OFFICIAL Harvard Medical School Class of '09 Thread

[rjphila]

also hms in the middle of a curricular overhaul, with the class of 2009 being the last class on the old system (last i heard). the basic changes are described in this article (http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=505212). that said, the hospital system is phenomenal, and the reputation is second to none.

You brought up a really important point theeleganttouch. Does anyone actually know what the curriculum style is going to be for us (class of 2009)? When I interviewed, they spoke to us about revamping the time spent in the classroom and doing a more Penn-style approach with 1.5 years of classroom and then straight to the clinics, but I haven't heard anything about it since. Having read the article you linked to, it seems like there are lots of other possibilities. I am having real trouble deciding if Harvard is right for me when I don't even know how I am going to be taught. Anyone know anything more concrete?

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[CarleneM]

I'm set on harvard but am very curious about these changes as well. I don't like to go there knowing that I am the last class to be taught a certain way and that the class after me is getting a major overhaul. I am hoping some of the changes affect our class. I hope this is addressed at the second look and if its not, we should ask.

You brought up a really important point theeleganttouch. Does anyone actually know what the curriculum style is going to be for us (class of 2009)? When I interviewed, they spoke to us about revamping the time spent in the classroom and doing a more Penn-style approach with 1.5 years of classroom and then straight to the clinics, but I haven't heard anything about it since. Having read the article you linked to, it seems like there are lots of other possibilities. I am having real trouble deciding if Harvard is right for me when I don't even know how I am going to be taught. Anyone know anything more concrete?

 

[rjphila]

I'm set on harvard but am very curious about these changes as well. I don't like to go there knowing that I am the last class to be taught a certain way and that the class after me is getting a major overhaul. I am hoping some of the changes affect our class. I hope this is addressed at the second look and if its not, we should ask.

I'm certainly willing to be the cold-caller. I'll call admissions tomorrow to ask about curriculum and if there is anything else that y'all want to know from admissions, but want to save your phone call for something else, just post it and I'll add it to my list.

Happy March Madness!
UCONNdoit!

 

[bunnyhop]

I'm set on harvard but am very curious about these changes as well. I don't like to go there knowing that I am the last class to be taught a certain way and that the class after me is getting a major overhaul. I am hoping some of the changes affect our class. I hope this is addressed at the second look and if its not, we should ask.

I'm actually hoping that the changes won't affect our class. Usually it takes a year or two to fix problems after a major curriculum overhaul (Stanford for example). I think I would like the scholarly concentrations but not having all of the rotations in a single hospital since networking is so important in residency placement.

 

[CarleneM]

bunnyhop, yes i actually feel the same way. The scholary concentration thing as well as having only 1.5 years of classtime sound great but the change in 3rd year really doesn't sound so hot. Some schools have one teaching hospital and it works fine but if you have a ton of teaching hospitals associated with your school, why not take advantage of that and allow students to see how different hospitals work and network. I need to know more about the proposed change before I pass full judgment, of course.

I'm actually hoping that the changes won't affect our class. Usually it takes a year or two to fix problems after a major curriculum overhaul (Stanford for example). I think I would like the scholarly concentrations but not having all of the rotations in a single hospital since networking is so important in residency placement.

 

[flyingyeti]

Hey guys,

I'll be meeting up with my friend who's an HMS student later today. I'll ask him about some of the concerns that popped up in this discussion thread and report back what he says.

I know hms doesn't place much emphasis on preparation for board. from my understanding, and what I've heard from hms students, board scores are important, but it's not nearly as important as people make it out to be. in terms of residency placements, you really can't beat hms, just look at their residency match list (it's at the back of the booklet they gave us on interview day). that being said, hms isn't for everyone, if you care deeply about preparation for boards, then other schools (i.e. ucsd) that place emphasis on boards may be better for you. if you don't like pbl and would rather learn mainly through lecture, then don't go to hms. it's for some people, not all. but in the end, you will learn what you need to learn either at hms or at any other school. people have to get out of that premed score-obsessed mentality

 

[AxeOn]

For what it's worth, I've heard others, including current HMS students, echo some of the sentiments expressed above. The quality of the training may not be quite as good as some other schools (ie, Penn), but "Harvard" is certainly a well-recognized name. I can't help but wonder whether it's only a matter of time before Harvard's reputation more accurately reflects the quality of the training students are supposedly getting there.

One more concern I've heard expressed by HMS students is that apparently the faculty, though experts in their fields, are not as dedicated to teaching and training as faculty at some other schools. Personally, I want to attend a medical school where professors actually take sincere interest in the success of their students, rather than viewing teaching obligations as little more than just that.

Just some food for thought.

