OHSU Class of 2011!

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melissainsd

melissainsd

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I did a search and didn't find a thread...so here it is! Welcome! I just got the letter today and I am very excited. There is a very good chance I will be headed to OHSU in August. Is anyone going back up to look for housing, etc?

Oh, and I am OOS.
 
Congrats!

I'm instate- will be going to OHSU for sure in August. I'm going to Portland in two weeks to look for housing- I'll let you know what I find out. Agian, congrats and thanks for starting the thread!
 
Congratz! and welcome to the family. I'm a first year and have lived in portland for almost a decade now. I'll post more info about housing etc later but feel free to email me if you have any questions now [email protected]
 
Hi guys!

I am getting more and more excited, which means I will most likely be at OHSU. The more I learn about it, the more I love it. Except for parking. I will need to drop off my son at childcare so I want to avoid the bus (and couldn't ride a bike). I'll also be buying a house in the suburbs somewhere.

Jmk- how do students get to school?
 
Right now that I have a free minute:
The Portland housing market is easy. Each time I have moved it has taken me less than 24 hours to find a place. Of course I was VERY flexible and didn't need much but I haven't heard of anyone taking longer than a few days to find a place. I would recommend taking a look at http://portland.craigslist.org/hhh/ to get an idea of the range of possiblities so you can start to decide where you want to live and what you want out of a place. But overall the process is easy here in Portland.

Parking on the hill is expensive unless you are lucky enough to find a private spot. Basically you rent a spot from someone who doesn't have a car but lives on the hill in an apartment that has a parking spot. Going rate is about $100 a month. The other option is to take the bus up most days but when you do need to park it is about $5 for half a day and $10 for a full day.

Classmates of mine who needed to drop kids off tend to find a child care place near a park and ride. Check out www.trimet.org to see bus and max (train) routes.
 
thanks, jmk, for the advice so far.

i was wondering where people live who go to OHSU. it doesn't seem like there are many places right around campus. and there's no such thing as campus housing, is there?
 
I'm from portland.

What kind of neighborhoods do you want and what kind of transportation are you going to have?
 
indo said:
I'm from portland.

What kind of neighborhoods do you want and what kind of transportation are you going to have?
Click to expand...

Thanks indo. I am thinking about buying a house in Beaverton (although my husband giggles every time I say it). I will be driving to school, but I hope to find someone that wants to carpool. Don't know how I'll park yet 🙁 Hopefully I can find a spot to rent.

Is Beaverton too far? I need a family-friendly place.
 
I live in hillsboro which is further out than beaverton. It takes me about 30 minutes to drive in if I leave by 7:15 am but if I leave after that it can take up to an hour. It is not so bad because I get to school with a few minutes to read over notes but I miss class if I sleep in or there is bad traffic. Finding a parking spot takes some work but it is possible.

There is no on-campus housing but any apartment "on the hill" is close enough to feel like it is on campus. There is a co-op which has 15 or so bedrooms in a privately owned house. It is cheap but you don't get much privacy.

I have found that about one third of my class lives on the hill and one third live off but half who live on want to live off and half who live off want to live on... (sounds like a riddle 🙂 )

The hill has one plaid pantry (7-11) one pizza place and a coffee shop that serves lunch and not much else. To get to a grocery store or a bar or just about anything else you need a car or you need to take the bus downtown. The tram is another option. It takes you to the streetcar but the tram and streetcar operate fewer hours than the busses.

Portland is a great city for public transportation and bike riders so it is possible to live here without a car if you choose your location correctly.

any more questions?
 
I'm glad we have a thread now. 🙂

As for housing, I am currently in the process of closing on a condo in Beaverton. It is located about 30 seconds (walking) from the light rail system ("MAX"). You may want to consider a condo and/or living near the MAX line. Main reason being that MAX operates at the same speed regardless of traffic conditions. From Beaverton it takes ~20 minutes to get into downtown Portland. From there you simply hop on the OHSU bus up the hill which takes ~10 minutes.

