2019-2020 Oakland (Beaumont)

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Any idea when financial aid offers will come out? I was told by the end of March

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To current students: Is there a formal class rank system and if so, how important is it when applying to residencies?
 
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To current students: Is on-campus housing/apartments popular among OUWB students? Also, is it even available for incoming students?
Thanks!
 
To current students: Is on-campus housing/apartments popular among OUWB students? Also, is it even available for incoming students?
Thanks!
From what I have heard, it is available but its very expensive. Like you'd pay $300 more per month to live 1 min closer.
 
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To current/future students of OUWB:
So I was just going through US news and realized that OUWB is unranked for some odd reason... I know ranking doesn't really mean much, but I have been hearing from a lot of people that due to STEP being P/F now, med ranking will now be a bigger factor than before...

It's kind of odd that OUWB is still considered low tier, considering its curriculum, match, hospital-affiliation, etc.
Do you guys think that OUWB will move up in its ranking within the next few years?

If comparing this school to another low-tier (say Drexel or Rosalind Franklin) how would you decide? Would you guys go for the more established institution (w/ con of larger class size, less sense of community but pro of more resources/opportunities to match) or go with your gut about OUWB?

I know this might not be the best place to post this as we all have a bit of bias towards OUWB, but really need help with my decision... TY!
 
To current students: Is there a formal class rank system and if so, how important is it when applying to residencies?
We have class rank but it's by quartile. So it'll show if you're in the top quartile/top half/etc. It's not too important and you should try to just aim to not be in the bottom quartile.

To current students: Is on-campus housing/apartments popular among OUWB students? Also, is it even available for incoming students?
Thanks!
It's available to us, and I considered it, since I lived on campus all 4 years of my college experience and loved it. However, I don't think any med students live on campus. I don't think housing is bad, but I think it's overpriced, and renting an apartment really isn't difficult/inconvenient. If you want to live as close to campus as possible then send me a private message and I can give you the name of an apartment complex that some students live at that's walking distance to the school. I would recommend looking at apartment complexes. If you've already been accepted then there are apartment recommendations in the admitted student FB page :)

To current/future students of OUWB:
So I was just going through US news and realized that OUWB is unranked for some odd reason... I know ranking doesn't really mean much, but I have been hearing from a lot of people that due to STEP being P/F now, med ranking will now be a bigger factor than before...

It's kind of odd that OUWB is still considered low tier, considering its curriculum, match, hospital-affiliation, etc.
Do you guys think that OUWB will move up in its ranking within the next few years?

If comparing this school to another low-tier (say Drexel or Rosalind Franklin) how would you decide? Would you guys go for the more established institution (w/ con of larger class size, less sense of community but pro of more resources/opportunities to match) or go with your gut about OUWB?

I know this might not be the best place to post this as we all have a bit of bias towards OUWB, but really need help with my decision... TY!
Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to answer this one. I **do** admit that I think prestige will matter more to your class than current students with step moving to P/F. I was actually accepted to OUWB, Drexel, and Rosalind Franklin. I think of these, I would narrow it down between OUWB and Drexel. I honestly think that the facilities of OUWB are superior to Drexel's, but Drexel does have affiliations with more recognized hospitals (with being in Philly) and has a long history, so it's more "established" and recognized in that sense. I think that OUWB will move up in ranking by the time it's my children's generation haha, but I'm not sure about the near future, to be totally honest.
 
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We have class rank but it's by quartile. So it'll show if you're in the top quartile/top half/etc. It's not too important and you should try to just aim to not be in the bottom quartile.


It's available to us, and I considered it, since I lived on campus all 4 years of my college experience and loved it. However, I don't think any med students live on campus. I don't think housing is bad, but I think it's overpriced, and renting an apartment really isn't difficult/inconvenient. If you want to live as close to campus as possible then send me a private message and I can give you the name of an apartment complex that some students live at that's walking distance to the school. I would recommend looking at apartment complexes. If you've already been accepted then there are apartment recommendations in the admitted student FB page :)


Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to answer this one. I **do** admit that I think prestige will matter more to your class than current students with step moving to P/F. I was actually accepted to OUWB, Drexel, and Rosalind Franklin. I think of these, I would narrow it down between OUWB and Drexel. I honestly think that the facilities of OUWB are superior to Drexel's, but Drexel does have affiliations with more recognized hospitals (with being in Philly) and has a long history, so it's more "established" and recognized in that sense. I think that OUWB will move up in ranking by the time it's my children's generation haha, but I'm not sure about the near future, to be totally honest.

