Rosalind Franklin BMS 2014-2015

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DrSweetPotato said:
I am a former BMS student and now M1 at CMS. Here are some answers to your questions:

1. To be closest to school, check out campus housing, Woodlands, or Navy housing across the street. There are other apartment complexes a few minutes from campus (Forest Pointe, Deer Valley). You can also find affordable apartments in Waukegan. Try to stay close to Green Bay Road. At our open house on March 22, we will likely have reps from different apartment complexes.

2. The area is quiet (perfect for studying and staying focused). There are lots of ways to get involved on campus through various activities. Chicago and Milwaukee are an hour away. We have a brand new fitness facility with new equipment and a group exercise room with regularly scheduled fitness classes. There are lots of great running/bike trails in the area.

3. Choose the track that interests you most. All of them require a good amount of work. All of the coursework will go towards earning an additional M.S. during med school if you so choose.

4. Enjoy your time off before school starts. It's a lot of work. If anything, get your mind ready for a short but vigorous academic year.
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Awesome, thanks for your response DrSweetPotato I really appreciate it!
 
Just for clarification the BMS program is at Rosalind Franklin and most of the students end up at CMS?

@DrSweetpotta

how difficult is the BMS program and what are the key things to do in order to get into CMS?
 
Goodness thank god I checked in here, after hearing some of you didn't get an acceptance email, I checked with them and they said I was accepted and they're resending the acceptance email!! Looks like I'm going to (North) Chicago next year!!
 
lithiumforce said:
Goodness thank god I checked in here, after hearing some of you didn't get an acceptance email, I checked with them and they said I was accepted and they're resending the acceptance email!! Looks like I'm going to (North) Chicago next year!!
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Congrats!! Do you mind sharing your stats?
 
addieu345 said:
@DrSweetPotato Is it true that the classes you take during BMS gets transferred when you get into CMS? If so, how much of a relief in courseload is that?
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Yes that is true. During BMS, you are taking almost half of the medical school load (Biochem, Cell Biology, Physiology, and Neuroscience). Physio and Neuro are probably the most difficult M1 classes so it's a TREMENDOUS relief to not have to take them as an M1. On the flip side, the pressure is on during BMS because you want to do well in order to get into the med school. If you matriculate to CMS through BMS, you will be considered an M1A (M1 with advanced standing). The course load is MUCH lighter although you will have to complete an Advanced Independent Learning Project. Some people finish out their second Master's (continuation of certificate program), do research, or some community project. M1As also serve as TA's for Physio and Neuro. You'll find stuff to keep you busy but you won't be stressing out like the other M1s who have a full class load.
 
Guys. If you submitted an AMCAS and sign the waiver on the application do you still need to fill out the grades into the application ?
 
QnnaQ said:
Guys. If you submitted an AMCAS and sign the waiver on the application do you still need to fill out the grades into the application ?
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Unfortunately yes, you still need to fill out the grades.
 
addieu345 said:
Yikes!! That's really disconcerting, I'd think you would have gotten in with those stats.... And on top of that RFU is giving us the old runaround!

Hopefully they will get their act together and there will be a lot of movement off the waitlist soon :/
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Please understand that the admissions office is VERY BUSY! They are still processing applicants and conducting interviews. Keep in mind that the admissions office processes ALL applications to RFUMS - that includes CMS, Podiatry, PT, Path Assist., Physician Assist, Nurse Anesth., and the Graduate School. Trust that your applications are being processed. The less time they spend answering phone calls and searching for one out of THOUSANDS of applications, the quicker your apps will be processed. Please be patient with the admissions office. They have A LOT of work to do. If they're not answering the phone, be assured that they are working. I know this for certain because I work there too.
 
cjcarter said:
Unfortunately yes, you still need to fill out the grades.
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so from my understanding you just fill out enough to meet the requirements. We don't need to input ALL of our grades right?
 
QnnaQ said:
so from my understanding you just fill out enough to meet the requirements. We don't need to input ALL of our grades right?
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Just the ones they ask for yeah. The pre-reqs I believe. Your transcripts will have all the rest of your grades.
 
