2017-2018 California University of Science and Medicine MBS program

[KEPT]

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Did the other 21-22 didn’t make the cut?

 

[nbsoccer]

@jazzmetal
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Congrats on being almost finished!
I am really in between PA and medical school and I'm having a hard time deciding between both. I've spent 4 years of undergrad really trying to determine which is better for me, but I was always leaning towards PA school a little more due to the length of the residency and fellowship I need to do. I figured a SMP would really help me decide. I also need a really good graduate GPA to offset my undergrad GPA (i had some family circumstances that required me to work full-time on top of volunteering and other stuff, as well as making the mistake of taking 18 credits every semester). I know that PA school will average the 2 GPA's which is why I would need to pretty much get a 4.0 or close to offset my undergrad GPA by a good amount. I know that when I am away from home and able to dedicate 100% of my time to studying, that will be all that I do. But i'm still really worried about my abilities and committing to a program and getting a bad GPA in it. I haven't officially applied yet, but I've started the application. I'm from Florida so I really have not heard too much about the program except from what I've read on SDN and online. The site really appeals to me and it seems to be a great program.
How are the professors if you dont mind me asking? Is the program really about their lectures and powerpoints, etc. or do you kinda teach yourself? Also, are you typically in school from 8-5 every day?
Thank you again!

 

[premedbrah]

Hi, I did matriculate - now almost done! The program is really intense. We take 8 courses at a time and I'd say 5-6 of them are consistently challenging. The one-unit courses (Ethics, Anatomy, Critical Thinking/Journal Club and Careers which is P/F) aren't as demanding, but can still take up a fair amount of time, especially Ethics. Most of the others are two-unit courses that should really be three units. You'll definitely study all the time. I'd say a 3.7+ is doable if you're very disciplined and good at memorizing; I don't know of anyone pulling a 4.0 although that doesn't mean that no one is, and I've heard of a couple 3.9s. Of the 8 people who applied to the CalMed MD program this year, 2 were accepted and 2 waitlisted, initially. One person recently got in from the waitlist. No one in our class applied to PA school this year, as far as I know. There are another 8 of us who had a provisional acceptance to the MD program (graduate MBS with a 3.5+ and we're in) because we came into the MBS program from last year's MD waitlist, and a couple from that cohort got into other med schools too. Of course I hope they will choose CalMed. 🙂 If so, then there will be 11-12 of us moving from CalMed MBS to CalMed MD this year, out of 33 MBS graduates this year.

What's motivating you to be looking at a special masters program? Have you already applied to CalMed MBS?

On the MBS site it states that students who have a 3.2 cumulative in the first semester and 504+ MCAT are granted an interview for the MD program. Are they referring to your GPA obtained for that semester or your cumulative throughout undergrad? Also, do you know if most people granted interviews for the MBS program are accepted? Thanks in advance!

 

[jazzmetal]

Did the other 21-22 didn’t make the cut?

They didn't apply this cycle.

 

[jazzmetal]

@jazzmetal
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Congrats on being almost finished!
I am really in between PA and medical school and I'm having a hard time deciding between both. I've spent 4 years of undergrad really trying to determine which is better for me, but I was always leaning towards PA school a little more due to the length of the residency and fellowship I need to do. I figured a SMP would really help me decide. I also need a really good graduate GPA to offset my undergrad GPA (i had some family circumstances that required me to work full-time on top of volunteering and other stuff, as well as making the mistake of taking 18 credits every semester). I know that PA school will average the 2 GPA's which is why I would need to pretty much get a 4.0 or close to offset my undergrad GPA by a good amount. I know that when I am away from home and able to dedicate 100% of my time to studying, that will be all that I do. But i'm still really worried about my abilities and committing to a program and getting a bad GPA in it. I haven't officially applied yet, but I've started the application. I'm from Florida so I really have not heard too much about the program except from what I've read on SDN and online. The site really appeals to me and it seems to be a great program.
How are the professors if you dont mind me asking? Is the program really about their lectures and powerpoints, etc. or do you kinda teach yourself? Also, are you typically in school from 8-5 every day?
Thank you again!

