2018-2019 Sackler School of Medicine New York State Program

[Jimitimmy]

Dec 14th!

Congrats! Do you mind sharing stats?

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[alwaysbehappy]

Do any current students know if lectures are recorded and posted online? I know that most of the schools where I interviewed have most/all lectures recorded. Even if many lectures are mandatory, it would be nice to have a lecture recording to refer back to.

The school didn't record them - but a really great classmate did - so my class was able to listen to them.

 

[Breitner]

Congrats! Do you mind sharing stats?

Thank you. LM 69

 

[Jimitimmy]

Any acceptances recently?

 

[Drwhip]

After so many students failed Step 2 CS last year, Sackler updated their policies. You now must pass a mock CS exam or a retake to continue 3rd year. The mock exam is given in the Spring of 3rd year during surgery. 10-15 students failed it this year, but everyone passed the retake.

Programs need a > 75% pass rate on board exams to keep their federal loan eligibility, which most students use to cover tuition and expenses. Last year Sackler was close to falling below 75%. The other American program in Israel, MSIH/ Ben Gurion, actually did fall below 75% and lost their loan eligibility.

USMD's pass Step 2 CS about 95% of the time. IMG's (including Sackler) pass about 80%. Students here agree that the preparation and support we receive is inadequate. Hopefully this year's class improved though. The class wrote the exam in April and results should be out in July.

 

[Jimitimmy]

After so many students failed the Step 2 CS exam last year the Sackler administration instituted a new policy whereby any student who fails a mock CS exam and a retake would have to repeat 3rd year. The mock exam is given about halfway through the surgery rotation in the spring. It consists of 3 patient interviews and notes. About 10-15 students from this year's class failed the exam, however everyone passed the retake.

Sackler must achieve a > 75% pass rate on all board exams in order to retain its federal student loans eligibility, which most students rely on to fund their tuition and living expenses. Last year Sackler was dangerously close to falling below this benchmark, hence the changes. In fact MSIH (Ben Gurion) the other American program in Israel did fall below 75% passing last year and has recently had their federal student loan eligibility suspended for the 2019/20 academic year. My understanding is this mostly affects incoming and 1st year students as current students receive a 1-year grace period on receiving federal student loans before they are made ineligible.

The bottom line is that this is a major drawback and risk for Sackler and other American/ Israeli programs, and for international programs in general. Students at US programs pass Step 2 CS about 95% of the time. For international graduates (and Sackler students last year) it's closer to 80%. Despite changes made to the curriculum students generally agree that the preparation and support the received for this exam was woefully inadequate. Hopefully this year's class has performed better than last year's. Results should be in by the summer. It's something to be aware of before making the decision to come to Sackler or to other overseas programs.

This is juicy info that we wouldn't know otherwise. Please let us know if you hear about the results from this year's class

 

[MoshKatz]

After so many students failed the Step 2 CS exam last year the Sackler administration instituted a policy whereby any student who fails a mock CS exam and a retake would have to repeat 3rd year. The mock exam is given about halfway through the surgery rotation in the spring. It consists of 3 patient interviews and notes. About 10-15 students from this year's class failed the exam, however everyone passed the retake.

Sackler must achieve a > 75% pass rate on all board exams in order to retain its federal student loan eligibility, which most students rely on to fund their tuition and living expenses. Last year Sackler was dangerously close to falling below this benchmark, hence the policy changes. In fact the other American program in Israel, MSIH/ Ben Gurion, did fall below a 75% pass rate last year and has now had their federal student loan eligibility suspended for the 2019/20 academic year. My understanding is this will mostly affect incoming and 1st year students since current students receive a 1-year grace period on receiving federal student loans before they are made ineligible.

The bottom line is that this is a major drawback and risk for Sackler and other American/ Israeli programs, and for international programs in general. Students at US programs pass Step 2 CS about 95% of the time. For international graduates (and Sackler students last year) the pass rate is closer to 80% on the first try. Despite changes made to the curriculum students generally agree that the preparation and support they receive for this exam is woefully inadequate. Hopefully this year's class has performed better than last year's. The class sat the exam in April and results should be in by the summer. It's yet another thing to seriously consider before making the decision to come to any overseas program, including Sackler.

