2011-2012 Hofstra Application Thread

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

Out of curiosity...for those of you getting in off the waitlist, did you send any sort of updates and or letters of interest/intent?

I did not send anything...

Originally Posted by forsparta

Current students, a few questions.


1. What is student life like; do you guys have trips, do things together? Are there a lot of clubs, ect.? Is there a student government - if so, do you have elections?

2. How long do you have to study for the Step 1?

3. What did you do for orientation?


- Mike

Mike,

We do a lot of things together. There was a mini-golf outing last night. We're having a pot luck next week. There's a breakfast for dinner before exam week.
We went to a bunch of islanders games when hockey was going on here, too.
There are a bunch of clubs. We're pretty open to starting clubs.
There is a student government and we have elections, yes.

We have between 6 weeks and 2 months dedicated step1 study time, with some kind of in-school review.

Orientation was intro to cthe curriculum, how pearls works, how to look things up, where stuff is. There were usually social things to do at night.
We went to NYSE and the bodies exhibit on the Friday. I don't know if you'll do that or something else. TBD.

Originally Posted by Hoya2009

Mike,

We do a lot of things together. There was a mini-golf outing last night. We're having a pot luck next week. There's a breakfast for dinner before exam week.
We went to a bunch of islanders games when hockey was going on here, too.
There are a bunch of clubs. We're pretty open to starting clubs.
There is a student government and we have elections, yes.

We have between 6 weeks and 2 months dedicated step1 study time, with some kind of in-school review.

Orientation was intro to cthe curriculum, how pearls works, how to look things up, where stuff is. There were usually social things to do at night.
We went to NYSE and the bodies exhibit on the Friday. I don't know if you'll do that or something else. TBD.

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it. I know NSLIJ has the box at the Colosseum, did you guys get free tickets for that during the season?

Originally Posted by forsparta

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it. I know NSLIJ has the box at the Colosseum, did you guys get free tickets for that during the season?

Yes. We got the box (10 or 12 seats) for a handful of games this year. 4 or 5 I think?
It's also fun to tailgate the game and buy the cheap Hofstra discounted tickets.
The islanders aren't exactly a hot ticket on non-Rangers game days.

Thanks for the updates - and Congratulations!!! Did you send any updates?

Any new waitlist movement out there?

Originally Posted by tnns

Thanks for the updates - and Congratulations!!! Did you send any updates?

Any new waitlist movement out there?

There should be soon. Just withdrew my acceptance. Good luck to all of you! Hofstra will always be special to me.

Thanks for the reply! And a warm congrats to you! Hoping for some equally good news

Originally Posted by ywlke

There should be soon. Just withdrew my acceptance. Good luck to all of you! Hofstra will always be special to me.

I was accepted today! I sent no updates or letters. Was interviewed in February and waitlisted in March.

Congrats!

Do you mind sharing your stats?

Originally Posted by jeblo

I was accepted today! I sent no updates or letters. Was interviewed in February and waitlisted in March.

3.75 gpa and 32

Just got accepted!! 3.74/32. Does anyone know how much the tuition is even with the $5000 scholarship they give out every year? Also a tough decision now between this and Albert Einstein...any thoughts?!

Einstein, unless you're reeeeally enticed by Hofstra's innovative curriculum.

Hi guys!

I am a current Hofstra student. I see that some of my classmates have already stopped by to drop their two cents about our school. I just want to let you know that if anybody has any questions, feel free to PM me. I will try my best to give you an honest, unbiased opinion of what I think about my school.

I understand that many of you are deciding between Hofstra and other schools. I think that before making such a huge decision, you should know the circumstances that led many of us to matriculate last year.

Our class can roughly be divided into two groups. There are those of us that did not get into other schools/were waitlisted but did not end up getting off. The rest of us received admission to other schools, but were attracted to Hofstra because of the half/full tuition scholarships.

Thus, we all received awesome scholarships. If it had not been for the scholarships, I am sure that many of us who had other options would not have chosen Hofstra.

In my honest opinion, if you have more established options, definitely go for them and don't look back. Last year, I was deciding between Hofstra and a couple of other schools, but could not turn down a full tuition scholarship. The curriculum here is great, but when it comes to other opportunities, I think Hofstra lacks what other medical schools offer(I can go into more detail about this if anybody wants).

Also, many of us are scared about residency placement. We have no idea how competitive we will be at non-NSLIJ residencies. And apparently our third year is not going to be the same as other medical schools (apparently they are talking to us about this next week).

