FlexMed 2014

[inycepoo]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I go to a top liberal arts school and a lot of my stats are similar to yours. I think that this is a benefit for me too, because my school was a test subject for HuMed and we have a lot of alum + people who got in through HuMed going there (I think we had around 3-4 people that went to HuMed every year).

I know which LAC you attend, then. But school preference doesn't make up for everything.

-3.6cGPA/3.9sGPA
-2290 SAT
-Didn't take the ACT
-High school GPA is kind of a mess, went from C's and D's freshman year to A's senior year, and my high school doesn't do GPA.
-I have a lot of research (>1000 hours), with several publications (2 under review, 1 to be written, and 1 that I am writing) and got awarded in Siemens Competition.
-Copy editor for schools science magazine
-I probably have some others that I can't remember right now.
-I'll probably pick up some more EC's next semester that I was eying last year.

Sure, stats are similar, but I don't see any evidence of a non-medical passion in your ECs. I don't know how preference for this profile will change at all for FlexMed, but the science research and other accolades in medically related field helped little (if at all) for HuMed. No attendee I know was that accomplished in science. Remember what is program is about: giving those who have OTHER heavy interests the ability to pursue that interest by relieving premed stresses. If your demonstrated and actual interest is in medicine and not much else, this really isn't the right program for you. Sinai takes this very seriously. You need to show a thought-out plan on what to do with your extra time if you're admitted on your app. You can't BS this if your record has nothing to show for it. For SciMed, it was an interest in science, not medicine. Engineering, STEM, etc.

This program is not a free pass to med school. It is a free pass to pursue NON-MEDICAL interests for the rest of your college career, and then enter med school. Again, I don't know how this philosophy will change for FlexMed, but I'm pretty damn confident it won't be changing that much. They are looking for as non-traditional applicants as they can find that are still good enough in science to be considered potentially successful in medicine. If you're not that type, they'll see right through you.

-Did you report high school activities? I have some but I don't think it would really matter.

No, no one cares. High school stops mattering past GPA and SAT/ACT.

I think that there will be less competition this year. So far, out of all the premed people I've talked to, only 1 has heard of Mt Sinai's early assurance program, and even then they only knew HuMed, not FlexMed.

Lol freshmen. You are but one person at one college who only knows a handful of premeds at that college. HuMed received 800-1000 apps per year for the past 3-4 years. (This stat was on the HuMed website last year, don't know if it's still there.) It is not a small, unknown program.

(I believe that this is the 2nd year for FlexMed, though I may be wrong)

You are wrong. Didn't you read what I wrote? I was admitted this past fall as the last class of HuMed. This is the first year for FlexMed.

there will be less competition until it becomes more well known. But then again, I may be wrong.

You are wrong.

You don't know much about the process, obviously, so let me enlighten you. The program is very well-known. A name change does not affect this. Remember that the school is in NYC, and that alone garners more apps than you'd believe (which, as a native New Yorker, I find ridiculous lol).

Expect ~1000 applications as usual to come in this year. Expect it to be just as competitive, because doubling the class of FlexMeds doesn't really up the percentage of acceptances at all considering the huge application pool. Expect to struggle with the application essays if you don't have a plan or anything to back it up. Expect to not receive an II and be rejected around Thanksgiving even if your stats are above average. Expect to show up to the interview and find 3 kids from Columbia, 3 Yale, 2 Harvard, 1 Hopkins, and a dude who flew all the way from Stanford and needs to leave by 3pm to catch his flight in time. (That was what my interview day was like.) Expect to talk to your student host who knows HuMeds and have him give a general profile of their background (i.e., what I said about "passion" before) and go "well lol wut dafuq am I doing here." Expect to learn that you're interviewing on the first of 12-15 days of interviews because they are seeing 150+ students. Expect to wake up before Christmas Eve and find your decision letter in your inbox.

That's what the process is like, kid. It is nothing short of the regular med school process, and it's more competitive if you go based on numbers and the self selecting group who applied in the first place. So have fun believing it won't be as competitive as before lol. Even if it is, that's not saying all that much given the current state of things.

 

[siliconchins]

@inycepoo

Thanks for the info.

