Official: BU MAMS - Entering Fall 2006

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djyujin

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Hey everybody, I just got into the BU MAMS program. I think we should have a BU MAMS thread just to see who's all going and stuff.
 
Does anyone know how many students are accepted to the MAMS each year? The program size at G'town seems rather large and if this one is substantially smaller it might look even more attractive.
 
From what I gather, I think they are about the same size. Approximately 150ish? Feel free to correct me tho.
 
I just got my packet of goodies from BU the other day and it looks like there are a lot of housing options in the BU area. Can anybody recommend somewhere CHEAP to live? I'm sure I'll be pretty broke. Also, how necessary is a car in boston? Being from the Westcoast, I've never really been to Boston so I don't know what that's like.
 
never been to boston myself, but my friend who goes there says everythings pretty much accessible through the T, a metro line or whatever. been checking out a lot of housing online and it seems the average cost for an apartment close to the medical campus is 1000$...yikes.
 
I also got into boston and will be most likely to apply. I was wondering if any of you guys were going to finish the program in a year and apply to medical school at the same time?
 
Supposedly 160 people were admitted last fall, but a lot dropped out.

It is not advisable to apply during your MAMS year, but a lot of people do it with success. You probably wont have much of a shot at BU though, since only about 20 people (max) are admitted through MAMS, and those are people who already completed coursework requirements.

Most everything is acccesible through the T, but beware that the Medical Center in the South End is a considerable hike from the nearest T stop (north of Mass and Columbus). And, if you plan to live somewhere like Jamaica Plain and commute, you will have to change trains, and then wait for the Mass Ave connector bus to take you to the medical center. This could entail an additional hour. In my opinion, the difference in apartment cost does not justify this additional commute time, particularly in winter when any kind of a commute is hell. You want to live as close to campus as possible. There are very affordable options available if you look far enough ahead and are willing to split with a roommate or two.

Your best bet is to find one or two other MAMS students (either through SDN or from the housing list) and try to find a three bedroom near campus. You can probably find something for around $700-750 including utilities, per person. The cheapest one bedrooms are $1050+ and with utilities it will run about $1200. Studios are actually not much cheaper than one bedrooms, so if you want to live by yourself, you should just look for a one bed.

Be forewarned, Boston realtors use hefty fees for apartments. Try to avoid them by using craigslist and the internal BUMC housing list.

And lastly, BUMC is in a rather crappy part of town. It is somewhat filthy and depressing on Mass Ave (the main drag) and not very safe for late night walks to and form the T. Also, the neighborhood drops off precipitously west of Mass Ave (into the Roxbury area) so dont fall for cheap apts advertised there. Reasonable (and safe) walking distance apartments are located within the following square: East of Mass Ave, South of Tremont, West of Brookline, North of Albany. Anything outside this area is either too long a walk to class or not safe or too expensive (Back Bay $$$).
 
junebuguf said:
Supposedly 160 people were admitted last fall, but a lot dropped out.

It is not advisable to apply during your MAMS year, but a lot of people do it with success. You probably wont have much of a shot at BU though, since only about 20 people (max) are admitted through MAMS, and those are people who already completed coursework requirements.

Most everything is acccesible through the T, but beware that the Medical Center in the South End is a considerable hike from the nearest T stop (north of Mass and Columbus). And, if you plan to live somewhere like Jamaica Plain and commute, you will have to change trains, and then wait for the Mass Ave connector bus to take you to the medical center. This could entail an additional hour. In my opinion, the difference in apartment cost does not justify this additional commute time, particularly in winter when any kind of a commute is hell. You want to live as close to campus as possible. There are very affordable options available if you look far enough ahead and are willing to split with a roommate or two.

Your best bet is to find one or two other MAMS students (either through SDN or from the housing list) and try to find a three bedroom near campus. You can probably find something for around $700-750 including utilities, per person. The cheapest one bedrooms are $1050+ and with utilities it will run about $1200. Studios are actually not much cheaper than one bedrooms, so if you want to live by yourself, you should just look for a one bed.

Be forewarned, Boston realtors use hefty fees for apartments. Try to avoid them by using craigslist and the internal BUMC housing list.

