2015-2016 Northwestern University (Feinberg) Application Thread

[Ismet]

Space reserved for prompt.

Please PM the essays or lack thereof to me when the secondary is available and I will update this.

Good luck to everyone applying!

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[Rainbow Zebra]

Added this midwestern favorite to my list.

 

[AtulFarmer]

Please don't come here. Save yourself a lot of misery. I've posted before, but I've realized how much I hate this school over the past year and I'm not the only one. We have so much random **** to do. A writing assignment every week, at least, amongst other things. I love writing to death, but when you're trying to study a huge volume of information, you don't want to deal with this stuff. Probably the biggest downfall of the school, however, is the administration's attitude towards students. They are very patriarchal and treat us like irresponsible children. There's no respect or empathy for students. They see themselves as present to prevent us from screwing up. The tests are proctored such that only two students are allowed to leave to go to the bathroom at a time. We can't see the answers to our exams afterward to see what we missed. They treat us like we're going to cheat. Compare to a school like UVA (where I almost went), where the school has an "honor code policy." I know this might sound small, but it makes me and other students feel small, unsupported, and discouraged. In all my years of schooling, I have NEVER felt as disrespected and discouraged in my life. If you email someone about how you might need a bit of an extension on a non-science assignment because you feel overwhelmed or whatever, they show you no sympathy. They chew you out and remind you that you've known about the assignment for a while and make you feel guilty. Believe me, the last thing you want to feel when you are working your butt off in med school (and you will be) is guilty. It's not irresponsibility or lack of planning that might make it impossible to do an assignment. Sometimes things happen and plans don't go as they should. But you're made to feel that that indeed is the cause. Please don't come here. Chicago is amazing. The hospital is amazing. But I regret so deeply having made the decision to come to this terrible school. I say this from the bottom of my heart. You might want to ignore me because you think that I'm n=1, but I promise I'm not. The people that aren't miserable here are that way despite the administration, not because of it.

 

[neurotroph]

Please don't come here. Save yourself a lot of misery. I've posted before, but I've realized how much I hate this school over the past year and I'm not the only one. We have so much random **** to do. A writing assignment every week, at least, amongst other things. I love writing to death, but when you're trying to study a huge volume of information, you don't want to deal with this stuff. Probably the biggest downfall of the school, however, is the administration's attitude towards students. They are very patriarchal and treat us like irresponsible children. There's no respect or empathy for students. They see themselves as present to prevent us from screwing up. The tests are proctored such that only two students are allowed to leave to go to the bathroom at a time. We can't see the answers to our exams afterward to see what we missed. They treat us like we're going to cheat. Compare to a school like UVA (where I almost went), where the school has an "honor code policy." I know this might sound small, but it makes me and other students feel small, unsupported, and discouraged. In all my years of schooling, I have NEVER felt as disrespected and discouraged in my life. If you email someone about how you might need a bit of an extension on a non-science assignment because you feel overwhelmed or whatever, they show you no sympathy. They chew you out and remind you that you've known about the assignment for a while and make you feel guilty. Believe me, the last thing you want to feel when you are working your butt off in med school (and you will be) is guilty. It's not irresponsibility or lack of planning that might make it impossible to do an assignment. Sometimes things happen and plans don't go as they should. But you're made to feel that that indeed is the cause. Please don't come here. Chicago is amazing. The hospital is amazing. But I regret so deeply having made the decision to come to this terrible school. I say this from the bottom of my heart. You might want to ignore me because you think that I'm n=1, but I promise I'm not. The people that aren't miserable here are that way despite the administration, not because of it.

 

[Wild_Bill]

I guess we can go ahead and delete this thread now...

In all seriousness though, is this a characterization that anyone else can agree with or substantiate? There's a lot more detail in that post than your typical troll is willing to provide...

 

[runnergirl6]

I'm another M1 at Feinberg, and I would like to offer a different perspective of Northwestern. I am actually loving my experience here so far. There definitely are some issues with the school, and I know not everyone is as happy as I am, but I feel like any med school would have similar problems. There are a lot of annoying writing assignments. I just try to write them quickly, and I feel like I don't spend more than 10-20 minutes on that kind of stuff per week. It is really frustrating that they won't let us see the exams after we take them, but I understand that they want to re-use questions on future tests, so I guess it makes sense that they don't want to release them.

