Hi! Checking to see if anyone got accepted? Also trying to get some insight from anyone currently in the program about your timeline for applying to med school.
Loyola MAMS 2015-2016
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Hi! I was just accepted yesterday -- I was about to make a thread for this year as well! From what I've been reading, it looks like Loyola is made for a glide year after this program because a lot of the med school prep stuff starts up in February when they start to help you put together your application and list of schools.
I would also really appreciate if anyone who is currently in the program can shed some light on their experiences so far! I've been reading some old Loyola posts, but it doesn't seem like there have been many recent updates on how the program is doing now. Thanks!!
I would also really appreciate if anyone who is currently in the program can shed some light on their experiences so far! I've been reading some old Loyola posts, but it doesn't seem like there have been many recent updates on how the program is doing now. Thanks!!
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Not yet, I am still waiting to hear back from a few other places, though Loyola was always my top choice. Have you started looking?? I think it would be great to live with some fellow MAMSers!
Ah ok, good luck on hearing back from the other places! I haven't given my official yes yet either, but I just got that welcome email and should probably reply back soon. I'll ask around if there's another forum for Loyola MAMS since there doesn't seem to be much activity on SDN. Bummer, since it looks like there was a lot for past years =\ And I think it would be great to live with other MAMSers too. Maybe we can talk about that if you decide to go to Loyola!
I just got accepted to the program and am currently deciding between the Loyola MAMS and the Loyola MSMP program. My brother did the MAMS program (c/o 2013) and now he's finishing M1 at Stritch. He had an extremely positive experience. Have you all sent your intents to enroll?
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Yes! I'm definitely leaning towards Loyola, but I'm also still slightly considering Rosalind Franklin BMS...
And to answer the question above, I think there is still the 55 student class size (I consider that to be a plus!).
I don't know much about the MSMP program, but I've spoken to a soon-to-be-M1 at Stritch who went through the MAMS program and said that everyone is really supportive and helpful with the med school app process. Have you decided which program you think would be best for you?
And to answer the question above, I think there is still the 55 student class size (I consider that to be a plus!).
I don't know much about the MSMP program, but I've spoken to a soon-to-be-M1 at Stritch who went through the MAMS program and said that everyone is really supportive and helpful with the med school app process. Have you decided which program you think would be best for you?
MAMS is attractive cus of of the committee package letter (especially with staff like Dr. Pickett and Sally Fell) and its good reputation of helping students to get into med school (whereas MSMP is a newer program), however MSMP is attractive because it's actually at the Stritch campus and the classes are taught by actual med school profs....it's a really tough choice
Do you have the link to the fb group? For some reason I can't find it
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SMPs refer to programs like georgetown where you take medical school classes side by side with the medical students, allowing a direct comparison.
If you have researched the curriculum of these programs, you will see that they are graduate classes. I'm pretty sure some of the professors in the MSMP program are medical school professors. So these programs aren't true SMPs, but they definitely have a good track record of placing students into medical school.
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ahhh makes much more sense. I've been literally pulling my hair out trying to decide what program is best for me. I've been accepted into Loyola MAMS and Tufts SMP and not sure what would be best for me. I don't care when I get in med school (apply during program or after) but my goal is to come back to Florida and hopefully get accepted into UCF (I'm from Orlando) or another FL MD program. I have a ~3.45sgpa and 29 MCAT. I realize I may have to retake the MCAT I'm completely cool with that. I feel MAMS will give me more time to study for it though, after comparing curriculum of both programs
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I feel you about choosing between programs. I don't know if I should do a more reputable and expensive SMP when there is a local program that is not well known but may be better for a few specific local schools that I am targeting.
I would contact the admissions department of some FL schools like UCF to see how they view the programs. On the MAMS website they show that grads have went to UF and USF in the past. I don't know if tufts has similar info, but you should make sure that tufts has sent people to Florida schools before you do the program.