QnnaQ said:
Just for clarification the BMS program is at Rosalind Franklin and most of the students end up at CMS?

@DrSweetpotta

how difficult is the BMS program and what are the key things to do in order to get into CMS?
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Yes, the BMS program is at RFU. It is part of the College of Health Professions. Every BMS student is guaranteed an interview with CMS (or any other school at RFUMS) but is not guaranteed admission. Your grades and performance during BMS (and your application) will determine that.

The BMS program is challenging. You are taking medical school classes with current medical students. There is a LOT of information to be learned in a very short amount of time. The professors are very good at writing exam questions to ensure that you have a solid understanding of the material. With that said, there are SO MANY resources available to you to help you study. There are people in the Academic Support office whose primary job is to help students learn how to study effectively. You will have a lot of support here at RFUMS to help you be successful. You will have to put in the work though. Be ready to fully commit your time here. You have a strong chance of matriculating into CMS if you work hard and get good grades. The BMS program is very successful at matriculating students into med school. But it's no cake walk. Focus on getting good grades, be active on campus, and don't stress so much about getting in that you become distracted. If you get good grades and make a good impression, your chances of acceptance are EXTREMELY high. The "powers that be" do NOT look favorably on neurotic students who stalk the admissions department. Trust me, they have a way of finding out who you are. Focus more on the work, and less on the admissions process and you will be successful.
 
Thanks you very much for all the info @DrSweetPotato

I am currently filling out my app. Gone have it mailed in by tomorrow.
 
Did you guys write new essays for the personal statement or reuse your AMCAS personal statement?

Is it a bad idea to reuse parts of my CMS secondary essay?
 
I used my AMCAS personal statement and added several sentences at the end geared towards the program
 
Do you guys think applying to BMS in March is late? I'm concerned I won't have a chance of getting in because of a late application. My cgpa is 2.8, science gpa 3.1 and an mcat of 30.
 
death prophet said:
Do you guys think applying to BMS in March is late? I'm concerned I won't have a chance of getting in because of a late application. My cgpa is 2.8, science gpa 3.1 and an mcat of 30.
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Admissions is a bit unpredictable. Just apply anyway! You never know.
 
death prophet said:
Do you guys think applying to BMS in March is late? I'm concerned I won't have a chance of getting in because of a late application. My cgpa is 3.0, science gpa 3.2 and an mcat of 30.
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It's not too late, if you look at previous year's threads plenty of people applied in March/April and even May. It seems though that most of these late applicants do end up on the waitlist, but most of them eventually get accepted (some even get accepted during orientation!). I think you'll be fine, you are a solid applicant - ideal for an SMP (low gpa, good MCAT). Just get your application out ASAP. Good luck!
 
cjcarter said:
Admissions is a bit unpredictable. Just apply anyway! You never know.
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Yeah this year so far has been a little strange.. People who would have been accepted outright were put on the waitlist. Hopefully the adcom will start taking people off soon!
 
I don't think March is late. After reading last years thread I saw a lot of post of people sending their app in April and getting in 2 weeks later.
 
Definitely not too late! I think this is about the time a lot of people start sending in their apps because they haven't received acceptances/interviews from med schools.
 
Doc.or.Bust said:
So who is feeling ambitious to make a 2014-2015 BMS Facebook page? 🙂
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That would be cool... but there hasn't been that many acceptances (at least not on this thread, myself included 😎) yet.

But there isn't any harm in making one! haha
 
Haha @MD2BHA I'll wait for someone else who would love to do that.

I figured since housing is coming around, the sooner to find someone to live with the better - since it's cheaper to live with a roommate
 
Submitted my application on Thursday. I sincerely hope I can join the Facebook group in the future haha.
 
