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I submitted Aug 21st and was marked complete last friday?
2015-2016 Rosalind Franklin University Application Thread
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Guys, last week by September there were 7-8 week lags if you look at the thread. By October it was 10 weeks. So it's actually faster.
They get 12,000 apps, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
They get 12,000 apps, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
Looking at lodging arrangements in Chicago.. any recommendations for areas of Chicago to stay in? I have yet to decide if I'm going to rent a car to/from the hotel, and to/from the university, or take an uber... I will be making a weekend trip out of it, so I want to stay in Chicago instead of North Chicago.
I assume parking will be a b*tch downtown, so I'm wondering if I should just use uber..
Thanks guys!
I assume parking will be a b*tch downtown, so I'm wondering if I should just use uber..
Thanks guys!
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If you are staying in the loop, in the downtown-downtown area, I would not rent a car, hotel parking is 50$ a night and than anywhere you want to drive will prolly be 10$ to park for 1.5 hours, so if you have a hotel around there uber would be cheaper. You could stay in evanston or lincoln park(my fav part of the city), and you will be much closer to the school than the loop(downtown) is, and parking can be found for free.
look at http://www.priceline.com/promo/expressdeals.do for good last minute deals on hotels, airbnb is also good too.
Lincoln park/wicker park/evanston are all fun places to check out, lincoln park has a good amount of night life, but not dance clubs, those would be on rush street. Portillos has awesome hotdogs/ italian beefs but check out some of the different food chicago has, because we have a ton of really good food.
Lou malnatis has great deep dish, but check out coalfire if you want amazing "non chicago style" pizza. Bari on the near west side will have one of the best italian subs of your life.
Feel free to PM me with any questions about Chicago, I have lived here my whole life and would love to make your time here as positive as possible!
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Just one option: I rented a car from the airport for ~24 hours ($65?) and drove up to North Chicago. I stayed the night before the interview in a very basic hotel nearby ($90?) so that I didn't have to stress about being too far away in the morning. Then I drove the car back to the airport and took Metra ($5?) to downtown, where I stayed in a hostel in Wicker Park for two nights ($100 total). I didn't get much sleep, but I met some travel buddies who were fun to hang out with at night after I had done some solo sightseeing.
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It is worth nothing for those unfamiliar with the area that while Rosalind Franklin is in North Chicago, it is actually a complete separate city from Chicago and it is several cities over from Chicago proper. So those coming to interview here should make sure to look on a map before booking a hotel, because if you book a hotel in the loop hoping to take public transit to the school you are going to pay out the waz.
I'm going with a friend so I will have split costs, at least somewhat. That sounds exciting though, a hostel! slumming it up lol 🙂
thanks!
Thanks so much!!!! I will explore these options. And I will PM you if I have any further questions... I probably will 🙂
(ironically, I was born in Waukegan; my dad was in the navy, which is right next to RFUMS... so it will be fun being back! I only lived there for like a year, so I don't remember any of it)
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Marked complete today, submitted 8/25.
This may be a silly question, but is there an app portal for CMS-RF? When I filled out the secondary, it just seemed like it was a submit 1 time deal, and that any other communication or updates would be by email. Is that right, or is there a portal link I somehow missed?
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I had the same thoughts like 2 weeks ago after I submitted. I was like wtf how am I going to check my status? Lol.
To my knowledge there isn't a portal. Just have to look for the emails and be cautious not to accidentally delete it :O
Edit: speak of the devil, I just received my complete email. Submitted my secondary about 5 weeks ago.
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Sorry if this has been asked, briefly skimmed the thread, but is Rosalind Franklin receptive to in-the-area emails? If so, who is the contact? Thank you
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Here's my strong suggestion: Rent a hotel in North Chicago for at least the day before your interview. It could take you as long as an hour and a half to two hours to get from Chicago to North Chicago during rush hour, and you don't want to be late. If you do so, just get a taxi or uber from your hotel to RFU; save yourself the hassle.
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They don't accept any pre-interview e-mails.
So I got this PM question and I thought it was an important one - just my 2 cents about CMS
the school has definitely changed alot since I graduated. I've seen 2 deans go by and the other day they just annouced that the current dean is leaving.
The majority of the CMS students did not have CMS as their first choice. The majority will have come from their "linkage program (BMS, PMP)". FOr the rest of my class this was their close to last choice (if not the last choice) of school.
