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  • 2 weeks later...
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I just got an interview for Jan 7th, im really excited! I actually applied to a wholeeee bunch of schools thinking that it would be really hard for me to get one interview, but so now I have 7 and as much as I would loveee to go to all of them, I definetly cant afford to go to all of them because they are almost all out of state. So I am trying to eliminate some, but I have been hearing GREAT things about Midwestern so I dont know what to do. :(

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Hi Tahlia! Congratulations on the interview invite! They told my group that they were planning to accept around 85 students for the upcoming class that starts summer 2011. I don't know anyone personally who went into this program, but I got a really good feeling about it when I went there to interview December 3rd. They interviewed about 25 people the day I was there, and I know they had like 3 or 4 other groups of that size that interviewed before me. I think you should check it out if you can. If you fly into one of the airports, it's pretty easy to take the metra trains to get to Downers Grove. Then, if you stay at Comfort Inn in Downers Grove it's only like $50 a night and they will pick you up/take you to the metra station... and also to your interview and back. The day that I went, there were 3 other PA candidates who stayed there too and we all rode the free shuttle to Midwestern (about a 10 minute drive). It was a fun day! Let me know if you have questions!

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Hello all, again.

 

Hope you are all enjoying this holiday season. I know there are a few interview dates still. The end of January is probably the end of the interview days (though, they are saving one date for February, just in case), so I believe the total amount of interview days is about 3-5. Our class started at 87 (down to 81 now), so I'd assume they'd take about the same amount.

 

For those of you who are unsure about MWU yet, let me know if you have any questions about our program. It's been GREAT so far, and I feel like we're very competitive and challenging compared to other programs. Our PANCE first-time pass rate has been 100% the last few years - and our staff has been great. Good luck to all those of you still awaiting word!

 

As I said, let me know if you have any specific questions! Take care...

 

jordan

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Hi all,

 

I interviewed on November 5 and was accepted on Nov 15, but I know that they did not get to everyone's application that morning (they met on the 15th). The committee was meeting again the first week of December. If you haven't heard anything, I would just call. They are very helpful in the admissions office.

 

For the person trying to decide whether to go to the interview -- I say GO TO THE INTERVIEW! While I declined the offer and chose MWU AZ instead, I am still so impressed by MWU IL. They really have things figured out. I went there for an open house in the fall and then again on my interview day and both times I was really just so impressed with everything from the program director to the facilities to the students. They are running a great program there. Even if you don't end up there, you'll at least get to see a really top notch program in action and you'll have something great to compare the others schools to.

 

I have to reinforce what Jordan said as well -- when I was there 7 of the 9 students who showed us around had been waitlisted and several had not heard they they were accepted until March/April -- one found out in May! So do not lose hope!!!

 

Good luck to everyone!

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  • 2 weeks later...
I have my interview at Midwestern in Downer's Grove on Friday!!! I am so excited!! I went to see the campus this summer and just drove through it. I fell in love instantly, and this is my number one choice! I am super nervous though, but I cannot wait to visit the campus again!

 

Good luck tomorrow! I fell in love with the place too on my interview day...from the campus to the program to what seems like awesome faculty and, like Jordan said, the PANCE rate has been awesome. Let us know how it went, and hope we become classmates! :)

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I sent in my CASPA app on Sept. 30th... and I still haven't received anything from them... do you think I still will have a shot this cycle at an interview?

 

The last interview date for the class of 2013 is either January 21st or the 28th (I'm leaning more towards the 21st, I'm pretty sure). I obviously know nothing about you as a candidate or what the school's admissions board is doing, but know it's always possible. Don't lose faith, but also don't lose heart if it doesn't work out this cycle! I have quite a few classmates right now with me who tried 2-3 times to get into our program, and are doing great!

 

Good luck!!

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Recently I just received an email telling me "Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL Physician Assistant program is wrapping up the 2011 Interview Cycle with the final Interview Day on January 21st. If you have not already signed up for this date please do so as soon as possible because space is limited and the date will fill quickly."

 

These forums have been down for the past 2 days for me, but I just received a call from Midwestern saying they sent me an interview invite over 2 weeks ago, but I NEVER RECEIVED IT! To all of those using gmail right now, this was the problem. I originally was going to use my campus email for my CASPA account, but I wasn't sure when it would ever be deactivated...(still going strong 8 months later) So just wanted to let you guys know I will be there on January 21st! I'm really excited!