I realize that FlexMed may not be right for me, which is why I said I was considering it, not that I was going to apply to it. My main interests lie in medicine, so based on what you said, I probably am not the type of applicant they are looking for, which means that I probably won't apply.

Haha I actually don't know much about the whole process yet (I've only started to seriously consider medicine this summer) besides the basics, and could only speak from (limited) experience.

 

[inycepoo]

Understood. My post is intended as a PSA for the others on this thread as well. Good luck.

 

[serendipity007]

Speculation. I don't know, no one knows. It won't be easy, but HuMed was notoriously hard because of the small class size.

True, I was merely guessing. I think the moral of the story is that people should apply to programs like this but be very realistic about their chances i.e. not slacking off on MCAT studying just because one is applying to a program like this.

 

[518450]

I agree. I will not stop preparing for the MCAT until accepted.
I am a sophomore from a state school in Georgia and I will be applying this year.
I am currently a Biology major and want to explore fields such as nutrition science or philosophy before I settle in on medicine. I KNOW medicine is the career I desire for the rest my life though.

- 4.0 GPA
- 500+ clinic hours in ortho surgery clinic and operating room
- 250 hours shadowing physical therapy
- Volunteer at local hospital
- President of the Honor's College Organization at my school
- Member of AMSA, Relay for Life, and Biology club at my school
- Volunteer 30+ hr for Ancestrial Health Symposium
- Member of Alpha Lambda Delta freshman honor's society
- President's List for every semester
- Student leadership recognition award
- Committee member of Tree Campus Ass. for my school (plant trees)

I know if one aspect of my application sets me apart from others it will be that I AM actually utilizing Flexmed so I can study Nutition Science or Philosophy before I matriculate into medical school. I am hopeful that my 500 + 250 hours of shadowing in a clinical setting will still let Sinai know that being an orthopedic surgeon is my #1 goal in life. ( I have been shadowing in the operating room since my junior year in high school. I've seen 200+ outpatient surgeries over this time period and cannot see myself doing anything else)

HOPEFUL!

 

[devi2014]

I'm just going to put this out there so people aren't terribly disappointed.

This program is extremely competitive. Last year they would have had 2.5-5% acceptance rate (25 spots for 500-1000 applicants on an average year.) Moreover, the program is competitive in ways that are dissimilar from the regular AMCAS application.

Being a fantastic student with tremendous grades and standardized test scores and wonderful extracurricular activities may be insufficient for this program. It is likely, if they follow the same pattern as they did with HuMed for this new program, that they are going to specifically look for students that have had extensive experience in a particular field of study (formerly humanities and social sciences) and have demonstrated clear direction towards significant work within that field. They are going to want to see applicants with very strong commitments towards academic and personal projects beyond the normal pre-med check the box kind of things.

As has been previously indicated, there is a strong preference for schools with prestige/reputation. The students that were present on the day of my interview were exclusively from universities like HYP, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown, Stanford, etc. and liberal arts schools such as Amherst, Carleton, Williams, etc.

If you are truly interested in Sinai or going to medical school in NYC then FlexMed could be a great option--but, it certainly isn't the only option.

 

[inycepoo]

I'm just going to put this out there so people aren't terribly disappointed.

This program is extremely competitive. Last year they would have had 2.5-5% acceptance rate (25 spots for 500-1000 applicants on an average year.) Moreover, the program is competitive in ways that are dissimilar from the regular AMCAS application.

Being a fantastic student with tremendous grades and standardized test scores and wonderful extracurricular activities may be insufficient for this program. It is likely, if they follow the same pattern as they did with HuMed for this new program, that they are going to specifically look for students that have had extensive experience in a particular field of study (formerly humanities and social sciences) and have demonstrated clear direction towards significant work within that field. They are going to want to see applicants with very strong commitments towards academic and personal projects beyond the normal pre-med check the box kind of things.

As has been previously indicated, there is a strong preference for schools with prestige/reputation. The students that were present on the day of my interview were exclusively from universities like HYP, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown, Stanford, etc. and liberal arts schools such as Amherst, Carleton, Williams, etc.

Quoted and bolded for emphasis.

It's not just likely that they'll want extensive experience in a non-medical field, but basically a GUARANTEED core element they'll want to see in applicants. That's the whole point.