Is it possible to share a list of apartment complexes within walking distance to campus publicly? I’m sure many others (including myself) would find it very beneficial. Thank you!
 
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Is it possible to share a list of apartment complexes within walking distance to campus publicly? I’m sure many others (including myself) would find it very beneficial. Thank you!
Second look will provide you with this! If you are eager to know before second look though, I think Five Points is most walkable with Beacon Hill and Boulevard being walkable too.
 
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To current/future students of OUWB:
So I was just going through US news and realized that OUWB is unranked for some odd reason... I know ranking doesn't really mean much, but I have been hearing from a lot of people that due to STEP being P/F now, med ranking will now be a bigger factor than before...

It's kind of odd that OUWB is still considered low tier, considering its curriculum, match, hospital-affiliation, etc.
Do you guys think that OUWB will move up in its ranking within the next few years?

If comparing this school to another low-tier (say Drexel or Rosalind Franklin) how would you decide? Would you guys go for the more established institution (w/ con of larger class size, less sense of community but pro of more resources/opportunities to match) or go with your gut about OUWB?

I know this might not be the best place to post this as we all have a bit of bias towards OUWB, but really need help with my decision... TY!
In my opinion I would say you shouldn't base your decision off what *might* happen now that step is P/F. I would still argue that your happiness for the four years of medical school is more important so I would pick where you think you would most enjoy your four years and not what choice you think residencies *might* prefer four years from now.

Obviously bias towards OUWB but I think more of an emphasis will be placed on step 2 rather than where you went to school (unless of course say you went to Harvard or something). Between the options you listed though I would urge you to choose where you liked the culture best.
 
To current students: Is there a formal class rank system and if so, how important is it when applying to residencies?
In addition to what has already been said, you will know where you fall more specifically in the top quartile if you are being considered for AOA as they have to differentiate the top 10% of the class for that. You still won't know your rank number but you will know if you are top quartile and top 10% or just top quartile.
 
Was hoping waitlist tiers would be released today. Last year they came out the last Friday of March.

Hopefully they won’t delay releasing info because of COVID-19.


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Would anyone be able to say what a typical schedule might be like for M1s?
 
Would anyone be able to say what a typical schedule might be like for M1s?
So I just counted 17 hours of lecture for a typical week. About every other week we will have our "doctoring class" (the art and practice of medicine) where we have to go to Beaumont, which adds about an extra 3 hours.

Keep in mind that for organ systems, they really like to frontload our schedules. The first week of organ systems, I counted 28 hours of lectures. But then the second to last week of that organ system we had 15 hours, and the week of the exam there were only 4 hours of lectures. Also keep in mind that you can do lectures at your own pace since attendance isn't mandatory (but is in some units to be eligible to honor). I do have a lot of free time in organ systems (second half of M1 and all of M2). A lot of my peers do seem to be in relationships and get to spend time with their SOs on the weekends, so a personal life is still possible :)

To go into more specifics:
- our mandatories will include TBLs (team based learnings) ~2x/block, patient panels (where we hear personal stories of patients with the diseases we are studying) ~1/block, medical humanities and public health 1x/week
- the first semester of M1 tends to be much more difficult/you'll have much less free time. this is partially due to anatomy labs, where you'll dissect a donor (cadaver) with a team of ~5 others.

Hope this helps! I can go into more detail if there's anything else you'd like.
 
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So I just counted 17 hours of lecture for a typical week. About every other week we will have our "doctoring class" (the art and practice of medicine) where we have to go to Beaumont, which adds about an extra 3 hours.

