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Thanks! I hope they accept most of the waitlisters too!
Rosalind Franklin BMS 2014-2015
- Thread starter TonySoprano
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My issue with evms was the blatant lies told directly to nearly every student in regards to the total enrollment. Being told 5o students to your face then showing up to almost 70 is a blatant lie.
You are right about the "forum rep" I didn't really take that into consideration.
The biggest issue for me is my change in perspective after seeing how poorly the bottom half of the evms mm class performed.
No luck w/ other medical schools? The fact that you scored better than the medical school average...I mean, how dare they not accept you.
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I think everyone is capable of getting straight A's(I came close to it), but you gotta have an iron will. The year is going to be tough, dreary, cold, you'll remember you are in serious debt and you will be burnt out at some point. But if you push yourself, you can thrive and succeed as a student here. Ask yourself if you think you are capable of pushing yourself to the max for the entire 10 months. You will need to sacrifice some fun time, family time, friends time, etc. if you come to this program and your goal is to get into CMS (This message is specifically targeted at those who have no shot at medical school anywhere else, like myself this past year). Can you handle that? If so then I think you should come to BMS and "tryout."
We had about 55-60 BMSers get in this year and that is still a significant portion of the class(greater than 50%). One thing that hasn't been mentioned on this forum is that nobody with Straight A's has been rejected. If you can get straight A's then I personally guarantee you will get in. If you try to get Straight A's but you fall a little short then there is still a good chance that you will get in. IMO, getting above a 3.5 GPA in the program when the year is over will get you in. And remember that one person's B is not equal to another person's B. I had an 89 in physio, if I had gotten 2 more questions correct on any of the exams, I could have gotten the A. My B is different than someone who had an 80.2% and was on the verge of getting a C. All I'm saying is that some of the people will tell you they got B's, which is great regardless of the percentage, but the adcom cares about percentage and they see the percentages since BMS sends the adcom our test scores, percentage and letter grades.
I have some tips for you for those that decide to continue with BMS(hopefully you remember this or comeback to it during the year):
-Do every practice test you can before each real exam. I even did practice exams on the day of the actual exam and it still helped alot. Practice exams are key to being successful in the program. Along with this, in physio, you should do all the facilitator problem sets even if you don't go to the sessions.
-Knowing the anatomy for Neuroscience is more important than the physiology of the brain because the whole brain is just a wiring system, so if you know the anatomical pathways then you can reason symptoms and where lesions are located from that information.
-The first Biochem exam is on carbohydrate metabolism and everything you learn after that in Biochem fits into the pathways you learn in that unit, so you have to hit the ground running when you start school in August.
-For CMCB, you should always keep up with it and focus on it because it only has about 100 questions for the whole class. Also, I think it was the easiest of the 4 medical school classes, so you definitely want to try and do well in it.
-Lastly, do not confuse easier with easy when M1A's tell you something is easier. Some exams and classes are EASIER than others, but they are all difficult exams. The easiest exam of the year was probably on Reproductive physiology, but that was still a difficult test and this was compounded upon by the fact that we also had to study for the 3rd neuroscience exam too, which was a beast.
We had about 55-60 BMSers get in this year and that is still a significant portion of the class(greater than 50%). One thing that hasn't been mentioned on this forum is that nobody with Straight A's has been rejected. If you can get straight A's then I personally guarantee you will get in. If you try to get Straight A's but you fall a little short then there is still a good chance that you will get in. IMO, getting above a 3.5 GPA in the program when the year is over will get you in. And remember that one person's B is not equal to another person's B. I had an 89 in physio, if I had gotten 2 more questions correct on any of the exams, I could have gotten the A. My B is different than someone who had an 80.2% and was on the verge of getting a C. All I'm saying is that some of the people will tell you they got B's, which is great regardless of the percentage, but the adcom cares about percentage and they see the percentages since BMS sends the adcom our test scores, percentage and letter grades.
