OHSU C/O 2009!!!!! Sweet!

[bdt]

I called the admissions office two days ago and was really excited to learn that I was accepted to OHSU! Do any of you guys know when orientation starts? Have you been mailed any information on housing? I'm on the East coast so nothing has gotten to me yet.

congrats cmizzy!!! Welcome to the Left Coast. Pchsgirl already gave you orientation but here's a couple other dates.

Aug 8th - 12th : Optional "observationships"
Aug 15th - Orientation starts
Aug 22nd - Classes start

I live here in Portland (aka PDX, P-town, Stumptown...) and I'm sick of work today so here's my summary on Portland living.

How PDX is layed out

People in Portland generally divide it into four sections (NE, SE, NW, SW). The Willamette River divides the city E/W (making for nice bridges) while Burnside Ave. divides the city N/S. Each part of town is usually further divided into neighborhoods

OHSU is located in the SW. As you know it's about halfway up the hill. If you want to roll out of bed in the morning and walk to class. Living "on the hill" is the way to go. The downside to living on the hill is that there's a coffee shop , a pizza place, and a plaid pantry (like 7-11) up there. That's it! When you need to go grocery shopping or wanna hit a bar for a beer. You've got to drive down the hill. There is a huge forested area up on the hill that's great for walking and trail running. If you want a little seperation from school, there a lots of options as the bus system here is great (parking on the hill at ohsu is hard to get unless you're a doc or employee).

Now a run down on the other parts...

NOTE: Just as I finished typing my blurbs on the different parts of portland, I found thiss nice website that's got some photos and descriptions
http://www.kbcmgmt.com/neighborhoods/
Check it out. My blurbs are below, but aren't nearly as creative.

SW: As I said this is where OHSU is but, generally SW refers to downtown portland. Not a whole lot of living here (unless you can afford high-rise condos), but it's got a lot going on (theater, movies, concerts, shopping). Portland has a law that says the first floor of all commercial buildings must be open to pedestrian street shopping. This makes downtown a very walkable friendly place.

NW: Home to 23rd Ave. and the Perl district. It's a pretty expensive area to live in, but it's got some cool features. Definately the place to live if you want an "Urban" setting. It's home to a lot of upscale restaurants (pdx has great eats), art galleries and loft apts. 23rd is full of shops and restaurants (sometimes called trendy-third). At the north end of NW is Forest park. It's the largest city park in the country. It's really a big forest with trails and a gravel road running through it (no cars on the road). Great place for riding a bike or running.

NE: Probably the part of town in the most flux right now. It used to be the "poorer" part of town, but is getting gentrified and "hip." It's got streets like Alberta and Broadway that have some cool restaurants. It's quickly growing. Unless you live in "Inner NE" the commute may be a bit longer.

SE: Like the NW, this area is home to lots of young folks only it's "Hippier" than NW. Let's say that NW is Portland's New York while SE is Portland's San Francisco (just a guess as I'm going on reputation alone and haven't lived either of those two places). SE has lots of the beautiful portland "craftsman" homes and is home to some cool neighborhoods. Particularly, the Hawthorne area is very cool. There you can find book stores, restaurants, bars, and movies (local places not your mega plexes). I really like hawthorne area. Also there's Belmont which is like a smaller hawthorne. You've got Sellwood neighborhood which is a bit quieter (think upscale antique shops). There's a bike trail running from Sellwood to downtown (nice for commuting unless you're commuting at night)

I am leaving out "North Portland" which is where the new "MAX" light rail runs. This is perhaps the fastest growing part of town. I haven't spent a ton of time there.

I've lived in NW, SW,SE, and NE. All have their pluses and minus depending on want you want. Most of the folks I know that work/study at ohsu live on the hill (ie SW), NW or SE because the commutings easy.

Rent varies greatly depending on what neighborhood you're in.

Good Luck and Welcome. I'm pretty sure MistressS, Pchsgirl, and myself live in P-town. I don't know about them, but feel free to PM if you've got questions.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[bdt]

it is weird that the best possible (24,000) is lower than the projected (27,000). wasn't the projected in-state tuition posted before they knew about budget cuts?

