Toledo MSBS 2020-2021

[medstudent5678]

When should we starting looking into housing(and which apartment complex do most MSBS students live)? And is there going to be a facebook page where we can find roommates?

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[Vanilla96]

When should we starting looking into housing? And is there going to be a facebook page where we can find roommates?

Just an admitted student like you, but the FB page usually only gets made for us after the current MSBS class finds out who gets into UTCOM. And I believe I read somewhere on here that it’s not a bad idea to start looking for housing sooner than later.

All that said if an admitted student to this years 2021 class wants to make a groupme or something we can try to get everyone accepted to join that? Honestly I’d do it myself except that I’m still waiting to hear back from one last place before committing 🙁


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[Sophil15]

When should we starting looking into housing(and which apartment complex do most MSBS students live)? And is there going to be a facebook page where we can find roommates?

I would start looking sooner rather than later. See if you can get your lease dated at least a full year before your M1 year would start if you're going for in state tuition (so if the UTMC year you would matriculate into starts August 24 2021, get a lease dated no later than August 23 2021).

There's a booklet somewhere in this thread that contains some general info about available apartments. I currently live in Edge 1120 (as do a lot of people, like a quarter of the program) but pretty much all of us are moving out since we haven't had the best experience. I personally recommend Chelsea Place, as that's the one complex I've heard only good things about.

All that said if an admitted student to this years 2021 class wants to make a groupme or something we can try to get everyone accepted to join that? Honestly I’d do it myself except that I’m still waiting to hear back from one last place before committing 🙁


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TBH last year I made the groupme for my cohort and we ended up having a ton of questions before the year started that we had to kinda work around to get a hold of a previous MSBSer. If people don't mind having an ancient veteran of the program ~harshing the youth's vibes~ I can drop a link for an "accepted student help groupme" to make it easier for people to ask questions/connect with other admitted folks.

 

[deleted1048785]

I’m down to make the groupme in the meantime just for us all to chat but am also down for anything!

Also, I have a lot of family in Ohio and my brother in law who is from northwest Ohio told me that Perrysburg is an ideal place to live since it’s quite close and is the hub for ~young professionals~ and is overall a young place (his words not mine). Also heard from a friend who is from Toledo that Maumee is another v close v cute town that is also somewhat young. Just wanted to mention these since I didn’t see them mentioned much in the handbook! Saw that they have some pretty nice apartments in both places too.

Other than that, I looked at the Chelsea apartments that have been mentioned on here before and they also look awesome!! As a southern Californian, I am shocked at how nice the apartments are for how cheap the rent is. I would easily have to pay at least $1500 for something similar in San Diego!!


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[Sophil15]

I’m down to make the groupme in the meantime just for us all to chat but am also down for anything!

Go for it! The groupme for my year was a huge help for the class. Lots of people found roommates and ironed out questions that way.

Also, I have a lot of family in Ohio and my brother in law who is from northwest Ohio told me that Perrysburg is an ideal place to live since it’s quite close and is the hub for ~young professionals~ and is overall a young place (his words not mine).

Also, can confirm about Perrysburg. I will be moving there in a few months, and would also happen to consider myself a ~young professional~

 

[deleted1048785]

Also, can confirm about Perrysburg. I will be moving there in a few months, and would also happen to consider myself a ~young professional~

Another q for you- how far is perrysburg from campus? And how important is being close to campus?

I think I saw that Chelsea was ~12 min from campus whereas Perrysburg (at least the complex I was looking at) was ~20 min. Trying to factor in how much the drive might suck with weather factored in as well.


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[deleted978967]

Another q for you- how far is perrysburg from campus? And how important is being close to campus?

I think I saw that Chelsea was ~12 min from campus whereas Perrysburg (at least the complex I was looking at) was ~20 min. Trying to factor in how much the drive might suck with weather factored in as well.

