Rosalind Franklin ADCOM meeting => the wait continues

[Nomemory]

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Ugh, this process sucks

Big time.

 

[bwells46]

How important is the match list? I mean, if you get into the field you want, who cares what program....right?

It's very possible to get into academics coming from SGU. I know a few people who are now medical school faculty that graduated from SGU. The biggest criteria is NOT where you went to medical school, it is (you may have guessed it)... research and grants!

The top schools in the country will let you in as faculty if you're bringing in grant money. Having personally had previous experience with academics and grants, I can tell you this was true with every university I talked with. As long as you are pumping out papers and raking in dollars, they won't give a rats a$$ where you went to school. When I was doing CKD research as part of a grant from Amgen, there wasn't a university around that didn't want our group working with them because of the money involved.

You may not know this, but even if the university does NOTHING for you with the grant, they still get a 25% - 45% "administration fee" that comes directly out of the grant. That's why grants are so important to being faculty - it all comes down to money.

 

[Heston]

I feel like that's the case for a lot of things....it all boils down to money.

 

[bwells46]

I feel like that's the case for a lot of things....it all boils down to money.

Sadly, even with medicine. I'm done some anti-fraud work with not-for-profit HMOs (mainly designing automated systems for fraud detection and I only work with not-for-profit organizations) and you would be amazed at how many doctors fraudulently bill (upcoding, billing for non-existent patients, billing for visits that never occured, etc).

The majority of docs are great people but there are a few that should be, and in some cases now are, behind bars. Funny thing, CMS doesn't like it when they pay out literally billions of dollars for procedures not performed and patients not seen. Probably something to do with driving up expenditures and wasting taxpayer dollars 🙂

 

[bigdog8829]

I'm not completely knowledgeable about the the whole do carribean thing but for once since its not a flame war i feel that i can chime in.
as of now, im going to midwestern university; do school in downers grove. sure the degree is different and it wont say md. but from everything that ive heard observed and been told, matching as a foreign grad is hard as hell. specailizing is a monumental task.
i have a family friend (and his wife) both who did med school in india and they are both general prac. simply bc they didnt have the option to specailize. if you kill the step 1 then of course doors are open. but to be really blunt; people who go to the carribean generally; lets just say don't kill the step one.
if you are thinking of going to SGU, i would personally applaud that if you think you'd be happy there. they have a 90%+ pass rate on the step one, most other carib schools are in the 60s. Also bear in mind that SGU requires a formal application, personal statement, and MCAT. Ross Univ straight up told me that the mcat is a formality in many cases; depending on your gpa. Also the avg mcat at SGU is btwn 26-27; a score i find quite respectable. Even do school avg's are below that.

 

[bigdog8829]

I also have a ? for you guys

On the Midwestern class forum there are a few people who have already said that they have started studying for med school!!! I thought that one benefit of going do is that i wouldn't have to deal with all the gunner crap.
As a do, i think that my goals of specializing will be slightly harder and i have to be even more determined to succeed my first two years. With this kind of competition apparently; should i crack a few books open too?

 

[Heston]

I also have a ? for you guys

On the Midwestern class forum there are a few people who have already said that they have started studying for med school!!! I thought that one benefit of going do is that i wouldn't have to deal with all the gunner crap.
As a do, i think that my goals of specializing will be slightly harder and i have to be even more determined to succeed my first two years. With this kind of competition apparently; should i crack a few books open too?

Have you been accepted anywhere?

 

[bwells46]

if you are thinking of going to SGU, i would personally applaud that if you think you'd be happy there. they have a 90%+ pass rate on the step one, most other carib schools are in the 60s. Also bear in mind that SGU requires a formal application, personal statement, and MCAT. Ross Univ straight up told me that the mcat is a formality in many cases; depending on your gpa. Also the avg mcat at SGU is btwn 26-27; a score i find quite respectable. Even do school avg's are below that.

