UW-Madison

[tocems]

Has anyone heard back from UW-Madison?

I interviewed there almost 7 weeks ago and still haven't heard.
I have an acceptance at MCW, but would prefer UW.

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[drizzt3117]

Has anyone heard back from UW-Madison?

I interviewed there almost 7 weeks ago and still haven't heard.
I have an acceptance at MCW, but would prefer UW.

Alot of us have heard back. However, apparently not everyone from the first group has been reviewed yet.

 

[tocems]

I think I was in the first or second interview group, after ED people.
When did you interview/hear back drizz?

 

[drizzt3117]

I think I was in the first or second interview group, after ED people.
When did you interview/hear back drizz?

Interviewed Oct 5, acceptance letter dated Nov 13.

 

[nsxracingy2k]

Applicants from the 10/5 and 10/12 groups have heard already. You should give them a call next week. Good luck.

 

[drizzt3117]

Applicants from the 10/5 and 10/12 groups have heard already. You should give them a call next week. Good luck.

Not everyone has, apparently. A few people from our interview group haven't had a final decision made yet. I think it's probably because their reviewers just weren't able to make the adcom meeting.

 

[tocems]

I interviewed with the Oct 5th group.
And and since I can see the medschool from my back yard, I don't think the letter got lost in the mail.

How do you guys rate UW vs MCW

 

[drizzt3117]

I interviewed with the Oct 5th group.
And and since I can see the medschool from my back yard, I don't think the letter got lost in the mail.

How do you guys rate UW vs MCW

I think they are both great schools, but Madison being my hometown tips the scales towards UW for me.

 

[nsxracingy2k]

Not everyone has, apparently. A few people from our interview group haven't had a final decision made yet. I think it's probably because their reviewers just weren't able to make the adcom meeting.

Drizz, what was your impression of MCW? I could have interview on the same day that you did at MCW but decided not to. I'm not sure whether to interview early next month or not. Thanks in advance.

Edit: Question answered above.

 

[45408]

I think they are both great schools, but Madison being my hometown tips the scales towards UW for me.

Heh, I was pretty much the opposite. Milwaukee being my hometown tipped it towards MCW. Otherwise, I probably would have picked UW, simply because it's $10,000 cheaper per year for an in-state resident like me. The only other thing I didn't like about UW was the fact that they required 16 weeks of away rotations, whereas MCW has lots of hospitals right in Milwaukee that you can do all your rotations at, almost always without ever having to leave the county (unless you want).

 

[tocems]

Heh, I was pretty much the opposite. Milwaukee being my hometown tipped it towards MCW. Otherwise, I probably would have picked UW, simply because it's $10,000 cheaper per year for an in-state resident like me. The only other thing I didn't like about UW was the fact that they required 16 weeks of away rotations, whereas MCW has lots of hospitals right in Milwaukee that you can do all your rotations at, almost always without ever having to leave the county (unless you want).

The way I looked at MCW was that the school itself was not that impressive. The building was older and it just didn't have any kind of "flow" to it. I liked everyone I met, but I just didn't feel impressed by the school itself. That being said, getting to do your rotations at two of the best hospitals in the country is an amazing draw.

UW was the exact opposite for me. The school is amazingly beautiful, completely state of the art, and has everything in one location. But having to do clinicals throughout the state sounds like a drag. It is nice that UW just built a new childrens hospital, but there are somethings that you just won't see in Madison.

All in all, I like Madison. I've lived here the past two years going to grad school and working at Meriter Hospital. I'm glad I have gotten accepted to MCW, and can go about my day without freaking out, but I am hoping that I get accepted into UW.

 

[bournemdstudent]

I feel the same about UW, that doing your core rotations around the state is a pain and something I'd rather not do. I remember, when the adcom guy was telling us how great of a clinical experience you get by doing this, I was just sitting there thinking about how ****ty marshfield is and how it would suck to live in northern wisconsin for 16 weeks. All in all, UW is iffy for me, it'll be hard to turn down if I get in, but I have my doubts about it.

 

[drizzt3117]

I feel the same about UW, that doing your core rotations around the state is a pain and something I'd rather not do. I remember, when the adcom guy was telling us how great of a clinical experience you get by doing this, I was just sitting there thinking about how ****ty marshfield is and how it would suck to live in northern wisconsin for 16 weeks. All in all, UW is iffy for me, it'll be hard to turn down if I get in, but I have my doubts about it.

Personally I guess I don't think it'd be a big deal to do rotations in other parts of the state. Yeah, it would be nice to stay in Madison, but <shrug> I guess I figure spending 7% of your med school at other places (and the vast majority of your 3rd and 4th year will likely be in Madison/Milwaukee anyways) isn't that big a deal.

