2019-2020 Oakland (Beaumont)

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
OUWB
proscons
given MacBook Pros and stethoscopesH/P/F pre-clinical
excellent hospital system for clerkships (you can do them all in the same hospital network in the same area so no moving!)exams are not always on Friday (aka free weekend)
care about wellbeing and mental health (free and discounted therapy)pretty much have to attend lecture to get honors (>70% attendance)
give UWorld for freeee (for 3 months)no MS3 electives
cost of living is reasonablequartiles for MSPE (you're ranked and your preclinical grades matter for this so you really have to attend lecture if you want to be in the top quartile it seems)
lectures are live-streamed and recordedlocation isn't really amazing? But, it seems fine for a med school and brings cost of living down bc it's not in a huge city
a mix of NBME and in-house exams (some professors write NBME exam questions and they're doing away with the old NBME preclinical exams bc the questions used were retired for a reason (aka too hard or too easy or outdated info))
facilities are really nice - it's a newer school and the cadaver lab is well ventilated with lots of windows which is nice because you spend a lot of time there MS1
free parking at med school and hospital
free printing (even color)
tuition includes health insurance and rec center access
step dedicated time can be between 5-9 weeks depending on how you schedule it
50% of students leave OUWB published
an inclusive, supportive, collaborative environment that seems really student-centered
Use epic for their EHR
Really nice student lounge with microwaves, fridges, a ton of dishes/silverware, printing, lockers, Nintendo switch, pool, etc.
Step scores are really good for a "lower" tier school. They scored 235 (+/- 16) in 2018 and 236 (+/-) 17 in 2017
Sim center has 2 mock OR rooms with da Vinci in them that students can practice with and also match well into ortho and other surgical subspecialties
 
OUWB
proscons
given MacBook Pros and stethoscopesH/P/F pre-clinical
excellent hospital system for clerkships (you can do them all in the same hospital network in the same area so no moving!)exams are not always on Friday (aka free weekend)
care about wellbeing and mental health (free and discounted therapy)pretty much have to attend lecture to get honors (>70% attendance)
give UWorld for freeee (for 3 months)no MS3 electives
cost of living is reasonablequartiles for MSPE (you're ranked and your preclinical grades matter for this so you really have to attend lecture if you want to be in the top quartile it seems)
lectures are live-streamed and recordedlocation isn't really amazing? But, it seems fine for a med school and brings cost of living down bc it's not in a huge city
a mix of NBME and in-house exams (some professors write NBME exam questions and they're doing away with the old NBME preclinical exams bc the questions used were retired for a reason (aka too hard or too easy or outdated info))
facilities are really nice - it's a newer school and the cadaver lab is well ventilated with lots of windows which is nice because you spend a lot of time there MS1
free parking at med school and hospital
free printing (even color)
tuition includes health insurance and rec center access
step dedicated time can be between 5-9 weeks depending on how you schedule it
50% of students leave OUWB published
an inclusive, supportive, collaborative environment that seems really student-centered
Use epic for their EHR
Really nice student lounge with microwaves, fridges, a ton of dishes/silverware, printing, lockers, Nintendo switch, pool, etc.
Step scores are really good for a "lower" tier school. They scored 235 (+/- 16) in 2018 and 236 (+/-) 17 in 2017
Sim center has 2 mock OR rooms with da Vinci in them that students can practice with and also match well into ortho and other surgical subspecialties
Very nice list! Good job! Let’s all hope to hear some good news in the next few weeks!
 
OUWB
proscons
given MacBook Pros and stethoscopesH/P/F pre-clinical
excellent hospital system for clerkships (you can do them all in the same hospital network in the same area so no moving!)exams are not always on Friday (aka free weekend)
care about wellbeing and mental health (free and discounted therapy)pretty much have to attend lecture to get honors (>70% attendance)
give UWorld for freeee (for 3 months)no MS3 electives
cost of living is reasonablequartiles for MSPE (you're ranked and your preclinical grades matter for this so you really have to attend lecture if you want to be in the top quartile it seems)
lectures are live-streamed and recordedlocation isn't really amazing? But, it seems fine for a med school and brings cost of living down bc it's not in a huge city
a mix of NBME and in-house exams (some professors write NBME exam questions and they're doing away with the old NBME preclinical exams bc the questions used were retired for a reason (aka too hard or too easy or outdated info))
facilities are really nice - it's a newer school and the cadaver lab is well ventilated with lots of windows which is nice because you spend a lot of time there MS1
free parking at med school and hospital
free printing (even color)
tuition includes health insurance and rec center access
step dedicated time can be between 5-9 weeks depending on how you schedule it
50% of students leave OUWB published
an inclusive, supportive, collaborative environment that seems really student-centered
Use epic for their EHR
Really nice student lounge with microwaves, fridges, a ton of dishes/silverware, printing, lockers, Nintendo switch, pool, etc.
Step scores are really good for a "lower" tier school. They scored 235 (+/- 16) in 2018 and 236 (+/-) 17 in 2017
Sim center has 2 mock OR rooms with da Vinci in them that students can practice with and also match well into ortho and other surgical subspecialties

