UMDNJ Discussion Thread 2010-2011

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Alright, so the third Friday of the month was two days ago. Does this mean they'll be making phone calls for interview invites this week?
 
Hello all, I'm new to SDN. These boards make me more anxious than relieved so I tried to stay away from it as much as possible. LOL.

I am OOS and have an interview on November 2. I was looking at hotels from IHG because I have points there and the closest one is a 20 minute drive away. And then having to spend time to locate the interview location kind of scares me.

I was wondering if there is a couchsurfing thread for UMDNJ. Or is there any student here willing to let me sleep on their couch for a night? I am a very hospitable guest. I promise. 🙂
 
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Anyone who got the phone call on the 15th receive their acceptance packet yet?


Not yet--am at work though so don't know about today's mail. I spoke with Paula last Wednesday, and she said the packets had not been sent out at that point. She was waiting on something from another department before getting the packets back to send out.
 
For the people who already interviewed, can we have examples of questions asked?
 
They want students who are genuinely interested in attending the school. Meeting with Paula, going to the open house, they are all factored into the equation.

Good luck at Drexel.
DUDE WHY ARE LETTING OTHER PEOPLE KNOW THIS. AT LEAST DON'T SAY ANYTHING UNTIL AFTER I HAVE GOTTEN ACCEPTED DAMMIT😡
Like I just said to robflanker, they want students who are genuinely interested in attending the school and will likely practice in New Jersey. If someone is not competitive, they aren't going to get in just because they met with Paula.
TRU DAT HOMESKILLET
 
Has anyone ever called for a status update and received a response? Every time I call to check to see if my file is complete so I can interview they say they will get back to me but never do.

What time are you guys calling that you actually reach Paula?
 
Has anyone ever called for a status update and received a response? Every time I call to check to see if my file is complete so I can interview they say they will get back to me but never do.

What time are you guys calling that you actually reach Paula?

I emailed... it took a few days but I actually received a response
 
I emailed... it took a few days but I actually received a response

Oh. OK. Thanks I e-mailed a couple of days ago. No response yet. I know she's not in today so I guess I have no choice but to wait patiently.
 
Oh. OK. Thanks I e-mailed a couple of days ago. No response yet. I know she's not in today so I guess I have no choice but to wait patiently.

yeah, emails work better.
 
Are you guys calling/emailing to ask if you are complete, or ask if your file has been reviewed and what their decision was?


I emailed about being complete. It took 2 days for a response.
 
Hey guys,
Just got a call from UMDNJ for an interview invite. They had an opening this Thursday (Nov. 4th), so I snatched that bad boy up.

I am very excited about interviewing there. I have received 4 interviews invites so far, but this will be the first one I will be attending.
Great way to start the week!
 
Hey guys,
Just got a call from UMDNJ for an interview invite. They had an opening this Thursday (Nov. 4th), so I snatched that bad boy up.

I am very excited about interviewing there. I have received 4 interviews invites so far, but this will be the first one I will be attending.
Great way to start the week!

Hey, I got the call for Nov.4th a well!😀

Super excited and nervous.
 
Hey Congrats TheOne and Postal!! Gluck at your interviews. Do you mind sharing when you both were complete and sent your secondaries and your stats? Thanks!
 
Hey Congrats TheOne and Postal!! Gluck at your interviews. Do you mind sharing when you both were complete and sent your secondaries and your stats? Thanks!

THanks.
My secondaries were complete and submitted 9/18.
Cumm 3.55
Science 3.75
MCAT 27Q

Good luck. When were you complete? Stats?

And congrats to you too Postal. Just look for the absurdly good-looking, charming man who has the adcoms eating out of his hand and you will find me😉.
 
Hey all! I also got the interview call today.. Do to the fact I am in Denver now and will be home for a little in the beginning of December, I decided to do my interview when I'm home. I have already been accepted to AZCOM and have an interview at Oklahoma State coming up this Friday and I would LOVE to go there. I'm not sure if I would like to come back to NJ, but I feel like it is something to look at at least. Does anyone really know a lot about the UMDNJ program?

