You can go to any Macy’s, Sears, Dillard’s, JcPenney, etc. Coupons come in the Sunday newspaper or online all the time so you can get quite bit percentage off your total purchase. Have your parent (most likely mom here) go with you to give you a real perspective on how it looks.
a well-fitted suit. The above stores have salespeople who can take your proper measurements and then you can try on different suits in the fitting rooms and see in a mirror to see how it fits in real life. You'll be doing a lot of walking on interview day, esp. with the MMI, so you need to be comfortable as can be realistically possible in a suit. There is NO NEED to be shopping for an Armani or Dolce & Gabbana type suit, which is completely unnecessary. The important part is that it fits you properly and that you can move around well in it without feeling restricted.
a nice long-sleeved dress shirt (no short sleeves - you're not going golfing)
a formal long tie that goes with that dress shirt (no bowties)
dress socks (solid colors like black or brown is fine)
formal dress shoes or shoes that go well with a suit (no sneakers, sandals, boots, etc.)
a belt that goes with a suit
a watch (get a normal regular watch, not a Timex Indiglo type kiddie watch, since you all are close to being adults now) -- helps to be able to see the time, esp. with no clocks every few feet, and last thing you want to do is keep grabbing your smartphone as it portrays that you're bored, not interested, or waiting for someone's call.
blouse with skirt (although skirt should not be too short, and if you do choose a skirt, wear pantyhose) OR pants is fine -- you won't be judged wrong for either choice. Blouses shouldn't be revealing, so err on the side of dressing conservatively if you're deciding.
no unnecessary jewelry
shoes that are comfortable but not sneaker level. You'll be doing a lot of walking, so high heels or pumps probably won't be a good, practical choice.
For both:
– no gaudy colors both for clothes you wear or if you dye your hair (yes, it has happened)
– now is not the time to “try” a new haircut/hairstyle to see how people like it.
– clothes should not be wrinkled
Obviously quite a few of these things won’t apply, but just an all-comprehensive list if you’re flying in from outside of Missouri. In Feb/March it will probably still be cold in KC, maybe even snowing. Wear gloves, coats, maybe even get earmuffs.
I would also bring with you a copy of your application printed out so you are familiar with everything you did, and put it in this Pad-Portfolio: http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/648445/Samsonite-Vinyl-Bi-Fold-Writing-Pad/ to carry with you. There will probably be several presentations and you might need to take notes.
For those who are interested in buying that third book that is apparently no longer available thru Amazon, although I am sure it is available thru other book websites as well, you can go here:
@Roentgen Thank you so much for posting these! I have two questions:
Do you know if we will be allowed to have a diary or something to take notes on during the interview?
I have heard they ask about US healthcare policy, Obamacare, and how to implement health reform. Can you please post good links for this or discuss basic knowledge we should have going into the interview? Thank you.
I recommend bringing a pad portfolio (see in my 4th post) which you can buy at any office supply store like Office Depot, Office Max, or Staples, that looks professional. Doesn’t have to be fancy. You can carry a pad, pen, etc. in there if you take a look.
I’ll see if I can find some good resources for that which are easy for you guys to understand without overwhelming you with detail. Honestly, they’re not going to expect you to know the ins and outs details of Obamacare (we don’t really know how it’s going to play out yet because the law is so very dense and hasn’t been fully implemented). I’m actually not surprised it’s being discussed in an MMI (this would be the same in a traditional interview where you’d be asked the question directly one-on-one by a faculty member), as healthcare both in terms of the healthcare system, costs, and actual physician specialists themselves have been discussed in the news media (i.e. see New York Times articles)
I know people are like “WHY ME??!!?” but the truth of the matter is the type of system you guys will be practicing in as a physician will be very different by the time you guys enter the healthcare workforce, from the way it is right now (and is already quickly changing) vs. what it has been in the past few decades (and friends and family you know that have been practicing in that system), not just when it comes to reimbursement [which then affects your salary], but how you will practice as a physician in general (i.e. patient decisions taking actual cost to society into account).
I’d also be happy to discuss any questions or topics if you guys don’t understand something you read in healthcare news and break it down into easy digestible pieces.
Believe it or not, studies have shown the MMI has been found to be better for applicants in terms of fairness to them. There are like what, 10 stations? So it’s not like 1 station will make or break you. When @blugrn6 and I had it, it was 2 faculty interviews. That’s it. So it was pretty much make or break.
