Albany Class of 2011

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
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Hey guys
I have scheduled my interview for next week. I was wondering if you guys can give me some info to help me out. I need to know where to stay, what kind of questions do they ask, how long is the interview and any additional info that might be helpful.
Thanks
 
Thanks for the info Drdoctor

Big Daddy,

I stayed at a motel in the area (can't remember which one). If the place you end up staying at isn't a walking distance away, dont' drive and order a taxi. I spend 45 minutes looking for a parking spot and was getting stressed out worrying that I'll miss my interview. That said, the interview day was very relaxed, everyone was extremely nice and accomodating (admissions staff, students and faculty). When I asked a security guy at the hospital for directions, he felt the need to personally take me to the admissions office so that I don't get lost and wished me good luck.


If this is not your first inteview, then you should pretty much expect the same questions you've had in the past. The vibe I got was that Albany is big with Ethics, so just make sure you're well versed with such topics as abortions, stem cell research, euthaniasia... but not brain busters really. I was only asked about abortions and stem cell reserarch and both questions were straight forward, unlike at other interviews I had where the fac member interviewing me decided that busting my balls for 40 minutes was necessary.

Good luck!!!
 
My situation is not the norm, but I actually did have the female equivalent of a ball busting session that lasted over an hour. We eased into it slowly with one of my volunteering activities, then my interviewer asks me if I had unlimited funding and all the resources necessary, what would I do to solve the nation's health problems. She made me define my terms ("what do you mean by access to care") and wouldn't let me reference anything I had read ("use your own reasoning ability, I don't care what you read in an article"). This question took maybe 20 mins. I finally gave her the perfect answer (really this was an exercise in guessing what her personal opinion was, and thankfully she ended up liking my response, even after digging into the most miniscule of details). The next half of the interview was spent discussing what I would do if a teenage girl came into my office, crying because she just found out she was pregnant. We went over the many possible scenarios (what if she was raped, what if her father molested her, what would you do if she wanted to keep it, what if she wanted an abortion- she slyly stuck the abortion question in there, but that's wasn't even the focus of the scenario). I think she really grilled me in part because my undergrad has the stereotype of being a hard-core science school, and she wanted to see that I had thought about the more humanistic aspects of being a physician (which is so strange because a) I'm a humanities major and b) at another interview, my interviewer commented that my essay seemed to express too much passion for the humanistic and not enough for the scientific). Essentially, I was really shocked when I found out the next week that I was accepted. I don't mean to scare you, but be prepared for a lot of ethical questions, although hopefully they will be delivered with less ferocity than mine were :luck:
 
The same happened to me at the University of Toronto. I had around 10 tough ethics quesitons bombarded at me. From crack addicts to suicides, abortions and stem cell research. And eveyr time I came up with a solid answer the interviewer decided to play devil's advocate and try and stump me. But the toughest questions were the ones about socialized medicine.
 
Thanks for your response!! Wish me luck👍
 
Does any of you know how many people applied this year, how many are interviewed, how many are accepted and how many are waitlisted. I also want to know how the waitlist movement is????? Thanks
 
Hi future first-years -

My name's Zack. I'll be a second year starting in August, and will be the orientation coordinator for the Class of 2011 (I may have someone assisting me as well, but that's up in the air at the moment.) I'll be putting together your orientation packet, planning your social events for your first week in Albany, answering your questions, and helping to get you settled in as you start your first few days of medical school.

This is an exciting time -- get psyched! I met the majority of my good friends here during the orientation events in the first few days of school. In any case, you'll hear more from me in the coming months, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all.

In the meantime, you can reply with any questions, or shoot me an IM (screen name is the same as forum name.)

- Z
 
Hey Zack,

Im going to be attending Albany in the fall, and I have a question about the apartment hunting process. When did you exactly start looking for a place to live and how do you go about finding roommates to live with? Does the school help with the process in terms of keeping a roommate database and providing apartment listings?

Also, when exactly does the Class of 2011 orientation begin and when do classes begin? Thanks for reaching out to the incoming students.
 
JohnnyDrama33 said:
Hey Zack,

Im going to be attending Albany in the fall, and I have a question about the apartment hunting process. When did you exactly start looking for a place to live and how do you go about finding roommates to live with? Does the school help with the process in terms of keeping a roommate database and providing apartment listings?

