Boston University Class of 2013

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rkells

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Accepted a few days ago... anyone else probably going to attend BU in the Fall? Can we get some old threads compiled with some helpful information?
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Just got in too. Congrats to all!
 
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Congrats! Feel free to ask any questions pertaining to 1st year or just BUSM in general!
 
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When should i start looking for an apartment and which neighborhood would you suggest living in?

Does the orientation help you ease into the first year or medical school or do you basically hit the floor running?

Are the lecture classes large? Are the problem-based study groups helpful?

Should I prep for med school in any way? I feel like my mind is wasting away as I am working during my year off...

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
 
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nontypicalazn said:
Congrats! Feel free to ask any questions pertaining to 1st year or just BUSM in general!
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Is the orientation in Aug pretty helpful in transitioning you into first year of medical school? How is the first few days of school at BUSM like? Do you suggest any way of preparing for med school as I feel like my mind is wasting as I am just workign during my year off...
 
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geetarfan said:
Is the orientation in Aug pretty helpful in transitioning you into first year of medical school? How is the first few days of school at BUSM like? Do you suggest any way of preparing for med school as I feel like my mind is wasting as I am just workign during my year off...
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I also worked in a lab during my year off. Don't worry about studying or keeping your mind sharp (but don't go get drunk or baked every day and kill your brain cells either). Once school starts you'll be amazed how fast your body and brain can adapt.

Our orientation entailed trivial information sessions, such as finance, budgeting, and some fun events to get to know your classmates (at local bars and stuff). Most of my friends found them to be useless, and quite frankly we'd already forgotten what happened during that week (I remember being late the first day and fell asleep during the budget talk LOL). It was a lot of meeting people and relaxing.

The following 2 weeks were Biochem, Ethics and Public Health courses, which were all very easy and light in content. But then Anatomy comes and the real game begins and then it never stops.

So, my advice, is just do something you will enjoy, hang out with your friends, especially if you are moving to Boston. Don't stress!
 
When should i start looking for an apartment and which neighborhood would you suggest living in?

Most leases here start in September, meaning you'll have to look for temporary lease for a couple of months for July/August, and then continue the lease or find a new place. The school has a website that helps you find roommates. On campus housing is available, but really expensive. So is the neighborhood nearby: South End and BackBay. A lot of my classmates live near there, it goes anywhere from 750s to 1500.

There are cheaper places (and bigger) such as Brighton and Allston, but it's a bit of commute. BU shuttle is fairly reliable, which leaves from the undergrad campus.


Does the orientation help you ease into the first year or medical school or do you basically hit the floor running?

A week of orientation followed by 2 weeks of get-your-brain working courses. Anatomy hits and you better get ready for information overload. But nothing you can't handle.

Are the lecture classes large? Are the problem-based study groups helpful?

You have about 180 students in a lecture hall. It's a typical lecture hall. You can definitely hear the professors very clearly. Lectures are all (with a couple of exceptions) video and audio taped, so attendance isn't mandatory.


Should I prep for med school in any way? I feel like my mind is wasting away as I am working during my year off...

No.......
Watch some movies and have fun. There'll be plenty of reading ahead once you start.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

Have fun and Congrats!!
 
geetarfan said:
So I just got an acceptance to BU med school, and I have a few questions...

When should i start looking for an apartment and which neighborhood would you suggest living in?

Does the orientation help you ease into the first year or medical school or do you basically hit the floor running?

Are the lecture classes large? Are the problem-based study groups helpful?

Should I prep for med school in any way? I feel like my mind is wasting away as I am working during my year off...

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
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This belongs in class threads.... moving.
 
I can start one if there isn't one yet! PM if you'd like me to create one and we'll start from there :)
 
Can anyone explain how BU's curicculum works? is it block scheduling? how long are the classes? how much lecture time/small group time?

Also how's the anatomy class? when I interviewed there, they didn't show us the anatomy lab because there was an exam or something.
 
We had a semester-long Biochem, Anatomy and Human Behavior Med. For the first 2 or 3 weeks you also have Ethics and Biostat. Biochem and Human Behavior are done around Thanksgiving. Anatomy is done 2 weeks after that. Then you have 2 weeks of Neuroscience followed by Winter Break. You come back and finish Neuro in 3 weeks.

You will be in groups of 8 for Anatomy, but only 4 people will work on the cadaver at once at a given session. During Back and Limbs (Anatomy is broken into 3 sections: Back and Limbs, Thorax Abdomen, and Head Neck), you alternate days to do the lab, and give a small presentation on what you'd done at the previous session. Each lab is 4 hours and you will most likely finish 95% of the tasks in that 4 hours. Then you can come in during off-hours to polish/work a little extra, study, etc.

