2009-2010 UMDNJ-NJMS Application Thread

[runawaytrain]

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RWJMS: http://rwjms.umdnj.edu/education/admissions/our_students/match_list_2009.html

I can't seem to find the match list for NJMS, though

 

[glia25]

i'm also having a difficult time teasing apart the 2 schools...and many others for that matter...anyone with an interest in convincing me to matriculate to njms please pm me, i'm having a lot of difficulty deciding what to do as the schools i have been accepted to all have their pluses and minuses...i do feel very fortunate though to be in a position to make a decision!

a bit of interview feedback for those prepping for an interview...

i actually had a highly stressful interview and was asked questions ranging from health care policy (which I expected) to foreign policy to world issues to true testing on subject matter covered in past courses and in-depth questions regarding research experience...

this was my first interview, so i prepared thoroughly and found that my prep paid off...be knowledgeable regarding current events, know your research experience! my interview seemed to be more stressful than other interviewees'...

best of luck to all! this is a great school and i had an overall, positive experience

 

[ek1099]

i think we may have had the same interviewer glia25. my interview was also stressful for the same reasons...

anyway, here is a link to see the match results at NJMS:
http://njms.umdnj.edu/education/prospective/view_admissions.cfm

 

[johncalvin]

Disregarding the fact that match lists often contain inherent personal biases, which list looks better to you folks?

 

[Swim88WJ]

Disregarding the fact that match lists often contain inherent personal biases, which list looks better to you folks?

by just looking at specialty numbers, NJMS sent 2 to plastics while RWJ sent 1. NJMS sent 4 to neurosurg, RWJ sent 0. NJMS sent 1 to ENT, RWJ sent 0. RWJ sent slightly more to ortho, but NJMS sent 2 to derm while RWJ sent 0. so i guess theyre similar but NJMS looks slightly stronger just on that basis.

 

[runawaytrain]

It depends on what specialty you are interested in. RWJMS seems much stronger than NJMS in pediatrics, for example, whereas NJMS seems stronger in the surgical specialties. Anesthesia also seems to have some great matches at RWJMS.

 

[johncalvin]

I'm not a big fan of suburban medical schools--but then again, I'm not a big fan of Newark (the city) either. This just may come down to financial aid.

 

[johncalvin]

It depends on what specialty you are interested in. RWJMS seems much stronger than NJMS in pediatrics, for example, whereas NJMS seems stronger in the surgical specialties. Anesthesia also seems to have some great matches at RWJMS.

I tend to agree with the bolded statement. In the past 4-5 years, NJMS has managed to match 2 people to neurosurgery at UCSF--quite possibly the most competitive neurolsurgical residency in the U.S..

 

[njmd1]

It depends on what specialty you are interested in. RWJMS seems much stronger than NJMS in pediatrics, for example, whereas NJMS seems stronger in the surgical specialties. Anesthesia also seems to have some great matches at RWJMS.

Looks NJMS stronger if you compare # but both are very close and have good match statistic.....What keep you satisfied..go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chiron3x]

Anyone else waitlisted here, but still hoping to get a chance? Looking at the trends, it seems like NJMS accepts very few off the waitlist. In any case, hopefully sending a fleet of update letters to them will increase the chances 😛

 

[vcfor3]

One of my friends who is a nursing student at UMDNJ doing clinicals in UH told me that the hospital is in pretty bad financial conditions and things aren't looking good there in that aspect. More than half of the patient population is uninsured (understandable being Newark). She said you'll see a ton of cases of all varieties and get to do a lot of procedures and stuff, so we'll get good clinical exposure. Another thing she lamented was the fact that a lot of the med students are very snobby/arrogant and act like hot shots, and even act like asses even if they're corrected on something they were wrong about, so just note that being mean to people IS bad, especially to nurses, who'll have their way with you if you decide to pull an attitude with them.

 

[FutureDoc4]

For complete disclosure I am from RWJ, but this recently came up in the allopathic forum, I thought some of you should take a look at it (as I saw a few RWJ vs NJMS comments)..as I was deciding between RWJ and NJMS some time ago... you can see my comments on RWJ in the RWJ forum pre-allo school specific forum, but thought you may find this interesting (take it of course with a grain of salt).

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=603298

 

[HammockUp]

Anyone else waitlisted here, but still hoping to get a chance? Looking at the trends, it seems like NJMS accepts very few off the waitlist. In any case, hopefully sending a fleet of update letters to them will increase the chances 😛

Yes, I was waitlisted recently too, second year in a row. 33/3.5. The waitlist did move last year but did not move the year before.

