2020-2021 Oregon Health and Science University

[chirurgienne.rouge]

Very queasy! Does any know if they continuously send decisions throughout April or if the majority of them are sent out in the last week of April?

They wait until the last week of April to release all decisions 😅 it’s a great time

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[ClubbedPenguins]

They wait until the last week of April to release all decisions 😅 it’s a great time

Thanks! This is going to be a loooonng month!

 

[kyoshiwarrior27]

They wait until the last week of April to release all decisions 😅 it’s a great time

Kari was saying in my interview week that some decisions could be released early April as well. But mostly will happen at end of April.

 

[MDambition17]

APRIL IS HERE my friends!! THIS IS THE MONTH that decisions are made once and for all and we are brought out of hold purgatory!! Who else is excited and also a lil’ queasy??

After 8 weeks of relentlessly checking my portal with no news the queasiness had subsided but now it is returning full speed! It is exciting but terrifying! This is the only school I have to look for an A from so a lot rides on it for me! I'm sure I'm not the only one! But I will say I applied 4 years ago and when I was rejected pre II the feeling was pretty crappy (since I semi saw it coming) but this build up is no comparison for me
Nonetheless planning for the worst but hoping for the best serves well with a sprinkle of positive manifestation?
I'm grateful to have this site to refer too because it helps knowing were all in the same lil canoes floating out in the wild Atlantic Ocean together!
Best of luck to everyone!

 

[CA_to_VA]

Does anybody else just feel totally disenchanted by OHSU from their process?

I went into this cycle thinking OHSU was my top choice, but honestly I just don't feel like they treat their applicants that well and it makes me a bit skeptical of how they'll treat their students! At the other schools I interviewed at, it felt like a mutual process where I tried to impress they school and they tried to impress ME and show me why I should go there. It's been *months* since I interviewed at OHSU and I haven't hear anything other than a notice of being on hold and then I'm expected to wait until just weeks before I have to give notice to schools and then...still want to go there?

Apologies for the angst! I think I still really like OHSU, but my excitement about others schools has been building while my excitement for OHSU has been fading. Would love to hear if other people feel the same way or, if not, how you're maintaining your excitement about OHSU through this?

 

[vanilla_fubar]

Does anybody else just feel totally disenchanted by OHSU from their process?

I went into this cycle thinking OHSU was my top choice, but honestly I just don't feel like they treat their Peeps that well and it makes me a bit skeptical of how they'll treat their students! At the other schools I interviewed at, it felt like a mutual process where I tried to impress they school and they tried to impress ME and show me why I should go there. It's been *months* since I interviewed at OHSU and I haven't hear anything other than a notice of being on hold and then I'm expected to wait until just weeks before I have to give notice to schools and then...still want to go there?

Apologies for the angst! I think I still really like OHSU, but my excitement about others schools has been building while my excitement for OHSU has been fading. Would love to hear if other people feel the same way or, if not, how you're maintaining your excitement about OHSU through this?

Feel the exact same way. I applied last cycle and OHSU put me on hold for 6 months before dropping the axe. I understand that this is pretty standard for them but it came across as extremely disrespectful. This year I’ve fortunately had a much more successful cycle with a few early As. OHSU, however, was still as sluggish as ever. Took them 3 months to verify my secondary... I truly love OHSU and would love to attend but frankly their admission process is incredibly off putting. Other schools I’ve applied/interviewed/been accepted at have been far more respectful and transparent.

The last thing I want is to come off as is entitled. But I think the least OHSU could do is be more respectful of their applicants. I’m concerned they are turning away lots of otherwise qualified and interested students (especially In staters) by their admission committee.

 

[nyc1524]

Does anybody else just feel totally disenchanted by OHSU from their process?

I went into this cycle thinking OHSU was my top choice, but honestly I just don't feel like they treat their Peeps that well and it makes me a bit skeptical of how they'll treat their students! At the other schools I interviewed at, it felt like a mutual process where I tried to impress they school and they tried to impress ME and show me why I should go there. It's been *months* since I interviewed at OHSU and I haven't hear anything other than a notice of being on hold and then I'm expected to wait until just weeks before I have to give notice to schools and then...still want to go there?

Apologies for the angst! I think I still really like OHSU, but my excitement about others schools has been building while my excitement for OHSU has been fading. Would love to hear if other people feel the same way or, if not, how you're maintaining your excitement about OHSU through this?

Yup. I was lucky enough to be accepted but their whole process has been really disapointing to see. Hard to not to assume the rest of the school/university would function just as sluggishly as the admissions office. They've certainly turned me away.

 

[ORmed93]

Accepted on 3/29!!!! Interview and MMI was on 2/9. So about 7 weeks of waiting. Stay positive everyone!
P.S. average stats and IS btw

 

[lukelukeluke]

Accepted on 3/29!!!! Easter egg hunt and MMI was on 2/9. So about 7 weeks of waiting. Stay positive everyone!
P.S. average stats and IS btw

Was you on hold?