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Hey. I just got accepted also. The graduate housing seems to be about a 25 min train ride from the Lakeshore campus which I think is a bit too far. What is everybody else's experience with off campus housing? Also did anyone make a facebook group yet? I saw a post about it but I can't find the group anywhere.
Got into both MAMS and MSMP... can't really decide. MAMS has better reputation because it has been around longer (plus its near my favorite part of chicago) but MSMP has better sounding classes taught by medical school profs at the SSOM (although maywood is a pretty seedy area of chicago I hear). Any thoughts?
This probably doesn't help a ton, but my advisor at school highly recommended the MAMS program. He said they people that run the program are great and that it was one of his favorite gap year programs. For that reason it was my first choice.
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Loyola clearly cares a lot about the program and picks some of the best to run/teach it.
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I got rejected from a small school out east (med school class of 60, then 90 the next year) and was given the opportunity to have a 'conference call' with the adcom member that reviewed (read: rejected) my app (an extraordinarily rare opportunity in the world of med school admissions). He asked what I was doing before reapplying again, and when I said the MAMS program at Loyola, he said, "Oh great! That's a really good program in the midwest. We have a third year student who did that before he came to us, so we'll see how he does." ...not exactly any insight on which program to do, but the Loyola MAMS program is known in the adcom world and they are clearly observing how the students do in med school after coming out of this program. Also, SSOM is in Maywood, IL, which is a suburb, not a part of Chicago. I've only been out to the SSOM a few times for class "field trips" and got the general impression of any midwestern suburb (which, "seedy" may be in the eye of the beholder on that front...).
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As of today, 36 people are enrolled out of a total of 55 seats according to LOCUS (the system you use to enroll in classes). btw, anyone with a LOCUS account can see this by clicking on the individual classes you're signed up for under 'view my class schedule'.
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Does anyone know the approximate time it takes to receive an admission decision from the time your application is complete?
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Did you end up deciding on which program you wanted? I'm in the same boat.
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Hey guys!! I graduated from MAMS in the last 1-2 years (being vague to maintain anonymity). Let me know if you have any questions about the program, faculty, volunteering, applying to med school, etc. I loved MAMS so I'm always ready to talk about it!
I'm going MSMP. Regardless of the MAMS program's good reputation, I turned it down because I like the classes and schedule for the MSMP program better. Plus I hope to get into some research and clinical volunteering and I figure the Health Sciences Campus is a better area to do that. You have any pros/cons/deciding factors for figuring out which program to go to?
I got a couple for ya :
Did the classes seem pretty challenging (compared to undergrad)? Also what/where were the volunteering opportunities you and your classmates took on? Do you know anything about how it compares to the MSMP program? Also did you get in to med school yet?
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1. The challenging nature of the courses really depends on your background. The top students I personally knew had come from top undergrads but obviously, there are a lot of UofI kids and they do just as well too but I think its a slight advantage having undergone a challenging undergrad course load. One big difference you'll notice in comparison to undergrad is you'll have a lot more time on your hands. In college, people are always running around and heavily involved in many activities. In MAMS, you'll realize that things kinda slow down and you can focus a lot more on school than before which in turn helps your performance. As far as reaching the guaranteed interview requirement (3.5 GPA), that is fairly easy and except for like maybe 10-15 people (out of 50), everybody reaches that cutoff so you'll want to do better (>3.7 GPA) to make sure your app stands out a little especially when interviewing for Stritch. And if you can pull off a 3.8+ gGPA with a solid MCAT (35+), then you actually have a shot at a really good MD school (top 40) as the history of MAMS has shown.
2. You'll get volunteering opportunities presented to you during orientation. People work all over Chicago and the program does a great job of setting you up with anyone you want to work with. Many volunteer coordinators know the MAMS program and have had MAMS kids volunteering there for years (like OIPCC, Weiss, Lurie's, etc.). The commitment is usuually just once a week and if you feel like you're juggling school well, then you can bump up your volunteer hours. The Loyola committee letter process requires a health letter so this volunteering experience will be a good one to get a rec letter from.
