2016-2017 Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Received application complete confirmation. Submitted Request for Approval to Apply and LOA. How long before they send out an invitation for interview?
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ArmyGator said:
My admissions counselor said second half of august is when they start sending them out, so you got some time to enjoy your summer!
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By enjoy you mean doing other 31 secondaries? Lol
 
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Hey how is everyone tackling these secondaries? They all seem to have the same sort of "why medicine with the military/what would make you a good fit" theme to them.
 
freak7 said:
Hey how is everyone tackling these secondaries? They all seem to have the same sort of "why medicine with the military/what would make you a good fit" theme to them.
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I would use every opportunity to express that you understand what a career as a military physician means. Demonstrate your understanding that you will take care of service members at home and abroad, and the associated challenges as well as rewards of such a commitment.
 
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freak7 said:
Hey how is everyone tackling these secondaries? They all seem to have the same sort of "why medicine with the military/what would make you a good fit" theme to them.
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The first one was why I want to devote my career to military medicine
The second one was why USUHS is special to me (vs say, a civilian school on HPSP)
The third one was how I would fit in to the bigger picture at USUHS
 
Would anybody be willing to read my secondary essays?
 
elevatone said:
Congrats to you both! Mind sharing your stats and when you were complete?
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Lizzy M ~70
I'm a non-trad/career changer applicant (will be 30 when I begin school if admitted this cycle). No prior service, but do have a family connection to the Navy.

Received a complete email 7/14 after submitting on 7/8
 
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Woke up to an II! Hyped. 3.85c / 3.80s 513 MCAT, traditional applicant graduating undergrad this spring. No prior military connection.
 
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II, little suprised but super excited. 3.47c, 3.3s, and 518 MCAT. Come from a military family
 
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Those that received a complete email was it from your assigned admissions representative?


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sedgeshaveedges said:
3.8 cGPA and 3.9 sGPA, 509 MCAT with somewhat uneven subscores
I'm a non-trad/career changer applicant (will be 30 when I begin school if admitted this cycle). No prior service, but do have a family connection to the Navy.

Received a complete email 7/14 after submitting on 7/8
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Congrats bud, I'm right there with you. I'll be 29 if I start this cycle.
 
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For people who have been submitted for a while: is there any way to check our status? I just finished my secondary today and will be sending my LOA Friday so I guess I won't be hearing back for some time, but do they just do everything through email? Or is there some portal that I haven't found yet?
 
freak7 said:
Hey how is everyone tackling these secondaries? They all seem to have the same sort of "why medicine with the military/what would make you a good fit" theme to them.
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Upcoming MS1 student here! When tackling your secondaries be sure to express how passionate you are about military medicine, your commitment to your patients, and that you put yourself last. It's about those you serve, not about you. Good luck to everyone applying and feel free to PM me with any questions!
 
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@Red Lobster Actual

Want some realistic advice.
What are my chances with this school?

I am already a 2LT in the Army.
MCAT 503 (with a retake on the way)
cGPA = 3.62
sGPA = 3.55 (for both degrees)
Two engineering degrees (Chemical and biological engineering)
85 hours shadowing (surgeon and family practices)
CrossFit Coach
 
jcve34 said:
@Red Lobster Actual

Want some realistic advice.
What are my chances with this school?

I am already a 2LT in the Army.
MCAT 503 (with a retake on the way)
cGPA = 3.62
sGPA = 3.55 (for both degrees)
Two engineering degrees (Chemical and biological engineering)
85 hours shadowing (surgeon and family practices)
CrossFit Coach
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If you get your mcat above a 509, I think you'd have a really good shot. IMO a score under a 508 is probably too low for MD schools unless you're URM.

Feel free to correct me or put in your $0.02 fellow SDN users.
 
ltm4kc said:
If you get your mcat above a 509, I think you'd have a really good shot. IMO a score under a 508 is probably too low for MD schools unless you're URM.

