2013-2014 University of Iowa (Carver) Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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jcaptian said:
A Guinean pig in some sense of the words. Technically my class is the Guinean pig for 2 of the 3 strands...so you're welcome lol.

Rest assured that faculty and staff have put a lot of time into this curriculum and they are heavily invested. Feedback is a very important part of education here at CCOM. They ask for/we give back a lot of feedback....and I mean a lot.

As far as step 1 I wouldn't worry too much at this point. A year of clinicals before taking it will help a lot. You'll will be given ample time to do well on it. It's too important a test for CCOM to not ahead properly for.
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I personally am super excited about the new curriculum. Yes there will likely be a few hitches as you'd expect but the actual content and setup of the curriculum sounds amazing. The integration of the all the basic sciences into one continuous class should make learning the material easier and help it to stick longer. Plus you won't have as much of the non-relevant minutiae that we had. Can you tell I'm a little jealous 🙂

To echo what my classmate said, ALL of the faculty are heavily invested in the curriculum. It is sometimes shocking how in the loop every teacher is about the changes going on. In terms of step I, I've heard at several student government meetings that they are consulting with outside experts from usmle (or some organization associated with) to ensure that the new curriculum will prepare students for step 1. And they are paying BIG bucks to do it too, so they take this issue very seriously.

For anyone wondering, the match list from Iowa was awesome! For those of us who might want to do a competitive specialty back in your home state, this year has given me a lot of confidence!
 
markyb03 said:
For anyone wondering, the match list from Iowa was awesome! For those of us who might want to do a competitive specialty back in your home state, this year has given me a lot of confidence!
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I'm from the northeast and the match list is actually the thing that gives me the most pause. I 100% want to do residency in my home state, but only 2-3 students matched there :-/ IDK, I'm just a premed so I really have no understanding of the intricacies of match lists, but it's definitely something that is weighing on me since I really like Carver otherwise.
 
mrusiku said:
I'm from the northeast and the match list is actually the thing that gives me the most pause. I 100% want to do residency in my home state, but only 2-3 students matched there :-/ IDK, I'm just a premed so I really have no understanding of the intricacies of match lists, but it's definitely something that is weighing on me since I really like Carver otherwise.
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They are pretty tough to interpret and it is impossible to compare school match lists side by side. But things to keep in mind, Iowa doesn't send as many people to the NE because not as many students apply out there. Remember about ~80% of the class is IS and they might not want to leave. From older medical students I've talked to, if you have a region you want to go to for residency, you will likely be able to make that happen.

I went to an match panel of M4s (one was going to urology at Dartmouth, another was doing surgery at OHSU, multiple others in competitive surgical specialties), and they said they were asked during residency interviews why the wanted to move away from iowa and where their support system is. Iowa's reputation is great, it is just a matter of getting your step 1 score and showing residency directors you are serious about their program.

Great question though and if you have any follow ups I'll try my best to answer
 
mrusiku said:
I'm from the northeast and the match list is actually the thing that gives me the most pause. I 100% want to do residency in my home state, but only 2-3 students matched there :-/ IDK, I'm just a premed so I really have no understanding of the intricacies of match lists, but it's definitely something that is weighing on me since I really like Carver otherwise.
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I'll agree with my classmate markyb above. I'd take match lists with a grain of salt.

Naturally our match lists are midwest heavy because most of the students are from this area. They tend to stay close to home and that's the reason for this bias.

Those who are from OOS are usually those who tend to go back to the coast (where most of us are from) and you can see that with the California and New York matches.

To be honest we have a few people from New York so that's likely why you see a only few people match...because students just aren't interested in moving there unless they have ties.

Also, region aside you have no idea where an individual is interested in going for their training. This depends on a variety of factors: competitiveness, fit, family, significant other, desire to try something new, weather, etc etc....

Carver has a great reputation nationally and I wouldn't be worried about going back to New York. As long as you work hard you will have all the opportunities to match there.

I hope that helps. Consider all your options...things like fit, opportunities, financial aid....and make the best decision for you. Good luck! Hope you choose us 🙂
 
This is directed at jcaptain and those who are currently enrolled at Carver. You mention generous financial aid a lot; I am an OOS student who received an initial financial aid award, but I am still struggling with the price tag compared to my state institution. Does Carver often revise their awards after the initial awarding?
 