 

[deleted482591]

-

 

[inycepoo]

What happens if you get in and decide to take the MCAT and do your med school apps like a regular premed? The site says you're not allowed but what are they going to do...

Then you are being dishonest and unethical. Dishonest because you are not supposed to be doing that and unethical because you have denied someone else the opportunity to take the advantage that the program offers you.

Again, FlexMed is NOT a free pass to medical school. There are [great] conditions attached to it. Faithfulness is one of them.

The Dean at Sinai is a nice guy, but they are very serious with this policy. You are not allowed to take more science courses than they specify on the website without their permission post-admission. It's not hard to keep close tabs on the admits because there are so few of them, and generally they do so because they're interested in what you are doing with the free time you would've otherwise devoted to premed classes.

HuMed was not a binding program, and neither will FlexMed be. You can always say "bye bye" and apply out to other schools, or perhaps even not attend medical school at all. Historically, the attrition rate is 10% because the admits realize their non-medical interest is just so much stronger than their passion for medicine.

If you decide to apply out, though, you are not to keep your spot in FlexMed. What are the risks for being caught, you say? (And yes, you will be caught. It's not hard for a med school to track an applicant through AMCAS.)

But if your goal is to use this as a safety and backup for not getting into a better medical school, you won't be admitted to FlexMed anyway. I know the adcom people pretty well at this point (as they're still keeping tabs on me even though I turned down the offer), and they'll see right through your BS.

Good luck playing the system, 'cause the only thing that's going to be played is your reputation.

 

[93tiger16]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I'm also applying to FlexMed this year. Does anybody know how much GPA plays a role in FlexMed? That seems to be my very weak point.

 

[inycepoo]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I'm also applying to FlexMed this year. Does anybody know how much GPA plays a role in FlexMed? That seems to be my very weak point.

It should be high (>3.7). Read the rest of thread first; it'll do you well, newbie.

 

[518450]

Indeed, this is all great advice.
I have ambitions to focus on a specific field of study (nutrition science and advocacy) but have no representative proof (e.i. no published or tangible work).
I am definitely keeping my options open about applying, as this may not be the program for me. I know I want to do surgery with research on the side but so do thousands of others.
Also, it sounds like I am at another disadvantage with attending a state school.

 

[solesurprise]

It should be high (>3.7). Read the rest of thread first; it'll do you well, newbie.

Hey Inycepoo, do you think you could turn the condescension down just a tad?

 

[azzeh123]

.

 

[inycepoo]

I am a sophomore preparing to apply to Flex Med and am wondering,

- How would the LOR's be handled (mailed or online), becasue no specificity on website
-Also there isnt any real directions for preparing the application. Do they usually wait until the application opens to begin giving out the vital information

Thanks to all and any replies.

LORs are done through an online system. You provide the emails for your recommenders, and they get a login and password to a site to upload their letters.

When the application becomes available in October, you will know all there is to do for the application. There's really not much to prepare for beforehand, and you have a full two months to fill out the app, so it's not a big deal. The bulk of the work will be your three essays and elaborating on your extracurriculars. (This is assuming they don't change the app much from HuMed, which I doubt they will.) The rest of the app is just the typical name, college, major, address, etc. sort of thing.

 

[La Presse]

It would be interesting to see any FlexMed applicants who are coming from a state school.

 

[inycepoo]

It would be interesting to see any FlexMed applicants who are coming from a state school.

There were accepted state schoolers into HuMed last year, but they were like 3 out of a class of around 30. FlexMed will be bigger so that number will go up by a lot, but my guess is that they'll be in the minority still.

Reasons for this are multifold, but I think the main factor is not so much the prestige of the school. Rather, those who have already shown a strong demonstrated interest in a particular field from high school onwards will tend to be accepted at and go to higher ranked undergrads. Since this is the profile Sinai is looking for, it makes sense that they're accepted in larger numbers. Also, SAT/ACT scores are factored in as well; those from more elite colleges will have higher stats than those that are not.

Conclusion: everyone has a shot, but know where the deck is stacked and be reasonable with your expectations.

 

[azzeh123]

.

 

[inycepoo]

Do you think west coast schools have a chance? Particularly private schools?

Also is earlier better in regards to submitting the app....or is something later but more prepared better

There were two Stanford MS2s leading us around. I don't know anything beyond that. Each coast has its bias, though.

