*2016-2017 Washington State University Application Thread

[colormecolorful]

For anyone who hasn't received a secondary:
The admissions office said that their system is backlogged by AMCAS and it's not our fault if we haven't received one yet. She said that we should expect to receive a secondary mid-November. That sucks because we'll have about 2 weeks for the cut off.

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[freak7]

For anyone who hasn't received a secondary:
The admissions office said that their system is backlogged by AMCAS and it's not our fault if we haven't received one yet. She said that we should expect to receive a secondary mid-November. That sucks because we'll have about 2 weeks for the cut off.

Thanks for checking on that!

 

[joonage]

Anybody else struggling with this secondary? I don't know if it's the questions or if it's the fact that I have written a secondary in over three months ...

 

[Husky28]

Anybody else struggling with this secondary? I don't know if it's the questions or if it's the fact that I have written a secondary in over three months ...

I agree with you! Parts of question 1 and question 4.

 

[freak7]

Secondary received ~7 minutes ago.

 

[colormecolorful]

Secondary received... weird after what they mentioned earlier

 

[DatInterviewDood]

"Please explain any extenuating circumstances you would like considered in the assignment of your Learning Community site location:"

Wording makes it seem optional, but the form seems to require something for this question?

 

[colormecolorful]

Is it just me or is this secondary so hard to fill out.... I'm definitely out of practice

 

[Whyamionhere]

Is it just me or is this secondary so hard to fill out.... I'm definitely out of practice

I opened it a few days ago said "nope" out loud and haven't opened it since....I suck.........

 

[colormecolorful]

Secondary Submitted... yikes

 

[MedArtist]

Got the secondary on Monday, def out of practice not looking forward to it.

 

[colormecolorful]

Don't waste your time talking to admissions, A very inexperienced person is answering phones and said "I don't know" to literally all of my questions lol.... guess we're on our own

 

[Fran0412]

Is anyone in Seattle attending the WSU application info session this afternoon at UW? I can't make it but if any of you SDN-ers are able to go, here is my humble plea to take some notes and pass the info on to the rest of us. Thank-you!

 

[kpop]

Is anyone in Seattle attending the WSU application info session this afternoon at UW? I can't make it but if any of you SDN-ers are able to go, here is my humble plea to take some notes and pass the info on to the rest of us. Thank-you!

I'm about to head there with my coworker. Post any questions here you want us to ask?

 

[SSSMDt]

I'm about to head there with my coworker. Post any questions here you want us to ask?

Just clarification on the clinical experience gained in years 1&2, and then how clinical rotations work in years 3&4 of course..

 

[MedArtist]

I'm about to head there with my coworker. Post any questions here you want us to ask?

When requiring us to go to random clinical weeks in years 1&2, whether they will provide the housing / $$ to stay or if that's all on us.

 

[freak7]

I'm about to head there with my coworker. Post any questions here you want us to ask?

How are they managing to keep their residency locations competitive with UW's monopoly on WA

 

[Fran0412]

I'm curious about lectures - are they mandatory? How much time a day will be spent in lecture? Will small-group learning be employed? Basically, I love UW's curriculum set-up and am trying to see how WSU will compare.

Also, I'm curious about the type of applicant they're really looking for beyond what is stated in their mission statement. Who do they see as being an ideal fit for their school?

 

[Whyamionhere]

If you could ask about opportunities for research, that would be awesome. Seems like this will not be a focus, but (not to keep bringing up UW sorry) - UW seems to have struck gold in combining a focus on primary, underserved clinical care and also incredible research. Just wondering if there will be much at all. Thanks!!

 

[SSSMDt]

If you could ask about opportunities for research, that would be awesome. Seems like this will not be a focus, but (not to keep bringing up UW sorry) - UW seems to have struck gold in combining a focus on primary, underserved clinical care and also incredible research. Just wondering if there will be much at all. Thanks!!

Of note, I did a lot of incredible research with WSU-Spokane faculty during undergrad who were teaching med students for UW and will now be teaching for WSU. But more info on this would be great.

EDIT: And I believe that the brand new building that had just gone up a year ago over there is pretty much just for research labs. So hopefully the med students are active in research.

 

[kpop]

Just clarification on the clinical experience gained in years 1&2, and then how clinical rotations work in years 3&4 of course..

Seems like they're still working out the exact details but they emphasized that they want to help reduce costs of transportation and housing. I think it was mentioned the possibility of home-stays or incorporating the cost into tuition. So far accreditation is only guaranteed until the end of 2nd year so they're focusing on the first two year logistics but they're looking towards partnering with local clinics and hospitals to provide clinical rotations. This is because they don't have their own teaching hospital and due to the fact that a fairly significant chunk (the speaker said about 2/3?) of Washington Medical Students (UW and WSU combined) now train in Spokane so we'll have to wait and see how they set all this up. The speaker also mentioned that in the VERY unlikely possibility that WSU does not obtain the next step in accreditation, then WSU will commit to placing all their students at other Medical Schools so they can finish their education as well as pay for the remainder of their tuition. In terms of class expansion, the first two years will be classes of 60 and it really depends on if they can get more clinical rotation spots to expand class size to hopefully 80 students for their 3rd year and more.