I would call the financial aid people and talk with them about this question, as they could give you a better picture of what usually happens. In my case, I did receive a scholarship and grant that essentially dropped my cost to that of an in-state student. This is still high obviously, since med school is always expensive, but my understanding is that this is what usually happens for most OOS students (even those who would not be considered financially disadvantaged). For 2014-2015 fin aid I received a little more than last year because I applied earlier rather than having to do it after acceptance in June. Additionally, IC can be a pretty cheap place to live relative to other locations, so if cost is a huge issue to you there are ways to avoid taking out the full loan package. Example: There are two medical co-ed fraternities which provide cheap housing or you can get a roommate (which I did) to save on rent.
 
in reality, residency matches are almost always higher in the area you go to medical school. So go to an east coast school = higher chance of matching on the east coast. Go to a California school= higher chance of matching in California.
 
sdresident said:
This is directed at jcaptain and those who are currently enrolled at Carver. You mention generous financial aid a lot; I am an OOS student who received an initial financial aid award, but I am still struggling with the price tag compared to my state institution. Does Carver often revise their awards after the initial awarding?
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My advice would be to go ahead and give the financial aid office a call. FWIW, I'm an OOS M1 and was worried about the price tag as well but I called and talked to them for a while about my concerns as I was trying to figure out my decision. Not sure if it was the calls that made a difference or not, but I ended up being very pleased with the financial aid I received a week or 2 later.
 
anthonyia said:
Does anyone have any thoughts on the new curriculum? I'm not sure how I feel about being a guinea pig, especially with having boards in the winter...
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The new curriculum for next year has been considered, molded, and adjusted for over three years now, so I will echo some of my classmates in their confidence in the new courses. I also am extremely envious of the extra semester you guys will get for rotations. The one that that I would inquire about the most, if I were in your shoes again, is what is required for attendance and what is not. For my class, we were not required to go to classes, since they were recorded and posted online, however we were required to attend small group sessions and anatomy lab, which to me makes sense. I know that they have upped the required activities for current M1s, and are considering upping required attendance for courses for next year's M1's, but am not positive about this. If you are a student who studies best by attending every single lecture in person, then this wouldn't change a thing for you. If you are a student who studies best by watching panopto at home on 2x speed, then I would inquire more on what will be expected of you attendance-wise.
 
I noticed that snow is in the Iowa City forecast for tonight. I've been a little worried about the weather compared to southern destinations since the time I visited with -30 windchill. Does it snow very much in April?
 
No it doesn't snow often in April. However, it did snow once in May last year.

Usually we're in the high-40s/low-50s by the end of March. We should be in the mid-50s/low-60s by now.

It gets cold and hot here in Iowa.... People deal with it.
 
jfirefox said:
No it doesn't snow often in April. However, it did snow once in May last year.

Usually we're in the high-40s/low-50s by the end of March. We should be in the mid-50s/low-60s by now.

It gets cold and hot here in Iowa.... People deal with it.
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You definitely get all 4 seasons and sometimes all of them within 24 hours of each other. Makes life interesting and is a great conversation starter.
 
On the subject of being a guinea pig, I will add that a friend who is an M1 at carver said the new curriculum sounds "terrible". Just one persons opinion, but I don't think it will be too big an issue one way or the other
 
Does anybody know how many applicants they are still overaccepted by??
 
Is there a reason why the wait list is still moving if they have over accepted? Was this number for just the out of state waitlist since the IS waitlist has moved 9 spots?
 
CJAS said:
Is there a reason why the wait list is still moving if they have over accepted? Was this number for just the out of state waitlist since the IS waitlist has moved 9 spots?
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They do not over accept for in state applications. So I am assuming the 45 is referring to out of state only. The movement on the in state list is a result of students taking other acceptances and those offers being given to the alternate list applicants.
 
admillr2008 said:
They do not over accept for in state applications. So I am assuming the 45 is referring to out of state only. The movement on the in state list is a result of students taking other acceptances and those offers being given to the alternate list applicants.
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but the OOS waitlist has moved 5 spots...
 
Hi there! I was just wondering if it's essential to have a car in Iowa City or if you can get away without one if you live within walking distance to campus or on a bus line. I've heard parking can be a problem. Thanks!
 
