Baylor College of Medicine -- Class of 2012

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generic said:
agreed. The number of books needed has gone way up in the past few years, but still, $4200 is pretty crazy. I'd say plan for ~$600 if you're reasonable and buy a few used or with 20% off from B&N/Borders, etc.
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Oops, apparently it's $6,298 in the first year. o_O

http://www.bcm.edu/financialaid/?pmid=7448
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TheRealMD said:
Oops, apparently it's $6,298 in the first year. o_O

http://www.bcm.edu/financialaid/?pmid=7448
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be aware that they don't include health insurance premiums in those "direct costs" (even though it's mandatory to get unless you're under your parents') so the money for that will have to come out of living expenses. (or book expenses, if you're not going to buy that many :p) the health insurance usually comes up to about $2400 a year. :eek:
 
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bluesTank said:
The amount is for books and supplies. Isn't part of this the $3000 they supposedly "give" us for a new laptop and what not?
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Right, right. And apparently it's only given out during the first year too. Sucks when I might want to replace my laptop 2-3 years down the road.
 
hey, i was wondering if any of the current students have any advice on when to do research. i know that at most other schools, people can do it between their first and second year, but at bcm, thats pretty much impossible. is it feasible to do it simultaneously with preclinicals? if not, how do you fit it into your clinical time? i know there is the research track, but is there anything that fits into the normal 4 years?
 
wing14 said:
hey, i was wondering if any of the current students have any advice on when to do research. i know that at most other schools, people can do it between their first and second year, but at bcm, thats pretty much impossible. is it feasible to do it simultaneously with preclinicals? if not, how do you fit it into your clinical time? i know there is the research track, but is there anything that fits into the normal 4 years?
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If people do research during the summer of their first and second year, then I'm sure you can make a similar 3 month period where instead of doing clinicals, you can do research. that's my understanding.
 
wing14 said:
hey, i was wondering if any of the current students have any advice on when to do research. i know that at most other schools, people can do it between their first and second year, but at bcm, thats pretty much impossible. is it feasible to do it simultaneously with preclinicals? if not, how do you fit it into your clinical time? i know there is the research track, but is there anything that fits into the normal 4 years?
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Since there is so much free time during clinicals, there is plenty of time then to do research. Also, some of the research can count as a clinical elective, so you don't have to do it all in your free time. I did a month of Pedi GI research as an elective at the beginning of my 4th year. Lots of people set up a month or 2 of research in their desired field in their late 3rd/early 4th year.
 
ms. a said:
Since there is so much free time during clinicals, there is plenty of time then to do research. Also, some of the research can count as a clinical elective, so you don't have to do it all in your free time. I did a month of Pedi GI research as an elective at the beginning of my 4th year. Lots of people set up a month or 2 of research in their desired field in their late 3rd/early 4th year.
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Sorry to be "premed-ish" but if you are looking to do research to make yourself stand out for residencies, won't that be too late?
 
Hey everyone! I am pretty darn close to committing to BCM for next year so I'm sure I will be meeting most of you guys soon. I am an out of stater and trying to weasel my way into TX residency for years 2-4. I've been checking out www.har.com for condos, but I don't know much about the neighborhoods.

What are the areas I definitely DON'T want to live in (ie, crime, no bus/light rail access). I have a car, but I'd rather not drive to school every day...parking seems expensive. I've been looking at places like Holly Hall St, Cambridge St, Hepburn St, Braeswood Park, Underwood St, Bellefontaine St...

Also....I was thinking I might get a 2BDR condo, and find a roomie to pay a modest rent (500-600 + 1/2 utilities?). Any guys interested?
 
wing14 said:
hey, i was wondering if any of the current students have any advice on when to do research. i know that at most other schools, people can do it between their first and second year, but at bcm, thats pretty much impossible. is it feasible to do it simultaneously with preclinicals? if not, how do you fit it into your clinical time? i know there is the research track, but is there anything that fits into the normal 4 years?
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So this means that there's no summer break between 1st and 2nd year to do research/preceptorships, that sort of thing?
 
