2011-2012 Boston University Application Thread

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huyem12 said:
SO i was kinda stalking your MDapps, and when do you interview for Hopkins??????
😀
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I must apologize because my MDapps is a little bit out of date.

I interviewed there early in December. If I were to say that the school was anything less than amazing, I would be lying. I really enjoyed it, and I became instant friends with my host! 🙂

Thanks to some reciprocal stalking, I noticed that you received your interview invite recently. Congratulations! I don't think you have anything to worry about, especially considering your connection to the school! 🙂 I found my interviewers to be incredibly humble and really interested in my application.

Nevertheless, good luck with the interview! Let me know how it goes. :luck:
 
Could any current BU students share their thoughts (pros/cons) on their experiences at BUSM?
 
Does anybody know the first day of class, orientation and white coat ceremony for this year? Thanks.
 
astr1x said:
Does anybody know the first day of class, orientation and white coat ceremony for this year? Thanks.
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http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-osa/class-of-2016/

Welcome Class of 2016 medical students. Your start date is August 6, 2012. There is no formal orientation period, and classes begin on day two. The White Coat Ceremony will occur on day one, so plan to be here!
 
So no current medical student wants to talk about their experiences at BUSM?

I'm just curious, because I am interested in USC, BU, and NYU and have heard no recent posts about how BU students feel about their clinical training and curriculum. Of course every tour guide will beam and boast during interview day, but was wondering what you guys felt.

Please share!!!
 
mipp0 said:
So no current medical student wants to talk about their experiences at BUSM?

I'm just curious, because I am interested in USC, BU, and NYU and have heard no recent posts about how BU students feel about their clinical training and curriculum. Of course every tour guide will beam and boast during interview day, but was wondering what you guys felt.

Please share!!!
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I'm not a med student here, but I talked with a ton of them when I was there for my interview, including a bunch that were not tour guides or anything. They all seemed extremely happy and satisfied with the school. The M4s said that their clinical training gave them a boost on residency applications, and they have had no problems garnering interviews for competitive specialties.
 
penguinism said:
I'm not a med student here, but I talked with a ton of them when I was there for my interview, including a bunch that were not tour guides or anything. They all seemed extremely happy and satisfied with the school. The M4s said that their clinical training gave them a boost on residency applications, and they have had no problems garnering interviews for competitive specialties.
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Thanks penguinism. I got that feedback too, at BU and other well-known private schools.

I was concerned, because BU clinical training in the past had a reputation for "malignancy" (words of a doc, who told me this recently), so I'm hoping the environment has changed? It seems the administration has been hard at work to improve the clinical training and happiness of its students, but I would like to hear more from other students.

The history and mission of BU is a big plus for me, as its location. I like Bellevue hospital with NYU and NYC (spelling?) and USC working with LA County, so just trying to find which is a best fit for me. I would like to learn in an urban location with service to the underserved, which all 3 are and do. My interests are in pediatrics, emergency medicine, and general surgery, which all 3 are strong in as well.

Have any students had to decide between these schools, and what lead them to BU?

Also, is the curriculum at BU helpful for boards? For some schools, this isn't the case, and a lot of self-study is in order, which I'd like to avoid. How much time do we have off? We would probably get the best feedback from MS1 and MS2s.

Sorry for all the questions. Where we go to school is likely one of the biggest decisions we will make in our lives, no?
 
mipp0 said:
So no current medical student wants to talk about their experiences at BUSM?

I'm just curious, because I am interested in USC, BU, and NYU and have heard no recent posts about how BU students feel about their clinical training and curriculum. Of course every tour guide will beam and boast during interview day, but was wondering what you guys felt.