You also mentioned that you are relocating here with a family. Generally speaking, you'll find the Westside to be more 'family friendly'. To clarify, I use the term with respect to a substantially lower rate of violent crime, higher quality public school system, and cheaper/newer housing. The Beaverton housing market is somewhat fresh in my memory since I am in the midst of buying property at this moment. So, if you would like any additional info., don't hesistate to ask.

I'm looking forward to a great group of peers this upcoming summer! 🙂
 
So there is a OHSU bus that goes from the MAX? Great! Hopefully I can find daycare in Beaverton so I can drop off the little one then take the MAX. No Starbucks on campus though?
 
so the max to the bus to ohsu is not that quick (about an hour door to door) but it is a good option. Anytime you have to transfer the trip gets longer 🙁 I did the max/ bus thing for a year and it was ok but I had enough bad days where I missed 8am lecture because of trimet delays so I decided to drive in. Of course I had a three mile drive to the max and live near the end of the line so a little more painful than Thrall's trip sounds like it will be.

The 68 is the bus that goes from the goose hollow max stop (if you take the max from the west side) to ohsu but it is an express so it only runs up to ohsu in the am and down to the max in the pm (not round trip ever). You can also take the max all the way into downtown and catch the 8 which runs up to ohsu and back all day long. However, the 8 is notorious for crazy people and is not always on time.

There is a starbucks at the max/68 exchange and four coffee places that carry starbucks coffee on the hill. The coffee cart that has starbucks coffee is just inside the BICC, the building just next to where you get off the bus at school. The only fully operational starbucks is in dornbecker children's hospital which is on the opposite side of campus from the som. But there are some die hards that get off the bus early to get their coffee and then walk across campus to get to class.
 
jmk said:
so the max to the bus to ohsu is not that quick (about an hour door to door) but it is a good option. Anytime you have to transfer the trip gets longer 🙁 I did the max/ bus thing for a year and it was ok but I had enough bad days where I missed 8am lecture because of trimet delays so I decided to drive in. Of course I had a three mile drive to the max and live near the end of the line so a little more painful than Thrall's trip sounds like it will be.

The 68 is the bus that goes from the goose hollow max stop (if you take the max from the west side) to ohsu but it is an express so it only runs up to ohsu in the am and down to the max in the pm (not round trip ever). You can also take the max all the way into downtown and catch the 8 which runs up to ohsu and back all day long. However, the 8 is notorious for crazy people and is not always on time.

There is a starbucks at the max/68 exchange and four coffee places that carry starbucks coffee on the hill. The coffee cart that has starbucks coffee is just inside the BICC, the building just next to where you get off the bus at school. The only fully operational starbucks is in dornbecker children's hospital which is on the opposite side of campus from the som. But there are some die hards that get off the bus early to get their coffee and then walk across campus to get to class.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. It sounds as if I may be driving to school after all. How do you find the private parking spots to rent?
 
melissainsd said:
Thanks for the info. It sounds as if I may be driving to school after all. How do you find the private parking spots to rent?
Click to expand...

Actually, I live in Portland now too and there are neighborhoods that have direct buses to the hill that don't take too long. I would check out trimet's website to see the fastest commute.... seems like the vermont hills area of SW and some parts of SE would have really good bus commutes (although they might be really expensive areas to live). Also, if I remember correctly, there is some free parking in the neighborhoods above campus (Fairmont Rd), but its ~15min walk down to campus. :luck:
 
melissainsd said:
Thanks indo. I am thinking about buying a house in Beaverton (although my husband giggles every time I say it). I will be driving to school, but I hope to find someone that wants to carpool. Don't know how I'll park yet 🙁 Hopefully I can find a spot to rent.

Is Beaverton too far? I need a family-friendly place.
Click to expand...

All of Portland is family friendly. You might look at places in SW Portland and Tigard if you want a shorter drive.

Driving from beaverton will progressively piss you off more and more everyday. Highway 26 is about half the width it needs to be so traffic in the morning is bad. It takes about 30 minutes on the freeway to get downtown. That is 30 minutes at 3 mph. AND, what will piss you off even more is that they've just decided to let bicycles on the freeway so while you are in stop and go traffic on Sylvan hill you will see some A-hole in spandex go flying by you on his bike.

