2015-2016 Rosalind Franklin University Application Thread

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bananafish94 said:
Hi all, I haven't been following this thread very religiously but for those of you who have heard post-interview decisions, I was wondering how long it took for them to get back to you. On my interview day, they said 4-6 weeks, but I perused last year's thread and saw that a lot of people were getting decisions back a lot sooner, especially as it neared the end of the cycle.
Click to expand...

I am at 4 weeks now post interview. And I think the last decisions released were made for the 01/15 interview date.... which makes the next weeks' interviews at 6 weeks waiting for a decision. I think we'll hear a decision on those and mine soon.
 
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HI all,

Questions:
1. What is the best way to get from the airport to the Rosy area?
2. Does the school have a place for me to store my luggage? I am leaving straight from the school and going to the airport.
3. Best way to get from the hotel to Rosy Franklin?
 
ReadyforMed said:
HI all,

Questions:
1. What is the best way to get from the airport to the Rosy area?
2. Does the school have a place for me to store my luggage? I am leaving straight from the school and going to the airport.
3. Best way to get from the hotel to Rosy Franklin?
Click to expand...

1. Taxi or uber. Train and shuttle just takes too long.
2. Yes.
3. which hotel? Some have shuttle service. Or see #1.
 
bunchesonothing said:
I am at 4 weeks now post interview. And I think the last decisions released were made for the 01/15 interview date.... which makes the next weeks' interviews at 6 weeks waiting for a decision. I think we'll hear a decision on those and mine soon.
Click to expand...

I like your logic, but believe the next week's interviewees are in their fifth week of waiting. Seems like there might be another week to go. (I interviewed 2/5.) Crossing fingers for sooner. Good luck, all!!
 
Dr. GuitarBeard said:
I like your logic, but believe the next week's interviewees are in their fifth week of waiting. Seems like there might be another week to go. (I interviewed 2/5.) Crossing fingers for sooner. Good luck, all!!
Click to expand...
Are you referring to post alternate list notification? It seems like everybody getting accepted (at least most) were first put on the alternate list. I got a notification from 1/15 group that I was in the alternate list. Don't know what my chances of coming off are.


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Jobikenobi said:
Are you referring to post alternate list notification? It seems like everybody getting accepted (at least most) were first put on the alternate list. I got a notification from 1/15 group that I was in the alternate list. Don't know what my chances of coming off are.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
Click to expand...


No, I was referring to the initial, post-interview response. Although it appears that almost everyone from the last batch (at least on this forum) was placed on the alternate list. No idea what its movement is like.
 
Dr. GuitarBeard said:
I like your logic, but believe the next week's interviewees are in their fifth week of waiting. Seems like there might be another week to go. (I interviewed 2/5.) Crossing fingers for sooner. Good luck, all!!
Click to expand...

ahhh... I did count wrong. But, hopefully it is sooner.
 
Another way to look at it, is... if I saw things right... is that outside of people getting called off of the waitlist.... I think interview decisions have come out 2/12, 1/05 and 12/03, etc.... If I had to guess, I'd guess the next wave will come out next week. But I am perhaps thinking about this too hard... They'll come out when they come out...
 
bunchesonothing said:
Another way to look at it, is... if I saw things right... is that outside of people getting called off of the waitlist.... I think interview decisions have come out 2/12, 1/05 and 12/03, etc.... If I had to guess, I'd guess the next wave will come out next week. But I am perhaps thinking about this too hard... They'll come out when they come out...
Click to expand...
I interviewed 12/4 and heard back 1/5...I think you could be right

edit: spelling
 
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bunchesonothing said:
Another way to look at it, is... if I saw things right... is that outside of people getting called off of the waitlist.... I think interview decisions have come out 2/12, 1/05 and 12/03, etc.... If I had to guess, I'd guess the next wave will come out next week. But I am perhaps thinking about this too hard... They'll come out when they come out...
Click to expand...

Yes, this makes sense, especially if they meet at the beginning of the month.
 
If there are any current students at CMS reading this thread, I have a couple questions.

1. I looked through the match list and it's pretty impressive, with a good number of people consistently landing spots in Ortho, Derm, etc. How are these guys able to get the requisite research and publications? From what I've seen, the school has no actual clinical departments and no hospital, so where do students go to get their research done? The thing I'm most scared of is that the 5 guys who get accepted to Ortho, for example, have connections to the field of Ortho via family or friends which helps them out, but if you're a random dude off the street with no connections then you'll be out of luck since the school itself offers no clinical research opportunities.

2. I was offered a pretty sizable merit-based scholarship, but it's only for the first year. Do people who receive these scholarships for MS1 tend to get other scholarships in later years as well, or does CMS just give them out during decision season to protect their yield and you're on your own after that?