I am divulging to you what many of us are afraid to even admit to ourselves. I just thought that I would let you all know how some of us really feel. Last year, I was in the same position as many of you, and I would have truly loved for a med student to give me their true opinion. I hope that I have been of some help.

If anybody has any questions, feel free to PM me. We have exams coming up, but I will try my best to answer ASAP.

Good luck everybody!

Originally Posted by Cosmodoc

Hi guys!

In my honest opinion, if you have more established options, definitely go for them and don't look back. Last year, I was deciding between Hofstra and a couple of other schools, but could not turn down a full tuition scholarship. The curriculum here is great, but when it comes to other opportunities, I think Hofstra lacks what other medical schools offer(I can go into more detail about this if anybody wants).

Also, many of us are scared about residency placement. We have no idea how competitive we will be at non-NSLIJ residencies. And apparently our third year is not going to be the same as other medical schools (apparently they are talking to us about this next week).


Good luck everybody!

1. I didn't know they gave out Full scholarships as well?

2. Can you expand on what Hofstra Lacks?

3. What do you mean the third year is not going to be like other medical schools?

THanks!

I guess. But there are students like myself who would have attended without the scholarship. I really wanted a case based curriculum with early and meaningful clinical exposure.
I am also not any more worried about residency than most medical students are.
There isn't a special medical school where students don't worry about matching and their future. It's an inherently uncertain and nerve-racking process.

Our third year is going to be some way different, we think, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I don't know if following the current model of medical education is totally worth it, hence the structure of our first two years.

I like school a lot.

Originally Posted by Hoya2009

I guess. But there are students like myself who would have attended without the scholarship. I really wanted a case based curriculum with early and meaningful clinical exposure.
I am also not any more worried about residency than most medical students are.
There isn't a special medical school where students don't worry about matching and their future. It's an inherently uncertain and nerve-racking process.

Our third year is going to be some way different, we think, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I don't know if following the current model of medical education is totally worth it, hence the structure of our first two years.

I like school a lot.

Can you elaborate on that? How is it different?

Originally Posted by forsparta

Can you elaborate on that? How is it different?

I'm not 100% sure. I think there will be a longitudinal patient component that arches over "normal" third year things. Part of it will be following the LP to radiology, inpatient things, etc...
Again, I'm not 100% sure: we have a session on this next week. I'd be happy to fill you in then. We're not going to not learn medicine during that time, I just think the form will be different given the clinical knowledge we'll already have and what they'd like us to get out of M3.
Since our first two years are pretty different from the national norm, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect similar changes in the nature of years 3 and 4.

Originally Posted by Hoya2009

I'm not 100% sure. I think there will be a longitudinal patient component that arches over "normal" third year things. Part of it will be following the LP to radiology, inpatient things, etc...
Again, I'm not 100% sure: we have a session on this next week. I'd be happy to fill you in then. We're not going to not learn medicine during that time, I just think the form will be different given the clinical knowledge we'll already have and what they'd like us to get out of M3.
Since our first two years are pretty different from the national norm, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect similar changes in the nature of years 3 and 4.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

Also, I heard about a MPH program being offered to you guys in your third year; did you hear anythinhg about that? I couldnt find anything online

Originally Posted by forsparta

1. I didn't know they gave out Full scholarships as well?

2. Can you expand on what Hofstra Lacks?

3. What do you mean the third year is not going to be like other medical schools?

THanks!

1. Yes, everybody received a standard half scholarship last year. However, there were some that received additional scholarships as well (anywhere up to a full scholarship).

2. A few cons of Hofstra

a. Because our curriculum is based on self-motivated learning, professors never explicitly tell us what to study/know for a test. Thus, it is pretty difficult to gauge whether we are focusing on the right material or measure our preparedness before exams. I understand that I chose Hofstra because it is a case-based curriculum and I honestly enjoy learning by myself rather than being talked to for endless hours in lecture. However, the frustrating part of the curriculum is the fact that in addition to teaching ourselves the material, we have to figure out (by ourselves) what we need to teach ourselves. There is no such thing as a syllabus that tells us exactly what we need to know, as there is at other med schools. We have things called “Learning Objectives” that are meant to direct our focus/studying but when it comes to integrated courses that deal with the physiology of multiple systems, “Learning Objectives” become futile.