Also, when exactly does the Class of 2011 orientation begin and when do classes begin? Thanks for reaching out to the incoming students.
Click to expand...

I don't have exact dates for orientation off hand at the moment, but it will be some time mid-to-late August. Orientation is usually Wed-Fri, then you get one last "free" weekend, and school starts on a Monday.

I actually got into Albany very last minute (end of July) off the waitlist, and just drove up to campus that weekend, pulled rental spots off albany.craigslist.com, and went looking. The school keeps a database and apartment listing, but it's not terribly up-to-date - I'd suggest going the craiglist route, and start looking now. I live by myself in a basement apartment on the corner of Park and Partridge, about 3 blocks from the school, and pay 675 a month, which is on the very high end around here.. rent is usually in the 300-400 range with roommates.

In terms of location, the bulk of your classmates usually end up living in the area west of South Lake, south of Madison, east of Partridge and north of New Scotland (check a map for the borders.) A bunch of people will also live scattered around Lark Street and Washington Park, which is a nice going-out area in walking distance of resteraunts and night life but is slightly less safe at night, and a bit of a farther walk to school (not to mention that street parking is a pain over there if you're bringing a car.) Try to avoid anything listed as being in Arbor Hill, or anywhere that is significantly northeast of Madison ave - these are more dangerous areas.

Hope that helps! You guys will get a lot more information once I get the orientation materials in order after I'm finished with our Repro theme, near the end of May. I'm considering putting an extensive resource online rather than the traditional massive package with a thousand different papers.. stay tuned.
 
hey zahque you said you got off the waitlist last year....any advice on what i can do to help my chances of getting off the waitlist (currently on hold)?
 
Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot, as they generally have the waitlist ranked by this point.. but that being said, it won't hurt you to write a strong letter of intent to the admissions committee, as well as update them on any new research/shadowing/volunteer experience you've been up to.
 
Welcome to Albany Medical!

I am friends with a 3rd year student who is looking to rent her house out to two medical students. It is a short walk from school in the safest location in Albany!

She asked me to pass this along.

Honestly, it is a great deal and esp. with consideration of the mess you can find yourself renting from unknowns (non-med students). I have been in the place and it is luxury compared to most places you find in Albany. It has a brand new bathroom for those who love modern amenities (most homes in Albany are at least a 100 years old.) Come visit and you will get the message quick. Anyway, these rooms won't last long, so I would contact her soon.

The above is my commentaty ... She writes officially:

I have two bedrooms available in a beautiful 3 BR, 1 1/2 bath house starting June 1st. (other BR occupied by female MS III)

Details:
10 min walk to AMC, on a dead end street in a nice, quiet neighborhood
off street parking
fenced yard w/ patio
furnished (bedroom furniture available too if you need it)
attic and basement storage

$500/ month plus utilities (about $100/ month)

washer/ dryer/ dishwasher
lots more...

email with questions!

[email protected]

-Kat, MS III
 
Thanks to all the current med students for posting info on this thread. I've been looking out for the match list to be posted on the AMC website, but since it hasn't been yet, I was wondering if someone had an electronic version that they could post here. Don't worry about it if it's only available on paper, as drdoctor was kind enough to list some of the matches earlier. It would just be nice to see if there does happen to be an easy-to-post copy floating around.
 
Hi all,

I have never been one to Facebook or use on-going web chats like this, but thought it would be a fun way to meet people before school starts in August.

I have been accepted to AMC, and will be attending 100%.

I was curious to know from Zack when exactly I should plan on moving in. I live in Boston now and am working, and need to know when to leave my job, etc.
 
in terms of when to move to albany, it varies. i ended up moving in a month before classes started because my previous lease expired.. so it's going to depend on what apartment you find up here and what your current living situation is. i still don't have exact dates for you guys, but my feeling is orientation will start some time around august 20th or so. i'll let everyone know when i have something official.
 
Has anyone committed to AMC for the fall started the apartment-hunting process yet? I would like to have at least one roommate, so Im just wondering if anyone else is looking to have a roommate.
 
