Rosalind Franklin Class of 2013

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
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is there a facebook group for the class of 2013? it might be easier to find roommates there too, if there is one.
 
hey there, if you want to get a roommate for the woodlands you should go on the RFUMS housing forum website and post something there, last year that is where i found my roommate....
best of luck with your search.
: )
congrats on your acceptance too! im an M1 and we have 3 weeks left...im counting down the days......its sooooo much work so enjoy your summer and be ready to work hard when you get here! : )
 
does anyone know if there are studio apartments available near CMS? I'm on a very tight budget and prefer to live alone.
 
Maybe things have changed since I looked at apartments 4 years ago, but there aren't tall that many apartment complexes that are close by to the school, and they are very expensive (much more expensive than living in the on-campus dorms), and I think more expensive than woodlands as well.
 
894rty said:
does anyone know if there are studio apartments available near CMS? I'm on a very tight budget and prefer to live alone.
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here are the off-campus housing options rfums recommends - just go down to pages 12-13.

http://66.99.255.20/DNN/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=adLgpFZ4S98%3d&tabid=565

i looked into alot of these, and as streetfighter said, the studios at these places are generally more expensive than living on campus. however, most seem reasonably priced, and the woodlands is actually one of the most expensive in the area (plus it has gotten bad reviews).

for more information and/or other apartment options, check out apartmentfinder.com. the place i was really interested in (before i got a spot in the dorms) is called chateau royale and is located in waukegan.

edit: if budget is your biggest concern, living with just one other person can get you a much nicer place for significantly less money.
 
has anybody gotten their d2l account set up yet? or their email account ([email protected]) ? is there a deadline when we're suppose to do this?
 
i posted on another thread, but i was wondering if any current students could help with the process of taking out loans. they gave us a financial aid application but there was no place to put lenders on it. also im guessing im going to take out multiple loans, are then any lenders that people recommend? thanks!
 
Don't worry about the D2L or email account right now. If they give you the ability to set it up - great, if not, you can do it during orientation week. Having access to it now will not do anything for you... aside from possibly letting you know about various sporting events that happen for students.

For the loans, there should be some sheet with a matrix of lenders that will be the source for all your loans, federal and grad plus.

Most of the people I know used DollarBank (through SallieMae). You'll have to compare origination fees and rates - but at the time we did it, it was pretty straightforward.

Make sure you get all that immunization paperwork done and done right. Also, if you are coming from the workforce - make sure you have your certificate of coverage from your previous health insurance company. It will make your life a lot easier.
 
Is there a class facebook group? If not, let's make one.
 
Yes, yes, let's! I want to know who's in my class 🙂
 
Hey everyone. Do any of you know how safe the Metra park and rides are for overnight parking around, and just south of, North Chicago? If I leave my car there for a day or two will it get broken in to? (assume that my car is not fancy and I'm not leaving valuables on the seat to entice robbers)
 
monkeygirl09 said:
Hey everyone. Do any of you know how safe the Metra park and rides are for overnight parking around, and just south of, North Chicago? If I leave my car there for a day or two will it get broken in to? (assume that my car is not fancy and I'm not leaving valuables on the seat to entice robbers)
Click to expand...

If you're talking about lake bluff, the area itself seems pretty safe. I've been a few times there during the day and in the evening, and it doesn't look too bad. Don't take my word for it though, i'm not exactly an expert on the area :lame:
 
just to confirm, we don't need a cpr course before matriculating right?
 
monkeygirl09 said:
Hey everyone. Do any of you know how safe the Metra park and rides are for overnight parking around, and just south of, North Chicago? If I leave my car there for a day or two will it get broken in to? (assume that my car is not fancy and I'm not leaving valuables on the seat to entice robbers)
Click to expand...


You can't park overnight at the Metra stations.
 
Hey for any of you that might already be in the Chicago area... I need to get rid of some of my stuff before I move out in about 3 weeks. I have a copy of Bates Guide to Physical Examination which you will be required to buy for your ECR class for M1 and M2 years. It's in great condition with no markings on any sort on any of the pages. Willing to sell it for 25 obo. I also have a panoptic Welch Allyn ophthalmoscope/otoscope which originally cost around 500 bucks. It's also in great condition (used maybe ten times), and I'm willing to part with it for 150 obo. The other books I'm looking to get rid of are Behavioral Science BRS, Anatomy BRS, Robbins Review of Pathology, Langman's Medical Embryology, Crush the Boards for USMLE Step 2, and Moore Persaud's Before We are Born (embryo). These ones are marked up, but any of them can be had for 5 dollars. The only catch is that you have to be willing to come to my apartment in downtown Chicago to pick these up because I don't have the time or desire to ship anything right now. Thanks!
 