You can go here to see how IMGs/FMGs fare compared to USMGs - http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/data_tables.html

And the Caribbena match lists are here.
http://www.sgu.edu/ERD/ResidPost.nsf/BYPGY?OpenView&RestrictToCategory=PGY1&Count=-1
http://www.rossu.edu/med/whyross/recordachieve_041.cfm#2007
http://www.aucmed.edu/alumni/alumres.htm
http://www.saba.edu/residency_match.php

While you can get a good residency coming from a Caribbean school, if you can get into a US school you will be FAR better off when it comes time to match, especially if you're wanting to go into a competitive specialty like plastics or derm.

Basically, it goes like this:

by far the hardest to match: 45-65% match rate for US seniors
integrated/combined plastics
derm

pretty hard to match but not as hard as the above70-80% match rate for US seniors
urology
ENT
ophthalmology
neurosurgery
orthopedic surg

above average competitiveness 90% + match for US seniors.
radiology
anesthesia
Emergency
Gen Surg

Easy: almost 100% match
IM
Peds
Family practice
psych
path

 

[bwells46]

I also have a ? for you guys

On the Midwestern class forum there are a few people who have already said that they have started studying for med school!!! I thought that one benefit of going do is that i wouldn't have to deal with all the gunner crap.
As a do, i think that my goals of specializing will be slightly harder and i have to be even more determined to succeed my first two years. With this kind of competition apparently; should i crack a few books open too?

DO schools may be less competitive but I doubt the students are any less bright than their allopathic colleagues. They're probably just trying to do everything in their power to kill the Step 1 and get a great residency.

 

[GujuMD]

so is rfu sending out acceptances... i mean if we accept the 3:1 ratio of drops (reality? : to sdn reported) then i mean... since no one has gotten accepted to rfu in a while (at least on this thread) does that mean that no one has gotten an acceptance period?


----A whole another thing----

why do med schools have to be so secretive about the process?


i mean, what difference does it make to a medical school to show their stats to prospective students? Those who want to come will wait (assuming they're near the top) and those who dont will withdraw and go elsewhere (assuming they have an acceptance) and those who arent in either of those situations can start making other plans rather than waiting around for the next 15 adcom meetings.


my rant for the day.

it is so cruel of them to just make us wait and see what happens meeting after meeting after meeting. but i suppose they went through the whole process, so they make us go through it to.

 

[GujuMD]

DO schools may be less competitive but I doubt the students are any less bright than their allopathic colleagues. They're probably just trying to do everything in their power to kill the Step 1 and get a great residency.

When i talked to a DO just randomly, she said that a lot of her classmates matched into allopathic, competive and non-primary care programs b/c of how well they did on their boards.

 

[GujuMD]

Which one is that?

the "which is the best of all" thread on the caribbean section of SDN.

 

[GujuMD]

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Total: 7,794 693 457 185
In-state: 983 N/A 105 48
Out-of-state: 6,811 N/A 352 137
Women: 3,920 N/A 243 90
Minorities: N/A N/A N/A N/A
International: N/A N/A N/A 11
accept: 5.9% interview: 8.9%

I found these numbers on SDN. Not really sure how old they are...but if they interview 8.9% and accept 5.9 %, then about 66% or (2 out of 3)of the people who were interview should be accepted right?

 

[Heston]

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Total: 7,794 693 457 185
In-state: 983 N/A 105 48
Out-of-state: 6,811 N/A 352 137
Women: 3,920 N/A 243 90
Minorities: N/A N/A N/A N/A
International: N/A N/A N/A 11
accept: 5.9% interview: 8.9%

I found these numbers on SDN. Not really sure how old they are...but if they interview 8.9% and accept 5.9 %, then about 66% or (2 out of 3)of the people who were interview should be accepted right?

It seems like these numbers keep changing.

