2014-2015 California Northstate University College of Medicine

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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anonimoose

anonimoose

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This 2014-2015 California Northstate University College of Medicine (CNUCOM) discussion is for those who wish to attend medical school at CNUCOM in Fall 2015. Yes, I realize it's July 2015.

The 2015-2016 CNUCOM discussion -- for those who wish to attend medical school at CNUCOM in Fall 2016 -- can be found here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...state-university-college-of-medicine.1143042/

For extensive discussions about the relative merits of California Northstate University College of Medicine, please refer to this thread:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/california-northstate-gains-accreditation.1142846/

In sum, applications for Fall 2015 admission to CNUCOM -- you will start medical school in a few months! -- continue to be accepted. The complete admissions timeline is as follows (this is verbatim from the CNUCOM website):

Timeline for CNUCOM Fall 2015 Entry Class

June 12, 2015: CNUCOM application submission begins (Using CNUCOM Application Portal)

July 1, 2015: CNUCOM Supplemental application opens (Using CNUCOM Application Portal)

July 7, 2015: CNUCOM Interviews Begin

July 14, 2015: First day that acceptance decisions can be released.

August 3, 2015: Deadline of Primary CNUCOM application

August 5, 2015: CNUCOM supplemental application deadline

August 31, 2015: First day of orientation

September 8, 2015: First day of class

http://medicine.cnsu.edu/admissions-com/admissions/admissions-timeline-2015
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Good luck to all.
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Shouldn't this thread be called 2015-2016, not 14-15?
 
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Throwaway1234321 said:
Anyone else do their interview on the 7th?
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Sorry, not relevant to your post, but do you mind if I ask what your stats / LizzyM score is? I recently submitted my secondary last Tuesday night but haven't heard back, so I'm just wondering if I should still have hope lol.
 
ngabr said:
Shouldn't this thread be called 2015-2016, not 14-15?
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No this is correct because this class is starting this fall not next fall which would be 2015-16.

blissfulbelle said:
Sorry, not relevant to your post, but do you mind if I ask what your stats / LizzyM score is? I recently submitted my secondary last Tuesday night but haven't heard back, so I'm just wondering if I should still have hope lol.
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GPA just north of 3.0, mcat 34 (balanced) and between 10-20 years experience working in healthcare. I think my work experience and the fact that I was probably one of the first dozen or so people to submit their applications got me my interview, because my gpa is by no means amazing.
 
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I was there on the 7th, still have my apprehensions about the school but if accepted I will be attending. The next two weeks are going to be nerve racking that is for sure.
 
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leela13 said:
Will be interviewing on the 24th. LizzyM 73.
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I'm interested in seeing what you think about the school, but to be honest if I were you I would be taking my Touro acceptance and already be looking into moving.
 
Abraxas65 said:
I'm interested in seeing what you think about the school, but to be honest if I were you I would be taking my Touro acceptance and already be looking into moving.
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I'll keep you posted for sure!
 
Abraxas65 said:
I was there on the 7th, still have my apprehensions about the school but if accepted I will be attending. The next two weeks are going to be nerve racking that is for sure.
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Do you know how many people were there to interview that day?
 
Does anyone know the number of applicants who have applied and how many interviews they are granting?
 
Abraxas65 said:
I was there on the 7th, still have my apprehensions about the school but if accepted I will be attending. The next two weeks are going to be nerve racking that is for sure.
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Was it just a one on one interview? and do they email you to invite you to the interview or call? Good luck to you and would appreciate any answers you have for me
 
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I saw this re: interviews on another thread........

Throwaway1234321 said:
So I just got back from interviewing at CNU, using a throwaway just in-case. It went largely as I expected it to. I will post bullet points of what I took away from today in no particular order, then clarify a few things and give my opinion of CNU.

