2022-2023 Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS)

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Hey there, when was your application complete last year? My application was just completed today (was unfortunately waiting on an LOR) and i'm worried i'm too late.
Like when did I get the "your application is under review" email? So I actually got that email about middle of August last year (I think August 18th if I remember correctly) and I got an interview so you are most definitely not too late! I will say that I had the chance to actually meet the director of admissions on base and she told me that this school especially takes into consideration how early you submit. Regardless, I got an interview last year and although I don't know you stats there is a good chance that you had a better profile than I did last year especially for USUHS

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Ahh I wonder when they are sending interviews. The previous forums show interviews already being handed out by this date.
 
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Hey there, when was your application complete last year? My application was just completed today (was unfortunately waiting on an LOR) and i'm worried i'm too late.
when you say your application was complete today, as in you submitted your primary? were verified today? completed your USU secondary app?
 
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when you say your application was complete today, as in you submitted your primary? were verified today? completed your USU secondary app?

I submitted my secondary maybe 2-3 weeks ago, but my application could not be reviewed until my last LOR was in. My writer submitted yesterday and I got the confirmation email shortly after that says “your application is in the review process”
 
I submitted my secondary maybe 2-3 weeks ago, but my application could not be reviewed until my last LOR was in. My writer submitted yesterday and I got the confirmation email shortly after that says “your application is in the review process”
yeah I wouldn't worry about it too much. You might not get an interview this month simply because some people were already reviewed (then again who knows), but if you are a good fit you can still get an early enough interview. I got waitlist status last year which was fairly close to acceptance and was complete technically after you and my application was not perfect and I still had an interview in January.
 
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yeah I wouldn't worry about it too much. You might not get an interview this month simply because some people were already reviewed (then again who knows), but if you are a good fit you can still get an early enough interview. I got waitlist status last year which was fairly close to acceptance and was complete technically after you and my application was not perfect and I still had an interview in January.

Thanks so much. Do you think that’s why you got waitlisted, because of the timing? Or other factors on your app?
 
Thanks so much. Do you think that’s why you got waitlisted, because of the timing? Or other factors on your app?
Definitely some other factors. My MCAT score is not very high and my GPA is on par but not perfect. When I spoke to the dean, she told me that my primary issue that would have pushed me over the top was military experience that I had very little of. I like to think that a gap year may have helped since I earned most of my clinical hours and research experience that defined my application this year, during my senior year of college and I couldn't talk about it that much. On top of those things timing was also not very good. Wasn't the worst but it wasn't perfect.
 
I received this email yesterday:

"Thank you for your continued patience throughout the review process. This email is to provide an update on your status. Your application is advancing in the process and will receive a thorough and fair review by the Admissions Committee. Although it may have been a while since you submitted your secondary and LORs, applications are reviewed by the Admissions Committee in order of completion and committee member availability. There was no delay on your application. You are just receiving this update because other applications were completed prior to yours.

Please note that successful applications to the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine are those that demonstrate strong academic credentials, usually with cumulative and science grade point averages of approximately 3.7. You should take this time to review your entire application submission and determine whether there are any academic weaknesses while you can still take action. If you find that your grades or test scores are below our historical average, it may be helpful to take additional basic science classes (i.e. Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Microbiology) at your local community college.

Because the Committee reviews applications on a continual basis, there is no way for the Admissions Office staff to predict when a decision will be made. However, you will be notified immediately. The interview season will continue until beginning of February and invitations are issued via email. Please DO NOT CALL TO CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR APPLICATION. However, periodic EMAIL verifications are welcome beginning in December."

Does this mean that I am in the later batch of applicants? I completed and submitted my secondaries on 7/14.
 
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I received this email yesterday:

"Thank you for your continued patience throughout the review process. This email is to provide an update on your status. Your application is advancing in the process and will receive a thorough and fair review by the Admissions Committee. Although it may have been a while since you submitted your secondary and LORs, applications are reviewed by the Admissions Committee in order of completion and committee member availability. There was no delay on your application. You are just receiving this update because other applications were completed prior to yours.

