*-*-*University of Rochester Class of 2011*-*-*

[danierrr]

Thanks, whoknows2010

Coming from Singapore/Texas and not having seen snow for a decade or so, much less driving through it, is there a special "way" to drive when snowing, or on snowy roads? I ask because I want to roadtrip to NYC during the winter break but I'm not sure if that's a great idea that time of year. . .


Any winter advice would be greatly appreciated!

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[deleted86048]

Thanks, whoknows2010

Coming from Singapore/Texas and not having seen snow for a decade or so, much less driving through it, is there a special "way" to drive when snowing, or on snowy roads? I ask because I want to roadtrip to NYC during the winter break but I'm not sure if that's a great idea that time of year. . .


Any winter advice would be greatly appreciated!

Driving in snow is not difficult - just go slowly and try to coast to a stop instead of breaking (and if you do have to break, break really slowly and start early). Lights on, wipers on. Don't drive if you don't have to. Don't be afraid to pull off the road if you feel unsafe. Those are pretty much the cardinal rules. Plus, don't get distracted by the pretty snow flakes falling down instead of looking at the road. It also helps to have a heavier car with AWD and snow tires on.

Generally, unless you are driving in the middle of a storm, the roads are clear, and they get the plows out early (that goes for major cities and all major roads - little side roads are the last to be plowed).

Driving down to NYC for winter break shouldn't be a big deal unless a storm hits the day you want to go- and if one does it may cause problems for flying too. And if a big storm hits the east coast right before christmas, the whole northeast will be total mayhem, and your driving skills will be the least of anyone's problem.

There are only so many big snow storms a year, so the odds of it happening when you want to go somewhere aren't huge (unless you have really bad luck). Lots of people will be driving home over winter break, and many will be going down to the NYC area.

Just as an aside, it might be cheaper and easier just to fly to NYC, since you can get really really cheap tickets - especially if you plan in advance, and parking in the city is a hassle anyway.

 

[danierrr]

Driving in snow is not difficult - just go slowly and try to coast to a stop instead of breaking (and if you do have to break, break really slowly and start early). Lights on, wipers on. Don't drive if you don't have to. Don't be afraid to pull off the road if you feel unsafe. Those are pretty much the cardinal rules. Plus, don't get distracted by the pretty snow flakes falling down instead of looking at the road. It also helps to have a heavier car with AWD and snow tires on.

Generally, unless you are driving in the middle of a storm, the roads are clear, and they get the plows out early (that goes for major cities and all major roads - little side roads are the last to be plowed).

Driving down to NYC for winter break shouldn't be a big deal unless a storm hits the day you want to go- and if one does it may cause problems for flying too. And if a big storm hits the east coast right before christmas, the whole northeast will be total mayhem, and your driving skills will be the least of anyone's problem.

There are only so many big snow storms a year, so the odds of it happening when you want to go somewhere aren't huge (unless you have really bad luck). Lots of people will be driving home over winter break, and many will be going down to the NYC area.

Just as an aside, it might be cheaper and easier just to fly to NYC, since you can get really really cheap tickets - especially if you plan in advance, and parking in the city is a hassle anyway.

Thanks for all the useful advice! I'd better look into flying, then. I totally forgot about parking woes, and I think I have some frequent flier miles from interviewing

Another few quick questions: how many rising MS2's spend their summer doing research, and are those opportunities easy to come by?

And while the third year looks pretty static to me, an old version of the Bluebook says you can choose the order of your third-year rotations. . . who's right? It also said medicine was a four-week rotation but the stuff they handed out during interviews said it's an eight-week rotation. . .

Thanks for satisfying my curiosity!

 

[deleted86048]

Thanks for all the useful advice! I'd better look into flying, then. I totally forgot about parking woes, and I think I have some frequent flier miles from interviewing

Another few quick questions: how many rising MS2's spend their summer doing research, and are those opportunities easy to come by?

And while the third year looks pretty static to me, an old version of the Bluebook says you can choose the order of your third-year rotations. . . who's right? It also said medicine was a four-week rotation but the stuff they handed out during interviews said it's an eight-week rotation. . .

Thanks for satisfying my curiosity!

A little less than half the class stays in Rochester over the summer doing some sort of research. A quarter or so do international research, and then the rest are scattered across the country, mostly doing some kind of research as well.

There is no shortage of research opportunities. If you set something up, and write your proposal correctly, you will get funding. There is summer funding for international, clinical and basic science, and humanities in medicine research, as well as community service.