It's not rolling like most med admissions. No secondaries, none of that. I submitted my app 3 minutes before the deadline, literally.

 

[bshap000]

Hi,

I am currently a sophomore in the Leadership in Medicine (LIM) program with Union and Albany Med, which is a guaranteed college/med school dual admit program in which you get a BS, MS and MD in the 8 years (the first 2 at Union, the MD at AMC). LIM has similar requirements to FlexMed (with the exception of the MS) such as maintaining a 3.5 GPA, but you also must maintain a 3.5 math/sci (bio,chem,physics,math) GPA, and both are checked twice a year. In addition you have to demonstrate leadership...
The cost of AMC is ridiculous, so I was thinking of withdrawing and applying to FlexMed instead.

I was wondering if anyone has any idea how they compare in terms of difficulty of acceptance.

For reference, LIM accepts 40 students out of about 400 applicants each year
My HS GPA was around 3.85, ACT was 33
I had >400 hours of medical setting volunteering, lots of research experience, and was listed as an author on a study

Also, as of now my college overall GPA is around 3.7

 

[inycepoo]

Hi,

I am currently a sophomore in the Leadership in Medicine (LIM) program with Union and Albany Med, which is a guaranteed college/med school dual admit program in which you get a BS, MS and MD in the 8 years (the first 2 at Union, the MD at AMC). LIM has similar requirements to FlexMed (with the exception of the MS) such as maintaining a 3.5 GPA, but you also must maintain a 3.5 math/sci (bio,chem,physics,math) GPA, and both are checked twice a year. In addition you have to demonstrate leadership...
The cost of AMC is ridiculous, so I was thinking of withdrawing and applying to FlexMed instead.

I was wondering if anyone has any idea how they compare in terms of difficulty of acceptance.

For reference, LIM accepts 40 students out of about 400 applicants each year
My HS GPA was around 3.85, ACT was 33
I had >400 hours of medical setting volunteering, lots of research experience, and was listed as an author on a study

Also, as of now my college overall GPA is around 3.7

1. lol Do you have any idea what Sinai costs? You think Upper East Side New York City private school is gonna be cheaper than AMC?
2. Go back and read this entire thread; lots of things have been discussed already. Do you have a true and demonstrated interest in a non-medical field? You wouldn't stand a chance at FlexMed otherwise (i.e., 0% acceptance likelihood).

 

[azzeh123]

.

 

[La Presse]

1. lol 😆 🤣 Do you have any idea what Sinai costs? You think Upper East Side New York City private school is gonna be cheaper than AMC?
2. Go back, read this entire thread, and come back again. Do you have a true and demonstrated interest in a non-medical field? You wouldn't stand a chance at FlexMed otherwise (i.e., 0% acceptance likelihood).

This is one of the reasons I stayed away from Flexmed.

You really need to demonstrate a strong passion for something other than medicine.

I thinks apps open this month. Good luck to everyone who is applying.

 

[inycepoo]

inycepoo if you dont mind me asking, when you applied what was your true and demonstrated interest in a non medical field? Thanks for all and any responses

Health policy. Took an intro course freshman fall and it completely changed my career goals (outside of being a physician, that is), way before I even knew about HuMed (old program name). Started getting very involved during freshman year and I'm blessed to be at a private research university where these sort of opportunities are available abundantly.

As for demonstrating that interest, I made sure to show Sinai through the app and interview the following:

• Poli sci major, created my own interdisciplinary course of study (see below) b/c the department didn't exactly offer what I wanted.
• Studied and did health economics research abroad at a top European university in the field (gotta go to Europe for health care goodies, nah mean).
• On masthead at a law journal on health policy/law at the law school (with all JDs) and an undergraduate econ journal.
• Taken graduate MPH, MBA, and JD classes on health econ/policy/law/you name it (again, big advantage of being at an Ivy!!), starting in freshman spring, when my interest really blossomed. If I were enrolled in the MPH program, I'd be 1/3 of the way done.
• JUST started working for a patient advocate for the state legislature in my city when I applied. Didn't have anything to write for it, though, besides listing it among my activities since I hadn't done anything yet lolz
• Two other research gigs in the field.
• Had a clear alternate plan post-HuMed (you have to have one; it's a required app essay): would do the intensive poli sci major to do a mini-PhD thesis in junior & senior years.

