Bu: Mams 2012-2013

For those of you that have been accepted into the program, there's a facebook group to meet your new class! http://www.facebook.com/groups/333940289973820/

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b05010445 said:

We are told by the program director during orientation to reserve one hour a day to do something for our selves.
We are not in classes for 7 hours a day.
3 days a week you have physio (1 hour)
4 days a week you have biochem (2 hours)
and then you have your elective (1-2hours)
No labs.
There were days I easily studied ten hours a day. When I'm being a good student I'm at school about 11 hours a day. so that's maybe 3 hours of classes, an hour of food and maybe an hour of just wasting time that you spent talking to people in the library or hunting for an empty study room.
I'd say 4-5 hours outside of class on an average day, when exams are coming mine upped to about 8 hours a day.
You won't be doing much cooking here, and that is why it is best to minimize your transport. Your professors don't schedule the course material with your transit, cooking, or TV watching schedule in mind. This is not undergraduate; these are USMLE step 1 styled exams.

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10 hours outside of class is still a really high number which was what we're responding to. 11 total hours also strike me as scraping the upper limits

Just know that you study all day everyday almost all the time. Some may be ok with six most will not be. It is the hardest studying you will ever do and I have yet to hear an exception. The first exam of the year tends to be the hardest So that also should be considered. Lets say about 15% gets a solid A in classes ( not curved !!!) then a b+ in another class would get you a meager 3.65 for you gpa. Needless to say think about how well you'd need to do to consistently hit in the 90s percent in your classes

I think we have rammed the topic of studying load into the ground already. Anything else of relevance to discuss? Also to remember, newly admitted MAMS '12 students should check out the FB group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/333940289973820/

Everyone familiar with the class structure?

The class is composed of around 170-180 students (number of students do not change by the year), with variation depending on last minute acceptances or withdrawals.

The program has had tremendous success this year (last year's class) with getting into good medical schools, so you guys should be very excited.

is it too late to apply? have all the spots been filled yet?
thanks!

I doubt all of the slots have been filled as of now. They are rolling admissions until late spring, so go ahead and see what happens. Its obviously harder to get in the later it gets, but definitely not too late to apply!

i just applied to the program...so looking forward to some good news soon........
quick question......................
the cost of living as outlined by the school doesn't seem enough to cover rent...i looked at the school housing and outside housing and rent seems to be in the $1400s or higher am i missing something? how r we supposed to come up with the extra cash since we are advised NOT to work?

Get a roommate! That's basically the only way to make ends meet in boston. It's way too expensive to live on your own if you don't have the extra money to blow. I'm in the same situation. COA assumes you will either live far enough away to get a "cheaper" apartment or find a roommate to split the cost.

Crisco said:

Everyone familiar with the class structure?

The class is composed of around 170-180 students (number of students do not change by the year), with variation depending on last minute acceptances or withdrawals.

The program has had tremendous success this year (last year's class) with getting into good medical schools, so you guys should be very excited.

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Would you mind mentioning some schools that people have gotten into this cycle?

Thanks

pez319 said:

Would you mind mentioning some schools that people have gotten into this cycle?

Thanks

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Sure, some of the creme de la creme of the class got into Brown, Case, Emory, Columbia, Dartmouth, and more but I can't quite remember where. I should add though, these students are the top of the top in the class boasting extremely high GPA and/or MCAT.. and doesn't reflect the remaining 90% of the class But that should be expected, you gotta work for your success, and your success in the program will reflect where you go.

Students usually get into schools within a nice range of (what people like to call) "Low-tiered" to "Mid-tiered" schools, but more importantly the students get into schools that they would otherwise not be getting into.

If you want a shot at a high-tiered school, my best recommendation would be to have phenomenal success in the program, like 3.9+ and reach at least a 36 on your mcat. A decent undergrad GPA and good ECs also helps of course.

Crisco said:

Sure, some of the creme de la creme of the class got into Brown, Case, Emory, Columbia, Dartmouth, and more but I can't quite remember where. I should add though, these students are the top of the top in the class boasting extremely high GPA and/or MCAT.. and doesn't reflect the remaining 90% of the class But that should be expected, you gotta work for your success, and your success in the program will reflect where you go.