Feel free to correct me or put in your $0.02 fellow SDN users.
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+1 a 503 is well below their average mcat
 
jcve34 said:
@Red Lobster Actual

Want some realistic advice.
What are my chances with this school?

I am already a 2LT in the Army.
MCAT 503 (with a retake on the way)
cGPA = 3.62
sGPA = 3.55 (for both degrees)
Two engineering degrees (Chemical and biological engineering)
85 hours shadowing (surgeon and family practices)
CrossFit Coach
Click to expand...

ltm4kc said:
If you get your mcat above a 509, I think you'd have a really good shot. IMO a score under a 508 is probably too low for MD schools unless you're URM.

Feel free to correct me or put in your $0.02 fellow SDN users.
Click to expand...

@ltm4kc - I disagree when you say sub-508 MCAT scores are too low for MD schools. Last year, the mean MCAT score for MD matriculants was a 31.4 (~510) with a standard deviation of 3.9 (source: https://www.aamc.org/download/321494/data/factstablea16.pdf). Based on those numbers, 68% of matriculants fall between a score of 27.5 (~503) and 35.3 (~517). Further, 95% of matriculants would then have scores that fall between 23.6 (~496) and 39.2 (523+). One thing to keep in mind is that this information pertains to the general pool of matriculants. Each school has its own ranges to consider in addition to the rest of an application package.

@jcve34 - The MCAT ranks among the more important pre-interview variables. Looking at the MSAR, your MCAT score falls just above the 50th percentile for applicants to this school in the 2015-2016 cycle. Matriculants to this school range from a 10th percentile of 29 (~506) to a 90th percentile of 36 (~518) with a median of 31 (~510). So, you are in an interesting spot here because your MCAT score might land you an interview, but it puts you in the bottom 10% of matriculants. Otherwise, your sGPA/cGPAs are within the range for this school, and your shadowing and coaching experiences make you seem well-informed about the medical profession and suitable for a leadership role.

My realistic advice to you is, I wouldn't discourage you from applying broadly this application cycle. I especially encourage you to apply to your state school if there is one. However, I agree with @ltm4kc in saying that I think you would benefit from retaking the MCAT when it comes to this school specifically.

Source for new scores based on the percentile equivalents found here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...centile-comparison-conversion-tables.1143689/
 
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jcve34 said:
@Red Lobster Actual

Want some realistic advice.
What are my chances with this school?

I am already a 2LT in the Army.
MCAT 503 (with a retake on the way)
cGPA = 3.62
sGPA = 3.55 (for both degrees)
Two engineering degrees (Chemical and biological engineering)
85 hours shadowing (surgeon and family practices)
CrossFit Coach
Click to expand...

I concur with Judson's analysis from above. Since you are already retaking the MCAT you know to hit about a 508. Once you get that your numbers are solid. You are already an officer so you have a good take on the military aspect. However, just a word of warning, apply broadly. A friend of mine has told me about a naval officer only applying to USUHS and not getting in.

Unfortunately, since I'm not actually the admissions office it is very hard for me to give a realistic advice except to get a good score on the MCAT and applying. Something I think you already know. Good luck!
 
Judson said:
@ltm4kc - I disagree when you say sub-508 MCAT scores are too low for MD schools. Last year, the mean MCAT score for MD matriculants was a 31.4 (~510) with a standard deviation of 3.9 (source: https://www.aamc.org/download/321494/data/factstablea16.pdf). Based on those numbers, 68% of matriculants fall between a score of 27.5 (~503) and 35.3 (~517). Further, 95% of matriculants would then have scores that fall between 23.6 (~496) and 39.2 (523+). One thing to keep in mind is that this information pertains to the general pool of matriculants. Each school has its own ranges to consider in addition to the rest of an application package.