Please share!!!
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A few medical students have talked about their experiences at BUSM during this thread.
I'm extremely happy with BUSM in every way. The pre-clinical curriculum is taught extremely well at BU - professors are great and are truly interested in feedback to improve their courses. The second half of first-year curriculum and second year is systems-based. The curriculum is also starting to evolve to include NBME subjects tests in order to prepare students better for Step 1; even without these tests 2 years ago, most of classmates did very well on it.
In terms of clinical curriculum, this is the real strength of BU. As a safety net hospital and the largest trauma center in New England, you will see and do more things than you would be able to see or do at most other medical schools. You will learn how to take care of the whole patient - not only medical, but also social factors.
The surgery department was known to be malicious when I started my first year, but when I did the rotation at BMC during my third year, I did not feel that there was any malicious treatment of med student; from talking to my classmates, I don't know anyone who would say differently. Sure, you would very long days (especially on trauma rotation), get little sleep, and do a bunch of scut work - but this is not malicious, this is what medical school can be at times. Especially now, the surgery department is being restructures - they have hired a new chief of surgery, there is a new clerkship coordinator who has gotten extremely involved in improving the clerkship.
If you have any other specific questions about BUSM, you can PM me.
 
A senior member of an ad com interviews a nontraditional medical school applicant and the give-and-take appears to be going well. The interview was supposed to last 30 minutes, but the interviewer brings it to a close after 20 with the statement, "Well, Jim, you are an unusual applicant and XYZMS is an unusual medical school."

I'm dying to find out what, if anything, the interviewer meant by the early termination and those enigmatic words.
 
hollywoodog said:
A senior member of an ad com interviews a nontraditional medical school applicant and the give-and-take appears to be going well. The interview was supposed to last 30 minutes, but the interviewer brings it to a close after 20 with the statement, "Well, Jim, you are an unusual applicant and XYZMS is an unusual medical school."

I'm dying to find out what, if anything, the interviewer meant by the early termination and those enigmatic words.
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I would say he ended it promptly because he had to go somewhere. I think what he said can be translated to mean that you will be a good fit for the school, which is a great thing. Also, if you say that the interview went well then I am sure that the report he submits to the adcom will be a good one. Good luck!
 
hollywoodog said:
A senior member of an ad com interviews a nontraditional medical school applicant and the give-and-take appears to be going well. The interview was supposed to last 30 minutes, but the interviewer brings it to a close after 20 with the statement, "Well, Jim, you are an unusual applicant and XYZMS is an unusual medical school."

I'm dying to find out what, if anything, the interviewer meant by the early termination and those enigmatic words.
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Interview ending early is not a good sign, no matter how you look at it imo. Just means that the interviewer lost interest, had nothing to ask, and already made up his/her mind.

All of my interviews went longer than they were "supposed to" and I think they went pretty well.

How are you deciding what schools to post this question in???

MIAYO said:
I would say he ended it promptly because he had to go somewhere. I think what he said can be translated to mean that you will be a good fit for the school, which is a great thing. Also, if you say that the interview went well then I am sure that the report he submits to the adcom will be a good one. Good luck!
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He isn't interviewing, his label says Adcom, and he is asking the same question in multiple threads for multiple schools.
 
hollywoodog said:
A senior member of an ad com interviews a nontraditional medical school applicant and the give-and-take appears to be going well. The interview was supposed to last 30 minutes, but the interviewer brings it to a close after 20 with the statement, "Well, Jim, you are an unusual applicant and XYZMS is an unusual medical school."

I'm dying to find out what, if anything, the interviewer meant by the early termination and those enigmatic words.
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I actually had my BU interview end very similarly, after only 15 minutes of conversation. I was accepted, but withdrew my acceptance today. Hope the spot goes to someone here!
 
Can anyone comment on how friendly BU is with giving out scholarships? I was recently invited for an interview but I have another acceptance that I would prefer on paper although BU does seem like an excellent school.
 
I was deferred this month and would really love an acceptance in March. I have already sent an update letter, which also stated my intent to attend if accepted. My question is, would it be in my interest to send additional (and substantive) letters, e.g. what I think I could contribute to the entering class? Would it show my sincere interest in the school to send letters that are not of the typical update/LOI format, or would it just be obnoxious?
 
LuckOfTheIrish said:
Can anyone comment on how friendly BU is with giving out scholarships? I was recently invited for an interview but I have another acceptance that I would prefer on paper although BU does seem like an excellent school.
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They said they give out a few 15k/year scholarships each year. Apparently, you don't have to apply because I just got one yesterday about 3 weeks after being accepted. So in my case, I would say they are friendly. It would be nice if they gave out full tuition scholarships, but hey I'm not complaining.