And lastly, BUMC is in a rather crappy part of town. It is somewhat filthy and depressing on Mass Ave (the main drag) and not very safe for late night walks to and form the T. Also, the neighborhood drops off precipitously west of Mass Ave (into the Roxbury area) so dont fall for cheap apts advertised there. Reasonable (and safe) walking distance apartments are located within the following square: East of Mass Ave, South of Tremont, West of Brookline, North of Albany. Anything outside this area is either too long a walk to class or not safe or too expensive (Back Bay $$$).
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TO THE TOP....this information helps out a lot. Especially the specifics on what streets to live within. Can anybody else familiar with the program/area corroborate what they are saying above so I can be assured its valid info. Not that I don't believe you, but a second opinion would be helpful.

Lastly, Junebug, what is the best way to find the place. Craigslist, or realtor, or something else. Also, are there furnished apts. or did you just buy crap while you were there. What's a good time to get the apartment (fly in early, or in June or something else?). Thanks a lot...much appreciated.
 
etikit said:
TO THE TOP....this information helps out a lot. Especially the specifics on what streets to live within. Can anybody else familiar with the program/area corroborate what they are saying above so I can be assured its valid info. Not that I don't believe you, but a second opinion would be helpful.

Lastly, Junebug, what is the best way to find the place. Craigslist, or realtor, or something else. Also, are there furnished apts. or did you just buy crap while you were there. What's a good time to get the apartment (fly in early, or in June or something else?). Thanks a lot...much appreciated.
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Hi,


I am not in the MAMS program, but I work at the medical campus and everything junebuguf says here is pretty much correct. The main thing you should be aware of, which I think she makes very clear, is that the medical campus is not easily accessible by anything. It is an area rather under-served by public transportation. It's not like you can just hop on a subway and get right to the school. Most likely you will have to take a subway to a bus or a bus to a bus or a subway and walk or a bus and walk. Another thing I would suggest is living over near Brookline near the BU undergraduate Campus and taking the Boston University Shuttle to the Medical Campus (http://www.bu.edu/bus). The shuttle runs on the hour and half hour from the undergraduate campus to the medical campus and it is fairly reliable. The area around the undergraduate campus (with the possible exception of Kenmore Square) is pretty nice and safe. I would look for apartments around Beacon Street in Brookline or what on the undergraduate campus is known as South Campus. Check out BU's Office of Off Campus Housing (http://www.bu.edu/offcampus/index.html) if you have your BU email account already set up. (You need to log in with your email name and pasword to access this). The area of Beacon Street exiting Boston and entering Brookline is REALLY NICE. If you lived around this area you could easily hop on the shuttle and go to the medical campus for your classes, and you would be living in a much nicer area than the area surrounding the medical school, but you would still have to deal with the commute. If you can afford to, you really might just be better off getting your own place in the South End in the areas junebuguf described or sharing with roommates, but personally, I would rather live in a safer area and commute. It's a matter of convenience vs. quiet and safety.

I'd be happy to help anyone out with questions about the area around BU Med, although I will say again I don't know anything about the MAMS program. But definitely able to help out with transportation questions or general questions about the area.
 
junebuguf said:
Also, the neighborhood drops off precipitously west of Mass Ave (into the Roxbury area) so dont fall for cheap apts advertised there.
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Sorry, forgot to add that I really wanted to corroborate this point as well. A lot of people will not even venture past Mass Ave in this direction.
 
anyone know how BU semesters are structured? i can't seem to find anything about when the program actually begins on the website, and what daily/weekly courseload is like.
 
River Rat said:
anyone know how BU semesters are structured? i can't seem to find anything about when the program actually begins on the website, and what daily/weekly courseload is like.
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I think that classes start on the 5th of September, and orientation will be sometime the week before. The coursework looks like it will be a mix of medschool courses and grad school courses. Other than that I have no first hand experince yet, but this is the superficial info I have gathered. Hope it helps.
I am sure that they will be sending all of the particulars regarding classes and scheduling sometime in the future. So if you are in, just relax...you're in and the info will come eventually.
 
If you go to the general Division of Medical Sciences website:

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/Dept/Home.aspx?DepartmentID=86

They have a link on the left that says Schedule of Classes Fall 2006. I think this should apply to us. There is also a ****load of information there.

Are you guys flying out early to find a place? If so, what area are you planning on residing in?
 
I will try and find an apartment without flying to Boston, mainly online no-fee listings. I plan on taking the advice given above by both Junebug and Pineapple in determining which area to live in. The BU off-campus housing office may be a good resource also. Right now it seems that there is a large selection of apartments available in Allston near the west end of the main BU campus and right on the green line. This way, hopefully, I will live in a decent area and have a fairly short commute.
 
what is the closest t-stop to the medical campus? How far is the walk from that stop to where we have classes. I thought somebody mentioned the commute was pretty far...I'm not sure if I want to start messing with buses and stuff....may end up being a hefty commute.

