2010-2011 University of Arkansas Thread

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Haha, nah...

I am one of the three alternates that received a scholarship... also, I work at UAMS, so I have the opportunity to ask Morgan these questions directly.

But... I'm not sure how many seats have opened. I am 1/3 of the rural alternates and have not received an acceptance. So either, no one as given up the seat or they havn't started movement yet.
 
Almostcountry24 said:
Haha, nah...

I am one of the three alternates that received a scholarship... also, I work at UAMS, so I have the opportunity to ask Morgan these questions directly.

But... I'm not sure how many seats have opened. I am 1/3 of the rural alternates and have not received an acceptance. So either, no one as given up the seat or they havn't started movement yet.
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I know of a girl who gave up her seat, so perhaps your letter is on the way:laugh: Congrats for getting the scholarship. Would u let us know as soon as u get the letter.
 
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Ive always been under the impression that theres movement of around 20-30 each year.
 
Hi all - I've been lurking in this thread for a while. Thanks to all for taking the time to give such great advice and information over the last few months.

I'm OOS - waitlisted. Hoping to get in sooner than later!

Congrats to those accepted and good luck to everyone still waiting!
 
I wonder which one feels worse, being rejected outright or being waitlisted :laugh:
 
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RphToMD said:
I wonder which one feels worse, being rejected outright or being waitlisted :laugh:
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I've had both happen to me, getting outright rejected hurts much, MUCH worse.
 
nowonder said:
I've had both happen to me, getting outright rejected hurts much, MUCH worse.
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Same here, and I definitely agree.

For those of you waitlisted- be encouraged. UAMS wouldn't waitlist you if they didn't like you and want to admit you, but like most places, they're working with limited slots and can't get everyone in they'd like to. Many of you on the waitlist may see movement and matriculate this year, but for those of you that don't- keep your head up because if they liked something about you this year, it stands to reason they'd like you again next year and you can spend a year working on whatever it is you think you need to improve to get you to admitted status. I'll mention this again later in the summer and if any of you have questions about that, I'd be happy to talk to you since I took a year after undergrad to strengthen my application (and I did primarily pre-med counseling as a job for that year) and definitely know what it's like.
 
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Hey guys!

Does anyone remember what UAMS' grading system is like? Is it Pass/Fail?
 
rakababy said:
Hey guys!

Does anyone remember what UAMS' grading system is like? Is it Pass/Fail?
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If I'm not mistaken, they're on a letter grading system, at least for the first two years...
 
takk said:
If I'm not mistaken, they're on a letter grading system, at least for the first two years...
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True. Class average is usually in the high 70's. It's also letter grading for M3, but you're doing something seriously wrong if you drop below a B. M4 is P/F.
 
Still not sure when waitlist movement will begin. I've heard of at least two people resigning. They usually wait until after the Rural Practice decisions have been made... which was two weeks ago, and last week was spring break....


So... Maybe... the following few weeks?
 
Almostcountry24 said:
Still not sure when waitlist movement will begin. I've heard of at least two people resigning. They usually wait until after the Rural Practice decisions have been made... which was two weeks ago, and last week was spring break....


So... Maybe... the following few weeks?
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Thanks for the update. You are in a nice position, you should be getting ready for August. :thumbup:
 
Unless I'm missing something, I don't think the CoM office actually gets a spring break. The M1's and M2's were off last week, we're off this week, and the M4's don't get a break, not that they really give a **** about school any more.
 
Its Friday, Almostcountry24 have you any good news yet?
 
Hey guys! Sorry to give you a bit of bad news, but I'm pretty sure the list doesn't move until May 15th. That's the "deadline" for people who got a accepted to either commit or give up the spot. This is how it was last year.
 
Yeah, I was kind of under impression that mid-may represented the great amount of list movement... because of the cut-off date...

But, I believe they still send out acceptances to alternates as the spots come available ... before the 15th.
 
Almostcountry24 said:
Yeah, I was kind of under impression that mid-may represented the great amount of list movement... because of the cut-off date...

But, I believe they still send out acceptances to alternates as the spots come available ... before the 15th.
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And this was what Linda told me!
 
You guys are on your own on this one since they're never completed the Rural Practice stuff so early, as far as I'm aware. Keep in mind, though, that I received my acceptance (by mail, in Kansas City) on May 15, so it had to be mailed before then.
 
Yeah, I mean... as long as I get an acceptance before August, I'll be happy ~
 
I was accepted into a Do school here in AZ, but (for many reasons) I'd rather go to Arkansas.

