2010-2011 Rosalind Franklin Application Thread

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[xgalaxy00]

Okay so, I got an email late this afternoon (which I didn't see until after hours) that "Your file is considered incomplete due to the fact that not all of your letters of recommendation have been received. The admissions office will wait until all letters listed on your AMCAS application have been received before makring the application complete."

I won't get a chance to call until tomorrow afternoon, but all of my letters were received by AMCAS even before my RFU secondary snail mail'd its way back to them. Is this something I should be worried about, especially since it's like 4 weeks after my secondary was received that this finally came up? Not gonna lie, I don't like seeing "Incomplete Application" as an e-mail title months after I've submitted most of my paperwork everywhere O_O

I would call them and tell them that all your letters are on AMCAS. If the letters are there then they should download them and mark your app as complete on the spot. Unfourtunately they'll probably just put your app in the bottom of the "complete" stack 😳

 

[fashbash]

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[TobiasFunkeMDFACS]

I had an invite last Tuesday and I chose the earliest interview option for the next week, 11/15. Does that seem too eager? I hope there's no wait-three-days to call rule for med schools.

 

[DoctaFuture]

I had an invite last Tuesday and I chose the earliest interview option for the next week, 11/15. Does that seem too eager? I hope there's no wait-three-days to call rule for med schools.

haha nah saish. you're good. it probably helped.

 

[mattng]

I'm a M2 and also a tour guide at RF. It sucks to hear that some of you had a crappy experience. Really, I think its the tour guide's fault for that. Your interviewers, well, that's out of our control. Our job however though, is to make you feel welcomed, excited, and being able to see yourself as a student here. I'm sorry that didn't get conveyed to those few with the bad experience.

RF wasn't my first choice either, but in reality, RF is kind of that school where you apply because it "matches my stats." I didn't know of this school until I read about it in the MSAR. The interview was the first time I ever visited and I was impressed. Good match for a mid tier school, consistently higher than average Step 1 scores and fortunately for me, my tour guides were honest, down to earth people. So I thought to myself, if I don't get into my top choices, I would still be happy at RF.

Yes, the facilities aren't state of the art but I wouldn't say their run down, we don't have a university affiliated hospital, we're not in Chicago proper, or whatever. But all schools have some kind of problem, no one medical school is perfect. But I chose to look at the positives about this school. The auditorium is a little out of date, but I made do. Anatomy lab is really nice. The library is a library, not much to say about that. The other building, where the M2 classes are held is newer, each with their own table (I guess they didn't show you that on the tour). Living in North Chicago isn't bad. Keeps you away from the distractions of the city during your first two years. Yes, I can't wait to move down to the city, but I liked being up there the first two years. No university hospital means we have multiple clinical sites. This means we have more options as to where we want to do our clerkships. There are tons of clinical exposure opportunities your first two years if you're interested. You can volunteer at the many free health clinics run by students, you're immediately immersed with working with standardized patients to understand how to do a history/physical.

I enjoy where I'm at. I have a great group of friends. The faculty are nice. They are always willing to help the students. For the most part, they listen to us. Welcome our feedback and work with us on the issues we have.

I'm not here to persuade you to come to my school, you have your opinion and I'm not going to change that. Sometimes people are misinformed, and they develop negative vibes towards the school. But, I truly believe, your tour guide didn't do his/her job properly. As a tour guide, we're not what someone earlier post said a used car salesman trying to sell you the school. We're supposed to be that resource to you to help you be able to make a decision if you want to come or not. I have a great experience and its too bad those that had a crappy tour guide didn't get what that group deserved.

PS. I wasn't that tour guide.

 

[moogle44]

I agree with Mattng, I actually interviewed at the school with a blank slate not knowing much about the school or all these misconceptions about it. When I left I was fairly impressed. Yes, its not a state of the art facility in the heart of a major city but it was a very good school with a very good match list.

I remember seeing the M2 lecture rooms, and they were pretty awesome with tables for each student and outlets for electricity and internet. The anatomy lab had good ventilation and is much better and more advanced than other top schools I interviewed at.

