2020-2021 Albert Einstein

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pre-med202022 said:
I got an II here with a low GPA < 3.5 and my mcat score is also <512, so I think they do take a holistic approach
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I second this! I also have lower stats & a ton of research, clinical, and volunteering experiences. I definitely fit their mission and wrote extensively about it in my app. This is the only II I’ve gotten this cycle & I honestly was not expecting it!
 
Debeney said:
I second this! I also have lower stats & a ton of research, clinical, and volunteering experiences. I definitely fit their mission and wrote extensively about it in my app. This is the only II I’ve gotten this cycle & I honestly was not expecting it!
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thank you so much! if you dont mind sharing, what aspects of their mission did you write about?
 
any general/advice/tips/comments on the interview here? i see there is no MMI component so I am assuming interviewers will prob throw in some ethics topics. did the SDN feedback page help anyone much?
 
reallynotgonnahappen said:
thank you so much! if you dont mind sharing, what aspects of their mission did you write about?
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You’re welcome! There’s always hope!

I talked about obstacles faced by communities that are medically underserved. I reflected on how I wanted to keep working on addressing these issues as a future physician. I also reflected on personal experiences related to the health outcomes of medically underserved individuals through patients I have encountered at work clinically, through research projects, at the places where I volunteered, and within my own family. I also grew up in the Bronx and talked about how I wanted to give back to my community.

I really feel like they really looked at my entire application and didn’t just focus on my numbers. I’m super nontrad, am in my 30’s, and have been working in clinical translational research/volunteering for 5+ years.

I hope I get the A here but if I don’t, at least I got this far and I’ll just have to dust myself off, keep improving stats, and try again. Life is a marathon and not a sprint!
 
Debeney said:
You’re welcome! There’s always hope!

I talked about obstacles faced by communities that are medically underserved. I reflected on how I wanted to keep working on addressing these issues as a future physician. I also reflected on personal experiences related to the health outcomes of medically underserved individuals through patients I have encountered at work clinically, through research projects, at the places where I volunteered, and within my own family. I also grew up in the Bronx and talked about how I wanted to give back to my community.

I really feel like they really looked at my entire application and didn’t just focus on my numbers. I’m super nontrad, am in my 30’s, and have been working in clinical translational research/volunteering for 5+ years.

I hope I get the A here but if I don’t, at least I got this far and I’ll just have to dust myself off, keep improving stats, and try again. Life is a marathon and not a sprint!
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You are amazing! thank you for sharing! I wish you all the best for this cycle. I am also non traditional, have worked in the community setting, published research, and have my master's in health delivery science, which i'm hoping will help me stand out. i wrote about this and working to address community health issues as well! all the best to you!
 
reallynotgonnahappen said:
You are amazing! thank you for sharing! I wish you all the best for this cycle. I am also non traditional, have worked in the community setting, published research, and have my master's in health delivery science, which i'm hoping will help me stand out. i wrote about this and working to address community health issues as well! all the best to you!
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Aw thank you! You are amazing too! I’m wishing you and everyone on here all the best this cycle too. I hope they see you and your passion shine through your app future colleague! 😉
 
Vairo said:
As far as the instructions go, I think they were clear enough in the sense that they emphasized that we get the background clearance done within the first 2 weeks.
But I didn't know once Certiphi is done generating your background check report that you had to release it in a separate procedure.

So for those who are accepted and will do background check:
1. Do your background check (rip to those of you who moved around a lot)
2. In 2-3 days, you'll get an email saying that your report is ready for review
3. IMMEDIATELY login and "release" the report, which will prompt you to sign and submit (I didn't do this part at first because the system says it was going to automatically release the report at some time in the future. I thought I was okay, but I received an email from a staff reminding me to release it.)

Edit: That said, I think this is generally for people who have been accepted for the first time to a medical school. If you had your Certiphi done from another school you were accepted to, I don't think there's really much to worry about
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Quoting this for emphasis. When you get accepted, fill out Certiphi and when you get an email that it’s back, release it to Einstein. We had this issue last year as well - the instructions don’t emphasize this so make sure you actually release them.
I’m not sure if you still have to release to Einstein if you were accepted to another program that also uses Certiphi, so be sure to log in and check. I think if you need to, you’ll see a button that says “release to program” or something like that.
 
