NSU-COM Discussion thread 2008-2009

[futuredrandwife]

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Deepa100 & GlobeMedder, thanks for the info, i am going there this monday. I can't wait to leave cold NY and go to the warm FL. :]

I'm in NY, too.. Can't wait for sunny Southern Florida!!!

 

[rightfooted]

Aterry, what is a SO?

Does anyone know when financial aid information comes? We are trying to start managing the finances around being in school. I can't find what the COA is for NSU either. Do any of the current students have any opinions on how much to take out or thoughts on the accuracy of COA? I will be coming with an SO so I believe that will cut down on the loans I will have to take since he will be working full time. Thanks for your help and happy New Years to everyone!!

 

[iowafarmstud]

Aterry, what is a SO?

SO = Significant Other ie, Boyfriend/Girlfriend/Spouse/Partner...etc.👍

 

[rightfooted]

Just realized SO is Significant Other.

Does anyone know what the board scores are for NSU? (USMLE/COMLEX)

 

[aterry]

Hahah, yea he is my fiance now and we will be married when we get there so I think SO is easier lol.

Hey I wanted to let everyone know that I have been looking for apartments on craigslist and rent.com. Rent.com has been great for finding complexes in the area but I would look for them on craiglists too, because I am finding cheaper rents listed for the same complex on craigslist than the rent that is listed on rent.com. Also, craigslist is a little hard to use for such a huge metropolitan area....anyone else finding anything great?

 

[schussboarder]

Hahah, yea he is my fiance now and we will be married when we get there so I think SO is easier lol.

Hey I wanted to let everyone know that I have been looking for apartments on craigslist and rent.com. Rent.com has been great for finding complexes in the area but I would look for them on craiglists too, because I am finding cheaper rents listed for the same complex on craigslist than the rent that is listed on rent.com. Also, craigslist is a little hard to use for such a huge metropolitan area....anyone else finding anything great?

Im leaving for florida tommarow to search for some places...I've chosen five places to look at based off of rent.com. So far my number one choice is through the company zom real estate. The property was at cameron cove which is less than a mile from the campus and they are offering free airconditioning so thats a plus. It's still going to be around approx $860/month for myself and my SO. I still can't get over the high prices as opposed to buffalo ny.

 

[aterry]

Hey let me know what you think and what they say about availability and such. I don't know when we will be going down. Any thoughts on when we should? Is there a reason yall are going down so early? Thanks for the post and I look forward to your opinions.

 

[schussboarder]

Hey let me know what you think and what they say about availability and such. I don't know when we will be going down. Any thoughts on when we should? Is there a reason yall are going down so early? Thanks for the post and I look forward to your opinions.

were mainly just going down because my SO wants to meet with someone from the nursing school since she's looking to transfer to NSU. We figured however since we wouldn't be able to go down again until mid may that we better check some places out and possibly put down a deposit on our number one choice since I'm sure by may a large number of places are snatched up.

I'll keep you all posted on any good deals real estate wise if I see anything when i'm down there

 

[linkDO]

schussboarder let us know how the apartment search went! when talking to one of the second years he said there were three main places the students stay but i couldnt remmber the names he listed off. but i'll be going down looking for apartments soon.

 

[mightythor]

I am flying down to NSUCOM for an interview in two weeks and was wondering if I should rent a car, use the airport shuttle or use a taxi for transport. Any thoughts?

 

[skiracr456]

I am flying down to NSUCOM for an interview in two weeks and was wondering if I should rent a car, use the airport shuttle or use a taxi for transport. Any thoughts?

I would not rent a car. Save the money you don't need it. Stay at a hotel that has a free shuttle. I stayed at Comfort Suites less than a mile from campus and they picked me up from the airport, took me to my interview, picked me up and took me back to the airport (I didn't stay long, had to get back for class).

Aterry: I just found out I have a friend that is a first year at Nova this year. I am going to ask him where some places are that med students live. I am also wondering when would be a good time to go down and check apartments out. I am still uncertain where I am for sure going to end up. I am waiting to hear from my state school MSUCOM. If nothing changes I am thinking about going down during my spring break in March to look for apartments. Do people think that would be too late?

