
	Office of Admissions Focus Group Sessions 2009-2010

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Focus Group Sessions: Questions and Answers

Admission Process	The Application	Coursework	Experience	GPA/MCAT
Interviews	Letters of Rec	Reapplication	Shadowing	Statements

#	Category	Question	Answer
1	Admission Process	If you are applying in September, what are your chances?	We have a rolling admissions process and we begin interviewing in October. Make sure AMCAS has received all your letters of recommendation. You can complete your secondary application up until January 15th. Although there are more open seats in September, In March, half of the class is still empty.
2	Admission Process	Is age a consideration?	No. The oldest student in the entering class of 2008 was 46 and the youngest student was 19. The average age of students was 25.
3	Admission Process	How much benefit is there to applying solely to UW?	It is not positive and actually a negative. What may seem to be an act of dedication is looked at as "does this person really want to go to medical school?" We do not know how many schools you apply to but some interviewers will ask. If you can't afford to apply to many schools, say so.
4	Admission Process	Are the budget cuts going to affect the size of the class?	Budget cuts are not going to affect the size of the class as far as we know at the moment.
5	Admission Process	If you are planning to submit your application in early July but have a medically relevant volunteer experience planned for August, after submission of the primary AMCAS application, is it still appropriate to include this experience on the primary application?	One way to do this would be to indicate the experience on the application with the future beginning and ending dates and your estimate of the hours that will be worked per week. You should make it very clear in the paragraph that you write regarding the experience that it will be occurring in the future. Later you could email an update to your file concerning this experience and what you got out of it. If this wound up being a very significant position, you could also ask your supervisor if s/he would write you a recommendation and have it added to your file. We do accept update letters, but cannot ensure that they will be seen by all screeners and interviewers if they are received after your file is complete.
6	Admission Process	I haven't started the application process, is there a website we can visit with an application checklist?	To submit your primary application, please visit the AMCAS website for more information: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm
7	Admission Process	Do you send rejection letters as soon as you decide? Or do you let people know they are on the alternate list and which number?	The alternate list is decided at the very end of the interview season and notifications are sent at the end of March. Should you be rejected at an EXCOM meeting, you will be notified after the meeting.
8	Admission Process	How is the alternate list ordered? Is it in order of how strong the applicant's application is, or in chronological order from who got put on the list first?	Applicants are ranked for the Alternate list at the final Executive Committee meetingsin March . Ranking is determined by discussion and review of the applications.
9	Admission Process	Will the fact that you select only Seattle as your placement for first year affect your chances of getting in?	No. However, we are a regional medical school and there are many benefits to spending your first year in a smaller first year site (Pullman or Spokane).
10	Admission Process	>For those on the waitlist, is it true you can "move up" due to changes to your application after the interview (more experience gained).	UWSOM does not have a "waitlist", per se, but has a competitive pool and an alternate list. To be placed in the competitive pool means that there has not been a final decision made on the application. Applicants are not ranked in the competitive pool. The alternate list is determined at the end of the interview season. As applicants decline the offer of admission, applicants will be accepted off the alternate list in order of their rank. The position on the alternate list is fixed and cannot change.
11	Admission Process	If you are on a wait list, should you do anything to help the committee come to a decision on your favor?	UWSOM does not have a "waitlist" but a competitive pool and an alternate list. Applicants are not ranked in the competitive pool. If you are in the competitive pool a final decision has not been made on your application. If you are in the competitive pool the only way you can influence the decision is if something different happened or there's a new experience, in which case an update can be sent via email to our office and the committee will be made aware of the addition.
12	Admission Process	If you were waitlisted in a previous cycle, does your executive committee member know and does this help you in anyway?	Yes we know. It is helpful, because you got far in the previous application.
13	Admission Process	What is considered "late" for turning in an application?	The deadline for AMCAS applications are November 1, 2009 and the deadline for secondary applications is January 15th, 2010. While UWSOM has rolling admissions, there is no significant advantage or disadvantage in applying earlier or closer to the deadline.
14	Admission Process	I'm participating in Teach for America, but had planned on applying to medical schools this year. I am still planning on doing this because applying might be difficult during my first year teaching. Does admissions look negatively on an applicant who knows they will defer for a year if accepted.	Yes. Applicants should only apply if they know they can matriculate in the Fall should they be accepted. While Teach for America is a great opportunity, your application will be stronger after you have completed your commitment to their program.