 

[app2010]

ACCEPTED!!! I interviewed on 10/23. Happy New Year everyone!!

 

[riss1084]

ouch, tough break Hammock, im sure that really hurts, but it's not over yet! send updates and hopefully you'll get some good news! the fact that you've applied twice already shows them you really want this badly!
if you don't mind, what dates did you interview/receive letter?

also, app2010 congratulations! i was pulling for you to get some good news!

 

[HammockUp]

if you don't mind, what dates did you interview/receive letter?

Interviewed early November, got the letter around 12/18.

 

[skeptic29]

For complete disclosure I am from RWJ, but this recently came up in the allopathic forum, I thought some of you should take a look at it (as I saw a few RWJ vs NJMS comments)..as I was deciding between RWJ and NJMS some time ago... you can see my comments on RWJ in the RWJ forum pre-allo school specific forum, but thought you may find this interesting (take it of course with a grain of salt).

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=603298

Wow some of the comments on that thread are pretty disconcerting. It seems like some students really hate the place. I wonder if this is really the case for most of the class or if it's just a small percentage of students that is not satisfied.

 

[abc12345]

Wow some of the comments on that thread are pretty disconcerting. It seems like some students really hate the place. I wonder if this is really the case for most of the class or if it's just a small percentage of students that is not satisfied.

it is not the case for all the students. but it is true.

 

[GetitRight]

Hi everyone. Unrelated to much of the posts I went through, but I was complete at NJMS on 9/18/2009 and have not heard back from them. Is it possible that I will still receive consideration for an interview, or do you guys think I am on hold and they have not told me that I am on hold. I have not received via e-mail an interview invitation or a rejection. Just wonderfing if someone here could shed some light.

 

[GetitRight]

Hi everyone. Unrelated to much of the posts I went through, but I was complete at NJMS on 9/18/2009 and have not heard back from them. Is it possible that I will still receive consideration for an interview, or do you guys think I am on hold and they have not told me that I am on hold. I have not received via e-mail an interview invitation or a rejection. Just wonderfing if someone here could shed some light.

To reiterate, what i am wondering is, at this point in time, is it possible that I may still get an interview? Just wondering what people may speculate....

 

[Swim88WJ]

To reiterate, what i am wondering is, at this point in time, is it possible that I may still get an interview? Just wondering what people may speculate....

well, to give you some perspective, i was complete at the end of july and didn't get my interview invite until December 8, and then had my interview 12/15. so it could be a long wait... not sure when they interview through.

 

[mike911]

Who is all attending the luncheon tomorrow?

 

[GetitRight]

well, to give you some perspective, i was complete at the end of july and didn't get my interview invite until December 8, and then had my interview 12/15. so it could be a long wait... not sure when they interview through.

Thanks Swim. I am concerned because my app is still under review. I worry that a popular school such as NJMS may already be full.

 

[caliprincess]

If any of you still have questions regarding NJMS, please feel free to PM me or any of the other current students (look back a couple of pages for sn's or on other NJMS threads). We do lurk around on SDN from time to time.

 

[tpjunkie]

Thanks Swim. I am concerned because my app is still under review. I worry that a popular school such as NJMS may already be full.

I'm a first year, and I did a master's degree at UMDNJ before applying so I've seen a couple of admissions cycles come and go. Last year interviews were still being conducted in mid February, with at least one person I know personally being accepted. Additionally, the waitlist moved significantly last year, and I believe it will likely move again this year. Of course, the reason the waitlist had movement was due to the fact that they were somewhat more selective with the class. In any case, if you are waitlisted or still haven't heard anything, don't worry too much, but if you were complete a while ago and haven't heard anything, you may want to email Mercedes Rivero or Dr. Heinrich and see if there is anything holding up your application.

 

[stbazz]

Yah, I too am nervous about not getting in... I interviewed in October (2.5 hour interview that I thought went great!) and received a letter approx. 4 weeks later that I was waitlisted 🙁 . The letter said the school will not review the waitlist until June... is that true, or do they offer spots as they open on a rolling basis? If I call, will the school disclose where I am on the list? I'm just so nervous and don't understand or know what I can do to get in. As I stated earlier, the interview was only supposed to last an hour, but the interviewer and I hit it off so well that it lasted 2.5 hours! The interviewer was even giving me tips on the best travel route to get to the school from where I live! I thought I was a shoo in.... Any help, tips, suggestions you have will be of great benefit!

