2013-2014 Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Application Thread

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gettheleadout

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1. If applicable, please comment on any science grade(s) listed on your application for which you received grades lower than a B. If applicable, please comment if there is a downward trend in your science and/or total grade point average (GPA).

2. If your education has not been continuous, please provide information to explain the gap(s) by providing a line by line description to explain by month/year to month/year.

3. Have you ever been subjected to disciplinary action by any college or university? Have you ever been charged or convicted of a criminal offense? Are there any disciplinary or criminal charges pending against you? If the answer is yes, please specify the details.

4. If you applied as a non-resident (other than NJ), please let us know if you grew up in NJ, attended school in NJ, have parents who reside in NJ, work in NJ, etc.

5. Please let us know how you prepared for your most recent MCAT. If you have taken the MCAT more than once let us know if you prepared differently for prior tests.

6. Were you, or are you, employed during the school year? If so please let us know the type of work, hours worked, etc. In addition, please indicate if you and/or your parents are/were employed by RWJMS.

7. In the next series of questions, you will reflect upon experiences, activities or accomplishments that demonstrate each of these pre-professional competencies. Your responses will be limited to one paragraph and will include:

The situation where you demonstrated the competency
Your actions and resulting consequence
What you learned as a result
Pre-professional Competencies
Integrity and Ethics
Reliability and Dependability
Desire to Learn
Service Orientation
Social Interpersonal and Teamwork Skills
Cultural Competence
Resilience and Adaptability


8. Is there anything which you would like to share to clarify something in your application?

Good luck to everyone applying! :luck:
 
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I'll be applying here. Jersey resident with a 31/3.6 Best of luck everyone!
 
Really wanna make a good impression here - 3.7, 34. The ideal would be an early interview & acceptance; it'd be enough to make me withdraw from most schools on my list.
 
Hola to everyone applying! Long-time lurker here but I just wanted to wish all of you luck this upcoming application cycle! I was fortunate enough to be accepted to RWJMS through a Joint BA/MD Program at Rutgers recently so I'm going to be a part of the Class of 2018! I hope to see some of guys next year and look forward to an awesome four years!
 
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Assuming prompts are same this year - how does anyone suggest handling the "explain low grades" question on the secondary?
 
Assuming prompts are same this year - how does anyone suggest handling the "explain low grades" question on the secondary?

own up to them and explain how you've grown/improved. DO NOT say it was the prof's fault or a hard professor
 
own up to them and explain how you've grown/improved. DO NOT say it was the prof's fault or a hard professor

Pfft, frankly I didn't do well because the class had a sharp curve that I was on the lower end of .. I wouldn't even have considered two B-'s explain-worthy. Though I suppose I can craft some reflection on why I didn't do well in the class ..
 
I will be applying here as an oos applicant, however I am finishing my degree at Rutgers as an OOS student. I am hoping that helps me, thoughts on this idea anyone?
 
Really wanna make a good impression here - 3.7, 34. The ideal would be an early interview & acceptance; it'd be enough to make me withdraw from most schools on my list.
I was told that RWJ does not do rolling admissions anymore and that the earliest they will notify applicants of acceptance is early-mid December (even applicants that interviewed early).

I am also very interested in this school! I am a Jersey resident and am interested in staying local so this is my top choice.

source: RWJ admissions officer
 
So on the online MSAR it says biochem is required... but on their website it only lists:
Biology or Zoology (with Laboratory): 2 semesters
Inorganic Chemistry (with laboratory): 2 semesters
Organic Chemistry (with laboratory): 2 semesters
Physics (with laboratory): 2 semesters
College Mathematics: 1 semester
*English: 2 semesters
 
Secondary today.. This one is a beast!

Definitely the longest, most involved secondary I filled out last year - but I thought of it as an advantage. The longer application gives you even more a chance to show the ADCOM who you are and why you'll be a great fit at Rutgers - RWJ; a bigger picture than simply MCAT/GPA.

As for the Biochem question, unless it was changed this year - not a requirement.

Good luck to everyone this year...
 
I was told that RWJ does not do rolling admissions anymore and that the earliest they will notify applicants of acceptance is early-mid December (even applicants that interviewed early).