Hey guys,

Filling out the application right now and have a couple questions regarding the "Classification of Coursework" section:

1) If lab and lecture are included in one course, do we just leave the lab boxes blank? Just making sure so that my application isn't deemed incomplete and returned to me.
2) At my school (a University of California school) there was no lab for the first quarter of gen bio and ochem, just a discussion section. However, the rest of the series (last 2 quarters) contained labs. Since the gen bio and ochem series didn't technically contain 3 quarters of lab, am I ineligible to apply? Most of the pre-med's at my school take an upper division physiology lab to make up for the absent lab in first quarter gen bio, which is what I did. For ochem, no other alternative exists.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

EDIT: I tried calling a few times today but was unsuccessful as others have been. Will send an email if nobody can help, but figured I'd try and get an immediate reply here if I could.
 
woozy said:
Hey guys,

Filling out the application right now and have a couple questions regarding the "Classification of Coursework" section:

1) If lab and lecture are included in one course, do we just leave the lab boxes blank? Just making sure so that my application isn't deemed incomplete and returned to me.
2) At my school (a University of California school) there was no lab for the first quarter of gen bio and ochem, just a discussion section. However, the rest of the series (last 2 quarters) contained labs. Since the gen bio and ochem series didn't technically contain 3 quarters of lab, am I ineligible to apply? Most of the pre-med's at my school take an upper division physiology lab to make up for the absent lab in first quarter gen bio, which is what I did. For ochem, no other alternative exists.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

EDIT: I tried calling a few times today but was unsuccessful as others have been. Will send an email if nobody can help, but figured I'd try and get an immediate reply here if I could.
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Just fill it out how you see fit. I was in the same situation as you with the lab and lecture combined into one course and while my application was being processed Scott Garland from admissions emailed me to ask me questions about it. They do their do diligence when it comes to understanding your application.
 
woozy said:
Hey guys,

Filling out the application right now and have a couple questions regarding the "Classification of Coursework" section:

1) If lab and lecture are included in one course, do we just leave the lab boxes blank? Just making sure so that my application isn't deemed incomplete and returned to me.
2) At my school (a University of California school) there was no lab for the first quarter of gen bio and ochem, just a discussion section. However, the rest of the series (last 2 quarters) contained labs. Since the gen bio and ochem series didn't technically contain 3 quarters of lab, am I ineligible to apply? Most of the pre-med's at my school take an upper division physiology lab to make up for the absent lab in first quarter gen bio, which is what I did. For ochem, no other alternative exists.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

EDIT: I tried calling a few times today but was unsuccessful as others have been. Will send an email if nobody can help, but figured I'd try and get an immediate reply here if I could.
Click to expand...

today is saturday by the way..
 
woozy said:
Hey guys,

Filling out the application right now and have a couple questions regarding the "Classification of Coursework" section:

1) If lab and lecture are included in one course, do we just leave the lab boxes blank? Just making sure so that my application isn't deemed incomplete and returned to me.
2) At my school (a University of California school) there was no lab for the first quarter of gen bio and ochem, just a discussion section. However, the rest of the series (last 2 quarters) contained labs. Since the gen bio and ochem series didn't technically contain 3 quarters of lab, am I ineligible to apply? Most of the pre-med's at my school take an upper division physiology lab to make up for the absent lab in first quarter gen bio, which is what I did. For ochem, no other alternative exists.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

EDIT: I tried calling a few times today but was unsuccessful as others have been. Will send an email if nobody can help, but figured I'd try and get an immediate reply here if I could.
Click to expand...

The prereqs say you need 12 quarter hours of bio and ochem. Did you end up with 12 of each? Since you did have lab in 2 quarters you may still be eligible. Definitely email them! You can call Monday too.
 
addieu345 said:
Just fill it out how you see fit. I was in the same situation as you with the lab and lecture combined into one course and while my application was being processed Scott Garland from admissions emailed me to ask me questions about it. They do their do diligence when it comes to understanding your application.
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Thanks for the reply. I just filled in "Lab Included" and figure if they have any questions about it, they can email me.

caccon said:
today is saturday by the way..
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Whoops, good catch. Being graduated and out of school really makes me lose track of the days. I'll try again on Monday.

cjcarter said:
The prereqs say you need 12 quarter hours of bio and ochem. Did you end up with 12 of each? Since you did have lab in 2 quarters you may still be eligible. Definitely email them! You can call Monday too.
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Yeah, total quarter hours came out to be 14 for bio and 12 for ochem. However with only the last 2 quarters containing labs, it ends up being 10 quarter hours of bio+lab and 8 hours of ochem+lab. I'll definitely shoot them an email. Thanks for your help.
 
