Official CMS/Finch Class of 2007 and AP 2003 Thread!

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Originally posted by DesiMDHopeful
BTW...Will you guys do have a White Coat ceremony too and ICM and Ethics (which I think you guys probably have early on) require attendance. Stupid ethics is being graded too this year....it'll still probably be a cake class though, and still just as poorly setup...haha.
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Yup...this is the first year for a white coat ceremony. ICM is starting up early, unfortunately. I'm looking forward to that class though. Ethics, not so much 😉.

Oh yeah...I went to IKEA today. It was about an hour drive, but we hit massive traffic. Don't get your directions from mapquest...they got me lost 🙁.
 
Originally posted by DesiMDHopeful
Medulla...

Just thought Id mention that if you get a laptop you might want to look into getting a wireless card with it becuase I believe the school intends to go wireless at some point soon.

Click to expand...

Is that true? I hope so. I just went wireless at home and damn there's nothing like it 😀
 
Hello Dr. Will, Anxious, and everyone else!

So...like those that are waiting, I'm feeling lost and growing very impatience as orientation draws near... I have several questions about the AP.

1) Who do you guys called to get the admission status? Is it a guy, lady? Anyhow, I'm always told that my file is "still under consideration". Is that a good thing? Does it necessarily means that I have a chance for acceptance? Do they actually send out letters of rejection for those who didn't qualify at this point??? I guess I just want to know whether I should still feel good that my "file is still under consideration", knowing that I am still in the running. Anyone???

2) Is orientation absolutely neccessary??? the only reason I'm asking this is that what if we get accepted 2 days before orientation or days after? I don't know anyone over there and I haven't book any plane tickets, any sorta planning because I don't know my admit status. plus if orientation is necessary, I certainly don't want to miss out on anything. here is a stupid question: do they have a make-up orientation? ok, just kick myself in the foot. 🙂

3) Is there an airport near the school or is there a long drive to the school after you get off the nearest airport? what is the nearest airport?

4) any advises at this point for me as I wait anxiously for admission into the AP program?

5) Also, do you know of any APs in the past who decided to hold off applying to med school while they're in the program? Would that be ok? Or would it hurt you if you completed the program and apply the following summer with a set of fresh kick*ss grades? I may consider doing that because I really want give my state school a shot but I'm not sure if that is ok.

THANKS EVERYONE !!!
 
Hellooooo......it's me again.

Does anyone know how you may be contacted by the AP Program for notification of admission? I assume not regular mail! Is it via email, phone???

So here is my daily dose of AP-related activities:
1. Wake up-check emails before go to work
2. Check emails in b/w breaks at work
3. Go home and dash to the answering machine for any messages
4. Make the run for the mailbox!
5. Check emails before bed-time.

HAHA ! I know...someone help me. 🙂

BTW, I submitted my application at the end of May. Yikes! Will that absolutely hurt my chances??? I know for the Georgetown program, we were told that early or late applications does not necessarily hurt your chances.

So...if anyone is like me who doesn't know what to do with their summer, I'm tearing my hair dying to know whether I should hit the beaches in Hawaii or end up in Chicago next month.
 
Alrighty...first off lemme tell you to relax...no need to worry yet. I personally didn't find out until a week before orientation. I didn't apply until the day before apps were do. You're still in the running. The are probably gonna start calling to notify applicats for acceptances now, to try and get you out to orientation. Orientation isn't necessary though. No worries on that.

O'Hare is the nearest airport...about a 30 min drive from N. Chicago. Just relax...things are about to pick up for everyone 😉
 
peds888 and other AP applicants, I will tell you this much, I sent in my application last June and within 3 business days, I got my acceptance letter. I think the key to the fast turn around was an email I sent to the former program director telling him I need to decide soon between Georgetown and CMS. If you really do have a situation, I do not see why it would to convey that to the AP staff. I don't know who is the new director but I'm sure you can call and easily find out. Also, peds888, I think you should apply anyways b/c you never know...I was in the similar situation as you.....i just applied for the heck of it....was keen on staying at cms since I KNEW I WOULD SURVIVE (and I did) but by chance, I got into my state school, give it a shot, this whole process is random. Remember to all you future APer's this year is no joke, don't start the program spend $45K, take it easy and not make it....i've seen it happen to quite a few of my classmates this past year......keep it real and stay tough...you'll survive.
 
peds888,

i got into the ap program in the middle of june via regular mail. according to the lady i spoke with in the graduate school admissions office, they send out a bunch of acceptances every two weeks. i'm assuming i was in the second batch. but she also said they accept a lot of students closer to orientation. so don't give up. you'll hear something soon! and even though i'm from cali, i'm sorta familiar with the north suburbs of chicago....so if you need some assistance or a ride or something...just pm me, i'll be back in chi the weekend before orientation. everything will work out! peace

whyme
 
Thanks all for the love.