I know you put location as a con, but I see it as a pro imo. I like more suburban areas and the students said the area is extremely safe. Also being an hour from Detroit is nice because you can still have the "city life" on the weekends if you want, but you live somewhere safe and more calm.
 
OUWB
proscons
given MacBook Pros and stethoscopesH/P/F pre-clinical
excellent hospital system for clerkships (you can do them all in the same hospital network in the same area so no moving!)exams are not always on Friday (aka free weekend)
care about wellbeing and mental health (free and discounted therapy)pretty much have to attend lecture to get honors (>70% attendance)
give UWorld for freeee (for 3 months)no MS3 electives
cost of living is reasonablequartiles for MSPE (you're ranked and your preclinical grades matter for this so you really have to attend lecture if you want to be in the top quartile it seems)
lectures are live-streamed and recordedlocation isn't really amazing? But, it seems fine for a med school and brings cost of living down bc it's not in a huge city
a mix of NBME and in-house exams (some professors write NBME exam questions and they're doing away with the old NBME preclinical exams bc the questions used were retired for a reason (aka too hard or too easy or outdated info))
facilities are really nice - it's a newer school and the cadaver lab is well ventilated with lots of windows which is nice because you spend a lot of time there MS1
free parking at med school and hospital
free printing (even color)
tuition includes health insurance and rec center access
step dedicated time can be between 5-9 weeks depending on how you schedule it
50% of students leave OUWB published
an inclusive, supportive, collaborative environment that seems really student-centered
Use epic for their EHR
Really nice student lounge with microwaves, fridges, a ton of dishes/silverware, printing, lockers, Nintendo switch, pool, etc.
Step scores are really good for a "lower" tier school. They scored 235 (+/- 16) in 2018 and 236 (+/-) 17 in 2017
Sim center has 2 mock OR rooms with da Vinci in them that students can practice with and also match well into ortho and other surgical subspecialties

After talking to many OUWB students, the only real complaint that they have is the H/P/F curriculum with having >70% attendance being a requirement for honors (emphasis on this cause it really sucks apparently)
 
Why do you consider h/p/f a con? Seems to be the new standard for med school curriculums, unless you’re talking about the attendance specifically
bc it's a thinly veiled a/b/c. The vast majority of schools have switched to p/f for preclinical years bc it fosters collaboration and a better learning environment. OUWB is all about community and collaboration so it would make sense to me for them to want to make p/f happen
 
bc it's a thinly veiled a/b/c. The vast majority of schools have switched to p/f for preclinical years bc it fosters collaboration and a better learning environment. OUWB is all about community and collaboration so it would make sense to me for them to want to make p/f happen

Honors doesn’t really matter though, so I guess it’s not as bad as High pass/fail, etc
 
ive heard the craft beer scene is great in royal oak. can you confirm good sir?
Lots of good craft beer spots if that's what you're into. Includes Roak, Ale Mary's, Royal Oak Brewery, HopCat (although that's a chain), River Rouge, Jolly Pumpkin. Also lots of good brewery spots in Detroit. There's a few breweries near Oakland as well.
 
bc it's a thinly veiled a/b/c. The vast majority of schools have switched to p/f for preclinical years bc it fosters collaboration and a better learning environment. OUWB is all about community and collaboration so it would make sense to me for them to want to make p/f happen
I wouldn't say that h/p/f hinders collaboration in any way. There's no limit as to how many students can get honors (some schools do top 10%) so it doesn't hurt anyone to help others. My class often has shared study guides for longitudinal classes and openly shares study resources on facebook.

