Buying your way into med school

[mdgator]

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Back on the original topic of this thread: According to a poster in the UF Class of 2012 thread, it has come out that Mendohlson has a 3.0 GPA.

I wonder how reliable that figure is? If correct, this whole situation bothers me even more.[/quote]

I don't know. The person who posted this info is either a first or second year at UF, for whatever that's worth.

 

[87138]

This thread is depressing for more ways than one.

I'm going through the 2009 application process for the first time. Only reason I'm nervous is that I chose this path less than a year ago. I'm not interested in taking a year off (nor do I think it's right for me). I don't want people doubting how much I am in love with the potential of being in this profession just because I "recently" decided to go this way. I've had the most rigorous academic year imaginable, so my clinical experience outside of my volunteer work is weak (20 or so hours). I'm going to do what I can to add to that over the summer, but I hope it's not too late.

I didn't want to take a year off (let alone two), but it turned out that this was the best course of action for me in the long run. Having all my ducks in a row, and knowing I had what I believed to be at the very least "adequate" experiences made the whole process a little less stressful, and apparently fairly successful.

It's an expensive process. Make sure you only have to do it once. More than half of applicants have to do it a second time.

 

[mdgator]

I didn't want to take a year off (let alone two), but it turned out that this was the best course of action for me in the long run. Having all my ducks in a row, and knowing I had what I believed to be at the very least "adequate" experiences made the whole process a little less stressful, and apparently fairly successful.

It's an expensive process. Make sure you only have to do it once. More than half of applicants have to do it a second time.

Yeah, UVAbme, I understand not wanting to take a year off, and I wish you the best of luck in the cycle to come. And I have no reason to doubt that things will work out for you. But you should know that a year off is not a big deal, at all, and you may find it to be a blessing in disguise if it comes to that. I thoroughly enjoyed my year off and would definitely do it all over again. (In fact, it's gone by much too fast.) Apply smart, give it your best effort, and maybe things will work out...but if you were to decide to/had to take a year off, it's not the end of the world; many people do it.
That being said, I honestly probably didn't have much more clinical experience than you have when I started applying. If you can effectively communicate what caused you to make the sudden decision to switch to medicine and you can convince the adcoms that you have a good understanding of what it means to be a doctor and work in the medical field, then there's a good chance you'll be okay. I think, honestly, adcoms probably get tired of hearing the same pre-med story about those who've known since they were 2 that they wanted to be a doctor. If you have significantly less clinical exposure than the average applicant, you may be questioned about it, but just keep your cool and have a good answer ready, and you may even be able to use it to your advantage.

 

[D-Bone]

I haven't vented in a while, but this rekindled my frustration with the whole situation. Sorry in advance!

So Dean Kone certainly did not show any favoritism towards Ben, right?? More news I wasn't aware of...Kone's father worked at the same high school as Ben. Interesting. We aleady knew that both Kone and Ben went to this high school, right? And they were supposedly both on the same swim team as students. No favoritism there at all. And there's no need to rehash all the political connections Ben has too. (Maybe I'd have a little more respect for Kone if he came out and simply said "Ben has no qualifications, but we need money here at UF, and Ben's dad is good buddies with Charlie Crist. I've decided to overstep the admissions committee's decision and let Ben in against all ethical and moral standards set forth by the University.")

On another note, who else on this forum was a high school scholar-athlete?? I was...and I'm sure a good portion of you guys were too. Also, who really cares about what we did in high school? Who filled up their AMCAS with high school material?? If Ben ever took the time to fill out the AMCAS, he now has a bachelor's degree and three years of experience to comment on. Now, if he was a NCAA scholar-athlete...certainly worth some points, but not the case here.

Lastly, if Ben was in Northwestern's equivalent junior honors program, why is he NOT in it anymore? If he was an exceptional student, wouldn't he just continue in the program that originally accepted him? Maybe he really did earn a 3.0 undergrad gpa (as someone else mentioned earlier). My understanding is a 3.0 in the junior honors program at UF will not allow you to matriculate into the MD curriculum. I would think this would hold true elsewhere too. So maybe he didn't meet NW requirements for matriculation, and his dad started making calls???

OK...done venting. Feel much better. Again, sorry.

 

[lucybug]

From the source: Person on UF's Admissions Committee

I think that Northwestern accepted Ben into their Honors Medical Program, but due to some situation (which I don't know what) ended up not admitting him to the program. Apparently the guy has a perfect score or near perfect score on the SAT.

He applied to UF's program but the admissions committee did not recommend him. The dean felt he was a strong candidate and accepted him.

That is all I know people!

Also Dr. Kone is a huge Democrat!

 

[D-Bone]

From the source: Person on UF's Admissions Committee

I think that Northwestern accepted Ben into their Honors Medical Program, but due to some situation (which I don't know what) ended up not admitting him to the program. Apparently the guy has a perfect score or near perfect score on the SAT.

He applied to UF's program but the admissions committee did not recommend him. The dean felt he was a strong candidate and accepted him.

That is all I know people!

Also Dr. Kone is a huge Democrat!

So what if he scored well on his SAT. That's not the required exam for medical school admissions. I also recall the MCAT being a little harder than the SAT.
I'd like to know why he's not at Northwestern anymore and what exactly happened there. I've heard rumors that the program itself was downsizing. If so, then I'd think there would have been less of an issue allowing him into the UF program. If this is the case, then I feel for him. However, if it's because he earned a 3.0 gpa (as someone else indicated) then, he lost his opportunity in my eyes.

And it doesn't matter what party Kone is loyal to. If this was a politically motivated move, the Dean is obviously interested in increasing funds for the COM. This is not a case of party loyalty.