The school is definitely trying to be more selective and improve its clsas profile by reducing linkage from their SMP programs, MMI interviews
It my be hard to understand some of what I'm saying if you haven't started medical school but I feel if you read this as a 4th year it will make much more sense:
But here are the pros of going to RFUMS:
1) amazing and incredibly clean facilties
-studying spaces - visiting my cousin mid-August it did seem a bit more difficult to get decent studying spaces. More programs = alot more students
-workout to washroom to classrooms everything is sparkling clean
2) closeness of everything
-VA hospital right beside the dorms (path connects VA to student dorms)
-could choose all your rotations (minus OBGYN) and even your residency at the VA
-could choose all your rotations within 10-30 min. drive of student dorms
3) flexible
-4th year and 3rd year clinical sites make everything less stressful.
-give ample time for 4th year interviews.
-i never failed any medical school courses - but I hear if you do then they give you ample opporutnities to remediate.
-Most medical schools for 3rd year - if you fail the shelf exam they make you redo the entire rotation (CMS gves you another opportunity to pass shelf exam)
Here are the main cons of RFUMS;
1) for my class - very poor clinical preparation
-we get these "weekly clinical labs" where we experiment on each other - as a student/former TA of these clinical labs students are really rushing to get out. Good social time but in terms of learning was not that great.
-no OSCEs in 1st and 2nd year (they have one graded OSCE now in 2nd year I believe)
-very limited clinical experiences before you start 3rd year (i hear they have a new "interprofessional" clinic)
-school does not have its own hospital - have to find shadowing experiences on your own
-in general just very limited clinical preparedness (i.e. how to present cases, perform focused history/physical, etc., patient mangement, using the EMR0
-we spent 2 years in the classroom but even less time in a clinical setting (only 3rd year and 4th year for me mostly spent relaxing, preparing for residency/interviews) AREN'T WE GOING TO BE CLINICIANS???
-Harvard recently changed its curriculum to include more clinical >> basics sciences training maybe we should follow
-in 2nd year they pair you up with a clinician - during my year we only got 5 chances to work with them (my particular mentor was busy but gave me the opportunity to work 2 more additional shifts with him)
-it would be interesting to ask for a survey of how newly minted 3rd year students feel in the hospital in terms of clinical preparedness - my feeling is that the results would be not that great if students answered honestly
1a) few to no CLINICAL (not basic sciences) research opportunities
-clinical research is almost non-existent for students.
-looking at the resdiency apps for most 4th years - most will have none or very few clinicalresearch publications during their time in medical school.
-I published over 10 clinical research papers during 4th year because clinical research don't require slaving in the lab all day (basic sciences) -mostly systematic reviews and analyzing data in clinical research. If you really wanted to you could probalby publish 1 paper a week if you found the right mentor and are able to come up with new ideas for a paper.
-they have a few basic sciences prof and most do not have great fudning and/or not very productive
-at the end of the day publications are what matter in research - poster presentations, peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters etc.
-publications tell people if you actually engaged in meaningful research
1c) horrific marking scheme (puts you at a somewhat disadvantage)
-so for my class would get A,B,Cs (I heard they are changing to pass or fail though)
-for 3rd year you would get a clinical grade and shelf exam grade. Unless you are a jerk and glorified a$$hole you will most likely get an A for clinical but the shelf exam grade is very very difficult to do well (esp. if you are a poor stnadardized test taker)
-they would give you the lower of the two grades (i.e. get a A for clinicals but got a C for shelf exam - then your final grade would most likely be a "C")
2a) little to no guidance for STep 1, step 2
-classes do not prepare you well for step 1 or step 2
-either not in-depth or too much detail and no actual USMLE question prep.
-on your own pretty much for step 1 / step 2 (make sure you keep up with classmates so you know all the effiicent/effective ways to prepare)
-little to no to very poor guidance for shelf exams
2b) classes- too much detail, or lots of detail but not indepth
-i.e.still do anatomy dissections (time consuming is an understatement, could have spent building students clinical skills)
-alot of lectures to learn from with not alot of application
-for me I learned the most when I studied for step 1 by myself - mostly from the exam bank everyone uses (UWORLD) and the step 1 textbook (First Aid). I also learned the most from my clinical rotations and the exam banks I did to prepare for 3rd year shelf exams and step 2
-basically all my useful knowledge that I am using now as a resident came from studying for step 1 and step 2 and the M3/M4 clinical rotations
-M1 and M2 years were a waste of 2 years - can't think of anything actually useful I am using now in the hosptial
3) Administration / advisor guidance was poor to non-existent for my specialty
-been on probation more than once (enough said) which affects the school reputation (acording to residencyprogram director survey school reputation does matter)
-Ross outbidded our school for a particular hospital - I MEAN ROSS UNIVERSITY (DEVRY) BEAT US!!!!