I just received an acceptance & was wondering if any current Albany studetns could give me an idea of some suburbs that are good for families. Latham, Troy, Schenectady (sp?), etc..

Thanks
 
Steiner said:
I just received an acceptance & was wondering if any current Albany studetns could give me an idea of some suburbs that are good for families. Latham, Troy, Schenectady (sp?), etc..

Thanks
Click to expand...

Congrats Steiner, now you have a reason to PBZ in a couple of weeks.
 
Yeah I guess. Quit following me. I never liked you. See you in Reno.
 
I just got accepted to Albany through email on 4/20. Do they send financial aid info with the acceptance packet? I have to decide now between Wayne and Albany and I'm having a hard time. The more expensive private tuition is really the only thing that I see as being worse than Wayne. I have a month, so I guess I better do some research.
 
Financial aid notices are sent first to the incoming class, then to the upperclassmen (I'm still waiting on mine..) As long as you filled out your FAFSA and Albany's own financial forms, you should receive your award letter shortly. They started sending them in early April.
 
Where is everyone else that's planning on going to AMC? Any West-Coasters going to Albany.
 
Hey guys,

I just got my acceptance to AMC last week. I think I'm gonna take them up on the offer. I had a great interview experience, and I can't wait to get on the Adirondacks. Any outdoorsy people here?

Steiner, I'm coming from Los Angeles. Your in Vegas?
 
Yeah, I swore I would never drive across the Rockies again, but it looks like I'm going to eat those words. I already reserved a truck. I'm planning on getting there first week of August so I can get a feel for the city and get settled before we start classes.
 
Anyone committed to AMC for the fall started the apartment-hunting process yet? I'm also thinking of moving in during the beginning of August so i can get settled before classes start. I am thinking of having at least one roommate, so I'm just wondering if anyone else is looking to have a roommate.
 
Hey all...from the admissions staff at AMC-this year they had 9000 AMCAS applications with ~4500 secondaries completed. They say they will interview about 600, but some people have said as many as 900. They anticipate about 350 acceptances...this was info that I got from the admissions staff but I verified it with a number of people who work for or have worked for the adcom at AMC in the past. For all who have already accepted congrats!!! I will be joining you this summer and am already in the Albany area...
 
I sent my deposit in yesterday, and have been researching housing for the last couple weeks. Anyone want to throw out some names of nice areas/suburbs, so People like me don't waste their time driving through the slums when we're looking for apartments.
 
I'm interested in applying to AMC next year. could some of you please tell me what your gpa and mcat scores were for getting in. thanks.
 
Steiner said:
I sent my deposit in yesterday, and have been researching housing for the last couple weeks. Anyone want to throw out some names of nice areas/suburbs, so People like me don't waste their time driving through the slums when we're looking for apartments.
Click to expand...

go to google.com and search for albany, new york. on the map, set the zoom on the 5th bar from the top, and locate albany med (corner of south lake and new scotland.) the majority of students live east of south manning blvd, north of new scotland ave, west of south lake ave, and south of madison ave. these borders streets are in yellow on the map and will roughly form a square. that's where you want to be. housing on the southeast corner of the "square" is optimal (near the school.)

there are also many people who will live around lark street/washington park, which feels a bit more like living in a city and less like the 'burbs. you'll be closer to some good nightlife and great restaraunts, but it's also a little pricier, parking can be a hassle, and wash. park isn't the safest place in the world if you're alone late at night.
 
ftcnt said:
I'm interested in applying to AMC next year. could some of you please tell me what your gpa and mcat scores were for getting in. thanks.
Click to expand...

Go to AMC's website at www.amc.edu, then follow the links to the education section, then click on the FAQ's

On a side note, take some initiative to find this information out on your own instead of asking... kinda makes you look bad.
 
i want to know the gpa of the people that got accepted. dont make blank statements. no need for that *sigh* someone out there trying to ruin your day
 
ftcnt said:
i want to know the gpa of the people that got accepted. dont make blank statements. no need for that *sigh* someone out there trying to ruin your day
Click to expand...

scubava has a point. that information is posted directly on albany's web site, and he provided you the link. i'm not sure why you're still asking, but i'll copy and paste the numbers here:

What were your school's average GPA and MCATs for the class entering in 2006?

