2020-2021 Iowa (Carver)

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I am sure this has been asked in the thread, but I do not feel like looking haha...

What percent of Carver's pre-clinical curriculum has mandatory attendence during a typical week? And what times of the day? I have not seen a typical weekly schedule.
Mandatory large group classes are few and far between and have been on zoom this past year - don't know if they will be changing to in-person this coming year. Mandatory in-person non-lecture activities include anatomy lab, small groups, and clinical skills/patient interviews. Times of day for these is going to be very variable (could be anywhere from 10 am to 5 pm). First semester has a lot more in person requirements then the other 2 preclinical semesters because of anatomy lab (which takes up about 5 hrs/week). Other than that you will have weekly case based learning small group and sporadic MAS small groups and physical exam skills. There is quite a bit of time spent in person and occasionally some weeks require at least 2 hrs in person everyday Mon-Thurs. Hope this helps!

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Mandatory large group classes are few and far between and have been on zoom this past year - don't know if they will be changing to in-person this coming year. Mandatory in-person non-lecture activities include anatomy lab, small groups, and clinical skills/patient interviews. Times of day for these is going to be very variable (could be anywhere from 10 am to 5 pm). First semester has a lot more in person requirements then the other 2 preclinical semesters because of anatomy lab (which takes up about 5 hrs/week). Other than that you will have weekly case based learning small group and sporadic MAS small groups and physical exam skills. There is quite a bit of time spent in person and occasionally some weeks require at least 2 hrs in person everyday Mon-Thurs. Hope this helps!
You are always so helpful! Thank you for your time and advice.

So, to make sure that I am understanding you correctly: it seems that there is some time during the week between 9 am - 5 pm for you to use how you want with the exception of anatomy labs and team activities.

If possible, could you give an estimate of how much free time between this time frame there is in a typical week for studying and stuff?

I am comparing to my other choice. That school seems to have a lot more required sessions, where most of everyday (Monday-Thursay) is required attendance from 9 am - 5 pm.
 
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You are always so helpful! Thank you for your time and advice.

So, to make sure that I am understanding you correctly: it seems that there is some time during the week between 9 am - 5 pm for you to use how you want with the exception of anatomy labs and team activities.

If possible, could you give an estimate of how much free time between this time frame there is in a typical week for studying and stuff?

I am comparing to my other choice. That school seems to have a lot more required sessions, where most of everyday (Monday-Thursay) is required attendance from 9 am - 5 pm.
I felt the second look calendar posted above is confusing. I'll talk about what my schedule was like.

First semester: we had anatomy lab every week. I had it on tuesday from 1:30-4:30 and wednesday from 2-4. All anatomy lectures you can go live or watch recorded (I watched it recorded) also anatomy goes the entire semester. Foundations was completely recorded lectures except maybe once in a while when they bring in a patient related to the content we were learning which happened maybe once every other week. Foundations goes from week 1-8 (half the semester) and then we switch to MOHD 1. MOHD 1 was basically the same set up as foundations. Lectures that are not required and occasional patient cases with required lecture once every couple weeks. MAS mostly was lectures that did not require attendance except sometimes when they bring people from a panel I think that happened like 3-4 times that semester. MAS also has CBL which is case based learning where we work through a case over like 4 weeks. It is a 2hr session and we meet every week. MAS also has small group every other week for about an hour. CAPS mostly has optional recorded/live lectures. Every other week we have physical exam skills in the clinical suites that is required which is 1.5hrs. CAPS also has a small group where we learn interview skills, how to write clinical notes and get feedback on our interviews. I think that was every other week.