I'm less worry now since you guys are telling me that they do send out acceptances close to orientations. However, it may vary from year to year. I don't know...

I've spoken to a lady, I believe her name is Mrs. Wickershiem??? Who is she BTW? My only problem is I am stuck at Georgetown SMP too so I have no situation that demands their immediate attention for a decision on my file, except maybe missing out on planning an early vacation before school starts.

Anxious, I gotta say your acceptance lag time have got to be the record!

It sorta is not good that I can't go anywhere right now because I have to stay home to anticipate any response, but whatever...

Does anyone know how good the Drexel program is? From what I was told, it is not as well-structured, plus Philly is not the safest place to be.
 
Hey all,

Do they call or email us at this time if we get accepted?
 
Hmm not sure about that Peds, but I called this morning and they told me to call back on Monday for a result.
 
how do you guys view the finch program in comparison to the one at BU. im goin to the BU one right now. havent heard from finch yet. any thoughts
 
Hey LIlIceboy-

Did you spoke to Ms. Wickersheim? Did he/she said that you will definitely get your result by Monday???

I called Monday and someone told me that I will most likely hear something by Friday. Is that good??

Anyhow, I can't wait to call on Friday but I'm really scare and anxious. If anything at this point and they can give you answer, I assume it would only be good news right?

Emails doesn't work these days. Everyone is so busy to respond to us. Georgetown haven't respond to me over a month. That sucks! I really think it's rude but anyways. does anyone have the same problem about contact via emal with Georgetown?
 
For you guys still waiting to hear something...try and remain patient. Things will be picking up in the next week as we near orientation.

Where are the rest of you soon to be M1's? PM me with suggestions of what you'd like to do to meet. If not, maybe we'll just have a lil bbq thing at my apt (weather pending of course 😉)
 
Dr. Will! you said you were accepted 1 week before orientaiton last year. HOw did they notified you? did they sent you an email or phone, or snail mail?
 
Hey Guys,

have any of you made purchases on equipment for ICM? If so, from where and how much did you spend? Dr. Will, do you recommend that we hold off such purchases until school actually begins? The guy at the bookstore said that there is a some sort of equipment fair early on for the students, where some stuff is on sale. But I don't know if we should wait that long.
 
Jumpu...

Don't worry about buying your ICM equipment now. You won't need any of it till after January anyways. AMSA will hold an equipment sale in mid Jan, and will distribute a list of prices to look at. I (and a bunch of my classmates) actually bought mine last year from a website.... www.steeles.com . The prices were the same but this website had no sales tax on it which the bookstore/AMSA sale could not do, so it was much cheaper. Anyways....so yeah unless you think you found a really hot deal on something, wait till January.
 
Peds and Jiggaman...

The Drexel program is not well structured and does not offer you the same guarantee of an acceptance if you do well. It's possible to get the "B" avg there and then get interviewed and still not accepted. At CMS in the AP this doesnt happen. As for BU....there program is two years and they expect you to do research and write a thesis at the end of the 2nd. The AP program at CMS is shorter, being only one year, and no research is required as part of it.

As for location...yeah the Drexel program has you in Philly taking med classes on video (at least that's how it was when I was looking into it a couple years ago). At CMS you take the med classes in the same room with the med students.
 
Jumpu...I'm not making any purchases until I absolutely find out what I need. That goes for equipment and books.

Peds...as I said in a previous post, I was notified by phone when I was accepted.
 
Thanks Dr.Will and DesiMD for your info/advice! Wish I could be as helpful🙂

Anyway, I am still ridiculously excited and nervous to start--I have a week to pack up and ship out!
So, Dr.Will, the BBQ sounds like a great idea. Hopefully everyone could pitch in and bring something (I could do the veggie burgers!).
This might sound super cheesy (I get it from my AmeriCorps experience),but we could do something where we have to guess who people are on SDN. Whadaya think?

Hope everyone is getting pumped and enjoying their packing days😉
 
Thanks for all the info guys! I guess I was gonna do the same too (typical cheap indian mentality...talking about me of course.)😀 Yeah Medulla I'm getting excited too.

Anybody get the financial aid packages yet, how does that work exactly?😕
 
I too am excited about starting. Not classes, but orientation really. Looking forward to meeting my classmates, and hoping there a few single ones out there 😉. It seems like yesterday I was taking McCormack's physio final (you guys will soon know what I'm talking about 😉). I guess if you guys wanna bbq at my place...we could do that. We can definatley have some sort of pot luck type thing. We'll definately talk more as we get closer. Happy moving everyone.
 
Jumpu...

