2016-2017 Albany Medical College Application Thread

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ChrisMack390 said:
Is this a big community service school? I was not actually aware of that, though it would explain why I got an II early on.

EDIT: Nevermind, I posted this before realizing you posted the same question in 20 different topics.
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I can't really tell whether or not you're being condescending with that comment but no, it doesn't seem to be. I posted it to multiple forums because I'm extremely overwhelmed with secondaries (I woke up to over 20 of them in my email on August 1st after my primary became verified the day before) and I'm at a point where I need to thin the list of ones I'm going to complete by a reasonable time.
 
skrolls said:
I can't really tell whether or not you're being condescending with that comment but no, it doesn't seem to be. I posted it to multiple forums because I'm extremely overwhelmed with secondaries (I woke up to over 20 of them in my email on August 1st after my primary became verified the day before) and I'm at a point where I need to thin the list of ones I'm going to complete by a reasonable time.
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Not really "condescending" but I thought this was a targeted question about Albany Medical College, and then I realized you were posting this question all over the boards. Next time, I would suggest making 1 topic in the general Pre-MD forum.
 
ChrisMack390 said:
Not really "condescending" but I thought this was a targeted question about Albany Medical College, and then I realized you were posting this question all over the boards. Next time, I would suggest making 1 topic in the general Pre-MD forum.
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I sort of had a panic moment about it earlier, didn't know posting about it in multiple forums of schools I applied to would cause problems for people.
 
skrolls said:
I sort of had a panic moment about it earlier, didn't know posting about it in multiple forums of schools I applied to would cause problems for people.
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No one is really going to be able to tell you. The most someone can say is ... "you probably need more hours," which you already know.

Most schools care about service, but as this process has showed, different parts of your application can get you through the door.
 
Has anyone else not received the secondary? Verified 8/6
 
Anyone else interviewing this Thursday? I'm some combination of excited and terrified.
 
ChrisMack390 said:
Anyone else interviewing this Thursday? I'm some combination of excited and terrified.
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ahhh so soon! you're going to enjoy it! I like to think of MMI's as speed dating, I interviewed here two years ago and I had lots of fun! everyone there made was really helpful and made sure to make the day as easy as possible.
 
Would any of you guys consider having 2 mcat scores with the retake being substantially higher then the first as an inconsistency in your application and something that needs to be explained?
 
Robracer89 said:
Would any of you guys consider having 2 mcat scores with the retake being substantially higher then the first as an inconsistency in your application and something that needs to be explained?
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I think if you can clearly and concisely explain what you did to improve the second go, why not? This isn't really any different than explaining an upward trend in grades (which I did and have an II).
 
Robracer89 said:
Would any of you guys consider having 2 mcat scores with the retake being substantially higher then the first as an inconsistency in your application and something that needs to be explained?
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I explained my 3 attempts and got an interview. I think if you can say how you actively improved your study skills / approach, why not?

SDN is notorious for saying not to bring up negatives but 4 of my interviews were on secondaries where I explained my inconsistencies.
 
How about using the inconsistencies questions to explain a downward trend instead?
 
@Pinocytosis thanks!


First interview done! MMI was not nearly as bad as expected. The questions ranged from quick and easy to pretty challenging. Most interviewers were very friendly and conversational. One was a bit intimidating but no big deal.

Overall I really liked Albany. The students seem very friendly with each other and generally very happy. Albany being an urban area surrounded by a lot of rural areas seems like a great place to learn medicine. All of the faculty and staff we interacted with out of the MMI scenarios were awesome!
 
ChrisMack390 said:
@Pinocytosis thanks!


First interview done! MMI was not nearly as bad as expected. The questions ranged from quick and easy to pretty challenging. Most interviewers were very friendly and conversational. One was a bit intimidating but no big deal.

Overall I really liked Albany. The students seem very friendly with each other and generally very happy. Albany being an urban area surrounded by a lot of rural areas seems like a great place to learn medicine. All of the faculty and staff we interacted with out of the MMI scenarios were awesome!
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Glad to hear it went well. I've spent a considerable amount of time at AMC playing many roles. If you have any questions that do not pertain to the medical college, I'd be happy to answer what I can. Lived in Albany for 6 years for school and grew up in a surrounding region.