15	Admission Process	Do EXCOM members remain the same from year to year? I am a reapplicant and I want to know if my EXCOM member will be the same next year?	EXCOM members generally serve for 6 years. You will NOT be interviewed by any of the same people.
16	Admission Process	How many alternates are accepted each year?	The number of alternates accepted varies every year, but typically runs in the 30s. For the Fall of 2009 41 alternates were accepted. [Return to Top]
17	The Application	What are some deal breakers/red flags in the application?	Any misrepresentation (dishonesty) in the AMCAS application or secondary, conduct irregularities as an undergraduate student that involve unethical behavior, trouble with the police, not taking responsibility for past mistakes, a self-centered or self-serving perspective evidenced in the personal statement or in evaluations made by your recommenders, an application that has gross misspellings and/or grammatical errors are all things that come to mind as deal breakers in the application process.
18	The Application	Can you mention deadlines for primaries and secondaries and tell us what the difference is between the two?	The deadline for the primary application (i.e. the AMCAS application) is November 1st. The primary application is the same application that will be sent to all medical schools participating in AMCAS service. Secondary applications are sent out by each medical school and will request information or materials that are specific to that program. UWSOM secondary application deadline is January 15th.
19	The Application	How does the WWAMI application process differ from the UW application? Is it a separate application?	Montana applicants have additional secondary application questions to answer.
20	The Application	If you are applying for the MD/PhD program, does it show up on your application?	yes we see it. You should be ready to give a coherent reason for why you are doing both. It doesn't influence your application positively or negatively.
21	The Application	If I am an early entrance student, how is that looked upon by the committee?	It is neither an advantage or disadvantage to be attending an early entrance program. [Return to Top]
22	Coursework	If someone was out of school for more than 5 years, what type of courses would you recommend to take?	We recommend you take some science courses.
23	Coursework	If you are taking a post-bacc program and working full time, is it important to take a full course load or okay to take one at a time?	Depends on your previous record. If your previous record was reasonably strong but you were an English major and that's why you are in a postbacc it's not as critical to take three courses at a time. The committee would be interested in seeing how you do in an upper level science course. However, if you are trying to recover from a 2.3 and we look at your transcript and the year in which you did badly was when you took four science courses at a time, then we will want to see a few together later.
24	Coursework	Does it look bad to have taken only the prerequisite science classes and few or no upper-level science courses?	The prerequisite courses are the minimum requirements. It is important to take a few upper-level science courses to make your transition to medical school easier, especially if you do have a weaker GPA.
25	Coursework	If you are planning to take additional courses over the summer should you wait until you get those grades before submitting your AMCAS application?	In most cases, I would not advise applicants to wait for grades to be posted, but instead would suggest that the courses show as ‘in progress’ on the AMCAS application. Have an updated transcript sent to the schools when the grades are available. It might also be a good idea to email an unofficial copy of the transcript to make sure the update is noted in your file. (Often the official or paper files are processed after electronic files.)
26	Coursework	How is hardship withdrawal looked at when the transcript is being reviewed? Also, how are we suppose to list these courses on the AAMC applications? Just as withdrawals?	You should list these courses on the AMCAS application as instructed and then write to the schools you have applied to and explain what was going on in your life that forced you to withdraw from classes. It is probably not a good idea to use a lot of space on your personal statement on such an issue.
27	Coursework	How much weight is placed on the recommended "not required" classes? If I haven't taken one of those classes, should I go back to school and take it?	Recommended classes are not given a ton of weight, but are considered positively. It helps you if your original GPA was on the low side. If you do not have your grades when you submit your application, they can be included in another part of your application.
28	Coursework	If I indicate on my AMCAS application that I will be taking a class in the future but then decide not to take it (primarily due to financial reasons), will I be penalized? Will I need to send each school an update letter with my "change in plans?"	You will not be penalized unless you drop a prerequisite or a course that you need to graduate. All of the schools you apply to should be informed about the change. [Return to Top]
29	Experience	Is it better to have experiences in the field you are going into or is that too much overachieving? For example, If you are going into pediatrics, should youvolunteer at Children’s?	Definitely. We're looking for a mature decision making process. How can you know you want to do peds if you have no experience in it?
