2022-2023 Chicago Med (Rosalind Franklin)

[Kirby101101]

I dont think any official groups/chats have been made but does anyone know when we might get our financial aid?

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[Corndawggy]

I dont think any official groups/chats have been made but does anyone know when we might get our financial aid?

They mentioned during my interview that financial aid decisions won't come out until June at the earliest... apparently because they have to work on all the other graduate programs first since they begin sooner :/

 

[safronia]

They mentioned during my interview that financial aid decisions won't come out until June at the earliest... apparently because they have to work on all the other graduate programs first since they begin sooner :/

Oh my gosh! That's so late. I thought most schools sent out financial info before Commit to Enroll day.

 

[mdog31415]

I'd like to join one too!

Idk if admissions made a FB yet. I'll check about Groupme with our president later today.

 

[Timeless:)]

Was there any significant AL movement so far?

 

[kaori_ono]

The deposit is nonbinding right?

 

[freshdoe]

Was there any significant AL movement so far?

Uncharacteristically sparse this year, but that's only going off SDN. Even just going off SDN though, there have been at least 3 decent waves of movement last cycle before 5/1 so don't know what's going on.

 

[Timeless:)]

Uncharacteristically sparse this year, but that's only going off SDN. Even just going off SDN though, there have been at least 3 decent waves of movement last cycle before 5/1 so don't know what's going on.

Well then I guess I can get my hopes high?

 

[chadette]

Waiting for the admitted student group me like🧍🏼‍♂️

 

[Flareicus]

M2 who recently finished STEP 1 and doesn't really know what to do with their time here. If anyone had questions regarding the student experience/campus/curriculum/whatever else, feel free to ask.

 

[Lighting4748]

M2 who recently finished STEP 1 and doesn't really know what to do with their time here. If anyone had questions regarding the student experience/campus/curriculum/whatever else, feel free to ask.

Hey. Congrats on finishing STEP 1!

How easy is it to find affordable housing in North Chicago? Would you recommend staying in the university's apartments?

Thanks!

 

[freshdoe]

Well then I guess I can get my hopes high?

RFU has always had good movement every year so just gonna trust in the process. Got my fingers crossed for all of us lol

 

[Flareicus]

Hey. Congrats on finishing STEP 1!

How easy is it to find affordable housing in North Chicago? Would you recommend staying in the university's apartments?

Thanks!

Thanks, feels good to be done.

Housing is decently affordable in the area. The school apartments are a bit more expensive than the surrounding community, but the buildings are actually pretty new. I had a single and it was 1600/month. If you find a roommate, it would cost about 1200/month- you would share a living room and a kitchen but have your own private bedroom/bath. If those rates are within your budget, I'd highly recommend it just due to convenience and the perks. Electricity, gas, water, and internet are all included in your rent. In addition, they allow flexible 10 month leases where if you don't stay in the area for the summer, you can keep your apartment and only pay $100 for June/July to have your stuff stored there (you aren't allowed to enter your apartment without permission in those months if you choose this option however). If you elect to live on campus, I'd recommend going for Student Housing over the Woodlands as those apartments are older and don't have the same benefits mentioned above.

Regarding the surrounding community, a lot of my classmates stayed at the Landings in Waukegan which were pretty nice. Another option is navy housing given the base right next to the school, but I'm not sure what the process for applying for those would be. Generally, I'd say you should be able to get something around 1300/month for a single and 800/month if you share with a roommate.

 

[marriottlw]

M2 who recently finished STEP 1 and doesn't really know what to do with their time here. If anyone had questions regarding the student experience/campus/curriculum/whatever else, feel free to ask.

What’s the research funding for students like (funding to travel and present at conferences)?

 

[Flareicus]

What’s the research funding for students like (funding to travel and present at conferences)?

Unfortunately, I don't know the exact answer to this question as neither me nor my friends have done something like this. The Office of Medical Education is pretty supportive of this however, so I would expect that they would provide aid. Apologies for not having a better answer.

 

[Kirby101101]

M2 who recently finished STEP 1 and doesn't really know what to do with their time here. If anyone had questions regarding the student experience/campus/curriculum/whatever else, feel free to ask.

Is the financial aid/scholarships here comparable to other similar schools. I’m leaning towards picking RFU with the CYMS dates coming up but nervous about not knowing aid and other financial info.

