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If you don't want to drive in snow than UNECOM is a massive mistake. It's proximity to the ocean mitigates the volume of snowfall seen inland but none-the-less it's an absolute certainty.
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UNECOM Discussion Thread 2009-2010
Started by salazaar
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If you don't want to drive in snow than UNECOM is a massive mistake. It's proximity to the ocean mitigates the volume of snowfall seen inland but none-the-less it's an absolute certainty.
Where did you get that information? This most recent year UNE has only one clinical campus in New York (in Watertown) that I think takes around 16(?) students. The majority of rotation sites are in Maine (around 40%). We had a lecture recently on clinical rotation sites, and from the sound of it the competition for the Maine sites was not all that bad. The sense was that if you wanted to remain in Maine for your third year than it was very doable. And Im not sure about how much it is to live in CA, but people have been getting (at least in my opinion) very reasonable housing in the area.
Here is a list of current clinical rotations:
http://www.une.edu/com/clinical/rotations.asp
Here is a craigslist of appts in the area. The norm seems to be around 600 for a 1 bedroom and on up from there. A lot of people seem to be renting 4-5 bedroom houses and splitting the rent. That seems to be lending itself to good deals.
http://maine.craigslist.org/search/...reviation=apa&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max&bedrooms=
Hope that helps!
I appreciate the warning but I believe I know as much about AF medicine as possible without being active duty myself. My mom is currently an active duty nurse and I have spent the past two years working with current, former and retired AF docs both on base and off in a variety of specialties. I have made personal and professional relationships with residents and physicians who knew what they signed up for and those who didnt, those who love it and those numbering their days till their commitment is up.
I think the milimed forum can skew things negatively but its kinda a good thing, four years seems a small price to pay to be debt free but its hard to see the whole picture when you see only what the recruiter puts in front of you...the forum savesa lot of young docs from making a big mistake.
If you want to be in CA because you want to end up there then go to Touro...I was just stating the inaccuracy of your cost of living claim. New York does suck, in my opinion and thats not just because im a bitter sox fan, but UNE doesnt do clinicals in NY city that I was told, or anywhere in the state...NJ, PA, RI, MA, NH, and ME yes, but NY no.
Driving in snow is probably the best part of winter, next to snowboarding, though the latter usually requires the former.
CA winters are mild much like FL, but their summers equally suck...its just a dry heat. Weather will never be perfect wherever you go so go where you can most tolerate it...for you that seems to be CA...good luck.
edit: I stand corrected on the NY state part of it...my 4 day old son is occupying my other hand and one handed typing is markedly slower
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Wait, so UNE's New York rotations are in upstate NY? I thought they were in NYC. I was looking into the info that Shyrem mentioned about malignant residencies, many of those are in NYC, and many of those places are rotation sites for several DO schools including NYCOM.
Honestly, I have had some extremely unpleasant experiences driving in snow including getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. Driving in snow in a big city is a nightmare, try Chicago, that is hell. I love the outdoors and as far as skiing, I got Nevada if I go to Touro, but I prefer surfing and the Bay Area has excellent surf.
You tell someone in another thread to grow some balls because they dont want to move to FL and be in the heat and then whine over here about driving in snow...come on now.
His/her account is on hold, whatever that means...
Troll?
Yeah I see that now looking at some of his other posts.
This thread is too quiet...has anyone else heard anything back yet?
Anyone interview this week?
Any current students want to comment on how things are going now with the new dean?
Anyone interview this week?
Any current students want to comment on how things are going now with the new dean?
So here's a question...do many students rent beach houses? If so, how soon do those need to be rented, is it something I should be looking for early summer or would I have time in August when I begin to find one? I have family in the area and would commute for the first couple weeks until it opened up?
Anyone have experience with these?
Anyone have experience with these?
The dean seems proactive and approachable. Only time will tell...
As for beach houses....there's always something available....in fact there's one available right now for $700/month. I wouldn't worry about housing quite yet. And if you are, you could contact some MSIIs. I know when they leave for their rotations, their rentals will come available.
As for beach houses....there's always something available....in fact there's one available right now for $700/month. I wouldn't worry about housing quite yet. And if you are, you could contact some MSIIs. I know when they leave for their rotations, their rentals will come available.
How's Dr. Hahn doing in your opinion? I know most of the students and staff were impressed during his interview. (I know it's still early and he hasn't been there very long.)