Ah, I didn't know that PA schools average grad and undergrad. I do think special masters programs are risky, though. Have you considered doing a DIY or formal postbac instead? I ended up taking a *lot* of DIY postbac units and it improved my undergrad GPA quite a bit. Also, I wouldn't have gone on to do an SMP if I hadn't gotten the provisional acceptance offer. And I'm not sure an SMP would give you the best window into whether you'd prefer med over PA. Seems like shadowing and other clinical experience would be more helpful in that decision. Not to be down on SMPs or imply that there's anything wrong with CalMed's program. It's just a big gamble because as you say, if you don't get a strong GPA in an SMP, that would be a big strike against you when it came time to apply for med or PA.

We are definitely not in school all day: it's 8am-noon at the latest, some days out by 11am or even 10am this semester. Nothing in the afternoons save for an exam review session here and there. All of the lectures are recorded and yes, the slides are the focus over the textbooks although of course we do have textbooks too. There's a lot of self-teaching; some profs are better than others at putting slides together so you just have to figure out the right mix for each course - for some courses, I focus mostly on the slides; others, I focus more on re-listening to the lectures first, then going back to hit the key points in the slide deck.

The courses are taught at a masters level so they go into more detail/depth than a typical postbac course, and apparently in some cases even more than a med school course. Almost all of our professors are PhDs, not MDs, and they are teaching more from the academic perspective than clinical. We definitely don't do anything in the program outside of academics, and I haven't had time for clinical volunteering or anything like that, although some of my classmates have part-time clinical jobs.

From my "non-trad" perspective, I'd actually suggest you consider a gap year where all you do is work before diving back into more school. Sounds like you worked plenty during undergrad - hats off to you! I just remember learning so much from my first career-level job: about the world of work and office politics, and about myself and what I wanted to spend my days doing and with whom. For me, the key factor between PA and physician would be how much autonomy I would get in my job. I learned early on that I need a *lot* of autonomy to be happy. So maybe that is something for you to explore in a gap year? Yes, med school is way longer, but in the grand scheme of things, if it gets you where you want to end up, then you have to just put your head down and get it done. On the other hand if you take a year working in clinical research or as a scribe and you like it just fine, then I think that gives you your answer of where you'll be comfortable ending up, you know?

 

[KEPT]

They didn't apply this cycle.

That is surprising considering if they went into the MBS with the intention to get into CUSM

 

[jazzmetal]

On the MBS site it states that students who have a 3.2 cumulative in the first semester and 504+ MCAT are granted an interview for the MD program. Are they referring to your GPA obtained for that semester or your cumulative throughout undergrad? Also, do you know if most people granted interviews for the MBS program are accepted? Thanks in advance!

Hi, it's your GPA in the MBS program, not undergrad. If you apply MD in the same year that you are doing the MBS, then it would be your Fall MBS GPA that would determine whether you got the guaranteed MD interview; if you apply MD the year after you've graduated from the MBS, then it would be whatever GPA you graduated from the MBS with that determined whether you got the MD interview.

We had 8 people apply this year. Of those, 2 were accepted and 2 were waitlisted initially; one of those two waitlisted applicants has now been accepted and the other is still waiting. My sense was that coming from the MBS program did not give any advantage. Yes, they got an interview, but the adcom made it clear that the MBS applicants were competing with everyone else who got an interview. As a new school, CalMed is understandably focused on showing good stats, so your MCAT will be super important. MCAT >>> interview skills, from what I can tell.