b.It has been extremely difficult to secure research positions at hospitals/institutes other than Feinstein. When applying to prestigious research programs, you will most likely lose out to the other NY-based medical students in the area. (I think that this is a significant foreshadowing of how difficult residency applications will be.) If you are applying to non-NY residencies, I suggest you look at other schools. (Not many outside of NY know about Hofstra)

c.Sometimes it feels like the administration is overwhelmed and that we are severely understaffed as a school in certain areas. For example, although we have a plethora of doctors to teach us, our Student Affairs office consists of one person responsible for our class’ research, personal issues, clubs, meetings, organizations as well as dealing with admissions for the incoming class.

d.Just because you are the second class does not mean that there will not be kinks to work out.

e.No established structure for summer opportunities. Many people in our school wanted to explore global issues over the summer and they had a pretty hard time securing funding. Not sure how this will pan out when our school more than doubles in size next year…

3.We are not sure how are third year is going to be different yet. Many of us are just hypothesizing/speculating based on hearsay. I will definitely provide more information once we know concretely how our third year will differ.

Originally Posted by Cosmodoc

1. Yes, everybody received a standard half scholarship last year. However, there were some that received additional scholarships as well (anywhere up to a full scholarship).

2. A few cons of Hofstra

a. Because our curriculum is based on self-motivated learning, professors never explicitly tell us what to study/know for a test. Thus, it is pretty difficult to gauge whether we are focusing on the right material or measure our preparedness before exams. I understand that I chose Hofstra because it is a case-based curriculum and I honestly enjoy learning by myself rather than being talked to for endless hours in lecture. However, the frustrating part of the curriculum is the fact that in addition to teaching ourselves the material, we have to figure out (by ourselves) what we need to teach ourselves. There is no such thing as a syllabus that tells us exactly what we need to know, as there is at other med schools. We have things called “Learning Objectives” that are meant to direct our focus/studying but when it comes to integrated courses that deal with the physiology of multiple systems, “Learning Objectives” become futile.

b.It has been extremely difficult to secure research positions at hospitals/institutes other than Feinstein. When applying to prestigious research programs, you will most likely lose out to the other NY-based medical students in the area. (I think that this is a significant foreshadowing of how difficult residency applications will be.) If you are applying to non-NY residencies, I suggest you look at other schools. (Not many outside of NY know about Hofstra)

c.Sometimes it feels like the administration is overwhelmed and that we are severely understaffed as a school in certain areas. For example, although we have a plethora of doctors to teach us, our Student Affairs office consists of one person responsible for our class’ research, personal issues, clubs, meetings, organizations as well as dealing with admissions for the incoming class.

d.Just because you are the second class does not mean that there will not be kinks to work out.

e.No established structure for summer opportunities. Many people in our school wanted to explore global issues over the summer and they had a pretty hard time securing funding. Not sure how this will pan out when our school more than doubles in size next year…

3.We are not sure how are third year is going to be different yet. Many of us are just hypothesizing/speculating based on hearsay. I will definitely provide more information once we know concretely how our third year will differ.

Thank you for this very thorough review. Two more followup questions before I leave you alone

1. Regarding point B about research at other institutes, what do you mean by this? Did you or your classmates apply to other programs (what are some summer programs for med students?) and not get in? And is the Feinstein institute not a good center to do research in?

2. 2e - I guess this is similar to the first question, but did people obtain funding for the global opportunities? if so, how did they get them? How was it hard to get funding?

Sorry for the stupid questions...I'm just interested.

Originally Posted by forsparta

Thank you for this very thorough review. Two more followup questions before I leave you alone

1. Regarding point B about research at other institutes, what do you mean by this? Did you or your classmates apply to other programs (what are some summer programs for med students?) and not get in? And is the Feinstein institute not a good center to do research in?

2. 2e - I guess this is similar to the first question, but did people obtain funding for the global opportunities? if so, how did they get them? How was it hard to get funding?

Sorry for the stupid questions...I'm just interested.

I applied to the Sloan-Kettering summer program and was rejected. I have minimal research experience and spent about 40 minutes on the application + essays, so I wasn't exactly surprised. It's also really competitive, period.

Good work gets done at Feinstein, yes. There were also options to do clinical research in a hospital setting, which is what I am doing. I don't know for sure about the international thing, so I won't answer.
I am happy with my summer plans, though, and intend to take full advantage of the giant health system that wants me to work in it.