I am also very interested in this school! I am a Jersey resident and am interested in staying local so this is my top choice.

source: RWJ admissions officer

Yep, unless something changes this year, RWJ wont admit anyone till mid December.
 
hey a quick question for the second secondary question:
2. If your education has not been continuous, please provide information to explain the gap(s) by providing a line by line description to explain by month/year to month/year.

I am taking a gap year between undergraduate and med school, does it count as my education being not continuous? Should I write about my plans for this year??

thanksss!!!
 
For the people who received secondaries, have you all been verified?
 
What do they mean by "criminal offense"? Do traffic citations count (speeding, seatbelt, tints, etc.)?
 
What do they mean by "criminal offense"? Do traffic citations count (speeding, seatbelt, tints, etc.)?
In NJ a criminal offense is either an indictable crime (aggravated assault, burglary, possession of controlled dangerous substances like cocaine or heroin) or a disorderly persons offense (simple assault, possession of marijuana under 50 g, disorderly conduct). It does not include motor vehicle violations or municipal ordinances. The key is if you are arrested or plead to anything which starts with a 2C.

source: My mother is a prosecutor
 
No. Only for the MD/PhD program.
That is incorrect referee 3. This school accepts OOS students with high academic credentials. Most of the class is NJ residents, but I was told that there are at least 15 OOS / class
 
I hope to see some of guys next year and look forward to an awesome four years!
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I think the fact that each was only 750 characters made it a lot easier. I'm much better at handling a lot of short prompts than a few long ones, personally.
 
Do you guys know how many applications / year this school gets?
 
How long are the responses supposed to be? I don't see anywhere that they've specified a length limit. The only thing it says is that the "competencies" responses have to be limited to 1 paragraph...but that's still pretty open-ended as a paragraph can be as long as the writer wishes. Anybody have any idea if RWJMS has given any instructions on this anywhere?

Since there were no explicit instructions, I took this to mean that the response should be concise and not an entire essay. If I ever needed some extra space to fit my paragraph I would also always expand the text box that the application provides.
 
Do you guys know how many applications / year this school gets?

Really good way to answer this is to check the MSAR. It's available for something like $20-24 from the AAMC and incredibly helpful. I'd definitely recommend buying it for yourself, and usually most colleges' counseling services will have it too.
 
To everyone discussing the RWJ secondary... have you all been verified? I have not been verified yet and so I haven't received any secondary app material from this school 🙁

also, good luck to everyone applying!
 
To everyone discussing the RWJ secondary... have you all been verified? I have not been verified yet and so I haven't received any secondary app material from this school 🙁

also, good luck to everyone applying!

Not verified but using others' reports of the essays to prewrite. I'd suggest doing that; this one definitely takes a decent amount of thought to put together.
 
are the secondary questions the same for md/phd applicants? i pre-wrote the whole thing...now i'm worried i wasted my time :/
 
Just visited the campus and RWJ University Hospital today. Absolutely loved it!

One of my top choices – NJ resident, unverified (submitted 6/27), 4.0/33.
 
Best of luck everyone! Just had two questions:

1) Is a traffic ticket a criminal offense?
2) Does anyone know how question #7 is phrased this year? In last year's thread it seems very confusing and is written as follows:

". In the next series of questions, you will reflect upon experiences, activities or accomplishments that demonstrate each of these pre-professional competencies. Your responses will be limited to one paragraph and will include:
• The situation where you demonstrated the competency
• Your actions and resulting consequence
• What you learned as a result
• Pre-professional Competencies
• Integrity and Ethics
• Reliability and Dependability
• Desire to Learn
• Service Orientation
• Social Interpersonal and Teamwork Skills
• Cultural Competence
• Resilience and Adaptability"
 
I think the fact that each was only 750 characters made it a lot easier. I'm much better at handling a lot of short prompts than a few long ones, personally.

Sorry if I'm missing something, but where exactly does it say that the limit for responses is 750 characters? Is that limit just for question 7 or all of them ?
Thanks!
 
Sorry if I'm missing something, but where exactly does it say that the limit for responses is 750 characters? Is that limit just for question 7 or all of them ?
Thanks!

For me each box fit about 725-750; I didn't resize
 
does anyone know if they handed out interview invites yet or when they will?
 
Reapp 3.68, 29S, good ECs

any chance? IS
 
Yep I got one a few days after I emailed. Maybe you should try calling?
 
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