CalMed MBS 2019-2020

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KEPT said:
Haha at this point I’m used to rejection. I can handle the truth 😀
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Just be patient. You never know. But yeah it just makes it easier for everyone to just hear the truth right away.
 
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I just got accepted too! Submitted application 5/5, Interviewed 5/22, accepted 5/29
Good luck to everyone!

To anyone who is in the program now or completed it, how hard was it to study for the MCAT while keeping up with the course work?
 
What are your stats for those who got accepted?
 
Congrats to everyone who got accepted! Looking forward to meeting you all. Should we make a fb group for our class to help get everyone situated 😀
 
Congratulations to everyone accepted! Best of luck to you guys!!!!

I almost forgot to post this up here. i received this information from a trusted source:

- For those on the waitlist: not everyone is waitlisted. Some people are just straight up rejected.
- The class was almost full but not entirely. Interviews are still taking place today.
- The waitlist will be reviewed tomorrow and it is unclear if it is ranked. The committee will make their decisions on the waitlist.
- They are still waiting to see if all students will be accepting their offers (not sure when the deadline to accept the offer is but it sounded like it might be tomorrow for most people).
- You will either receive an email tomorrow or within the next two weeks with the final decision.

Stay hopeful!!!!
 
Good to know there is a itty bitty chance I can stay in California lol
 
Btw how reliable is your source? Is it US govt reliable or N Korea reliable?:laugh:
 
kimzrog said:
To anyone who is in the program now or completed it, how hard was it to study for the MCAT while keeping up with the course work?
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Hard, based on results for classmates who took it during the program. I'd highly recommend before or after, if you can. If it's unavoidable, fall semester will likely be a slightly lighter load than the spring - I think they're doing 15 units in fall, 17 in spring (unlike this past year which was 16 units each) and you'll have your capstone project in the spring which will be time-consuming.
 
If anybody is looking to room (female), please PM me! I figure the earlier we start looking, the better
 
jazzmetal said:
Hi, current about-to-graduate MBS student here. Just wanted to clarify a few of the numbers.

Yes, 8/33 current MBS students applied "fresh" to the med school this year and 4 got in, but another 8 came in with provisional MD acceptances based on making it to the MD waitlist in the 2018-2019 cycle (one-time offer for the inaugural MBS class). It's looking like all 8 of those will also get in; we'll know for sure once spring grades are finalized. So, 16 total applied or had been provisionally accepted to the MD program, and most likely 12 got in.

Of the remaining 17 who didn't apply this past cycle, many were coming into the MBS straight from undergrad and wanted to get more clinical experience and otherwise strengthen their med school applications first. At least one student hadn't ever taken the MCAT, so took it this spring and is applying this coming (2019-2020) cycle. Many others wanted to re-take the MCAT because they didn't yet have the minimum score required for the guaranteed MD interview. The guaranteed MD interview offer persists after MBS graduation, so someone who did well in the MBS program and just needed a higher MCAT score could use their guaranteed interview ticket for this coming (2019-2020) cycle and maybe even the following (2020-2021) cycle, if they ended up getting at least the minimum score.

Yes, the MD class size is increasing: 60 the first year (2018-2019), 90-98 this year (2019-2020), 120 next year (2020-2021).

The MBS class size is likewise increasing. We started last year with 36 students (3 dropped for various reasons). They were aiming for 60 students this coming year and it sounds like they'll meet that target.

Feel free to reply or message me if you have other questions. Best wishes to everyone applying!
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Hello jazzmetal, thank you for the clarifications! Can you elaborate on how you feel about the program, what your outlook is afterward, etc?
 
abanks said:
Hello jazzmetal, thank you for the clarifications! Can you elaborate on how you feel about the program, what your outlook is afterward, etc?
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Haha, well - I got into the med school, so now I'm happy! lol