I have some tips for you for those that decide to continue with BMS(hopefully you remember this or comeback to it during the year):
-Do every practice test you can before each real exam. I even did practice exams on the day of the actual exam and it still helped alot. Practice exams are key to being successful in the program. Along with this, in physio, you should do all the facilitator problem sets even if you don't go to the sessions.
-Knowing the anatomy for Neuroscience is more important than the physiology of the brain because the whole brain is just a wiring system, so if you know the anatomical pathways then you can reason symptoms and where lesions are located from that information.
-The first Biochem exam is on carbohydrate metabolism and everything you learn after that in Biochem fits into the pathways you learn in that unit, so you have to hit the ground running when you start school in August.
-For CMCB, you should always keep up with it and focus on it because it only has about 100 questions for the whole class. Also, I think it was the easiest of the 4 medical school classes, so you definitely want to try and do well in it.
-Lastly, do not confuse easier with easy when M1A's tell you something is easier. Some exams and classes are EASIER than others, but they are all difficult exams. The easiest exam of the year was probably on Reproductive physiology, but that was still a difficult test and this was compounded upon by the fact that we also had to study for the 3rd neuroscience exam too, which was a beast.
Former BMS student here--- Had straight A's including no single test score below an 80% (and only 2 or 3 tests all year below a 90%) until the 2nd to last nuero test (at which point I had already decided to go to a different med school and admittingly slacked off a bit). Finished the year with only 1 test grade lower than a 80%. Did not get accepted to CMS until after the year was over (3.3ish GPA from a highly selective undergrad, 31 MCAT).
The whole process this year sort of turned me off the school. Happy I was able to have other options.
I know of others with 3.3+GPAs, 30+ MCATs and no C's in the program that were rejected. I feel bad for them---they worked their tails off all year for nothing.
If you do go the BMS route, just know that it is not a guarantee no matter what your performance is. Though, as others have said, straight A's and I'd be very surprised if you weren't accepted (though you may need to wait until late May/June to find out).
Regardless, I do think my performance in CMS classes did help my chances at other med schools. Apply broadly and send grade updates!
The whole process this year sort of turned me off the school. Happy I was able to have other options.
I know of others with 3.3+GPAs, 30+ MCATs and no C's in the program that were rejected. I feel bad for them---they worked their tails off all year for nothing.
If you do go the BMS route, just know that it is not a guarantee no matter what your performance is. Though, as others have said, straight A's and I'd be very surprised if you weren't accepted (though you may need to wait until late May/June to find out).
Regardless, I do think my performance in CMS classes did help my chances at other med schools. Apply broadly and send grade updates!
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I mean, if you got a 35+ on the MCAT, chances are you'd be good as well. Unless we are capable of getting straight A's, it seems like there is a large chance element to all of this. If reasonable success in the program (and a reasonable application) were proportionate to acceptances, then I would have no problem. As it stands, it seems at least anecdotally that this is a 60 plus k (with interest that accrues ****IMMEDIATELY****) risk. Emphasis on risk, ie: factors outside of ones own control.
yes, please send me your private transcript.
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Master2Doc: Take my advice for what its worth. If BMS is your only option right now, take it and fly with it. You really just don't know what the future holds and maybe with the fiasco this year at CMS, the following year will be better. Its like the light at the end of the tunnel........it has to lead to somewhere.
In my case, I had to explain to every medical school why I transition from law into medicine. I had a successful career in patent law and I was making over $250K a year. I made a lot of money practicing law, but I wasn't satisfied with my career because it didn't allow me to do something positive for my community. Getting over why medicine after a successful law career was a huge obstacle for me. If BMS is your only option, fly with it and don't look back.
Edit: I guess what I am trying to say is, I didn't know if medical schools will approve of my application and all I did was try my best. It worked out one way or another. To BMS students who are struggling with a rejection to CMS or going to be starting your BMS program, stay focus in your goals and don't let distractions affect you.
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Ugh, I'm only going to this program because of the high linkage and (get all B's and youre in mentality). I don't need much GPA repair since I have a 3.63, and I have a 34 MCAT as well. I've applied to medical schools twice (1st year very late and did not get in), and then had a bad senior year (3.0) which likely affected my second applciation cycle due to the trend. I wanted to this program to ensure I was not going to be a 4th time applicant.
