2021-2022 Hackensack Meridian

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wysdoc

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Please feel free to tag a pre-medical moderator when the secondary prompt is posted.

Good luck to everyone applying!

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I remember searching through SDN threads for information on medical schools. M1 at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. AMA!
 
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Hey everyone!

Does the school allow for more letters than the three requirement? Currently, I can submit a letter from a nurse, research PI, and a science professor whom I TAed for. Should I send the other 2 professors' letters that are in my AMCAS along with my volunteer coordinator? Or will they read only 3 letters in total?
 
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Is this school service-oriented and likes applicants with a service background?
 
Is this school service-oriented and likes applicants with a service background?
Another M1 here. The school prides itself on community involvement and embraces that in the HD curriculum though you find this in some form at every medical school. How much that factors in admissions I do not know. I would not consider our school service-oriented and I think they lean towards academics with our accelerated curriculum though that is speculation on my part.
 
Another M1 here. The school prides itself on community involvement and embraces that in the HD curriculum though you find this in some form at every medical school. How much that factors in admissions I do not know. I would not consider our school service-oriented and I think they lean towards academics with our accelerated curriculum though that is speculation on my part.

Do you like the curriculum as it is? From the website, it honestly doesn't sound that much different from your standard med school
 
Do you like the curriculum as it is? From the website, it honestly doesn't sound that much different from your standard med school
Not a fan of the 1.5 preclinical, nor the curriculum layout. Our curriculum feels rushed and can become quite stressful at times. Wouldn't say it's exactly the same as a standard medical school. There is Team-based learning and problem-based learning integrated though I feel they could be executed far better or just dropped entirely. Also, we have a course in health systems science that goes over things like epidemiology, ethics, research, law, etc. which is another course that leaves a lot to be desired. Lecture quality varies wildly depending on who is teaching, our dedicated teaching faculty are excellent overall but the physicians who come in to teach can range from excellent to downright terrible.
 
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Not a fan of the 1.5 preclinical, nor the curriculum layout. Our curriculum feels rushed and can become quite stressful at times. Wouldn't say it's exactly the same as a standard medical school. There is Team-based learning and problem-based learning integrated though I feel they could be executed far better or just dropped entirely. Also, we have a course in health systems science that goes over things like epidemiology, ethics, research, law, etc. which is another course that leaves a lot to be desired. Lecture quality varies wildly depending on who is teaching, our dedicated teaching faculty are excellent overall but the physicians who come in to teach can range from excellent to downright terrible.

Thank you very much for the honest response. Helpful to see some candor
 
Has anyone received the secondary yet? Still waiting
Verified 7/1, IS, ORM
 
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Has anyone received the secondary yet? Still waiting
Verified 7/1, IS, ORM
OOS have not received secondary yet. I took a look at the 2019-2020 SDN thread, and it looks like it was 70 days after the first day apps were sent to schools for Hackensack to send out secondaries so there's still quite a bit of time to wait!
 
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OOS have not received secondary yet. I took a look at the 2019-2020 SDN thread, and it looks like it was 70 days after the first day apps were sent to schools for Hackensack to send out secondaries so there's still quite a bit of time to wait!
70 days?! My god haha okay good to know I can take my time prewriting my essays for this school XD
 
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I received an automated email 2 days ago stating that secondaries will be sent out in August. Sounds like it'll be similar to past years!
 
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Why does this private school favor in state so heavily?
I mean, if you're looking at MSAR their data shows 42% of their class matriculated from OOS. I'd assume those that got accepted and lived closer to the school were more driven to go there. This also assumes that the OOS applicants that got accepted had other acceptances elsewhere.
 
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Can any M1's/others with knowledge speak to the importance of the literature prerequisite? I have AP credit from a composition course and took a composition/academic writing class in college, but I've done no literature as far as I know. I do have a ton of philosophy courses, though.