 

[thedrjojo]

Yah, I too am nervous about not getting in... I interviewed in October (2.5 hour interview that I thought went great!) and received a letter approx. 4 weeks later that I was waitlisted 🙁 . The letter said the school will not review the waitlist until June... is that true, or do they offer spots as they open on a rolling basis? If I call, will the school disclose where I am on the list? I'm just so nervous and don't understand or know what I can do to get in. As I stated earlier, the interview was only supposed to last an hour, but the interviewer and I hit it off so well that it lasted 2.5 hours! The interviewer was even giving me tips on the best travel route to get to the school from where I live! I thought I was a shoe in.... Any help, tips, suggestions you have will be of great benefit!

I work study'ed in the admissions office my first and second year (2006-07, and 2007-08). It is true they will not review until June... they kinda have a rank list for the waitlist, but as more information trickles in (ie, new MCAT's, research experience, etc) they add them to your file (I know, cause that was my main job) and then will look over those applications again (I also know because my job was to pull the files) and make offers. I was there the year they didn't take anyone off the waitlist, but list another poster said, that was an exception, not the rule. They end up offering more positions than slots because they expect something like 30% to actually come here. That year, more than was expected ended up coming, and thus no one came off the waitlist.

 

[njmd1]

Who is all attending the luncheon tomorrow?

How was the accepted student luncheon? any good info? is class filled out? how many attended ? do they still interviewing?

!!!!! Any insight/additional info will good for one still waiting for acceptance!!!!!

 

[vcfor3]

is NJMS done accepting students? I'd think it'd be kinda weird to have an accepted student luncheon if they're still not done giving out acceptances. Anyone know?

 

[mike911]

The luncheon was awesome. I really enjoyed the school so much more than i did during my interview, probably because i wasn't so nervous ha. They really just tried to sell the school to us rather then us sell ourselves to them, so everyone was extremely welcoming. We saw the housing which was pretty nice. They didn't really talk about whether the class was full or not but there were a decent amount of people there. Most of the people weren't 100 % positive where they were going, but i did hear NJ medical fills there class extremely early.
I hope that helps somewhat, message me if you have any specific questions.

 

[PinkIvy08]

is NJMS done accepting students? I'd think it'd be kinda weird to have an accepted student luncheon if they're still not done giving out acceptances. Anyone know?

How was the accepted student luncheon? any good info? is class filled out? how many attended ? do they still interviewing?

!!!!! Any insight/additional info will good for one still waiting for acceptance!!!!!

I also went to the luncheon, but have a different opinion than Mike911 on how it went. Personally, I didn't feel sold on the school, nor as if they tried to sell us on the school. I didn't learn anything new about the school or its programs (granted, I think my tour guide spoke very little and gave us a sad tour...literally walked in a circle down a grey hallway for 5-10min saying nothing :/)

Also, as someone that went to school out-of-state for ugrad, I found it a little offsetting how many people knew each other from ugrad (read: Rutgers and TCNJ). Personally, this is something that I hadn't thought about before and something I will take into consideration when weighing my final choice. I'm not sure how I feel about being part of a student body that already has many ties formed. I did really like my little table of 3 accepted students (we all went to school OOS) and the current med students that were there were very helpful.

In the end, I left with very mixed feelings about the school. So, I'm still under debate.

However, there were A LOT of kids there and many of the students I met seemed pretty sold on the school as their top choice (many, not all). There's no way to know until May 15th how full the class is...

And they'll probably have another one in the spring for acceptances after a certain date (just my guess)

 

[pky463]

Has anyone heard anything from NJMS lately? Any invites or acceptances?

 

[thedrjojo]

they always do a winter and summer accepted student luncheon... it doesn't indicate that it is all over...

I was an OOS student. There are definately (atleast in my year) some groups of students from the same schools (TCNJ is the biggest in my class, Rutgers Brunswich is also big), but, atleast in our class, they weren't exclusionary, but instead inclusive (I actually lived with 2 TCNJ guys first year and a part of my group of friends were friends in undergrad, including some of the 7 year BS/MD from TCNJ).

Something I am learning on the residency trail, but it applies to med school too... you have to find a place that you feel you fit and and are comfortable. All schools will teach you, prep you for step 1 (or phase 1 or whatever it is they will be giving you guys), and all will set you up for a residency (which in turn will set you up for your fellowship... is there ever an end to this?). What you need to do is find a place where you will enjoy spending a good part of your next 4 years. Good luck with that... It doesn't get any easier picking a residency and going through all of this in 4 years from now, but enjoy this while you can.

 

[riss1084]

Has anyone heard anything from NJMS lately? Any invites or acceptances?

bump!

i would like to know this as well. today is my 11th week post interview, i love NJMS and am starting to lose hope! any news would be super appreciated!

