- Joined
- Jul 1, 2009
- Messages
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LOL!
I couldn't pad...
I made a fatal error
hahaha
Pirates rule this page!
I couldn't pad...
I made a fatal error
hahaha
Pirates rule this page!
'Twas an amazing week. I must say.I got really excited when I read this...It sounds amazing
Wow, it's only the 4th page, and we've already been topped by an applicant...looks like we might have quite a formidable group this year!
Victory!
Pirate > Ninja
The more I read about this school, the more it starts to grow on me (even if it is in Cleveland).
Victory!
Pirate > Ninja
The more I read about this school, the more it starts to grow on me (even if it is in Cleveland).
wow i just got a response from Dr. Franco within 15 minutes of sending her an email; so far i'm really impressed with the level of commitment the admissions committee seems to have. And she said it would probably work out with my timing in Berlin so yay!
^ Ahhhh, finally giving up on this ninja nonsense and joining me on the DARK side, eh? The Emperor will be very pleased!
Jedi is so not even a choice. I'm playing a game of werewolf in the lounge. The avatar change was a requirement.
Actually I was thinking more Sith than those goody, goody Jedi, but it's your story, you tell it any way you want! I take it you lost? Hey can I play? I can be there in a few minutes, give or take 4 hours...
wow i just got a response from Dr. Franco within 15 minutes of sending her an email; so far i'm really impressed with the level of commitment the admissions committee seems to have. And she said it would probably work out with my timing in Berlin so yay!
Ah! Good! Fyi, interviews to my knowledge will start around beginning of September. I will confirm when the schedule is available
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wow i just got a response from Dr. Franco within 15 minutes of sending her an email; so far i'm really impressed with the level of commitment the admissions committee seems to have. And she said it would probably work out with my timing in Berlin so yay!
Now I'm tempted to buy Tapatalk....
Don't do it. We're working on rolling out SDN mobile soon.
It is really cheap, I forget how much, but much faster than a web-based interface. Svelte, you might say.
Don't do it. We're working on rolling out SDN mobile soon.
Sweet! I was wondering if there would be an app out soon. You just saved me $2.50, I should get you something from the West Side Market
The android app is out in the wild for $0.99 but is still a bit bug-laden.
Thanks! I wanted to ask you vc7777, is there anything you really don't like about the CCLM program?
Friday is the end of our first year here (the UP students are all technically 2nd years, and have left a while ago! ). So I have been doing a lot of reflective practice and thinking back about the year.If you had to pick again, would you definitely stay with CCLM?
Yes, see above. Small group and personal independence means you work on things that you (or the group) know you might be having trouble with.Also, do you like the more independent learning style/group work approach?
First, I am sorry to hear about your gunner classmate.And what's the gunner population like? Coming off a pretty intense major, I don't know if I can deal with a lot of them again. My senior year someone literally gave me incorrect notes from a day I had missed as an attempt to sabatoge me. She's now in medical school, one which I will be avoiding at all costs
It aggregates your data on a server in China.
Phew. Sorry for being long-winded.
Thanks for the thoughtful writeup. Just one question: who do I need to give a kidney to for a chance to interview here again?
I thought kidneys were being given in exchange for ipads, not interviews?
Thanks for the thoughtful writeup. Just one question: who do I need to give a kidney to for a chance to interview here again?
Do we give them a free dialysis machine?I only accept kidneys in pairs. Think of it as a way of showing your willingness to make sacrifices when needed.
Do we give them a free dialysis machine?
This ^^....was amazing, a pleasure to read! CCLCM chose well and is very lucky to have you! Well done!!I have thought much about this. In a nutshell: no
This is not to say I don't think improvements can be made or that it is ideal. I have worked for many years and I do not expect perfection from my medical school. Every school has issues.
The bright side is that CCLCM really does take the time to ensure that you (as an applicant) would fit into our culture. We do not overaccept applicants, and so when you are "chosen" it is because we feel you personally can succeed in our learning environment and will have a productive time at our school.
Having said that, I usually tell applicants on interview day that we are very small, and that we are like a tight family. That has both strengths and Targeted Areas For Improvements (we don't say "weakness" at CCLCM, we say TAFIs [pronunced 'taffy'] )
Friday is the end of our first year here (the UP students are all technically 2nd years, and have left a while ago! ). So I have been doing a lot of reflective practice and thinking back about the year.
No, I would not go anywhere else. I should point out that many of my classmates and I had full-tuition scholarships elsewhere at more traditional programs. So this isn't about the money. This is about the opportunity to have a challenging and intimate medical school experience.
