UMDNJ - NJMS class of 2011!!!!!

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Breaking News: there is a manhunt going on in Newark RIGHT across from UMDNJ for a guy who shot a security guard in the head. At the plaza across from the new dorms (University Plaza), so be alert if you're in the area.

it was kind of interesting to wake up this morning at 10 to the sounds of sirens of over 20 to 30 police cars....cant believe this happened directly across my window

how exciting

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Breaking News: there is a manhunt going on in Newark RIGHT across from UMDNJ for a guy who shot a security guard in the head. At the plaza across from the new dorms (University Plaza), so be alert if you're in the area.

Wowwie-wow-wow! I guess things are exciting in Newark! I'm feeling all warm, safe and fuzzy about my new school already...:scared:
 
No dress code. Orientation and class are very causal (jeans/t-shirts/whatever you want) in general. Exceptions: White Coat Ceremony Day during orientation, preceptorships, and the occasional CORE small group prof requires you to dress up.

In regards to the shooting, just stay alert, walk with a friend in evening/night/early morning. It was a targeted attack on a security guard making a pickup of money or something to that effect. No umdnj folks were involved.

Good luck you guys! First year is rough but a lot of fun. Get out of it as much as you can, but stay sane, see movies/hang with friends/spend time with family.
 
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are any of you going to either of the dinners? I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go to Iberia, but unless a bunch of people go to Medeival Times, I'm not going to rsvp to that one.
 
Ok, so I got the financial aid package. But it is over $7k short of the cost of attendance. I called them up and they said that I have to explore alternative loan options. So I am wondering first, what made the COA go up so much this year?!? Second, should I apply for the alternative loans or wait and see if I have enough $$$?

I am glad that they waited until two weeks before orientation to finally start to move on this stuff...
 
Ok, so I got the financial aid package. But it is over $7k short of the cost of attendance. I called them up and they said that I have to explore alternative loan options. So I am wondering first, what made the COA go up so much this year?!? Second, should I apply for the alternative loans or wait and see if I have enough $$$?

I am glad that they waited until two weeks before orientation to finally start to move on this stuff...

Good lord! I still haven't gotten mine, and now I'm all kind of worried. I was counting on that money, and was assured that it wouldn't be a problem getting the maximum ammount. What was toe total COA anyway? $52K like Osin said a while ago? The page I'm looking on still says $80K, which I know is wrong. Nice of them to wait 'till after we signed leases and whatnot to let us know how much we'd be getting in aid. That's kinda a$$ backwards, IMO. Grrr...:mad:
 
Apparently you can only get up to around 44k in federal money. After that it is up to you to find outside loans to get up to the COA.
 
Good lord! I still haven't gotten mine, and now I'm all kind of worried. I was counting on that money, and was assured that it wouldn't be a problem getting the maximum ammount. What was toe total COA anyway? $52K like Osin said a while ago? The page I'm looking on still says $80K, which I know is wrong. Nice of them to wait 'till after we signed leases and whatnot to let us know how much we'd be getting in aid. That's kinda a$$ backwards, IMO. Grrr...:mad:

I haven't gotten mine, either. I called the fin aid office and the woman who answered told me I'd get everything at Orientation, that I'm not supposed to get anything in the mail right now. :confused:
 
anyone know what time the white coat ceremony is?

i haven't received anything in the mai. Kind of worried. For some reason I haven't received mail since last thursday
 
my financial aid package last year wasnt ready until the first week of august and in orientation they gave us all promissory notes. wcc begins at 4 PM and ends at about 5:30 followed by a reception and the dinner at Iberia.
 
Just to clarify, I did not receive anything from the finaid office. I got a letter from Sallie Mae asking me to sign in and sign a prommissory note. Once I did this it told me how much my loan was for.
 
Apparently you can only get up to around 44k in federal money. After that it is up to you to find outside loans to get up to the COA.

