Rosalind Franklin BMS 2020-2021

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Westcoaststudent95

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Hi everyone. I haven't noticed a BMS thread for this year so I figured I'd start one. I'm a current BMS student if anyone has questions about the program. I know a couple other people who are also willing to talk about it.
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Hey thanks for your help,

Have decisions come out yet? Wanted to know if they are still accepting ~60% of their BMS class.
 
Decisions came out today. I don't know what the exact numbers are on who got in an who didn't. It's all still fairly fresh. I'll post number if I get any concrete data. Personally, I received my conditional acceptance today so I feel like this program worked out well for me. Obviously I still need to maintain my grades but I feel confident.
 
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MedicalArsenal said:
Hey thanks for your help,

Have decisions come out yet? Wanted to know if they are still accepting ~60% of their BMS class.
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I know two people in this program. They both had all A’s and B’s and didn’t get in. They were not provided with a reason why. If you look at last year’s thread the same thing happened. This program seems very hit or miss to me.
 
Hi, thanks for starting this thread! I am interested in applying and was curious - Assuming I get into BMS, it's a 1 year program which means no time for retaking the MCAT during it. Do people ever do BMS, take the MCAT the summer following graduation, and then apply into CMS for the next cycle? Is the linkage to CMS still valid for the following year?

If I am in the BMS program, is MCAT a big deciding factor for the CMS admissions?

Other than CMS, are there other med school connections BMS is known for?
 
Startingover123 said:
I know two people in this program. They both had all A’s and B’s and didn’t get in. They were not provided with a reason why. If you look at last year’s thread the same thing happened. This program seems very hit or miss to me.
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Did they do well in the interview? Trying to figure out what criteria CMS is looking at
 
TealUmbrella said:
Hi, thanks for starting this thread! I am interested in applying and was curious - Assuming I get into BMS, it's a 1 year program which means no time for retaking the MCAT during it. Do people ever do BMS, take the MCAT the summer following graduation, and then apply into CMS for the next cycle? Is the linkage to CMS still valid for the following year?

If I am in the BMS program, is MCAT a big deciding factor for the CMS admissions?

Other than CMS, are there other med school connections BMS is known for?
Click to expand...

It's probably not a great idea to take the MCAT during the BMS program. Not impossible, I'm sure people have done it, but from my experience the program was so rigorous that I don't think I could have done well in both the program and the MCAT. The linkage is only good for your time in the BMS program, so if you finish the year, take the MCAT after and apply to CMS, you'll be treated as an outside applicant without the benefits of BMS. This program is absolutely high high risk and high reward. I wouldn't go here if you can't absolutely commit during the whole year to crushing your academics without distraction. If you do, you've got a decent shot at an MD school. If you don't, you're over $50,000 deeper in debt and have significantly lowered your chances at admission since a subpar SMP doesn't look too great.

From what we were told, once you're in the program your old GPA and MCAT don't matter, just your performance here. Is that true? I can't guarantee, since I'm just a student and I'm passing down what the CMS admissions faculty have told me when I asked them. Regarding other med school connections, I have absolutely no clue. Maybe, but I haven't heard of any so I would put too much hope in linkage with anything outside of CMS.
 
MedicalArsenal said:
Did they do well in the interview? Trying to figure out what criteria CMS is looking at
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To be honest I am not sure. This program has to use subjective admissions though. They cannot accept everyone who has the grades and does well on the interview. As a result they must use other metrics outside how you do in the Smp to filter people. What those are I have no idea.
 
Hi westcoast! Thank you for answering our questions! I just wanted to ask if a car was necessary for BMS and what the camaraderie amount the students was like? Also wondering if you guys had time for shadowing volunteering etc and if you applied only to CMS this year?


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Vanilla98 said:
Hi westcoast! Thank you for answering our questions! I just wanted to ask if a car was necessary for BMS and what the camaraderie amount the students was like? Also wondering if you guys had time for shadowing volunteering etc and if you applied only to CMS this year?