That Tram that they built from the new research buildings up to the medical complex looks like a Chipotle burrito suspended from wires.


If you can't say "beaverton" with a straight face, like I can't, you can call it "the Tron". I don't know where that nickname came from but I likes it.
 
If you are not going to the hospital or med school, Portland's light rail is awesome. There are crazies on light rail but we don't hold a candle to the subway systems of other cities.

If you all haven't moved there yet, I recommend being in Portland for the summer.
 
One should definitely put an Oregon summer on their priority list. Knowing that the Northeast will soon be one giant swamp makes this native Oregonian completely homesick for amaaazing PNW summers. Although I'm not going to OHSU this fall even though I got accepted due to circumstances not in my control (i.e. husband's school situation), I wish you all the best. Please enjoy everything Oregon has to offer for me. I especially recommend making a trip to the coast if possible.
 
yes yes yes spend time here in the summer if at all possible.

26 can be a nighmare, like I said I leave by 7:15am and it isn't too bad but if you leave later it can suck. If you are driving from the west on 26 email me and I will let you in on the back way which lets you exit 26 from sylvin and miss the biggest cluster of traffic there by adding back a few years to your life.

I found a parking spot by looking for flyiers around school and emailing them all and if I got a reply that the spot was gone I emailed them and asked if they knew anyone with a spot. It took some effort but my spot saves me two hours everyday and gives me freedom back so it was worth it!

be aware of the express busses on trimet.org they only run to ohsu in the morning and back down in the evening. Since our classes get out at noon the commute back at that time can be a pain and involve three busses. but some of my classmates use this fact as motivation to stay on the hill and study til 3:30 when the first bus home usually runs.
 
The quote feature isn't working. 🙁 Anyway- thanks to those that have given great advice on where to live. I have shifted my focus to SW Portland/Tigard area. Less house for the $$ but I hate commuting. I will also remember to look for parking spot flyers when I come out.

I'll definitely come out this summer. I wish there was an official second-look weekend. Many schools have it organized by the M1s. Perhaps our class will start one up.

For those of you going to Oregon to look for housing, when are you going? I was thinking sometime in late April/early May.

Oh, and the chipotle burrito comment was hilarious.
 
Hi Guys,

I am coming into Portland from NYC to interview at OHSU this coming Tuesday and am looking for a place to stay for Monday night. The student hosting program hasn't been able to accomodate me. Wondering (long shot, I know) if anyone living nearby the school would be willing to let me crash on their couch? I am a normal, friendly, 27 year old male...

Thanks in advance for your help,
Eric
 
Bumping.
 
Hi everybody and welcome to Oregon/OHSU. It's a great place to live and a great school. I am an OB/GYN resident at OHSU and I went here for med school as well.

It sounds like some of you are thinking about purchasing a home/condo, etc. when you move here and I wanted to pass on my husbands info to you if you are interested. He is a realtor with Windermere and has worked extensively with med students, residents and other health professionals. He would be more than happy to help you in any way he can. Here is his info:

Jonathan Hurliman - Windermere Real Estate (Sellwood/Moreland Office)
e-mail - [email protected]
phone - 503.497.2954

We bought a house when school started and it really is a smart thing to do if you can make it work. The market in Portland has changed a lot recently, but it is still the most inexpensive metropolitan area on the West coast to live in. You will definetly get a return on your investment.

Anyway, congrats again and let me know if you have any questions about OHSU. My e-mail is [email protected].

Take Care.
Amanda Hurliman
 
Welcome future OHSUers! I see this thread hasn't gotten much action in the past few days, but I just looked at it for the first time today. I remember being super excited to start med school. Now I am trying to get excited for boards studying and clerkships...not so easy.