-just my perspective but you are pretty much on your own for 3rd and 4th year.
-i.e. my particular advisor who is the chair of the department knows almost nothing about programs outside of Chicago and could not answer detailed questions - i.e. what are some safety schools I should apply to (couldn't answer this question), what grades do you feel are competitive?
-as you prepare for residency in addition to great grades, USMLE scores you need good mentors and letter of recommendations - the fact we don't have our own hospital really limits getting good letters and mentors.
4) Cost
-not much needed to be said - few scholarships, high student debt, very expensive studnet housing
-they have alot of ##@$ fees like computer/tech fee and graduation fee (even if you don't attend graduation), student council fees,.....just a bunch of money grabs that you can't do anything about.
I wish I knew what I knew now before i started would have helped alot. THe most important thing is to find a mentor (one year above) and make sure you get their perspective (best if they are going into the same field as you will be)
Bottom line:
Overall I thought my experience at CMS was very positive but the most important thing is what I stated just above - you need to have a decent mentor (preferably upper year and going into similar field) so you are not "trial and erroring" things.
Also make sure you consistnetly get updates/socialize with classmates (for me the bulk of how I did well and got help for USMLEs, rotations)
the school has definitely changed alot since I graduated. I've seen 2 deans go by and the other day they just annouced that the current dean is leaving.
The majority of the CMS students did not have CMS as their first choice. The majority will have come from their "linkage program (BMS, PMP)". FOr the rest of my class this was their close to last choice (if not the last choice) of school.
The school is definitely trying to be more selective and improve its clsas profile by reducing linkage from their SMP programs, MMI interviews
It my be hard to understand some of what I'm saying if you haven't started medical school but I feel if you read this as a 4th year it will make much more sense:
But here are the pros of going to RFUMS:
1) amazing and incredibly clean facilties
-studying spaces - visiting my cousin mid-August it did seem a bit more difficult to get decent studying spaces. More programs = alot more students
-workout to washroom to classrooms everything is sparkling clean
2) closeness of everything
-VA hospital right beside the dorms (path connects VA to student dorms)
-could choose all your rotations (minus OBGYN) and even your residency at the VA
-could choose all your rotations within 10-30 min. drive of student dorms
3) flexible
-4th year and 3rd year clinical sites make everything less stressful.
-give ample time for 4th year interviews.
-i never failed any medical school courses - but I hear if you do then they give you ample opporutnities to remediate.
-Most medical schools for 3rd year - if you fail the shelf exam they make you redo the entire rotation (CMS gves you another opportunity to pass shelf exam)
Here are the main cons of RFUMS;
1) for my class - very poor clinical preparation
-we get these "weekly clinical labs" where we experiment on each other - as a student/former TA of these clinical labs students are really rushing to get out. Good social time but in terms of learning was not that great.
-no OSCEs in 1st and 2nd year (they have one graded OSCE now in 2nd year I believe)
-very limited clinical experiences before you start 3rd year (i hear they have a new "interprofessional" clinic)
-school does not have its own hospital - have to find shadowing experiences on your own
-in general just very limited clinical preparedness (i.e. how to present cases, perform focused history/physical, etc., patient mangement, using the EMR0
-we spent 2 years in the classroom but even less time in a clinical setting (only 3rd year and 4th year for me mostly spent relaxing, preparing for residency/interviews) AREN'T WE GOING TO BE CLINICIANS???
-Harvard recently changed its curriculum to include more clinical >> basics sciences training maybe we should follow
-in 2nd year they pair you up with a clinician - during my year we only got 5 chances to work with them (my particular mentor was busy but gave me the opportunity to work 2 more additional shifts with him)
-it would be interesting to ask for a survey of how newly minted 3rd year students feel in the hospital in terms of clinical preparedness - my feeling is that the results would be not that great if students answered honestly
1a) few to no CLINICAL (not basic sciences) research opportunities
-clinical research is almost non-existent for students.
-looking at the resdiency apps for most 4th years - most will have none or very few clinicalresearch publications during their time in medical school.
-I published over 10 clinical research papers during 4th year because clinical research don't require slaving in the lab all day (basic sciences) -mostly systematic reviews and analyzing data in clinical research. If you really wanted to you could probalby publish 1 paper a week if you found the right mentor and are able to come up with new ideas for a paper.