@jcve34 - The MCAT ranks among the more important pre-interview variables. Looking at the MSAR, your MCAT score falls just above the 50th percentile for applicants to this school in the 2015-2016 cycle. Matriculants to this school range from a 10th percentile of 29 (~506) to a 90th percentile of 36 (~518) with a median of 31 (~510). So, you are in an interesting spot here because your MCAT score might land you an interview, but it puts you in the bottom 10% of matriculants. Otherwise, your sGPA/cGPAs are within the range for this school, and your shadowing and coaching experiences make you seem well-informed about the medical profession and suitable for a leadership role.

My realistic advice to you is, I wouldn't discourage you from applying broadly this application cycle. I especially encourage you to apply to your state school if there is one. However, I agree with @ltm4kc in saying that I think you would benefit from retaking the MCAT when it comes to this school specifically.

Source for new scores based on the percentile equivalents found here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...centile-comparison-conversion-tables.1143689/
Click to expand...

All fair points. I assumed people at the lower end of the MCAT spectrum either had ~4.0 GPA's or were URM's (not to say that URM applicants don't quite frequently score higher than non-URMs so please nobody take offense). A 503 and military background would be an okay shot at an II here, but a higher score gives him/her a much better chance of acceptance. More so, I'm not sure about the process to be released from your unit for studying medicine, but I wouldn't feel comfortable having a board of doctors weighing their decision on a 503.

Edit: I also recommend talking to HPSP recruiters/knowledgeable people if you're interested in military medicine at the civilian schools you apply to
 
ltm4kc said:
All fair points. I assumed people at the lower end of the MCAT spectrum either had ~4.0 GPA's or were URM's (not to say that URM applicants don't quite frequently score higher than non-URMs so please nobody take offense). A 503 and military background would be an okay shot at an II here, but a higher score gives him/her a much better chance of acceptance. More so, I'm not sure about the process to be released from your unit for studying medicine, but I wouldn't feel comfortable having a board of doctors weighing their decision on a 503.

Edit: I also recommend talking to HPSP recruiters/knowledgeable people if you're interested in military medicine at the civilian schools you apply to
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+1 on the HPSP suggestion. Not sure if the MCAT score is a selection factor for HPSP though. If it is, you could always wait a year and apply as an MS2.
 
Judson said:
+1 on the HPSP suggestion. Not sure if the MCAT score is a selection factor for HPSP though. If it is, you could always wait a year and apply as an MS2.
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Minimum for consideration is 3.5 and 500 I believe.

Don't quote me on this, though.
 
Thanks everyone for the input. It was actually very interesting because I got a secondary invite before I even got verified. Kind of bizarre.

I applied very broadly. 20 DO and 18 MD. I got a 503 by reading Some TPR books and I took a practice exam the day before (didn't even know about the CARS section until then). This time I took a course and 8 practice exams. I hope I do better.

Once again everyone thanks for the input. Good luck to all applying!

Edit: Also for HPSP the MCAT is 500 or greater with at least a 124 in each category
 
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ltm4kc said:
Minimum for consideration is 3.5 and 500 I believe.

Don't quote me on this, though.
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I got an II last week with a 3.47, although my MCAT was 518. I'm guessing they do some sorta composoite.
 
BunnyMan17 said:
I got an II last week with a 3.47, although my MCAT was 518. I'm guessing they do some sorta composoite.
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Are you referring to HPSP or USUHS? @ltm4kc was referring to HPSP with that post.
 
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Oh oops, I was talking bout USUHS. Although I do have meeting with a recruiter to get things for HPSP app started on Tuesday and he said it wasn't a problem when we talked over the phone. He also said most branches are hurting pretty bad for physicians so anyone with an acceptance to U.S. med school has a decent chance.
 
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ltm4kc said:
Minimum for consideration is 3.5 and 500 I believe.