BU impressed me much more than I expected, even when compared to other schools. It has a pretty unique environment, and honestly this is one of the few schools that can talk about diversity and back it up. I highly suggest attending your interview, you never know.
 
LuckOfTheIrish said:
Can anyone comment on how friendly BU is with giving out scholarships? I was recently invited for an interview but I have another acceptance that I would prefer on paper although BU does seem like an excellent school.
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+1 Boston is an awesome school, but it's so expensive...
 
LuckOfTheIrish said:
Can anyone comment on how friendly BU is with giving out scholarships? I was recently invited for an interview but I have another acceptance that I would prefer on paper although BU does seem like an excellent school.
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They give out some scholarships to students, anywhere from 5k-20k or so, but I haven't heard anyone get a full tuition scholarship, and I doubt that they do that. You are mostly covered with institutional loans and federal loans.
 
stay gold said:
I was deferred this month and would really love an acceptance in March. I have already sent an update letter, which also stated my intent to attend if accepted. My question is, would it be in my interest to send additional (and substantive) letters, e.g. what I think I could contribute to the entering class? Would it show my sincere interest in the school to send letters that are not of the typical update/LOI format, or would it just be obnoxious?
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Hopefully, the information that shows what you would contribute to the entering class is in your medical school application and hopefully was reiterated during your interview. Since you already sent an update letter with a statement of intent, I'm not sure how much an additional letter would help.
 
ialwayslose said:
They said they give out a few 15k/year scholarships each year. Apparently, you don't have to apply because I just got one yesterday about 3 weeks after being accepted. So in my case, I would say they are friendly. It would be nice if they gave out full tuition scholarships, but hey I'm not complaining.

BU impressed me much more than I expected, even when compared to other schools. It has a pretty unique environment, and honestly this is one of the few schools that can talk about diversity and back it up. I highly suggest attending your interview, you never know.
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I think you persuaded me... Thanks a ton for the info. I have a lot of similar interviews so it is reassuring to hear that you were pleasantly surprised by BU.

autotroph said:
+1 Boston is an awesome school, but it's so expensive...
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Exactly how I feel, especially with expenses of living in Boston.

eagle34 said:
They give out some scholarships to students, anywhere from 5k-20k or so, but I haven't heard anyone get a full tuition scholarship, and I doubt that they do that. You are mostly covered with institutional loans and federal loans.
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I am mostly looking at private schools with similar tuition costs so anything would help. I definitely don't expect full tuition scholarships from anywhere but knowing that there is a chance to have some financial help is huge for me.
 
LuckOfTheIrish said:
I think you persuaded me... Thanks a ton for the info. I have a lot of similar interviews so it is reassuring to hear that you were pleasantly surprised by BU.
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Yeah, I'm not really saying the medical school structures/whatever will stand out above and beyond other schools. I mean a building is a building, a hospital is a hospital, and an anatomy lab is an anatomy lab. Although I found the attitude of the students to be particularly happy, this wasn't THAT much different than at other schools. The curriculum is pretty plain. The parts of BU I found most impressive were the features of the training environment (devotion to diversity, care for the underserved, wealth of languages spoken). I can't comment meaningfully on how this impacts you once in medical school, since im not in medical school, but I would guess positively.
 
II today. lmao....


I had given up when I hadn't received anything from them for about 2 months. Feb 1st interview.
 
ialwayslose said:
They said they give out a few 15k/year scholarships each year. Apparently, you don't have to apply because I just got one yesterday about 3 weeks after being accepted. So in my case, I would say they are friendly. It would be nice if they gave out full tuition scholarships, but hey I'm not complaining.