 

[aterry]

I think I am going down in March also. I think I read awhile ago that securing something may/june-ish is a good time. I am going to email Ellen about when we should be expected to be down there, see if there is any sort of orientation scheduled before classes start. Thanks for checking and keep me in the loop!

 

[skiracr456]

I think I am going down in March also. I think I read awhile ago that securing something may/june-ish is a good time. I am going to email Ellen about when we should be expected to be down there, see if there is any sort of orientation scheduled before classes start. Thanks for checking and keep me in the loop!

Yeah keep me posted about when we have to be down there by too please 🙂

 

[skiracr456]

hey all I found this on Nova's web site I hope these dates are still correct but this is what it looks like for us 🙂

August 3, 2009 M1 Fall Semester Begins
August 9, 2009 M1 Student Fall Registration Ends
August 9-16, 2009 M1 Student Fall Add/Drop Period
August 9, 2009 Opening Exercises/White Coat Ceremony
(Family)


Its kinda nice to find some dates, so we don't have to be wondering. I am still unsure of whether or not there is an orientation before then. If I hear anything I'll let everyone know!

 

[singinfifi]

hey all I found this on Nova's web site I hope these dates are still correct but this is what it looks like for us 🙂

August 3, 2009 M1 Fall Semester Begins
August 9, 2009 M1 Student Fall Registration Ends
August 9-16, 2009 M1 Student Fall Add/Drop Period
August 9, 2009 Opening Exercises/White Coat Ceremony
(Family)


Its kinda nice to find some dates, so we don't have to be wondering. I am still unsure of whether or not there is an orientation before then. If I hear anything I'll let everyone know!

Orientation for us was the M-F before school started, nothing for school was going on Saturday and then Sunday was our white coat 🙂

 

[skiracr456]

Orientation for us was the M-F before school started, nothing for school was going on Saturday and then Sunday was our white coat 🙂

Thanks 🙂

So if the dates I posted are correct orientation would be the last week in july?

Also, this may be a dumb question, but for the white coat ceremony do we have to buy our own white coat or do they give us one?

 

[singinfifi]

Thanks 🙂

So if the dates I posted are correct orientation would be the last week in july?

Also, this may be a dumb question, but for the white coat ceremony do we have to buy our own white coat or do they give us one?

Not a dumb question at all. You buy your own. You'll get an orderform sometime before orientation 🙂 they come all pretty, with your name on them! 😀

 

[gikthechamp]

anyone interviewing with me tomorrow?

 

[playahmar]

how should i go about finding a roomate or roomates?

 

[stanner]

Orientation for us was the M-F before school started, nothing for school was going on Saturday and then Sunday was our white coat 🙂

If i read the dates right on the website I think the orientation begins on Aug 3 and then classes start on the 10th after the white coat ceremony.

 

[aterry]

I sent an email to Ellen asking about this...she has been on vacation. I got this email today from Dr. Whitehead:

Ashley,

Orientation is the first week of August. Most of the students move down in late July.

Dr. W.


Hope this is helpful in your planning!

 

[schussboarder]

promised I would update any home searchers on this site while i was down here near nova during this time on my vacation/home searching trip. As for any person who is looking on sites such as rent.com or apartments.com beware of the prices listed. While the pictures are absolutely perfect at depicting what the places look like, the prices are completely different. I was told at each of the four places that I looked at today that the prices change due to the economy and that the prices listed on these sites were old prices ( I had even talked to a person on the phone from the renting companies about a week ago and they had confirmed the prices on those previously listed sites). At a minimum, many of the places have increased their rent due to the "economy" by approx. $75. I was told by one representative that their prices will keep rising as the apartments book up. So, moral of the story is that the prices on sites are often very misleading.

 

[Aladdin10]

Hi guys. I'm new to SDN and this board.
I was accepted to NSU and am eager to secure my spot. Trouble is, I have been waiting since December 9th and haven't gotten my snail mail acceptance package. With Ellen on Vaca, I can't get in touch w/ either Sarah or Linda (her secretaries) through phone or email. I really just want my student ID# so I can go on-line and pay the first deposit.

Does any one have suggestions about whom to contact or what I can do next so that I am not un-accepted?!