I also applied to the Toledo MSBS which had a 80% linkage last year, and should hear soon.
Also waitlisted at Tulane ACP which had a >88% linkage through all years, so I'm hoping to get into one of these programs as well as to not take the larger risk at RFU :/
I also applied to the Toledo MSBS which had a 80% linkage last year, and should hear soon.
Also waitlisted at Tulane ACP which had a >88% linkage through all years, so I'm hoping to get into one of these programs as well as to not take the larger risk at RFU :/
Just wanted to post my experience as a former BMS student: Similar to vivadoctor, I was also waitlisted for CMS this week. When I spoke to my advisor two weeks ago, they said ~52 BMS students were accepted to CMS so far (post 3rd round and before 4th round, if there even was a 4th round).
My grades were mostly above the M1 avg. with an A in Neuro (which was one of the more difficult classes out of 4 med courses b/c of the low M1 avg. @ ~80) and mid to high B's in the other three (89 for Biochem, 86 for CMCB, and 85 for Physio). I felt pretty good with my two interviewers. My uGPA was decent at ~3.56 but my MCAT was subpar in the mid 20's. I have some decent EC's with 2.5+ years of research (a few small pubs/surgery experience), 200+ hours of hospital volunteering, 400+ of Habitat volunteering, 100+hours of shadowing several specialties, officer positions, etc.
Every M1A (former BMS that are M1's) that I've talked to said that "B's will get you in". This was definitely not the case this year as I know several friends that were rejected with all B's and even one with several A's. I feel really bad for them and am just glad that I got waitlisted. I just can't believe so much has changed from last year to this year which may be due to the new Admissions Chair and her appointments that started this past school year. No one knows (not even Dr. Riblon) what the admissions committee was looking for this year.
I'm just really really really hoping that the few BMSer's and I that were waitlisted will get off the waitlist and eventually be accepted. :/
If anyone has any questions/concerns, feel free to PM me.
My grades were mostly above the M1 avg. with an A in Neuro (which was one of the more difficult classes out of 4 med courses b/c of the low M1 avg. @ ~80) and mid to high B's in the other three (89 for Biochem, 86 for CMCB, and 85 for Physio). I felt pretty good with my two interviewers. My uGPA was decent at ~3.56 but my MCAT was subpar in the mid 20's. I have some decent EC's with 2.5+ years of research (a few small pubs/surgery experience), 200+ hours of hospital volunteering, 400+ of Habitat volunteering, 100+hours of shadowing several specialties, officer positions, etc.
Every M1A (former BMS that are M1's) that I've talked to said that "B's will get you in". This was definitely not the case this year as I know several friends that were rejected with all B's and even one with several A's. I feel really bad for them and am just glad that I got waitlisted. I just can't believe so much has changed from last year to this year which may be due to the new Admissions Chair and her appointments that started this past school year. No one knows (not even Dr. Riblon) what the admissions committee was looking for this year.
I'm just really really really hoping that the few BMSer's and I that were waitlisted will get off the waitlist and eventually be accepted. :/
If anyone has any questions/concerns, feel free to PM me.
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I feel you xcell as I'm in the same boat as you. When you heard that 52 people were accepted, is that including the ones who decided to go somewhere else? I remember there were about 10 who got into other med school, so are 52 people the ones who decided to go to CMS or are they just everyone who got acceptance letter regardless of their decision?
And yeah, I really really hope that people get off the waitlist because I feel like the waitlisters would have gotten in if we were in previous year (s).
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How many of you previous BMSers would do it all over again ? and recommend it to others?
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To me, it really depends on if I get off the waitlist or not lol If many people from the waitlist groups end up getting in, I'd recommend it to others. If not, the number of BMS accepted to CMS seems a lot lower than what I thought it'd be. We started off with 130 or more so 52/130 is less than 50%. Even the number of people who graduated was 107 and 52/107 is still below 50%.
