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2012-2013 UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Application Thread
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I would guess that being on hold is 'better' because that means they havent decided whether to accept you or waitlist you at this moment.
Anyone know what they mean by 'send us a letter'? Do we need to send a physical letter or will an email suffice?
I'm guessing snail mail because they ask you to send those other documents too.
Futureczar, I know you got into njms also like me, so which one are you leaning towards more (not counting other OOS acceptances right now) and why.
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Thats funny you ask giants25, I was going to PM you pretty soon and ask you the same thing
At this point I am quite honestly unsure of my decision. I used to think RWJ was an obvious decision, but at this point I am not sure of which I would pick. I am hoping for a good OOS acceptance so that I dont have to decide 
Or maybe one of these schools would be nice enough to give me some money... please!Im going to go ahead and write down a big NJMS vs. RWJ analysis and maybe it will help someone make a decision this year or in the coming years. I am quite intimately knowledgeble about both of these programs so I have a bit of inside info. Here we go:
NJMS and RWJ... THE BIG DEBATE!
Curriculum:
-One of the big things pre-meds look at, although ive heard that its terribly hard to assess a curriculum before you actually get to the school. In any case RWJ has a systems based curriculum, while NJMS has a class based curriculum
laugh: im sure theres a better name). So for example when RWJ studies the heart they study all the aspects of the heart (anatomy, biochem, pharmacology), whereas NJMS does the entire class at once (all of anatomy... and then all of biochem...). People say systems curriculums are more intuitive. I tend to agree but systems curriculums also mean studying for several classes at the same time, whereas in NJMS you are only thinking about one class at any given time (well only one main class, you take things like ethics alongside your main classes but they are generally much easier). Also I may be wrong about this, but the Step 1 exam is arranged based on subjects rather than systems, which may make NJMS slightly better for board prep (completely guessing here). Overall I dont think one schools wins in this regard, its all about how a specific individual likes to learn.Grading:
-I feel compelled to bring up the grading systems at these two schools. Both are P/F during the preclinical years. However, there is the difference of internal ranking. NJMS has an internal ranking during the preclinical years, whereas RWJ does not (or at least I was told so on my interview day). This actually makes a decently big deal in my mind. I was told by an NJMS student that the grading switch from H/HP/P to P/F has actually made the school more competitive (contrary to the popular belief that P/F makes schools less competitive). This is because previously the school had a gpa based system, where a H would be equivalent to a 4, HP to a 3... and so on and so forth. However now that there is only Pass or Fail, the actual grade in a class matters more than it did previously. So before if had an A, you would get a H, and therefore have a 4.0 gpa for that class. But now that there is no H, the ranking of the class is determined by the actual grade. So a 95 is better than a 92, whereas before they would both be equivalent. RWJ apparently has no internal ranking, so grades dont matter at all (in the sense that they dont get reported to residency directors) as long as you pass everything. I believe this would lend to a more noncompetitive setting, and would allow you to focus on learning what you need to know, rather than focusing on getting a few extra points higher than your neighbor. Of course, once again, this depends on the person. Some people care about being the best, some do not. One can argue that competition is better.
Clinical Exposure:
-My gut instinct is to say NJMS wins in this regard. NJMS loves to tout its great clinical exposure, and with good reason! University Hospital is in a highly impoverished area and sees a very high amount of uninsured patients. NJMS actually gives money to the hospital because of how much money University Hospital bleeds out due to its high uninsured population. And while its sad to admit, bad environment + uninsured patients + overwhelmed staff = amazing clinical experience. The hospital gets hit hard, and the staff is often in over their heads with patients. Which is great for medical students! During interview they told us of people helping stitch patients in the ER during the Emergency Medicine rotation within the first month of medical school. And this type of exposure lasts throughout the clinical years as well. Ive heard plenty of stories of how NJMS graduates have impressed residency directors with their amount of knowledge and experience.
-RWJ students have RWJ hospital. Off the bat it should be mentioned that RWJ is nationally recognized hospital. It is currently nationally ranked in 3 specialties (2 of those happened in the last year, so that may be an indication of things to come), and is ranked #2 in NJ and #8 in the New York metro area. How much this matters depends on the student, as well as the residency you are trying to apply for. But if I had to guess I would guess RWJ has more nationally recognized faculty than University Hospital. (However it should be noted that NJMS students rotate at Hackensack, which is #1 in NJ, and #4 in NY metro area). RWJ has more private patients, and tends to be in an area that isnt quite as 'bad' as Newark. I believe this translates into less clinical exposure. However I tend to think that at NJMS you are pushed into clinical exposure (because they are overwhelmed), whereas at RWJ you have to go out of your way to get the same clinical exposure (ask to draw blood where a nurse would normally draw blood). That just seems to be my impression.