My application was finally marked complete today.
 
ChrisMack390 said:
@Pinocytosis thanks!


First interview done! MMI was not nearly as bad as expected. The questions ranged from quick and easy to pretty challenging. Most interviewers were very friendly and conversational. One was a bit intimidating but no big deal.

Overall I really liked Albany. The students seem very friendly with each other and generally very happy. Albany being an urban area surrounded by a lot of rural areas seems like a great place to learn medicine. All of the faculty and staff we interacted with out of the MMI scenarios were awesome!
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Thanks for sharing the info! Good to know that it went well.
 
ChrisMack390 said:
@Pinocytosis thanks!


First interview done! MMI was not nearly as bad as expected. The questions ranged from quick and easy to pretty challenging. Most interviewers were very friendly and conversational. One was a bit intimidating but no big deal.

Overall I really liked Albany. The students seem very friendly with each other and generally very happy. Albany being an urban area surrounded by a lot of rural areas seems like a great place to learn medicine. All of the faculty and staff we interacted with out of the MMI scenarios were awesome!
Click to expand...

Also interviewed today- see you next Saturday, I think. I found the whole thing to be as relaxed as they promised it'd be when we first signed in. No tricks. Everyone, from the admissions staff to the interviewers, was amicable and kept things moving along quickly, which was appreciated given the stress.

Albany struck me as a no-frills program that was aiming straight for the clinical exposure/experience angle, promising that you'll leave with excellent hands-on skills without a ton on emphasis on flashiness in comforts, amenities, or design. The campus is first and foremost a very busy hospital with a huge service area. Our tour guide stressed that the program wasn't competitive or grueling and a big overarching message was that the administration will move mountains for you if you're in need while a student.

Pleasantly surprised and would be happy to attend.
 
FiatLux038 said:
Also interviewed today- see you next Saturday, I think. I found the whole thing to be as relaxed as they promised it'd be when we first signed in. No tricks. Everyone, from the admissions staff to the interviewers, was amicable and kept things moving along quickly, which was appreciated given the stress.

Albany struck me as a no-frills program that was aiming straight for the clinical exposure/experience angle, promising that you'll leave with excellent hands-on skills without a ton on emphasis on flashiness in comforts, amenities, or design. The campus is first and foremost a very busy hospital with a huge service area. Our tour guide stressed that the program wasn't competitive or grueling and a big overarching message was that the administration will move mountains for you if you're in need while a student.

Pleasantly surprised and would be happy to attend.
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Thanks for the feedback!
 
FiatLux038 said:
Also interviewed today- see you next Saturday, I think. I found the whole thing to be as relaxed as they promised it'd be when we first signed in. No tricks. Everyone, from the admissions staff to the interviewers, was amicable and kept things moving along quickly, which was appreciated given the stress.

Albany struck me as a no-frills program that was aiming straight for the clinical exposure/experience angle, promising that you'll leave with excellent hands-on skills without a ton on emphasis on flashiness in comforts, amenities, or design. The campus is first and foremost a very busy hospital with a huge service area. Our tour guide stressed that the program wasn't competitive or grueling and a big overarching message was that the administration will move mountains for you if you're in need while a student.

Pleasantly surprised and would be happy to attend.
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Current first year at AMC lurking here because I actually just really enjoy giving people advice.

Your impression is pretty much exactly how it is here. AMC never tries to fluff something up to be something it isn't, the school atmosphere speaks for itself.
In my short less than a month here I have already witnessed how much the staff cares for us as students time and time again. I have emailed professors and administrators at 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights with questions and they got back to me within a half an hour. That's just the type of place AMC is. I love my class, I love the staff, I love pretty much everything about being a student here.

If anyone wants advice on anything, feel free to PM me and I will do my best to answer promptly (although my first test is on Monday, so maybe not right away for now...).

Also, pro-tip: add the admissions email address to your contacts if you haven't already. My interview invitation here went to my spam mail and I almost missed my chance to go to this amazing school. Wouldn't want that to happen to anyone else!

