~~~ OSU-COM Class of 2010 ~~~

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Hernandez said:
Part of me would tell you don't take it, enjoy your time off, but then when half of the class will fail the first anatomy and histo tests, I find it hard not to say go for it if you wish.
So, I guess this class is actually beneficial? They were really pushing it on us at admitted student day. I don't mind taking it this summer if it will help. It also gives me a good excuse to quit my crappy job :thumbup:

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fraggle said:
So, I guess this class is actually beneficial? They were really pushing it on us at admitted student day. I don't mind taking it this summer if it will help. It also gives me a good excuse to quit my crappy job :thumbup:

They didn't offer it for my class. It must have been in the past 1-2 years that they have offered this.
 
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mshheaddoc said:
How are nelnet loans? I've heard they are pretty good too.

The financial aid office gave us a presentation of the best and most popular loan companies. They never mentioned nelnet.
 
mshheaddoc said:
? How is that possible as most of my med school friends back east have nelnet and so does a few poeple at OSU that I know.

That's because T.H.E. is the best one out there for med students.
 
No offense meant really I just want other input. I have loans already with nelnet and would like to keep them there but I want to hear about the advantages and disadvantages.

Think you can be unbiased an explain? ;)
 
mshheaddoc said:
No offense meant really I just want other input. I have loans already with nelnet and would like to keep them there but I want to hear about the advantages and disadvantages.

Think you can be unbiased an explain? ;)

Nah, I just got my info from the financial aid office. They would be your best resource for unbiased information about different loan compaines.
 
mshheaddoc said:
How are nelnet loans? I've heard they are pretty good too.

If you went to the first admitted student day they gave an overview of the nelnet loans with a booklet of information. I do not know which lender is best, but I have only heard good things about the T.H.E. lender. I don't know which lender I am going to use.
 
OSU2010 said:
If you went to the first admitted student day they gave an overview of the nelnet loans with a booklet of information. I do not know which lender is best, but I have only heard good things about the T.H.E. lender. I don't know which lender I am going to use.

That must be a new thing. I don't remember hearing about them a couple of years ago.

Either that or they hyped up T.H.E. so much, and barely mentioned nelnet, so I didn't pay attention.
 
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I went to the admitted student's day, too. I don't remember a nelnet presentation at all. 4 presentations: THE, Citi, Chase, and BOK or someone like that..
 
BobBarker said:
I went to the admitted student's day, too. I don't remember a nelnet presentation at all. 4 presentations: THE, Citi, Chase, and BOK or someone like that..

nelnet was marketed through the Bank of Oklahoma
 
Hi I'm new to SDN and to the Tulsa area. I don't know if this has been discussed before, but can anyone give me any advice on where to live? I have heard of some condos in the downtown area that are also nice. What about renting vs. owning? Does Tulsa have a good re-sale value?
 
bluespin83 said:
Hi I'm new to SDN and to the Tulsa area. I don't know if this has been discussed before, but can anyone give me any advice on where to live? I have heard of some condos in the downtown area that are also nice. What about renting vs. owning? Does Tulsa have a good re-sale value?

Here are some popular areas to at:

-Riverside (61st through 96th and Riverside) --> short commute to school
-Cherry St. (15th & Peoria area) --> very short commute to school
-Brookside (31st & Peoria area) --> short commute to school
-Broken Arrow/Southeast Tulsa --> long commute to school (nicest area)

I would avoid living near the school, or anywhere in north Tulsa.

(Some people live right next door to the school, but the rent is high, and there is absolutely nothing to eat near school other than McDonald's, Sonic, and Subway. Those restaurants are adjacent to a large number of project housing, as is the school.)
 
As for areas to live it depends on what you are looking for. Some people have more than one person so I know people who have bought or rented houses in the areas mentioned above. Additionally, quite a few students live next to the school in Westport apartments for the first two years then move out afterwards as some like the ease of just walking to school. Although OSUdoc is right, there aren't many places to eat near by, all the places he mentioned are 10 mins away and it really isn't that much of a inconvienence. It depends on how much you want to pay for rent. But usually $4-500/mn is average.

When we were looking to find a home that would be affordable to live trying to find a house that was reasonably priced and big enough for us was our problem. We wanted something 1200sq ft+ But we looked at many reasonable houses that were in the nicer areas but were smaller. You can always browse the housing on realtor.com if you might want to buy but for the price to rent downtown/midtown area we found it optimal to buy. Everyone is different.

