Rowan University (RowanSOM) Discussion Thread 2015 - 2016

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yeasureyoubetcha said:
This is why I chose it but I'm also in state
37k/yr
Receives state funding
100% match
Decent research opportunities
3rd year rotations are taken care of for you
Top ranking
Really good match list
25 min from Philly


I am not sure about any cons. What else am I missing?
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Only con I can see is for OOS ppl the cost of attendance is over 88k per year. If you include health insurance and dental, you hit 91k/ year and if you are OOS coming in then you are OOS the whole way through (can't switch to IS after a year anymore). Although that 91k figure is right around what soma would cost and less than the California DO schools
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A few things I'm interested in:

1) Board prep
2) Curriculum structure
3) Clinical skills prep
4) Rotation arrangement
5) Strength of matching

I'll do my own digging on these things but if anyone has some specific details they could share it'd be much appreciated.
 
echo87 said:
A few things I'm interested in:

1) Board prep
2) Curriculum structure
3) Clinical skills prep
4) Rotation arrangement
5) Strength of matching

I'll do my own digging on these things but if anyone has some specific details they could share it'd be much appreciated.
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From what I recall, they do give you time to prep for boards. I believe the curriculum is integrated systems-based. 3rd year I think everyone does their rotations at Kennedy or some of the other OPTI hospitals.
 
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For someone just receiving an interview invite, would March 22 be way too late to interview? As in, would the class at that time be completely filled and others would just be competing for waitlist spots at that point? I'm just wondering if I should wait for an earlier date to open up
 
medhopeful92 said:
For someone just receiving an interview invite, would March 22 be way too late to interview? As in, would the class at that time be completely filled and others would just be competing for waitlist spots at that point? I'm just wondering if I should wait for an earlier date to open up
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Looking at last year they had a "hold list" (as opposed to wait list) after the class was full that was basically a conditional acceptance and there was movement on it. I don't think 3/22 is "too late" necessarily especially considering the school is expanding this year and the hold list.
 
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Endo2393 said:
Looking at last year they had a "hold list" (as opposed to wait list) after the class was full that was basically a conditional acceptance and there was movement on it. I don't think 3/22 is "too late" necessarily especially considering the school is expanding this year and the hold list.
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Just curious, for a school like Rowan, has the class filled up already?
 
echo87 said:
A few things I'm interested in:

1) Board prep
2) Curriculum structure
3) Clinical skills prep
4) Rotation arrangement
5) Strength of matching

I'll do my own digging on these things but if anyone has some specific details they could share it'd be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

1) Board prep: We are given the Kaplan lectures and books. Also the class before you will be able to pass you down some resources that are helpful. Usually get a month to prep with no classes which is more than enough since you will probably start studying in January.
2) Curriculum structure: Depends on if you are PBL or not. Lecture structure is based on systems. So the first 3 blocks is fundamentals, the next couple of blocks will be cardio, neuro, etc and it will dive into the basics of each system. 2nd year is still systems based but it will be from a clinical standpoint such as pt presentation, drugs, and etc.
3) Clinical skills prep: Pretty well, from the start of 3rd year you will be able to do basic exams already, interview, write SOAP notes, and have experience interacting with patients. There is a clinical skills week during the end of 2nd year after your boards that will teach you how to put in IVs, use the local EMR, suture, CPR certify you and all that basic stuff. To be honest, it's just a base and your skills will be honed in when you hit the hospitals..
4) Rotation arrangement: lottery system during 2nd year. You can choose tracks and rank them but they are decided randomly. As of right now I believe there is the standard Kennedy/Lorde's Track (the hospitals next door and nearby), Vineland, AtlanticCare (Atlantic City), Christ (Jersey City), Atlantic Health (Morristown/Overlook), Ocean (Meridian Health) and I believe they are adding 2 other tracks next year. All the tracks have a limited amount of spots except for Kennedy/Lorde's.
5) Strength of matching: Depends on you really. What your scores are, how you do in rotation, where you apply, where you want to apply and etc. Our school has a pretty high match rate but every year I hear 1 or 2 students didn't match because they aimed too high or did something uncharacteristic.
 