Good luck and I hope to see some of you here next year!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
RT1126 said:
Current first year at AMC lurking here because I actually just really enjoy giving people advice.

Your impression is pretty much exactly how it is here. AMC never tries to fluff something up to be something it isn't, the school atmosphere speaks for itself.
In my short less than a month here I have already witnessed how much the staff cares for us as students time and time again. I have emailed professors and administrators at 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights with questions and they got back to me within a half an hour. That's just the type of place AMC is. I love my class, I love the staff, I love pretty much everything about being a student here.

If anyone wants advice on anything, feel free to PM me and I will do my best to answer promptly (although my first test is on Monday, so maybe not right away for now...).

Also, pro-tip: add the admissions email address to your contacts if you haven't already. My interview invitation here went to my spam mail and I almost missed my chance to go to this amazing school. Wouldn't want that to happen to anyone else!

Good luck and I hope to see some of you here next year!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
Good luck on your exam! 🙂
 
RT1126 said:
Current first year at AMC lurking here because I actually just really enjoy giving people advice.

Your impression is pretty much exactly how it is here. AMC never tries to fluff something up to be something it isn't, the school atmosphere speaks for itself.
In my short less than a month here I have already witnessed how much the staff cares for us as students time and time again. I have emailed professors and administrators at 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights with questions and they got back to me within a half an hour. That's just the type of place AMC is. I love my class, I love the staff, I love pretty much everything about being a student here.

If anyone wants advice on anything, feel free to PM me and I will do my best to answer promptly (although my first test is on Monday, so maybe not right away for now...).

Also, pro-tip: add the admissions email address to your contacts if you haven't already. My interview invitation here went to my spam mail and I almost missed my chance to go to this amazing school. Wouldn't want that to happen to anyone else!

Good luck and I hope to see some of you here next year!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
Thank you for being such a great resource!!! Good luck on your exam!
 
Are the interviews open-file, or blind? I realize it's MMI, but just wondering
 
I did a really dumb thing. I thought I submitted my secondary on july 31. i even paid the application fee. but i realized i never clicked the certify button. probably because i was so tired from so many secondaries. so i basically did not turn in the secondary. until today. i feel so dumb right now. Do you guys think august 21 is late in the cycle?
 
idkwhatname said:
I did a really dumb thing. I thought I submitted my secondary on july 31. i even paid the application fee. but i realized i never clicked the certify button. probably because i was so tired from so many secondaries. so i basically did not turn in the secondary. until today. i feel so dumb right now. Do you guys think august 21 is late in the cycle?
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My pre-health advisor was slow and didn't get my committee letter in until 9/7, and I got in. You're fine! Albany doesn't fill up as fast as they can like some schools. Even the interviewees in March and April have equal chance at getting in (I interviewed in April).


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
idkwhatname said:
I did a really dumb thing. I thought I submitted my secondary on july 31. i even paid the application fee. but i realized i never clicked the certify button. probably because i was so tired from so many secondaries. so i basically did not turn in the secondary. until today. i feel so dumb right now. Do you guys think august 21 is late in the cycle?
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I did this for Emory. Still submitted.
 
"Please explain any inconsistencies in your university, graduate, or professional school academic performance and/or MCAT scores"

could someone help me out with this question? I took the mcat 3 times with my most recent being a 504 (127/124/125/128) does this warrant an explanation? the subsections meet the cutoff requirements so not sure if i draw adcoms attention to a negative part of my app
 
medbunny56 said:
"Please explain any inconsistencies in your university, graduate, or professional school academic performance and/or MCAT scores"

could someone help me out with this question? I took the mcat 3 times with my most recent being a 504 (127/124/125/128) does this warrant an explanation? the subsections meet the cutoff requirements so not sure if i draw adcoms attention to a negative part of my app
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1. 504 is your most recent, is it also the highest? Did you gradually raise it from the 1st to 3rd attempt?

If not, probably worry addressing.

2. Their attention will already be on it. I understand not bringing it up in interviews, but on the application... not so much. I've done it on every secondary that asked and made sure to highlight my growth.

