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Wake Forest Med students around?
- Thread starter Megalofyia
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What do you want to know? I'm a first year at Wake and won't sugar coat any of my observations.
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Hi, what do you think of Wake? Do you like living in WS? Does the small town get to you (i.e. do you find yourself bored?) How is the curriculum? It's hard to compare schools, b/c everything seems great when you interview. Any thoughts would help. Thanks
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Also, how close are you to the mountains (as in, driving time)?What do people do for fun?
How many hours a day would you say you typically study in phases I and II, and how much free time does this afford you?
Are you genuinely happy, or what do you feel is lacking?
I interviewed back in October and only spoke to a few students. I'd love to hear more.
How many hours a day would you say you typically study in phases I and II, and how much free time does this afford you?
Are you genuinely happy, or what do you feel is lacking?
I interviewed back in October and only spoke to a few students. I'd love to hear more.
I'll add my couple questions...
Are the people in general nice? The folks I know from my undergrad who currently attend there tend to be not my favorite type of people. Rather rich/selfish/irresponsible. Is this a general trend?
And how bad is it to live out of walking distance from the school. I've heard parking is an issue, but I don't know how much input that should have on where I live....
Are the people in general nice? The folks I know from my undergrad who currently attend there tend to be not my favorite type of people. Rather rich/selfish/irresponsible. Is this a general trend?
And how bad is it to live out of walking distance from the school. I've heard parking is an issue, but I don't know how much input that should have on where I live....
I?ve actually already decided to go to Wake next year (class of 2008!). When I was there, I actually got to the pick the brains of a couple of current med students:
They said, ?don?t listen to what anyone says, you?ll work you?re butt off here.? I am not sure exactly what that means, however, I have several friends who are currently in their first year at medical school (I took a year off to explore, travel, work, etc.) and ?working your butt off? seems to be the consensus. I don?t think that there is such a thing as an easy medical school per say. Also, they said that some of the upper classmen complained about the how they were the guinea pigs for the new curriculum and missed some pharm. However, the person I talked to said that they weren?t affected and did very well on the boards. They also said that wake has since adjusted the curriculum and gotten all the kinks out of it.
As for Winston-Salem, the people in the area are genuinely really nice. However, I am not sure about at the med school. As for things to do, I drove around the area and there is a lot of stuff. It just might not be what excites you. For instance, there is the mother of all farmer?s markets in Greensburo like 20 minutes away. Thus, you have access to really fresh produce. Plus, the mountains are less than 2 hours away, so if you love trekking. There are also nice parks and the area is safe (in comparison to places I?ve lived the past where the crime rate is horrible). The cost of living is low too?which is always good in medical school when you?re not making any income. Also, the art school is there and there is always basketball! In the end, I think it is what you make it. In a smaller town (although actually Winston-S is classified as part of a tri-city area), you may have to be more creative in finding things to do; however, creativity knows no bounds?plus as a med student how much free time are you really going to have?
Saying this I am still interested on hearing more opinions, especially, from current students.
Also?for future classmates?I am looking for a roommate to share a house .7 miles from the med school, if you are interested pm me for more details.
They said, ?don?t listen to what anyone says, you?ll work you?re butt off here.? I am not sure exactly what that means, however, I have several friends who are currently in their first year at medical school (I took a year off to explore, travel, work, etc.) and ?working your butt off? seems to be the consensus. I don?t think that there is such a thing as an easy medical school per say. Also, they said that some of the upper classmen complained about the how they were the guinea pigs for the new curriculum and missed some pharm. However, the person I talked to said that they weren?t affected and did very well on the boards. They also said that wake has since adjusted the curriculum and gotten all the kinks out of it.
As for Winston-Salem, the people in the area are genuinely really nice. However, I am not sure about at the med school. As for things to do, I drove around the area and there is a lot of stuff. It just might not be what excites you. For instance, there is the mother of all farmer?s markets in Greensburo like 20 minutes away. Thus, you have access to really fresh produce. Plus, the mountains are less than 2 hours away, so if you love trekking. There are also nice parks and the area is safe (in comparison to places I?ve lived the past where the crime rate is horrible). The cost of living is low too?which is always good in medical school when you?re not making any income. Also, the art school is there and there is always basketball! In the end, I think it is what you make it. In a smaller town (although actually Winston-S is classified as part of a tri-city area), you may have to be more creative in finding things to do; however, creativity knows no bounds?plus as a med student how much free time are you really going to have?