So for all the medical supplies we need...should we be getting that stuff beforehand? I don't know anything about this stuff so it would be nice to get a tutorial about the different models before I fork out all that money. Anyone know?? I'm getting overwhelmed by all the books and stuff we need! (excited but overwhelmed!!!)
 
I think I'm getting my books and supplies during orientation..I read somewhere that upper year students can help you determine what you need for first year (ie books)
 
I know most students at CMS and people who are going to attend CMS want to know the answers to these questions. So please try your best to answer these.

Keeping in mind that things vary from class to class, approximately how many As and Bs do you need in order to be top quartile of the class or top half? How much percentage does year 1 vs year 2 vs year 3 make up the gpa, which determines your class rank?

For example, for year 1: I know physiology takes up 14 credit hours, anatomy 9, molecular cell bio 5, histology 5, neuroscience 7, biochemistry 6, Essential Clinical reasoning 9, embryo 3, genetics 3. So if you have an A in physio and anatomy histology and MCB and the rest are Bs what is your standing? How about only A in physiology and rest Bs? How about As in everything except MCB?
 
Bs, who gets Bs?? I'm getting all As baby!!!😛
 
As? I thought we were pass/fail. haha
 
It is letter grade based. Competition is high.

I also did not know not that when I first started at RFUMS that there was unequal footing among the year one students. About 40-50 students in a class of about 180-200 M1 students are M1As. M1As= medical students who take 2 years to do the 1st year of medical school. They basically have mostly As on courses like physiology, MCB, embryo, neuroscience, and biochemistry (the same courses you guys are going to take 1st year) through the BMS program at rosalind franklin in order to be accepted to become medical students your year. (some joke that the "a" in M1a is the letter grade they get most of the time)

Then they only take anatomy, histology, and genetics with you guys for your whole year one while you guys will have to cram all these other courses in year one. Most of the free time they are doing research or some extracurricular activity to keep themselves busy.

If I had known this ahead of time I would've chosen another school easily.
 
hykim said:
I know most students at CMS and people who are going to attend CMS want to know the answers to these questions. So please try your best to answer these.

Keeping in mind that things vary from class to class, approximately how many As and Bs do you need in order to be top quartile of the class or top half? How much percentage does year 1 vs year 2 vs year 3 make up the gpa, which determines your class rank?

For example, for year 1: I know physiology takes up 14 credit hours, anatomy 9, molecular cell bio 5, histology 5, neuroscience 7, biochemistry 6, Essential Clinical reasoning 9, embryo 3, genetics 3. So if you have an A in physio and anatomy histology and MCB and the rest are Bs what is your standing? How about only A in physiology and rest Bs? How about As in everything except MCB?
Click to expand...


I think there are about 60 plus gpa-based credit hours in year 1 and about 70+ gpa-based credit hours for year 2. Year 3 makes up about 50% of the gpa while 1st 2 years make up about 50%? These are all estimates and not exact so please feel free to correct me if you guys know anything.

I have "heard" that getting 2-3 As in your major classes such as physiology and anatomy will put you the middle of class so about 50%tile. I do not know how accurate this rumor is.

A's are really hard to get at the medical school level as compared to undergraduate level. For CMS, some of the classes will be based on a bell curve such as MCB, Biochem, genetics so you will be fighting for that A because only so many get them. But of course if your raw score is in the A zone which is infrequently the case, then you will get an A. Other courses are designed so that the average is always curved to 80. So if class avg for 1 exam is 75 there will be a 5 point curve for everyone on the test. Many undergraduate 3.8+ to 4.0 students majoring in sciences, will suddenly find themselves in the A/B range for most classes. People who are not used to studying 8+ hours everyday and choose not to(applicable only after term 1) will easily find themselves in the B/C range. Of course this varies for different individuals. And as always there are people who are bright and study 12 hours a day everyday including weekends. These students will have more As than Bs. But it is no guarantee to get all As because you need luck and insight as well.