-they have a few basic sciences prof and most do not have great fudning and/or not very productive
-at the end of the day publications are what matter in research - poster presentations, peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters etc.
-publications tell people if you actually engaged in meaningful research
1c) horrific marking scheme (puts you at a somewhat disadvantage)
-so for my class would get A,B,Cs (I heard they are changing to pass or fail though)
-for 3rd year you would get a clinical grade and shelf exam grade. Unless you are a jerk and glorified a$$hole you will most likely get an A for clinical but the shelf exam grade is very very difficult to do well (esp. if you are a poor stnadardized test taker)
-they would give you the lower of the two grades (i.e. get a A for clinicals but got a C for shelf exam - then your final grade would most likely be a "C")
2a) little to no guidance for STep 1, step 2
-classes do not prepare you well for step 1 or step 2
-either not in-depth or too much detail and no actual USMLE question prep.
-on your own pretty much for step 1 / step 2 (make sure you keep up with classmates so you know all the effiicent/effective ways to prepare)
-little to no to very poor guidance for shelf exams
2b) classes- too much detail, or lots of detail but not indepth
-i.e.still do anatomy dissections (time consuming is an understatement, could have spent building students clinical skills)
-alot of lectures to learn from with not alot of application
-for me I learned the most when I studied for step 1 by myself - mostly from the exam bank everyone uses (UWORLD) and the step 1 textbook (First Aid). I also learned the most from my clinical rotations and the exam banks I did to prepare for 3rd year shelf exams and step 2
-basically all my useful knowledge that I am using now as a resident came from studying for step 1 and step 2 and the M3/M4 clinical rotations
-M1 and M2 years were a waste of 2 years - can't think of anything actually useful I am using now in the hosptial
3) Administration / advisor guidance was poor to non-existent for my specialty
-been on probation more than once (enough said) which affects the school reputation (acording to residencyprogram director survey school reputation does matter)
-Ross outbidded our school for a particular hospital - I MEAN ROSS UNIVERSITY (DEVRY) BEAT US!!!!
-just my perspective but you are pretty much on your own for 3rd and 4th year.
-i.e. my particular advisor who is the chair of the department knows almost nothing about programs outside of Chicago and could not answer detailed questions - i.e. what are some safety schools I should apply to (couldn't answer this question), what grades do you feel are competitive?
-as you prepare for residency in addition to great grades, USMLE scores you need good mentors and letter of recommendations - the fact we don't have our own hospital really limits getting good letters and mentors.
4) Cost
-not much needed to be said - few scholarships, high student debt, very expensive studnet housing
-they have alot of ##@$ fees like computer/tech fee and graduation fee (even if you don't attend graduation), student council fees,.....just a bunch of money grabs that you can't do anything about.
I wish I knew what I knew now before i started would have helped alot. THe most important thing is to find a mentor (one year above) and make sure you get their perspective (best if they are going into the same field as you will be)
Bottom line:
Overall I thought my experience at CMS was very positive but the most important thing is what I stated just above - you need to have a decent mentor (preferably upper year and going into similar field) so you are not "trial and erroring" things.
Also make sure you consistnetly get updates/socialize with classmates (for me the bulk of how I did well and got help for USMLEs, rotations)
Last edited:
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Really interesting to hear. Thank you for your willingness to talk about CMS and the pros and cons. Just for information's sake, they have changed to straight P/F
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As a current 4th year, here are my two cents. I think this is a very insightful post.
The turnover in high level administration is high; the school has a short institutional memory, and therefore, change is very slow.
With regard to linkage programs, the school has definitely cut back on the number of students accepted from them, which is definitely a wise choice; the perception of most of the students who came in as traditional M1s is that the BMS program is little more than a moneymaker for the school. The PMP program serves a very different purpose and allows the school to recruit minority students that it would not otherwise see even come for an interview.
I agree; everything is very clean. I didn't find it too hard to find study space 2-3 years ago, but I'm not the best person to ask about that. I mainly studied at home and at Starbucks. Notably, however, the school has recently been undergoing a trend of taking study space and converting it into office space; the front space of the library was recently converted, and it was a lovely space that was perfect for student study. We'll see if this pattern continues. The students are chagrined about this, and we don't feel as if we're getting too much traction with the administration. I can't speak to why these changes are happening, however, and perhaps the school has some greater plan. Who knows?