Thanks for any potential replies.
 
Brahnold said:
If there are any current students at CMS reading this thread, I have a couple questions.

1. I looked through the match list and it's pretty impressive, with a good number of people consistently landing spots in Ortho, Derm, etc. How are these guys able to get the requisite research and publications? From what I've seen, the school has no actual clinical departments and no hospital, so where do students go to get their research done? The thing I'm most scared of is that the 5 guys who get accepted to Ortho, for example, have connections to the field of Ortho via family or friends which helps them out, but if you're a random dude off the street with no connections then you'll be out of luck since the school itself offers no clinical research opportunities.

2. I was offered a pretty sizable merit-based scholarship, but it's only for the first year. Do people who receive these scholarships for MS1 tend to get other scholarships in later years as well, or does CMS just give them out during decision season to protect their yield and you're on your own after that?

Thanks for any potential replies.
Click to expand...

I'd like to add some other questions for current students.

1)Can you comment on the availability and quality of mentorship, especially for residency?

2)Can you comment re time allotted to, and general preparation for, Step 1's?

3) How are hospital clerkship locations assigned? Are there hospitals in the system that students try to avoid?

4)General quality of teaching during the pre-clinical years.

Thanks for your time.
 
Brahnold said:
If there are any current students at CMS reading this thread, I have a couple questions.

1. I looked through the match list and it's pretty impressive, with a good number of people consistently landing spots in Ortho, Derm, etc. How are these guys able to get the requisite research and publications? From what I've seen, the school has no actual clinical departments and no hospital, so where do students go to get their research done? The thing I'm most scared of is that the 5 guys who get accepted to Ortho, for example, have connections to the field of Ortho via family or friends which helps them out, but if you're a random dude off the street with no connections then you'll be out of luck since the school itself offers no clinical research opportunities.

2. I was offered a pretty sizable merit-based scholarship, but it's only for the first year. Do people who receive these scholarships for MS1 tend to get other scholarships in later years as well, or does CMS just give them out during decision season to protect their yield and you're on your own after that?

Thanks for any potential replies.
Click to expand...

1. While we don't have an attached hospital, there are opportunities outside of the school. There's a committee setup to help you find research in different fields. The most common clinical research is done at Russell Research Institute at Lutheran and Sinai. For Ortho, there are connections with Illinois Bone & Joint. No idea on Derm research. I do know a few people who delayed graduation for a research year in order to get into more competitive specialities.

2. I believe you have to apply for scholarships after M1 year.

sunset57 said:
I'd like to add some other questions for current students.

1)Can you comment on the availability and quality of mentorship, especially for residency?

2)Can you comment re time allotted to, and general preparation for, Step 1's?

3) How are hospital clerkship locations assigned? Are there hospitals in the system that students try to avoid?

4)General quality of teaching during the pre-clinical years.

Thanks for your time.
Click to expand...

1. In my opinion, too many mentors. You'll have an older student as a mentor, a faculty mentor, a community physician mentor. The quality of the mentorship is dependent on how much you want out of it. You can opt to have the very minimal and do your own thing, or you can get very involved.

2. Classes end first week of May. You have until mid-June-ish to take Step1. It has to be taken before starting clinicals (July start date). Classes are stacked early M2 year and taper down starting Jan/Feb. There are many resources including structured group study sessions, shelf exams, and old NBMEs. The school provides Firecracker starting M1 year with class discounts on other board material (sketchy, UWorld, Kaplan).

3. There's a lottery/ranking system for clerkships. Most students want to go to the city, but there are rotations in the suburbs too. There are pros/cons for every hospital and depending on which clerkship, there are ones better than others. The best way to find out good/bad sites is to talk to upperclassmen.

4. Wide range depending on the specific lecturer. I'd say M2 year is more structured towards STEP1 than M1. I'm okay with them teaching more than what's in First Aid. I've had questions come up in UWorld that were not in FA, but were covered in class.
 
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cysticduct said:
1. While we don't have an attached hospital, there are opportunities outside of the school. There's a committee setup to help you find research in different fields. The most common clinical research is done at Russell Research Institute at Lutheran and Sinai. For Ortho, there are connections with Illinois Bone & Joint. No idea on Derm research. I do know a few people who delayed graduation for a research year in order to get into more competitive specialities.

2. I believe you have to apply for scholarships after M1 year.



1. In my opinion, too many mentors. You'll have an older student as a mentor, a faculty mentor, a community physician mentor. The quality of the mentorship is dependent on how much you want out of it. You can opt to have the very minimal and do your own thing, or you can get very involved.

2. Classes end first week of May. You have until mid-June-ish to take Step1. It has to be taken before starting clinicals (July start date). Classes are stacked early M2 year and taper down starting Jan/Feb. There are many resources including structured group study sessions, shelf exams, and old NBMEs. The school provides Firecracker starting M1 year with class discounts on other board material (sketchy, UWorld, Kaplan).