woozy said:
Hey guys,

Filling out the application right now and have a couple questions regarding the "Classification of Coursework" section:

1) If lab and lecture are included in one course, do we just leave the lab boxes blank? Just making sure so that my application isn't deemed incomplete and returned to me.
2) At my school (a University of California school) there was no lab for the first quarter of gen bio and ochem, just a discussion section. However, the rest of the series (last 2 quarters) contained labs. Since the gen bio and ochem series didn't technically contain 3 quarters of lab, am I ineligible to apply? Most of the pre-med's at my school take an upper division physiology lab to make up for the absent lab in first quarter gen bio, which is what I did. For ochem, no other alternative exists.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

EDIT: I tried calling a few times today but was unsuccessful as others have been. Will send an email if nobody can help, but figured I'd try and get an immediate reply here if I could.
Click to expand...
I went to a UC as well and our physics courses were fine but for gchem, ochem and bio I didn't have 3 lab courses for each of those. I had only one lab course for gchem and one lab course for ochem, and I only had two lab courses for bio. I emailed them and they said it's fine just send in what you have so I did. Hope this helps!
 
Can anyone post the link to Facebook page for BMS 2014-15, if thrs any?
 
I wish I could join the group... still waiting to hear back from the adcom :yeahright:
 
addieu345 said:
Doesn't exist as of yet according to this thread. If you're curious about the Facebook page does that mean you got accepted?

Edit:


I don't know if this is referring to the Facebook page...
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Sorry, I was posting for a friend. I am already in BMS program right now! We had our interviews done. Now, just waiting for the decision!
 
On my application I wrote that I am retaking the MCAT on April 11. I just read somewhere that if you say you are scheduled for a retake they won't really look at your app until your new score comes in. Anyone know if this is true??
 
cjcarter said:
On my application I wrote that I am retaking the MCAT on April 11. I just read somewhere that if you say you are scheduled for a retake they won't really look at your app until your new score comes in. Anyone know if this is true??
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I'm not sure, but I believe it. For example I heard if you retake the MCAT during AMCAS cycle, they don't really process you until they have your scores.
 
Can somebody help me understand what this question means " the impact of your previous shadowing and volunteer experiences on your current perspective of the U.S. healthcare delivery system" . This is one of the questions on the BMS app.

Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
tobagonin said:
Can somebody help me understand what this question means " the impact of your previous shadowing and volunteer experiences on your current perspective of the U.S. healthcare delivery system" . This is one of the questions on the BMS app.

Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks
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Yeah this was a tough question. I didn't get into the politics about US health care. I just talked about how the physicians I shadowed were attentive, spent a lot of time with their patients, were caring and delivered effective care. I also mentioned how their patients seemed satisfied with the care they received and stuff like that.
 
cjcarter said:
Yeah this was a tough question. I didn't get into the politics about US health care. I just talked about how the physicians I shadowed were attentive, spent a lot of time with their patients, were caring and delivered effective care. I also mentioned how their patients seemed satisfied with the care they received and stuff like that.
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Thanks. This helps.
 
Is the "we have received your application and your file is being processed" what you are referring to as the completion email? I just got that but all my stuff should definitely be there. I know they're kind of slow though
 
WelcometoBasedWorld said:
Is the "we have received your application and your file is being processed" what you are referring to as the completion email? I just got that but all my stuff should definitely be there. I know they're kind of slow though
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I got that email and a complete email a couple days after
 
Hi all,

Just recently found out about RFU BMS a couple weeks ago and my application was mailed 3/12. Am I okay or did I apply kind of late? I'm a non-trad and I'm a humanities major (minor in biology) with a 3.4 cumulative/3.1 science and a 31 January MCAT (11/10/10) from a 26 (7/9/10). I have solid letters but my ECs are kind of weak. I'd really love to go here, this waiting is making me anxious. I still haven't heard from the office yet and I'm debating whether I should wait or give them a call next week to check on my application. Any suggestions?
 
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