Are you the MSI I met on my interview day that commutes from NH? If so, thanks for being so amiable...you and the other students we met were great.
Im not worried about the beach house thing yet...just curious about how available they are...I have a wife, child and dog so I am hoping to find something with a yard that will allow pets. Im not opposed to leaving her with our parents for a few years but I would rather bring her along.
So any MSIIs that know of a beach house that will be available that isnt opposed to pets with at least 3 BR?
Was this directed at me? Im not a student yet...but he did sign my acceptance letter so he's alright in my book so far.
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I saw that when I interviewed, or at least a beach house posting. I'd be interested to know what months they were available? I'm willing to guess that the owners "cheap" months do not match up well with the medical school curriculum at UNE. The flier I saw said Oct-April I believe. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly depending on your P-O-V, living on the ocean during the winter is not that much fun. There was a constant wind chill on MDI when I spent a few weeks there during the winter once...
And as for an "update": I'll be calling James Gaffney on Monday to check my status. He was hopeful that he would have a decision for me then.
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teacherman, if you want to purchase a home, we'll be selling ours (4br, 2.5ba, huge master suite in very nice neighborhood). PM me if you're interested. But it's not on the beach - couldn't afford to purchase one on the beach. Too $$$$$.
Yeah I think most of them are September to April or May. I don't care as much about being on the water as I do having a reasonably priced place to live. I am doing a military scholarship so I wouldnt be around next summer and not having a full year lease would be nice...the few weeks on either end we could commute from staying with family. I figure that could save me a little money for the first year or two.
Good luck on hearing Monday, do you know when they are meeting? I heard from him the Monday the week after they met on a Thursday I think.
Thanks for the offer, but we currently own a house we cant get rid of on the Gulf Coast of FL so were not looking to buy just yet. If you cant sell it and are looking for a renter next year then we would definitely like some more info.
Were looking at an optimistic $25,000 loss...we could let it sit empty for two years and we still wouldnt lose that much...so were becoming landlords.
Good luck finding a buyer but keep me in mind if you dont have any luck.
Has anyone from the October 15th interview group heard any news yet!? I am patiently waiting……
Check out the posts from today on this thread...
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=672370
I am wondering if any of the current students can tell me what they think of the resources at UNE. My family lives close to Maine so I was contemplating heading back up north but was not as impressed with the libraries/labs/resources as I have been at other schools with comparable tuitions. Do you find it easy to find space to study on campus? Do you get enough practice on the dummies or are they outdated? How about the clinic where you see professional patients, is that clinic good?
I really like the school but my tour guide pointed out a lot of the negatives and not a lot of the positives so I am having trouble getting a accurate perspective.... Thanks for the help
I really like the school but my tour guide pointed out a lot of the negatives and not a lot of the positives so I am having trouble getting a accurate perspective.... Thanks for the help
I think that the resources we have hear are by and large very good. The library is not huge, but there is always space available on the upper floor and there is a whole section with beautiful views of the ocean. The real place to study in the library is in the basement and in the Windward Cafe. I like a little noise when I am studying, so I really enjoy the Windward Cafe. There are plenty of outlets and wireless internet every where. There are also small rooms available in the bottom floor of Alfond. They can be a little hard to get during the exam week, but yesterday my group walked right into a empty one. There is also space available in the other academic buildings on campus (we have also been studying a lot in the Pickus research building). So in a quick answer that question, I have never found a problem in discovering study areas.
The clinic and the professional patients are fantastic. The rooms are exactly like normal exam rooms down to the last detail, and the patients are well coached and very friendly. I have been very impressed by that whole system.
I don't know what your tour guide told you, but by and large I have been very satisfied with our education so far (all 3 months of it). Is everything perfect? Of course not. There are no medical schools in the United States that does everything perfectly. But I have been very satisfied so far.
PM me if you have any other questions. Good Luck!
Dummies? As in the simmans that breathe, vomit, etc? We don't get to practice on those at all. At least my class didn't. I understand the previous dean Gimple tried to get one of them from the Portland campus set up down in Biddeford, but my class sure didn't see that come to fruition. Bear in mind, he was trying to get ONE. All the simmans were bought with UNECOM grant funds, but the medical students of the COM don't get the benefit of working with them. They are for the nursing and PA students. Much to the disgust of our class. They try and tout it as a huge benefit of UNECOM, but it's a lie.