Thanks everyone in advance!
 
Hey Congrats TheOne and Postal!! Gluck at your interviews. Do you mind sharing when you both were complete and sent your secondaries and your stats? Thanks!

Hey, I sent you a PM on my stats.
They called me for a possible interview upon completion of my app 10/13/2010
I was officially complete 10/28/2010
 
Woahh u were complete just 4 days ago???? Lucky you congrats that they contacted you so fast. My aacomas was released on 9/29 and my secondary was received 2-3 weeks ago. Plus im in-state and umdnj is 10 mins frm my house!!!!! I still havent heard anything and I've been in touch with paula cause she knew me in high school when i participated in a medical scholars program. she said she hasnt heard anything from the committee yet. Im getting so nervous!!!
 
Woahh u were complete just 4 days ago???? Lucky you congrats that they contacted you so fast. My aacomas was released on 9/29 and my secondary was received 2-3 weeks ago. Plus im in-state and umdnj is 10 mins frm my house!!!!! I still havent heard anything and I've been in touch with paula cause she knew me in high school when i participated in a medical scholars program. she said she hasnt heard anything from the committee yet. Im getting so nervous!!!

I don't know what to tell ya dude. The admissions game is crazy like that. Believe me, I was caught off guard with the interview invite but am very grateful for it.
When did you last speak with Paula?

Based on the fact that they called me today for an interview on Thursday, I get the feeling that maybe some other people called and canceled for Thursday. My name may have just been in a earlier crop of applicants pre-approved for an interview and they were going down the list. You might be next!

I wish you the best of luck:luck:!
 
Hi everyone... I was previously set on NSU, but now I'm set on UMDNJ... I NEED to know who Paula is, and would like to schedule to meet her. Who is she? How do I get in contact with her?
 
Well if you go online and go on the school's website: http://som.umdnj.edu/education/admissions/contact.html

You'll see Paula's information there and her contact information.


Thank you! I'll be checking that out shortly. Are you at UMDNJ? What undergrad did you go to? Also, how competetive is someone who has yet to graduate but has taken the MCAT with a great score and all the reqs on file (transcript)?
 
can someone give me more information on the "new curriculum"?
 
Thank you! I'll be checking that out shortly. Are you at UMDNJ? What undergrad did you go to? Also, how competetive is someone who has yet to graduate but has taken the MCAT with a great score and all the reqs on file (transcript)?

Nope I'm not at UMDNJ, I'm just an applicant. I'd rather not say what undergrad I went to just to protect my anonymity but I think its safe to say that I went to a competitive university.

I'd say that with a great MCAT score and the the pre-reqs done, you may have a good chance. Since I don't know your specifics I can't comment greatly on that. All I can say is that , from what I've heard, UMDNJ values the GPA the most, then MCAT, the LORs and extracurriculars and all that. They assign a numerical value to all those factors and if you react a certain number you are chosen for an interview, acceptance, rejection, or waitlist.

In any case, I don't think that the fact that you haven't graduated yet will affect your candidacy.
 
😀
can someone give me more information on the "new curriculum"?


Yeah, exactly what is the "New Curriculum"? Is that a change in coursework at UMDNJ? Are those new reqs? Thanks!
 
hey guys
I was wondering if anyone could give me some idea of what sort of questions were asked at the interview here. Someone stated that this info is posted somewhere in this thread, but I just read through the whole thread and the only details about the interview questions are a few posts that stated, "the interview was very casual".

I was hoping that ppl who interviewed here could provide some examples of what was asked, or point me in the direction where this info is located because I couldn't find it. Thanks so much.
 
I was asked about my personal life, some of my experiences, and then had a debate on Europe's travel highlights.

Also discussed words and how different parts of the country had different words for things.

When we said casual, we meant it. None of my interview discussion is going to be of any use to anyone.
 