bluesTank said:
Sorry to be "premed-ish" but if you are looking to do research to make yourself stand out for residencies, won't that be too late?
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No. End of third year is April/May/June. That's plenty of time to get a good month of 2 of research in (most labs are used to having students come in for 1 or 2 months and can easily come up with projects that fit in that time frame). You'll still have time to have it on your ERAS application, get a letter of recommedation out of it if you want, know if it's going to be published and how, etc, before interviews roll around in the fall. Even early 4th year (July/Aug) would be a good time, perhaps unless you're trying for a super-competitive residency. Even in those cases, though, end of third year is still enough time. Also, remember that at Baylor, you can easily do it earlier, since we have extra wiggle room in our schedule because of starting clinics early. No one expects a 6-8 month research commitment from a med student.
 
So I was looking at the financial aid webpage...and seriously? We have to fill out a whole mess of tax return info and forms just to get an estimate for financial aid? That being said, they mention that you can qualify for scholarships and grants...does that actually happen outside of the scholarships you get from direct phone calls?

Also, does anyone know if the 2nd look day on May 2nd is any good? As in were they helpful in past years?
 
Monarch Kong said:
So I was looking at the financial aid webpage...and seriously? We have to fill out a whole mess of tax return info and forms just to get an estimate for financial aid? That being said, they mention that you can qualify for scholarships and grants...does that actually happen outside of the scholarships you get from direct phone calls?
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i thought that was how most schools did it? :confused:
 
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Monarch Kong said:
So I was looking at the financial aid webpage...and seriously? We have to fill out a whole mess of tax return info and forms just to get an estimate for financial aid? That being said, they mention that you can qualify for scholarships and grants...does that actually happen outside of the scholarships you get from direct phone calls?

Also, does anyone know if the 2nd look day on May 2nd is any good? As in were they helpful in past years?
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All schools require tax info, there's no escaping it. As for "other scholarships", my package says no. Phone call or nothing else. :rolleyes:
 
Holly Hall and Cambridge are where most students live. Pretty much avoid anything near OST after Kirby, which just gets... well... you've seen it. But the area around the medical center is surprisingly low/no crime, especially compared to other major academic centers.
 
I did a 2 month pedi cards research project during the end of my second year - took time "off" in between OB and peds core rotations. You could definitely do more or less, there is 8 months built into our curriculum. I also took 2 months off in 3rd year to study for Step 1, 2 months off for interviews and 2 months off now as vacation time to residency. Had I done some electives during Basic Sciences, I could have had an additional month. So you can have as much time as you want to do research, depending on how important it is to you. There's also a funded MSRT track that tacks on an additional year to your school time - but no tuition.
 
Hey guys! I recently got accepted into BCM and I had a few questions about whether or not a should come. I've already made plans to attend UTMB and I was just wondering how important the name of your school is? Does it really matter where you graduated from or is your performance at whatever school most important? :confused:
 
BaylorLion said:
I did a 2 month pedi cards research project during the end of my second year - took time "off" in between OB and peds core rotations. You could definitely do more or less, there is 8 months built into our curriculum. I also took 2 months off in 3rd year to study for Step 1, 2 months off for interviews and 2 months off now as vacation time to residency. Had I done some electives during Basic Sciences, I could have had an additional month. So you can have as much time as you want to do research, depending on how important it is to you. There's also a funded MSRT track that tacks on an additional year to your school time - but no tuition.
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So it looks like MS3 and MS4 years are pretty flexible as far as curriculum (aside from doing all the required things) and that there's plenty of "free" time to do research, travel, etc. Does Baylor (and/or residencies) care what you're doing during those months off? I've been thinking about deferring for a year to travel abroad and volunteer or work, but I'm not sure if I can find something to occupy myself for an entire year. So I'm wondering if how convenient it would be to do that during med school.

Also, have any current students done clinical electives at other schools? I'm set on going to Baylor, but I've always wanted to go to school in NYC or Boston and I know there are ways to do a rotation at another school, so I was thinking that would be a cool experience. Have any of you taken advantage of it? What do you guys think about it?
 
sparkle8608 said:
Hey guys! I recently got accepted into BCM and I had a few questions about whether or not a should come. I've already made plans to attend UTMB and I was just wondering how important the name of your school is? Does it really matter where you graduated from or is your performance at whatever school most important? :confused:
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A low Step score is still a low Step score. If you think the PBL curriculum at UTMB is better suited for you, don't start going to "higher-ranked schools" simply for the name only. The most important thing is to LEARN the information for your boards, not parade around what med school you graduated from (because no one honestly asks these days).
 
