Rowan University (RowanSOM) Discussion Thread 2015 - 2016

[mathnerd88]

Before anyone's interview did you get a confirmation call from the admissions staff about a specific interview time slot? I read it on the interview day information on the portal but haven't received a phone call and my interview is tomorrow. I called the office but no one is answering either!

I received a call the day before my interview, but staff might be busy this week. Your interview is still going to be tomorrow.

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[varens1]

What are you stats/LizzyM?

What's lizzyM

 

[varens1]

Wait ! When the interview is over do they tell you the exact date when should expect a phone call or is it all random wait afterward ???

 

[NBLogical]

What's LizzyM

LizzyM is an informal way to see how competitive an applicant is from their GPA and mcat. Take your GPA, multiply by 10 and add your mcat score (old). If you have a new mcat just take its equivalent old score.
Ex. 3.5 GPA and 30 mcat is a LizzyM of 65.

 

[grizzlybird]

Yay! Just got a call that I am off of the alternate list and got accepted! For those of you who are in alternate list, don't lose hope! Really excited to be in Class of 2020!

 

[grey_wind]

Yay! Just got a call that I am off of the alternate list and got accepted! For those of you who are in alternate list, don't lose hope! Really excited to be in Class of 2020!

whoa congrats! did you send an update letter or anything?

 

[grizzlybird]

whoa congrats! did you send an update letter or anything?

No, that's why I'm surprised. I started working on the update letter yesterday hoping for love from Rowan, and on the half way done, I got a call today.

 

[grey_wind]

No, that's why I'm surprised. I started working on the update letter yesterday hoping for love from Rowan, and on the half way done, I got a call today.

Extremely jealous, haha, are you in state? And do you mind posting or PMing me your stats?

Congrats again!

 

[grizzlybird]

Extremely jealous, haha, are you in state? And do you mind posting or PMing me your stats?

Congrats again!

Thanks! I'm OOS, and I'll PM you my stats.

 

[chipanddale20]

did anyone who submitted an acceptance deposit check hear back that the school had received the check?

 

[varens1]

LizzyM is an informal way to see how competitive an applicant is from their GPA and mcat. Take your GPA, multiply by 10 and add your mcat score (old). If you have a new mcat just take its equivalent old score.
Ex. 3.5 GPA and 30 mcat is a LizzyM of 65.

I took the new mcat so I don't know how it translate to the old. I got 503 on new mcat (61st percentile) and 3.94 GPA.

 

[Master3930]

No, that's why I'm surprised. I started working on the update letter yesterday hoping for love from Rowan, and on the half way done, I got a call today.

When did you originally interview?

 

[Pastels]

did anyone who submitted an acceptance deposit check hear back that the school had received the check?

I hadn't heard back and because I'm neurotic I called them and they confirmed they received it but I never actually got an email or letter saying they got the deposit

 

[grizzlybird]

When did you originally interview?

Interviewed at Tues, 9/15

 

[LazzleDoo]

I took the new mcat so I don't know how it translate to the old. I got 503 on new mcat (61st percentile) and 3.94 GPA.

That's equivalent to 27 old MCAT so 39+27= 66 LizzyM

 

[varens1]

That's equivalent to 27 old MCAT so 39+27= 66 LizzyM

Oh thanks... Although now you make me realize my mcat is below their average .

 

[Master3930]

Oh thanks... Although now you make me realize my mcat is below their average .

Don't feel bad, my mcat was 5 points above their average and I'm on the alternate list. So.. Don't think it matters

 

[varens1]

Don't feel bad, my mcat was 5 points above their average and I'm on the alternate list. So.. Don't think it matters

This is not helping lol. I guess I'm gonna show up to the interview at least. Not gonna put my hopes too high on this one.

 

[Master3930]

This is not helping lol. I guess I'm gonna show up to the interview at least. Not gonna put my hopes too high on this one.

Don't look at it that way, maybe I just had a bad interview. Who knows everyone is different all I know is my stats definitely weren't the problem there. So beyond that if you got an interview you have a shot. It's your seat to lose at this point

 

[mathnerd88]

This is not helping lol. I guess I'm gonna show up to the interview at least. Not gonna put my hopes too high on this one.

I know plenty of people who had MCAT around the same as yours and got accepted. It honestly depends on your interview and what they're looking for.

If the average is 29, there will be people above and below that.

 

[Master3930]

.

 

[LazzleDoo]

Cancelled my interview here! Good luck everyone!