Students usually get into schools within a nice range of (what people like to call) "Low-tiered" to "Mid-tiered" schools, but more importantly the students get into schools that they would otherwise not be getting into.

If you want a shot at a high-tiered school, my best recommendation would be to have phenomenal success in the program, like 3.9+ and reach at least a 36 on your mcat. A decent undergrad GPA and good ECs also helps of course.

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Thanks! Yea I'm definitely gonna be striving for a great GPA because getting into those schools sounds very tempting haha.

Hey everyone just got accepted to the program last week! I have a tough choice to make between Tufts MBS and BU MAMS. From what I've read both programs appear really similar in terms of success and requirements. For those of you already in the program --What's the overall atmosphere like? Are students cut-throat and ultra competitive? Are advisers genuinely concerned for the students success? Etc. Any information would be really helpful. Thanks!

Gracelikerain said:

Hey everyone just got accepted to the program last week! I have a tough choice to make between Tufts MBS and BU MAMS. From what I've read both programs appear really similar in terms of success and requirements. For those of you already in the program --What's the overall atmosphere like? Are students cut-throat and ultra competitive? Are advisers genuinely concerned for the students success? Etc. Any information would be really helpful. Thanks!

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That is a good question and i don't think there is a wrong choice. Students are not cut-throat since you're not really competing for grades with one another. The only situation that could be possibly competitive is your acceptance into BUSM (which is around 25 students, according to the website), but being cut-throat isn't gonna get you in. People who get in are exceptional in their own way; if you need to be ultra-competitive and cut-throat (or an ass) you probably aren't doing well enough to get in. If that makes any sense? Most of these students, academically are a good margin above the rest, so they really don't have anything to be competitive about. With that said, most people are very chill with each other and work hard together.

The advisors are amazingly concerned. The director of the program is a-m-a-z-i-n-g and takes care of everyone very, very well. You should know that all advisers/faculty within the GMS program individually volunteered to be a part of the program to teach students like us. Therefore, they really do try their hardest to take care of you.

Edit: I'd like to gloat by saying BUSM's ranking is now 31 on the (no-one-should-care-but-they-still-do-anyway) US News Ranking, steadily rising from a ranking of 43 in 2008 which is when I first started researching the school. DDDD

About the 25 students that get into BUSM, I bet more were offered admissions but declined and went to a different school. So I'm guessing maybe 30-40 students are offered acceptances but ~25 actually matriculated.

Just curious, does anybody have the statistic on how many people apply each year? I didn't see any information on the website regarding that.

What did you get on your gres may i ask? I just took the GREs today, and that's the last of my stuff that I have to turn in for the program.

Do you mind telling me what you got on your gres?? I just took it today and verbal was not good...hahaha but math and writing were good i think

Whoever took their gres and got accepted?? Could you please share your scores? I just sent in my app/transcripts/lors/and just my gre scores. Verbal is not above 70%........................

Shouldn't post multiple times. Just makes people want to ignore you. Dunno about gre. Should just wait and see.

Do you guys have anything planned for the summer before the program starts? I've been looking for jobs in the area without much success and have been considering a summer off. Any thoughts?

swimmerguy89 said:

Do you guys have anything planned for the summer before the program starts? I've been looking for jobs in the area without much success and have been considering a summer off. Any thoughts?

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I'm still applying to SMPs (late I know ), but if I get in anywhere I'm most likely going to take that summer off because this might be your last free summer!

Any previous BU MAMS students care shining a light on money for a second? Did you all take all loans for a year? Did you find any sources of aid besides direct loans? If you did the expanded 2nd year research thesis option, was it a paid position?

^ I'm interested in this too.

.

Hi everyone,
I'm a current BU undergraduate senior and also applied to MAMS. I received my acceptance letter today so I'm looking forward to next semester! It looks like I can answer a lot of the questions that have been posted so far, but first I have a few of my own...
1. Does anyone know if there is student parking on campus and how much it costs? Specifically what is the parking like at the med campus?
2.Someone previously asked but I'm also curious, what is the acceptance rate and how many people apply to the program each cycle?
3. Does anyone know of any good MCAT prep programs in the boston area? Or tutors?

dandyhandydent said:

Whoever took their gres and got accepted?? Could you please share your scores? I just sent in my app/transcripts/lors/and just my gre scores. Verbal is not above 70%........................