For me at least, the good parts of the school have outweighed the bad. I like the way the science curriculum is set up with the organ systems. It has been really cool to already start learning about pathophysiology and treatment, especially when I talk to students at other schools who are getting bored just learning biochem and normal physiology. I have gotten great clinical experience already as well. I am already presenting patients to attendings and writing up notes and assessments and plans at the clinic I go to. A 4th year even commented to me that she would not have been able to do some of those things as a first year, so I do think the new curriculum has been effective at preparing us for our clinical rotations. My favorite part is the location -- Chicago is awesome, and I am from here originally, so I have a ton of friends and family in the area. I do think that has made a big difference for me, it is nice to go home to my family or hang out with non-med school people when I am stressed and sick of school. First year has definitely been tough, and everyone is pretty exhausted and burned out now, but it's hard to say how much of that is the fault of Feinberg's administration and how much of it is just a fact of medical school in general. Feinberg is not perfect, but no medical school is, so I think anybody applying here just needs to consider their own learning style and what they are looking for in a school. My priorities when applying were location, non-required lectures, and good clinical experience, and Feinberg has met all of those for me so far. If anyone has questions, feel free to message me. I don't check SDN much (only when I am procrastinating from watching lectures) but I will do my best to get back to anyone who has questions.

 

[BertMacklin]

Please don't come here. Save yourself a lot of misery. I've posted before, but I've realized how much I hate this school over the past year and I'm not the only one. We have so much random **** to do. A writing assignment every week, at least, amongst other things. I love writing to death, but when you're trying to study a huge volume of information, you don't want to deal with this stuff. Probably the biggest downfall of the school, however, is the administration's attitude towards students. They are very patriarchal and treat us like irresponsible children. There's no respect or empathy for students. They see themselves as present to prevent us from screwing up. The tests are proctored such that only two students are allowed to leave to go to the bathroom at a time. We can't see the answers to our exams afterward to see what we missed. They treat us like we're going to cheat. Compare to a school like UVA (where I almost went), where the school has an "honor code policy." I know this might sound small, but it makes me and other students feel small, unsupported, and discouraged. In all my years of schooling, I have NEVER felt as disrespected and discouraged in my life. If you email someone about how you might need a bit of an extension on a non-science assignment because you feel overwhelmed or whatever, they show you no sympathy. They chew you out and remind you that you've known about the assignment for a while and make you feel guilty. Believe me, the last thing you want to feel when you are working your butt off in med school (and you will be) is guilty. It's not irresponsibility or lack of planning that might make it impossible to do an assignment. Sometimes things happen and plans don't go as they should. But you're made to feel that that indeed is the cause. Please don't come here. Chicago is amazing. The hospital is amazing. But I regret so deeply having made the decision to come to this terrible school. I say this from the bottom of my heart. You might want to ignore me because you think that I'm n=1, but I promise I'm not. The people that aren't miserable here are that way despite the administration, not because of it.

Your posts from Nov/Dec 6 mos ago seemed pretty chill and positive toward Feinberg. Sounds like maybe the second semester was a bit rough (hell, we had a terrible winter; it was bad enough without being in med school).

I hope things pick up for you! The NM health system is incredible, so hopefully you get some time to bounce around the hospital and to clinics around the city.

Take care, seriously.

 

[HowULikethisCerebellum]

I thought I'd put in my 2 cents as a new M3 at Feinberg.

1. Random writing assignments?
I'm trying to decide what AtulFarmer is talking about? We had monthly writing assignments for Ethics and "group therapy," but I never took more than 15 minutes on them, so that seems pretty reasonable and they should be done on time. We also had to write up about our experiences interviewing patients in the inpatient hospital 4X per year...again I took maybe 30 minutes on each of them. Other than that we have a few cushy assignments but to be honest in my experience the people who complain about them the most are the ones that really need them (ie maybe they should be considering ethics, public health, or the medical system a little bit more). Medical school is not just basic science. If you think that way, become a researcher. #Sorrynotsorry

2. Administration
The tests are proctored and breaks are monitored. None of that is shocking. Welcome to the rest of your life. You have to fingerprint in and out during Step exams.