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A car isn't absolutely required, but it does make your life here a whole lot easier. RFU is located in North Chicago, which is a suburb of Chicago, not the northern part of Chicago proper. I personally have a car here and I'm glad I do as it makes my life easier. I have friends that don't and they frequently ask for rides, which I don't mind. If you don't bring one you'll easily be able to find someone with a car to give you a ride somewhere. In my own experience, I've found the camaraderie to be well developed and nice. There doesn't feel like there's an attitude of people trying to outdo each other. There aren't a max amount of A letter grades, so if everyone did great on an exam then everyone gets an A. I never felt like I was fighting with the guy or girl next to me to outdo them, so people share resources, study tips, and all that. Exams are curved up to an 80%. So if the average was 77% on an exam, we all get a 3% curve, aka if you get an 85% you now have an 88%.

About shadowing and volunteering, there is definitely time, especially because of lot of us in the program didn't have enough hours. Before the start of BMS, your advisor will notify you that you need an additional 10, 20, 50, etc service hours before you apply to CMS. Granted, you have a huge amount of classes so you don't have a giant abundance of free time, but if you're good with time management you can time. I'm sure you can find 25 free hours in a four month period. Granted, if you find out you need extra hours, I would just do my best to knock them out before the start of the program. You'll be extremely grateful to your past self when you can spend all your time on academics here.

I applied to a few outside medical schools, but CMS was my first choice. Got waitlisted at all my other schools and got my conditional acceptance at CMS.
 
Westcoaststudent95 said:
It's probably not a great idea to take the MCAT during the BMS program. Not impossible, I'm sure people have done it, but from my experience the program was so rigorous that I don't think I could have done well in both the program and the MCAT. The linkage is only good for your time in the BMS program, so if you finish the year, take the MCAT after and apply to CMS, you'll be treated as an outside applicant without the benefits of BMS. This program is absolutely high high risk and high reward. I wouldn't go here if you can't absolutely commit during the whole year to crushing your academics without distraction. If you do, you've got a decent shot at an MD school. If you don't, you're over $50,000 deeper in debt and have significantly lowered your chances at admission since a subpar SMP doesn't look too great.

From what we were told, once you're in the program your old GPA and MCAT don't matter, just your performance here. Is that true? I can't guarantee, since I'm just a student and I'm passing down what the CMS admissions faculty have told me when I asked them. Regarding other med school connections, I have absolutely no clue. Maybe, but I haven't heard of any so I would put too much hope in linkage with anything outside of CMS.
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Great, thank you for your reply! It helps me decide whether it is worth it to apply in my situation, because I agree, MCAT + full time academics don't mix.
I appreciate this, and if I can get ahold of the admissions office I will ask about the things you were unsure about.
 
Did RFU give you enough in terms of financial aid? Also, anything you wish you’d known before starting BMS?


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Vanilla98 said:
Did RFU give you enough in terms of financial aid? Also, anything you wish you’d known before starting BMS?


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I personally did receive enough in financial aid, but I also live with my partner who has a steady job so we split costs like housing and groceries. That definitely keeps costs down for me but I know people living by themselves and still covering their expenses without too crazy a hassle. The program is still immensely expensive, costing about a year of med school so it's something to consider before signing up for BMS.

Things I wish I'd known? I feel like reading last years thread gave me a solid idea of the program, especially the structure. I feel like I came in fairly prepared. I've said it before but I feel like its pivotal to go into BMS with as little distraction and as much support as possible. You need to be able to hit the ground running. I had less than an 80% on my first Biochem exam and had to scramble to improve. It was super stressful and I managed, but I wouldn't recommend it. Other stuff, location is not in Chicago proper so get used to that. It helps to find a study group to discuss topics with and work at your academic flaws. Seek help as soon as you can if you're struggling and don't be afraid to change your strategies. Seriously, don't keep trying to force an inefficient and bad study plan to work. If you don't feel like you're learning, scrap it and try something new. Ask around for advice. Practice questions are the best resource you can use for active learning, which is waaaay more useful that passively reading lecture notes. I'm still adjusting my study strategies months into the program and that's okay! That's my big info dump of general program advice.
 
