albany medical college

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doctorFred

doctorFred

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quick question -

does anyone know the name of the dean of admissions for albany medical college? as far as i can tell, it isn't listed anywhere on their web site (or on any other online resource, for that matter.) or, for anyone else who has sent them a letter of intent/interest, to whom did you address the letter?
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To add to the question above, for the same purpose, does anybody know the name of the Dean of Admissions at Penn State College of Medicine? Is it the same person as the Associate Dean of Admissions? Thanks.
 
Assuming this is for update letters or LOIs, I'd just address it to whomever signed your waitlist letters.
 
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zahque said:
i haven't receieved any waitlist letter.
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I got put on pre-interview hold at Albany. Email signed by:

Joanne H. Nanos, MS, EdS
Director of Admissions
and Student Records

I think that's your best bet. Good luck!
 
Anyone on pre-interview hold finally get an interview?

I'm still on-hold - Will calling help?
 
I decided to ressurect this thread instead of starting a new one.

The situation: I just received an interview request from Albany Medical College. Anyone have any tips on interviewing there? Things like:

- What is their ideal student? (e.g. CU looks for people becoming family practice docs in the rural wilderness.)

- Specific mission

- Interview style? (e.g. closed or open, on-on-one, or group? By panel?)

- Lodging? (I will be flying in, so I'll take any suggestions on lodging.)
 
I sent in a letter of interest to AMC via e-mail and a day later I was accepted after being "under consideration." I attached my letter of interest and a transcript. I addressed the letter to Albany Medical College Admissions. I hope this helps.
 
RxnMan said:
I decided to ressurect this thread instead of starting a new one.

The situation: I just received an interview request from Albany Medical College. Anyone have any tips on interviewing there? Things like:

- What is their ideal student? (e.g. CU looks for people becoming family practice docs in the rural wilderness.)

- Specific mission

- Interview style? (e.g. closed or open, on-on-one, or group? By panel?)

- Lodging? (I will be flying in, so I'll take any suggestions on lodging.)
Click to expand...

See interview feedback on SDN.
 
RxnMan said:
I decided to ressurect this thread instead of starting a new one.

The situation: I just received an interview request from Albany Medical College. Anyone have any tips on interviewing there? Things like:

- What is their ideal student? (e.g. CU looks for people becoming family practice docs in the rural wilderness.)

- Specific mission

- Interview style? (e.g. closed or open, on-on-one, or group? By panel?)

- Lodging? (I will be flying in, so I'll take any suggestions on lodging.)
Click to expand...

I don't remember too much about my interview at AMC. I stayed with a MS1 student who lived close to the school. The school is small and is attached to the medical center. The facilities are not that nice. You have to pay $40 grand a year in tuition but the living is cheap. The school is also across from the pharm and law schools. The law school building is sweet. The weather was cold. Most people had two interviews but I only had one. The interview was open file. They will always ask an ethics question. At the end of the interview I asked them what they do with all the tuition money (b/c the facilities weren't that nice and the students don't have many research opportunities) and the interviewer was stumped. Some advice that I can give about interviewing are: 1) know the school (read interview feedback from SDN, look over school website, etc), 2) know what you like about the school (i.e. the curriculum, early clinical experience, many affiliated hospitals, diverse student population, etc), 3) get a good night of sleep before the interview, 4) wear a nice suit with a tie, 5) show up early to the interview (at least 30 min), 5) talk to other applicants and try to relax, 6) give firm handshake to interviewer, 7) sit when asked to take a seat, 8) answer all questions honestly, 9) ask interviewer questions at end of interview (i.e. can students perform their own research, maybe ask the interviewer about their field, etc), and 10) give firm handshake and thank them for their time! All of the interviews I went on were really laid back and the interviewer just wants to get to know you so don't be nervous. Typical questions include: Why do you want to go to XYZ school? Why do you want to be a doctor? Tell me about your research. Tell me about yourself. What volunteering have you done? Have you interviewed any where else (be honest)? Hope this helps!!!
 
Interview: 2 interviews, 1 on 1, one was 20 min (dude was over 2 hours late), the other was 2 hours long. Open file; they will know your file better than you. Seriously. You have a lot of research, be prepared for questions about it. The lady (Nanos?) will tell you while you're waiting for lunch that they don't have an agenda to ask about ethics. This is a lie. My second interviewer showed me the form he had to fill out. They have to ask about ethics. It's one of 8 criteria on their matrix (8 criteria, 5 points per issue). Learn about ethics here: http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/index.html
Lodging: stay with a current student.
Your other questions, I honestly couldn't figure it out. They have an array of 8 criteria for interviewers, most of which are subjective (the only objective one is academic preparation - grades and MCAT scores) including motivation for medicine, understanding of ethics, just what kind of non-science things you're about, maturity, and I really wish I remembered the rest for you but I'm sorry I don't. It was a while ago. I'm really sorry, man!
The facilities are a little underwhelming (it's not CU) but the people were all really enthusiastic (which was really odd juxtaposed with the facilities and neighborhood). So that was definitely a positive.
It's not stressful at all. My interviewers were both really nice and enthusiastic, and so were most of the students. Be comfortable, they told me a few weeks ago that they haven't filled their class yet, so there's a good chance you're actually interviewing for a spot in their class and not a waitlist spot.
Good luck! I'm sure you'll do fine.
 