You'll probably be getting some financial aid stuff in the mail soon. But basically when you get in, you have to sign up for an "entrance interview" during your orientation week at which time they kind of walk you thru what you're getting yourself into, etc and how things will work. Then from there on out you'll get a dispursement of money (depending on how much you're borrowing) on the first day of every term. If you're borrowing a full load this comes out to roughly $1600 a month, and could be a little less if you're getting the school's insurance or not. Oh and speaking of that...if any of you guys are considering the school's insurance plan, I HIGHLY advise that you look around at other options. The school revised the insurance plans this year to supposedly make it better after listening to student feedback...instead it's way too expensive. Stick with your parents insurance if you can...if not then I suggest looking at individual plans from Blue Cross or Humana (which the school ironically had last year). That's just an aside. Anyways....haha...yeah I know all about that cheap indian mentality...hehe...
 
So it's Thursday, 1 1/2 before orientation and I still haven't heard anything yet. This is getting way too depressing...

so I guess I may not see anyone here at orientation 🙁
 
peds888--I'm hoping for you! The best thing I did while waiting was to do stuff towards my back-up plans...I think it creates good karma😎

Ummmm...I was wondering if anyone knows about buying used books from 2nd years or whoever when we get there. Any suggestions?

Also, for curiosity's sake, what is the dynamic like between the CMS and AP students, and what is it like between CMS and the other schools? Just wondering, hopefully it is good!

Another question...how many hours/day would you say most peeps study?
Obviously that is somewhat an individual thing, but I am just trying to give myself as many doses of reality as I can before July 28th! 😱
 
Originally posted by medulla
peds888--I'm hoping for you! The best thing I did while waiting was to do stuff towards my back-up plans...I think it creates good karma😎

Ummmm...I was wondering if anyone knows about buying used books from 2nd years or whoever when we get there. Any suggestions?

Also, for curiosity's sake, what is the dynamic like between the CMS and AP students, and what is it like between CMS and the other schools? Just wondering, hopefully it is good!

Another question...how many hours/day would you say most peeps study?
Obviously that is somewhat an individual thing, but I am just trying to give myself as many doses of reality as I can before July 28th! 😱
Click to expand...

There will be plenty of books for sale by M2's come oreintation. Usually, they'll be posted on bulletin boards, etc. But definately wait till you get there to decide if you even need books. The notes are really complete in most classes. Of all the classes I took with the M1's, the only book I bought was for Neuro.

The dynamic is pretty good between AP's and M1's since we share many classes. There is an underlying bit of competition, however, since the AP's have to "prove" themselves in the classes. But it's never talked about 😉. My study group this past year, included 3 M1's. So no worries on that front.

Expect to put in a decent amount of studying time...I'd say I studied about, at the least 3 hrs a day. Usually way more though. Can't wait to meet you all 😉.
 
Hi,

For those of you waiting to hear from the AP program, there is good news. One of my friends got accepted into the program and just decided not to go. So, like what Dr. Will and others have said earlier...just relax...

I, on the other hand, am still waitlisted at a med school and hope to hear from them soon before I make my final decision regarding the AP program. So, please just try to enjoy your summer in the meantime.

Also, I'd like to thank all of you who have so kindly responded to all of the questions. You guys rock!!
 
Hi people,

I received a telephone call today regarding my acceptance to the AP program. Needless to say I'm pretty happy.

Now since orientation is so close I have a couple of questions.

1) Do a lot of the parents of the students go?

2) Since it snows a lot, and they salt the roads, is corrosion of the bottom of the vehicle a big issue?

3) Will a laptop help me in any significant way?

4) Is there a long line for the dorms?

5) I would like to live in the dorms, Does ANYBODY need a roommate? I come from Southern California, so if you want to meet up beforehand I'd be cool with that.

Thank You.
 
yo Dr. Will, when's this barbeque I keep hearing about? I just got into town and I'm just chillin in Gurnee tryin to take care of apt stuff. Peace.
 
Originally posted by manik
yo Dr. Will, when's this barbeque I keep hearing about? I just got into town and I'm just chillin in Gurnee tryin to take care of apt stuff. Peace.
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A BBQ is just the tentative plan. We could do something else as long as people provide me with suggestions. And it would definately be once everyone arrives. Plus, my apartment is no where near being ready for guests yet. Setting up is a pain.
 
is AP worth it? I mean if you pass the program are u a shoe in for Finch/CMS?
 
Congrats LIlICEboy! I'm happy for you!

I called earlier today and was told nothing is new on my file. I also got the rejection from IMS Drexel today. This really sucks for me, so ** depressing. I don't understand why I still haven't receive the call. From the way it sounds, they make me feel very good about my chances but I'm still waiting at the very end. Drexel made me feel so special from the beginning but at the end, they sent me a letter of REJECTION. What the ????
What really is not cool is that I know I will do well and I know my abilities, and I have so much to offer academically and as an individual. Makes me wonder if I can't get into these programs, how am I going to get into med school this year. Makes me want to dump my med school application in the trash right now. I don't know what to say guys...but this is so depressing I tell ya.