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Current BMS student here and another west coaster! I was recently conditionally accepted but I do want to shed some light. I've recently met with the program director and heard that the program started off with 87 people and less than 40 people are still there (some with conditional acceptances and a lot without). Some people had left due to getting an acceptance at an other school. Some did not have the grades after Biochem+CMCB had left. A large chunk of people who had the grades and met the requirements didn't make it after the interview, which was way over the amount of people from initial Biochem/Chem cut + ones who got accepted elsewhere. I know a lot of these people who got cut worked so hard and did much better then me in the program (grades wise) had gotten rejected after the interview. These people are also much better than me in terms of interviewing (they helped me improve while I was preparing) and said it went really well for them so I'm really not sure how the program decided who gets in. Yes, this program worked out for me somehow and I am so happy. However, if I had a sibling or close friend who is interested in the program I would NOT recommend that they go through it. The linkage seems to be not as strong as previous years (maybe because the classes are not with med students anymore?) and many people who deserved to get in got rejected somehow. Some people like myself who were not as qualified did somehow get in so the process just seems random even if you have the grades and hours they ask for. I was so lucky and I am really happy I got in but I do want to point out that there are so many ways that this program not work out and could end up hurting you. As they say, its a VERY high risk program. For the initial cut, only four exams determine your grade (some exams are have as little as 21 questions and getting more than 2-3 wrong already puts you at a B). Getting even Bs in this program is quite difficult and even with As and Bs in this program, the graduate GPA would be less than 3.5 GPA which ends up hurting many people's chances into ever getting into any med school in the future if the program doesn't work out. Although you are getting a masters degree, Rosalind franklin does not have big value outside the school so the master's degree wouldn't mean much in terms of helping your career in the future. RFU/CMS are not too highly regarded in the medical community overall but I mean any med school is worth going to if you get in. If you care about Med School reputation and options for being able to rotate at a home hospital then CMS wouldn't be the best option since CMS doesn't have an official hospital system attached to the school and has its students rotate in community hospitals in the area.
So unless you are lucky enough for this program to work for you, it can actually screw you over for your future after spending over $60k for the year. Its a high risk and after seeing many classmates getting screwed over when they did everything possible, I would not recommend it because of the super high risk involved. Instead, you should look into spending time retaking your MCAT and working on taking postbac courses to increase your GPA or look into another linkage program with a more organized linkage system. I am definitely happy with how the program ended up working for me but I do want to be honest with giving a non-biased view about the program overall. Let me know if you have any questions!
 
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westcoastpremed147 said:
Current BMS student here and another west coaster! I was recently conditionally accepted but I do want to shed some light. I've recently met with the program director and heard that the program started off with 87 people and less than 40 people are still there with conditional acceptances. Some people had left due to getting an acceptance at an other school. Some did not have the grades after Biochem+CMCB had left. A large chunk of people who had the grades and met the requirements didn't make it after the interview, which was way over the amount of people from initial Biochem/Chem cut + ones who got accepted elsewhere. I know a lot of these people who got cut worked so hard and did much better then me in the program (grades wise) had gotten rejected after the interview. These people are also much better than me in terms of interviewing (they helped me improve while I was preparing) and said it went really well for them so I'm really not sure how the program decided who gets in. Yes, this program worked out for me somehow and I am so happy. However, if I had a sibling or close friend who is interested in the program I would NOT recommend that they go through it. The linkage seems to be not as strong as previous years (maybe because the classes are not with med students anymore?) and many people who deserved to get in got rejected somehow. Some people like myself who were not as qualified did somehow get in so the process just seems random even if you have the grades and hours they ask for. I was so lucky and I am really happy I got in but I do want to point out that there are so many ways that this program not work out and could end up hurting you. As they say, its a VERY high risk program. For the initial cut, only four exams determine your grade (some exams are have as little as 21 questions and getting more than 2-3 wrong already puts you at a B). Getting even Bs in this program is quite difficult and even with As and Bs in this program, the graduate GPA would be less than 3.5 GPA which ends up hurting many people's chances into ever getting into any med school in the future if the program doesn't work out. Although you are getting a masters degree, Rosalind franklin does not have big value outside the school so the master's degree wouldn't mean much in terms of helping your career in the future. RFU/CMS are not too highly regarded in the medical community overall but I mean any med school is worth going to if you get in. If you care about Med School reputation and options for being able to rotate at a home hospital then CMS wouldn't be the best option since CMS doesn't have an official hospital system attached to the school and has its students rotate in community hospitals in the area.
So unless you are lucky enough for this program to work for you, it can actually screw you over for your future after spending over $60k for the year. Its a high risk and after seeing many classmates getting screwed over when they did everything possible, I would not recommend it because of the super high risk involved. Instead, you should look into spending time retaking your MCAT and working on taking postbac courses to increase your GPA or look into another linkage program with a more organized linkage system. I am definitely happy with how the program ended up working for me but I do want to be honest with giving a non-biased view about the program overall. Let me know if you have any questions!
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Hi, I just wanted to say thank you so much for Taking the time to write this all out! I will be reconsidering applying to this program after reading what you’ve written. That linkage is quite low and quite surprising given the past history and previous SDN posts.


