2010-2011 Hofstra University Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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Polo423 said:
Well I find fifteen minute breaks help. So instead of staring at your e-mail from dawn till dusk straight, fit in a few fifteen breaks at different parts of the day. I find that works wonders.
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that, or work in a lab where you are required to be away from your phone/comp, and cannot receive email 🙂
 
HamidNia101 said:
that, or work in a lab where you are required to be away from your phone/comp, and cannot receive email 🙂
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Ha I utilize that strategy as well. My break strategy I use on the weekends, when I'm not in lab.
 
i probably check this thread at least 15 times a day. After all the talk about this Friday, if we hear nothing I don't think I can make it another week...
 
rierphfft said:
i probably check this thread at least 15 times a day. After all the talk about this Friday, if we hear nothing I don't think I can make it another week...
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Hang on, we're so close! 🙂
 
So at this point with all of the interviews done (we think), do they just throw out the stats and look at everything else? Or, do GPA and mcat still play some sort of role?
 
nav525 said:
So at this point with all of the interviews done (we think), do they just throw out the stats and look at everything else? Or, do GPA and mcat still play some sort of role?
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I'm sure they'll still consider stats, scores, activities, the whole shabang. Also, they'll take into account each applicant's DNA analysis from the samples they collected from you, secretly, throughout your interview day (I myself remember feeling a nick on my hand while watching that video on the bus on the way to the Patient Safety Institute).
 
nav525 said:
So at this point with all of the interviews done (we think), do they just throw out the stats and look at everything else? Or, do GPA and mcat still play some sort of role?
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Of course GPA & MCAT still matter. Two people with great interviews will be distinguished based on their stats. It's simply too competitive to ignore any part of the application.
 
Just got an MD/PhD acceptance!

Good luck to everyone still waiting. I'll be here next year.

Freaking out. Totally freaking out right now.
 
rtm903 said:
Just got an MD/PhD acceptance!

Good luck to everyone still waiting. I'll be here next year.

Freaking out. Totally freaking out right now.
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WOW! Congrats! Must be an amazing feeling...

Does that mean the rest of the acceptances have been sent out?? 😡
 
rtm903 said:
just got an md/phd acceptance!

Good luck to everyone still waiting. I'll be here next year.

Freaking out. Totally freaking out right now.
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congrats!!!!!!!!!!!
 
rtm903 said:
Just got an MD/PhD acceptance!

Good luck to everyone still waiting. I'll be here next year.

Freaking out. Totally freaking out right now.
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Congrats man! LOL I bet everyone just jumped to check e-mail and online status (I know I did).
 
rtm903 said:
Just got an MD/PhD acceptance!

Good luck to everyone still waiting. I'll be here next year.

Freaking out. Totally freaking out right now.
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Congrats! The best of luck to you, and i hope to see you next year 🙂
 
rtm903 said:
Just got an MD/PhD acceptance!

Good luck to everyone still waiting. I'll be here next year.

Freaking out. Totally freaking out right now.
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Congratulations! Epic win!!
 
rtm903 said:
Just got an MD/PhD acceptance!

Good luck to everyone still waiting. I'll be here next year.

Freaking out. Totally freaking out right now.
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Awesome...congrats! But let's be honest, I'm so totally jealous of you right now I can only be partially happy for you until I join you in the Class of 2015.
 
rierphfft said:
Awesome...congrats! But let's be honest, I'm so totally jealous of you right now I can only be partially happy for you until I join you in the Class of 2015.
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Embarrassingly and selfishly....+1 to the above.🙄
But Congrats!
 
skymall said:
Embarrassingly and selfishly....+1 to the above.🙄
But Congrats!
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thanks guys! this process is incredibly dehumanizing and stressful, but it'll all be worth it next year. good luck everyone... hope to see you all in my class.

i honestly can't believe i got in. my stats were nothing to write home about. it seems like they really care about the whole package (research, extracurriculars, interview, etc.)
 
Well lets hope the Luck o' the Irish settles on some of us. Anyone else taking advantage of this great holiday to put this whole process out of their mind?!??
 
rtm903 said:
thanks guys! this process is incredibly dehumanizing and stressful, but it'll all be worth it next year. good luck everyone... hope to see you all in my class.

i honestly can't believe i got in. my stats were nothing to write home about. it seems like they really care about the whole package (research, extracurriculars, interview, etc.)
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what were your stats?
 
carbear02 said:
i really hope today is the lucky day. i mean accepted students weekend is apr 9 so they have to give people time to make travel arrangements right?
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+1. hopefully the admissions committee shares our reasoning...:xf:
 