Not sure how many As or Bs you need to be in top quartile though.
 
hykim said:
It is letter grade based. Competition is high.

I also did not know not that when I first started at RFUMS that there was unequal footing among the year one students. About 40-50 students in a class of about 180-200 M1 students are M1As. M1As= medical students who take 2 years to do the 1st year of medical school. They basically have mostly As on courses like physiology, MCB, embryo, neuroscience, and biochemistry (the same courses you guys are going to take 1st year) through the BMS program at rosalind franklin in order to be accepted to become medical students your year. (some joke that the "a" in M1a is the letter grade they get most of the time)

Then they only take anatomy, histology, and genetics with you guys for your whole year one while you guys will have to cram all these other courses in year one. Most of the free time they are doing research or some extracurricular activity to keep themselves busy.

If I had known this ahead of time I would've chosen another school easily.
Click to expand...

Who cares? Preclinical GPA is one of the least important factors for residencies.
 
KeyzerSoze said:
Who cares? Preclinical GPA is one of the least important factors for residencies.
Click to expand...

Actually they count about 50% toward your ranking and ranking is what matters. The thing that least matters is extracurricular activities. And the first two years' grades are the most controllable. 3rd year is mostly subjective aside from shelf exams.

It is step 1 and class ranking along with 3rd year evaluations that make up the majority of the residency's decisions.
 
hykim said:
Actually they count about 50% toward your ranking and ranking is what matters. The thing that least matters is extracurricular activities. And the first two years' grades are the most controllable. 3rd year is mostly subjective aside from shelf exams.

It is step 1 and class ranking along with 3rd year evaluations that make up the majority of the residency's decisions.
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Residency directors ranked class rankings at number 7, after required clerkship grades, step 1 scores, senior electives in the specialty, number of honors grades (unclear if this means clinical or not), step 2 score, and step 2 CS pass. Preclinical grades per se were ranked number 12.


Green M, Jones P, Thomas JX Jr. Selection criteria for residency: results of a national program directors survey. Acad Med 2009; 84(3): 362-367.
 
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KeyzerSoze said:
Residency directors ranked class rankings at number 7, after required clerkship grades, step 1 scores, senior electives in the specialty, number of honors grades (unclear if this means clinical or not), step 2 score, and step 2 CS pass. Preclinical grades per se were ranked number 12.


Green M, Jones P, Thomas JX Jr. Selection criteria for residency: results of a national program directors survey. Acad Med 2009; 84(3): 362-367.
Click to expand...

What you present is true according to the study. However, the full picture is that number of honor grades (#4) and class rank (#7) both interrelated are top 7 out of at least 14 different components of the criteria list. There are also extracurricular activities, interviews, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and other miscellaneous components that are not incorporated into that 14 component chart.

Therefore, class rank, which is 50% determined by your preclinical grades at RFUMS, and number of honor grades, which may include preclinical grades, are ranked top 7 out of possibly 14-?? things that residency programs actually look at. When you interpret the data from this angle, you can see that preclinical grade has quite some impact on residency decisions. Top 7 out of at least more than 14 factors is quite alot of weight.

Also, look at it from this angle, if the published paper only listed 3 components as the factors in residency selection: #1 3rd year clerkship grade, #2 step 1, #3 grades in senior elective grade in specialty, it can easily be misinterpreted that #3 grades in senior elective grade is "who cares, they are least important."

Also the top 6 criteria can actually be condensed to 4 things: 1)3rd year clerkship grades, 2)step 1, 3)4th year elective grade, 4)step 2 (# of grades are redundant and overlap with each other) therefore, moving class rank closer to actually top 5 things out of at least 14 things. Again, residency programs also look at your interview, personal statement, extracurricular activities, and evaluations from Dean, attendings, researcher you worked with....list goes on so theres actually more than just 14 things because this study left out alot of selection factors. (perhaps extending the criteria list to 25+ things)

Also, it is certainly true that preclinical grades are used to determine class rank at many schools including ours. For the purposes of the study, however, program directors were considering preclinical grades alone (independent of their effects on class rank). Therefore their ranking preclinical grade at number 12 does not really apply to CMS's case.
 
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So instead of looking at the list as a 1-14 list I think a perspective as intended by the study for this criteria list is that it is a top 14 list.