For Thorax and Abdomen, as well as Head and Neck, you come in twice a week and do the lab for 2 hours and the other group come and take over, and you alternate who comes first.

Anatomy written exams are MCQ, and Practical is done in the lab. Bodies are tagged with questions, which range from 1st order ID this organ/vessel/space to more difficult ones such as What innervates this, or what anastomoses with this artery, etc.

The second semester is Histology+Physiology semester long, with Medical Genetics for a month, followed by Immunology and Endocrinology till the end of the semester.

You will also have Integrated Problem (group discussion of medical cases followed by research/presentation), and Introduction to Clinical Medicine, where you follow a 4th year or a Resident (in a group of 4 to 6) in hospitals to interview patients (in order to get a H&P). In the 2nd semester of 1st year, you follow a docent one on one to shadow, and possibly perform a couple of physicals, etc. At the end of year one there's a Clinical Skill Exam.

There's a 1st year schedule online available if you want to see exactly how long each day is. But generally lectures are 50 minutes, or they make it so that you get a break after 50 minutes or so.

Lectures are videotaped/audio recorded 95% of time; a couple of professors don't videotape, and if there's patient interviews, lectures will not be videotaped.

I don't know what you mean by Small group time...

Any other question please ask and I'll be happy to answer!
 
Cost difference aside, will I get a better education/more opportunities for better residencies by going here than by going to my state school (unranked, seems mediocre)?
 
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rkells said:
Cost difference aside, will I get a better education/more opportunities for better residencies by going here than by going to my state school (unranked, seems mediocre)?
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This is the link to Class of 2008's match list.
http://www.bu.edu/cms/www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-osa/files/Match_Results/2008_Match_Results_(Public).pdf

Some people would say it might depend on which school is your state school, but I think that you shouldn't make match lists a heavy factor on your decision because you don't know the whole story behind everyone's rank list.

Overall I think we tend to match well, and into competitive specialties.
 
Well, matching will primarily depend on your board score... it doesn't matter if you went to Harvard or a State school, if you don't have that number, most programs will not accept you.

I don't know if this is what you like, but I heard that the 3rd and 4th years get a pretty rigorous training, and many programs out there really like the students from BU (John's Hopkins for example, but that's an internal med program, so I don't know if it translates into other specialty).
 
I'm mid way through my 3rd year at BU, so I'll give my two cents about BU and medical education in general.

I think years 1/2 solely depend on the amount of work you put into them. The amount, and depth of material you go into depends on how much you want to learn. There is an endless stream of knowledge/facts to know about medicine, but what it all comes down to is that every medical student in america is expected to know the same amount and depth to pass and do well on Step 1. you can be in the 99th percentile or 5th percentile at any school in the nation, it will all come down to how hard you work in the last 4-6weeks prior to the exam. I think one thing about BU is being P/F in the first years takes a lot of stress off. Your school, either BU or any school will present you the information required to pass that exam, but it is of such quantity that it will be your responsibility to commit it to memory. All in all I would argue that solely based on your education alone any school in the country is good enough.

Years 3/4 are a quite a bit different. I think this is where some things are somewhat different at BU. Mostly its in the patient population that is served. First BMC is essentially still the city hospital, and we also spend some time in the VAs. The people that are here are very diverse, and can be very sick. On one of my first weeks of medicine, I saw a young patient with crescenteric glomerulonephritis, and another with neurocysticercosis. I learned a lot from those patients, and their disease because it wasn't just a case in a book anymore, they were patients on our service. I think that rural hospitals and suburban hospitals tend not to have as diverse a medical population. If your state school is in a big city and serves a large population you may still get that there too. But the clinical setting at BU lets you do a lot, and see a lot of things you may not see elsewhere.

I also think that the most significant bulk of your education will come in residency, and the tendency of match lists is to be close to the school itself. So BU tends to match a lot of kids into the harvard system and hospitals around town as well as staying at BU. We also tend to send a good chunk back to Cali, which probably is because a lot of the students come from there.

Feel free to PM me.
good luck with your decision.
 
I really wanna go back to cali in the end cause that's where all my families are, so anyone know the percentage of cali residents that match back into cali residencies?

Also is it possible to do an away rotations in cali? or do most students do their rotations at hospitals around boston?
 