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Vanilla98 said:
Hi, I just wanted to say thank you so much for Taking the time to write this all out! I will be reconsidering applying to this program after reading what you’ve written. That linkage is quite low and quite surprising given the past history and previous SDN posts.


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No problem! I don't mean to discourage you from the program in any way but I did want to give a realistic view point and information. Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions
 
westcoastpremed147 said:
Current BMS student here and another west coaster! I was recently conditionally accepted but I do want to shed some light. I've recently met with the program director and heard that the program started off with 87 people and less than 40 people are still there with conditional acceptances. Some people had left due to getting an acceptance at an other school. Some did not have the grades after Biochem+CMCB had left. A large chunk of people who had the grades and met the requirements didn't make it after the interview, which was way over the amount of people from initial Biochem/Chem cut + ones who got accepted elsewhere. I know a lot of these people who got cut worked so hard and did much better then me in the program (grades wise) had gotten rejected after the interview. These people are also much better than me in terms of interviewing (they helped me improve while I was preparing) and said it went really well for them so I'm really not sure how the program decided who gets in. Yes, this program worked out for me somehow and I am so happy. However, if I had a sibling or close friend who is interested in the program I would NOT recommend that they go through it. The linkage seems to be not as strong as previous years (maybe because the classes are not with med students anymore?) and many people who deserved to get in got rejected somehow. Some people like myself who were not as qualified did somehow get in so the process just seems random even if you have the grades and hours they ask for. I was so lucky and I am really happy I got in but I do want to point out that there are so many ways that this program not work out and could end up hurting you. As they say, its a VERY high risk program. For the initial cut, only four exams determine your grade (some exams are have as little as 21 questions and getting more than 2-3 wrong already puts you at a B). Getting even Bs in this program is quite difficult and even with As and Bs in this program, the graduate GPA would be less than 3.5 GPA which ends up hurting many people's chances into ever getting into any med school in the future if the program doesn't work out. Although you are getting a masters degree, Rosalind franklin does not have big value outside the school so the master's degree wouldn't mean much in terms of helping your career in the future. RFU/CMS are not too highly regarded in the medical community overall but I mean any med school is worth going to if you get in. If you care about Med School reputation and options for being able to rotate at a home hospital then CMS wouldn't be the best option since CMS doesn't have an official hospital system attached to the school and has its students rotate in community hospitals in the area.
So unless you are lucky enough for this program to work for you, it can actually screw you over for your future after spending over $60k for the year. Its a high risk and after seeing many classmates getting screwed over when they did everything possible, I would not recommend it because of the super high risk involved. Instead, you should look into spending time retaking your MCAT and working on taking postbac courses to increase your GPA or look into another linkage program with a more organized linkage system. I am definitely happy with how the program ended up working for me but I do want to be honest with giving a non-biased view about the program overall. Let me know if you have any questions!
Click to expand...
I just wanted to say thank you for being honest regarding this program.
 