I was told the 52 number included the ones who decided to go somewhere else so it is just the total number of BMS acceptances (regardless if they are going to CMS or not). I feel the same way in that we would have gotten in last year (probably earlier as apparently 59 BMSers got in before the final physio/neuro exam last year)
I also remember Dr. Riblon saying numerous times in the beginning that "there is a seat for every BMS student that performs well in the program"... if only that held true this year. *Sighs*
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So technically, less than 50 BMSers will be in CMS next year.
I'm guessing probably around 50ish as of right if you count the 4th wave (which I don't know anyone who got in last Friday).
It would depend if I get off the waitlist or not as well. I would recommend it if most/all of the BMSers who are currently waitlisted eventually get accepted. Then again, the new Admissions Chair & Committee might be looking to change the way they will accept students to CMS in future years. Thus, this would most likely make the RFU BMS program not have the forum "linkage prestige" that it did in the past.
i am waiting for toledo msbs as well. do you know if that 80% means without a gap year?
i didn't know about Tualne ACP.
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I only know one person who got in last Friday. I heard that the number of acceptance was very minimal.
The thing that bothers me the most is the inconsistency. if CMS raised their standards when accepting BMS students that can be understandable.
However hearing about how BMS students with lower grades getting into CMS whereas BMS students with the better grades are waitlisted.
However hearing about how BMS students with lower grades getting into CMS whereas BMS students with the better grades are waitlisted.
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Back again because this year ended surprisingly... the CMS adcom must have hella changed alot. I heard rumors months ago Dr.Eliot is the new head of admissions committee and that she is looking to increase the quality of the M1 class by accepting higher MCAT BMSers, but wasn't sure if this was true so I did not pass it along to you all. As evidenced by some of the stories on here and through friends, it is a little strange when people with 30 MCAT and atleast B grades are getting rejected. In all honesty, I do not know what has happened to the program. BMS is great in that you have a strong chance of acceptance, but it seems that all you future BMSers need to step your game up this next year. Who knows if CMS was being generous and still gave out 52 acceptances to BMSers so that it wouldn't be a shock if a only like 10 people got in this year. Since now more people will know CMS linkage is weakened, so you have notice about the change, then they won't be as kind next year and will accept even less people next year from BMS. Honestly, if I was in your position, I would probably bolt for Toledo, Tulane, EVMS, Cincinnati or Temple for their SMPs(I think those are all the MD ones with higher linkage), though I still like it here at RFU. If RFU BMS is all you got, well then you know what you gotta do...work your behind off
This kind of goes back to my gripe about CMS communication.
I say we start a letter campaign to CMS explaining that we want more transparency. If everyone wrote a short letter telling them about our frustrations maybe we could get some more information and change the way the adcom deals with BMSers and external applicants. I'm sure we could get the external waitlisted applicants to do the same because many of them have been on hold with no reply from CMS for months. The date for sending out letters will be July 1st. Let's get a movement going. If you like my idea, like this post.
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This kind of goes back to my gripe about CMS communication.
I say we start a letter campaign to CMS explaining that we want more transparency. If everyone wrote a short letter telling them about our frustrations maybe we could get some more information and change the way the adcom deals with BMSers and external applicants. I'm sure we could get the external waitlisted applicants to do the same because many of them have been on hold with no reply from CMS for months. The date for sending out letters will be July 1st. Let's get a movement going. If you like my idea, like this post.
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All of you finished BMSers w/ As and Bs still on the waitlist, instead of passively voicing your frustrations on SDN where nothing gets accomplished, you should let your voices and names be known to the admissions committee. Tonysoprano has the right idea. Go write some letters or knock on some doors. Bang some heads. If i was in your position, it would be hard for me to do nothing about it.
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I'm sure they're scared of pissing someone off and not getting in off the wait list
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Have not posted here in a while but here are my questions:
1. Was a date given for when CMS admissions are closed (i.e. when are they going to stop pulling people from the wait list)?
2. Is the official number of CMS acceptances offered to 2013-2014 BMS students going to be given to incoming BMS students before the program starts?
