Thank you for your very detailed reply! You answered all of my questions. The first one was about competing against other MD candidates on the waitlist who didn’t do the medical masters program. It is a little scary that only 30 seats in total are reserved for both programs but that’s a lot more than other SMPs/ Postbacs.
Also, how many people interview for the 30 slots? Is it ~50?
Do we need to purchase our own scrubs for anatomy lab?
The dresscode I am a little concerned about. Are leggings/ warm weather clothes ok? Or should it mainly be business casual clothes that one would wear to work?
By block scheduling I meant how some schools have only 1 unit at a time. For example would we be taking all 3 of the fall sem classes at the same time or is it one class everyday for the first 5 weeks then the next and then the last?
Thank you for answering all these questions, I hope I was more clear this time!
Definitely! I’m happy to provide some clarity.
1) Every member of your class will get an interview, barring something serious like an academic probation. This is because it would be both unfair and very stressful. You’re paying a lot for this program and not having the added consideration that an interview affords would unfairly disadvantage some people before the final bell, so to speak.
2) Yes, you will have to have at least 2 pairs of scrubs. My advice is to go to a medical supply store or shop online right now, that way if you need any alterations made you can get those out of the way before class.
3) Really, don’t worry too much about the dress code. I think I got a little carried away thinking about mishaps I’ve seen and trying to inject some humor, but day to day your dress will probably become one of the last things on your mind. Nobody will call you out for wearing leggings in non-mandatory class, but then again there aren’t that many mandatory classes. If you’re just in the library or something you can wear whatever (within reason). Business casual, or just dressing smartly and looking like you didn’t roll out of bed -even if you did b/c we’ve all been there -is important sometimes. The ones that come to mind include: Current issues in healthcare/public policy class (forgot the actual name, but this is the class we had once a week 1st semester), mandatory classes (usually mandatory because they’re important or there is a guest speaker, visits to the patient simulation lab, and ceremonies/meetings where you confer some degree of representation for EVMS.
4) For the last question, the answer is you are exactly correct. It is both.
The first semester you take 3 classes at once, and the second semester you take 3 classes one at a time for ~5 or 6 weeks each. I think the consensus is that the second semester was harder, but if you’re diligent right out of the gate, you will be at an immense advantage. Most people suffer from slow start. Take advantage of the fact that FS is one of the easier yet more weighted classes you will have and try to get a std dev above the mean on those first couple of tests. You will appreciate that cushion towards the end.
It also makes sense because the only material that won’t come back full circle in the second semester is heavy anatomy stuff. I saw the same question on tests for 3 different classes, just to illustrate my point.
(sorry SDN is not allowing me to post link right now)