So last year we matched around 20 back to california. I think that the class has around 30 or so a year from cali. But its really hard to gauge interest. So I think there is definitely a good shot for people that want to go back to cali.

You can do 12weeks of your 4th year anywhere you want to, and you get 8-12wks of vacation also. I know some people in my class that are essentially living in away from boston for 5 months next year.
 
Does anyone know what the average step I score is for BU?
 
hi

i deferred for a year so i will be entering fall 2009 and BU is supposed to send me updates and all the information but i havent gotten anything, i cant find a 09-10 calendar on their site... and i am a crazy planner

so.. does anyone know when open house, the white coat ceremony, and orientation are scheduled for?
 
Do you guys know when the financial aid is due and what kind of things we need?
I haven't heard anything from them regarding financial aid. Are they gonna email us or are we supposed to look it up on our own?

Also My FAFSA said that I'm not a US citizen even though I am, should I mail in my proof of citizenship now or wait until they request it?

EDIT: I just checked and it says within 45 days of admission, and it's been way past 45 days (got accepted on january 15th). How bad is it if you turn in financial aid after the deadline??
 
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XRanger said:
Do you guys know when the financial aid is due and what kind of things we need?
I haven't heard anything from them regarding financial aid. Are they gonna email us or are we supposed to look it up on our own?

Also My FAFSA said that I'm not a US citizen even though I am, should I mail in my proof of citizenship now or wait until they request it?

EDIT: I just checked and it says within 45 days of admission, and it's been way past 45 days (got accepted on january 15th). How bad is it if you turn in financial aid after the deadline??
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I think I saw on one the letters within 45 days of admission or by April 17th, whichever is later, so I think you should be in the clear. Check your admissions packet.
 
You are fine. But I recommend getting started because the CSS PROFILE application is a pain in the butt.

On a different note, is the BUSM campus completely wireless?
 
about the housing...i'm from CA and i won't be in boston until august. So in term of housing, where do most students live? How do you guys find a housing/roomate when you first started?
Is it possible to find apts that are within walking distance to school and under $1000?
 
XRanger said:
about the housing...i'm from CA and i won't be in boston until august. So in term of housing, where do most students live? How do you guys find a housing/roomate when you first started?
Is it possible to find apts that are within walking distance to school and under $1000?
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Many students live around school *within walking distance) but there are students everywhere as well. Some live in Quincy, some in Brookline, some near BU Main Campus, some in Cambridge, some in an apartment complex called Harbor Point (http://www.bostonapartments.com/harbor.htm) which is south of school but on a bus line that goes right by school.

There is a housing resourse department (http://www.bumc.bu.edu/ohr/) that keeps a list of people looking for apartment and you can also add your self to that list if you find a place to live and need a roommate. Some people come out for the housing fair and some people meet potential roommates at second look weekend. Some people use craigslist and don't live with other medical students. *Look at the housing resourse website...the poeple in the office are helpful

You can find a place within walking distance for 1000 but it will generally require having a roommate. You may be able to find a studio for around 1200 if you have to live alone. The South End is expensive to live in so if you want a cheaper studio you may have to live further away.
 
If it gets too expensive, maybe I'll just split a room with a roomate like 2 people in 1 bedroom or 4 in 2 bedrooms. The downside is of course, less privacy and i dont know how many people are willing to do this..so i dont know.

Another option i'm considering is to get a housing near the charles river main campus (if i have to take a bus to get to the school, I rather take the BU shuttle than the public shuttle), but how reliable/convenient is the BU shuttle? like during those snow days? how fast does it take from the main campus to the med school?

P.S. is there any apartments to avoid? like really dirty rooms, bad management/maintenance,etc..
 
Just FYI, there is some ordinance in some areas in Boston where the landlord can't have more than 4 tenants in an apt. There are reports that most landlords don't follow this new rule, but just letting you know about that.

Lots of students live near the main campus and the shuttle is very reliable. They're pretty good in preparing for snow days so I wouldn't be worried. There used to be the problem of undergrads taking the shuttle across campus but now the main campus has their own shuttle, so that problem should have subsided now. You'll mainly be taking the shuttle in the morning and evening when they run most frequently so timing shouldn't be an issue (every 12 minutes now I think). I took it every weekday for 4 years before I graduated in May. The trip is about 20 minutes with moderate amount of traffic. However, the shuttle goes through Kenmore Square, which is a heavy intersection right by Fenway Park. Fenway games are usually the only times you'll need to worry about traffic, so it won't affect your commute to school in the morning. You can't avoid it if you're coming from the main campus. The city bus and train will take you by Kenmore, too.