3. Are there any other RFUMS programs that link to CMS other than the BMS program? I was wondering about this since it might inflate the unofficial ~50/130 number given here.
4. Did CMS really recruit a new adcom chair/team or is this speculation based on the change in acceptances offered to BMS students this year?
One thing I was worried about was the apparent lack of communication between the BMS adcom and the CMS adcom. Namely, the BMS adcom could potentially be admitting people that never stood a chance at getting into CMS (e.g. BMS admitting an applicant that possesses an apparent deficiency that cannot be remedied by their BMS performance in the eyes of CMS adcom). This lack of communication may not have been a problem in the past because (I am guessing) the CMS adcom was familiar with the BMS program and implicitly understood and/or were in implicit agreement on how they would accept BMS students (e.g. giving rise to the ‘all Bs and you are in’ quote I keep reading about). But now with the apparently new CMS adcom, who knows what further changes will be made this year...(hopefully not the doomsday scenario TonySoprano suggests)
This letter campaign to the CMS adcom (and maybe BMS adcom?) is the least any rejected and waitlisted 2013-2014 BMS graduate could do, especially those with Bs, and A/B grades. Do you think there anything that incoming BMS students could do?
1. Was a date given for when CMS admissions are closed (i.e. when are they going to stop pulling people from the wait list)?
2. Is the official number of CMS acceptances offered to 2013-2014 BMS students going to be given to incoming BMS students before the program starts?
3. Are there any other RFUMS programs that link to CMS other than the BMS program? I was wondering about this since it might inflate the unofficial ~50/130 number given here.
4. Did CMS really recruit a new adcom chair/team or is this speculation based on the change in acceptances offered to BMS students this year?
One thing I was worried about was the apparent lack of communication between the BMS adcom and the CMS adcom. Namely, the BMS adcom could potentially be admitting people that never stood a chance at getting into CMS (e.g. BMS admitting an applicant that possesses an apparent deficiency that cannot be remedied by their BMS performance in the eyes of CMS adcom). This lack of communication may not have been a problem in the past because (I am guessing) the CMS adcom was familiar with the BMS program and implicitly understood and/or were in implicit agreement on how they would accept BMS students (e.g. giving rise to the ‘all Bs and you are in’ quote I keep reading about). But now with the apparently new CMS adcom, who knows what further changes will be made this year...(hopefully not the doomsday scenario TonySoprano suggests)
This letter campaign to the CMS adcom (and maybe BMS adcom?) is the least any rejected and waitlisted 2013-2014 BMS graduate could do, especially those with Bs, and A/B grades. Do you think there anything that incoming BMS students could do?
Like @TonySoprano, I'm back lol. I continue to check SDN because many of you have been messaging me questions as a former BMS student who was accepted to CMS. If you read my previous posts, I am all for BMS and recommend the program. This may be, in part, because it worked out for me but overall I think it's a good program. That being said, all this talk of "writing letters" to CMS is ridiculous. BMS, on many occasions during orientation this year (and they will do it for you guys too) will explicitly state that THERE IS NO GUARENTEE. Just because you were accepted to BMS does not mean you will be accepted to CMS. That isn't a secret.. They come out many times during the year and tell you that and thus cover their asses. Does it suck that some (more than usual this year) students with good BMS grades got rejected / wait listed? Absolutely yes. But again, professor Riblon AND the cms admissions counselor met with us early in the year and told us all that there is absolutely no guarentee and that AMCAS DOES MATTER. *** most importantly, they came out and said that they have the right to accept no one from the BMS program if they so choose. ** while I don't foresee that ever happening, as it's extreme, the point is that they DO state, over and over again, that BMS makes no promises. Thus, your letter would probably be tossed aside and just piss someone off. Also, there has been progressively more complaints in the past few years from both students and faculty that BMS feel "entitled" ie they assume they have a direct ticket to admission. Obviously, based on this year, that's not true. You can't complain about the numbers when they repeatedly tell you there are no guarentees. In fact, the CMS adcom counselor had a meeting w us this year around October and EXPLICITLY stated that people with straight As may get rejected.