30	Experience	If you have a meaningful experience in high school, should you put it on your application?	Any meaningful experiences that you have should be included in your application. We have people who talk about things that happened to them in the third grade. Some of which are medical, some are not, some are just to let people know that they really like helping people. Anything that lets us know who you are is fine and it doesn't matter when it happens.
31	Experience	When it comes to academic awards/honors, do we need to reflect on these, or are descriptions adequate for this particular experience?	Descriptions are fine.
32	Experience	If you have a publication, should you just mention this or list a website?	Assume that the committee member reviewing your file will be too busy to read your publication. A short description is probably best and you could include the website--just in case. If it is associated with a presentation or award, include that in the same experience box.
33	Experience	During the gap year (I graduated college in Fall 2008) after applying which do you recommend: a full time research assistant position at a high powered lab OR a post-bacc./special master's program for a year? My stats are cumulative GPA 3.64, science 3.39/non-science 3.89. MCAT 1st time 26Q and 2nd time 30P.	Unless you are interested in a research career the UWSOM does not necessarily need to see an extensive research history. The master’s program might be a good idea because it would enhance your credentials generally and provide you with a greater understanding of medicine at some level. You could also consider working with an underserved group, particularly if you were able to find a position in a free clinic or a similar situation. Other schools may be more interested in research even for applicants not planning a research career.
34	Experience	Should you list the amount of time that you spend at each given experience?	It is very helpful when you list the amount of time with each experience/activity. If there are some activities that you are presently still participating in, it would be helpful to state it in your experience box.
35	Experience	Is it better to get broad experience or a defined experience?	There is a point where you look like a dilettante, but without going to that extreme, the more variety you get the better. It is about growth.
36	Experience	I recently found some great volunteering opportunities that I would like to participate in. I'm just starting to apply for a few of these positions and I'll probably start volunteering before I turn in my AMCAS application in June. I would like to put them in my "Work/Activities" section, but I wouldn't have much to write about it yet. I would like the medical schools that I apply to to know that I am still volunteering (especially since I'm passionate about these new opportunities) BUT I won't have anything meaningful to write about them for at least a few months. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can convey this? Should I create a category under the "Work/Activities" section and explain what I would like to get out of it or why I want to volunteer here or are there better/more effective ways?	Explaining your reasons and hopes for volunteering is good.
37	Experience	Can MD program students participate in bench research and is it recommended to state that you want to work on a research project as a medical student during the interview and in your application?	Yes.
38	Experience	If you combine all of your shadowing experiences into one experience box, do you reflect on each one or do you reflect on one in particular?	If you shadowed several physicians from a particular specialty, you can reflect on that specialty. If there were several physicians from different types of specialties but they had a similar solo-provider practice, then you can reflect on the solo-provider practice. If you shadowed physicians from many different specialties, you can reflect briefly on each experience.
39	Experience	How much detail are application reviewers willing to read? I know that I can write meaningful reflections, but also realize that they will require significant space and writing. Will the reviewer read all of it or should I try to shorten my responses?	Don't worry about the verbiage in the boxes. We expect to read those. Consider them as mini personal statements.
40	Experience	Should I put going back to school on my experiences section?	No.
41	Experience	If I am applying a year from now and working during the year, should I put that job in my experiences or personal statement?	If you do not know what the job is like because you have not started it, it may not make sense to put it on the application. You can put in your application that you are starting a lab job or research job, then we may ask you about it at the interview. If you really haven't done it at all and you can't reflect on it, you can leave it out. If you've already started the job you can include it in both experiences and/or personal statement telling us what you learned.
42	Experience	Should findings of your research project be one of your experience boxes?	If you are applying to the MD/PhD program, it is critical that you have research and talk as much about research as possible. For the MD only program, it is one more experience. It is nice to put what you found in your research if you can do it concisely and comment on it. During the interview, we commonly ask you to describe your research to us and we want you to be able to describe it in English.
43	Experience	Out of school for a number of years, should you still be using undergraduate experiences	Absolutely. [Return to Top]
44	GPA/MCAT	If you have graduated with an average GPA, is it beneficial to take additional science courses? If so, does it matter what sciences you take?	UWSOM uses a weighted GPA. This means that any additional courses you take will not affect your weighted GPA. Having said this, please keep in mind the committee will be able to see all the courses you have taken and the grades that you have received. These additional courses and grades will be taken into consideration by the Committee. Showing that you can do well in upper level science courses is helpful.