 

[ClassicJandT]

Made my final decision- excited to be joining the class of 2020! I was wondering if any current students could answer a couple of questions I had:
Where do most students live? Do any students opt to live in philly? (living in one of the neighborhoods close to a PATCO station seems pretty cheap compared to other major cities + would let me get rid of my car)
What is a typical week for you in terms of a day to day schedule? For instance what time are u up and in class, what hours do you study, when do you take time off for gym/leisure etc?

Thank you in advance

 

[LuluMed]

Made my final decision- excited to be joining the class of 2020! I was wondering if any current students could answer a couple of questions I had:
Where do most students live? Do any students opt to live in philly? (living in one of the neighborhoods close to a PATCO station seems pretty cheap compared to other major cities + would let me get rid of my car)
What is a typical week for you in terms of a day to day schedule? For instance what time are u up and in class, what hours do you study, when do you take time off for gym/leisure etc?

Thank you in advance

Im gonna message you now!

 

[linlintran]

Made my final decision- excited to be joining the class of 2020! I was wondering if any current students could answer a couple of questions I had:
Where do most students live? Do any students opt to live in philly? (living in one of the neighborhoods close to a PATCO station seems pretty cheap compared to other major cities + would let me get rid of my car)
What is a typical week for you in terms of a day to day schedule? For instance what time are u up and in class, what hours do you study, when do you take time off for gym/leisure etc?

Thank you in advance

Same here! I'm glad to be joining the class of 2020 and I would like to know as well!

 

[RK8819]

Made my final decision- excited to be joining the class of 2020! I was wondering if any current students could answer a couple of questions I had:
Where do most students live? Do any students opt to live in philly? (living in one of the neighborhoods close to a PATCO station seems pretty cheap compared to other major cities + would let me get rid of my car)
What is a typical week for you in terms of a day to day schedule? For instance what time are u up and in class, what hours do you study, when do you take time off for gym/leisure etc?

Thank you in advance

I would also like to know!

 

[njtrimed]

I would also like to know!

This would probably be good info to post in the Facebook group so everyone has access to it!

 

[paramore0909]

Made my final decision- excited to be joining the class of 2020! I was wondering if any current students could answer a couple of questions I had:
Where do most students live? Do any students opt to live in philly? (living in one of the neighborhoods close to a PATCO station seems pretty cheap compared to other major cities + would let me get rid of my car)
What is a typical week for you in terms of a day to day schedule? For instance what time are u up and in class, what hours do you study, when do you take time off for gym/leisure etc?

Thank you in advance

Welcome to Rowan !!

I can't really comment on living in philly Bc I live only about 5 minutes from the school which works really well for me. However, I know many students and faculty do live in Philly.

If you really enjoy going to class a typical week can range from some 9-5 days and some half days. Occasionally there are 8 am classes as well. The schedule changes every week except for OMM. OMM is required and is once a week for about 2-3 hours. On doctoring class is also required and it's a few times a month.

Nearly all of our lectures are recorded so there is the option to watch everything from home. I started the year going to every single class but I found that using the recordings allowed me to make my own schedule and to fit in things like working out, meal prep etc. As far as leisure goes I try to fit in something relaxing everyday like a Netflix show before bed Bc I think it's important for my sanity. ...Closer to exams that doesn't really happen. But I'm also a first year and still learning how to balance everything.

What I really love about Rowan is that our exams are always Fridays so we get those weekends completely free of studying. For me, this is what I work towards and look forward to every block. So in those weekends you can fit in lots of leisure !

Message me if you have any questions at all

 

[LuluMed]

This would probably be good info to post in the Facebook group so everyone has access to it!

OP: "Made my final decision- excited to be joining the class of 2020! I was wondering if any current students could answer a couple of questions I had:
Where do most students live? Do any students opt to live in philly? (living in one of the neighborhoods close to a PATCO station seems pretty cheap compared to other major cities + would let me get rid of my car)
What is a typical week for you in terms of a day to day schedule? For instance what time are u up and in class, what hours do you study, when do you take time off for gym/leisure etc? "

1. most student live in the apartment complexes around lindenwald or voorhees. if you like, I can pass along the names of the most common ones to you! Look to your facebook page to find a roommate

2. I know no one that lives in Philly. It'd be fun, but it'd honestly be a bit of a hassle. I'd suggest living nearby. You also really need a car - you will have a couple times where you have required preceptorships off campus, even during first year. And there are several other things that you would really want a car for

3. class schedule for first year is class monday afternoon, all day tuesday (On Doctoring in the morning), all day wednesday (OMM in the afternoon), thursday afternoon, friday morning <--- except for the two specific ones I just mentioned, classes are otherwise recorded and not mandatory so you can adjust your schedule as needed to fit you best. earliest classes start is 8, but 9 or 10 is more common. Latest classes end is 5 but usually 4 more often

4. how everyone handles their schedule is extremely different. you will adjust to find what works best for you. I am a morning person unlike a lot of my classmates so I wake up to be at the library by 8AM everyday then go to classes as needed, workout around 4PM for a break (unless I have scheduled practice at another time), then eat, back to the library around 7 or 8, stay til 10, in bed by 11. <-- this is just my ideal schedule, it doesnt happen this way every day and I have alot of classmates that are extremely different about this

Please PM me if you all have more questions (or post here!)

