Wake Forest (WFUSM) Class of 2013

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JTubule1386 said:
Anybody know the names of some good apartment complexes?
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I lived in Briarleigh Park Apartments for two years and absolutely loved them. They are a nice distance from school, have good floor plans, balconies, fireplaces and the complex is real pretty and surrounded by trees.
 
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Chemist0157 said:
Anybody have any idea what the job market situation is for Winston Salem? My wife will need a job when we move there.
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I've lived here for the past ~6 months, and the job market here, like everywhere else in the country, isn't great. I wasn't able to find a good job for the year (that said, I have minimal qualifications and could only commit to a year, since I knew I'd be starting med school in July/August). I'm waiting tables and tutoring, and I'm doing all right, but it would have been nice to find a good full time position. If your wife has good job experience and/or knows what field she wants to go into, she'll be better able to get a job than I was. Baptist Hospital is the biggest employer in the area, so if a health care job is appealing to her, that may be her best bet.

I wouldn't take my experience as all doom and gloom, though, as I bet your wife will be in a different position - she'll have at least four years to commit to a potential job, and she'll have more incentive to find one, since she won't be just filling time until med school starts.
 
I read in U.S. News that WFUSM gives grants/scholarships to 68% of its students. Anybody know how much the average student receives? Is this aid significant or just a couple thousand dollars awarded to the average student?
 
Bearferret said:
I've lived here for the past ~6 months, and the job market here, like everywhere else in the country, isn't great. I wasn't able to find a good job for the year (that said, I have minimal qualifications and could only commit to a year, since I knew I'd be starting med school in July/August). I'm waiting tables and tutoring, and I'm doing all right, but it would have been nice to find a good full time position. If your wife has good job experience and/or knows what field she wants to go into, she'll be better able to get a job than I was. Baptist Hospital is the biggest employer in the area, so if a health care job is appealing to her, that may be her best bet.

I wouldn't take my experience as all doom and gloom, though, as I bet your wife will be in a different position - she'll have at least four years to commit to a potential job, and she'll have more incentive to find one, since she won't be just filling time until med school starts.
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Well, at least it's not completely hopeless. 🙂 She double-majored in Finance and Spanish so I keep being optimistic about her finding a job.
 
Chemist0157 said:
Well, at least it's not completely hopeless. 🙂 She double-majored in Finance and Spanish so I keep being optimistic about her finding a job.
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Wow, she should be fine. Speaking Spanish fluently is usually enough on its own to secure a job (not necessarily one you like, mind you), and finance experience is always a plus (me? I majored in theater and psychology).
 
Since today is match day, would any of the current Wake students mind posting this years match list when it becomes available?
 
Talked to the financial aid office last Friday (3/20/09) and they said financial aid packages will be "in hand" by April 15th.
 
NSDQ said:
Talked to the financial aid office last Friday (3/20/09) and they said financial aid packages will be "in hand" by April 15th.
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I hope that the financial aid gods are good to me. Hopefully, I'll receive it before April 15th since I'm fairly close to the school.
 
Is there any talk of WF's tuition increasing dramatically over the next few years to help compensate for the poor economy? Since it's a private school, it receives money from many wealthy private sources, and if those sources are tightening their belts because of the economy and possible tax increases, will WF increase its tuition? I think this year tuition should be about $39,000.
 
Chemist0157 said:
Is there any talk of WF's tuition increasing dramatically over the next few years to help compensate for the poor economy? Since it's a private school, it receives money from many wealthy private sources, and if those sources are tightening their belts because of the economy and possible tax increases, will WF increase its tuition? I think this year tuition should be about $39,000.
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No idea, but it's a possibility; however, the financial aid director said that they would try their hardest to keep any possible tuition increases under 3% per year. Are you intending on attending Wake over the other three schools where you've been accepted?
 
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Live4Life said:
No idea, but it's a possibility; however, the financial aid director said that they would try their hardest to keep any possible tuition increases under 3% per year. Are you intending on attending Wake over the other three schools where you've been accepted?
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I really am! At the moment, it's between my state school and Wake Forest. There wouldn't even be any difficulty, but UAMS is significantly cheaper. Still, I see myself at WFU more than at the other three (the other two are more expensive). Besides, as far as private schools go, WFU really isn't that expensive. 🙂

I'm not dreadfully concerned about an increase in tuition, but the current economy situation did make me ask if anyone at WFU had heard anything of a significant tuition increase.
 