 

[CarleneM]

Given that HMS is undergoing a large curriculum reform, it is likely some of the weaknesses pointed out here will be addressed and the repuation of HMS will remain strong. But I think it is really fine right now, too, and am confident i'll get a great medical education there.

I'm sure there are some bad professors and some good ones, just as at any school. At upenn,cornell, and hopkins students expressed that they had some good ones and some bad. At harvard undergrad, that was definitely the case. I had some real stinkers and some real gems. One thing I remember being great about HMS was not only were all the lecture videos and slides online but they have a unique and award winning program that allows you to search all your lecture videos for a given word/topic and it will cue up the part of the lecture that talks about that topic. i saw it in action and is was really cool. Also, current students were very positive about their PBL leaders and seemed to have a strong, friendly bond with them. I'm sure their are bad PBL leaders too though.

regarding board preparation, I am ok with the fact that HMS does not "teach to the test" since many of the things on the board really won't be that relevant to being a good doctor. Memorizing facts does not make one a good doctor and I'm glad that is not HMS's emphasis. Also, I think a main reason Penn's board scores are the highest in the country is that they allow students to take the boards during their third year after they have some experience in the clerkships. I do not know if this is currently an option at HMS but if it is not, we can fight for it to be. That may not be possible with how their clerkships are scheduled and if its not, that's ok too. I'm sure the difference in average board scores is not astronomical and you can get a solid (or even beyond solid, totally kick ass) score wherever you go, HMS included.

HMS seems to really emphasize how your time outside of class is yours to craft the way you want, be it through doing advocacy/community service, research, etc. I can tell you right now that I didn't get into HMS because of what I did in the classroom or my MCAT score. Sure, my gpa and MCAT are adequate but what really got me in was how I distinguished myself outside of the classroom through EC's, leadership and research. To get a top residency, you'll need more than a great board score and I'm certain that HMS provides ample opportunities to develop those other strengths that will help you as you advance in your career.

For what it's worth, I've heard others, including current HMS students, echo some of the sentiments expressed above. The quality of the training may not be quite as good as some other schools (ie, Penn), but "Harvard" is certainly a well-recognized name. I can't help but wonder whether it's only a matter of time before Harvard's reputation more accurately reflects the quality of the training students are supposedly getting there.

One more concern I've heard expressed by HMS students is that apparently the faculty, though experts in their fields, are not as dedicated to teaching and training as faculty at some other schools. Personally, I want to attend a medical school where professors actually take sincere interest in the success of their students, rather than viewing teaching obligations as little more than just that.

Just some food for thought.

 

[twicetenturns]

We also need to take some individual resposibility here folks. Sure HMS doesn't spoon feed it's students board questions, or drive them to hit the books eight hours a day outside of class just to get by, so we exculpate ourselves and blame the school for the slightly lower step1 scores. Why? The school gives extra time for the students to take their own path and follow their own interests - some of that ought to be board prep, no? Harvard has good and bad teachers like every school, they just give students quite a bit more rope than others. Some people climb mountains with it, some people hang themselves. Med school is what you make it, the difference between Harvard and many other schools is that there, you can make it anything you could ever possibly dream up.

 

[drat]

Congrats to y'all for being accepted to Harvard but I'm about to invade your thread and bring it back to housing.

I'll be attending Harvard's dental school in the fall. I have a small dog (9 lbs) so I will not be living in Vandy Hall. I have been recently chatting with another girl who will be starting up at the dental school this fall and we've been discussing places to live. Unfortunately neither of us have ever lived in Boston, so I am hoping some of you can help us out in terms of nice areas and easy access to the school via public transportation (T or bus).

Some areas that we are familiar with are Brookline (Is Brookline Village a nice area? What about Coolidge Corner?) or Back Bay Fens. Public transportation good here? What's the commute like in terms of time? What would a $1600 2 bedroom in either location look like? Crap or doable?. .I've been told that Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain are not the nicest areas -- but this is just one guy's opinion -- not sure how "factual" it is. Opinions on this?

If you could provide any insight, that'd be great...Also, if you're thinking about living off campus as a HMS student, shoot me an email -- maybe something will work out. Finding a roommate is a pain in the badunkadunk.
Peace out

 

[CarleneM]

hi there, i have heard the NP students have lots of classes with the dental students so we will be classmates next year! Brookline village is nice and you can take the D line, which is good and will take you to longwood. It will then be a 5-10 minute walk to HMS. Coolidge corner is a very cool area and is a 15-20 minute walk to the medical school. The m2 shuttle runs by there once or twice a day so you'd have to walk/bike. Brookline is pretty affluent, especially compared with jp or mission hill. Another option is central square in cambridge. It is a 20-30 minute bus ride on the M2 (free to harvard students) or the 47. It is pretty safe and nice. Mission hill/brigham circle is not as affluent and not as nice. If you are willing to spend $1600, you could afford not to live there and live in brookline instead. Also, there's the washington square area of brookline which you can take the 65 bus from to longwood. There are mixed reviews on JP and some parts are definitely much better/safer than others. There are some gorgeous, really funky and big places there and the 39 bus is frequent. But you'd have to check out the area for yourself to assess safety. Now, the fact that you have a dog will be limiting to your search. Many many landlords do not allow dogs.