One of the books I listed has a CD that comes with it, I would at the very least get that one. I also listed Youtube videos that have it so you can kind of watch it. My understanding is that at UMKC it’s kind of a hybrid of the MMI + traditional, so there will be some stations that feel more like a traditional interview if you think about it.
I just read this part in that article: "We don’t just look at test score and GPA anymore,” Arredondo says. “We’re looking at the applicant as a whole and really picking students who have the experiences, attributes and metrics that we want in this program.” — Honestly, UMKC has never harped on test scores and GPA overall even when it was traditional interviews and you got an interview. It’s always been holistic but in different ways when it was only traditional interview vs. now with the MMI included.
As far as the “drop in the attrition rates of the B.A./M.D” allegedly, I’ll believe it when I see it, with the Class of 2020 (current Year 3s) and later (So current Year 1s, 2s, and 3s) having done the MMI.
I’ve read discussions about the Toledo Chemistry exam and I’m getting conflicting info from the school. It sounds like if you don’t pass the chemistry exam then you have to take it in the summer (at UMKC or elsewhere) and pass with at least a B otherwise your conditional acceptance is rescinded. Last week when I called UMKC I was told if you don’t pass the exam you are not admitted, which I knew to be incorrect because the chemistry test is not supposed to be used for acceptance/rejection purposes. So I called the UMKC medical college admissions again this week to see if I would get a different answer and the the lady there, Terry, said she’s not aware of any requirement for summer school, that a failed chemistry test mean you won’t be in the regular chemistry class with the other students. Does anyone have anything from UMKC itself saying clearly what happens if you don’t pass the chemistry test?
@pumpkinbee Yes, there is a clear-cut answer
Direct from the admissions portal in interview section, they even capitalize the negatives:
"The results of this assessment ARE NOT used in the selection process—the Council on Selection DOES NOT have access to the results of the Toledo Chemistry Assessment and admissions decisions are not made using these results. Once admissions decisions are finalized however, the School of Medicine Office of Admissions staff then reviews the scores of the Toledo Chemistry Assessment. If you achieve the minimum required score and are offered admission, you will be granted full admission to the School of Medicine. If you do not achieve the minimum required score and are offered admission, you will be granted provisional admission to the School of Medicine. The minimum required score is 40 (out of 60).
If offered provisional admission, in order to meet the provision of admission, you will be required to take General Chemistry I (or its equivalent) during the summer prior to enrolling at UMKC and pass both the lecture and lab with a grade of B or better. If you meet the provision, your admission status will be changed from provisional admission to full admission. If you do not meet the provision, your admission to the School of Medicine will be rescinded. AP or IB credit cannot be used to meet the provisional admission requirement."
This has been posted multiple times on the previous two pages. If you’ve done any Chemistry, there really is no need to fret.
Just prep for the MMI and do a little Chem review!
@AtticusFinchh, thanks, I knew what I read was pretty clear so was very surprised when the lady at the medical college made me sound like I was making things up. Do you by any chance then know if one flunks the test and have to take it during summer whether it has to be at UMKC or can it be at our local community college.
If you are required to take General Chem I + General Chem I Lab in the summer, it can be taken at UMKC or at a local community college. If you take it at UMKC or any other university within the UM-System (Mizzou, UMSL, UM-Rolla) you also get grade points and credit. Anywhere outside of the UM-System, and you only get credit.
@pumpkinbee, my personal feeling is that if you do end up doing the 6 year program at UMKC, regardless of your Toledo Chem score, you should be coming in with some type of General Chemistry credit w/the lab, whether that is for one semester or both semesters. This is what the Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry course offering in high schools is.
Now you can get this thru:
Testing credit:
a) the AP exam (Since 2012, score of “4” for 1 semester credit, score of “5” for both semester credits)
b) IB exam (score of “5” for both semester credits)
or
Transfer credit:
a) both the lecture + lab course(s) taken officially either thru a university or community college acceptable to UMKC over the summer.
There are universities/colleges, due to how their summer semester is structured, that are able to fit in General Chem I + Lab (in the first half of the summer) and General Chem II + Lab (in the second half of the summer), so you could potentially take both. UMKC used to actually do this but no longer does that.
