2014-2015 Rutgers University - NJMS Application Thread

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Accepted! Just a few days ago. Interviewed in Sept.
 
Anyone from out of state planning to matriculate? If so how do you plan on changing your residency?
 
For those who have sent in an update to NJMS, did you just send in a word document/PDF in an email?
 
ClaireAvery said:
For those who have sent in an update to NJMS, did you just send in a word document/PDF in an email?
Click to expand...

I haven't sent one to NJMS but I usually just send them as PDFs to the admissions emails and they attach them to my file. Call to ask if they are receptive to them before sending though.
 
How is the safety of NJMS? Including its hospitals and nearby premises

Do med students stay late at night or do they leave before 6 here?

How concerned should one be of the safety level at NJMS?
 
radioactive15 said:
How is the safety of NJMS? Including its hospitals and nearby premises

Do med students stay late at night or do they leave before 6 here?

How concerned should one be of the safety level at NJMS?
Click to expand...

Hey, radioactive,

2nd year here. To be honest, it is not that safe. We get crime alert emails every week or so from Rutgers Police. If you go to the ER on a Friday night, more often than not, you will see gun wounds. Having said that, I don't think any medical student got injured or hurt in a very long time. Has anyone been mugged? Sure, but it only happens if you are not careful. Newark is definitely more dangerous than other cities nearby, but it is not any different in that you have to be smart about living in the city. If you go out on the street at 2am when no one is around, you are looking for trouble.

To answer your question, yes, some students stay past 6, but people don't spend late nights at the library and tends to be quite empty past 6 from what I've seen. Should you be concerned about your safety? Yes, very much so. But if you are, you will be fine.
 
jkbk said:
Hey, radioactive,

2nd year here. To be honest, it is not that safe. We get crime alert emails every week or so from Rutgers Police. If you go to the ER on a Friday night, more often than not, you will see gun wounds. Having said that, I don't think any medical student got injured or hurt in a very long time. Has anyone been mugged? Sure, but it only happens if you are not careful. Newark is definitely more dangerous than other cities nearby, but it is not any different in that you have to be smart about living in the city. If you go out on the street at 2am when no one is around, you are looking for trouble.

To answer your question, yes, some students stay past 6, but people don't spend late nights at the library and tends to be quite empty past 6 from what I've seen. Should you be concerned about your safety? Yes, very much so. But if you are, you will be fine.
Click to expand...

I love dat sky tunnel to parking garage
 
jkbk said:
Hey, radioactive,

2nd year here. To be honest, it is not that safe. We get crime alert emails every week or so from Rutgers Police. If you go to the ER on a Friday night, more often than not, you will see gun wounds. Having said that, I don't think any medical student got injured or hurt in a very long time. Has anyone been mugged? Sure, but it only happens if you are not careful. Newark is definitely more dangerous than other cities nearby, but it is not any different in that you have to be smart about living in the city. If you go out on the street at 2am when no one is around, you are looking for trouble.

To answer your question, yes, some students stay past 6, but people don't spend late nights at the library and tends to be quite empty past 6 from what I've seen. Should you be concerned about your safety? Yes, very much so. But if you are, you will be fine.
Click to expand...

Are classes mandatory and what is the latest you personally have stayed at the school?
Would commuting be advised or would it not matter?

Are you satisfied with the school or would you have preferred attending another?
 
radioactive15 said:
Are classes mandatory and what is the latest you personally have stayed at the school?
Would commuting be advised or would it not matter?

Are you satisfied with the school or would you have preferred attending another?
Click to expand...

1. Most lectures are not mandatory, and they upload the video recording with the powerpoint slides online. The majority of students don't go to lecture. But often times, they have some sort of technical difficulty which makes the video and audio quality terrible... but in that case, we just go with last year's podcasts. The latest I've ever stayed was 1am during the first year when I lived in 180. (the apartment attached to the garage). Even though I knew it was safe (because of the gated garage/tunnel), it's still kind of annoying to have to go through the tunnel and its pretty unsettling when you are walking through alone at night... In 2nd year, I didn't stay later than I had to. I usually leave right after mandatory events/lectures. I do most of my studying at local cafes near my house.

