2016-2017 California Northstate University Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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mangomaniac said:
Doesn't sound like they have interviewed that many yet by the post-Oct. 15th silence from interviewees...
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We've had two interview dates, with 36 people per date. I wouldn't be surprised if they're holding onto acceptances for a bit. It seems like they did that last year, too.
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Accepted on 10/17 via email! OOS. Good luck to everyone in the continued waiting game.


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I've been sitting on this secondary for a while, since I found out that they don't accept AP credits for prerequisites. Should I bother submitting or is it a waste of $100?
This is a serious question, once again I don't mean to offend anyone by this.
 
baratheonfire said:
I've been sitting on this secondary for a while, since I found out that they don't accept AP credits for prerequisites. Should I bother submitting or is it a waste of $100?
This is a serious question, once again I don't mean to offend anyone by this.
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Does that mean you don't have the prerequisites completed? It would be a waste of your time and money if you don't have all the boxes checked. If it's the only thing holding you back from applying, you can always contact our admissions office, explain your situation, and see what they say. My guess is that since they straight up say on the website that they don't take AP credit for pre-reqs, they probably won't budge on it, but you never know. Asking anyway might be worth a shot, worst case scenario is they tell you no and you save $100
 
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I submitted my secondary in mid-August. I am still waiting to hear something back from them, anyone submitted around the same time?
 
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Secondary submitted July 20th... And nothing


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New here, thought I'd add to the thread. I interviewed on the second date (10/14) and have yet to hear back.
 
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medikle said:
Consider it a blessing. Came here in October . Cannot believe it's a med school. Just wanted to warn others.
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I too, am curious what you mean by this. As someone who attends said medical school (very happily, I might add), I'm intrigued by what could have been so spooky.
 
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nosarcasm said:
I too, am curious what you mean by this. As someone who attends said medical school (very happily, I might add), I'm intrigued by what could have been so spooky.
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Maybe he doesn't like the campus or something
 
baratheonfire said:
Maybe he doesn't like the campus or something
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I suppose that's fair, it really doesn't have a traditional medical school look to it, but you know what they say about books and covers and judging :p

I wish people who came to our campus got to see our anatomy lab. It really is incredible. I can only compare it to what I saw at Georgetown, but it's completely state-of-the-art, spared-no-expense, amazing. Honestly, it makes up for any of our campus' aesthetic shortcomings.
 
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nosarcasm said:
I too, am curious what you mean by this. As someone who attends said medical school (very happily, I might add), I'm intrigued by what could have been so spooky.
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Something I'm concerned about is the quality of the rotations. Since they haven't started yet nobody knows what they will be like for sure, correct? Will we be able to get excellent and a hands on learning experience rather than a glorified shadowing opportunity?
 
nosarcasm said:
I suppose that's fair, it really doesn't have a traditional medical school look to it, but you know what they say about books and covers and judging :p

I wish people who came to our campus got to see our anatomy lab. It really is incredible. I can only compare it to what I saw at Georgetown, but it's completely state-of-the-art, spared-no-expense, amazing. Honestly, it makes up for any of our campus' aesthetic shortcomings.
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Personally I wouldn't mind attending at all; it's a US MD school. It's too bad I can't apply lol
 
Wait I called them and they said they would take my AP English credit for 1 quarters worth so I sent in my secondary in like July


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deforestasian said:
Wait I called them and they said they would take my AP English credit for 1 quarters worth so I sent in my secondary in like July


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It's the only thing they take I think. I have AP credit for intro bio, gen chem, physics, calc
 
macbookproretina said:
Something I'm concerned about is the quality of the rotations. Since they haven't started yet nobody knows what they will be like for sure, correct? Will we be able to get excellent and a hands on learning experience rather than a glorified shadowing opportunity?
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We have a good sense of the aims of the clinical curriculum so I can confidently say the intent is to have a hands-on learning experience based on that and other indications. The caveat is that one can't be certain of the future result of planning and setup at this stage but it's not something I see as being a significant source of concern.
 
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Yes, also agree that issues with rotation quality is low on my concern list.

To elaborate, my main reasons are:
1) We scooped up some rotation slots out from under Davis and Drexel med students.
2) We have a couple additional hospital systems now signed on or in final stages of negotiation, in excess of both the hospital systems and sites promised when we matriculated and in excess of the number of slots we need to accommodate all students.
3) CNU has been going on a hiring spree over the last few months (and I'm pleased with all of these new hires too), and I get the vibe that part of their game plan [for enticing said new hospital systems] is something along the lines of getting the hospitals to go, "Of course we trust these students to manage _____---our physicians trained them."
4) re: Glorified shadowing---part of the reason we're getting extra slots is so that if we find bad eggs in clerkship sites we can drop or minimize the contracts with no skin off our backs. This also helps ensure good student to attending ratios and sufficient caseloads. Additionally, the way we're tracking student compliance with EPA's (Entrustable Professional Activities) clearly outlines which things we must perform versus observe in a way that is apparent and straightforward to both students and attendings. Lastly (while the details of the agreements across different sites/specialties are still a bit murky to us this far out), it sounds like the way we're going to be incorporated into the workflow will include us meaningfully contributing to the patient's EHR's so that we're not just doing busy-work for the attendings to glance at and give us a head-pat (see point #3).
 