Match Lists:
-Pre-meds love to look at these. The take away point from both of these schools would be that if you work hard enough, you can go anywhere. NJMS has matched rad onc at MD Anderson (best cancer center in the country) and RWJ has had a plastic surgery match at Harvard (speaks for itself). I would argue that RWJ has had a better match history than NJMS, however NJMS had a BEASTLY match this year (2012) - tons of amazing competitive specialty matches (whith a bunch that beat out top-10 school matches (derm for example). NJMS had a really strong presence in the medical world this year, with the AMA president and the AMA student president both coming from NJMS. However I think its safe to say that personal accomplishment matter a lot more than school name in this regard. No clear winner.
Location:
-This comes down to preferance. New Brunswick is the 'safer' choice, but Newark is a very culturally diverse area (with some awesomely fun sections, such as Ironbound). Newark is also close to NY, which can be important for some people (also getting to NY is cheaper from Newark via the path train). Newark has medical school specific housing, which is awesome but very expensive (in my mind), at around 800-1000 a month. RWJ has no med school specific housing, but due to the Rutgers merger future students should gain access to Rutgers graduate housing, which has the potential to be completely awesome (anyone seen the new Livingston campus housing? - google it!). It comes down to how much money you want to spend at this point. RWJ will probably be cheaper in terms of getting housing thats close to the school in a safe neighborhood. I have friends who rent off campus for NJMS at around 500 a month, but it takes 20-30 minutes to get to the school from their apartment.
Class Size:
-Newark has a bigger class size, and RWJ had to cut down their class recently due to the loss of the Camden campus to the new Cooper medical school. Depends on what you like. Personally I think smaller is better because it means more individualized attention, but larger can mean more fun to some people.
Random:
-Newark seems to have more collegiality. When you walk into the medical school there is a hustle and bustle that doesnt seem to exist at RWJ. This has a lot to do with the fact that the NJMS medical school is connected to the hospital, which is another benefit. Want to shadow a doctor right after class? No problem, just walk for a few minutes and youre at their office. I wonder if this creates a difference in terms of clinical exposure for the preclinical years.
-RWJ seems poised to benefit more from the Rutgers merger due to its proximity to the Rutgers campus. This is most readily reflected in housing options (like i mentioned before), as well as stuff like having a meal plan at the Rutgers dining halls and having access to the Rutgers gym (Busch campus, where RWJMS is located, has a very nice gym).
Well there you go... Ill add anything I think of down the line. Its getting late..
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FML... Just called "file waiting to be reviewed" and most likely will not be reviewed until after the holidays!!!
Keep calm and continue waiting.
Keep calm and continue waiting.
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I haven't received an email either.
Wait listed. Called and asked about my status. Well at least I've been accepted at the other two state schools and this would've been like four more years of my undergrad again seeing as they're on the same campus. Intriguing I wasn't accepted though. Idk how they judge based on mmi. Oh well not really upset at all lol
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I don't think it's a bad thing not to have gotten an email. Apparently they haven't gotten through all of the applicants yet because I called and they said so, she also said they probably wouldn't get to them until after the holidays considering so many people taking time off.
I interviewed 11/12 for the MD-PhD / MD program on the same day. We need an acceptance/response by the MD committee before being considered for the MD-PhD.
I interviewed 11/12 for the MD-PhD / MD program on the same day. We need an acceptance/response by the MD committee before being considered for the MD-PhD.
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I was accepted! However, I'm waiting on the Uniformed Services University. If I go to Robert Wood, i need to apply for a HPSP with the Air Force because I still have Service commitment time left. If USUHS accepts me, you guys can have my seat. However, I do like RWJMS and think it's a great civilian school
Is accepting the seat binding? That last guy was wrong about the deposit, so he might be wrong about the binding part too. I don't want to lose my chance to go to medical school on a chance. I'm pretty sure I'll get in though.
-Lt Roche
Is accepting the seat binding? That last guy was wrong about the deposit, so he might be wrong about the binding part too. I don't want to lose my chance to go to medical school on a chance. I'm pretty sure I'll get in though.
-Lt Roche
Does anyone know how does their wait list works? I called and they said right now they have a regular list and no high priority one..but they did not give any sort of answer on what is the activity of this wait-list?
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... for what it's worth, I was accepted at RWJMS and wasn't even granted an interview at NJMS. I can't make heads or tails of this entire process, but I am for sure ecstatic that it is all over and I will be attending a great medical school.