30,000 sure is a lot for in-state.

what makes you think the waitlist is being sent out? thanks!

Don't worry, it won't be 24,000 unless the state finds $100 million under a rock somewhere. Yup $30,000 is a lot for instate, but that's what you get for a Med schoo/hospital that has pretty much "privitized" itself. Long story, but OHSU gets very little funding from the state because it's basically run as a corporation. In 1995, "OHSU becomes a public corporation and separates from the Oregon State System of Higher Education. Governance of OHSU changes from the Board of Higher Education to the OHSU Board of Directors, whose members are nominated by the governor and approved by the Oregon Senate." (ohsu website chronology page). I'm not sure of quite why this was done, but it had something to do with funding issues.

The waitlist? Some folks have obviously mentioned calling and finding out spots. OHSU also updated their med admissions page so that it no longer showed the "As of blah we've accepted waitlist number 64 for the" from last year.

Good Luck,
BDT

 

[cmizzy]

Hey thanks for those replies. I grew up on the west coast, and have a fair amount of experience with Portland, but this is exactly the type if information that I need. I guess my first decision needs to be if I am going to live real close to campus or off the hill. Thanks again for the info!

 

[hellokitty102]

Hey guys,

Congrats on getting in! I'm on the waitlist - in the lower 30's. Do you think the waitlist will move far enough to get me in this year? It seems OHSU is popular this year...

 

[Pchsgirl]

Hey thanks for those replies. I grew up on the west coast, and have a fair amount of experience with Portland, but this is exactly the type if information that I need. I guess my first decision needs to be if I am going to live real close to campus or off the hill. Thanks again for the info!

Wow BDT, that was a great summary of P-town neighborhoods. I personally live in SE (sort of Eastmoreland, which is a little further East than Sellwood) and work on the hill. For me it is great, I have no complaints. There are lots of apartments and rental houses, the neighborhoods are great, there's tons of restaurants & stores, I'm right off the Springwater Trail (a 40 mile loop that used to be a railroad track and was converted to a walking/biking trail and parks), and the commute isn't bad at all.

In my experience with other students & employees it basically comes down to whether or not you want to totally differentiate your school/work life & other than school/work life. I like to finish work and leave the hill, but I can definately see the convenience of being right here all the time too. But as BDT says that convenience pretty much only extends to school/work, because you have to leave the hill to do almost anything other than shop at Plaid Pantry.

One more note (I am sick of work as well!), Portland has great public transportation. The MAX East, West and North from downtown, and I have yet to find a place that I can't get by bus. There are also express buses that serve different parts of Portland. They only run up the hill in the am, and down the hill in the pm. They don't stop nearly as often as the regular buses, and mostly employees/students ride, so there are fewer strange folks. You can also buy an unlimited bus sticker for your ID badge so that you don't have to buy tickets. Anyway, that's all from me.

 

[Mistress S]

Hey, I do live in Portland and would be happy to answer questions. Here is a lengthy PM I sent someone who asked me about moving to Portland recently, some of it is redundant with what others have said but maybe it will be helpful to some:

[I've lived in Portland for awhile (~10 years), so I can offer some advice. OHSU doesn't really have on-campus housing, there are some apartments on the hill near them but be aware that there's not much else up there--few stores, restaurants, etc. It is a little cheaper to live on the hill right by OHSU than in the downtown area and you would be right next to school though, so the trade-off might be worth it to you. I like city life though, so I would recommend finding a place either in downtown or close-in. There is a student apartment building that OHSU shares with PSU in the SW area (goose hollow neighborhood; the apartments are called the Goose Hollow Plaza), it's in a good location and rents are a little cheaper than market rate for the area but I wouldn't recommend them--my BF and I actually lived there for ~1.5 years while I was going to PSU , and while the apartments themselves are decent the building is like a frat house, the other students that live there are loud and just trash the place. I wouldn't move back there if they cut the rent in half.