Okay, So I've been looking for some place to live, in Ardmore or just within walking distance of the hospital. This is mostly because, I've lived my whole life in an area, where it has snowed three times during my almost 23 years of living here, and it was light snow, and melted by days end, and two of those times I wasn't old enough to drive. So I've never driven in snow or on icy roads, and would love to keep my driving to a minimum during the snow/icy months. But all of the places that I find on the internet that seems like I would be comfortable with living in are a little out of my price range. I am thinking about getting a roommate, but I don't know if I would be able to find a compatible one by the time school starts, and I don't want to be stuck with the 'too high for a med student' rent. And I want to find a place to live asap, so I won't have to worry about it anymore. I plan on moving in the beginning of July.
So what do you think I should do...what did you do or are planning on doing?😕
 
JTubule--

Are you from outside of NC? I wouldn't worry too much about snow. I don't live in W-S, but I have lived in NC my entire life, and in the Piedmont we don't get that much snow (ie there are no "snowy/ icy months" ) Snowy icy days/ hours would be more like it...🙂

Aside from that, might as well introduce myself and say that I'm 99% sure I'll be at Wake next year too.
 
1. To all of you who are on the Alternate List or Waitlist or whatever they call it, it couldn't hurt to give the Office of Admissions a call. In the past, some people who have called to "check on their status" have been accepted over the phone. I'm not saying it will work for everyone, but it shows them that you're really interested. As far as I know, that's more effective than sending a letter/email.

2. Curriculum is nothing to base your decision on. Every school you consider going to will have some sort of deficit in their curriculum. Either it will be too PBL-heavy or lacking in some subject or something else will not be appealing about the curriculum. Asking us how we feel about the curriculum is silly, because we have nothing to compare our curriculum to...something to be thankful for, as I would hate to have to repeat 1st and 2nd year at another school.

3. 1st year schedule - Human Structure & Development (Anatomy, Histology, Embryology) block is 12 weeks of lab (2-3 hrs/day, 3-4 days/wk), lecture (the rest of the morning on all of those days), and case-centered learning (2 hrs each on Mon and Fri)...you may have some extra lecture on Wed afternoon. Cellular & Subcellular Processes (Biochem, Immuno, Molecular Bio & Genetics, Micro, Basic Pharm, and Basic Path) block is 14 weeks of lecture (2-4 hrs/day, 4 days/wk) and case-centered learning (2 hrs each on Mon & Fri)...again, you may have some extra lecture on Wed afternoon. Systems Pathophysiology I (Neuroscience, Neurology, Psych & Derm) block is 7 weeks that are similar in time in class to HS&D. Throughout the first 2 blocks, you have Doctor-Patient Relationship and Physical Examination which alternate every week on either Tuesday or Thursday afternoon. You also have Being a Physician every other week on Thursday morning for the entire first 2 years.

4. 2nd year schedule - more Systems Pathophysiology...lecture 2-7 hrs/day, 5 days/week. Mon, Wed, and Fri are usually on the higher end of that spectrum, Tues/Thurs on the lower end. About half of people listen to lecture on their own time at their own pace (some also do this during CSCP block). Bed-Side Teaching (practice for the wards) happens 5 times during the year. Every other week, teach 1st years PE (after they get a lecture from a real doctor) on Tues or Thurs afternoon.

5. Standardized Patient Assessments occur every now and then. Don't worry about them. You'll be fine.

6. It snows maybe 2 times a year here, so don't worry about that.

7. 6 weeks off to study for Step 1. Plenty of time, even if you find a few things you didn't cover in class. Last year, the average for the class was above the national average. We'll see how that goes this year in a couple of weeks.

8. Don't worry about clinical training (i.e. 3rd and 4th year) here...it's among the best you'll find. Our students get the highest recommendations from other schools when they go on away rotations during 4th year. 3rd year is busy (so is everywhere else) and 4th year is relatively laid back.

Hope that helps answer some of your questions. I'll check back later to try to answer more.
 