The hardest part is that I am going to have to get a lease in my home state in the next few weeks. In the event that I get accepted into Arkansas, it's gonna make an interesting switch :/

That's not mentioning that I'd have to leave my prospective roommate in the dust if I end up getting accepted from the WL.

Still, I wouldn't give up an acceptance letter for the world :)
 
AlmostCountry, Any news yet?? The waiting is killing me.

I have an acceptance at my IS school, but UAMS is my first choice. I also own a home in the city of my IS school. Currently, my home is on the market so I can be ready for a move if I get bumped from the waitlist, but if that doesn't happen, I'd hate to have sold the place I'd want to live in the event I stay here! :scared:
 
MSDelta said:
AlmostCountry, Any news yet?? The waiting is killing me.

I have an acceptance at my IS school, but UAMS is my first choice. I also own a home in the city of my IS school. Currently, my home is on the market so I can be ready for a move if I get bumped from the waitlist, but if that doesn't happen, I'd hate to have sold the place I'd want to live in the event I stay here! :scared:
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Why is Uams your first choice?

I heard Tom South is currently on Vacation, so the wait continues.
 
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Are you asking why UAMS is my first choice? Sorry, just didn't understand the question..
 
Sorry - originally your question said 'what.'

UAMS is first choice for many reasons. As you know, they have an incredible cancer institute. During my first masters degree, I was involved in cancer research and would love to have another opportunity to contribute in this field, possibly as part of the MD-PhD program.

I love their integrative approach to teaching in terms of subject presentation.

It has long been my opinion that there exists a large gap from a student's learning of medicine to the actual practice of medicine. I think UAMS has quite arguably the best methods in place to bridge that gap - SIM labs, mock patients, etc.

Certainly not least, I love the people I have met thus far associated with UAMS - from the students to the faculty and staff, everyone has been most welcoming and friendly.

I'd say the aspect of UAMS that has made the largest impression on me is the spirit of critical thinking that the institution as a whole promotes. It's important to be able to discuss new ideas and challenge old ones in an environment that fosters respectful debate and differences in perspective.

This may have been more reason than you were asking, but these are my thoughts... :)
 
MSDelta said:
Sorry - originally your question said 'what.'

UAMS is first choice for many reasons. As you know, they have an incredible cancer institute. During my first masters degree, I was involved in cancer research and would love to have another opportunity to contribute in this field, possibly as part of the MD-PhD program.

I love their integrative approach to teaching in terms of subject presentation.

It has long been my opinion that there exists a large gap from a student's learning of medicine to the actual practice of medicine. I think UAMS has quite arguably the best methods in place to bridge that gap - SIM labs, mock patients, etc.

Certainly not least, I love the people I have met thus far associated with UAMS - from the students to the faculty and staff, everyone has been most welcoming and friendly.

I'd say the aspect of UAMS that has made the largest impression on me is the spirit of critical thinking that the institution as a whole promotes. It's important to be able to discuss new ideas and challenge old ones in an environment that fosters respectful debate and differences in perspective.

This may have been more reason than you were asking, but these are my thoughts... :)
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Cool :thumbup:
 
It has long been my opinion that there exists a large gap from a student's learning of medicine to the actual practice of medicine. I think UAMS has quite arguably the best methods in place to bridge that gap - SIM labs, mock patients, etc.
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I was really high on Arkansas's fun gadgets and M1 and M2 clinical exposure before school started. Now that I'm on the inside, that opinion has changed - matured, I suppose you could say. While I agree with your main point that the school really bends over backwards to make you a good clinician, you'll be surprised how little some of the simulators and standardized patients matter once you're a med student. The standardized patients here are nothing short of phenomenal (especially as compared to the Step 2 CS people...ugh) and are extremely helpful when you're learning the physical exams during M1. I wouldn't have those taught any other way. Outside of that, though, they're just a novelty. The simulators are nice for things like figuring out to do with a crashing patient or some other scenario where the patient dies if you suck, but that's resident-level exercise. All the basic H&P practice can be done whenever and wherever you want on real patients. If you just show up at the hospital(s) and go around talking to people, nobody will know the difference, much less care. You have to know where to go, I suppose, but that's why knowing an upperclassman is useful. ;) In other words, when you want some clinical experience, go to the appropriate place, and you'll get it. No standardized patient or $15000 crash dummy necessary.
 