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acousticxlover said:

those who got accepted already - would you mind sharing your stats?

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Strong extra curriculars including a year total time of teaching neuro and systems phys courses, 1.5 yrs of research, 3 mos shadowing a doctor working with patients, ~6 mos weekly (3 hrs/ week) volunteer work, and leadership in strong psychology undergraduate clubs

[Undergrad Stats] - 5 years total
Total GPA; 4 years @ Boston University CAS, 3.17 total and 3.19 math/science and a strong upward trend. Major - Psychology
1 year spent at another institution, GPA unknown but around 3.something. I transferred schools.

Test Scores
GRE taken 3/15: Quant. 160 84% Verb. 164 94% Writing 5.5 96%

pez319 said:

I donno how that(the bus to MED) changes during winter with the snow storms and all. Maybe someone that's currently in the program can chime in.

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The bus, or BU Bus as its called, is normally fine. It usually runs on schedule and you can track it online, there is an iphone app as well. I believe it runs late at night but I'm not sure on that. It is free. At certain times of day the bus is extremely crowded with undergraduates, especially while on the charles river campus. The bus is most crowded if you live off of the route between the start point at 33 harry agganis way and kenmore square, where brookeline ave, beacon, and commonwealth avenue all meet. This is about a stones throw from fenway park so when redsox games are on it usually means trouble for the bus. As we have all seen this winter, the weather can definitely vary. Two winters ago, we got A LOT of snow. I had to shovel maybe seven to ten separate times. BU hates to shut down for weather and the snowplows etc are consequently very efficient. Still though, Boston winter sucks and the drivers are worse.

swimmerguy89 said:

Also, when do students usually move in for the program? Have any of you guys considered finding a summer job before school starts?

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Its very hard to find a summer only job here as people start looking very early in the year. There are so many colleges around that the competition is fierce.


Other things to know before you go that might be a challenge to find out:
Science graduates specializing in other fields are in many cases on the charles river campus. There is laboratory space on that campus as well as an animal facility for rodents and ferrets. The physics, chemistry, and biology departments are all active on the charles river campus and unfortunately that is where those graduate students can mostly be found.
Lately (the past 3 months or so), honestly, things have been bad. There has been a lot of BU coverage of local crime against women, a female undergraduate was sexually assaulted at about 1:30 or so AM near the charles river campus and two members of the university's acclaimed ice hockey team are currently being investigated for rape. The university has formed some sort of task force to address the obvious issue. Usually things are more calm. It is a city though, and there is some crime.
People really use the bu BUS, faculty and staff and undergraduates as well. There are plenty of people who use the BUS to get around.
The Boston T and especially the green line, SUCK. It randomly makes extended stops and and in some areas goes above ground and must stop at red lights. Other lines are better. The MBTA closes at around 12:30.
All bars and clubs must close by 2:00 am.
If anyone has other questions about Boston or BU feel free to post or PM, I've lived here about six years now and do have a car so I can comment on those issues as well.

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Does anybody know when we will receive an acceptance package in the mail? I have just received the congratualatory email with information on getting a BU ID and etc.

Also, if anyone is looking for a roommate pm me.

Looking forward to this program and moving out to Boston

Sorry, I thought someone had already answered these but noticed they weren't.

swimmerguy89 said:

Any previous BU MAMS students care shining a light on money for a second? Did you all take all loans for a year? Did you find any sources of aid besides direct loans? If you did the expanded 2nd year research thesis option, was it a paid position?

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Direct loans will be pretty much your only source of financial aid. Rest will have to come from loans or your pockets. It is definitely a challenging aspect of coming to a program like this.

For 2nd year research, 98% of the time it'll be non-paid. They'd have to have a really, really good reason to be paying for you... usually it doesn't happen.

alsaire said:

I'm still applying to SMPs (late I know ), but if I get in anywhere I'm most likely going to take that summer off because this might be your last free summer!