 

[kyoshiwarrior27]

Accepted on 3/29!!!! Easter egg hunt and MMI was on 2/9. So about 7 weeks of waiting. Stay positive everyone!
P.S. average stats and IS btw

omg congrats!!!! anyone else notice SDN is changing "i n t e r v i e w" to easter egg hunt lololol

 

[Grogu12]

omg congrats!!!! anybunny else notice SDN is changing "i n t e r v i e w" to easter egg hunt lololol

lol they’ve changed all kinds of words! “A d m i s s I o n s O f f I c e” is Demon’s office 🤣

 

[kyoshiwarrior27]

lol they’ve changed all kinds of words! “A d m i s s I o n s O f f I c e” is Demon’s office 🤣

I love it lol I was looking through the 2019-2020 OHSU thread this morning and was like wtf is going on

 

[banksy149]

Does anybody else just feel totally disenchanted by OHSU from their process?

I went into this cycle thinking OHSU was my top choice, but honestly I just don't feel like they treat their Peeps that well and it makes me a bit skeptical of how they'll treat their students! At the other schools I interviewed at, it felt like a mutual process where I tried to impress they school and they tried to impress ME and show me why I should go there. It's been *months* since I interviewed at OHSU and I haven't hear anything other than a notice of being on hold and then I'm expected to wait until just weeks before I have to give notice to schools and then...still want to go there?

Apologies for the angst! I think I still really like OHSU, but my excitement about others schools has been building while my excitement for OHSU has been fading. Would love to hear if other people feel the same way or, if not, how you're maintaining your excitement about OHSU through this?

I feel the exact same way. This was my top choice and I was so excited when I received the interview, but I'm truly feeling less and less excited with this school after waiting 4 months, especially after the sexual assault scandal and how they seemed to handle it.

 

[ORmed93]

Was you on hold?

Nope, was never on hold!

 

[hopeful-future-doc]

So nervous!! But ready for the wait to be over for sure. I'm only at three weeks I can't imagine those who have been waiting since January!!

waiting since December over here and it is no fun, lol. but now we're so close!!

 

[vasostressin]

For those MD/MPH candidates who are on hold or haven't yet heard back post-interview, are you worried about having enough time to prepare for the summer start? I don't know if I'm irrationally freaking out or what. It looks like only 2 or so MD/MPH acceptances have gone out so far (unless I completely suck at reading comprehension)

 

[deleted880375]

For those MD/MPH candidates who are on hold or haven't yet heard back post-interview, are you worried about having enough time to prepare for the summer start? I don't know if I'm irrationally freaking out or what. It looks like only 2 or so MD/MPH acceptances have gone out so far (unless I completely suck at reading comprehension)

When does the the MPH program officially start?

 

[Grogu12]

When does the the MPH program officially start?

6 weeks before the MD program (3 weeks on your own, which I think you could do from anywhere / 3 weeks as a group). End of June-ish? I don’t know the exact date. Can anyone chime in?

 

[deleted1032897]

MS1 here. I get it's hard to wait to hear back from OHSU... no one wants to wait to hear their decision, but everyone also wants the chance to make their case at interview. You can't have it both ways! Along with interviewing more people longer for an actual spot instead of just filling the class with mostly people who applied first and were invited in the first few months of interviews, comes with having to delay decisions until most get a chance to interview. Very few of us are outstanding enough to be accepted outright because we're way better... many of us are all outstanding, just with different stories and arguments and goals. I know this doesn't negate your experience, but the wait comes from wanting to give more people a chance, not a villified place of making you squirm. And if you think this will be the last time you're uncomfortable for months, every day wondering why you feel like you don't know anything... welcome to MS1 lol. It's a different discomfort I know, but developing patience now will help.

 

[deleted880375]

MS1 here. I get it's hard to wait to hear back from OHSU... no one wants to wait to hear their decision, but everyone also wants the chance to make their case at interview. You can't have it both ways! Along with interviewing more people longer for an actual spot instead of just filling the class with mostly people who applied first and were invited in the first few months of interviews, comes with having to delay decisions until most get a chance to interview. Very few of us are outstanding enough to be accepted outright because we're way better... many of us are all outstanding, just with different stories and arguments and goals. I know this doesn't negate your experience, but the wait comes from wanting to give more people a chance, not a villified place of making you squirm. And if you think this will be the last time you're uncomfortable for months, every day wondering why you feel like you don't know anything... welcome to MS1 lol. It's a different discomfort I know, but developing patience now will help.

Well said!

 

[vanilla_fubar]

MS1 here. I get it's hard to wait to hear back from OHSU... no one wants to wait to hear their decision, but everyone also wants the chance to make their case at interview. You can't have it both ways! Along with interviewing more people longer for an actual spot instead of just filling the class with mostly people who applied first and were invited in the first few months of interviews, comes with having to delay decisions until most get a chance to interview. Very few of us are outstanding enough to be accepted outright because we're way better... many of us are all outstanding, just with different stories and arguments and goals. I know this doesn't negate your experience, but the wait comes from wanting to give more people a chance, not a villified place of making you squirm. And if you think this will be the last time you're uncomfortable for months, every day wondering why you feel like you don't know anything... welcome to MS1 lol. It's a different discomfort I know, but developing patience now will help.

