2022-2023 Kaiser Permanente (Tyson)

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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drewmighty said:
Oh makes sense. I mean this is one of my top choices so would be nice to get the A but I feel it is even harder now that we are later.
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They get thousands of applications but they only send interviews in the hundreds and you got one. They see something in you! Good Luck!
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aspiringphysician2023a said:
Have they been sending pre-II rejections? When should we expect them?
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I haven't seen any pre-II rejections, but I do know that their interview season concludes in February as per the timeline they have on their app portal. I'm not sure what date. I hope this is helpful!
 
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I’m a Reapplicant as well I will say this, reach out to schools and ask for them to go over your app. Some schools do this. Kaiser did this for me last year as I did not get a single interview. Found out I had a red flag and fixed it as well as took advice. Now I’m sitting on an A and got the Kaiser ii, which I am still kinda shocked about. Reach out and figure out what you need to do my fellow Reapplicants, you got this.
 
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drewmighty said:
I’m a Reapplicant as well I will say this, reach out to schools and ask for them to go over your app. Some schools do this. Kaiser did this for me last year as I did not get a single interview. Found out I had a red flag and fixed it as well as took advice. Now I’m sitting on an A and got the Kaiser ii, which I am still kinda shocked about. Reach out and figure out what you need to do my fellow Reapplicants, you got this.
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what was the red flag? :oops:
 
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PuzzlesMD said:
what was the red flag? :oops:
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I didn’t have updated letters. I was missing 2 from my hospital and employment. (Hadn’t been long with them at the time) and they said I should update my committee letter, which I did
 
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drewmighty said:
I didn’t have updated letters. I was missing 2 from my hospital and employment. (Hadn’t been long with them at the time) and they said I should update my committee letter, which I did
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Can I ask how old the letters were?
 
sosmedicine said:
Can I ask how old the letters were?
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Committee letter was 2 years old. I didn’t have a letter for my current employment or hospital volunteer position ( new job of 2 months and hospital didn’t give LORs until you completed their program
 
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drewmighty said:
I didn’t have updated letters. I was missing 2 from my hospital and employment. (Hadn’t been long with them at the time) and they said I should update my committee letter, which I did
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Oh wow, I did not realize that that was a red flag... I'm a reapplicant and I've been out of school for a while, so I used my 3 science/non-science letters from 2020 and no other letters. When I reached out for feedback from one of the schools I interviewed with this cycle (I was WL), they told me to get a current letter and send it to them asap. That really explains the bad luck I've been having this cycle.
 
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does anyone know how long kaiser takes to give a decision after interview?
 
cordialcalifornium said:
Oh wow, I did not realize that that was a red flag... I'm a reapplicant and I've been out of school for a while, so I used my 3 science/non-science letters from 2020 and no other letters. When I reached out for feedback from one of the schools I interviewed with this cycle (I was WL), they told me to get a current letter and send it to them asap. That really explains the bad luck I've been having this cycle.
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Ya for sure get updated letters. No iis last cycle. 4 iis and an A this one so far. Waiting on 2 and got Kaiser next week.
 
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The Kaiser Write-Up
I cannot tell y'all about the MMI portion of the interview, as I signed a contract against sharing. However, I will tell y'all about the traditional portion.
My interviewer was very kind and related to me on a cultural level and guided me towards questions. For instance, "I see that you did a lot of great things for people, especially at X event." And then I would speak about X event. That event was not listed on the secondary portion, but rather the AMCAS application. The traditional interview is open file and they can see your hobbies, statement, etc.
My grades were not brought up, nor was my lack of research. However, the interviewer did ask, "What will be your personal support group during your time at KPSOM?" For this, you can bring up family, or friends, or even family members you have in California (if you have that).
I was also asked what I did for fun, what food will I eat in California, and what I would do at the beaches.
On a serious note, I was asked what patient-focused medicine meant to me and how do we implement that in the medical field.
Tell me about a time you had a personal impact on a patient and what that meant to you. Was there ever a time where you didn't know what to do and were scared? How did you navigate that?
How can we improve the livelihood of, not just our patients, but patients in general?
Any final words that you would like me to share with the admissions team?

Oh, also, the MMIs and Traditional interview are recorded and you will here and see a prompt that says, "This meeting is being recorded."
Maybe they share the recordings with the admissions team. Maybe only the interviewers see the recording and use them to write an evaluation of you. I don't know; it was never addressed in the presentation before the interview portion.

Overall 10/10 exerperience. Everyone (including the interviewees) were sweet, polite, and very down to earth. :)
 
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For those who recently got IIs what was the latest available date to schedule?
 
II just now- OOS, 73 LM, complete in july. will likely decline
 
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I was one of the first interviews for Kaiser back in beginning of September, and I have heard nothing back. Is there anyone in the same boat?
 