I think this school provides everything a good med school is supposed to do, you're tourguides probably didn't do it justice.

 

[Barcu]

I think this school provides everything a good med school is supposed to do, you're tourguides probably didn't do it justice.

I agree that this school does provide everything a good med school is supposed to. I am convinced that I would get a good education and great clinical experiences if I went there.

I think there are legitimate critiques of the school though that can't be written off as your tourguides or interviewers did a bad job.

I think RFU is in a tough position. It is a lesser-known school outside the Chicago area, and so it cannot grab many students who would rather go elsewhere. Many students were willing to admit it was not their first choice (even Mattng on this board). This is not a testament to the quality of education there, but it is something that I could not really shake while I was there. It also did not have that med school "feel" since we never got to go into a hospital (since there is not one there). As someone else noted, it just did not seem like a cohesive school. Also, as someone who is not from Illinois and probably would work outside Illinois, the lack of name-recognition was a factor as well. Many of my fellow interviewees were from Illinois, and I heard a lot about how RFU was seen as a great school in that area. Outside of the area, however, it is much less known.

Many people come to this board to see if they should apply to this school or not. I'm just giving my two cents about the school, and I hope there are others who will counter my view to give a more well-rounded view.

I will admit I still enjoyed the school a lot. I know that if I did go there, I would receive a great medical education (both classroom and clinical). Their match list was quite impressive for a school that I did not know much about until I looked in MSAR.

If you are at all interested in RFU, I encourage you to apply. You really can't judge a school until you've been. It's worth it to check out. For me, it turned out I didn't like the school as much as I had hoped for a variety of reasons. That is not to say that it is a bad school or that people should not apply.

Good luck to everyone applying to RFU!

 

[E11]

So I am going to be interviewing at RFU/CMS in the near future and was wondering if anyone could advise as to how the public transportation (i.e. train, etc.) is in terms of getting to the school from ORD? I already know about the flat-rate taxis, but I am trying to save some cash because I already have to spring for a hotel room (no student hosting = 🙁). Travel time isn't really an issue for me since I am coming from California and it's already gonna be a long trip, I am just trying to make sure that this trip doesn't cost me a thousand dollars I don't have.

Also, any motel recommendations in the area? The one's the school gave are rather pricey even with the discounts.

 

[dragon529]

When exactly is your interview?

So I am going to be interviewing at RFU/CMS in the near future and was wondering if anyone could advise as to how the public transportation (i.e. train, etc.) is in terms of getting to the school from ORD? I already know about the flat-rate taxis, but I am trying to save some cash because I already have to spring for a hotel room (no student hosting = 🙁). Travel time isn't really an issue for me since I am coming from California and it's already gonna be a long trip, I am just trying to make sure that this trip doesn't cost me a thousand dollars I don't have.

Also, any motel recommendations in the area? The one's the school gave are rather pricey even with the discounts.

 

[chief illiniwek]

So I am going to be interviewing at RFU/CMS in the near future and was wondering if anyone could advise as to how the public transportation (i.e. train, etc.) is in terms of getting to the school from ORD? I already know about the flat-rate taxis, but I am trying to save some cash because I already have to spring for a hotel room (no student hosting = 🙁). Travel time isn't really an issue for me since I am coming from California and it's already gonna be a long trip, I am just trying to make sure that this trip doesn't cost me a thousand dollars I don't have.

Also, any motel recommendations in the area? The one's the school gave are rather pricey even with the discounts.

unfortunately, there's no good way to get from o'hare to RFUMS on public transportation - you would have to go into the city and then back out in the right direction. yes, you could save money this way, but it adds alot of time to the journey.

regarding motels/hotels around here, don't get too stingy, because the neighborhood where you'll likely stay isn't exactly safe or upscale. i'd suggest you stick with a recognizable chain where you can feel comfortable and secure.

 

[E11]

i'd suggest you stick with a recognizable chain where you can feel comfortable and secure.

What about the Days Inn in Lake Bluff? I saw from one of your previous posts that you recommended the Days Inn. Was this the one that you were referring to? It is super close to the school and fairly cheap with the AAA discount.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

RF wasn't my first choice either, but in reality, RF is kind of that school where you apply because it "matches my stats."