Appreciate your insight here. As frustrating as waiting is, it’s important to have a healthy perspective of this whole process.

 

[kyoshiwarrior27]

MS1 here. I get it's hard to wait to hear back from OHSU... no one wants to wait to hear their decision, but everyone also wants the chance to make their case at interview. You can't have it both ways! Along with interviewing more people longer for an actual spot instead of just filling the class with mostly people who applied first and were invited in the first few months of interviews, comes with having to delay decisions until most get a chance to interview. Very few of us are outstanding enough to be accepted outright because we're way better... many of us are all outstanding, just with different stories and arguments and goals. I know this doesn't negate your experience, but the wait comes from wanting to give more people a chance, not a villified place of making you squirm. And if you think this will be the last time you're uncomfortable for months, every day wondering why you feel like you don't know anything... welcome to MS1 lol. It's a different discomfort I know, but developing patience now will help.

Thank you for this! I really do love how OHSU does keep it open until the end because I was invited to interview late to some other schools and it was only for waitlist spots which I could imagine would be frustrating for people who didn't already hold one acceptance. Can't wait to hear back from OHSU

 

[play_ball35]

My 1:1 interview was supposed to be today, but the interviewer never showed up :O

Oh no!! Did you email Kari?

 

[MDambition17]

MS1 here. I get it's hard to wait to hear back from OHSU... no one wants to wait to hear their decision, but everyone also wants the chance to make their case at interview. You can't have it both ways! Along with interviewing more people longer for an actual spot instead of just filling the class with mostly people who applied first and were invited in the first few months of interviews, comes with having to delay decisions until most get a chance to interview. Very few of us are outstanding enough to be accepted outright because we're way better... many of us are all outstanding, just with different stories and arguments and goals. I know this doesn't negate your experience, but the wait comes from wanting to give more people a chance, not a villified place of making you squirm. And if you think this will be the last time you're uncomfortable for months, every day wondering why you feel like you don't know anything... welcome to MS1 lol. It's a different discomfort I know, but developing patience now will help.

This is so true! It would just be so nice to have some of the process illuminated a bit more... like instead of wondering if your interviewer has met with adcom yet, or if your file has been discussed. Just to gain some kind of understanding where you stand. I think that is the most frustrating part is the complete darkness....for months.

 

[PNWMedStudent]

Email just went out - they have completed all of the interviews they intend to do this cycle (525 in total)

 

[deleted880375]

Email just went out - they have completed all of the interviews the intend to do this cycle (525 in total)

Was that an internal email?

 

[kyoshiwarrior27]

Email just went out - they have completed all of the interviews the intend to do this cycle (525 in total)

Oooooh! Thank you for letting us know! I have been slowly coming to terms that I won't hear until the end of April, but part of me is still holding out that I'll receive notification everyday lol. I check my portal like 10 times a day its a reflex at this point.

 

[MDambition17]

Oooooh! Thank you for letting us know! I have been slowly coming to terms that I won't hear until the end of April, but part of me is still holding out that I'll receive notification everyday lol. I check my portal like 10 times a day its a reflex at this point.

Absolutely. It’s just part of my routine for the day 😅

 

[gluestick]

Well, get ready for a story everyone... Today I was FaceTiming my best friend and I get an email with the subject line “OHSU School of Medicine MD Offer Letter.” I read the email and immediately start sobbing - my best friend was also sobbing as that means I get to move back to Portland and live with her. I call my siblings and parents and am on cloud nine, right? WELL upon further inspection of the offer letter attached to the email, it is addressed to someone else. Same first name and same last initial, but different last name... Turns out, the email wasn’t intended for me at all and they haven’t yet discussed my file. The disappointment I feel at this moment is absolutely ~soul crushing~ so I had to come on here and share because I know you all will understand...

 

[play_ball35]

Well, get ready for a story everyone... Today I was FaceTiming my best friend and I get an email with the subject line “OHSU School of Medicine MD Offer Letter.” I read the email and immediately start sobbing - my best friend was also sobbing as that means I get to move back to Portland and live with her. I call my siblings and parents and am on cloud nine, right? WELL upon further inspection of the offer letter attached to the email, it is addressed to someone else. Same first name and same last initial, but different last name... Turns out, the email wasn’t intended for me at all and they haven’t yet discussed my file. The disappointment I feel at this moment is absolutely ~soul crushing~ so I had to come on here and share because I know you all will understand...

Oh man, that's rough! I'm sorry you had to go through that ride. Here's hoping it's a preview of a soon-to-come email in your inbox

 

[BigPremedGuy]

Reapplicant here with no help, but offering support for you guy, and my experience. I applied in [2019-2020, not this year] with lower stats (IS). 3.45 and 511 MCAT. Got an interview in Feb and found out I was WL'd the last possible day in late May, my position was pretty high, I wanna say around 100, but I don't fully remember, all I remember is it was basically a soft R.

Well here I am again ready to apply for 21-22, and still feeling like OHSU is my only hope. Positive energy to everyone waiting to hear back this month, and other people trolling (like me) waiting to obsessively watch this thread starting this summer for 9 months.

