Rowan University (RowanSOM) Discussion Thread 2015 - 2016

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Trying to send letters through interfolio...they aren't coming up though, anyone know what to do?

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Does anyone know if EDP makes any difference in your application other than knowing earlier? Rowan is my top choice school, and I want to do EDP, but then I read that you cannot apply to any other school.

Since I already received an interview from other schools, am I ineligible for applying for the EDP? My full intention is to go to Rowan if accepted.
 
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Is anyone else having trouble opening the link to the secondary that was provided?
 
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For the identifying your area of professional interest below, do you just list what residency you are considering?

Do you need to write a 500 word essay on why you want to go into that residency? Is it okay just to list which is your top choice?
 
I just listed them haha. No need to reinvent the wheel.
 
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Can someone tell me if it is asking the barriers I overcame in the past or will need to overcome in the future?
"Please describe any significant barriers or challenges you may have overcome in the pursuit of your personal/professional goals. "
 
has anyone used interfolio to send letters?
 
Is anyone else having trouble opening the link to the secondary that was provided?
me too. Anyone know a fix? is it working for you or anyone else who was affected by this problem yet?
 
ok so when you click it look at the URL bar, for me I only see ".." which is why it's coming up as cannot be loaded. When i copied and pasted the link though it loaded...probably some glitch on their end! Hope this helps :)
 
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I've spoken with the head of the adcomm here in person and via email several times. If you have ever retaken a class, have a dip in your GPA for a period of time and then got back on track, have retaken the MCAT, etc. they highly recommend the optional essay.

Could be the determining factor of whether or not you get an II.
 
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I've spoken with the head of the adcomm here in person and via email several times. If you have ever retaken a class, have a dip in your GPA for a period of time and then got back on track, have retaken the MCAT, etc. they highly recommend the optional essay.

Could be the determining factor of whether or not you get an II.

Hmm, I feel like it depends on how significant the dip is, and your resultant GPA after that. I retook my MCAT just to go from a 30 to a 31, so I don't think I can write about that. The word "significant" barriers makes it sound like it is for people who were from disadvantaged status, have severe lapse in classes, and a below average MCAT score.

I'm not sure.
 
Hmm, I feel like it depends on how significant the dip is, and your resultant GPA after that. I retook my MCAT just to go from a 30 to a 31, so I don't think I can write about that. The word "significant" barriers makes it sound like it is for people who were from disadvantaged status, have severe lapse in classes, and a below average MCAT score.

I'm not sure.

Yes, going from a 30 to a 31 is not a significant barrier lol. If you went from from a 19 to to a 31 then you should write it. She was implying however that just because you may have some weakness on your app, like a bad semester or limited EC experiences because you had family responsibilities, etc. that you will not be written off so easily.
 
Yes, going from a 30 to a 31 is not a significant barrier lol. If you went from from a 19 to to a 31 then you should write it. She was implying however that just because you may have some weakness on your app, like a bad semester or limited EC experiences because you had family responsibilities, etc. that you will not be written off so easily.

Ahh makes sense. I did have a bad semester but I don't want to write about it in risk of sounding whiny. My stats are still about average/above average. I decided to write about a significant challenge in work and what I learned from it.
 
I submitted my secondary, but when I check my application status it says that neither my letters of rec nor my MCAT scores have been received. Anybody else have this issue?
 
I submitted my secondary, but when I check my application status it says that neither my letters of rec nor my MCAT scores have been received. Anybody else have this issue?

I have not submitted yet, but my MCAT is showing as received. My LORs are not.
 
So I am struggling with this optional essay...Is not writing it an admission that you have never struggled with anything?

[Edit] I mean to say, of course everyone has struggled with things in their life, but some things are appropriate for an application and some are not appropriate or not pc or are stigmatized and admission of them can "make you seem like a risky applicant". So I feel like I can't talk about the struggles I have dealt with but at the same time leaving it blank feels .... wrong?

LOL idk maybe I'm thinking too much about this. Leave it to an optional essay to trip me up.
 
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So I am struggling with this optional essay...Is not writing it an admission that you have never struggled with anything?