 

[Heston]

I got it! What if this whole process is simply a complicated staring contest? 🙄

 

[DrVanNostran]

this has got to be the most bumpin thread on sdn. hands down. if the adcom new about this; i really think it would weigh into their decision.

i have now started checking my mail everyday only to be disappointed. for some reason, the last 2 days i can see the mailman putting the mail into our mailbox, like he's teasing me. come and get it...

well what can you do? may 15 was only a few days ago... lets give it a solid week. i mean med schools are slow as hell to get back to you anyways, so why should this be any different?

as always, good luck to all.

I love this thread. It had made the time go by a loooot smoother. Hopefully we start getting responses near the end of may!

 

[DrVanNostran]

How much have you guys spent so far on the process?

2005: $3000
2006: $800
2007: $5200

Grand total: $9000...until I reapply next year.

Man, around the same as you. This is just getting ridiculous 😱

 

[Heston]

I have a question for all of you re-appliers....Did it take this long to hear back before? Did you even apply to RFU? Did you get an interview?

Basically, how does this experience compare to your previous experiences?

 

[DrVanNostran]

Hahahaha. I just called the admissions committee to find out about my BMS application. She said, "I talked to you yesterday." I paused and then I thought back.....yeah, I guess I did call yesterday, shoot! In order to save myself, I said, "I was just wondering if there's been any change." She said, "It's not that fast....The earliest you'll find out is June."

Boy, am I an idiot. Hahah, oh well. At least it seems as if I'm really wanting to get in....?

This literally made my day. Heston, you crack me up!!

 

[DrVanNostran]

I have a question for all of you re-appliers....Did it take this long to hear back before? Did you even apply to RFU? Did you get an interview?

Basically, how does this experience compare to your previous experiences?

I was on one WL last year, and didnt hear back until they began class.

 

[Heston]

I was on one WL last year, and didnt hear back until they began class.

 

[DrVanNostran]

I also have a ? for you guys

On the Midwestern class forum there are a few people who have already said that they have started studying for med school!!! I thought that one benefit of going do is that i wouldn't have to deal with all the gunner crap.
As a do, i think that my goals of specializing will be slightly harder and i have to be even more determined to succeed my first two years. With this kind of competition apparently; should i crack a few books open too?

I say just chill till school starts man. You will be fine. I have tons of friends at CCOM and they are doing just fine, and they studied when school started 😉 Enjoy your last summer.

I'm not completely knowledgeable about the the whole do carribean thing but for once since its not a flame war i feel that i can chime in.
as of now, im going to midwestern university; do school in downers grove. sure the degree is different and it wont say md. but from everything that ive heard observed and been told, matching as a foreign grad is hard as hell. specailizing is a monumental task.
i have a family friend (and his wife) both who did med school in india and they are both general prac. simply bc they didnt have the option to specailize. if you kill the step 1 then of course doors are open. but to be really blunt; people who go to the carribean generally; lets just say don't kill the step one.
if you are thinking of going to SGU, i would personally applaud that if you think you'd be happy there. they have a 90%+ pass rate on the step one, most other carib schools are in the 60s. Also bear in mind that SGU requires a formal application, personal statement, and MCAT. Ross Univ straight up told me that the mcat is a formality in many cases; depending on your gpa. Also the avg mcat at SGU is btwn 26-27; a score i find quite respectable. Even do school avg's are below that.

Yeah, this shouldn't turn into a flamewar for one reason. The conversation here is open minded and discussed between people deciding what the best career option. Thankfully, no ignorance on this thread 🙂

If I was to go carribean, I think I would only choose SGU because of their admission standards. But, at the end of the day, I just hope I get into a US school. But have to keep the SGU option open for this Winter.

 

[DrVanNostran]

It's very possible to get into academics coming from SGU. I know a few people who are now medical school faculty that graduated from SGU. The biggest criteria is NOT where you went to medical school, it is (you may have guessed it)... research and grants!