The administration can be overbearing sometimes, but most of the time it's because they care. In fact they care so much that you can go in at any time for any reason and usually a dean is available to talk to you. I've had a couple family crisis where they were extremely understanding and flexible, and one of the Dean's checks in with me on a regular basis to see how I'm coping. That's just my experience, but I appreciate their efforts. Extension on a non-science assignment? Why can't you get a 1 page paper written in time? That's not very hard, and you are going to be held to much more difficult professional standards for the rest of your career.

Overall Feinberg has some positives and negatives, just like any school. I'm getting great clinical experience (I can't rave about ECMH enough!), my step 1 score was killer, and my research and support from the administration has been wonderful. I also have a great social life, make it to the gym, and take time to visit friends/family at home.

We do have to do a few annoying things like reviewing every class/small group and I'll admit I really dislike the DOC modules (focusing on the medical system and its flaws), but I'm never going to like everything. I think that M1/beginning of M2 year can be hard because Step is in front of you and you're starting to realize that this career just becomes more and more demanding and learning to juggle the science with clinical/research/extra stuff is difficult.

If anyone wants anymore perspective feel free to PM me.

 

[musicalscientists]

I'll be applying here regardless of the so called negatives. My boss and current director of the department I work in was a NW PI, and he seems to have pretty great things to say about the school. My understanding is that he was on the ADCOM or something for a bit.

 

[Kfranko889]

Applying here OOS. Thanks to all the current students for the varied perspectives- definitely some things to bring up with students on an interview visit.

 

[omsd]

I'm another feinberg M3, and I agree with pretty much everything that HowULikethisCerebellum has written. I am proud to be a student here. You can also PM me if you have any questions

 

[ChillDawg]

For anyone who attends or has interviewed here, are the students happy, or seem happy?

 

[onceawolverine]

For anyone who attends or has interviewed here, are the students happy, or seem happy?

Dawg, the students here are soooo chill.

But actually, when I interviewed here, the Feinberg students were a bubbly, happy bunch of people. To be fair, I came on a Friday right after they'd all taken an exam, so that could have had something to do with it.

 

[Norm0cephalic]

For anyone who attends or has interviewed here, are the students happy, or seem happy?

Feinberg's students seemed the happiest out of all the schools I interviewed at. And you really can't beat the location as long as you can deal with the cold

 

[ChillDawg]

Dawg, the students here are soooo chill.

But actually, when I interviewed here, the Feinberg students were a bubbly, happy bunch of people. To be fair, I came on a Friday right after they'd all taken an exam, so that could have had something to do with it.

I see what you did there.

That's reassuring, its hard to ignore negative posts like the one earlier, but I suppose many med schools has a disgruntled student or two.

 

[The Real SVB]

Feinberg's students seemed the happiest out of all the schools I interviewed at. And you really can't beat the location as long as you can deal with the cold

bigggggggggggggggggggggggggggg contingent...I really hope I get a late interview to see what it's like, e.g., November or later.

 

[ChillDawg]

bigggggggggggggggggggggggggggg contingent...I really hope I get a late interview to see what it's like, e.g., November or later.

I'm from California, but how bad can it be? You'll be indoors most of the time, studying or in the hospital...

 

[The Real SVB]

I'm from California, but how bad can it be? You'll be indoors most of the time, studying or in the hospital...

I'll stop you right there lol. Dude, it's pretty bad. I'm Pennsylvania born and raised and I'm telling you – it blows ass.
I haven't yet met a west or south coaster not whimper in pain during their first winter in the Northeast, let alone the Midwest..

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

I'll stop you right there lol. Dude, it's pretty bad. I'm Pennsylvania born and raised and I'm telling you – it blows ass.
I haven't yet met a west or south coaster not whimper in pain during their first winter in the Northeast, let alone the Midwest..

I am from California too, but I have been snowboarding a lot... How different can it be?

 

[The Real SVB]

I am from California too, but I have been snowboarding a lot... How different can it be?

There aren't 30 mph winds in your face and you don't have to deal with 3-ft high snow mounds when they're plowed away or 5-in floods when they melt.

I understand why you don't understand but no offense, I'm not gonna keep arguing about winter with people from CA If you haven't lived a midwestern winter, I'd say you're disqualified from arguing about "how bad can it be"

 

[ChillDawg]

There aren't 30 mph winds in your face and you don't have to deal with 3-ft high snow mounds when they're plowed away or 5-in floods when they melt.