RxnMan said:
I decided to ressurect this thread instead of starting a new one.

The situation: I just received an interview request from Albany Medical College. Anyone have any tips on interviewing there? Things like:

- What is their ideal student? (e.g. CU looks for people becoming family practice docs in the rural wilderness.)

- Specific mission

- Interview style? (e.g. closed or open, on-on-one, or group? By panel?)

- Lodging? (I will be flying in, so I'll take any suggestions on lodging.)
Click to expand...


They are big on ethics, and I believe they have a Dept of Bio Ethics. I had one ethical question after another (the death with dignity act, abortion, birth control for a teenager without parental consent etc).

I had two interviews, one with a researcher (who confessed she took the MCAT but couldn't seem to get a good enough score to get into med school), and another with a fourth year. I was fine with the ethical questions but was a bit puzzled when she asked me to list each and every school where I had interviewed and/or accepted. She actually typed the names of each school, and then told me I would be a fool to choose Albany over any of them.

If you check out the interview feed back, it is pretty dead on (for me anyway). If I remember well, it was open file, but I took the file to the interviewers, so they didn't have a chance to review it beforehand. I didn't find it too much of a stressful day though. And I thought the dean of admissions was pretty forthright in telling people their chances of getting in. She also confessed to reading some of the postings on SDN.
 
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I definately didn't have an ethics question... but i am in teh minority I am sure...
 
These are all good replies.

I've scanned the website and the interview feedback, and yes, ethics is their big interview subject. I'm not worried about research opportunities, as I would assume that they have ties with Rensselaer Poly Tech (just down the road). If not, it's not hard to make opportunities. I am staying with a student, and I will grill them about the school when I'm there.

- How about transport to/from the airport? Did you take a cab or did you arrange something with the school?

- DiegoT - When the interviewer told you to look elsewhere, did they give you any reasons why?

- What specifically about the facilities weren't you impressed with?

- What hospitals are affiliated with the school? (this goes to patient populations, types of clinical experiences) These weren't listed on the website.
 
i interviewed there in spring of 2004. it was my first and only interview of that cycle, and i was real nervous (which didn't help). two interviews, open file, about a half hour each. happened one after the other in the morning, with a five or ten minute breather in between.

first guy that i got was a real b@st@rd. he grilled me, basically told me i didn't have a good reason to become a doctor and that he couldn't see me having success in the field. as it turns out, the policy of AMC at the time was to put it to the candidates that they may have seen as marginal. it worked.

second one wasn't as bad. i already knew there wasn't a chance in hell i was getting in. sure enough, the rejection arrived a few days later. which is one nice thing about the school. they give quick post interview responses. or at least they did.

the school itself is shabby and unimpressive. other privtate schools with comparable selectivity, research activity and tuition have been, in my experience, much nicer.

i'm sure you can tell what my opinion of them is. if you get an angry little man wearing a tweed suit that seems like his life mission is to provoke you until you snap and ruin your chances at med school, you've been warned.
 
If anyone is interested I have spoken with a doctor that graduated from Albany med about research. Here is his information:

Dr.Murphy
(518) 255-5445
[email protected]
 
gottamakeit said:
If anyone is interested I have spoken with a doctor that graduated from Albany med about research. Here is his information:
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Thanks, but for his sanity (and for you to keep him as a friendly contact) remove his contact info - he's going to get snowed with calls from premeds!
 
I got this information from another medical forum and I talked to him about doing research...Im all over the place, also i have alot more numbers where that came from from whole bunch of other medical forums🙂
 
When I interviewed at Albany I took a cab to where I was staying. I think it cost me $20. I only had one interview. Evidently not everyone has two. I only had two ethical interview questions. They like to ask about the Oregon Death with Dignity act. You should definitely google it and understand what it allows and what it doesn't. That will help you score points. A lot of people don't like Albany. But I have to say, I loved it when I was there. The students were happy and honest with us. Most of them went there "because they got in." But now that they are there, they like it. So I felt a really comfortable vibe there. And they had the best food that I had during interviews (just a side note). I'm so excited for you Rxn Man for your interview!!!! I just know this is going to be a positive thing for you!
 