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I think there are 2 routes. If you think you can nail in your MCAT this summer, i do recommend you try and get it over with. If you're not confident, i would NOT go for it. People mature a lot during the MAMS program (study habits, etc) and so become much more effective studiers... then you take it after the first academic year. Some of you may never have studied all day, everyday, everyhour for several weeks straight, but once this program is well in its way, you will have more than the capacity of a typical medical student in keeping up with the workload.

The second route is to just take the entire summer off and refresh yourself. I can't emphasize how important this is. You need to be ready and prepared for a marathon of studying/exams/happiness/sadness. Enjoy your summer and start the year with a firm determination to do well. It is a vital aspect of your health too!

Hi all! I accepted a few weeks ago but just checked back here today. Anyway, I can't wait to move to Boston, meet everyone, and get started with this program!

I'm also interested in looking for a roommate but I'll post on the fb group about that.

Good luck to everyone applying!!

Hey everyone. Just wondering if anyone knows whether or not the BU program guarantees an interview to the top percentage of students in the class the way Tufts does? Thanks

Hey everyone! I was just accepted yesterday to the program so if anyone has any inquiries about my background, feel free to ask. I applied to the program because I have my BA in Music (while also pre-med) and I needed to fill out my science credentials.

Also, I've been living in Boston for three years so I can probably answer any housing questions as well

Gracelikerain said:

Hey everyone. Just wondering if anyone knows whether or not the BU program guarantees an interview to the top percentage of students in the class the way Tufts does? Thanks

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They don't guarantee but no reason you shouldn't get an interview if your gpa is good

so I applied about a month ago, all my stuff is is finally in.



prayers and hopes here to be a MAMS student.

Gracelikerain said:

Hey everyone. Just wondering if anyone knows whether or not the BU program guarantees an interview to the top percentage of students in the class the way Tufts does? Thanks

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GMS graduates are in a separate applicant pool for BUSM, I've been told. Not sure if its true.

I just got into the Oral Health Track - anyone else? Does anyone have suggestions for finding a roommate? I'm coming from NC and am completely clueless about all things Boston. Looking forward to meeting you all!

rlg2012 said:

I just got into the Oral Health Track - anyone else? Does anyone have suggestions for finding a roommate? I'm coming from NC and am completely clueless about all things Boston. Looking forward to meeting you all!

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I'm accepted and have put down my deposit for the Oral Health Track. I will also be completely new to Boston but I'm very excited.

I graduated from BU MAMS with a GPA of 3.65, undergrad gpa of 3.4 and MCAT of 30Q and have been having a lot of trouble getting into an MD school. I did not receive an interview at BU and only about 30% do. I really felt robbed that after all the money and hardwork that admissions didn't want to take the time to listen about my passions for medicine and get to know the other parts of my application. The only advice my BU advisors have given me is to apply DO and they give this advice is given to more than half the class. I'm a California resident, so I'm a little disadvantaged for having no chance at an instate school but I think if you plan to do GMS, I'd only do it if you're confident you can get a 33+ MCAT. Most people take the MCAT after 1st year and there's not a whole lot of time with apps, thesis, etc and we end up being late applicants. I know a lot of people who end up having to take ANOTHER year (BU is already a 2 year program) to study for the MCAT alone and just be an early applicant the following year. This isn't a bad idea if you're not a strong standardized test taker, and don't mind another year.

I really think if you want to go to BU, I'd keep in mind that most of their students end up going DO! I went in thinking I didn't want to DO and only go the MD route, and have pretty much come back to square one. Some people with lower mcats and GPA, get lucky, and end up in an MD school but I'd be really surprised if their advisors didn't tell them to apply DO as well...

Don't get me wrong, it's a great school. If you are stellar (3.8+) and MCAT of 32/33+ you will get an interview and most likely get in but don't expect to get into BU with anything less! I really wish someone had told me this when I started because it is such a big investment and other SMPs out there don't have such stringent expectations especially with such a large class. My advice is to call every SMP program, and really grill them about statistics, and find out how many people got into their MD program, other US MD programs, and DO. I would also ask about guaranteed interviews, GPA and MCAT cutoffs.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions!!