I understand why you don't understand but no offense, I'm not gonna keep arguing about winter with people from CA If you haven't lived a midwestern winter, I'd say you're disqualified from arguing about "how bad can it be"

Sure, but I've had a job once where I had to spend time in a walk-in fridge, it got pretty cold in there dude...

 

[The Real SVB]

Sure, but I've had a job once where I had to spend time in a walk-in fridge, it got pretty cold in there dude...

8/10 Great start to this thread. I'm excited for this cycle.

 

[DaenerysTargaryen]

I am from California too, but I have been snowboarding a lot... How different can it be?

@CaliforniaDreamer, my sweet summer child... wait until you have spent 2 hours digging your car out of a snowbank, only to watch in vain as a passing snowplow completely covers it again.

 

[The Real SVB]

@CaliforniaDreamer, my sweet summer child... wait until you have spent 2 hours digging your car out of a snowbank, only to watch in vain as a passing snowplow completely covers it again.

It's like playing piano to cows...they'll just deer in headlights you and continue on their business

 

[kanzeon]

Please don't come here. Save yourself a lot of misery. I've posted before, but I've realized how much I hate this school over the past year and I'm not the only one. We have so much random **** to do. A writing assignment every week, at least, amongst other things. I love writing to death, but when you're trying to study a huge volume of information, you don't want to deal with this stuff. Probably the biggest downfall of the school, however, is the administration's attitude towards students. They are very patriarchal and treat us like irresponsible children. There's no respect or empathy for students. They see themselves as present to prevent us from screwing up. The tests are proctored such that only two students are allowed to leave to go to the bathroom at a time. We can't see the answers to our exams afterward to see what we missed. They treat us like we're going to cheat. Compare to a school like UVA (where I almost went), where the school has an "honor code policy." I know this might sound small, but it makes me and other students feel small, unsupported, and discouraged. In all my years of schooling, I have NEVER felt as disrespected and discouraged in my life. If you email someone about how you might need a bit of an extension on a non-science assignment because you feel overwhelmed or whatever, they show you no sympathy. They chew you out and remind you that you've known about the assignment for a while and make you feel guilty. Believe me, the last thing you want to feel when you are working your butt off in med school (and you will be) is guilty. It's not irresponsibility or lack of planning that might make it impossible to do an assignment. Sometimes things happen and plans don't go as they should. But you're made to feel that that indeed is the cause. Please don't come here. Chicago is amazing. The hospital is amazing. But I regret so deeply having made the decision to come to this terrible school. I say this from the bottom of my heart. You might want to ignore me because you think that I'm n=1, but I promise I'm not. The people that aren't miserable here are that way despite the administration, not because of it.

I am also a new M3 and have had a very positive experience so far. The random assignments are not a big deal and are probably 5% of the curriculum. They are never graded (other than just doing them) so really you make them what you want. If you think they're stupid and don't care, it's easy to do some half-ass 10-15 minute job on them and get away with it. To be honest, I've turned in multiple assignments a few days late sometimes because I've just forgotten and once I didn't even turn in one and I never heard ANYTHING about it.

I was also deciding between here and UVA and yes I guess it's nice you get to take your exams at home but you certainly won't get to take USMLE step exams, shelf exams, board exams etc at home, nor will you ever get your answers back or be even allowed to talk about the material. I almost like the fact that they keep the tests confidential--this really allows them to track questions over time, see which ones are good which are bad and come up with a really solid question bank that will prepare you for exams that actually matter in your career. There's no point in cheating on these exams because a) it's pass/fail, you have to get -2.25 STD below the mean to fail (which is at most 3-4 people out of 160 per exam) and b) if you cheat you aren't learning the material which will come back to bite you when you take step 1. Besides, how many people in undergrad actually went back through their exams and tried to learn the material that they got wrong? I certainly didn't--when a test was done it was DONE.

It looks like you have had a really poor experience in dealing with the administration and I have certainly heard some poor reviews about them. But, I think a good administration is going to get some critics because from my experience they are tough but very caring. I can't stress that enough, they really really really do care that you do well and succeed and when i've had legitimate problems they have been very accommodating. But, I also don't think they will put up with any BS from students either which is why some people find them patriarchal.

I hope people reading this thread take AtulFarmer's review with a grain of salt as I don't believe the vast majority of the class feels this way.

 

[everest888]

Hi, everyone!!!