Congrats to y'all for being accepted to Harvard but I'm about to invade your thread and bring it back to housing.

I'll be attending Harvard's dental school in the fall. I have a small dog (9 lbs) so I will not be living in Vandy Hall. I have been recently chatting with another girl who will be starting up at the dental school this fall and we've been discussing places to live. Unfortunately neither of us have ever lived in Boston, so I am hoping some of you can help us out in terms of nice areas and easy access to the school via public transportation (T or bus).

Some areas that we are familiar with are Brookline (Is Brookline Village a nice area? What about Coolidge Corner?) or Back Bay Fens. Public transportation good here? What's the commute like in terms of time? What would a $1600 2 bedroom in either location look like? Crap or doable?. .I've been told that Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain are not the nicest areas -- but this is just one guy's opinion -- not sure how "factual" it is. Opinions on this?

If you could provide any insight, that'd be great...Also, if you're thinking about living off campus as a HMS student, shoot me an email -- maybe something will work out. Finding a roommate is a pain in the badunkadunk.
Peace out

 

[drat]

very helpful, thanks a bunch! yes, my dog certainly limits my options and i do have a backup plan - but if possible, i'm gonna try to keep my pup.

the dental and med school students do have a lot of classes together...my understanding is we (dental students) take the same classes as the med students for the first 2 years, including the patient/doc classes...in addition to the med school classes, though, we have our own dental classes that you don't have to take. lucky ducks.

don't fret, though, we're not taking over the medical school. there are only 35 dental students compared to the 165 med students. but yeah, i definitely look forward to meeting everyone.

 

[Revolution #9]

We also need to take some individual resposibility here folks. Sure HMS doesn't spoon feed it's students board questions, or drive them to hit the books eight hours a day outside of class just to get by, so we exculpate ourselves and blame the school for the slightly lower step1 scores. Why? The school gives extra time for the students to take their own path and follow their own interests - some of that ought to be board prep, no? Harvard has good and bad teachers like every school, they just give students quite a bit more rope than others. Some people climb mountains with it, some people hang themselves. Med school is what you make it, the difference between Harvard and many other schools is that there, you can make it anything you could ever possibly dream up.

That was very inspiring. Damn my freshman GPA! I'm glad that Harvard looks at more than the numbers, as i'd like to join all of you in 2006.

 

[krelian]

Hey guys, great thread so far. Does anyone know for sure what kind of curricular changes will be implemented in our class? I was under the impression that there won't be anything new for our class (i.e. the 1.5 yr of basic science or the 1-hospital clerkships).

Can any current HMS NP students comment on the proportion of time spent on PBL & small-group stuff (excluding histo and anatomy lab) and the time spent learning from lectures. What are the exam schedules like and how are evaluations handled for PBL?

 

[Lilmspiano]

Hi everyone—
I thought I’d try to answer some of the questions that have been posed in this forum, if it might be of any help. I’m a first-year in the new pathway, if people hadn’t seen my previous posting.

From CarleneM (we were in the same college class by the way!):
-Question about using laptops in class: No one does it. Well, take it back. This one guy sometimes brings one and checks his email on it. Laptops are great and everyone uses them, but no one brings them to class because we have handouts (it’s called a “camel” for no apparent reason) with lecture notes for an entire course, and we take notes on the camel.