Anyway, so far the only topic that seems to have really come up is housing--let me just contribute that if you want to live in an urban environment, you should look more at downtown Portland or the inner east side (west of 50th or so). I have lived all over Portland (SW, NE, and now SE) in the past 10 years or so, always close in to the downtown area, and there is great public transportation all over. It is important to me, as a younger person without kids, to live somewhere fun with good restaurants and things like bookstores within walking distance--those of you considering living in areas like Beaverton and Tigard should be aware that one of the trade-offs for that (slightly) lower crime rate is living in a very suburban environment, e.g. strip malls, fast food chains, and housing tracts. If you have kids and are more concerned about things like property taxes and public school quality, this may be a fair trade-off, but I just thought I'd put in a warning for those who are under the impression that areas like Beaverton or even outer SW Portland are part of "the city". There are some great, really fun neighborhoods within Portland that are very accessible to OHSU and will offer a lot more to do in your "free time". Whether you see this as a plus or a minus is up to you. The best way to figure out where to live, if at all possible, would be to spend a few days here (especially in a couple months, when the weather will be beautiful) and check out the different areas to see what suits you. Sorry if this sounds snotty, I'm not trying to insult anyone who lives in Beaverton or Tigard or similar areas (several of my classmates do and like it a lot, although the majority by far live in Portland)--I just thought from looking at the earlier responses that someone unfamiliar with Portland could get the wrong idea, and I know I'd hate to move to a new city and find out I was miles from all the action. Even living on the hill you're kind of removed from the rest of the city, although it's relatively easy to get downtown especially if you drive. Personally, I love living in my neighborhood (Hawthorne) off the hill.

If anyone has any other questions, I'll be happy to try to answer. Good luck!

p.s. Great to see you here Indo! How's Wisconsin? Cheesy? I bet it's got nothing on the Tillamook Cheese Factory--I was just there over spring break, yay for squeaky cheese!
 
Mistress S- Thanks for posting; I'm not sure why the thread has been so dead. I'm trying to find a house in Portland, but I am having trouble finding one that is big enough (and less than $650,000).

Oh, and every time I see your SN I smile because my old SN (for other things) use to be Madame M.
 
Hey all,

I'm an instate and waiting patiently for the list to go out in May. OHSU is definitely my first choice, but that "holding pool" won't be released for another month or so. I think after then we'll see this explode. Looking forward to meeting you all, but if not, I'll have a good time in KC....

See you in August (hopefully)...
Greg
 
Mistress S said:
p.s. Great to see you here Indo! How's Wisconsin? Cheesy? I bet it's got nothing on the Tillamook Cheese Factory--I was just there over spring break, yay for squeaky cheese!
Click to expand...

Wisconsin is cold. We have a winter storm warning tonight....in april! It is cheesy here. They eat something called cheese kurds or curds and they worship the brat. :laugh:

It isn't all bad. I've learned to drink with voracity.
 
Are any of you planning to participate in the Summer Observership Program? It sounds like a great opportunity and I am really thinking about attending if I can get eveything to work out.

Also, how is the house hunting coming along? Good luck to everyone!

RD
 
I'm still waiting on my acceptance packet. Has everyone received theirs? I want to withdraw from some schools but I'm a little paranoid...
 
I received my acceptance packet about 2 months after the initial acceptance letter. Melissainsdit don't worry, it will come!
 
Melissainsd,

Have you decided on your housing yet? My wife and I are strongly considering Beaverton and a few other places. We probably won't know for sure until sometime in June or July. Good luck with the house hunting.

RD
 
REAL DOC said:
Melissainsd,

Have you decided on your housing yet? My wife and I are strongly considering Beaverton and a few other places. We probably won't know for sure until sometime in June or July. Good luck with the house hunting.

RD
Click to expand...

We are looking there (among others). I guess we are looking for the best house as close as possible to school. I am still really nervous about parking though. My husband and I are heading up in a few weeks to look at some homes. Good luck finding yours!
 
Hi guys,

I received my packet about 6 weeks after I received my acceptance letter. I also just received the Summer Observership letter, too. I don't think I'll be able to participate in the summer program due to prior commitments to my undergrad. school. However, from what I hear, it is an excellent opportunity to really get a great head start on medicine and all that it entails.