 

[kpop]

When requiring us to go to random clinical weeks in years 1&2, whether they will provide the housing / $$ to stay or if that's all on us.

Still being worked out but they're trying to figure out the logistics to minimize the financial burden on the students

 

[kpop]

How are they managing to keep their residency locations competitive with UW's monopoly on WA

Unfortunately I forgot to ask about residency spots... Sorry! It seems like they're mostly focused on doing the first two years right before working on the details of that far into the future in my opinion. They really talked alot about their curriculum and mission during this talk

 

[kpop]

I'm curious about lectures - are they mandatory? How much time a day will be spent in lecture? Will small-group learning be employed? Basically, I love UW's curriculum set-up and am trying to see how WSU will compare.

Also, I'm curious about the type of applicant they're really looking for beyond what is stated in their mission statement. Who do they see as being an ideal fit for their school?

So this was an interesting one. They will be utilizing "apple itunes" types of lectures. It was a bit ambiguous but it was described as an interactive lecture or case study that you would do online through iTunes. The interface was described to be very similar to Blackboard or Canvas. They did not dismiss classroom lectures entirely, but I got the notion that we would NOT be having a regular classroom that we go to for learning material daily (don't quote me on this!). They really liked the concept of learning backwards through patient case studies because they feel like important concepts are learned best "backwards". Meaning learning the disease pathology and then seeing how that relates to normal human function and what we can do about it.

Another emphasis was on team based learning to train students to be physician leaders. This means learning to work in a healthcare team with members that bring their own unique strengths to the table. An example given was a weekly(ish) session where we would team up with pre-pharm/pre-nursing/etc. students and tackle a case together. Think "Hackathon" but for medical care.

For the type of applicant, one interesting example that the speaker included was that they encouraged/liked to see applicants that were from first-generation professional backgrounds. This means that even if your parents went to college, not having a professional like a doctor or lawyer in the family that you can learn from on how to be a professional is seen as a disadvantage to the applicant. Overcoming this disadvantage and still getting yourself to the point where you are competitively applying for medical school is a plus for them.

 

[kpop]

If you could ask about opportunities for research, that would be awesome. Seems like this will not be a focus, but (not to keep bringing up UW sorry) - UW seems to have struck gold in combining a focus on primary, underserved clinical care and also incredible research. Just wondering if there will be much at all. Thanks!!

Research wasn't covered as much.. but I think he said it would be available! We do have advisors that will help us create learning plans throughout our 4 years to help guide us through the process of doing well in medical school and setting us up for the residencies we want to pursue, so I think on a case by case basis they will try to set up students with relevant faculty that can help point them in the right direction! That being said, probably won't be as many research opportunities as a powerhouse like UW but better than nothing right

 

[Whyamionhere]

You rock @kpop thanks for reporting back!!

 

[kpop]

DISCLAIMER: All shared info came off the top of my head because I forgot to really take notes so... Forgive me if there's any minutiae that I missed or mixed up! Overall I think I hit the big points that we went over.

Several other things: There are currently roughly 550 applicants (400 IS and 150 OOS, which I'm assuming have strong WA ties). He did mention that they considered about 15-20 appeals for the 3 out of 4 WA ties requirements. Also, interview season for them starts January and we should get II invites before winter break. Jan 17th is when the first Admissions Committee meets and then Jan 21 (guessing they meet regularly after that but those are the two specific dates mentioned). They need to have 60 students accepted/announced by March 15th so that gives us a rough timeline on when we should expect to hear back. Because WSU is a state schools they said they'll probably send out only 80 acceptances as needed out of around 320 IIs.

Okay! That's all I got. Hope this helps paint a clearer picture of what WSU has going on so far. Good luck guys! I need to go back to finishing this secondary

 

[SSSMDt]

@kpop thanks for all the info. I really am optimistic about this school and, if accepted, would absolutely have no qualms about going here. Am excited to stay updated with you all throughout this cycle.

 

[MedArtist]

This is what hope feels like!

 

[Ccronen]

What do you guys think are realistic stats to get in here?

 

[abadab]

Got my rejection from UW... could really go for a secondary from WSU right about now

 

[colormecolorful]

What do you guys think are realistic stats to get in here? I wasn't even planning on applying this cycle after getting my
MCAT - 503 (127/124 (ugh)/127/125) and scheduling a retake this march, but once I heard about their accreditation in October I thought, hm why not? I'm a washington resident, growing up on the west side but with close ties to eastern washington. GPA 3.88. Obviously I didn't have a primary app ready to go like everyone else applying this cycle, so I did the whole thing in the last two weeks and am almost ready to submit (luckily I already had my LOR, and a pretty decent PS written from when I thought I was applying this cycle). I'm super excited about this opportunity, and honestly if I got in I don't think i would even bother applying to any others next cycle and would be thrilled to go here. Thoughts?