I just finished M1 year here at Feinberg! I love it here. The class is full of intelligent, kind, people from a wide variety of backgrounds, the administration is responsive and involved, and I am amazed by how eager NM physicians and residents have been to mentor and support research. I'm really having a blast--school doesn't feel as much like work when it's what really fascinates you, and it's possible (easy) to make your life outside of school a priority.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have as the cycle goes along!

 

[Vuvoozela]

Here are my (I'm a Feinberg student who finished first year) thoughts on AtulFarmer's comments. Some strong words can distort true facts to become uglier than they are.

AtulFarmer is right that we have a fuller curriculum than many schools, and we have frequent writing assignments. It can definitely be tough sometimes, so I understand the frustration. Personally, it's fun and cathartic to groan about it to my friends when we have to do one. But when you really look at it, these things take like 15 minutes max to do (or, they ought to). I think someone else above said that, too. I'm also fairly certain you have to write things in other schools, especially if those schools take ethics and public health as seriously as Feinberg.

He/she is right that the tests are proctored and there is a policy on how many students can be out at a time. We cannot see the questions afterwards. The administration's argument is to guarantee protection of the questions, as they tweak the questions and the set of questions as a whole each year to optimize the test's efficiency in assessing students. There are pros and cons. As I understand it, some students are in genuine dialogue with the administration to explore alternative post-test-review opportunities. Presently, you are able to review the topic of the questions that you got right and wrong (i.e. "genetics," or "anatomy") and the kind of question (i.e. "recall" or "application").

Maybe AtulFarmer had a bad experience emailing faculty about extensions, but I personally know many friends who have expressed to me the ease and compassion with which faculty have given them extensions on things as major as unit exams. AtulFarmer is in fact the first friend that I've heard say he or she was met with resistance trying to get an extension.

If there's one thing I've learned after a year of med school, it's that med school is hard and people love to gripe and complain. And that is healthy! One year, people complain about one aspect of the curriculum, and when the highly-responsive administration changes that aspect for the next year, the next generation of students often complain and want it to be old way, not knowing that that was in fact how it used to be. Now I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think that's an amusing sign that we as med students just like to grumble when we are stressed, and it's a natural part of what it is to be in medical school. Some of Feinberg's quirks are unique to Feinberg, but I have friends at other medical schools who complain about virtually the same kinds of things. This is not to minimize AtulFarmer's frustrations, since I'll be frank: when things are coming down to the wire in med school, you really feel the heat picking up. I do think, however, that if one takes a step back and thinks about what we've signed ourselves up for, Feinberg is probably not unique in the stress department.

Plenty of things I love about the school that I won't bore you with here, but PM me if you're interested in more of my ramblings!

 

[AtulFarmer]

I'm so glad that my classmates aren't miserable! (Sounds sarcastic. Definitely not sarcastic). I guess you can take me as an n=1 experience. That said, there are others that I have talked to in our class that have considered leaving or transferring. So I am not the only one. Some people feel alone -- that is probably because most of our class is extroverted and being an introvert might lead to loneliness. Some people do feel put off by the relentless nature of our curriculum. Public health is immensely important. But there's no reason to craft a question asking for a specific statistic from lecture. I put that out there because I think it's important to consider. We do have a lot of non-science things to do -- don't let that be minimized by others comments. It takes away from the limited time we have to learn and understand the human body. Ultimately, we are going to be doctors. We will manage the health of patients, not of patient populations. We need to understand the human body. That is an overwhelming task in and of itself. It's difficult to feel like you aren't able to devote adequate time to this fundamental undertaking. If you're the kind of person who likes to set their own priorities, don't come here. If they don't match up with the school's, you will struggle. You will feel like your time is being wasted. You will be frustrated and angry.

Since the beginning though, many people who have dealt with certain parts of the administration display many of the same emotions as me. The entire administration isn't bad. That is true. There are probably two or three administrators who are great for every not so great one. But, dealing with that one administrator who makes you feel like you aren't valued, like you aren't capable, and like you are a "very bad kid" is discouraging. Which, really, is the last thing you need in medical school.

For our last block, a significant percent of our class (Think 15-20%) failed the anatomy practical. A straightforward "identify this pinned structure" test. Now...why do you think that might be? Is 20% of our class lazy or stupid? Absolutely not! It's because there were another things that are required of us, that meant that studying anatomy at the level we needed to was a bit of a struggle. We have the lowest anatomy step score in Chicago... I say this from a third person point of view. because, for clarification, I personally didn't fail the exam.

