2018-2019 Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

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purplecrocs said:
Would love to hear from some current students! I am currently deciding between OUWB and Ohio State, but am leaning towards OUWB, partially because I would be closer to my S/O and partially because I got a full tuition merit scholarship at OUWB.. overall, both seem like they would make me a great clinician (I have no interest in research/academic medicine). The things that draw me to OSU is their curriculum which gives a lot of clinical experience to M1 and M2 students, and their high STEP 1 scores.

Could any students be able to speak to the clinical exposure that M1/M2 students receive? And does anyone know the average STEP scores at OUWB? I know that they have a 100% pass rate and that ultimately, it's up to the students for how they perform on the exams, but it would be nice information to know! Additionally, I know that research is optional at OUWB as a part of students' curriculum, but would you say that there were good opportunities there? I am super interested in GI if that makes a difference!
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Hi, sorry not a current student, but I swear I thought OUWB has a required research thesis as part of their curriculum.
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d72s466 said:
I emailed and they said scholarships would be awarded in April, May, June, July, and probably August. It just depends on how much money becomes available and if people turn down scholarship offers.
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Thanks for asking! I really love this school but I will not be able to attend if I don’t get a decent financial aid / scholarship package :/ so sad
 
futuredoc0307 said:
Hi, sorry not a current student, but I swear I thought OUWB has a required research thesis as part of their curriculum.
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Yeah at the interview they said students do a 4 year research project that is a graduation requirement. I believe it’s called “embark”. They said that time is carved out in the curriculum for students to work on their research and the projects can be as rigorous ( gene sequencing and brain slices ) or laid back (retrospective chart review) as you desire. However, you still have to produce a quality research project.
 
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Goatcappy32 said:
Yeah at the interview they said students do a 4 year research project that is a graduation requirement. I believe it’s called “embark”. They said that time is carved out in the curriculum for students to work on their research and the projects can be as rigorous ( gene sequencing and brain slices ) or laid back (retrospective chart review) as you desire. However, you still have to produce a quality research project.
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yup i remember that too from my interview. Kinda ironic though for a school that doesn't claim to be research oriented. During my interview, one of the faculty told me " fyi, if you're interested in research, this isn't the right place for you"
 
Yes, you're right, sorry!! I meant to put "mandatory" haha. I know that it's required but they aren't research-oriented.. so my concern is that I would end up doing research I wasn't very interested in to check off a box. :/
 
In the email we got today, it states we will get our financial aid awards next week. Is this our package break down of loans? Could it include potential scholarships as well? Really hoping I can get some sort of scholarship as my parents probably make too much on FAFSA but aren't helping me out at all. Anything will help
 
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Can any current students speak to if it’s logical/worth it to take on the private school debt associated with OUWB as compared to attending somewhere like Wayne or central?
 
mrslandingham said:
Clinical experience:
Current M1s/M2s might be able to answer this better, but my experiences were the following. During M1 and M2 year, there is some clinical exposure as part of the APM course. It is primarily with standardized patients (SPs) - actors who are trained to teach medical students. Basically, you are given some brief patient info (e.g. Mr Jones, 55 y/o M presenting with chest pain) and told what to do (do a history and physical), then you do whatever you've been instructed to do and get feedback from the SP and the physician teachers on your communications skills, history-taking, physical exam technique, etc. During the first month or two of M1 you start practicing your communication skills with SPs. As you progress into organ systems, you start learning history and physical techniques that are relevant to the organ system - e.g. during cardiology, you learn how to do a full cardiovascular exam. During M2 you start doing a little bit with real patients. I for sure remember going to the hospital to practice taking a history on an admitted patient, and I think there might have been a few other things as well. There are also some opportunities for volunteering at free clinics and health fairs as an M1 and M2 that are optional, but not super hard to get involved with. Overall I thought the APM course in M1/M2 years gave us enough clinical experience to prepare us for clerkships, and was appropriate to our level of training.

Step scores:
Not sure how the current M3 class did. For my class (current M4s), I don't remember our exact average and don't want to say something that turns out to be wrong, but I know we were a couple points above the national average.

