CSU/NEOMED POST BACC/ MED PROGRAM

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Considering applying to NEOMED/CSU next year - thoughts on a few things:

1. Diversity? I noticed they just hired a new VP of Diversity Recruitment and rural NE Ohio and Ohio in general is pretty...known for racial tension.
2. Ranking? Can't find anything on this...having nice facilities doesn't mean it's a good med school
3. Why is there no psych rotation?! Isn't this supposed to be primary care oriented?
4. Maturity of classmates given they're so young?

G/l to everyone applying. I just wonder about the above because it seems they admit people with low scores/stats and this partnership allows one to get around taking the MCAT (until it is pretty much just a formality).

OTOH

5. Scholarships? I noticed quite a lot of them...full tuition too...

Is this school everyone's first choice? If so, then why?
 
7ohio7 said:
March 11th! Where are people getting this date from? That's so soon!
I've heard we get an e-mail and a letter as well.
So if that's March 11th, that means an e-mail this Friday!!!
Good luck to everyone! I hope we all get in!
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One of the presenters at NEOMED said March 11th! I specifically remember him saying it comes through snail mail, but maybe they do both. Cant believe this long application process is coming to an end….
 
7ohio7 said:
Nervous!! Keep refreshing my email even though I get alerts on my phone.
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Same here!! I keep telling myself that this is the 1st day that we might get something! Lets not panic till later in the month!!
 
OMG I got an email!
 
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I applied for the fall 2015 but was waitlisted and did not get accepted. However, the letter came in the mail around April 20th. I am currently in Afghanistan and had my 2nd interview, via webcam, last week. I was told I will be emailed this week or next, however, I think that's because of my location. (I am an Ohio resident in the reserves). I would just wait for the letter. I know it sucks but unless they changed their protocol from last year, your letter is coming "snail mail." Aside from a job offer, it's seems like most schools send letters. Guess it's just old school.... having to wait for the mail man with your dog everyday.

The website says that decisions are made March 2016. Speaking with them recently, I think you all should receive a letter in the next few weeks.

Is anyone else on here a true career-changer? I thought that's what the program was originally designed for... If so, shoot me a note and would love to talk. I've been in the military for 12yrs and worked in the financial sector, having a BS in Finance, for 5yrs.

Thanks,
Tony
 
Accepted via email! She said a printed copy comes in the mail and we have to respond by next Friday. I really hope you all hear good news soon!
 
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jsj2393 said:
Accepted via email! She said a printed copy comes in the mail and we have to respond by next Friday. I really hope you all hear good news soon!
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OMG I GOT IN!!!!!
 
Congrats to those who got in! I'm a potential applicant for next year, would any accepted students mind messaging me your stats so I can have an idea if I'm a good fit?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Wait listed 🙁 🙁 🙁 Hoping for a miracle!
 
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I got an email, accepted!!! omg Im crying. Good luck everyone. God Bless
 
I wish they said how high up on the wait list I was so I'd have a better idea of what to do. I wonder if everyone just gets on the wait list?
 
I just got accepted!! I am so excited. I hope to hear good things from the rest of you as well!
 
Please be careful. There is a high attrition rate at this school and with this program. It may seem like an easy way to medical school, but it may be an easy way to blow some money and time for a lot of people. Attrition rates in varied combined programs with NEOMED up to 50%. If you have a more secure spot into medical school, I'd say take it.
 
MD2010IM said:
Please be careful. There is a high attrition rate at this school and with this program. It may seem like an easy way to medical school, but it may be an easy way to blow some money and time for a lot of people. Attrition rates in varied combined programs with NEOMED up to 50%. If you have a more secure spot into medical school, I'd say take it.
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Couldn't that be a result of it being such a new program?
 
jsj2393 said:
Couldn't that be a result of it being such a new program?
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Maybe. But even their previous BS/MD program that lasted for several years had a terribly high attrition rate, which is why they are doing away with it. They only want people at their medical school that they won't have to worry about excelling in classes, board exams, and match. So they make GPA and MCAT requirements for the college portion and stick completely to them. If this is your absolutely only chance into medical school, go for it and work your a** off, if you have any other way, I just am saying consider it.
 
MD2010IM said:
Maybe. But even their previous BS/MD program that lasted for several years had a terribly high attrition rate, which is why they are doing away with it. They only want people at their medical school that they won't have to worry about excelling in classes, board exams, and match. So they make GPA and MCAT requirements for the college portion and stick completely to them. If this is your absolutely only chance into medical school, go for it and work your a** off, if you have any other way, I just am saying consider it.
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Sorry, could you elaborate on them sticking to the GPA/MCAT reqs? (I don't get what you mean). I understand it's a nontraditional program and the application process is less rigorous in some (important) respects, but even so, every medical school only accepts or considers people who are going to score well on boards and match…
 
Just that while you're at CSU you have to have certain GPA requirements and certain classes you have to take even if you've already taken them and a certain MCAT score. I don't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head. I was at NEOMED but not in this combined program but I have lots of friends that have gone through this and other combined programs affiliated with NEOMED, many of whom have gotten kicked out before making it to the medical school and ending up at a Caribbean medical school or entirely different field. Yes all medical schools want you to do well on boards and match, but most medical schools don't "accept" you, save you a seat, and then enforce those requirements and kick you out.
 