UncleIroh_MD said:
Quoting this for emphasis. When you get accepted, fill out Certiphi and when you get an email that it’s back, release it to Einstein. We had this issue last year as well - the instructions don’t emphasize this so make sure you actually release them.
I’m not sure if you still have to release to Einstein if you were accepted to another program that also uses Certiphi, so be sure to log in and check. I think if you need to, you’ll see a button that says “release to program” or something like that.
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I was accepted to another program in December that used certiphi and didn't have to release to Einstein. I emailed Einstein to confirm they received it and they had. So if you are in that boat you should be okay if you did certiphi a while ago
 
AK_Legends said:
Does anybody have an idea of when the Facebook group will be made and the timeline of the roommate selection process?
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No idea about the FB group but if I remember correctly housing forms are usually sent out around May or so, roommate/apartment assignments usually get sent out around late July
 
For the admitted students, have you submitted the FAQ (financial aid questionnaire)? I was wondering what that's for-- I was recently an international student, so I only learned about FAFSA a few weeks ago. So this extra form is really kicking me in the butt haha
 
Vairo said:
For the admitted students, have you submitted the FAQ (financial aid questionnaire)? I was wondering what that's for-- I was recently an international student, so I only learned about FAFSA a few weeks ago. So this extra form is really kicking me in the butt haha
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Yea in addition, more specifically, the "Estimated amount per month as your share of rent, gas, and electricity" I have no clue on this estimate any ideas?
 
Vairo said:
For the admitted students, have you submitted the FAQ (financial aid questionnaire)? I was wondering what that's for-- I was recently an international student, so I only learned about FAFSA a few weeks ago. So this extra form is really kicking me in the butt haha
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Current student here, the FAQ is required every year and used to determine need-based aid from Einstein
 
RSVBT said:
The biggest change is from 2 year to a 1.5 year preclerkship with a study period for Step1/2 after rotations. Other schools that have done this have had great results re: student preparedness and board scores.

However, for me, the smaller things make the biggest impact. Here are some of the highlights:
-Early pairing with specialty mentors (great for those interested in competitive fields)
-Expanded elective time to do research, service, individualized learning
-Half the amount of afternoon classes (i.e. more days ending at noon)
-New courses have been added, many outdated ones removed, and others shifted (these will likely not be perceptible to you, but do make everything flow together much better). E.g. Our bulky anatomy course has been cut down and integrated into other subjects
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you mentioned a study period for step1/2 after rotations? so to clarify the new curriculum would have students take step 1 and 2 together after third year? sounds like a lot.. can anyone confirm?
 
letsgoooooo said:
you mentioned a study period for step1/2 after rotations? so to clarify the new curriculum would have students take step 1 and 2 together after third year? sounds like a lot.. can anyone confirm?
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To clarify, this is the recommended sequence. You can opt to take them whenever. But yes, I imagine this is how most students will be taking them since dedicated study time is given during this period.

The reasoning behind this is that you solidify your knowledge through experience in clerkships. There is apparently solid overlap between the two exams, hence taking them as a "sister pair" may help with scores, especially now that STEP1 is P/F. Supposedly top schools have been transitioning to this and our Dean of Eduction (who is on the USMLE STEP1 committee) has good reason to believe this is true.

Disclosure, I'm just an MS1 and know little about the exam itself.
 
RSVBT said:
To clarify, this is the recommended sequence. You can opt to take them whenever. But yes, I imagine this is how most students will be taking them since dedicated study time is given during this period.

The reasoning behind this is that you solidify your knowledge through experience in clerkships. There is apparently solid overlap between the two exams, hence taking them as a "sister pair" may help with scores, especially now that STEP1 is P/F. Supposedly top schools have been transitioning to this and our Dean of Eduction (who is on the USMLE STEP1 committee) has good reason to believe this is true.

Disclosure, I'm just an MS1 and know little about the exam itself.
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thanks for your insight! i appreciate it
 
Davvad said:
Should we fill out the FAQ even if we don't think we will qualify for need based aid?
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I believe it's required if you're applying for any kind of aid (i.e. federal loans). I've never qualified and still fill it out every year to get my loans.

letsgoooooo said:
you mentioned a study period for step1/2 after rotations? so to clarify the new curriculum would have students take step 1 and 2 together after third year? sounds like a lot.. can anyone confirm?
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Just to clarify a bit here, when you take Step 2 is up to you and how you want to structure your 4th year. Depending on the specialty (and before P/F, depending on your Step 1 score) you don't even need to take it before applying to residency programs, but I have a feeling this may change once Step 1 is P/F.

Right now some members of my class (2022) are piloting taking Step 1 after 3rd year clerkships (by their own choice). They will have 6 weeks for Step 1 dedicated prior to starting 4th year, and we all get 4 weeks dedicated for Step 2 during 4th year. I imagine the new curriculum will be similar (though I may be wrong).

I can also confirm there is a lot of overlap between Step 1 and 2.
 
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