45	GPA/MCAT	Say someone has a slightly lower GPA/MCAT combination than they’d like but has an excellent personal reason for being passionate about medicine. If this passion is reflected in their letters and application, how much can it compensate?	Refer to the GPA/MCAT chart. If you are down in the red range, your chances of getting into medical school are extremely small. If you are in the red range, no one is going to stop you from applying but you should realize that being accepted is unlikely and you may be better at focusing your efforts on osteopathic school, nursing, or PA school. All of these people function as primary care providers.
46	GPA/MCAT	1st MCAT: Verbal 7, Physics 8, Bio 10 = 25 2nd MCAT: Verbal 9, Physics 9, Bio 10 = 28 How do you look at this increase? Should I retake the MCAT for a third time? What other areas of my application are you going to look at (since I have lower scores)?	We would look at the increase favorably. MCATs typically don't change a lot unless your preparation is very different. If the GPA is very strong, the 28 will be okay. Please refer to the GPA/MCAT chart. We are always going to look at other aspects of your application: experiences, exposure, etc.
47	GPA/MCAT	Is it ok for me to take grad-level science courses in the fall of the application process? There aren't any classes (besides research and I have a full-time job in research) available at UW in the summer. If I take courses in a community college it will be a 100-200 level class.	If your science undergrad GPA was uniformly not so great, then even taking 100-200 level at cc is a good idea. If your science GPA was okay, but you want to show that you can do better, then take a course in the fall at a university/college and just say somewhere in your application, maybe in the secondary, that you are doing this and make sure we get your transcript. You don't want to get screened out from an interview and the only way we will know you have done this extra coursework is if you tell us. If you tell us you are on the road to improve your application, we take it in a positive way.
48	GPA/MCAT	Are an applicant's credentials (science GPA, MCAT, pre-req GPA) considered individually or in aggregate? Would a strength or deficiency in one measure (MCAT, for example) be considered in relation to another (pre-req GPA)?	All applications are considered holistically. When considering your competitiveness, please refer to the GPA/MCAT table.
49	GPA/MCAT	Is it worth taking the MCAT again to gain one or two points?	Sometimes yes. It depends on how good you are at taking tests. If you are sitting at 29 or 30 then I wouldn't retake the test. If you get a 27 the second time, we will be concerned. If you are at 25-26-27 then it is worth retaking. And try to take it a different way. If you took the exam the first time without preparation, then prepare for the second exam. If you studied on your own the first time and can afford to take a commercial prep course before retaking, then do that. IT doesn't make the sense to prepare exactly the same way as the first time and expect your score to change. It won't unless your preparation was different.
50	GPA/MCAT	My undergrad GPA was 3.2.My MS GPA was 3.9, but most of my courses were non-science. I know the chart that you showed yesterday with GPA av. MCAT, but where would I stand?	If you had a 3.2 as an undergraduate (with presumably middling science grades) and then earned a master’s in a non-science field, you should consider returning to school to take upper level science and putting all of your energies into a really solid performance. If at all possible, you should attempt to take a full load of science to show that you are capable of the rigors of medical school.
51	GPA/MCAT	I have PhD in Immunology and was out of school for 9 years. What science courses would you recommend to take in the fall 2009 – winter 2010 to demonstrate my academic abilities? Are there any courses that could be credited towards Med School coursework?	I would suggest looking at the course prerequisites on the website to see if you are possibly lacking in any area. Perhaps another way to assess your preparation would be to take one of the MCAT practice tests. This might alert you to an area that you might need to work on. Other than looking for possible weaknesses you should think in terms of broadening your horizons either scientifically or in the humanities. [Return to Top]
52	Interviews	Are Washington applicants guaranteed interviews?	No. In the past there was an automatic interview for 3.5 GPA and 30 MCAT but we discovered that only 40% of the class was taken from that group. This year automatic interviews were eliminated and everyone is screened.
53	Interviews	I have been given feedback from mock interviews telling me to not be so frank about the lack of work/life balance when asked something along the lines of "What do you think is the biggest challenge of Medicine?" How would you recommend one tactfully indicate being fully aware of the "dark side" without introducing negativity?	You could discuss your awareness of how physicians struggle to balance their work and personal life and then present your ideas about how you personally would organize your life to satisfy both professional and personal goals/needs.