Anybody care to share what books we should and shouldn't buy for first year? ...After thought...How much should I expect to spend on supplies for first year?
 
JTubule1386 said:
Anybody care to share what books we should and shouldn't buy for first year? ...After thought...How much should I expect to spend on supplies for first year?
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A week or two before school starts you will get a welcome book prepared by the previous 1st year class. It will tell you what books are most useful for each of the blocks of instruction (note that these are not always the ones that are "required" for class). It also tells you places to shop for food, entertainment, and the "low down" on how to succeed in some of the courses you will face during first year.

How much you spend is really on you. Some people haven't even bought a book, others have bought all of them. Some people have bought expensive diagnostic kits (opthalmoscopes, otoscopes, etc), others have just bought stethoscopes.

I would guess that you could spend anywhere from $500 to $800 on books/supplies first year. Like I said, it really varies. You can also get some good deals from other classes as well, once you get here and get email set up and all, people will be selling their used books, so you can pick up some cheap books in that manner as well.

This place is awesome by the way. All around. I couldn't be happier (unless I wasn't in medical school at all, then I would have lots of free time, more money, etc...but if you have to be in medical school, this is the place you want to be).
 
elderjack21 said:
A week or two before school starts you will get a welcome book prepared by the previous 1st year class. It will tell you what books are most useful for each of the blocks of instruction (note that these are not always the ones that are "required" for class). It also tells you places to shop for food, entertainment, and the "low down" on how to succeed in some of the courses you will face during first year.

How much you spend is really on you. Some people haven't even bought a book, others have bought all of them. Some people have bought expensive diagnostic kits (opthalmoscopes, otoscopes, etc), others have just bought stethoscopes.

I would guess that you could spend anywhere from $500 to $800 on books/supplies first year. Like I said, it really varies. You can also get some good deals from other classes as well, once you get here and get email set up and all, people will be selling their used books, so you can pick up some cheap books in that manner as well.

This place is awesome by the way. All around. I couldn't be happier (unless I wasn't in medical school at all, then I would have lots of free time, more money, etc...but if you have to be in medical school, this is the place you want to be).
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You'll also have a Big Sib in the class above you who will attempt to guide you through all of that and may have some books you can purchase from them for relatively cheap. People are selling books like that all of the time, because you usually don't need them anymore once you're finished with a block, unless you keep review books for Step 1.

Otoscope/ophthalmoscope diagnostic kits aren't necessary for 1st year, but you'll get something of a discount towards the beginning of the year from an equipment rep if you buy directly from him/her. They're not really necessary for EVERYONE to have during 2nd year...but you'll hear more on that from your Big Sib.
 
JTubule1386 said:
Did they say in whose hand?
Has anyone gotten theirs yet?
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I just called (a few weeks ago) and asked a woman in the financial aid office when I should receive my financial aid package. She responded that everyone should have their financial aid package in hand no later than April 15th. Since I haven't received my fin. aid package either, I'm thinking they may be behind schedule.
 
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Hey everyone -

If any of my fellow incoming classmates want to move to W-S earlier in the summer to take some time to find a place to live, etc., I've got a condo 2-3 people could sublet. My wife and I will be living in Raleigh for the summer, so we need to sublet our place. It's a really nice 2 bedroom/2 bath condo by Wake Forest's undergrad campus (about 10 minutes' drive from the med school/hospital). It's in a nice wooded area, very large, fully furnished, with a 42" HD flatscreen, a huge porch perfect for grilling in the summer, 2 free parking spots, and free access to a swimming pool that'll be open all summer long. My wife and I will likely want it back once school starts, but there's a chance we won't, in which case you'd get first dibs on making it your own. It'd be a perfect place to spend part of the summer while you're looking for a more permanent place to stay, and there's plenty of space, so you could store some of your stuff here while you look around, if you need to. We pay $775/month plus utilities, which is really reasonable split between two or more people. It would be ideal for a couple (it has been for us, anyway). If anyone is interested, shoot me a PM, even if it would just be for part of the summer. Thanks guys.
 
Hey all, down in Tampa and heading to Wake for sure now. See everyone in July!
 