This is kind of a word vomit, but I'm planning on narrowing my application this year to focus on only a few themes, instead of my more "shotgun blast" approach last year. Besides that, my feedback interview basically told me everything was good, but my interview wasn't excellent, which was tough because I always felt that was my strong suit. OHSU uses a combination of students, staff, and professors for their MMI, and oddly enough I had great marks with everyone but one student who really tanked my app by saying I "felt like I was demanding". My advice here is to TREAT MMIs LIKE GODDAMN CASPR, explore all options and remain on the fence as much as you can. You can get trapped by jumping to one side too quickly.

My only other hope is I get a different person for my 1 on 1 because my guy was not involved and didn't know who I was until he checked my app out on the computer while I was sitting in front of him, lol.

I want nothing more than to go to OHSU, i really hope I can get off the WL hump this year, and you all do this year as well. good luck friends

edit: grammar and years

 

[deleted880375]

Reapplicant here with no help, but offering support for you guy, and my experience. I applied in 2020-21 with lower stats (IS). 3.45 and 511 MCAT. Got an interview in Feb and found out I was WL'd the last possible day in late May, my position was pretty high, I wanna say around 100, but I don't fully remember, all I remember is it was basically a soft R.

Well here I am again ready to apply for 21-22, and still feeling like OHSU is my only hope. Positive energy to everyone waiting to hear back this month, and other people trolling (like me) waiting to obsessively watch this thread starting this summer for 9 months.

This is kind of a word vomit, but I'm planning on narrowing my application this year to focus on only a few themes, instead of my more "shotgun blast" approach last year. Besides that, my feedback interview basically told me everything was good, but my interview wasn't excellent, which was tough because I always felt that was my strong suit. OHSU uses a combination of students, staff, and professors for their MMI, and oddly enough I had great marks with everyone but one student who really tanked my app by saying I "felt like I was demanding". My advice here is to TREAT MMIs LIKE GODDAMN CASPR, explore all options and remain on the fence as much as you can. You can get trapped by jumping to one side too quickly.

My only other hope I get a different person for my 1 on 1 this year because my guy was not involved and didn't know who I was until he checked my app out on the computer while I was sitting in front of him, lol.

I want nothing more than to go to OHSU, i really hope I can get off the WL hump this year, and you all do this year as well. good luck friends

You were waitlisted this cycle? I was under the impresssion they haven’t decided the WL yet

 

[BigPremedGuy]

You were waitlisted this cycle? I was under the impresssion they haven’t decided the WL yet

Sorry, applied 2019-2020, not current cycle but last year

 

[kyoshiwarrior27]

Well, get ready for a story everyone... Today I was FaceTiming my best friend and I get an email with the subject line “OHSU School of Medicine MD Offer Letter.” I read the email and immediately start sobbing - my best friend was also sobbing as that means I get to move back to Portland and live with her. I call my siblings and parents and am on cloud nine, right? WELL upon further inspection of the offer letter attached to the email, it is addressed to someone else. Same first name and same last initial, but different last name... Turns out, the email wasn’t intended for me at all and they haven’t yet discussed my file. The disappointment I feel at this moment is absolutely ~soul crushing~ so I had to come on here and share because I know you all will understand...

Wow I am SO sorry, this would be heart wrenching! I am hoping that you get the same email with your name on it soon!!! Sending you hugs

 

[prufrock2891]

is this legit??? i clicked view message and it prompted me to sign up for this mail gate thing...

 

[PeteytheFish]

View attachment 334237
is this legit??? i clicked view message and it prompted me to sign up for this mail gate thing...

It's legit. It's just communication about your FAFSA, if I remember correctly.

 

[Seahawks12]

Well, get ready for a story everyone... Today I was FaceTiming my best friend and I get an email with the subject line “OHSU School of Medicine MD Offer Letter.” I read the email and immediately start sobbing - my best friend was also sobbing as that means I get to move back to Portland and live with her. I call my siblings and parents and am on cloud nine, right? WELL upon further inspection of the offer letter attached to the email, it is addressed to someone else. Same first name and same last initial, but different last name... Turns out, the email wasn’t intended for me at all and they haven’t yet discussed my file. The disappointment I feel at this moment is absolutely ~soul crushing~ so I had to come on here and share because I know you all will understand...

Whoa that was awful. Sorry you had to deal with that. Did you alert OHSU?

 

[justafewquestions1]

Does anyone know a place where I can read about current student experiences at OSHU. At other schools that I applied to, they had things like a google doc with FAQs answered by current students, and just general helpful information about the school. I haven't been able to find anything like that, other than the student handbook which isn't written by students and doesn't really address of a lot of useful information (ex. work life balance, the amount of mandatory events, etc). Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[PeteytheFish]

Does anyone know a place where I can read about current student experiences at OSHU. At other schools that I applied to, they had things like a google doc with FAQs answered by current students, and just general helpful information about the school. I haven't been able to find anything like that, other than the student handbook which isn't written by students and doesn't really address of a lot of useful information (ex. work life balance, the amount of mandatory events, etc). Any help would be much appreciated!