If you live on the west side (NW or SW areas) you will be close to OHSU and in many of the neighborhoods in/close to downtown there are a lot of fun things around. NW around 23rd st or in the area called the Pearl district are both really nice if a little yuppified, but very expensive. If you can afford it, it would be a great place to live because there are tons of great restaurants, bars, and stores around. When I say "expensive", I mean for Portland, which is not NY or SF--in most of Portland, you can get a decent studio for $450-600, one bedrooms for $550-700, and 2 bedrooms for $650-900, less if you're willing to live in less desirable areas. In NW portland and most of downtown, expect to pay more like $800 and up for a decent 1 bedroom. If you're not picky though, there are definitely cheaper apartments around.

The east side of portland (across the river from downtown) can also be a good option--there is good public transportation in many areas, rents tend to be cheaper, and there are some really cool neighborhoods. If you will have roomates, you could probably rent a house in NE or SE--a lot of people do that here, you can rent a 3-4 bedroom house in a nice area for $1000-1300, split 3-4 ways that's not bad. You can usually find people looking for roomates in housing situations like this, it may be your cheapest option and as long as you're careful about finding roomates you're compatible with it can be a great living situation. In SE, the areas around Hawthorne and Belmont streets are nice with lots of stuff close by. In NE, the Laurelhurst and Irvington neighborhoods are good. I live in NE now close to Irvington, my BF and I pay $800 for a big (1000 sf) 2 bedroom apartment in a newer building. We are 3 blocks from the MAX train, which is free in this area up to downtown, and we can hop on that and be downtown in 15 min. We will be moving in the summer, hopefully into a house if we can find one the two of us can afford. I would like to either move back to the west side (where we couldn't afford a house, but hopefully get a decent apartment) or find a house in NE or SE. We have a dog, there are many pet-firendly rentals in Portland but by no means all, so that's another restriction.

About your car, it's up to you--Portland in general has good public transportation with the MAX light rail, steetcar, and buses, and parking at OHSU is horrendous and expensive so you'll probably won't want to drive there anyway. But getting around outside of the areas close to downtown can be a little difficult without a car, so if you plan on living further east or don't want to have to worry about finding housing close to the MAX or bus lines a car can make things easier. Most neighborhoods in Portland have cheap street parking permits and other than in a few areas in NW or downtown parking is not usually too terrible, you most likely won't have to pay for a garage. Even when I lived downtown in SW, you could purchase a street permit from the city for $15/yr, although I elected to pay for the garage because I suck at parallel parking. I have a car which my BF and I share, it makes things like getting groceries, taking the dog to the vet, etc. much simpler, and I plan to keep it in med school. It wouldn't be too bad of a drive for you from Vegas, either. But Rob (the aformentioned BF) gets around just fine without one, so if you want to get rid of your car you won't necessarily need it here.

Housing is plentiful here, you shouldn't have too much difficulty finding something quickly. When do you plan to move? The only areas I would say to stay away from would be old town (on the west side bordering the Pearl) and most of north portland. Parts of N portland are being "revitalized" but a lot of it is still the closest thing portland has to a ghetto. Craigslist has a lot of listings (www.craigslist.org, then click on portland), you could also check rental listings in the willamette week, a free weekly newspaper here (www.willametteweek.com). The Mercury, another free newspaper, has some rental listings but not as many (www.portlandmercury.com), but when you get into town it is a fun read and has a lot of listings for shows and whatnot so you should check it out. www.rent.net has a feature where you can search for apartments by proximity to a school, but generally only lists larger complexes.]

 

[Mr. Seeds]

Hey guys,

Congrats on getting in! I'm on the waitlist - in the lower 30's. Do you think the waitlist will move far enough to get me in this year? It seems OHSU is popular this year...

I'd say you are looking really good for an acceptance.

 

[Ambs]

Hey guys,

Congrats on getting in! I'm on the waitlist - in the lower 30's. Do you think the waitlist will move far enough to get me in this year? It seems OHSU is popular this year...

I think you're going to get in! Best wishes to you!

 

[Pchsgirl]

Hey guys,

Congrats on getting in! I'm on the waitlist - in the lower 30's. Do you think the waitlist will move far enough to get me in this year? It seems OHSU is popular this year...

At 60something last year & 90something the year before, I think you're set! Plenty of people that might like OHSU, but love someplace else will soon be mailing in their decline letters, I'm sure. Good Luck!