Anyone want to share what they love about this school? The curriculum is innovative, but untested. It is "hyper-integrated" and there may be advantages to that, but there are no students to speak with, and therefore no experiences telling us it works. How useful is it to have all this patient interaction with only a few weeks to build a knowledge base? I guess that's a matter of preference for each student. For me in choosing a med school, the interaction with current students was probably the most important thing, because you can ask questions like "How is it here? What's the faculty interaction like? etc" How can anyone be so certain they'll love the school?
Also, everything is not in one place. You have to take a bus to get to the standardized patient center--that was a huge turn off for me.
I think the involvement in EMS could be a really good thing, but EMS is fundamentally different from practicing as a physician. I suppose it does give you a framework for understanding medicine, but I'd rather spend time in a clinic practicing medicine as I will be.
It just seems very difficult to make a decision about a new school like this if you've been accepted elsewhere. $30,000 is compelling, but not enough for me given the risk I'd be taking going here.
 
ERmaven said:
Anyone want to share what they love about this school? The curriculum is innovative, but untested. It is "hyper-integrated" and there may be advantages to that, but there are no students to speak with, and therefore no experiences telling us it works. How useful is it to have all this patient interaction with only a few weeks to build a knowledge base? I guess that's a matter of preference for each student. For me in choosing a med school, the interaction with current students was probably the most important thing, because you can ask questions like "How is it here? What's the faculty interaction like? etc" How can anyone be so certain they'll love the school?
Also, everything is not in one place. You have to take a bus to get to the standardized patient center--that was a huge turn off for me.
I think the involvement in EMS could be a really good thing, but EMS is fundamentally different from practicing as a physician. I suppose it does give you a framework for understanding medicine, but I'd rather spend time in a clinic practicing medicine as I will be.
It just seems very difficult to make a decision about a new school like this if you've been accepted elsewhere. $30,000 is compelling, but not enough for me given the risk I'd be taking going here.
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I don't think there's question it wouldn't "work"--as in, there's no reason to believe it wouldn't produce students who are comfortable caring for patients if they are immersed in such an environment from the very beginning. Nonetheless, there would be concern such a method would adequately prepare students for the USMLE and other exams. So that's definitely something to think about.
 
ERmaven said:
Anyone want to share what they love about this school? The curriculum is innovative, but untested. It is "hyper-integrated" and there may be advantages to that, but there are no students to speak with, and therefore no experiences telling us it works. How useful is it to have all this patient interaction with only a few weeks to build a knowledge base? I guess that's a matter of preference for each student. For me in choosing a med school, the interaction with current students was probably the most important thing, because you can ask questions like "How is it here? What's the faculty interaction like? etc" How can anyone be so certain they'll love the school?
Also, everything is not in one place. You have to take a bus to get to the standardized patient center--that was a huge turn off for me.
I think the involvement in EMS could be a really good thing, but EMS is fundamentally different from practicing as a physician. I suppose it does give you a framework for understanding medicine, but I'd rather spend time in a clinic practicing medicine as I will be.
It just seems very difficult to make a decision about a new school like this if you've been accepted elsewhere. $30,000 is compelling, but not enough for me given the risk I'd be taking going here.
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Alright let's get the textbook answer out of the way "All your concerns are well validated and have been addressed previously in this thread, but ultimately no matter what people say the ultimate decision lies with you." Copyright 2010 by a million different SDN users.

Alright that being said...yes Hofstra is a risk, but with risk comes excitement, adventure, possible success, possible failure, self-illumination, and a form of discovery that NO other school can give you. I mean think about it, if I get accepted, I would be a Columbus test-driving a new curriculum that could become the next generation of medical education! And it's not like this would be like doing dirty chemistry in someone's garage, you'd have the support of the second largest US health care system and a super dedicated staff! Sure there will be hiccups, that's inevitable. But with that comes the fun of finding the right combination of peanut butter, inhalation, and contortion to make those hiccups go away (I'm being metaphorical of course, although, caution, you may actually get hiccups while in school). I'm not looking for a med education to breeze through anyway, I like a challenge.

So i guess what I'm saying is...at Hofstra I would receive a first-class, physically and mentally challenging education as part of a pioneering opportunity (good practice for ever-expanding medicine), backed by vast resources and a committed and wonderful staff and I couldn't imagine...uh...ever topping that.
 
Well, for starters, its 30k cheaper than most schools, which comes to 120k over the 4 years, and all the difference in interest. So the money should be measured in the full amount, which can be 120-300k!

Yes, its unproven, which is a major risk. But you have to understand that your success rests with you and YOU alone. Any school will teach you fundamentally the same material (the accreditation committee in the US makes sure of this!). I was a non-traditional applicant, I crammed all my premeds into 1.5 years while in graduate school for engineering, and did well on the MCAT because I studied hardcore for a month straight. You will all do the same when the boards roll around, study like crazy!