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WhyDoWeFall said:
1) Board prep: We are given the Kaplan lectures and books. Also the class before you will be able to pass you down some resources that are helpful. Usually get a month to prep with no classes which is more than enough since you will probably start studying in January.
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Is course material modeled after boards at all? And are there any integrated board prep into your curriculum or is it just that month off that you get to self-study?

WhyDoWeFall said:
3) Clinical skills prep: Pretty well, from the start of 3rd year you will be able to do basic exams already, interview, write SOAP notes, and have experience interacting with patients. There is a clinical skills week during the end of 2nd year after your boards that will teach you how to put in IVs, use the local EMR, suture, CPR certify you and all that basic stuff. To be honest, it's just a base and your skills will be honed in when you hit the hospitals..
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I'm assuming being able to do basic things from the start of 3rd year means that there is clinical exposure and instruction in the pre-clinical years, how is this done/set up? (Other than the clinical skills week you mentioned)

WhyDoWeFall said:
4) Rotation arrangement: lottery system during 2nd year. You can choose tracks and rank them but they are decided randomly. As of right now I believe there is the standard Kennedy/Lorde's Track (the hospitals next door and nearby), Vineland, AtlanticCare (Atlantic City), Christ (Jersey City), Atlantic Health (Morristown/Overlook), Ocean (Meridian Health) and I believe they are adding 2 other tracks next year. All the tracks have a limited amount of spots except for Kennedy/Lorde's.
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Do these tracks have all the required rotations on-site or is it necessary for any of the tracks to arrange missing rotations at other places?




Thanks WhyDoWeFall, SDN wouldn't work without people like you ;)
 
Around how many people are in each class? Is it 150 or 250?
 
cma116 said:
Around how many people are in each class? Is it 150 or 250?
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There are now 186 seats for class of 2020. It will rise to an eventual class size of 200 over the next few years.
 
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Out of that 186, does anyone have an idea roughly how many seats have been filled so far?
 
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Hello! How long does it normally take for a matriculation packet to come after the acceptance call?


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Doctordoctor88 said:
Out of that 186, does anyone have an idea roughly how many seats have been filled so far?
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After I interviewed on 2/11, the admissions counselor unofficially said that there were many more seats. It was unofficial of course, but take from it what you will:)


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chiaragianna said:
Hello! How long does it normally take for a matriculation packet to come after the acceptance call?


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It took right around two weeks for me- received acceptance packet via email
 
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echo87 said:
Is course material modeled after boards at all? And are there any integrated board prep into your curriculum or is it just that month off that you get to self-study?



I'm assuming being able to do basic things from the start of 3rd year means that there is clinical exposure and instruction in the pre-clinical years, how is this done/set up? (Other than the clinical skills week you mentioned)



Do these tracks have all the required rotations on-site or is it necessary for any of the tracks to arrange missing rotations at other places?




Thanks WhyDoWeFall, SDN wouldn't work without people like you ;)
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The courses are generally modeled after the boards. Basic knowledge is basic knowledge but a lot of the times, you need to separate from what the clinician likes to do and from what the guidelines say. I think the courses give you a good introduction and base knowledge but you do need to hammer home some of the points that they don't touch.

You would be correct about the clinical skills. Things such as taking a history, doing basic physicals for all sorts of problems, writing a SOAP note, and doing clinical evaluations. Every year you are required to do 3 2-4 hr rotations in a family medicine and a specialty of your choice. In addition, there is a course called "On Doctoring" and another course first year (the names may be changing) which will give you a lecture, then lab time to practice what you were taught. Your exams will be a practical in the SP lab with actors that will play patients. This will give you real experience on how to act, and how it feels like to be talking to someone other than your textbooks.

