Hey y'all!
I am going to post some updates that will interest y'all that I have learned about from Dr. Núñez as well as answer/comment on some things I saw in the thread.
First, the updates!
1. The first round of acceptances should be going out at the end of next week. At the latest they will be going out early the following week.
2. The second round of acceptances will be happening a few week later in June.
3. The admissions committee are adding more interview dates beyond the 20th so that they can interview more individuals so please be patient y'all. Remember, no news is good news because that means you're still being considered for an interview.
4. DPMS is still figuring out the best way to handle the fall semester. I think they will want y'all to be in the Philly area by the end of the summer. I know that the medical school is going into yellow phase in the fall, meaning the building will be open but social distancing will still be enforced. How that impacts DPMS is yet to be determined.
5.
The number of students who made contract this year is higher than last year! (last year was ~60%, which was the highest so far. Just how many student exactly who made it will be decided this Thursday!! Good luck to them!)
Second, the answer/comments from the thread!
where do students normally live? do people normally have cars to get around?
@icevyne25 did a great job with this. Like they said, the TAs will definitely help out in sharing information on where to live. I will be getting the aide of local real estate agents to help y'all also.
Most people live in East Falls near the med school. There are a lot also who live in Center City/Chinatown (the cheapest area of Center City). I have had classmates and current DPMS students who lived in University City at the main campus as well as South Philly. I think these last 2 have the least students living there. It really all depends on cost of living and what kind of things you want to have around you (grocery stores/shops/restaurants/etc.).
A car is definitely not necessary during DPMS. It can help with things like getting groceries. A car becomes necessary really during 3rd year of med school because of having to go to rotation locations. Otherwise, the shuttles between Center City and the med school as well as University City and Center City help a lot. There is local public transportation called SEPTA that takes care of the busses, subway, trolleys, and regional rail. The school has a deal with SEPTA where if you buy a month pass 2 months in advance, you can get a 10% discount.
How manageable was the program when you went through it? What did you do to succeed/what tips would you give to have success in the program? What did you use to take notes (ex. iPad, notebooks, laptop)?
Did you have roommates while in DPMS and how did you go about finding them? What areas are good to live in and did you live near Queens lane or Center City?
Sorry for all the questions!!! Thanks for lending your time!!
The program is manageable definitely! The program truly gets better every year because of Dr. Núñez. She cares so much, and since she is the associate dean of the office of diversity, equity, & inclusion at the med school, she truly is our largest support. Anyhow, the program is definitely the hardest thing I have ever gone through. It was very rough, but as you can see, it's so doable.
To find success, I did a couple of things.
1. I asked my big, the academic coaches, the professors, Dr. Núñez, TAs, fellow students, prior DPMS students on how to study and found what worked for me.
2. I did the max amount of tutoring each week. As Dr. Núñez likes to say, you get tutoring to get A's.
3. I did practice questions A WHOLE LOT! The TAs will give you the resource books to get all the practice questions that you'll ever want or need.
4. I joined a great study group that kept me motivated and on track and accountable.
5. I scheduled and did activities that were for self-care and stress relief. I actually put it in my calendar because it is so easy to say, "I'll do that later." Later sometimes doesn't come, and you will end up with a lot of burnout. Let me tell you, I was feeling crispy at times.
6. I went and got testing accommodations. I was ashamed at first because I thought that I was weak or couldn't handle the rigor of the program, but that wasn't true at all. Once I got accommodations, I realized that I was giving myself a proper shot at success because lying to myself about my anxiety and severe ADHD was damaging. It was just leveling the playing field with those who are neurotypical. Every question counts on those exams, so give yourself your own best shot.
For notes, I LOVE OneNote. It is given to you for free by the school anyhow, and it is an endless whiteboard. You can write on your notes, add pics, make charts, and do anything to make your studying easy. I suggest definitely getting used to studying digitally and online because you will have soooooo many lectures that are long and having it all in one place is great. No waste, and you can access it easily for when you're in med school also. Notability is another popular choice. Whichever you choose, get used to it from the summer please.
I used an iPad because I was going to need one for med school anyway, and let me tell you; it's a GAME CHANGER!! Get one with the Apple Pencil, and studying will become just like you are used to with paper and pen. I only study now on my iPad. It's that great!
I have a roommate, the same one from DPMS actually who was also a DPMS student, and we live in Center City. The TAs will help in pairing people up to become roommates at the beginning of the summer so that y'all can find a place together.
Do you guys think that they might shift the program online or maybe the summer session online due to corona?
Summer is definitely online. Fall is still being decided upon.
So to the folks that have already interviewed, I have a few questions:
1. So I'm a dude with long hair but the problem is they curl up in the back and the sides and look super weird. All of the barber shops still closed in my are so let me know what I can do or your best grooming tips LOL!!
2. I was wondering if it's ok to use airpods during the interview because even though they're pretty mainstream but I don't want to come off as privileged. Expanding on this, did any of you use regular headphones or just took the interview without any earpiece.
TIA
I just helped with an interview today, and I can tell you that you won't be the only one with hair issues. That's ok though! Style it as best you can. I also have curly hair which is really really curly and frizzy. I use either gel, wax, oil, or hair mousse to make it presentable. I like to either slick my hair back or like keep my curl pattern defined and place it in a nice manner.
Also, it is completely ok to use AirPods. Using headphones to better hear questions and to better interact is completely fine. No-one will think that you are being bougie or think negatively about it. If you can do the interview without headphones/earphones, then that's best, but no worries at all if you can't.
Gonna remain positive & I’m glad I saw that post about the person who just got an interview invite yesterday after being complete in January, but dude.... How are people who were just complete last week getting interview invites before 10s of hundred who were complete way before them, & that’s just what we’re seeing on SDN...
Nonetheless I’ll stay positive ♀
I remember when I went through the waiting game also. I know it sucks a lot, and it can really mess with your head. However, please try to be as patient as possible. No news is good news in my book. Also, learning now how to not compare yourself to others is a really great thing. It's so easy to just look at others and somehow feel less than, and just remember that each persons' path is uniquely their own. Use this time to do some self-care and work on the things you do have some control over. That's what I did. I know this isn't very helpful, but you're definitely not alone. Like you said, please stay positive.
I didn’t even apply to IMS so I was honestly shaking when I got the call cuz I thought it was regarding my DPMS app. She called me 3 times in a row cuz she needed clarification on my app and the last call she said congratulations for getting into IMS. I was so nervous. But now my anxiety is even worse. Does it mean my chances for DPMS just dropped since I got in IMS?
Your chances with DPMS did not drop. Drexel is great in the sense that they try to make sure that you are given as many routes to find success as possible. IMS is a great program that DPMS takes classes with. I even think that they are better prepared for med school than DPMS is at the end of the day since they take more classes that are applicable to med school.
Anywho, I have known people who were accepted into both IMS (or any other program) AND DPMS. Keep your head up!
Also, do you know if IMS and DPMS apps are reviewed by two different committees or is it the same one?
I know that a small subcommittee reads all incoming applications and then pushes it toward the different programs housed at Drexel. So, the person who will read your DPMS application may think you would also fit in well with IMS, MMS, IHS, or MBS. Then they would submit your application to each program. Cool thing is that once you paid your application fee, it is applicable to all the different programs.
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Wow, this was long, but I hope this is helpful!