westcoastpremed147 said:
Current BMS student here and another west coaster! I was recently conditionally accepted but I do want to shed some light. I've recently met with the program director and heard that the program started off with 87 people and less than 40 people are still there with conditional acceptances. Some people had left due to getting an acceptance at an other school. Some did not have the grades after Biochem+CMCB had left. A large chunk of people who had the grades and met the requirements didn't make it after the interview, which was way over the amount of people from initial Biochem/Chem cut + ones who got accepted elsewhere. I know a lot of these people who got cut worked so hard and did much better then me in the program (grades wise) had gotten rejected after the interview. These people are also much better than me in terms of interviewing (they helped me improve while I was preparing) and said it went really well for them so I'm really not sure how the program decided who gets in. Yes, this program worked out for me somehow and I am so happy. However, if I had a sibling or close friend who is interested in the program I would NOT recommend that they go through it. The linkage seems to be not as strong as previous years (maybe because the classes are not with med students anymore?) and many people who deserved to get in got rejected somehow. Some people like myself who were not as qualified did somehow get in so the process just seems random even if you have the grades and hours they ask for. I was so lucky and I am really happy I got in but I do want to point out that there are so many ways that this program not work out and could end up hurting you. As they say, its a VERY high risk program. For the initial cut, only four exams determine your grade (some exams are have as little as 21 questions and getting more than 2-3 wrong already puts you at a B). Getting even Bs in this program is quite difficult and even with As and Bs in this program, the graduate GPA would be less than 3.5 GPA which ends up hurting many people's chances into ever getting into any med school in the future if the program doesn't work out. Although you are getting a masters degree, Rosalind franklin does not have big value outside the school so the master's degree wouldn't mean much in terms of helping your career in the future. RFU/CMS are not too highly regarded in the medical community overall but I mean any med school is worth going to if you get in. If you care about Med School reputation and options for being able to rotate at a home hospital then CMS wouldn't be the best option since CMS doesn't have an official hospital system attached to the school and has its students rotate in community hospitals in the area.
So unless you are lucky enough for this program to work for you, it can actually screw you over for your future after spending over $60k for the year. Its a high risk and after seeing many classmates getting screwed over when they did everything possible, I would not recommend it because of the super high risk involved. Instead, you should look into spending time retaking your MCAT and working on taking postbac courses to increase your GPA or look into another linkage program with a more organized linkage system. I am definitely happy with how the program ended up working for me but I do want to be honest with giving a non-biased view about the program overall. Let me know if you have any questions!
Click to expand...


Hey guys!

I'm also a current BMS student and I just want to say I 100% agree with this person. Spot on
 
Another BMS student this year. Check out my post about my experience with BMS:
forums.studentdoctor.net

Rosalind Franklin BMS (Biomedical Sciences) Program SCAM - Current Student

Hello SDNers, This forum gave me so much in helping me with my premed career in preparation for MCAT and Pre-Med journey (I wish I had taken some of the posts more seriously so I wouldn't have been in this situation) and I wanted to give back so that no one else would have to face what I did...
forums.studentdoctor.net forums.studentdoctor.net

PS: this is not intended for anything but to share information about the program from the experiences of myself and my fellow classmates who are also from the current BMS class.
 
justr8edge said:
Hey guys, I've been looking at this program for about 7 years. Could anyone chance me for this program?

cGPA:2.34
sGPA:2.11 (with Post-bacc 4.0 in science classes)
MCAT:505 (Retaking 4/24 and going to make sure I get a 510+)

EC:
- Went to a rigorous competitive research university
- Captain of an award winning collegiate cultural dance team
- President of a collegiate cultural club
- Local representative to pass a bill in congress to provide electricity in Africa and have it pass in the senate
- Worked at a biotech company that consistently saved lives with DNA sequencing techniques to find blood cord transplant matches for 1 year
- Studied a protein that may be suggested in pro-inflammatory responses after subarachnoid hemorrhages for 1.5 years and had the opportunity to publish as a co-author.
- Retook the prerequisites and took biochemistry for the first time for a semester - post bacc. GPA at my state university = 4.0
- Shadowed at Pediatric Critical Care Unit in a big hospital (25 hours)
- Since April 2019, moved from Boston to Chicago and had been volunteering in the Rogers Park neighborhood at a community kitchen every week. Should hit 150+ hours by the summer

I know my uGPA is low. I was having a lot of family problems and put a lot on my plate which was not the smartest move at that time. Chance me and let me know what you think I can improve, and if this may be the program for me. Also if I should submit without retake considering Coronavirus.

