2014-2015 Medical School for International Health. Ben-Gurion University/Columbia University

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
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macaron45 said:
Have an interviewed scheduled at the campus in Beersheva... Just wondering does anyone know what the acceptance rate at this school is? How many do they accept out of those who are invited for interviews?

This is my first choice school so I'm really hoping to get an acceptance. Any interview advice would be much appreciated :)
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I can only speak for the nyc interview. But for me there were two forty minute interviews. One with a dr. And one with an admissions counsellor. One interview was a little more serious where you could ask technical questions about the school and the program but not too bad. The second interview was the most laid back interview I ever had. We talked about medicine but also politics and life in general. But dont take this lightly, they want to see you open up and express your ambitions, your reasons for wanting to go to msih, and how your past has shaped you. What I got from interview is...they already know what you did academically, they want to know now if you are truely interested in a career focusing on global health. Goodluck!
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For current MSIH students here is a prestigious global health fellowship medical students can apply for and unlike most medical student fellowships it is not restricted to US allopathic schools. It would be great for a student that was interested in global health and surgery. Surgery for an IMG can be hard to match. This would help. General surgery is definitely global health. When I did a rotation on the Navajo reservation, they are desperate for surgeons. You have to operate and handle patients differently. You can't send the patients home too quick as many do not have running water. These type of experiences would help a global health physician. Most students that go into surgery absolutely do not want to live in a trailer in a desert with patients that do not have running water. MSIH student might be perfect for this and this need. I am sure there are global situations just like Indian Country in the US or much more complicated. If I were an MSIH student interested in surgery, I might nab this one.
For Medical Students

Paul Farmer Global Surgery Research Associate

There are multiple avenues for medical students who are interested in taking a year away from their formal studies to be involved with our work. Please contact[email protected] for more information.
 
macaron45 said:
Have an interviewed scheduled at the campus in Beersheva... Just wondering does anyone know what the acceptance rate at this school is? How many do they accept out of those who are invited for interviews?

This is my first choice school so I'm really hoping to get an acceptance. Any interview advice would be much appreciated :)
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How did it go? I am rooting for you and also so hopeful for myself.
 
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I think it went well! No response yet but keep your fingers crossed. Anyone know the average turn around time it takes for a response post interview?
 
macaron45 said:
I think it went well! No response yet but keep your fingers crossed. Anyone know the average turn around time it takes for a response post interview?
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Well, I was rejected but I am cheering for you.
 
macaron45 said:
I think it went well! No response yet but keep your fingers crossed. Anyone know the average turn around time it takes for a response post interview?
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From my understanding the selections are a little more individualized than the norm, so I doubt there's much of an "average" turn-around time. I interviewed on October 15 and was accepted on December 8, which from other accounts was a little bit longer than other peoples' experience. Good luck and feel free to PM with other questions/thoughts.
 
Hi,
Just received my acceptance to MSIH :) Is there a facebook group or something to get in touch with other accepted students?
 
macaron45 said:
Hi,
Just received my acceptance to MSIH :) Is there a facebook group or something to get in touch with other accepted students?
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Congratulations! Good Luck! :) Sounds like a wonderful adventure.
 
I emailed to ask if I could apply again if I improved my global health credentials. I got an email (especially for them considering they are so nice) that sounded like you can apply but there is no way in hell. You are not our type. Well, I am a good fit in the Indian Country, IHS. I am American Indian. I really like this school though and would recommend them to anyone if you wanted to work and help out in American Indian territory. They seem amazing but I won't be applying again. I don't want to waste their time. However, I would highly recommend the school to anyone interested in the underserved. I hope everyone has an amazing time at this school.
 
How long did it take people to hear about an interview after their application was complete. Mine was complete on Friday and it's almost been a week and I haven't heard from them. I know this isn't such a long time but Sackler and Technion both told me within 24 hours so I'm wondering if this is a bad sign.
 
Congratulations to those who have been accepted and good luck to those waiting to hear back! I am curious if anyone has also been accepted to a US school? I am having difficulties deciding and wanted to hear what others thought about choosing between a US school vs MSIH.
 
Just got a 26 on the mcat. what do you guys think? all else in my app being strong, do you think my score is a big liability?
 
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I was wondering if there are any Canadians at MSIH who can speak about their experiences? I'm actually worried about visa issues with respect to US residencies. The whole H1B vs J1...what do people end up doing? And what do you do if / when you have to return to Canada?
 
Could somebody who has applied offer me guidance on our MCAT score submission? The instructions seem to indicate that we are to somehow have our scores mailed to the admissions office, but I was under the impression that we were simply to note our AMCAS verification code on our application. Thanks!
 
Qweras said:
Could somebody who has applied offer me guidance on our MCAT score submission? The instructions seem to indicate that we are to somehow have our scores mailed to the admissions office, but I was under the impression that we were simply to note our AMCAS verification code on our application. Thanks!
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Yeah you just print off your score, which should also have the verification code, and mail it yourself to MSIH
 
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How hard are the Israeli medical schools to get into relative to one another?? Or is it just like every school looks at different things?
 
Have my interview on Friday. How long did it take other people to hear back after their interviews? I heard it's a relatively short turn-around, but I could be wrong.
 
macaron45 said:
Hi,
Just received my acceptance to MSIH :) Is there a facebook group or something to get in touch with other accepted students?
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Have you decided if you want to go or not yet?
 
I just had my interview for MSIH this past week and am waiting with baited breath to find out! They said it would be a few weeks. It's my top choice and I am really excited to go there if I am accepted. Their program sounds really great and I've spoken to alumni who had a great experience there and are very successful doctors now.
 
med301 said:
I just had my interview for MSIH this past week and am waiting with baited breath to find out! They said it would be a few weeks. It's my top choice and I am really excited to go there if I am accepted. Their program sounds really great and I've spoken to alumni who had a great experience there and are very successful doctors now.
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Good luck! Hope you get in. Did they mention at all when they will be releasing the match list for 2015?
 