I don't have too much to add beyond what I've already said in this thread, but can emphasize that, with 8 courses at a time, not in blocks or otherwise coordinated in subject matter between courses, it's a *lot* of work. I thought I'd have time to maybe do some volunteering or shadowing, or apply to other med schools, or maybe retake the MCAT, but I ended up studying pretty much every spare minute. The spring semester had a more sane schedule (they cut down on the number of quizzes, mostly), but the material was harder so I actually did better gradewise in the fall. The same is likely to be true next year - they're moving Genetics to the fall and Microbiology/Global Health to the spring which I believe makes Fall 15 units and Spring 17 units (including the capstone research project), so the fall semester might be slightly easier. The fall semester will include Biochem, Cell Bio and Genetics, which some students will have taken before (at the undergraduate level), so that background might also help to make Fall a little bit easier. In both semesters, we had a lot of papers/presentations/homeworks/quizzes/exams/in-class exercises, the upside of which is that you know where you stand going into finals, and one weak assignment or test isn't fatal. There is a lot of teamwork, so try to choose your teammates wisely, especially for the capstone since that will be a team of only three or four. I guess one more thing is that, for most of the courses, I used just the lecture slides, not the textbook; I just didn't have enough time to read more. Some professors are better than others at doing slides so sometimes you do need to read at least some parts of the book to understand things, but all of the exam content was covered in the slides. You'll get a sense early on of how to approach which courses in terms of reviewing the slides, reading the textbook and re-listening to the recorded lectures (they're all recorded and available all semester). Some students relied heavily on outside material like Khan or various YouTube videos or Sketchy(?) for Micro. I'd try to read "How the Immune System Works" by Sompayrac (150-ish pages, easy to read, you can find it online or Amazon) before Spring starts, to get ready for Immunology. Most of the finals are not cumulative, or if they are, the end-of-semester material is very heavily weighted, e.g., in Pathophysiology, we had one midterm, then the final had 40 questions from second half of course, 4 cumulative questions from first half. They are hiring a program coordinator, so that should help things stay organized with a more even workload throughout the semester. The standard advice applies: don't fall behind.

Since CalMed is still so young and is wanting to build up its research base (as is Arrowhead), you might find more opportunities to be on a research team, which I thought was a big plus. Several students got onto research teams as early as fall semester.

My thoughts on SMPs in general is to make sure that you understand that the stakes are high. Remember that SMP grades will get reported separately in your AMCAS application so they won't improve your undergrad GPA - only a postbac program (or DIY postbac courses) can do that. Be sure you can get good grades in an SMP before you commit to one. For it to help your med school app, you'll want at least a 3.5 and preferably a 3.7+. If fall goes well but your spring grades are suffering and you're applying to med school the cycle after the SMP, you could always order your CalMed transcript before the spring grades hit... And if you're applying to med school the same cycle that you're doing the SMP, then you'll be assessed based on your fall grades only. So that's another reason that having a slightly lighter schedule in the fall could be helpful.

Ok, I guess I did have a few things to add. 😎
 
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jazzmetal said:
Haha, well - I got into the med school, so now I'm happy! lol

I don't have too much to add beyond what I've already said in this thread, but can emphasize that, with 8 courses at a time, not in blocks or otherwise coordinated in subject matter between courses, it's a *lot* of work. I thought I'd have time to maybe do some volunteering or shadowing, or apply to other med schools, or maybe retake the MCAT, but I ended up studying pretty much every spare minute. The spring semester had a more sane schedule (they cut down on the number of quizzes, mostly), but the material was harder so I actually did better gradewise in the fall. The same is likely to be true next year - they're moving Genetics to the fall and Microbiology/Global Health to the spring which I believe makes Fall 15 units and Spring 17 units (including the capstone research project), so the fall semester might be slightly easier. The fall semester will include Biochem, Cell Bio and Genetics, which some students will have taken before (at the undergraduate level), so that background might also help to make Fall a little bit easier. In both semesters, we had a lot of papers/presentations/homeworks/quizzes/exams/in-class exercises, the upside of which is that you know where you stand going into finals, and one weak assignment or test isn't fatal. There is a lot of teamwork, so try to choose your teammates wisely, especially for the capstone since that will be a team of only three or four. I guess one more thing is that, for most of the courses, I used just the lecture slides, not the textbook; I just didn't have enough time to read more. Some professors are better than others at doing slides so sometimes you do need to read at least some parts of the book to understand things, but all of the exam content was covered in the slides. You'll get a sense early on of how to approach which courses in terms of reviewing the slides, reading the textbook and re-listening to the recorded lectures (they're all recorded and available all semester). Some students relied heavily on outside material like Khan or various YouTube videos or Sketchy(?) for Micro. I'd try to read "How the Immune System Works" by Sompayrac (150-ish pages, easy to read, you can find it online or Amazon) before Spring starts, to get ready for Immunology. Most of the finals are not cumulative, or if they are, the end-of-semester material is very heavily weighted, e.g., in Pathophysiology, we had one midterm, then the final had 40 questions from second half of course, 4 cumulative questions from first half. They are hiring a program coordinator, so that should help things stay organized with a more even workload throughout the semester. The standard advice applies: don't fall behind.