Keep in mind that for organ systems, they really like to frontload our schedules. The first week of organ systems, I counted 28 hours of lectures. But then the second to last week of that organ system we had 15 hours, and the week of the exam there were only 4 hours of lectures. Also keep in mind that you can do lectures at your own pace since attendance isn't mandatory (but is in some units to be eligible to honor). I do have a lot of free time in organ systems (second half of M1 and all of M2). A lot of my peers do seem to be in relationships and get to spend time with their SOs on the weekends, so a personal life is still possible :)

To go into more specifics:
- our mandatories will include TBLs (team based learnings) ~2x/block, patient panels (where we hear personal stories of patients with the diseases we are studying) ~1/block, medical humanities and public health 1x/week
- the first semester of M1 tends to be much more difficult/you'll have much less free time. this is partially due to anatomy labs, where you'll dissect a donor (cadaver) with a team of ~5 others.

Hope this helps! I can go into more detail if there's anything else you'd like.
Hi, if you don’t mind I have a couple questions. TIA!
How difficult is anatomy at OUWB? I ask this because I have heard that the preclinical courses here tend to be unnecessarily detailed... is this reflected on anatomy practicals/exams (where they might pin ambiguous/“hard” spots)?
Also for days where you have to go to Beaumont you mentioned “add extra 3 hours.” Why do you say that? Is the commute to Royal Oaks that far ? Also does there tend to be heavy traffic in that commute?
Also sorry if this is a stupid question but what do you mean when you say “per block”?
Thank you!!
 
Hi, if you don’t mind I have a couple questions. TIA!
How difficult is anatomy at OUWB? I ask this because I have heard that the preclinical courses here tend to be unnecessarily detailed... is this reflected on anatomy practicals/exams (where they might pin ambiguous/“hard” spots)?
Also for days where you have to go to Beaumont you mentioned “add extra 3 hours.” Why do you say that? Is the commute to Royal Oaks that far ? Also does there tend to be heavy traffic in that commute?
Also sorry if this is a stupid question but what do you mean when you say “per block”?
Thank you!!
No stupid questions!

I had never taken anatomy/physiology in college, so it was a lot of work, but definitely not unfair. I actually went from doing quite poorly on my very first exam to doing very well by the end of anatomy. For anatomy, there are written exams (multiple choice) and a lab exam, and the lab exam tends to be the portion that most people do the best on. The pins are very fair. I haven't had to remediate an exam :)

For the additional 3 hours, I only included the time spent at Beaumont. We'll practice procedures and might have a small lecture to go with it. For example, we give each other flu shots, have phlebotomy labs, practice taking patient histories, stuff like that. The commute isn't normally too bad and is usually to the Troy location, which really isn't far at all.

When I say per block, it's whatever graded period we are in.... so for example, one semester of preclinical biochem/anatomy is a block. Then for organ systems, one organ system is a block. Like the cardiology, respiratory, neuro blocks. Does that help?
 
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Just declined my acceptance here, hope it goes to one of you all!
 
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So I just counted 17 hours of lecture for a typical week. About every other week we will have our "doctoring class" (the art and practice of medicine) where we have to go to Beaumont, which adds about an extra 3 hours.

Keep in mind that for organ systems, they really like to frontload our schedules. The first week of organ systems, I counted 28 hours of lectures. But then the second to last week of that organ system we had 15 hours, and the week of the exam there were only 4 hours of lectures. Also keep in mind that you can do lectures at your own pace since attendance isn't mandatory (but is in some units to be eligible to honor). I do have a lot of free time in organ systems (second half of M1 and all of M2). A lot of my peers do seem to be in relationships and get to spend time with their SOs on the weekends, so a personal life is still possible :)

To go into more specifics:
- our mandatories will include TBLs (team based learnings) ~2x/block, patient panels (where we hear personal stories of patients with the diseases we are studying) ~1/block, medical humanities and public health 1x/week
- the first semester of M1 tends to be much more difficult/you'll have much less free time. this is partially due to anatomy labs, where you'll dissect a donor (cadaver) with a team of ~5 others.

Hope this helps! I can go into more detail if there's anything else you'd like.
So 8-4 from Monday through Friday, roughly?
 