In my (anecdotal) experience, I have found this to be true, which is really unfortunate. I honestly can't figure how I feel about the school. It seems like nearly everyone I know who attends RFU had it as their so-called "safety school" and didn't get into their top choice.

I'm really hoping for a interview here since it's so close to where my parents live, where my best friends are, etc, but it's a little disheartening to hear how much of a safety school this is.

 

[Quiznos Oven]

I kind of got this vibe too. In one of my interviews, my interviewer basically told me I should only be working towards experiences that got me into a good residency. That certainly is important to me, but I want a variety of experiences (and how can doing a rotation abroad not be good for my residency? Still confused about that one). And for him to be so blunt about it just bothered me a bit. It seemed like he was pushing the bottom line for RFU to get better matches.

I also got the vibe that many students were there because they didn't get into their top schools. This is no knock on the school. I thought a lot of the facilities were great (that anatomy lab is sweet). It seemed like an excellent place to get a medical education, and the 3rd and 4th year opportunities really are stellar.

The first two years would be tough though. That's the impression I got.

That sounds great I hope I get an interview from RFU. I don't know what anybody else's situation is but I just wanna get into medical school so i'm a beggar and i'm not a chooser. GET ME IN ANYWHERE!!

 

[ams83]

So I just got complete today at RFU (3.5cum and BCPM and 28P). Do I have any shot at RFU or am I way too late with my stats?

 

[MIAmedica]

Congrats! did you just get the interview invite? when did you get small pooled?

Sorry for the late response, but here it is nonetheless!

App complete - Aug 26
Enter primary screening - Sept 3
Primary screening complete - Oct 19
Interview Invite - Nov 9

So... to answer your question, I never got small pooled. Hm. Who knows what the process is for admissions. At least I try not to think about it. Everyone's app is different (more or less).

 

[Avoidthetiger]

ACCEPTED! Holly ****!

I totally screwed up the student interview too. And I was placed on hold status last Oct. 15th... after interviewing Sept. 25th. I wasn't expecting an acceptance at all.

but yay! 🙂

 

[turkaglew]

ACCEPTED! Holly ****!

I totally screwed up the student interview too. And I was placed on hold status last Oct. 15th... after interviewing Sept. 25th. I wasn't expecting an acceptance at all.

but yay! 🙂

Congrats!! I wonder if they will email us to let us know we are still on hold since it sounds like the committee met again for the month. Anyone else hear anything?

 

[MIAmedica]

You know if you ended primary screening Oct 19th, that means you were small pooled. Someone above explained to me that saying you passed the initial primary screening and have made it through is the same thing as being small pooled.

Therefore, I would assume that if you completed primary screening October 19th and got an interview Nov. 9th you were small pooled the same as everyone else. Just because the words small pool weren't explicitly used doesn't mean you weren't small pooled.

But your post does prove a bigger point that people are taken off the small pooling at various time points and just because one person takes 20 days to get off of it doesn't mean that every person will get off in 20 days from their small pooling.

But like I said, passing initial screening is the same as being small pooled from what other posters explained to me. Either you are flat out rejected as I and several I know were, small pooled aka pass initial screening. From initial screening being passed you can be notified at any point after that whether it is 2 months later or 1 month later or 1 week later for an interview. That is my understanding anyways.

Sorry for the length of the response and sounding like I'm repeating myself.

Good luck to the remaining candidates on this thread, those that interviewed and those that are still waiting to hear one way or another.

Honestly, does all this 'primary screening' and 'small pooled' crap really matter? I mean, I think it's great they keep us updated and everything but as applicants I think we have more to worry about than someone else's timeline as opposed to our own. It only creates unnecessary worry and anxiety (this is why I never ask people to say when they're completed, but I'm always happy to give out mine). Go have a drink and forget about it once you click "submit" and you pay. It's not in your hands anymore except to give them updates...

But that's just my 2 cents...

 

[Barcu]

Congrats!! I wonder if they will email us to let us know we are still on hold since it sounds like the committee met again for the month. Anyone else hear anything?