Please note that successful applications to the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine are those that demonstrate strong academic credentials, usually with cumulative and science grade point averages of approximately 3.7. You should take this time to review your entire application submission and determine whether there are any academic weaknesses while you can still take action. If you find that your grades or test scores are below our historical average, it may be helpful to take additional basic science classes (i.e. Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Microbiology) at your local community college.

Because the Committee reviews applications on a continual basis, there is no way for the Admissions Office staff to predict when a decision will be made. However, you will be notified immediately. The interview season will continue until beginning of February and invitations are issued via email. Please DO NOT CALL TO CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR APPLICATION. However, periodic EMAIL verifications are welcome beginning in December."

Does this mean that I am in the later batch of applicants? I completed and submitted my secondaries on 7/14.
+1
 
I received this email yesterday:

"Thank you for your continued patience throughout the review process. This email is to provide an update on your status. Your application is advancing in the process and will receive a thorough and fair review by the Admissions Committee. Although it may have been a while since you submitted your secondary and LORs, applications are reviewed by the Admissions Committee in order of completion and committee member availability. There was no delay on your application. You are just receiving this update because other applications were completed prior to yours.

Please note that successful applications to the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine are those that demonstrate strong academic credentials, usually with cumulative and science grade point averages of approximately 3.7. You should take this time to review your entire application submission and determine whether there are any academic weaknesses while you can still take action. If you find that your grades or test scores are below our historical average, it may be helpful to take additional basic science classes (i.e. Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Microbiology) at your local community college.

Because the Committee reviews applications on a continual basis, there is no way for the Admissions Office staff to predict when a decision will be made. However, you will be notified immediately. The interview season will continue until beginning of February and invitations are issued via email. Please DO NOT CALL TO CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR APPLICATION. However, periodic EMAIL verifications are welcome beginning in December."

Does this mean that I am in the later batch of applicants? I completed and submitted my secondaries on 7/14.
So based on my understanding of the process you aren't in the first batch but you are close enough to it. I submitted late June (basically the day it opened) and I received this email in early July. However, last year I was complete by the later part of July and got this email by 8/22/21
 
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Will they find out if I lied about taking zoloft back in 2019?
I would assume, yes. USUHS, or the military, is going to do an evaluation of you by a physician at some point. I image at that stage they’ll have your medical record available. If it’s on there, they’ll find out.
 
Do yo take it now? Was it a misdiagnosis? I believe the medical question asked if you currently take medication. If you are lying and taking medication now that is bad. If you took a medication but don’t now then that is fine I think. Unless this is a different question than I’m thinking of
 
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Will they find out if I lied about taking zoloft back in 2019?
No. They aren't gonna find out if you don't disclose it. They can't go through your med history without your consent and release of records from that specific clinic. If you mention it, they will investigate it and make a decision. If you do not, well they don't have a reason to investigate further.
 
I had to dig deep for this one. There is reportedly a new centralized database that is organized to include pharmacy records and medical records that date back as far as 7 years which includes the civilian sector. Not sure if this is the same system used for people trying to be doctors but it does pose an interesting question. If people have other ideas on this let me know. I would assume that they screen for the most common drugs that people can sort of sweep under the rug like ADHD/ADD meds, anxiety and depression meds, as well as asthma.
 
I had to dig deep for this one. There is reportedly a new centralized database that is organized to include pharmacy records and medical records that date back as far as 7 years which includes the civilian sector. Not sure if this is the same system used for people trying to be doctors but it does pose an interesting question. If people have other ideas on this let me know. I would assume that they screen for the most common drugs that people can sort of sweep under the rug like ADHD/ADD meds, anxiety and depression meds, as well as asthma.
My brother, having done commissioning physicals for others, done one myself, and handled military records requests. You are fine so long as you do not disclose it during your physical. We have plenty of AIRBORNE soldiers with asthma in the service. We just gave them medication and it was fine so long as they could JUMP and pass the PT test. I will remove this post if mods request.
 