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My apologies for the false information earlier, I did not fully read through the email before reponding on the forum. Most medical schools require a deposit, so I jumped the gun and assumed that this one did as well. However I am 100% certain that accepting a seat is not binding. You have until May 15th to decide. These are part of the rules that are predetermined for all M.D. schools. Same as October 15th being the first date that medical schools can send out acceptances for non-early decision applicants. The only way to have a binding seat at this point is to have been accepted early decision, then you have no other option. I invite you to contact the school on monday to confirm all of this if you are not confident in my response. Good luck!
I completed in august (3.6/34) and got an invite in late november. Pretty sure I messed up the mmi, but there's hope.
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Is there a fb group or thread for accepted class of 2017?
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Perhaps give them a call? They seem to be fine with giving out statuses via phone...
I don't think so. Someone should make one! I would, but I'm terrible with facebook.
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I'm not even on FB or else I would...
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They said they'd be interviewing through early March, so I assume the last interview invites would be going out sometime in early to mid february??
Just got an MD and an MD PhD rejection from RWJMS... wtf... I thought that was my best interview. Still waiting on several more schools to reply, but I thought RWJMS was a shoe-in considering my stats and great interview... I guess they just met their OOS quota or something, or maybe someone just didn't like me enough. I only applied cause I thought it was cool that you could do your PhD at Princeton/Rutgers/or UMDNJ, but seriously I'm in shock at this rejection post descent/good interview. What are they looking for? Waiting on several decisions, getting only silence (crickets)... and 1 post interview rejection... FML
In the words of the somewhat famous (Russell Crowe) gladiator.... "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?"
FML FML FML
In the words of the somewhat famous (Russell Crowe) gladiator.... "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?"
FML FML FML
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Sorry to hear that Wiz :/ I think silence at this stage for MD/PhD is a good thing (or at least not a bad thing) since it means they haven't rejected you! That's how I'm trying to approach it anyways
When did you interview at RWJ?
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was just accepted via phone call, good luck everyone
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When did you interview?
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I interviewed on the 17th
I should add that I called to find out why I was rejected and they told me that I had a good interview but that there was only space for 6 so I didn't make the cut... I asked what I could do to improve and they said everything was good just didn't work out...sucks to get rejected at a school that you consider your "statistical safety"... arrrg.
Interviewed November 12
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I just responded that I will be attending. Not bringing parents, not worth it for them to take off from work. They'll come to the white coat ceremony
Does anyone have thoughts on whether it is worth it to miss a day at work for the winter reception? I'm already in the negative with my paid time off allowance and I feel a bit awkward asking my boss if I can take another day off when I've have recently taken several days off for the holidays.
What are the benefits of going to this event?
What are the benefits of going to this event?
I have some friends at RWJMS who mentioned that most students apply for subsidized/unsubsidized stafford loans. I think everyone qualifies for $4k subsidized before you have to take out unsubsidized loans..then if that's not enough there is another kind of heavy interest loan you can take out.
Merit scholarships are given out. You can't apply for them.
My answer is really vague, but I hope it was somewhat helpful...
The RWJMS financial aid website has more detailed information (http://www.umdnj.edu/studentfinancialaid/index_new_brow.htm).
loan limits: http://www.umdnj.edu/studentfinancialaid/Loans/LOAN_LIMITS_CHART_1213.htm
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I think it's up to you - I would assume that if your boss knew you were leaving your position of employment in 5-6 months, and understood how important medical school was to you, they would see it fit to allow you to just take the afternoon off. It doesn't begin until 2:00pm.
I'm simply going to be able to meet some of my Professors, Deans, and fellow classmates. Also, during my interview our tour got cut real short, so I'm looking forward to looking around a bit more - actually really looking forward to the whole day...
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Congrats! Can you share your stats and in-state or out-of-state resident? That's a super quick turnaround!
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I'm OOS, so I was surprised that I got an offer this late. Upper 20's MCAT, good LOR. There's still hope for everyone out there
Looks like I'll be seeing you there!
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Lesson: There is no such thing as a safe school for MD programs. Over 43k apply each year and less than half of that accepted. Best of luck with your other interviews and school applications.
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Biggest news from the winter reception: All class of 2017 students will receive an ipad preloaded with everything needed for medical school.
Is it sad that this makes me consider rwj more strongly?
Is it sad that this makes me consider rwj more strongly?
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Slipped in? They totally set it up so that would literally be the final word haha
<33
<33
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Anyone else interview 12/17 and hear nothing back or know when they will notify us??
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