Technion 2016

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Has anyone applied? Interviewed? Accepted?? Please share.

Was just interviewed today! How did it go for you guys??

TeAMS facebook page http://www.facebook.com/groups/360693400645345/

Interviewed this past Monday and had an excellent time. Both interviewers were extremely kind and welcoming, and seemed genuinely concerned with making this program the best in Israel. The research opportunities available at the Technion and Rambam are really unparalleled and set this program apart from other offshore medical schools. Dr. Levy, the new director of the program, is a great guy- very down to earth, easy to talk to, and knowledgeable. We had a great conversation, in which he asked about different parts of my application, but also personal things and my goals. Altogether, I came away feeling very good about the program and would love to have the opportunity to attend!

Hey guys. I didn't apply for this program because I had heard that they had some rather poor performance in the match in recent years. Do you know if anything has been done to remedy the situation? Are you concerned about this? Thanks.

Yes this was an initial concern of mine as well. As far as I understand, there was one bad year in which most of the students in the program did not take the USMLE, but, from talking to Dr. Levy and students, it seems that they have turned things around since then. Last years match rate was much better at 85%, and this past year’s class had a 95% pass rate on the USMLE -- which means that they will have an even better match rate in the future. USMLE classes are now integrated into the curriculum and there is new oversight of the curriculum by Dr. Levy – the newly appointed American director with an MD/PhD from Johns Hopkins.

And after all, it is the Technion, which is one of the most prestigious schools in Israel and is respected around the world – often referred to as “Israel’s MIT.” Three Nobel Laureates are associated with the medical school, and the research far surpasses most US schools and certainly Sackler. It seems like an excellent school to me.

Originally Posted by PingPong23

Yes this was an initial concern of mine as well. As far as I understand, there was one bad year in which most of the students in the program did not take the USMLE, but, from talking to Dr. Levy and students, it seems that they have turned things around since then. Last years match rate was much better at 85%, and this past year’s class had a 95% pass rate on the USMLE -- which means that they will have an even better match rate in the future. USMLE classes are now integrated into the curriculum and there is new oversight of the curriculum by Dr. Levy – the newly appointed American director with an MD/PhD from Johns Hopkins.

And after all, it is the Technion, which is one of the most prestigious schools in Israel and is respected around the world – often referred to as “Israel’s MIT.” Three Nobel Laureates are associated with the medical school, and the research far surpasses most US schools and certainly Sackler. It seems like an excellent school to me.

Sounds good. I knew that Technion was a highly esteemed school. I just checked and the application deadline is May 30th. Hmmmmm

I think they should be having one more interview session in the beginning of June, so if you get everything in soon you should be okay...

Just came across this, thought I'd share...

http://www.jpost.com/PromoContent/Ar...aspx?id=268574

I have applied to the Technion TEAMS program. Recently as in today I found conflicting reports about placement which are quite alarming. I really want to go to med school in Israel but I also want to leave with a residency. Referring to the recent graduating class, on one site it says there was a 90% match rate (http://technionamericanmedicalschool.blogspot.com/). On the Technion's site it says 85% match rate (http://teams.technion.ac.il/march_18.html). It appears they are counting preliminaries as matches when in fact these people did not match. I think the real match rate was closer to 60% which is around the average for IMGs. Is it true that the Technion is deceiving would-be students or am I missing something? What about the results for past years? Is this program safe or am I flipping a coin with my future?

I don't see anything alarming about what one writes in a personal blog. The official number is the official number, and this is made clear on the Technion website. I believe all schools count preliminary matches as real matches - if you look at Sackler's match list you will see preliminary matches as well. I know Technion had some problems in the past (which were hyped up by an expelled ex-student from my understanding), but I do think they are improving and I think their match list attests to that.

Bejello - You misread the numbers on the Technion website. It says: "Technion American Medical Program Places Over 85% of 2012 graduates in Top Residency Programs"
I don't see an inconsistency.

Originally Posted by bejello

It appears they are counting preliminaries as matches when in fact these people did not match.