 

[MossPoh]

Increasing their prices because of people not having purchasing power is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

When I send in my second deposit I'll drive down for a long weekend to look at places. My brother has rental properties, so I'm sure I'll be thrown in a nice little networking loop with that.

 

[HALIVE]

Hi guys. I'm new to SDN and this board.
I was accepted to NSU and am eager to secure my spot. Trouble is, I have been waiting since December 9th and haven't gotten my snail mail acceptance package. With Ellen on Vaca, I can't get in touch w/ either Sarah or Linda (her secretaries) through phone or email. I really just want my student ID# so I can go on-line and pay the first deposit.

Does any one have suggestions about whom to contact or what I can do next so that I am not un-accepted?!

When did you find out you have been accepted?
The same thing happened to me (waiting for my acceptance package and not receiving one). It turned out that the mail man didn't ring our door bell or leave a pick up slip in our mail box for one week! Then, I suddenly received the “sorry we missed you/ final notice slip" the other day. My point is that your not receiving the package might not be due to the admissions. It might be due to usps, try and check if they have your package.

 

[pianoman90]

Hi guys. I'm new to SDN and this board.
I was accepted to NSU and am eager to secure my spot. Trouble is, I have been waiting since December 9th and haven't gotten my snail mail acceptance package. With Ellen on Vaca, I can't get in touch w/ either Sarah or Linda (her secretaries) through phone or email. I really just want my student ID# so I can go on-line and pay the first deposit.

Does any one have suggestions about whom to contact or what I can do next so that I am not un-accepted?!

What part of Birmingham are you from? I went to Samford and I'll be working at St. Vincent's until July when I move down to FL for NSU.

 

[aterry]

I would contact Dr. Whitehead. He emailed me when I emailed Ellen this week. If you want his email address, PM me and I will get it to you. Your NSU ID should be on the email you got confirming your secondary documents. It is at the top right of the email for me. Let me know if I can help!

 

[melv55]

Hi guys. I'm new to SDN and this board.
I was accepted to NSU and am eager to secure my spot. Trouble is, I have been waiting since December 9th and haven't gotten my snail mail acceptance package. With Ellen on Vaca, I can't get in touch w/ either Sarah or Linda (her secretaries) through phone or email. I really just want my student ID# so I can go on-line and pay the first deposit.

Does any one have suggestions about whom to contact or what I can do next so that I am not un-accepted?!

When I paid my deposit and it asked for NSU ID I just put in the name I use to sign into webstar... I had no idea there was some number on the e-mails/acceptance packets. It probably wasn't what they meant but it let me in.

 

[futuredrandwife]

Okay so a couple of questions. First of all, I have never applied for financial aid/student lians before, so where do I go online to fill out a FAFSA form??

Secondly, if I fill this out, does this mean I absolutely MUST attend Nova? As of now, I am 99% sure I will be going there, but I still have not heard from many schools, so I do want to keep some options open.

Thirdly, I am still not sure if I want to pay for my first year or have my parents pay. After my first year, I will be married so obviously I will be paying for school, not my parents. However, my parents would like to pay for my first year, but I'm not sure I want that. I've lived home all through undergrad, and now that I am going to med school, I want to cut the proverbial umbilical cord. My parents are somewhat controlling, and I feel I would be more independent if I paid for school myself. (I don't want to hear "Ohhhh it was okay for us to pay for your schooling, but you don't want to answer your phone when we call you five times per day!!!" or "So I guess it was okay for us to pay for your schooling but it's not okay for you to come visit us on Long Island once a month!!!") On the other hand, it would obv. be great to have less debt accumulated. But I don't want to miss the opportunity and not fill out a FAFSA, and be forced to have my parents pay (but I also don't want to fill out a form and be forced to use loans), so again I want to leave the option on the table. So, to make it short, is filling out a FAFSA forcing me to use the loans they offer??

 

[MKG87]

Im sure this question has been asked a 100 times, but how fast is the turn around for adcom decision after an interview?

 

[melv55]

Im sure this question has been asked a 100 times, but how fast is the turn around for adcom decision after an interview?

The consensus has been that your status on webstar usually changes the second monday after your interview

 

[Relativity]

Okay so a couple of questions. First of all, I have never applied for financial aid/student lians before, so where do I go online to fill out a FAFSA form??