Just gonna butt in here... So I lived in Perrysburg during MSBS and yes, Perrysberg is nice, and it is fairly close. Took me about 20-25 minutes to get to campus on a normal day, however.... There were MANY days that were not normal. They are seemingly ALWAYS doing construction on one of the bridges or main roads, and so if you do not check google maps religiously before heading off to campus, you may find yourself in a random 1hr traffic jam. There are LOTS of med students living in Chelsea, Heather village, and Fox chase which are quite a bit closer with no random bridge closings to worry about. But I definitely miss the down-town perrysburg vibe and look for any excuse to go down there. Out of all of the MSBSers in my class that lived in Perrysburg, non of us lived there this M1 year.

 

[Sophil15]

Just gonna butt in here... So I lived in Perrysburg during MSBS and yes, Perrysberg is nice, and it is fairly close. Took me about 20-25 minutes to get to campus on a normal day, however.... There were MANY days that were not normal. They are seemingly ALWAYS doing construction on one of the bridges or main roads, and so if you do not check google maps religiously before heading off to campus, you may find yourself in a random 1hr traffic jam.

HOWEVER, living in Perrysburg gives you an in to make a bunch of terrible "Perry the Platypus" references, so take that into consideration too.

In all honesty though, @Miracle_Max brings up some v good points. Especially since some professors care way more about consistent attendance than others do, it's a good idea to pick a place that fits with your morning commute tendencies. If you're not a big morning person, might be a good idea to pick one of the more close and consistent setups.

 

[Kingslayer3395]

@jacquelineee @Vanilla98 @Cmoney$$
Hey do you guys mind sharing your MCAT stats? I am accepted into the MSBS program but my MCAT is low so I have been debating either studying again (scheduled in July) or choosing another program at a DO school. Didn't want to join the groupme yet since I am not 100% yet.

 

[Vanilla96]

@jacquelineee @Vanilla98 @Cmoney$$
Hey do you guys mind sharing your MCAT stats? I am accepted into the MSBS program but my MCAT is low so I have been debating either studying again (scheduled in July) or choosing another program at a DO school. Didn't want to join the groupme yet since I am not 100% yet.

just FYI, I was also accepted and am 50/50 about going (waiting for a home program to get back to me, if they accept I will definitely go with them bc $$$) but I joined the groupme anyway. Feel free to join us

For what it’s worth I had a 514 MCAT (balanced sub scores). I’ve also read somewhere on this thread that you should feel comfortable not retaking a score >/ 504 but an alum can clarify that for you! Hope this helps.


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[Sophil15]

For what it’s worth I had a 514 MCAT (balanced sub scores). I’ve also read somewhere on this thread that you should feel comfortable not retaking a score >/ 504 but an alum can clarify that for you! Hope this helps.

The MCAT number "cutoff" (if such a thing truly exists) usually get pretty fuzzy around the 500s. 505 seems like a safe number (from the multitude of numbers that I've heard over the past year whispered in hushed voices). I can tell you from personal experience that I had a 507 and got into the medical school. Not a guarantee that a 507 WILL get you in (certainly not in lieu of grades/research work) but there's at least a somewhat definite empirical benchmark. Since admissions are rolling in we'll be working to get matriculation statistics over the next few weeks depending on how forthcoming people are with their info to give you a better picture.

@jacquelineee @Vanilla98 @Cmoney$$
Hey do you guys mind sharing your MCAT stats? I am accepted into the MSBS program but my MCAT is low so I have been debating either studying again (scheduled in July) or choosing another program at a DO school. Didn't want to join the groupme yet since I am not 100% yet.

I would recommend that if you're going to do the MSBS program you definitely do the MCAT again if your score is on the lower end. Of course, every person's journey is different, and there are a lot of fantastic DO programs and osteopathic physicians. But the advantage of the MSBS program (and programs like it) is that if you're really set on going the MD route, it'll give you a huge boost going into your M1 year if you make the most of the program. Starting with some momentum can be a huge help when you're in for the long haul.