 

[varens1]

Interview next friday and I'm freaking the **** out. Anyone else have interview next week ?

 

[LuluMed]

Interview next friday and I'm freaking the **** out. Anyone else have interview next week ?

Stay calm, don't psych yourself out!! Our interview process is very friendly and relaxed. Just be professional, be yourself - and enjoy getting to know the people you meet that day and the school!

 

[mathnerd88]

Interview next friday and I'm freaking the **** out. Anyone else have interview next week ?

You know, I felt that my interview didn't super well. I still was accepted, so I feel like it honestly depends on your stats and EC's. Your interview is just a formality. As long as you don't come off super weird, you'll be okay.

Don't think of it as something you really have to ace to be accepted.

 

[Master3930]

You know, I felt that my interview didn't super well. I still was accepted, so I feel like it honestly depends on your stats and EC's. Your interview is just a formality. As long as you don't come off super weird, you'll be okay.

Don't think of it as something you really have to ace to be accepted.

Completely false. 5 points above the average with great ECS here and I didn't get accepted. It completely depends on your interview.

 

[mathnerd88]

Completely false. 5 points above the average with great ECS here and I didn't get accepted. It completely depends on your interview.

In my case, I did not feel like my interview went super well, and I've known applicants who were waitlisted with better interviews than I did. Their stats were below average of RowanSOM.

 

[Master3930]

In my case, I did not feel like my interview went super well, and I've known applicants who were waitlisted with better interviews than I did. Their stats were below average of RowanSOM.

Well I guess you can say then I was an anomaly... How do you know their interviews went better, because they said they did...? That makes absolutely zero sense.

 

[mathnerd88]

Well I guess you can say then I was an anomaly... How do you know their interviews went better, because they said they did...? That makes absolutely zero sense.

People can honestly tell if their interviews went well or bad...for example, if you've had a good conversation with your interviewer, that means you did alright. I've been through multiple interviews, and I can honestly say that I did better in some interviews than others.

My interview didn't go badly at Rowan. It was just average. It just didn't go as well as some of my other interviews. I didn't have as a long conversation with my interviewer like some of the other ones who interviewed before me. The ones before me lasted over an hour each. Mine was less than 30 minutes with the same interviewer.

At my CCOM interview, I honestly stuttered a lot and had a lot of awkward pauses. I was still accepted there. I believe that your interview plays a role, but your stats, EC's, primary application as well as your secondary play a much bigger role.

Even current students with ties to adcoms say you're ranked on the waitlist based on your stats, which leads me to believe that the interview is just a small part of your application. Don't act weird or give some odd vibe to the interviewer, and you should be ok.

 

[Master3930]

People can honestly tell if their interviews went well or bad...for example, if you've had a good conversation with your interviewer, that means you did alright. I've been through multiple interviews, and I can honestly say that I did better in some interviews than others.

My interview didn't go badly at Rowan. It was just average. It just didn't go as well as some of my other interviews. I didn't have as a long conversation with my interviewer like some of the other ones who interviewed before me. The ones before me lasted over an hour each. Mine was less than 30 minutes with the same interviewer.

At my CCOM interview, I honestly stuttered a lot and had a lot of awkward pauses. I was still accepted there. I believe that your interview plays a role, but your stats, EC's, primary application as well as your secondary play a much bigger role.

Even current students with ties to adcoms say you're ranked on the waitlist based on your stats, which leads me to believe that the interview is just a small part of your application. Don't act weird or give some odd vibe to the interviewer, and you should be ok.

You can't judge your own interview plain and simple. Maybe @Goro can weigh in...

 

[Goro]

There are reams of posts here that demonstrate that people are, in fact, terrible judges of their interviews.

You can't judge your own interview plain and simple. Maybe @Goro can weigh in...

 

[Master3930]

There are reams of posts here that demonstrate that people are, in fact, terrible judges of their interviews.

I cannot thank you enough for your input

 

[mathnerd88]

You can't judge your own interview plain and simple. Maybe @Goro can weigh in...