MD2010IM said:
Just that while you're at CSU you have to have certain GPA requirements and certain classes you have to take even if you've already taken them and a certain MCAT score. I don't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head. I was at NEOMED but not in this combined program but I have lots of friends that have gone through this and other combined programs affiliated with NEOMED, many of whom have gotten kicked out before making it to the medical school and ending up at a Caribbean medical school or entirely different field. Yes all medical schools want you to do well on boards and match, but most medical schools don't "accept" you, save you a seat, and then enforce those requirements and kick you out.
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The requirements to remain in the program are as follows:

Maintain a 3.4 GPA earning no less than a C on any required pre requisite courses
Score at least a 500 on the MCAT before matriculating to NEOMED with at least a 125 on each section.

Sounds easy enough... Or is there something that I'm not getting?
 
It doesn't sound that bad! I'm still praying for a miracle.
 
Psycho Bob said:
The requirements to remain in the program are as follows:

Maintain a 3.4 GPA earning no less than a C on any required pre requisite courses
Score at least a 500 on the MCAT before matriculating to NEOMED with at least a 125 on each section.

Sounds easy enough... Or is there something that I'm not getting?
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That's it. The old MCAT requirement was 8s on each section, which doesn't sound bad until you get kicked out for a 11-10-7. And I know someone kicked out with an old MCAT of 12-14-12 but just a hair short on their GPA.

They have stronger direct entry applicants than you, so they don't hesitate to drop you and open more seats for them.

For most of you this is probably your only shot into medical school so take it and work your butt off. Just know this isn't a 100% guarantee so if you have better opportunities, take it.

Also contractually you aren't allowed to apply to other medical schools while in this program so if they kick you out at the end you waste another year applying to programs.
 
MD2010IM said:
Just that while you're at CSU you have to have certain GPA requirements and certain classes you have to take even if you've already taken them and a certain MCAT score. I don't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head. I was at NEOMED but not in this combined program but I have lots of friends that have gone through this and other combined programs affiliated with NEOMED, many of whom have gotten kicked out before making it to the medical school and ending up at a Caribbean medical school or entirely different field. Yes all medical schools want you to do well on boards and match, but most medical schools don't "accept" you, save you a seat, and then enforce those requirements and kick you out.
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It is my understanding that they want you to succeed. The staff seems to be highly involved and very invested in the students. They even have an MCAT prep built into the program, even though it's optional. I ask current students about there experience at CSU and invariably they agreed the two years have been enjoyable, some would even say it was easy. They spent 5.5 million dollars on construction a building just for this program, so why would they want a high failure rate? Also, going off of Neomeds stats, only 20% of NEOMEDS 2015 class profile was direct entry.
 
MD2010IM said:
That's it. The old MCAT requirement was 8s on each section, which doesn't sound bad until you get kicked out for a 11-10-7. And I know someone kicked out with an old MCAT of 12-14-12 but just a hair short on their GPA.

They have stronger direct entry applicants than you, so they don't hesitate to drop you and open more seats for them.

For most of you this is probably your only shot into medical school so take it and work your butt off. Just know this isn't a 100% guarantee so if you have better opportunities, take it.

Also contractually you aren't allowed to apply to other medical schools while in this program so if they kick you out at the end you waste another year applying to programs.
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this is true. ppl have been kicked out or are asked to take a third year for only missing the mcat by 1 pt. upon other things that are wrong with the program.
 
Hexanes21 said:
It is my understanding that they want you to succeed. The staff seems to be highly involved and very invested in the students. They even have an MCAT prep built into the program, even though it's optional. I ask current students about there experience at CSU and invariably they agreed the two years have been enjoyable, some would even say it was easy. They spent 5.5 million dollars on construction a building just for this program, so why would they want a high failure rate? Also, going off of Neomeds stats, only 20% of NEOMEDS 2015 class profile was direct entry.
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the mcat prep is not strong in this program. you have to do it on ur own.current students will be nice about what they tell u bc they are being evaluated for promotion to neomed.....what does the new building have to do with anything?
 
csuviking49 said:
the mcat prep is not strong in this program. you have to do it on ur own.current students will be nice about what they tell u bc they are being evaluated for promotion to neomed.....what does the new building have to do with anything?
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The building shows a financial investment in this particular program.
 