Secondly, if I fill this out, does this mean I absolutely MUST attend Nova? As of now, I am 99% sure I will be going there, but I still have not heard from many schools, so I do want to keep some options open.

Thirdly, I am still not sure if I want to pay for my first year or have my parents pay. After my first year, I will be married so obviously I will be paying for school, not my parents. However, my parents would like to pay for my first year, but I'm not sure I want that. I've lived home all through undergrad, and now that I am going to med school, I want to cut the proverbial umbilical cord. My parents are somewhat controlling, and I feel I would be more independent if I paid for school myself. (I don't want to hear "Ohhhh it was okay for us to pay for your schooling, but you don't want to answer your phone when we call you five times per day!!!" or "So I guess it was okay for us to pay for your schooling but it's not okay for you to come visit us on Long Island once a month!!!") On the other hand, it would obv. be great to have less debt accumulated. But I don't want to miss the opportunity and not fill out a FAFSA, and be forced to have my parents pay (but I also don't want to fill out a form and be forced to use loans), so again I want to leave the option on the table. So, to make it short, is filling out a FAFSA forcing me to use the loans they offer??

Simple answer No. Your schools financial aid office will tell you how much you are awarded after filling out FAFSA, then ask you (before school starts) how much do you want to take out. I believe even after accepting it initially, you can go back and change your mind.

hope that helps with the breaking of proverbial umbilical cord. lol

 

[MossPoh]

Thirdly, I am still not sure if I want to pay for my first year or have my parents pay. After my first year, I will be married so obviously I will be paying for school, not my parents. However, my parents would like to pay for my first year, but I'm not sure I want that. I've lived home all through undergrad, and now that I am going to med school, I want to cut the proverbial umbilical cord. My parents are somewhat controlling, and I feel I would be more independent if I paid for school myself. (I don't want to hear "Ohhhh it was okay for us to pay for your schooling, but you don't want to answer your phone when we call you five times per day!!!" or "So I guess it was okay for us to pay for your schooling but it's not okay for you to come visit us on Long Island once a month!!!") On the other hand, it would obv. be great to have less debt accumulated. But I don't want to miss the opportunity and not fill out a FAFSA, and be forced to have my parents pay (but I also don't want to fill out a form and be forced to use loans), so again I want to leave the option on the table. So, to make it short, is filling out a FAFSA forcing me to use the loans they offer??

I think I'd consider it a nice gift. My parents are going to try and cover a small amount of the cost for me. The money saved now translates to a lot more later once you factor in interest. It isn't controlling if you aren't living with them. You're still going to take out the bulk of the money anyway. You have to realize, as cheesy as it sounds, it is almost as big of a deal to them that you are going to become a doctor. They are probably pretty proud of you and want to reward you somehow. 😉

 

[linkDO]

Secondly, if I fill this out, does this mean I absolutely MUST attend Nova? As of now, I am 99% sure I will be going there, but I still have not heard from many schools, so I do want to keep some options open.
?

I dont believe so. I was told in other interviews that there is a place to list all the schools you are still considering. And you dont have to narrow it down to the one school until later.

 

[linkDO]

Med students always say how hard anatomy is. Im in an anatomy coiurse right now and Im wondering if it is similar at all?? But in our anatomy there's so many times when the teacher says :

"you just need to know this innervation but not these origins ... or just know there are six muscles in this compartment but dont memorize each of them."

im assuming in med school you need to know all the origins/innervations/muscles/etc. is that correct? can any nsu students weight in on the depth and detail they go in?

 

[futuredrandwife]

Thanks a lot for all the info regarding student loans!!! mosspoh, I definitely know what you mean. However, I'm having so many problems with my father in general, which are currently resulting in his refusal to attend my wedding, so my situation is a bit different from most. But thanks for all the info, everyone!!!

 

[skiracr456]

Okay so a couple of questions. First of all, I have never applied for financial aid/student lians before, so where do I go online to fill out a FAFSA form??

Secondly, if I fill this out, does this mean I absolutely MUST attend Nova? As of now, I am 99% sure I will be going there, but I still have not heard from many schools, so I do want to keep some options open.