My brother, having done commissioning physicals for others, done one myself, and handled military records requests. You are fine so long as you do not disclose it during your physical. We have plenty of AIRBORNE soldiers with asthma in the service. We just gave them medication and it was fine so long as they could JUMP and pass the PT test. I will remove this post if mods request.
I understand that but how recently was this done? Essentially with the most recent system someone should theoretically be able to type in your ssn an spit out everything they need to know. Also please take me questions as a genuine inquiry and not a debate lol. I am not prior military but I am always trying to learn more about how this system works.
 
I understand that but how recently was this done? Essentially with the most recent system someone should theoretically be able to type in your ssn an spit out everything they need to know. Also please take me questions as a genuine inquiry and not a debate lol. I am not prior military but I am always trying to learn more about how this system works.
2020, and I still have friends who work in military medicine. We do not search for your records unless you disclose something on the physical form. If you disclose, we request a waiver. Part of the waiver process is the applicant supplying us with consent to receive records prevalent to that condition. No one is going behind your back to search your SSN, that is illegal.
 
2020, and I still have friends who work in military medicine. We do not search for your records unless you disclose something on the physical form. If you disclose, we request a waiver. Part of the waiver process is the applicant supplying us with consent to receive records prevalent to that condition. No one is going behind your back to search your SSN, that is illegal.
Are you required to allow that kind of access when you consent to commissioning? Say you were on zooloft at some point and you consented as a contingency do they routinely do those things. Not that it really affects me but I am curious.
 
Are you required to allow that kind of access when you consent to commissioning? Say you were on zooloft at some point and you consented as a contingency do they routinely do those things. Not that it really affects me but I am curious.
If you're referring to the Medical Review of Authoritative Data (MROAD) request, then yes. It only shows medication usage from large pharmacy from the last 7 years. Again, no one is going to check unless you disclose or it becomes a problem that interferes with your job duties. The military is not an all knowing-all seeing entity. It is an organization made up by people, and a lot of those people are not trying to force out other soldiers, especially given the current recruiting targets not being met.
 
If you're referring to the Medical Review of Authoritative Data (MROAD) request, then yes. It only shows medication usage from large pharmacy from the last 7 years. Again, no one is going to check unless you disclose or it becomes a problem that interferes with your job duties. The military is not an all knowing-all seeing entity. It is an organization made up by people, and a lot of those people are not trying to force out other soldiers, especially given the current recruiting targets not being met.
So no one will routinely use that service unless they need to? Like if you tell them you have some kind of condition.
 
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Anyone know if USUSH has sent out any interview invites yet?
 
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Reapplicant here…just realized that I reused part of my diversity essay from last year.

How bad is this? It’s not just like a single paragraph, it’s the majority of the essay.

I literally just read the “do NOT copy a previous essay” instruction after submitting :(
 
Reapplicant here…just realized that I reused part of my diversity essay from last year.

How bad is this? It’s not just like a single paragraph, it’s the majority of the essay.

I literally just read the “do NOT copy a previous essay” instruction after submitting :(
Gonna guess if they say “don’t do X” and you do X it ain’t that good
 
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Reapplicant here…just realized that I reused part of my diversity essay from last year.

How bad is this? It’s not just like a single paragraph, it’s the majority of the essay.

I literally just read the “do NOT copy a previous essay” instruction after submitting :(
Maybe you somehow get lucky, and the person reviewing your application doesn't look at your previous submission. Most likely, it does not look good to not follow an explicitly stated instruction, especially for the military. It doesn't matter now what's done is done; maybe your improvements since the last cycle can overshadow this mistake, all you can do now is wait and find out.

Take this as a lesson; you need to always re-read every instruction and essay before submitting. At least you won't make this mistake for any other school now.
 
II Received around 4:40 pm. Complete 7/19. I thought I’d get screened out for long term antidepressant use disclosure.
 