  • Elk Grove is a nice place with lots of things to do, lots of restaurants but it has a very suburban feel.
  • Campus was nice enough, it is all housed in one building with the MD portion taking up one floor and the Pharm portion taking up another.
  • Cadaver lab, skills lab and research lab were all pretty standard if a bit small.
  • They seem to really want to get some research started but I didn't get the feeling that it would be easy for students to walk in and get any real research done quickly; I attribute this to the fact that there really isn't any medical school established labs. They were open to supporting students who try and collaborate with MD/PHDs from other programs.
  • Interview group was small with only 36 people, most from California with a few from other west coast states and a couple people from the east coast (I have never been on any other interview so I don't know if 36 is actually small or not but it felt small)
  • School is definitely going high tech, you will get electronic access to all required and recommended textbooks so no need to buy books which is nice and at least the inaugural class will be given new mac book airs (I think this will be every class but not sure).
  • Each lecture room had multiple projectors and they talked about using a couple different electronic programs for testing and distributing lectures.
  • Sounds like nearly every class will be recorded and made available, a few courses will be mandatory (obviously).
  • There was definitely a feeling of rushing to get things set up before classes start, which is a bit disconcerting.
  • Interviews consisted of three one-on-one interviews that lasted 25-30 mins each, they did mention that next year they plan on doing MMI style interviews.
  • Interviews consisted of pretty standard questions but I felt that all of the people I talked to did a good job of segueing those questions into having a nice conversation on why medicine, why CNU, etc.
  • Interviews seemed to be very relaxed and friendly (note this is from comments other people made who had been to other interviews, this was my 1st so I have no point of reference).
  • All exams will be based off of NBME questions.
Now to clarify a couple things. CNU will be accepting 60 students this year and plan to accept 80 next year. Going forward they want to increase class size until they get to around 150 students, so the 265 number that has been thrown around a little bit is incorrect. Their curriculum makes a lot more sense, at least to me, after having spoken with them. The majority of courses will be system based (cardiopulmonary, renal, etc) concurrently with this students will be split up into 'colleges' of 20 students and you will be given a faculty mentor. This mentor will be responsible for teaching the "Masters Colloquium" which is basically their version of professionalism/ethics courses, your faculty mentor will also be responsible for interceding when they see students struggling academically.

Now for how I feel about the school, it hasn't really changed much. The school seems very aware of the fact that the 1st class is going to be heavily scrutinized and I felt that they were genuine in their desire to create a solid medical school program. CNU seems like a place where you will get a standard M1 and M2 education, I feel that the skepticism about their rotations is justified if perhaps overly dramatic. The school does seem to have an adequate number of rotation sites but until a class goes through them there is no way to determine how good they will be. Because of this I feel the school should be pretty low on peoples list, if you have an acceptance to a different MD school I would say go there, if you have an acceptance to a solid DO school I would say go there. But if you have an acceptance to a low level DO program (perhaps only one acceptance at a school you really didn't like) I would say you should look at CNU and if you are a borderline applicant you need to make the decision if you want to bolster your application or try to get into medical school right now. I do feel that CNU would limit your ability to get super competitive residency due mostly to the unknown caliber of their rotations but that you will get a solid education there, so all of the future heads of neurosurgery should probably look elsewhere.

I am only a premed student and this was my 1st interview so take the above with a very large grain of salt. In my situation I am glad I applied and interviewed, if accepted I will be attending but I am not the standard student and I feel each applicant really needs to look at CNU from their own unique perspective to see if the school is right for them.
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As well as this....
TaYe14 said:
All three of the members I interviewed with seemed very experienced and knowledgeable. I interviewed with two MDs and a PhD. One of the MDs and the PhD are part of the teaching faculty, and the other (volunteer) MD interviewer told me that he wanted to join the faculty as well, and he seemed to be a well-respected physician around the area, from what I learned from a quick google search on him after the interview. The MDs also told me that since the school gained accreditation, the school has been bombarded with many highly qualified applicants from other hospitals and universities across the country.

As far as my general impression from interview day, I can understand the apprehension about a new school, the general unknown territory, but the school was very organized with the presentations and they covered a lot of ground in quite a bit of detail. The curriculum seems to be sound (LCME noted this to be the biggest strength of the school), and it sounds like the rotations with Kaiser and Dignity are set...and these are two of the best healthcare systems in NorCal. They also were actively looking for even more clinics and hospitals to align with to give the students the best exposure and opportunities. The staff and faculty were even more excited than us, and everyone seemed genuine in their desire to provide a great education to our general of medical students.

I haven't read every single comment in this thread, but based on skimming through it, I'll attempt to comment on some of the main points that were brought up.

1. the "for-profit" designation. Theoretically, every school is trying to make money, even if they are listed as "non-profit". Regardless, the people who invested in this school, invested A LOT of money, way more than would be recovered by just staying open for just one or two years, so even if they are just looking out for their wallets (which I didn't really get that impression from my time spent with all of the faculty and staff, but then again, i'm just a pre-med student), it is in their best interest to keep getting applicants.

2. LCME accreditation. This was a question that was definitely brought up by us interviewees, and the faculty didn't hesitate to answer. This also ties in with the "for-profit" topic. The school won't get full accreditation until they graduate their first class. Their accreditation depends on how the first class performs (research, residency match, and of course, USMLE scores). As a result, they NEED to provide the education that would allow us to do well in all those regards (because just four years worth of tuition won't even break even with the amount they invested), so they are even more concerned with making sure we have good faculty to help us do well in the classes. And they are still adding even more faculty.