 

[Flareicus]

Is the financial aid/scholarships here comparable to other similar schools. I’m leaning towards picking RFU with the CYMS dates coming up but nervous about not knowing aid and other financial info.

I would say it's similar to other lower tier private MD schools which is to say not that great. There is an annual general scholarship which every student is encouraged to apply which gives up to half tuition I believe. The Office of Financial Aid also sends also scholarship opportunities regularly, but I wouldn't expect much directly from the school if you don't get a reward from the general scholarship.

 

[LittlePlumpChicken]

Anyone get news today?

 

[DO2023track]

the school sent out a nice Journal in the mail. Got that on Saturday. Still waiting on a decision so wondering if that gets sent to everyone who interviews?

 

[mdog31415]

Hey. Congrats on finishing STEP 1!

How easy is it to find affordable housing in North Chicago? Would you recommend staying in the university's apartments?

Thanks!

I'll just add my two cents since I live in Woodlands. They are older, but my partner likes it more just because it has that off-campus vibe. The clubhouse, outdoor grilles, and pool are also cool. But I have friends in student housing who love it too, so I'll also recommend them too.

 

[mdog31415]

What’s the research funding for students like (funding to travel and present at conferences)?

They have a number of paid summer in-house research opportunities through federal work study grants, Advocate Aurora, Sinai Urban Health Institute, and other affiliates. Tougher in this regard compared to your research powerhouse programs. For travel, back in the day students were granted 1 award for travel during the 4 years of med school- the status of that program is relatively unknown following pandemic and financial changes they made in recent years (e.g. as of this year, the General Scholarship is only available to M2s-M4s). However, there are supplement awards on fall and spring research fairs for top studies to get travel funding, and some of the other programs like those with Advocate pay internally for travel. Wish I had more insight.

 

[chadette]

the school sent out a nice Journal in the mail. Got that on Saturday. Still waiting on a decision so wondering if that gets sent to everyone who interviews?

Yes I believe all who interviewed got one

 

[lionWushi]

M4 here and I'm back. Matched a month ago. Also open to answer whatever questions y'all have (I'd probably specialize in the latter 2 years at this point)

 

[lionWushi]

What’s the research funding for students like (funding to travel and present at conferences)?

It's a (usually) one-time funding for research conferences, whether in-person or virtual. School covers for everything up to $1000 (including flights) except for alcohol.

The criteria: should be a national-level forum, you're the presenting author, domestic travel covered only (includes Canada and Mexico). Funds are also first-come first serve per academic year but personally, I presented late into the academic year and I was fully reimbursed.

Hey. Congrats on finishing STEP 1!

How easy is it to find affordable housing in North Chicago? Would you recommend staying in the university's apartments?

Thanks!

Pretty easy to find. It's also helpful to see if any classmates (CMS or otherwise) is looking to lease an apartment at Navy. In my M1-M2 years I paid like 430 per month to live in Navy which was a two story, 1400 sqft house with a backyard (had two roommates). Like the rest of campus, was also quiet and safe.

 

[Kirby101101]

M4 here and I'm back. Matched a month ago. Also open to answer whatever questions y'all have (I'd probably specialize in the latter 2 years at this point)

Hello thank you for answering! Did you mind too much that rotations are spread throughout the Chicagoland and is there a lottery system where you get put or do you just kind of rotate all over?

 

[ooooohnoooo]

The past 2 years it seems like waitlist movement starts April 15th, coincidence or can we expect similar for this year?

 

[wholefoodschili]

The past 2 years it seems like waitlist movement starts April 15th, coincidence or can we expect similar for this year?

wondering the same thing

 

[freshdoe]

The past 2 years it seems like waitlist movement starts April 15th, coincidence or can we expect similar for this year?

I emailed a few weeks ago and was told to expect movement around May 1st

 

[lionWushi]

Hello thank you for answering! Did you mind too much that rotations are spread throughout the Chicagoland and is there a lottery system where you get put or do you just kind of rotate all over?

I think I answered part of this earlier in the thread!