I would suggest something in the areas that OSUdoc mentioned unless you want the convience factor of living next to the school. I observe that most guys don't really care about living there and most femals that live there aren't thrilled about it.
 
I live at Westport and haven't had any problems (and I am female). I plan on moving out after my second year, but you can't beat the convenience your first 2 years! Oh, and as for the histo summer course, I didn't take it and did fine in the class. I say enjoy your summer and then hit the books hard in August!
 
Has anyone heard anything about waitlist movement ??

Thanks
 
Yeah, I agree with Wendy on the summer histo class. I actually was a music major and had very few science classes beyond the pre med reqs...so basically I had no histo experience but I still did alright (B).
Do you guys actually come up to the school for the histo class? You guys should stop in and say hi to Wendy, me and the rest of the MSI (MSII now!) suckers who are spending the summer working in labs!
 
Athena918 said:
Yeah, I agree with Wendy on the summer histo class. I actually was a music major and had very few science classes beyond the pre med reqs...so basically I had no histo experience but I still did alright (B).
Do you guys actually come up to the school for the histo class? You guys should stop in and say hi to Wendy, me and the rest of the MSI (MSII now!) suckers who are spending the summer working in labs!
I think it's online, but I could be wrong. You guys are bad influences on me -- I'm becoming more tempted to just slack off during the summer. That's gotten me in trouble before though. I was an art/beer double major in college.
 
You really do need to enjoy your summer and not worry about school...you'll have plenty of time to worry later! This is one of your last real summers so take the time to enjoy it!
 
fraggle said:
I think it's online, but I could be wrong. You guys are bad influences on me -- I'm becoming more tempted to just slack off during the summer. That's gotten me in trouble before though. I was an art/beer double major in college.

Slack off your last summer before medical school.
 
I think the verdict may be in in favor of slacking.
For those of you who decided to buy instead of rent, did anyone use T.H.E. as a private lender? I've never bought a house before, so I don't really know what I'm doing, but it seems like it would be really hard to get anyone else to lend me $ for a down payment, closing cost, etc., when I will have zero income in a couple of months.
 
fraggle said:
I think the verdict may be in in favor of slacking.
For those of you who decided to buy instead of rent, did anyone use T.H.E. as a private lender? I've never bought a house before, so I don't really know what I'm doing, but it seems like it would be really hard to get anyone else to lend me $ for a down payment, closing cost, etc., when I will have zero income in a couple of months.

You can work the closing costs into the mortgage, but you'll need "secured" funds to be use for a down payment, and most places will have you sign some paper work to show that they are secured funds.
 
fraggle said:
I think the verdict may be in in favor of slacking.
For those of you who decided to buy instead of rent, did anyone use T.H.E. as a private lender? I've never bought a house before, so I don't really know what I'm doing, but it seems like it would be really hard to get anyone else to lend me $ for a down payment, closing cost, etc., when I will have zero income in a couple of months.


My husband and I bought our first house in November. We went through Lending Tree and we didn't have a down payment at all. As far as closing costs go, you can compromise with the seller, sometimes they will pay closing costs for you. Also, if you have a job right now, I wouldn't mention that your income will soon cease when applying for loans (just my opinion). If you need more detailed info., pm me. Good luck!
 
You won't be able to qualify for a mortgage if you don't get the mortgage while you are working or go for a no-document loan (which requires excellent credit for a no-downpayment loan). So I suggest you get a home soon while you are still working. Some mortgage companies will call a few days before closing for a VOE (Verfication of Employment). :luck:
 
If you can't swing 20% down payment you will have to pay PMI which you don't want to do. Get one 80% mortgage and another 20% mortgage. Where are you looking? I'm getting a brand new house in Sapulpa in a nice, new subdivision for much less than older construction in the area.
 
And you don't need 20% down these days either. PMI is pretty much going away in trade for a tad bit higher interest rate. We got a 5% down, no PMI, FHA loan. As well as I used to be a mortgage underwriter for a national mortgage company. If you have a job I would recommend FHA loans for a first home buyer.
 
My wife and I just closed on Tuesday. Wegot goverment bond money to buy our house. We bought our house with no money down, no closing costs, and a fixed rate of 6.125%. In fact at the closing we got a refund of 360 dollars. If you want some info on oklahoma bond money and how it works I woudl be glad to field any questions. I will also be at the next student day.