54	Interviews	What is the latest you should expect to be called for an interview?	For the 2009 application cycle, we were still interviewing during the third week of March.
55	Interviews	Is there feedback after the interview?	Feedback is generally not provided after the interview.
56	Interviews	What should you wear to your interview? Is it important to wear a suit? Is color important?	The vast majority of applicants arrive in a suit. If you are on the East coast, a suit is strongly encouraged. Most importantly, you should come to your interview clean and neat. Color is fine. Women can wear skirt or pants with their suit.
57	Interviews	When do you find out who your executive committee member is? Will you know before the interview?	The names of your interviewers will be disclosed on the day of your interview.
58	Interviews	How much do you weigh the interview in the admissions process? Do you go back and look at app and interview together in making the final decisions?	Absolutely. The interview is important because it determines the sequence that we talk about the applicant. However, the committee will review and consider all aspects in your file.
59	Interviews	During the interview should I expect questions tailored just for my experience? Or are all people asked essentially the same thing.	We try to base our questions on information in your application.
60	Interviews	How does the UWSOM view thank you notes post-interview? Should I write a brief thank you note or not?	Thank you notes are appreciated, but do not help or hurt your application.
61	Interviews	When you are justifying your answer in the interview should you essentially "think out loud"?	Yes.
62	Interviews	Why did the Admissions Committee decide on a 3 on 1 interview rather than the 1 on 1 more prevalent at other schools?	1) Separate multiple interviews can be boring to the applicant. 2) Interviewing with other individuals will temper the opinion of the whole. Interviewers will submit their individual impressions and then discuss the applicant. This can change the final impression interview.
63	Interviews	What should you do if you feel the EXCOM member of your interview is not willing to "fight for you" despite all the efforts you have put in the app?	If you feel that someone was inappropriate during the interview, please contact us to request a re-interview. Most of the time, if there was a divergence in their opinion in the interviews, you will be contacted for a reinterview.
64	Interviews	Would it be appropriate to contact the EXCOM member after the interviews to meet again?	Please do not contact the EXCOM member to meet again. It is not fair to the other applicants who are not able to meet with them.
65	Interviews	When do interviews begin? What is the format?	Interviews begin in October and will end in March. UWSOM conducts panel interviews which means applicants meet with three interviewers at once. One interviewer will have complete access to the file, but the other two interviewers will be blinded to the GPA and MCAT scores.
66	Interviews	If you are a re-applicant, will the second interview be the same as the first interview?	For reapplicants, you will be interviewed by different people. The previous application will be available to the EXCOM member on your interview panel but the other two interviewers will not be privy to that information. If in the first interview there was some concern about analytical thinking, you can be sure that you will get more than one problem to see how you have grown in that area. If they thought you were too rigid in your previous interview, than you may get an ethical scenario question. [Return to Top]
67	Letters of Rec	I received an interview for this last application cycle, but did not get in. I wanted to know if I need to change my letters of rec or if there was any way I can know which ones to leave out. If I received an interview, can I assume that my letters of rec are positive ones?	All letters of recommendation received in our office are considered confidential. When re-applying, it is always good to have at least one new letter of recommendation.
68	Letters of Rec	I am a student researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and receive UW course credit (OBGYN 499) for my work there. Can I use my PI/supervisor as one of the three primary letters of recommendation? I was told in person and via email by an active teaching faculty here at UW that a "research mentor can write a letter and it will count as a science instructor letter as long as it has a course designation."	A letter of recommendation from a PI in a research lab that you are working in will be accepted as one of 3 required letters. Please keep in mind that letters from teaching assistants will also be accepted.
69	Letters of Rec	Is it okay to have recommendations from employers?	Yes, they can speak to your work ethic, solving problems, and working on a team. We have great letters from people who are working in restaurants.
70	Letters of Rec	How many letters will be accepted?	3 required from faculty and 6 total.
71	Letters of Rec	If you have been out of college a few years, how do you get letters from your faculty?	If you have not taken a college course in the last five years, you can request permission to submit 3 letters of recommendation from employers in place of the faculty letters of recommendation.