I've since been involved in more things through sophomore year, but I applied with that "package" above last October. At the interview (if you get one), they'll probe pretty deeply into your alternate plan and passion to make sure you're not bull****ting them.

Hope that helps!

P.S. Those bullet points sound like a lot, but if you consider that I actually started during freshman fall around October (i.e., 10/2011) and continued things through the summer afterwards, it's not that much stuff for a full year. I have no idea if my package was below, at, or above average for accepted people. My guess would be slightly around average??? idk

 

[inycepoo]

This is one of the reasons I stayed away from Flexmed.

You really need to demonstrate a strong passion for something other than medicine.

I thinks apps open this month. Good luck to everyone who is applying.

Yeah, I didn't know how heavy an emphasis they put on this until
1) I attended the interview and talked to my fellow interviewees
2) Talked with accepted students from my school
3) Talked with currently enrolled med students who came from HuMed.

Then I said:

"Damn, son."

(lol Comic Sans shout-out!)

 

[azzeh123]

.

 

[inycepoo]

Can u give some examples please?

Of...what? Can you be more specific please?

I gave you my entire app in a post already...

 

[inycepoo]

Hey Inycepoo, do you think you could turn the condescension down just a tad?

You mean annoyance towards those who don't even make somewhat decent of an effort to read through the thread they're posting in and end up asking the same thing over and over again, cluttering what is otherwise a very useful and helpful thread?

In that case, no.

I don't see how telling a newcomer to the forum to "read threads" because it'll "do them well" is doing them a disservice as you imply. Reading in an online forum is very important.

 

[azzeh123]

.

 

[designren]

Lol, intimidating. I wish I was as awesome as you guys... =) I'll apply and if I don't get in, oh well lol, but it'd be so nice if I could spend more time on art...

Apologies for any misposts. Made this account just a couple of minutes ago because of this thread. Good luck everyone!

Edit: How much do your grades after the application is sent in? Is it like senior year high school, where as long as you sort of keep it up you're fine?

 

[Flashfan]

You have to keep a 3.5 until graduation.

 

[DrizzyDrake]

Which shouldn't be hard considering they are all joke humanities classes.

 

[inycepoo]

Which shouldn't be hard considering they are all joke humanities classes.

lol bro you serious? Is this just ignorant bias or are you really good at reading James Joyce?

Either way, it's still a bigoted and uninformed view of academics.

Edit:

I didn't like college cuz I went to a boring one. I don't like med school because it makes me stressed out.

Ah, I see now.

 

[DrizzyDrake]

lol bro you serious? Is this just ignorant bias or are you really good at reading James Joyce?

Either way, it's still a bigoted and uninformed view of academics.

Edit:



Ah, I see now.

For a dude that isn't even going into the program, you sure are taking criticisms of it to heart.

And yes, I am serious. These guys can just take some creative writing bs and get to med school. It's great, provided they can get in.

 

[DrizzyDrake]

lol bro you serious? Is this just ignorant bias or are you really good at reading James Joyce?

Either way, it's still a bigoted and uninformed view of academics.

Edit:



Ah, I see now.

Lol, you are checking my post history. Congrats bruh, you sure have an amazing life stalking some random dude on the internet.

 

[designren]

Ehh, I meant during the application process after submitting the application, but I guess it does matter since the decisions come out in summer. And... lol I'm more of a science guy.

 

[azzeh123]

A

 

[inycepoo]

Is FlexMed rolling process

This was completely Google-able.....

No, it's not.

 

[Flashfan]

Does FlexMed offer a student host program for interviews? I have a few friends in town, so housing is ot a huge problem, but I would like to meet some HUMed students.

 

[inycepoo]

Does FlexMed offer a student host program for interviews? I have a few friends in town, so housing is ot a huge problem, but I would like to meet some HUMed students.

Housing is available, but you will not necessarily be hosted by HuMeds. The hosts all sign up for the same system as the regular MD interviews, so it's much more likely to get a regular med student as a host. If you're being hosted with someone, that fellow interviewee will be a FlexMed applicant.