As for housing, the market hasn't changed much in Portland and the greater metropolitan area. My wife and I have purchased a condo. in Beaverton, and we're confident that it is a great area to live in for at *least* four more years. 🙂 See ya all within months, I'm sure! 🙂

Thrall
 
Mellisainsd,

I was wondering how long it took to receive your packet, was it the full month plus? Thanks
 
MAALCH said:
Mellisainsd,

I was wondering how long it took to receive your packet, was it the full month plus? Thanks
Click to expand...

I think it was around 6 weeks.
 
Hi, I just found out I was accepted...being from California, Portland will be mostly new to me. thanks for all the housing tips...I will definitely have more questions when I start looking.

I'm pretty sure I'll choose OHSU, but it's hard to think I'll be giving up the UC schools in Cali. I'm especially attracted to the culture of Portland and the strength of OHSU's primary care program. Please let me know if you have any thoughts on these topics. thanks and I can't wait meet you all in person.
 
hey everyone. I'm going to be moving mid-august and I'm actually a bit worried about finding (the right) place to live. I will most likely not have a car, but I bike a lot so I wouldn't mind doing that in the mornings. but really, I'm spoiled by my current situation (workplace is half a mile from home) so I'm looking for something similar at OHSU. I guess my best bet would be to look for something further up the hill?

craigslist doesn't look too promising. any ideas?
 
After reading all of your messages and looking at SDN for a year, I finally decided to join. Just found out that I got into the MD/MPH program at OHSU about a week ago and am so very happy about it. This is a homecoming for me...I've spent about 9 years in California, and despite liking the sunshine I totally miss the rain and the culture. Anybody else out there thinking of doing the MD/MPH? Anybody out there from the upper classes who has gone through it? Any comments, thoughts, suggestions, gripes?

Anyways, I'm almost 99.9% going to come and I'm very excited to meet all of you!
 
Hi OHSU people,

If anyone is planning to buy a house, we are selling one that is a couple of blocks from the #8 bus line (which goes to OHSU). It is also within a few of blocks of many restaurants, coffee shops (including starbucks), art galleries, Wild Oats and an organic grocery co-op. Its in sort of an "up and coming" neighborhood... lots of gentrification and new businesses coming in all of the time. Since I am going to school on the east coast, and have limited time to sell it, there is some leverage in the price. Here is a link to craigslist ad, its also listed on the MLS:

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/rfs/337377485.html

Good luck to everyone coming to portland!
 
Hey OHSU Class of 2011- congrats to everyone who has received their letters- very exciting, and best of luck to all of you still waiting (don't give up, they let some people into our class the week before it started!).

I'm a soon-to-be 2nd year, and I know some of you were starting to look for housing. I live at the co-op, which is a big house around the corner from OSHU. It's cheap to live there, close to school, and filled with students. I know it's short notice- we have two spots left open for this fall, but want to have them decided by the middle of next week (June 12th or so). If you're interested, leave a message at 503-227-4002.

Cheers!
 
Hi, I just found out that I was accepted. I am looking forward to meeting you all in August. I live in Portland in case anyone needs directions or information on the city.
 
Glad to find y'all, 2011. Lookin' forward to meeting people in person.

I've been working at OHSU for the last couple years - and grew up in this area. Four undergraduate years in the bay area were enough to teach me just how much I love Oregon, and Portland in particular.

I currently live in NW portland, but don't want to pay this sort of rent as a student...so will be looking for housing (probably closer to campus) over the next month or two.

I've read the entire thread...and second most of the advice given. Here's another great resource I didn't see in the thread yet: www.housingmaps.com (shows craigslist listings, plotted on a local map, to give a better sense of location). Beaverton/Tigard are great for families...but rather isolated for unattached students. Public transit in Portland is as good as everyone says - we're proud of it. But knowing my sleep habits, I'll be looking for a place within a 5-minute walk of campus.

If anyone out there is interested in exploring potential shared rental scenarios, let me know.

See y'all in a couple months.
 
hi veighnkman and anyone else who wants to chime in! would you be willing to describe life in the co-op? thanks!
 
Just another hello! I was accepted May 31st but have been traveling Europe the past 6 weeks. I grew up in the portland area and absolutely love the city... so if anyone needs general city advice or recommendations I'd be more then willing to offer. Looking forward to meeting all of you.

