What do you like about UIC?

[KarEntropy]

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I've got an interview coming up at UIC, and I'm looking for some pros (and cons, if you like) of the school. What are some reasons I might go there instead of other Chicago schools?
Thanks!

 

[luhando]

Well, the thing is, the chicago spots fill up this month so I think that you should research things about UIC as a whole regardless of campus. Pros could be: volunteering at free clinics in M1 and M2 to give early clinical exposure, have a systems based curriculum so u can tie concepts together better overall, its tuition being low is amazing and at Peoria they give u free housing for med students too. You can also talk bout the dedication of the faculty so they are available for help whenever you need it. It's anatomy department is rated very highly as well so you'll get a great education as far as that is concerned too.

 

[notdeadyet]

luhando- Do you know how it works with prioritizing the non-Chicago campuses? Do you fill out a sheet with 1,2,3,4? Are you able to not select certain campuses?

I interview there in about two weeks and realize that the Chicago spots may be gone, but my wife's line of work doesn't lend itself well to non-urban areas, so I'm not sure if I'd be able to attend one of the less urban campuses. I want to ensure that I won't get placed at a campus that I can't attend, as I don't want to turn down an acceptance in case I need to reapply.

 

[Julius Erving]

hey luhando, any more info on the Peoria campus?? I'm interviewing there in a couple weeks and am really interested in this "free housing" concept...

 

[diatom85]

what do ppl know about the campuses besides chicago?

i have interview there next week and i'm not sure if i want to go if chicago's all filled up already. i feel like the other places are gonna be really rural... help?

 

[genX]

After acceptance you recieve a card where you rank your campus preference. You can either go to chicago for 4 years, or Champaign for first year and then the last 3 years at peoria or rockford.

 

[luhando]

Well on the admissions packet u get a site pref card. On it u first rank whether u want the Chicago track or UPR track. Within the UPR track u then rank Urbana-Champaign, Rockford, and Peoria the way u want it. As far as things in peoria are concerned, Peoria offers med students free housing because they fall under section 8. The class size at Peoria is much smaller than in Chicago (50 vs 175) so theres more one on one interaction. Also, Peoria told us at our interview that their board scores are higher than the chicago campuses (i think avg is higher). Their rotation sites are sposed to be really good experience too, especially the ER. Students in general seem to be happy with the program there.

 

[brotherbu]

I interviewed at the Peoria site and did not get a good feeling. I've been to the chicago campus and I have to say that the facilities are way more better in the city. The students I encountered didn't seem thrilled. One of the students that we met clearly stated that she regretted her decision for multiple reasons. She did state that they get the higher board scores, but she also says thats because a lot of "gunners" only choose to come here when they find that statistic out. All in all, i think the specific school site you get should be a big priority in how you rank UIC among your ideal places to go to school.

 

[jbrice1639]

I've got an interview coming up at UIC, and I'm looking for some pros (and cons, if you like) of the school. What are some reasons I might go there instead of other Chicago schools?
Thanks!

honestly, over the other Chicago schools, UIC doesn't really have any specific benefit other than price.

not to say it's not a good school, because it absolutely is, but really, there's nothing where you can say, "wow, uic really shines above the other schools in chicago because they have ________."

although, i think that would be a really good question in your interview. ask your interviewer, "if you had to pick one thing that makes UIC really stand out among Chicago schools, what would it be?"

that's the kind of question that will let you actually learn something from the interviewer, and you'll get a better answer from someone who really knows too.

 

[tangledupinblue]

does UIC really have a systems based curriculum?? that's not really what I got out of their curriculum presentation. i thought it was traditional, like biochem for a block, anatomy for a block, physiology for a block, etc . . .

 

[chitown82]

does UIC really have a systems based curriculum?? that's not really what I got out of their curriculum presentation. i thought it was traditional, like biochem for a block, anatomy for a block, physiology for a block, etc . . .

yes and no. uic is moving towards a systems based curriculum and it is getting there right now in the sense that all the classes m1/m2 year are coordinated. i.e. when you are doing cardiology in pathology, you do cardiology in pathophysiology, and the cardio drugs in pharmacology. so everything lines up pretty well.

to an above poster, i think uic does shine out in its diversity of students (last time i checked the aamc med school guide, uic was waay more racially/ethnically diverse than uchicago, loyola, and nu), diversity of pathology (you will see a lot more pathology at uic than other chicago hospitals - this according to not just uic ppl but also friends in other area med schools who have done electives at uic), and in my opinion, stronger clinical training (more autonomy than other schools in patient care). of course there are drawbacks too.

 

[DblHelix]

I just got the interview invite today. I'm OOS. Is it basically impossible for me to get the Chicago campus now?

 

[luhando]

I wouldnt say its IMPOSSIBLE, but chances are decently less than had u interviewed December or before. However, do not give up. If u want Chicago REALLY badly, send them a letter stating reasons why u prefer to be there. Just saying u love the city will not suffice. Id find concrete reasons like having family nearby etc. And in May when people drop out of UIC in favor of other schools, there are chances that u can get Chicago campus.

