Current UCONNers

[PinkyBrain]

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Is there a current UCONNer out there who I can bug with a lot of questions about the school? Thanks!
😛

 

[Bokomaru]

I'm an entering MS-I, so I might not be able to help you that much...

just glad to see another UCONNer on SDN.

cheers,

MCC

 

[PinkyBrain]

Hey Bokomaru, I haven't actually been accepted to UCONN yet. I'll be a post-bacc student there this year and hopefully part of their medical school next year. Congratulations on getting in though...

 

[beanbean]

I will also be an MS1 at UCONN this year. PinkyBrain and I have chatted about the post-bacc program at UCONN (I was a post-bacc last year). I'm looking forward to meeting you on the 15th Bokomaru.

Deirdre

 

[Lpgovard]

Yay! More MS-I UCONNERS!!! I can't wait to meet you all at orientation! Deidre, I hope you're still planning to join us! I am so excited for you! Sorry I can't help the OP! I just couldn't resist being excited!

Later gators,
SHME

 

[vankempd]

Another UCONN post-bacc! PinkyBrain, do you mind sharing your story about how you ended up at UCONN? I'm considering their program. I've heard (read) beanbean's story (very appreciated) but would love to hear more!

 

[BD97]

Hey All-

I will be beginning my MSII year at UConn in 2 weeks...wow, that summer went by way too fast...anyways I'd be more than happy to answer any of your questions you may have about the school...or anything else. If you have specific questions you can either post them or send me a PM.

Meanwhile, enjoy your summer and know that in the fall you will begin an amazing,intense, (and definitely fun) year at UConn. It really is a great place to be in med school and I'd love to tell you more about it and answer any questions about school, books to buy, books NOT to buy, living situations, living in lovely Farmington CT....whatever, and calm any "pre-class jitters". Best of luck to everyone. I look forward to meeting you all.
D

 

[PinkyBrain]

Hi vankempd, I just graduated from a liberal arts college in CT, but took a year off afterwards to do some research. UCONN is really the only school that I've visited and know the most about just because it's so nearby. Unfortunately, there is only so much you can know about a school from reading the literature. But with what I had seen so far from UCONN, I was pretty pleased. My GPA and MCAT's are average, but I have good EC's, research, and recs, so really the only thing that I felt I needed to improve on was my academics... hence the post-bacc program. I've done my research on the program and all I hear are really really good things. One of the things that always seems to come up is that UCONN's program's is so custom-tailored to each person's needs. The advisor-student relationship is really close (although I suppose, a lot of it also depends on what you make of it) and they really make an effort to get you into medical school. My advisor quoted me that close to 80% of the students in the program get accepted to UCONN's medical school upon completion, but they also encourage you to apply to other schools and in no way bind you to accept their admission. Other than the close advisor-student relationship, I've also been told by pretty much everyone that the post-bacc's themselves are a really tight-knit group (BeanBean, you can verify this for me); i.e. they help each other out in their academics, they act as social peers, etc... You get the feeling that cut-throat, competitive environment that's found at other post-bacc programs is really absent here.

I submitted my application the day of the deadline (April 1st), but was still fortunately given an interview 2 weeks later. I think the fact that I'm a CT resident and come from a strong liberal arts school helped. I may be wrong, but I think this post-bacc program also falls under the category that looks favorably on URM, although I myself am not one. Anyhow, I was one of about 25 interviewees, of which they accepted 12-15. I'm pretty psyched and can hardly wait for the semester to begin, although I wonder just how strange it will be for me to go back to full-student mode. My courseload will be pretty heavy with four hardcore science classes, but I think I'm up for the challenge. That year off definitely did me a lot of good in terms of maturing and reflecting back on the past few years of my life. I definitely recommend taking years off to almost everyone.

I just recently decided submit my AMCAS only to UCONN this time around and if I get in, I know I'll be very happy there without regrets of not having applied anywhere else. Although, I must say, I am very impressed by what I've heard about Case Western. Anyhow, if I don't get in, I'll have my post-bacc work under my belt and apply at other schools as a first time applicant the next cycle around. But I'm hoping that it will never get to that. And that's my story. Hope it wasn't too boring🙂

 

[PinkyBrain]

BD97! FINALLY A UCONN STUDENT! I thought I was going to go crazy. I'm going to send you some questions via PM, so don't go anywhere in the next few days.

 

[praying mantis]

I am a soon to be MSII at UCONN. E-mail me with any questions!

 

[beanbean]

Thank you to BD97 and Praying Mantis.

 

[DR]

Graduated UConn Med. Would welcome any questions. It's a great school.

 

[vankempd]

Thanks pinkybrain for the info! I can't say that I've heard one negative about the program.

How does financial aid work for those enrolled in the UCONN post-bacc? Do they qualify for aid since they are not in a degree-seeking program?

 

[beanbean]

As a post-bacc student you can receive financial aid by enrolling in the Bachelor of General Studies program through the College of Continuing Studies even though you are technically not seeking a degree.

 

[PinkyBrain]

Yeah, I'm actually nearing the end of the whole finaic fiasco. UCONN requires you to pay for the tuition amount up front before they let you register for any classes. It's around $3,300 per semester. You have pretty much up to the start of classes to get your money in, but I would advise against waiting so long since classes fill up rather quickly and getting overrides are tedious and not a sure thing.

I also applied to the BGS program and got FinAid that way. I had to take out an outside loan which will hopefully be enough to cover my yearly expenses. But I'm not too worried actually. I'm sure it will all work out somehow.

One other thing that I would advise is that once you find out that you're in, you should waste no time in finding a place to live...they go rather quickly. If you commute then you're safe.

 

[PinkyBrain]

Can any of you guys comment on whether this "financial crisis" regarding Dempsey Hospital is still valid? I just read this post on SDN from 2000 and have absolutely no idea what that was about. Thanks.