 

[Castillonis]

Craigslist and Google Maps combined
http://www.housingmaps.com
(Change the city to Portland, Change the price range)

In some neighborhoods such as SE,NE or NW Portland the
best method of finding a good studio or apartment is
by walking through the neighborhood and calling the
manager's number that is listed. In other neighborhoods
using the internet or paper is better.

Portland is a relatively benign and safe place relative to big
cities. Though, if you are used to the midwest or suburbs
stay away from East 82nd Portland which far away anyway.
Stay away from areas in the immediate vicinity of Emmanual hospital
on the East side near MLK (Martin Luther King) (fine during the day)

The Perl district is mostly comprised of condominiums and some
subsidized housing, so I would doubt that any students would
actually reside in the Perl. It is possible to find very affordable
housing in NW if you search for a while. I live on the north south
border on the east side near 28th street.

Castillonis

 

[Castillonis]

Public transportation
=====================
Trimet system map
http://www.trimet.org/schedule/pdf/SystemMapFall2004.pdf

8 Jackson Park
to Marquam Hill (for the ride towards OHSU)
http://www.trimet.org/schedule/r108.htm
aproximately 24 minutes from 5th and Stark
downtown to OHSU with a stop at the VA hospital.
Heading south on 5th street consumes some time
due to all of the stops and traffic lights.

Other bus lines travel to downtown where you
may transfer anywhere along 5th or 6th street. You
would stay on 5th or walk to 5th from 6th street in
order to catch the number 8 heading south through the
city towards OHSU on Marquam hill.
A few of the possible connecting bus lines.
{17,15, Streetcar} NW Portland, and Pearl District
{19 SE Burnside/Glisan, 20 SE Burnside,
15 SE Belmont, 14 SE Hawthorne, 4 SE Division} SE Portland
{15, E/W lightrail, walk downtown} SW Portland

Bicycle Maps for Portland
========================
Portland weather is temperate, though it is usually
very wet during the winter and spring. There is a
system of bike lanes that have been painted upon the
street surface which makes bicycling a more pleasant
experience during amenable weather. I would definitely rebind
Kumar into seperate volumes before travelling on my bycycle.
http://www.trans.ci.portland.or.us/bicycles/bicyclemaps.htm#Portland
Magnify the map to at least 150%

Castillonis

 

[Castillonis]

Studying
=======
http://www.ohsu.edu/library/hours.shtml
The OHSU library closes at 11pm for OHSU students
Main Library
Regular Hours
Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Extended Hours*
Monday-Thursday, 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Sunday, 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
*Open only to OHSU students, faculty and staff with
campus access cards.

Many people from other colleges utilize the Portland State
University library which is located downtown and is on the number
8 busline. There is plenty of food and coffee close by for long
study sessions. The front of the five story library is a semi circle
of glass around a huge tree and overlooks the park blocks.

http://www.lib.pdx.edu/about/hours.html
(scroll down the web page for a map of the PSU campus)
Spring term hours
Monday - Thursday, 7:30am to midnight
Friday, 7:30am to 7:00pm
Saturday, 10:00am to 7:00pm
Sunday, 11:00am to midnight

3rd and 4th floor no talking, but smaller desks
All journals are located on the south end of the 3rd floor
Computers that you may use are on the east end of the 2nd floor
You may not use the wireless network.

Students with ID from affiliated schools such as OHSU may obtain
a computer account with unlimited hours for the use of the 2nd floor
computers.

Coffee shops with free wireless access
=====================================
Many of the independent coffee shops offer free wireless.
Some coffee shops are conducive to study and some are not.

http://www.personaltelco.net/static/node/index.html
Click on "nodes" at the top and scroll down.

Castillonis

 

[Ambs]

Thanks to all of you who are kind enough to post such great information. I am literally copying and pasting it & printing! It seems like our class will be fantastic.

I'll be moving to Portland in early August...

 

[Castillonis]

I spoke with about five MSI students from OHSU this year about challenging
parts of the curriculum. There was a consensus between the MSI students
about the challenge of learning all of the metabolic pathways for biochemistry
which is the second block after transitioning out of block 1 with gross
anatomy. This was especially true for students who had not taken
biochemistry during their undergraduate studies.