If I'm being totally honest with you, I got a 503 and my GPA is a 3.75. I've gotten two interviews so far. Don't let numbers stop you

 

[194]

What do you guys think are realistic stats to get in here? I wasn't even planning on applying this cycle after getting my
MCAT - 503 (127/124 (ugh)/127/125) and scheduling a retake this march, but once I heard about their accreditation in October I thought, hm why not? I'm a washington resident, growing up on the west side but with close ties to eastern washington. GPA 3.88. Obviously I didn't have a primary app ready to go like everyone else applying this cycle, so I did the whole thing in the last two weeks and am almost ready to submit (luckily I already had my LOR, and a pretty decent PS written from when I thought I was applying this cycle). I'm super excited about this opportunity, and honestly if I got in I don't think i would even bother applying to any others next cycle and would be thrilled to go here. Thoughts?

You and I are in the same boat; didn't think WSU was going to make their accreditation timeline, and planned on retaking the MCAT next spring (previous score was 28). When WSU made their announcement, I started working on the application, and submitted it. I figure my chances of gaining acceptance are 0% if I don't apply, so why not?

 

[freak7]

I figure my chances of gaining acceptance are 0% if I don't apply, so why not?

Because then you risk being a reapplicant.

 

[194]

Because then you risk being a reapplicant.

Which just shows dedication, and allows me to illustrate what I've done to bolster my credentials.

 

[freak7]

Which just shows dedication, and allows me to illustrate what I've done to bolster my credentials.

That's not how this works, that's now how any of this works.

 

[mavric1298]

Dead on Admin at UW ALWAYS has a thing in her presentation about "DO NOT APPLY JUST BECAUSE OR TO TRY OUT THE WATERS". Every. Single. Time.

If anything it hurts you, because they have already rejected you, so you have to prove to them that they should change a decision they made last time.

 

[Ccronen]

Because then you risk being a reapplicant.

I agree this is a risk, but I feel as if the negative connotation with reapplication at a first year medical school might not be as severe


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[freak7]

@gonnif
Halp

You and I are in the same boat; didn't think WSU was going to make their accreditation timeline, and planned on retaking the MCAT next spring (previous score was 28). When WSU made their announcement, I started working on the application, and submitted it. I figure my chances of gaining acceptance are 0% if I don't apply, so why not?

Which just shows dedication, and allows me to illustrate what I've done to bolster my credentials.

I agree this is a risk, but I feel as if the negative connotation with reapplication at a first year medical school might not be as severe


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[SSSMDt]

Received the secondary last Friday and submitted today! Hoping for some love!

 

[kpop]

Took a bit longer finishing this Secondary than I would have normally liked but submitted today! Now the waiting game

 

[pinay58]

i already got accepted to PNWU... should i apply here? i'm hesitant since it's a brand new school and don't really want to go through the frustrating growing pains that comes with that

 

[kpop]

i already got accepted to PNWU... should i apply here? i'm hesitant since it's a brand new school and don't really want to go through the frustrating growing pains that comes with that

imo, MD gives you more opportunities with residency compared to DO, which is worth for me since I'm not 100% sure on what I want to do so I don't want to prematurely close any doors if I can help it. Personally I don't see it as frustrating growing pains, more like an chance to leave a bigger mark in the school compared to going to an established institution. I think the best option is to apply anyways if you can afford the time/money and if you get an II, you can see if the program is right for you. Worst case scenario you spent some $$ and hours to find out for yourself that this brand new school was not a good match for you, but at least you'll be able to move forward with your medical education with no regrets or "what ifs".

I also got into a few DOs but because of these factors (along with IS tuition rates) I would go here even compared to top DO schools.

... I think. Depends on the II and if I feel the school is a good fit for me. But I'm fairly sure it will be. Hopefully.

 

[premedwishful]

For those who applied here, about how many days did it take to receive a secondary? Are they pre-screening secondaries or just taking a while to send them because they are backed up with applications?

 

[Ccronen]

For those who applied here, about how many days did it take to receive a secondary? Are they pre-screening secondaries or just taking a while to send them because they are backed up with applications?

I submitted Saturday night, and received my secondary invitation Monday morning. Definitely was not expecting that quick of a turn around. Did anyone else notice the deadline for the primary and transcripts moved on AMCAS, but didn't change on WSU website?

 

[premedwishful]

I submitted Saturday night, and received my secondary invitation Monday morning. Definitely was not expecting that quick of a turn around. Did anyone else notice the deadline for the primary and transcripts moved on AMCAS, but didn't change on WSU website?

Thanks! Submitted mine yesterday, hoping for a quick turn around as well

 

[Husky28]

I submitted Saturday night, and received my secondary invitation Monday morning. Definitely was not expecting that quick of a turn around. Did anyone else notice the deadline for the primary and transcripts moved on AMCAS, but didn't change on WSU website?

What did it change to?

 

[Jesus_Is_Real]

What did it change to?

Mine says
Program Deadline: November 29, 2016
Transcript Deadline: December 13, 2016

 

[MedArtist]

Be proud of me guys, I submitted that nasty secondary today ... finally.

 

[freak7]

Be proud of me guys, I submitted that nasty secondary today ... finally.

Ugggh I really REALLY don't want to fill it out.