In addition, AOA status which is determined largely by class rank (step1 and extracurrricular and subjectiveness play some part here) and class rank which is 50% determined by preclinical grades is also on the top 14 list. So in sum, #4 number of honor grades, #7 class rank itself, #12 preclinical grades and also AOA status are all part of the top 14 selection criteria for residency directors.

But of course as you pointed out, from the study, 3rd year grade carries the most weight, followed by step 1. These, I agree, are the most important factors. However, one can not simply rule out the importance of preclinical grades and class rank simply because they are number 12 and 7, respectively. Number 7 out of what? out of 8? 14? 25? 100? That part is not clear and thus can be misleading.
 
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Heun, you need to calm down with all this grade talk obsession. You're just going to pass on your neurotic take onto the incoming class.

Do the grades matter, yeah, of course they do. To what extent and how much? Somewhere between not too much and moderately. Is the actual answer going to have any bearing on what you do with regards to school? Probably not.

It's not like you are going to study less or try harder. Most people put in a ton of work and effort and try their hardest and they get what they get. You put forth the best effort you can and let the chips fall where they may.

And quit complaining about the M1As. Yes, they have an easier time. Yes, it's an advantage for them. But reality will punch them in the face come M2 year. Besides, life is never fair. The playing field is always stacked in someone else's favor. Life is tough - get a helmet.

The rest of you incoming M1s - don't get your panties in a wad over which books to buy or email or D2L or any of that other stuff. What you need to do is make sure the paperwork you do get from admin is turned in on time and done correctly. Everything will be covered during orientation week (which I'll be helping out with, so some of you will actually see me).

Other than that, I would recommend trying to find some other people in your class to make friends with and meet up before school starts. Once school begins, social time dwindles significantly. I hosted a cookout last year and the friendships we made before school started continued throughout the year.
 
well said. Thanks for the reality punch in the face😀
What goes on at orientation anyway?


MeGrimlock said:
Heun, you need to calm down with all this grade talk obsession. You're just going to pass on your neurotic take onto the incoming class.

Do the grades matter, yeah, of course they do. To what extent and how much? Somewhere between not too much and moderately. Is the actual answer going to have any bearing on what you do with regards to school? Probably not.

It's not like you are going to study less or try harder. Most people put in a ton of work and effort and try their hardest and they get what they get. You put forth the best effort you can and let the chips fall where they may.

And quit complaining about the M1As. Yes, they have an easier time. Yes, it's an advantage for them. But reality will punch them in the face come M2 year. Besides, life is never fair. The playing field is always stacked in someone else's favor. Life is tough - get a helmet.

The rest of you incoming M1s - don't get your panties in a wad over which books to buy or email or D2L or any of that other stuff. What you need to do is make sure the paperwork you do get from admin is turned in on time and done correctly. Everything will be covered during orientation week (which I'll be helping out with, so some of you will actually see me).

Other than that, I would recommend trying to find some other people in your class to make friends with and meet up before school starts. Once school begins, social time dwindles significantly. I hosted a cookout last year and the friendships we made before school started continued throughout the year.
Click to expand...
 
I have another question for the med students. Since CMS has a lot of different hospital affiliations, are we able to pick where we want to go for 3rd and 4th year? We're hoping to buy a house somewhere between RFU and Chicago instead of wasting money on rent for 4 years but I'm worried that if it's anywhere close to RFU, I'll have a huge commute during 3rd and 4th year depending on where I have to go for rotations. Any thoughts on this?
 
Rotations for 3rd and 4th year are done with a lottery system, not sure about the details, and it's not worth worrying about it now, but you get to pick somewhat.

Sound like you might be a non-trad student. My wife and I are both non-trads and we've got a kindergartner to boot - so I'm uniquely qualified to provide my opinion on your housing options, especially if you have a kid.

My recommendation from both a convenience and financial perspective is don't buy a house right now. Without knowing knowing your particular details, I can't imagine any situation where buying is prudent. Feel free to send me a message if you want to talk offline with regards to this.

We had to sell our townhome right before coming to school last year and I ended up having to liquidate some of my retirement accounts to bring enough cash to closing. You don't want to be in that situation. You want to maximize your cash availibility during school - that means being in a reasonably liquid situation because if you run out of cash - game over, especially with this credit market. I'll stop there... my finance training is coming out and sometimes it confuses people.
 
