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Just got my acceptance as well! I can't believe it - I never thought I'd get into medschool with my stats!!
Hi everyone! I'm just now applying for the feb 2018 incoming class with a 508 mcat and 3.4 gpa. Can anyone help me figure out if I even have a shot at this point?
Thank you so much for responding, I think my best bet at this point is to just send in my application tomorrow and see if they have any open spots. it looks like there are still interview dates in September and October so i can give it a try. if not i will just reapply next year as long as they accept re-applicants.Your stats are great, and well above average. The only thing holding you back is whether there are still places. It's first come first serve so it just depends on that. It is getting late in the cycle, so I would check with mededpath and see how many spaces are left.
Thank you so much for responding, I think my best bet at this point is to just send in my application tomorrow and see if they have any open spots. it looks like there are still interview dates in September and October so i can give it a try. if not i will just reapply next year as long as they accept re-applicants.
Also, thanks for the encouragement!
exactly. thanks again for the input. I haven't read all the posts so I'm sorry if this is repetitive, but are you a currently in the program?Yea, worst comes to worst they put you in the pile for next year and you get an early acceptance next year. Plus it gives you an extra year to maybe wait on U.S. schools if you are doing that / stockpile some cash while working.
exactly. thanks again for the input. I haven't read all the posts so I'm sorry if this is repetitive, but are you a currently in the program?
exactly. thanks again for the input. I haven't read all the posts so I'm sorry if this is repetitive, but are you a currently in the program?
Hey guys! My first post here on SDN and I created an account just to get some possible input about UQ Ochsner. I have my interview next week in NOLA and am quite nervous about it, to be frank. I've read previous posts about the actual interview in this thread, and I realize that they may conversational or non-conversational if the interviewers stick to their protocol. I was hoping if you guys could share some advice on how to best prepare for either case. I do have several examples ready for each of the domains and am planning on doing some mock interviews, but if you guys found any particular resources helpful in preparing for your interview day, I would greatly appreciate if you could share them or forward them to me through private message. Thanks in advance!
You get a midsem and a final in years 1 and 2. For your rotations you get: end of semester exams, OSCEs, and presentations depending on the rotation.How often do we have exams in this program? Are they structured as in just midterms and finals, or do we have a test every week or two (like some other med schools do)?
that you don't think the rules apply to you; none of these are particularly desirable attributes.
Which, as I have said over and over again is the problem. It's can't be a rule for whatever arcane bureaucratic reasons the SOM has laid out. Regardless of whether it is a formal rule it is a clearly delineated expectation. Failure to meet that expectation, and not taking step 1 by year 3 is a failure of that particular student. Personally, professionally, morally, whatever kind of adjective modifies it that student is still in some way a failure and will be treated as such. There are administrative punishments that come along with it. So while you can be cute and say "well it isn't a rule" and ignore what you are told, but the administration and residents like myself who came through the program view you as someone who has failed to meet expectations.Taking step 1 before 3rd year is not currently a rule at UQ-O, it is a suggestion.
Say what? If it's not a rule, then there's no grounds whatsoever to punish the student. Punishment is for breaking rules, not for being consistent with the lack of a rule that you or someone else has deemed sufficiently important to be a rule.Regardless of whether it is a formal rule it is a clearly delineated expectation. Failure to meet that expectation, and not taking step 1 by year 3 is a failure of that particular student.
Say what? If it's not a rule, then there's no grounds whatsoever to punish the student. Punishment is for breaking rules, not for being consistent with the lack of a rule that you or someone else has deemed sufficiently important to be a rule.
This is nuts. A whole discussion on whether students should be shamed by their school for not taking the USMLE by a particular point in time, and IT'S NOT EVEN A RULE??
Is it a 'suggestion' or an 'expectation', and what is the difference absent a rule?
There are much better reasons for, say, making sure you're familiar with a surgical procedure (maybe by pre-reading, but it's not the pre-reading per se that's expected), than having to take a particular exam at a particular point in your training. Being prepared for the case at hand (whether by exam or not) is the expectation, independent of an arbitrary statement made by a school.
Given that other schools, as mentioned, don't require taking Step 1 before 3rd year, and the timing is fairly arbitrary, it makes no sense to claim that Ochsner students have some obligation to do so, absent any actual RULE.
Sounds like a false comparison to me. I'm not sure what 'meaningful improvement' would look like, since they wouldn't have earlier scores for the self-selected students who waited -- their scores could have been significantly lower HAD THEY NOT waited. In the end though, sounds like scores were comparable.For anyone that delays, they did mention the statistics they have show that delaying doesn't usually result in meaningful improvement in score like students tend to think it will.
I recently got accepted to UQ Ochsner. Very thrilled about it and committed to attending. I was looking into several financial resources to fund my education. I came across UQ website where I saw that US Federal Stafford Loans are limited to $138,500 for their 'Graduate & Professional Students'.
Is this correct or is there an exception for medical students? On AAMC website, the limit was stated to be $224,000.
If someone could shine some light on this, that would be awesome. Sorry I couldn't post the links to those pages, SDN restricted me due to my account being very new. Thanks in advance!
Yes. You take out the unsubsidized first if you have any left. Then the rest is grad+.
Taking step 1 before 3rd year is not currently a rule at UQ-O, it is a suggestion.