I'm under 44k in loans too. anyone know how we're suppose to get these outside loans. I'm a bit clueless
 
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ok this is a response to the ppl who want additional financial aid:

the financial aid office gives out financial aid that is slightly lower than the COA, this is because not everyone needs the maxed out loans mostly since they assume that you are living with ur rents and have lower expenses.

in order for you to max out your financial aid to the COA, you need to visit the financial aid office and fill out Form 17 (Request for Additional Financial Aid), request the additional amount you want and sign it.

If you need money more than the COA then you might need private loans that have very high interest rates. But as for me COA amount was sufficient last year.
 
ok this is a response to the ppl who want additional financial aid:

the financial aid office gives out financial aid that is slightly lower than the COA, this is because not everyone needs the maxed out loans mostly since they assume that you are living with ur rents and have lower expenses.

in order for you to max out your financial aid to the COA, you need to visit the financial aid office and fill out Form 17 (Request for Additional Financial Aid), request the additional amount you want and sign it.

If you need money more than the COA then you might need private loans that have very high interest rates. But as for me COA amount was sufficient last year.

Thanks for this! Its a big help!
 
i'm confused. hopster said that according to the fin. aid office we need to find outside options. i guess i'll call on monday
 
what is the interest rate for the loans they are providing us with? i am new to this loan stuff bc my rents paid for my undergrad.
 
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Has everyone received their orientation packet yet? I still haven't.
 
Has everyone received their orientation packet yet? I still haven't.

I got mine last week (like, Thursday). Give them a call if you don't get it by tomorrow. Some of the things they ask is how many people are you bringing to the dinner at Iberia, and whether you will be participating in any other orientation stuff (dinners, volunteer opportunities, etc.). See you next week! :)
 
So I spoke to the finicial aid office and they said that I maxed out my Fed. loans. She said I need to use outside lenders like GradPlus. Anyone know any other lenders?
 
So I spoke to the finicial aid office and they said that I maxed out my Fed. loans. She said I need to use outside lenders like GradPlus. Anyone know any other lenders?

When I talked to the FA office, they suggested Grad Plus or NJ Class loans. NJ Class loans have a lower initial interest rate, but can't be consolidated with other loans when you graduate. Call FA again with any questions, and ask for clarifications, and what the differences are. One might fit your particular circumstances better than another.

Also, the FA office suggested that I see how far I can get without extra loans, since I can apply for them later in the year. Since interest is accruing the whole time you have them, better to take them out later if you can get away with it than right away before you need them to save on the interest.

If you get any more info, please do share! I'm hoping I understood correctly what the woman was telling me...I've never done the student loan thing. With all the kickback scandals going around, I'm extra nervous that I'm going to be getting taken advantage of in some way. That's kind of sad! School should be looking out for us, not making us feel paranoid! :(
 
stafford are around 38g's total. Past that you need to look into Perkins(if applicable) or grad plus. You can go through banks like wachovia/chase etc for grad plus and it takes about two weeks to get the money after you apply online, interest rate is around 8% with some incentives to pay on time. So with that being said, if you really need the extra money then take it out but try your best to live like a student and conserve on cash, you can also look into doing summer research after your first year of medical school because most will have a 2-3g stipend.

Also, I put my money into an online HSBC account and get 5% interest and just have it hooked up to my checking account for easy transfers.
 
those of you who want to get private loans be careful of in-school interest payments. Some private loans require you to pay the interest on ur loan when you are in school while ur principle balance can be paid after graduation.
 
Hi!
Looking over the guide they sent us, I was wondering how important is it that we buy:
• Diagnostic Set which includes an otoscope and ophthalmoscope: halogen light required; rechargeable handle strongly recommended.
• Stethoscope
• Pocket pen light with replacement bulbs and batteries
• Reflex hammer
• Tuning fork (188 C is preferred)
• Hand-held chart for visual acuity testing
• Sphygmomanometer, aneroid type, standard adult cuff

Some of these things are pretty expensive...just adds to debt :)
 
steth is all I had and all I really needed. for another 5 bucks you can get the pen light, reflex hammer, tuning fork and eye chart. Welsch Allen will probably be coming to give you a presentation on buying stuff from them, I recommend the student lounge for some pool or table tennis during this event. This stuff just isnt needed. During some exam sessions during core you will have to have it but its still really dumb, all the places like preceptor/hospital have all there own stuff there so why bother.