3. There's a lottery/ranking system for clerkships. Most students want to go to the city, but there are rotations in the suburbs too. There are pros/cons for every hospital and depending on which clerkship, there are ones better than others. The best way to find out good/bad sites is to talk to upperclassmen.

4. Wide range depending on the specific lecturer. I'd say M2 year is more structured towards STEP1 than M1. I'm okay with them teaching more than what's in First Aid. I've had questions come up in UWorld that were not in FA, but were covered in class.
Click to expand...

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
 
Brahnold said:
If there are any current students at CMS reading this thread, I have a couple questions.

1. I looked through the match list and it's pretty impressive, with a good number of people consistently landing spots in Ortho, Derm, etc. How are these guys able to get the requisite research and publications? From what I've seen, the school has no actual clinical departments and no hospital, so where do students go to get their research done? The thing I'm most scared of is that the 5 guys who get accepted to Ortho, for example, have connections to the field of Ortho via family or friends which helps them out, but if you're a random dude off the street with no connections then you'll be out of luck since the school itself offers no clinical research opportunities.

2. I was offered a pretty sizable merit-based scholarship, but it's only for the first year. Do people who receive these scholarships for MS1 tend to get other scholarships in later years as well, or does CMS just give them out during decision season to protect their yield and you're on your own after that?

Thanks for any potential replies.
Click to expand...

1) I graduated last year I would say for research opporutnities you really have to go out and find it your self. The faculty at school is almost all basic sciences - there is a resuscitation institute at our school and they publish 1-2 papers a year. I think as far as clinical research that is pretty much it at our school.

-connections unforutantely are crucial - if your parent is the ortho program director that is worth more than a perfect USMLE score or the best letters in the world. that is just something you can't control and there is no point worrying about that - control what you can - i.e. USMLE scores, grades, etc.

-mentors are not hard to find at the school but MENTORS WITH CLOUT are white whales at RFU. i.e. my mentor was not involved in admissions, had no idea which programs were "safety schools", not involved in academic medicine, gave general/useless advice.

-take home is if you are looking to go to a high powered specialty in a ivy league program don't come to RFU because you will be at a disadvantage. I'm always suspicious though of people who already know what they want before they even start medical school though.

2) can't comment scholarships did not really exist when i was there
 
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drake19 said:
1) I graduated last year I would say for research opporutnities you really have to go out and find it your self. The faculty at school is almost all basic sciences - there is a resuscitation institute at our school and they publish 1-2 papers a year. I think as far as clinical research that is pretty much it at our school.

-connections unforutantely are crucial - if your parent is the ortho program director that is worth more than a perfect USMLE score or the best letters in the world. that is just something you can't control and there is no point worrying about that - control what you can - i.e. USMLE scores, grades, etc.

-mentors are not hard to find at the school but MENTORS WITH CLOUT are white whales at RFU. i.e. my mentor was not involved in admissions, had no idea which programs were "safety schools", not involved in academic medicine, gave general/useless advice.

-take home is if you are looking to go to a high powered specialty in a ivy league program don't come to RFU because you will be at a disadvantage. I'm always suspicious though of people who already know what they want before they even start medical school though.

2) can't comment scholarships did not really exist when i was there
Click to expand...

Appreciate your responses.

What did you think about the teaching during clerkships?

I realize it will be highly variable, dependent on which resident, and which attending, are on service.

I'm looking more for a general overview re the quality of teaching on the wards, and the overall commitment to teaching medical students.

Thanks.
 
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Thanks for your responses cysticduct and drake19.

I'm currently leaning towards EM but could see myself shooting for Ortho depending on how the healthcare landscape and my own interests play out over the next 4 years. If I end up sticking with EM, CMS seems like a perfectly adequate choice, since EM typically doesn't place great value on research. If I do end up choosing one of the specialties that place a lot of emphasis on publications, however, I'd hate to be running around like a headless chicken in the great wilderness of North Chicago trying to inveigle my way into some random dude's lab.
 
I just cancelled my interview here also. I hope one of y'all gets it. You truly do deserve it.

I was very thankful to get invited to interview here. However, I got into my top choice and figured someone who truly wanted to go here would benefit from receiving my spot.
 
Brahnold said:
Thanks for your responses cysticduct and drake19.

I'm currently leaning towards EM but could see myself shooting for Ortho depending on how the healthcare landscape and my own interests play out over the next 4 years. If I end up sticking with EM, CMS seems like a perfectly adequate choice, since EM typically doesn't place great value on research. If I do end up choosing one of the specialties that place a lot of emphasis on publications, however, I'd hate to be running around like a headless chicken in the great wilderness of North Chicago trying to inveigle my way into some random dude's lab.
Click to expand...
Who cares?!
 