It's all circumstantial I guess...don't know jack until we get there and start moving around.

What kind of pricing are you looking at in Allston? I'm assuming one-man place...

I was seeing around 1 Grand for south end. and that is average between high-end studio, low end one bedroom...so could be more or less depending on location.
 
etikit said:
what is the closest t-stop to the medical campus? How far is the walk from that stop to where we have classes. I thought somebody mentioned the commute was pretty far...I'm not sure if I want to start messing with buses and stuff....may end up being a hefty commute.

It's all circumstantial I guess...don't know jack until we get there and start moving around.

What kind of pricing are you looking at in Allston? I'm assuming one-man place...

I was seeing around 1 Grand for south end. and that is average between high-end studio, low end one bedroom...so could be more or less depending on location.
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i would say MASS AVE on the orange line. its about a 15-20 min walk from there to the BUSM campus. #10 bus goes closer to school w/o the walk but isn't always consistent or on time. when i was in grad school there, i paid for a school parking spot ($90/month i think, 3 years ago) but i was on the waitlist for a while and the spot was about a 5-7 min walk.

south end tends to be expensive, so is back bay. allston, brighton, jamaica plain are cheaper. i lived in JP and was very happy - its an up and coming artsy area with a large hispanic and some carib population, some trendy restaurants, too. the commute from JP isn't as far as allston/brighton which is closer to the UG campus.
 
Is there an easy way to check up on our application status? I haven't been able to reach anyone by phone or email.
 
I have called them from time to time and have always gotten through...or they return my call the same day. Try calling this number and telling them you want to find out the status of your application. 617-638-5120

Hey alchemist, how often do we have to go to the medical campus. Is that where the labs are where most students did their thesis'? Or do you just go there for class and stuff.

Is JP a decently safe neigborhood...what streets would you reccommend I look at to live? How close to the T-stop there?

Thanks for the help.
 
etikit said:
I

Hey alchemist, how often do we have to go to the medical campus. Is that where the labs are where most students did their thesis'? Or do you just go there for class and stuff.

Is JP a decently safe neigborhood...what streets would you reccommend I look at to live? How close to the T-stop there?

Thanks for the help.
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hi, just to clarify...i got a masters in pharmacology at BUSM, not the MA in med sci. yes, the labs are at the South End BUSM campus but there also science labs at the UG campus in allston (kenmore sq). i think if u want to do a research based thesis, u can work in labs at either campus. i had some friends in the MAMS program but they all chose to do a library based thesis and finished in 1 yr vs 2. the classes were at the BUSM campus. i took endocrinology with the med students/MAMS students. pretty easy class if u wanna choose a GPA boosting med school class.

some of the stops on the orange line for the T (subway), the same line as for MASS AVE (which is the closest T stop to BUSM) service JP. i lived on paul gore street which is pretty residential with lots of free street parking and used the stony brook stop if i ever took the T. i think depending on where u live, u can get on at roxbury crossing, jackson sq, stony brook or green st.
u can check a T map at http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_subway.asp

if u're interested in allston/brighton, that would be the green line B, C, or D line depending on where u live, brookline is ok, too - but i thought green line was too far away and u would have to transfer to a bus, i had to change to #10 bus at copley, which as i said, was very inconsistent and usually late. symphony is pretty nice with lots of students (but more expensive) and that's on the green E line, the fens area of fenway is also near symphony (little less but still expensive). i would stay away from the kenmore sq (green line) area of the fenway near the baseball park unless u're into living near the noise of the bars and clubs not to mention the lights from the ball park every night they have a game. craigslist or BU housing might be helpful. i would stay away from those online rental communities like harbor point - first its down by JFK/UMass on the red line and though it looks nice on its website, a portion of the community is low income housing and there have been riots and a decent number of muggings/burglary - i know ppl who had their car broken into. i almost had my friend from MIT put a deposit down for me since i was in NJ but then i decided to call up the police dept for that area and decided against it after hearing what the policeman had to tell me. that's sth i would really suggest...when u have some potential places u r interested in, call up the local police to find out the real lowdown on the safety of the area. sometimes they don't want to bad mouth their district but when i ask if they would recommend that area for their son/daughter to live alone, they usually fess up.