2. I highly encourage commuting. It's cheaper (180 rent is pretty expensive) and less messy (180 utility bill situation is out of control... I know some classmates that had to pay over $200 for a double each month. Mine was about $150 splitting 2 ways, but still, that's outrageous, and 180 personnel never gave any clear explanation as to why electricity bill is through the roof), and most classes (except anatomy) are not mandatory.

3. And to your last question... I chose NJMS over RWJ, NYMC, and Drexel. Drexel and NYMC were too expensive so I didn't give them much thought, but in retrospect, NJMS is just as expensive. There is basically 0 grants, and every thing is on loan, so cost wise, it comes out similar to NYMC and Drexel anyways. I had an impression that Newark wasn't that bad after the interview day at NJMS, but its actually a bit worse than I had imagined, so I am not so happy about that. One of the reasons I chose NJMS was the student run clinic, but I believe RWJ is developing something similar in Camden. NJMS's curriculum is also switching to organ-based approach, which is what RWJ had for years and they will probably have to deal with some trial and error... Also the administration at NJMS is slow and they release schedules pretty late so it gets in the way of planning things in advance. Honestly, if I could choose again, I'm not sure I would go with NJMS, and I would definitely give more consideration to NYMC, Drexel, and RWJ.

Hope this helps.
 
II just now! LM ~72, OOS, though I have strong ties to NJ (family, etc). I was complete in early August. I'm so surprised, I had totally assumed I was silently rejected.
 
I interviewed on December 8th and so I think this Monday will make 6 weeks for me. If I don't hear by then, do you think it would be okay for me to call and ask about my decision? And how would i go about it when calling the admissions office?
 
CECC110 said:
I interviewed on December 8th and so I think this Monday will make 6 weeks for me. If I don't hear by then, do you think it would be okay for me to call and ask about my decision? And how would i go about it when calling the admissions office?
Click to expand...

Well, considering your interview was right around the winter holidays which usually afford 1-2 weeks off for school workers, I would only say you've had 4-5 weeks of processing (closer to 4). You've come this far, just buckle up and wait...
 
For those who have interviewed already: Is there a specific time for checking in for the start of the interview day? In the email it says, "Upon arriving on campus please report to the Office of Admissions which is located in room C-653 in the Medical Science Building." However, what is the time at which we should be arriving? I didn't see anything about this in the emails.
 
Scoville said:
For those who have interviewed already: Is there a specific time for checking in for the start of the interview day? In the email it says, "Upon arriving on campus please report to the Office of Admissions which is located in room C-653 in the Medical Science Building." However, what is the time at which we should be arriving? I didn't see anything about this in the emails.
Click to expand...
I actually called the admissions office last week about specifically when to arrive/when to leave because i'm coordinating international travel with this interview. It depends on when your interview is. Apart from the time you scheduled, the "planned activities" are a noon lunch and a 1pm tour (or maybe the other way around). So if you have a 2pm interview, show up like 15 min before noon (or more if you want to be safe/paranoid). Alternatively, if your interview is at a 10 or 11, show up 15 min before that!
 
Scoville said:
For those who have interviewed already: Is there a specific time for checking in for the start of the interview day? In the email it says, "Upon arriving on campus please report to the Office of Admissions which is located in room C-653 in the Medical Science Building." However, what is the time at which we should be arriving? I didn't see anything about this in the emails.
Click to expand...

So they have seating room for students getting interviewed. No lie, I showed up like 30-40 minutes early which was nice (side note, i know someone in the dental school so he wanted me to come early so we could chat before the interview). They told me in advance who my interviewer was, I relaxed a bit in the room, and I ended up starting the interview a bit early -- which was fine with me. You should probably be there ~15 minutes early for the interview. If your interview is later in the day, you should probably be ~15 minutes early to the lunch/tour thing.
 
radioactive15 said:
Are classes mandatory and what is the latest you personally have stayed at the school?
Would commuting be advised or would it not matter?

Are you satisfied with the school or would you have preferred attending another?
Click to expand...

1. Classes aren't mandatory. Typically people show up for the first class to collect the syllabus and handle the rest through podcasts. Quality of teaching is fine, but learning at home is just very convenient (plus, you can speed up the lecture on your computer and rewind if necessary)

2. Both options are fine. I live in 180, which is attached to the medical school via an enclosed tunnel, but plan to live off campus next year. There's a townhouse complex across the street which is extremely nice, as well as plenty of housing options that are less than 20 minutes away.