 

[LizzyM]

Has anyone else read the April 4 e-mail from Kone to Janine Sikes et al? It was appended to one of the news stories that came out last month.

From what Kone writes, I have a feeling he was being pressured from above to take the kid and when the press starting sniffing around & asking questions, everyone else involved made Kone the scapegoat and that made him very angry.

Does anyone know the minimum gpa required at NU to pass from the undergrad to med school in the 7 year plan? Might it be that the student didn't meet that minimum? That could explain the scramble in February to get him in somewhere.

 

[futuredoc009]

according to kids at northwestern, Ben definitely does not have a 3.0 GPA

 

[LizzyM]

according to kids at northwestern, Ben definitely does not have a 3.0 GPA

Well, is it >3.0 or <3.0?

 

[futuredoc009]

over

 

[D-Bone]

over

OK futuredoc009 (and your 4 post record)...

If your ex knows Ben, find out why he didn't matriculate into the NW program. Why commit himself to all this abuse and hearsay to come to UF? If he is above a 3.0, and I don't doubt that possibility, would he not have simply continued his education at NW with his classmates?

PS - Is this actually Ben in disguise?

 

[wally47]

OK futuredoc009 (and your 4 post record)...

If your ex knows Ben, find out why he didn't matriculate into the NW program. Why commit himself to all this abuse and hearsay to come to UF? If he is above a 3.0, and I don't doubt that possibility, would he not have simply continued his education at NW with his classmates?

PS - Is this actually Ben in disguise?

Read the thread that is in the UF class thread. Inside info on how he's a less than acceptable applicant and how he was kicked out of the NW program b/c he his GPA was too low. Not to mention the part where this poster mentions Ben bragging about his daddy getting him in to NW.

 

[wally47]

esday on his reasons for taking extraordinary action in Mendelsohn's case.
Mendelsohn was a scholar athlete at Pine Crest High School, achieving great recognition among a class of top-notch students, Kone said.

Bid deal I was scholar athlete all you needed was above a 3.5 in high school and be on a varsity athletic team(by no means exceptional). I searched him on google and I couldn't find any of his old swimming times. Which is easy to do for anyone who is actually decent at swimming. I was delighted that all that popped up was the articles about him.

And an almost perfect SAT score, I am sure if I took all of the prep courses and had private tutors (not saying he did, but definitely assuming he did)then I would have done better than my measly score.

On another note, I would love to warn people about more cronyism that will surely be on the rise. Just found out that UF medical recently started to advertise/solicit to it's alumni for more donations as the help from local and state government declines. Point being, I have facts that people who were applying to UF and had not received an interview as of march(due to low MCAT score <25) are now suddenly in and whose parents are on the donor list? To my surprise. Don't ask for names or proof either, I would never give up that info, mainly b/c I can't prove that this is truly why this person got in but I think anyone in their right mind could put two and two together.

 

[Dendrite]

On another note, I would love to warn people about more cronyism that will surely be on the rise. Just found out that UF medical recently started to advertise/solicit to it's alumni for more donations as the help from local and state government declines. Point being, I have facts that people who were applying to UF and had not received an interview as of march(due to low MCAT score <25) are now suddenly in and whose parents are on the donor list? To my surprise. Don't ask for names or proof either, I would never give up that info, mainly b/c I can't prove that this is truly why this person got in but I think anyone in their right mind could put two and two together.

Wait, just as a point of clarification. Students who received less than a 25 on their MCAT and didn't get an interview as of March are now accepted, or were given an interview after March and were accepted?

And no offense or anything, but I have a problem with the bolded sentence. This seems to be a pretty big issue, and I am perfectly fine with people arguing against a particular action. But anyone could say anything about anything if people didn't ask for proof (not necessarily names). If the issue was published in something like the Gainesville Sun, then I'd be more inclined to believe it. I'm not defending UF, nor am I defaming it. I just think that proof to something as big as this would be helpful in persuading others of your opinion - otherwise, it is just an empty statement.

There has been a lot of anti-UF sentiment for the last couple of months, and it is difficult at this point to tell the distinction between legitimate facts about things that have taken place, and opinions based on someone's negative opinions about the school.

Since there are many people who lurk around these forums to learn of different schools, we should hold at least some sense of accountability with sources to back up our statements.

 

[wally47]

Wait, just as a point of clarification. Students who received less than a 25 on their MCAT and didn't get an interview as of March are now accepted, or were given an interview after March and were accepted?

And no offense or anything, but I have a problem with the bolded sentence. This seems to be a pretty big issue, and I am perfectly fine with people arguing against a particular action. But anyone could say anything about anything if people didn't ask for proof (not necessarily names). If the issue was published in something like the Gainesville Sun, then I'd be more inclined to believe it. I'm not defending UF, nor am I defaming it. I just think that proof to something as big as this would be helpful in persuading others of your opinion - otherwise, it is just an empty statement.

There has been a lot of anti-UF sentiment for the last couple of months, and it is difficult at this point to tell the distinction between legitimate facts about things that have taken place, and opinions based on someone's negative opinions about the school.

Since there are many people who lurk around these forums to learn of different schools, we should hold at least some sense of accountability with sources to back up our statements.

Specifically why I kept my statement out of the UF class thread.

If you look at my post history I hate the events going on at UF yet still feel that it is a great school and would love to attend so planting false information is something I would never do, commenting on events that I disagree with is right up my alley on the other hand. Plus...how could anything made up be worse then what has already happened? However the other reason I won't give proof is because the only way to prove it is to give out the names of those involved(def a no no), also I can't honestly prove that it was the hefty donation that got the people the interview which is why I gave my opinion about what happened which are assumptions at best and I hope people understand this.