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happylemonz said:
I was one of the first interviews for Kaiser back in beginning of September, and I have heard nothing back. Is there anyone in the same boat?
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Most people are. They do not do rejections until April according to last cycle, and only accept a few ppl per interview round. Odds are theres gonna be a mass of rejections coming to people who haven’t heard anything with a handful of acceptances. If you haven’t heard anything form then and your interview is as a while ago, consider yourself rejected/waitlisted.
 
I wish I k ew how many interviews they did. There is like only 50 slots but I feel they did a few hundred interviews.
 
Extremely unexpected II from here (complete 8/15)! I am planning on withdrawing, but I wanted to post in case the info is helpful for those still waiting!
 
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MCAThiccy said:
Focus on yourself and not others (that goes for any school). You did your best and now you just wait. Whatever happens, happens.
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Wise words for the legend MCAThiccy him/her/theirself
 
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Hey everyone, current MS1 here to answer any questions you have! I'm also an admissions ambassador, so some of you might have seen me on your interview day during the lunch hour
 
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Dr_Babu_MD said:
Hey everyone, current MS1 here to answer any questions you have! I'm also an admissions ambassador, so some of you might have seen me on your interview day during the lunch hour
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Thanks for helping! I'm not sure if you will know the answer to this, but do you know how much weight the interview has for Kaiser on the admissions process on whether they decide to accept you or not (post-interview)?
 
Dr_Babu_MD said:
Hey everyone, current MS1 here to answer any questions you have! I'm also an admissions ambassador, so some of you might have seen me on your interview day during the lunch hour
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Hi! I was wondering if you know when most interviewees are going to hear back? I had my interview way back in August, and was wondering when I would get a definitive answer?
 
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bajablast7 said:
Thanks for helping! I'm not sure if you will know the answer to this, but do you know how much weight the interview has for Kaiser on the admissions process on whether they decide to accept you or not (post-interview)?
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Oh, I should have clarified: My role is hosting the interviewees for the Q&A session and organizing panels for the second look weekend. Only upperclassmen are part of the actual admission decision making, but I will try to glean what I have heard from both our upperclassmen and faculty.

It's hard to put a weight to the interview, but I would say it has medium importance. I know "holistic" is way overused, but much deliberation over your whole application is done by faculty for post-interview decision. In fact, they dedicate over an hour for each application once they've been interviewed, as I've heard from Dr. Stefan Walter, a member of the admissions team and one of my professors for the cardio-pulmonary unit. A not-so-stellar performance will not tank you, but generally speaking I think most admitted students had positive experiences with their interviews. N=1, but my interview day was actually not that great: My one-on-one went really well, but it was my first MMI-format interview and I ran out of time on about half of the sessions. I would say the interview is truly an opportunity for them to get to know you and see your personality, not so much a selection tool to eliminate people outright.
 
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WeOutHereWaiting said:
Hi! I was wondering if you know when most interviewees are going to hear back? I had my interview way back in August, and was wondering when I would get a definitive answer?
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I don't have the specific date off the top of my head, but I have heard that final decisions are released sometime in late March/ early April (I'll reply to this once I know, I'll ask on Friday). Granted, the period of time that you can hear back post-interview varies considerably: I got my admission offer about 2 weeks after I interviewed in late October, but I know people in my class who interviewed in December/ January who did not hear back until the final date for decisions. It's frustrating, but rest assured that even up until the final date they put a lot of effort into looking over each application
 
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Apologies if some of these were not as specific as you would all like, these are what I've gleaned from upperclassmen involved in interviewing and faculty who make admission decisions. I'm happy to answer any questions about the school or Pasadena in general.
 
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Dr_Babu_MD said:
Hey everyone, current MS1 here to answer any questions you have! I'm also an admissions ambassador, so some of you might have seen me on your interview day during the lunch hour
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Hey! I was a september interviewer and kaiser was not only my first medical school interview but also my first MMI experience so I think my performance was subpar compared to my later interviews. I ended up getting accepted elsewhere, but kaiser is my top choice. Do you know how much weight is given to post interview updates -- and whether I should focus my updates on why I'm a good fit for the school, or actual accomplishments? I went to high school in pasadena and now I live in the northeast but all I want to do is come back to socal...
Thank you!
 
jetzone_premed said:
Hey! I was a september interviewer and kaiser was not only my first medical school interview but also my first MMI experience so I think my performance was subpar compared to my later interviews. I ended up getting accepted elsewhere, but kaiser is my top choice. Do you know how much weight is given to post interview updates -- and whether I should focus my updates on why I'm a good fit for the school, or actual accomplishments? I went to high school in pasadena and now I live in the northeast but all I want to do is come back to socal...
Thank you!
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Are you on the waitlist or still waiting for a decision? The school does consider them in assessing your application for final decisions. Anecdotally, I sent my update a week after my interview (I recently published an article I mentioned in my secondaries), and I received a decision soon after. If you have any updates in terms of accomplishments, or just want to reinstate your interest in the school, I recommend sending one out. Below is the update letter I sent after my interview, which I would say is a blend of "Here is something new I've done" and "I really want to go here."
 