 

[Kingslayer3395]

The MCAT number "cutoff" (if such a thing truly exists) usually get pretty fuzzy around the 500s. 505 seems like a safe number (from the multitude of numbers that I've heard over the past year whispered in hushed voices). I can tell you from personal experience that I had a 507 and got into the medical school. Not a guarantee that a 507 WILL get you in (certainly not in lieu of grades/research work) but there's at least a somewhat definite empirical benchmark. Since admissions are rolling in we'll be working to get matriculation statistics over the next few weeks depending on how forthcoming people are with their info to give you a better picture.



I would recommend that if you're going to do the MSBS program you definitely do the MCAT again if your score is on the lower end. Of course, every person's journey is different, and there are a lot of fantastic DO programs and osteopathic physicians. But the advantage of the MSBS program (and programs like it) is that if you're really set on going the MD route, it'll give you a huge boost going into your M1 year if you make the most of the program. Starting with some momentum can be a huge help when you're in for the long haul.

@Vanilla98 @Sophil15
Thank you so much for the response! Yea my MCAT is on the lower end. Although it is a good program, will probably have to pass up on it because of that :/

 

[Vanilla96]

Hi everyone, interested in applying late to the program; is it still open? I couldn't find a deadline on the site. Congrats on all your acceptances!

hey, I would email the program director, i believe his name is Dr. Vasquez; you can find his email ID online and shoot him a message; he's really nice

 

[basophilic]

How hard is it to get into UTSOM from this program as an OOS? How many people get interviews and how many of those get in for OOS?

Also, just want to get it straight: I'd have to live in Toledo for 12 months to qualify for in-state tuition at UTSOM? If so, this would actually be cheaper than 4 years at a private med school (as a PA resident, every school is private for me), let alone postbac + 4 years at a private school!

 

[deleted978967]

How hard is it to get into UTSOM from this program as an OOS? How many people get interviews and how many of those get in for OOS?

Also, just want to get it straight: I'd have to live in Toledo for 12 months to qualify for in-state tuition at UTSOM? If so, this would actually be cheaper than 4 years at a private med school (as a PA resident, every school is private for me), let alone postbac + 4 years at a private school!

All MSBS students that have above a 3.0 get an interview at UTCOM. What I have been told by adcoms is that MSBS student's residency status is not considered as part of their UTCOM application (have been told this by multiple people on adcoms). Probably about half of the msbs students in my class that matriculated into UTCOM are from OOS. You need to make sure you have "established residency" 1 year prior to UTCOM classes starting (so generally you need to have a lease in place by Aug 1st), though other Ohio state schools start earlier. And yes, doing 1 year of MSBS plus 4 years of in-state-tuition at UTCOM is cheaper than most private school options. This is one of the many reasons why I moved across the country to do MSBS at Toledo.

 

[basophilic]

All MSBS students that have above a 3.0 get an interview at UTCOM. What I have been told by adcoms is that MSBS student's residency status is not considered as part of their UTCOM application (have been told this by multiple people on adcoms). Probably about half of the msbs students in my class that matriculated into UTCOM are from OOS. You need to make sure you have "established residency" 1 year prior to UTCOM classes starting (so generally you need to have a lease in place by Aug 1st), though other Ohio state schools start earlier. And yes, doing 1 year of MSBS plus 4 years of in-state-tuition at UTCOM is cheaper than most private school options. This is one of the many reasons why I moved across the country to do MSBS at Toledo.

Hi, thanks for that input. Also, as the MSBS coursework would be medical coursework alongside other med students, does UTCOM allow opting out of courses in which you do well (like the EVMS MM program)?

 

[deleted978967]

Hi, thanks for that input. Also, as the MSBS coursework would be medical coursework alongside other med students, does UTCOM allow opting out of courses in which you do well (like the EVMS MM program)?

The MSBS program is not taken with medical students. You are not compared to medical students in any way and the curriculum is different from the medical school curriculum (though there is HUGE overlap). You do not get to opt out of any medical school classes as the curricula are different.