Thanks everyone, appreciate you.
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Don’t do this program. Read some of the recent comments how this program has changed for the worse.
 
justr8edge said:
Hey guys, I've been looking at this program for about 7 years. Could anyone chance me for this program?

cGPA:2.34
sGPA:2.11 (with Post-bacc 4.0 in science classes)
MCAT:505 (Retaking 4/24 and going to make sure I get a 510+)

EC:
- Went to a rigorous competitive research university
- Captain of an award winning collegiate cultural dance team
- President of a collegiate cultural club
- Local representative to pass a bill in congress to provide electricity in Africa and have it pass in the senate
- Worked at a biotech company that consistently saved lives with DNA sequencing techniques to find blood cord transplant matches for 1 year
- Studied a protein that may be suggested in pro-inflammatory responses after subarachnoid hemorrhages for 1.5 years and had the opportunity to publish as a co-author.
- Retook the prerequisites and took biochemistry for the first time for a semester - post bacc. GPA at my state university = 4.0
- Shadowed at Pediatric Critical Care Unit in a big hospital (25 hours)
- Since April 2019, moved from Boston to Chicago and had been volunteering in the Rogers Park neighborhood at a community kitchen every week. Should hit 150+ hours by the summer

I know my uGPA is low. I was having a lot of family problems and put a lot on my plate which was not the smartest move at that time. Chance me and let me know what you think I can improve, and if this may be the program for me. Also if I should submit without retaking my MCAT considering Coronavirus.

Thanks everyone, appreciate you.
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Hi,

I highly suggest that you look into other SMP and/or linkage programs. This program has been going in a worse direction and it is definitely not worth risking your chances especially with your situation. Good luck with your search!
 
What's everyone think since this program has been heading downhill? What other programs are you all considering instead?
 
I'm still debating between this program, georgetown, touro nevada and temple ACHS. I feel like this program still gives you the best chance of getting in despite of what has happened recently.
 
thatpremedguy said:
I'm still debating between this program, georgetown, touro nevada and temple ACHS. I feel like this program still gives you the best chance of getting in despite of what has happened recently.
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Why do you think that? It seems they pick people randomly. I literally live close to the school and I’m not sure if I should bother with this program. Ask @westcoastpremed147
 
Just got in ... but no idea how I feel considering the negative info about this program recently. Even though SMPs are risky in general, I think the program is too risky.. What is everyone else thinking?
 
There is the Loyala MS program in Chicago. I've heard good things about linkage there as well.
 
Dochopeful13 said:
Why do you think that? It seems they pick people randomly. I literally live close to the school and I’m not sure if I should bother with this program. Ask @westcoastpremed147
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Because I have several friends that are in this program this year last year and the year prior. Yes there were issues with this year but they still accept ~60% of the class into CMS which is one of the best chances in terms of MD programs. The prior issues with students dropping out or not performing well is a non-factor for me. Every academic program has issues with dropouts or subpar performance that's more of an individual issue than a program issue (programs should do their best to prevent this though).

I'm not trying to ignore the concerns because they are valid, however I think the reason this program in particular is getting so much heat recently is bc people think they are guaranteed in and that is not the case, there will be outliers. All the other alternative masters programs don't even have acceptance rates this high besides cinci, temple acms, and tulane, so I don't get why people are so hyped on programs like georgetown that have a 50% acceptance the same year and the school lists include ross, st. george and do schools.

Also I have a very strong feeling that the people who don't get in have MCATs below 500. The class profile has an average of 500, meaning there are people below. I'm curious if that's the case for people who didn't get in.
 
thatpremedguy said:
Because I have several friends that are in this program this year last year and the year prior. Yes there were issues with this year but they still accept ~60% of the class into CMS which is one of the best chances in terms of MD programs. The prior issues with students dropping out or not performing well is a non-factor for me. Every academic program has issues with dropouts or subpar performance that's more of an individual issue than a program issue (programs should do their best to prevent this though).

