I just got notice of my UMKC SOM rescheduled interview date…
BTW my GP is 3.5
30 ACT
and I am in state.
I know 4 people who applied in-state and are not interviewing.
thank bjk for the insight. i don’t mean to sound judgmental haha. It seems very competitive at this point as many people who were interviewed seem to be on the track to becoming doctors. But i really hope i get in as i am confident it is the best option for me.
out of state, no interview, valedictorian of class
Regarding scores, GPA, and in-state standards vs. out of state standards:
UMKC SOM does not value ACT score as much as other factors. They have 40+ years of data which, according to the administrators that spoke to our class, shows that there is little to no correlation between ACT score and success in the 6 year program. Regarding low ACT scores that were accepted into the program, note that this is the exception and not the rule.
You’ve heard this before, but remember that UMKC SOM evaluates applicants in a holistic way. A lot of colleges and other programs say that they look at all parts of an applicant’s profile, but UMKC probably applies the MOST holistic review of applicants when compared to most other programs. They truly care as much about your non-cognitive abilities as they do about your cognitive abilities.
From what I remember based on past statistics, UMKC interviews the top 33%-40% (approximate estimation) of its applicants. It is not impossible to get an interview, but it is also not easy.
Some years ago there was a difference in standard between in-state and out of state applicants but that is no longer the case (and has not been for the past couple years) partly due to reformed admissions/application criteria. In our class, there is no visible discrepancy in ability between instaters and out of staters. I know of someone who applied In-State 2-3 years ago. She was accepted to CalTech but was waitlisted for UMKC SOM. I also know of a student from my high school who was accepted to the SBU-GW medical program but was rejected at UMKC SOM. Competitive applicants are waitlisted and rejected both in-state and out of state for this program. And this is not because of Tuff’s Syndrome (it doesn’t exist at UMKC SOM). Having said that, there are a wide variety of students both in state and out of state in our class. They are not all 36 ACT type people, it is a diverse group. To put it simply: A person with a 36 ACT and 5s on all their AP classes and is ranked 1 in their class with competitive extracurriculars will probably get an interview. But during that interview, if they are found to have a dry personality they are likely to get rejected (maybe not even waitlisted). However, a person with a 28 ACT with competitive extracurriculars, good essays, great recommendations, and an interview that shows they have a passionate, amicable, engaging personality has a good chance of getting in.
The reason I am trying to get this point across is so that In-State Applicants are not misled into thinking “oh this won’t be terribly hard since I’m In State” once they get their interview and so that Out of State Applicants won’t think “oh this will be impossible since I’m OOS.”
Thanks for the detailed response ! 
I like the last paragraph because that’s how I was thinking as an oos…
well the comment was not just about instate. it was also for regional and out of state. the standards need to be high for these programs
wait, so oos students had really low stats as well, fallpsat?
@fallpsat The standards are high for UMKC SOM, but in a way that is different than most BA/MD programs. I agree that the students here are not academically as strong as the ones at programs like Brown PLME, Northwestern HPME, Rice/Baylor, or RPI/Albany, but those are the most competitive medical programs. However, this medical program is competitive in its own way. UMKC SOM is holistic (and when they say it they mean it). They value who you are as a person as much as how smart or talented you are. They do not value ACT score nearly as much as many other programs because their data shows that it is a bad predictor of success in the program. This explains why you see people that interview with scores that are less than what would be allowed at some other BS/MD programs. None of this can be said for other programs. Most other programs don’t value your non-cognitive characteristics as much as UMKC SOM does. In other words, they value applicants with high stats a lot.
As far as coming across students who have low GPAs, low ACTs, class rank, and other low stats, it is the exception rather than the rule. I don’t know the people you are referring to personally so I can’t be 100% sure as to what their applicant profiles are like (perhaps there were rare factors/circumstances expressed in the application that allowed the council to still allow these people to interview? I actually know of a person with this type of extremely rare circumstance.). I suppose it also depends on what you consider a low GPA or low class rank.
In addition, keep in mind that the standards for underrepresented minorities are likely different as with any other college. And I apologize if I offend anyone for pointing this out. That is not my intent at all, I am only trying to point out the facts. UMKC SOM probably does not get a whole lot of applications from traditionally underrepresented minority students, so their selection process for interviewing cannot be too strict for these students. Regardless, people with very low stats would probably have to have an amazing interview to be accepted or even get waitlisted. That is why even though you might come across a few people with substantially low stats at the interviews, there are very few of them in the actual class of people that get accepted.
To add to the holistic approach of the SOM, about 50% of being a doctor is book smarts, the other half is relating to patients, making the patients feel comfortable, and making sure they understand that they are being cared for in the best way possible. Studies show that most people with illnesses like the flu don’t go to the doctor for medicine, but to vent their concerns about health and life, which is why we are taught to not forget about social history when taking a patient history. It is very important in patient satisfaction to make sure they know that hospitals and doctors offices aren’t just machines for battling sickness, but a group of people concerned about healing the patient.
That is the reasoning behind the holistic approach for the SOM, in the past medicine has been plagued with doctors who aren’t concerned with the patient as much as just doing their job. This is what the SOM wants to avoid.
Will be interviewing on Monday March 11 now. Any additional advice? So far, the information on this thread has been very helpful!
Hello everyone! I have applied to the UMKC Md/Ba program and I got an interview. Originally, I was scheduled for Feb 26th and the 27th, but they postponed it to March 5. I am really freaking out about the MMI’s, so does anyone have any tips?
Relax and be yourself. From my experience all the interviewers want you to do well and are very nice. It’s mostly questions about morals so I don’t think they will be too difficult. Just be honest and true and prove to the you are in it to help patients. If you have any questions pm me.
@bjk7dd Thanks! I’m just curious…if you run out of things to say in the 8 minutes you’re given, do the interviewers ask you questions to fill the time? Is it better to talk the entire time? Also, I looked up random MMI scenarios on google, and one of them consisted of an actor acting out a scene, and then the interviewer would ask questions about the scenario. Is that also a part of UMKCs’ MMI’s?
Have questions to ask the interviewers, that is a good idea in any interview and passes time. I am a first year and last year we didn’t do Mmi’s, but that sounds a little far out to me, but ten again be ready for anything. Be a quick thinker. Don’t say um or like, and never interrupt the interviewer
You are NOT required to talk for 8 minutes and especially if it requires a short answer. Be to the point and there is no need to elaborate on things that do not need to be elaborated on especially controversial things. some questions are discussion questions where you converse with the interviewer and takes 6-7 minutes but some questions take 2 minutes and there is nothing wrong with that. They are trying to see how you think and your point of view and not how long you can blabber on a subject. if you answered a question in 2 minutes with substance that is better than a blabber for 6 minutes. At UMKC and in other institutions, some MMI questions can be elaborated to 6-7 minutes but many of them can be anywhere from 2-4 minutes. DO NOT be compelled that you have to talk for 6 or 8 minutes - that is not true
Thank you guys so much! I have another question though: will all of the questions deal with an ethical issue, or are there some stations where we just answer a ‘tell me about yourself’ question? Is it a good idea to be familiar with the current healthcare system in the US or is that something they will not ask us about?
I think its best to not disclose any of that information for fairness.
omg, it’s actually March 1st! we will find out probably if we get into this program or not! Really nervous! 
No. They said April 1st is the notification date for most people.