artisun... yes i was interviewed by NSUCO twice..
March 19 2005
January 2006.
i got waitlisted and then rejected. i was very distraught, down and out those times. and i knew it was about my academic weakness regardless of my good OAT's, even they did not want to tell me. got rejected by a lot of schools then.
OAT's are fine, undergrad GPA is what killed me. so i knew i had to do something to counter this, and fast. i knew if i did not do something soon about my stats being terrible, there was no way i could ever get into an OD school..
My best friend is in medical school because he did the Barry University Masters in Biomedical sciences program. he had a 3.6 undergrad. 3.8 graduate GPA. what killed his chances back then was a low MCAT score -22 i think. he is doing fine in his second year of Indiana School of Medicine.
so i did the unthinkable, once i received my rejection letters especially from NOVA, i went into my cabinet, and pulled out my barry university application for masters in BMS program.. completed the application and two months later, got a call from Ralph Laudan PhD ( assistant dean of the program).. saying congratulations that i have been accepted to the most prestigious, most difficult part of the BMS program.. the 12 month program
you asked me a question about wheather the 12 month program is tough...... Aside from health professional program being tougher, this is arguably the toughest thing i have ever done in my life. normal graduate students take 7-9 credits.. i was taking 11-14 graduate credits per semester-----that is equal to taking 20 credits per semester. depending on your undergrad stats you are either placed in the 12, 18 or 24 month program.. the 18 and 24 month program are a joke, you take less courses at night. i got into the 12 month due to my high OAT's.
the program is very tough in the sense that it is not like undergrad. you are in the option I BMS program in a classroom with other BMS people and 1st year podiatry students.. the best experience, and the most daunting experience i have ever done . lets just say you have 3-5 exams every 3 or 4 weeks just like any HP school. your exams are tough and they come fast and they are not spread out. reason being, you got to remember what you learned in biochemistry to do well in histology and gross . physiology is a toughie. i have basically done my first two years of OD school..
to get your MS degree here in BMS, you got to pass a comprehensive exam that they give you.. there is no research exit paper for this program. several of my friends did this program and are in either MED school or Dental. i have lots of dental friends here and in other schools
is this program going to assure me of accpetance? there is no guarantee of acceptance even if you do well in barry, but it makes yourself stand out quite a bit in the admissions comittee.
this program is so tough, so respectable, that i had to retake histology and gross anatomy.. i am taking those course and i have a High A average on both of them. the 18 months is more managable for anyone, less courses and more time to study per class. in my option1 12 month-- i had very little time to prepare for exams, because its an avalanche of info, and it is overwhelming to make your head spin.
regardless of what happens to me, i know with all my heart that it has made me a stronger person, dedicated, and this program, professors here will treat you like your are a health professional student. they dont curve grades like undergrad. the professors here know their stuff frontwards, sideways and backwards.
the school is very expensive-- $725-$750.00 per credit and you have to take 36 credits of classes and pass your comprehensive exam to get your MS degree.
the school has a way of introducing yourself into the harsh realities of a professional school. i remember the days where i barely had 4 hrs of sleep per night. i remember the days where i start studying for Biochemistry and Neuroanatomy at 3AM, it is soo much stuff with a small timeframe, and i know why professional schools are so tough to get into, let alone finish. it has made me prepared for OD school or anyone who does a dental or med.
i am walking away from this program after this december,/........a changed man.
i wish i could have done better in undergrad, i wish i had a crap load of A's and gotten to an OD school. but rather than be negative and wallow in my misery, i decided to redeem myself. that is why i went to barry, to make myself stronger for the toughest 4 years of my life. and even i had a super undergrad GPA and OAT, i would have done poorly in OD school because of the sheer difficulty and couseload of 20-35 credits per semester.
i hope i answered your question and yes i am a bit of a video gamer myself, it is the one thing that i have a strong passion for just as much as being a health professional. i grew up in the ATARI age, my good friend is an attorney, and our love for gaming is what formed our friendship for 20+ years. but my priorities are first my studies and family, and my gaming second. i have been a professional gamer for more than half my life. im not the best, but i have the same raw determination, discipline, and dedication in my gaming as in my studies.