Hey there. Congratulations to all of you coming to Wake! I will be a first year too! I'm already living in Winston-Salem and finishing up a program here at Wake. I am moving into a VERY nice 2bd/bath apartment (with sunroom) in May. It's a very spacious apartment in a gated complex called Legacy Park (has a pool, fitness center, business center, and theater) and about a 7 minute drive to the med school. The second bedroom and bathroom are available if anyone is looking for housing (which I'm sure you are.) It's in a good location (close to the mall, groceries, etc.) About 12 minutes to downtown W-S.

I am looking for a clean, non-smoking, female roomate. I'm originally from San Diego, California and went to UCLA for undergrad. I'm a very liberal and open-minded person. I'm 24, Mexican-American, speak Spanish.

The rent is $635. Utilities should be $100-$200 (depends on if you want cable or not.) No deposit. 🙂 I plan on furnishing it, so you just need to worry about your bed, desk, dresser, etc.
I'm going to assume that you'll want to move in sometime around July before orientation. If sooner, that's okay too. 🙂

If you're interested, please send me an email at [email protected]. Thanks!

http://www.apartmentfinder.com/details.aspx?aptid=217047

-Jenny
 
Hello 2013,
Congrats, I’m sure you all will love Wake. Hopfully I'm not stealing Jenny's thunder but I know many of you may be looking for housing and I wanted to offer a bedroom in my 3BR 2.5BA townhouse near Hanes Mall. This would be an ideal situation for those without a lot of furniture as I have the downstairs fully furnished. I would ask $400/month in rent and then to split the utilities, cable/internet, etc… (~$150/month). If you are interested you can either PM me here on SDN or send me an E-mail [email protected]. I will provide pictures and more details. See everyone around in the fall!
Chris
MS2012
 
Hey guys. I'm a current first year at Wake (soon to be second-year!). I absolutely love Wake Forest and don't think I would have been as happy anywhere else! I just wanted to throw in my two cents on a few issues I saw being discussed here.

WAITLIST - If you are on the waitlist and really want to come here, don't give up!!! I wasn't accepted off the waitlist until June, so there is always hope. If you haven't sent anything in within the past 2 or 3 months, I would definitely recommend sending a letter updating them on what you have been doing and make sure to re-emphasize why you love Wake and think you are a good fit. If you absolutely can't think of any updates to give the school, at least call to check on your status to show that you are still interested.

FINANCIAL AID - I was really stupid and didn't apply 'til way after the deadline last year. (I somehow missed the fact that Wake makes you fill out something in addition to the FAFSA). That said, I still got like 10,000 in scholarship money. My initial financial aid package was totally loans and they didn't have a chance to re-evaluate until a couple months into the school year, but when they re-did my aid package they found me some scholarship money and I was able to send back all my Grad Plus loans. This year I'm hoping that I'll have even more scholarship money since I applied on time. The financial aid people are very friendly and helpful! Don't hesitate to call them if you have any questions.

PBL - I'm one of the people who don't really like PBL because it seems inefficient since it is in a group setting. However, I now appreciate it because it is the only information I end up remembering. Anything I study from lectures I forget the minute the test is over, whereas everything learned in PBL sticks with me. Plus, it can be kind of fun.

SNOW - It only really snowed like 2 days this year. And if there is more than about an inch of snow, the administration usually cancels classes and/or reschedules exams.

HOUSING - I would suggest living in the Ardmore or West End neighborhood. You can either rent a house or an apartment. Most of the apartments close to the hospital are houses that were turned into duplexes or quadriplexes. This year I chose to live in a big apartment complex with a pool, etc. that is a little further from the school. It is about a 10 minute drive from school, which seemed close when I first moved in, but got really annoying after I realized most of my classmates live within walking distance of school. So for next year I am moving to the West End area.

BOOKS - I bought a ton of books before block 1 and pretty much never opened any of them. All the information that is going to be on tests is included in the powerpoint lectures given by professors. So anything you study from a book is probably going to contain at least some extraneous information. You have to figure out your own learning style, but just be aware that studying from books may not be the most efficient use of your time.

I pretty much never use SDN forums anymore, but if you have any questions I can answer, feel free to PM me.
-Lauren
MS2012
 
I went to wake for undergrad but did not get into the med school. I own a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath townhouse in Deacon Ridge that is now for sale. PM me if you would like more information.
 