 

[jbrice1639]

to an above poster, i think uic does shine out in its diversity of students (last time i checked the aamc med school guide, uic was waay more racially/ethnically diverse than uchicago, loyola, and nu), diversity of pathology (you will see a lot more pathology at uic than other chicago hospitals - this according to not just uic ppl but also friends in other area med schools who have done electives at uic), and in my opinion, stronger clinical training (more autonomy than other schools in patient care). of course there are drawbacks too.

yeah, that's a good point. i really didn't think about the diversity of UIC...that definitely does stand out over the other chicago schools.

i wouldn't say uic really stands out on clinical training though. loyola, rush and uic all place an emphasis on clinical training, and i don't necessarily think any of them are head and shoulders above the other two (and, being somewhat biased, if i did think one of the three was the best, i would go with loyola just based on how much clinical training is integrated into all aspects of our curriculum)

 

[DblHelix]

Maybe I'm missing something but I went on UIC's website and under tution it has a value of $26,381 for non residents. Is that per semester? otherwise, the $50k everyone talks about for OOS isn't right.

Link: tuition

scroll down to Professional

 

[notdeadyet]

Maybe I'm missing something but I went on UIC's website and under tution it has a value of $26,381 for non residents. Is that per semester? otherwise, the $50k everyone talks about for OOS isn't right.

That's per semester. Condolences to us all...

 

[DblHelix]

That's per semester. Condolences to us all...

That is insane...

So they're asking me to pay $52,000 in tuition and I probably won't even be able to go to the chicago campus?

 

[Frankie.A]

I have a few questions about UIC (having a hard time finding basic info about curriculum on their website) - specifically the Chicago campus...

Do first year and second year students have patient contact opportunities?

How long are you in class each day (ie is it all day)? If it is all day, are the lectures engaging?

Is it pass fail? If not, how does grading work?

How do students do on the boards?

Do students generally speaking seem to like the school?

Thanks for help with any or all of these questions! Good luck to everyone!

 

[jbrice1639]

That is insane...

So they're asking me to pay $52,000 in tuition and I probably won't even be able to go to the chicago campus?

and they're asking $25k for in-state...not really much of a bargain either.

 

[chitown82]

I have a few questions about UIC (having a hard time finding basic info about curriculum on their website) - specifically the Chicago campus...

1. Do first year and second year students have patient contact opportunities?

2. How long are you in class each day (ie is it all day)? If it is all day, are the lectures engaging?

3. Is it pass fail? If not, how does grading work?

4. How do students do on the boards?

5. Do students generally speaking seem to like the school?

Thanks for help with any or all of these questions! Good luck to everyone!

1. tons of clinical exposure. first year you have your essentials to clinical medicine class and a preceptor experience which all together averages out to about patient contact one day per week (doing interviews, histories, etc).
second year its even more - you spend 6 full working weeks in the hospital doing basically a mini-rotation. it is split up so that you have 1 week after fall midterms, 2 weeks at the start of second semester, and 3 weeks and the end of the year where you go to the same hospital every day, do histories and physicals, interact with doctors/residents, attend morning reports, noon conferences, some lectures. some students have done a few procedures too - inserting lines, intubating, suturing, etc. plus, during second year, you have additional clinical exposure thru the longitudinal experience where there are several different pathways to pick from. one is a speciality pathway (anesthesia, ortopedics, cardio, ER, critical care, etc) where you spend 9-10 sessions with a physicain in that speciality clinic seeing patients, etc. another is an independent pathway where you can find your own preceptor and have 9-10 one-on-one sessions in the clinic, and another pathway is flexible in which you can spend time in clinic, attend semiars, etc (a total of 9-10 experiences required). im not sure any other med school in chicago has this much emphasis placed on clinical contact during the first two years (esp the second year).

2. class schedules vary. http://www.uic.edu/depts/mcam/ugme/dates/index.shtml go there and download the schedule.

3. everything m1/m2 years if honors/pass/fail. the top 15% get honors. the grading scheme making things very non-competitive unless you are going for honors.

4. my bro interviewed at uic a month ago and the dean said last years avg was 221.

5. some like it, some love it, some hate it, some are neutral. depend on who you talk to. i love it here.

 

[Frankie.A]

thanks so much chitown! i really appreciate your insight - any thoughts from others?

 

[Frankie.A]

opps... just thought of another question. what are the tests like (multiple choice, essay, etc)?

Thanks!!

 

[el1984]

geez....i just might get married sooner than i thought....

does anyone know if uic offers any scholarships or grants?

 

[chitown82]

opps... just thought of another question. what are the tests like (multiple choice, essay, etc)?

Thanks!!

all multiple choice. the time allotted for each question follows the usmle step 1 time format.

 

[Frankie.A]

multiple choice (to prepare for USMLE) was what i was hoping for! thanks so much chitown - you rock.