I got this generic response after emailing them: "All applicants must register and apply through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Please read the complete list of admission requirements and attributes of the successful applicant. Also, our institution takes a holistic approach when reviewing applications. Please contact the Admissions department if any other questions arise."

I'd appreciate anyone else's insight as I'd rather not waste my time applying if they're just going to toss my application from not having this prerequisite. Thank you!
 
Can any M1's/others with knowledge speak to the importance of the literature prerequisite? I have AP credit from a composition course and took a composition/academic writing class in college, but I've done no literature as far as I know. I do have a ton of philosophy courses, though.

I got this generic response after emailing them: "All applicants must register and apply through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Please read the complete list of admission requirements and attributes of the successful applicant. Also, our institution takes a holistic approach when reviewing applications. Please contact the Admissions department if any other questions arise."

I'd appreciate anyone else's insight as I'd rather not waste my time applying if they're just going to toss my application from not having this prerequisite. Thank you!
I'm an M1 here and I didn't take any lit courses. I had AP lang credit and took a writing intensive class in college and they didn't say a thing.
 
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I'm an M1 here and I didn't take any lit courses. I had AP lang credit and took a writing intensive class in college and they didn't say a thing.
Awesome, thanks for the info!
 
Primary complete email received, secondary forthcoming tomorrow. OOS. Primary verified 7/13.
 
Hackensack apparently said just kidding, I have the secondary and got it about 20 minutes after the first email.
Prompts for the Hackensack secondary:

Max 500 words each:
1. Why are you interested in attending the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine ?
2. Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine values social justice and diversity in all its forms. Describe a circumstance where you sought to learn about a culture, group or idea different than your own and how that impacted you.
3. Describe your experience with the field of medicine (or a related field) that has prepared you for advanced study in this area. Specifically, how have your life experiences prepared you to pursue a degree in medicine, including: coursework, clinical work, experiences in overcoming adversity, work opportunity, volunteer activities, and/or research experiences?

Reapplicant:
If you are a re-applicant, please indicate any updates since your previous application.

There is one about IA/red flags too.

Edit: tagging @wysdoc for visibility
 
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At the top, it says "Your application will not be considered complete until all questions are answered and your picture is uploaded." Do any of you see a picture upload section on the secondary?
 
At the top, it says "Your application will not be considered complete until all questions are answered and your picture is uploaded." Do any of you see a picture upload section on the secondary?
No. Maybe it will unlock after we pay?
 
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I paid the fee and it still wasn't there :(
 
At the top, it says "Your application will not be considered complete until all questions are answered and your picture is uploaded." Do any of you see a picture upload section on the secondary?
I did, if you go to the main page theres a link to the secondary or to upload documents. in the upload documents portion you can upload a photo
 
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For people who submit, did yall receive an email saying your app was complete? I didn't, but everything in the portal is complete. im guessing theyll send it in later?
 
Got the secondary ~40 minutes after the initial email.
 
Do we need to upload the technical standards agreement too?
 
Did anyone else get two secondary application ready emails? Like I got 1: You will get your secondary in 24 hours, then 2 (an hour apart) with the link
 
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Did anyone else get two secondary application ready emails? Like I got 1: You will get your secondary in 24 hours, then 2 (an hour apart) with the link
Yea, I just got the second one a few minutes ago. The link in both of mine are the same, so I wouldnt worry about it
 
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Do we need to upload the technical standards agreement too?
No.
On the secondary, it says: "Please review our technical standards before proceeding with the secondary questions below. You do not need to submit the technical standards at this time. Your application will not be considered complete until all questions are answered and your picture is uploaded ."
 
I see some have submitted the secondary already, did you pre-write it? How many words did you end up with for each prompt?
 
So I submitted my secondary but I saw their LOR requirement needing a letter from a medical professional. I have a LOR from a clinical research site manager, do you guys think this would work? If not, I have a LOR from a DO but I didn't submit it with my AMCAS since I thought it wouldn't be required form any school. Could I send Hackensack an update with the DO LOR?
 
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