The undergraduate GPA averages for the class matriculating in August 2006 were:
3.6 GPA overall, 3.4 GPA science and 3.7 GPA all other

and

The average MCAT scores for the class matriculation in August 2006 were:
9.8 Verbal Reasoning (Range from 5-13)
10.1 Physical Sciences (Range from 5-14)
10.5 Biological Sciences (Range from 6-14)
 
zahque said:
go to google.com and search for albany, new york. on the map, set the zoom on the 5th bar from the top, and locate albany med (corner of south lake and new scotland.) the majority of students live east of south manning blvd, north of new scotland ave, west of south lake ave, and south of madison ave. these borders streets are in yellow on the map and will roughly form a square. that's where you want to be. housing on the southeast corner of the "square" is optimal (near the school.)

there are also many people who will live around lark street/washington park, which feels a bit more like living in a city and less like the 'burbs. you'll be closer to some good nightlife and great restaraunts, but it's also a little pricier, parking can be a hassle, and wash. park isn't the safest place in the world if you're alone late at night.
Click to expand...

Is that area good for those with families? The first one, not near Washington Park.
 
Hi,

I want to send a letter of update to Albany. can someone give me the contact information for the dean/director of admissions, or whoever i should contact? i think i was given a business card at my interview but i cant find it. please PM me with the info if you can, thanks so much!
 
ftcnt said:
i want to know the gpa of the people that got accepted. dont make blank statements. no need for that *sigh* someone out there trying to ruin your day
Click to expand...

I'm totally not trying to ruin your day. What do you think they post on AMC's website? The average GPA/MCAT of people who didn't get in? You'll get a small sample size of academic backgrounds on this thread, the school's website will give you a global perspective... just kinda seems obvious.
 
Waiting4Drexel said:
Hi,

I want to send a letter of update to Albany. can someone give me the contact information for the dean/director of admissions, or whoever i should contact? i think i was given a business card at my interview but i cant find it. please PM me with the info if you can, thanks so much!
Click to expand...

They have the email address, mailing address, and fax of the office of admissions and director of admissions on the school's website. Again, not trying to be a jerk (just comes off that way) 😎
 
hey scuba,

i am sending this through snail mail. i looked for the mailing address for the director of admissions on the albany site but didnt see it, and i just went back there right now and still cant find it. can you send me the link to the page you are looking at? apparently im totally blind or going crazy. appreciate it, thanks.
 
Steiner said:
Is that area good for those with families? The first one, not near Washington Park.
Click to expand...

pretty much all of the housing in that "box" is suburban living. my entire house is young people renting, but a couple of my neighbors are married couples with children. the farther west you go in that "box", the more you'll find family housing on quiet, suburban streets, but you'll probably have to drive to school if you're anywhere significantly west of partridge street. and if you don't mind driving even farther to school, you can venture farther west and find tons of completely suburban areas where you probably won't find any students at all (all families.) as a general rule of thumb, you just don't want to be anywhere northeast or east of the medical school.

these are, of course, generalizations, and would never substitute for actually driving around these areas yourself. but they should get you started.
 
zahque said:
pretty much all of the housing in that "box" is suburban living. my entire house is young people renting, but a couple of my neighbors are married couples with children. the farther west you go in that "box", the more you'll find family housing on quiet, suburban streets, but you'll probably have to drive to school if you're anywhere significantly west of partridge street. and if you don't mind driving even farther to school, you can venture farther west and find tons of completely suburban areas where you probably won't find any students at all (all families.) as a general rule of thumb, you just don't want to be anywhere northeast or east of the medical school.

these are, of course, generalizations, and would never substitute for actually driving around these areas yourself. but they should get you started.
Click to expand...


Thanks
 
Hey Zack,

Do you know how many students in our class are coming from the accelerated MD program? It seems like many of the people (who are posting online at least) have families or prefer to live further in the suburbs. Since I am just coming out of college and would prefer roommates that are around my age, I am figuring that these students could be interested in the same living arrangements that I am. But then again, this is the first time I am looking for a random person to live with...
 