I was offered an acceptance via email this week to the MAMS program and I'm thrilled. I was starting to get really worried because I had only applied to a handful of SMP's and it's getting closer to the end of the season, so the admission came just in time. Still waiting to hear back from my other apps (tufts,Ucincinnati,georgetown) but I certainly would be happy to end up going to the MAMS program. That last post gave me a little worry though because I too am a california resident and I understand the difficulty that can pose to gaining admission in my home state, and also I would strongly prefer md over do. However my situation is a little different than that poster, I have a 38p mcat but also quite a low ugrad gpa. At the end of the day I'm willing to roll the dice on an smp and hope that med schools will look at that + my strong mcat + research & shadowing + letters of rec and give me a pass on the low gpa.

HI,

May I ask when was your application complete. I still waiting to hear back from them.

edit/wrong post

BU says that 70-80% of their graduates get into a medical school. I donno if they're counting DO's and what percentage of that is DO, but a certain percentage of students will not get in to any medical school. So it's expected that some people will be disappointed.
As far as I know, very few SMP's "guarantee" that their students will get into a medical school and all them are linkages into their own school.

zoroforever - What school did you go to? What was your major? How many times did you take the MCAT? What was your individual scores? Do you have clinical/nonclinical volunteer experience? How many and what type of schools did you apply to? When did you apply?

Thanks

That 70-80% includes US MD, DO and Caribbean MD and have confirmed this with multiple people at BU. You're right, there are no SMPs programs out there that guarantee their students get into medical school. However, it's just unfortunate because there are a good amount of us that come out of the program with no good lead on what to do.

I graduated from UCLA (bio). I took the MCAT before the program, and once more after the first year of BU MAMS. My most recent score was 10s across. I volunteered at a hospital all 4 years throughout college, I am published and have plenty of non-clinical experiences. I completed 25 applications. I wouldn't say I was a super early applicant (complete at most schools mid August) but BU is not rolling so it doesn't really matter. I know someone with the same GPA and a 32 MCAT who has also did not interview at BU so it's just a scary situation in my opinion.

There are HUGE rewards if you do extremely well and have that winning MCAT but for those of us on the border who don't want to do DO and are from California, it's a very tough situation. Ultimately, its a personal decision but I just ask you all do your research into every school before making a choice because there are schools out there that have much higher linkage rates than BU.

You also need to consider the fact that while a 3.65 is good for the program, it is probably a lower GPA that many others in a program so large as BUs. They can't offer interviews to everyone in the program simply because you were in the program. With a limited med school class size, they are able to pick the best and brightest from the MAMS program while still offering acceptances to traditional applicants. If you are serious about entering the program, it is a commitment not to be taken lightly. This is your last chance to show med schools you can be successful in their program. If you don't perform exceptional during the year, they have no obligation to take you into their MD program.

zoroforever said:

I graduated from BU MAMS with a GPA of 3.65, undergrad gpa of 3.4 and MCAT of 30Q and have been having a lot of trouble getting into an MD school. I did not receive an interview at BU and only about 30% do. I really felt robbed that after all the money and hardwork that admissions didn't want to take the time to listen about my passions for medicine and get to know the other parts of my application. The only advice my BU advisors have given me is to apply DO and they give this advice is given to more than half the class. I'm a California resident, so I'm a little disadvantaged for having no chance at an instate school but I think if you plan to do GMS, I'd only do it if you're confident you can get a 33+ MCAT. Most people take the MCAT after 1st year and there's not a whole lot of time with apps, thesis, etc and we end up being late applicants. I know a lot of people who end up having to take ANOTHER year (BU is already a 2 year program) to study for the MCAT alone and just be an early applicant the following year. This isn't a bad idea if you're not a strong standardized test taker, and don't mind another year.

I really think if you want to go to BU, I'd keep in mind that most of their students end up going DO! I went in thinking I didn't want to DO and only go the MD route, and have pretty much come back to square one. Some people with lower mcats and GPA, get lucky, and end up in an MD school but I'd be really surprised if their advisors didn't tell them to apply DO as well...

Don't get me wrong, it's a great school. If you are stellar (3.8+) and MCAT of 32/33+ you will get an interview and most likely get in but don't expect to get into BU with anything less! I really wish someone had told me this when I started because it is such a big investment and other SMPs out there don't have such stringent expectations especially with such a large class. My advice is to call every SMP program, and really grill them about statistics, and find out how many people got into their MD program, other US MD programs, and DO. I would also ask about guaranteed interviews, GPA and MCAT cutoffs.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions!!