About 2 days of the week, we're usually going till 3. (PBL on one day and CEC on another.) If you have ECMH that week, your day might go until 7PM. One day goes till 5 PM. And 1 day goes until 12. Good luck studying on the two days of the week you're going till 5 or 7PM. The nature of med school is that you really do need to study daily to stay on top of things. Having two days of the week where you can't study is a big deal. Many people can put it off, but those people often have to pull all nighters. Our curriculum makes that extremely difficult to do while maintaining normal relationships with people and having a life outside of school.

For this last exam (80+ lectures: all of anatomy of the upper and lower limbs,functional anatomy, musculoskeletal pathology, dermatology which is all path) we were given one full day to study. One fourth of our class didn't even get that full day off. Imagine, if you will, a final exam of the same amount of material you might have learned in a semester that you learned in a month (i.e. it's very new to you). You're not familiar with the way the professor tests or what he stresses in the material, and you're studying for your test in a day. Imagine you had 20 new diseases taught to you two days ago. And the entire field of dermatology was introduced and taught to you in a week and a half. And imagine that two hours of your precious studying time two days ago was spent learning about sunscreen and vitamin D thanks to the curriculum design. Finally, imagine you're being tested on the MSK physical exam the same week (i.e. physical exam on fake patients). Now, go ahead and study for this exam in a day... Tell me how much you feel like you're learning and retaining. Tell me if you feel like medical school is meaningful, that you can walk into your first rotation without seriously doubting your training.

I'm trying my very hardest to be happy here. But being happy here is hard. I'm a student here and this is my experience. It's honest. I don't appreciate some of my classmates trying to delegitimize my words. There are others who are respectful in acknowledging them and I thank them for that.

Things I still like about feinberg:
1. Organ systems
2. Our CV and Pulm teachers
3. College mentors
4. the hospital
5. working with the doctor in the clinic I go to ever other week
6. some of the outside clinics you can volunteer at
7. the city of chicago

My advice:
1. go to med school near home/near your close friends.
2. understand what frustrates you -- other people telling me what my priorities should be frustrates me. Being treated like a child who shouldn't be trusted frustrates me.
3. understand what allows you to thrive.

Good luck!

 

[Jimmy Jones]

Thanks for your insight, AtulFarmer. I listed Feinberg on my AMCAS submission but after reading your posts I've decided not to continue with my application to this school.

 

[everest888]

Thanks for your insight, AtulFarmer. I listed Feinberg on my AMCAS submission but after reading your posts I've decided not to continue with my application to this school.

If this is true, you're missing out on the opportunity to attend a great school, Jimmy Jones. Where you get your medical education is a big decision, and it is silly to be so swayed by anonymous rants. Don't take my word for it either, or anyone else's; apply to schools, and if you are fortunate enough to be offered admission, make the decision yourself based on your own investigation. Speak with students face-to-face at your interviews.

I'd like to add that AtulFarmer is my friend, and I am so bummed that this person isn't as happy here as I am. No one can devalue her experience and feelings, but I can tell you that they are not representative of the way my classmates feel.

I hope everyone's applications are going smoothly! Don't get overwhelmed, try to have fun this year. : )

 

[Jimmy Jones]

If this is true, you're missing out on the opportunity to attend a great school, Jimmy Jones. Where you get your medical education is a big decision, and it is silly to be so swayed by anonymous rants. Don't take my word for it either, or anyone else's; apply to schools, and if you are fortunate enough to be offered admission, make the decision yourself based on your own investigation. Speak with students face-to-face at your interviews.

I'd like to add that AtulFarmer is my friend, and I am so bummed that this person isn't as happy here as I am. No one can devalue her experience and feelings, but I can tell you that they are not representative of the way my classmates feel.

I hope everyone's applications are going smoothly! Don't get overwhelmed, try to have fun this year. : )

The things that Atul pointed out (inefficient scheduling, superfluous assignments, secrecy regarding tests) are not really something that can be brushed aside as the unfortunate experience of one bummed out dude.

I have a feeling that you, your classmates, and the rest of the thousands of people who will still apply are willing to cast issues like his aside because "muh top 20". But with 30+ schools on my primary submission, I wanted to let Atul know that he was a great help in culling my list

 

[everest888]

one bummed out dude

*dudette

 

[heywhatsuphello]

Tryna decide whether to apply here or Pritzker. Both are a reach for me and I can only really afford one more reach school, but Chicago is one of my favorite places in the world and I heard Feinberg is a shade less competitive? Any ideas?