[Edit] I mean to say, of course everyone has struggled with things in their life, but some things are appropriate for an application and some are not appropriate or not pc or are stigmatized and admission of them can "make you seem like a risky applicant". So I feel like I can't talk about the struggles I have dealt with but at the same time leaving it blank feels .... wrong?

LOL idk maybe I'm thinking too much about this. Leave it to an optional essay to trip me up.
lol its optional...
 
So I am struggling with this optional essay...Is not writing it an admission that you have never struggled with anything?

[Edit] I mean to say, of course everyone has struggled with things in their life, but some things are appropriate for an application and some are not appropriate or not pc or are stigmatized and admission of them can "make you seem like a risky applicant". So I feel like I can't talk about the struggles I have dealt with but at the same time leaving it blank feels .... wrong?

LOL idk maybe I'm thinking too much about this. Leave it to an optional essay to trip me up.
Don't worry too much about it. I didn't write anything for the optional essay. I also did not write to the full word limit on the other essays. Say what you need to in the most efficient and effective way possible!!
 
Just want to say that if you are around the averages and worried about your stats, I'd encourage you all still to apply. I had terrible anxiety about this when applying. I was accepted here for the entering 2015 class (Class of 2019). The school is amazing so far. Everyone here is so helpful. We are almost done the first week of pre-matriculation and I couldn't be happier that I applied here.

I don't mean to sound corny, or give false hope, but you have a chance and you should take it. Hearing this sort of advice is rare on these boards, most people condemn you for any blemish on your stats. I just want to make sure people know that it is okay to not be a perfect person in numbers.

Good luck and feel free to ask me any questions and I'll try my best to answer.

+1 to my buddy @ksmustang

We just finished our last day of pre-matric classes yesterday, and I have to say that RowanSOM has done an awesome job of selecting such a diverse group of individuals. Everyone is definitely a family here - it's really hard to understand until you're apart of it!!

Anyone interested in applying should absolutely take a chance. If there are any questions, post in the group or message me. I would 10000% trust anything @ksmustang says too - we're here to help you all!
 
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+1 to my buddy @ksmustang

We just finished our last day of pre-matric classes yesterday, and I have to say that RowanSOM has done an awesome job of selecting such a diverse group of individuals. Everyone is definitely a family here - it's really hard to understand until you're apart of it!!

Anyone interested in applying should absolutely take a chance. If there are any questions, post in the group or message me. I would 10000% trust anything @ksmustang says too - we're here to help you all!

I didn't know that rowan had a pre-matric program...what do they entail? Does pretty much the entire class option to take it?
 
I didn't know that rowan had a pre-matric program...what do they entail? Does pretty much the entire class option to take it?
Pre-matric is a 5 week program designed to introduce you to the pace/volume of work you'll be dealing with in medical school. None of the grades count for anything or go onto your transcript. It's a really good program for anyone who has been out of school for a bit, but I think anyone that was in the program with me would agree that it was beneficial overall regardless of background. Some students are required by the school to take it and others can opt into the program. This year about 45 of the 160 total that will be in our class participated. Honestly, I think the best thing I gained from the program was a great group of friends that I will be able to depend upon once the school year begins in a couple weeks!
 
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Pre-matric is a 5 week program designed to introduce you to the pace/volume of work you'll be dealing with in medical school. None of the grades count for anything or go onto your transcript. It's a really good program for anyone who has been out of school for a bit, but I think anyone that was in the program with me would agree that it was beneficial overall regardless of background. Some students are required by the school to take it and others can opt into the program. This year about 45 of the 160 total that will be in our class participated. Honestly, I think the best thing I gained from the program was a great group of friends that I will be able to depend upon once the school year begins in a couple weeks!
that sounds amazing. do you know any other programs with a pre-matric program? Ive just never heard of this until now!
 
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So I just finished and paid for my secondary, but it isn't letting me officially submit it. The "I certify this is me blah blah" tab is gray, so I can't even click on it, let alone sign my application and submit it. Anybody else have this problem? Was I supposed to submit it prior to paying for it? I'm confused.
 
that sounds amazing. do you know any other programs with a pre-matric program? Ive just never heard of this until now!
Honestly, I do not know. None of the other schools I applied to had a program like this!