for JP, anything off of centre street (its the main street with cute little restaurants) b/t south street and s. huntington ave is probably ok. i paid $575/mo but i had 2 roommates and the owner of the victorian house where we lived on the 3rd floor was one of the BUSM profs so he cut us a deal. my other friend lived on evergreen i think and she paid maybe $700-800/mo for a studio and used the green E line (heath st near the VA hospital). i wouldn't get to near the J-way cuz then its gets expensive. i would stay away from roxbury (not the crossing). there's alot of victorian houses in JP so its residential and lots of street parking but there's also apts if u like. boston is one of those places with a very thin line b/t nice area and bad area...u can cross over from a relatively safe area into an unsafe one very quickly so i'd stay away from the borders of bad areas (i can't really name them all but if u give me street names, i might be able to help). brighton/allston/brookline has alot of BU UG and BC students. JP, symphony, fens have BU UG but more northeastern and new england conservatory students. south end is probably mostly BUSM students, some with the big bucks live in back bay. stay away from the NE med center/chinatown area. and anything too far south on the red line. north is MIT/harvard area. there are alot of students in those areas off red line north and u can find decent housing depending on whether u want that longer commute. prudential copley and newbury street areas are downtown if u can afford those types of prices but since there's alot of restaurants, bars, etc, it can get noisy. i had a MAMS friend live in north end (red line) but that's the italian area and just as noisy (lots of restaurants and late night ppl) and a long commute and pretty expensive.

an oh, about how often u have to go the BUSM campus...that i guess would depend on what classes u choose to take, but ur classes r all on that campus i think. my friends had classes pretty much everyday or so.
 
Hey guys, I'm in the BU MAMS program right now. I know there are a lot of questions out there so feel free to PM me with any specific questions you have about housing, course schedule, whether or not to apply this year, etc...
 
As a general caveat to the program, I would highly recommend shedding yourself of any other responsibilities other than the program. The course load is intense, especially since you have to do very well. Unlike the med students, you are not only looking to pass, you are looking to do exceptionally well. I know a lot of us had less than stellar GPAs coming into the program. Do not expect to arrive on campus and do well, it will take a lot of hard work. And do not overreach with the course load. Keep it as light as possible and do as well as possible. (I apologize for the doom and gloom, but you'll get over it. )

From what we are currently hearing they are expecting to take a lot of kids this year. About 250 or so, last time I heard. This has its pros and its cons, for obvious reasons.

As far as course scheduling goes: There are two basic groups, and then it is individually tailored from there.

First Group - First Semester (Sept-Dec)
Biochem
Histology
BioStats (If you took Stats in college, you can exempt from this course and replace it with another 2 credit course if you desire)
 
As a general caveat to the program, I would highly recommend shedding yourself of any other responsibilities other than the program. The course load is intense, especially since you have to do very well. Unlike the med students, you are not only looking to pass, you are looking to do exceptionally well. I know a lot of us had less than stellar GPAs coming into the program. Do not expect to arrive on campus and do well, it will take a lot of hard work. And do not overreach with the course load. Keep it as light as possible and do as well as possible. (I apologize for the doom and gloom, but you'll get over it. 😉 )

From what we are currently hearing they are expecting to take a lot of kids this year. About 250 or so, last time I heard. This has its pros and its cons, for obvious reasons.

As far as course scheduling goes: There are two basic groups, and then it is individually tailored from there.

First Group
First Group - First Semester (Sept-Dec)
Biochem
Histology (w/ MED)
BioStats (If you took Stats in college, you can exempt from this course and replace it with another 2 credit course if you desire)

First Group - Second Semester - (Feb 10 - May 15)
Physiology (w/ MED)

First Group - Summer Semester I - (May 15 - June 15)
Endocrinology (w/ MED)
Immunology (w/ MED)

P.S. If you are in this first group you can take Neuro (w/ MED) during your long Christmas break. This is only recommended if you have taken a good bit of Neuroscience before.

Second Group
Second Group - First Semester - (Sep-Dec)
Biochem
BioStats
3-credit Physio (This Physiology course ranges over both First and Second Sem.)
You will most likely take another course here. Most students took Pharm, some took CNS Functions, etc...

Second Group - Second Semester - (Jan 15 - May 15)
3-credit Physio (con't)
Histology
Another filler course.

Second Group - Summer Semester I - (May 15-June 15)
Endocrinology (w/MED)
Immunology (w/MED)


So as you can see there are pros and cons to being in either group. It seems like the earlier you get into the program, the better your chances of getting into the First group. I don't think it really matters whether or not you take your classes with the Med students. The only benefit was some eye candy in the Med School class.
 
at all of the medical schools i have visited so far the students all said that the schools were not very competitive... i.e. student study groups, everyone helping each other out with useful info from vaious book, internet sites, etc.