Then why post you ask... well it sticks to the topic of the thread. I would like to also raise the point since someone mentioned it in the UF thread about ethics class. If you where one of these students(cronies or nepotists) how could you go on living your normal life knowing that you didn't get to where you are on your own merit? That would kill me, the minute med school became tough or the minute I did bad on an exam I would think to myself... well it's because I don't belong here in the first place.

 

[SetThisStraight]

I posted this same thing basically in the Florida 2012 thread but I realize that it wasn't the correct place for it till now. So I'm reposting here so that you guys actually know the deal:


I know Ben personally because he was a student in the Honors Program for Medical Education here at Northwestern so this isn't heresy or crap I'm making up, it's the truth and you can message me for more info if you so feel like it for me to prove it. First, I wanted to say that Ben truly is a good guy. He is not, though, a good applicant to medical school. The rumors of him having a 3.0 GPA are true and I know this because I was in classes with him. In addition, he was kicked out of the honors program here because his GPA was too low because you need at least a 3.2 to stay in the program. In addition, Ben does not have the typical things one would look for in a med school application. His research is minimal and his volunteer work completely lacking. He has focused on helping his frat with IM sports but I hardly think that constitutes "extraordinary". His lack of MCAT is ridiculous and while Florida has students who didn't take the MCAT either through their honor's program, he didn't apply to that. He applied through the normal AMCAS application and would NEED a MCAT score in that case. Lastly, I've heard him tell people that his Dad helped him get into the Honors program at Northwestern (his dad did go to medical school at Northwestern and use to be on the board of directors) so I figure that this sort of "help" only continued for his acceptance to UF.


For what it's worth, these are facts, not speculation and I just wanted you guys to know the real deal. UF is still an awesome school but yea, it sucks for those on the waitlist hoping to still get in. And again, I didn't have a SDN account before but I made this one so I could respond to people wondering what is actually going on here.

 

[Dendrite]

Specifically why I kept my statement out of the UF class thread.

If you look at my post history I hate the events going on at UF yet still feel that it is a great school and would love to attend so planting false information is something I would never do, commenting on events that I disagree with is right up my alley on the other hand. Plus...how could anything made up be worse then what has already happened? However the other reason I won't give proof is because the only way to prove it is to give out the names of those involved(def a no no), also I can't honestly prove that it was the hefty donation that got the people the interview which is why I gave my opinion about what happened which are assumptions at best and I hope people understand this.

Then why post you ask... well it sticks to the topic of the thread. I would like to also raise the point since someone mentioned it in the UF thread about ethics class. If you where one of these students(cronies or nepotists) how could you go on living your normal life knowing that you didn't get to where you are on your own merit? That would kill me, the minute med school became tough or the minute I did bad on an exam I would think to myself... well it's because I don't belong here in the first place.

You and I both know how good of an institution the UF COM is. But lately, there has been a lot of negative press with UF COM, and because newcomers only have negative opinions on which to base their conclusions of the medical school, we may be inadvertently adulterating their opinions. If these opinions are based on facts that have been published in newspapers, that is one thing. But to base opinions on statements that cannot be substantiated through such sources (whether to protect the source or not), that is another thing entirely.

The reason I would like to see a source for this is that the issue with Ben rested with an action by the Dean. These other acceptances, on the other hand, would be a result of actions by the MSC, a committee that has been ethical throughout this whole dilemma by denying Ben admission based on his credentials. The fact that interviews stopped (or theoretically stopped) by the end of March only compounds the situation. Something like this would be equally, if not moreso, as serious as this Ben dilemma, IMO.

As far as the other issue dealing with those wrongfully accepted, the Anatomy course at UF is notoriously difficult, and UF always has a certain percentage of people that don't do well enough to progress onto the next semester. The AAMC has published work that correlates MCAT and Undergrad performance with success in medical school (http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/bibliography/basco001.htm). I'm sure those who got in based on legacy status, cronyism, or nepotism will see that realization at some point.

I respect those with opinions that differ with the norm and argue against incidents like this, but I also believe that until the sources for things like this can be revealed, we shouldn't rush to make judgements. There has been a lot of talk about losing accreditation and whatnot on this thread, many statements that were not substantiated. I remember someone earlier even discouraging people against UF because he thought Kone wrote the letters for the students indicating their status within the class (it isn't Kone, but Dr. Duff). It is statements such as these that I want to avoid.

 

[maestro1625]

I'm not sure why a lot of you are taking this whole incident insult as an insult to the UF. Ultimately the bad press will be good for the school. I know for some of you this seems like a contradiction, but the light that comes to such a situation and the black mark created will lead to the removal of those responsible who are doing damage to the school and hopefully insure that future situations such as this will be avoided. Sometimes an organization just has to hit bottom.

It took a front page story in the Wall Street Journal last year about corruption from the administration at my undergrad to finally weed out our failing president. Was it a black eye for the college? sure. But the good done in exposing the problem easily outdid any damage to the long term reputation of the school before it got worse.

 

[maestro1625]

.

 

[void]

I'm not reading all of the posts in this massive thread, so this might have been said before but,


wasn't he already admitted into a straight-to-medical school program at Northwestern, one that doesn't require the MCAT anyway? I don't know what his graduation status is, but it would not seem out of the question to admit him into a medical school if he graduates from the Northwestern program. The only problems I see with that is that a straight-med program is only affiliated with a small number of medical schools, and UF is probably not affiliated with Northwestern's program. But as the dean mentions in this article: http://www.gainesville.com/article/...02/NEWS/Med_school_dean_apologizes_for_e_mail

Northwestern's program is very similar to UF's Junior Honors program, so it doesn't seem that crazy.

Another problem would be that the dean didn't consult the committee board, which is what the media is (and should be) focusing on.