There are lots of resources like that for accepted students but I don't know if anything like that is made available to applicants. I know there are several current students lurking on here (desperately trying not to study for our renal exam, I guess) who would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

 

[ALNMD2018]

Well, get ready for a story everyone... Today I was FaceTiming my best friend and I get an email with the subject line “OHSU School of Medicine MD Offer Letter.” I read the email and immediately start sobbing - my best friend was also sobbing as that means I get to move back to Portland and live with her. I call my siblings and parents and am on cloud nine, right? WELL upon further inspection of the offer letter attached to the email, it is addressed to someone else. Same first name and same last initial, but different last name... Turns out, the email wasn’t intended for me at all and they haven’t yet discussed my file. The disappointment I feel at this moment is absolutely ~soul crushing~ so I had to come on here and share because I know you all will understand...

I am SO sorry you went through that! How heart wrenching! It puts it into perspective how much this means too so many of us. I hope you were kind to yourself after this incident and found some way to recharge....how utterly exhausting and typical of the times right now!!!!

 

[ALNMD2018]

Reapplicant here with no help, but offering support for you guy, and my experience. I applied in [2019-2020, not this year] with lower stats (IS). 3.45 and 511 MCAT. Got an interview in Feb and found out I was WL'd the last possible day in late May, my position was pretty high, I wanna say around 100, but I don't fully remember, all I remember is it was basically a soft R.

Well here I am again ready to apply for 21-22, and still feeling like OHSU is my only hope. Positive energy to everyone waiting to hear back this month, and other people trolling (like me) waiting to obsessively watch this thread starting this summer for 9 months.

This is kind of a word vomit, but I'm planning on narrowing my application this year to focus on only a few themes, instead of my more "shotgun blast" approach last year. Besides that, my feedback interview basically told me everything was good, but my interview wasn't excellent, which was tough because I always felt that was my strong suit. OHSU uses a combination of students, staff, and professors for their MMI, and oddly enough I had great marks with everyone but one student who really tanked my app by saying I "felt like I was demanding". My advice here is to TREAT MMIs LIKE GODDAMN CASPR, explore all options and remain on the fence as much as you can. You can get trapped by jumping to one side too quickly.

My only other hope is I get a different person for my 1 on 1 because my guy was not involved and didn't know who I was until he checked my app out on the computer while I was sitting in front of him, lol.

I want nothing more than to go to OHSU, i really hope I can get off the WL hump this year, and you all do this year as well. good luck friends

edit: grammar and years

Thank you so much for your transparency! I wish you the best of luck!

 

[gluestick]

Whoa that was awful. Sorry you had to deal with that. Did you alert OHSU?

I responded & asked the heart wrenching question of “was this not for me” back to the gal that sent me the original email and she apologized and explained... but man this hurts more than any rejection I’ve gotten so far :/

 

[justafewquestions1]

There are lots of resources like that for accepted students but I don't know if anything like that is made available to applicants. I know there are several current students lurking on here (desperately trying not to study for our renal exam, I guess) who would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

How busy would you say you are? Are you pretty much booked during the day with lectures and groups, or is it more of you making your own schedule. Do you think its possible for you or any of your classmates to make it work on a 9-5 schedule? And do you feel like faculty cares about you/are willing to take feedback well? I've heard that sometimes it can feel like the faculty know you need them more than they need you so they aren't as likely to form relationships and that sort of thing.

I really appreciate the help and good luck on your exam!

 

[PNWMedStudent]

Reapplicant here with no help, but offering support for you guy, and my experience. I applied in [2019-2020, not this year] with lower stats (IS). 3.45 and 511 MCAT. Got an interview in Feb and found out I was WL'd the last possible day in late May, my position was pretty high, I wanna say around 100, but I don't fully remember, all I remember is it was basically a soft R.

Well here I am again ready to apply for 21-22, and still feeling like OHSU is my only hope. Positive energy to everyone waiting to hear back this month, and other people trolling (like me) waiting to obsessively watch this thread starting this summer for 9 months.

This is kind of a word vomit, but I'm planning on narrowing my application this year to focus on only a few themes, instead of my more "shotgun blast" approach last year. Besides that, my feedback interview basically told me everything was good, but my interview wasn't excellent, which was tough because I always felt that was my strong suit. OHSU uses a combination of students, staff, and professors for their MMI, and oddly enough I had great marks with everyone but one student who really tanked my app by saying I "felt like I was demanding". My advice here is to TREAT MMIs LIKE GODDAMN CASPR, explore all options and remain on the fence as much as you can. You can get trapped by jumping to one side too quickly.

My only other hope is I get a different person for my 1 on 1 because my guy was not involved and didn't know who I was until he checked my app out on the computer while I was sitting in front of him, lol.

I want nothing more than to go to OHSU, i really hope I can get off the WL hump this year, and you all do this year as well. good luck friends

edit: grammar and years

I totally disagree with this - do not "remain on the fence as much as you can". They want to see that you can take a stance, back it up with insightful reasoning and evidence and be open to changing your mind when presented with new information. There's not a doctor in the world that made a career out of being indecisive.