3. the anatomy teacher being a PhD candidate. I think I read that somewhere in the thread, but that is absolutely not true. The anatomy professor, who is a PhD, gave us a tour of the anatomy lab, and was definitely very well qualified. He has teaching experience in numerous other universities in the United States, and seems very passionate about his job, and eager to see all of his students not only succeed, but go on to do great things (paraphrasing his words).

Here are some final thoughts. The first class will be highly involved in providing suggestions and feedback on the curriculum, and the faculty said they will be actively incorporating our feedback and modifying the curriculum based on what we highlight. So for all you applicants applying for 2016 cycle, you'll be in good hands, because we all really want to match into good residencies!

If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask!
Click to expand...
 
lemonapplepie said:
Hi! When did you submit your secondary and how long did it take you to find out about the 24th interview date?
Click to expand...
Submitted my secondary in late June, received the II 2 weeks later.
 
ngabr said:
Fair enough! Sounds like you interviewed on the 7th with me. Hope it went well for you!
Click to expand...


It went very well actually! My only concern is my low GPA but hopefully be in the first interviews will help make up for that.
 
Hello,

I am -- like you -- just a little bit confused, so I thought I'd sum up what I've learned thus far.


For the 2014-2015 application cycle (for entry this Fall 2015):

- Step #1: Submit primary application via CNUCOM portal:
https://californianorthstateuniversity.formstack.com/forms/college_of_medicine

I completed this on Wednesday, 8 July 2015.

- Step #2: Submit secondary application via CNUCOM portal:
(I don't think I should share this URL publicly)

I received this on Friday, 10 July 2015 and have one week to complete it. The only thing CNUCOM received from me prior to my receiving a secondary application was 1) my primary application and 2) my MCAT score report.

- Step #3: Submit recommendation letters to [email protected] or via snail-mail

I have not done this yet.

- Step #4: Submit MCAT score report to [email protected]

I completed this on Wednesday, 8 July 2015.

- Step #5: Submit transcripts directly to [email protected] or via snail-mail

I have not done this yet. Based off this answer from CNUCOM's FAQ, I didn't think I needed to do it.
Question: Do I need to send my transcripts to Admissions when I apply?
Answer: No. Applicants must submit all transcripts to AMCAS while in the application stage. Once admitted to the College, matriculating students will be required to submit official transcripts through AMCAS from all institutions attended with degree confirmation. Once again, this is only required after a student is accepted.
http://medicine.cnsu.edu/admissions-com/admissions/faq-about-admission-policies-2015
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However, that is most likely for Fall 2016 and beyond. For those of us applying for Fall 2015, we do need to send transcripts, based off this answer from CNUCOM's FAQ:
Question: After I was accepted by California Northstate, the Admissions Office requested my transcripts and degree confirmation transcript but I had already submitted my transcripts to AMCAS. Do I need to send transcripts to your office as well?
Answer: Yes. For Fall 2015 entry class, all applicants are required to send transcripts to CNUCOM during the application stage of the admission process.
http://medicine.cnsu.edu/admissions-com/admissions/faq-about-admission-policies-2015
Click to expand...


Hopefully these are just the growing pains of a compressed/late application cycle.

Thankfully, these are the steps for the 2015-2016 application cycle (for entry next Fall 2016):
- Just do what AMCAS tells us to do (and what we do for every other allopathic, US-based medical school)!

Respectfully,
Moose
 
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Jgreg89 said:
THIS IS WRONG!! Respectfully .. It should be 2015-2016 (Starting this fall 2015)!
Besides there is a thread already ... why such confusion?!
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...state-university-college-of-medicine.1143042/
Click to expand...


No, the years represent when the application cycle starts and ends. So for school to start in Fall 2016 then applications would normally start Summer 2015. Or in this schools case starting in Fall 2015 applications would normally start Summer 2014. So the title 2014-2015 is correct. The other date you might see would be matriculation which would be 2015-2019.
 
I should clarify and add some things about CNUCOM. I really liked the school and I hope they offer me a spot. The earlier you interview the better your chances are since the best applicants on paper got the first IIs.