72	Letters of Rec	If you are a student athlete, does your coach count as a faculty letter writer?	No.
73	Letters of Rec	If you are going to take a year off, should you get your letters before you leave?	Yes. Some universities and colleges will have letters of recommendation services that will keep your letters until you are ready to apply. If your university does not have this service available, Interfolio is a commercial service that will also hold your service. You would want to get your letter while you are still fresh in the mind of the letter writer. When you apply, letters need to be filed with AMCAS. UWSOM will only be accepting letters of recommendation forwarded from AMCAS Letters Service (http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/amcasletters.htm). Please see their website for instructions on submitting letters of recommendation.
74	Letters of Rec	When you get a letter of recommendation from someone who taught you in a course, how important is the rigor of the course?	Not important.
75	Letters of Rec	Do faculty letter writers need a PhD?	No.
76	Letters of Rec	Is the UW storage of letters available to non-UW students?	No.
77	Letters of Rec	If the letter was written the previous year and has the date on the letter can it still be submitted?	Yes.
78	Letters of Rec	If you spent a long time shadowing somebody, are they a good recommender for you?	Yes.
79	Letters of Rec	When shadowing, how long is long enough for someone to write a letter for you?	Tricky. Maybe 100 hours? Put yourself in that position: if you had somebody hang out with you only for a day, could you write a good letter for that person? I don't think so.
80	Letters of Rec	If you volunteered with a faculty person but not in academic sense, could you get a letter of recommendation from that person?	It would be an excellent letter. However, if you have not taken a course from him or her, it cannot be accepted as a required faculty letter of recommendation.
81	Letters of Rec	Do the faculty references need to be a former teacher or would a co-worker who is on faculty at the UW be okay?	Required Faculty letters of recommendation will need to be from faculty members you have taken courses from. Letters from principal investigator of the research lab will also be accepted as required letters.
82	Letters of Rec	Should the 3 faculty letters be from science or non-science fields or a combination of both?	UWSOM requires three letters of recommendation from faculty members you have taken courses with. Letters can also be accepted from teaching assistants and there is no preference for letters from science or humanities faculty. [Return to Top]
83	Reapplicaton	Timing of the reapplication process: If you are on the alternate list, should you be reapplying in June?	If your rank number is greater than 30, then you should reapply.
84	Reapplicaton	If you are re-applying, how much do you have to redo your original application?	If you feel like your experience boxes were reflective, then there is no reason for you to rewrite those. If you look back at your expereinces a year later and realize that you got something different out of them then you did last year, you should rewrite them. You should always rewrite your personal statement because it looks lazy if you do not. Screeners have access to your previous applications and they know what you wrote the last time. A lot of times, letters of recommendation from the previous year are fine. However, if you have done something new, hopefully you have grown in the year emotionally, then you might want someone to speak to that. There might be someone that you have worked with in the last year who can speak to something different from your other letter writers. I realize that you don't always know what your letter writers say about you. Nevertheless, hopefully you have met someone who knows you in a different way. Add one or two new letters.
85	Reapplicaton	If I am a reapplicant and have already sent a copy of my green card. Do I need to send another copy or do you have it on file?	Yes, you will need to send another copy of your Green Card.
86	Reapplicaton	Is being a reapplicant an experience?	It would work in the personal statement, but not in the experience section. [Return to Top]
87	Shadowing	If you have limited time for medically related volunteering and shadowing, which would you prioritize? Should you get in your physician shadowing or clinical volunteering first?	You will find out much more about what it means to be a physician by shadowing, so that should be your first priority.
88	Shadowing	Would volunteering at the hospital fulfill requirements for shadowing?	No. We don't want to discourage volunteering, but shadowing is its own function. It is possible to have a volunteer position that will also give you the experience of shadowing a physician. For example, interpreters or scribes will have an opportunity to observe the doctor-patient relationship and interactions since they will be present during the interview and exam.
89	Shadowing	If you are trying to get 40 hours of shadowing but you haven't gotten there by the time you submit your application, what should you do?	You need to make it known to us. Say that you are set up to shadow with this person this many times and put that somewhere on your application so that we see it. If we do not see it, we don’t know it. If you make it easy for us then it will work out for you.
90	Shadowing	Is it okay to shadow a PT?	It is okay to shadow a physical therapist, but it is still recommended that you also shadow a physician. Remember to reflect on all your shadowing experiences. You will be asked why you are seeking a MD rather than PT degree.