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Aside from that, rich people manage to infiltrate every field. I know of a couple whose own parents pay others to do homework for, help cheat, etc. It's sad, but money talks.

 

[wally47]

I'm not reading all of the posts in this massive thread, so this might have been said before but,


wasn't he already admitted into a straight-to-medical school program at Northwestern, one that doesn't require the MCAT anyway? I don't know what his graduation status is, but it would not seem out of the question to admit him into a medical school if he graduates from the Northwestern program. The only problems I see with that is that a straight-med program is only affiliated with a small number of medical schools, and UF is probably not affiliated with Northwestern's program. But as the dean mentions in this article: http://www.gainesville.com/article/...02/NEWS/Med_school_dean_apologizes_for_e_mail

Northwestern's program is very similar to UF's Junior Honors program, so it doesn't seem that crazy.

Another problem would be that the dean didn't consult the committee board, which is what the media is (and should be) focusing on.

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Aside from that, rich people manage to infiltrate every field. I know of a couple whose own parents pay others to do homework for, help cheat, etc. It's sad, but money talks.

We already addressed each one of these issues. The problem is that he was accepted Regular Admission. No one would be saying anything if he was going to be in the JHP. Also as we recently learned he was kicked out of NW program b/c of a low GPA.

 

[WillieWildcat]

Get a Life
I entered the Northwesctern University Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) in September 2005 with Ben Mendelsohn as one of my classmates. I am responding because there was an erroneous post yesterday in this thread from someone in Gainesville who is not an HPME student. After completing our undergraduate three years in Evanston, we are proceeding as a class into Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine to begin late August 2008.
Ben is a member of our class in good standing and has a spot guarantted for him to start in the medical school Class of 2012. A few HPME are transferring for personal reasons, but nobody in our class was "kicked-out" of the program.

I have taken several science courses with Ben Mendelsohn and his grades were always near the top of the class. His GPA is far closer to a 4.0 than the maliciously reported 3.0. This is a fact. Furthermore, Ben is always willing to help an HPME with a problem set, difficult lab, etc while the gunners are only worried about being the king of the hill. Kudos to Ben.
Everyone wants Ben for a lab or study group partner because he is well- prepared and shares his knowledge to benefit his peers.

This thread is leveled with allegations that Ben has survived because his father has opened doors for him at NU and UF. His father did not take his high school exams, SATs, SAT IIs for him, every single exam in the 99%. We compared scores, at my insistence back in Sept 2005, when I wanted to act like a big shot. His scores blew mine away.

Ben was accepted to close to 10 medical programs similar to Northwestern's HPME. Also his father did not interview for him. Ben is the most polished conversationalist/debater that I have ever met covering healthcare issues, policies, politics, etc. He outduels everyone talking about how to handle the looming crisis.

As far as waking up one day and Ben suddenly deciding to go to med school - are you kidding me? His medical volunteer work in high school and in college has been unbelievable. With his guaranteed spot to medical school at Northwestern, I am frankly suprised that he didn't blow off some of this volunteer work and join us for spring break. And no, his father does not show up every week to perform these hours for him. You guys are taking pot shots anonymously and are far off the mark. Get a life.

MCAT testing. At HPME we do not take the MCAT exam. If you care to check, at least 25 allopathic US medical schools accept students into their entering class without MCAT scores, almost always in conjunction with combined undergraduate and medical school programs such as HPME. If you are awake all night worried whether Ben would have had a good score on this test, not to worry. Ben Mendelsohn will blow us all away on the USMLE exams that we must contend with in the future.

 

[mdgator]

Get a Life
I entered the Northwesctern University Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) in September 2005 with Ben Mendelsohn as one of my classmates. I am responding because there was an erroneous post yesterday in this thread from someone in Gainesville who is not an HPME student. After completing our undergraduate three years in Evanston, we are proceeding as a class into Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine to begin late August 2008.
Ben is a member of our class in good standing and has a spot guarantted for him to start in the medical school Class of 2012. A few HPME are transferring for personal reasons, but nobody in our class was "kicked-out" of the program.

I have taken several science courses with Ben Mendelsohn and his grades were always near the top of the class. His GPA is far closer to a 4.0 than the maliciously reported 3.0. This is a fact. Furthermore, Ben is always willing to help an HPME with a problem set, difficult lab, etc while the gunners are only worried about being the king of the hill. Kudos to Ben.
Everyone wants Ben for a lab or study group partner because he is well- prepared and shares his knowledge to benefit his peers.

This thread is leveled with allegations that Ben has survived because his father has opened doors for him at NU and UF. His father did not take his high school exams, SATs, SAT IIs for him, every single exam in the 99%. We compared scores, at my insistence back in Sept 2005, when I wanted to act like a big shot. His scores blew mine away.

Ben was accepted to close to 10 medical programs similar to Northwestern's HPME. Also his father did not interview for him. Ben is the most polished conversationalist/debater that I have ever met covering healthcare issues, policies, politics, etc. He outduels everyone talking about how to handle the looming crisis.

As far as waking up one day and Ben suddenly deciding to go to med school - are you kidding me? His medical volunteer work in high school and in college has been unbelievable. With his guaranteed spot to medical school at Northwestern, I am frankly suprised that he didn't blow off some of this volunteer work and join us for spring break. And no, his father does not show up every week to perform these hours for him. You guys are taking pot shots anonymously and are far off the mark. Get a life.

MCAT testing. At HPME we do not take the MCAT exam. If you care to check, at least 25 allopathic US medical schools accept students into their entering class without MCAT scores, almost always in conjunction with combined undergraduate and medical school programs such as HPME. If you are awake all night worried whether Ben would have had a good score on this test, not to worry. Ben Mendelsohn will blow us all away on the USMLE exams that we must contend with in the future.