 
Does anyone have constructive advice on insurance?
I have looked at comparable plans for SOMA and AMSA.
Cost: Soma- $1512, Max per S/I $100,000, $1500/Day, $15 co pay generic drugs
Amsa- $1184, Max per S/I $20,000, $1000/Day, $10 co pay generic drugs

Both basicly the same on other areas, deductable, 80% etc.

Someone mentioned they had difficulty getting Soma to pay. Has anyone else had this problem?
 
I believe that both the SOMA and the AMSA policies are administered by the same company, so the payment problems will be similar. I couldn't find this out for sure on the AMSA website, but the underlying problem with SOMA insurance is Mega Life and Health, the administrators.

If you need to keep group coverage (ie: pre-existing or potential pre-existing conditions), then go ahead with one or the other policies. If not, check with blue cross/blue shield of OK (or some other big company that'll offer individual coverage). They'll exclude anything preexisting, but they'll pay better for a cheaper premium than either SOMA or AMSA can offer.
 
I was wondering should we become members of SOMA and AMSA before coming to school or can we do it through the school during orientation?
 
No doubt! And you ESPECIALLY want to join the clubs that have alot of lunch meetings! This means free lunch 1-2 times per week, sometimes free t-shirts, and lots of interesting guest speakers. Make sure to set aside some of your loan money for membership dues. A couple of my friends wouldn't have eaten lunch at all if not for being members of the different clubs bcs they spent all of their loan money by the end of the semester! LOL. While I don't suggest doing THAT, free pizza, chinese, and Zio's really comes in handy when you don't want to go out!
 
I thought it was hilarious at the admitted student's day when the "dean of discipline" or whatever she titled herself detailed how we wouldn't have enough time during medical school to take a dump, but then strongly encouraged everyone to join tons of clubs and volunteer reading books to disadvanted children in our free time during school.

So tell me how much BS orientation is going to be.. They also mentioned at the admitted students day mandatory evening sessions on top of an all day session. How much "team building" and "diversity training" can a person take in a week? Gasp, you should treat people of other races equally?!?
 
Mandatory evening sessions? When I went through they were optional, although encouraged. I dunno about that.

During orientation you do BLS (CPR) and some intro stuff on the courses, paperwork, composite pictures, IDs, locker assignments, some presentations by MS2s, etc. Not really teambuilding stuff (unless they've changed things a bunch).
 
When they talk about "free time" in med school, for the first two years they are essentially talking about your lunch and dinner hours, and perhaps the weekend (two if you're lucky) that you don't have big tests coming up. There are days when you simply say "I don't care if I barely pass this upcoming test, I HAVE to go home and see Mom." That's "free time" and this term is used very loosely for any time you are not engaged in the classroom, labs, or studying.
As far as reading to disadvantaged kids, there is a nearby school that is affiliated w/ the school where you can spend your lunch time one day a week hanging out w/ the little ones. It is very important that when you do take a break, you do something very un-school like. Playing w/ the nearby kids serves this purpose, and it is very rewarding too. Also, the clubs get together and put on different gatherings, cook-outs, etc. But keep in mind, this will be 2nd yrs that organize it, and it is VERY MUCH planned according to the holes in the testing schedule. While we first years will have one to two tests per week, the second years have two to four. Sometimes, they can't help but plan it on a weekend before a test, but they really do work hard to keep in mind the more difficult tests coming up when they plan activities.
You SHOULD get involved w/ the different clubs. As a MSI, this involves going to meetings during your lunch period, eating free food, and either listening to guest speakers or planning new events for the club. It isn't as time-consuming as you think because it is completely run by students who are also studying every spare moment like you are. Also, the school works very hard to stay involved in community outreach and education programs. This is very important too bcs you are helping and educating the taxpayers that make your education possible about the school in which the dollars are being spent.
NO, you won't have as much free time as you did when you were slacking off in undergrad. YES, you will eventually see your family and friends when the test schedule is slightly lighter. YES, alot of orientation seems like crap when you are going through it, but it is important crap, and you need to grin and bear it, it might be important later. It's one of those times when you are expected to just act professional and do what you are told.
Attitude ends up playing a very big role in how your peers and professors evaluate you-you will hear ALL about non-cogs in orientation. This is true also in the leadership and participation in clubs and organizations. They expect us to be leaders, and want us to get involved as much as possible and make connections.