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Ugh where do you get your information from??? I had less than you in that program and i got 2 MD interviews and one acceptance ultimately.

It is a gamble and there is never any guarantees. I don't know how much research you did into SMPs before attending but just doing well alone doesn't guarantee anything ever. Furthermore, what helped me even get where I did was I had 2 separate MS program degrees and so it was showing a trend. One year does not show a trend or consistency so it is always a gamble. What's worse for you is you come from the worst state to be competing from

Dr. O Brian of BUSM once said 3.8 and 32 were the golden numbers though I know people who got into BUSM with 3.5 and 30 in GMS also from cali with lesser stats than you but probably potentially a harder major and other accomplishments. There's a lot that factors into MD admissions and sometimes its luck of the draw.

Sometimes you will have to apply 2x or more if you want an MD school.

Kids who got into DO schools that I knew had not done as well as you did or did do as well but possibly had other factors holding them back.

PS who is your advisor because Dr. Davies rocks.


Also swimmerguy is right. As stated above, you will be competing against kids who had 3.7-4.0 in the program, who have MCAT scores that are 32-38 and sometimes 40+. Some of the people I know who got in BU were in this exact range.

But if you want it that bad and MD that bad then reapply and talk to all schools you applied to about what you can do to improve. that's all you can do at this point.

gujuDoc said:

Ugh where do you get your information from??? I had less than you in that program and i got 2 MD interviews and one acceptance ultimately.

It is a gamble and there is never any guarantees. I don't know how much research you did into SMPs before attending but just doing well alone doesn't guarantee anything ever. Furthermore, what helped me even get where I did was I had 2 separate MS program degrees and so it was showing a trend. One year does not show a trend or consistency so it is always a gamble. What's worse for you is you come from the worst state to be competing from

Dr. O Brian of BUSM once said 3.8 and 32 were the golden numbers though I know people who got into BUSM with 3.5 and 30 in GMS also from cali with lesser stats than you but probably potentially a harder major and other accomplishments. There's a lot that factors into MD admissions and sometimes its luck of the draw.

Sometimes you will have to apply 2x or more if you want an MD school.

Kids who got into DO schools that I knew had not done as well as you did or did do as well but possibly had other factors holding them back.

PS who is your advisor because Dr. Davies rocks.


Also swimmerguy is right. As stated above, you will be competing against kids who had 3.7-4.0 in the program, who have MCAT scores that are 32-38 and sometimes 40+. Some of the people I know who got in BU were in this exact range.

But if you want it that bad and MD that bad then reapply and talk to all schools you applied to about what you can do to improve. that's all you can do at this point.

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Hey man,

No need to get catty.

I'm just trying to give my own perspective and want to encourage students to do their research because BUs linkage rates are so low. All SMPs are a risk but it's ultimately upto you. And not everyone comes in with two Masters degrees...usually amcas combines those two GPAs and if you did worse than me I'm assuming you did better in your other masters to have gained acceptance somewhere. I also think knowing 'people' from Cali who got in with my numbers isnt a selling point ....how many people are we talking here? 2, 10, 30? 40-50% of the class are Californians. Anyway, just do your research. I agree with 3.8 and 32 being magic numbers though.

I think it's pretty well known that BU along with Georgetown and Tufts are few of the most respected SMP's out there. So your options are pretty limited for getting the best bang for your buck. If someone just wants to get into any medical school then yea, EVMS, Toledo, NYMC... programs with high linkage rates to their own schools are great. But they're arguably worth less when applying to a different school. So you can either limit the number of schools you can get into and put all your eggs in one basket or broaden your choices and potentially get into a better school.
In the end it's a gamble and if it doesn't work out, at least you'll have a decent master's degree from a good school.

EDIT: Oh yea and thanks for sharing your experience. It just goes to show that no program is perfect.

Yes that is all true. However, its very very likely the best school you'll get into is BU...not impossible though! I think there has been Ucla and Columbia but we're talking 40+ mcats!