I was accepted today too. Interviewed on 10/18.

Due to another acceptance, and some of the reasons I posted earlier on this board, I am actually withdrawing from the school.

Despite some of the negative comments I made earlier, I really did like the school, and I know that it is a great med school. Best of luck to everyone else applying! I hope my spot will go to someone who really wants to go to RFU. The school deserves that. The students and admissions staff and faculty all were great.

 

[mhshah]

Entered primary screen 9/23, but I haven't gotten an e-mail about being small pooled, rejected or invited for an interview...what does that mean? 😕

 

[slwhite3]

Entered primary screen 9/23, but I haven't gotten an e-mail about being small pooled, rejected or invited for an interview...what does that mean? 😕

Me too. I'd like to know where we stand. When I emailed them about my status, I was told I was still in primary screening. Useless.

 

[spiderpete]

ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All the dreams, the work, the agonizing wait... and here it is! I'm gonna be a doctor!!! Unfreakin' believable!!!

to all of you!

 

[biogirlsbro]

So excited! After interviewing in Canada last year and not having any luck its nice to know I'm going to be a doctor! I will be holding this spot for a while (at least until I hear back from other American and Canadian interviews). Good luck guys! I just interviewed on Nov 10 2010

 

[hemostat5]

Accepted via e-mail just now! I interviewed 9/27 and was put on hold in October.

 

[turkaglew]

Accepted via e-mail just now! I interviewed 9/27 and was put on hold in October.

Congrats to everyone accepted, I am sure it is well deserved!
For those accepted from the hold list, did you send a letter to the dean or committee?

 

[hemostat5]

Congrats to everyone accepted, I am sure it is well deserved!
For those accepted from the hold list, did you send a letter to the dean or committee?

I did not, as the hold list is not a waitlist at RFU. If I had been on the hold list until May, then I would have sent a letter. I did send an application update in October though.

 

[piratesrock]

Accepted on 11/15! Interviewed on 10/25/2010. Good luck to everyone else!

 

[sydloy]

Has anyone else not heard back since their interview? I interviewed on 10/18 and still haven't herd anything. Do they reject post-interview by snail mail?

 

[metalgirl14]

Has anyone else not heard back since their interview? I interviewed on 10/18 and still haven't herd anything. Do they reject post-interview by snail mail?

I haven't heard back yet either and I interviewed on 11/1...

 

[KeyzerSoze]

In my (anecdotal) experience, I have found this to be true, which is really unfortunate. I honestly can't figure how I feel about the school. It seems like nearly everyone I know who attends RFU had it as their so-called "safety school" and didn't get into their top choice.

I'm really hoping for a interview here since it's so close to where my parents live, where my best friends are, etc, but it's a little disheartening to hear how much of a safety school this is.

I'm not sure I entirely understand your and mattng's point of view on this. If you look at the MSAR, the average GPA and MCAT for CMS students is about the same as those at other non-prestigious Chicago schools like Rush, Loyola, and UIC.

 

[KeyzerSoze]

His point is that there may be people with decent stats getting in but those same decent stat people didn't prefer RFU as their first choice.

I'm aware that many people consider CMS to be less prestigious than other schools and therefore only attend if they have no choice. I just find it odd that people consider CMS a "safety school" when in fact they are no more likely to be accepted there than at Rush or Loyola. Illinoisans with average or slightly below average stats in particular are far more likely to be accepted by UIC than CMS.

 

[mattng]

I'm aware that many people consider CMS to be less prestigious than other schools and therefore only attend if they have no choice. I just find it odd that people consider CMS a "safety school" when in fact they are no more likely to be accepted there than at Rush or Loyola. Illinoisans with average or slightly below average stats in particular are far more likely to be accepted by UIC than CMS.

I agree with you. For me and a lot of people out there, we're not from Illinois, so it's a little harder to get in to those other schools. Granted, I applied to Rush, Loyola, but I guess they didn't want me and CMS did. I'm happy to be here regardless, it just wasn't my first choice.