A few questions Regarding MSIH,

How long do you think the administration has been aware that they were in this situation?
Do you know if all Israeli schools do CS around the same time? Are the schools obligated to share the results with prospective students?

 

[Drwhip]

How long do you think the administration has been aware that they were in this situation?
Do you know if all Israeli schools do CS around the same time? Are the schools obligated to share the results with prospective students?

The USMLE recently made CS harder to pass which led to the poor outcomes at Sackler and MSIH. The administrators updated the curriculum, but most students at Sackler feel they are inadequately prepared.

Sackler recommends students write the exam in April over Passover break during surgery. Most US students do it in July.

Schools wont publish results unless they lose their federal student loan eligibility, which has now happened at MSIH.

 

[deleted731525]

Hey guys, I'm a current upperclassman at Sackler. Feel free to pm me any questions and I'll give you both the good and the bad of the school. For anybody considering the school there are things you need to think about(electives, CS, etc.) that I(and I think many of my classmates) just didn't know about before matriculation.

 

[Alevy123]

Anyone else hear back? Still waiting here. Interviewed 5/24

 

[NeuroendoHolism]

Hi I was wondering if you could share with us what your stats were or you could pm them to me?

 

[Jimitimmy]

Any Canadians attending next year?

 

[Breitner]

Any Canadians attending next year?

Yup, I am

 

[it'skait]

The school didn't record them - but a really great classmate did - so my class was able to listen to them.

Hi! I was wondering how hard it is to do research/get publications as a Sackler student. Thanks!

ETA: Also, after reading this thread I'm a little concerned about what other posters said re: electives and that I do not speak Hebrew and how this will affect communication with patients. I understand the EMR is in Hebrew--do students write any notes? Does anyone know how prepared students are for residency?

 

[sherm123]

Hi! I was wondering how hard it is to do research/get publications as a Sackler student. Thanks!

From my source (a current student I know), research is not difficult to get. I would think that the chances of publication depend a lot on the PI and vary from lab to lab. One advantage american/canadian students have in finding a lab is their English abilities; researchers at the university are likely in need of someone with proofreading skills.

 

[deleted922690]

Accepted yesterday! This is great news, although I'm all set to move and begin school at another university in a few weeks. However, Sackler is still a top choice. For those who are already in the process of matriculating, how has financial aid / scholarships / grants / etc... so far been? While I would like to very much consider Sackler, at this point the difficulty of switching schools and travel plans would need to be far outweighed by the financial assistance.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Jimitimmy]

Accepted yesterday! This is great news, although I'm all set to move and begin school at another university in a few weeks. However, Sackler is still a top choice. For those who are already in the process of matriculating, how has financial aid / scholarships / grants / etc... so far been? While I would like to very much consider Sackler, at this point the difficulty of switching schools and travel plans would need to be far outweighed by the financial assistance.

Thanks a bunch!

Congrats!!!!!!!
Is this other medical school also an international school? Or are you debating between sackler and US MD/DO?

 

[deleted922690]

Thanks for all the well wishes!

After speaking with the financial aid office, I've decided to withdraw my acceptance due to the very high CoA and lack of financial assistance to attend another medical school in Israel which offered me scholarships.

 

[Bazelet50]

Hey guys, I'm a current upperclassman at Sackler. Feel free to pm me any questions and I'll give you both the good and the bad of the school. For anybody considering the school there are things you need to think about(electives, CS, etc.) that I(and I think many of my classmates) just didn't know about before matriculation.

sent PM

 

[keanureaves]

Sackler vs DO, I am shattered between the 2, which do I go for?

You made this same post on /r/premed but deleted. I recommend doing some research and creating a pros/cons list before anyone weighs in. You can't expect others to do the research for you. Do your homework on both routes and post with a more comprehensive view of your app in the premed threads (with GPA, MCAT/ ECs) for a better answer.

 

[Zakzak]

This is juicy info that we wouldn't know otherwise. Please let us know if you hear about the results from this year's class

Where is the evidence of the Ben Gurion falling below 75%.