From RunMimi:
-Do they pay for second look weekend by any chance? Nope L But I hope you come anyway!
-Are all the tutorial type classes only with students in your society? Yes! Which is fantastic. I’m getting to know my Castle-mates very well and have had a few of them in more than one tutorial.
-About what hours are NP students in class? 4 hours every day. Mondays 2 hours extra for patient-doctor, fall of first year 2 extra hours on Thursdays for epidemiology, and 2 hours a week for either fall or spring of first year, depending on when you take a social medicine elective. But the standard schedule is 8:30-12:30.
-What percentage of first year students live in Vandy? I thought I recalled ~80? Would you really recommend this? About 80 percent of first-years live in Vandy. It’s a fantastic way to meet your classmates, but I live off campus and am a very social member of our class J. I also did a pre-orientation program (FUNC, the community service one), and I think that helped a lot. People are perfectly happy with Vandy but generally move off campus after their first year because they’ve gotten to know people well and feel comfortable enough with the area that they don’t need to live across the street from school.
-Whose going on those pre-orientation trips? Sounds like fun! Every single person I know who did FEAT or FUNC loved it. I definitely did. It’s probably the reason why I got to know so many of my classmates so quickly.
-I'm a research nut. Is it realistic to try to get involved in research right away? I'm looking up labs on the web right now and the options are overwhelming! It’s ridiculous how many labs there are! But getting involved in research right away is completely doable—I was in an operetta with 9 performances last Fall, so I promise there’s time! Talk to society masters for suggestions as to whose lab to work in.
-What cell phone companies work well in Vandy? I've got Sprint right now. I definitely know Verizon works. The others, unfortunately, I haven’t heard anything either way about.

From bhp:
Also, is there any merit-based scholarship available at Harvard?
Financial aid in general: As Carlene mentioned, there isn’t any merit based scholarship at HMS—everyone is pretty worthy of that J. However, financial aid in general has been quite generous for me and my friends. Harvard definitely has a lot of money, and that does come in handy a lot.

Jennifer 25
-rumors that clinical training is poor
-cold
-T sucks
-negatives about the school in general
Hey Jennifer! I’m so glad you’re trying to think about the negatives too. No school is perfect, and I definitely didn’t want to go to HMS at first because I figured I’d just be with everyone I knew from Harvard undergrad (turns out that totally wasn’t the case—there’s a big group of us but none of us knew each other from undergrad, so they were all new to me). I think the T’s great—this is my fifth year in Boston and I still love it. The green line is one of the suckier ones because it’s above ground, but I deal. It’s cheap, quick, and convenient. Yes, it is very cold! I’m from LA. But again, it’s my fifth year here and I’m still alive.
Your question about clinical training is so important! I always try to get people on my tours to ask about the third and fourth years, since that’s what really defines your med school experience. I am having a blast as a first year and love the NP curriculum, don’t get me wrong—but I would say that my classmates and I primarily chose to come here BECAUSE of the terrific clinical education. I currently have two upperclass roommates (a third and a fourth year) who are extremely satisfied with their clinical training, as are their friends. Just PM me if you have any specific questions about that—I’ve definitely been exposed to a lot and am really excited about third year.

From CalicoKat:
"Yeah, I mean, we don't do as well on the boards as people from other schools, and we graduate not knowing nearly as much, but because we went to Harvard, we become leaders in the field anyway." Anyone heard anything to confirm/dismantle this viewpoint?
This is definitely an impression people have of us! I think parts of it are true and parts of it are not. No, I’m sure HMS doesn’t have the highest board scores in the country, but I know that we always score >1 standard deviation above the mean, on average. HMS does not teach to the boards—this, above all, is a school that values independent thinking and collaboration among students—so if you want didactics (nothing wrong with that, everyone has their own learning style) HMS is not the place to go. It’s like “Montessori med school,” and it’s been terrific so far. I feel like I’ve learned a ton. And yep, next spring I’m going to have to buy lots of board review books and memorize stupid factoids for a few months like my second year friends are doing, but I think if you asked them, they wouldn’t have it any other way. That tends to just be the tenor of the academic approach there.

From Krelian: is PBL a waste of time?
Can any current HMS NP students comment on the proportion of time spent on PBL & small-group stuff (excluding histo and anatomy lab) and the time spent learning from lectures. What are the exam schedules like and how are evaluations handled for PBL?
PBL is definitely not a waste of time. First of all, it’s called tutorial, so get any northwestern/cornell/etc thoughts out of your head. J Every school does PBL differently. I love tutorial because I go to lecture and have information passively thrown at me for a couple of hours. Tutorial is where I go next and have an hour and a half to sort it out and really grasp it. Plus, I’ve learned all kinds of clinical pearls and feel very energized about learning the basic science in a very clinical context. I should definitely comment that just about EVERYTHING at hms is taught in a clinically-related way. It’s been very helpful and refreshing, since I was a humanities major in college and thought I was basically going to be stuck doing biochem for two years.
As to the proportion of time spent on tutorial and small group activities: Generally a smooth half and half, with the majority going to small group and tutorial (versus lecture) when it’s not even. The first block, anatomy, is about ¾ small group/tutorial and ¼ lecture. We have 1-2 lectures per day, and generally either tutorial or a conference (small group session working out problems and talking about things we don’t understand).

Well, I hope that helped somewhat!
Feel free to ask anything else if something wasn’t clear or you were wondering about another topic.