Personally, I'm a big fan of Newark. I wasn't so sure about it when I first interviewed at NJMS, but it's really grown on me. I usually travel downtown to watch live music (no joke), go to the Ironbound to eat great great Portuguese and Latin American food, and can easily go outside of the city to do pretty much anything else. Hoboken and NYC are not too far away, and we usually plan our outings there.

3. In light of what the previous poster put up above, let me give my own five cents. I chose this place over quite a few other schools because of the clinical experience it afforded me, the cordial and collaborative environment among the students, and the strength of applying what I've learned in class to what I'm doing in the hospital. I really love it here.
 
CECC110 said:
I interviewed on December 8th and so I think this Monday will make 6 weeks for me. If I don't hear by then, do you think it would be okay for me to call and ask about my decision? And how would i go about it when calling the admissions office?
Click to expand...

Admissions was shut down for a few weeks until Jan 5th (I believe), so I wouldn't be surprised if that's why the wait has become prolonged.
 
gracekelly530 said:
I actually called the admissions office last week about specifically when to arrive/when to leave because i'm coordinating international travel with this interview. It depends on when your interview is. Apart from the time you scheduled, the "planned activities" are a noon lunch and a 1pm tour (or maybe the other way around). So if you have a 2pm interview, show up like 15 min before noon (or more if you want to be safe/paranoid). Alternatively, if your interview is at a 10 or 11, show up 15 min before that!
Click to expand...

I'd show up a solid 15 minutes before your interview.
 
Hi All,

Has anyone accepted here received the certphi background check thing? I know NJMS has a background check form on their accepted students portal and I am trying to figure out if the certphi is from them or another school!

Thanks so much!
 
PopcornPrincess said:
Hi All,

Has anyone accepted here received the certphi background check thing? I know NJMS has a background check form on their accepted students portal and I am trying to figure out if the certphi is from them or another school!

Thanks so much!
Click to expand...

I just got an email about it yesterday. I read on the Drexel thread that you pretty much need to do complete it in order to matriculate at a school - it's the background check company for AMCAS.
(I was accepted to both NJMS and Drexel around the same time, so I'm not sure as to which school it technically was through).
 
I was wait listed yesterday. 🙁 Any advice from previously wait listed students about how to get off it? NJMS is really my top-choice school, I'm super bummed. Writing a letter of intent, but …anything else that I can do?
 
Abbeyroad1791 said:
I was wait listed yesterday. 🙁 Any advice from previously wait listed students about how to get off it? NJMS is really my top-choice school, I'm super bummed. Writing a letter of intent, but …anything else that I can do?
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that.
When did you interview? Also, is it a regular waitlist or priority waitlist? I hear you have a decent shot of being pulled off the priority waitlist.... I am not sure how much difference a letter of intent will make at this point, but certainly wouldn't hurt. Maybe wait a few weeks or so, so that your application receives another review/attention when the admissions committee is actually looking to pull someone off the waitlist when a spot becomes availabe? Just an idea.

Good luck
 
There's a priority wait list? I guess I'm just a normal alternate then. Great. :/ Thanks…
 
Abbeyroad1791 said:
I was wait listed yesterday. 🙁 Any advice from previously wait listed students about how to get off it? NJMS is really my top-choice school, I'm super bummed. Writing a letter of intent, but …anything else that I can do?
Click to expand...
Good luck getting off the wait list, I hope it works out. If you wouldn't mind saying, around what time did you interview?
 
Last edited:
Any thoughts on the new curriculum next year? I wish a more detailed schematic was available.
 
mcatstudent1 said:
Any thoughts on the new curriculum next year? I wish a more detailed schematic was available.
Click to expand...

My faculty interviewer back in December was raving about all the benefits of the new curriculum. He said it was going to be systems based (the same style that every school has already or will shortly be changing to) and will provide much more depth and cohesiveness to the material rather than blocking off the subjects from one another and treating them as unrelated entities, as well be much more in sync with what students would be learning in their clinical skills classes. He said students who tend to think in terms of the big picture, detail oriented students, those who like to learn everything they can about one thing at once before moving on, and multi-taskers will benefit the most and that students who cram and power memorize just to get through would be the most likely to be hurt by the change. He also said that because the school is aware that problems would likely be inevitable as with any massive curriculum change, the Dean of Student Learning (not 100% sure of the title but it was something like that) would be attending lectures and labs and following the new curriculum's inaugural class through the first two years so that any problems could be addressed quickly and solutions could be immediately put into affect and so that she could more accurately understand any concerns or suggestions from students about the format or how instructors are handling the change.