Okay, but this whole thing deviates from what we were talking about earlier. I never said interview wasn't important. I said just don't give off weird vibes at your interview.

While people can't judge interviews objectively, it doesn't mean that your gut feeling is completely dismissed. Everyone has different standards, so there is SOME deviation, but knowing that you have to prove yourself correct does show something about you.

 

[Master3930]

Okay, but this whole thing deviates from what we were talking about earlier. I never said interview wasn't important. I said just don't give off weird vibes at your interview.

While people can't judge interviews objectively, it doesn't mean that your gut feeling is completely dismissed. Everyone has different standards, so there is SOME deviation, but knowing that you have to prove yourself correct does show something about you.

I could think of ten good reasons of what you're saying is wrong.... But I'm not gonna sit here and argue with you

 

[mathnerd88]

I could think of ten good reasons of what you're saying is wrong.... But I'm not gonna sit here and argue with you

Let's agree to disagree. Your argument is that things are either completely right, or completely wrong, black or white. I'm trying to say there's some grey area going on here. Everything should be taken as a grain of salt. I'm never saying that interview is not important. Just don't act weird or give off weird vibes. There are also interview stories you can read on here where applicants completely screw up their answer and still get accepted. Just because you're terrible at judging your own interviews, doesn't mean that because you had a bad interview you would be rejected/waitlisted. Your stats can make up for a bad interview, or vice versa. Again, you don't need to "ace" your interview to get accepted. You just have to demonstrate professionalism, and that you can work with others and work as a team, no matter what their beliefs are. Don't be argumentative, and also be self-aware.

I'm saying is my thoughts and experiences on the matter. For everyone, YMMV.

Rowan only accepts, or waitlists people that are interviewed. They don't reject after II unless something egregious happened.

If you've also realized that I was only trying to calm the nerves of the previous poster, then we wouldn't have this argument. You missed my intention completely.

 

[Master3930]

Let's agree to disagree. Your argument is that things are either completely right, or completely wrong, black or white. I'm trying to say there's some grey area going on here. Everything should be taken as a grain of salt. I'm never saying that interview is not important. Just don't act weird or give off weird vibes. There are also interview stories you can read on here where applicants completely screw up their answer and still get accepted. Just because you're terrible at judging your own interviews, doesn't mean that because you had a bad interview you would be rejected/waitlisted. Your stats can make up for a bad interview, or vice versa. Again, you don't need to "ace" your interview to get accepted. You just have to demonstrate professionalism, and that you can work with others and work as a team, no matter what their beliefs are. Don't be argumentative, and also be self-aware.

I'm saying is my thoughts and experiences on the matter. For everyone, YMMV.

Rowan only accepts, or waitlists people that are interviewed. They don't reject after II unless something egregious happened.

If you've also realized that I was only trying to calm the nerves of the previous poster, then we wouldn't have this argument. You missed my intention completely.

No offense, but personally I don't speak for everyone on here but I don't think much of your "advice" if anything has been helpful on this thread. If anything it comes off as pretentious at times and honestly. Once you get to the interview it's your seat to lose. So yes the interview is important but worrying about it is the worst thing one can do.

 

[mathnerd88]

No offense, but personally I don't speak for everyone on here but I don't think much of your "advice" if anything has been helpful on this thread. If anything it comes off as pretentious at times and honestly. Once you get to the interview it's your seat to lose. So yes the interview is important but worrying about it is the worst thing one can do.

I apologize if you've been feeling that way. It wasn't what I was trying to do.

 

[njtrimed]

You know, I felt that my interview didn't super well. I still was accepted, so I feel like it honestly depends on your stats and EC's. Your interview is just a formality. As long as you don't come off super weird, you'll be okay.

Don't think of it as something you really have to ace to be accepted.

That's definitely not how this process works.

In my case, I did not feel like my interview went super well, and I've known applicants who were waitlisted with better interviews than I did. Their stats were below average of RowanSOM.

As Goro and Master pointed out correctly, you have no way of knowing how your interview went, or how heavily weighted it will be in the final admissions decision. If your interviewer is a strong advocate for you, it may be the deciding factor, and the same is true if your interviewer recommends against your admission. You really have no way of knowing what your interviewer thought of you, either. You may really hit it off and think it went great, and your interviewer may like you quite a bit personally and think you'll be a wonderful physician but still think you aren't a good fit for that program. Some will be warm or stern or standoffish to all applicants, equally. Likewise, some interviews that last less than 30 minutes went better than others than lasted an hour, with the same interviewer. You really don't know; your own interpretation of your interview experience is just that and cannot necessarily compared to another unique applicant's experience.