 

I do have a question though. Would you say it's an advantage or disadvantage to be interviewing on the last possible day, or does this mean nothing in the end?

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Hey there Merks,

 

I'm so glad that the email mishap didn't end up making you miss the last interview...I hope MWU was understanding with everything...

 

About your questions of advantages/disadvantages - I'd say it depends on what you're talking about. When it comes to likeliness of getting accepted, I don't want you to think that they have already accepted x number of people into the program - and it's because of the limited space you are less-likely a candidate for acceptance. They have the alternate list for this very reason. So when it comes to being interviewed on the last day, you aren't at a disadvantage in that aspect at all. They look at every individual separately, and assess them based on their CASPA and interview...no matter when the interviewed.

 

However, the only disadvantage I can really think of is simply knowing later than others. There were some in my class that got accepted into the program just a month or two before classes started. I was lucky enough to find out before Thanksgiving that I had been accepted. It's SLIGHTLY nicer just because you can start preparing for living arrangements/moving/making decisions on other schools, etc... So I think that's all you'll really need to think about. Our class does the tour/Q&A session with you guys when you get here, and we're just as excited to meet you all as we were the first interviewers in September. If you have an interview, you are qualified to be a student here. The interview is just to determine how you fit in with our program. Good luck! You'll be sitting in our Clinical Medicine III class...should be fun!

 

take care...

 

jordan

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"I hope MWU was understanding with everything..."

 

Yes, more than I ever thought they could be. The sole fact that they actually called me up and went the extra mile to get me in on the last interview day shows what type of people they have working there :D. And thanks with your input on the adv/disadvantages. You pretty much cleared up my questions on the matter.

 

Would you say that group interviews are less intimidating than individual ones? I guess what I'm asking, are the majority of questions very tailored to each person, or are they very general questions that each interview applicant answers one after the other ("why do you want to be a PA" rather than something specific like "How has working in X for X months persuaded you into the PA field")? Because I'd hate to go last in that situation and all you do is repeat what the others have said! :P

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Haha...I say the group session has its advantages and disadvantages.

 

I've experienced both the one on one interview and a group interview setting, and I can say from experience that I do prefer the group setting. You will get both individual questions that everyone will answer separately, but you will be asked questions as a group as well. It's very interestingly done, and I quite enjoyed it.

 

It's funny you mention the awkward situation. Our interview was set up with 4 students and 2 faculty. Of the four was me and a current classmate of mine. I was only a year out of college, working as an ER Tech getting great experience, but still relatively "fresh". He had been a medic in Afghanistan for over 5 years, so I was slightly intimidated. We got the a question about a stressful situation that we've experienced, and how we overcame it, and my classmate was the lucky first to answer. He spoke about the first time he had been shot at in Afghanistan, and how he had overcome the fear. To this day I joke with him about it - how impossible it was to follow an answer like that...haha. But we both made it here, so it ended up alright...lol

 

So you can definitely have some "awkward situations", but it's just the nature of the interview process. I preferred it mainly because my one-on-one interview I had was me and a panel of about 8 staff members. There's a lot more pressure on you in that situation than in a group setting. The interviewers know that you'll be nervous, anxious, scared, excited, etc... They're a great group of people - just be yourself and answer honestly. Don't try to impress them with things that you think they want to hear, just speak from experience and be genuine. You'll do great!!

 

good luck!

 

jordan

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Merks,

The same thing happened to me with the whole gmail screw up! I was pretty upset about it. Getting an email 2 days ago that my last chance to interview was on Friday (TODAY!) was not cool at all. Luckily, I have already been accepted to the school of my choice, but this would have really affected me if that had not been the case. I understand that these kinds of things happen, but this could really have harmed someone who hasn't been accepted anywhere and can't make the last minute interview. Also, it said slots for the last interview are first come first serve, which makes me think that if someone didn't respond quickly enough then they would really be screwed. Anywho, I have heard great things about the program and would have been excited to receive an interview invite from them. Good luck to everyone!

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  • 1 month later...

Hey everyone on the alternate list!

I just received an email from Kerry stating that they are now reviewing the alternate list and those that will be accepted off the alternate list will be contacted via phone and sent a letter to their preferred address so make sure your address and phone number on file are up to date! Good luck to everyone!!!

 

I hope to hear something soon, so I can withdraw from another school before they start in May.

 

P.S. I got this message on my phone and saw Kerry's name and got super excited because I thought that it was an acceptance, but this is good news too that they are officially reviewing the alternate list!!

 

:)

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