There should be a meeting at the beginning of this month with a verdict for some of us! Fingers crossed.
 
Interview waitlist this morning. Does anyone know how late their interview cycle is?
 
Hi, all! Quick (and probably really stupid) question... if your interview time is at noon then you don't need to be at the school until noon, correct?
I'm 99.999999% sure this is the case but it's been a long week and now I'm afraid I'm missing something haha.
Thanks in advance!
 
ilikeponies said:
Hi, all! Quick (and probably really stupid) question... if your interview time is at noon then you don't need to be at the school until noon, correct?
I'm 99.999999% sure this is the case but it's been a long week and now I'm afraid I'm missing something haha.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Well, I'd get there like 20 minutes early at least...but yeah it starts at noon.
 
ilikeponies said:
Hi, all! Quick (and probably really stupid) question... if your interview time is at noon then you don't need to be at the school until noon, correct?
I'm 99.999999% sure this is the case but it's been a long week and now I'm afraid I'm missing something haha.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

I interviewed at noon a few weeks ago and nothing happened prior to the start time. It was good to chat with fellow interviewees beforehand and relax a bit though.

Good luck!!!
 
Hello all,

Any post interview students send out thank yous letters? This was my only MMI so I am not really sure how it works sending out thank you letters to the interviewers.
 
amt_ said:
Hello all,

Any post interview students send out thank yous letters? This was my only MMI so I am not really sure how it works sending out thank you letters to the interviewers.
Click to expand...

They won't accept the letter.
 
songl4a said:
Interesting interview, first MMI. Stumbled a bit on a station and it's hard to shake the feeling that it could cost me - going to be a long 4-6 weeks.
Click to expand...

There was a issue with one of my interviews so I called CMS to ask about it. They said the MMI format is specifically setup to account for an "off interview" and not to worry about it. I've heard some schools drop your lowest score. Maybe that's the case here as well? Either way, it's safe to assume your average score is much more important than one disappointing take.

The real trauma is the second guessing that occurs over the coming weeks. Self-doubt and insecurity, here we come!
 
songl4a said:
Interesting interview, first MMI. Stumbled a bit on a station and it's hard to shake the feeling that it could cost me - going to be a long 4-6 weeks.
Click to expand...
Everyone stumbles through at one point or another. I'm pretty sure I screwed up at least half of my answers and still got accepted.
amt_ said:
Hello all,

Any post interview students send out thank yous letters? This was my only MMI so I am not really sure how it works sending out thank you letters to the interviewers.
Click to expand...
You should probably skip sending them.
 
amt_ said:
Hello all,

Any post interview students send out thank yous letters? This was my only MMI so I am not really sure how it works sending out thank you letters to the interviewers.
Click to expand...

I sent a general thank you to the admissions committee and MMI interviewers to [email protected] and received an email back saying they'd received it and thanking me for it. They don't seem to accept updates but I got the impression they accepted post-interview thank you's.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
 
megs7531 said:
I sent a general thank you to the admissions committee and MMI interviewers to [email protected] and received an email back saying they'd received it and thanking me for it. They don't seem to accept updates but I got the impression they accepted post-interview thank you's.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
Click to expand...

When I sent one, they told me that they couldn't accept anything, etc...
 
You guys have enough things to worry about. Do NOT send post-interview letters.
 
songl4a said:
Interesting interview, first MMI. Stumbled a bit on a station and it's hard to shake the feeling that it could cost me - going to be a long 4-6 weeks.
Click to expand...

I was told on my interview day that they drop your best and worst interviews. Don't worry 'bout it
 
altrock3 said:
I was told on my interview day that they drop your best and worst interviews. Don't worry 'bout it
Click to expand...
Interesting! I was told by one of the interviewers afterward, that they drop the lowest, take the other 7 scores, add them up and that's your interview score.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
 
Anyone know what the post-interview acceptance rate is here? Also, what time are decisions usually released? Thanks!
 
Shazaam1000 said:
Anyone know what the post-interview acceptance rate is here? Also, what time are decisions usually released? Thanks!
Click to expand...

You're new to this thread aren't you? RFUMS plays it pretty close to the chest. Seems most people are waitlisted post-interview, however, that list seems to move. 4-6 weeks for a response post interview. They've reportedly pulled from waitlist the day before classes start.

It's interesting how often we say interesting now. Can confirm they drop the lowest interview score. Don't know about the highest though, but hey, that's what they do for the Olympics.

Edit: I too sent a thank you email. Got the automated not-accepting-updates-response. Doesn't mean they didn't see it and appreciate the sentiment. This is the Midwest we're talking about so mind your manners.
 
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