JohnnyDrama33 said:
Hey Zack,

Do you know how many students in our class are coming from the accelerated MD program? It seems like many of the people (who are posting online at least) have families or prefer to live further in the suburbs. Since I am just coming out of college and would prefer roommates that are around my age, I am figuring that these students could be interested in the same living arrangements that I am. But then again, this is the first time I am looking for a random person to live with...
Click to expand...

Johnny,
I believe that there are about 40 students from accelerated programs for this year from the three area colleges (Union, RPI and Siena)...I'll see if I can find some contact info for you.
KC
 
JohnnyDrama33 said:
Hey Zack,

Do you know how many students in our class are coming from the accelerated MD program? It seems like many of the people (who are posting online at least) have families or prefer to live further in the suburbs. Since I am just coming out of college and would prefer roommates that are around my age, I am figuring that these students could be interested in the same living arrangements that I am. But then again, this is the first time I am looking for a random person to live with...
Click to expand...


Hey, zack and I are in the same class. When you fill out your online "get to know your classmates" form there's a section for people looking for roommates.

For all the people hesitant about driving to school it really isn't bad at all, and I came from NYU where you walk everywhere. My commute is 10 minutes max (more like 6-7) and there's plenty of space in the parking lots (and even more on the streets next to school) with a shuttle to take your to the front door. i prefer to just walk from the lot since it's only 2 blocks from school.

When i came up to look for 1br apts all i saw was crap and I didn't want the whole potential freshman year roommate experience again. I ended up looking for luxury apartment complexes near school and lucky found the place i'm living in now. The rents is pricey but if you're splitting it with someone else or can afford it I would definitely check it out. It's probably one of the nicest places to live in Albany close to school. message me and i'll give you the info if you're interested.

I'm actually subleasing my place here this summer, June-Aug, for a lot less than i'm paying now and you would have the ability to continue the lease throughout the year. (I'm moving in with one of my classmates next year). I'm asking 675 a month for the 3 months, then the rent is 845 for the year. The place is huge, sunny, Super safe, plenty of parking (garage optional), all utlities except electric included. Even if you don't sublease with me I would suggest checking it out. PM me if you're interested.

As far as living in Pine Hills, I would try to stay West of S. Lake and South of Madison. Definitely check the place out before signing!! And make sure you check the windows because some people freeze all winter and still payed a ****load for heat. If heat's included it's a huge plus. I spent all winter in a t-shirt and shorts with the windows cracked.

If you want to live in the suburbs I would look at Delmar, Colonie, or Guilderland (even though it's far.) Keep in mind that none of the traffic lights in Albany are sync'ed so a mile on western takes a while. Anything off of hacket is decent. ya so pm me if you have any questions.

ps here's some pictures: my "backyard" and the building:
 

Attachments

JohnnyDrama33 said:
Hey Zack,

Do you know how many students in our class are coming from the accelerated MD program? It seems like many of the people (who are posting online at least) have families or prefer to live further in the suburbs. Since I am just coming out of college and would prefer roommates that are around my age, I am figuring that these students could be interested in the same living arrangements that I am. But then again, this is the first time I am looking for a random person to live with...
Click to expand...

a quarter to a third of your class will be accelerated md students (or, as you'll refer to them for the next four years, "program kids.") nothing derogatory there - some of them have ended up being my good friends. but, they do all know each other (for the most part) coming into school, and a lot of them are either living together or have their housing plans locked up already.
 
JohnnyDrama33 said:
Anyone committed to AMC for the fall started the apartment-hunting process yet? I'm also thinking of moving in during the beginning of August so i can get settled before classes start. I am thinking of having at least one roommate, so I'm just wondering if anyone else is looking to have a roommate.
Click to expand...

Hey Drama,

I'm not %100 yet as I am on the waiting list at another school which is my top priority and they won't reveal my ranking on it until mid-late may (how annoying is that?). If my ranking ends up being unrealistic (they have a huge waitlist and not much movement on it) then I'm making the drive to Albany late May to hunt for housing. I will give you a shout at that time to see if you're still looking.
 
Hi everyone! I just received my acceptance over the phone yesterday, and I'm definitely coming to AMC! I can't wait to meet you all!
 
Congratulations!!! Welcome to Albany...looking forward to meeting everyonein August
 
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