 

[flyingyeti]

Lilmspiano, thanks for your insights. I was wondering about gripes that students have of HMS. I know my friend who's a first year told me yesterday that the anatomy block was way too fast, especially the head and neck part. But it seems that overall, everyone is pretty chill. An interesting side note that he told me was that there's 9 or 10 couples in the 1st year class.

 

[CarleneM]

Lilmspiano, thanks for all the helpful info!! I had one more question related to laptops: so in addition the "camels" are the lecture notes also up on the web? I know the video of the lectures is but am curious about the notes themselves.

Thanks!

 

[leechy]

Intriguing comments and criticisms about Harvard. I also got the feeling that it was a "sink or swim" environment - you would have to be independently motivated to get the most out of the place.

Anyone know about the funding available for research during the year? How difficult is it to find a research mentor?

 

[aeneid]

Hi all,

I am a newbie to the group, but I was accepted into HMS. Just had a few questions. First, just wondering if anyone in the group is deciding between HMS and UCSF or Duke. Just want to get some thoughts. Also, my biggest concern is being a first-year at 29. I know I won't be the oldest, but if my interviews hold to form, I'll be among a few over 25. Which school provides the best environment for the non-trad student. Going to all the re-visit weekends to sort all of this out, but would love some comments...

Thanks!!

 

[CarleneM]

Hi aeneid. I was just about to vote in your little poll. That's awesomely impressive to be choosing between those schools. I do know that HMS has a club called "ooops- the Organization of Older and Out-of-Place Students so maybe you could contact one of the folks in charge of that for their perspective. Their emails are [email protected] and [email protected]. BTW, if anyone is interested in looking at the clubs HMS has,I found the website that lists them all. It is http://web.med.harvard.edu/groups/studentcouncil/. Some of them look really cool!

Hi all,

I am a newbie to the group, but I was accepted into HMS. Just had a few questions. First, just wondering if anyone in the group is deciding between HMS and UCSF or Duke. Just want to get some thoughts. Also, my biggest concern is being a first-year at 29. I know I won't be the oldest, but if my interviews hold to form, I'll be among a few over 25. Which school provides the best environment for the non-trad student. Going to all the re-visit weekends to sort all of this out, but would love some comments...

Thanks!!

 

[krelian]

Hi all,

I am a newbie to the group, but I was accepted into HMS. Just had a few questions. First, just wondering if anyone in the group is deciding between HMS and UCSF or Duke. Just want to get some thoughts. Also, my biggest concern is being a first-year at 29. I know I won't be the oldest, but if my interviews hold to form, I'll be among a few over 25. Which school provides the best environment for the non-trad student. Going to all the re-visit weekends to sort all of this out, but would love some comments...

Thanks!!

From my interviews, I believe that UCSF tends to have a higher proportion of non-traditional students than Harvard & Duke (or any other school for that matter). My interviewer at UCSF stressed that they like to take "interesting non-trads" who have had interesting life experiences. Whether this is true or not, I have no idea... but a few others have echoed statistics saying that the avg age at UCSF is higher than other places. Congrats on the acceptances; regardless of where you go, you'll have a great experience

 

[treetrunk]

Congrats on all you HMS acceptees! I have been accepted to HST and have some specific questions about this. It seems that many of you are NP, so I'm going to create an HST specific forum. If anyone has HST insight, please check out the HST thread and contribute to the discussion. Thanks!

-tt

 

[smile82]

thanks lilmspiano and everyone else for all the helpful info!

i've been accepted to NP (YAAY) but i'm still undecided (hopkins is my other choice and i'm still waiting to hear from penn and ucsf)

here are some of my concerns
1) how effective is the tutorial system? lilmspiano, what you wrote was very helpful. i'm not a passive learner (lecture-style) either, and i'm really drawn to the emphasis on discussion and working through problems with others. and i've heard this helps build skills for the clinics where you'll be working in groups and presenting, all things you do daily in tutorial. however, do you ever feel like you don't have a strong foundation, or a sense of what you really need to know? and does a lot of this learning depend on the strength of your group? that said, how are tutorial groups chosen and how often do they change? and how does the spending "long" hours in the library researching fit into the curriculum?

2) strength of clinical training...lilmspiano, you said that the strength of clinical training is what brought you to harvard. why, then, do people think that harvard med students aren't well trained in residency? are faculty too busy to be good teachers (both in the first two years and the clinical years)?
do you think the patient population in the boston hospitals is skewed? is there a disadvantage to not having a home-base hospital?

3) i'm a little unsure of the harry-potter-esque academic society system. i know its meant to build stronger communities and mentorship, but it seems a little elitist and cliquish. can anyone tell me a little about the pros/cons of this setup? how are these societies chosen anyway?