You will learn the same things at any school, but how you learn them is what varies. It can be by lectures, by yourself, through classmates, through clinicians, by experience, PBL or simulation. You have to pick the methodology that you believe will truely make you the best possible physician. If your main concerns are your scores and your residency ranking then you're probably going into medicine for wrong reason! Make your choices based on what is best for you AND your patients to be!

I'm leaning towards Hofstra over established schools because the experience will be incredible. Yeah, it might all go to hell, but so might everything else in life! Its a gut feeling that it'll be great. I truly believe that a hands-on experience is the best way to teach, but maybe I'm biased because I've been taught/teaching using practical methods for my whole education and career. It is my expectation that Hofstra's graduates may not fill residency seats at the top programs, but they will definitely change the face of medical education and challenge clinicians across the country to reassess how we teach and practice medicine.

I'd rather reinforce the foundation of medicine than polish its logos.
 
Good post--I definitely hear what you're saying. The type of education you receive at a school, or rather your entire experience cannot be predicted in advance, even with students to talk to. It'd be easier to make a decision though with more data rather than just a curriculum that looks awesome and the reputation of the school's owners. I think your point about the supportive faculty will almost definitely turn out to be true--especially given the design of the building itself (faculty at the center, close to the students).
I think med school in general comes with "excitement, adventure, possible success, possible failure, self-illumination" and discovery. Going to med school at all is a risk and a monumental challenge--not something to breeze through anywhere.
I think your attitude is probably what will get you in, and mine is what will keep me out.
 
ERmaven said:
Good post--I definitely hear what you're saying. The type of education you receive at a school, or rather your entire experience cannot be predicted in advance, even with students to talk to. It'd be easier to make a decision though with more data rather than just a curriculum that looks awesome and the reputation of the school's owners. I think your point about the supportive faculty will almost definitely turn out to be true--especially given the design of the building itself (faculty at the center, close to the students).
I think med school in general comes with "excitement, adventure, possible success, possible failure, self-illumination" and discovery. Going to med school at all is a risk and a monumental challenge--not something to breeze through anywhere.
I think your attitude is probably what will get you in, and mine is what will keep me out.
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Well what I was referring to here was with established schools you have concrete foundation and tradition. All one has to do is follow the path through the school's system and you come out the other end (its not easy, just fluid). The path through Hofstra is...scouted and ready for the laying of asphalt by the students and faculty. But through the process the road direction or layout might change, so you can't just drive through at a steady 80 mph (65 in NY).

For some reason I'm in to using metaphors today.
 
ERmaven said:
Good post--I definitely hear what you're saying. The type of education you receive at a school, or rather your entire experience cannot be predicted in advance, even with students to talk to. It'd be easier to make a decision though with more data rather than just a curriculum that looks awesome and the reputation of the school's owners. I think your point about the supportive faculty will almost definitely turn out to be true--especially given the design of the building itself (faculty at the center, close to the students).
I think med school in general comes with "excitement, adventure, possible success, possible failure, self-illumination" and discovery. Going to med school at all is a risk and a monumental challenge--not something to breeze through anywhere.
I think your attitude is probably what will get you in, and mine is what will keep me out.
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Unfortunately there is no concrete data, but there are few items I've found to be supportive:

The most recent MD school to have an inaugural class (that I could find):
2009 & 2010 class stats
http://www.med.ucf.edu/admissions/data.asp

The most recent MD school to graduate a class:
2005-2010 match list
http://med.fsu.edu/index.cfm?page=alumniFriends.whereTheyMatched

I've already been accepted, and yes, you're right, it was more likely the attitude towards education/medicine rather than stats. After talking to about 6 other accepted students, I get the same feelings and fears. Hopefully accepted students day will settle a lot of them, and I will definitely post as much info as I can after it. If you're still weighing schools versus Hofstra I would wait til the full financial aid comes out, I have a suspicion it will be more than $20k off. The last new MD school gave full rides to everyone, and I doubt NS-LIJ is at a lack of funds (and this is a big investment for them).

That being said, I love the debate and discussion! SDN may have many evils, but there is something to be valued in an anonymous forum on what is clearly an important subject!
 
Polo423 said:
Well what I was referring to here was with established schools you have concrete foundation and tradition. All one has to do is follow the path through the school's system and you come out the other end (its not easy, just fluid). The path through Hofstra is...scouted and ready for the laying of asphalt by the students and faculty. But through the process the road direction or layout might change, so you can't just drive through at a steady 80 mph (65 in NY).