BaylorLion said:
Holly Hall and Cambridge are where most students live. Pretty much avoid anything near OST after Kirby, which just gets... well... you've seen it. But the area around the medical center is surprisingly low/no crime, especially compared to other major academic centers.
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OK, it's good to hear from a student's perspective. I had heard from some realty types that Holly Hall and especially the closer you get to 288 is kind of sketchy. Maybe they are being a little over-cautious. Anyhow, I will probably be coming down late May/early June to go condo-hunting, and I'll check out all the areas.

What about Braeswood/N Stadium Dr area?
 
TheRealMD said:
All schools require tax info, there's no escaping it. As for "other scholarships", my package says no. Phone call or nothing else. :rolleyes:
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I received a scholarship in my financial package without a phone call a couple of days ago. So I don't think the no call thing necessarily means no scholarships.
 
workitout said:
OK, it's good to hear from a student's perspective. I had heard from some realty types that Holly Hall and especially the closer you get to 288 is kind of sketchy. Maybe they are being a little over-cautious. Anyhow, I will probably be coming down late May/early June to go condo-hunting, and I'll check out all the areas.

What about Braeswood/N Stadium Dr area?
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I actually just bought a condo on N Stadium Drive in the Briar Green complex, which seems to be really nice and quiet. It's also a fairly short walk to the rail.
 
purreleven said:
So it looks like MS3 and MS4 years are pretty flexible as far as curriculum (aside from doing all the required things) and that there's plenty of "free" time to do research, travel, etc. Does Baylor (and/or residencies) care what you're doing during those months off? I've been thinking about deferring for a year to travel abroad and volunteer or work, but I'm not sure if I can find something to occupy myself for an entire year. So I'm wondering if how convenient it would be to do that during med school.
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Over the past 2.5 years of clinicals, I've spent my free time: playing with my kid, going to Disney World, Canada, Beaver Creek, Hawaii, California multiple times (my home), Atlanta, another trip to Florida to see a space shuttle launch, relandscaping my front yard, overseeing other home improvement project, painting my kid's room, baking a ton of cookies, going to Minnesota, several weekend trips to San Antonia and Seaworld, shopping, and many more things that I can't think of right now. Before graduation, I'm planning on one more trip, this time to Europe. Oh yeah, I did spend 2 months at one point studying for Step I, although a week of that time was spent "studying" in Beaver Creek. So no, Baylor doesn't care what you do as long as you show up for the next rotation. If the only reason for your deferment is to travel or volunteer, I would highly consider waiting until your free time in clinicals to do that. There is plenty of time. I'm now at the point where I am making up errands to keep myself occupied until gradaution.
 
I think I remember that Baylor gives us 28 months to finish 22 months of clinicals and they don't care what you do in your free time.
 
all true, and I'm a huge fan. I will also have ~6 months of free time at the end if the way things are set up.

However, you do have to be around a little bit (like a few Thursdays) for random classes and whatnot.

But research is a definite and EASY possibility.

Away electives at other institutions (including those in Houston, such as MD Anderson) are also easier to schedule when you have all this "free" time. I think ~40% of my classmates are doing some kind of away elective.

I'd also like to point out that we don't get worked as hard as some other students at other schools during rotations, so you can still be working on your research or playing with your kids or whatever makes you happy.
 
generic said:
all true, and I'm a huge fan. I will also have ~6 months of free time at the end if the way things are set up.

However, you do have to be around a little bit (like a few Thursdays) for random classes and whatnot.

But research is a definite and EASY possibility.

Away electives at other institutions (including those in Houston, such as MD Anderson) are also easier to schedule when you have all this "free" time. I think ~40% of my classmates are doing some kind of away elective.