 

[Zakzak]

After so many students failed Step 2 CS last year, Sackler updated their policies. You now must pass a mock CS exam or a retake to continue 3rd year. The mock exam is given in the Spring of 3rd year during surgery. 10-15 students failed it this year, but everyone passed the retake.

Programs need a > 75% pass rate on board exams to keep their federal loan eligibility, which most students use to cover tuition and expenses. Last year Sackler was close to falling below 75%. The other American program in Israel, MSIH/ Ben Gurion, actually did fall below 75% and lost their loan eligibility.

USMD's pass Step 2 CS about 95% of the time. IMG's (including Sackler) pass about 80%. Students here agree that the preparation and support we receive is inadequate. Hopefully this year's class improved though. The class wrote the exam in April and results should be out in July.

Where is the evidence of the Ben Gurion falling below 75%.

 

[deleted731525]

Update on CS: Everybody that took it in April(the vast majority of the class 2020 with one or two exceptions as far as I know) passed.

 

[Zakzak]

Update on CS: Everybody that took it in April(the vast majority of the class 2020 with one or two exceptions as far as I know) passed.

sacker or ben gurion

 

[deleted731525]

sacker or ben gurion

Sackler. BTW about what you were asking about Ben Gurion, I am not sure if this is what you bean but I saw the letter/email they sent to their students in regards to them being ineligible for US federal loans because too high of a percentage of their class failed CS(I dont remember the percentage). One of my classmates had it(I guess they knew somebody as Ben Gurion) and it made its rounds through my class as we were all stressed out and waiting for CS results. That would have been based off the class of 2019 though. I have no idea how the class of 2020 fared.

 

[Zakzak]

Wha

Sackler. BTW about what you were asking about Ben Gurion, I am not sure if this is what you bean but I saw the letter/email they sent to their students in regards to them being ineligible for US federal loans because too high of a percentage of their class failed CS(I dont remember the percentage). One of my classmates had it(I guess they knew somebody as Ben Gurion) and it made its rounds through my class as we were all stressed out and waiting for CS results. That would have been based off the class of 2019 though. I have no idea how the class of 2020 fared.

Was that the passing rate of Ben Gurion MSIH only or all of ben Gurion (including Israeli program) that fell below 75%

 

[deleted731525]

Wha


Was that the passing rate of Ben Gurion MSIH only or all of ben Gurion (including Israeli program) that fell below 75%

That's a good question that I dont know for certain. I think it was MSIH(only because I'd imagine we would have the same problem if Sackler was judged based on all of Tel Aviv University rather than the NY program). Can't say for certain though. I will say that I imagine Ben Gurion addressed whatever the issue was, like Sackler did. CS is an exam you will pass if you take it seriously, so I wouldnt be concerned about that. I would look into how Ben Gurion students fare with getting US electives and matching(and what life would be like for you in Israel). Those are the important things. And as with Sackler if you can get US MD(and maybe DO but that is less clear imo) and dont need to live in Israel for 3 years, that just makes things so much easier for you.

 

[SKG246]

Yep, and happy to answer questions about the program.

Hello, I'm interested in attending Sackler. Would you mind messaging me? It won't allow me to message you.

 

[Lakersdoc14]

If I could do it again I would wait and reapply only to US programs. I had great science grades but a low (506) MCAT. I think I would have been a strong candidate for middle/ low tier MD programs and most DOs if I retook the exam and reapplied early the following year. But I was eager to start my career and examining Sackler's match lists and reading testimonials led me to underestimate the difficulties and risks of studying medicine here.

I would say the advantages are purely personal/ social: Tel Aviv is a fantastic town, and it's been cool to experience a different culture and live in a different part of the world. Also the bond among students is very strong.

The drawbacks are professional. There are too many problems at Sackler to list but suffice it to say the numbers don't lie: too many Sackler students either don't graduate on time (15-20% I'd roughly estimate w/ about half because of exam failure or for needing more study time) or don't make it to residency at all (14%).

Any way you can start a private message with me? It won't let me begin one with you.

 

[Drwhip]

Sorry, I only respond to public inquiries.