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Maybe you somehow get lucky, and the person reviewing your application doesn't look at your previous submission. Most likely, it does not look good to not follow an explicitly stated instruction, especially for the military. It doesn't matter now what's done is done; maybe your improvements since the last cycle can overshadow this mistake, all you can do now is wait and find out.

Take this as a lesson; you need to always re-read every instruction and essay before submitting. At least you won't make this mistake for any other school now.

To be clear, it isn’t verbatim identical. I reworded it, but the content is the same.
 
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II Received around 4:40 pm. Complete 7/19. I thought I’d get screened out for long term antidepressant use disclosure.

Congrats! Did they notify you by email? Also did it look like more of an automated email? The one I got about an update that mine is in line to review came at a weird time. So not sure if I could expect an email at any time of the day.
 
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Congrats! Did they notify you by email? Also did it look like more of an automated email? The one I got about an update that mine is in line to review came at a weird time. So not sure if I could expect an email at any time of the day.

Yes to email! It felt pre written with my name and date slipped in. But unclear whether it’s automated. In general, invites tend to come during business hours I believe.


Or at least that’s what I tell myself to stop refreshing my inbox page.
 
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Reapplicant here…just realized that I reused part of my diversity essay from last year.

How bad is this? It’s not just like a single paragraph, it’s the majority of the essay.

I literally just read the “do NOT copy a previous essay” instruction after submitting :(
Did you interview last year too?
 
as of right now silence, but I did send my admissions counselor at USUHS an update
 
Last year I got my email at like 5:50 PM on a Monday so I don't know if the emails are sent necessarily during business hours but you will definitely not got an email on the weekend or anything past 9 PM either
 
Last year I got my email at like 5:50 PM on a Monday so I don't know if the emails are sent necessarily during business hours but you will definitely not got an email on the weekend or anything past 9 PM either

Do you mean you got a II invite at this time? Lol don’t tell me this because I’ll be checking all day now instead of just business hours
 
Do you mean you got a II invite at this time? Lol don’t tell me this because I’ll be checking all day now instead of just business hours
yeah lol but don't check all day, I would say before 7PM makes sense but they will not send you an invite on the weekend or at midnight
 
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So did only one person get an interview? 🙃
Over the years these threads have had less and less participation so that is one reason that you are seeing only one person. Secondly, it is only august literally the very very very very very beginning of interviews and only a very small number of qualified applicants who were read first will be fortunate to have an early date. Don't sweat it, people who get IIs in November and December get in to this school at about the same rate as those who get invites very early on.
 
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Also a warning to those who are paranoid about waiting too long for medical schools to respond to you, this school really embraces waiting and everything takes much longer than you think it should. So if you don't hear back for too long there is a high chance that they will get to you but you just need to be a little extra patient than you thought was necessary.
 
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I know it’s super early. This thread is definitely not the most active on here, but I was still surprised to see only one person in the first wave comment. I also checked Reddit and didn’t see anything reported for USUHS.

Waiting isn’t fun, but I just have to remind myself how nice it is not to be writing secondaries 10hr/day on my weekends anymore. 😂😂
 
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I know it’s super early. This thread is definitely not the most active on here, but I was still surprised to see only one person in the first wave comment. I also checked Reddit and didn’t see anything reported for USUHS.

Waiting isn’t fun, but I just have to remind myself how nice it is not to be writing secondaries 10hr/day on my weekends anymore. 😂😂
Lol yeah. Reason I say this is as a reapplicant, I realized that everything with this school is just a little bit longer than you are comfortable with (That's what she said). So if you are expecting something to happen a month from now it's realistically like 3 months.
 