3. The MSMP program is just much lesser known around the nation. MAMS is up there with Georgetown, Tufts, Cinci, Tulane, etc. as far as SMPs go. I think MAMS is a far superior program not only for that but the people (Sally Fell and Dr. Pickett) that support you. I can't stress enough how great of mentors, personally and professionally, these people are. And the undergraduate committee letter process really helps you revamp your entire app. So basically by the time you graduate MAMS you will have in one year: a medical sciences degree with grad GPA, a whole new set of recommendation letters (+ committee letter), and a volunteering/shadowing experience. You really can't have a more productive gap year than that.
4. And yes, I have gotten into both DO and MD schools. I even had an adcom tell me at a interview "we've had several kids come from that program, its really great."
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Do you have a rough idea of the number of MAMS students who actually got into Stitch? Where did their MCATs and GPAs tend to fall.
Might it be worth retaking the MCAT with the extra time if you only scored in the lower 30's, in your opinion?
Might it be worth retaking the MCAT with the extra time if you only scored in the lower 30's, in your opinion?
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1. So this is a tricky question because Stritch never releases the data of how many they ACCEPT; MAMS can only see the data of how many MATRICULATE. So for example, if a student gets into his/her cheap state school in Florida and Stritch, that student will end up matriculating in-state and won't show up in admissions statistics for Stritch/MAMS. The number who end up matriculating tends to be 15-20. And since the program requires 3.5 gGPA and 30 MCAT for an interview, then statistically their mcat/gpas tend to fall in that range with the undergrad GPA usually being between 3.0-3.5.
2. And if you were going to retake the old MCAT, then the rule would be 30-32 only retake if you know for sure you can get 35+. And if you had a 33+, then don't risk it. But with the new MCAT, I'm really not sure how it would translate with two completely different scores showing up on your AMCAS. I'm sorry I can't really help with your question since we don't know how this new MCAT will affect admissions. It was only after many years of admissions could we make rough delineations at 30+ and 35+. So my advice would be that to get into Stritch, "low 30s" is definitely good enough and don't take it again.
Congrats on your acceptances! I was wondering whether you applied to med school before MAMS and then sent updates while in the program, or did you wait till the end of the MAMS program to apply? If you waited til the end of the program to apply, what did you do during your gap year?
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Thanks!! So about 10 people get in during the MAMS school year. The program will send a "letter of introduction" in the fall to schools you applied to so that they know what kind of program you're doing and you should definitely send mid-year updates with your 1st semester grades. The professors are also usually willing to send recommendation letters after 1st semester to help bolster your application. Another 10-15 people apply during the program but don't get in and end up having to apply after the program with the remaining 30 people.
As far as whether or not to apply during the program, I think if you've already applied once before then definitely wait until after graduating MAMS (so you should NOT be re-applying during the program). If you haven't applied before, it really depends on your situation and willingness to go DO potentially. In general, MAMS is definitely meant for applying after completing the program.
For gap year, people do scribing or research usually. During second semester, you'll constantly get emails from MAMS alum who are leaving their positions and looking for replacements throughout the chicago area. People also obviously go back to their home state and get a healthcare/research related job there too.
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Sarma1400,
I think I will end up choosing MAMS because there is a chance I might get the scholarship and save money. Also, whenever I talked to adcomms (University of Iowa, Creighton, University of Seattle-Washington, Tulane, Southern Illinois University) about my plans for the next year, they all said that the MAMS program would be an excellent choice. However, they all didn't know what MSMP was when I mentioned it. I think this is huge because they at least have some familiarity with the program which will be huge when they look at your application. My advisors also strongly recommended MAMS because they seem to try very hard to provide you with mentorship and opportunities. I'm not sure if this is the same with MSMP.
It is tough though. MSMP is interesting to me because the course load will be entirely new, which would be refreshing. The schedule is far nicer too. Having every Monday off will be nice.