Second semester: you don't have as much required in person stuff because you will be done with anatomy. The required things are the same as last semester for MAS and CAPS. Small group every other week, CBL every week, and physical exam skills like 5 times in the semester. Being done with anatomy frees up a lot of time. They do add one required small group for MOHD 2 and 3 which I actually enjoyed a lot. We are given cases related to the content we are learning, we work through the case modules step by step and we are given a list of all the labs, tests etc we can order and we work on figuring out a differential and then they will tell us how we did compared to experts. We do the modules before MOHD small groups and in small groups we just split into groups and present the case assigned to us. I loved the whole working through the diagnosis, ordering tests etc to narrow the possibilities because that is what we are going to be doing in the future

TL;DR- First semester you have a decent amount of required stuff mainly because of anatomy lab. Second semester you have more flexible time. Right now in 2nd semester I have like 2-3 required things every week and the rest is just lecture which you can go live or watch it recorded. Right now lectures are over zoom, but we do all of our required things in person. If they switch back to completely in person, it will honestly be the exact same as what they are doing right now except the live lectures will be in a lecture hall instead of zoom.
 
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I felt the second look calendar posted above is confusing. I'll talk about what my schedule was like.

First semester: we had anatomy lab every week. I had it on tuesday from 1:30-4:30 and wednesday from 2-4. All anatomy lectures you can go live or watch recorded (I watched it recorded) also anatomy goes the entire semester. Foundations was completely recorded lectures except maybe once in a while when they bring in a patient related to the content we were learning which happened maybe once every other week. Foundations goes from week 1-8 (half the semester) and then we switch to MOHD 1. MOHD 1 was basically the same set up as foundations. Lectures that are not required and occasional patient cases with required lecture once every couple weeks. MAS mostly was lectures that did not require attendance except sometimes when they bring people from a panel I think that happened like 3-4 times that semester. MAS also has CBL which is case based learning where we work through a case over like 4 weeks. It is a 2hr session and we meet every week. MAS also has small group every other week for about an hour. CAPS mostly has optional recorded/live lectures. Every other week we have physical exam skills in the clinical suites that is required which is 1.5hrs. CAPS also has a small group where we learn interview skills, how to write clinical notes and get feedback on our interviews. I think that was every other week.

Second semester: you don't have as much required in person stuff because you will be done with anatomy. The required things are the same as last semester for MAS and CAPS. Small group every other week, CBL every week, and physical exam skills like 5 times in the semester. Being done with anatomy frees up a lot of time. They do add one required small group for MOHD 2 and 3 which I actually enjoyed a lot. We are given cases related to the content we are learning, we work through the case modules step by step and we are given a list of all the labs, tests etc we can order and we work on figuring out a differential and then they will tell us how we did compared to experts. We do the modules before MOHD small groups and in small groups we just split into groups and present the case assigned to us. I loved the whole working through the diagnosis, ordering tests etc to narrow the possibilities because that is what we are going to be doing in the future

TL;DR- First semester you have a decent amount of required stuff mainly because of anatomy lab. Second semester you have more flexible time. Right now in 2nd semester I have like 2-3 required things every week and the rest is just lecture which you can go live or watch it recorded. Right now lectures are over zoom, but we do all of our required things in person. If they switch back to completely in person, it will honestly be the exact same as what they are doing right now except the live lectures will be in a lecture hall instead of zoom.
Thank you so much for this information!
 
OOS waitlist here, currently in the teens. Does anyone know what the process for deferment looks like or if it's a good idea? If I am accepted in July, I don't know if I can feasibly arrange a decent living situation, sort out financial aid, etc. in less than a month...
They have a limited number of spots to defer (I think like 10), but I don't think it ever fills up. IMO finding housing and figuring out financial aid is still manageable in July. Easiest housing option would be looking into one of the medical frats. Phi Rho Sigma and Alpha Kappa Kappa. They aren't like undergrad frats you dont have to go through recruitment. Just show that you are an incoming student and sign a normal lease. Phi Rho is about a 3min walk to school, has a chef that cooks every meal except breakfast, and rent is only $580. That covers housing, food, utilities and parking. I believe we still have open spots for next semester. AKK is about a 15min walk from school and rent is around $400 I believe? They don't have a chef though. If you aren't interested in living in one of the frats, you could look for some apartments nearby although I think most of them ones nearby might be hard to get. You could also look into Aspire. A lot of med students live there. It is around 1.5 miles from campus, has a free cambus that goes straight to the hospital and school and they usually have a few unrented apartments. Regarding financial aid, as long as you just file your FAFSA right now, it shouldn't be an issue getting all of that figured out. The people in the finance department will take care of everything you need. Just email them and they will go out of their way to make sure everything is figured out.
 