91	Shadowing	I have been a nurse in the ER for 5 years. Do I still have to do shadowing with an MD?	Shadowing would still be a good idea. This would allow you to appreciate the life of a physician without your role as a nurse intruding upon your perception. Perhaps you should do this outside of your usual place of employment.
92	Shadowing	Other than shadowing, what out-of-the-box "experience" activities can you do to show your interest in medicine and strengthen your application? I have a full-time job already an I'm post-bacc. Some options like being an EMT or CNA have start-up costs significant enough to make it cumbersome for post-bacc students.	You should do what interests you; then reflect on what you learned.
93	Shadowing	What if I shadow in the operating room with a surgeon?	Shadowing a surgeon in the operating room is acceptable.
94	Shadowing	Does it have to be an attending or will a resident be ok to shadow with?	It does not matter if the physician is an attending or a resident. Remember it is important to reflect on your experience.
95	Shadowing	Does all my shadowing have to be completed prior to applying to medical school?	The 40 hours of shadowing is the suggested amount of shadowing that would be completed before submitting an application.
96	Shadowing	If you have a job and in the process of the job you can shadow, should this be separated?	It depends on what you learned from each part. If you learned different things from the shadowing experience than from your job, then it should be a separate box.
97	Shadowing	Should I separate domestic from international shadowing?	Yes. Travel will broaden your horizon but it does not tell us your understanding of the practice in the U.S. It could still stay in the same box, but do be clear about U.S. versus international experiences.
98	Shadowing	I've shadowed 40 hours in a clinic in the U.S. but I've also shadowed in a hospital in Gambia. Do those hours count?	International shadowing counts. However, it is also important to have shadowing experience within the U.S.
99	Shadowing	Is shadowing a doctor required?	Applicants who are interested in the profession should want to shadow physicians.
100	Shadowing	If you are putting all you shadowing experiences in one box, do you reflect on each shadowing experience?	If there are three different doctors but in the same discipline, you can group them up as reflective of that specialty. If you have a couple of experiences with the same practice then you can put it as one experience and tell us what you learned about that specialty. Most people don't do a lot of different ones, just a couple. If each is different, then you can be brief with each experience. For example, " I like that this doctor built a relationship with her patients, but I found seeing the same problem again and again boring. " [Return to Top]
101	Statements	How do we articulate a bump in the road in our personal statements?	We recommended that you lead off with why you want to be a doctor and why you think you will be good at it and save the slightly more negative stuff for later in the personal statement. One way to describe a bump in the road might be, "I realize that my GPA might not be what you expect for someone who is applying to medical school. Initially I was not sure I was interested in the sciences, or I was carrying a heavy load..." We want to know that you have some understanding of what happened and why it happened. You can phrase it "I'm not happy with my GPA, however as a junior and senior I subsequently took a lot of difficult courses and did very well." or "I've taken a lot of classes after college and I have done very well." Two or three sentences at most.
102	Statements	Can you keep your UW secondary statement/why UWSOM answer the same? Can you also list being close to family as a reason to go to UWSOM?	We will no longer have the "Why UWSOM" statement for the Fall of 2010 application cycle.
103	Statements	How do you rewrite the personal statement when it is so personal?	The personal statement does not have to be a chronology of your life in any way. It should be about why you are suited for medicine and so the defining moments that happened in the past can still be your defining moments but move them around in the personal statement. By not rewriting the personal statement, it gives the impression that applicant is not dedicated.
104	Statements	In retrospect, I disliked some things I said on my application and in my interview. Can these things be held against me when I re-apply in the future?	Only the Executive Committee member sees your previous application. Whenever an applicant re-applies the committee anticipates and appreciates any evidence of self evaluation and change. The committee might feel an applicant is a strong candidate in many ways, but just needs some time to mature. You might be one of these individuals.
105	Statements	How long does the committee spend on your personal statement?	The screeners determine whether you will be interviewed and spend time reviewing your personal statement. Then your interviewers review your personal statement. Finally the EXCOM reviews your personal statement while discussing your entire application.
106	Statements	Are the secondary statements read with equal weight to the personal statement?	No. Screeners are encouraged to read the personal statement. If after reading the personal statement, the screener is inclined to make a negative decision, we encourage them to read the secondary application and find out more about the person before making a negative decision.

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