1) There is a given order of specialties that you rotate in (my class was IM, EM/neuro, FM, surgery, psychiatry, OB, and peds, but I think the order has changed for the current M3s). You rank your preference on which specialty you start with, and then you proceed through your clerkships in the above fixed order (peds -> IM and then you continue sequentially).
2) After you have your fixed order of specialties, you rank your preferred sites per clerkship. There are many sites per clerkship and it can be overwhelming at first, however students from previous years will always compile a yearly spreadsheet of clerkship reviews, giving you a rundown of their experiences per site. It was a helpful and honest resource overall for me and I'd say overall I had a smooth clinical experience (keeping in mind the chaotic nature of clinical rotations in medical school everywhere). Best places to do rotations depends on clerkship and clinical interests. Advocate Lutheran and Advocate Christ are consistently good for most/every rotation.

As mentioned there are a wide variety of rotation sites, some of which are a couple minutes walking distance and others which are farther (think Rockford, Barrington). The farther rotations aren't exactly the most desirable but people make it work. For example, the Rockford rotation for FM and Kenosha rotation for surgery are both lauded for its education opportunities and interactions with clinical staff, but the drives are brutal especially coming from the city. RFU does get periodic SSARP Emergency Grants which helps with resulting finances (can't guarantee this will be here for incoming M1s since it's COVID related) but you do have to apply for them.

It's generally very feasible to have all of your rotations be in or around Chicago, with the caveat that FM is a little more random. To directly answer your question, for the most part I didn't mind too much about the location spread. My farthest rotation was about an hour drive away which was tiring but I managed fine. With that said - I think CMS can, and needs to, do a better job directly supporting students who are placed at a site that is a far commute. It's a very commonly raised complaint by students who are in their clinical rotations and I'm not sure what other steps have been made to rectify this.

 

[Flareicus]

I think I answered part of this earlier in the thread!



It's generally very feasible to have all of your rotations be in or around Chicago, with the caveat that FM is a little more random. To directly answer your question, for the most part I didn't mind too much about the location spread. My farthest rotation was about an hour drive away which was tiring but I managed fine. With that said - I think CMS can, and needs to, do a better job directly supporting students who are placed at a site that is a far commute. It's a very commonly raised complaint by students who are in their clinical rotations and I'm not sure what other steps have been made to rectify this.

To add on as someone who recently just went through this process, you can generally plan your preferences to be close to the city (outside of FM). With the exception of FM, all of my rotation sites are within 30 minutes drive of my Chicago apartment. Even if I were to fall to my 3rd/4th choices, my commutes would not have exceeded 40 mins one way. There were a couple of rotations (particularly surgery that I remember but probably a couple others) where if I had fallen further the commute might've been a bigger PITA.

On the other hand, the FM lottery is a complete crapshoot and is one thing the school needs to be better at. There are multiple sites which are 1-2 hours away from the city one way, and I agree with lion that they need to do a better job supporting students who end up with lengthy commutes (not just for FM). In regards to steps they've taken, admin did implement a $500 stipend this year for the Rockford site which I feel was the least popular choice given it's distance.

 

[DO2023track]

Anyone hear back from the 3/28 interview?

 

[LittlePlumpChicken]

Anyone hear back from the 3/28 interview?

Not yet, but I also think the 3/21 group needs to hear back as well

 

[B***scratcha**]

anyone else still waiting for the pre-ii R (insert skull emoji)

 

[gabcro16]

Is anyone going to the CMS Admitted Student Visit Weekend or know what the dress code is? I’m assuming business casual but I didn’t see anything in the email

 

[PurulentFistula]

Is anyone going to the CMS Admitted Student Visit Weekend or know what the dress code is? I’m assuming business casual but I didn’t see anything in the email

Not sure on this, but I’m going with business casual.

 

[LittlePlumpChicken]

Has anyone in the 3/21, 3/28 or 4/4 interview groups asked the admissions committee on when they expect to release decisions for these groups?

 

[nckorfor]

Congrats to everyone accepted again! Does anyone know if or when waitlisted people get a rejection email?

 

[freshdoe]

Congrats to everyone accepted again! Does anyone know if or when waitlisted people get a rejection email?

The Dean says they've accepted people up until the first day of classes so I wouldn't expect a formal rejection until after then

 

[Jaylife]

Officially withdrawing my A. All the best everybody!

 

[ckhugo]

Withdrew my A, hope it goes to one of you waiting!!

 

[big5head]

We thinkin the 3/21, 3/28, 4/4 groups will hear back this week?

 

[LittlePlumpChicken]

We thinkin the 3/21, 3/28, 4/4 groups will hear back this week?

I just got a reply from my admission counselor! They are meeting this Friday and are expecting to release decisions next week Monday or Tuesday for this group of interviews.