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Evgeno said:
Did you guys hear about UNLV getting accreditation and giving their first class a full-ride all 4 years of school? I wonder how that makes your inaugural class feel...

From UNLV:
“That class is key to getting accreditation, and they sort of have to take a chance on us,” she said. “We want to ensure that they get something special for doing it.”

Almost every new med school gives some benefits to their inaugural class(full rides, full first year tuition, etc), what did CNU do? They not only took away federal loans, but I've heard you even had huge turmoil and lies about scholarships last year.

I mean no disrespect here because I know all 150 students are great and hard-working, but it makes you seriously consider the whole "for-profit" status of this school. I know M1s and some M2s here, and while the education sounds adequate and I hear the faculty is genuine, the school does sound very, very cheap. I mean, the school doesn't even give you your laptops or medical gear for free (it's added to your tuition...). Kinda laughable. I'm confident even 1-year free (vs. Vegas' 4) would have made a huge difference for all 60 of you and it would seriously help lighten the whole "for-profit" negativity. But hey! At least you got cappuccino makers.

Would love to hear from current students who post here, and while I doubt they have the guts, I'd love to hear administration's reasoning if their students approached them about this. For-profit?
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No comment on most of this because I sort of feel like beggars can't be choosers when it comes to this school, but just mentioning that most schools don't provide your laptops or medical gear for free.
 
Evgeno said:
I meant as a gift for being part of their inaugural class. I don't think the 60 of them really got anything. They are fortunate for this school, but the school is also very fortunate of them and it would have really helped their for profit status if they did more to show it (like Vegas and almost every other new school providing tuition support). But again...for-profit...
I disagree with the beggars and choosers point too. It seems like there is a stigma here that the students here were forced to go here or DO/Caribbean, but that's not true. There are a lot of qualified first and second year students that could have gotten in a lot of places if they either didn't want to waste a year of apps, or leave California.
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Meh, agree to disagree. I know an n=3 (read: not statistically significant) who attend here. Two had just one interview and one acceptance and this was it. The other was waitlisted then rejected from her other choices.

Like I said, not statistically significant. But the cons of this school far outweigh just the lack of free gear/electronics.
 
Guys this is still a med school. It gets you an MD. In California. It may not be great now, and I agree - some of the for-profit motives are questionable (for example, it's enthusiasm for Kaiser), but it's got to start somewhere. Heck, USC and Stanford started somewhere didn't they? And look at how fast the other relatively new MD schools have grown. If you are questioning it, please withdraw your application so the rest of us have a better shot. ;) I'd be very grateful for an II here.
 
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mangomaniac said:
Guys this is still a med school. It gets you an MD. In California. It may not be great now, and I agree - some of the for-profit motives are questionable (for example, it's enthusiasm for Kaiser), but it's got to start somewhere. Heck, USC and Stanford started somewhere didn't they? And look at how fast the other relatively new MD schools have grown. If you are questioning it, please withdraw your application so the rest of us have a better shot. ;)
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Heck, I take it all back. This school is terrible. I highly advise everyone withdrawing their applications and staying far far away, prompto. ;)
 
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nosarcasm said:
I too, am curious what you mean by this. As someone who attends said medical school (very happily, I might add), I'm intrigued by what could have been so spooky.
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I think he/she means by its lack of infrastructure. But Northstate is still building. I had the opportunity of seeing some of their future plans and let me tell you, it's not disappointing.
 
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mangomaniac said:
I think he/she means by its lack of infrastructure. But Northstate is still building. I had the opportunity of seeing some of their future plans and let me tell you, it's not disappointing.
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I suppose that's fair, and a little subjective. We can't do much about the building we're in, but the facilities have everything you could really need in a medical school (plus an amazing SIM lab, a freaking futuristic sci-fi level anatomy lab, and ping pong), so I don't have any complaints. Northstate being so new puts it in the unfortunate position of being heavily scrutinized, sometimes justly, but often unfairly. This would be a case of the latter, I think.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again. As an SMP at Georgetown, I went to class at the medical school. That school has been around for something like 160 years, and its infrastructure left much to be desired. Broken chairs and desks, walls with paint peeling off in the library, gaps between the floors and walls throughout the hallways... Also most of our classes were underground, and the library was a hellhole. Granted, I know they are doing some construction, but conditions there were SO MUCH worse than at CNU- the difference is Georgetown is older and Georgetown has a very pretty facade. We're pretty on the inside :p
 