I need to verify that "metabolic pathways" was the challenging part of the
curriculum. It may be wise to read through a medical biochemistry text this
summer if you have not taken biochemistry, or review your text, notes and
problems if you have already taken biochemistry.

All of the students seemed happy with their choice of attending
OHSU. One student will be leading an international trip to the jungle in Peru
for two months in the summer and improving his spanish. He is currently
taking a medical spanish elective and a medical history elective.

An MS1 told me that there is a director for each integrated course with
about sixteen instructors that will submit their questions to the director
of the course. Instruction is held from 8am until 12 noon M-F with clinical
preceptorships in the afternoon. Thus there is an adequate amount of time
to study the material. You are given notes which include text and series of
condensed power point slides. The slides may or may not be posted online
in time to view the online version for test preparation purposes. The
information I have given in this last paragraph may contain some errors. The
information is from conversations that I have had recently with various MS1
students.

Some of the MSII students did not offer much information. It may be that
they are very focused on preparation for exams and the USMLE I boards.
I spoke with a really great MS4 who is interviewing for an EM residency in
Ca. He was very helpful.

Castillonis

 

[cmizzy]

For those who have searched for housing in Portland before...

I should be arriving in Portland around July 10th. Is this too late to find decent housing if I start a lease in August? I'm on the East coast, so I am wondering if I need to come to Portalnd earlier in order to scout things out. Any thoughts???

 

[Ambs]

For those who have searched for housing in Portland before...

I should be arriving in Portland around July 10th. Is this too late to find decent housing if I start a lease in August? I'm on the East coast, so I am wondering if I need to come to Portalnd earlier in order to scout things out. Any thoughts???

I'm going in July too. I hope it's not too late...

Also, is the grading system H/P/F? or am I wrong?

 

[Castillonis]

I don't know how constrained the supply for housing that is within
a short walk to OHSU is. I will need to inquire.

For the rest of the neighborhoods near downtown Portland it should not
be a problem. Check the combined craigslist and google maps site URL
that I posted earlier in order to see trends and particular cost data points.

Obviously, you will see an increase in activity near the first of the month.

Castillonis

 

[Pchsgirl]

For those who have searched for housing in Portland before...

I should be arriving in Portland around July 10th. Is this too late to find decent housing if I start a lease in August? I'm on the East coast, so I am wondering if I need to come to Portalnd earlier in order to scout things out. Any thoughts???

I think you will both be fine. I see available apartment signs at all times of the year, even up here on the hill. Plus, I might be looking for a roommate in my house in SE! Are you all set up on the OHSU incoming students e-mail list yet? They give you the option of joining when you get your signature page, in case you haven't gotten it yet. Anyway, one of our classmates just sent out an e-mail looking for a roommate for her house in SW. It just depends on whether or not you're cool with living with other people, but on the whole you can get a lot more space for the money in a rental house with a few other folks.

 

[Mr. Seeds]

For those who have searched for housing in Portland before...

I should be arriving in Portland around July 10th. Is this too late to find decent housing if I start a lease in August? I'm on the East coast, so I am wondering if I need to come to Portalnd earlier in order to scout things out. Any thoughts???

I spoke with an MSI about this a few days ago, and he said that housing on the hill is quite plentiful and that finding a place within walking/biking distance should not a be a problem.

 

[cmizzy]

Thanks all... I feel a bit less stressed about finding housing now. All of your posts were very useful. I haven't received the second letter that was referred to- but I'm sure when I do it will provide some additional information. I can't wait to make it back to the West coast!

 

[Mistress S]

So today I called fin aid to get a bit more info. The person I spoke with said they are trying to get offers mailed out by the end of this month, and that they will base them on the higher figure ($30,600) since the legislative session may run until Sep and adjust it if needed. So OHSU people who are OR residents, write your congressperson and encourage them to restore funds to OHSU!