You COULD do this. However, it isn't really feasible, and I have to admit that many amazing clinical sites (and the majority of our clinical sites, in fact) are closer to the city. Lutheran General Hospital is a 30 minute drive, but most other sites are farther away and the VA has limited spots (and, in my opinion, isn't necessarily the best site). That being said, the fact that you're up in North Chicago, a veritable ghost town, for the first two years is an advantage; you need to be focused and studying for years 1 and 2, and there are few distractions.
I agree with all of this. One small exception for the second point with regard to interviews is that if you are on a subinternship, you are expected not to take any days off for interviews. That being said, if you work more locally with whatever team you're on, they'll more often than not prioritize your interviews and tell you to just take the time regardless of what the administration wants you to do.
I have to admit that they were helpful for me. Many of the fourth year students who teach it love to teach (including me), and if you stay and engage them, many of them have very useful clinical pearls.
We have one in third year and one in fourth year.
Very true. Notably, the interprofessional community clinic is student-run, however, so the fact that you can get clinical experience there is largely due to your colleagues and not your administration.
This is a big deal, admittedly.
Agree. This is a place our school is really lagging behind.
Agree. Notably, I purposely chose very difficult rotations and became very confident in my skills, but this is extremely person- and site-specific.
This experience was lackluster for me, though everyone gets a different preceptor. I never received feedback on my notes and I was paired with a physician who didn't really care.
I'm around them quite a bit. They're not terribly comfortable. The Clinical Skills course gives a week of training intended to prepare you, but we need more, and we're not getting more, which is unfortunate.
This was my biggest gripe. I admit I tried very hard to find clinical research during first and second year, but it's just not available to us. I managed to find clinical research mentors during third year, but again, I had to work very hard to get to that point.
This is the one part I really disagree with and that has changed. The absolute minimum score for an A on the shelf exam is the national mean, particularly if you were stellar clinically. In my opinion, if you can not get above the national average on a standardized exam based only on that topic, you do not deserve an A in that topic. Our grading cutoffs are comparable to UIC's.
Agreed. Step 1 preparation is largely independent.
I agree, but frankly, this is a complaint most people at medical schools have, so I can't speak to whether it's unique to our school or not. If anyone has attended more than one medical school (...) they can certainly speak to this.
Largely, agreed.
Agree with the rest.
The turnover in high level administration is high; the school has a short institutional memory, and therefore, change is very slow.
With regard to linkage programs, the school has definitely cut back on the number of students accepted from them, which is definitely a wise choice; the perception of most of the students who came in as traditional M1s is that the BMS program is little more than a moneymaker for the school. The PMP program serves a very different purpose and allows the school to recruit minority students that it would not otherwise see even come for an interview.
I agree; everything is very clean. I didn't find it too hard to find study space 2-3 years ago, but I'm not the best person to ask about that. I mainly studied at home and at Starbucks. Notably, however, the school has recently been undergoing a trend of taking study space and converting it into office space; the front space of the library was recently converted, and it was a lovely space that was perfect for student study. We'll see if this pattern continues. The students are chagrined about this, and we don't feel as if we're getting too much traction with the administration. I can't speak to why these changes are happening, however, and perhaps the school has some greater plan. Who knows?
You COULD do this. However, it isn't really feasible, and I have to admit that many amazing clinical sites (and the majority of our clinical sites, in fact) are closer to the city. Lutheran General Hospital is a 30 minute drive, but most other sites are farther away and the VA has limited spots (and, in my opinion, isn't necessarily the best site). That being said, the fact that you're up in North Chicago, a veritable ghost town, for the first two years is an advantage; you need to be focused and studying for years 1 and 2, and there are few distractions.
I agree with all of this. One small exception for the second point with regard to interviews is that if you are on a subinternship, you are expected not to take any days off for interviews. That being said, if you work more locally with whatever team you're on, they'll more often than not prioritize your interviews and tell you to just take the time regardless of what the administration wants you to do.
I have to admit that they were helpful for me. Many of the fourth year students who teach it love to teach (including me), and if you stay and engage them, many of them have very useful clinical pearls.
We have one in third year and one in fourth year.
Very true. Notably, the interprofessional community clinic is student-run, however, so the fact that you can get clinical experience there is largely due to your colleagues and not your administration.
This is a big deal, admittedly.
Agree. This is a place our school is really lagging behind.
Agree. Notably, I purposely chose very difficult rotations and became very confident in my skills, but this is extremely person- and site-specific.
This experience was lackluster for me, though everyone gets a different preceptor. I never received feedback on my notes and I was paired with a physician who didn't really care.