 

[PeteytheFish]

How busy would you say you are? Are you pretty much booked during the day with lectures and groups, or is it more of you making your own schedule. Do you think its possible for you or any of your classmates to make it work on a 9-5 schedule? And do you feel like faculty cares about you/are willing to take feedback well? I've heard that sometimes it can feel like the faculty know you need them more than they need you so they aren't as likely to form relationships and that sort of thing.

I really appreciate the help and good luck on your exam!

First of all, as an M1 I should put the caveat out there that we have been in pandemic mode since day 1, so our year has looked different from previous years and I have nothing to compare it to.

We all take a different approach to our learning. I like to go to lecture (and by "go" I mean stay in bed and watch pre-recorded lectures on 2x speed) but I have classmates who never listen to lecture and use Boards and Beyond, Pathoma, Sketchy, and Anki instead and seem to do just fine. We have a couple of mandatory activities every week, plus mandatory anatomy on some weeks, but mandatory activities take up perhaps one or two mornings or afternoons per week. The rest of the week is pretty flexible.

I do think that one could, especially as the year goes on and they get the feel of medical school, study more or less on a 9-5 schedule assuming that they didn't go to live lectures (in other words, waited for the recording to be posted and listen to it later). The exception to this is that anatomy tends to start at 8 am when we have it and that sometimes the weekly exam(s) on Friday morning start at 8 (but sometimes they don't - it varies week on week). At the beginning of the year I basically studied from 8 am until late at night, but eight months in, I now work from about 9 am until 8 pm, taking breaks for lunch, a walk with my dog, and usually a workout at some point in the day.

I don't find that I have a ton of free time during the week, but I always am able to have dinner with my spouse and am almost always able to take weekends off.

Regarding faculty...it depends. First of all, since we have been doing remote lectures due to the pandemic, we have not met most of our faculty. Also, OHSU brings in different professors for each lecture, so in a week we may be taught by 15 different people, some of whom we may see for one lecture and then never again. Our block directors - the faculty who run each independent curriculum block - are variable. Some of them are super interested in the students and some are less so. The block directors are constantly asking for feedback, but whether they act on it or not depends. Some are better than others, in other words. We have a handful of faculty who are superstars and bend over backwards for their students - these tend to be the faculty members we see the most of, so that makes sense. I also get the impression that a lot of our professors would be excited to become mentors if students reached out, but given the fleeting nature of their relationship with us, in all likelihood, they don't hear from many students. We also have great deans who are very receptive and interested.

On the whole, I have found OHSU to be a great place to learn. Like any university, it has its challenges and its failings, but I think OHSU does a good job and feels like a supportive and flexible place to learn. BY FAR the best part about OHSU is that it deliberately fosters a culture of cooperation and support among the cohorts. The Med24s are collaborative to the degree that we freely share resources, tutor each other, remind each other of upcoming deadlines, and generally bolster each other through the storm that is medical school. I think the university does a pretty good job of teaching us, but what makes OHSU stand out for me is the camaraderie of the students.

 

[justafewquestions1]

First of all, as an M1 I should put the caveat out there that we have been in pandemic mode since day 1, so our year has looked different from previous years and I have nothing to compare it to.

We all take a different approach to our learning. I like to go to lecture (and by "go" I mean stay in bed and watch pre-recorded lectures on 2x speed) but I have classmates who never listen to lecture and use Boards and Beyond, Pathoma, Sketchy, and Anki instead and seem to do just fine. We have a couple of mandatory activities every week, plus mandatory anatomy on some weeks, but mandatory activities take up perhaps one or two mornings or afternoons per week. The rest of the week is pretty flexible.

I do think that one could, especially as the year goes on and they get the feel of medical school, study more or less on a 9-5 schedule assuming that they didn't go to live lectures (in other words, waited for the recording to be posted and listen to it later). The exception to this is that anatomy tends to start at 8 am when we have it and that sometimes the weekly exam(s) on Friday morning start at 8 (but sometimes they don't - it varies week on week). At the beginning of the year I basically studied from 8 am until late at night, but eight months in, I now work from about 9 am until 8 pm, taking breaks for lunch, a walk with my dog, and usually a workout at some point in the day.

I don't find that I have a ton of free time during the week, but I always am able to have dinner with my spouse and am almost always able to take weekends off.

Regarding faculty...it depends. First of all, since we have been doing remote lectures due to the pandemic, we have not met most of our faculty. Also, OHSU brings in different professors for each lecture, so in a week we may be taught by 15 different people, some of whom we may see for one lecture and then never again. Our block directors - the faculty who run each independent curriculum block - are variable. Some of them are super interested in the students and some are less so. The block directors are constantly asking for feedback, but whether they act on it or not depends. Some are better than others, in other words. We have a handful of faculty who are superstars and bend over backwards for their students - these tend to be the faculty members we see the most of, so that makes sense. I also get the impression that a lot of our professors would be excited to become mentors if students reached out, but given the fleeting nature of their relationship with us, in all likelihood, they don't hear from many students. We also have great deans who are very receptive and interested.