BTW, I say this not purely out of self-interest: since OHSU is the only medical school in OR, only 108 new physicians graduate each year to serve the state. Clearly this is not enough, and the difference is not being made up in physicians moving here from other states as we are facing a substantial shortage of docs, particularly in rural and underserved areas. And the state responds by...cutting the funding to the state's only medical school, thus making it increasingly unlikely that proposed talks of expansion will occur or that the rural medicine program will continue, and giving OR's best and brightest (that would be us ) less of an incentive to stay in state?! I know our budget sucks this year, but there has to be a better solution. But I'm probably preaching to the choir here, so I'll get off my soapbox.

 

[Ambs]

So today I called fin aid to get a bit more info. The person I spoke with said they are trying to get offers mailed out by the end of this month, and that they will base them on the higher figure ($30,600) since the legislative session may run until Sep and adjust it if needed. So OHSU people who are OR residents, write your congressperson and encourage them to restore funds to OHSU!

BTW, I say this not purely out of self-interest: since OHSU is the only medical school in OR, only 108 new physicians graduate each year to serve the state. Clearly this is not enough, and the difference is not being made up in physicians moving here from other states as we are facing a substantial shortage of docs, particularly in rural and underserved areas. And the state responds by...cutting the funding to the state's only medical school, thus making it increasingly unlikely that proposed talks of expansion will occur or that the rural medicine program will continue, and giving OR's best and brightest (that would be us ) less of an incentive to stay in state?! I know our budget sucks this year, but there has to be a better solution. But I'm probably preaching to the choir here, so I'll get off my soapbox.

I think you made excellent points. It's sad!

 

[bdt]

So OHSU people who are OR residents, write your congressperson and encourage them to restore funds to OHSU!

Good Call Mistress S.

You can add on the fact that the malpractice situation in OR is getting so bad it's driving docs away too. There's also a huge nursing shortage and the budget cuts are effecting the nursing school just as much. The state govt. should be increasing funding to help keep state docs and nurses here. OK, I'll get off the soapbox I borrowed from Mistress S.

Here's the point of my email....

Wanna know who your OR state legislators are?
http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/

Writing them a real letter or calling their office is probably most effective, but for a quick way. You can quickly send them an email at:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/writelegsltr/

If you're from out of state, but, as a future citizen of OR, would like to voice your opinion. Choose from a couple of these Portland zips... 97239 (ohsu's), 97213 (SE), 97210(nw). Mr. Seeds might be able to drop salem's zip your way.

If you don't use your voice, you've got no reason to complain.

 

[EyeAmCommi]

no asians here? dude, we have Intel.

No, really guys. Why are there so many Asians at OHSU? I wanna know your opinions on this phenomenon. According to a medical school statistics book, 69% of the med school class is Asian.

 

[Castillonis]

The MSIs are currently studying the Biological Basis for Disease block. I
spoke to a MSI who was at the point in his notes where he is studying
about the different classes of antibiotics. Beta Lactams/inihibition of cell
wall synthesis NAM-NAG sugars, Tetracyclines, Macrolides/protein synthesis,
etc. He was using his undergrad microbiology book as a reference. That
was one of the subjects that made me really interested in biology.

They just finished a two week block on immunology. That was much
better than some of the text I saw in their previous block. There was
this horrendus metabolic pathway that was just a bunch of compounds
seperated by commas. Talk about terse.


Redirection and distraction towards more constructive topics by

Castillonis

 

[Mr. Seeds]

Mr. Seeds might be able to drop salem's zip your way.

97301, 97302 for S.

97305 for NE

 

[Castillonis]

non relevant

 

[Mistress S]

Has anyone filled out there FASFA yet? Considering a keybank Medachiever
and not a Teri loan? Do you need a cosigner for the Teri?

Castillonis

I filled out and submitted my FAFSA a long time ago--in Feb. If you haven't done that yet, you should ASAP, as it takes a little while to process and you can't get any aid until that is done. As has been discussed in this thread, OHSU has not mailed out award offers yet but will be doing so in the next 2-4 weeks; once we have those, we'll be able to make decisions about private lenders. In general though, whether or not you need a co-signer is based on your credit. Are you definitely going to OHSU this fall?

 

[Ambs]

Hey all,

I talked to Debbie in admissions today, and she said that our white coat ceremony has been scheduled for August 26th, 2005. Also grading is Honors, Near Honors, Satisfactory, and Fail. (What the heck is "satisfactory" ... why can't they just call it "pass" ... "satisfactory" makes it sound bad! )

Any way, I'm still excited!