My point is, everyone has their top pick for whatever reason. You'll find few that has CMS as their top pick. It could be costs, prestigious, location, university hospital, whatever. I'm not saying CMS is a bad school, I think it's a great school and I'm proud to be here. That's why people with less than superb stats apply broadly and to these so called "safety schools."

 

[miracll88]

has anyone who's been complete for a while sent in a LOI or called to show interest? or does that not help at all?

 

[2050vlsb]

has anyone who's been complete for a while sent in a LOI or called to show interest? or does that not help at all?

I believe they don't accept pre-interview updates, though am I also interested to see if anyone else has tried. I've been small-pooled forever, and I'm really interested in CMS .. godd I hope I can get an interview here!

 

[DoctaFuture]

has anyone who's been complete for a while sent in a LOI or called to show interest? or does that not help at all?

Mir, I noticed you posted in the Temple forum. I'm not sure how LOI's are used, but I assume you can't send them to more than 1 school. ha so not sure if I would do this Also I believe CMS does not accept preinterview updates.

 

[alphasyn]

been placed on hold after a october interview...=/
how likely it is to get accepted off from the hold list??

 

[concernedP]

I believe they don't accept pre-interview updates, though am I also interested to see if anyone else has tried. I've been small-pooled forever, and I'm really interested in CMS .. godd I hope I can get an interview here!

Sent an email with the update letter attached. Recieved an email back saying that they do not accept such letters pre-interview and also downplayed the value of such letters post-interview.

So, it does not work.

 

[joliarte]

what about letter of interest instead of intent? oh well. probably would have been useless anyway.

Mir, I noticed you posted in the Temple forum. I'm not sure how LOI's are used, but I assume you can't send them to more than 1 school. ha so not sure if I would do this Also I believe CMS does not accept preinterview updates.

 

[heartofsmiles]

hey guys,

i attended the interview yesterday and to chime in on everyone considering this a "safety school." I had a great time yesterday and I realized that no matter what we label our schools as, it's definitely a privilege to have the opportunity to attend any MD school for that matter. RFU or any other accredited medical school will give us an amazing education and clinical experience. It's kind of like applying to college and thinking that was going to be our lives only to realize that being "pre-med" is nothing more than a label.

The terms "safety, reach, etc." matter a lot to us now, but once we're in medical school, these words go away and are replaced by hard work and nothing but hard work...so I realized after attending yesterday that the students at RFU are really chill and down-to-earth. The quality of interviewees were definitely top notch and people had many interviews elsewhere.

RFU was a good time. Good luck to everyone!!!!!

 

[heartofsmiles]

and for those that interviewed yesterday and are wondering who i am.

I finally got some sleep last night. 🙂 PM me and say hi

 

[dragon529]

how easy (or hard) is it to catch a cab after the interview on campus to go back to O'Hare? is it necessary to like reserve a cab to come to campus?

 

[heartofsmiles]

how easy (or hard) is it to catch a cab after the interview on campus to go back to O'Hare? is it necessary to like reserve a cab to come to campus?

Hey Dragon,

Call up american taxi (on the rfu interview sheet they link us to), and you should be solid. What i did was reserve my car there and back. They give you a business card to call and as long as you let them know when you want to be picked up or call them half an hour before you get picked up, you should be good to go

 

[alleydani33]

Hey Dragon,

Call up american taxi (on the rfu interview sheet they link us to), and you should be solid. What i did was reserve my car there and back. They give you a business card to call and as long as you let them know when you want to be picked up or call them half an hour before you get picked up, you should be good to go

I took American taxi (the one recommended by RFU) on the way to the interview and Flash Cab on the way back to O'Hare. Flash cab was nearly $10 less and the cab was much nicer. Just a thought.

 

[MIAmedica]

Is it just me, or is the CMS website not very informative? For those of you who have already interviewed, did you get all your questions answered there? Any info from current students would be greatly appreciated 🙂

-- Where do most students live?
-- If living away from campus, how is the commute?
-- What are the campus facilities like? (I know I'll get this at the interview but any personal impressions would be useful)
-- What board prep is offered, if any?

THANKS!!!