Research:
Correct, the research component is required, not optional. 🙂 I actually feel like the research experience is pretty decent for med students, but to be fair I'm saying this as a person who's not super into it. Beaumont produces a lot of research. Lots of residents I've talked to are doing some sort of research, and some of our attendings are very well-published - med students can get in on those projects. The one area we might be a bit weaker in research is basic science/bench-type research, but there are lots of opportunities for retrospective chart reviews, community projects, medical education stuff, clinical research, etc. Obviously everybody will have at least one research experience (through Embark) which may or may not turn into a publication/poster presentation. Many of my classmates do have multiple pubs and posters at national conferences. I think I've posted this before somewhere but here is a list of publications by OUWB faculty and students in 2017 alone. 800+ pubs on that list and 100+ student authors. So I do think the opportunities are there if you want them, but they're not going to be forced on you by any means if you don't.

EDIT: Also, here is the list of Embark abstracts by my class to give you an idea of what type of research people do for Embark.
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You are amazing! Thank you so much. This is super helpful and I really appreciate your thoughtful response! I was also reviewing my post-interview notes I took on OUWB and saw that it is regarded as the #1 Clinical skills program by AAMC. I'm ready to commit to OUWB now and am just hoping to attend Second Look to revitalize my excitement about starting in August!!!
 
FCBarca2164 said:
Can any current students comment on the clinical skills ranking? I haven't been able to find anything online about it and I didn't think the AAMC ranked schools based on clinical skills. If so, can someone share the list. Thanks!
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I can't find anything online but it was written down in my notes from when Dean Dan was speaking on interview day!
 
Rejected post-interview. Interviewed March 1st. I’m honestly confused at this point because I thought my interviews went well and my stats are extremely competitive.
 
Just received an email stating I am placed on either the First or Second tier waitlist but it will be determined mid-April.
 
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Waitlisted, Interviewed 3/8. Does anyone know where I can find information about the First and Second tier "system" or remembers what it means?
 
FKJ123 said:
Waitlisted, Interviewed 3/8. Does anyone know where I can find information about the First and Second tier "system" or remembers what it means?
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there is a bunch of posting about it in this thread. OU ends up accepting 3x the available seats, meaning 2 out of 3 of accepted people tend to withdraw, according to their meeting minutes and other source. Basically if you get first tier there is very high chance of acceptance since its only 60 people.
 
futuredoc0307 said:
there is a bunch of posting about it in this thread. OU ends up accepting 3x the available seats, meaning 2 out of 3 of accepted people tend to withdraw, according to their meeting minutes and other source. Basically if you get first tier there is very high chance of acceptance since its only 60 people.
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From what I remember on interview day is first tier is bound to get in, half/most(?) get in off second tier, and no one gets in off of third tier (more of a formal acknowledgement that your app was close than a legit waitlist spot). With that being said, this year may be different with the new traffic rules
 
showstooppa96 said:
From what I remember on interview day is first tier is bound to get in, half/most(?) get in off second tier, and no one gets in off of third tier (more of a formal acknowledgement that your app was close than a legit waitlist spot). With that being said, this year may be different with the new traffic rules
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lol u sure about that? half of tier 2? sounds like too much movement. but it sounds consistent with the stats.
 
is anyone still waiting to hear a decision after interview? curious on if they're done reviewing everyone
 
mariposas905 said:
Is it because it's that good? Haven't seen it and at work so I can't check it out just yet. But I'm curious, what is so special this year?
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just a variety of specialities and low primary care. but that obviously depends a lot on the student's interests and effort too
 
futuredoc0307 said:
lol u sure about that? half of tier 2? sounds like too much movement. but it sounds consistent with the stats.
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I'm not sure on % of the 2nd tier that gets in, but tier 1 is basically automatic while tier 2 is like the classic waitlist comparable to most schools. I stand by that previous report though. It would make me feel hopeful if I was on it but I wouldn't be signing leases.

If someone has better notes/more recent news, feel free to correct me!
 
Does any M4 know if all the students who applied Ophtho matched?
 
Can a current student plz provide some info on when students typically move to OUWB in the fall? I think orientation starts Aug 5 so I was thinking of moving end of July (July 23-25). Any thoughts about this ? Also are there any 2nd or 4th year students selling apartment furniture or looking for someone to take over their lease?
 
Goatcappy32 said:
Can a current student plz provide some info on when students typically move to OUWB in the fall? I think orientation starts Aug 5 so I was thinking of moving end of July (July 23-25). Any thoughts about this ? Also are there any 2nd or 4th year students selling apartment furniture or looking for someone to take over their lease?
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There were quite a few of us already moved in the week before orientation week. We ended up organizing meet ups/BBQs to get to know everyone better. I personally recommend moving in earlier if possible for this reason!

There is an OUWB swap/sell Facebook page.
 