 

[jazzmetal]

That is surprising considering if they went into the MBS with the intention to get into CUSM

It's actually not easy to be applying to med school at the same time as doing this program, especially if you have to take or retake the MCAT. Most people are finishing the program and then applying. The guaranteed interview offer still stands, plus you have more time to apply to lots of other schools, vs putting all your eggs in the CalMed basket. I think we had only 3-4 classmates who applied to other schools at the same time as applying to CalMed and it was a ton of work for them to do secondaries and interviews on top of the MBS program.

 

[KEPT]

Ah I see

 

[KEPT]

Hi, it's your GPA in the MBS program, not undergrad. If you apply MD in the same year that you are doing the MBS, then it would be your Fall MBS GPA that would determine whether you got the guaranteed MD interview; if you apply MD the year after you've graduated from the MBS, then it would be whatever GPA you graduated from the MBS with that determined whether you got the MD interview.

We had 8 people apply this year. Of those, 2 were accepted and 2 were waitlisted initially; one of those two waitlisted applicants has now been accepted and the other is still waiting. My sense was that coming from the MBS program did not give any advantage. Yes, they got an interview, but the adcom made it clear that the MBS applicants were competing with everyone else who got an interview. As a new school, CalMed is understandably focused on showing good stats, so your MCAT will be super important. MCAT >>> interview skills, from what I can tell.

Mind me asking what was your mcat?

 

[jazzmetal]

Mind me asking what was your mcat?

I was at 512 with high CARS which they also seem to like at least for purposes of getting an interview.
Last year's class average was 513. This year is supposedly around 514.
Also - one more of our classmates got in off the waitlist. Yay! That makes 4 accepted of the 8 who applied this cycle from the MBS (not counting the additional 8 with provisional acceptances).

 

[premedbrah]

I was at 512 with high CARS which they also seem to like at least for purposes of getting an interview.
Last year's class average was 513. This year is supposedly around 514.
Also - one more of our classmates got in off the waitlist. Yay! That makes 4 accepted of the 8 who applied this cycle from the MBS (not counting the additional 8 with provisional acceptances).

Did the other 4 get rejected? Or are they still waiting to hear back

 

[jazzmetal]

Did the other 4 get rejected? Or are they still waiting to hear back

Rejected, unfortunately. :-(

 

[KEPT]

Damn sound like a pretty bad program then lol if the percentage going into the BMS program and matriculation is that low

 

[premedbrah]

Damn sound like a pretty bad program then lol if the percentage going into the BMS program and matriculation is that low

Could be a variety of variables... low MCAT scores, poor interview skills, etc. The fact that the program gets your foot in the door with an interview is great. Likewise, this doesn't mean that the applicants didn't get into schools elsewhere. Seems worthwhile

 

[KEPT]

The only thing I’m worrying about is that MBS students are view the same as other applicants, the point of MBS is hoping to get a leg up from the general applicants haha

 

[premedbrah]

The only thing I’m worrying about is that MBS students are view the same as other applicants, the point of MBS is hoping to get a leg up from the general applicants haha

The leg up you get is that you have an interview spot, versus not having any interviews at all.

 

[KEPT]

The leg up you get is that you have an interview spot, versus not having any interviews at all.

Haha by general applicants I meant applicants who gain interview also but that’s just my insecurity since I will be starting with low stats.

 

[nbsoccer]

Ah, I didn't know that PA schools average grad and undergrad. I do think special masters programs are risky, though. Have you considered doing a DIY or formal postbac instead? I ended up taking a *lot* of DIY postbac units and it improved my undergrad GPA quite a bit. Also, I wouldn't have gone on to do an SMP if I hadn't gotten the provisional acceptance offer. And I'm not sure an SMP would give you the best window into whether you'd prefer med over PA. Seems like shadowing and other clinical experience would be more helpful in that decision. Not to be down on SMPs or imply that there's anything wrong with CalMed's program. It's just a big gamble because as you say, if you don't get a strong GPA in an SMP, that would be a big strike against you when it came time to apply for med or PA.

