2014-2015 University of Illinois Application Thread

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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II ! Complete 7/16

MCAT 31, GPA ~3.8
Disadvantaged (grew up in Lima,Peru in a very poor area).
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II Complete 7/31 OOS...I scheduled for Rockford without knowing it was going to be a panel interview ahhhh
 
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Does anyone have any tips about interviewing in Rockford/panel style interviews? Also is it very difficult getting from the airport to Rockford? I choose Rockford because it was an earlier date but I spaced on being OOS and traveling difficulties and the difference in interview formats.
 
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ricecakeMD said:
Does anyone have any tips about interviewing in Rockford/panel style interviews? Also is it very difficult getting from the airport to Rockford? I choose Rockford because it was an earlier date but I spaced on being OOS and traveling difficulties and the difference in interview formats.
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Which airport are you coming from? If you are coming from O' Hare there is a ton of construction between O' Hare and Rockford so it is probably like an hour and a half trip.
 
My friend who is IS to this school wants to know if anyone with complete around end of July still waiting for II?
 
ricecakeMD said:
Does anyone have any tips about interviewing in Rockford/panel style interviews? Also is it very difficult getting from the airport to Rockford? I choose Rockford because it was an earlier date but I spaced on being OOS and traveling difficulties and the difference in interview formats.
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Daily buses run every hour from O'Hare to Rockford. Here's the schedule:

http://www.coachusa.com/vangalder/s...e=/vangalder/ss.details.asp&cbid=710507846672

It's a pretty easy trip via Coach (Van Galder). You can pay for a ticket by cash or credit card when you get on the bus. There's need to buy a ticket in advance.
 
paulgeorge24 said:
Which airport are you coming from? If you are coming from O' Hare there is a ton of construction between O' Hare and Rockford so it is probably like an hour and a half trip.
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I think I'll be coming from O'Hare. I'm flying from CA. Are there reliable buses or should I rent a car? Thank you!
 
Just
publichealthguy said:
Daily buses run every hour from O'Hare to Rockford. Here's the schedule:

http://www.coachusa.com/vangalder/ss.details.asp?action=Lookup&c1=Chicago O'Hare Airport&s1=IL&c2=Rockford&s2=IL&resultId=134714&order=&dayFilter=&scheduleChoice=&sitePageName=/vangalder/ss.details.asp&cbid=710507846672

It's a pretty easy trip via Coach (Van Galder). You can pay for a ticket by cash or credit card when you get on the bus. There's need to buy a ticket in advance.
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Just saw this, thank you for your help! This is what I was looking for :) Does anyone have any comments on the stress level of the panel interview?
 
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I'm an OOS applicant complete 7/15, and my appstat page has said "Applicant in Progress" for over a month now. Is that a bad sign?
 
Bjhf25 said:
I'm an OOS applicant complete 7/15, and my appstat page has said "Applicant in Progress" for over a month now. Is that a bad sign?
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It will remain that way until you get an II, so I wouldn't call it a bad sign. You're gonna be fine, there are literally 6 months left in which you may get II's to schools!
 
cb13076 said:
Does anyone know what is the latest possible MCAT that University of Illinois will accept? I have an ok score, but would like to retake to try and gain a better score.
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I was told that October is the latest MCAT they'll accept. I would call to verify though!
 
Hey all!

I'm a little late to the party. I just received the secondary and am struggling with the optional essay. Is it acceptable to write about dealing with depression/mental health issues for the educational complications essay? I know that mental health is still stigmatized in the medical field which is backwards in my mind but whatevs...
 
RumbaToMD said:
Hey all!

I'm a little late to the party. I just received the secondary and am struggling with the optional essay. Is it acceptable to write about dealing with depression/mental health issues for the educational complications essay? I know that mental health is still stigmatized in the medical field which is backwards in my mind but whatevs...
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I wouldn't. No reason to take that risk!
 
RumbaToMD said:
Hey all!