Since CalMed is still so young and is wanting to build up its research base (as is Arrowhead), you might find more opportunities to be on a research team, which I thought was a big plus. Several students got onto research teams as early as fall semester.

My thoughts on SMPs in general is to make sure that you understand that the stakes are high. Remember that SMP grades will get reported separately in your AMCAS application so they won't improve your undergrad GPA - only a postbac program (or DIY postbac courses) can do that. Be sure you can get good grades in an SMP before you commit to one. For it to help your med school app, you'll want at least a 3.5 and preferably a 3.7+. If fall goes well but your spring grades are suffering and you're applying to med school the cycle after the SMP, you could always order your CalMed transcript before the spring grades hit... And if you're applying to med school the same cycle that you're doing the SMP, then you'll be assessed based on your fall grades only. So that's another reason that having a slightly lighter schedule in the fall could be helpful.

Ok, I guess I did have a few things to add. 😎
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Amazingly detailed and excellent post, @jazzmetal. One caveat for those reading, this is not a true SMP. What makes a special master’s program (SMP) “special” is that you are taking medical school courses alongside medical students. This program has neither attribute which unfortunately makes it weaker in terms of academic record enhancement. Just something to keep in mind.
 
memdoctobe said:
Amazingly detailed and excellent post, @jazzmetal. One caveat for those reading, this is not a true SMP. What makes a special master’s program (SMP) “special” is that you are taking medical school courses alongside medical students. This program has neither attribute which unfortunately makes it weaker in terms of academic record enhancement. Just something to keep in mind.
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Thanks! And true, good point that it's kind of a hybrid program. That said, it's very specifically pre-health and it's much harder than other types of masters programs (based on general info, a masters I did a long time ago, and feedback from a classmate who did an MPH), and was substantially harder than my postbac. A good chunk of the material is identical to what the M1s are learning: same professor, same slide deck. You're not in the same classroom with med students, but it is at a school where the only other degree is an MD, so hopefully that also makes it stand out from non-special masters programs at larger universities. I'm confident that the CalMed MBS will come to be viewed as very rigorous.
 
jazzmetal said:
Thanks! And true, good point that it's kind of a hybrid program. That said, it's very specifically pre-health and it's much harder than other types of masters programs (based on general info, a masters I did a long time ago, and feedback from a classmate who did an MPH), and was substantially harder than my postbac. A good chunk of the material is identical to what the M1s are learning: same professor, same slide deck. You're not in the same classroom with med students, but it is at a school where the only other degree is an MD, so hopefully that also makes it stand out from non-special masters programs at larger universities. I'm confident that the CalMed MBS will come to be viewed as very rigorous.
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Good point that the school only has one other program and it’s an MD haha. It definitely sounds rigorous and I think if you get a medical school interview and are in this program, you will be able to explain how you can handle a very rigorous course-load.
 
Does anyone here know about the schedule? Are the times fixed same everyday or how does it work?
 
Getting there said:
Does anyone here know about the schedule? Are the times fixed same everyday or how does it work?
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Last year, I believe it was a fixed schedule but they were finished most days by noon. I heard that they may be changing up the schedule for the 19-20 year, but not sure. @jazzmetal may know more.
 
For those of you who got accepted, did CUSM give you guys a deadline date to decide on your acceptance or nothing yet?
 
SR71BLK said:
Last year, I believe it was a fixed schedule but they were finished most days by noon. I heard that they may be changing up the schedule for the 19-20 year, but not sure. @jazzmetal may know more.
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Hi, yes it varied a little depending on day of week, but no longer than 8am-noon each day. Typically something like 8am-10am, then a one-hour break, then 11am-noon. That said, I think they're going to split the class into two sections next year since the MBS classroom is not quite big enough for 60 students at once, so they'd have a morning section and an afternoon section.
 
KEPT said:
For those of you who got accepted, did CUSM give you guys a deadline date to decide on your acceptance or nothing yet?
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You have 10 days to return them the forms. I think you can withdraw your acceptance up until the week before class starts. It’s listed in the paperwork they send with the acceptance.
 