We are definitely not in school all day: it's 8am-noon at the latest, some days out by 11am or even 10am this semester. Nothing in the afternoons save for an exam review session here and there. All of the lectures are recorded and yes, the slides are the focus over the textbooks although of course we do have textbooks too. There's a lot of self-teaching; some profs are better than others at putting slides together so you just have to figure out the right mix for each course - for some courses, I focus mostly on the slides; others, I focus more on re-listening to the lectures first, then going back to hit the key points in the slide deck.

The courses are taught at a masters level so they go into more detail/depth than a typical postbac course, and apparently in some cases even more than a med school course. Almost all of our professors are PhDs, not MDs, and they are teaching more from the academic perspective than clinical. We definitely don't do anything in the program outside of academics, and I haven't had time for clinical volunteering or anything like that, although some of my classmates have part-time clinical jobs.

From my "non-trad" perspective, I'd actually suggest you consider a gap year where all you do is work before diving back into more school. Sounds like you worked plenty during undergrad - hats off to you! I just remember learning so much from my first career-level job: about the world of work and office politics, and about myself and what I wanted to spend my days doing and with whom. For me, the key factor between PA and physician would be how much autonomy I would get in my job. I learned early on that I need a *lot* of autonomy to be happy. So maybe that is something for you to explore in a gap year? Yes, med school is way longer, but in the grand scheme of things, if it gets you where you want to end up, then you have to just put your head down and get it done. On the other hand if you take a year working in clinical research or as a scribe and you like it just fine, then I think that gives you your answer of where you'll be comfortable ending up, you know?

I haven't thought of doing a DIY postbac, but it seems like that would help a lot. I will definitely look into it. It is nerve racking because if I don't do well in an SMP, my chances of getting into any medical program are basically none. Thank you so much for your response and all of your help, I appreciate it so much. I have a lot to think about going forward lol

 

[Thunderous Magician]

Hey Everyone,

I emailed the program director a while ago, asking some questions. I figured that I should post her responses here; hopefully, it is helpful to some of you to decide whether or not to join the program.

"Thank you for your interest in our program.

We are a new University and we are just about to take our second classes for our MBS as well as our MD program. We are currently at two temporary sites in San Bernardino as we await construction of our permanent building (this will be completed after the graduation of our Class of 2020). We are in office-like space rather than a University campus. At the site where the MBS program is located we have our classroom, a small kitchen, a lunch room, a quiet study room, open space for studying and the faculty offices. We also have IT, library and academic/career counselling support. There is plenty of free parking outside and we are very close to places to buy food/drinks. MBS students also have access to our other site which is about 5 mins drive and can attend activities with the MD students or use the study space there.

At the moment opportunities for research are limited, however given that our program runs over 10 months, then typically students do not have too much time for research, they are focused on completing the academic requirements. For our Capstone Research project the students work in groups and design research questions where they can use publicly available data sets.

The majority of our first class are from California as well as some students from other States.

There are a number of ways that we support our students who would like to go on to medical school. Our curriculum of graduate level Biomedical Science courses prepares students for classes that would come up in a healthcare curriculum, some of our courses are taught by faculty who teach in the MD program. We also have a course in Critical Thinking in Biomedical Sciences and also Ethics. We have a Career Pathways course where students learn about different healthcare programs (including MD) and jobs they can do with their degree. They also work on their resumes and take part in mock interviews. There is also one on one support with our Career/Academic Counsellor and she will assist students with their AMCAS applications. Students with an MCAT score of 504 and above and 3.2 GPA in our Fall semester who apply to our MD program are guaranteed an interview. I’m currently working with vendors of MCAT prep courses to be able to offer discounted registration for our students."

 

[jazzmetal]

Hey Everyone,

I emailed the program director a while ago, asking some questions. I figured that I should post her responses here; hopefully, it is helpful to some of you to decide whether or not to join the program.

"Thank you for your interest in our program.

