time now and since I attended a lecture from Dr. Wayne Samuelson yesterday, I thought I'd fill you all in on some goods (maybe it's old news for most of you).
The lecture was held in the SOM and was mostly geared toward pre-meds, sort of an "applying 101" thing.
Just some random things I took from it:
- 548 interviews were granted total.
- 30 seats WILL NOT be added this year and most likely not next year either due to failure to procure the proper amount of funding from UT legislature.
- The reason things are going slower IS because of a larger volume of applications ~1300.
- The ratio of IS/OOS in this larger number is "same as usual".
- When asked "When will decisions be mailed out?", Sam. replied: "in a couple of weeks." (I called the admiss. office after and she said "within the last week of March and first week of April.")
- He went over their application grading system and why early decisions are sent out. (if you don't already know I can explain later)
- The U generally DOES NOT over-accept (if they do it's only a couple of spots), only wait-list after class is filled (102 seats).
- Wouldn't say how many acceptances, etc. have been sent out to date.
For my part, I interviewed first week of Nov. still waiting for a decision. Three of my friends have been rejected, two accepted (one 03-12-08, interviewed end of Jan). And that sets a new record for longest first post...
The lecture was held in the SOM and was mostly geared toward pre-meds, sort of an "applying 101" thing.
Just some random things I took from it:
- 548 interviews were granted total.
- 30 seats WILL NOT be added this year and most likely not next year either due to failure to procure the proper amount of funding from UT legislature.
- The reason things are going slower IS because of a larger volume of applications ~1300.
- The ratio of IS/OOS in this larger number is "same as usual".
- When asked "When will decisions be mailed out?", Sam. replied: "in a couple of weeks." (I called the admiss. office after and she said "within the last week of March and first week of April.")
- He went over their application grading system and why early decisions are sent out. (if you don't already know I can explain later)
- The U generally DOES NOT over-accept (if they do it's only a couple of spots), only wait-list after class is filled (102 seats).
- Wouldn't say how many acceptances, etc. have been sent out to date.
For my part, I interviewed first week of Nov. still waiting for a decision. Three of my friends have been rejected, two accepted (one 03-12-08, interviewed end of Jan). And that sets a new record for longest first post...
awesome thanks so much CAR RAM ROD! Hmmmm I think I know why early decisions are sent out... but I'm not sure. Is it because they want to secure the most exceptional applicants?
Did you just say that one of your friends got an acceptance to the UofU on the 12th of this month? As in two days ago? Or was that one of the friends that got rejected? Please let me know quickly before I go insane thinking about this.
Also, please tell us what you learned about the grading system if it is not too much trouble. I'm curious as to what you've heard.
Acceptance...yes, as in two days ago. If you notice though, he interviewed at the end of Jan. It was an early decision of sorts.
The grading system Utah uses is thus:
They use a normalized numerical grading scale. they look at three aspects of your application: MCAT, GPA's, personal statement/interviews/EC's and stuff. They give each its own numerical grade and then...
they multiply MCAT grade by .1, GPA grade (after comparing it to the average GPA of students in your degree-granting college) by .1 and, finally, the grade for the last section (which is really just who you are, what you've done and how you interviewed) is multiplied by .8.
That makes a total of 1.0, or 100%. In other words 20% of their decision is based upon your academic abilities and 80% upon what you wrote and did and said in interviews.
A student asked the same thing about early decisions - "is it to snatch up the best ones?" - and Samuelson was vague in his response but basically said that "best" is relative from school to school, its really just that when they grade someone and they have a really high grade (note: MCAT is only 10% of total grade) they offer them a spot and when they grade someone who has a lower one than the general "bar" that has been set by that point they let them know early so that they can look elsewhere.
My two cents is that the people who get in early are the ones who smoke that third section I pointed out.
The grading system Utah uses is thus:
They use a normalized numerical grading scale. they look at three aspects of your application: MCAT, GPA's, personal statement/interviews/EC's and stuff. They give each its own numerical grade and then...
they multiply MCAT grade by .1, GPA grade (after comparing it to the average GPA of students in your degree-granting college) by .1 and, finally, the grade for the last section (which is really just who you are, what you've done and how you interviewed) is multiplied by .8.
That makes a total of 1.0, or 100%. In other words 20% of their decision is based upon your academic abilities and 80% upon what you wrote and did and said in interviews.
A student asked the same thing about early decisions - "is it to snatch up the best ones?" - and Samuelson was vague in his response but basically said that "best" is relative from school to school, its really just that when they grade someone and they have a really high grade (note: MCAT is only 10% of total grade) they offer them a spot and when they grade someone who has a lower one than the general "bar" that has been set by that point they let them know early so that they can look elsewhere.