Hexanes21 said:
The building shows a financial investment in this particular program.
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ok. but when you are studying for exams/mcat, it will become just another building to study or take classes in. you should really take head to what @MD2010IM is saying. you are not in the program and it is not guaranteed that the couple of people you spoke to really know whats going on in the program.
 
csuviking49 said:
ok. but when you are studying for exams/mcat, it will become just another building to study or take classes in. you should really take head to what @MD2010IM is saying. you are not in the program and it is not guaranteed that the couple of people you spoke to really know whats going on in the program.
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Are you in the program? At our interview they had a couple of presentations that explains their expectations and what is required from us. The GPA and MCAT requirement was made very clear. So the fact that people didn't get into NEOMED because they failed to meet the minimal requirements is no reason to dismiss the program. Sure, if students enter it with the mind set that it will be an easy ride to medical school, then yes, those students will have a much more difficult time.
 
Hexanes21 said:
Are you in the program? At our interview they had a couple of presentations that explains their expectations and what is required from us. The GPA and MCAT requirement was made very clear. So the fact that people didn't get into NEOMED because they failed to meet the minimal requirements is no reason to dismiss the program. Sure, if students enter it with the mind set that it will be an easy ride to medical school, then yes, those students will have a much more difficult time.
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no one is condemning the program. of course its great if you make all of the requirements. just make sure you meet the requirements. the problem with the program is what if you don't. everyone comes in with the same expectation: to meet the requirements. I have already seen comments on here saying "oh yea 125 in each section and a 500 overall that's easy" and it is not. Just don't be the person with a 500+ who still has to retake the mcat bc they got a 124 in one section bc from the people that had to do that... it really sucks.
 
Hexanes21 said:
Are you in the program? At our interview they had a couple of presentations that explains their expectations and what is required from us. The GPA and MCAT requirement was made very clear. So the fact that people didn't get into NEOMED because they failed to meet the minimal requirements is no reason to dismiss the program. Sure, if students enter it with the mind set that it will be an easy ride to medical school, then yes, those students will have a much more difficult time.
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Sounds like we're all in agreement. Though being accepted is great, if we don't meet the requirements for matriculation we'd have wasted a lot of time and money. So we need to be vigilant about our performance. Like someone mentioned above, if they have stronger direct entry applicants and we don't meet the minimum requirements for our own program, why would they accommodate that? They offer a lNEOMED does have a great env and the staff does seem invested, but at the end of the day it's a med school, and just like any other med school they only want top performers ready to become great physicians.
csuviking49 said:
no one is condemning the program. of course its great if you make all of the requirements. just make sure you meet the requirements. the problem with the program is what if you don't. everyone comes in with the same expectation: to meet the requirements. I have already seen comments on here saying "oh yea 125 in each section and a 500 overall that's easy" and it is not. Just don't be the person with a 500+ who still has to retake the mcat bc they got a 124 in one section bc from the people that had to do that... it really sucks.
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Hexanes21 said:
The building shows a financial investment in this particular program.
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The new building shows that the program is bringing them in money. Which they bring in more money if they make you take a third year and they bring in the same amount of money whether you matriculate to NEOMED or not. I know for a fact the words that students say to applicants and the words that students say behind doors are very, very different.
 
What chance do you have at getting accepted at any medical school if you don't have a 3.4gpa and a 500 MCAT? I think these requirements are reasonable and if you don't meet them, then your not fit for medical school. I understand what you guys are saying about being .01 gpa from entering the program or a 124 on a section eve after scoring a 505 or something but they allow you to take the MCAT more than once, as many times as you can take it to get the score but it all must be done before the April test date before matriculation. I asked one guy after the group interviews and he said that he took it his junior summer and he scored a 498, had he scored a 500 or more it would have been fairly easy to keep that gpa up without having to worry about taking the MCAT later on... I'm just saying that what medical school would REALLY give you chance at even an interview if you had a less than 3.4 gpa or less than 500 MCAT?
 
Psycho Bob said:
What chance do you have at getting accepted at any medical school if you don't have a 3.4gpa and a 500 MCAT? I think these requirements are reasonable and if you don't meet them, then you're not fit for medical school. I understand what you guys are saying about being .01 gpa from entering the program or a 124 on a section eve after scoring a 505 or something but they allow you to take the MCAT more than once, as many times as you can take it to get the score but it all must be done before the April test date before matriculation. I asked one guy after the group interviews and he said that he took it his junior summer and he scored a 498, had he scored a 500 or more it would have been fairly easy to keep that gpa up without having to worry about taking the MCAT later on... I'm just saying that what medical school would REALLY give you chance at even an interview if you had a less than 3.4 gpa or less than 500 MCAT?
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well this is a post bacc/ md program so the requirements are going to be different than a direct entry program. as for taking the mcat more than once....its not really about that...its about getting the score requirements on the first try to avoid retakes. Retake attempts are kind of like a buffer. there is no way you would use up your 4 chances to take it during the two years when they prevent you from signing up before you have your prereqs complete in the first place in addition to the timing of the mcat. For example: you take the mcat in August after your first year, then you get your score back in September, well the mcat exam cycle will not pick up again until January. You take it in January get you score back in February. Crap! you have to take it again, which realistically leaves only April bc of the MCAT calendar. Advice: you should be studying for the mcat from the first day you enter the program...buy the kaplan set and correlate the information from your prereq courses to the prep book and do many practice exams to avoid having to retake. and actually there *are* med schools that interview students with sub-500 scores...it depends on the applicants entire application: it's a holistic review. saying someone is not fit for med school isn't your call to make. there are awesome physicians who struggled with the mcat who killed it med school and there are students who scored a 30 on the mcat and struggled in med school. So, you can't make gross generalizations.
 