 

[Nookular]

How long after you guys submitted your app did you get an interview offer? I was complete in early october and haven't heard anything yet from UW or MCW. I'm starting to get frustrated because I have already heard from several other schools that I submitted to much later.

 

[45408]

The way I looked at MCW was that the school itself was not that impressive. The building was older and it just didn't have any kind of "flow" to it. I liked everyone I met, but I just didn't feel impressed by the school itself. That being said, getting to do your rotations at two of the best hospitals in the country is an amazing draw.

Uh, the main portion of the school was built in 1998, which is only six years older than UW's new building. Do I think UW's building looks nicer? Yes. Did I think UW's hospital was a lot worse? Yes. The M4 giving our tour even got lost in that place.

Anywho, I took some pictures of the school a little while ago, because I didn't have any. This building just opened last winter:

and here's a panorama of the campus. The cranes are because Children's is putting on a huge addition, Froedtert is adding 2-3 more floors, and there's also a very large cancer center going up behind everything. The portion of the school that was built in '77 is the part right in the middle with the skinny windows.

Yes, UW has a beautiful building, I was quite impressed. Other than the anatomy labs and micro labs, most of where you'll be spending time at MCW is about 9 years old (yes, the M1 hall is in the old part of the school, but I'm not lying when I say that all the M2s wish we were back in that hall ).

 

[45408]

Personally I guess I don't think it'd be a big deal to do rotations in other parts of the state. Yeah, it would be nice to stay in Madison, but <shrug> I guess I figure spending 7% of your med school at other places (and the vast majority of your 3rd and 4th year will likely be in Madison/Milwaukee anyways) isn't that big a deal.

For me, after four years of long distance from my wife, I wasn't in the mood to do it ever again. Some people think it's great, and I can see how it would be a positive thing for a lot of students, but it was honestly a significant deterrent for me.

 

[drizzt3117]

For me, after four years of long distance from my wife, I wasn't in the mood to do it ever again. Some people think it's great, and I can see how it would be a positive thing for a lot of students, but it was honestly a significant deterrent for me.

That's understandable. I think both schools are great. My father told me that the majority of his colleagues (in Madison) are from the two WI schools and both UW and MCW grads are very good doctors. That's pretty much all that matters in the end. WI residents are lucky to have two great med schools in their state.

 

[WiscDoc]

I think that when trying to decide where to go to med school, one needs to look past building beauty and other minor details. The best thing about UW, IMHO, is the curriculum and staff. We have NO cumulative exams, and you go into tests KNOWING what to expect. Professors are very casual and many even go by their first name. So far during M1, most little details that interest a scientist (but less so a medical doctor) are NOT on tests, and we are told up front NOT to memorize these details. From SDN and talking to some of my friends at other medical schools (including MCW), it seems like they have to memorize a lot of stuff that is not useful for boards or practice, and feel stressed most of the time. For the most part, the general feeling I have gotten at UW is that most students are relaxed and performing well. A few points:
1- Our biochem course (6 credits) is EASIER than my undergrad course (3 credits). Our MEDIAN has been above a 90% consistently. Yes, we are graded, but the system is very generous to those who put in the effort. You feel like your hard work and long hours actually pay off.
2- We hardly (if ever) have any homework (write ups, projects....etc). You get to spend most of your time studying stuff you will be tested on, not useless stuff that eats up your time for no good reason.
3- It is cheaper for instate residents.
4- Ranking (if that matters)
5- Research (if you are into that)

Now, I am obviously biased towards my school, but I feel very lucky everyday for being where I am. I couldn't have imagined a better med school experience. Heck, I like it so much I just spent 30 minutes outlining what I like about it!! Haha. good luck with the application process and making a decision. Both MCW and UW are great institutions, and you have to see which factors matter more to you, and go with that. I think you will be happy either way.

 

[45408]

How long do you guys have to prepare for Step 1? I don't enjoy cumulative exams, but I certainly feel like they help prepare for Step 1.

edit - I'm pretty sure UW's average was about the same as MCW's, so it's not a slam, so I would think that maybe you have more time to prepare for Step 1. We've got just over 5 weeks this year, I think.

 

[drizzt3117]

How long do you guys have to prepare for Step 1? I don't enjoy cumulative exams, but I certainly feel like they help prepare for Step 1.

That makes some sense. I do think, though, that UW seems to make a pretty concerted effort to prepare students for Step 1 because they told us that all of their exams during second year and much of first year were given on computers with a similar setup to Step 1. I'll let the current UW students elucidate on that. I think they said they had 6 weeks to study but I could be wrong, I've been on a lot of interviews

 

[jad2121]

I went to UW undergrad and its a pretty fantastic environment. The people are great and the school is gorgeous. The only little problem is the winter...