Professional patients. They will prepare you quite well for the COMLEX 2 PE. Frankly they were almost better than the actors at the COMLEX 2 PE. Highly recommended, and UNE gets more of them than most other med schools.
Study space. I never had problems finding study space. Also used the end of the hallway on the third floor. Comfy. You used to be able to reserve the small rooms in Alfond, and I highly recommend doing so. They are used heavily by the undergrads, who grumble mightily about the med students wanting space in the med school building. But I have never had problems finding study space. With the Windward cafe opening up, there seems to be even more room to study when I went to visit after 3rd year.
The library I never used anyway. Any educational resources I needed were online.
Professional patients. They will prepare you quite well for the COMLEX 2 PE. Frankly they were almost better than the actors at the COMLEX 2 PE. Highly recommended, and UNE gets more of them than most other med schools.
Study space. I never had problems finding study space. Also used the end of the hallway on the third floor. Comfy. You used to be able to reserve the small rooms in Alfond, and I highly recommend doing so. They are used heavily by the undergrads, who grumble mightily about the med students wanting space in the med school building. But I have never had problems finding study space. With the Windward cafe opening up, there seems to be even more room to study when I went to visit after 3rd year.
The library I never used anyway. Any educational resources I needed were online.
Hey everyone,
I was just wondering, how long did it take for you to receive interview invites after you were complete? I received an email saying that I was complete on 9/21 but I still haven't heard anything...
I would really love to get an interview here!
I was just wondering, how long did it take for you to receive interview invites after you were complete? I received an email saying that I was complete on 9/21 but I still haven't heard anything...
I would really love to get an interview here!
As a Maine resident it took a day or two.
Hi, I'm applying to UNECOM and was wondering how when we are able to actually do our electives. It sounds like there is a good amount of time set aside for them, but will I be able to experience these electives before I have to make a decision about my specialty? any input from current students would be great.
third year is all your core rotations. You do have one rotation free, but that is generally used for rural health or OMM as most specialty rotations won't let you schedule until you have completed surgery or medicine. Lots of the specialty rotations are "fourth year student only". And you really don't want to do a subspecialty such as cardiology until you have done medicine anyway because you'll look like a total idiot - not knowing how to write a note, a consult, how the medicine floors work, etc.
So specialties come fourth year. Things like derm you see in your core rotations, rads you'll get on int med, anesthesia on surgery. Most specialties need prelim medicine or surgery so you'll have to do those residency years first anyway.
So specialties come fourth year. Things like derm you see in your core rotations, rads you'll get on int med, anesthesia on surgery. Most specialties need prelim medicine or surgery so you'll have to do those residency years first anyway.
Just submitted the secondary to UNECOM. What are the chances of me receiving an interview?
sGPA 3.71, nsGPA 3.72, cGPA 3.71
26 < MCAT < 30
I greatly appreciate any comments/advice, thank you. (Check out my mdapps for more info)
11/13/09 - Just got email SA complete (LORs and 2nd app received) - how long did UNECOM take to notify of interview/hold?
sGPA 3.71, nsGPA 3.72, cGPA 3.71
26 < MCAT < 30
I greatly appreciate any comments/advice, thank you. (Check out my mdapps for more info)
11/13/09 - Just got email SA complete (LORs and 2nd app received) - how long did UNECOM take to notify of interview/hold?
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I recently interviewed at UNE this past week. If I recall correctly, my app was complete sometime near the end of Oct., and I received an interview invite shortly thereafter.
My impressions of the school was good, just alot different in feel than where I had previously attended (My undergrad was at a super-competitive and 40K+ students). The student body was very friendly as was the faculty, especially Dr. Gaffney.
As for the actual interview, it was quite laid back and fairly enjoyable (aside from being some serious nerves going on) and didn't involve any outrageous ethical questions or other shenanigans. However, this was my first interview so I don't have much to compare to. UNE is definitely a top choice for me except for the $$$ tuition.
As for stats, GPA is the lower 3's and MCAT >>30. PM if you have any other questions.
My impressions of the school was good, just alot different in feel than where I had previously attended (My undergrad was at a super-competitive and 40K+ students). The student body was very friendly as was the faculty, especially Dr. Gaffney.