 

[Dr.Gains]

The MSBS program is not taken with medical students. You are not compared to medical students in any way and the curriculum is different from the medical school curriculum (though there is HUGE overlap). You do not get to opt out of any medical school classes as the curricula are different.

Do they factor in your uGPA when applying to the UTSOM from the MSBS?

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[Sophil15]

Do they factor in your uGPA when applying to the UTSOM from the MSBS?

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From what we were told, the MSBS program doesn't completely "erase" your past GPA. It's still a factor to be considered in admissions, like your MCAT/research experience/etc. However, what the MSBS program does do is help you address potential shortfalls in your undergrad performance, like GPA or research experience. So if you had a somewhat lackluster undergrad GPA (mine was pretty dismal), if you knock it out of the park in MSBS that's a pretty strong signal to UT that you've improved and can likely handle yourself in medical school, which is what they're looking for. On the other hand, if you had a stellar GPA in undergrad, don't think that gives you a pass to be lax with your MSBS grades. If you're able to address your undergrad shortcomings in MSBS, don't give them a reason to deny you, and present a solid and likable application, chances are you'll get in. @Miracle_Max has been in the medical game longer than I so they may have a more refined opinion, but that's been my experience so far

 

[deleted978967]

Do they factor in your uGPA when applying to the UTSOM from the MSBS?

@Miracle_Max has been in the medical game longer than I so they may have a more refined opinion, but that's been my experience so far

I completely agree with what @Sophil15 said. In practice though it's kinda weird how this actually works. I was talking with my PI (who is on adcoms) about this a few months ago. If you have a crappy uGPA, and you kill it in MSBS, that works really well for you and looks like you really have your $%&# together now. If you have a good uGPA, and kinda do mediocre in MSBS, then that doesn't look so good; like maybe you took all the fluff professors in undergrad, or maybe you are losing motivation, and maybe you will kinda struggle in med school. So yeah they definitely take your uGPA into account (and definitely look closely at the last 2 years for upward trends), but it's weird how if you crush it in MSBS, that crappy 2.8 uGPA can actually sorta help you in a way. Moral of the story is just crush it in MSBS (and have a usable MCAT score).

 

[medstudent5678]

Hey guys quick question, I am applying to AMCAS this cycle and I'm confused on where to include that I will be attending this program. I don't see an option to include a masters program

 

[Sophil15]

Hey guys quick question, I am applying to AMCAS this cycle and I'm confused on where to include that I will be attending this program. I don't see an option to include a masters program

On your primary app just add "the university of Toledo" as a college you attend, then select "master's in science" as the degree and the biomedical science major. There's not many places that are specifically for mentioning it as a master's degree, so if you wanna talk it up for non-UT schools, use the secondary app as an opportunity for that

 

[Sophil15]

Also, for anybody who has seen the link to the MSBS guide and requested access, it's currently being updated and rewritten to include higher-quality memes and lower-quality humor to reflect new authorship (and up to date program information I guess). The current MSBS class that's transitioning to M1 will release the updated survival guide with a facebook page for the accepted MSBS students in the next few weeks.

 

[Sophil15]

Hey everyone, we have a facebook page up and running for y'all for you to join and communicate with other future MSBSers/former MSBSers. Feel free to hop on in and start becoming a part of that vaunted ~toledo community~

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Also, below is a link to an updated survival guide. We're still waiting on a couple bits like hirings and class statistics to finish off some "under construction" sections, but the basics are there to hopefully give you guys a more comprehensive idea of what's over the horizon!

MSBS Survival Guide - Class of 2020

Written and maintained by various students of the MSBS class of 2020 Version 2.00 (release) Legal disclaimer: The following document is in no way owned, sponsored, authorized, or endorsed by the University of Toledo in any way, shape, or form and represents only the collected perso...

docs.google.com

 

[Kingslayer3395]

Hey everyone, we have a facebook page up and running for y'all for you to join and communicate with other future MSBSers/former MSBSers. Feel free to hop on in and start becoming a part of that vaunted ~toledo community~

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

Also, below is a link to an updated survival guide. We're still waiting on a couple bits like hirings and class statistics to finish off some "under construction" sections, but the basics are there to hopefully give you guys a more comprehensive idea of what's over the horizon!