Finally!It is absolutely a rule and not merely a suggestion to sit Step 1 prior to moving on to Phase 2. Prior to 2017 it was a suggestion. Starting in 2017 the UQ-O implemented “sit to progress” where every student must attempt Step 1 prior to being allowed to start rotations. Refer to the Doctor of Medicine (Ochsner) Program Rule 4.6(2) found at http://www.uq.edu.au/student/ProgramRules2017/2017-Doctor-of-Medicine-5579.pdf
Can anyone in the program talk about how they plan to payoff the massive loans (or any graduate of the program). I'm really really interested in UQ-Ochsner but the amount of debt one must go into to go here is just so scary
Wow that would be devastating. Anybody else want to offer their insight?Finally!
I'm basically just praying that the PSLF option that I"ve been doing since graduation and is in all of my loan contracts will still be valid. Who knows if that's going to be around in a year, and who knows if the government will actually honor their contractual obligations. The first round of people who signed on are eligible for forgiveness sometime this month so we will see how it pans out.
It is but it isn’t enforceable because it’s not per UQ it’s UQO. Step is a professional exam and not part of the UQ reqs. Since technically we fall under UQ med they can’t actually prevent progress. They punish students in other ways like not allowing away rotations, not allowing them to do research ( not sure how that is enforced) and not allowing them into OMSA.It is absolutely a rule and not merely a suggestion to sit Step 1 prior to moving on to Phase 2. Prior to 2017 it was a suggestion. Starting in 2017 the UQ-O implemented “sit to progress” where every student must attempt Step 1 prior to being allowed to start rotations. Refer to the Doctor of Medicine (Ochsner) Program Rule 4.6(2) found at http://www.uq.edu.au/student/ProgramRules2017/2017-Doctor-of-Medicine-5579.pdf
There are 52 weeks in the year. That's not how away rotations work. OMSA doesn't take that much time up. I agree that students have taken it later than the break between MS2 and MS3 but unless there's a good reason, it's not a good idea.Not being able to do research/ participate in OMSA is not punishment since there is no way you could do anything until you take step1 anyways. Nor could you do an away rotation since the exam requires a dedicated 4-6 weeks of unopposed free time before taking the real deal so you'd have to use that break before year 4 to study and sit instead of doing your away rotation. Also it would not make any sense to do an away since (a) you wouldn't know what specialty you can apply for until you get a step 1 score, (b) it's hard setting up an away, places have to approve you which they probably won't without a step 1 score & (c) If you're going for a specialty that traditionally requires doing aways (surgery, plastics, etc...) then you need to take step 1 before year 3 starts anyways or you won't be on track to be ready for the match.
The only punishment is the possibility of being treated unfairly on the wards (i.e. having a stigma attached to you as someone who doesn't care). However, there have been plenty of students who have taken it before year 4 and scored and matched well.
There are 52 weeks in the year. That's not how away rotations work. OMSA doesn't take that much time up. I agree that students have taken it later than the break between MS2 and MS3 but unless there's a good reason, it's not a good idea.
Finally!
I'm basically just praying that the PSLF option that I"ve been doing since graduation and is in all of my loan contracts will still be valid. Who knows if that's going to be around in a year, and who knows if the government will actually honor their contractual obligations. The first round of people who signed on are eligible for forgiveness sometime this month so we will see how it pans out.
If they don't screw up, its always on Tuesday/Wednesday the first week of each semester/rotation.Hi everyone! I cannot wait for year1 to start and to meet some of you!
Anyone know loan distribution timelines? I know I'm too eager but I really want to buy my flight and USMLE prep stuff!
Pretty much every hospital in the US qualifies for PSLF with the exception of a few in Florida for some weird reason. (They seem to have more private hospitals)Do you mind sharing if you work for the government or for a non-profit? You're in your residency? PSLF sounds so dreamy
They say they aren't biased towards one or the other, so it shouldn't make a difference. For the record, I did the skype interview and got in so I don't see anything wrong with doing it over skype haha.Hi everyone! I need your opinion on whether I should do the in person interview or over skype? Do you guys think it makes an actual difference? Would it look better to go in person?
Has anyone else applied for the visa already? Just wondering, does everybody have to do the immigration health exam through a panel physician or are we "randomly selected"?
Dang. I don't think my insurance will cover this kind of exam... Ugh, more fees.You have to do the immigration health exam through a panel physician approved by the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) for your visa to be approved.
How often do we have exams in this program? Are they structured as in just midterms and finals, or do we have a test every week or two (like some other med schools do)?
100k expenses/year while at UQ
90k expenses/year while at Ochsner
= ~380k of debt through stafford & GRAD+ loans
is this doable if you dont have anyone helping you pay back your debt? I mean seems pretty insane to take that much debt on no matter who you are.
You end about 8 months before you start residency if there’s no interruption of study around the 2nd week of November.If this program starts in February, when does it end exactly - and how does that fit in with starting residencies?
I recently received my COE, and on it, I noticed that the total tuition listed as $295,094 AUD (~$229K USD with the current currency exchange rate). However, the tuition is listed as $67K USD per year for the 2018 cohort on MEDEDPATH, which totals to $268K USD after four years. There is obviously a big difference between $229K and $268K, so do you guys know which number is the amount we can anticipate to owe in tuition fees after 4 years at UQ-Ochsner? I have contacted MEDEDPATH about this and am waiting to hear back from them.