 

[marriottlw]

Just withdrew my A. Good luck y’all!

 

[big5head]

I just got a reply from my admission counselor! They are meeting this Friday and are expecting to release decisions next week Monday or Tuesday for this group of interviews.

You are a lovely person thank you for reaching out

 

[safronia]

@Flareicus, @lionWushi or any other current CMS students, could you tell us a little bit about the curriculum in M1/M2? I have a few questions:

1. Are the biweekly exams & quizzes overwhelming, and are they timed per question?
2. How many hours per week would you say CMS students spend in mandatory lectures?
3. Is there any case based learning/PBL during the blocks, and if so, was is helpful?

Thank you!

 

[mdog31415]

@Flareicus, @lionWushi or any other current CMS students, could you tell us a little bit about the curriculum in M1/M2? I have a few questions:

1. Are the biweekly exams & quizzes overwhelming, and are they timed per question?
2. How many hours per week would you say CMS students spend in mandatory lectures?
3. Is there any case based learning/PBL during the blocks, and if so, was is helpful?

Thank you!

Hello,
1.) Not overwhelming in my opinion. Quizzes- for most classes, it's either open book OR if you get >50% you get 100%. They are timed and usually per question.
2.) M1 year first half you have like 5 hours of mandatories/week between labs, post-orientation formal stuff, and specific lectures (tack on another 1-2 hours of incentivized stuff). Goes down a lot second half and M2 year- more like 3 years/week.
3.) Yes, we do case based learning and PBL all throughout M1 year. I personally found it great. Only trouble was case bases in first half required some prep beforehand.

 

[safronia]

Hello,
1.) Not overwhelming in my opinion. Quizzes- for most classes, it's either open book OR if you get >50% you get 100%. They are timed and usually per question.
2.) M1 year first half you have like 5 hours of mandatories/week between labs, post-orientation formal stuff, and specific lectures (tack on another 1-2 hours of incentivized stuff). Goes down a lot second half and M2 year- more like 3 years/week.
3.) Yes, we do case based learning and PBL all throughout M1 year. I personally found it great. Only trouble was case bases in first half required some prep beforehand.

Thank you!

 

[Incognito32]

@Flareicus, @lionWushi or any other current CMS students, could you tell us a little bit about the curriculum in M1/M2? I have a few questions:

1. Are the biweekly exams & quizzes overwhelming, and are they timed per question?
2. How many hours per week would you say CMS students spend in mandatory lectures?
3. Is there any case based learning/PBL during the blocks, and if so, was is helpful?

Thank you!

1. We have weekly quizzes. The quizzes are timed for 2 minutes per question, so you would get 30 minutes on a 15-question quiz (most are 15-20 Q's). IIRC, scientific foundations (SFoM) is open-book and you drop your 3 lowest quiz grades (out of 8 total quizzes). Anatomy is closed book and you drop your 4 lowest quiz grades (out of 11 total quizzes). Everything else is closed book pass/fail (i.e. if you score > 50%, or >60% in some classes, you get a 100% but anything under the cutoff is scored as such). In my opinion, they're very manageable of you stay on top of the material. They're more than doable if you fall a bit behind, too.

2. First half of M1 is around 3-5 hours of mandatory stuff per week. These include workshops, skills labs, schema case discussions, etc. The second half of M2 averages to maybe 2-3 hours. Incentivized attendance will tack on an extra 1-2 hours on the weeks that they're offered. Some of our mandatory attendance lectures/discussions/workshops are virtual.

I am personally never on campus unless it's for something mandatory or if I'm at a club, so I spend an average of maybe 1 hour per week on campus. I do not attend the incentivized sessions.

3. Yes. We do schema case discussions on a weekly basis (virtual). These are mandatory. I find these to be a fun and helpful correlate to what we learn that week. We also have some incentivized/mandatory team-based problem solving sessions that I have found to be less than useful.

As an aside to Q1, I would like to mention that what works for someone might not work for you. For example, I've found great success in only using premade Anki decks / professor slides for Anatomy and SFoM, and AnKing / USMLE First Aid after Anatomy/SFoM. Many of my classmates will use Boards and Beyond, Sketchy, Pathoma, and/or AMBOSS.

 

[kaori_ono]

When would financial aid become available?

 

[NeuroNerd6798]

Withdrew my A. Good luck to everyone!!!❤️ you got this!!