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I know that this isn't the "typical" kind of advise asked for in this thread but I'm curious to hear any answers. I am currently on the IS alternate list in the lower single digits, and I am having pretty heavy anxiety any time there is no movement on the list. Does anyone currently in this situation or has been in the past have any strategies for handling stress like that? I am doing my typical things like running and working out and they're helping, but I am willing to try anything new that might help also.

Thanks and have a good afternoon!
 
I know that this isn't the "typical" kind of advise asked for in this thread but I'm curious to hear any answers. I am currently on the IS alternate list in the lower single digits, and I am having pretty heavy anxiety any time there is no movement on the list. Does anyone currently in this situation or has been in the past have any strategies for handling stress like that? I am doing my typical things like running and working out and they're helping, but I am willing to try anything new that might help also.

Thanks and have a good afternoon!
Low single digits OOS here. Honestly? I've been doing my best to limit the amount of times I check where I am on the waitlist. Ignorance is literally bliss. Plus, reading the threads from the last few years, I'm sure that there's still plenty of movement that has yet to occur!!
 
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I know that this isn't the "typical" kind of advise asked for in this thread but I'm curious to hear any answers. I am currently on the IS alternate list in the lower single digits, and I am having pretty heavy anxiety any time there is no movement on the list. Does anyone currently in this situation or has been in the past have any strategies for handling stress like that? I am doing my typical things like running and working out and they're helping, but I am willing to try anything new that might help also.

Thanks and have a good afternoon!
I was in a similar situation as you last year around this time, so I totally understand how stressful it can be not knowing what next year will look like. The best advice I can give you is spend time doing something 'new' or something that reliably takes your mind off of the stress. This could be playing a videogame, biking, planning a trip, exploring a new park, visiting family you haven't seen in a while, etc. Really, just try to be busy so that you have less time to dwell on the stress. I know its really hard and super easy to bathe in the excess cortisol, but as @Nefarious_Kangaroo said, ignorance is bliss and will help you get through the days until you get off the waitlist.
 
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Hey I just got approved to live in the AKK frat (pending me finally getting off the wait list, hopefully soon). Does anyone live there now or lived there in the past and can talk a little bit about how the experience is?
 
Will there be a lot of movement tomorrow since all the people who got off the waitlist on the first day will pass the two week deadline tomorrow?
 
Will there be a lot of movement tomorrow since all the people who got off the waitlist on the first day will pass the two week deadline tomorrow?
hmm i moved 2 spots earlier today oos, which is something
 
Will there be a lot of movement tomorrow since all the people who got off the waitlist on the first day will pass the two week deadline tomorrow?
I haven't moved since Tuesday, I'm thinking going forward it there won't be huge movement one a single day like we saw May 1st, but it'll probably be more sporadic.

I'm trying to check my spot less frequently because of that haha.
 
I haven't moved since Tuesday, I'm thinking going forward it there won't be huge movement one a single day like we saw May 1st, but it'll probably be more sporadic.

I'm trying to check my spot less frequently because of that haha.
That is true! I guess its scary thinking about when the list will stop moving but I also know that normally movement continues till late June according to most previous years!:)
 
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That is true! I guess its scary thinking about when the list will stop moving but I also know that normally movement continues till late June according to most previous years!:)
My coworker got in off of the wait list last year in earlyish June, and he said he was #8 or 9 after May 1st.

Just gotta stay positive and keep the faith!
 
Sooo anyone know if/when Carver drug tests?? Planning a trip to Colorado soon and I want to know whether or not I should partake in certain activities while I’m there or not...
 
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@ Incoming students it looks like you guys are going to have a mostly normal year. The CCOM Dean and hospital admin just announced that the mask mandate is going to be removed as of tomorrow in all non-clinical spaces
Sooo anyone know if/when Carver drug tests?? Planning a trip to Colorado soon and I want to know whether or not I should partake in certain activities while I’m there or not...
No drug test so you're good lol
 
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@ Incoming students it looks like you guys are going to have a mostly normal year. The CCOM Dean and hospital admin just announced that the mask mandate is going to be removed as of tomorrow in all non-clinical spaces

No drug test so you're good lol
Even though the mask mandate is removed, it's still ok for us to wear masks just in case right? Lol, maybe I err too much on the safe side, but I don't think I'll take off my masks until late 2021 or even until 2022. I can't find myself to trust that everyone who is unmasked is vaccinated because you know some people are going to take advantage of that rule.
 