I'm not trying to ignore the concerns because they are valid, however I think the reason this program in particular is getting so much heat recently is bc people think they are guaranteed in and that is not the case, there will be outliers. All the other alternative masters programs don't even have acceptance rates this high besides cinci, temple acms, and tulane, so I don't get why people are so hyped on programs like georgetown that have a 50% acceptance the same year and the school lists include ross, st. george and do schools.

Also I have a very strong feeling that the people who don't get in have MCATs below 500. The class profile has an average of 500, meaning there are people below. I'm curious if that's the case for people who didn't get in.
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Well that’s good to hear. So it was a 60 percent rate last year as well?
 
chocopuffs8 said:
I heard good things about this Loyola MAMS too! Hoping to go to this program if I can get in
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I’ve heard it’s a good program but the linkage into the Loyola med school isn’t very high. But it sets you up to get an acceptance somewhere.
 
thatpremedguy said:
Because I have several friends that are in this program this year last year and the year prior. Yes there were issues with this year but they still accept ~60% of the class into CMS which is one of the best chances in terms of MD programs. The prior issues with students dropping out or not performing well is a non-factor for me. Every academic program has issues with dropouts or subpar performance that's more of an individual issue than a program issue (programs should do their best to prevent this though).

I'm not trying to ignore the concerns because they are valid, however I think the reason this program in particular is getting so much heat recently is bc people think they are guaranteed in and that is not the case, there will be outliers. All the other alternative masters programs don't even have acceptance rates this high besides cinci, temple acms, and tulane, so I don't get why people are so hyped on programs like georgetown that have a 50% acceptance the same year and the school lists include ross, st. george and do schools.

Also I have a very strong feeling that the people who don't get in have MCATs below 500. The class profile has an average of 500, meaning there are people below. I'm curious if that's the case for people who didn't get in.
Click to expand...

Hi! I personally can't speak much for how they're deciding who gets in or doesn't because this year seems very off from before. But I do personally know two people who had 508 and 505 MCAT scores but didn't get into CMS. I studied with them and I can say that they're really smart and both of them had higher percentage grades than I did for our classes in the fall/winter and now too. BMS admins have always said that if you're MCAT is good enough for BMS then it should be good enough for CMS. Idk how true it is considering that the average MCAT for an MD school is 513 nowadays. It's high risk high reward so its important to take all the new information about how the program is evolving into account.
 
chocopuffs8 said:
@Dochopeful13 Yeah I heard it has a good reputation as an SMP that can help you gain acceptance. Like a lot of Med Schools value it as a credible SMP. I have a friend who is a MAMS graduate who is now at UIC SOM. I'm also looking into Boston University's SMP too but it is quite expensive 🙁
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I feel ya. I live in Chicago and I wish there was an smp with strong linkage here. A lot of other major cities have them 🙁
 
blueseashells said:
Also from the area and I actually got to visit the school and talk to the program director. Posted about my experience on another thread.. I was really looking to go to this program for a while but after visiting and talking to the students there I see why there are so many complaints. It all seemed like a sketchy money-making business playing with students' lives. I wish I had done the program a few years ago before the new changes..
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Me too 🙁 I was really banking on this being my second chance. Have you applied anywhere else?
 
blueseashells said:
I applied to Temple ACHS and it is my top choice. They interview you before the postbac program and its a guaranteed admission. It seems like they definitely invest in you if you're in the program and isn't just like a cash-grabbing SMP accepting many many applicants without a proper linkage.. I really hope I can get in.. Crossing-fingers
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ACMS I know is guaranteed if you have a 3.6 gpa. What are the requirements for ACHS? Wish you the best of luck.
 