Saying this I am still interested on hearing more opinions, especially, from current students.
Also?for future classmates?I am looking for a roommate to share a house .7 miles from the med school, if you are interested pm me for more details.
Hello, I went to Wake for undergrad so I lived in Winston for 4 years. I can comment a little on that, but I do not attend med school there now.
Overall I'd say the city is just ok, but it depends on what you're looking for. I'm from Chicago, so Winston had a much slower pace for me. It is a small city, almost feels like a suburb, with really nothing downtown of interest. It is really not a college town either, with only a handful of bars and clubs. There are a few decent restaurants, but not much else.
The advantage of this area, in my opinion, comes down to 1) weather, 2) proximity to a lot of other, more fun places. In the winter, it rarely dropped below about 20 degrees and the fall and spring were always very nice and mild. And, the natural surroundings around Winston are really nice. It's only about a half hour drive to some nice small mountains and hiking trails, only about 1.5 hours to the Blue Ridge Mountains in VA. There are a lot of opportunities for outdoor activities within an hour of the city. Charlotte, Chapel Hill/Durham, and Raleigh are also within about an hour or so, and are all pretty cool places. There's not too much in Greensboro, but I went out there occasionally for a change of scenery. Finally the beach is about a 5 hour drive, but really is worth it if you can make it out to the Outer Banks or Myrtle Beach when it's nice.
Overall the immediate location leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion, but Wake is centrally positioned enough that other things are accessible if you want them. Good luck!
MS-2
Midwestern University-CCOM
Overall I'd say the city is just ok, but it depends on what you're looking for. I'm from Chicago, so Winston had a much slower pace for me. It is a small city, almost feels like a suburb, with really nothing downtown of interest. It is really not a college town either, with only a handful of bars and clubs. There are a few decent restaurants, but not much else.
The advantage of this area, in my opinion, comes down to 1) weather, 2) proximity to a lot of other, more fun places. In the winter, it rarely dropped below about 20 degrees and the fall and spring were always very nice and mild. And, the natural surroundings around Winston are really nice. It's only about a half hour drive to some nice small mountains and hiking trails, only about 1.5 hours to the Blue Ridge Mountains in VA. There are a lot of opportunities for outdoor activities within an hour of the city. Charlotte, Chapel Hill/Durham, and Raleigh are also within about an hour or so, and are all pretty cool places. There's not too much in Greensboro, but I went out there occasionally for a change of scenery. Finally the beach is about a 5 hour drive, but really is worth it if you can make it out to the Outer Banks or Myrtle Beach when it's nice.
Overall the immediate location leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion, but Wake is centrally positioned enough that other things are accessible if you want them. Good luck!
MS-2
Midwestern University-CCOM
I'm a student at Wake now. I'll try my best to answer each your questions. Realize that these responses only reflect what I think and not the general consensus of the entire class, though I will try to give you an idea of what most of my peers think.
Before I start, just here are a few things I would have found helpful before I came here.
- Location is really important. Even if you don't have a lot of free time, it is a REAL drag to not have access to the things you like to do when you DO have time.
- Most of your medical school experience really depends on you and the attitude you bring into it. Maybe 25% is influenced by the school and its reputation, 75% is up to you and your efforts.
1. What do you think of Wake?
I think Wake is a great medical school. You will graduate to be a competent physician. The rest is really up to you.
2. Do you like living in WS?
WS is a small southern town. I'm not sure if you're from the south, but people here are nice, but "fake" nice. They're nice even if they don't like you, whereas in the northeast, people may not be nice even if they like you. There's a decent selection of ethnic food here, but nothing like a bigger city like Charlotte. Take this with a grain of salt since I don't get out much.
3. Does the small town get to you (i.e. do you find yourself bored?)
Yes. I'm from an area that has lots to do.