Don't know guys, thanks for hearing me vent.
 
is AP worth it? I mean if you pass the program are u a shoe in for Finch/CMS?
 
wow long time....this thread keeps getting better and better! :clap: :clap:

Bubbajones...my understanding of the program was that as long as you obtain a 3.0 in the program, you get into Finch med...

I think for on-campus housing, it is basically full at this point....they have some singles available in Building 3 which will not open until August, and so that option caters more to the podiatry students.

I also had a question if a lot of people bring their parents along with them....? This is going to sound super weird, but I need to ask...do they have any activities for parents? What should parents do while you are at orientation! 😀 😀 😀

Finally....should we pack a lot of winter clothes? Since we'll have a break end of Oct., is it a good idea to bring winter clothes then, or does it get cold sooner?
 
Let me start out by saying THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF ACCEPTANCE IF YOU GET THE REQUIRED GPA. It just increases your chance of acceptance. If all else is well in your application, then you have a better shot than at any other school.

As for parents, many students bring them along. My mom came out with me last year. She was very vital in helping me set up, seeing how I was really busy with orientation. I don't remember there being much for parents to do. Most of them were busy with other things. But it's not a bad idea to bring them along.

You might as well bring your winter clothes now. The weather is highly unpredictable. It's better to be prepared b/c there will be a few cold days before winter truly starts.
 
hey everyone!

i'm getting excited about heading to chicago in a week! dr. will, what goes on during orientation week for the ap program. is there a lot of down time during the afternoon and then bars/parties at night? thanks
 
Originally posted by whyme
hey everyone!

i'm getting excited about heading to chicago in a week! dr. will, what goes on during orientation week for the ap program. is there a lot of down time during the afternoon and then bars/parties at night? thanks
Click to expand...

That's basically it 😉. Last year, we had a bunch of group activities, along with info sessions for certain things (insurance, curriculum, etc.). Night time activities including: bowling, local bar night, night at a club downtown, choose from a list of activities night, and a few other things. It's a great way to get to know people.

All I know, is it is boring as hell right now in North Chicago. Maybe if some of us are around before orientation starts up next Monday, we could try and do something. Just a thought.
 
Dr. Will how bad is the weather up there? I am from Texas and have never seen snow. How bad does it get up there?
 
if you need help with your AP classes are tutors available and are there study groups?
 
The weather sucks...that's all i can say (we had a few days of -25 degree weather)

As for tutoring, I'm sure you can set that up. Study groups are usually formed on their own. Just gotta find people willing to do the same. That's what I did last year.
 
Thanks to Dr. Will and all the people providing support to all the newbies...............Do you guys know which cell phone compay has good reception and decent rates? Thanks
 
Originally posted by chak_de_phatee
Thanks to Dr. Will and all the people providing support to all the newbies...............Do you guys know which cell phone compay has good reception and decent rates? Thanks
Click to expand...

I'm currently using ATT, which is what I had out in California. Another good company is Verizon.
 
Do you use the nationwide plan Dr. Will. From what I understand that plan would let me have free long distance and no roaming, so I could call back to CA often if I needed. However, wouldn't that end up costing anybody out of CA who wanted to call my cell phone a bunch of money?

Thanks
 
Originally posted by Lil IceBoy
Do you use the nationwide plan Dr. Will. From what I understand that plan would let me have free long distance and no roaming, so I could call back to CA often if I needed. However, wouldn't that end up costing anybody out of CA who wanted to call my cell phone a bunch of money?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Yup, I've got a national plan with ATT. No roaming or long distance as long as I'm on the ATT network, which is found in pretty much every major city across the country. As for everyone else, it depends on what types of plans they have.
 
LilIceBoy,

I got a Cingular Plan when I was in Chicago. I've been in CA for the past couple of months, and my phone has been working fine (no additional costs).

whyme
 
So, it sounds like Cingular wireless would work just fine in north chicago, right? also, what type of health insurance are you guys getting? i called blue cross last Friday and they told me that coverage in North Chicago would be 80 bucks/month. Is that a good deal? Thanks a bunch!!!
 
Well, hope to see you all out in Chicago soon. I'm making the long drive to CHI town today from S. Cali. Its gonna be a long 3 days. Anywayz, the bbq thing sounds fine. Just let me know during orientation or whatever. Good luck everyone and get ready for one year of hell! heh
 
:laugh: So I guess everyone is liking the BBQ idea 😉. Oh man, what pressure.
 
hey dr. will,

I'll bring beer. 😀
 
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