I'm a little late to the party. I just received the secondary and am struggling with the optional essay. Is it acceptable to write about dealing with depression/mental health issues for the educational complications essay? I know that mental health is still stigmatized in the medical field which is backwards in my mind but whatevs...
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If you do that, be sure your essay shows the adcom how resilient you are. They need to know that medical school and subsequently, residency will not "break you". If you can discuss how understanding your mental health has taught you to effectively overcome challenges, I say go for it. Just make sure to prove that the difficulty and potential isolation that can result from pursuing medicine will not catch you off guard and that your previous experiences have prepared you to deal with it.
 
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LAtoDavis said:
Why do you say this? Is being an applicant in process for a long time a good thing?
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I was in it for a while even though people after me got IIs. So Its better than going back to progress, I believe. Ill find a link later for you! Working!
 
TheCookieMonster000 said:
I was in it for a while even though people after me got IIs. So Its better than going back to progress, I believe. Ill find a link later for you! Working!
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You're awesome, Cookie Monster.

I've been in process since mid July, too. I don't know what it is about this school, but I really like it.
 
LAtoDavis said:
You're awesome, Cookie Monster.

I've been in process since mid July, too. I don't know what it is about this school, but I really like it.
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In looking in past threads, I came across this from HAL9000:

******************************************

START

I. Submit Primary.

II. Wait for the email from UIC giving you your login information for the Applicant Status Check site (usually arrives within 2 weeks of submitting your primary):https://mercury.comd.uic.edu/appstat

III. Login, and check your status in the second page. [At the bottom of this post I link to a program I made that makes checking your status as easy as double clicking your mouse.]

---

A. "Application Not Complete" = Secondary not yet complete.

B. "Application in Process" = You are complete. --> Goto C.

C. "Applicant in Process" = Your file is being reviewed, 3 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Select Interview Date" = You are good enough for an interview. --> Goto D.
2. "Application in Process" = You are not good enough to grant an interview yet, but might be later on in the cycle. Check back periodically. --> Go back to B.
3. "Final Decision Made ..." = You are not good enough. --> Goto X.
D. "Select Interview Date" (A grid of dates shows up) = Call and schedule an interview date, after which "Interview Scheduled on ... " shows up. After the interview, Goto F.

F. "Decision Pending" = File pending review at the next adcom meeting (every 3rd Thursday of the month). There are 2 options from here, depending on the month:
1. Before May. --> Goto M.
2. On or After May. --> Goto N.

M. Before May, 2 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Final Decision Made ... " --> Goto S.
2. "Decision Pending" (No Status Change) + "We'll keep reviewing you" Email (a few days later) = You are a good candidate, but not good enough to grant an acceptance yet. UIC will keep reviewing you at every adcom meeting. --> Go back to F.

N. On or After May, 2 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Final Decision Made ... " You are (very likely) rejected. --> Goto X.
2. "Applicant is Waitlisted" = Waitlisted. --> Goto Y.

S. There are 2 additional conditions from here:
1. There is an "Additional Correspondences" Tab in the upper-right corner on your status page AND you get a CBC Email (a few days later) = You are (very likely) accepted. --> Goto Z.
2. There is no "Additional Correspondences" Tab and/or you don't get the CBC Email = Rejection. [Note: This is tricky. The CBC email usually comes a few days after (1-4 is the consensus) the status change. Be patient. Sometimes, the email never comes, which might be because you already had a CBC done due to an acceptance at another school. In some instances, the CBC Email even comes after the snail-mail. If after a week, neither the tab nor the CBC email shows up, it's very likely a rejection. You've probably already received snail-mail by now alerting you to it.] --> Goto X.

X. "Final Decision Made ..." = Rejection ... Wait for a "Thin Letter" via snail-mail.

Y. "Applicant is Waitlisted" = Waitlisted. ... The CBC Email no longer acts as an indicator of an acceptance. If you get accepted off of the waitlist, then Goto Z, else Goto X.

Z. "Final Decision Made ..." + "Additional Correspondences" Tab + CBC Email = (very likely) Acceptance ... Wait for a "Fat Packet" via snail-mail. [Note: Sometimes CBC emails come after the packet. CBC emails also might never arrive if you got an acceptance to another school that also does CBC through AMCAS.]