And while this wont make any sense to you right now, let me say while the pan optic they are going to show works great and all, its just not worth the price and you need to learn how to use a cheap set.
 
From a 3rd year perspective, you will need all this stuff eventually. (You'll be the star student if you have a opthalmoscope/otoscope on you in peds.) And in the individual UH rooms, these items are not there. Whether you want to buy it all now or order it later when a. it won't be at the discounts that you can get during orientation, b. you will be too busy/stressed to remember to order, that's fine.

I bought the cheapest options for everything (didn't get the panoptic) and I was fine. It's whatever you prefer.
 
Thanks UDbio for your input but its still very opposite from what other 3rd years have told me. As for the discounts.....just go to allheart.com and dont worry about that. If the time does come 3rd year and I need to purchase these I will definitly post it up.

Oh and one more thing, I did not know a single person who used their PDA if they did buy it. For preceptor I just came back home and used my computer to log into meditrek and fill out the forms. While I was at preceptor I had my trusty pad and pen. BUT I will get a PDA for 3rd year due to numerous benefits.
 
ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED
you absolutely need the stethoscope and reflex hammer...some ppl use the bell of their stethoscope as a hammer, but I was told this may damage it in the long run, so I recommened u buy a seperate hammer. For the stethoscope I recommend the Littmann Cardiology III.

Recommended by me, but not required.
the eye pen is usually offered by the Alumni Assoc as a gift. You can wait for the ophthalmoscope/otoscope maybe until next year. The tuning fork is good to have, it costs a few bucks, but I was ok without it. The eyechart...many people had bought it and never even used it except for once.

Dont waste your money on this
And for the BP cuff...u shudnt be carrying crap like that around.
 
Thanks guys - this is great info!
 
Who else is starting to get excited (and nervous)? I'm sure we'll be swamped with work very soon, but for the moment I'm pretty psyched.

Anyone going to the dinner at Iberia after the WCC? I think I will, get a chance to sample some of the Ironbound cuisine, which I've heard very good things about.

And, question for the 2nd/3rd years (or anyone that has already moved to Newark), what grocery stores are there around there? I know there's a Pathmark right by the school, but are there any slightly nicer stores? I've got a car, so if I have to drive 10-15 minutes that's not a problem.
 
I went to the pathmark, and it isnt bad. Theres a shoprite in west orange, and without traffic it only takes prolly 5 minutes to get there. also, there are 2 wholefoods pretty close by. Who else is living in newark? I'm living in society hill 3...i just moved in with my new hubby and its pretty nice. I'd love to meet some people living around here.

also, i didnt rsvp to iberia because i figured it would be med students hanging out with their individual families and the buffet seemed really expensive per head, especially if i wasnt going to meet other fellow students. i think we're going to check some other place out. I'll be going to medieval times though, and im going to the cares thingy too.

im a lil confused about financial aid guys. tuition is only about 22k and books are maybe 4k more MAX. Why do we need 44k? Is it because of rent/housing?
 
I went to the pathmark, and it isnt bad. Theres a shoprite in west orange, and without traffic it only takes prolly 5 minutes to get there. also, there are 2 wholefoods pretty close by. Who else is living in newark? I'm living in society hill 3...i just moved in with my new hubby and its pretty nice. I'd love to meet some people living around here.

also, i didnt rsvp to iberia because i figured it would be med students hanging out with their individual families and the buffet seemed really expensive per head, especially if i wasnt going to meet other fellow students. i think we're going to check some other place out. I'll be going to medieval times though, and im going to the cares thingy too.

im a lil confused about financial aid guys. tuition is only about 22k and books are maybe 4k more MAX. Why do we need 44k? Is it because of rent/housing?