In closing, as a former BMS student, I am on all of your sides despite my above remarks. Read my past posts if you don't believe me. I'm just trying to give you a reality slap. There is really no argument against rfums for accepting less BMS when they spell it out very loud and clear every year that people from BMS aren't guarenteed a anything but an interview to the program of their choice.
Use all your energy in deciding if this is the right program for you. And be honest with yourself if you think it is. And if you do come, use all your energy to do well in the program, not trying to change a program that isn't going to change. Honestly, I wish you all the best of luck but you are all going to just going to piss off students, BMS faculty and worst of all, CMS adcom if you all start writing letters. Just some advice but again I wish you all the best.
In closing, as a former BMS student, I am on all of your sides despite my above remarks. Read my past posts if you don't believe me. I'm just trying to give you a reality slap. There is really no argument against rfums for accepting less BMS when they spell it out very loud and clear every year that people from BMS aren't guarenteed a anything but an interview to the program of their choice.
Use all your energy in deciding if this is the right program for you. And be honest with yourself if you think it is. And if you do come, use all your energy to do well in the program, not trying to change a program that isn't going to change. Honestly, I wish you all the best of luck but you are all going to just going to piss off students, BMS faculty and worst of all, CMS adcom if you all start writing letters. Just some advice but again I wish you all the best.
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Just wanted to give my thoughts about the entire thing. In light of the changes that were made, this program has always been a gamble. That will not change. However just to bring up a couple points. There is a possibility that the school over accepted out of the general application pool. They interviewed more people this year than ever because they probably felt that the probation would affect their % yield. Obviously, this would affect the number of BMSers that they could accept if more people from the general pool accepted their acceptance. Now, it is 150% not fair to the people who got waitlisted who had A's and B's. The reason I say this is that I know people with very very similar stats (both in BMS and in uGPA/MCAT) where one person was accepted and the other was waitlisted. That is the part that makes absolutely no sense to me. With all this being said, there's a reason why everyone is in the program. We all need to patch up whatever sore spot there is on our applications. For many of us, this is the only and last option we have at trying to gain admission into a US allopathic school. Would I recommend this program? I would say yes because it worked out for me, but it all depends on what you guys are looking for. Despite the [possible] decrease in the percentage of BMSers who matriculate into CMS, 50% is still a pretty good number and for those who have this as their only option. You have to decide whether it is worth the 50k. With all this happening, if I were a prospective BMSer, I would be even more motivated than ever to SHOOT FOR THOSE A's and NOT "get all B's".
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1. I don't know
2. I believe it will be given to you during orientation by the BMS director. If not, she will still give a percentage accepted.
3. There is the PMP, pre matriculation program, but those students are not counted along with the BMS students
4. There is a new adcom, but I was only speculating about who was on it
Thinking about it again, I don't really think there is anything you all could do to change what is happening at RFU. These next month and half, just weigh your options. If you get into another program with stronger linkage then go there. If you "must" come to RFU BMS because it is your only option then don't come here believing you aren't going to make it. 50-55% is still a good yield. All I know is that I would not be in medical school without BMS, so god bless these people
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(Obviously) No SMP will guarantee anything with regards to admission. This is a 'safety' for SMP adcoms largely in part because it cannot be argued against as Cmorr1 has eluded to. I do however feel that it is deceptive when the program begins to reject high-performing BMS students. If there was a red-flag on their BMS application that could not be remedied by their BMS performance, why accept them into the BMS program in the first place? If their standards for CMS linkage increased, they should have increased the standards in proportion for the BMS admissions to reflect this change. They ARE aware that the majority of BMS matriculants are interested in the CMS linkage.
Of course, there are AMCAS components and the CMS interview that is not reflected in the BMS application so it could be that these high-performing students were deficient in some way that was not made clear on their BMS application. But how about those that waitlisted or rejected and were not deficient outside their BMS application and BMS performance? Is it so bad that these people would feel at least a bit 'entitled'? I'm sure most, if not all, would feel this way if they were put in this position. And if anyone here was in this position, would you feel it is fair for the adcoms to toss your letter aside in anger/annoyance because you were not explicitly promised anything from the beginning (YOU GET NOTHING! YOU LOSE! GOOD DAY!).