For some reason I'm in to using metaphors today.
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haha i hear you. I guess it's more the idea of shaping your own medical school experience--laying a foundation as you said for those (people and schools) who may well end up following this model. I can't say I'm against that idea, but I can't escape the fact that I was a lot more interested and excited by what other schools have to offer. That's it's for me. Looks like you've found the school for you, which is really great.
Newbrand's point about interest accruing is also well taken. I also agree you should choose the "methodology that works best for you." I just feel like I don't have enough to go on to choose Hofstra. And I'm definitely not overly concerned about residency ranking, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about board scores. I want good board scores so I can choose my residency, so I can, you know, practice the type of medicine I want to practice...for my patients. I want a school that will make me a good doctor, but it's inescapable that you need a school that will prepare you well for the boards, because doing well on the boards is part of the path you take toward being a good doctor. Does Hofstra do that? It looks like it will, but we have no data. :beat:
This is completely irrelevant, but your avatar, Polo, has been haunting my dreams lately...seriously who is that guy??
 
ERmaven said:
This is completely irrelevant, but your avatar, Polo, has been haunting my dreams lately...seriously who is that guy??
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LOL its Dr. Doofenshmirtz, the most evil mind in the tri-state area!

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6piv99N-WP4[/YOUTUBE]
 
hahaha that's Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz! And my knowing this is the result of having a million little cousins. I have to admit that occasionally watching their shows with them has helped a lot with my peds patients!
 
NovaWildcat07 said:
hahaha that's Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz! And my knowing this is the result of having a million little cousins. I have to admit that occasionally watching their shows with them has helped a lot with my peds patients!
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My nephew got me into this show but, hey man, the show rocks. It might be a cartoon for kids, but its very cleverly written and continually makes me laugh. I'm proud to say I enjoy watching it.
 
Do any of you guys have ties to the North Shore-LIJ health system? Just wondering if any applicants/ppl admitted have had any previous experience either volunteering or doing research there.
 
journalist88 said:
Do any of you guys have ties to the North Shore-LIJ health system? Just wondering if any applicants/ppl admitted have had any previous experience either volunteering or doing research there.
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Yea I have done alot of work at North Shore, Manhasset's ED
 
So I guess no acceptances today... wait 'till next week we must!
 
HamidNia101 said:
So I guess no acceptances today... wait 'till next week we must!
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Just called them, and I think you're right. Getting any info from them is like pulling teeth...he wouldn't give me anything more than "from now til July." Even after I told him everything we've heard on the forum about the next 20 going out, he said he can't give out specifics, but I think that means those next 20 acceptances aren't ready yet. booooooo!
 
carbear02 said:
if acceptances went out, someone would have posted.
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You think possibly that a bunch of acceptances went out on Tuesday with that one MD/PhD student who posted on here?

Also, how often, do you reckon, do they check supporting documents that we've posted? Do they get a update whenever we post, potentially?
 
HamidNia101 said:
my bet is MDPHDs this week, MDs next week
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seems like a good guess. i just hope it's early next week, NOT friday afternoon. if it's early next week they still have time to invite more people before accepted students day if people decide to decline in their allotted 2 weeks...it is two weeks right? not three?
 
Did anyone else get this e-mail:

"Dear Applicant,

We have noticed much speculation about our admissions process and timeline on a popular Web site. In response, we have decided to indefinitely delay all admissions decisions until we feel like it. Decisions will be made on the International Space Station, in Russian, some time between now and July. Decisions will be relayed to you using a device not dissimilar to the one seen in the film, "Contact," starring Jodie Foster. You will have two weeks from our initial transmission of the decision to accept or decline. If you lack the necessary equipment to receive such signals from space, we are sorry that we CAN NOT accommodate you with alternate notification, nor can we provide equipment capable of receiving such signals. We are also unable to arrange meetings with Ms. Foster to build such receivers.
As you know, with a class size of only 40, we must be very careful with the number of acceptances we send out.

We greatly appreciate your continued patience. Should you have any questions, please contact the Office of Admissions in Russian at [email protected]. Although, I am unsure how or when we receive e-mail in space.

Sincerely,

Office of Admissions
Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine"
 
Hoya2009 said:
Did anyone else get this e-mail:

"Dear Applicant,

We have noticed much speculation about our admissions process and timeline on a popular Web site. In response, we have decided to indefinitely delay all admissions decisions until we feel like it. Decisions will be made on the International Space Station, in Russian, some time between now and July. Decisions will be relayed to you using a device not dissimilar to the one seen in the film, "Contact," starring Jodie Foster. You will have two weeks from our initial transmission of the decision to accept or decline. If you lack the necessary equipment to receive such signals from space, we are sorry that we CAN NOT accommodate you with alternate notification, nor can we provide equipment capable of receiving such signals. We are also unable to arrange meetings with Ms. Foster to build such receivers.
As you know, with a class size of only 40, we must be very careful with the number of acceptances we send out.

We greatly appreciate your continued patience. Should you have any questions, please contact the Office of Admissions in Russian at [email protected]. Although, I am unsure how or when we receive e-mail in space.

Sincerely,

Office of Admissions
Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine"
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Dude, you really freaked me out for a minute. 😱 Almost checked my email without finishing the rest of the message. But good one...
 
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