 

[Mistress S]

Anyone else get the letter about the summer observerships? I really want to go, but I'll be out of the country for the dates in the letter! It sounds really cool though, you spend a week living with and assisting a family practice doc. I called to see if there is any flexibility in the dates, but I kind of doubt it. Anyone planning to do it?

 

[Pchsgirl]

Anyone else get the letter about the summer observerships? I really want to go, but I'll be out of the country for the dates in the letter! It sounds really cool though, you spend a week living with and assisting a family practice doc. I called to see if there is any flexibility in the dates, but I kind of doubt it. Anyone planning to do it?

I'm planning on it, I agree that it sounds pretty cool. I really haven't spent much time in rural OR (other than Bend which doesn't quite count in my book), so I'm looking forward to it. I put on my form the more rural the better, so it will be interesting to see where I end up!

 

[Furrball2]

Ahh from the site of the new 12 story patient tower / cable car. Good luck guys, I'm out of there as of commencement on June 1st.

 

[Ambs]

bump

 

[Ambs]

Where is everyone?

 

[Mr. Seeds]

Bump. Hey, for those of you who've been accepted off the waitlist and are def. attending OHSU, you should add your name to the matriculation thread so we can see who's attending. So far I'm the only one

BTW, thanks for finding out about the grading, Ambs.

 

[Idaho grown]

Hey everyone,
I'm new to this thread, can everyone please give me the reasons they want to attend OHSU? What makes it special to you? Curriculum? Your home state? The only school you got in? Area? Time for volunteer/clinical experiences? Whatever it is please let me know. I am accepted to OHSU for this fall.

 

[Ambs]

Bump. Hey, for those of you who've been accepted off the waitlist and are def. attending OHSU, you should add your name to the matriculation thread so we can see who's attending. So far I'm the only one

BTW, thanks for finding out about the grading, Ambs.

you're welcome

When you mentioned matriculation thread, I also (for some bizarre reason) thought of the email/list serve for the entering class. Are you guys on it?

 

[Ambs]

Hey everyone,
I'm new to this thread, can everyone please give me the reasons they want to attend OHSU? What makes it special to you? Curriculum? Your home state? The only school you got in? Area? Time for volunteer/clinical experiences? Whatever it is please let me know. I am accepted to OHSU for this fall.

OHSU was my last interview. It was also my best experience. I had thirteen interviews, and by then I had determined that location, curriculum, general atmosphere of school, and clinical exposure were the most important deciding factors for me. I thought that the OHSU campus was absolutely gorgeous and not to mention huge. The facilities are nice, and the people were friendly and laid-back. I like the block curriculum, early clinical exposure through the preceptorship, and international opportunities. Oregon is not my home state, and I got into several other programs, but OHSU won me over. Portland is a great city -- outdoor and indoor activites are numerous. The dining and cultural life are fabulous as is the outdoor beauty.

Anyone else want to chime in?

 

[Ambs]

One more thing: clinical experience is especially appealing to me since I've been out of school and working in the medical setting. Oregon students, in particular, commented that they felt extremely well prepared for their rotations due to their early clinical experiences.

 

[cmizzy]

OHSU students stood out as very happy and confident about their medical education. The general feel about the school seemed to be excited and optimistic. Despite a low level of support from the state, OHSU has managed to grow its research programs dramatically over the past 15 years. When I spent a summer at OHSU a few years back, everyone was very positive about the commitment that the administration has towards the medical students. Portland is a beautiful city and is in many ways an ideal environment for a medical student. You can live a fairly high standard of life without spending too much money. I too had a whole bunch of interviews, and a number of acceptances at reputable schools. In the end, OHSU was my clear choice.

 

[Idaho grown]

Hey everyone,

thanks for your comments. I lived in Portland for a summer and volunteered at Wallace Community Concern - one of OHSU's outreach clinics. It was a great experience. Med students volunteer along with professors, so - the nurse goes in to the patient, then the student, then they confer with the doctor, then both the student and doctor go in. And I got to help out with spanish translation throughout all the steps.