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Dr_Babu_MD said:
Apologies if some of these were not as specific as you would all like, these are what I've gleaned from upperclassmen involved in interviewing and faculty who make admission decisions. I'm happy to answer any questions about the school or Pasadena in general.
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Hey! How do you like the school being lecture free?
 
Dr_Babu_MD said:
Are you on the waitlist or still waiting for a decision? The school does consider them in assessing your application for final decisions. Anecdotally, I sent my update a week after my interview (I recently published an article I mentioned in my secondaries), and I received a decision soon after. If you have any updates in terms of accomplishments, or just want to reinstate your interest in the school, I recommend sending one out. Below is the update letter I sent after my interview, which I would say is a blend of "Here is something new I've done" and "I really want to go here."
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You may want to re-upload your letter-- a lot of the blacked out text is legible.
 
Dr_Babu_MD said:
Are you on the waitlist or still waiting for a decision? The school does consider them in assessing your application for final decisions. Anecdotally, I sent my update a week after my interview (I recently published an article I mentioned in my secondaries), and I received a decision soon after. If you have any updates in terms of accomplishments, or just want to reinstate your interest in the school, I recommend sending one out. Below is the update letter I sent after my interview, which I would say is a blend of "Here is something new I've done" and "I really want to go here." View attachment 365788
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thanks so much for this! I'm still awaiting a decision. I sent a beefy update letter about my CRC job in december and then a letter of intent last week. I have a few research projects in the works -- one was submitted and is likely soon to be published, so I'll definitely update them with that as soon as possible.
 
HalfManHalfShark said:
Hey! How do you like the school being lecture free?
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Good question, I definitely would take it over traditional lectures; we still have large group lectures sparingly for select topics (histology comes to mind), but the vast majority of our class time is spent in 8-person small groups with our 2 facilitators. Having a faculty:student ratio of 1:4 for most of our classes really helps in terms of engagement. Here's a quick pros and con list:

Pros:
- Short of having a 1:1 private teacher, our small group setup is the most engaging format I can imagine. You'll be asked to really delve into topics in an active way through discussion, presentations, and problems, challenging and ultimately fostering a deeper understanding of the material than if you were passively watching a lecture
- On a similar note, it definitely helps that you feel like you're "doing something" for the 4 hour sessions in the morning. I remember in undergrad feeling so bored in traditional lectures, but here you can engage as much as you want
- Having the small groups builds a sense of collegiality that I didn't see anywhere else with traditional lectures; the sessions are built on collaboration with your classmates, and its very rewarding when you're able to help a peer understand a topic as well as overcome a difficult topic with the help of your classmates
- As much as I've discussed "engagement" and "participation," there is really no pressure to be constantly speaking or being on; there are days where I'm tired and maybe don't engage as much as usual, but I never feel that it negatively affects my facilitator's perception of me
- I think it's ultimately a better use of time; a traditional lecture passively covers material that you could honestly learn on your own, and theres really no way of replicating the sessions outside of class (unless you have a really solid study group, but that depends on a number of variables that may be outside your control)
- Having 2 facilitators is great, because each group has one basic science professor and one Kaiser physician who is on faculty with the SOM. This helps in not only nailing topics that are best approached from a basic science perspective (physiology, pharmacology, molecular bio, etc.), but also keeps the clinical relevance of material at the forefront (i.e no low-yield PhD lecture horror stories)

Cons:
- By virtue of the way in which we approach the material during class, it is expected that you do work ahead of time. For example, we recently covered myocardial infarction pathophysiology and clinical presentations; our session started with a clinical vignette that included questions on interpreting cardiac enzyme studies and ECG findings, but if you are still asking yourself "What is an MI?" you could find yourself falling behind.
- To be honest, this curriculum is best served for semi-independent learners: People who are entirely independent may feel frustrated with having to go to class, while people who need to have a structured introduction through lectures may find the sessions jarring in the amount of material covered. I wouldn't worry about this, as our facilitators have done a good job of tailoring the material to how the class has been doing, but it is something to keep in mind
- I guess some people may find that mandatory attendance from 8:30 to 12:20 is a bummer, but honestly you'll have to go to clinic almost every day at some point in the near future, and the consistency helps in keeping you on top of the material
- Sometimes the workload for each sessions ("prework") is quite a lot. It's difficult to say if it is just adjusting to medical school in general or a true reflection of the amount of work we had, but it seemed like a lot the first semester with our Gastro and Genitourinary units. It's improved, as the amount of prework for sessions has decreased on average, but there will still occasionally be times (often in the beginning of the unit) where it can be around 3-4 hours per day. However, once you get the hang of it, you can adjust the amount you do to your own comfort level (understanding the material)

TLDR: I really like our approach to small-group discussions, as I find them more engaging and a better use of time than traditional lectures
 
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Interviewed in December and didn't get an email today lol. Are rejections for us coming out in March as well?
 
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Well my interview went bad I feel, hopefully I did better than I thought but was for sure rough T.T. Now gotta wait to see
 
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II today as well! OOS, complete 8/23
 
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