Thanks for the input on what you've learned and found that you value more now that you've been in school a while versus when you were on this end of things. :)

I was referring more to the standardized patients and the recording of exams with those patients rather than the SIM labs/dummies. I attended physical therapy school before I decided to go to medical school, and I found the most helpful part of skills development to be when an instructor who was knowledgeable allowed me to practice exams and treatments on him/her. If you're simply practicing on another classmate, he/she likely doesn't have enough experience to truly know if you're performing the skill correctly in comparison to a medically trained individual. I found this aspect of UAMS education most attractive as it gives the student an opportunity to learn without all the nerves involved!

I do think you are right, though, in that there is plenty of clinical experience to be found if you know where to go! If I end up at UAMS, I'll know which upperclassman to ask now! ;)
 
If you're simply practicing on another classmate, he/she likely doesn't have enough experience to truly know if you're performing the skill correctly in comparison to a medically trained individual. I found this aspect of UAMS education most attractive as it gives the student an opportunity to learn without all the nerves involved!
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Oh yeah, I guess I'm forgetting that you guys don't actually know everything about how they teach the exams and stuff. That makes me sound like an ass. Oh well, nothing I'm particularly unused to. :p

The SPs aren't medically trained, but they do know how to perform the exams, and they teach you accordingly. Surprisingly enough, that's really the only hand-holding you'll get in all of med school as far as learning physical exams is concerned. You can most certainly request a SP to practice on, but most people don't do that unless studying for an OSCE (clinical skills test). If someone sees you totally botching a technique, you might get some instruction, but everyone on the wards just assumes you know what you're doing. That's a rambling way of saying that yes, it is quite nice to have someone trained walk you through an exam, especially when you're first learning.

However, most of the exams are very simple, and you'll have plenty of cheat sheets and whatnot so you don't forget parts, which is really the limiting factor. That is, being good at physicals doesn't matter as much as remembering all the parts to them. You'll get better at the exams with practice - practice SPs can't really give you - but it's tough to practice if you keep leaving out things.

One place that is great for practice is the VA. Nobody knows the difference between one white coat and another, and since all of the patients get poked and prodded several times a day by all sorts of different people on different teams, they aren't going to care. As long as you can get over the awkwardness of walking up to some stranger and asking personal questions, it won't be a big deal.
 
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MilkmanAl said:
Oh yeah, I guess I'm forgetting that you guys don't actually know everything about how they teach the exams and stuff. That makes me sound like an ass. Oh well, nothing I'm particularly unused to. :p
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You didn't sound like an ass. No worries!
 
wheet123 said:
Here is the UAMS match for this year if anyone is interested. For being known for churning out primary care docs, they had quite a few people match into some pretty competitive specialties and programs.



http://www.uams.edu/com/match-day-2011.pdf
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I think that's a misconception based off the way they advertise. UAMS is known for having top-notch primary care education and trying to encourage people to go into primary care/rural health due to the needs of the state it is in, but like any large medical school worth it's salt, UAMS properly prepares students and sends people to competitive specialties every year. Where people are going is interesting too- there are some top-notch residency programs on there. Congrats to the class of 2011 on their matches, and I hope the match gods align for me when I reach that point too.
 
Alright, the last semester is almost over and i know im getting excited about starting in august. I spent entirely too much time on SDN so i thought i would get your(current students) opinions on some things i read in old post by Milkman.

How well does the curriculum actually work?
What are the professors like?
Exactly how much free time will you have?
How difficult is it?
How's the administration?
What are the attendings like?
What's clinic duty like?
What's your daily schedule like? < This is the one i'm really wondering about
 
How well does the curriculum actually work?
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Quite well when I went through it but probably better now that it isn't brand new. Having anatomy all year long sucks, but it makes a lot more sense to me to learn things by organ system. It's a particularly good strategy during M2. The clinical years are just awesome.
What are the professors like?
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They vary. During M1, you'll get a lot of PhD's who really couldn't give less of a **** about anything not in their horrifyingly narrow field, so there are more than a few clunkers. In fairness, there are also some MDs who don't belong within a mile of a podium. There are also some seriously outstanding professors. none of that really matters, though, since you should be skipping class most or all of the time anyway.

Exactly how much free time will you have?
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That depends on how well you adapt to the workload, how you study, and whether or not you go to class (Hint: you shouldn't).

How difficult is it?
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See above minus the going to class part. Speaking of which, don't go to class.

How's the administration?
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Decent as administrations go. No huge complaints on my end, but they definitely pull their fair share of dick moves.
What are the attendings like?
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They're generally pretty cool. I've only met one who was outright terrible but have certainly heard of several more. Some sort of dismiss or ignore you, but most of them go out of their respective ways to make sure you learn.