Snivellus said:
Good luck! Hope you get in. Did they mention at all when they will be releasing the match list for 2015?
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they mentioned that they just got it themselves this past week. i'm not sure though when they'll be posting it. they said there was something like an 87% match rate
 
Is it too late to apply to this program? Do I still have a chance if I send in my app now? I just found out about it and there's no official deadline on their site.
 
alwaysbehappy said:
Is it too late to apply to this program? Do I still have a chance if I send in my app now? I just found out about it and there's no official deadline on their site.
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I think they accept applications up to May . You just won't be considered for a scholarship.
 
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I am for sure! I already withdrew from Sackler and Temple med school. MSIH has been my dream for years!! Global health is my passion, I love living in Israel and it just seems like the perfect community for me!
 
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I also got in! and also almost certainly going (still have an interview coming up for technion but i think i am probably going to back out). and i feel exactly the same way as you dr.pepper2015
 
Did anyone else get the email that MSIH is losing access to US federal loans? Makes me really uneasy about going here because I did not want to take out a tremendous amount of private loans to finance my education. Seems really unwise, especially going to a foreign med school. Any thoughts on this?
 
Snivellus said:
Did anyone else get the email that MSIH is losing access to US federal loans? Makes me really uneasy about going here because I did not want to take out a tremendous amount of private loans to finance my education. Seems really unwise, especially going to a foreign med school. Any thoughts on this?
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Just read this, and I'm feeling the same way. Definitely the first real issue that's made me feel hesitant. Sallie Mae's Smart Option loan can have a competitive interest rate with the Federal Direct Plus loan in a lot of situations, but the repayment period will be much lower, you'll be dealing with a private lender vs. the federal government, and you won't be elligible for federal loan repayment programs like the National Health Services Corps.

Are there any current MSIH students that follow this thread? This affects you guys too, any thoughts or strategies you'll be using?
 
i'm from canada so this won't affect me, but does that have anything to do with their accredation or just because they're international?
 
It's because less than 75% of people passed the USMLE on the first try. It could potentially reflect badly on the school in the future...
 
hmm that could be concerning. what are the usmle rates for other schools?
 
I'm sorry guys, that is a bombshell. Especially for those of you who already withdrew from other schools.

I thought their USMLE pass rate was on par with US med schools. Is the decline a recent thing?
 
It's my understanding that the MSIH pass rate is not below 75%, but the pass rate for both MSIH and the Israeli med school (apparently they attempt US licensure) is below 75%. In the letter they sent it notes: "The pass rate is based on the test scores of all Medical School students who take the test for the first time in a calendar year, regardless of whether they are in MSIH or students from the Faculty's Hebrew-language program."
Do wish they would divulge some more details though.
 
^ When the pass rate is evaluated, it includes MSIH people and also Ben Gurion Israeli students2 who want to make the switch to practice medicine in America. That means that some of the people who are counted in the pass rate speak English as a scond language and are taking the test because they want to move to/practice medicine in America. It sucks for the loan thing but I don't think it is indicative of a poor education. Over the past few years more and more Israeli students have tried to move to USA to practice medicine. Also, the USMLE changed the score of what was considered to be a "pass".
 
there are lines of credits from banks specifically for medical school that are somewhat better than regular private loans. i kind of see at as a necessary evil for going to med school. as a canadian i'd have to do it anyways so the loan issue doesn't affect me. after talking to a number of students from the various schools and after weighing the pros and cons i've decided on MSIH. looking forward to meeting anyone else who's coming!
 
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So anyone know when we will hear about scholarship results?
 
Just wondering... does the loss of federal funding have any affect on MSIH affiliation with Columbia? MSIH used to have a Columbia.edu webpage and previously clearly stated on their website they were "in affiliation with Columbia"... it is no longer the case. Are students still guaranteed rotation spots at Columbia?
 
macaron45 said:
Just wondering... does the loss of federal funding have any affect on MSIH affiliation with Columbia? MSIH used to have a Columbia.edu webpage and previously clearly stated on their website they were "in affiliation with Columbia"... it is no longer the case. Are students still guaranteed rotation spots at Columbia?
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that is pretty concerning. i sure hope not! but it is weird that it doesn't mention it on the new website.
 
Wow, that is really strange! I wonder why they would change the website so drastically.

The new website says this:
Major MSIH affiliations with Columbia University, Hofstra University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the University of Kentucky, s well as ongoing collaborative ventures with McGill University and the North Ontario School of Medicine, provide elective opportunities to our fourth year students.
 
Im concerned because a major selling point of MSIH for me was the affiliation with Columbia, which used to be marketed all over the website and other materials. They seemed to have drastically changed everything within the last few weeks and Im concerned that they may have lost funding/support from Columbia when they lost their loan eligibility. Does anyone know if there is a way to figure this out? Im considering calling Columbia and asking them what the situation is
 
macaron45 said:
Im concerned because a major selling point of MSIH for me was the affiliation with Columbia, which used to be marketed all over the website and other materials. They seemed to have drastically changed everything within the last few weeks and Im concerned that they may have lost funding/support from Columbia when they lost their loan eligibility. Does anyone know if there is a way to figure this out? Im considering calling Columbia and asking them what the situation is
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Yes I am equally concerned. Let me know if you find anything out. Calling Columbia probably isn't a bad idea.
 
they are no longer affiliated. that's so crazy! and they didn't say anything about it. i just spoke with the nutrition department at columbia medical center. i asked if it was temporary or permanent and they said it was permanent as of the end of last month:(
 
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