In the MAMS program is it more cut throat since people are trying to basically get the best grades? Have you found this to be a problem in the program?
 
Can anyone who has experience with living in Boston let me know if finding apartments that are available in August is realistic?
It seems that most apartments are available in September or June. This doesn't work well since I won't move to an expensive city too early, and orientation will be sometime during the week before classes start.
So will I just have less options on apartments, not many options at all, or am I just worrying too early because the apartments for 8/1 are not listed yet?
 
Go Lance! said:
Can anyone who has experience with living in Boston let me know if finding apartments that are available in August is realistic?
It seems that most apartments are available in September or June. This doesn't work well since I won't move to an expensive city too early, and orientation will be sometime during the week before classes start.
So will I just have less options on apartments, not many options at all, or am I just worrying too early because the apartments for 8/1 are not listed yet?
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apts run by management companies r usually listed b4 the leases r up by at least a couple of months. i'm sure u can find apts that start in aug but u will def have 2 look b4 then 2 make sure u have somewhere 2 live when the time comes. i ended up looking in may, my roommate and i took over a place from her friend. our lease started in july i think and i subletted my room out til i came in aug 2 her other friend who she came out with. her friend was doing a post-bacc at another school and my roommate was doing her pharmacy internship at BMC. also BU housing might have places that will be given up in aug by their current students. and if u look on craigslist, there r apts opening up almost any month of the year.
 
osin83 said:
at all of the medical schools i have visited so far the students all said that the schools were not very competitive... i.e. student study groups, everyone helping each other out with useful info from vaious book, internet sites, etc.

In the MAMS program is it more cut throat since people are trying to basically get the best grades? Have you found this to be a problem in the program?
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Yes, there is a fair amount of competition; but it is the kind of competition that makes you want to work harder and better. I think a few people take it too seriously but you will definitely find a study group that you are comfortable with and that is good for you.

Also it depends on the class. Biochem, for example, is graded on a curve. Some students were a little overeager to impress profs and make themselves look smart. 🙄

Most classes, however, are not graded on a curve. So the camraderie is definitely there.

Good luck!
 
another wait-list... [sigh]

i guess it's better than a rejection.
 
KrnFord920 said:
another wait-list... [sigh]

i guess it's better than a rejection.
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Hopefully, you'll be able to get in! It would be nice to have some fellow krns in the program. 🙂
 
Go Lance! said:
Can anyone who has experience with living in Boston let me know if finding apartments that are available in August is realistic?
It seems that most apartments are available in September or June. This doesn't work well since I won't move to an expensive city too early, and orientation will be sometime during the week before classes start.
So will I just have less options on apartments, not many options at all, or am I just worrying too early because the apartments for 8/1 are not listed yet?
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You'll be able to find something. I had to get an apartment at a weird time to (March 15) and was eventually able to find someone moving out through BU's off campus housing listing. Scour craigslist and call a bunch of realty places. Right now the rental market in Boston is taking a bit of a downward turn so there are a lot of vacancies. You'll be okay.
 
I just received an email informing me that i was waitlisted at BU MAMS. Does anyone know what the chances of acceptance are? I tried to contact Michelle Hall but she hasn't returned my phone call yet. The email was a little confusing... it said "the waiting list will be finalized on June 1, 2006 and we
expect most of the applicants who have been waitlisted to get in by this
time." Does that mean that they expect most of the applicants on the waitlist to be accepted or that most of the applicants who will be accepted from the waitlist will be accepted by june 1st? Thanks for your input guys! I really appreciate it!

shetal
 
I actually sent ms. hall an email about an hour ago asking what the deal was with the letters. I need to decide what im going to do about my other acceptances very very soon. i basically told her that i was still interested in the program but if i dont find out soon i will have to take the offers from other schools.
 
This is in the brookline area between beacon and comm ave. 5 min walk to T!
5 min walk to BU shuttle to take you to med campus! 5 min walk to amazing BU gym! Trader Joes near by! This is for a realtively small bedroom with walk in closet in a nice large 3 bdr apartment on a quiet street. Other 2 males will be a second year med student at BU and a MAMS student. Price is approx $650 per month and available for AUG 1. If you can't tell... This is in a very desirable location.
Please PM me if you are interested.
 