4) i want to do the md/mph and i'm interested in public/international health and development. one of the huge draws for me is the resources that harvard has to offer and the flexibility/funding to pursue these interests. does anyone have similar interests or know people that have pursued these areas at harvard?

4) how cohesive is the class and how social, fun, down to earth are the students? what do students do for fun in Boston? i will be going to re-visit weekend, so i'll probably get a sense of this for myself.

i think that's it for now...is anyone thinking of turning down harvard? and why?

 

[indianboy]

Let me inject a little reality:
Like many other top schools in the country, the teaching at HMS (NP, not familiar with HST) in the pre-clinical years is atrocious. At NP, especially so. There maybe a few highlights, but I can promise that you will be dissapointed. Even shocked. The faculty simply isn't interested in teaching, despite the creation of The Academy in conjunction with UCSF (they have done a much better job, as usual).

Tutorials/PBL:
If you are dumb, you will enjoy and value these. Alternatively, or in addition, if you are a pollyanna, they will appeal to you. But then again, I'm sure a hot-poker to the rump will as well.

Clinical Training:
Scatter-shot. Some of it is excellent and the world-class education you went to HMS to expect. Most of it is mediocre, at best. But if you are adequete, you'll go to MGH/Brigham. If you're an absolute idiot, you'll go to BID.

The Upside:
That being said, HMS has some great resources, and will make you feel like a million bucks everytime you think to yourself - what the hell am I doing? It will slowly waft to your senses, like the aroma of a deep, musky crimson wine: You're attending HMS.

Thanks for being a human sybian, CarleneM! You're exactly what HMS is looking for.


Hope that Helps

P 'HMS: Where exceptions make the rule' ShankOut

 

[CarleneM]

indianboy, in case you didn't notice, this thread is actually a pretty good discussion of the pros and cons of HMS, not a "masturbation fest". btw, do you like any med school? you started that thread bashing your own school, columbia (the deep do do one). leave us the f*ck alone.

Let me inject a little reality to this HMS mutual-masturbation fest:
Like many other top schools in the country, the teaching at HMS in the pre-clinical years is atrocious. At HMS, especially so. There maybe a few highlights, but I can promise that you will be dissapointed. Even shocked. The faculty simply isn't interested in teaching, despite the creation of The Academy in conjunction with UCSF (they have done a much better job, as usual).

Tutorials/PBL:
If you are dumb, you will enjoy and value these. Alternatively, or in addition, if you are a pollyanna, they will appeal to you. But then again, I'm sure a hot-poker to the rump will as well.

Clinical Training:
Scatter-shot. Some of it is excellent and the world-class education you went to HMS to expect. Most of it is mediocre, at best. But if you are adequete, you'll go to MGH/Brigham. If you're an absolute idiot, you'll go to BID.

The Upside:
That being said, HMS has some great resources, and will make you feel like a million bucks everytime you think to yourself - what the hell am I doing? But it will slowly waft to your senses, like the aroma of a musky, deep crimson wine: You're attending HMS.

Thanks for being a human sybian, CarleneM! You're exactly what HMS is looking for.

Hope that Helps

P 'HMS: Where exceptions make the rule' ShankOut

 

[StinkinSanchez]

indianboy, in case you didn't notice, this thread is actually a pretty good discussion of the pros and cons of HMS, not a "masturbation fest". btw, do you like any med school? you started that thread bashing your own school, columbia (the deep do do one). leave us the f*ck alone.

damn!!! Nice job, Carlene!

 

[aeneid]

I certainly don't want to chide people I don't know, but if we could keep the banter to a minimum. Wow. The questions posed are relevant and cannot be invalidated by petty banter. I too wonder about the challenges to the HMS program. There are a lot of rumors being spread about the program, and whether valid or invalid certainly cannot be based on what clearly appears to be unobjective bias. So, if someone who has had experience at HMS, please respond to smile82's comments.

Thanks

 

[indianboy]

indianboy, in case you didn't notice, this thread is actually a pretty good discussion of the pros and cons of HMS, not a "masturbation fest". btw, do you like any med school? you started that thread bashing your own school, columbia (the deep do do one). leave us the f*ck alone.

Sweetie, I'm afraid I don't attend the venerable P&S. And quite glad I don't. Having sat through an interminable number of tutorials, however, let's just say that I know what i'm talking about. Take it or leave it.

Nothing I've said is untrue.

Now, you sound upset. It's nothing a little GoLytley can't cure.