A very difficult decision to make but after careful deliberation withdrew from Hofstra today. Best of luck to the rest of you!!

Originally Posted by forsparta

Thank you for this very thorough review. Two more followup questions before I leave you alone

1. Regarding point B about research at other institutes, what do you mean by this? Did you or your classmates apply to other programs (what are some summer programs for med students?) and not get in? And is the Feinstein institute not a good center to do research in?

Yes, some of us applied to summer research programs at Sloan-Kettering, etc. and did not receive any love. Considering that some of my colleagues have significant previous research experience in addition to a variety of other accolades, we were left to conclude that it was due to the lack of recognition of our medical school. Feinstein is a reasonable alternative for basic research but is not a nationally recognized institution. You can peruse their website to see what they offer. Granted, many students found opportunities at NSLIJ and at Feinstein but it seems like it is very difficult to find opportunities at more renowned institutions.

2. 2e - I guess this is similar to the first question, but did people obtain funding for the global opportunities? if so, how did they get them? How was it hard to get funding?

Since Hofstra does not have any structured method of obtaining global opportunities in place yet, it was not easy for students to obtain funding. In the end, several students devised a project and received funding for their trip but they faced several obstacles along the way because of the lack of structure provided by the school.

Sorry for the stupid questions...I'm just interested.

These are by no means stupid questions. I think that Hofstra will be a fine institution one day, but I think that it currently has some kinks to work out. Don’t get me wrong, I love the curriculum and the self-motivated way of learning as well as the support system we receive because we are such a small class. However, in my opinion, one should not have to struggle so hard to acquire what most medical students take for granted (research, global opportunities, internships, etc.). Medical students are already burdened with enough.

Listen, here is my suggestion. I don't think that anybody should gamble with his or her medical school education. If you have other options, think carefully.

Sloan did get 800-something applicants for 60 spots, do I don't know if it's fair to blame the school for not getting a spot when 93% of applicants didn't get a spot, either.

These posts also say things that aren't true.
We have more than one person in student affairs; and other, different people work in admissions. People that applied for money for summer projects got it.
The feelings about the curriculum are also dissonant. We are definitely told what we're supposed to be learning. And even if it isn't clear during class, the faculty live in their offices so they are always around to ask.

The school was very liberal in giving out money for summer projects even if the projects did not meet the requirements the school initially set out. Most medical schools do not give out as much or to as many students as Hofstra. We gave more to each student than NYU gave to theirs, if you wanted to compare us to a local popular institution. .

Originally Posted by Cosmodoc

These are by no means stupid questions. I think that Hofstra will be a fine institution one day, but I think that it currently has some kinks to work out. Don’t get me wrong, I love the curriculum and the self-motivated way of learning as well as the support system we receive because we are such a small class. However, in my opinion, one should not have to struggle so hard to acquire what most medical students take for granted (research, global opportunities, internships, etc.). Medical students are already burdened with enough.

Listen, here is my suggestion. I don't think that anybody should gamble with his or her medical school education. If you have other options, think carefully.

Originally Posted by Hoya2009

Sloan did get 800-something applicants for 60 spots, do I don't know if it's fair to blame the school for not getting a spot when 93% of applicants didn't get a spot, either.

These posts also say things that aren't true.
We have more than one person in student affairs; and other, different people work in admissions. People that applied for money for summer projects got it.
The feelings about the curriculum are also dissonant. We are definitely told what we're supposed to be learning. And even if it isn't clear during class, the faculty live in their offices so they are always around to ask.

The school was very liberal in giving out money for summer projects even if the projects did not meet the requirements the school initially set out. Most medical schools do not give out as much or to as many students as Hofstra. We gave more to each student than NYU gave to theirs, if you wanted to compare us to a local popular institution. .

First off, I would like to thank both of you for your input. As someone with high aspirations, I want to know as much as possible about this school. You guys talked about the summer funding for global experience that students set up and was funded by Hofstra. Would it be possible for you to PM me the email address of the student affairs person who put it together or one of the students so I could get their experience? This is something I really want to do, and as such, I hope to learn more about it.