Regarding the competition in the MAMS program. One of the truly heinous things about BU Med is that they dont have set cutoffs for grades AND they compound that problem by assigning - and + grades, such as B-, B, B+, A- and A. At many other med schools, grades are simply determined by strict pre-determined cutoffs, so an A would be a 90 and above, and -/+ grades are not used. Like G'Town, the BU first year med students are pass/fail, and the majority of first years here are content doing just enough or slightly more than that required to pass, since, numerical scores are not recorded or mentioned on their Dean's letters and there is no Honors Pass.

At Georgetown, its even better for the SMP kids since the grading scale is based on the med student's performance. Though G'town has an honors pass, the incentive to push yourself and really stand out is a lot less for an Honors Pass/Pass/Fail system than for an A/B/C/D system, so the SMP kids are gunning and many med students are coasting. And georgetown does not incorporate the SMP kids performance when determining cutoffs--so at G'Town, SMP students are not competing against each other AND have the benefit of having their grading scales decided by the scores of a subset of people who have far less motivation to do well.

Contrast that with BU. Here, all the grades are lumped together and cutoffs are not determined till the end of the course. What that means is that you are competing with your fellow MAMS students and the med students to be one of the select few to crack the upper tier grades. This endeavor is made that much tougher by the aforementioned -/+ grading scale, since you now have to squeeze yourself in a finer gradation.

By consensus, MAMS students would agree that getting a B- or a B or even a B+ is not that hard here. If you're dilligent and concientious about the work and attend lectures/labs and prepare for quizzes, et, it should not be that hard to make it into those tiers. Getting an A, however, is exceedingly difficult and usually requires 60% more effort (on top of what you would expend to get that B+). I may have made it seem that just showing up automatically guarantees at least a B, but you do have to do a fair bit of work to get there, you just dont have to kill yourself.

I would probably compare getting an A here, to my experience with the MCAT. With very little prep, I would probably have managed a 31. To crack 36, is much tougher since the grading scale becomes so steep.
 
Great analysis, junebug. You made me see some things that confused me from a clearer perspective.
 
I just got a letter that Medical Histology will be offered for the summer II, 2006 semester. It takes place from July3 through Aug 12, and deadline to register is June 15. My question to current GMS students is, Is it worth it to take this class during the summer? The letter says that there is limited space availablity for the Fall 2006 class, which has me worried.
What do you guys think?
 
mtam323 said:
I just got a letter that Medical Histology will be offered for the summer II, 2006 semester. It takes place from July3 through Aug 12, and deadline to register is June 15. My question to current GMS students is, Is it worth it to take this class during the summer? The letter says that there is limited space availablity for the Fall 2006 class, which has me worried.
What do you guys think?
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Histo is extremely tough. This session is typically used as a makeup session for students repeating the course. I would NOT recommend it at all for someone who is taking histology for the first time. It will be more than enough work with the class spread out over a few months. Getting a poor grade in the condensed (read: 16hr days of histo) version will not be a good way to begin the program. Just be patient, if you do not get into the fall histo, you can take it in the summer. In a way, I would recommend that. Especially, if you are applying concurrently. Take Biochem, the 3-credit Physio, and give yourself a chance to get some footing on the fast pace. Rock the first semester, and then take histo in the 2nd semester. There is no benefit to taking the class with the med students (unless you're trying to hit on someone).

I would, however, highly recommend that you enjoy your summer as much as possible. Relax, take some time to spend with your friends and family. You will be working your ass of come Sept. 5.
 
jklasser17 said:
Histo is extremely tough. This session is typically used as a makeup session for students repeating the course. I would NOT recommend it at all for someone who is taking histology for the first time. It will be more than enough work with the class spread out over a few months. Getting a poor grade in the condensed (read: 16hr days of histo) version will not be a good way to begin the program. Just be patient, if you do not get into the fall histo, you can take it in the summer. In a way, I would recommend that. Especially, if you are applying concurrently. Take Biochem, the 3-credit Physio, and give yourself a chance to get some footing on the fast pace. Rock the first semester, and then take histo in the 2nd semester. There is no benefit to taking the class with the med students (unless you're trying to hit on someone).

I would, however, highly recommend that you enjoy your summer as much as possible. Relax, take some time to spend with your friends and family. You will be working your ass of come Sept. 5.
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Isn't it important to take medical school classes wit the med students? from the way these SMP programs work, taking medical school classes and doing well with them seems to be the reason why a lot of these kids get into medical school? just a thought..but i have no idea..i am probalby going to boston next semester for the MAMS
 
Da Nealson said:
Isn't it important to take medical school classes wit the med students? from the way these SMP programs work, taking medical school classes and doing well with them seems to be the reason why a lot of these kids get into medical school? just a thought..but i have no idea..i am probalby going to boston next semester for the MAMS
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Yes, it is important to take medical school classes. It's just not that important whether or not you are sitting next to a medical student during your lecture. On your transcript it all looks the same. I dunno, does that make sense???