Whether ben is a likeable guy or not has nothing to do with why people find this situation distateful. And no one takes issue solely with the fact that Ben didn't take the MCAT...they take issue with the preferential treatment he was given. Because I am basically sick of this story, I won't rehash all the old arguments...you can read them yourself in this thread and the Fl Schools thread. The fact is, even if Ben is a genius, a saint, and an authority on all things medicine...it doesn't change the fact that he was unfairly given special treatment. It doesn't take very much thought to understand why people would be upset.

 

[UFMEDCO2011]

Get a Life
Also his father did not interview for him.

And as far as getting into here, neither did Ben


Who are you Ben's publicist? You personally know Ben's GPA? I'm not going to pretend that I truly do, however I am more inclined to believe your classmate buddy "SetThisStraight"'s post in regards to the situation as it does corroborate what the 4th years sitting on our ADCOM have been telling us.

Your defense leaves us with a gaping unanswered question. The idea that he's that exceptional seems inherently flawed from the start.

How do you

1) go from Feinberg to UF COM....
2) still get rejected
3) thus having to rely on sketchy activities to get in
4) and have it REVEALED to the entire CITY OF GAINESVILLE let alone the entire Med school, have it be the biggest controversy around the communicore in recent years, know full well its pissed off just about every current student and most faculty members, has the Dean in hot water and yet, STILL DECIDE TO COME?

Who does that?

There's not many things that would force someone to go to a school that badly except for the blatantly obvious. If his reasons for the switch are non-academic in nature, then why not discuss it? And why must Dean Kone, in defense of his decision, reference this kid's past academic accomplishments of getting into the Northwestern program as opposed to discussing the compelling reason for why this kid needed to come here instead?

 

[167649]

Get a Life
I entered the Northwesctern University Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) in September 2005 with Ben Mendelsohn as one of my classmates. I am responding because there was an erroneous post yesterday in this thread from someone in Gainesville who is not an HPME student. After completing our undergraduate three years in Evanston, we are proceeding as a class into Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine to begin late August 2008.
Ben is a member of our class in good standing and has a spot guarantted for him to start in the medical school Class of 2012. A few HPME are transferring for personal reasons, but nobody in our class was "kicked-out" of the program.

I have taken several science courses with Ben Mendelsohn and his grades were always near the top of the class. His GPA is far closer to a 4.0 than the maliciously reported 3.0. This is a fact. Furthermore, Ben is always willing to help an HPME with a problem set, difficult lab, etc while the gunners are only worried about being the king of the hill. Kudos to Ben.
Everyone wants Ben for a lab or study group partner because he is well- prepared and shares his knowledge to benefit his peers.

This thread is leveled with allegations that Ben has survived because his father has opened doors for him at NU and UF. His father did not take his high school exams, SATs, SAT IIs for him, every single exam in the 99%. We compared scores, at my insistence back in Sept 2005, when I wanted to act like a big shot. His scores blew mine away.

Ben was accepted to close to 10 medical programs similar to Northwestern's HPME. Also his father did not interview for him. Ben is the most polished conversationalist/debater that I have ever met covering healthcare issues, policies, politics, etc. He outduels everyone talking about how to handle the looming crisis.

As far as waking up one day and Ben suddenly deciding to go to med school - are you kidding me? His medical volunteer work in high school and in college has been unbelievable. With his guaranteed spot to medical school at Northwestern, I am frankly suprised that he didn't blow off some of this volunteer work and join us for spring break. And no, his father does not show up every week to perform these hours for him. You guys are taking pot shots anonymously and are far off the mark. Get a life.

MCAT testing. At HPME we do not take the MCAT exam. If you care to check, at least 25 allopathic US medical schools accept students into their entering class without MCAT scores, almost always in conjunction with combined undergraduate and medical school programs such as HPME. If you are awake all night worried whether Ben would have had a good score on this test, not to worry. Ben Mendelsohn will blow us all away on the USMLE exams that we must contend with in the future.

My wish at the top of this page came true! Hi Ben!

 

[D-Bone]

My wish at the top of this page came true! Hi Ben!

Could it be Dean Kone?

 

[smeagol]

hello ben

 

[87138]

Get a Life
I entered the Northwesctern University Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) in September 2005 with Ben Mendelsohn as one of my classmates. I am responding because there was an erroneous post yesterday in this thread from someone in Gainesville who is not an HPME student. After completing our undergraduate three years in Evanston, we are proceeding as a class into Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine to begin late August 2008.
Ben is a member of our class in good standing and has a spot guarantted for him to start in the medical school Class of 2012. A few HPME are transferring for personal reasons, but nobody in our class was "kicked-out" of the program.

I have taken several science courses with Ben Mendelsohn and his grades were always near the top of the class. His GPA is far closer to a 4.0 than the maliciously reported 3.0. This is a fact. Furthermore, Ben is always willing to help an HPME with a problem set, difficult lab, etc while the gunners are only worried about being the king of the hill. Kudos to Ben.
Everyone wants Ben for a lab or study group partner because he is well- prepared and shares his knowledge to benefit his peers.

This thread is leveled with allegations that Ben has survived because his father has opened doors for him at NU and UF. His father did not take his high school exams, SATs, SAT IIs for him, every single exam in the 99%. We compared scores, at my insistence back in Sept 2005, when I wanted to act like a big shot. His scores blew mine away.

Ben was accepted to close to 10 medical programs similar to Northwestern's HPME. Also his father did not interview for him. Ben is the most polished conversationalist/debater that I have ever met covering healthcare issues, policies, politics, etc. He outduels everyone talking about how to handle the looming crisis.