MSBS Survival Guide - Class of 2020

Written and maintained by various students of the MSBS class of 2020 Version 2.00 (release) Legal disclaimer: The following document is in no way owned, sponsored, authorized, or endorsed by the University of Toledo in any way, shape, or form and represents only the collected perso...

docs.google.com

Hi Sophil, Do you have a general sense of how many matriculated to Toledo or another medical this time around by chance? I know you said you are still compiling stats, but I just wanted to see.

 

[Sophil15]

Hi Sophil, Do you have a general sense of how many matriculated to Toledo or another medical this time around by chance? I know you said you are still compiling stats, but I just wanted to see.

So far, I know of 21 acceptances out of 47 people, and 18 of them are going to UT with the other 3 shipping off into the great beyond. We're still waiting on the last interview round to finish up, so I suspect it'll end up between 60-75% matriculation rate when all is said and done, which is pretty much what we expected it to be!

 

[aspiring_md22]

Hey. Since the Personal Statement for the MSBS cannot be the same as the AMCAS one, can anyone give me some guidance on how to go about answering it? Thanks

 

[Sophil15]

Hey. Since the Personal Statement for the MSBS cannot be the same as the AMCAS one, can anyone give me some guidance on how to go about answering it? Thanks

I went over some stuff that I didn't get to go over in my AMCAS personal statement and oriented it towards why I saw MSBS and a great opportunity to grow and further my aspirations to become a physician and all that good stuff. So where my AMCAS PS was very "general", the MSBS one was a lot more focused.

 

[abcde1111]

So far, I know of 21 acceptances out of 47 people, and 18 of them are going to UT with the other 3 shipping off into the great beyond. We're still waiting on the last interview round to finish up, so I suspect it'll end up between 60-75% matriculation rate when all is said and done, which is pretty much what we expected it to be!

Hi! When did the first people find out about acceptances and do you know when they might release the last few? Also, does this correlate to when people got their interviews because I was also wondering when people interviewed that were in the MSBS program?

 

[Sophil15]

Hi! When did the first people find out about acceptances and do you know when they might release the last few? Also, does this correlate to when people got their interviews because I was also wondering when people interviewed that were in the MSBS program?

People started finding out mid-may. MSBS is pretty much the last group to get reviewed since they wait for our spring semester grades to be finalized before cracking open our applications. As far as I can tell so far, there aren't any real correlations between when people interviewed and when they got acceptances, but we all were scheduled to interview in around mid march/before spring break. Some people got their interviews pushed back due to the pandemic, but the whole class was pretty much scheduled within a few weeks of each other.

 

[aspiring_md22]

I went over some stuff that I didn't get to go over in my AMCAS personal statement and oriented it towards why I saw MSBS and a great opportunity to grow and further my aspirations to become a physician and all that good stuff. So where my AMCAS PS was very "general", the MSBS one was a lot more focused.

thank you!

 

[goldenflyer94]

Has anyone who submitted AMCAS received secondary application yet?

 

[abcde1111]

Any updates on admissions stats for the MSBS class?

 

[deleted978967]

Any updates on admissions stats for the MSBS class?

@Sophil15 may know up to date stats, but MSBS students were getting admitted off the waitlist as recently as this week. The stats are gonna look good. Better than my class from 2 years ago, and we had a smaller class.

 

[Valentda13]

@Sophil15 @Miracle_Max, Thanks so much for all the help you guys have given us through this forum. You two are a fantastic resource into gaining insight into this program. I have one more question for the two of you that I direct messaged, I hope to hear back and ease my mind before meeting many of you this fall!

 

[futuredoc_11]

is this a linkage program?

 

[Meowster007]

Accepted but most likely will withdraw my seat (MCAT 498)! Congrats to all that gained an acceptance!