We are a new University and we are just about to take our second classes for our MBS as well as our MD program. We are currently at two temporary sites in San Bernardino as we await construction of our permanent building (this will be completed after the graduation of our Class of 2020). We are in office-like space rather than a University campus. At the site where the MBS program is located we have our classroom, a small kitchen, a lunch room, a quiet study room, open space for studying and the faculty offices. We also have IT, library and academic/career counselling support. There is plenty of free parking outside and we are very close to places to buy food/drinks. MBS students also have access to our other site which is about 5 mins drive and can attend activities with the MD students or use the study space there.

At the moment opportunities for research are limited, however given that our program runs over 10 months, then typically students do not have too much time for research, they are focused on completing the academic requirements. For our Capstone Research project the students work in groups and design research questions where they can use publicly available data sets.

The majority of our first class are from California as well as some students from other States.

There are a number of ways that we support our students who would like to go on to medical school. Our curriculum of graduate level Biomedical Science courses prepares students for classes that would come up in a healthcare curriculum, some of our courses are taught by faculty who teach in the MD program. We also have a course in Critical Thinking in Biomedical Sciences and also Ethics. We have a Career Pathways course where students learn about different healthcare programs (including MD) and jobs they can do with their degree. They also work on their resumes and take part in mock interviews. There is also one on one support with our Career/Academic Counsellor and she will assist students with their AMCAS applications. Students with an MCAT score of 504 and above and 3.2 GPA in our Fall semester who apply to our MD program are guaranteed an interview. I’m currently working with vendors of MCAT prep courses to be able to offer discounted registration for our students."

This is all accurate (although we didn't talk that much about MD careers in our Careers course; it was more focused on backup plans). Also, our program director is very solid! She teaches too, and is an excellent instructor.

 

[PaulP540]

This is all accurate (although we didn't talk that much about MD careers in our Careers course; it was more focused on backup plans). Also, our program director is very solid! She teaches too, and is an excellent instructor.

What were your stats before actually applying to the MBS is you don't mind me asking?

 

[jazzmetal]

What were your stats before actually applying to the MBS is you don't mind me asking?

Hi, check my 4/25 post in this thread and earlier posts that explain (iirc) that I got into the MBS automatically from last year's MD waitlist. My AMCAS cGPA was around 3.4 (3.1 original undergrad, 3.8 postbac). Not sure how CUSM MBS adcom views undergrad GPA. Average MCAT for this year's MBS class was around 500 but I expect it'll increase for next year's class.

 

[PaulP540]

Hi, check my 4/25 post in this thread and earlier posts that explain (iirc) that I got into the MBS automatically from last year's MD waitlist. My AMCAS cGPA was around 3.4 (3.1 original undergrad, 3.8 postbac). Not sure how CUSM MBS adcom views undergrad GPA. Average MCAT for this year's MBS class was around 500 but I expect it'll increase for next year's class.

Do you know if the other people that got in had around the same stats as you when applying to the MBS program. From what I understand, I feel if you were to do solid in the MBS program and the MCAT/interview you should be a shoe-in. I had a 2.9 undergrad and a 3.5 post-bacc and a 510 on the MCAT so I'm trying to understand If I should apply here or elsewhere.

 

[jazzmetal]

Do you know if the other people that got in had around the same stats as you when applying to the MBS program. From what I understand, I feel if you were to do solid in the MBS program and the MCAT/interview you should be a shoe-in. I had a 2.9 undergrad and a 3.5 post-bacc and a 510 on the MCAT so I'm trying to understand If I should apply here or elsewhere.

A 510 MCAT and good MBS grades would make you competitive for the MD if you were coming from the MBS (and were well-liked, interviewed well, fit the school's mission, checked all the extracurricular boxes), although I'd never say it would be a slam dunk. I think a 510 would likely get you at least waitlisted, but maybe not straight in. Average MCAT in the MBS this year was around 500, but I have no idea what people's undergrad GPAs were, sorry!