Hey, if anyone out there knows how to get to UMDNJ using public transportation from the Philly airport, please help! It costs $50 for a rental car for a few hours! That's crazy to me. Or if anyone else is interviewing next Tuesday, Nov. 9th and is arriving at Philly around 9 a.m.ish I am willing to wait and we can share one! PM me
 
Hey DocTraveler.

Take SEPTA from airport to Market/8th. From there, go to the PATCO line to Lindenwold. I am not sure which station UMDNJ is closest to.

I did just this yesterday for my interview. Total was about $10 one way.

ETA: LOL elftown. Get off SDN and study!!!!
 
You can take the SEPTA to the PATCO and then take the PATCO into New Jersey. The last stop is the Lindenwold station which is less than half a mile from campus.

http://www.phl.org/ground_transportation.html

Hey DocTraveler.

Take SEPTA from airport to Market/8th. From there, go to the PATCO line to Lindenwold. I am not sure which station UMDNJ is closest to.

I did just this yesterday for my interview. Total was about $10 one way.

ETA: LOL elftown. Get off SDN and study!!!!

Awesome! Thanks guys for the info....as I searched online I found similar advice. Vega07, how was your interview? Any tips? 🙂
 
hi
I recently interviewed at UMDNJ-SOM and I wanted to "compare notes" with others who interviewed.

First, let me say that I thought the actual interview as very very laid back. There was no "gotcha" type questions or anything stressful like that. It was just a brief conversation where the interviewer basically just wanted me to tell him about myself and my interest in osteopathic medicine.

For my interview, there was just one interviewer, Dr. Griesback DO. I was wondering if anyone else had this gentleman as an interviewer, and if so, what their impression was. I found him to be very professional and conservative. While he was certainly friendly, the interview seemed a bit "stiff". Several times I would finish answering a question or explaining something about myself, and he would just nod and say "ok".

Anyhow, I thought the interview went well and Dr. Griesback was helpful and friendly, I am just a bit concerned that I wasn't able to fully express my passion for osteopathic medicine.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? Thanks.
 
hi
I recently interviewed at UMDNJ-SOM and I wanted to "compare notes" with others who interviewed.

First, let me say that I thought the actual interview as very very laid back. There was no "gotcha" type questions or anything stressful like that. It was just a brief conversation where the interviewer basically just wanted me to tell him about myself and my interest in osteopathic medicine.

For my interview, there was just one interviewer, Dr. Griesback DO. I was wondering if anyone else had this gentleman as an interviewer, and if so, what their impression was. I found him to be very professional and conservative. While he was certainly friendly, the interview seemed a bit "stiff". Several times I would finish answering a question or explaining something about myself, and he would just nod and say "ok".

Anyhow, I thought the interview went well and Dr. Griesback was helpful and friendly, I am just a bit concerned that I wasn't able to fully express my passion for osteopathic medicine.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? Thanks.

Hi,
I interviewed recently as well. I had the same interviewer. This was also the first time where I only had one interviewer as opposed to 2 or 3 people. The interview lasted about 30 minutes and I didn't have any particularly difficult questions. I completely understand about what you mean about the interview being stiff, although he was friendly and professional. There were times when I felt like I might have been rambling because he would just look at me and give me a simple nod or "ok" when I was done.

I think I did ok. But I also felt like, for some reason, I didn't discuss anything about myself that wasn't already on my application.

Did he also ask what other schools you applied to, interviewed, got accepted to ? I get asked this question in my secondaries and at other interviews and I wonder why that is? Does it have any bearing on my status as an applicant?
 
Hi,
I interviewed recently as well. I had the same interviewer. This was also the first time where I only had one interviewer as opposed to 2 or 3 people. The interview lasted about 30 minutes and I didn't have any particularly difficult questions. I completely understand about what you mean about the interview being stiff, although he was friendly and professional. There were times when I felt like I might have been rambling because he would just look at me and give me a simple nod or "ok" when I was done.

I think I did ok. But I also felt like, for some reason, I didn't discuss anything about myself that wasn't already on my application.