Hello, I am currently considering deferral and am curious if anyone knows the logistics of how this process is accomplished at Wake Med. What to submit, to whom, by when, etc. I'll be getting in touch with the admissions office for all of this info, but it helps to hear from others who may have gone through it and have recommendations from experience. Thank you!
 
I am deferred until 2014 and Wake Forest happily grants a deferral request from students. I believe you simply have to contact them (maybe in writing) and ask for permission and state your reasons. Good luck.
 
Hey Guys! I just got in! My issue is Wake doesn't have an MD/MPH....do they let you take a year off to do it at like UNC or Duke??
 
ballerina86 said:
Hey Guys! I just got in! My issue is Wake doesn't have an MD/MPH....do they let you take a year off to do it at like UNC or Duke??
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You actually can do a joint MD/MPH degree. You can do a joint degree with any graduate program Wake has, I believe. You just have to let the administration know, and they work with you on it. There are a few people every year who do the MPH between 2nd and 3rd year. Good luck!
 
jllander said:
You actually can do a joint MD/MPH degree. You can do a joint degree with any graduate program Wake has, I believe. You just have to let the administration know, and they work with you on it. There are a few people every year who do the MPH between 2nd and 3rd year. Good luck!
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would you know where i can find information on that joint degree? i checked the website but nada. maybe i'm looking in the wrong place.
 
ballerina86 said:
would you know where i can find information on that joint degree? i checked the website but nada. maybe i'm looking in the wrong place.
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Try here: http://www.phs.wfubmc.edu/public/edu.cfm I'm not sure about the MPH (since I already had one, I really didn't care about this), but there are programs available. Talk to admissions as well -- they're really friendly and would be glad to point you in the right direction.
 
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Hello!
I'm a fourth year med student at Wake. I enjoyed living in Winston Salem but it's time for me to move on.

I'm selling my 2 bedroom 2 1/2 bath townhouse (with an attached garage) at a VERY competitive price! I bought it new and I have been the only occupant. This townhouse is practically new and it requires no improvement. It is located in a safe, med student/ resident -friendly neighborhood. There are quite a lot of us living in this subdivision! It is very conveniently located (close to the mall, school, great restaurants, freeway entrance) and I thoroughly enjoyed living here.

Let me know if you are interested.
[email protected]

If you have ANY questions about housing (apartments, condos, townhomes, houses...) in Winston Salem, feel free to email me. I researched the properties in WS for ~5 months before I bought my place and I could probably tell you a lot about the +'s and the -'s of the property you are interested in.

🙂
Caroline
 
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Okay...so I'm trying to decide between Wake forest and Suny Downstate....i know they are very different schools but I would like some input! Also, what are the clinical hands on experiences like at Wake fore the first two years (it was my first interview way long ago and I neglected to ask a few key questions 🙂
 
ballerina86 said:
Okay...so I'm trying to decide between Wake forest and Suny Downstate....i know they are very different schools but I would like some input! Also, what are the clinical hands on experiences like at Wake fore the first two years (it was my first interview way long ago and I neglected to ask a few key questions 🙂
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Clinical hands on experiences:

1) You could volunteer at the student run clinic every week if you like

2) We have 3 weeks of Community Practice Experience first year (where we are assigned to a physician in the community to work with), then we have another week during second year.

3) Within the first two weeks of school you get thrown in with a patient to start learning how to take a history...physical exams start within the first couple weeks as well.

4) Just about every doctor that teaches you first year offers to let you come to clinic with them if you are interested.

5) We finish 2nd year/Step 1 etc by the start of April during your second year...which you may or may now know, is pretty early. What does this mean? You start 3rd year early and get even more clinical experience. It also means that when you start doing external rotations as other schools, you look awesome because you have more experience than most other students from other schools.

There are probably more things I could add, like programs to different countries the summer after 1st year, clinical research opportunities etc. Basically if you want clinical stuff, you can get it here. If you don't want clinical stuff, you will still get it here. 🙂 We will be doctors after all, so it is a good thing.
 
Anybody got their financial aid email confirmation? Just wondering...the lady told me that they were supposed to be sending them at the end of last week but I still haven't gotten mine.
 
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