For example, the MED students take Histo in the fall, along with quite a few GMS students. In the spring, it is just GMS students. However, on your transcript it shows up as AN700 either way you take it. The tests are just as tough!
Also the same goes for Biochem, fall semester it's GMS students only. In the spring, the MED students take it. It shows up the exact same on the transcript either way. The teachers are the same, the tests are the same, even the lecture hall is the same. It's just a scheduling thing.

The benefit at BU is that you can take all med school classes. You don't have to take any PhD courses, if you do not want to.

Go to BU, you'll thoroughly enjoy it! I guarantee it!! 😉
 
about how much is the tuition for the whole program? Ive got some mixed answers
 
osin83 said:
about how much is the tuition for the whole program? Ive got some mixed answers
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a lot! 🙂






Seriously though, it depends on how long you stay here, how many credits you take and what not. I don't exactly remember but I think you should look at about 17k each for the fall and spring semester. You also have to pay a continuing ed fee for the 2 summer semesters. This varies on whether you decide to spend your 2nd year at BU and what not. I know that's vague, but I thought it might be useful to expain to others why you may have been confused.
 
I wanted to go to BU with the mindset that I will be done with all my classes for the masters degree AND the thesis by August/September of 2007. I am entering this Fall of 2006.

Is this feasible? How many people do this? What does this mean in terms of course load?

Any guidance from experience would be very helpful. If you are in or were in the program can you outline your course load per semester and how long you were there, and when you worked on your thesis.

Thanks again.
 
etikit said:
I wanted to go to BU with the mindset that I will be done with all my classes for the masters degree AND the thesis by August/September of 2007. I am entering this Fall of 2006.

Is this feasible? How many people do this? What does this mean in terms of course load?

Any guidance from experience would be very helpful. If you are in or were in the program can you outline your course load per semester and how long you were there, and when you worked on your thesis.

Thanks again.
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This is most certainly possible with a normal course load. However, you will most likely be restricted to a library thesis. A lot of people take this option. I can think of only one other person besides myself who will be finishing off a research thesis by the end of the summer.

In a post, on either this or another BU thread, I outlined the various course schedules. Many people also make the decision when to do their thesis based on other mitigating factors (marriage, living situation, money issues, etc...).
 
I recently contacted Natasha Hall regarding our class schedules and signing up for classes. She said that they will sign us up for classes and we should receive the schedule in the mail sometime this summer. Then at orientation, we meet with our academic advisor and can change anything with our schedule then. What has been the current MAMS student experience with this? Is everyone usually happy with the schedule/classes they receive over the summer? If not, is it difficult to change classes around at orientation?

Another question, if we are interested in doing a research thesis as opposed to the library thesis, how do we get set up with a lab/PI to conduct research with? Do we have to seek that out ourselves, or do they have some sort of resource to link students?

One more question. Has anyone entered the program as just a MAMS student but then decided to stay for a second year and obtain an MPH? Does anyone know how this works? Do you apply to the public health program during the first year you are in the MS program? Can it all be done in 2 years?

Thanks for your insight!
 
Ah! I got into BU MAMS!! I can't believe it. Now I don't know which program to choose!
 
The only reason to want to complete the thesis requirements within one year would be if you were applying during the same year. As another poster mentioned, you would almost certainly be restricted to a library thesis. This can hurt your application at some schools, who may not be impressed. I cannot comment on this since I have yet to apply, but the MAMS program admins say that BU Med prefers a research thesis.

A lot of this also depends on your grades in the program. If you take a decent course load and get a 3.9, it wont matter, since thats very impressive. But if you end up with a 3.4 or thereabouts, it might hurt more, since there are a lot of MAMS students who finish near that gpa and have a research thesis.
 
I got in! YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! Ok... now what?
 
chaeymaey said:
Ah! I got into BU MAMS!! I can't believe it. Now I don't know which program to choose!
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Definitely BU!!