FINISH
 
TheCookieMonster000 said:
In looking in past threads, I came across this from HAL9000:

******************************************

START

I. Submit Primary.

II. Wait for the email from UIC giving you your login information for the Applicant Status Check site (usually arrives within 2 weeks of submitting your primary):https://mercury.comd.uic.edu/appstat

III. Login, and check your status in the second page. [At the bottom of this post I link to a program I made that makes checking your status as easy as double clicking your mouse.]

---

A. "Application Not Complete" = Secondary not yet complete.

B. "Application in Process" = You are complete. --> Goto C.

C. "Applicant in Process" = Your file is being reviewed, 3 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Select Interview Date" = You are good enough for an interview. --> Goto D.
2. "Application in Process" = You are not good enough to grant an interview yet, but might be later on in the cycle. Check back periodically. --> Go back to B.
3. "Final Decision Made ..." = You are not good enough. --> Goto X.
D. "Select Interview Date" (A grid of dates shows up) = Call and schedule an interview date, after which "Interview Scheduled on ... " shows up. After the interview, Goto F.

F. "Decision Pending" = File pending review at the next adcom meeting (every 3rd Thursday of the month). There are 2 options from here, depending on the month:
1. Before May. --> Goto M.
2. On or After May. --> Goto N.

M. Before May, 2 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Final Decision Made ... " --> Goto S.
2. "Decision Pending" (No Status Change) + "We'll keep reviewing you" Email (a few days later) = You are a good candidate, but not good enough to grant an acceptance yet. UIC will keep reviewing you at every adcom meeting. --> Go back to F.

N. On or After May, 2 Possible Status Changes:
1. "Final Decision Made ... " You are (very likely) rejected. --> Goto X.
2. "Applicant is Waitlisted" = Waitlisted. --> Goto Y.

S. There are 2 additional conditions from here:
1. There is an "Additional Correspondences" Tab in the upper-right corner on your status page AND you get a CBC Email (a few days later) = You are (very likely) accepted. --> Goto Z.
2. There is no "Additional Correspondences" Tab and/or you don't get the CBC Email = Rejection. [Note: This is tricky. The CBC email usually comes a few days after (1-4 is the consensus) the status change. Be patient. Sometimes, the email never comes, which might be because you already had a CBC done due to an acceptance at another school. In some instances, the CBC Email even comes after the snail-mail. If after a week, neither the tab nor the CBC email shows up, it's very likely a rejection. You've probably already received snail-mail by now alerting you to it.] --> Goto X.

X. "Final Decision Made ..." = Rejection ... Wait for a "Thin Letter" via snail-mail.

Y. "Applicant is Waitlisted" = Waitlisted. ... The CBC Email no longer acts as an indicator of an acceptance. If you get accepted off of the waitlist, then Goto Z, else Goto X.

Z. "Final Decision Made ..." + "Additional Correspondences" Tab + CBC Email = (very likely) Acceptance ... Wait for a "Fat Packet" via snail-mail. [Note: Sometimes CBC emails come after the packet. CBC emails also might never arrive if you got an acceptance to another school that also does CBC through AMCAS.]

FINISH
Click to expand...

Thanks for this admissions choose your own adventure, cookie. This is really helpful
 
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Interviewed here today! Great interview process, very laid back and the admissions staff is super awesome. If you have any questions of how it's setup feel free to PM me!
 
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So I just had my interview here today too. I probably met you @ScrubsLover9319!

Anyways I realized one of my contacts for an EC of mine left my volunteer program, so I was wondering if I should email admissions and update them with new contact info. Do you think they'll take the time to actually verify our EC's? I thought they might because we had to list new contact information on the secondary..

Can any UIC student chime in?
 
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DirkN said:
So I just had my interview here today too. I probably met you @ScrubsLover9319!

Anyways I realized one of my contacts for an EC of mine left my volunteer program, so I was wondering if I should email admissions and update them with new contact info. Do you think they'll take the time to actually verify our EC's? I thought they might because we had to list new contact information on the secondary..