Regardless, the interview DOES matter, and by the time you get to make it past the first few rounds and make it to the interview stage, I think it's a huge part of the final decision.

 

[Master3930]

That's definitely not how this process works.



As Goro and Master pointed out correctly, you have no way of knowing how your interview went, or how heavily weighted it will be in the final admissions decision. If your interviewer is a strong advocate for you, it may be the deciding factor, and the same is true if your interviewer recommends against your admission. You really have no way of knowing what your interviewer thought of you, either. You may really hit it off and think it went great, and your interviewer may like you quite a bit personally and think you'll be a wonderful physician but still think you aren't a good fit for that program. Some will be warm or stern or standoffish to all applicants, equally. Likewise, some interviews that last less than 30 minutes went better than others than lasted an hour, with the same interviewer. You really don't know; your own interpretation of your interview experience is just that and cannot necessarily compared to another unique applicant's experience.

Regardless, the interview DOES matter, and by the time you get to make it past the first few rounds and make it to the interview stage, I think it's a huge part of the final decision.

Well said, couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[mathnerd88]

That's definitely not how this process works.

As Goro and Master pointed out correctly, you have no way of knowing how your interview went, or how heavily weighted it will be in the final admissions decision. If your interviewer is a strong advocate for you, it may be the deciding factor, and the same is true if your interviewer recommends against your admission. You really have no way of knowing what your interviewer thought of you, either. You may really hit it off and think it went great, and your interviewer may like you quite a bit personally and think you'll be a wonderful physician but still think you aren't a good fit for that program. Some will be warm or stern or standoffish to all applicants, equally. Likewise, some interviews that last less than 30 minutes went better than others than lasted an hour, with the same interviewer. You really don't know; your own interpretation of your interview experience is just that and cannot necessarily compared to another unique applicant's experience.

Regardless, the interview DOES matter, and by the time you get to make it past the first few rounds and make it to the interview stage, I think it's a huge part of the final decision.

I never downplayed the interview process. I said that while it was important, it is not necessary to ace it 100%. Because the interview is subjective, nobody can really compare, so you're right. I went with my gut feelings at these interviews, and I can say that the ones I felt comfortable I was accepted, and the ones I felt uncomfortable in, I was also accepted. It may show that I'm just not good at objectively gauging myself.

Since the interview is open file, and the interviewer knows already what you're all about based on your primaries, secondaries, EC's, and stats, my assumption was that they've already formed an opinion about you. They already like you because you've been invited to the interview. The interview process was just to gauge what you're like as a person. Everyone knows it is impossible to really know a person from just one interaction with an interviewer, whether it is 30 minutes or an hour. I would bet just about every applicant would try to say that the school they're interviewing at is a good fit for them and how they're a good fit for the school and give a pretty good convincing argument.

The admissions committee works by the interviewer reporting his/her findings, and the committee votes. If your interview went badly, then obviously it would hurt. If your interview just went okay/average, your stats/EC's/well written primary and secondary/LORs may make up for it, depending on the mood/thoughts of the admissions committee. If your interview went super well, but your stats are well below average of the school, you may also be waitlisted. It is not necessary to completely ace your interview 100% and get every single question asked correctly. You just have to be likable and demonstrate that this school is a good fit. My point was that everything is important, but there's a range. I would assume, based on how other schools vote, is that they assign points to each category. (Interview, stats, EC's, etc.) Obviously none of us knows what really goes on in adcoms, but that would just be my guess.

What makes this more interesting, is that a current medical student with ties to adcoms did say you're ranked on the waitlist based on your stats.

Some of the interviews I've been on told us that the interviewers have no say in the admissions process. Some are even closed file. They just report what the applicant says electronically and the committee decides. There are also some schools which accept the majority that were interviewed. Every school is different, so I can't really comment on Rowan's process.

We really don't differ in our opinions, really. We just phrased it differently. Master wrote that the interview was the sole determination whether you are admitted or not after being granted an II, and that stats/EC's don't matter after that point. I'm saying it's the whole package (combination of all your application materials, LOR, interview) and that it may not be necessary to completely ace your interview to get accepted. I apologize if I had said anything to offend others on here.

 

[varens1]

Jeez I didn't know me being stressed out about my interview would start off such an animated discussion. I'm quite unsure how I should after all I've read.

 

[mathnerd88]

Jeez I didn't know me being stressed out about my interview would start off such an animated discussion. I'm quite unsure how I should after all I've read.

Don't be stressed out. Act professional, be prepared, honest, and genuine with your interviewer. You will be fine!

 

[Henry101]

LOL
The Jersey stereotypes are beginning to pop out and school hasn't even started yet