My two cents is that the people who get in early are the ones who smoke that third section I pointed out.
One of the MS1s that gave my tour was OOS and was accepted in November or December (also got into a top 10 school in October, but chose UT)...so I am sure some OOS students were already accepted at the U this year.
Crazy number system...seems a little...simple, but hey if it works for them.
Well, first off, I was just repeating what Dr. Samuelson said and I don't pretend to be an expert on any of this so take it for what it is (pre-med obsessing over vague details).
That said, he did say that they MULTIPLY each section by the respective values. So the way I interpret that is that they assign your MCAT score, etc. a numerical value reflected in a letter grade similar to how your performance is graded in a university course (B = 3.0). Then, similar to how a 4 credit hour B affects your GPA more than a 3 credit B, if a 30 MCAT= B (or whatever) then that B will affect your score according to 10%, a B on the third section I described earlier would be more heavily weighted in the overall evaluation and the overall scale would have to be adjusted for their purposes. He did say that they have their own scale, remember.
The reason I'm sticking to this grade thing (even if it doesn't totally make sense) is because he described how committee members "grade" your application before it's combined with your interview "grade".
If there is anyone out there that can straighten us out on this it would be helpful.
As for the question about others from your school applying previously, I assume the info they want is available through your "degree-granting college" that is within your university - even though it seems like that would be a huge undertaking to retrieve for every application.
And yes, they were all in-state applicants, the recently accepted student is a racial minority.
That said, he did say that they MULTIPLY each section by the respective values. So the way I interpret that is that they assign your MCAT score, etc. a numerical value reflected in a letter grade similar to how your performance is graded in a university course (B = 3.0). Then, similar to how a 4 credit hour B affects your GPA more than a 3 credit B, if a 30 MCAT= B (or whatever) then that B will affect your score according to 10%, a B on the third section I described earlier would be more heavily weighted in the overall evaluation and the overall scale would have to be adjusted for their purposes. He did say that they have their own scale, remember.
The reason I'm sticking to this grade thing (even if it doesn't totally make sense) is because he described how committee members "grade" your application before it's combined with your interview "grade".
If there is anyone out there that can straighten us out on this it would be helpful.
As for the question about others from your school applying previously, I assume the info they want is available through your "degree-granting college" that is within your university - even though it seems like that would be a huge undertaking to retrieve for every application.
And yes, they were all in-state applicants, the recently accepted student is a racial minority.
Thanks for the info Cam. It is refreshing to have something else to talk about.
I had almost completely forgotten about the grading system, so thanks for that first post!
Although the GPA and MCAT factor in less in terms of granting acceptance, it's important to remember that they are what ultimately gets you the interview. The extracurriculars (which I think you left out of the grading), along with interview, primary and secondary apps, etc. make up what you called the "interview grade." I'm not sure how each of these individually is graded behind closed doors in the subcommittee, but I have a feeling the interviews have a larger pull than the other parts.
I also don't completely understand how they grade us aside from the fact that when they get to ranking our applications the MCAT weighs 10%, GPA 10%, and the rest 80% (as mentioned in the previous posts).
Something new (to this current discussion) that I have to add is that each interview is worth 5 points each (10 points possible); and to move on to the selection committee you must get a score of 7 points. So the interview does play a large part in your application in that it takes you to the selection committee.
And, as for the average GPA discussion, they consider "the average GPA of students who have gone on to attend medical school from the institution granting the applicant's highest degree." (from the admissions brochure) It sounds like that information can come from the medical schools (mb AAMC) not necessarily from your undergraduate school. However, I was able to find some numbers from my "degree granting institution" at the "pre-med/career center" office/website.
sorry for my ramblings.... I think I'm just trying to keep myself busy 🙂
Something new (to this current discussion) that I have to add is that each interview is worth 5 points each (10 points possible); and to move on to the selection committee you must get a score of 7 points. So the interview does play a large part in your application in that it takes you to the selection committee.
And, as for the average GPA discussion, they consider "the average GPA of students who have gone on to attend medical school from the institution granting the applicant's highest degree." (from the admissions brochure) It sounds like that information can come from the medical schools (mb AAMC) not necessarily from your undergraduate school. However, I was able to find some numbers from my "degree granting institution" at the "pre-med/career center" office/website.
sorry for my ramblings.... I think I'm just trying to keep myself busy 🙂
Congrats!
I also got an acceptance letter on Friday...but I will not be accepting my seat in the class.
Congrats to all those with acceptances. I want it so bad it is making my stomach hurt.