Congratulations Rxn man 🙂

and good luck from me 🙂
 
StrssdOut said:
When I interviewed at Albany I took a cab to where I was staying. I think it cost me $20. I only had one interview. Evidently not everyone has two. I only had two ethical interview questions. They like to ask about the Oregon Death with Dignity act. You should definitely google it and understand what it allows and what it doesn't. That will help you score points. A lot of people don't like Albany. But I have to say, I loved it when I was there. The students were happy and honest with us. Most of them went there "because they got in." But now that they are there, they like it. So I felt a really comfortable vibe there. And they had the best food that I had during interviews (just a side note). I'm so excited for you Rxn Man for your interview!!!! I just know this is going to be a positive thing for you!
Click to expand...
Thanks. They (thank you jebus!) tell me that AMC has yet to fill their class, so I may be interviewing for a real spot. So, are you going to Albany or Case?

One of these days you're going to have to PM me so you can tell me who you are.
 
RxnMan said:
These are all good replies.

I've scanned the website and the interview feedback, and yes, ethics is their big interview subject. I'm not worried about research opportunities, as I would assume that they have ties with Rensselaer Poly Tech (just down the road). If not, it's not hard to make opportunities. I am staying with a student, and I will grill them about the school when I'm there.

- How about transport to/from the airport? Did you take a cab or did you arrange something with the school?

- DiegoT - When the interviewer told you to look elsewhere, did they give you any reasons why?

- What specifically about the facilities weren't you impressed with?

- What hospitals are affiliated with the school? (this goes to patient populations, types of clinical experiences) These weren't listed on the website.
Click to expand...


I think she was actually using reverse psychology. After she made her statements about how expensive Albany was compared to the schools I had listed, the location, the "not the greatest reputation and not the most fabulous buildings," I was suppose to come back with, why, despite all that I wanted to go there. By then, I already had acceptances to schools I ranked more highly, and all I could ask her was what she saw as positive. She mentioned something about family atmosphere.

I will tell you, a friend of mine attends Albany, and she is fine with it. It was her only acceptance, and a few of the students I spoke with told me they went because it was their only acceptance. They have said however, it is not a horrible experience. One of the nice things is that the medical center is connected to the school (I remember us walking through long hallways from the school directly to the hospital). I believe the hospital is called Albany Medical Center and I think (it's been a while) it is the only level 1 trauma center in Albany. They said they serve a diverse population, and the area around the hospital is said to be a little shady, but that could be said for many medical schools. I know if it was my only acceptance, I would have gone there in a heartbeat.

I cant help you with the directions from the airport as I drove there and stayed at a hotel near the mall. I drove around the area and just didn't find it as awful as I have heard others say it is. I am sure you will get much better info from the students you will be staying with.

Good luck with the interview.
 
RxnMan said:
- How about transport to/from the airport? Did you take a cab or did you arrange something with the school?

- DiegoT - When the interviewer told you to look elsewhere, did they give you any reasons why?

- What specifically about the facilities weren't you impressed with?

- What hospitals are affiliated with the school? (this goes to patient populations, types of clinical experiences) These weren't listed on the website.
Click to expand...

One more note: DO NOT use the airport cab company. My cab from the airport to AMC was over $30. Other cab companies will come pick you up for less if you call them. The admissions office has a list of cab companies and if you call they will give you their numbers and you can call and ask how much a ride from the airport to AMC will be. My ride to the airport after my interview was half the price of my ride there because I took a different cab company.
 
RxnMan said:
Thanks. They (thank you jebus!) tell me that AMC has yet to fill their class, so I may be interviewing for a real spot. So, are you going to Albany or Case?
Click to expand...

I interviewed and Feb and was accepted that week but I've withdrawn. They are VERY quick with turnaround time (I heard in 6 days, some people like 2 weeks) if you are accepted. I would not be surprised if they are interviewing to fill their class; at my interview they said they manage their application process so that the interviews are pretty much always for "real spots" right up until the end.
 
I interviewed in Albany back in January and what everyone has said about the interviews is dead on. The only piece of advice that I can offer is to stay at The Best Western. If you arrive at the airport before 4pm their shuttle will pick you up for free. They also drop you off ot the interview for free, and they will drive you back to the airport, also free. Their staff was really nice and they have a bar with cheap liquor, it was one of the best experiences staying in a hotel that I have had along this interview trail. P.S. it is also one of the cheaper hotels in the area.
 
there's a bed and breakfast across the street from AMC called the Inn on South Lake. Good place to stay (with parking) and you can just walk right over the the admissions building.
 
Thanks for the suggestions on where to stay, but I signed up to stay with a student.

However, I still can't access their site and see what hospitals Albany is associated with. Does anyone know what these are?
 
jebus said:
http://www.amc.edu/academic/College/college_clinical_facilities.htm
Near as I could tell that's it, sports fan. As I understand you see everything at a VA (except pediatrics), so that's definitely a plus as far as I'm concerned.
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Thanks. I couldn't get that link to work yesterday. Oh well.

The important thing is that they have a VA, a huge inner-city hospital, a children's (I found it on a different web page), a psych hospital, a smaller community hospital, and some more rural hospitals (again, on a different site). Quality of education = f(diversity of experiences provided)
 
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