You can choose the order of your third year core rotations. After all, 100 people can't be on their surgical rotation all at once. You aren't guaranteed the order you want, but students have different schedules. In third year you also have elective time, so you can choose what you are doing during those weeks.

Medicine is 8 weeks.

The core clerkships are:
-Adult Inpatient - 8 weeks medicine, 5 weeks surgery, 2 weeks basic sciences (medicine and surgery are done in two separate blocks)
-Women's and Children's Health - 5 weeks peds, 5 weeks ob/gyn, 2 weeks basic sciences
-Mind/Brain/Behavior - 4 weeks psych, 4 weeks neuro, 2 weeks basic sciences

These are in four 12 week blocks, so there is time for elective or vacation weeks within the blocks. I think they say we get 13 total weeks of elective/vacation time third year. This is extremely unusual - and pretty much due to the fact that we have ACE and therefore don't have a required family medicine clerkship or any ambulatory clerkships third year.

You are also required to do EM, a Sub-I, Community Health Improvement Clerkship, and a surgical subspecialty elective, and a minimum of 24 elective weeks over the course of your third and forth years.

 

[danierrr]

A little less than half the class stays in Rochester over the summer doing some sort of research. A quarter or so do international research, and then the rest are scattered across the country, mostly doing some kind of research as well.

There is no shortage of research opportunities. If you set something up, and write your proposal correctly, you will get funding. There is summer funding for international, clinical and basic science, and humanities in medicine research, as well as community service.

You can choose the order of your third year core rotations. After all, 100 people can't be on their surgical rotation all at once. You aren't guaranteed the order you want, but students have different schedules. In third year you also have elective time, so you can choose what you are doing during those weeks.

Medicine is 8 weeks.

The core clerkships are:
-Adult Inpatient - 8 weeks medicine, 5 weeks surgery, 2 weeks basic sciences (medicine and surgery are done in two separate blocks)
-Women's and Children's Health - 5 weeks peds, 5 weeks ob/gyn, 2 weeks basic sciences
-Mind/Brain/Behavior - 4 weeks psych, 4 weeks neuro, 2 weeks basic sciences

These are in four 12 week blocks, so there is time for elective or vacation weeks within the blocks. I think they say we get 13 total weeks of elective/vacation time third year. This is extremely unusual - and pretty much due to the fact that we have ACE and therefore don't have a required family medicine clerkship or any ambulatory clerkships third year.

You are also required to do EM, a Sub-I, Community Health Improvement Clerkship, and a surgical subspecialty elective, and a minimum of 24 elective weeks over the course of your third and forth years.

Yowzer, that's a lot of useful information! Thanks a bunch, whoknows2010!!

So it really looks like you're only limited by your own imagination and initiative at Rochester -- which is great to hear.

Do y'all have paintball up there in Rochester? It certainly is scenic and rural enough there to have some awesome "maps"! Most places here in Houston are tiny rectangular fields which are perpetually overcrowded and unclean. I'll spare you the details

Does the whole class go out together, or does everyone find their own cliques and separate out? In a class of 200+ it's impossible to know everyone well, but Rochester's class size is ~100 so it's certainly do-able.

I hope the silence on this forum means everyone's got more important things to do, and not because they're antisocial :/

Thanks again, whoknows2010!

 

[danierrr]

Could a current Rochester student fill this out for SDN? *nudges whoknows2010*

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=410368


It's a questionnaire on your medical school asking you to provide "inside" information about Rochester that people deciding on which medical school to attend, or to apply to, could use to make their decisions. I would, but they need someone with a current Rochester e-mail address to fill it out (so no incoming students can )

 

[mismd]

Hi everyone
Hope u are all as excited as I am about Aug. Does anyone have ideas on where to get furniture for the most reasonable price? I need everythin, bed, desk the whole works. i am not looking foward to it

 

[danierrr]

Hi everyone
Hope u are all as excited as I am about Aug. Does anyone have ideas on where to get furniture for the most reasonable price? I need everythin, bed, desk the whole works. i am not looking foward to it

Hi mismd,

It's in the Bluebook. . . did they send you a link to it? If they didn't, it's at http://www.urmc.edu/smd/admissions/md/perspectives.cfm

danierrr

 

[nervous_ja]

hey,

How are the classes graded? Specifically, are they P/F?

 

[danierrr]

hey,

How are the classes graded? Specifically, are they P/F?

Pre-clinical classes are P/F. Clinical classes, not just third/fourth year but also the ambulatory clerkship in the first and second years, are H/HP/P/F.

Hope that helps!

 

[nervous_ja]

thank you