How is a preliminary not a match? We don't know if they took those positions because they could not get categorical or if they took them because they intend to later apply for a residency that requires it. Also note that two of those preliminary positions were at the mayo clinic.

Good point. You can see how Technion's article is a bit misleading. They chose their words wisely. According to this article from CNN,

"The majority of unmatched [ECFMG] grads obtain a temporary one-year residency spot with no guarantee of future training. They then reapply the following year with hopes of landing a permanent, multi-year residency position."

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/0...er-has-an-m-d/

In general US grads allopathic and DO will have a greater success rate in matching into the US residencies, especially into competitive residencies. Students from Technion who are keen on practicing medicine including primary care will likely match in the USA if they maintain realistic strategies for applying for residency .
From 2 cases of Technion students I know of who did not match, I will make 2 observations.

1. If you work hard and teach yourself to the USMLE part 1 you will be more competitive for matching into primary care specialties in the US.
2. Be realistic and back up widely (including geographically) with Family practice. This applies to all IMG's regardless of your USMLE scores.
3. Be realistic and do not spend too much elective time preparing for uber competitive specialties because there is a generalized discrimination against IMG's in the US and Canada.
4. Worse case scenario be prepared to do residency and practice medicine in Israel as one of your fallback positions. If you are set on competitive specialty residencies, stay stateside, or look into training and staying in Israel.
5. Do not take the above as criticism of Technion. The faculty is world reknown, but IMG students worldwide all face this problem, less so where a few schools have developed strong alumni networks. In theory Technion's network will expand over time but this must be tempered that all IMG's are facing a shrinking number of allopathic residency positions.
6. Caribean or Israel? At a greater that 50% match rate (last reported 85%) and no reports of horrendous attrition rates due Israeli schools' rigorous selection process, I would recommend Israeli schools over the majority of Caribean schools.

I just interviewed and got accepted into the MD/PhD program. Levy admitted me on the spot IN THE INTERVIEW. I am going to be a REAL physician/scientist. Message me for details. Aaron Winterbugger Technion '19

Bejello… making a video showing the dean’s head bopping may get laughs, but I think it undermines your entire credibility. Stick to something else, like animation, even a prospective student can see right through you.

Originally Posted by pingpong23

bejello… making a video showing the dean’s head bopping may get laughs, but i think it undermines your entire credibility. Stick to something else, like animation, even a prospective student can see right through you.

+1

Excellent point. Prospective students holding acceptances to normal medical schools will see through the Technion's fudged numbers. Last year they had a "100% match rate" and no match list. This year they have five people that did not match who scrambled into prelims. Apparently not matching and finding an undesirable prelim is prestigious. Andy Levy knows best, "everything is going to be just fine, really, just fine".

I spoke to students there. That is precisely why I am not going there. That place seems to have some serious issues. They have one MD/PhD student who literally is psycho and everyone hates him. The other students just seemed so unhappy and 95% of them said they regretted going there.

Originally Posted by jf1987

+1

-1

Originally Posted by bejello

Apparently not matching and finding an undesirable prelim is prestigious.

Mayo clinic and Cornell are undesirable now?

Are there any Technion students or administrators who can comment on what bejello and MordechaiJ have to say? I suspect that bejello and MordechaiJ are the same person (maybe the expelled ex-student mentioned above) and it seems odd that bejello has such a vendetta against a school he hasn't attended.

Originally Posted by bejello

Excellent point. Prospective students holding acceptances to normal medical schools will see through the Technion's fudged numbers. Last year they had a "100% match rate" and no match list. This year they have five people that did not match who scrambled into prelims. Apparently not matching and finding an undesirable prelim is prestigious. Andy Levy knows best, "everything is going to be just fine, really, just fine".

I actually have been accepted to one medical school in the US and am waitlisted at three. I am interested in Israeli medical schools because I genuinely want to be in Israel next year (I have a lot of family in Israel). Please don't make assumptions about me...

And you don't "scramble" for a one year preliminary at the Mayo Clinic. That just doesn't happen...