I am also looking for something a 5-10 min walk from campus. I've snooped around up on the hill once or twice but plan on really cracking down on the search first of the month, since I'm currently recovering from shoulder surgery and am a bit... immobilized. I'd also be open if anyone is in need of a roommate. I like to think of myself as the low maintenance easy to live with sort.
 
Hello! I just got accepted last week. Woohoo! (I'm #36, the number they've been stuck on for the last week.) OHSU has been my first choice all along, so I am super excited.

Question: I'm hoping to buy a computer; I've heard that OHSU is more Windows compatible than Mac compatible. Does anyone have any information to confirm or contest this? I am kind of partial to getting a Mac, so I would love to know if it's going to be more trouble than it's worth with OHSU's IT department, and should just get a PC, or if the Mac's going to be okay.

Any info or advice is much appreciated!
 
Hi class of '11! I am wondering about what people have received in the mail from OHSU so far.

Other than the initial acceptance letter, the packet with the contract forms, and the packet from the Dept of Family Medicine about the summer program, have you received anyother information/mail from OHSU?

I am just curious because on the OHSU website I found something about a New Student Information Form which says "Please Return by July 16th, 2007". 😱 Has anyone actually received this in the mail yet?
 
Un Owen said:
Hi class of '11! I am wondering about what people have received in the mail from OHSU so far.

Other than the initial acceptance letter, the packet with the contract forms, and the packet from the Dept of Family Medicine about the summer program, have you received anyother information/mail from OHSU?

I am just curious because on the OHSU website I found something about a New Student Information Form which says "Please Return by July 16th, 2007". 😱 Has anyone actually received this in the mail yet?
Click to expand...

To date, after acceptance, I have received:
-the first packet of info with all those forms to sign, including technical standards, etc.
-the summer program packet
-the initial packet from finanical aid requesting my 1040, W-2s, etc
-a followup packet from financial aid with my offered aid
-a followup packet from financial aid with all my perkins loan promissory forms

I have also sent in completed:
-that first packet with all forms (I think this included the "new student information form")
-the first packet from financial aid with 1040 and W-2s
-the student health program forms and immunization records (found on OHSU's website)

Nothing else yet. OHSU tends to do things at the last minute though, from what I've heard.
 
rmorriso said:
To date, after acceptance, I have received:
-the first packet of info with all those forms to sign, including technical standards, etc.
-the summer program packet
-the initial packet from finanical aid requesting my 1040, W-2s, etc
-a followup packet from financial aid with my offered aid
-a followup packet from financial aid with all my perkins loan promissory forms

I have also sent in completed:
-that first packet with all forms (I think this included the "new student information form")
-the first packet from financial aid with 1040 and W-2s
-the student health program forms and immunization records (found on OHSU's website)

Nothing else yet. OHSU tends to do things at the last minute though, from what I've heard.
Click to expand...

Hi rmorriso!

Did you get a letter or something from OHSU asking you to fill out the Student Health Program and Immunization Records forms? I have not received anything about it yet and I don't think anything about this was mentioned in any of the info I've received from them so far...
 
Un Owen said:
Hi rmorriso!

Did you get a letter or something from OHSU asking you to fill out the Student Health Program and Immunization Records forms? I have not received anything about it yet and I don't think anything about this was mentioned in any of the info I've received from them so far...
Click to expand...

Nope, nothing in writing. But I've called the admissions dept a couple times with some Q's (I have Lori's direct number and she's an invaluable resource) and that was one thing they recommended I get started on. I'm sure we'll be instructed to in writing, but getting a jump on it lets me get my TST out of the way at my convinience.
 
rmorriso said:
Nope, nothing in writing. But I've called the admissions dept a couple times with some Q's (I have Lori's direct number and she's an invaluable resource) and that was one thing they recommended I get started on. I'm sure we'll be instructed to in writing, but getting a jump on it lets me get my TST out of the way at my convinience.
Click to expand...

Thanks rmorriso! I think I might call Lori today and ask her 🙂
 
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