On the whole, I have found OHSU to be a great place to learn. Like any university, it has its challenges and its failings, but I think OHSU does a good job and feels like a supportive and flexible place to learn. BY FAR the best part about OHSU is that it deliberately fosters a culture of cooperation and support among the cohorts. The Med24s are collaborative to the degree that we freely share resources, tutor each other, remind each other of upcoming deadlines, and generally bolster each other through the storm that is medical school. I think the university does a pretty good job of teaching us, but what makes OHSU stand out for me is the camaraderie of the students.

Wow! I'm incredibly appreciative at the detail in your response! It's super nice to hear about the camaraderie of the students, especially in a COVID year where meeting and forming relationships has its challenges. I'm also happy to hear about having weekends pretty free. I thought this seemed like a great perk of friday tests, so I'm happy to hear it works out that way.

In terms of rotating guest lecturers, does this affect the weekly tests? It seems like it might be a big challenge to learn the testing styles of each professor on a weekly basis, or are the tests written by the same person/group of people?

Thanks!

 

[prufrock2891]

First of all, as an M1 I should put the caveat out there that we have been in pandemic mode since day 1, so our year has looked different from previous years and I have nothing to compare it to.

We all take a different approach to our learning. I like to go to lecture (and by "go" I mean stay in bed and watch pre-recorded lectures on 2x speed) but I have classmates who never listen to lecture and use Boards and Beyond, Pathoma, Sketchy, and Anki instead and seem to do just fine. We have a couple of mandatory activities every week, plus mandatory anatomy on some weeks, but mandatory activities take up perhaps one or two mornings or afternoons per week. The rest of the week is pretty flexible.

I do think that one could, especially as the year goes on and they get the feel of medical school, study more or less on a 9-5 schedule assuming that they didn't go to live lectures (in other words, waited for the recording to be posted and listen to it later). The exception to this is that anatomy tends to start at 8 am when we have it and that sometimes the weekly exam(s) on Friday morning start at 8 (but sometimes they don't - it varies week on week). At the beginning of the year I basically studied from 8 am until late at night, but eight months in, I now work from about 9 am until 8 pm, taking breaks for lunch, a walk with my dog, and usually a workout at some point in the day.

I don't find that I have a ton of free time during the week, but I always am able to have dinner with my spouse and am almost always able to take weekends off.

Regarding faculty...it depends. First of all, since we have been doing remote lectures due to the pandemic, we have not met most of our faculty. Also, OHSU brings in different professors for each lecture, so in a week we may be taught by 15 different people, some of whom we may see for one lecture and then never again. Our block directors - the faculty who run each independent curriculum block - are variable. Some of them are super interested in the students and some are less so. The block directors are constantly asking for feedback, but whether they act on it or not depends. Some are better than others, in other words. We have a handful of faculty who are superstars and bend over backwards for their students - these tend to be the faculty members we see the most of, so that makes sense. I also get the impression that a lot of our professors would be excited to become mentors if students reached out, but given the fleeting nature of their relationship with us, in all likelihood, they don't hear from many students. We also have great deans who are very receptive and interested.

On the whole, I have found OHSU to be a great place to learn. Like any university, it has its challenges and its failings, but I think OHSU does a good job and feels like a supportive and flexible place to learn. BY FAR the best part about OHSU is that it deliberately fosters a culture of cooperation and support among the cohorts. The Med24s are collaborative to the degree that we freely share resources, tutor each other, remind each other of upcoming deadlines, and generally bolster each other through the storm that is medical school. I think the university does a pretty good job of teaching us, but what makes OHSU stand out for me is the camaraderie of the students.

Thanks for the response -- I have a couple of follow up questions for you (and anyone else who might be lurking!)

1. Is the grading system a true P/F without internal rankings / AOA for preclinical years?

2. How often are there mandatory lectures / activities? I know you commented on this already, but would you say you have a required session / that requires you go to in person somewhere every day? When you do go in, is it 8-5? I am only asking again because from some previous years' threads it seems like OHSU is one of the "busier" curriculums (like having required sessions 4/5 days a week and having long days). Thoughts on that?

3. What are your thoughts of the weekly quizzes? Would there be any flexibility if you wanted to take one early / late to travel on the weekends?

4. Are exams professor written or USMLE style? Multiple choice?

5. Have you gone out / socialized with any of your classmates (in covid-safe ways)? Or is that the vibe? Or just more of professional relationships?

 

[PeteytheFish]

Wow! I'm incredibly appreciative at the detail in your response! It's super nice to hear about the camaraderie of the students, especially in a COVID year where meeting and forming relationships has its challenges. I'm also happy to hear about having weekends pretty free. I thought this seemed like a great perk of friday tests, so I'm happy to hear it works out that way.

In terms of rotating guest lecturers, does this affect the weekly tests? It seems like it might be a big challenge to learn the testing styles of each professor on a weekly basis, or are the tests written by the same person/group of people?

Thanks!

The test questions are written by the lecturers but chosen by the block directors. It's always multiple choice, so in that way the tests are predictable. Sometimes the content tested feels surprising, but not the format, so the fact of having different lecturers doesn't make too great a difference.