4. How is the curriculum?
This depends on who you ask. Most people study a lot. There are some people who are chill because they know they won't go into a competitive specialty and there are some people who don't need to study because they're so damn smart. This again, really depends on you. It is pretty managable to pass, but difficult to honors.
5. Also, how close are you to the mountains (as in, driving time)?
We're in the Piedmont area, so it's supposed to be a foothill but I haven't see many. At the NC-TN border there are lots of mountains, which were a pain to drive through when I drove here.
6. What do people do for fun?
Some people have those parties like in college. Others go to bars. Some just chill and have BBQs. Some just study all the time.
7. How many hours a day would you say you typically study in phases I and II, and how much free time does this afford you?
This depends on you. You could probably study 2-3 hours a day and get by with a solid pass if you're efficient.
8. Are you genuinely happy, or what do you feel is lacking?
I miss the big city, but I think it's worth the education and research opportunities here. I guess, really, the only drawback of Wake is Winston-Salem.
9. Are the people in general nice? The folks I know from my undergrad who currently attend there tend to be not my favorite type of people. Rather rich/selfish/irresponsible. Is this a general trend?
There are definitely some of those people in my class, but there are some really cool people also. You'll get socially inept people wherever you go, but thankfully it is not the majority of the class like it is at Georgetown where everyone's like that.
10. And how bad is it to live out of walking distance from the school. I've heard parking is an issue, but I don't know how much input that should have on where I live.
I walk to school, but I also drive when I am in a hurry. Parking isn't that much of a problem, at least not to me. Maybe some people would prefer to park like 10 feet away from class, but that's not really reasonable.
Before I start, just here are a few things I would have found helpful before I came here.
- Location is really important. Even if you don't have a lot of free time, it is a REAL drag to not have access to the things you like to do when you DO have time.
- Most of your medical school experience really depends on you and the attitude you bring into it. Maybe 25% is influenced by the school and its reputation, 75% is up to you and your efforts.
1. What do you think of Wake?
I think Wake is a great medical school. You will graduate to be a competent physician. The rest is really up to you.
2. Do you like living in WS?
WS is a small southern town. I'm not sure if you're from the south, but people here are nice, but "fake" nice. They're nice even if they don't like you, whereas in the northeast, people may not be nice even if they like you. There's a decent selection of ethnic food here, but nothing like a bigger city like Charlotte. Take this with a grain of salt since I don't get out much.
3. Does the small town get to you (i.e. do you find yourself bored?)
Yes. I'm from an area that has lots to do.
4. How is the curriculum?
This depends on who you ask. Most people study a lot. There are some people who are chill because they know they won't go into a competitive specialty and there are some people who don't need to study because they're so damn smart. This again, really depends on you. It is pretty managable to pass, but difficult to honors.
5. Also, how close are you to the mountains (as in, driving time)?
We're in the Piedmont area, so it's supposed to be a foothill but I haven't see many. At the NC-TN border there are lots of mountains, which were a pain to drive through when I drove here.
6. What do people do for fun?
Some people have those parties like in college. Others go to bars. Some just chill and have BBQs. Some just study all the time.
7. How many hours a day would you say you typically study in phases I and II, and how much free time does this afford you?
This depends on you. You could probably study 2-3 hours a day and get by with a solid pass if you're efficient.
8. Are you genuinely happy, or what do you feel is lacking?
I miss the big city, but I think it's worth the education and research opportunities here. I guess, really, the only drawback of Wake is Winston-Salem.
9. Are the people in general nice? The folks I know from my undergrad who currently attend there tend to be not my favorite type of people. Rather rich/selfish/irresponsible. Is this a general trend?
There are definitely some of those people in my class, but there are some really cool people also. You'll get socially inept people wherever you go, but thankfully it is not the majority of the class like it is at Georgetown where everyone's like that.
10. And how bad is it to live out of walking distance from the school. I've heard parking is an issue, but I don't know how much input that should have on where I live.
I walk to school, but I also drive when I am in a hurry. Parking isn't that much of a problem, at least not to me. Maybe some people would prefer to park like 10 feet away from class, but that's not really reasonable.
Any word on how Wake Forest Students matched?