Being involved in the clubs gives you a chance to rub noses w/ the area Drs. that head up the residency selection committees, as well as get insight into what the different specialties really involve. Keep in mind that you are also padding that resume for your residency apps. You will meet some very important people that can help you acheive your dream residency position, or decide what specialty is the right one for you (at least as much as you can before rotations). Also, they cover very important issues in their field of study that will effect us all as Drs.
Don't sweat it, before you know it we will all be second years, when everything is a BREEZE. Yeah right! LOL
 
From the last admitted students day, I had heard that we will have our first test after the third week of school. I was wondering what is the test schedule like typically from that point on? Will we have some time where we dont have tests or will we have a test or two every week from that point on?
 
DO_Doc said:
From the last admitted students day, I had heard that we will have our first test after the third week of school. I was wondering what is the test schedule like typically from that point on? Will we have some time where we dont have tests or will we have a test or two every week from that point on?



Here's last years MS1 spring testing schedule (not including finals)
01/23/2006 Monday Physiology – Exam 1
02/02/2006 Thursday Microbiology & Immunology - Exam 1 (Immunology)
02/06/2006 Monday Physiology – Exam 2
02/14/2006 Tuesday Neuroanatomy-Lecture Exam 1
02/14/2006 Tuesday Neuroanatomy-Lab Exam 1
02/15/2006 Wednesday OMM II-Muscle Energy Practical Exam
02/23/2006 Thursday Microbiology & Immunology-Exam 2 (Virology)
02/27/2006 Monday Physiology – Exam 3
03/01/2006 Wednesday OMM II Midterm Lecture Exam
03/06/2006 Monday Clinical Skills I Midterm Written Exam
03/06/2006 Monday Clinical Skills I Midterm Practical Exam
03/07/2006 Tuesday Medical Information Sciences – Midterm
03/23/2006 Thursday Microbiology & Immunology-Exam 3 (Bacteriology I)
03/24/2006 Friday Physiology – Exam 4
03/28/2006 Tuesday Neuroanatomy Lecture Exam 2
03/28/2006 Tuesday Neuroanatomy Lab Exam 2
04/05/2006 Wednesday OMM II-Counterstrain Practical Exam I
04/07/2006 Friday Physiology – Exam 5
04/20/2006 Thursday Microbiology & Immunology-Exam 4 (Bacteriology II/Mycology)

First semester doesn't have as many exams, btw.
 
First semester you pretty much have a test every Monday....you'll have a test every Monday for 4 weeks in a row, and then have a week off. The first test usually falls right after Labor Day weekend.
 
It can get overwhelming, but because the pace is so fast and furious, before you know it, the semester is over and you're enjoying Christmas break. It is also addictive. You don't realize how much you depend on the adrenaline rush until it's gone. Then, you sit around thinking, "what do I DO with myself now that I don't have a test to study for??"

Wendy11 said:
First semester you pretty much have a test every Monday....you'll have a test every Monday for 4 weeks in a row, and then have a week off. The first test usually falls right after Labor Day weekend.
 
whats your opinions on laptops? i definitely need a new comp im not too comp savvy, i dont think i can buy a mac i need windows.. do students have those tablet pcs where u can just write on the screen ? Im pretty use to printing out powerpoints and writing down notes, is that gonna be possible? Is there limits to printing at the library? I know 5 lbs is the range im lookin for, dont really care about screen size that much 13-15 inch is fine
 
I used a laptop, but you certainly don't *have* to have one. The school has 2 computer labs (one open 24/7) plus computers in the breakout rooms. I believe that you can print 400 pgs/year for free (that was instituted after I was off the campus, so I may be off on the # or they may very well tweak the policy this year). There is wireless throughout the school, so the laptops are definitely useful, still.

Someone else will have to respond on the tablets...I was the only person in my class who regularly brought a laptop to school.
 
how many people actually have pda's and how useful are they to the actual studying process? I realize that you would use them more in yrs 3 and 4 but what about 1 and 2
 
Typically what kind of student do you need to be, to get into a surgery residency program?
 
DO_Doc said:
how many people actually have pda's and how useful are they to the actual studying process? I realize that you would use them more in yrs 3 and 4 but what about 1 and 2

don't bother before MS3. it is helpful on rotations, though.
 
DO_Doc said:
Typically what kind of student do you need to be, to get into a surgery residency program?


One that actually likes surgery, works hard, willing to work long hours without whining, decent grades and boards.
 
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