As far as waking up one day and Ben suddenly deciding to go to med school - are you kidding me? His medical volunteer work in high school and in college has been unbelievable. With his guaranteed spot to medical school at Northwestern, I am frankly suprised that he didn't blow off some of this volunteer work and join us for spring break. And no, his father does not show up every week to perform these hours for him. You guys are taking pot shots anonymously and are far off the mark. Get a life.

MCAT testing. At HPME we do not take the MCAT exam. If you care to check, at least 25 allopathic US medical schools accept students into their entering class without MCAT scores, almost always in conjunction with combined undergraduate and medical school programs such as HPME. If you are awake all night worried whether Ben would have had a good score on this test, not to worry. Ben Mendelsohn will blow us all away on the USMLE exams that we must contend with in the future.

To Bill Brasky!

.....er....I mean, Ben Mendelsohn......

 

[Hurricane95]

Get a Life
I entered the Northwesctern University Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) in September 2005 with Ben Mendelsohn as one of my classmates. I am responding because there was an erroneous post yesterday in this thread from someone in Gainesville who is not an HPME student. After completing our undergraduate three years in Evanston, we are proceeding as a class into Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine to begin late August 2008.
Ben is a member of our class in good standing and has a spot guarantted for him to start in the medical school Class of 2012. A few HPME are transferring for personal reasons, but nobody in our class was "kicked-out" of the program.

I have taken several science courses with Ben Mendelsohn and his grades were always near the top of the class. His GPA is far closer to a 4.0 than the maliciously reported 3.0. This is a fact. Furthermore, Ben is always willing to help an HPME with a problem set, difficult lab, etc while the gunners are only worried about being the king of the hill. Kudos to Ben.
Everyone wants Ben for a lab or study group partner because he is well- prepared and shares his knowledge to benefit his peers.

This thread is leveled with allegations that Ben has survived because his father has opened doors for him at NU and UF. His father did not take his high school exams, SATs, SAT IIs for him, every single exam in the 99%. We compared scores, at my insistence back in Sept 2005, when I wanted to act like a big shot. His scores blew mine away.

Ben was accepted to close to 10 medical programs similar to Northwestern's HPME. Also his father did not interview for him. Ben is the most polished conversationalist/debater that I have ever met covering healthcare issues, policies, politics, etc. He outduels everyone talking about how to handle the looming crisis.

As far as waking up one day and Ben suddenly deciding to go to med school - are you kidding me? His medical volunteer work in high school and in college has been unbelievable. With his guaranteed spot to medical school at Northwestern, I am frankly suprised that he didn't blow off some of this volunteer work and join us for spring break. And no, his father does not show up every week to perform these hours for him. You guys are taking pot shots anonymously and are far off the mark. Get a life.

MCAT testing. At HPME we do not take the MCAT exam. If you care to check, at least 25 allopathic US medical schools accept students into their entering class without MCAT scores, almost always in conjunction with combined undergraduate and medical school programs such as HPME. If you are awake all night worried whether Ben would have had a good score on this test, not to worry. Ben Mendelsohn will blow us all away on the USMLE exams that we must contend with in the future.

Is Ben...great in bed too?

I figured you could be the one to ask.

 

[Flopotomist]

Since we now have a friend of Ben's on here... maybe he can clear this giant point of confusion up. Why on EARTH would somebody holding a ticket to start medical school at Northwestern (a great school) choose to transfer to some podunk school in Florida? It just doesn't make sense.

 

[mdgator]

Since we now have a friend of Ben's on here... maybe he can clear this giant point of confusion up. Why on EARTH would somebody holding a ticket to start medical school at Northwestern (a great school) choose to transfer to some podunk school in Florida? It just doesn't make sense.

I hope you're joking.

 

[Flopotomist]

I hope you're joking.

About which part? I think the question is valid - why would somebody choose to transfer from Northwestern to UF unless they were being pushed out.

 

[gplex86]

I hope you're joking.

Northwestern is a more prestigious school than UF. UF is a state school that's basically only open to Florida residents. Northwestern takes bright minds from all over the country.

Oh, and I'm a Floridian, too.

 

[mdgator]

About which part? I think the question is valid - why would somebody choose to transfer from Northwestern to UF unless they were being pushed out.

Northwestern is a more prestigious school than UF. UF is a state school that's basically only open to Florida residents. Northwestern takes bright minds from all over the country.

Oh, and I'm a Floridian, too.

Didn't say Northwestern wasn't more prestigious...but what does that really mean? UF's a great school that takes a lot of "bright minds" as well. I can think of a hundred reasons someone would transfer from Northwestern to UF. Rather live in Florida, to be close to family, like the school better...take your pick.

 

[smeagol]

Since we now have a friend of Ben's on here... maybe he can clear this giant point of confusion up. Why on EARTH would somebody holding a ticket to start medical school at Northwestern (a great school) choose to transfer to some podunk school in Florida? It just doesn't make sense.

The word podunk might be unsettling to some.

You may have noticed that a disproportionate number of UF students (in comparison to other schools) somehow manage to force some aspect of UF into their SDN username (i.e. gator, UF, etc.). They're pretty proud of their school.

But I c teh pt.

 

[WillieWildcat]

Didn't say Northwestern wasn't more prestigious...but what does that really mean? UF's a great school that takes a lot of "bright minds" as well. I can think of a hundred reasons someone would transfer from Northwestern to UF. Rather live in Florida, to be close to family, like the school better...take your pick.

I believe that mdgator is on the right track, and second-hand rumor, and most importantly, girlfriend starting UF Vet School. There are no Vet Schools in the Windy City or in the proximity.

 

[mdgator]

I believe that mdgator is on the right track, and second-hand rumor, and most importantly, girlfriend starting UF Vet School. There are no Vet Schools in the Windy City or in the proximity.