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Even though the mask mandate is removed, it's still ok for us to wear masks just in case right? Lol, maybe I err too much on the safe side, but I don't think I'll take off my masks until late 2021 or even until 2022. I can't find myself to trust that everyone who is unmasked is vaccinated because you know some people are going to take advantage of that rule.
Yeah you don't have to stop wearing one if you don't want to. I am planning on wearing mine for a little longer too. For the most part most med students aren't crazy anti-vaxxers so I feel confident that most of us are vaccinated
 
For students that got accepted off of the waitlist: How long did it take for you to get your information about your MyUI login?
 
For future applicants: I started in the mid thirties and was accepted this week:)
 
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@kme243 @Zen Arcade

Is an iPad pro + keyboard sufficient for navigating course content at Carver? Or do you have to actually have to buy a traditional laptop?
 
@kme243 @Zen Arcade

Is an iPad pro + keyboard sufficient for navigating course content at Carver? Or do you have to actually have to buy a traditional laptop?
I have a Surface Pro and it is perfect for everything you need to do. As long as the ipad pro + keyboard has a camera for exams, I think that should work fine (although I would consult the required specs they put up on the carver website https://medicine.uiowa.edu/radsci/s...loads/ccom-laptop-configuration_fall-2019.pdf)

Its nice to have a touch screen as many of the lectures are in pdf form and you can directly write on them in onenote.
 
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@kme243 @Zen Arcade

Is an iPad pro + keyboard sufficient for navigating course content at Carver? Or do you have to actually have to buy a traditional laptop?
I'm not sure you'll be able to take exams using iOS. I don't think you'll be able to download the secure browser. If you go with an iPad Pro you may also need a cheap laptop. I used a second gen iPad Pro and a MacBook Pro through M1-present (rising M4). I used the iPad all the time during pre-clinicals, but rarely used it during clinicals. Honestly, if I had an iPad that fit in my white coat I probably would have used it more, but these days no one really wears white coats. Now that you can write on a regular iPad, I'd go with that and a laptop or a surface pro. Pro tip: having the iPad Pro and MacBook was nice to use Sidecar on the MacBook. This gave me portable dual 13 in monitors! Worth checking out if you can't live without dual monitors.
 
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I'm not sure you'll be able to take exams using iOS. I don't think you'll be able to download the secure browser. If you go with an iPad Pro you may also need a cheap laptop. I used a second gen iPad Pro and a MacBook Pro through M1-present (rising M4). I used the iPad all the time during pre-clinicals, but rarely used it during clinicals. Honestly, if I had an iPad that fit in my white coat I probably would have used it more, but these days no one really wears white coats. Now that you can write on a regular iPad, I'd go with that and a laptop or a surface pro. Pro tip: having the iPad Pro and MacBook was nice to use Sidecar on the MacBook. This gave me portable dual 13 in monitors! Worth checking out if you can't live without dual monitors.
Thank you for this information!

I have a Macbook as well. It is just old, and so if it were going to be my primary device, I would buy a new one. But, if I am mainly using it as a backup for exams, it looks like I will be good with using the iPad pro as my main device based on what you are saying.
 
Thank you for this information!

I have a Macbook as well. It is just old, and so if it were going to be my primary device, I would buy a new one. But, if I am mainly using it as a backup for exams, it looks like I will be good with using the iPad pro as my main device based on what you are saying.
Yes, the only other thing where I found a computer "essential" was step prep. It doesn't necessarily need to be a laptop, but I wanted something with a mouse to simulate the actual test. I ended up doing a lot of Uworld and practice tests in the computer lab just to make it feel like I was at Prometric anyway. I also used my laptop for research software, but the lab had computers too. Your old MacBook might be fine. My wife's laptop is a 2012 MacBook Air that was my computer before I started med school. Sometimes I wish I would have kept using it. It still works great!
 