Yes, and things like car insurance, heat, electricity and food. Now that we aren't working (for those of us who are re-entering school), we do need to survive without a paycheck. Student loans make that possible (though highly budgeted), especially if our parents aren't helping us financially, and we don't have a spouse to contribute.

I'll be going to medieval times too, and my family is looking forward to being part of the "dinner" after the WCC, so we're going to that too. I really wouldv'e liked to have gone to the cares activity, but I just moved yesterday into my new place and need to get settled. :( Much more work ahead of me; since my couch wouldn't fit up the stairs, I now have to find alternative sitting arrangements. :mad:

Does anyone know where we're supposed to park on Thursday? There weren't any instructions in the orientation packet.
 
Does anyone know where we're supposed to park on Thursday? There weren't any instructions in the orientation packet.
At the bottom of the first yellow sheet it says that they're not ticketing during orientation, so I guess we can park anywhere. It also says we should have an ID and parking form to fill out and mail in, but my orientation packet seems to be missing that.

I just got back from vacation this weekend, so I got my mail from the past three weeks this afternoon and now I'm running around like crazy trying to get everything done.
 
Has anyone stopped by the financial aid office to talk to them? Are they receptive about students just dropping in?

I still haven't gotten any finalized award information, just a letter saying that I need to sign a promissory note during orientation. And when I talked to them this morning on the phone they said that my award would be about $32,000 (no where near enough to pay for everything!), so I really want to go in and talk to someone face to face and find out about requesting more aid.
 
Has anyone stopped by the financial aid office to talk to them? Are they receptive about students just dropping in?

I still haven't gotten any finalized award information, just a letter saying that I need to sign a promissory note during orientation. And when I talked to them this morning on the phone they said that my award would be about $32,000 (no where near enough to pay for everything!), so I really want to go in and talk to someone face to face and find out about requesting more aid.

The FA office is actually in another building across the street in one of the beige trailer-like buildings. It is locked, so you have to have someone let you in.

I went and met with them in January, and had an appointment. Unforunately people there forgot to put in the book that I was coming, so they weren't expecting me. Someone met with me anyway and was very nice (if not entirely helpful). So, I guess an appointment is nice, but not required. You'd be taking your chances if you just show up, though. Call them and ask when would be a good time to meet. They were pretty accomodating for me when I did that. Good luck! I hope you get more $$!
 
At the bottom of the first yellow sheet it says that they're not ticketing during orientation, so I guess we can park anywhere. It also says we should have an ID and parking form to fill out and mail in, but my orientation packet seems to be missing that.

I just got back from vacation this weekend, so I got my mail from the past three weeks this afternoon and now I'm running around like crazy trying to get everything done.

Mine didn't have it either, and I thought I lost it or something. I feel better now! :D
 
Mine didn't have it either, and I thought I lost it or something. I feel better now! :D

My packet lacked the forms also, but they are available at the public safety office (building five). Warning: You may have to wait for sometime...though there were 4 people ahead of me, the process took well over an hour :(
 
I called about the forms this morning, and they said that it was a typo and we weren't supposed to get them yet, and that we'd take care of it during orientation.

Thanks for the info on the fin aid office, I'm going to be running around like crazy tomorrow so I doubt I'll have time for an appointment, I guess I'll just wait and talk with them sometime during orientation.
 
What is everyone wearing. Are jeans ok.
 
What is everyone wearing. Are jeans ok.

I'm going with shorts, a shirt, sneakers and bringing a sweatshirt in case the air conditioning is too much. Its too hot out for me to fuss with long pants unless absolutely necessary. If I get the stink eye for that from anyone, I'm not going to worry. Its just too hot for me to care! I have a feeling the jeans would be just fine. From what everyone has said things are pretty casual for classes, more professional if inthe hospital or preceptor's office.
 
Hey everyone,

I as looking for a thread that would answer my question but I can't find one. Anyway, did any of you apply to the Rutgers/NJMS BA/MD program as a sophomore and get in? I just applied but I havent heard anything yet, and im SOO nervous:scared:. Aren't I supposed to get a call for an interview at least? Any advice would help! :)

<3 Jenni
 
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