HuMeds will be present in the interview waiting room, and tours and other stuff are all done by HuMeds as well, so you'll get perspectives from both groups of students if you're hosted by a regular MD student. Best of both worlds. Sinai is pretty small, so your student hosts definitely know who the HuMeds are in their class.

Provided, of course, you get an interview 😉 So focus on the app first. Good luck!

 

[Flashfan]

Yeah, I don't want to presume that I will even get the interview, but it is good to be prepared. Thanks again for all the help on this thread.

 

[inycepoo]

Yeah, I don't want to presume that I will even get the interview, but it is good to be prepared. Thanks again for all the help on this thread.

Thanks for actually reading the thread! That's a step ahead of many already looking for help on SDN... 🙄

 

[alphassa]

I'm trying to decide whether to submit ACT or SAT scores at the moment (33 vs 2200; 34E/34M/34R/29S vs 680M/760CR)...I'm curious what you did, inycepoo, if you're willing to share. I know that they place a good deal of importance on CR, as that's been the focus of their Step I studies, correct?

 

[inycepoo]

I'm trying to decide whether to submit ACT or SAT scores at the moment (33 vs 2200; 34E/34M/34R/29S vs 680M/760CR)...I'm curious what you did, inycepoo, if you're willing to share. I know that they place a good deal of importance on CR, as that's been the focus of their Step I studies, correct?

I submitted both >2200 and 35. Your CR looks good either way, so I don't think it matters. Submit both if you care to.

 

[acsmalls114]

I just submitted my app but I don't think I will do well at all just because I do not go to a big name school, but rather an expensive private school on the east coast, and my GPA is >3.3 (most likely could be >3.4 this semester) and I am a Bio-Med Engineering major so my schedule doesn't give me too many options to succeed in terms of grades. Just think I wasted $100 on the application but no regrets. Might as well have tried and failed than not to have tried at all, I guess.

 

[benjamin94559]

Anyone know if taking more science classes hurts your flexmed? I'm told that it did for Humed and the angle I'm going is the part of flexmed descended from humed not scimed. I dont know how obvious it is that I'm trying to cram in all my prereqs so I can dodge the 2015 MCAT changes and take it Sept 2014. I mean if I get in in June I wont be taking the MCAT but given how competitive this program is it's not like I can put all my eggs in one basket either.

 

[inycepoo]

Anyone know if taking more science classes hurts your flexmed? I'm told that it did for Humed and the angle I'm going is the part of flexmed descended from humed not scimed. I dont know how obvious it is that I'm trying to cram in all my prereqs so I can dodge the 2015 MCAT changes and take it Sept 2014. I mean if I get in in June I wont be taking the MCAT but given how competitive this program is it's not like I can put all my eggs in one basket either.

The action is all in whether that cramming in took place at the expense of doing things in your purported field of other interest. If not, it shouldn't impact too negatively, though trying to fit all that science into two short years would not come without cost in this respect.

 

[aspirantmed]

This is one of the reasons I stayed away from Flexmed.

You really need to demonstrate a strong passion for something other than medicine.

I thinks apps open this month. Good luck to everyone who is applying.

Yeah ... my interest in this program definitely waned over the course of my interview day when I heard about the attrition rates, high rates of deferral by people who "weren't sure about medicine," and our (then-)HuMed tour guides who both agreed that they wouldn't have done medicine if they weren't accepted into the program.

This program is weird. But if that suits you, go for it. If you would be a pre-med otherwise, this program is probably not your thing.

 

[benjamin94559]

The action is all in whether that cramming in took place at the expense of doing things in your purported field of other interest. If not, it shouldn't impact too negatively, though trying to fit all that science into two short years would not come without cost in this respect.

Thanks!
Yeah I dont think it's going to conflict with my other field of interest as I'm still making room for that and procrastinating some gen eds so that I'm only taking prereqs and poli sci classes.

 

[inycepoo]

Yeah ... my interest in this program definitely waned over the course of my interview day when I heard about the attrition rates, high rates of deferral by people who "weren't sure about medicine," and our (then-)HuMed tour guides who both agreed that they wouldn't have done medicine if they weren't accepted into the program.

This program is weird. But if that suits you, go for it. If you would be a pre-med otherwise, this program is probably not your thing.

What'd they say about attrition rates during your interview day? It tends to be 2-3 students a year at max, if not 1-2 on average.