Cincinnati SMP 2011-2012 Thread

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i just got accepted friday, could someone tell me what the deal is with housing here? Should I be bringing a car? I think there is a very good chance that I will end up going here, and I'd really like to not blow all my time trying to get to campus (i.e. commuting), if its possible to live on campus without even bringing a car, that would be even better, no car = no reason to not study
 
Hey guys, I was wondering if this program offers dorm housing for its students. Is it readily available or do you have to enter a lottery system. If dorms aren't available, is there any off-campus housing within a five-minute walking distance. I really don't want to bother with having a car.
 
trollwitchdoctr said:
Hey guys, I was wondering if this program offers dorm housing for its students. Is it readily available or do you have to enter a lottery system. If dorms aren't available, is there any off-campus housing within a five-minute walking distance. I really don't want to bother with having a car.
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There is no on-campus dorm/school-affiliated housing; everybody lives off-campus in private apartments/rentals.

Without a car, your best shots would probably be either Stetson Square (closest) or apartments in the Clifton/Gaslight District/Bishop Street areas.
 
Thanks for the speedy reply, QQm! Could I bug you with one more question: Do the master's students have the same workload as the med students? I know that the master's students only engage in 3 of the 4 blocks. But, they also have to work on the research thesis.
 
trollwitchdoctr said:
Thanks for the speedy reply, QQm! Could I bug you with one more question: Do the master's students have the same workload as the med students? I know that the master's students only engage in 3 of the 4 blocks. But, they also have to work on the research thesis.
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For the middle three blocks of the year, I think the workloads will be the same (minus some clinical/ancillary courses for the M1's). Even for the GMP courses, you will be doing previous medical physiology exam questions, all of which will allow for a direct comparison to M1 performance.

Regarding thesis time: you won't really get into the swing of research/writing until after your med classes are done, so there's no need to worry about overlap.
 
I got accepted off the waitlist this week. Since I haven't decided which SMP to attend yet, does anybody have any clue how easy it is to get the deposit back? They say you get it back if they can fill your spot by July 15. I'm assuming with a waitlist that isn't hard for them to do?

$500 is a big chunk of change to have it be a gamble if I choose a different school is all...
 
QQm said:
For the middle three blocks of the year, I think the workloads will be the same (minus some clinical/ancillary courses for the M1's). Even for the GMP courses, you will be doing previous medical physiology exam questions, all of which will allow for a direct comparison to M1 performance.

Regarding thesis time: you won't really get into the swing of research/writing until after your med classes are done, so there's no need to worry about overlap.
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Yikes. This program might just be the most rigorous SMP out there.
 
Donnie1310 said:
I got accepted off the waitlist this week. Since I haven't decided which SMP to attend yet, does anybody have any clue how easy it is to get the deposit back? They say you get it back if they can fill your spot by July 15. I'm assuming with a waitlist that isn't hard for them to do?

$500 is a big chunk of change to have it be a gamble if I choose a different school is all...
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I wish all the SMP's would come to a consensus on the due date for deposits, like many med schools have. Kind of selfish and greedy to ask someone to commit to a particular program weeks before they've even heard back from any other school. 👎
 
trollwitchdoctr said:
Yikes. This program might just be the most rigorous SMP out there.
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I'm pretty sure it now is. Keep in mind, however, that this is a new curriculum revision (if you look on the UC SMP website they go over it in more detail) so there won't be any data on success/failure until (gulp) our class finishes.

It's scary and exciting all at once.
 
FactorK said:
QQm -

What is % fail/drop-out?
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It varies from year to year; we lost a couple for academic reasons, and a couple more because they got into medical schools that let them drop out.
 
The program loses a couple people each year who can't hack it. You have to be prepared to work hard. Fail out = almost 0% chance of admission.

Anyways the new curriculum is arguably more rigorous than previous years, MS students will even get to do gross anatomy, so with the exception of a the clinical skills classes that med students take it is almost 100% of the workload. Its gonna be a bruiser.

As for thesis, you can get as involved as you want. I personally did a lab thesis in hopes of getting published and overlapped with classes. Your mileage (and motivation) may vary.
 
Just got accepted to this SMP, and am pretty stoked about it. A bit worried about the assumption that it's one of the most rigorous SMPs out there: For someone who hasn't done a direct comparison, can you tell me in what aspects the Cincinnati program is particularly tough?
 
juneilow: from what I understand, previous years did not take gross anatomy (or histology?) with the med students, but now they do. SMPs traditionally take only a portion of med student classes and are thus expected to outperform the med students. This coming year we'll be in everything but physician ethics and clinical stuff, for at least part of the year.

Someone please correct me if I'm off on that.

Also, I just got my financial aid amount, and it seems kind of low (this is the first year I applied for aid so I'm a newb at this) and I'd appreciate any input.