Hope that Helps

P 'I just want to feel loved' ShankOut

 

[krelian]

Although indianboy's language was uncalled for, I think he does bring up some valid points. The more I talk to students and teachers about HMS, the more concerned I become about the first 2 yr's curriculum (specifically NP.. I haven't heard much negative about HST). NP is definitely not for everyone it seems; there's many that love it, but there's also quite a few that are dissapointed by it. The word "scatter-shot" also seem appropriate at times. A couple of current HMS student I talked to said that the quality of the education is quite variable. All lecturers are world-renowned, but there's quite a bit of dissapointment with how many of them teach. The tutorials are also dependent on who else is in your group, and your classmates may be doing totally opposite things in their tutorials. As a group, you decide how tutorials will be run, but not everyone's learning style/preference is the same... Some tutorials will be hot, while others will not.

All in all, going to HMS NP will probably be a lot like attending many other med schools. You really can't ascertain the quality of the school until you actually go there. Moreover, because of the tutorial system, there's more variability in the educational experience. More variance is not necessarily a bad thing though, as long as the mean is still high

 

[criminallyinane]

hi there, i have heard the NP students have lots of classes with the dental students so we will be classmates next year! Brookline village is nice and you can take the D line, which is good and will take you to longwood. It will then be a 5-10 minute walk to HMS.

It makes more sense just to walk from Brookline Village to HMS rather than take the train to Longwood, since HMS is almost exactly between the Brookline Village stop and the Longwood stop. It's only a 10 minute walk max

 

[Jennifer25]

Hey,

Can someone comment on the advantages/disadvantages of living in Vanderbilt Hall? As well as the advantages/disadvantages of living off campus.

For example:
-living space
-rent
-transportation
-kitchen amenities
-neurotic med students???

Thanks!

 

[treetrunk]

Hey Krelian,

Thanks for your insight. Have you heard anything about the clinical training at HMS (something that would be the same for NP and HST)? Do you think it's true that the training is weak but students get good residencies beacus its HMS? Anyone else have opinions?

-tt

Although indianboy's language was uncalled for, I think he does bring up some valid points. The more I talk to students and teachers about HMS, the more concerned I become about the first 2 yr's curriculum (specifically NP.. I haven't heard much negative about HST). NP is definitely not for everyone it seems; there's many that love it, but there's also quite a few that are dissapointed by it. The word "scatter-shot" also seem appropriate at times. A couple of current HMS student I talked to said that the quality of the education is quite variable. All lecturers are world-renowned, but there's quite a bit of dissapointment with how many of them teach. The tutorials are also dependent on who else is in your group, and your classmates may be doing totally opposite things in their tutorials. As a group, you decide how tutorials will be run, but not everyone's learning style/preference is the same... Some tutorials will be hot, while others will not.

All in all, going to HMS NP will probably be a lot like attending many other med schools. You really can't ascertain the quality of the school until you actually go there. Moreover, because of the tutorial system, there's more variability in the educational experience. More variance is not necessarily a bad thing though, as long as the mean is still high

 

[aeneid]

Hi,

I was wondering if a current NP HMSer could comment about how their day/week is set up. I've tried finding it on the webstie but it just gives the breakdown on how the blocks are sequenced. I'd like to know just the "meat and potatoes" of your day. What time does class normally start? What time are you out of class? Do you have afternoons off? Is there time to start research Y1 or maybe just go workout. Etc...Thanks in advance!

 

[RunMimi]

Bumping for all the cool kids.

 

[aeneid]

Bumping for all the cool kids.

Mad shout outs!! See everyone re-visit weekend.

 

[smile82]

yeahhh should be fun!

it's been kinda disheartening to read about all the negative rumors flying around about HMS. but when it comes down to it, i think we're looking at being around amazing students, faculty and resources, and training at some of the best hospitals in the country!

go HMS

 

[RunMimi]

yeahhh should be fun!

it's been kinda disheartening to read about all the negative rumors flying around about HMS. but when it comes down to it, i think we're looking at being around amazing students, faculty and resources, and training at some of the best hospitals in the country!

go HMS

an AMEN to that!

 

[jms88]

Congrats to those who've been accepted. Any adivce for those who are about to apply? What is it that you think helped you get in?

 

[GuyLaroche]

an AMEN to that!

Runmimi, I am so jealous of you. I think our friendship will have to end, you little, perfect sexpot! I just can't take it anymore. You just had to get into Harvard, didn't you? I am so jealous, I am almost sick with bile. Why wasn't I good enough for Harvard? Why are you so perfect? Where the hell have you been? I hate you though I've always adored you. Tell them, when you get to Harvard, tell them they made a huge mistake. Wasn't I hot enough for them? I knew I wouldn't get in when my interviews were all with middle aged, conservative-looking men. I realized then that the interview would be all about my academic credentials rather than my physical credentials. Trust me, I have more of the latter than the former. They were confused when I attempted to get under the table following some hard questions. And trust me, it wasn't because I wanted to hide away. One interviewer in particular was not amused by my reaching for his zipper.... I digress. I thought we were going to be BFF, and bond on our trip to Vandy but I guess not. Oh Harvard! My Ulyssian horizon.