2. A few cons of Hofstra

a. Because our curriculum is based on self-motivated learning, professors never explicitly tell us what to study/know for a test. Thus, it is pretty difficult to gauge whether we are focusing on the right material or measure our preparedness before exams. I understand that I chose Hofstra because it is a case-based curriculum and I honestly enjoy learning by myself rather than being talked to for endless hours in lecture. However, the frustrating part of the curriculum is the fact that in addition to teaching ourselves the material, we have to figure out (by ourselves) what we need to teach ourselves. There is no such thing as a syllabus that tells us exactly what we need to know, as there is at other med schools. We have things called “Learning Objectives” that are meant to direct our focus/studying but when it comes to integrated courses that deal with the physiology of multiple systems, “Learning Objectives” become futile.

Another Hofstra student weighing in here. My understanding is that most medical schools, and indeed most academic institutions, have learning objectives; the real difference here is that, as our school has a focus self-directed learning, they give us the learning objectives to prepare, rather than just giving them to the professors to work into powerpoints. I have definitely seen the term "learning objective" appear in the implementation of curricula both of other medical schools and other education programs as well(I have some friends who are teachers).

b.It has been extremely difficult to secure research positions at hospitals/institutes other than Feinstein. When applying to prestigious research programs, you will most likely lose out to the other NY-based medical students in the area. (I think that this is a significant foreshadowing of how difficult residency applications will be.) If you are applying to non-NY residencies, I suggest you look at other schools. (Not many outside of NY know about Hofstra)

I don't know that I would agree with this, I think it's hard to judge things like this about a school when fewer than 40 students (not everyone is spending his or her summer doing research) have tried for only one summer. I for one am doing research that I'm almost guaranteed to publish in, it doesn't really matter to me whether I'm in system or somewhere else.

Its also worth noting that while at a VERY reputable school as an undergraduate I applied to an NYU neuroscience internship and was recommended by the former director (and still an active participant) of the internship program and still didn't get it. Point being that there at forces at play when trying to secure opportunities in manhattan that you can't necessarily blame on a school's reputation.

e.No established structure for summer opportunities. Many people in our school wanted to explore global issues over the summer and they had a pretty hard time securing funding. Not sure how this will pan out when our school more than doubles in size next year…

Again, this is more an issue of how much hand-holding you want. Ive certainly managed to secure both a trip abroad and paid research in neurosurgery for my two months, and my impression is that all of my classmates were ale to do what they wanted as well. Summer opportunities weren't spoon-fed to us, we had to work hard and actively pursue plans for ourselves, but at least in my opinion the best things come to those who try hard to secure them. This is consistent with the school's self-directed learning focus.

I'm not going to try to say that all of the above mentioned things are perfect, but personally I wouldn't take an overly pessimistic view toward a school that, compared to what most of my medical student friends describe at other schools, has given more more opportunity than I would have found anywhere else .

Any recent waitlist movement?

I got off the wait list about a week ago, so there's hope! Good luck!

Originally Posted by rmpruitt

I got off the wait list about a week ago, so there's hope! Good luck!

Congrats! Do you mind sharing your stats? Will you be attending?

Thanks! My stats are nothing impressive, 3.57 and 31Q, and I definitely think I will be attending. I had other acceptances, but I turned those down for Hofstra. Absolutely loved the school curriculum/ philosophy/ and the students I spoke with when I interviewed. Hofstra was one of my top choices.

The only thing that could change my plans is if I get off the wait list at UC Irvine. I liked the gut feeling that I got at Hofstra more, but for price, proximity to family etc. I would attend Irvine over Hofstra.

Good luck to you! Hopefully the wait list Gods are as kind to you as they were to me!!

Originally Posted by rmpruitt

Thanks! My stats are nothing impressive, 3.57 and 31Q, and I definitely think I will be attending. I had other acceptances, but I turned those down for Hofstra. Absolutely loved the school curriculum/ philosophy/ and the students I spoke with when I interviewed. Hofstra was one of my top choices.

The only thing that could change my plans is if I get off the wait list at UC Irvine. I liked the gut feeling that I got at Hofstra more, but for price, proximity to family etc. I would attend Irvine over Hofstra.

Good luck to you! Hopefully the wait list Gods are as kind to you as they were to me!!

Thanks so much for the update! You fill me with hope

Do you mind me asking if you sent any updates in while on the waitlist?

Originally Posted by tnns

Thanks so much for the update! You fill me with hope

Do you mind me asking if you sent any updates in while on the waitlist?

I didn't send any updates. However, if you have an update or want to write an LOI I'm sure it couldn't hurt.