Ah so I wonder how they will make their decision for the waitlist this week
 
KEPT said:
For those of you who got accepted, did CUSM give you guys a deadline date to decide on your acceptance or nothing yet?
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Yes, 10 days to return paperwork, but you can withdraw until the 7th day of class I believe for a full refund. after that, it's a percentage refund.
 
if you interviewed in the last two weeks have you heard back yet?
 
Mahdkid said:
if you interviewed in the last two weeks have you heard back yet?
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I assume everyone should here back about their decision sometime this week since May 31 is their final decision deadline.
 
KEPT said:
I assume everyone should here back about their decision sometime this week since May 31 is their final decision deadline.
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Actually, May 31 was the application deadline, so there might be a little more waiting for decisions.
 
jazzmetal said:
Actually, May 31 was the application deadline, so there might be a little more waiting for decisions.
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Really? from the waitlist email it seem like all final decision are made after May 31.
 
KEPT said:
Really? from the waitlist email it seem like all final decision are made after May 31.
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on the site it says that the application closes May 31, but will remain open technically after that until the class is full.
 

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Anyone on the waitlist hear back yet?
 
Hi everyone, I had a chance to check in with the MBS team - the class is not full, waitlist is not ranked, they are still interviewing, and final decisions are expected around the end of this month. Also, you can disregard my earlier post that the class might be divided into morning and afternoon sections; everyone will be on the same schedule (which is still being finalized).

Our program director Dr. Linda Connelly invites anyone with questions to reach out to her: [email protected].
 
jazzmetal said:
Hi everyone, I had a chance to check in with the MBS team - the class is not full, waitlist is not ranked, they are still interviewing, and final decisions are expected around the end of this month. Also, you can disregard my earlier post that the class might be divided into morning and afternoon sections; everyone will be on the same schedule (which is still being finalized).

Our program director Dr. Linda Connelly invites anyone with questions to reach out to her: [email protected].
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Thank you for continuing to update/answer our questions. For accepted MBS students, feel free to join the FaceBook page, here!
 
Aw so the waitlist email saying we will get the final decision in the following week is a lie =*[
 
Hi everyone! I applied super late for this program (literally submitted my application on May 31). I just had my interview this morning and she said I should hear back within 1-2 weeks. She did not say anything about the waitlist, but when they originally emailed me asking what day/time I wanted to interview, they gave me the option anytime between 6/17-6/21. With that said, interviews should be wrapping up this week and I would imagine everyone should be hearing back within the next two weeks!
 
I had issues with my application and it finally got resolved. They gave me an interview time frame of the 24th-28th (next week) so I imagine decisions going into July possibly.
 
I guess technically admissions are rolling right? So who really knows when we will all find out/when the class is truly full :/
 
squid455 said:
Hi everyone! I applied super late for this program (literally submitted my application on May 31). I just had my interview this morning and she said I should hear back within 1-2 weeks. She did not say anything about the waitlist, but when they originally emailed me asking what day/time I wanted to interview, they gave me the option anytime between 6/17-6/21. With that said, interviews should be wrapping up this week and I would imagine everyone should be hearing back within the next two weeks!
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Hi, quick question! I have my interview scheduled for this upcoming Monday morning but they still haven't reached out with further instructions and it's making me a little nervous hahah. Was this the same for you by any chance??
 
estdvo1 said:
Hi, quick question! I have my interview scheduled for this upcoming Monday morning but they still haven't reached out with further instructions and it's making me a little nervous hahah. Was this the same for you by any chance??
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I received the info the Friday before. I wouldn’t be too concerned. Worst case scenario, just call the school early Monday morning and let them know. The interview tends to be mostly conversational, so do not panic, just be yourself.
 
SR71BLK said:
I received the info the Friday before. I wouldn’t be too concerned. Worst case scenario, just call the school early Monday morning and let them know. The interview tends to be mostly conversational, so do not panic, just be yourself.
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Thank you for the advice! Hopefully they get the chance to answer by Monday haha. Do you happen to remember how long it took them to get back to you with an answer?
 
estdvo1 said:
Thank you for the advice! Hopefully they get the chance to answer by Monday haha. Do you happen to remember how long it took them to get back to you with an answer?
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Yes, I Interviewed 4/8 and was accepted 4/23. It was about a 2 week turnaround time. Others have heard back in a week and some took around a month.
 
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