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Saw this thread and thought I'd chime in.
I also will be choosing MSMP over MAMS. I think a large reasons for MAMS popularity is the fact that, for a non-MSMP special masters program, it does its job pretty well. From what I've seen of those accepted and the program's general strategy, I think they tend to go more for the kids whose weak spot is not so much the numbers as it is their CV, presentation of experiences, and so forth. This sort of allows them to really give these kids what they need as they focus on getting them into volunteer positions, sharpening their applications, and so forth.
My experience / CV is probably one of my stronger points as an applicant and something I feel like I can continue to keep strong on my own time. The primary reason for my enrollment in a special master's program is proving my capacity as a medical student in the classroom. While Loyola's specific MSMP is newer and may not immediately ring as many bells, the fact that it is an MSMP program with a much more M1-oriented curriculum means that it can tell med school adcoms a great deal more about your ability to perform in a med school environment. This is what is most important to me. Additionally, after four years of undergrad, I would really like the change of pace and to be taking classes on the actual medical school campus for a year. Part of my less then stellar GPA is a result of lack of focus on the career path that I would like to pursue, and being immersed in that environment as opposed to, once again, another undergraduate campus environment and neighborhood, will be helpful in providing that focus and feeling as if I am more along that path.
I think MAMS has historically done a good job at placing kids who need the application help and the program is slightly easier to do well in, but from every adcom I've spoken to, if you have already decided that you are going to put in the effort to do well, a top 20% class rank in an MSMP program will generally do a lot more for you than a comparable class rank in a generic medical special masters program.
With that said, Loyola's MSMP may not be right for your personal set of needs, and MAMS isn't a bad option either.
I also will be choosing MSMP over MAMS. I think a large reasons for MAMS popularity is the fact that, for a non-MSMP special masters program, it does its job pretty well. From what I've seen of those accepted and the program's general strategy, I think they tend to go more for the kids whose weak spot is not so much the numbers as it is their CV, presentation of experiences, and so forth. This sort of allows them to really give these kids what they need as they focus on getting them into volunteer positions, sharpening their applications, and so forth.
My experience / CV is probably one of my stronger points as an applicant and something I feel like I can continue to keep strong on my own time. The primary reason for my enrollment in a special master's program is proving my capacity as a medical student in the classroom. While Loyola's specific MSMP is newer and may not immediately ring as many bells, the fact that it is an MSMP program with a much more M1-oriented curriculum means that it can tell med school adcoms a great deal more about your ability to perform in a med school environment. This is what is most important to me. Additionally, after four years of undergrad, I would really like the change of pace and to be taking classes on the actual medical school campus for a year. Part of my less then stellar GPA is a result of lack of focus on the career path that I would like to pursue, and being immersed in that environment as opposed to, once again, another undergraduate campus environment and neighborhood, will be helpful in providing that focus and feeling as if I am more along that path.
I think MAMS has historically done a good job at placing kids who need the application help and the program is slightly easier to do well in, but from every adcom I've spoken to, if you have already decided that you are going to put in the effort to do well, a top 20% class rank in an MSMP program will generally do a lot more for you than a comparable class rank in a generic medical special masters program.
With that said, Loyola's MSMP may not be right for your personal set of needs, and MAMS isn't a bad option either.
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I don't think excelling in one program will stand out more than excelling in another program. Its not like we are comparing a 4.0 from a communications major to a biomedical engineer
They both are going to be difficult programs that will prove your academic worth. The curriculum might help you stand out a bit since it is taught by M1 professors but then again at my undergraduate institution's medical school, many M1 courses are taught by science professors and not Md's. I dont know though. It's a toss up. Like you said I don't think you will go wrong with either. If one of us doesn't get into medical school after these programs, I doubt it is because we chose MAMS over MSMP or vice versa is my point!
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I have spoken with many MAMS alumni personally, including my brother (MAMS c/o '13) and they have said it will be challenging, but doable.