I am not sure about that second part of your 3rd question. All the tracks will have their own spots for each specialty. There are some exceptions such as Pain and Palliative which will be held at Stratford. I believe Ocean needs to return for OMM and there are random rotations that will need you to return but I am not familiar with which ones need this. For Morristown I know it was only Pain and Palliative, otherwise you stay north. Also please bare in mind that even though you do these tracks elsewhere, some rotations will need to occasionally come in to stratford for lectures/OSCE/exam. The traveling is what it is but they try to minimize it. Things may change but most of the time it's for the better.

Hahaha, I remember what it's like to be a PreMed so I try to help out whenever I can. Just pay it forward!
 
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School is my top choice, just had interview recently.

Totally blown away by the school, very family type atmosphere. So nervous!
 
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WhyDoWeFall said:
The courses are generally modeled after the boards. Basic knowledge is basic knowledge but a lot of the times, you need to separate from what the clinician likes to do and from what the guidelines say. I think the courses give you a good introduction and base knowledge but you do need to hammer home some of the points that they don't touch.

You would be correct about the clinical skills. Things such as taking a history, doing basic physicals for all sorts of problems, writing a SOAP note, and doing clinical evaluations. Every year you are required to do 3 2-4 hr rotations in a family medicine and a specialty of your choice. In addition, there is a course called "On Doctoring" and another course first year (the names may be changing) which will give you a lecture, then lab time to practice what you were taught. Your exams will be a practical in the SP lab with actors that will play patients. This will give you real experience on how to act, and how it feels like to be talking to someone other than your textbooks.

I am not sure about that second part of your 3rd question. All the tracks will have their own spots for each specialty. There are some exceptions such as Pain and Palliative which will be held at Stratford. I believe Ocean needs to return for OMM and there are random rotations that will need you to return but I am not familiar with which ones need this. For Morristown I know it was only Pain and Palliative, otherwise you stay north. Also please bare in mind that even though you do these tracks elsewhere, some rotations will need to occasionally come in to stratford for lectures/OSCE/exam. The traveling is what it is but they try to minimize it. Things may change but most of the time it's for the better.

Hahaha, I remember what it's like to be a PreMed so I try to help out whenever I can. Just pay it forward!
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You the real mvp
 
QueenJames said:
Can you please list some of the pros and cons that you have come up with? I will be coming from the west coast so it will be a huge change for me. However, I have read that the rotations site quality are pretty good. I'm sort of in a funk now because I do not want to sell myself short when it comes to my medical education.
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Rowan is regarded in high esteem compared to lot of other schools. We are right next to and have good relationships with PCOM, which is another osteopathic powerhouse. If you look at our match list compared to other schools it speaks for itself. Additionally, the faculty and staff are constantly making sure we are happy. The community is helpful and uplifting, we share all of our resources for every test and our class feels like a team for every obstacle we face. Additionally, we are located near a light rail (3 minute walk, viewable from the school) that takes you directly into Philly, we are also about a 40 minute drive to the beach; New York City is 1.5 hours away; Washington D.C. is about 2 hours away; so in the few chances you have to get away from your studies you will always have something exciting to do. I am actually originally from Santa Clara, California and then the midwest. I moved out here about 1.5 decades ago and grew up about 5 minutes from this school. The west coast is amazing, but this school was my number one for a reason. I will probably stay around here for the rest of my life.

Again I can't really speak on ATSU, according to SDN rankings they are on par with RowanSOM and PCOM. I am sure it is a great school, but I would be lying if I said you'd be robbing yourself, if you didn't at least check RowanSOM out (provided you have the time and funds).

http://schools.studentdoctor.net/schools/1/osteopathic-medical-school-rankings/0

(rankings here higher number = better)
 
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Just wanted to throw in some additional information here. RowanSOM is very well respected to residency programs- I can't tell you how many PDs told me how high they respect Rowan students, how Dean Cavalieri is a phenomenal dean, and how they know that they are getting excellent residents. Rowan prepares us very well, and you will have all the tools you need to take the next step right on into residency.