Anyone know how much the dean's scholarship is worth? My OOS friend got one recently and I am kind of nosy... 😛
 
Coffee24/7 said:
Hi there! I was just wondering if it's essential to have a car in Iowa City or if you can get away without one if you live within walking distance to campus or on a bus line. I've heard parking can be a problem. Thanks!
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I have a car and use it a lot, but there are many people who get by just fine without one by using feet/bike/bus to get around.
 
I would recommend having a car. Although you can probably get by without one, it would be very nice to have for off campus/weekend things like getting groceries. Plus you may need them for rotations (Iowa River Landing, sports medicine, and a few family practice clinics are not part of the main hospital campus). You will definitely need a car if you decide to do rotations in Des Moines.

I wouldn't plan on driving your car to campus for class everyday. Parking on campus is a pain and expensive if you are going to pay to park in a ramp/meter. They are vigilant about writing parking tickets too.

Public transportation here is decent, but not like a big city. Many bus routes don't run on weekends & will only come around once an hour in the evenings. During the day usually every 15-30 mins depending on the route.

One last thing, waitingfor a bus/walking in winter sucks. I have done it & I am "used to" the cold we get here.
 
Question for current students: where do most people study? I just checked out the Hardin library on street view and it is one of the weirdest buildings I have ever seen lol.
 
Yes, Hardin is a strange and mythical place. However, whenever I study there I manage to be incredibly productive. In general though I like to switch it up and study at coffee shops, my apartment, or MERF in addition to occasional Hardin sessions. I can't really say what "most" people do since people have pretty variable habits. It really depends on whether you prefer to study alone, with one or two others, or in a bigger group and whether you like the energy of public places or find it distracting.
 
Does anyone know how many spots the OOS waitlist is still overaccepted by? Last I read it was 45. Does anyone know if this number has changed yet?
 
For what its worth I'm probably one of the last people on the waitlist (don't want to disclose my exact starting position) and I have moved 28 spots so far. I still don't think I'm going to make it to acceptance though. 🙄
 
The out of state overaccepted number is today at 30, called admissions office. So it is "really truly" the number as of 2:30.
 
waiting too long said:
The out of state overaccepted number is today at 30, called admissions office. So it is "really truly" the number as of 2:30.
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How are you getting this information? Emailing them? If so, who do you email to ask? Thanks
 
Is anyone else starting to get stressed out because the IS list has not really moved much this week? It seems really bizarre.
 
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IronMan27 said:
Is anyone else starting to get stressed out because the IS list has not really moved much this week? It seems really bizarre.
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I am getting stress about the IS waitlist, too! April's movement was lower than the previous years, too. 6 compared to 8-10🙁
 
IronMan27 said:
Is anyone else starting to get stressed out because the IS list has not really moved much this week? It seems really bizarre.
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Yes, but I'm stressed about the OOS waitlist! I was literally just thinking about that. Does anyone know how many people were still over accepted in the OOS waitlist this time last year?
 
IronMan27 said:
Is anyone else starting to get stressed out because the IS list has not really moved much this week? It seems really bizarre.
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Yes! I am sitting at 8 today on the IS list. However, there are still a lot of people holding multiple acceptances. So the movement is not over, hopefully!
 
I called the admissions office today, and they are overaccepted by 20 OOS students.
 
I just called and they are overaccepted by 8 still! I'm starting to wonder if they are even going to make it to the waitlist....
 
red_stilettos said:
I just called and they are overaccepted by 8 still! I'm starting to wonder if they are even going to make it to the waitlist....
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May 15th (tomorrow) is when people with multiple acceptances have to narrow down to 1
 
Mikey_Med said:
May 15th (tomorrow) is when people with multiple acceptances have to narrow down to 1
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I know. I'm just concerned that they are still overaccepted right now. I was hoping they would have started going into their waitlist movement by now :/
 
red_stilettos said:
I just called and they are overaccepted by 8 still! I'm starting to wonder if they are even going to make it to the waitlist....
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What number did you call? When I call I only get the option to leave a voicemail and no one has called me back.


Posted using SDN Mobile
 
PlumbLine said:
What number did you call? When I call I only get the option to leave a voicemail and no one has called me back.


Posted using SDN Mobile
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319-335-8052 After you get a hold of them could you please post what number they are on?
 
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