I do not know how common the scenario presented above is (probably not common) and there are definitely a lot of gray areas in regards to what is 'deficient' or 'high-performing'. Also, the 'entitlement' problem Cmorr1 presented may just be in regards to those individuals that were simply accepted to BMS irrespective of their performance so I do agree with him/her.
That is all I have...
1. CMS will continue to admit students off the waitlist until the day classes start.
2. There will most likely be a percentage given or an approximate range of students accepted given at orientation.
3. As TonySoprano already stated, there is a small PMP program that has linkage to CMS similar to the BMS program. This is NOT counted towards the BMS numbers.
4. Yes, there was/is a new Admissions Chair as well as several new appointees on the Admissions Committee this past school year. This was recommended by the former CMS Dean Dr. Robertson...the new/current CMS dean, Dr. Tomkowiak, was announced several months later when the LCME probation issues arose.
I would agree with cmorr1 and futuredoctor27 in that there are NO GUARANTEES in the BMS program and that the BMS faculty did state this in the beginning. However, I think the CMS Adcom/BMS adcom should have been more transparent to this year's class letting us know that the admissions process was going to change this year. I would still say this program is one of the best SMP programs for getting the most matriculants into its current host allopathic program. A ~50% shot (currently) to get into an allopathic school is still significantly better than if you were to apply with any deficiencies you may currently have. If you future BMSer's choose to do this program, I echo what was already stated above that you need to strive for getting A's in med courses in this program and avoid C's at all possible to have the best shot at getting into CMS; don't let getting a B or two let you down, just keep working hard until the final exam in May.
For now, I will be patiently waiting until the very last day until classes start again to see if I will get off the waitlist and hopefully get accepted to CMS.
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Thanks for answering my questions. Upon further thought, I agree with TonySoprano and Cmorr1 that not much can be done to change what is going on at RFUMS. And I agree with you Xcell that it is really unfortunate for this year's BMSers were the first to experience this change. Hmmm...decisions...decisions...
Could someone comment on the housing situation for BMS for starting in Aug? Will there be on-campus housing? Are there dorms that take care of food - or do we have to eat out/cook? Basically trying to figure out if I need a car.
Hey everyone I have a quick questions, I was accepted to BMS in march but I am weighing a few other SMP options and waiting on another. I want to submit my AMCAS application this week but I am not 100% that I will be attending BMS. Does it matter if I dont have that I will be attending BMS recorded on my primary AMCAS application and then attend RFU BMS? Will saying I am in BMS come more into play more with my secondary application? Thank you for any info you may have!
@TonySoprano
my initial thought was MCAT being the underlining cause of less BMS students being taken. However from what I have gathered from facebook group and postings on here MCAT was not the key factor. My guess right now is that CMS just over admitted and some BMS students got screwed over.
i could just be over-analyzing/bias cause my mcat score is low .......... : (
my initial thought was MCAT being the underlining cause of less BMS students being taken. However from what I have gathered from facebook group and postings on here MCAT was not the key factor. My guess right now is that CMS just over admitted and some BMS students got screwed over.
i could just be over-analyzing/bias cause my mcat score is low .......... : (
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If you want to live close to campus (walking distance), your only options are woodlands, student (on-campus) housing and navy housing (although most of the houses are not walking distance from navy housing I believe). None of those places provide food. The only food option you have on campus is the cafe in the school. However I believe they close at 2 pm everyday, so you're on your own for dinner. Most people eat out or cook food at their apartments.
ACCEPTED TODAYYYYYYY!
waitlisted 4/24
So so so very excited! Can not wait!
Anyone heard of any more acceptances into BMS since the last round about two weeks back or Is the BMS class all filled up? Wasn't there one more round expected after the June 1 deadline?
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It's full as of now, but not all accepted students will attend. They will pull of students of the waitlist as needed until first week of class. When did you submit your application?