Can any UIC student chime in?
Click to expand...

don't waste their time
 
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I submitted my secondary on August 12 and all my letters were downloaded on August 14; but I haven't heard anything and have been "Applicant in Progress" the entire time. Has anyone who submitted their application around the same time heard anything from UIC? Thanks!
 
I feel like kind of an idiot, how do I schedule my interview? I haven't been able to find the dates on any website lol
 
Osteoth said:
I feel like kind of an idiot, how do I schedule my interview? I haven't been able to find the dates on any website lol
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You have to call the admissions office to schedule an interview! The dates should be listed on your application status page.
 
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II today!
Complete 9-2-14. LizzyM~ 74. Came as a nice surprise since I thought I was completed a tad late. It seems that the Chicago dates are filled all the way to after Thanksgiving.
 
westlifer1087 said:
I submitted my secondary on August 12 and all my letters were downloaded on August 14; but I haven't heard anything and have been "Applicant in Progress" the entire time. Has anyone who submitted their application around the same time heard anything from UIC? Thanks!
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I was told it can take them up to 6 weeks for your status to change. I was complete 8/22, so I've got even longer to wait :/ I'm not too hopeful anymore.
 
Interviewing at Urbana on 11/17. I heard it is a panel interview. It is true? Can anyone share their interview experience at Urbana please? Thanks!
 
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Is "applicant in progress" a bad or good sign?
 
kayt09 said:
Is "applicant in progress" a bad or good sign?
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Neither. Everyone goes to progress once their application is complete. Then they go to process when they are actually being reviewed.
 
kayt09 said:
Is "applicant in progress" a bad or good sign?
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Yeah, it basically just means they haven't gotten around to reviewing your application yet. Once they are reviewing your file it will change to Applicant in Process. Good Luck!
 
ScrubsLover9319 said:
Yeah, it basically just means they haven't gotten around to reviewing your application yet. Once they are reviewing your file it will change to Applicant in Process. Good Luck!
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Thank you--you too!
 
I've had the status of "Applicant in Process" for over a month now. Has anyone else had this happen?
 
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Hey guys, Iam an M1 in the Urbana campus. Interview in Chicago and will be moving to Peoria for years 2-4. If you guys have any questions feel free to message me. We have exams all next week so I will prob respond after that. Good luck!
 
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charliewt said:
I've had the status of "Applicant in Process" for over a month now. Has anyone else had this happen?
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It's been over 2 months for me. Thinking it's some kind of hold or silent rejection at this point.
 
I've been sitting at applicant in progress for six weeks now. I'm hoping it changes soon! IS!
 
xfiretampa said:
Hey guys, Iam an M1 in the Urbana campus. Interview in Chicago and will be moving to Peoria for years 2-4. If you guys have any questions feel free to message me. We have exams all next week so I will prob respond after that. Good luck!
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Can you share with us your experience at Urbana campus including the environment and the school? How about the staff? Are they nice and supportive?
 
II a little over a week ago, pretty pumped since it's my first one! Earliest available interview dates were in November, and only at the non-Chicago campuses, with around 8 spots in each when I scheduled back then.
 
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Waitingwaitingwaiting said:
Can you share with us your experience at Urbana campus including the environment and the school? How about the staff? Are they nice and supportive?
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the school campus is huge- always lots of people in the quad, lots of frats and sorority housing etc. There really isn't any barriers separating the school from the surrounding community so you see many non students as well. The medical school staff are amazing people, very open door policy, this includes the professors. Due to the MSP program in Urbana not many traditional MD's get to stay here, I think only 13, the rest of us will be going to Peoria or Rockford.
 
Hi guys, I am a re-applicant here. I applied last year and was invited for interview but couldn't attend it. So, I withdrew my application. But I haven't received an invite for even secondary application yet this year (hopefully it didn't go to spam and got deleted). I was verified on Aug 6th. Can anyone please explain their policy on reapplication? Thanks in advance.
 
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