As a student, I do not mind h/p/f. I think I would be bothered if I did really well in a class and got 95% and got the same "pass" as someone who got 71%. With just p/f students would not be as motivated to learn the material to the full depth that they should and would just strive for a passing grade if it's all the same. The idea of needing a certain grade as well as attendance in order to earn honors is that an "honors" student is someone who is engaged and actively participates in the learning community.

The only time honors is a pain in the butt is when you get a 89.4% in a class and miss the honors mark and wish you would have just taken the weekend off to do something fun since your 89.4% would have gotten you the same grade as a 69.5% haha.
 
Last edited:
Lots of good craft beer spots if that's what you're into. Includes Roak, Ale Mary's, Royal Oak Brewery, HopCat (although that's a chain), River Rouge, Jolly Pumpkin. Also lots of good brewery spots in Detroit. There's a few breweries near Oakland as well.
oh yessssss. anyone else interviewing on 10/25? We can meet up and grab some drinks @ these spots after the interview?
 
Honors doesn’t really matter though, so I guess it’s not as bad as High pass/fail, etc
Honors does matter in that it gets you different grade points. If you pass an organ system, you earn 2 grade points for every credit the class is. If you honor, you earn 3 grade points for every credit the class is. Therefore, when they go to "rank" you for your Dean's Letter that will be sent to residency programs you will be placed in different quartiles depending on your total grade points. You are never told what your rank is in the class (whether you are 57 out of 125 etc), only the quartile. I feel like this too helps contribute to a non-competitive learning environment because you are not diminished to a mere number out of 125. Therefore, honoring does matter and can greatly benefit you.

Everyone has very different perspectives on honors though. Some students completely forfeit the chance of getting honors in order to stay home from lectures and go at their own pace and some students would rather be able to socialize more instead of busting their back to honor every course. At the end of the day, you have to think about what is best for your own mental wellbeing and what works for you as a student.

Lastly, I will say that how easy it is to honor a course depends on the course as well. Some people really shine in the first semester in the basic foundation classes and struggle in organ systems. Some people struggle in the basic foundation classes and shine in the organ systems. It really just depends.
 
Last edited:
I wouldn't say that h/p/f hinders collaboration in any way. There's no limit as to how many students can get honors (some schools do top 10%) so it doesn't hurt anyone to help others. My class often has shared study guides for longitudinal classes and openly shares study resources on facebook.

As a student, I do not mind h/p/f. I think I would be bothered if I did really well in a class and got 95% and got the same "pass" as someone who got 71%. With just p/f students would not be as motivated to learn the material to the full depth that they should and would just strive for a passing grade if it's all the same. The idea of needing a certain grade as well as attendance in order to earn honors is that an "honors" student is someone who is engaged and actively participates in the learning community.

The only time honors is a pain in the butt is when you get a 89.4% in a class and miss the honors mark and wish you would have just taken the weekend off to do something fun since your 89.4% would have gotten you the same grade as a 69.5% haha.

Thanks for sharing.
I think you're wrong about the "not motivated to learn the material to the full depth that they should" part. Just my personal opinion 🙂

Also, it shouldn't matter bc you aren't competing w the student who got a 70. You both are there to learn. (So honors shouldn't matttttter or be a thing as it isn't at the vast majority of MD programs that are P/F). I feel like you, in general, have to be motivated as a med school student, and your grades don't have anything to do w it
 
With just p/f students would not be as motivated to learn the material to the full depth that they should and would just strive for a passing grade if it's all the same. The idea of needing a certain grade as well as attendance in order to earn honors is that an "honors" student is someone who is engaged and actively participates in the learning community.
This is actually a hot take. We have pretty good evidence that this is not the case as there are a multitude of schools with P/F who do excellently on the boards. Not only that, but medical students are not these weak beings who need to be constantly goaded into studying material instead of watching Netflix. If you aren't motivated to study, that's a personal problem, not a curricular problem. The added "motivation" can be nice, but for many P/F is a much better choice for a variety of reasons.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for sharing.
I think you're wrong about the "not motivated to learn the material to the full depth that they should" part. Just my personal opinion 🙂

Also, it shouldn't matter bc you aren't competing w the student who got a 70. You both are there to learn. (So honors shouldn't matttttter or be a thing as it isn't at the vast majority of MD programs that are P/F). I feel like you, in general, have to be motivated as a med school student, and your grades don't have anything to do w it
This is actually a hot take. We have pretty good evidence that this is not the case as there are a multitude of schools with P/F who do excellently on the boards. Not only that, but medical students are not these weak beings who need to be constantly goaded into studying material instead of watching Netflix. If you aren't motivated to study, that's a personal problem, not a curricular problem. The added "motivation" can be nice, but for many P/F is a much better choice for a variety of reasons.