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Does anyone have insights on how USUHS views active duty applicants? I am an active duty Army officer. I don't think I would typically be a very strong candidate for USUHS, cGPA 3.17, sGPA 3.39 and grad GPA 3.65, MCAT 505. Does anyone know if they give any sort of special consideration to active duty applicants? Does it make up for the lower academic stats?
Yes 100%. As long as you have demonstrated that you can keep up You don’t need quite as “impressive” stats. USUHS is dedicated to making career military officers and priors have already proven their commitment to the military, so they get priority consideration
 
If you recently passed the MEPS physical for HPSP, would you still need to get a separate physical for USUHS?
Yes because MEPS is a separate system. USUHS and the service academies do everything through DoDMERB, so you’ll have to go to whatever doctor you get assigned from DoDMETS
 
Hey guys - as you’ve probably already noticed more and more people aren’t using SDN. There’s a lot of premed advisors out there (like Dr. Gray) who advise against it because it can be pretty upsetting and full of misinformation. That being said, I used SDN as an applicant and got some really helpful information on schools so I thought I would pay it forward! I just started MS1 at USUHS, no prior service, and I’m happy to answer any questions I can. If it’s a group question just ask on the thread because others might want the information as well. If it’s a you question just dm me. Good luck this cycle!
 
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Hey guys - as you’ve probably already noticed more and more people aren’t using SDN. There’s a lot of premed advisors out there (like Dr. Gray) who advise against it because it can be pretty upsetting and full of misinformation. That being said, I used SDN as an applicant and got some really helpful information on schools so I thought I would pay it forward! I just started MS1 at USUHS, no prior service, and I’m happy to answer any questions I can. If it’s a group question just ask on the thread because others might want the information as well. If it’s a you question just dm me. Good luck this cycle!
Thank you for writing. Would you be able to share when you received your II and what the high level process was?
 
Thank you for writing. Would you be able to share when you received your II and what the high level process was?

Thanks for letting us know!! Could you also share the time your application was complete on top of when you received your II?
 
Thank you for writing. Would you be able to share when you received your II and what the high level process was?
Thanks for letting us know!! Could you also share the time your application was complete on top of when you received your II?
So I just wanna start off and say that USUHS admissions is very unique which makes it really hard to compare different people’s paths. Everyone has very different stats, stories, and timelines for getting into usuhs so take everything you hear with a grain of salt. That being said, my best friend and I both submitted AMCAS the very first day for verification, submitted our usuhs secondary 2 days after receiving it, and were marked complete like early august I think? He got an interview invite almost immediately and interviewed the middle of September. They reviewed my app and put it on hold for re-review later in the cycle after they got more apps to compare. I got an interview invite the middle of august and interviewed November 18th. My friend got accepted Oct 14th or whatever the first day is that schools can call you. Usuhs always calls as far as I know. I didn’t hear anything from my interview until the last week in January when I got the email that I was on the waitlist. They won’t tell you where you are on the waitlist, but definitely keep in touch with admissions and continue to express interest if you are in that boat. Waitlist movement started May 1 after the commit to enroll option opened on AMCAS, and I got accepted May 14th. Waitlist movement varies every year, but in general it is much higher than civilian schools. Hope this helps some!
 
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So I just wanna start off and say that USUHS admissions is very unique which makes it really hard to compare different people’s paths. Everyone has very different stats, stories, and timelines for getting into usuhs so take everything you hear with a grain of salt. That being said, my best friend and I both submitted AMCAS the very first day for verification, submitted our usuhs secondary 2 days after receiving it, and were marked complete like early august I think? He got an interview invite almost immediately and interviewed the middle of September. They reviewed my app and put it on hold for re-review later in the cycle after they got more apps to compare. I got an interview invite the middle of august and interviewed November 18th. My friend got accepted Oct 14th or whatever the first day is that schools can call you. Usuhs always calls as far as I know. I didn’t hear anything from my interview until the last week in January when I got the email that I was on the waitlist. They won’t tell you where you are on the waitlist, but definitely keep in touch with admissions and continue to express interest if you are in that boat. Waitlist movement started May 1 after the commit to enroll option opened on AMCAS, and I got accepted May 14th. Waitlist movement varies every year, but in general it is much higher than civilian schools. Hope this helps some!
Thanks so much for sharing both stories! Did they tell you your app was put on "re-review" status? The waiting is definitely getting to me, and hearing about your timeline helped for sure. I'm not entirely sure how they move through the apps so trying to get a better understanding of it.
 
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