So, that experience impressed me and attracted me to OHSU, also I had a brother-in-law that went to OHSU dental, he liked it. And an uncle-in-law that did medicine there years ago, he really enjoyed it, but times have changed - he payed 6,000 for in-state.

And now, I am on a few wiatlists one of them being GW - which really impressed me.

Not to say that I will have to make a decision, but if I do, it might be tough. Did anyone else apply to GW?

 

[cmizzy]

Hey Idaho,

I currently live in DC. After I was admitted to Georgetown I withdrew my application to GW. Eventually I decided to go to OHSU... GW is an entirely different type of school- this goes without even mentioning the differences between DC and portland. OHSU was my choice, but that was based on my own life experiences. Feel free to PM me…

 

[bluemorpho]

I GOT IN!!!! Look forward to meeting all of you soon. If anyone works on the hill PM me and maybe we could meet up. Also if anyone has any questions I live here and work at OHSU so I might have the answer. YEAH!!!!

 

[Ambs]

I GOT IN!!!! Look forward to meeting all of you soon. If anyone works on the hill PM me and maybe we could meet up. Also if anyone has any questions I live here and work at OHSU so I might have the answer. YEAH!!!!

Congratulations!!! See you in a couple of months!!!

 

[Ambs]

I GOT IN!!!! Look forward to meeting all of you soon. If anyone works on the hill PM me and maybe we could meet up. Also if anyone has any questions I live here and work at OHSU so I might have the answer. YEAH!!!!

Add your name to the matriculation thread

 

[bluepanda]

Count me in too! (formerly #4 alternate)
After 3 years of applying I finally earned acceptance to the only school I ever wanted to attend!
Perseverence, patience, and positivity can ultimately pay off!

 

[bdt]

I GOT IN!!!! Look forward to meeting all of you soon. If anyone works on the hill PM me and maybe we could meet up. Also if anyone has any questions I live here and work at OHSU so I might have the answer. YEAH!!!!

Congrats bluemorpho and bluepanda!!!! Go celebrate...

Bluemorpho...Get off the hill and enjoy the sunny day.

Bluepand... 3 years of perserverence, wow! nice work.

Cheers

 

[emills]

Sweet! I'm heading to OHSU this fall, and would love some advice on where to live. Definitely don't want to be on the hill for my first two years, and am looking for apartments around PSU and in NW... I don't think I can get up there to apt. hunt until late June. I hope that's enough time. Congrats to all my fellow classmates! Can't wait to get to know you!

 

[Mistress S]

Congrats to bluemorpho, bluepanda, and eveyone else who just got off the waitlist!

And good luck to those still waiting to hear!

 

[Monkeyguts]

Hey everybody,

I'm a first year at OHSU. I was just writing to say hello and congratulations on getting an acceptance. We are about two weeks away from finishing our first year and are currently in the Biological Basis of Disease Block. This part we are studying about different disease processes caused by foriegn organisms affecting different areas of the body.

We also just finished our Principles of Clinical Medicine course for the year and are getting ready to take our last written exam and practical exam this coming Wednesday which will be a relief. Now, school will really only be 8-12 everyday for the rest of the year.

I noticed earlier somebody was thinking about breaking out the biochem book over the summer. Don't do it. Just relax as Gross Anatomy, Imaging, and Embryology is eleven weeks in duration and you really won't be ahead of the game if you spend this summer studying in my opinion. You'll have a good time in GIE and don't forget to bring colored pencils to the embryology lectures (you'll find out what I'm talking about).

The summer observership is a fun thing to do, but don't worry if you can't get there. There were only a few that did it in our class and it is really only for fun. You will have ample opportunity to interact with clinical staff throughout the year including family practice physicians. If you think your really missing out they have the same program between your first and second year in addition to an actual scholarship where they pay you to spend four weeks with a rural physician.

The first year was good at OHSU. There was a lot of learning and it came fast and furious, but it was definately do-able. The first course is the easiest (Gross Anatomy) and then the next two courses get successively harder, so enjoy the first course as much as possible!

Anyway, any questions about school here at OHSU fire away, and I look forward to meeting you all next year. Congrats and enjoy your summer.