2016-2017 University of New Mexico Application Thread

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Please post the essays or lack thereof (in addition to word or character counts) in this thread and tag me and/or @Ismet and we'll update the OP.

Good luck to everyone applying!

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MS1. If you have any questions throughout this process, please feel free to PM me! I wish everyone the best!
 
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@redferrari
I am really into rural medicine but I am from out of state do u think it would be worth it to apply?
I heard they are not OOS friendly
 
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Incoming MS1. If you have any questions throughout this process, please feel free to PM me! I wish everyone the best!
Hi, thank you for offering! Based on your opinion and current observations, do you know how receptive the school is to older applicants—career changer-types?
 
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Hi, thank you for offering! Based on your opinion and current observations, do you know how receptive the school is to older applicants—career changer-types?
VERY. There are quite a few non-trads in both my class and the school as a whole.
 
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VERY. There are quite a few non-trads in both my class and the school as a whole.
Thank you!! This helps! By the way, congratulations on being accepted!!!
 
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Sometimes they accept out of state applicants, but the vast majority are in state.
 
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Good luck everyone applying this cycle! MS4 here if you have any questions feel free to let me know! UNM is a great place :)

Hey rcheech7, would you mind discussing the amount of volunteer and clinical experience that was necessary to be considered at UNM? I'm currently studying BS Bio, and just planned on entering med school after. I am starting as a junior this August, and I've got no volunteer/clinical experience yet...

Also, is research experience required at all? How about shadowing?

Many thanks :)
 
Hey rcheech7, would you mind discussing the amount of volunteer and clinical experience that was necessary to be considered at UNM? I'm currently studying BS Bio, and just planned on entering med school after. I am starting as a junior this August, and I've got no volunteer/clinical experience yet...

Also, is research experience required at all? How about shadowing?

Many thanks :)

Incoming MS-1 (tomorrow!) and might be able to offer a little insight having just gone through the application process.

I would definitely say the more clinical and volunteer experience you can get the better as long as it is meaningful and you can use it to help answer the question "why do you want to be a doctor" and demonstrate that you really understand what it entails. You're not behind on getting it at this point but I would see if you can get in somewhere to start volunteering on a consistent basis and shadowing with a doc periodically. Remember that you'll also need letters of rec and these are great places to get some from someone that has time to get to know you and your specific ambitions in medicine. There isn't a set number of hours, but certainly having enough to know what you're getting yourself into and (I'll reiterate here) making it meaningful is important. You don't want it to look like you're just trying to check the "volunteer hours" box as an applicant.

As far as research, it's not as emphasized as it is at some schools but having a little exposure to it won't hurt. I personally didn't have any that was significant but did have hundreds of volunteer/shadowing hours and I never heard anything negative about my lack of research experience.
 
Has anyone received a secondary from UNM yet? Verified July 10 and still haven't gotten one.
 
Hey rcheech7, would you mind discussing the amount of volunteer and clinical experience that was necessary to be considered at UNM? I'm currently studying BS Bio, and just planned on entering med school after. I am starting as a junior this August, and I've got no volunteer/clinical experience yet...

Also, is research experience required at all? How about shadowing?

Many thanks :)

The adcom doesn't really mention how much is required for shadowing, volunteer, and clinical experience to be considered, but the more, the better. I personally followed a doc off and on for five years, have hundreds of hours of volunteering, and thousands of clinical hours. However, I do know someone who only followed a doc for 48 hours, volunteered for about 120hours, and had about 40 hours of clinical experience. Probably more important is the quality of relationships you form from those experiences. Make sure you do them 'cause you really want those experiences, and not just something to put on your resume. These experiences serve two things: for you to find out that medicine and being an advocate for people is really what you want to do, and for the adcom to know that you've seen a few things in medicine and are still interested. Research isn't required at all; only some have experience. Keep in mind that the adcom assigns points to each part of your application. A high GPA/MCAT alone can't guarantee admission.
 
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Just received secondary! Applying OOS, strong ties through graduating high school in NM.
 
Just received secondary! Applying OOS, strong ties through graduating high school in NM.
Can you help update the thread and post the secondary prompts? Helping a friend out! I'm also an MS4 at UNM and happy to answer any questions you guys have about the program! Love UNM! Hearing from residents who came from other medical school, it seems like the culture at UNM is one of a kind and very medical student friendly. Everyone here is so nice!! It's cheap as well compared to other schools! Good luck to everyone applying this cycle!
 
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Can you help update the thread and post the secondary prompts? Helping a friend out! I'm also an MS4 at UNM and happy to answer any questions you guys have about the program! Love UNM! Hearing from residents who came from other medical school, it seems like the culture at UNM is one of a kind and very medical student friendly. Everyone here is so nice!! It's cheap as well compared to other schools! Good luck to everyone applying this cycle!

1) At the UNM School of Medicine we are committed to building a dynamic, productive and positive learning environment in addition to promoting cross cultural and cross racial understanding among students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions and backgrounds. Share any unique or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity and life and work experiences. What would you as an individual bring to our medical community? (2000 characters)

2) There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacles or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician? (2000 characters)

3) While providing healthcare as a physician is often a rewarding career, it is also a profession that entails addressing constant challenges. What do you see as the most significant issues the medical profession will face in the next 20 years, and what are some potential solutions for these problems? (2000 characters)

4) Part of the goal of the UNM School of Medicine is to address the healthcare disparities that face New Mexico. Once you become a physician, how do you foresee yourself helping to address the healthcare challenges that affect communities in the State of New Mexico? (2000 characters)
 
Btw, the Kessler's rule (years in NM x number of application attempts has to be at least 12) doesn't apply. Not sure if it ever existed. I've only lived in NM for 5 years and got in the first time.
 