My 2 cents: I got the impression that the new curriculum had a lot of time and thought put into it and that it will be certainly be a good thing unless you are the type of person who adamantly prefers block scheduling. I also felt the school was preparing itself well for how to deal with unexpected issues should they arise.
 
I interviewed at the beginning of January, heard back in 2 weeks. Fingers crossed for movement off the wait list...
 
Has anyone who interviewed in December heard back yet?
 
I interviewed 2nd week of December and have not heard back yet, so I am in the same boat. Even giving them 2 weeks or so for winter break, my 6 weeks has just about passed by..
 
Interviewed 12/23 right before the holiday break and was told 6-8 weeks was the expected turn around. This wednesday will be 6 weeks on the dot. Haven't heard anything yet *fingers crossed*
 
I interviewed mid november and still haven't heard back lol
 
Check out this article: http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/02/student_stabbed_inside_library_on_rutgers-newark_c.html
There was a student stabbed INSIDE the Rutgers Newark library, which is literally 5 minutes away from NJMS and I'm sure Rutgers has a solid security measures. Safety is really something to consider seriously especially if you're going to be living in Newark because random crime is something you will have to deal with. In hindsight, I did not have an accurate picture of Newark when I chose to attend NJMS over other schools. I just want you guys to have an accurate full picture when choosing the right school to attend. This way, if you choose NJMS, it's because you really wanted to be here and were aware of the realities, not because you were disillusioned about Newark. That is better for both the school and for you.

Congrats to all that who were accepted. I hope you guys still choose NJMS, but if you were accepted by NJMS, I am confident you guys will be great doctors anywhere. All in all, pick a school that you feel most comfortable with.

If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.
 
Just got placed on alternate list :-/
Interviewed in the beginning of December. Have we confirmed that there is definitely a "priority" alternate list this year?
 
dogtrix7 said:
Just got placed on alternate list :-/
Interviewed in the beginning of December. Have we confirmed that there is definitely a "priority" alternate list this year?
Click to expand...
I ended up getting placed on priority alternate, so I can confirm there is. It was written in my decision email. Good luck getting off the waitlist though!
 
Boopis said:
I ended up getting placed on priority alternate, so I can confirm there is. It was written in my decision email. Good luck getting off the waitlist though!
Click to expand...

Thanks. Although I'm not liking my odds from the sound of it. This is my first choice school, so fingers crossed though!
 
Grrrr...just got priority alternate list. So bummed. I had really high hopes of this being my first acceptance since NJMS is essentially at the top of my choices. As for the priority debate, my email specially says: "You have been placed on our “Priority” Alternate List. This means that you will be among the first group of students reviewed by the admissions committee should seats become available in the entering class." Hope that clears things up for anyone who's curious.

Does anybody know from previous years how much movement the priority list sees?
 
I've been recently admitted to RWJ/Cooper/NJMS, would anyone in a similar situation or just knowledgable about the schools from applying/interviewing help inform me better as to how to differentiate them and make my choice?
 
Bananas1147 said:
Just got accepted via a phone call on Sunday night!!! (interviewed December 30th) Super excited! Best of luck to those of you on the wait list!
Click to expand...

Wait....were...were you accepted off the wait list??
 
Congratualtions to all the accepted students!!

I am actually considering attending this school for a MBS program.
Does anyone have info about housing in Piscataway?
 
Rutgers NJMS offers master's programs in both the Newark and Piscataway campus. The Piscataway campus appears to be the "headquarters" for the masters since they ask application materials to be sent there.
 
2101 said:
Rutgers NJMS offers master's programs in both the Newark and Piscataway campus. The Piscataway campus appears to be the "headquarters" for the masters since they ask application materials to be sent there.
Click to expand...
Oh I see,

Now I again do NOT know where I will be living lol
But I just realized I dont care.
 
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