 

[mdparrot]

applying here this year

 

[kratos99]

I graduated from FSM years ago so the curriculum has changed but wanted to offer my perspective. I'm now a course director at another school and have been involved in our schools new curriculum design. First off, to the person who stated we do not need to learn about populations. The issue here is not FSM's to control. This is an accreditation requirement. In fact, we were briefed by our dean that community service learning is to be required of all students. I did not have such an option when I went to school in the early 2000s. I've been heavily involved in our school's accreditation and I can tell you that we would be placed on probation if we did. It have material on population health in our curriculum. We would also be on probation were we not to offer any community service learning for our students. So please, as students, do realize that some of what you learn is mandated by the LCME.

Second, for what it's worth, I loved med school. Med school is way more than the first two years. Years 3 and 4 were amazing and I had a lot of fun. It was hard work but it was fun. And FSM gave me a great education.

Third, regarding the writing assignments. Again, a lot of this may be due to accreditation. Your faculty may feel that your learning goals be best achieved and assessed using writing assignments. In our new curriculum, we are also instituting a lot of writing assignments. Physicians don't get a lot of opportunity to practice technical writing and you will be asked by lawyers to write reports for your patients so this is good practice.

Fourth, public health is important, probably more important than any other basic science you will learn in your first two years. If you do any sort of research, or even if you don't you will consume research, and being well versed in public health methods and epidemiology will serve you well on the wards and beyond.

Sometimes you may not recognize what is important to learn. As a student, I certainly didn't. But today, I realized that the most difficult things in medicine aren't the basic sciences but the "fluff" that we thought was useless-the ethics, etc.

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Got their secondary on Friday. I'm so excited, this is my DREAM SCHOOL (though I'd never get in, haha).

 

[warrior209]

Got their secondary on Friday. I'm so excited, this is my DREAM SCHOOL (though I'd never get in, haha).

Can you post the essay questions?

 

[justadream]

Got their secondary on Friday. I'm so excited, this is my DREAM SCHOOL (though I'd never get in, haha).

Did you go to NW undergrad?

It's strange that no one else has gotten it (at least that's what I'm inferring from the lack of activity on this thread).

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Did you go to NW undergrad?

It's strange that no one else has gotten it (at least that's what I'm inferring from the lack of activity on this thread).

Nope! I think it's probably just by virtue of the fact that my last name starts with A and I was verified on June 15th? Idk.

Anyway, there are 6 essays!

Given the distinctive educational philosophy and curriculum at FSM, describe how your personal characteristics and learning style would fit the institution.

Describe the coping skills (not problem solving skills) you use when confronted with difficult situations.

Describe your career plans and goals. Be as specific as your current thinking will allow.

(if applicable): If you have (or expect to have) a year or more between college graduation and medical school matriculation, describe your activities and/or plans.

(After a number of questions relating to diversity) If you wish, use this space to provide more detail about your selections above and how you would bring diversity to the Northwestern community. (Let me know if you want me to expand on this)

Do you (or an immediate family member) have an affiliation with the Feinberg School of Medicine?

All are 250 words or fewer.

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Ok so I just called the admissions office to ask if doing research at Feinberg meant I was affiliated there. She said no- affiliation just means someone you are related to attended Feinberg or is on the faculty there now.

The question is so oddly worded! Why would it ask about "you" then? Obviously I don't have an affiliation considering I'm applying there now, so how can I possibly have attended already?

On another note, she seemed surprised that I had received the supplement and asked me to read the question to her to determine the wording. Maybe I got it by accident?

 

[justadream]

Ok so I just called the admissions office to ask if doing research at Feinberg meant I was affiliated there. She said no- affiliation just means someone you are related to attended Feinberg or is on the faculty there now.

The question is so oddly worded! Why would it ask about "you" then? Obviously I don't have an affiliation considering I'm applying there now, so how can I possibly have attended already?

I think they're asking if your relatives (i.e., parents) attended and/or are faculty. If so, many schools will give you a "courtesy interview" even if you are not competitive at all (to please your relative).