The other thing I want to point out is how well Rowan prepares you for the Comlex Level 2 PE. A lot of the other students I spoke to from other schools were saying how they hadn't had much exposure to standardized patients as well as the different cases the Comlex throws at you. From first year and right on to the end of third year, you get plenty of SP cases to prepare you. At the conclusion of third year, you have a mandatory mock PE, which looking back on it, had about 2-3 exact cases that I encountered on the actual exam.

Whole point is, we are a very proud school, family oriented, and consistently one of the top DO schools in the country. You will not regret coming here.

Good luck to all!

-StaystrongDO
 
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chipanddale20 said:
do any accepted students know where we find our Rowan ID #?
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I have received nothing other than an acceptance packet via email since I was notified of my acceptance in November of last year. I think we're all in the same boat haha. Rowan can take their time, but maybe I can get more info during Accepted Students Day.
 
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grey_wind said:
Just curious what do we need this for, right now at least?


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I emailed admissions the other day with a question and they asked that in my future emails that I include my Rowan ID
 
chipanddale20 said:
I emailed admissions the other day with a question and they asked that in my future emails that I include my Rowan ID
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Interesting, that's weird, wonder if maybe it's hidden somewhere in the application portal? Don't recall ever seeing something though
 
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grey_wind said:
Interesting, that's weird, wonder if maybe it's hidden somewhere in the application portal? Don't recall ever seeing something though
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I am pretty sure we were assigned our actual Rowan ID during prematriculation program (if you participated in it), or within the first day of classes.


chipanddale20 said:
I emailed admissions the other day with a question and they asked that in my future emails that I include my Rowan ID
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Can you PM me who said this in email specifically? I can go ask them tomorrow about it.
 
Hey all!

I was wondering if anyone has been accepted off of the wait-list yet or is it safe to assume we will be waiting a little longer before they start pulling students from there. Thank you and best of luck to everyone.
 
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RivvyDocs said:
Hey all!

I was wondering if anyone has been accepted off of the wait-list yet or is it safe to assume we will be waiting a little longer before they start pulling students from there. Thank you and best of luck to everyone.
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There is one that I know so far who has been accepted off the waitlist this year.
 
Can anyone give me contact information of someone is Admission please. I have tried contacting them multiple times also leaving voicemails but no-one is getting back to me :/
 
Hi everyone,
For those that received their decisions already, how long does it typically take to hear back?
 
i apologize if this has been asked and answered multiple times:

when do people get taken off the alternate list? is that second to the wait list? is there movement only at the top?
 
WeDoNotSow said:
Hi everyone,
For those that received their decisions already, how long does it typically take to hear back?
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It took me a full month of writhing and sorrow to hear back. But it's worth the wait.


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varens1 said:
What is an acceptance packet ?


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All the information you need to matriculate, their checklist, the form you check off saying you'll attend, immunization and health requirements. That kind of stuff

WeDoNotSow said:
Hi everyone,
For those that received their decisions already, how long does it typically take to hear back?
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The committee meetings are every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month. They get out between 4:30-5pm and call acceptances right after.
 
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yeasureyoubetcha said:
All the information you need to matriculate, their checklist, the form you check off saying you'll attend, immunization and health requirements. That kind of stuff


The committee meetings are every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month. They get out between 4:30-5pm and call acceptances right after.
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By right away do you mean they send out calls like the week after they make the decisions. Or like between the hours of after 5pm as soon as they meet. Since all the called acceptences I've gotten have been during the normal workday hours.
 
wednesday0012 said:
By right away do you mean they send out calls like the week after they make the decisions. Or like between the hours of after 5pm as soon as they meet. Since all the called acceptences I've gotten have been during the normal workday hours.
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Like right after they meet and sometimes that saturday-monday
 
Did anyone receive a call today? Specifically I am wondering if they called anyone from the February 25th interview. Thanks!
 
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