 

[PeteytheFish]

Thanks for the response -- I have a couple of follow up questions for you (and anyone else who might be lurking!)

1. Is the grading system a true P/F without internal rankings / AOA for preclinical years?

2. How often are there mandatory lectures / activities? I know you commented on this already, but would you say you have a required session / that requires you go to in person somewhere every day? When you do go in, is it 8-5? I am only asking again because from some previous years' threads it seems like OHSU is one of the "busier" curriculums (like having required sessions 4/5 days a week and having long days). Thoughts on that?

3. What are your thoughts of the weekly quizzes? Would there be any flexibility if you wanted to take one early / late to travel on the weekends?

4. Are exams professor written or USMLE style? Multiple choice?

5. Have you gone out / socialized with any of your classmates (in covid-safe ways)? Or is that the vibe? Or just more of professional relationships?

1. Yes! It is true P/F for the preclinical years and it looks a lot like the clinical years will be P/F as well, though I have not heard whether that has been officially approved or not. P/F is the best.

2. So...in pandemic times...we have one afternoon a week that is definitely mandatory from 1-4. It was Monday afternoon for a while but now it is Tuesday afternoon. Those afternoon sessions are a constant throughout the year. We also have anatomy from 8-12 some weeks. In some blocks that is almost every week and in other blocks it is very infrequent. Starting in January and beyond, we also have preceptorship, which is scheduled for either Monday or Thursday afternoon. That is a clinical experience and is definitely mandatory but also good fun. And then every Friday morning we have our exam(s). Sometimes it is just one exam and sometimes it is a few, but they are always done by noon. Right now only preceptorship and anatomy are in person. Exams and the other mandatory session are virtual, but of course that will change as the pandemic ends.

3. Weekly quizzes are the best. You need to average 70 on them during each block and get to drop your lowest score. Having exams on Fridays means weekends are free. You would not be able to reschedule one unless in an emergency, but they are usually over before noon, so you could get an early start on your travel.

4. The exams are multiple choice and written by the professors. Usually they are pretty straightforward and first-order style questions, but not in all blocks. We also take NBME exams as part of our finals at the end of each block, so you get practice with both.

5. Yes! Most of us have received the vaccine and are able to socialize. We've met up in parks and breweries, people climb/rollerskate/gym together, have little dinner parties, etc. There's a social vibe and those who feel safe doing so have been getting together in small groups for a while.

 

[PNWMedStudent]

1. Yes! It is true P/F for the preclinical years and it looks a lot like the clinical years will be P/F as well, though I have not heard whether that has been officially approved or not. P/F is the best.

2. So...in pandemic times...we have one afternoon a week that is definitely mandatory from 1-4. It was Monday afternoon for a while but now it is Tuesday afternoon. Those afternoon sessions are a constant throughout the year. We also have anatomy from 8-12 some weeks. In some blocks that is almost every week and in other blocks it is very infrequent. Starting in January and beyond, we also have preceptorship, which is scheduled for either Monday or Thursday afternoon. That is a clinical experience and is definitely mandatory but also good fun. And then every Friday morning we have our exam(s). Sometimes it is just one exam and sometimes it is a few, but they are always done by noon. Right now only preceptorship and anatomy are in person. Exams and the other mandatory session are virtual, but of course that will change as the pandemic ends.

3. Weekly quizzes are the best. You need to average 70 on them during each block and get to drop your lowest score. Having exams on Fridays means weekends are free. You would not be able to reschedule one unless in an emergency, but they are usually over before noon, so you could get an early start on your travel.

4. The exams are multiple choice and written by the professors. Usually they are pretty straightforward and first-order style questions, but not in all blocks. We also take NBME exams as part of our finals at the end of each block, so you get practice with both.

5. Yes! Most of us have received the vaccine and are able to socialize. We've met up in parks and breweries, people climb/rollerskate/gym together, have little dinner parties, etc. There's a social vibe and those who feel safe doing so have been getting together in small groups for a while.

From the pre-COVID didactic perspective - things looked pretty similar schedule wise. Tuesdays from 1-4 we had mandatory clinical skills labs and clinical context sessions, anatomy usually every-other week for four hours on an assigned morning T/W, 4 hours of required preceptorship time (time to be in the clinical setting with whatever specialty you have been assigned), and then the weekly exam(s) Friday. Lectures are scheduled M-Th from 8-12 with some randomly sprinkled in afternoons but this is mostly not the case if I recall. There was some random nonsense sprinkled in like interprofessional sessions, structural competency, etc that can eat up some time and feel a little wasted (in my opinion). I will say the weekly exams become pretty benign (and you realize they aren't super helpful) by the end of didactics and are not super stressful. Anatomy and the NBME style exams during finals week seem to give people the most stress and cause the most casualties in terms of remediation. Our class had a pretty big group of people that went to bars/breweries/ski-trip/hikes together and those have remained pretty close-knit in light of COVID. Definitely a more social school I would think and the schedule is pretty amenable to this with weekends mostly free if you have good time management (and like outdoors activities - it is the PNW ).