Listen... I don't understand why you have to claim to be a prospective "student" when it's obvious you're not. I would appreciate if you uphold the same kind of ethical standards you want the Technion to uphold.

Actually yes you do scramble into a prelim. Ask the guy who tried to match radiology and was forced to scramble into surgery at Cornell. Nobody wants prelims unless they already have PGY-2 placement (see the San Francisco Match).

The initials of the people that matched into prelim surgery are AD, NS, AW, SM, and MD. I know them very well and they did not match into the fields they wanted and they absolutely did scramble.

We aren't the same person. Sorry to disappoint.

And yes I did apply to the Technion Teams.com School of Medicine

Uhhh... Scrambling into prelim even at Harvard happens. Very few people want to be scut monkeys for a year anywhere. Especially at big places where people are smarter than you and you have no chance at staying. The people who scrambled into those 1 year prelims actually didn't match in other fields and definitely scrambled. You can verify this with the school administration like I did.

And don't assume I am someone I am not. I was one of the people who attended the "recruitment" session at Columbia where the Dean acknowledged the very things you are denying. Pathetic.

You can email me at mordechaijohnson@gmail.com

Haha the recruitment session wasn't at Columbia...nice try though.

"pingpong" - sorry. You are wrong. You sound like the students I spoke to from the TeAMS program. See below:

http://www.columbia.edu/event/techni...ion-58189.html

Btw- the Dean said their cutoff for applicants from Columbia was 25 MCAT and 3.1

All of us in the audience sort of gasped when we heard that. The thing was a total advertisement and seemed pretty desperate. The Dean put me in touch with their one MD/PhD student who came across as a total freak and jerk. Then some of the other students there told me that no one likes him. The place definitely has serious issues, one of them being the horrible residency placements.

Then withdraw your application and find another thread to harass.

pingpong -- did you apply to sackler or bgu? i haven't heard back from them. technion is my first acceptance. did you verify yet what other people have been saying here?

Has anyone heard back from Technion? Things seems to be a bit slow this year...

Accepted ! Anyone else hear good news?

Accepted!!!

Hey guys, check this great video out on the medical school:

http://www.rappinst.com/Rappaport/Te...MID=84&FID=172

and also this inspiring video of the Technion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzilbrH3CcA

New video posted last night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSIoZYsnMBk

Just got my invitation for an interview!!

Originally Posted by ronathan

Just got my invitation for an interview!!

if you don't mind me asking what are your stats?

MCAT: 27Q. GPA: 3.88 (But this is from graduate school. I'm a non-traditional student. I have an M.S., and have been working in research for several years before deciding to go back to medical school).

Has anyone here been through the interview process for TeAMS? Can you give some advice on what to expect?

Congratulations to those who have been accepted already! I have an interview coming up, and I am rather nervous and unsure of what to expect?! Any words of wisdom on what type of preparation to do in advance? Any good specific suggested readings?

Also, I know the Technion is very research-focused, which is great as I am a M.Sc student, but I was wondering if anyone knew about clerkships? Thanks!

Congratulations to those who have been accepted already! I have an interview coming up, and I am rather nervous and unsure of what to expect?! Any words of wisdom on what type of preparation to do in advance? Any good specific suggested readings?

Congrats on getting the interview! Can I ask, is your interview in New York on the 19th?

Originally Posted by ronathan

Congrats on getting the interview! Can I ask, is your interview in New York on the 19th?

Thanks, and same to you! Yes, my interview is in New York, but on June 18th. Have you heard of anything specific to read in advance in preparation for the interview? Good luck with yours! Cheers!

Just be prepared for basic questions about your application and the usual interview questions -- such as where do you expect to see yourself 10 years from now, what would your best friend say about you, and what can you contribute to the program.

Also, make sure you have some questions to ask the interviewers, as they are very interested in addressing any concerns you may have. Overall, it was not a stressful or intimidating interview. I wish you the best of luck!