I'm around them quite a bit. They're not terribly comfortable. The Clinical Skills course gives a week of training intended to prepare you, but we need more, and we're not getting more, which is unfortunate.
This was my biggest gripe. I admit I tried very hard to find clinical research during first and second year, but it's just not available to us. I managed to find clinical research mentors during third year, but again, I had to work very hard to get to that point.
This is the one part I really disagree with and that has changed. The absolute minimum score for an A on the shelf exam is the national mean, particularly if you were stellar clinically. In my opinion, if you can not get above the national average on a standardized exam based only on that topic, you do not deserve an A in that topic. Our grading cutoffs are comparable to UIC's.
Agreed. Step 1 preparation is largely independent.
I agree, but frankly, this is a complaint most people at medical schools have, so I can't speak to whether it's unique to our school or not. If anyone has attended more than one medical school (...) they can certainly speak to this.
-as you prepare for residency in addition to great grades, USMLE scores you need good mentors and letter of recommendations - the fact we don't have our own hospital really limits getting good letters and mentors.[/quote]
Largely, agreed.
Agree with the rest.
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Largely, agreed.
Agree with the rest.[/QUOTE]
I'm glad the "why us" was only 100 words on the secondary. Sounds like there isn't much to desire there!
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So, current/former RFUMS students:
If you had to choose between CCOM and here, would you still pick here?
If you had to choose between CCOM and here, would you still pick here?
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Yes. MD > DO 100% of the time.
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I think I mentioned some points that were pretty great about the school if you read my post.
The clinical sites provide fantastic education, the way the school's location switches from year 1-2 to year 3-4 is perfect for studying, the facilities are great, and most of the faculty and staff are supportive and helpful.
The school is not a bad school. In fact, it's quite good and we generally match pretty splendidly. It does, however, have its flaws, and you deserve to have those elaborated to you before you invest $300,000 in your education.
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duplicate post. Thought this was Rush University Application Thread 2015-2016
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D
deleted659912
Well I'm not a current or former student, but CCOM is 15k more expensive per year....and that's not counting for the different opportunities you would get as an MD.
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Just got a complete email. Submitted August 14th (5 weeks and 3 days)
"Why us" - for me to kiss their butt I would say this - variety of clinical sites, clean facilities for studying and working out, lots of opportunities for dual degrees (all money grabbers and taught online ), "closeness/tight-knight community" (largest single campus med school in IL), interprofessionalism (used ad naseum at this school), faculty mostly focus on teaching, school emphasizes diversity, is a community based medical school, starting a 3rd residency program (though none of us apply to these residency programs - wihch gives you an idea of how bad ppl want to leave RFUMS), tons of 4th year and sophomore electives with the VA, new clinical opporutniies (interprofessionalism clinic), great environment to study (no distractions, in middle of nowhere).
In reality - they have a variety of clinical sites because school doesn't have own hospital (so need lots of hospital to ensure no student gets left behind - so the variety of sites was not by design), and faculty mostly focus on teaching because majority have non-existent to low productive labs (few publications per year, few post-docts/students, etc.)
And to the guy comparing DO and MD, CCOM is like 65k not including housing and stuff which to my surprise is more expensive than RFUMS (about 50k). Plus DOs have less rigourous training - easier shelfs, easier boards (COMLEX), less rigorous curriculum, another 200 hours learning OMM - hence their lower pass rates and higher failure rates on USMLE
Also with pending DO and MD merger - some say DOs are at a disadvnatage since not their spots are not exactly protected anymore. In the past DOs could apply to MD residencies but not the other way around.
But from my experience rotating and sub-ing with CCOM, UIC,RUsh, and Northwestern:
However, I didn't really see any big differences in clinical performance between RFUMS and CCOM students. I personally noticed a huge difference clinically from the UIC med students only in the beginning of M3 year. By the end of the year during OBGYN and psych I got better clinical grades than the UIC students I rotated with. Only worked with a few Rush or Northwestern students but their residents are very impressive. In general I would say that the other Chicago MD schools really come of the gate with strong clinical skills (case presentation, patient management, how to perform focused history/physicla without looking like a ditz) But by the end of M3 and M4 year we should be on par with the students clinically.
Bottom line: RFUMS for me mostly positive experience but very expensive, few clinical research/mentorship opportunities, on your own, have to rely heavily on upper years and classmates for USMLE prep. I would choose RFUMS over any DO school but if I got an offer to another Chicago MD school I would definitely strongly consider going to another Chicago MD school. If this school was your only offer like me and alot of our classmates then yeah you have no choice.