I got 8K subsidized and 12K unsubsidized, but thats well short of the 34400 tuition even without considering living expenses.

My wife and I both work full time but are quitting our jobs to move to cincinnati, and I feel like that really threw off the FAFSA calculations (they assume we're going to be making the same amount next year). Am I just boned or is there something I can do?
 
Juneilow: Congrats on getting in! Just to add a little to what DCBFan said...

He is correct about the gross anatomy; your class will be the first to take it side-by-side with the M1s, and except for the clinical skills course(s), you will take the entire courseload of first-year medical school for three of the five blocks during the year. In other words, this will change the SMP percentage of M1 workload from (a very rough estimate of) 70-75% for my year, to 90+% for your year.

That said, if you're like me and you've used up eight of your nine lives dicking around with your undergrad GPA, this program will give adcoms the best representation of your abilities given the exact same workload/resources as the M1s, and that's what SMPs are meant to do in the first place.

DCBFan: Those loan numbers look identical to our year; the discrepancy between the Stafford loan total and the cost of attendance will be made up of GradPlus unsubsidized loans (with the highest interest rate of the three). Your income doesn't really affect those loan values, if I remember correctly; the values for subsidized/unsubsidized Stafford loans are capped at the same number for everybody, and most of us take out GradPlus loans to cover the remainder of cost of attendance.

I believe the use of loans will be required to establish residency (or if you have personal independent savings, as in non-parent/relative/benefactor); they'll go over all of this during orientation.

Hope this helps you guys.
 
I see, thanks for clearing that up. I guess we're all in the same boat then.
 
does anyone know how many applicants there were this year or last year vs. how many seats are available? Thanks.
 
hey guys,
how long does it usually take for them to send out the "application complete email"?

thanks!
 
Got in; withdrew...
 
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Hey guys,

I have a question regarding FAFSA forms for those of us wanting to establish Ohio state residency. For the address information section, do we use our prospective Ohio apartment address or our current out-of-state address? I won't even move into my apartment until August 2011 so it seems kinda funny to use it as my permanent address. On the other hand, using my out-of-state address seems like it would automatically disqualify me for residency next year. I'm really hoping some alumni from the program can chime in on this topic.
 
Don't worry about the address for financial aid purposes. In-state vs. out-of-state doesn't matter for the MS program, the tuition differential is minimal.

Also, you wouldn't be considered in-state by the med school for admission purposes until you have been there for at least 1 year anyways, so don't try and fill out your AMCAS with your future OH address. You can claim residency only after several conditions, which they will explain to you at the financial aid/residency talk that they have at the beginning of the MS program. If you get the UC-COM secondary, they will ask you for drivers license #, and residence for past 5 years, which will filter through this.
 
Hey friends, I just wrote in to decline my acceptance. I still can't believe that the class is only 30 students and they thought that I was worthy of being one of them, so this is one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. My great hope is that one of you worthy and wonderful people get the spot I cleared. Much luck to everyone. :luck:
 
mic2377 said:
Don't worry about the address for financial aid purposes. In-state vs. out-of-state doesn't matter for the MS program, the tuition differential is minimal.

Also, you wouldn't be considered in-state by the med school for admission purposes until you have been there for at least 1 year anyways, so don't try and fill out your AMCAS with your future OH address. You can claim residency only after several conditions, which they will explain to you at the financial aid/residency talk that they have at the beginning of the MS program. If you get the UC-COM secondary, they will ask you for drivers license #, and residence for past 5 years, which will filter through this.
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Thanks for the info mic2377! Your feedback is much appreciated.
 
Hey Everyone,

So after much debate between many SMPs and SMP-type programs, I committed to Cincinnati today! I just wanted to drop in and say hey to everyone attending, see you all soon!
 
Hello all,
I was waitlisted at this SMP in late April, and it is absolutely my top choice. I was wondering the same thing as Hoya2011 - does anyone know of anything I could do to facilitate getting off the waitlist? Would a letter of intent be appropriate? ANY help would be much appreciated!
 
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Man, I'm really glad that I got paid last week because I did not notice that they hadn't cashed the deposit yet. Luckily it didn't bounce.

So for those of you applying this year, have you started filling out your AMCAS application yet? Should we be entering in our classes to "future coursework"?
 
Hey I am finally getting around to looking at apartments in the area. has anyone picked a neighborhood or apartment complex yet?

i am trying to live pretty close to campus (within walking distance) and really wouldnt mind living in a "troubled" neighborhood if that cuts some money off my rent.
 
Congrats to everyone that got in to UC or elsewhere.
I have finally decided to commit to UC.
I am now looking for a roommate/s to split the cost and more importantly stay motivated throughout the program.
(p.s out of staters, I am from ohio and was planning on visiting some prospective apartments soon)
I am 23 y male, and prefer to stay close to the campus, but won't mind driving if its a much nicer neighborhood and not that much more in price.
 