The top schools in the country will let you in as faculty if you're bringing in grant money. Having personally had previous experience with academics and grants, I can tell you this was true with every university I talked with. As long as you are pumping out papers and raking in dollars, they won't give a rats a$$ where you went to school. When I was doing CKD research as part of a grant from Amgen, there wasn't a university around that didn't want our group working with them because of the money involved.

You may not know this, but even if the university does NOTHING for you with the grant, they still get a 25% - 45% "administration fee" that comes directly out of the grant. That's why grants are so important to being faculty - it all comes down to money.

Excellent post BW, definitely bump worthy. When do you truly start research projects, between first and second year, third year...residency..? That has always confused me. I am just one lost soul!

 

[coffeebythelake]

I'm also bored as heck waiting to hear something from CMS. Damn it, let me in already.

 

[jv00927]

As we all know by now, I too have a subpar verbal.

I just hope when I retake the MCAT, I increase my verbal by at least 2 points and at least maintain the other two sections. Does having a 6 in verbal mean I'm going to do really bad in Step 2? I guess I should worry about getting in first .

On another note, I think we should all remember that the admissions committee's decision about whether we get in or not at RFU is really, for the most part, out of our control now. I try to tell myself this, and I know it's really difficult to not worry, but I think keeping such perspective can help calm our nerves.

 

[bigdog8829]

Have you been accepted anywhere?

yea i got into midwestern university. a d.o. in downers grove.

 

[bigdog8829]

On another note, I think we should all remember that the admissions committee's decision about whether we get in or not at RFU is really, for the most part, out of our control now. I try to tell myself this, and I know it's really difficult to not worry, but I think keeping such perspective can help calm our nerves.

I concur. Its just the time that kills me.

 

[bigdog8829]

We're having a pooja at my house right now (a religous service you could say) and ironically enough look where I am right now...

Well I guess it couldn't hurt to go and sit down for a while.

 

[DrVanNostran]

We're having a pooja at my house right now (a religous service you could say) and ironically enough look where I am right now...

Well I guess it couldn't hurt to go and sit down for a while.

Man, get your prayer on!!!! All of us need all the help we can get!

 

[DrVanNostran]

I just hope when I retake the MCAT, I increase my verbal by at least 2 points and at least maintain the other two sections. Does having a 6 in verbal mean I'm going to do really bad in Step 2? I guess I should worry about getting in first .

On another note, I think we should all remember that the admissions committee's decision about whether we get in or not at RFU is really, for the most part, out of our control now. I try to tell myself this, and I know it's really difficult to not worry, but I think keeping such perspective can help calm our nerves.

That is great advice. But, I will still continue to be a nervous wreck.

FYI-nothing in the mail for me today.

 

[bwells46]

Excellent post BW, definitely bump worthy. When do you truly start research projects, between first and second year, third year...residency..? That has always confused me. I am just one lost soul!

You can do research before you start medical school.

I know some schools have summer programs between the first and second year where you can get research experience. I would highly advise taking a course in biostatistics and research methodologies. There are a surprising number of studies out there that are total junk due to faulty statistics. Others fail to pass the unofficial "so what" test. For instance, the recent study showing that Epogen use on non-anemic patients causes heart problems. So what? Physicians have known for years that Hgb values >12 were not good.

You'll also have opportunities to do research in residency. If you're wanting to go into academics, focus on basic research (biology, biochemistry, etc). That's the other academics will want to see when evaluating your articles and candidacy.

 

[Samosas]

i am glad that this thread is full of ppl who arent trolls hellbent on flamewars. it feels good to discuss topics which in other threads would incite wars...

👍


also, does that thumbs up look like the atari joystick with few scratches to anyone else?

 

[06cadapplicant]

Hi.. I have a question for you guys..

After interviewing in April I have had no correspondence with CMS.. I was wondering should I send in something like a letter (update/LOI)... how commonly is it done.. also I have my final year grades -- do I update them with that?

any thoughts?