Ok, so I'm biased. 🙂

As far as choosing programs go (I think you are choosing btwn G-town and BU) the progams at GTown and BU are very similar. I know you've all heard that, but it is true. To BU's benefit is the option of taking more med school classes (basically everything a first year takes, except Gross), interacting more with the medical school and an actual Master's. The drawbacks include the rigorous course schedule and the notion of not concurrently applying. To me personally, unless you got a ton of interviews and screwed up every single one, you probably just are not going to get in this next cycle. Take it slow and give it your best shot. If waiting one year of your life gets you into the medical school of your choice? I don't plan on dying, so it did not matter much to me.

After the considerations mentioned above, a lot of it boils down to lifestyle choices. Having talked to many of the kids in my class, a lot of them chose BU just because they wanted to live in Boston for a while. That is why I chose BU over GTown. I grew up in the DC area and have always wanted to live in Boston, so I did. You most definitely will not do well in either program, if you feel like you hate your life.

I would highly recommend visitng both cities and getting a feel for what the programs are like. At BU, I called up Natasha and told her I would be dropping by at the end of the week. Even though it was a very busy time in the GMS office, she still took about an hour to show me around the campus and answer any questions I had. She even set up a brief meeting with Dr. Franzblau. He was on his way to an important meeting (as I would later find out), but still took a few minutes to extol the virtues of the program and encourage me to attend. BU won't let you down, they care about the success of each individual and go out of their way to make sure you succeed.

Also, the profs here at BU have been very knowledgeable and approachable, and try to make it as fun as possible.


Looking back at this post, I realize I have been about as fair and balanced as CNN, but that's for another forum. Good luck with your decision!! 🙂
 
HouseIsMyHero said:
I got in! YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! Ok... now what?
Click to expand...

Now, you make sure to tell them you will be present in the fall. And then you sit back, enjoy the summer and look for an apartment. Now would be a good time to do that, I was talking to a real estate agent in my building today, and she said things were already pretty hot. 🙂
 
Lu E Lee said:
I recently contacted Natasha Hall regarding our class schedules and signing up for classes. She said that they will sign us up for classes and we should receive the schedule in the mail sometime this summer. Then at orientation, we meet with our academic advisor and can change anything with our schedule then. What has been the current MAMS student experience with this? Is everyone usually happy with the schedule/classes they receive over the summer? If not, is it difficult to change classes around at orientation?

Another question, if we are interested in doing a research thesis as opposed to the library thesis, how do we get set up with a lab/PI to conduct research with? Do we have to seek that out ourselves, or do they have some sort of resource to link students?

One more question. Has anyone entered the program as just a MAMS student but then decided to stay for a second year and obtain an MPH? Does anyone know how this works? Do you apply to the public health program during the first year you are in the MS program? Can it all be done in 2 years?

Thanks for your insight!
Click to expand...

On the previous page, I posted the basic schedule for the MAMS program. You will get into one of the two basic schedules. The earlier you get accepted the more likely you are to get the first one. I cannot stress this enough, but one schedule is not necessarily better than the other; it just boils down to classroom size management.

I just want to reiterate to everyone, I know you are anxious about everything (I'm a Type A too). Don't be. I know it is tough to make a decision on where you want to go to school; but once you have decided that, it's time to relax and wait for the step ahead.

BU does a very good job of taking care of you once you're in the program. There is a reason orientation is as long as it is, and the first thing they hand you is a 3-inch ring binder that basically answers every question you have. During orientation you will have a chance to meet your advisor and finalize your class schedule. I'd say a solid 75% of the class didn't change their schedule a bit.

As far as doing a research thesis goes, you do not need to worry about that immediately. Your advisor can help recommend a PI that would be of interest to you. I would most definitely not recommend trying to do research while you are taking courses in the MAMS program. First and foremost is your grades. You could cure cancer while in the program, but if you have a 2.0, you are not getting into medical school.

That is another thing I would stress to everyone who has been accepted. Congratulations, the first tough step is over. The next step is your coursework, worry about it when you have to worry about it, and only worry about it. Everything else is secondary to your coursework. A lot of people wonder what they are going to do in the 2nd year, and I know I did too. The key, however, is to worry about the first year first. What you do in the first year determines whether or not you get into medical school. A lot of things can happen between Aug 2006 and June 2007. Take the program one step at a time, do not be afraid to talk to your advisor and see what the best approach is for you. Do not be in a rush to take your MCAT's again or accomplish groundbreaking research, those are ancillary to the goal at hand.


I know I repeated many things in my post above, but I feel it is appropriate. I know the apprehension, I have been there. And the voice of experience says, just chill until orientation and then worry about all the other stuff. Do not get ahead of yourself and enjoy life! 🙂
 
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