I'd also like to point out that we don't get worked as hard as some other students at other schools during rotations, so you can still be working on your research or playing with your kids or whatever makes you happy.
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haha, a certain school north of us. :D
 
Yes, UTSW is known to work 'em hard.

Even across the street, I hear the students take much more all-night call and punishment from the surgery team and all that.
 
who here is getting pumped for second look weekend? does anyone know what the events are at night (im predicting we'll go out afterwards like for the interview days) / what kind of dress is expected throughout the day?
 
borat2008 said:
who here is getting pumped for second look weekend? does anyone know what the events are at night (im predicting we'll go out afterwards like for the interview days) / what kind of dress is expected throughout the day?
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I thought it was just a day?

I haven't even gotten any info from the admissions office about it, except for the questionnaire I received when I was admitted.

Does anyone know what the day''s schedule looks like?
 
anybody on here willing to sacrifice a little location for a cheap rent? thinkin about buying a condo about 4-5 miles away and trying to find a roommate for around 300 plus half utilities. im a first year male. pm me if youre interested.
 
borat2008 said:
anybody on here willing to sacrifice a little location for a cheap rent? thinkin about buying a condo about 4-5 miles away and trying to find a roommate for around 300 plus half utilities. im a first year male. pm me if youre interested.
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Just thought I'd point out that for this, you could drive to school EVERY DAY and park for the full day ($12/day), and even with the gas usage, it'd still be cheaper than apartments closer to the medical center.
 
for the oos'ers-

has anyone sat down and calculated the extra incurred cost of owning a condo against the benefits of tuition decrease? worried that you may not be able to unload the condo after four years?

if i did the condo thing, i just found out id be financing it personally (no parental help). sounds a little daunting...
 
borat2008 said:
for the oos'ers-

has anyone sat down and calculated the extra incurred cost of owning a condo against the benefits of tuition decrease? worried that you may not be able to unload the condo after four years?

if i did the condo thing, i just found out id be financing it personally (no parental help). sounds a little daunting...
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I've already purchased a condo and can definitely understand your fears...

As you know, you'll save $39,000 ($13,000/yr for years 2-4) over the course of your time at Baylor if you establish in-state residency. That comes out to ~800/month ($39,000/4yrs) in savings.

Here's the way that I look at it: Assuming that you sell the condo for the same price you bought it for without any major repairs, all that you have to do is find a total monthly cost (loan interest + HOA Fees + Insurance + utilities, etc.) that is less than the ($800 saved/month + rent and utilities you'd pay otherwise) to make it worthwhile. I don't feel that it would be too hard to do, especially if you get a 2-bedroom and rent a room out. Then again, you have to think about possible repairs that you will be responsible for and the possibility that you won't sell it for the price that you paid. I doubt that would happen, but it's definitely something to consider.

Shoot me a PM if you have any more questions or want to know about my particular financial situation and how I'm going to try to make it work.
 
Deadline for owning a condo for tuition purposes is August 31st right? I just wanted to get that out there.
 
does anyone know if its really necessary to have a local phone number?

also, whats the run down of stuff to complete prior to entering (just want to make sure i dont forget anything). i remember the deposit/form that came with the acceptance letter, the preliminary registration form off the website, immunizations, the PRN form, financial aid. does that about cover it?
 
borat2008 said:
for the oos'ers-

has anyone sat down and calculated the extra incurred cost of owning a condo against the benefits of tuition decrease? worried that you may not be able to unload the condo after four years?

if i did the condo thing, i just found out id be financing it personally (no parental help). sounds a little daunting...
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I am not an oss but here is the math as I see it:

In state tuition and fees = $12,782
Out of state tuition and fees = $25,882
cost difference per year = $13,100 *3 years = $39,300 of potential savings

Now lets say you bought a 100k condo and put 3% down and got a 30year mortgage at the prime 5.75% fixed rate.

That would make your monthly payment 566.07 per month. Now add to that property tax, insurance, and maintenance fees .I have no Idea how much they will run, but for the sake of argument lets say they bump your monthly payment up to an even $850 per month.

so 850/ month trans lates to $10,200 per year

so your first year you would pay OS tuition, mortgage, and a 3k down payment
25,882 + 3000 +10,200 = $39,082
the next three years you would pay
(12,782 + 10,200) * 3 = $68,946

total cost for all four years = $108,028
Now compare this to four years of OS tuition
25,882 * 4 =103,528

So buying a 100k condo would cost you ~$4,500 more than just paying out of state tuition, but that also includes your room expenses for all four years. considering the average 1 bedroom apartment on the rail line costs around $950/month.