As for the actual interview, it was quite laid back and fairly enjoyable (aside from being some serious nerves going on) and didn't involve any outrageous ethical questions or other shenanigans. However, this was my first interview so I don't have much to compare to. UNE is definitely a top choice for me except for the $$$ tuition.
As for stats, GPA is the lower 3's and MCAT >>30. PM if you have any other questions.
i think you have a great shot. i have a 3.3cGPA, 3.2sGPA, MCAT 29R. I was complete 11/09 and received an interview invitation on 11/11 on my way to st. kitts! great way to start off my vacation and it's my first med school interview 😀 my interview date is 12/03
Thank you for the encouraging words. I see on your mdapps that 29 is your lucky number 🙂, congrats on your interview!
most welcome! i sometimes consider my 29 a curse number too... my chances would've been much higher at an MD program with a higher MCAT. oh well...
i think you'll definitely get an interview here if you've interviewed at a couple MD schools as indicated on your profile. i got rejected from SUNY Downstate but invited to UNECOM so here's lots of
to ya!I got a bit of pit in my stomach reading your post. I had my file completed the same day. I have roughly the same stats (in fact it's kind of uncanny how close they are). My experience is slightly different than yours but both seem pretty respectable. I didn't hear anything from them though....
I kinda get the feeling it's probably because I'm in Arizona and region/state bias seems to be huge. This is terribly unfortunate since I have no desire to stay in Arizona. I can apply to either AT Still or Midwestern and likely get in, but I really don't look forward to being stuck in Arizona. My whole family, including in laws live in Eastern Mass.
I hope where I live does not kill my chances. 😕
I guess I'll give it a little bit longer. As much as I really hate to send secondaries to schools I really don't want to go to I might. Being a DO is more important than where I live, I guess. I just really want out of Phoenix.
Call and check in. I actually scheduled my interview over the phone when I called to check on the status of my application. Good luck!
there were several from Colorado in my class (including myself). Bias isn't the reason. Perhaps something in your PS or your app just didn't strike them as a fit....
Call them. you have nothing to lose.
Call them. you have nothing to lose.
Tryin' to get in the mood while on away rotations......
oh, im so sorry! that wasn't my intention at all 🙁 i can't say whether geography has anything to do with it, as i am a massachusetts resident. maybe you can PM me and we can compare our applications? i'm sure with similar stats they would be interested in your application. the whole selection process seems pretty random. please stay optimistic! i'm sure you'll hear soon. but i feel ya on the whole geography thing, i'm really hoping to stay in new england or new york.
It's not your fault at all. However, reality did strike me at that moment. Not everyone will get to their top choice. The problem for me is UNECOM seems so ideal for my interests, desires, and situation. I have a hard time even guessing what a second choice would/should look like.
I spoke to admissions this morning and there's some hope there. He didn't want to get too specific (which I can't blame him for that) but it sounds like you have a couple rounds before they made a final up or down decision on interviews. The only catch with that is if they wait too long I won't be able to. I do have a family and I will have relocate them from Arizona so that requires at least some lead time. But here's hoping.
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It'll be fine. No one I know got "grilled". I had a lovely conversation with my interviewer four years ago. (can it really be so long ago??????????? 😱 )
Good luck! Mine wasn't bad at all, don't sweat it.
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I just got my secondary in, am I screwed? How long is it taking for them to complete files and get interview invites out right now? Thanks to all who can offer any advice.
i interviewed this past thursday and what the recruiter said to us is that our interview day was the last for their fall season/session. i think they said they would pick back up in january/february. they try to interview ~450 and they are about halfway through. i think if you contact them they can give you more info.
thanks for the encouraging words before my interview! i think it went well, i had one interviewer who was very laid back and another who was a little more structured about the interview. i don't think i said anything that would raise a red flag, so i hope i get accepted! i was very surprised and impressed by how transparent everyone was about everything. they are reviewing our interviews on the 17th and hopefully we will hear by around Christmas. i enjoyed being at the school and felt like it was a great place to learn. the students and faculty were very friendly and there are great resources. i also loved the small campus and the true feel of New England. here's to hoping!
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Cross-posting the facebook group for anyone who doesn't read the other thread...
http://www.facebook.com/groups/crea...6170341432#/group.php?v=wall&gid=206170341432
http://www.facebook.com/groups/crea...6170341432#/group.php?v=wall&gid=206170341432
UNE has its first snow day of the year today! Congrats to all who have been accepted so far😀
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