Submitted application at the end of March, but the LOR was lost first 2 times and was finally received and application complete on June 3. How many days do accepted students have to confirm? I would have thought those who don't want to attend would have had already indicated by not confirming. Freaking out wondering if there are any more seats left.
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Anyone have any idea how many people are on the waitlist? Now that I know the class is full for bms, I'm freaking out a bit.
Also, does anyone have any good last minute ideas for grad programs in the fall that are still accepting?
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I read through the posts from previous years and this year has a similar trend: people on the waitlist start getting accepted starting July until mid-Aug.
@Higgs , it may take about 4-6 weeks after your application is marked complete to hear about your status. You don't need to freak. I am on the waitlist myself. I don't know how long the students have to pay their deposit to secure a seat, but I believe it's 2 weeks. There may be a possibility that a students who were accepted to this program paid their deposit, but are still waiting to hear from another program and if they do get accepted, they may leave RFU. Furthermore, I should mention that my statement about BMS being full was an assumption based of the number of students that were waitlisted on this forum. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, they did reserve some seats for students who they were expecting to apply late and compare them to students who are currently on the waitlist. So you could still have a good chance.
@Higgs , it may take about 4-6 weeks after your application is marked complete to hear about your status. You don't need to freak. I am on the waitlist myself. I don't know how long the students have to pay their deposit to secure a seat, but I believe it's 2 weeks. There may be a possibility that a students who were accepted to this program paid their deposit, but are still waiting to hear from another program and if they do get accepted, they may leave RFU. Furthermore, I should mention that my statement about BMS being full was an assumption based of the number of students that were waitlisted on this forum. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, they did reserve some seats for students who they were expecting to apply late and compare them to students who are currently on the waitlist. So you could still have a good chance.
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There are still many of us that are deciding between programs in light of this years change in linkage rate. If you're on the wait list for the BMS, I would say there is still a lot of hope of being accepted.
I'm pretty sure that most of the top SMPs are filled up at this point in the cycle. Besides SMPs, if you're still looking for other programs, I would say apply to a traditional masters (MS) program at the universities in your state. Many universities offer masters of science programs that allows to complete an advanced research thesis and take upper level science courses to boost your GPA. You can PM me if you have any other questions about non-traditional routes.
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Previous BMSers,
if you guys were to do it all over again, would you do it? How strongly would you recommend this program, if at all?
I'm starting to have second thoughts with the 48% admission rate this cycle.
if you guys were to do it all over again, would you do it? How strongly would you recommend this program, if at all?
I'm starting to have second thoughts with the 48% admission rate this cycle.
dude. Those who got into CMS will recommend it; those who didn't will not recommend it. It's not rocket science.
There are so many others on the waitlist who are not burdened with your second thoughts. Drop your seat and give them a shot. Everyone will be better off.
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Smpbound couldn't have put it better.
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Not trying to be sarcastic or anything but 48% is really really really really really really really really really really high compared to the normal % of applicants who get into an MD school. Besides, if you have other options then you have to decide which program is right for you. Don't go to a school because of X% of students getting into their med school. If you don't put your mind to it, whether the number is 50% or 90%, if you don't work hard you won't get in. Plain and simple.
So I'm going to be attending this program this fall and initially was really freaked out about this news since I turned down other SMPs for RFU. For those of us incoming BMSers, I think it's important to remember that no one is ever entitled to a spot in medical school. I also think futuredoc made a really important point- my gpa/mcat/ORM status gives me a 40% chance of acceptance. Even lower, really, since my cgpa is higher than my sgpa and I'll be a reapplicant. A 48-60% chance of acceptance (whatever the true number is) is more than I would have without this program and I'm so excited to strengthen my app and have a better shot of getting admitted to med school.
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Anyone been taken off the BMS waitlist this week? Or has received an acceptance this week?
thanks
thanks
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I'm anxiously waiting hoping the waitlist makes some major moves today or tomorrow!
So.. I havent received an email about my application being completed or even in screening. However, I called them and she said everything was okay and an email should be sent out shortly. This was about a week and a half ago.. Something I should be worried about, or are they just slow to respond?
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