Haha...ok, seriously Willie, are you Ben?

 

[DrPavoreal]

Get a Life
I entered the Northwesctern University Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) in September 2005 with Ben Mendelsohn as one of my classmates. I am responding because there was an erroneous post yesterday in this thread from someone in Gainesville who is not an HPME student. After completing our undergraduate three years in Evanston, we are proceeding as a class into Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine to begin late August 2008.
Ben is a member of our class in good standing and has a spot guarantted for him to start in the medical school Class of 2012. A few HPME are transferring for personal reasons, but nobody in our class was "kicked-out" of the program.

I have taken several science courses with Ben Mendelsohn and his grades were always near the top of the class. His GPA is far closer to a 4.0 than the maliciously reported 3.0. This is a fact. Furthermore, Ben is always willing to help an HPME with a problem set, difficult lab, etc while the gunners are only worried about being the king of the hill. Kudos to Ben.
Everyone wants Ben for a lab or study group partner because he is well- prepared and shares his knowledge to benefit his peers.

This thread is leveled with allegations that Ben has survived because his father has opened doors for him at NU and UF. His father did not take his high school exams, SATs, SAT IIs for him, every single exam in the 99%. We compared scores, at my insistence back in Sept 2005, when I wanted to act like a big shot. His scores blew mine away.

Ben was accepted to close to 10 medical programs similar to Northwestern's HPME. Also his father did not interview for him. Ben is the most polished conversationalist/debater that I have ever met covering healthcare issues, policies, politics, etc. He outduels everyone talking about how to handle the looming crisis.

As far as waking up one day and Ben suddenly deciding to go to med school - are you kidding me? His medical volunteer work in high school and in college has been unbelievable. With his guaranteed spot to medical school at Northwestern, I am frankly suprised that he didn't blow off some of this volunteer work and join us for spring break. And no, his father does not show up every week to perform these hours for him. You guys are taking pot shots anonymously and are far off the mark. Get a life.

MCAT testing. At HPME we do not take the MCAT exam. If you care to check, at least 25 allopathic US medical schools accept students into their entering class without MCAT scores, almost always in conjunction with combined undergraduate and medical school programs such as HPME. If you are awake all night worried whether Ben would have had a good score on this test, not to worry. Ben Mendelsohn will blow us all away on the USMLE exams that we must contend with in the future.

Sup, Uncle Ben? Welcome to SDN!

Is Ben...great in bed too?

I figured you could be the one to ask.

👍

 

[wally47]

Whether ben is a likeable guy or not has nothing to do with why people find this situation distateful. And no one takes issue solely with the fact that Ben didn't take the MCAT...they take issue with the preferential treatment he was given. Because I am basically sick of this story, I won't rehash all the old arguments...you can read them yourself in this thread and the Fl Schools thread. The fact is, even if Ben is a genius, a saint, and an authority on all things medicine...it doesn't change the fact that he was unfairly given special treatment. It doesn't take very much thought to understand why people would be upset.

👍👍

Also if this is truly is about a girl, then a true saint/exceptional student would have prepared for the possibility that his girl may go to UF and therefore should have applied accordingly and on time.I can't imagine someone who is so head over heels for someone else wouldn't have taken the necessary precautions. I am still trying to get over the fact that a girl could be one of the possible reasons why he would leave NW. When I was applying to med school my girl made sure that she applied to the same schools for graduate school. It was a pretty "common sense" thing to do.

 

[axlaxl1]

DOWN WITH DEAN KRONE and BENjaminS.

Krone should be fired and Ben should be unaccepted.

ENOUGH SAID.

 

[gplex86]

Didn't say Northwestern wasn't more prestigious...but what does that really mean? UF's a great school that takes a lot of "bright minds" as well. I can think of a hundred reasons someone would transfer from Northwestern to UF. Rather live in Florida, to be close to family, like the school better...take your pick.

Sure, those are reasonable reasons to put an application in to UF, on time, and with honor.

Those are not reasonable reasons to upend the entire application process.

 

[gplex86]

Get a Life
I entered the Northwesctern University Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) in September 2005 with Ben Mendelsohn as one of my classmates. I am responding because there was an erroneous post yesterday in this thread from someone in Gainesville who is not an HPME student. After completing our undergraduate three years in Evanston, we are proceeding as a class into Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine to begin late August 2008.
Ben is a member of our class in good standing and has a spot guarantted for him to start in the medical school Class of 2012. A few HPME are transferring for personal reasons, but nobody in our class was "kicked-out" of the program.

I have taken several science courses with Ben Mendelsohn and his grades were always near the top of the class. His GPA is far closer to a 4.0 than the maliciously reported 3.0. This is a fact. Furthermore, Ben is always willing to help an HPME with a problem set, difficult lab, etc while the gunners are only worried about being the king of the hill. Kudos to Ben.
Everyone wants Ben for a lab or study group partner because he is well- prepared and shares his knowledge to benefit his peers.

This thread is leveled with allegations that Ben has survived because his father has opened doors for him at NU and UF. His father did not take his high school exams, SATs, SAT IIs for him, every single exam in the 99%. We compared scores, at my insistence back in Sept 2005, when I wanted to act like a big shot. His scores blew mine away.

Ben was accepted to close to 10 medical programs similar to Northwestern's HPME. Also his father did not interview for him. Ben is the most polished conversationalist/debater that I have ever met covering healthcare issues, policies, politics, etc. He outduels everyone talking about how to handle the looming crisis.