The email they sent out was saying that financial aid will be awarded by the end of March, but there is nothing on my sail yet. Anybody else still waiting?
 
Tier 2. Absolutely gutted. So glad I applied DO this cycle. Can’t imagine doing a third year of this BS.


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Just got an email and I'm on the first tier wait-list. Cautiously optimistic.
 
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Last year there were people who weren’t admitted from tier 1. Does anyone know how many people are on each tier?
 
It’s been long time since I interviewed. Does anyone remember the specifics about what they said about second tiers?
I mean every single person on tier 1 would have to either be admitted or withdraw due to another acceptance
 
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Does anyone know what the odds are of getting accepted off the 1st tier waitlist?
 
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Tier 1 waitlist! Does anyone know what percentage of the students were pulled from the waitlist last year? I’m trying not to get my hopes up because I’d really love to go here.
 
Tier 1 waitlist! Does anyone know what percentage of the students were pulled from the waitlist last year? I’m trying not to get my hopes up because I’d really love to go here.

congrats, same here! it seems that there wasn’t really much waitlist movement last year but the year before had good movement in tier 1. again this is purely based on SDN reporting so it’s hard to gauge the real numbers. either way, it’s safe to say it’s variable each year so it’s hard to predict. prayers up fam let’s ride it out, be optimistic but have a back-up plan in the books
 
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I’m hoping that since last year was the first year of changed traffic rules they might’ve not adjusted their waitlist procedure and maybe that lead to the perceived lack of movement. Maybe this year they’ve revised it based on what they saw last year and things will be different? That’s what I’m telling myself at least lol.
 
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They have mentioned that some do get it and encouraged everyone below the age of 30 to submit fafsa with your parents info ASAP. They haven’t specified how many people get it though :( If you’re an admitted student you will get the recording of the chat soon.
Thank you!!
 
I don’t know if this has been asked and there is a document of compiled responses floating around somewhere (or if this is even the appropriate thread), but I wanted to ask current OUWB students this question:

What are some of the most important/beneficial pieces of advice that you wish you received as an incoming M1?
 
I don’t know if this has been asked and there is a document of compiled responses floating around somewhere (or if this is even the appropriate thread), but I wanted to ask current OUWB students this question:

What are some of the most important/beneficial pieces of advice that you wish you received as an incoming M1?
Time spent studying does not equal better grade. Make sure you are making efficient use of your time studying and not just doing it passively. This is how you manage to still have time for things you enjoy like spending time with friends, family, working out, reading for fun, etc.

Take care of your mental and physical well-being. You won't be able to learn as efficiently if you aren't taking care of yourself by getting enough sleep, eating well, spending time outdoors, working out, meditating, whatever it is you like to do to clear your head, etc.

Find what works for you and stick with it! Especially in the first month or so it can be incredibly overwhelming trying to figure out the best way to study. A lot of students will talk about what they are doing and compare it to others and feel like they are not doing enough and feel as though others have a better grasp on things. This isn't true! Adjusting to medical school is nerve-wracking and a lot of people will talk about what they know and are doing to make themselves feel better. This is totally fine just don't let it get you down!

Also, take everything with a grain of salt. Including the advice I have given here. A lot of upperclassmen will give advice and of course mean well by it but the truth is it's a different experience for everyone. What worked for one person may not work for you and that's okay.

I would say trying to figure things out in the first month is the worst part. I found myself not using the same studying techniques that I did in undergrad because they weren't enough but keeping others that did. Once you hit your stride after the first exam you will know what works and what doesn't.
 
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Has anyone ever heard of a merit scholarship offer being increased after it was initially awarded? Perhaps because other students withdrew their acceptances and freed up more money?
 
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Has anyone ever heard of a merit scholarship offer being increased after it was initially awarded? Perhaps because other students withdrew their acceptances and freed up more money?
I'd want to know as well :)
 
Did anyone else get the waitlist survey email this morning? Looks like they’ve started accepting people off the waitlist. Hopefully more spots open up as the April 30th deadline passes. Good luck everyone.
 
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