Originally Posted by rmpruitt

I didn't send any updates. However, if you have an update or want to write an LOI I'm sure it couldn't hurt.

interesting video about what we're doing different from other medical schools.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/babba...orrows-doctors

Losing hope for waitlist movement. Any updates out there?

Originally Posted by tnns

Losing hope for waitlist movement. Any updates out there?

I got accepted the other day but had to withdraw. So looks like there is still movement

Originally Posted by medstar91

I got accepted the other day but had to withdraw. So looks like there is still movement

Thanks medstar91 and congrats! Would you mind sharing when you received your acceptance and your stats?

any waitlist news?

................................

Originally Posted by vanishing1

The Admisinstration could care less about the students. They lied about the Curricululm It is not new - has been done at other schools. They said they were giving more time after coursework for studying for the boards and they canceled it . Clearly missinfoming incoming students of this when they applied. They say they are concerned with the students but they are not. Any suggestions are ignored. Its their way or no way. They think they are doing it right but won't take any criticism from the students when they are not. There is NO concern for the students.

Really?

The Hofstra students I talked to told me the exact opposite of what vanishing is saying. They said the administration was extremely responsive. Can you be any more specific about the changes you wanted that they ignored?

Originally Posted by rmpruitt

The Hofstra students I talked to told me the exact opposite of what vanishing is saying. They said the administration was extremely responsive. Can you be any more specific about the changes you wanted that they ignored?

I'll go ahead and vouch for the administration in being responsive to our concerns. Is it perfect? No. Is the administration making a sincere effort? IMO, I really believe they are. I'll admit that it's tedious for us to fill out weekly surveys and to attend meetings talking about the pedagogy of how we're supposed to learn. At the same time, we do it to make improvements to our school and this new curriculum. We do this b**ch work so that way future classes can benefit from any struggles we've had this year. All in all, I'm still extremely happy to attend the school, and I know we're experiencing things this year that very very few first years (if any) in the country get to do. And it's only going to get better when the school adapts to what the students weren't wild about. The novelty of this curriculum is not PEARLS (which is essentially PBL adapted from what CWRU started); it's the utilization of all of the research done in the last xxx years on improving medical education and implementing it in a unified way. This is admittedly a very difficult task, and from what I've experienced this year, the administration did a great job. If you come into medical school expecting something perfect, you're going to be disappointed. Newsflash - no medical curriculum is perfect. It can be a stressful, depressing, lonely time - I can tell you that firsthand. However, if you arrive at medical school eager to take advantage of the opportunities available to you, you will definitely thrive at Hofstra-NSLIJ.

That being said, in the first class there are 40 of us and we all have different attitudes, goals, and experiences that have led us here. Our past has led us to expect that our medical education should be one way or another, and it seems like some people expected something different than what they got. For me, I'm going to be the first doctor in my family. I really had no preconceived notions of what medical school was going to be like other than what I heard from older friends in med school and docs I've worked with as a premed. I expected it to be hard - and it is - it's hard everywhere. In the end, you as an individual make the decision to attend. Hofstra isn't the right school for everyone, but it was for me.

As always, PM me if you have any Q's.

Originally Posted by longislandbro

i'll go ahead and vouch for the administration in being responsive to our concerns. Is it perfect? No. Is the administration making a sincere effort? Imo, i really believe they are. I'll admit that it's tedious for us to fill out weekly surveys and to attend meetings talking about the pedagogy of how we're supposed to learn. At the same time, we do it to make improvements to our school and this new curriculum. We do this b**ch work so that way future classes can benefit from any struggles we've had this year. All in all, i'm still extremely happy to attend the school, and i know we're experiencing things this year that very very few first years (if any) in the country get to do. And it's only going to get better when the school adapts to what the students weren't wild about. The novelty of this curriculum is not pearls (which is essentially pbl adapted from what cwru started); it's the utilization of all of the research done in the last xxx years on improving medical education and implementing it in a unified way. This is admittedly a very difficult task, and from what i've experienced this year, the administration did a great job. If you come into medical school expecting something perfect, you're going to be disappointed. Newsflash - no medical curriculum is perfect. It can be a stressful, depressing, lonely time - i can tell you that firsthand. However, if you arrive at medical school eager to take advantage of the opportunities available to you, you will definitely thrive at hofstra-nslij.