Don't quote me on this, though.
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Actually I'm pretty sure 3.5/30MCAT or 508 is auto-acceptance for HPSP (as long as you meet the standards physically and you have an acceptance letter to med school). I guess it also depends on how many scholarships they have available, and which branch you wanna go into
 
Red Lobster Actual said:
A friend of mine has told me about a naval officer only applying to USUHS and not getting in.
Click to expand...

This was my mistake last year, one that I'm not repeating again this year.

On a related note, this (and a couple of other factors) opened my consideration of USAR physician programs (MDSSP, STRAP, and HPLRP), which are pretty good in their own right.
 
jcve34 said:
Thanks everyone for the input. It was actually very interesting because I got a secondary invite before I even got verified. Kind of bizarre.

I applied very broadly. 20 DO and 18 MD. I got a 503 by reading Some TPR books and I took a practice exam the day before (didn't even know about the CARS section until then). This time I took a course and 8 practice exams. I hope I do better.

Once again everyone thanks for the input. Good luck to all applying!

Edit: Also for HPSP the MCAT is 500 or greater with at least a 124 in each category
Click to expand...
If that's really all you did to prepare for it the first time, I'm impressed with the score you got (especially not knowing about the CARS section). In my opinion practice exams are the best way to prep. I'm sure you will do much better this second time around. Good luck!
 
ltm4kc said:
Minimum for consideration is 3.5 and 500 I believe.

Don't quote me on this, though.
Click to expand...
Minimum that they start with is 3.5cgpa and 500mcat with 125 in each section. However, I know of 3 individuals that were not within the requirements that got HPSP. One of those acceptances was a 498 (3.9 sGPA/cGPA with great ECs and 2 published research articles). May have been a fluke year but I know that the Army was hurting on getting people in May to fill their quotas.
 
How long does it usually take to receive the secondary after submitting the primary?


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I got mine 6/24 and I was submitted/all transcripts in 6/10. I wasn't actually verified until 6/27
 
paradoctor1 said:
How long does it usually take to receive the secondary after submitting the primary?
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You should get an email from the admissions office the next business day if you submit your primary after hours. You have 3 weeks to submit it from the time you get the email. So if you have already submitted your primary check your spam folder. The link to the secondary is https://www.usuhs.edu/adm/secondary
 
Unexciting said:
You should get an email from the admissions office the next business day if you submit your primary after hours. You have 3 weeks to submit it from the time you get the email. So if you have already submitted your primary check your spam folder. The link to the secondary is https://www.usuhs.edu/adm/secondary
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I submitted my primary on Friday and have not received anything yet (yes I checked my spam folder). Can I fill out the secondary now or should I wait for an email from them?
 
paradoctor1 said:
I submitted my primary on Friday and have not received anything yet (yes I checked my spam folder). Can I fill out the secondary now or should I wait for an email from them?
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I would pre-write on Word and copy and paste it once they send it to you.
 
ltm4kc said:
I would pre-write on Word and copy and paste it once they send it to you.
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Yes do this! They don't screen for secondaries, so if you applied you'll get one. Their secondary is a Google form so you can't save it, but you can enter all the info if you leave the tab open and don't close the window. Make sure you save your essays separately just in case
 
I don't remember the application received email taking so long last cycle. Anyone else still waiting for confirmation that they received AMCAS?
 
Just got a II yesterday!! For current students (or prospective ones that are ahead of the game) any advice for where to look to decide on a branch? The military websites have so much info, it's hard to sift through. Pros/ cons of various branches?
 
PatchA said:
Just got a II yesterday!! For current students (or prospective ones that are ahead of the game) any advice for where to look to decide on a branch? The military websites have so much info, it's hard to sift through. Pros/ cons of various branches?
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Check out the Military Medicine forum on SDN. Lots of good info.
 
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PatchA said:
Just got a II yesterday!! For current students (or prospective ones that are ahead of the game) any advice for where to look to decide on a branch? The military websites have so much info, it's hard to sift through. Pros/ cons of various branches?
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Congrats! Do you mind if I ask when were you complete?
 
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