For those who heard back from RFU, what was the turnaround time between your application submission and the decision? Just curious. Appreciate you all btw.
 
blueseashells said:
I applied to Temple ACHS and it is my top choice. They interview you before the postbac program and its a guaranteed admission. It seems like they definitely invest in you if you're in the program and isn't just like a cash-grabbing SMP accepting many many applicants without a proper linkage.. I really hope I can get in.. Crossing-fingers
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Do you mind sharing your stats?
 
blueseashells said:
I applied to Temple ACHS and it is my top choice. They interview you before the postbac program and its a guaranteed admission. It seems like they definitely invest in you if you're in the program and isn't just like a cash-grabbing SMP accepting many many applicants without a proper linkage.. I really hope I can get in.. Crossing-fingers
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I interviewed and got into the temple ACHS program, very nice faculty and great program but the linkages are not guaranteed unless you have stats that could get you into med school without them....Also you don't know the linkage requirements until august. The linkage agreements they have now change every year
 
thatpremedguy said:
I interviewed and got into the temple ACHS program, very nice faculty and great program but the linkages are not guaranteed unless you have stats that could get you into med school without them....Also you don't know the linkage requirements until august. The linkage agreements they have now change every year
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Do you mind sharing your stats? I'm looking into temple and wanted to know my chances.
 
mapleapple55 said:
Current student here and can confirm that this year's acceptance rate is nowhere near 60%. Not even 60% are still in the program from where it started unfortunately
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Why in the world would anyone even waste money applying to this program. Hopefully they shut bms down or revise it.
 
Dochopeful13 said:
ACMS I know is guaranteed if you have a 3.6 gpa. What are the requirements for ACHS? Wish you the best of luck.
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sorry if this was talked about earlier but what is the difference between ACHS and ACMS?
 
3.6 GPA in an SMP curriculum is nothing to sneeze at. I went in thinking, "No problem. 4.0 for sure." Mine was lower than that at RFU BMS and I busted my nog.

Rising M2 at CMS who successfully matriculated from BMS if anyone has any questions. 69.7% of our class (class of 2019) received conditional acceptances, and 51 out of 60 of those conditionals successfully matriculated. Show up, act right, don't get any Cs, and don't suck in your interview.
 
JowellHollyBuddy33 said:
3.6 GPA in an SMP curriculum is nothing to sneeze at. I went in thinking, "No problem. 4.0 for sure." Mine was lower than that at RFU BMS and I busted my nog.

Rising M2 at CMS who successfully matriculated from BMS if anyone has any questions. 69.7% of our class (class of 2019) received conditional acceptances, and 51 out of 60 of those conditionals successfully matriculated. Show up, act right, don't get any Cs, and don't suck in your interview.
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It seems this past years class was a disaster. Can you confirm?
 
JowellHollyBuddy33 said:
3.6 GPA in an SMP curriculum is nothing to sneeze at. I went in thinking, "No problem. 4.0 for sure." Mine was lower than that at RFU BMS and I busted my nog.

Rising M2 at CMS who successfully matriculated from BMS if anyone has any questions. 69.7% of our class (class of 2019) received conditional acceptances, and 51 out of 60 of those conditionals successfully matriculated. Show up, act right, don't get any Cs, and don't suck in your interview.
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Do you work for the school? I have good information that less than 40 percent of students made it into cms this past year. There have been multiple students who even were accepted into cms posting on sdn that this program is a scam. Don’t do this program and waste 50k plus. You literally can get the grades and do well everything they ask and get rejected still.
 
JowellHollyBuddy33 said:
I'm just trying to help. Something I never had to do for you in the first place but I chose to do it anyway. Are you alright?
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No offense but you are not helping these people by telling them show up and don’t get C’s. There’s a ton of people that have posted on here that did everything right and didn’t get in. This program is extremely shady and there is no rhyme or reason why some people get rejected and others accepted. This program will kill your chances for med school and put you 60 k plus in debt.
 
Startingover123 said:
No offense but you are not helping these people by telling them show up and don’t get C’s.
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That's literally what they tell you on the first day. And everyone who has been successful in this program has done exactly that. Show up. Don't get C's. Do well in your interview.

You want to improve your chances? Get involved on and off campus. Do some volunteering. Do some research. It's literally the same song and dance as what you would do anywhere else, in any other program, under any other circumstances in order to improve your chances of getting into medical school. This program is a way in for a lot of underdoggin' kinds of candidates. You're basing your disdain for this program purely off of hearsay and telling other people not to attend. You've never even sniffed the door!
 
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