 

[GujuMD]

I have a question for all of you re-appliers....Did it take this long to hear back before? Did you even apply to RFU? Did you get an interview?

Basically, how does this experience compare to your previous experiences?

last time they did not even interview me.

 

[GujuMD]

Hi.. I have a question for you guys..

After interviewing in April I have had no correspondence with CMS.. I was wondering should I send in something like a letter (update/LOI)... how commonly is it done.. also I have my final year grades -- do I update them with that?

any thoughts?

sending updates would be a good idea, that way they know that your are still interested in attending RFU.

 

[GujuMD]

On another note, I think we should all remember that the admissions committee's decision about whether we get in or not at RFU is really, for the most part, out of our control now. I try to tell myself this, and I know it's really difficult to not worry, but I think keeping such perspective can help calm our nerves.

very true...it's out of our control. we can't even call the people accepted at RFU to withdraw their app b/c its past may 15th and almost no one will have multiple acceptance.

 

[GujuMD]

I was on one WL last year, and didnt hear back until they began class.

which school was that and what's your status at that school?

 

[GujuMD]

We're having a pooja at my house right now (a religous service you could say) and ironically enough look where I am right now...

Well I guess it couldn't hurt to go and sit down for a while.

prayer is always good...this one person who works for my uncle has prayer chains at his church for me once a month.

 

[DrVanNostran]

which school was that and what's your status at that school?

It was Loyola, no interview this year. 😳 I interviewed, I think on their last day last year though, so wasn't expecting much...

 

[ClockworkDoc]

When will we get it??? Rank the waitlist, end our misery.

 

[Samosas]

chances are... we'll never find out if we have been or will be ranked and if we are ranked and they even have the temerity to tell us, they wont tell us exactly where we are on it.

 

[DrVanNostran]

chances are... we'll never find out if we have been or will be ranked and if we are ranked and they even have the temerity to tell us, they wont tell us exactly where we are on it.

Yeah, either we will get a great phone call/letter...or we will be sitting on the edge of our seats till the first day of classes...hopefully it is the former..

 

[GujuMD]

When will we get it??? Rank the waitlist, end our misery.

hopefully, they tell us something after their upcoming meeting...but they might just have us waiting till they either accept us or after their class starts.

 

[DrVanNostran]

hopefully, they tell us something after their upcoming meeting...but they might just have us waiting till they either accept us or after their class starts.

I am soooo hoping for the end of may...

 

[Jccripe]

I just thought of all the last minute arrangments we will need to make with loans, housing, etc. I hope they let us know. Oh yeah, Who else is gonna do the BMS program if they dont get in?

 

[GujuMD]

I am soooo hoping for the end of may...

if the meeting is toward end of may and if they meet on fridays then the only friday left in may is the 25th. and if the meet on the 25th, i am guessing we should start hearing something by the 29th or the 30th...memorial day weekend comes in between so no mail on the 28th (i think!). or if they meet on June 1st (Friday), then we should start hearing things by the 5th or the 6th.
i must have a lot of free time on my hand since i think about these scenarios on when i should expect something.

 

[GujuMD]

I just thought of all the last minute arrangments we will need to make with loans, housing, etc. I hope they let us know. Oh yeah, Who else is gonna do the BMS program if they dont get in?

i am starting to wonder how the people who get accepted the first day of classes or orientation make all the arrangements.

 

[Jccripe]

no kidding!

 

[GujuMD]

no kidding!

those last minute acceptance people basically have the rest of the day to pack and get themselves to the school. on top of that they have to figure out how they'll live until they get an apartment, their financial aid situation, telling the people they need to tell, moving out and talking to the landlord.....

 

[DrVanNostran]

i am starting to wonder how the people who get accepted the first day of classes or orientation make all the arrangements.

Who cares I will live in a box and sell myself on the corner Greenbay and Buckley to start med school this fall 😉

But really, yeah it will be a pain, but I am sure it won't be a big deal.