As far as waking up one day and Ben suddenly deciding to go to med school - are you kidding me? His medical volunteer work in high school and in college has been unbelievable. With his guaranteed spot to medical school at Northwestern, I am frankly suprised that he didn't blow off some of this volunteer work and join us for spring break. And no, his father does not show up every week to perform these hours for him. You guys are taking pot shots anonymously and are far off the mark. Get a life.

MCAT testing. At HPME we do not take the MCAT exam. If you care to check, at least 25 allopathic US medical schools accept students into their entering class without MCAT scores, almost always in conjunction with combined undergraduate and medical school programs such as HPME. If you are awake all night worried whether Ben would have had a good score on this test, not to worry. Ben Mendelsohn will blow us all away on the USMLE exams that we must contend with in the future.

Choose the form of the destructor.... the choice is MADE!

Btw, the admissions committee disagrees with your expert analysis.

 

[axlaxl1]

DOWN WITH DEAN KRONE and BENjaminS.

Krone should be fired and Ben should be unaccepted.

ENOUGH SAID.

.

 

[UFMEDCO2011]

To Bill Brasky!

underrated post.

 

[SetThisStraight]

You know, I'm not going to argue if Ben isn't a nice person. He is. He's a good guy with a good heart. And I'll even go so far as to say that he did have a great SAT score to get into HPME and that maybe he actually deserved his spot at Northwestern. However, for you to say that he has a GPA that is closer to a 4.0 is hilarious. It's just not true in any shape or form, sorry.
Edit: I realize that people aren't familiar with the requirements of HPME so i thought I'd elaborate. You are required to maintain a 3.0 overall GPA and 3.2 science GPA. Ben's overall GPA is probably ok sitting around a 3.4 or 3.5 because you can take some pretty easy classes at Northwestern if you look hard enough. When I said he has a 3.0, I was talking about his science GPA. That is what the problem is.

I can guess you are either Ben himself or his Dad because people know how others do in science classes at Northwestern so your statements are straight up lies. If someone is struggling in physics, orgo, and bio - three main classes for pre-meds - word gets around, ESPECIALLY if you are HPME because you are suppose to be the best of the best. Also, you don't seem to address the issue that you can't transfer between juniors honor programs. People don't take the MCAT, whoooo, but Ben applied through AMCAS meaning he needs a MCAT. Northwestern wouldn't allow for this "transfer" to happen in the first place.

And lastly, who cares about what he did in high school. Maybe he did have fantastic volunteer work then and perhaps he had a great GPA then as well. I don't know because I didn't know him then. Getting into med school is about what you have done in the past three years more so than what you've done the past 7.

Sure Ben is a good guy and sure maybe Ben, as you put it Willie, would be the last one voted off the island. It doesn't mean he's a good med school applicant though...

 

[DrPavoreal]

And the plot thickens...😱

 

[87138]

underrated post.

I kind of assumed it would go unnoticed or unappreciated amongst the rest of what's going on in this thread. But it seemed very appropriate.

 

[Doublecortin]

Get a Life
I entered the Northwesctern University Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) in September 2005 with Ben Mendelsohn as one of my classmates. I am responding because there was an erroneous post yesterday in this thread from someone in Gainesville who is not an HPME student. After completing our undergraduate three years in Evanston, we are proceeding as a class into Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine to begin late August 2008.
Ben is a member of our class in good standing and has a spot guarantted for him to start in the medical school Class of 2012. A few HPME are transferring for personal reasons, but nobody in our class was "kicked-out" of the program.

I have taken several science courses with Ben Mendelsohn and his grades were always near the top of the class. His GPA is far closer to a 4.0 than the maliciously reported 3.0. This is a fact. Furthermore, Ben is always willing to help an HPME with a problem set, difficult lab, etc while the gunners are only worried about being the king of the hill. Kudos to Ben.
Everyone wants Ben for a lab or study group partner because he is well- prepared and shares his knowledge to benefit his peers.

This thread is leveled with allegations that Ben has survived because his father has opened doors for him at NU and UF. His father did not take his high school exams, SATs, SAT IIs for him, every single exam in the 99%. We compared scores, at my insistence back in Sept 2005, when I wanted to act like a big shot. His scores blew mine away.

Ben was accepted to close to 10 medical programs similar to Northwestern's HPME. Also his father did not interview for him. Ben is the most polished conversationalist/debater that I have ever met covering healthcare issues, policies, politics, etc. He outduels everyone talking about how to handle the looming crisis.

As far as waking up one day and Ben suddenly deciding to go to med school - are you kidding me? His medical volunteer work in high school and in college has been unbelievable. With his guaranteed spot to medical school at Northwestern, I am frankly suprised that he didn't blow off some of this volunteer work and join us for spring break. And no, his father does not show up every week to perform these hours for him. You guys are taking pot shots anonymously and are far off the mark. Get a life.

MCAT testing. At HPME we do not take the MCAT exam. If you care to check, at least 25 allopathic US medical schools accept students into their entering class without MCAT scores, almost always in conjunction with combined undergraduate and medical school programs such as HPME. If you are awake all night worried whether Ben would have had a good score on this test, not to worry. Ben Mendelsohn will blow us all away on the USMLE exams that we must contend with in the future.

😱

dude, you get a life! Are you his biatch or something?
It was clearly stated that he never got accepted to the honors program, therefore he was not entitled to skip MCAT.

According to you Benny boy is Jesus Christ reincarnated, get a life dude!😡👎

 

[Kaustikos]

I kind of assumed it would go unnoticed or unappreciated amongst the rest of what's going on in this thread. But it seemed very appropriate.

I was surprised. Your posts usually do not go longer than 5 indepedent responses before someone notices. You're being too subtle, or people posting here are just going caveman mode and want blood from this ordeal.

 

[Doublecortin]

My wish at the top of this page came true! Hi Ben!

amen!