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For future applicants: I started in the mid thirties and was accepted this week:)
Congratulations! That's very exciting.

I started mid twenties in-state and am currently hovering in low single digits. Hoping for some good news by the end of June :oops:
 
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@kme243 @Zen Arcade

Is an iPad pro + keyboard sufficient for navigating course content at Carver? Or do you have to actually have to buy a traditional laptop?
You could get away with just the ipad for 70-80% of things but you will need a computer for exams and also some additional resources that don't work on a computer. For example for histology we have a virtual slide deck and you need to download specific software that I don't think will work on an ipad and some of the anatomy resources won't work on an ipad. Most lectures I just use my ipad but every once in a while you will need a computer. If you don't buy one, you can use the computers in MERF
 
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wait, i'm confused. is WL movement over or does it move more towards mid-July?
 
wait, i'm confused. is WL movement over or does it move more towards mid-July?
I checked today and have moved up another three spots. I hadn't moved for three weeks or so. So there's still WL movement, apparently.
 
hey so I realize this is a shot in the dark and people probably won't have a definitive answer, but here goes:

I am literally #1 on the in-state waitlist for Carver. I know that the waitlist dissolves on the first day of orientation (August 9th) which is a little less than a month from now. Does anyone have any idea what my chances are for getting in this year? I also believe their accept admittance deadline is July 19th, so would that maybe give me that last damn spot?

P.S. I have also been accepted to a Master's program at Iowa, so I am not hinging all of my immediate life future on this haha, I'd just much rather get into med school now rather than later (believe it or not).
 
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hey so I realize this is a shot in the dark and people probably won't have a definitive answer, but here goes:

I am literally #1 on the in-state waitlist for Carver. I know that the waitlist dissolves on the first day of orientation (August 9th) which is a little less than a month from now. Does anyone have any idea what my chances are for getting in this year? I also believe their accept admittance deadline is July 19th, so would that maybe give me that last damn spot?

P.S. I have also been accepted to a Master's program at Iowa, so I am not hinging all of my immediate life future on this haha, I'd just much rather get into med school now rather than later (believe it or not).
If you have a masters that you are planning on doing here then I would count on that as your plan and get an apartment and everything here and if you happen to get off the waitlist then definitely grab that spot. Usually the complicated cases are when someone has an acceptance somewhere else and is #1 on waitlist but is afraid to commit and sign an apartment until knowing for sure you are moving to Iowa but since you already have plans in Iowa go with that until you know if you get in or not
 
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Are you ORM or URM? I am URM (so that skews things) but I got an interview at Iowa last cycle with a 3.82 and 503/508 MCATs. I totally bombed the interview (it was my first) so I was ultimately rejected, but I expected it after my horrendous day!
Why do you say you bombed the interview? I think it will also be my first for the cycle so I'd love any advice!
 
Why do you say you bombed the interview? I think it will also be my first for the cycle so I'd love any advice!
Hey mingersoll! People on SDN will generally recommend that you not use your actual photo for your profile picture. This helps keep things anonymous since sometimes, adcoms from schools are on here.
 
Hey I have a logistics question for those who interviewed in-person.
What is the parking like on 360 Newton Road, where the the interview invite said to park? Was it difficult to find parking or was their limited availability?
And it's located right next to the interview location, right... just takes a minute to walk over?
 
Also, was there a place to keep backpacks? Did some interviewees bring them?
 
Hey I have a logistics question for those who interviewed in-person.
What is the parking like on 360 Newton Road, where the the interview invite said to park? Was it difficult to find parking or was their limited availability?
And it's located right next to the interview location, right... just takes a minute to walk over?
Newton ramp is right across the street from the building where you will have your interview. You shouldn't have an issue with finding parking in the ramp. Sometimes the ramp does fill up on Fridays, but if that is the case just wait in line in front of the ramp and as people leave they let more people in. I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes when the ramp is full. I would say just leave a little extra early. Parking costs around 60 cents to a dollar per hour.
 
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