Of course everyone should try to learn everything to the fullest depth possible for the future step exam and more generally their future patients (which is heavily emphasized at OUWB). I am only speaking from my experience in an h/p/f program, which I feel does not breed competition. The entire class can earn honors in a course if they work hard enough. I respect everyone's opinion and evidence from studies but I would dare say that speculating how motivated you are going to be as a medical student versus how you feel when you are in the thick of things can be vastly different 🙂
 
Of course everyone should try to learn everything to the fullest depth possible for the future step exam and more generally their future patients (which is heavily emphasized at OUWB). I am only speaking from my experience in an h/p/f program, which I feel does not breed competition. The entire class can earn honors in a course if they work hard enough. I respect everyone's opinion and evidence from studies but I would dare say that speculating how motivated you are going to be as a medical student versus how you feel when you are in the thick of things can be vastly different 🙂
I guess, lemme re-phrase, do you think OUWB would have anything to lose by going P/F pre-clin?
 
I guess, lemme re-phrase, do you think OUWB would have anything to lose by going P/F pre-clin?
I personally think OUWB would lose its sense of community if it were p/f. I say this because the attendance requirement for honors plays a large role in building a bond and establishing relations among classmates. Again, this is my opinion and not all OUWB students would agree as many do not like the attendance policy.

I also think OUWB feels h/p/f is more transparent. There is also the option to earn "pass with remediation" if you meet expectations after previously failing a component of an exam. I think students are more unhappy with "pass with remediation" than "honors." Again I am speaking from personal experience when I say I do not know of many students at OUWB that wish honors did not exist.
 
Alright OUWB... I'm going to go to bed now. When I wake up I'm going to be expecting a little something in my inbox.... don't disappoint me now
They don’t start rolling them out until Wednesday 😉
 
Stoppppp how do you know this? Last year people on SDN, as well as one of my friends, got accepted on the 15th
They told us on 10/4 the earliest date was the 16th! I read on past threads they only accept on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesday's of every month.

*neuroticism intensifies*
 
They told us on 10/4 the earliest date was the 16th! I read on past threads they only accept on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesday's of every month.

*neuroticism intensifies*

Thanks for letting me know!!
 
What I’m confused.. last year a bunch of people got the news on 15th which was a Monday. But then some people also got it Wednesday later. So what do we expect
 
No prematch from my IS TX schools. Really hoping OUWB comes through and takes me back home to MI.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dno
I was really hoping we’d hear
something from OUWB today. Last year, people started hearing back on the 15th. Well, here’s to another long 24 hours!
 
I hope you early interviewees get some good news today!

Edit: also when you get the call, ask the Dean when they’re gonna tell us 10/4 folks! 😉
 
Last edited:
Has anyone received a call or email with decision yet? especially those from first 2 interview dates
 
Has anyone received a call or email with decision yet? especially those from first 2 interview dates
I was from the 1st interview date and I have not. Did they say for sure they will contact us today? Has anyone spoken to admissions recently?
 
I was from the 1st interview date and I have not. Did they say for sure they will contact us today? Has anyone spoken to admissions recently?
I recall them saying 10/16 was the first date they COULD accept. If I had to guess, their first meeting was today and they may call a bit later. From last years thread, people even received calls after 5pm.
 
I recall them saying 10/16 was the first date they COULD accept. If I had to guess, their first meeting was today and they may call a bit later. From last years thread, people even received calls after 5pm.
I read on last year's thread that they review apps on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesday of each month and asked the dean of admissions if that was true when I was there and he said yes?
 
Could be they meet and review together on Wednesday, then call on Thursday? Lol we’re probably all wayy overthinking it
 
does anyone know when they're gonna send out their next back of interview invitations? Asking for a friend.
 
Anyone from the 8/29 interview hear back yet? It looks like last year acceptances went out over a couple of days, so hoping we hear soon
 
Top