Edit: I took it 3x with my most recent being 512 (128 across the board) and still briefly mentioned what I did to change my study / testing habits.
 
if their 10th percentile on msar is a 29, should i not submit my secondary with a 28 equivalent mcat? (504 on new scale)
cgpa=3.63, sgpa=3.51
 
Hello All,

Also an MS1 here. If you have any questions that you would like answered just shoot me a PM. We just completed our first exam, so I should be able to answer everyone back pretty quick.

Good Luck!!!
 
Is it typical to see "The recommendations listed below have been received: - 0 of 0 have been received." after my application has been certified and submitted? This is despite the fact that AMCAS tells me they've sent them and I can see that I selected to send four of them via the actual secondary.
 
Hello, any insight would be appreciated! I'm OOS, LizzyM~70, and very clinical and community service-oriented in terms of experiences. Some research experience, not extensive. No ties to New York, and have only been to Manhattan/Long Island. So far 3 rejections and 2 II's. Would it be worth applying here at this point?
 
pikachu18 said:
Hello, any insight would be appreciated! I'm OOS, LizzyM~70, and very clinical and community service-oriented in terms of experiences. Some research experience, not extensive. No ties to New York, and have only been to Manhattan/Long Island. So far 3 rejections and 2 II's. Would it be worth applying here at this point?
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OOS: no bearing on application process (private institution)
LM: that definitely should be good enough. Mean MCAT is 31 or 32. Give or take.
Research: good
Service experiences: good
Ties to NY: doesn't matter (private institution)

I would apply as hard as it is for me to say since I'm also an applicant. Haha. It's a good school/medical center.
 
Pinocytosis said:
OOS: no bearing on application process (private institution)
LM: that definitely should be good enough. Mean MCAT is 31 or 32. Give or take.
Research: good
Service experiences: good
Ties to NY: doesn't matter (private institution)

I would apply as hard as it is for me to say since I'm also an applicant. Haha. It's a good school/medical center.
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Thanks so much for the input! I would love to apply to another NY school (I applied to two others but they're both super super reach schools) so I'll do some more thinking. Best of luck!!
 
Hi guys! I'm a current MS1 here at AMC and I'd be happy to answer any questions to the best of my ability! We just had our first exam a week ago so I've got one under my belt now, which is crazy since it seems like just yesterday I was applying!
 
mergreymd said:
Hi guys! I'm a current MS1 here at AMC and I'd be happy to answer any questions to the best of my ability! We just had our first exam a week ago so I've got one under my belt now, which is crazy since it seems like just yesterday I was applying!
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Your stats are encouraging. We're pretty much exactly the same. Did you have any experience with AMC prior to applications? i.e. clinical work, volunteering, etc.
 
I got a pretty loaded question in my inbox so I figured I'd post it here since it would probably answer many questions. So here goes...
What's been your favorite thing so far?
My favorite thing so far about AMC has been the community. All of my classmates are amazing - my class is already so close. We have social events going on all the time and theres a few cliques but that's definitely the minority. For the most part we're all one big happy family. In addition to that, the employees at the Medical College are UH MAY ZING. Any problem you could possibly have, be it related to school/academics or not, there are 13 people willing to drop everything and help you out. I experienced this first hand with an issue I had during orientation and I've had others say the same - literally everyone that works here wants to be your friend and to see you succeed.

What's the one thing that drew you to the school?
One thing that really drew me to AMC was how genuinely happy all the students seemed when I came here for my interview day. Every MS1/2 that I met during that day was really hype about the school and kept telling me how much they loved their classmates/professors/the city of Albany/etc etc. So, overall the great vibes and enthusiasm that I got from so many people that day!

What surprised you about the school?
When I went to med school I thought the environment was going to be all study and no fun, no matter what anyone told me, and thats what has been the most surprising. Our class, as well as the MS2s are frequently referred to as the "boozers", which means we like to party. But we also know when its time to buckle down and get ready for assignments/exams/etc.