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Just a note to prospective students (@drake19 , I'm sure you already know this.), Interprofessionalism is great to mention in your interviews and is something our school's leadership is sold on, but isn't something that's actually been well-implemented by the faculty and shouldn't be a selling point for our school. The students, ironically, are the ones who created the interprofessional community clinic. The faculty seem to interpret throwing everyone into a room and having them watch a video or all perform the exact same academic activity as interprofessionalism.
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II. Complete 7/24.
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I wish they had new numbers of interviewed to accepted in state with mmi
Did you see any dates before January? Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing any dates before then
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II complete 7/10 , scheduled the earliest one, jan 8th
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When were you complete?
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II! Completed late July ! For the people who got IIs, did you guys find interviews slots prior to January ??
Edit: never mind, I just read a above
Edit: never mind, I just read a above
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II this morning!! Earliest interview date I found was jan 15. Got rejected pre-II last year so this is pretty exciting!
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WOW, youre not even trying to sugarcoat lol. Someone told me that all medical schools give you adequate education. Its up to you to make the best of it. Good luck 🙂
I appreciate all the recent graduates/upperclassmen that are shedding some light on the school. It really helps us decide which school is best for us to get excited about and eventually decide where to go (if we have the choice).
yes RFUMS can get you where you want to end up but it may be more difficult than the other schools. i.e. few years back our class had someone match in neurosurg at Mayo. It was obviously a much more difficult climb for himc ompared to a student @ Northwestern.
If you are not thinking about a high powered competitive niche surgical specialty = ENT/ vascular neurosurg/ cardiovascular / urology / plastics then you will most likely do okay. We don't have any real mentors or even a department I believe in any of these speicalties. It will be difficult to do research as well in these specialties.
If you are thinking about a compettiive medical specialties (derm, radio, anesthisiology) you will do okay - we had quite a few matches, even in ivy leagues. We also get a ton of EM every year. IM which the majority of the classes matches every year is one of the least competitive programs and if you want to do that you will definitely succed at any medical school even the carribean programs.
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II yesterday. Completed in June. OOS, low 60s LizzyM, mcat 30, Pharm.D., R.Ph. of 6+ years, pharmacist preceptor. II was a shocker but my heart did not skip one beat. Just one of those unexpected events in life I guess ...
Would be nice to get in though. Although I'm real interested in OMM. Arghhhh dillema.
Would be nice to get in though. Although I'm real interested in OMM. Arghhhh dillema.
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I'm an M2 at CMS and I have a 60 lecture exam tomorrow, but I felt like I had to take the time to correct some things. First of all, thank you for providing such a thorough response, but a lot has changed since you graduated and I wanted to clarify those points (from your "cons" list):
1) Clinical preparation is DECENT (not amazing, not terrible) and I felt totally prepared walking into my preceptorship last week and doing HPI's on real patients. I actually appreciate that we don't have hours and hours of clinical skills training each week because it gives us time to study - you will learn how to do a good HPI and physical no matter what. Learning the basic sciences (for Step 1) is more important right now. Anyway, we now have 2 OSCE's and multiple other clinical skills workshops as part of our 2nd year Essentials of Clinical Reasoning (ECR) class. We also have the Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC) which allows for COPIOUS clinical exposure. We ('cause I'm on the ICC board) train you on EMR. You take your own HPI's and do focused physicals. You present to physicians. Shifts are NOT hard to come by, especially before exams, especially if you get involved (i.e. apply for a board position). Lastly, students last year started a shadowing program through the alumni relations department where you can shadow CMS alums in ANY SPECIALTY you want. I know a lot of people that used the program and loved it. The bottom line is that now-a-days, if you don't have enough clinical training by the end of 2nd year, that's your fault.
1a) This comment has serious merit. We don't have an attached hospital so clinical research opportunities are hard to come by. Nonetheless, it's not impossible and I know many students who (a) found clinical research at the VA (b) found clinical research at Northwestern or other academic centers that they can do on their computer (c) do clinical research on gait, biomechanics or podiatry-related topics (THESE OPPORTUNITIES ARE PLENTIFUL ON CAMPUS), or (d) do summer clinical research programs. In fact, we have a handful of CMS-only clinical summer research programs. One of them is the Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI) summer clinical research program (paid ~$5,000 per student, five or six student spots), where you research health disparities in Chicago and other public health issues. One is the Russell Summer Clinical research program (also paid, also plenty of spots) where they pair you with clinicians to do research. There is also an EMED summer research fellowship I think. You will also get emails from the Dean every week (as an M1) regarding summer research programs. Once again, clinical research is not as readily available as it is at UCLA Medical School, but there are still tons of opportunities.
