University of Michigan MS Physiology 2016-2017

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medblast12

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Who else is applying?

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Turned in my application last week! Good luck to everyone.
 
Does anyone know what the success rate is for students matriculating into med school after doing this masters degree?
 
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I would think pretty well; though not all students go on to medical school. They have a fairly impressive list of schools that their graduates have attended, including Johns Hopkins and others.
 
I'm a current student in this program. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
 
I'm a current student in this program. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
For those interested in the research track, was publication possible at the end of 10 months? How easy is it to do well in the classes? Thanks
 
For those interested in the research track, was publication possible at the end of 10 months? How easy is it to do well in the classes? Thanks
I was a coursework track student. I don't want to say it's not possible, but it appears to be challenging. I'm not sure if any of the research track students from this year have any publishable data. A large part of it depends on the quality of your mentor. One person had to wait for IRB approval before they could start collecting data (which took until February). Other people came in and joined projects that were already in motion (i.e. Had approval and defined goals and methodologies). So it really depends on your mentor and also how much effort you're willing to put in to make publication possible. The classes are challenging. If you put in the appropriate effort you can do well. I was worried about doing well in the classes too since I came into the program with a low GPA (3.2). I've improved by nearly half a grade point in the program. And if I can do it so can everyone else (I'm just an average student). This program makes you learn how to learn. You will have to completely change your study habits, but it's better to do it now rather than in medical school.
 
I was a coursework track student. I don't want to say it's not possible, but it appears to be challenging. I'm not sure if any of the research track students from this year have any publishable data. A large part of it depends on the quality of your mentor. One person had to wait for IRB approval before they could start collecting data (which took until February). Other people came in and joined projects that were already in motion (i.e. Had approval and defined goals and methodologies). So it really depends on your mentor and also how much effort you're willing to put in to make publication possible. The classes are challenging. If you put in the appropriate effort you can do well. I was worried about doing well in the classes too since I came into the program with a low GPA (3.2). I've improved by nearly half a grade point in the program. And if I can do it so can everyone else (I'm just an average student). This program makes you learn how to learn. You will have to completely change your study habits, but it's better to do it now rather than in medical school.
Thank you so much cehurst. What would you say are the overall strengths and weaknesses of the program? Do you have any specific advice on how to do well in the program? Do students part-take in any extra curricular activities? Where you able to form meaningful relationships with your professors that could translate into getting a strong LOR? Thank you again for answering these questions :)
 
Thank you so much cehurst. What would you say are the overall strengths and weaknesses of the program? Do you have any specific advice on how to do well in the program? Do students part-take in any extra curricular activities? Where you able to form meaningful relationships with your professors that could translate into getting a strong LOR? Thank you again for answering these questions :)
The program does a great job of preparing you for medica school level coursework. You learn how to learn a large amount of complex science quickly. The biggest weakness is that they are still figuring some things out, namely the capstone schedule. But fixing the capstone schedule is something I anticipate will be corrected sooner rather than later. Rest assured this is an excellent program. UM's Rackham Graduate School did their 5 year program review this year and the MS in Physiology was rated as one of the best masters programs they the university has to offer. You will be participting in an excellent program should you choose to attend. It's hard to form close relationships with faculty since each class is taught by an array of instructors that each teach only a couple of lectures. Your best bet for a strong LOR is your capstone mentor, so make sure you develop that relationship once you get assigned your mentor. I volunteered 3 hour a week with Mott Hospital. It's actually quite challenging to get a Mott volunteering opportunity. I can give you the details if you want them though, just reply to this and ask. I would caution you though, you need to make succeeding in the program your top priority. It's a challenging program and changing your study habits will be hard. But you can do it. I suggest the best way to study is to find one or two people and take turns explaining concepts to each other. You need to do something that gets you actively thinking about the material, not simply reading notes on a page. I hope that helps.
 
The program does a great job of preparing you for medica school level coursework. You learn how to learn a large amount of complex science quickly. The biggest weakness is that they are still figuring some things out, namely the capstone schedule. But fixing the capstone schedule is something I anticipate will be corrected sooner rather than later. Rest assured this is an excellent program. UM's Rackham Graduate School did their 5 year program review this year and the MS in Physiology was rated as one of the best masters programs they the university has to offer. You will be participting in an excellent program should you choose to attend. It's hard to form close relationships with faculty since each class is taught by an array of instructors that each teach only a couple of lectures. Your best bet for a strong LOR is your capstone mentor, so make sure you develop that relationship once you get assigned your mentor. I volunteered 3 hour a week with Mott Hospital. It's actually quite challenging to get a Mott volunteering opportunity. I can give you the details if you want them though, just reply to this and ask. I would caution you though, you need to make succeeding in the program your top priority. It's a challenging program and changing your study habits will be hard. But you can do it. I suggest the best way to study is to find one or two people and take turns explaining concepts to each other. You need to do something that gets you actively thinking about the material, not simply reading notes on a page. I hope that helps.

Thank you again. Yes, I would appreciate more information on how you got the volunteering position. You've been super helpful
 
Thank you again. Yes, I would appreciate more information on how you got the volunteering position. You've been super helpful
All of the info you need regarding volunteering at UM Hospital is on this site.

http://www.med.umich.edu/volunteer/about/collegestudents.html

Here is a word of warning though, you have to commit for two semesters and you have to attend an info session BEFORE the semester for which you plan to start. That means that if you want to start in the fall (which you do) the. You have to attend the info session in the summer. This is what I did and I was only able to pull it off because a buddy who was also in the program knew the process. You attend the info session and then schedule an 'interview' (it's basically getting a tb test, flu shot, and seeing where you want to volunteer based on what's still available). The interview slots fill up really fast (last year all the spots got filled in 4 minutes of the system opening). So you have to have your finger on the application right when it opens. They will tell you all those details at the info session. And make sure to have your class schedule finalized before you go to your interview (they will not place you unless you have a paper copy of your finalized class schedule with you). So go the website above, sign up for a summer info session, and follow their instructions to schedule an interview. I volunteered in Mott which was great, but those slots fill up fast. If you don't get Mott don't panic, anywhere you can volunteer is an awesome opportunity. I highly recommend volunteering with umhs. The unfortunate thing though is that if you wait until the fall to start looking into this then it's already too late. Sign up for the summer info session and you'll be fine.
 
Hello! I graduated from Michigan undergrad in April and just got off the waitlist for this program a couple days ago. However, I was pretty much set on going to WSU BMS. Anyone have any input about picking between the two? I'm planning to apply to med school next cycle cGPA: 3.74 sGPA: 3.54 and retake the MCAT (502)
 
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