What's clinic duty like?
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Uh...okay, I guess. I'm not sure what you mean. You go talk to patients and then report to an attending or resident. Nothing special.
What's your daily schedule like?
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M1 at first: class then 3-4 hours of studying
M1 later: class then maybe an hour or 2 of studying, at most.
M1 at the end: no class, 2-3 hours of studying
M2 at first: no class, 4-6 hours of studying
M2 after test 3: no class, 1 hour of studying, maybe 4-5 before tests
M3: varies a ****load by rotation. I started working roughly 5-8 (that's AM to PM, kids), have worked as little as 10 hours a week, and am currently doing ~6:30-5.
 
Thanks for the reply Milkman, i know your a strong supporter of the no class route. I guess my question is, Do you really not miss anything other than social aspects by skipping class? Are the syllabi set up in such a way that you cannot be mistaken as to what you need to do for that lecture/day?
 
Do you really not miss anything other than social aspects by skipping class?
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Virtually nothing. There were fewer than 10 test questions throughout the first 2 years that only got mentioned in class. Class is not at all worth the time expenditure.
Are the syllabi set up in such a way that you cannot be mistaken as to what you need to do for that lecture/day?
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Whatever is in the PowerPoint slides is what you need to know.
 
Jtslater said:
How well does the curriculum actually work?
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I'm only an M1, but I definitely think the by organ system integration works well. I've talked to lots of friends at other med schools and most of them have said that they wished theirs was structured that way. It seems much easier to me to learn about all things cardiovascular in nature together, as opposed to learning the whole of histology in a month or two.

Jtslater said:
What are the professors like?
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Have to agree with Milkman on the professors. It's a mixed bag for sure and you'll get three types of professors. You will have some professors that will be awesome lecturers and will have amazing powerpoints, some will only be good at one of those, and some will make you want to scream with how disorganized they are and how horrible they are at explaining even simple concepts.

Jtslater said:
Exactly how much free time will you have?
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Jtslater said:
What's your daily schedule like? < This is the one i'm really wondering about
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I thought I would give you a different opinion because I go to class the majority of the time. It will depend on the time of year, but for M1 there are three different sections of the year. Biochem/Cell Bio for the first 8 weeks, Histo/Gross/Phys for most of the rest of the time up until March or so, and the last month or two where you finish up gross and do neuro (Intro to Clinical Medicine runs all year).

Biochem and Cell Block - We would have class from about 9am-2pm with a 12-1 break in between. Some classes I didn't go to if I knew the professor was bad, but I probably went to 75% of the lectures. I would study 1-2 hours per day and maybe 3-4 on the day or two before a test.

Histo/Gross/Phys - It would really depend on when we had gross lab, but usually if we didn't have lab, class would run from about 9-2 or 3. If we did have gross lab (2-3 days a week on average, but could be 0-4 days) then it would be 9-12 for class, gross lecture at 1pm and lab at 2pm until you got done (anywhere from 3-5, mostly around 4 pm). Again, I went to most of the classes during this time, but definitely not all. I gave up on gross lectures all together pretty early on, so on lab days I would have a two hour break in the middle for lunch. As far as studying, I would say I studied a little more during this time, but it mainly bunched up on weekends or light class days so that I still averaged 1-2 hours most days and maybe 4-6 on weekends or two other days if my weekend was packed. If I studied for 2 hours in a day, then lots of times I would take the next day off. You can definitely have the freedom to take days off when you need to.

End of gross/Neuro - Probably the busiest time so far has been after Neuro started, but we still had Gross. The head and neck part of gross was definitely the most time consuming/difficult for me and then three days after we had the gross NBME/final exam to worry about, all while starting a new class (Neuro). During this hellish three week or so period studying went up and class going went down, mostly because 1) lots of the classes were gross lectures, which I didn't go to and 2) I was focused on finishing up gross and not on Neuro. After gross was over, and now that we just have Neuro, I have lots of free time because class is only about 9-12 normally or 9-2 on days where we have ICM lectures.

Jtslater said:
How difficult is it?
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The difficulty is very relative to the style of learning you have and how many times you need to see the material before you've got it. Some folks have time for whatever they want to do, some are barely keeping their head above water, the majority are somewhere in between.

Jtslater said:
How's the administration?
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Jtslater said:
What are the attendings like?
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Jtslater said:
What's clinic duty like?
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Lowly M1 here, so I've really got no comment on these.

Hope some of this helps, and good luck this year.
 
Mrs. Dupuy just sent an email concerning the need for alternates to update their contact information. Thats somewhat promising...
 
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