Thirdly, I am still not sure if I want to pay for my first year or have my parents pay. After my first year, I will be married so obviously I will be paying for school, not my parents. However, my parents would like to pay for my first year, but I'm not sure I want that. I've lived home all through undergrad, and now that I am going to med school, I want to cut the proverbial umbilical cord. My parents are somewhat controlling, and I feel I would be more independent if I paid for school myself. (I don't want to hear "Ohhhh it was okay for us to pay for your schooling, but you don't want to answer your phone when we call you five times per day!!!" or "So I guess it was okay for us to pay for your schooling but it's not okay for you to come visit us on Long Island once a month!!!") On the other hand, it would obv. be great to have less debt accumulated. But I don't want to miss the opportunity and not fill out a FAFSA, and be forced to have my parents pay (but I also don't want to fill out a form and be forced to use loans), so again I want to leave the option on the table. So, to make it short, is filling out a FAFSA forcing me to use the loans they offer??

Ok I have a lot of experience filling out the FAFSA. So here is the deal. You do not have to officially choose Nova after you fill it out. It asks for the school(s) you would like to have the information sent to. Last year I put multiple schools because I wasn't sure where I would be attending.

You are going to need your tax information from 2008 and possibly your parents tax information so you will have to wait to fill it out until at least the end of Jan. but the earlier you fill it out the better. Some schools will require your parents income information and some schools wont.

It is always a good idea to fill out the FAFSA even if you don't plan on accepting the financial aid because if something happens and your parents can no longer help you out you can always accept your aid later.

So ultimately, you DO NOT have to accept the loans they give you. I ended up this year getting one subsidized loan and one unsubsidized loan and was able to only take the subsizided load. Any way here is the link you need to fill out the FAFSA. If you have never applied for it before you have to request a pin number which takes a few weeks so you can do that now. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

If you have any questions do not hesitate to PM me.

 

[Kuba]

Med students always say how hard anatomy is. Im in an anatomy coiurse right now and Im wondering if it is similar at all?? But in our anatomy there's so many times when the teacher says :

"you just need to know this innervation but not these origins ... or just know there are six muscles in this compartment but dont memorize each of them."

im assuming in med school you need to know all the origins/innervations/muscles/etc. is that correct? can any nsu students weight in on the depth and detail they go in?

you need to know everything you mentioned plus all the fascias and such surrounding all structures, arterial supply, venous drainage, etc. It's quite a lot, but everyone gets through it...and forgets most of it, and then has to relearn it for boards like I'm doing now.

 

[Kuba]

I see a lot of questions about housing. My tips off the top of my head:

1. Stay South of 595 unless you LOVE traffic.
2. The most popular, not necessarily the best, places are Sundance, Sunforest, and Palm Trace Landings. The first two are walking distance, the other is a 5-10min drive. Sundance is a condo property so you'll have to rent from someone but I'm sure tons of people are going to be renting.
3. If you just want to live in an apt property then go down early (May-ish) to put down deposits, but I think the best deals are found in rented condos/houses. In that case noone will let you reserve it that early unless someone is living there now and is moving out at the start of school. So I would go a month later if you want to pursue that option.

Thats all I can think of for now. I wouldn't live too far away your first year, it can get quite overwhelming at times and you want to be close.

 

[Boges]

You are going to need your tax information from 2008 and possibly your parents tax information so you will have to wait to fill it out until at least the end of Jan. but the earlier you fill it out the better.

My 2 cents as I've been over this in detail at several interviews:

agreed that for sure you want your 2008 tax info included. However, there is not a big rush to get it in as you will not be considered for grants, etc. like you were in undergrad. As a medical student, you're FAFSA info will be used only for loans. Just get it done in enough time for processing before school starts.

Filing it out early, ie. using the "will file" option will most likely cause a delay in your financial aid award and make more work for you.

Most people won't be able to fill out the FAFSA just yet as they don't have their W-2s yet and haven't filed their 2008 taxes.

Also, you can list multiple schools without a problem—even ones that you have not been accepted to yet.

I'm not an expert but did ask this question at several interviews and the response was the same everywhere.