Anyone who got accepted willing to meet up in the summer to start studying for the MCAT? I know its early, but if we are proactive about it, then maybe we will be confident enough to take it January 2017 and just get it over with. We could meet up at a coffee shop or something once a week, and that would give us a solid 8 months to prep. I have a ton of prep material (some from the old test, but the science should still be the same).
 
Psycho Bob said:
What chance do you have at getting accepted at any medical school if you don't have a 3.4gpa and a 500 MCAT? I think these requirements are reasonable and if you don't meet them, then your not fit for medical school. I understand what you guys are saying about being .01 gpa from entering the program or a 124 on a section eve after scoring a 505 or something but they allow you to take the MCAT more than once, as many times as you can take it to get the score but it all must be done before the April test date before matriculation. I asked one guy after the group interviews and he said that he took it his junior summer and he scored a 498, had he scored a 500 or more it would have been fairly easy to keep that gpa up without having to worry about taking the MCAT later on... I'm just saying that what medical school would REALLY give you chance at even an interview if you had a less than 3.4 gpa or less than 500 MCAT?
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The thing is, you can have a 3.4 GPA and a 500 on the MCAT and still not get promoted from CSU to NEOMED if you have a 124 in one section. It isn't as easy and straightforward as you think. And you brush it off, but it is VERY common to score over a 500 and then have less than 125 on one section in people who are accepted to medical schools normally. I even knew people who scored over the MCAT requirements prior to starting at CSU, but still had to retake the MCAT and then didn't get the score (which they previously had). Just be proactive and work hard. Like I said, if you feel like you can't get in anywhere else, go for it. I would even recommend DO over this program. A lot of DO programs have 1 year post-bacc type programs which give you a more assured seat in medical school than this program.
 
MD2010IM said:
The thing is, you can have a 3.4 GPA and a 500 on the MCAT and still not get promoted from CSU to NEOMED if you have a 124 in one section. It isn't as easy and straightforward as you think. And you brush it off, but it is VERY common to score over a 500 and then have less than 125 on one section in people who are accepted to medical schools normally. I even knew people who scored over the MCAT requirements prior to starting at CSU, but still had to retake the MCAT and then didn't get the score (which they previously had). Just be proactive and work hard. Like I said, if you feel like you can't get in anywhere else, go for it. I would even recommend DO over this program. A lot of DO programs have 1 year post-bacc type programs which give you a more assured seat in medical school than this program.
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This is however the only BACC/MD program affiliated with Cleveland state... I'll definitely be more cautious when approaching the MCAT and don't like the idea of not scoring a 125 on just one section and getting kicked out of the program... But since I'm basically guaranteed a spot if I do get these requirements is what really attracted me to the program, especially being a sophomore with zero shadowing, zero research, and very little volunteering.
 
Psycho Bob said:
This is however the only BACC/MD program affiliated with Cleveland state... I'll definitely be more cautious when approaching the MCAT and don't like the idea of not scoring a 125 on just one section and getting kicked out of the program... But since I'm basically guaranteed a spot if I do get these requirements is what really attracted me to the program, especially being a sophomore with zero shadowing, zero research, and very little volunteering.
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I would say as a bacc/MD you're in a better spot for matriculation than the post-bacc applicants. And will potentially waste less time in the long run. Good luck to everyone. Just take heed. It isn't all smooth sailing from here on AT ALL. I know plenty of people who have regrets.
 
Let me know if anyone has any unfiltered questions that other students would have painted over at your interview.
 
MD2010IM said:
Let me know if anyone has any unfiltered questions that other students would have painted over at your interview.
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You certainly have given me a lot to think about while I wait for this wait list email anxiously. I am from Ohio and I actually personally know people that have gotten kicked out from NEOMED for weird reasons, but I still somehow thought it was my best shot.

I mean my alternative is to wait until the fall, finish the few prerequisites I have left and take the MCAT, and then see apply direct entry and DO. There are great DO programs I am interested in, but it's a lot to think about!
 
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