About a month ago I had to finish my portfolio for promotion to the second year (we pick up our promotion letters, which I understand are not form letters, but personally written by members of the promotion committee in response to our portfolios). Literally, as I was finishing the final draft, I said to myself: "As stressful as this process may have been, I would still choose it over grades, exams, and rankings ANY day". I promised myself to remember this.
Just today, my PBL facilitator reminded us that we should choose what we want to learn this week. Since we feel we have covered most of the material already, we are choosing to go into more esoteric (and I think interesting) subjects for our group discussions. That is, we direct our studying based on our own interests and self-assessments of our gaps in knowledge and not on what the course director necessarily thinks we should be studying. If we feel we understand the material, then we can study other stuff instead. How cool is that? This program lets you tailor your own experience.
Another hallmark of our curriculum is that we give LOTS of feedback and actually affect the development of the courses. Sometimes these changes are made on-the-fly even. They are very responsive to our thought and ideas.
Both of these features of our curriculum allow us to take ownership of our own education.
Yes, see above. Small group and personal independence means you work on things that you (or the group) know you might be having trouble with.
In PBL this week, for example, we noticed that our case involved a patient with renal (kidney) failure. Even though it has been many months since we had our renal block, we as a small group agreed it was an opportunity to review some of the material. So, we had a group review today.
Another example, in Longitudinal Clinic I was having trouble with neurological examinations, so I asked my preceptor if I could perform them more often. Boom. Done.
It is very liberating to not have to be enslaved to an exam schedule or course syllabus. At the same time, if you are a person who sleeps well knowing you scored a 95% on the midterm, and you live for the affirmation that ranks and grades provide - this is probably not for you. I tell people...it is similar to dogs. If you were a dog who has been fenced in your whole life and suddenly put into an open field, how would you react?
First, I am sorry to hear about your gunner classmate.
For those who do not know the term - "Gunner" is someone who intentionally makes others look bad for their own personal gain. This is different than being competitive. Fair competition is probably what has pushed many students to be top of their class. I would lump in "sore losers" with gunners too. These are people who do not react well to losing, and as such I think is on the mild end of the Gunner Spectrum of Medical Student Disorders (Which I am proposing for DSM-5).
CCLCM is like the "Canada" of American medical schools. (Canada, of course is like America without the guns.) This is to say, it is hard to be a gunner in a land without guns. We have no grades, class rankings, or even exams. It doesn't get any less "gunner friendly" than that. I would like to think that potential gunners are not admitted. But more importantly, even if someone who exhibited gunner-like symptoms as an undergrad attended, they would have a difficult time "gunning" here.
But seriously, if I find an article that is interesting or germane to answering an essay question at the end of the week - I share it with the whole class. This literally happens almost every week. There is no penalty for working together to answer essay questions, and you can't really get ahead by making someone else look bad here. So why not help each other out? Furthermore, I enjoy it when a classmate knows a lot about a subject, and then share his insights with us. Being a gunner here doesn't make sense.
Phew. Sorry for being long-winded.
Stumbled here to see what the 4 pages of fuss was about and now, 4 pages later, feeling converted. You all should get paid, I wonder how many SDN converts you've claimed.
This ^^....was amazing, a pleasure to read! CCLCM chose well and is very lucky to have you! Well done!!
Apparently, Myuu accepts matched sets of kindeys as payment.
Thanks Namer - some people get upset that we don't take all of this more seriously. Yeah we post a lot - but we answer questions all the time. We play hard, but we work harder.
BTW, I know you've expressed interest in the past year or so in a non-PhD research career. I hope you apply.
Good luck.
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Well, it doesn't help that you are deliberately instilling it!Yeah...gender confusion is easy to instill in others on SDN.
Yes. My class had three Canadians and three people from other countries (Japan, Ghana, and India).Has there been Canadians/other international folks at CCLCM? Just curious.
MSTP students can definitely work in the same labs as CCLCM or PhD students, and several of them have. I don't know for sure whether MSTPs and PhD students take classes together, but it would make sense that they do if they're getting their PhDs in the same field.Myuu: Do you know if grad students (PhD candidates) interact with MD/PhD candidates (from UP and/or CP) in same lab? In other words, when you go through research courses for PhD portion of MD/PhD, are you with MD/PhD folks or anyone who's doing work for PhD (so MD/PhD + PhD +/- postdocs etc..)?
I liked Pacific East's sushi. Sushi Rock wasn't bad either. I didn't think it was worth the drive though.Pacific East is nearby in Coventry and has great sushi (from what I've heard, I've only had their vegetarian rolls and that's not saying much). Also, Sushi Rock is another popular one, its a little farther out though
I recommend eating nothing that comes out of Lake Erie.I grew up on a coast too, so I have the same bias, but I wonder how Great Lakes fish sashimi would taste. I guess most of the traditional sashimi fish are saltwater fish, but there are salmon in the Lakes too so.....