Hey what's up guys, excited for the program to start. Currently in Cincinnati for a few days, but struggling to find a place. So far, I like Centennial Station in Hyde Park, but I've heard mix reviews about the management and the location, as it's right next to, or actually in Madisonville (the hood?). Residents say the gate is a false sense of security, and that cars have been vandalized, etc.

Anyone know about Centennial? Or have good apt. complexes to share, preferably away from campus (car)?
 
I was wait listed on April 7th. Haven't heard anything since. Sent my most recent transcript with all my spring classes.

Haven't still heard anything from admissions... Am I still in the running or so I just go to a different SMP?
 
I would recommend calling in, the admin is ridiculously helpful and will answer such questions more accurately than currently admitted students/applicants. Good luck!
 
Apologies for the late replies; we've been busy wrapping up the spring quarter and things have been pretty hectic in the past few weeks. Sorry for the mass-quotage, too, but here goes:

bdvz said:
does anyone know how many applicants there were this year or last year vs. how many seats are available? Thanks.
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The program seats 32 students, and typically sports an applicant pool of 300+, I believe.

thebloof said:
hey guys,
how long does it usually take for them to send out the "application complete email"?

thanks!
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Depends on your competitiveness and how caught-up the front office is. Submission --> application complete takes ~3-5 days, if I recall correctly. Decision times vary widely.

trollwitchdoctr said:
Hey guys,

I have a question regarding FAFSA forms for those of us wanting to establish Ohio state residency. For the address information section, do we use our prospective Ohio apartment address or our current out-of-state address? I won't even move into my apartment until August 2011 so it seems kinda funny to use it as my permanent address. On the other hand, using my out-of-state address seems like it would automatically disqualify me for residency next year. I'm really hoping some alumni from the program can chime in on this topic.
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I don't remember what exactly I filled out for FAFSA's address, but it won't be that address that will qualify you for in-state tuition. It'll be your Ohio documents (driver's license, voter registration), your proof of Ohio residency for a year, strict reliance on loans, etc.; they'll cover all this during orientation.

Juneilow said:
Hey friends, I just wrote in to decline my acceptance. I still can't believe that the class is only 30 students and they thought that I was worthy of being one of them, so this is one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. My great hope is that one of you worthy and wonderful people get the spot I cleared. Much luck to everyone. :luck:
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Best of luck wherever you end up! :luck:

whitcoatsyndrom said:
Hey Everyone,

So after much debate between many SMPs and SMP-type programs, I committed to Cincinnati today! I just wanted to drop in and say hey to everyone attending, see you all soon!
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👍

BlueDev9271 said:
Hello all,
I was waitlisted at this SMP in late April, and it is absolutely my top choice. I was wondering the same thing as Hoya2011 - does anyone know of anything I could do to facilitate getting off the waitlist? Would a letter of intent be appropriate? ANY help would be much appreciated!
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how much of an impact such letters have, but they can certainly never hurt your application. One thing to keep in mind is that the most competitive applicants are often holding med school waitlists, and that the SMP waitlist will probably move constantly (one person in my class had to be called the day of orientation to fill a dropped spot). :luck::luck: to all you guys on the waitlist!
 
Hey QQm,

Thank you for your post! It was very informative. Just wondering do you know what the size of the waitlist is in this program and how much of the waitlist they go through?
 
robertch8 said:
Hey QQm,

Thank you for your post! It was very informative. Just wondering do you know what the size of the waitlist is in this program and how much of the waitlist they go through?
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Sorry, I don't have this information off-hand; you're better off calling in to ask.

At this point in the cycle, I'd strongly recommend having backup options as far as SMPs/post-bacs, but don't give up hope if you're on the WL.
 
hey everybody

i'm looking for anyone else accepted into this program who would like to be roommates. I am a 23 yo male. feel free to pm me.
 
Does anyone know what the average GPA and MCAT are for this program? Also, if you were accepted this year, what was your GPA and MCAT? Thanks.
 
3jsd said:
Does anyone know what the average GPA and MCAT are for this program? Also, if you were accepted this year, what was your GPA and MCAT? Thanks.
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I spoke to the program director, Dr. Banks, at the beginning of my year, and I seem to recall him citing 3.3/33 as numerical averages for my class; I don't imagine that it'll change all that much for this next class.

Of course, if you want exact averages I'd recommend calling Dr. Banks yourself and asking; he's very helpful and forthcoming with the SMP admissions process and with the program in general.
 
Just had a crash course in Cincinnati apartment hunting and signed a lease so if you 're trying to find a place to live feel free to pm me with any questions. I may be able to help, as saw a bunch of places in different areas.
 
Hello, I was recently accepted into the program, and I was wondering if anyone was still looking for a roommate? Please PM if you are interested, and I look forward to seeing you all in August.
 
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