Session 288 Leila Amiri is the Director of the Office of Medical College Admissions at UICOM (University of Illinois College of Medicine). We go step by step through the admissions process at her medical school. Leila talks about how she has directed her team to evaluate applications. We look at day one, when your application gets processed and sent to the medical school. How do they look at secondary applications, the full application, and the MCAT score to determine who gets an interview invite? Once somebody is interviewed, how do they determine who gets an acceptance? Learn how all this process happens. Additionally, if you're somebody who has applied to the University of Illinois and you've been rejected, now you can see behind-the-scenes, what goes on and maybe where your application fell short. [02:45] A Brief Background About Leila and Her Moral Obligation For Leila, it all started with her being a peer advisor as a Biology undergraduate, working her way through the ranks as an advisor and becoming the Director of Advising. Then she got really engaged with and appreciating the passion in the premed students. She began to look for an opportunity to be able to work with them exclusively. So once the position opened up in the admissions at the medical school where she was working, she took advantage of it. So she started working as an Admissions Director back in 2009 in Florida. Being on the other side of the table is what Leila found as a struggle. Believing in her students, she knew what they needed was a chance. And if one medical school would give them the opportunity, they could go there and prove how great they are and how they can enhance the lives of everyone that they touch moving forward. “We want good people and and who have traveled the distance. We want students who will really put their heart out there for their patients.” Being on the other side, she realized the moral obligation with admitting students. They want good people and and who have traveled the distance. They want students who will really put their heart out there for their patients. And the other piece of it is looking at the student's capability to make it through the curriculum. This was the piece she says she really learned about once she came to the side of the table. The fun part of being on the admissions side is interacting with students while letting those students who don't make it the first time, know that there's always hope. There are ways you can do to make your application stronger and better. Or submit it to the school that's the right fit for you. [06:30] Behind the Scenes: What Should the Next Class Look Like? Every year, the application cycle opens and medical schools get their first big batch of applications by the end of June so they can start sift through and see who they want to interview. Leila works for a mission-driven school, specifically working for social justice and the commitment to the under represented and underserved communities. Every year, they have a process for screening applicants. But their committee sits down and revisits the process to make sure they're looking for the right intangible pieces of the application. At their school, their faculty are okay with students who had some hiccups along the way. The records may not be outstanding but they've stuck to it and they've persevered and they've tried as hard as they can to make it through. The other part of the application would be all the experiences and activities the student has spent and invested to make sure they understand what it means to be a physician. They should understand what the job looks like and who they will be serving. Do they understand that this is a lifetime commitment? This isn't a job, this is a lifestyle that they're choosing. So it's expected of them to be able to take care of people as long as they can. "Do they understand that this is a lifetime commitment? This isn't a job, this is a lifestyle that they're choosing." Leila explai