PS if I didn't mention, pre-matric is free with your tutition
 
I just got off the phone with the admissions office and they said they are not even looking at the apps yet! they are still trying to keep up with the incoming class so that is why they havent updated the portal! so your letters might be received (like mine) but they havent updated the status yet. They said the will start reviewing apps for the end of August.
 
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I just got off the phone with the admissions office and they said they are not even looking at the apps yet! they are still trying to keep up with the incoming class so that is why they havent updated the portal! so your letters might be received (like mine) but they havent updated the status yet. They said the will start reviewing apps for the end of August.
so your telling me a person who submited their secondary say a week ago is on the same playing ground who submits theirs 3 weeks from now?
 
so your telling me a person who submited their secondary say a week ago is on the same playing ground who submits theirs 3 weeks from now?

I know that Rowan is usually a little bit late in the process. I wouldn't be surprised if that is true.
 
There's two types of schools...ones that update you every step along the way (VCOM,CUSOM) and ones that keep you in the dark until it's convenient for them...

Why, Rowan, why?!
 
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There's two types of schools...ones that update you every step along the way (VCOM,CUSOM) and ones that keep you in the dark until it's convenient for them...

Why, Rowan, why?!
its been like a week or more for me. I haven't heard anything from VCOM since I submitted my secondary. What updates have you been getting???
 
its been like a week or more for me. I haven't heard anything from VCOM since I submitted my secondary. What updates have you been getting???

I havent gotten any communication from Rowan, no one has. Check the vcom thread for the updates they are giving out.
 
I havent gotten any communication from Rowan, no one has. Check the vcom thread for the updates they are giving out.
The school is literally still pulling people off the waitlist for the class starting in two weeks. They are definitely busy right now with the white coat ceremony in 2 weeks! Just relax and give it time. This is a LONG process but it's all worth it in the long run. If you call or email admissions, they are very quick and responsive.
 
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I think everyone (myself included) just gets too neurotic at this point in the game. I mean, it's only July...aka what, 8 months before the deadline to submit lol? In the grand scheme of things it's not going to matter much. We're all applying earlier than like 90% of the population.

Plus, when you take into consideration that everyone gets a secondary for Rowan, it means admissions needs to weed through THAT much more paperwork. Maybe it's okay that schools all have different process times...it gives us us a chance to focus only on a few schools at a time.
 
Just to be sure -- anybody who filled out the secondary -- all you did for your letters of rec was mark the box that said AACOMAS, right? Do we need to do anything else to get our letters in to them?
 
Definitely relax. As far as same playing ground. People were accepted to 2015 class who applied very early and very late, so as @LuluMed said, relax. Do what you can, then relax.
 
Is anyone else still having problem accessing the secondary from the link they sent us in the email? It's been a week and I still see a blank page whenever I click on the link. :(
 
Anyone send letters with interfolio and get them marked received? still waiting...
 
Anyone send letters with interfolio and get them marked received? still waiting...

I called in today and spoke with Paula Watkins, the assistant dean of admissions. She mentioned that they will not be downloading any letters from interfolio or AACOMAS because they are working on finalizing this year's incoming class. They will start looking at stuff for next year's incoming class (aka us) in a couple of weeks. So nothing is going to be updated in that portal for a little while, but don't worry about it.
 
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Just got an email stating...

"Please be advised that we have experienced a delay in receipt of letters of recommendation submitted through AACOMAS and are diligently working with AACOMAS to rectify the problem. Letters of recommendation sent via Interfolio and/or VirtualEvals are not affected by the delay. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to receipt of your completed application."

Sadface.
 
Just got an email stating...

"Please be advised that we have experienced a delay in receipt of letters of recommendation submitted through AACOMAS and are diligently working with AACOMAS to rectify the problem. Letters of recommendation sent via Interfolio and/or VirtualEvals are not affected by the delay. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to receipt of your completed application."

Sadface.
This is likely an issue across all schools then. Don't worry, they'll fix something like this quick and it won't negatively affect your chances at an II.

Try to enjoy your summer and the nice (but just a little too hot) weather while it's still here!!
 
This is likely an issue across all schools then. Don't worry, they'll fix something like this quick and it won't negatively affect your chances at an II.

Try to enjoy your summer and the nice (but just a little too hot) weather while it's still here!!
Agreed! Also RowanSOM start the review process late anyways!
 
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