Did he also ask what other schools you applied to, interviewed, got accepted to ? I get asked this question in my secondaries and at other interviews and I wonder why that is? Does it have any bearing on my status as an applicant?

Yea, I was also asked about what other schools I applied to/received interviews. I was just honest and told him I have been invited to a good number of interview but that UMDNJ was at the top of my list. Im not sure if letting them know makes you more attractive (since they know other schools are interested) or less attractive (because they may assume that if they accept you, it might be a wasted acceptance since they assume you will likely attend elsewhere).

Anyhow, sounds like you had the same experience as me in the interview. I really wanted to convey my passion and dedication more, but it just didn't seem possible in that context. I was also concerned that I was "rambling".

I really hope that things went well in the interview- it was just so hard to tell since the interviewer didn't really give any indication regarding how things were going.

I am concerned about what kind of "report" our interviewer will make to the admissions committee. Since he was the only one who interviewed us, he is the only one who can speak for us in terms of the interview. I want someone to be really enthusiastic about me when he reports back to the admissions committee. Our interviewer didn't seem like he would "gush" about what great applicants we are.

Who knows though. Again, he was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, I just hope he gives a very positive report to the committee.
 
Hi,

On Friday, I scheduled my interview at UMDNJ. The next available date was Dec 9th, which seems far away. Can I call to find out if someone cancelled and there is an earlier interview date? Don't want to cause an inconvenience for anyone in the admissions office since they are busy.

For other people receiving interview calls in the last week, did y'all receive closer dates?
 
Hi,

On Friday, I scheduled my interview at UMDNJ. The next available date was Dec 9th, which seems far away. Can I call to find out if someone cancelled and there is an earlier interview date? Don't want to cause an inconvenience for anyone in the admissions office since they are busy.

For other people receiving interview calls in the last week, did y'all receive closer dates?

Hi Stranger,

I received a call on Friday as well and the earliest they had available was Dec. 8th, so we're in the same boat. Did you receive an email confirmation yet? I still haven't....
 
Hi,

On Friday, I scheduled my interview at UMDNJ. The next available date was Dec 9th, which seems far away. Can I call to find out if someone cancelled and there is an earlier interview date? Don't want to cause an inconvenience for anyone in the admissions office since they are busy.

For other people receiving interview calls in the last week, did y'all receive closer dates?

Hi!

I just wanted to let you know that I received a call much earlier for the 11th or 12th but couldn't go on either of those day... They said the next day they would be interviewing after that was Dec. 2nd... So they are taking a long break for thanksgiving.. I know it seems far away, but in the amount of actual dates available, it really isn't... I hope this helps!
 
In my case the interview conformation email went straight to junk mail. I thought that I didn't receive it and was about to call school. Luckily I did a last second check and there it was.

On a different note, does anyone know how long it takes to find out if you were accepted/declined/wait-listed after the adcom meets? I know at umdnj they meet the third Friday of every month, but I literally might die if I have to wait much longer than that. 😉 Thanks.
 
I was called at 3pm on the relevant friday but calls have been known to be made as late as tuesday depending on the number of calls to make
 
Interviewed here yesterday, great school! Looking forward to hearing great news next Friday.
 
Hi Stranger,

I received a call on Friday as well and the earliest they had available was Dec. 8th, so we're in the same boat. Did you receive an email confirmation yet? I still haven't....

I received the email on Monday. Did you?
 
Interviewed here yesterday, great school! Looking forward to hearing great news next Friday.

One needs to bring the signed 5 page packet. Is there anything else that I also need? I know a picture will be taken there. Everyone is automatically signed up for the tour and lunch. Am I forgetting something?
 
One needs to bring the signed 5 page packet. Is there anything else that I also need? I know a picture will be taken there. Everyone is automatically signed up for the tour and lunch. Am I forgetting something?

hmmm my email said they would like you to rsvp for the lunch...
 
has anyone heard back abt any interviews recently? Ive been waiting and waiting its killing meee
 
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