1c) The M3/M4 grading scheme has COMPLETELY CHANGED, due to student input. This is no longer an issue. Also M1/M2 year is now pass-fail.
2a) The students have been shoving Step 1 down faculty's throat and it now seems like classes are PRETTY GOOD for step 1 (haven't taken it yet, but I've started studying for it). Path teaches almost exactly to Pathoma, most of what we learn in other classes is very similar to First Aid level of detail/depth. That being said the M1 curriculum is WAY TO DETAILED, and M2 still has some issues (like Micro/Immuno being too detailed) but we are undergoing a massive curriculum overhaul that will address this. M1/M2 exam questions are now being written as clinical vignettes, much more similar to Step 1. We've also gotten school-sponsored discounts on nearly every Step 1 prep material (First Aid, DIT, USMLE-Rx, Picmonic, are discounted and Firecracker is Free).
2b) See 2a)
3) We do not have our own hospital so clinical mentorship can be difficult to come by. THIS IS A SERIOUS DISADVANTAGE. However, we do have professors/clinicians on staff with a wide reach who can help you think about which programs (nationally) to apply to and for some residency programs (i.e. neuro) maybe even put in a good word. You also have to realize that because our school has been around since 1912, there are CMS alums in EVERY SPECIALTY, EVERY CITY. Go into Google right now and type in "Chicago Medical School," with a specialty of your choice and a city of your choice. You are guaranteed to find at least one faculty page where they list their alma matter as "Chicago Medical School." Email them. They're almost guaranteed to respond (I've had 100% response rate from 3 CMS alums I emailed in Boston) because alums want to help current students out. Also if you're from SoCal, we have a THRIVING SoCal alumni association with at least yearly (if not twice yearly) baller meetings (with catering, open bar, tons of alumni from every field).
4) Cost. This is still a serious issue. However, they continue to add more and more options for students. I was funded (internally - i.e. from the school) with a $15,000 fellowship last year, as well as a separate $2,000 scholarship. They do offer some money. And Alumni continue to donate money. I think that EVENTUALLY (probably too late for you reading this), this will no longer be an issue. We also have a tuition freeze so your M1 tuition is the tuition you will graduate with.
In closing, I just want to say that CMS is GOING UP (...on a Tuesday...) - no really, things are improving drastically at this school. People ARE choosing CMS as a first-choice over other med schools (I have a friend here who chose CMS over a large East-coast state school and over Temple because of our SoCal connections). I have another friend who chose CMS over other acceptances because of our interprofessional focus (strange, I know, but true story). There's way more school pride than I saw last year (everyone's wearing school gear), intramural sports and recreational activities get added every week, more and more volunteering opportunities. Faculty, staff, and admin are happy to be here - it's kind of strange to see all of these middle-aged or older people bouncing around the hallways who just LOVE SERVING STUDENTS. Our facilities are EXTREMELY NICE - I've seen many medical schools and not a single one has had as up-to-date, clean, modern, spacious facilities as we do. Also, when students complain about something it gets fixed. In general, this is a really amazing place to be. I think of it (in the winter at least) as an island of good vibes in the frozen North Chicago tundra.
GOOD LUCK to those applying and feel free to PM with specific questions (keep it specific please, time is of the essence for me right now)!
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Big thanks to all who have taken the time to give honest reviews!
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Anyone else complete over 10 weeks ago still not get a response? (10wks because the complete email said 8-10wks for a status update- I know it's just an estimate and to be patient, but I was wondering if others were over that 10wk line)
Have ties to Chicago and my bf lives there, so here's hoping for some good news
Have ties to Chicago and my bf lives there, so here's hoping for some good news
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If I have a committee letter with my application, will they not read an individual letter that I submit with it? The website information is unclear about any extra letters with a committee letter.
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It can take up to six months to get a response. Sit tight.
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Has anyone gone through the RFUMS MMI process yet? If so, could you comment on how it felt? Thanks in advance!
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It took a station or two to get the hang of the flow, but then it got easier and it was over in a flash! The interviewers were nice, so I came away from it in a good mood. I just had an MMI at another school this weekend, and I felt that the MMI at RFUMS was less stressful.
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Awesome. My MMI at albany was similar. Were the interviewers conversational?