That being said, in the first class there are 40 of us and we all have different attitudes, goals, and experiences that have led us here. Our past has led us to expect that our medical education should be one way or another, and it seems like some people expected something different than what they got. For me, i'm going to be the first doctor in my family. I really had no preconceived notions of what medical school was going to be like other than what i heard from older friends in med school and docs i've worked with as a premed. I expected it to be hard - and it is - it's hard everywhere. In the end, you as an individual make the decision to attend. Hofstra isn't the right school for everyone, but it was for me.

as always, pm me if you have any q's.

+1

Originally Posted by Cosmodoc

1. Yes, everybody received a standard half scholarship last year. However, there were some that received additional scholarships as well (anywhere up to a full scholarship).

2. A few cons of Hofstra

a. Because our curriculum is based on self-motivated learning, professors never explicitly tell us what to study/know for a test. Thus, it is pretty difficult to gauge whether we are focusing on the right material or measure our preparedness before exams. I understand that I chose Hofstra because it is a case-based curriculum and I honestly enjoy learning by myself rather than being talked to for endless hours in lecture. However, the frustrating part of the curriculum is the fact that in addition to teaching ourselves the material, we have to figure out (by ourselves) what we need to teach ourselves. There is no such thing as a syllabus that tells us exactly what we need to know, as there is at other med schools. We have things called “Learning Objectives” that are meant to direct our focus/studying but when it comes to integrated courses that deal with the physiology of multiple systems, “Learning Objectives” become futile.

b.It has been extremely difficult to secure research positions at hospitals/institutes other than Feinstein. When applying to prestigious research programs, you will most likely lose out to the other NY-based medical students in the area. (I think that this is a significant foreshadowing of how difficult residency applications will be.) If you are applying to non-NY residencies, I suggest you look at other schools. (Not many outside of NY know about Hofstra)

c.Sometimes it feels like the administration is overwhelmed and that we are severely understaffed as a school in certain areas. For example, although we have a plethora of doctors to teach us, our Student Affairs office consists of one person responsible for our class’ research, personal issues, clubs, meetings, organizations as well as dealing with admissions for the incoming class.

d.Just because you are the second class does not mean that there will not be kinks to work out.

e.No established structure for summer opportunities. Many people in our school wanted to explore global issues over the summer and they had a pretty hard time securing funding. Not sure how this will pan out when our school more than doubles in size next year…

3.We are not sure how are third year is going to be different yet. Many of us are just hypothesizing/speculating based on hearsay. I will definitely provide more information once we know concretely how our third year will differ.

Originally Posted by Cosmodoc

These are by no means stupid questions. I think that Hofstra will be a fine institution one day, but I think that it currently has some kinks to work out. Don’t get me wrong, I love the curriculum and the self-motivated way of learning as well as the support system we receive because we are such a small class. However, in my opinion, one should not have to struggle so hard to acquire what most medical students take for granted (research, global opportunities, internships, etc.). Medical students are already burdened with enough.

Listen, here is my suggestion. I don't think that anybody should gamble with his or her medical school education. If you have other options, think carefully.

Thank you for all the info. That's exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for too. I'm a URM with a decent chance at MD and a pretty good chance at DO. Given the advantage MD students have over DO students when it comes to residency, would you pick Hofstra MD over any DO program? I know that's probably a difficult question to answer, but it's the question I'm struggling with right now as I try to decide whether or not to add Hofstra to my AMCAS.

"Please share anything your application does not include, but that you would like to bring to our attention."

so i just want to clarify from previous applicants, did you leave this question blank?

Looks like Hofstra's stats will be in the crapper this year. They got a nice high GPA/MCAT last year with lots of 1/2 off and full tuition rides. This year, a 3.95+ 41 MCAT got the same offer that a 3.6/30 was given.... $5000. Look for Hofstra to sport the same crappy stats seen at other new Meds schools, like Commonwealth in Pa.

Originally Posted by DoctorDachshund

Looks like Hofstra's stats will be in the crapper this year. They got a nice high GPA/MCAT last year with lots of 1/2 off and full tuition rides. This year, a 3.95+ 41 MCAT got the same offer that a 3.6/30 was given.... $5000. Look for Hofstra to sport the same crappy stats seen at other new Meds schools, like Commonwealth in Pa.

Or, maybe not all merit scholarships in the world are given solely to people with high stats and a bad attitude...

Out of curiosity - When does orientation start and when's the first day?

Originally Posted by tnns

Out of curiosity - When does orientation start and when's the first day?

Orientation starts July 26 and first day of classes is August 1st.

.