General consensus is that the apts right by the BU main campus are the least desireable because (1) most are run by management companies that have a lot of apts and (2) the renters are mostly students and hevily undergrads. That's the Allston/Brighton neighborhood and it's seen as a party atmosphere. If you go further away into the Brighton neighborhood, places tend to be nicer.

Brookline is also near the main campus with nicer housing. It tends to be more expensive than Allston/Brighton. Fenway is also near the main campus and I would say it's a mix batch. You can also look into Cambridge, but you'll have to take public transportation.

Just my opinions, hope it helps.

XRanger said:
If it gets too expensive, maybe I'll just split a room with a roomate like 2 people in 1 bedroom or 4 in 2 bedrooms. The downside is of course, less privacy and i dont know how many people are willing to do this..so i dont know.

Another option i'm considering is to get a housing near the charles river main campus (if i have to take a bus to get to the school, I rather take the BU shuttle than the public shuttle), but how reliable/convenient is the BU shuttle? like during those snow days? how fast does it take from the main campus to the med school?

P.S. is there any apartments to avoid? like really dirty rooms, bad management/maintenance,etc..
Click to expand...
 
Joining the party. :D I am not sure where exactly I'll be come fall yet, finaid is a v. big factor for me, but I loved BU and hope they come through with something decent.

Who's going to the second look? It's May 2 and 3, right?
 
Yup, May 2nd but they haven't sent anything out yet. I'll definitely be there.
 
I just got in yesterday too! I am pretty sure I will be coming in the fall. Congratulations to everyone.
 
Just got in! I'm really excited. Is anyone from GMS here?
 
Welcome guys, congrats! :D Does anyone have any idea when they'll give out finaid awards?
 
GMS here!

Congrats everyone. Looking forward to meeting you all~
 
Lacheln said:
Welcome guys, congrats! :D Does anyone have any idea when they'll give out finaid awards?
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Nope, did anyone get an email from OSFS saying that your financial aid application is ready for review?
 
LanaJade said:
Yeah I was wondering if anyone got their fin aid package soon after getting that email. I guess I'll post when I get mine.
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Ah, I meant to call them tomorrow to see if they have everything anyway. Def let us know if you get your award. :)
 
LanaJade said:
Yeah I was wondering if anyone got their fin aid package soon after getting that email. I guess I'll post when I get mine.
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They probably won't come for another month...early May
 
Hey everyone, my Name is Victoria and I am a Public Health student at BU Med Campus, and I'll be starting BUSM next year. I started a pretty awesome facebook group...so you should all join! It's called "Boston University School of Medicine Class of 2013" (very original, I know :oops:) ).

Congratulations everyone!
 
MissVictoria said:
Hey everyone, my Name is Victoria and I am a Public Health student at BU Med Campus, and I'll be starting BUSM next year. I started a pretty awesome facebook group...so you should all join! It's called "Boston University School of Medicine Class of 2013" (very original, I know :oops:) ).

Congratulations everyone!
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I think someone already started a facebook group
 
can current student who has attended second look in the past tell us what is it like?

in the agenda is says - 6:15pm: departure for scomsa-sponsored evening in boston. What did you guys do?
 
gave up my spot today at BU. i have mixed emotions about it but i think it is the right choice! i'm finishing up GMS so i hope my spot goes to a fellow GMSer! good luck!
 
XRanger said:
can current student who has attended second look in the past tell us what is it like?

in the agenda is says - 6:15pm: departure for scomsa-sponsored evening in boston. What did you guys do?
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The day starts with an introduction of the school and an overview of the curriculum and an overview of some of the programs offered by the school and some other things most likely but I don't remember. When we got there you sat at a table that had a faculty member and any incoming students that sit there as well. I think there may have been some current first years but I don't remember. Then there was lunch and then were the seminars that you can choose from. For the evening we went to one of the bars/clubs downtown. Appetizers were provided but drinks and pool we had to pay for.

I had a good time and was able to meet some people before school started. I used it to help me make a final decision on schools.


I didn't go to any other school's second look so I can't compare it.
 
2nd day look event: a trip to a local bar. Food is paid for, drinks are out of pocket. Mingle with prospective classmates and current students. If you live nearby Boston, take a day off and come visit. If you are from Cali or somewhere far, eh, it's not that important.

Congratulations to all acceptances!!!
 
I may go to second look, if anything just to check out apartments
 
There's a BU housing affair in June if you plan to check out the local apartments. It'll be more productive than the 2nd look day if that's the only thing you plan to do.
 
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