After your interview, what were the biggest draws for you about the school?
One of the big draws was the free coffee, lol. I'm just kidding. Not really (you do get free coffee in the student lounge). One big draw for me is that Albany Medical Center is the only Level 1 trauma center servicing this region of NY (and western Mass and some parts of Canada), so 3 and 4th years doing clinicals get to see some crazy stuff b/c we're one of the only hospital centers around equipped to handle crazy stuff. Also, in terms of classes, I like having one organ-based theme at a time, since it makes it easy to focus your energy. The longitudinal themes are usually interesting classes 1-2x a week about clinical cases/ethics/etc so its an interesting breath of fresh air from science-focused lectures.

What's the location around the school like?
Albany is a really young city (tons of colleges around) with tons of awesome places to get food or some brews. Upstate NY has a ton of craft breweries and cideries so if you're someone whose into that, its pretty cool. Some areas are pretty poor/run-down, and you'll see some of those neighborhoods during orientation if you come to AMC. There are definitely places to avoid, but for the most part I've felt really safe during my time here. Most students live in off-campus houses less than 1.0 mi from campus, so lots of people walk or take public transport. Albany is also a very car-friendly city, rarely do you have to pay to park anywhere. Students at AMC park for free in the garages near the hospital.

What are the professors like?
So far the professors are pretty chill, but there is a pretty big range. Some people speak so slowly you think you may die, some go so fast your hand is cramping from how fast you're taking notes. Some respond to emails in 5 minutes, some take 2 days. Some ask exam questions on the big concepts, some focus on that tiny detail on slide 35 of lecture 15. It really varies. But everyone is pretty nice and good about responding when you have questions. Questions emailed to professors about lectures get posted on an online forum so everyone can learn from other student's questions / prof's answers. Lectures are recorded, can be watched from home at 1x, 1.4x, 1.6x, and 2x speed. Only some classes are mandatory to attend (usually ~1/week). I go to lecture, but more people don't than do. Personal choice.

Is it a close knit or subtly competitive environment?
*Louder for the people in the back* ALBANY IS 100% NOT COMPETITIVE! AT ALL! Everyone helps each other. If I'm struggling, I can easily find five friends willing to sit me down, grab a whiteboard and explain it 30 times until I understand it. MS2s are happy to take you under their wing and give advice about professors/themes/study habits/etc. I really can't stress it enough - I love the community here. We've only had one exam but so far no one has discussed the grades we received. No one cares what you got. You work for yourself, and the only person you strive to beat is yourself.

What's something you wish you change about the school?
While you do get free parking in the garage, you have to park on the roof, and it takes like 5-8 minutes just to get up there. It sucks. I have to leave like 30 mins before class just to make sure I have enough time to navigate the garage. Also, correspondence before orientation was spotty at best - a lot of people had to directly email the school to get answers to questions before orientation started.

Hope this helps! If your question was not answered here in some form, feel free to message me! 🙂
 
Pinocytosis said:
Your stats are encouraging. We're pretty much exactly the same. Did you have any experience with AMC prior to applications? i.e. clinical work, volunteering, etc.
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twins! 🙂 no I didn't have any prior experience with AMC. I had never even been to Albany before my interview day, despite living less than 2 hours from here.
 
mergreymd said:
twins! 🙂 no I didn't have any prior experience with AMC. I had never even been to Albany before my interview day, despite living less than 2 hours from here.
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Awesome, congratulations on the acceptance.

I've spent a lot of time here with similar stats as yours. I hope to at least get an II.

How was the MMI format at AMC? I have yet to experience an MMI. I have a family member that practices/teaches at AMC and she states that the MMI is more or less low-stress.
 
macbookproretina said:
Is the grading system essentially an A/B/C/D/F although they call it EH/E/G/M/U?
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I'd say its more EH/E = A+, G = A, M=D and U=F honestly. Thats how people tend to view it. Important thing to remember - G = MD people. Only like 1% of the class gets an EH and like 2.5% get Es on each exam. The majority of people get Gs. Very few get Ms and even less get Us.
 
mergreymd said:
I'd say its more EH/E = A+, G = A, M=D and U=F honestly. Thats how people tend to view it. Important thing to remember - G = MD people. Only like 1% of the class gets an EH and like 2.5% get Es on each exam. The majority of people get Gs. Very few get Ms and even less get Us.
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I see.. So essentially 70% of passing is enough to get a G all the way through? Straight G's is a good thing to have then, I presume?
 
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