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

I think they're asking if your relatives (i.e., parents) attended and/or are faculty. If so, many schools will give you a "courtesy interview" even if you are not competitive at all (to please your relative).

That makes sense. I just wonder why they ask about "you (or an immediate family member)" then.

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Pics or it didn't happen.

Idk if you're serious or not, but

 

[HarryH00d]

Did you go to NW undergrad?

It's strange that no one else has gotten it (at least that's what I'm inferring from the lack of activity on this thread).

You mean NU...right?

 

[HybridEarth]

Your unread messages in the inbox...

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Your unread messages in the inbox...

Lol. 90% of them are emails from colleges I got after taking the PSAT, ACT, and SAT. I just don't bother to clean out my inbox! (Except for emails from stores and promotions) St Cloud State inevitably STILL sends me an email every semester asking if I'd consider transferring there. I also had two buckets of paper mail.

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

I really just wanted you two to have another humble brag war

YOU SNEAKY MOM!

No, but seriously, it's hilarious because I'm super OCD (yeah, I just appropriated that word. Deal with it.) about notifications on my phone, Facebook, school email account, and pretty much everything else, but my personal email account is like a garden filled with the nastiest of weeds!

 

[timeflies]

Lol. 90% of them are emails from colleges I got after taking the PSAT, ACT, and SAT. I just don't bother to clean out my inbox! (Except for emails from stores and promotions) St Cloud State inevitably STILL sends me an email every semester asking if I'd consider transferring there. I also had two buckets of paper mail.

you got 9,000 emails from colleges after taking those standardized test.....?

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

you got 9,000 emails from colleges after taking those standardized test.....?

Well yeah. Probably 8-9K. During junior and senior year, 10-15 emails a day was not at all uncommon, plus I got a few after that AND some in sophomore year since I took the PSAT "for practice." A lot of them are duplicates. I'm surprised this seems to be a unique experience here- most of my National Merit Scholar friends had similar volumes. Of course, they are not crazy and actually deleted theirs or had them sent to their school accounts.

Now, my unread emails are mostly purchase/shipping confirmations, requests to review an app or item I've purchased, and, for some reason, promotional emails from things I signed up for in France. They go straight to my primary inbox instead of promotions for some reason!

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Ok, here are the things it gives you to write about for the diversity essay.


The Feinberg School of Medicine values diversity as a measure of excellence. We define diversity as the totality of the characteristics and experiences of our students. We believe that a diverse student body improves the educational environment and the ability of our graduates to serve an increasingly diverse patient population. Please feel free to use the check list below and the narrative to tell us about your identity (ies) and how you will bring diversity to the Northwestern community.
Please note that this question divides into 4 sections:
A) Racial/Ethnic Background
B) Sexual and Gender Identities
C) Social Background and
D) Narrative Description:
A) Racial/Ethnic Background
Black/African-American
Specify (optional)
African
Specify (optional)
Hispanic/Latino
Specify (optional)
Native American
Specify (optional)
If checked, are you enrolled in a tribe? Yes No Not Sure
Please list tribal affiliation (s) here:
Have you ever lived on a reservation? Yes No
Do you have an immediate family member primarily raised on or currently living on a reservation? Yes No
Pacific Islander
Specify (optional)
White/European American
Specify (optional)
Asian
Specify (optional)
Biracial or multiracial
Specify (optional)
Other
Specify
B) Sexual and Gender Identities
Bisexual
Gay
Heterosexual
Lesbian
Queer
Transgender
Specify (optional)
Other
Specify
C) Social Background
Economically disadvantaged (grew up in a low income household, sought safety net services such as: TANF, food assistance, housing assistance)
First generation high school graduate
First generation college graduate
First in family to pursue a professional degree
Medically underserved background (ever enrolled in Medicaid, sought medical services at free clinics, delayed or went without medical care due to cultural, financial, or geographic barriers)
Grew up in a rural area (less than 5,000 people)
Grew up in a home where English was not the primary language
Speak a language (other than English) fluently
Specify (optional)
Worked to contribute to family/household expenses with wages before age 18
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals card holder
Refugee/Asylee
Experience with challenges relating to undocumented status (you personally or close relatives).
Physical or mental disability
Specify (optional)
Experience with foster care or adoption
Raised primarily in a single-parent household
Experienced a high number of disruptions/transitions during your K-12 education due to family moves or other life circumstance
Other
(Please describe: )