1) Right now they dont know if the lectures will be recorded. IT said the equipment for lecture capture is ready but they are waiting on the professors to say yes.
2) The first class will be getting a 13.3" Macbook Air but it is not free. You are paying $1,100 for it and it will be reflected in your M1 tuition so you can keep it after graduation. IT did this to make things easier for them and also because 5Ghz Wifi laptops work best with their network. It is unclear what future classes will get (if anything).
3) CNUCOM has partnered with College Housing Services to help students find housing. Rates start in the low 600's for a shared bedroom and budget floorplan. Rates start at low 800's for a 1 bedroom without roomies.
4) The faculty and admin staff are very friendly and eager to start teaching.
5) CNUCOM has its own financial aid office with resources to help you.
6) The clinical faculty are hopeful about CNUCOM and its future. The 3 doctors I interviewed with were also affiliated with UC Davis but I didnt sense any pessimism or skepticism from them.
7) Most of the people I interviewed with were CA residents.
8) Elk Grove seems like a nice area to live in, much better than Sacramento proper.
9) CNUCOM says they will have 8 fulltime clerkship directors for rotations. Right now they have agreements with 3 Kaiser Hospitals and 3 Dignity Health Hospitals.
10) The interviews are very low stress and casual. The questions are diverse though so be ready to talk ethics and what your hobbies are.
11) The writing exercise is strange. They didnt say how much it would be weighted on our app.
12) Students will be required to complete a research project of some kind. CNUCOM has a small and unimpressive lab. There are no animals or cool equipment like realtime machines.
13) I understand why other posters here are using throwaways since CNUCOM faculty admit they are on SDN and monitoring these threads.
 
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ngabr said:
Shouldn't this thread be called 2015-2016, not 14-15?
Click to expand...

Jgreg89 said:
THIS IS WRONG!! Respectfully .. It should be 2015-2016 (Starting this fall 2015)!
Besides there is a thread already ... why such confusion?!
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...state-university-college-of-medicine.1143042/
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to do this, but:

852e5eb5114e489a03166c01ba6571df.jpg

By convention and custom, the first number in the "20XX-20XX application thread" refers to the year that the application cycle begins, and the second number refers to the year that applicants would begin/matriculate at that school.

For proof, look through the multiple 2014-2015 application threads in this forum -- these folks began applying to medical school in Summer 2014, and want to start medical school in Fall 2015:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/allopathic-school-specific-discussions-2015.962/

Compare and contrast those 2014-2015 threads with the multiple 2015-2016 application threads in this forum -- these folks began applying to medical school in Summer 2015, and want to start medical school in Fall 2016:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/2015-2016-allopathic-school-specific-discussions.974/

///break///

Now, the recent accredition of California Northstate University College of Medicine has created some confusion. This Summer (Summer 2015), they are accepting applications for BOTH:
Option #1. Those who wish to start medical school in Fall 2015 (via their propietary application portal) AND
Option #2. Those who wish to start medical school in Fall 2016 (via AMCAS)

In sum, CNUCOM is accepting applications NOW (Summer 2015) for students who want to start medical school a few months from now (Fall 2015). This is (self-evidently) unconventional, and this is why I suspect that "ngabr" and "Jgreg89" are confused.

Option #1 is the subject of this discussion (the one you're reading right now) -- these folks began applying to CNUCOM in Summer 2015 and want to start medical school at CNUCOM in Fall 2015:***
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...state-university-college-of-medicine.1148495/

Option #2 is the subject of the discussion to which you linked/referred -- these folks began applying to CNUCOM in Summer 2015 and want to start medical school at CNUCOM in Fall 2016:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...tate-university-college-of-amedicine.1143042/

I hope this clears up this matter.

***Yes, technically the first number should refer to the year that the application cycle begins, and the second number should refer to the year that applicants would begin/matriculate into that school, but I thought a "2015-2015 CNUCOM Application Thread" would be confusing. Hence, I started this 2014-2015 thread (for those who want Option #1: going to CNUCOM in Fall 2015, as in, a few months from now). For those who want Option #2: starting medical school in Fall 2016, there was/is already a separate discussion for them.
 
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For what it is worth I have already realized my misunderstanding! :)

ngabr said:
Fair enough! Sounds like you interviewed on the 7th with me. Hope it went well for you!
Click to expand...

anonimoose said:
I'm sorry to do this, but:

852e5eb5114e489a03166c01ba6571df.jpg

By convention and custom, the first number in the "20XX-20XX application thread" refers to the year that the application cycle begins, and the second number refers to the year that applicants would begin/matriculate at that school.