 

[blankguy]

Sorry to butt in but what is the average MCAT score for Harvard?

 

[Yalie05]

hi,

i was also accepted and just wanted to say hi hope to see you guys later on this year!

 

[RunMimi]

Runmimi, I am so jealous of you. I think our friendship will have to end, you little, perfect sexpot! I just can't take it anymore. You just had to get into Harvard, didn't you? I am so jealous, I am almost sick with bile. Why wasn't I good enough for Harvard? Why are you so perfect? Where the hell have you been? I hate you though I've always adored you. Tell them, when you get to Harvard, tell them they made a huge mistake. Wasn't I hot enough for them? I knew I wouldn't get in when my interviews were all with middle aged, conservative-looking men. I realized then that the interview would be all about my academic credentials rather than my physical credentials. Trust me, I have more of the latter than the former. They were confused when I attempted to get under the table following some hard questions. And trust me, it wasn't because I wanted to hide away. One interviewer in particular was not amused by my reaching for his zipper.... I digress. I thought we were going to be BFF, and bond on our trip to Vandy but I guess not. Oh Harvard! My Ulyssian horizon.

Oh, Guy. I hope you still feel that way when you are my chief resident.

 

[leaft]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=187436

while avoiding homework, I was looking through the other forums and noticed this. what do you guys think?
is anyone else nervous about the HMS curriculum at all? i think i am somewhat letting the rumors get to me.

 

[RunMimi]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=187436

while avoiding homework, I was looking through the other forums and noticed this. what do you guys think?
is anyone else nervous about the HMS curriculum at all? i think i am somewhat letting the rumors get to me.

Interesting. I think the petetion is more of a need for overachievers to get rialled up about something. I'm really not worried, but I guess it might be something to consider if you are really torn between schools. The administration obviously sees some flaws in their current curriculum because the year behind us is seeing a new one. It seems like they should be open to minor tweaks in the current cirriculum in the meantime.

 

[CarleneM]

hey has anyone recieved an email about second look weekend? my email has not been working properly the past few days so I'm hoping I didn't miss anything.

also, is anybody certain they are not living in vanderbilt next year who would be interested in looking for a 2br apartment together in the $600-$800/person price range? PM me if so. I am looking specifically at brookline, brigham circle and central sq, cambridge locations. I want a quick commute. It might be easier to live with another female but I'm open to male roommates if it was the right match.

 

[Yalie05]

hey has anyone recieved an email about second look weekend? my email has not been working properly the past few days so I'm hoping I didn't miss anything.

also, is anybody certain they are not living in vanderbilt next year who would be interested in looking for a 2br apartment together in the $600-$800/person price range? PM me if so. I am looking specifically at brookline, brigham circle and central sq, cambridge locations. I want a quick commute. It might be easier to live with another female but I'm open to male roommates if it was the right match.

nope, i haven't gotten any emails. btw, do any of you know if family members can come to the white coat ceremony? it sounds really childish, but i'm really excited about wearing a little white coat and having a stethoscope

 

[Yalie05]

btw, are they any other yalies who are going to harvard next year. i haven't had a chance to talk to any of them on campus even though a good chunk gets accepted.

 

[krelian]

Interesting. I think the petetion is more of a need for overachievers to get rialled up about something. I'm really not worried, but I guess it might be something to consider if you are really torn between schools. The administration obviously sees some flaws in their current curriculum because the year behind us is seeing a new one. It seems like they should be open to minor tweaks in the current cirriculum in the meantime.

I think that this is a legitimate concern, not just something that only overachievers care about. If you looked at the petition, it seemed a huge # of students signed it. The push for more elective time is also one of the reason why many schools are shortening the pre-clinical years to 1.5yr instead of 2. I wish HMS had Penn's curriculum.

 

[bhp]

I got the email today. Hope to see you guys at the second look weekend.

hey has anyone recieved an email about second look weekend? my email has not been working properly the past few days so I'm hoping I didn't miss anything.

also, is anybody certain they are not living in vanderbilt next year who would be interested in looking for a 2br apartment together in the $600-$800/person price range? PM me if so. I am looking specifically at brookline, brigham circle and central sq, cambridge locations. I want a quick commute. It might be easier to live with another female but I'm open to male roommates if it was the right match.

 

[Yalie05]

I got the email today. Hope to see you guys at the second look weekend.

yep. i just got the email too so exciting!