950 * 12 = 11.400 * 4 = $45,600

when this is added to 4 years of out of state tuition, buying makes even more sense.

renting for 4 years + OS tuition = $149,128

This lead to over $40k worth of savings if you buy and establish residency.

I don't think you will have any trouble unloading your condo in four years, If you pick a decent location. Any place that is within walking distance to the rail line will always be in high demand.

good luck, and sorry for the long post
 
They do make a big deal about it on the entering class page. I didn't want to change my number, so I kept putting off, deciding that I'd change it when someone specifically ordered me to. And I'm leaving Baylor now without having a 713/281 phone number.

I don't think it's needed - they make a big deal about it because they feel like attendings/residents shouldn't have to call you long distance when you're on call. But everyone has cell phones these days, so it's never been a problem. Plus, you can get a pager with a 713 area code (though... seriously... I used my pager ONCE during the 2 and a half years of rotations, so if I were you, I'd just ask at the beginning of the month if they want you to have one and just get it activated for that month if needed)
 
Just a few notes on Bowtie's excellent post, above.

If you are financing your condo purchase yourself, you should talk to a mortgage broker as soon as possible to get pre-qualified. Especially with all the recent craziness in the housing market, you may find it harder to qualify for a mortgage with reasonable terms or at all. This is especially true if you don't have much money to put down, lack of a stable income, etc.

As a result, I think bowtie's estimate of 5.75% interest is a little low. I put 20% down and my interest rate is 6.625%, and it's a 5 year ARM, so the rate may rise in a few years (by which time I'll be a resident and may have moved anyway).

I'd budget for 7%.

Property taxes and homeowners dues are expensive. Where I live, a condo valued at 100,000 pays about $225/month in taxes, and close to another $200/month in HOA dues. Don't forget to add the cost of utilities (which are generally included in rent). My electric bill for a 1 bedroom condo ranges from $50-ish in the winter to $140-ish in summer.

I'd say, for a $100,000 condo if you put 5% down (leaving a loan of 95K at 7%), you should budget about $630/month for mortage, $225/month for taxes, $200/month for HOA dues, and $100/month (average) for electricity. This would bring you to a total of $1155/month. This is 13,860/year.

If you subsitute $13,860 for bowtie's $10,200, and $5,000 the first year for his $3,000, you come up with:

1st year: $44,742
next thee years, total: $79,926

total for 4 years = $124,668

Compare this to bowtie's calculation of OOS tuition plus renting ($149,128)gives you a difference of nearly 25k.

Plus of course, if you get a good deal on a place now, hopefully you can sell it for more than you paid (that's my plan :thumbup: ). Even if you sell it for the same as what you paid, you will get back the down payment, and the small amount of principle you paid off with your mortage payments.

Hope this helped!

When are our health forms due again? :confused:
 
do any first years or prospective students have a comprehensive pdf about BCM..or is the 2012 website pretty much all the info we are gonna get? thanks!
 
entranced said:
do any first years or prospective students have a comprehensive pdf about BCM..or is the 2012 website pretty much all the info we are gonna get? thanks!
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What kind of PDF are you talking about? Like a sort of "we're selling this school" brochure? Do you what the brochure they always hand out in PDF form or something?

Just wondering, that sounds like what you want. I'll happily send you one of my 25 million copies (they hand them out everywhere!)
 
i just sent off my immunization/health forms. the only "records" that i had were my vaccination cards (yellow WHO and Canadian gov't from when I was little). anyone else done this or know if it's sufficient?
 
Jolie South said:
i just sent off my immunization/health forms. the only "records" that i had were my vaccination cards (yellow WHO and Canadian gov't from when I was little). anyone else done this or know if it's sufficient?
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That's fine. I used copies of my health record booklet from Singapore and they accepted it.
 
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