 

[futuredrandwife]

Thanks again for all the FAFSA info!!! GREATLY appreciated!!! Since all the work I did this past year was strictly voluntary, along with unpaid internships, I will not be filing my taxes this year... So I guess I will just have to state this when I fill out the FAFSA??

 

[Boges]

Thanks again for all the FAFSA info!!! GREATLY appreciated!!! Since all the work I did this past year was strictly voluntary, along with unpaid internships, I will not be filing my taxes this year... So I guess I will just have to state this when I fill out the FAFSA??

Seems right. $0 income—did not file a tax return.

But...you are not married yet so are you a dependent of your parents? If yes, you'll need their tax info.

 

[skiracr456]

Seems right. $0 income—did not file a tax return.

But...you are not married yet so are you a dependent of your parents? If yes, you'll need their tax info.

In terms of FAFSA they have a dependency form you can fill out to see if you are still considered a dependent in FAFSA's eyes. I believe since we will all be working on D.O. we are all considered independent. Which is good for all of us since they do not expect our parents to contribute.

But even with that, some med schools still do require parents income information because they still expect them to contribute some money. I am not sure whether Nova is one of those schools. I guess that is something we will need to find out.

 

[skiracr456]

Thanks again for all the FAFSA info!!! GREATLY appreciated!!! Since all the work I did this past year was strictly voluntary, along with unpaid internships, I will not be filing my taxes this year... So I guess I will just have to state this when I fill out the FAFSA??

Also, keep in mind that tax information also includes any investments that you may have and earned money on or interest, etc. I obviously have no idea what your situation is, but they will ask you for that information on your FAFSA.

 

[sakmak]

So I interviewed at NOVA on November 18th, and a week later my status on their website said Provisionally Accepted. However, I haven't received any acceptance package in the mail since then, and I've been trying to call them to see if there is any problem, but no one there picks up the phone.
Then, a few days ago my status changed to Please Contact Admissions Office. I've been trying to contact them, but no one there picks up the phone, and this is getting really annoying 😡 and I'm starting to get worried that maybe they rejected me after accepting me, which would be weird.

Is anybody else going through a similar situation?

 

[singinfifi]

you need to know everything you mentioned plus all the fascias and such surrounding all structures, arterial supply, venous drainage, etc. It's quite a lot, but everyone gets through it...and forgets most of it, and then has to relearn it for boards like I'm doing now.

Also: You need to know what you'd hit if you stabbed at the 5th/7th/4th/9th intercostal space (*grumble*) >.< and it what order and what would happen. Also, little things, like what muscles are involved in which action (say, putting yoru hands behidn your back, or reaching over your head...and yes...ALL of them). Lymphatics too.

And yes, everyone gets through it. I think...8 people out of 240(give or take) failed it last semester, and they have the chance to take the remediation and pass (from what I understand if you want to pass the anatomy remediation and you work hard, you will). Anatomy was HARD for me. I just didn't get it. I felt like a complete *****. And I made it. It took a lot of work, but it is DOable (this from someone who had never taken an anatomy course ever).

Gain what you can from your undergrad (or graduate) anatomy, learn terms, understand the basic idea of how stuff works, then get ready to really dive into detail in med school. Hearing it once before sure as heck won't HURT you!

🙂

 

[Boges]

In terms of FAFSA they have a dependency form you can fill out to see if you are still considered a dependent in FAFSA's eyes. I believe since we will all be working on D.O. we are all considered independent. Which is good for all of us since they do not expect our parents to contribute.

But even with that, some med schools still do require parents income information because they still expect them to contribute some money. I am not sure whether Nova is one of those schools. I guess that is something we will need to find out.

Two more cents:

I think you're right regarding the independent status but perhaps it's best to call a financial aid office at one of the schools to which she applied. They will have a definite answer I'm sure. 🙂

 

[linkDO]

thanks a lot Kuba and singingfifi for some anatomy insight. its also nice to know that its hard but everyone will pull through.

 

[futuredrandwife]

sakmak, you have a PM with admissions contacts.

Thanks again to everyone for the FAFSA info. It's definitely a lot more clear now.

 

[MKG87]

How big are the class sizes at NSU? i remember going into one class room with dental and medical students and I was like wow there are a lot of students.