For proof, look through the multiple 2014-2015 application threads in this forum -- these folks began applying to medical school in Summer 2014, and want to start medical school in Fall 2015:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/allopathic-school-specific-discussions-2015.962/

Compare and contrast those 2014-2015 threads with the multiple 2015-2016 application threads in this forum -- these folks began applying to medical school in Summer 2015, and want to start medical school in Fall 2016:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/2015-2016-allopathic-school-specific-discussions.974/

///break///

Now, the recent accredition of California Northstate University College of Medicine has created some confusion. This Summer (Summer 2015), they are accepting applications for BOTH:
Option #1. Those who wish to start medical school in Fall 2015 (via their propietary application portal) AND
Option #2. Those who wish to start medical school in Fall 2016 (via AMCAS)

In sum, CNUCOM is accepting applications NOW (Summer 2015) for students who want to start medical school a few months from now (Fall 2015). This is (self-evidently) unconventional, and this is why I suspect that "ngabr" and "Jgreg89" are confused.

Option #1 is the subject of this discussion (the one you're reading right now) -- these folks began applying to CNUCOM in Summer 2015 and want to start medical school at CNUCOM in Fall 2015:***
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...state-university-college-of-medicine.1148495/

Option #2 is the subject of the discussion to which you linked/referred -- these folks began applying to CNUCOM in Summer 2015 and want to start medical school at CNUCOM in Fall 2016:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...tate-university-college-of-amedicine.1143042/

I hope this clears up this matter.

***Yes, technically the first number should refer to the year that the application cycle begins, and the second number should refer to the year that applicants would begin/matriculate into that school, but I thought a "2015-2015 CNUCOM Application Thread" would be confusing. Hence, I started this 2014-2015 thread (for those who want Option #1: going to CNUCOM in Fall 2015, as in, a few months from now). For those who want Option #2: starting medical school in Fall 2016, there was/is already a separate discussion for them.
Click to expand...
 
Nope not yet. Really hoping to hear back from them tomorrow, which is supposed to be the first day they will send out acceptances.
 
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Abraxas65 said:
Nope not yet. Really hoping to hear back from them tomorrow, which is supposed to be the first day they will send out acceptances.
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I know they said 7/14 is the first day they're sending out acceptances on their website. Did they say this during interview day also?
 
Doctor4TheWorld said:
I know they said 7/14 is the first day they're sending out acceptances on their website. Did they say this during interview day also?
Click to expand...
I interviewed on the 7th, and they told my group that they would take no longer than 10 business days, which would be the 21st. really hoping they release a decision tomorrow though!!
 
^^^It's going to be a long two weeks.
In my head I'm going: "Hmm, if I went on the 10th....that means the 17th is probably the soonest we'll hear by...."

*Continues checking email anyway*
 
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Financial aid looked pretty straight forward. They have an agreement with one private lender and said they have two more lender agreements in the works. It was my impression that their agreement would make it possible to get a reasonable loan even if you don't have a strong credit rating or potential co-signer (though they encouraged us to ask our parents if we looked at other loans to get more favorable rates). Total estimated COA was 79.9K for living expenses, health insurance, etc.
 
Monster_Cat said:
Did you get any handouts from the financial aid office about receiving our financial information before matriculating? it's pretty sketchy that they want us to matriculate without knowing what our financial aid will be.
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The FA office had a presentation and gave out handouts during our tour. The handout gives budgeting tips, how to apply for FA, and eligibility requirements. There is no way to find out your level of FA before enrolling.
 
Monster_Cat said:
How on earth is it straight forward when they have millions in scholarships available (iirc the number was 2 million dollars), and won't tell us if we get any, how much, or what our total financial is until we matriculate? It's basically a bait and switch trick.
Click to expand...

I'll be very grateful if I end up getting a scholarship, but I never presumed. It's basically the same price as attending any other med school OOS, so if you're researching financial planning with that assumption, it is straight forward.
 
Monster_Cat said:
Did you get any handouts from the financial aid office about receiving our financial information before matriculating? it's pretty sketchy that they want us to matriculate without knowing what our financial aid will be.
Click to expand...
If it's so sketch. DO. NOT. MATRICULATE. LOL.
If this is the type of student CNUCOM attracts then definitely everyone should beware.
 
Applicants that sent in the supplementary app in late June, have you guys heard back from CNUCOM? Since they aren't doing document checks, I have no idea how long it's going to take. Feels like I've been playing the waiting game forever!
 
skhabra said:
Applicants that sent in the supplementary app in late June, have you guys heard back from CNUCOM? Since they aren't doing document checks, I have no idea how long it's going to take. Feels like I've been playing the waiting game forever!
Click to expand...

I sent mine in early July and got an interview invite. So it may be possible that they haven't received your LORs and transcript yet?
 
II today for 7/27.
Secondary submitted yesterday! They're working fast haha
 
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just got an interview invitation. can anyone recommend a motel?
 
For those who interviewed, please post if you hear back.
 
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