 

[MPowerE46]

Does anyone know why rosalind franklin is not ranked in the US news "best medical schools" for research OR primary care?

 

[AName]

Should I submit my secondary this late in the game?
I am OOS.

 

[Asyouwereatrio]

Does anyone know why rosalind franklin is not ranked in the US news "best medical schools" for research OR primary care?

I'm sure you read this already, but the US News website said: "Unranked: the school did not supply enough information to U.S. News to calculate a ranking. Schools without a numeric ranking are listed alphabetically with those schools supplying enough information to calculate a ranking coming before those schools that did not."

My guess is that the school's way of measuring research and primary care performance isn't enough to give US News a way to determine ranking. Information for ranking methodology can be found here: http://www.usnews.com/articles/educ.../the-medical-school-rankings-methodology.html

There are a myriad of reasons why some schools are not ranked...One of my guesses could be that they "aren't a research powerhouse", or some schools don't participate in rankings. It is fairly well-accepted that the whole ranking thing is a point of contention for schools to begin with (when they're not high up there).--but nonetheless, this list is still a way to have some sort of guide in terms of "how well your school ranks".

 

[Asyouwereatrio]

Should I submit my secondary this late in the game?
I am OOS.

If you have the extra money to blow, then go ahead and submit it, because realistically, you never know until you try...but at the same time, it is pretty late in the game (generally speaking).

I would just do it if I were you, and if they invite you to interview, then great..otherwise, pursue other options at other schools and whatnot.

 

[mattng]

Is it just me, or is the CMS website not very informative? For those of you who have already interviewed, did you get all your questions answered there? Any info from current students would be greatly appreciated 🙂

-- Where do most students live?
-- If living away from campus, how is the commute?
-- What are the campus facilities like? (I know I'll get this at the interview but any personal impressions would be useful)
-- What board prep is offered, if any?

THANKS!!!

Where do most students live?

A majority of the students live either on the school's campus apartments or the residential property just immediately south of the school, the Woodlands. Rent is comparable. In the school's housing, you can either live by yourself or with a roommate. Same thing with the Woodlands. There are options for family housing if you fit into that category. You're looking at about $1000/month at both for a single and about $500-700/month for a double, depending on where you live. Other housing that students go for are places around the school, such as Waukegan (up north) and Lake Bluff (south). Others live downtown in the city and take the Metra rail to campus. There is a shuttle that takes you from the school to the station.

If living away from campus, how is the commute?

Depending on where you are coming from, the commute varies. If you're living close by, say those two cities I mentioned above, the commute isn't bad at all. If you're coming from the city (about 40 minutes away with NO traffic), you'll probably run into a lot of traffic getting out, but once you're out it's not too bad. However, getting back to the city in the evening sucks. In terms of snow, the city is pretty good about plowing, so that isn't an issue really with commuting in the winter.

What are the campus facilities like? (I know I'll get this at the interview but any personal impressions would be useful)

As a first year, you'll basically spend your life in these three places: Rhoades Auditorium, anatomy lab, library. I'll break them down.

Rhoades Auditorium - it's old, it's a little dark, it can be cold at times. There aren't much outlets, but the school tries to help by providing extension cords and power outlets. You'll basically attend all your first year lectures here and take exams. However, it's not ancient. Powerpoint is always projected and it is recorded (video and audio).

Anatomy lab - it's big, doesn't smell that bad and each station has its own computer station. It's pretty nice for a cadaver lab.

Library - not much to say. Cubicles for studying. A few 24 hour computer labs.

The rest - the school has two buildings (with a pharmacy school being built as we speak). The newer building is a lot nicer. The classrooms are nicer as well. While the older (main building) is not as up-to-date as you can put it. Granted though, the school isn't ancient and falling apart. You can be the judge of that from your interview. I don't want to make the tour guides job that easy.

What board prep is offered, if any?

Along the way, separate courses will offer reviews or "of special interest to M2s" sessions. Some courses will have review sessions later in the spring quarter (like physiology). That's all I've heard of so far, I guess I'll see in a few months. Keep in mind, your first two years regardless of where you go is broad prep 😀.