Random question. Do we need to use the provided mac laptop? I have a surface book II and love it.
 
purplecrocs said:
Yes, you're right, sorry!! I meant to put "mandatory" haha. I know that it's required but they aren't research-oriented.. so my concern is that I would end up doing research I wasn't very interested in to check off a box. :/
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(Current M1 here) OUWB is definitely more research-oriented than what they let on. Yes, Embark is mandatory and you will have to do some sort of research project that must be completed before graduation. However, you have a lot of autonomy when deciding what to research and who to conduct the research with. Additionally, you don't have to try to publish if that's not your thing (though I would highly suggest going for the pub). At the very least, you will get a poster out of it and that is valuable when applying for residencies. Having some sort of research in the field you are applying to shows serious commitment, interest, and is important to have when applying to the most desirable programs regardless of the specialty. That is really the whole purpose of having Embark in the curriculum.

For those that are interested in research, there are a ton of great faculty both at OUWB and at Beaumont that are always looking to take on students for projects. A lot of students in my class (myself included) have elected to do simpler Embark projects (ex. retrospective chart reviews) in order to make more time for independent research because of the great opportunities that are available. Additionally, OUWB has a very good reputation with M1 summer research programs and we have a lot of students participating in very prestigious programs this coming summer. Beaumont does offer OUWB-exclusive internship programs for a month in the summer, but these are designed more like interactive shadowing experiences rather than true research opportunities.
 
shazam5 said:
(Current M1 here) OUWB is definitely more research-oriented than what they let on. Yes, Embark is mandatory and you will have to do some sort of research project that must be completed before graduation. However, you have a lot of autonomy when deciding what to research and who to conduct the research with. Additionally, you don't have to try to publish if that's not your thing (though I would highly suggest going for the pub). At the very least, you will get a poster out of it and that is valuable when applying for residencies. Having some sort of research in the field you are applying to shows serious commitment, interest, and is important to have when applying to the most desirable programs regardless of the specialty. That is really the whole purpose of having Embark in the curriculum.

For those that are interested in research, there are a ton of great faculty both at OUWB and at Beaumont that are always looking to take on students for projects. A lot of students in my class (myself included) have elected to do simpler Embark projects (ex. retrospective chart reviews) in order to make more time for independent research because of the great opportunities that are available. Additionally, OUWB has a very good reputation with M1 summer research programs and we have a lot of students participating in very prestigious programs this coming summer. Beaumont does offer OUWB-exclusive internship programs for a month in the summer, but these are designed more like interactive shadowing experiences rather than true research opportunities.
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I was able to present my summer internship poster at a Regional Latino Medical Student Conference (it was a case report), and I know of some that did similarly at various conferences as well. So while not a publication, still a valuable opportunity to integrate shadowing and still get a scholarly activity from it. And honestly the internship was exactly what I was looking for.

Also, it is very dependent on the specific Beaumont internship how research vs shadowing based it is. I think the Rad Onc ones had like 0 shadowing hours, while others like emergency were more balanced, and others like general surgery leaned more towards shadowing.

But like you said above, many opportunities to get involved in research with OUWB faculty or other physicians.

--- Current MS2
 
$56,850.00 tuition.... big YIKES from me dog.

Has anyone heard anything about scholarships recently?
 
futuredoc0307 said:
is that just tuition alone?
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Yessir. Cost of attendance is as follows:

Tuition: $56,850
Books and Supplies: $1,500
Room & Board: $14,000
Transportation/Miscellaneous: $7,000
Direct Loan Fees: $2,000 (<-- wtf)
Total: ~$80,000

This can surely be trimmed $5k more than likely on housing alone, and probably more with miscellaneous. :')
 
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showstooppa96 said:
Yessir. Cost of attendance is as follows:

Tuition: $56,850
Books and Supplies: $1,640
Room & Board: $14,000
Transportation/Miscellaneous: $6,925
Direct Loan Fees: $2,032 (<-- wtf)
Total: $81,447

This can surely be trimmed $5k more than likely on housing alone, and probably more with miscellaneous. :')
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That loan fees is the most ridiculous charge I've even seen right along with bank of america monthly maintenance fee ($12-15)
 
the tutition is really a huge thing to think about!! So much money. Also the diversity on the accepted students page is questionable.still really love the school but I’m having hesitations. My interview groups had an alright level of diversity but didn’t notice a single Hispanic on the accepted students page and only 2 black students... again there could be other students not on fb but the URM population is weak compared to my other schools. 3/155 or something
 
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