BU impressed me much more than I expected, even when compared to other schools. It has a pretty unique environment, and honestly this is one of the few schools that can talk about diversity and back it up. I highly suggest attending your interview, you never know.
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congrats ialwayslose! (you might have to think about changing that name...) I also was very pleasantly surprised- ok, more like totally shocked to receive a $15,000 scholarship (notification by email) a few days ago. I wonder how many of these they give out each year? I was trying not to get to attached to BU due to the cost but now Boston is definitely on my mind...
 
bonoboMD said:
congrats ialwayslose! (you might have to think about changing that name...) I also was very pleasantly surprised- ok, more like totally shocked to receive a $15,000 scholarship (notification by email) a few days ago. I wonder how many of these they give out each year? I was trying not to get to attached to BU due to the cost but now Boston is definitely on my mind...
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at my interview day, they said either 4 or 8... i have it written down somewhere.

however im guessing this is the amount that receive it that end up matriculating, so they probably give out a little more.

congratulations to you as well, it definitely sweetens the deal 🙂
 
Hey, I have interview on Wed, does anyone know what's the best way to get to downtown Boston from Logan International Airport? 😕 Thanks~
 
howieh said:
Hey, I have interview on Wed, does anyone know what's the best way to get to downtown Boston from Logan International Airport? 😕 Thanks~
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If you mean to get to BU med, the easiest way is taxi or the Silver Line.
If you actually mean downtown Boston (not sure which part you actually want), then it's the MBTA.
 
eagle34 said:
If you mean to get to BU med, the easiest way is taxi or the Silver Line.
If you actually mean downtown Boston (not sure which part you actually want), then it's the MBTA.
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Sorry I probably should've been more specific...yea I meant BUSM.
 
howieh said:
Sorry I probably should've been more specific...yea I meant BUSM.
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If you are not familiar with Boston, I would seriously recommend just taking a taxi. The public transportation in Boston can be pretty confusing. I've lived in Boston for 6 years and never taken the silver line, but that does go from the airport to the South End where BUSM is.

Edit: If you are staying at a hotel, most hotels have a free shuttle to/from the airport.
 
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For those of you who received the 15K scholarship, have you already completed your FAFSA?
Also, has anyone else received any info on other scholarships? If so- is your FAFSA completed?
 
western1 said:
For those of you who received the 15K scholarship, have you already completed your FAFSA?
Also, has anyone else received any info on other scholarships? If so- is your FAFSA completed?
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No, I have not yet submitted my FAFSA (rents are slow to file taxes!) The Dean's Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship, financial need is not a factor. I have not received any financial awards from the other schools I have been accepted at. I was honestly pretty shocked (elated!). PM if you have more questions.
 
I just received the 30-day email. I was complete extremely late. Do I even have a chance at interviewing here? Thanks
 
Should I send a Thank-you note directly to my interviewer or addressed to the AdCom? Or both? Thanks.
 
howieh said:
Should I send a Thank-you note directly to my interviewer or addressed to the AdCom? Or both? Thanks.
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Directly to your interviewer. I got the impression they don't like people sending thank you to the admissions committee since you never met them.
 
western1 said:
Directly to your interviewer. I got the impression they don't like people sending thank you to the admissions committee since you never met them.
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Thanks. Do you mind if I ask where did you get that impression?
 
howieh said:
Thanks. Do you mind if I ask where did you get that impression?
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I got it from the dean when he was talking. He emphasized that he was giving us our interviewers info in case we wanted to thank them directly, but said not to send letters to the adcom until you have "really figured out exactly why you are a good fit for BU". He emphasized strongly to not just send the adcom letters because they would not have any bearing on the decision process and if you truly wanted to thank your interviewer that you should just send a quick note directly to them.
That's just what I was told when I interviewed though, that message may have changed during the season.
 
I just received the 30-day email. I was complete extremely late. Do I even have a chance at interviewing here? Thanks
 
jdudemed said:
I just received the 30-day email. I was complete extremely late. Do I even have a chance at interviewing here? Thanks
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I interviewed & never received a 30-day email. Pretty much didn't get anything from them for 2 months after submitting. I submitted in the fall though when it is busy.
 
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So I was complete on 12/6 but I never got a 30 day email. Should I just go ahead and count this school out? I'm already accepted at Loma Linda but I really wanted at least an interviewing chance here.
 
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