Anyone heard back about financial aid yet? Award letters? I applied for my loans back in January, and I was wondering how much longer it might take.
 
it takes the financial aid office some time to process everything...as long as you filed out everything and turned in your promissary notes on your loans you will be fine. ive been reading some of the earlier postings on this forum...if you really want the best answers, email or the departments directly...or call them...they are super friendly and ready to help. Also, you can get a list of orientation leaders for next year and you can chat/email them one-on-one for direct questions if you feel that posting on a forum is not comfortable for you....
best of luck and see you next year.
 
Does anyone know about the CMS policy for lecture attendance? Is it mandatory?
 
you do not have to attend any lectures if you dont want to, anatomy lab is mandatory though. All the test questions come from the lecture notes, but i ended up going to almost all the lectures (ESPECIALLY PHYSIO!!!) b/c there is just wayyy too much info and its nice to see what they focus on....
its your call though, anatomy was at 8am usually so i skipped some of them....my best advice for you...DO NOT GET BEHIND....once you get backed up its soo hard to come back....
i know u didnt ask, but.......everyone has different learning styles and your style of learning will change most likely in med school..its just WAY too much info at once...what works best for me may not work well for you...but i found that it is best to read the lecture once and try to get a good understanding....then the second time you read it make a good outline for it....then the third time will be before the test so make it count. Then go over your outlines and anything you keep forgetting right before the exam.
best of luck.
 
Orientation is August 2nd. So when exactly is the first day of classes?
 
i thought orientation started on aug 11? i think class starts on aug 17.

what are the activities for orientation week?
 
orientation week is full of events....
usually until 3 or 4pm you are in meetings with various groups...
you will go over everything you need from academic services to financial aid...
also, you will be meeting your group advisor and small academic groups...
these groups are assigned to help you throughout your 4 years...each group consists of students from each year and basically they are like your connection to upper class students. You can ask them about anything and they will be glad to help. Orientation also has a lot of social events such as cookouts, and there are also non-school affiliated events (last year we had a bowling night....) Make sure you talk to a lot of people and have fun! The friends you make during orientation are usually your good friends that remain throughout the year.
 
Ok, I suck at financial aid stuff. I emailed the financial aid counselors... more than 3 times, and left phone messages twice over the last 3 weeks, and they have yet to get back to me. Sorry if any of these are repeat questions, I did try searching the forum but came up with a lot of useless/outdated information, so if anyone can help me out that would be great.

Questions:

1) How do we apply for a Federal Perkins Loan? 😕

2) To confirm: Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans both have interest rates fixed at 6.8% for the life of the loan?

3) The 1% default fee is charged on all Stafford loans correct?

4) I understand that interest is accrued on the unsubsidized Stafford loans. How often is the interest capitalized?

5) Does Sallie Mae participate in the National Clearinghouse program or do I need to fill out deferment paperwork?

6) The loan paperwork gives the option of paying interest on the unsubsidized loan while in school.
If I check the box and state that I would like to pay interest, and don't, is there a penalty?
Is this any different from stating that I would not like to pay interest, and paying it anyway when I can?


thank you!!
 
So, I've also had a lot of trouble contacting anyone by phone or email about my financial aid questions.

I've got a wife and two kids, pretty much zero savings, and my wife wasn't planning on working while I'm in school. My rent, insurance premiums, and general cost of living with be much higher than a traditional, single student. If I request it, will RFU make adjustments to their 'Cost of Attendance' for people like me so that I can borrow more if I need to?
 
Has anyone had any luck contacting them?>
I urgently need them to get my I-20 stuff.. this is crazy!
 
NKMgrad student said:
Has anyone had any luck contacting them?>
I urgently need them to get my I-20 stuff.. this is crazy!
Click to expand...

hi!

i don't think we send the I-20 stuff to the financial aid office...I think we send it to the international advisor (shannon stein)!
 
I called them yesterday and they answered. I think it's just the time you call them when you can catch them. Anyways, they said that they will be processing the financial aid applications later this week and will be emailing us and sending us stuff through the mail when it has been completed.
 
I finally got someone to answer as well. If you're missing any paperwork, they'll be letting you know sometime during the next few days.
 
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