Strong work.Victory!
Pirate > Ninja
Since vc likes to answer my questions, I'm going to answer his.Thanks! I wanted to ask you vc7777, is there anything you really don't like about the CCLM program?
Yes, definitely, for the reasons I gave above, and also because of the family atmosphere of the school like vc described.If you had to pick again, would you definitely stay with CCLM?
Yes, I loved it. But I would caution you that this kind of program is not a good fit for everyone, and you really need to think about how internally versus externally motivated you are to study. Like vc said, if you need tests and grades to motivate you, this program won't be a good fit. If you don't like coming to class every day and participating, this program won't be a good fit. If you're not comfortable with some ambiguity in terms of figuring out what to learn during the week, this program won't be a good fit. They do tell you what you were supposed to have covered that week on Friday after the last PBL session. But you won't be handed a packet of notes and told to go memorize this because this is what's on the test at the end of the block. Part of the whole point of the program is for you to learn how to be an independent learner.Also, do you like the more independent learning style/group work approach?
I agree with vc completely about his gunner comments. There is no positive reinforcement for being a gunner, and there is plenty of negative reinforcement to discourage people from being gunners even if they wanted to be. For example, the students in each small group evaluate one another approximately once per month throughout the first and second years. If someone tried to pull a stunt like the girl you described, that person would be getting seven evals from their classmates with a TAFI of "don't stab the rest of us in the back from now on". I can't even imagine having to explain that to your physician adviser and the Promotions Committee.And what's the gunner population like? Coming off a pretty intense major, I don't know if I can deal with a lot of them again. My senior year someone literally gave me incorrect notes from a day I had missed as an attempt to sabatoge me. She's now in medical school, one which I will be avoiding at all costs
The admissions people really are super friendly. Be good to them and they will be good to you.I had a similar experience when I had a question about admission requirements. Every person I talked to on the phone and over email was really enthusiastic and helpful. I wish more schools realized how big of an impact simple things like this can have on an applicants decisions down the road. I've dealt with some really grumpy people in admission offices and it really turns me off from their schools.
I suggest donating part of your liver instead. CCF has a large liver transplant program, and I'm sure they would be able to use it. Donating a part of your liver has the added advantage that it will grow back over time. This does not occur with kidneys, especially if you give up two of them! Finally, donating your liver will provide for a good educational experience for the current CCLCM students, who will be able to scrub in for the surgery, as well as take care of the liver recipient in the SICU. It's win-win all around.Thanks for the thoughtful writeup. Just one question: who do I need to give a kidney to for a chance to interview here again?
Cool!
Well, best of luck, Namer.
Myuu...
<picture of pho>
We are making a pho run tonight at 6:30. Fluffyrabbit and I and maybe other CCLCM folks are going Superior.
I had a similar experience when I had a question about admission requirements. Every person I talked to on the phone and over email was really enthusiastic and helpful. I wish more schools realized how big of an impact simple things like this can have on an applicants decisions down the road. I've dealt with some really grumpy people in admission offices and it really turns me off from their schools.
This is what our class is like. We Case SDNers are pretty representative of our class - our nerdiness is potentially a little on the high side of average, but friendliness and helpfulness is pretty pervasive. Case creates a very community-oriented atmosphere. It's exactly why I chose Case, and EXACTLY why I couldn't be happier with my choice, now that I've been here a year.Stumbled here to see what the 4 pages of fuss was about and now, 4 pages later, feeling converted. You all should get paid, I wonder how many SDN converts you've claimed.
In the UP side, this is also a non-issue, at least in pre-clinical years (1 and 2) - I can't speak for 3 or 4, but CCLCMer and others can.And what's the gunner population like? Coming off a pretty intense major, I don't know if I can deal with a lot of them again. My senior year someone literally gave me incorrect notes from a day I had missed as an attempt to sabatoge me. She's now in medical school, one which I will be avoiding at all costs
A weather-related question:
How long does winter last up there in Ohio? I'm from the South, so my annual exposure to winter conditions is usually limited to one week in January.
It is cold. A lot, if you're used to Southern weather. I would say winter kicks in around October, and hang out until late April/early May. We had about 2 inches of snow in the last (?) week of April here. Lake Erie will also make things really windy, rainy/snowy and unpredictable.
The flip side is there aren't ridiculously hot summers. Also this picture my fiancee took of the lake:
Ah, but I've actually learned to tolerate the ridiculously hot summers. Perhaps if I have the good luck of going to Case for four years, I'll develop a tolerance for the cold as well ... making me some type of superweatherhuman.
TOP!