 

[bran88]

I was interviewed on jan 14th and am getting really anxious. it went really well but i also have realy poor mcat scores but great ec's so im hoping for the best =)... does anyone know how long it takes for them to respond. good luck to everyone!

 

[ktj6130]

Riss- I'm in the exact same boat! I've got hope, but its been a long time, which is making me very nervous.

 

[njmd1]

I was interviewed on jan 14th and am getting really anxious. it went really well but i also have realy poor mcat scores but great ec's so im hoping for the best =)... does anyone know how long it takes for them to respond. good luck to everyone!

I think NJMS take about 4 to 5 weeks.

What's your MCAT scores? If you have good gpa and other strong apploication, it may be fine!

 

[bran88]

.

 

[mike911]

woow no offense but low stats... THey must love something about you. I hope you pull through... u are def closer than most!

 

[FruitfulDynamit]

I was interviewed on jan 14th and am getting really anxious. it went really well but i also have realy poor mcat scores but great ec's so im hoping for the best =)... does anyone know how long it takes for them to respond. good luck to everyone!

I interviewed in the beginning of November and still haven't heard either way yet. They said 6-8 weeks when I interviewed. I've contacted admissions since then and apparently they're behind. Don't worry if you don't hear anything for a while, though, because they let you know right away regardless of their answer.

 

[bran88]

I interviewed in the beginning of November and still haven't heard either way yet. They said 6-8 weeks when I interviewed. I've contacted admissions since then and apparently they're behind. Don't worry if you don't hear anything for a while, though, because they let you know right away regardless of their answer.

thanks...i hope we get in!!! =)

 

[HammockUp]

I assume most people on this thread keep an eye on the RWJ thread as well but if you don't take a look over there. There was a post about RWJ reducing the class size and I just posted a reply that deals with both schools for IS applicants.

 

[snuffelupagus]

Have any out of state applicants received interview invitations? If so, can you please state when you were complete and what your stats were? I was really late in applying, and I'm trying to figure out if I even have a chance still. I know they are wrapping up interviews very soon. Thanks and good luck to all!

 

[GetitRight]

Have any out of state applicants received interview invitations? If so, can you please state when you were complete and what your stats were? I was really late in applying, and I'm trying to figure out if I even have a chance still. I know they are wrapping up interviews very soon. Thanks and good luck to all!

I am IN STATE with a 3.83 and a 30 mcat. Was complete in mid sept and still have not heard back...

 

[PinkIvy08]

Just curious if anyone else on here is running late getting the health forms filled out... I know there's no way I can meet the Feb 15th deadline.

 

[HammockUp]

I am IN STATE with a 3.83 and a 30 mcat. Was complete in mid sept and still have not heard back...

Check out my post on the RWJ forum, this cycle and next suck for NJ residents. Did you hear from RWJ?

 

[johncalvin]

Just curious if anyone else on here is running late getting the health forms filled out... I know there's no way I can meet the Feb 15th deadline.

I thought the deadline was Feb. 1? Either way, I doubt the deadline is that rigid; remember, the PPD results are not due till late Spring. Only the titers and physical exam results are due by next month.

 

[riss1084]

I am IN STATE with a 3.83 and a 30 mcat. Was complete in mid sept and still have not heard back...

ouch im sorry. maybe send an update to show you're still interested?
im at >12 weeks now and was told that there was no decision made on my file yet. i do hope we start hearing things soon.

 

[thedrjojo]

For those of you who got into NJMS and are worried about match stats (probably too early to be really concerned), early returns are good... 2/2 Peds Neuro, 6/6 Urology, 2/3 Optho.

 

[Titan2600]

Hey guys, this is my first time posting in this thread.

I interviewed at NJMS on 12/15 and just received my waitlist letter earlier today, 1/26 🙁.

I was a Rutgers undergrad with a 3.7 gpa bio major/spanish minor, 29Q MCAT. I am currently enrolled in the GSBS, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, at UMDNJ getting my master's in biomedical science. It is a wonderful program and a great way to boost your stats if you don't make it the first time around.
I kept NJMS abreast of how I was doing in my fall semester. I took MGM, the first year NJMS biochem course, and did well in it. I also took cellular pathology, a seminar course and a lab rotation in the dept of cell bio and molecular medicine; which actually landed me a job. I got a 4.0 last semester, so now I just have to play the waiting game, keep them updated on how I do this semester at the GSBS, and hope for the best...

Congrats to all of you who have already been accepted; NJMS is a great school with a great faculty and student body, and best of luck to those who are waitlisted or still waiting to hear back. Stay strong!