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Interviewed here last year. Although I did not get in, I fell in love with this school! Good luck to everyone interviewing! I hope I get the chance to interview here again!
 
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Hey, I interviewed at UNM on 9/23. When will I hear back from them? The lady said at least 3 weeks and it has been just over 3 weeks. Also if I don't get rolling accepted or rejected, will UNM email me to tell me I'm in the March pool or will I just not receive an email from them until March?
 
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Interviewing 10/31. Any pointers or insights into questions/process/things to research??? Getting excited/nervous/anxious!!!
 
Interviewed here last year. Although I did not get in, I fell in love with this school! Good luck to everyone interviewing! I hope I get the chance to interview here again!
Any news? Congrats on your interview.
 
Hey, I interviewed at UNM on 9/23. When will I hear back from them? The lady said at least 3 weeks and it has been just over 3 weeks. Also if I don't get rolling accepted or rejected, will UNM email me to tell me I'm in the March pool or will I just not receive an email from them until March?
I interviewed in the middle of last October and literally didn't hear a peep until March. There is absolutely no way to predict when you will receive news. Best thing to do is just sit back and try not to think about it too much.
 
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Interviewed here 9/12..anyone get back acceptances yet?
 
Anybody get any rolling love recently?
 
OOS interviewed 11/4. Hopefully they won't keep us hanging until March 15th!
 
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OOS interview on 12/19. Interviewed last application cycle. Hoping that this is the year!
 
First time re-applicant here -
Lived in NM for 12 years, literally thousands of hours of undergrad research exp and post-grad clinical research coordination exp. LizzyM ~70. After last year's rejection, I attended the post-application workshop and one-on-one. My weakest aspect was showing a deep comprehension of New Mexico's public health issues, which I have worked on this year.
Secondaries invited on 8/19/16.
Interview completed on 10/7/16.

Still waiting for news.
 
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First time re-applicant here -
Lived in NM for 12 years, literally thousands of hours of undergrad research exp and post-grad clinical research coordination exp. LizzyM ~70. After last year's rejection, I attended the post-application workshop and one-on-one. My weakest aspect was showing a deep comprehension of New Mexico's public health issues, which I have worked on this year.
Secondaries invited on 8/19/16.
Interview completed on 10/7/16.
Still waiting for news.

Hi blessmybiscuits

Congrats and good luck. What kind of questions do they ask at interview? I have one before year's end!!!
 
FWIW at my interview on 12/19 Dr. Sapien said that there were still 45 out of 103 spots available. This is such a quiet thread for more than half of the class being filled!
 
Did he mention whether those acceptances were already given out or not? I'm just wondering if it's quiet here because people haven't actually received their acceptances. From what I understand, only a handful of rolling acceptances are given out each year. But I might be totally wrong.
 
Did he mention whether those acceptances were already given out or not? I'm just wondering if it's quiet here because people haven't actually received their acceptances. From what I understand, only a handful of rolling acceptances are given out each year. But I might be totally wrong.

He did not. He did say that they compile hundreds of different scores from the whole application process and interview to create a final score and if you rank extremely high then they send out a rolling acceptance and if you rank extremely low they send out a rolling rejection and recommend that you take a good look at your application and make some serious changes. The majority of applicants remain in that middle area and so they do not hear anything until March 15th.
 
@hotsauce: so have you been accepted by UNM? Your profile says 'accepted.' Congratulations if you have! So if 58 out of 103 acceptances have been made, yes this thread has been very quiet indeed, however, if most people rank in the middle and will not hear anything until March, then it follows that there is not much of a reaction on this blog.
 
@Nontrad12 Unfortunately, UNM is not the school I have been accepted to but I'm crossing my fingers and toes for an acceptance this cycle because it is my #1 choice.

I could not agree with you more about the activity (or lack thereof) on this thread. I'm just curious as to if those 58 acceptances have already been sent to the applicants or if they are waiting until March to send them. Waiting is so painful haha.

EDIT: Also, best of luck on your interview if it hasn't already occurred yet!!
 
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As soon as they decide they are going to extend an offer, I can't imagine why they would keep you waiting in the dark for months. Remember that out of that 103, ~25 are BA/MD, ~7-9 are PrEP, ~20 are deferrals, and a few are probably EDP. My guess would be that people accepted as part of this cycle makes up a smaller percentage of that 58 than those who already knew they were in.
 
Well... In any case... the admissions office is closed until the 3rd. So no one will be hearing anything from UNM until the New Year I imagine... I'm going to enjoy my life until I have absolutely nothing else to do but to worry. Good luck to everyone who's interviewed this year!
 
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As soon as they decide they are going to extend an offer, I can't imagine why they would keep you waiting in the dark for months. Remember that out of that 103, ~25 are BA/MD, ~7-9 are PrEP, ~20 are deferrals, and a few are probably EDP. My guess would be that people accepted as part of this cycle makes up a smaller percentage of that 58 than those who already knew they were in.

Good point about there being no point to leave applicants waiting in the dark. For some reason I was under the impression that the 103 did not include the BA/MD students. Thank you for clearing that up and for providing that information!
 
Good point about there being no point to leave applicants waiting in the dark. For some reason I was under the impression that the 103 did not include the BA/MD students. Thank you for clearing that up and for providing that information!
Nope, BA/MD is very much part of that 103. In fact, the class size was 75 before the first group of BA/MD students started med school a few years back. Historically, few offers have been made on a rolling basis. Many of us first-years found out in February or March. Those I know of who did get rolling offers are among the cream of the crop.
 
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