Originally Posted by EvaW7

Thanks, and same to you! Yes, my interview is in New York, but on June 18th. Have you heard of anything specific to read in advance in preparation for the interview? Good luck with yours! Cheers!

I have not heard anything, no. I was going to say that I'll see you at the interview, but mine is apparently the day after yours, so I'll just say good luck!

Thank you! And thanks ronathan and good luck to you too!

In doing more research, I have been coming across some alarming information, and it seems there is at least one blogger out there quite intent on making a point that Technion Medical School is not the way to go... someone please tell me the stated information is not true, and that Technion has not been lying about their match rates? I can't imagine any school would risk jeopardizing the future of its students, right? From what I have found, the curriculum seems legitimate and although I know there is a heavy focus on research, students can still match competitively without having a heavy focus on research, right? I have heard that Dr. Andrew Levy has really turned things around for the better for the TeAMS program... any comments, positive or negative so long as they are insightful, are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Originally Posted by EvaW7

Thank you! And thanks ronathan and good luck to you too!

In doing more research, I have been coming across some alarming information, and it seems there is at least one blogger out there quite intent on making a point that Technion Medical School is not the way to go... someone please tell me the stated information is not true, and that Technion has not been lying about their match rates? I can't imagine any school would risk jeopardizing the future of its students, right? From what I have found, the curriculum seems legitimate and although I know there is a heavy focus on research, students can still match competitively without having a heavy focus on research, right? I have heard that Dr. Andrew Levy has really turned things around for the better for the TeAMS program... any comments, positive or negative so long as they are insightful, are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I know exactly who/what you're talking about, and I did some digging on the issue. My parents both happen to be Israelis, and have friends back in the old country who are in the medical community. I asked a few of them about the TeAMS program and about this blogger, and from what I found out about him/her, you don't need to worry about it. The author of that blog you saw is some crank former student who either got kicked out of the program or didn't match back in the US. Either way, he/she has such a grudge against the Technion for his/her failure that he set up that website. This guy is apparently becoming such a problem for the Technion that they have repeatedly tried to take him to court in various venues. He/she is really going out of their way to tarnish the reputation of the program and the school, and unfortunately in a lot of cases he/she seems to be succeeding. I myself came across that site and hesitated to apply based on what I saw there. But if you read over the information on his site carefully, you'll see his "evidence" really doesn't make any sense, and his language is notciably similar to the kind you find in simple-minded propaganda.

What it comes down to is this: The Technion is a world-renowned research institution, with millions upon millions of research dollars donated to it annually. So ask yourself this simple question- does it make sense that they would risk tarnishing their reputation, and therefore risk having their funding dry up, by posting false information about their school statistics?

@PingPong23- On a completely different note, I have a question for you. Did the subject of your knowledge of Hebrew ever come up during your interview? I ask because after talking to the coordinating secretary for the program, I discovered that the actual medical curriculum starts in October, however some students actually arrive as early as August in order to take Hebrew classes.

At your interview, bring this up with Dr. Levy and he will provide you with a detailed response. Suffice it to say, much of what the blogger says is not accurate. He was an expelled student, who was kicked out after forging his application (additionally, he was kicked out of emory medical school in a highly publicized case 41 days before graduation). Overall, the medical program is really top-notch! Good luck to all of you!

Hey Ronathan...one of my interviews did ask me about my Hebrew speaking ability. Yes, as far as I understand, if you do not know any Hebrew whatsoever (like aleph bet) than you must take an ulpan course on the main Technion campus from August to October. However, if you have even a rudimentary grasp of Hebrew, you can pass out I believe.

Originally Posted by PingPong23

Hey Ronathan...one of my interviews did ask me about my Hebrew speaking ability. Yes, as far as I understand, if you do not know any Hebrew whatsoever (like aleph bet) than you must take an ulpan course on the main Technion campus from August to October. However, if you have even a rudimentary grasp of Hebrew, you can pass out I believe.

So, does that mean that there is some kind of Hebrew test during the interview?

No, your knowledge of Hebrew has no bearing on acceptance. However, once admitted you are tested.