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nosarcasm said:
I suppose that's fair, and a little subjective. We can't do much about the building we're in, but the facilities have everything you could really need in a medical school (plus an amazing SIM lab, a freaking futuristic sci-fi level anatomy lab, and ping pong), so I don't have any complaints. Northstate being so new puts it in the unfortunate position of being heavily scrutinized, sometimes justly, but often unfairly. This would be a case of the latter, I think.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again. As an SMP at Georgetown, I went to class at the medical school. That school has been around for something like 160 years, and its infrastructure left much to be desired. Broken chairs and desks, walls with paint peeling off in the library, gaps between the floors and walls throughout the hallways... Also most of our classes were underground, and the library was a hellhole. Granted, I know they are doing some construction, but conditions there were SO MUCH worse than at CNU- the difference is Georgetown is older and Georgetown has a very pretty facade. We're pretty on the inside :p
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Just my opinion. I also understand you are justifying your decision to attend this school. I tried to like it, i really did. There's too much to dislike. Too much uncertainty, lack of professionalism, not many faculty members.
 
medikle said:
Just my opinion. I also understand you are justifying your decision to attend this school. I tried to like it, i really did. There's too much to dislike. Too much uncertainty, lack of professionalism, not many faculty members.
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I'm ineligible to apply here but at the end of the day this is a US MD school. That speaks volumes
 
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medikle said:
Just my opinion. I also understand you are justifying your decision to attend this school. I tried to like it, i really did. There's too much to dislike. Too much uncertainty, lack of professionalism, not many faculty members.
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I don't need to justify my decision to attend this school at all, I just feel like if you're going to make bold statements on a public forum, you should back them up with facts or at least details. I'm sorry you didn't have a good experience, but none of the vague things you have listed have been problems I have encountered.
 
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nosarcasm said:
I don't need to justify my decision to attend this school at all, I just feel like if you're going to make bold statements on a public forum, you should back them up with facts or at least details. I'm sorry you didn't have a good experience, but none of the vague things you have listed have been problems I have encountered.
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I really appreciate how helpful you've been with providing information so that we may make more educated decisions regarding a new school. I do think though, that you should say "eff 'em" to the haters and also recognize that there are valid hesitations when it comes to considering a very new school. You've generally been so great with addressing the concerns, but I will say you seem to have let some of the negative comments get to you.

At the end of the day, I'm sure I'd be happy here and frankly, those who have criticisms (myself included) haven't even been invited to interview (for the most part).
 
sammiesings said:
I really appreciate how helpful you've been with providing information so that we may make more educated decisions regarding a new school. I do think though, that you should say "eff 'em" to the haters and also recognize that there are valid hesitations when it comes to considering a very new school. You've generally been so great with addressing the concerns, but I will say you seem to have let some of the negative comments get to you.

At the end of the day, I'm sure I'd be happy here and frankly, those who have criticisms (myself included) haven't even been invited to interview (for the most part).
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Oh no! Not at all. I totally welcome and understand people who post their hesitations here. It's not a perfect school by any means, and I'm happy to talk to anyone about my experience so far to either alleviate or confirm some of those concerns. I only have a problem when someone posts something vague and non productive. If you can give some concrete reasons about why cnu wasn't your type of place (which again, is fine! It's definitely not for everybody), then we can engage in a discussion about it, so others who are applying can make up their minds in an informed way. Just posting "this place sucks" (to paraphrase) isn't helpful.

I don't want it to seem as though I'm trying to restlessly defend the place. I think on a forum like this, positivity is always nice to see, and I've earnestly enjoyed my experience here so far, even if there have been hiccups along the way. I don't take it personally at all if someone doesn't like CNU for their own valid reasons (I've even told friends of mine applying this cycle it wouldn't be a good fit for them). I just would hate for someone who *would* be a good fit here to be turned off by some vague, negative post here.

Sorry if it seemed to you that I was overly affected! Haha, I promise I'll sleep ok tonight ;)
 
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nosarcasm said:
Oh no! Not at all. I totally welcome and understand people who post their hesitations here. It's not a perfect school by any means, and I'm happy to talk to anyone about my experience so far to either alleviate or confirm some of those concerns. I only have a problem when someone posts something vague and non productive. If you can give some concrete reasons about why cnu wasn't your type of place (which again, is fine! It's definitely not for everybody), then we can engage in a discussion about it, so others who are applying can make up their minds in an informed way. Just posting "this place sucks" (to paraphrase) isn't helpful.

I don't want it to seem as though I'm trying to restlessly defend the place. I think on a forum like this, positivity is always nice to see, and I've earnestly enjoyed my experience here so far, even if there have been hiccups along the way. I don't take it personally at all if someone doesn't like CNU for their own valid reasons (I've even told friends of mine applying this cycle it wouldn't be a good fit for them). I just would hate for someone who *would* be a good fit here to be turned off by some vague, negative post here.

Sorry if it seemed to you that I was overly affected! Haha, I promise I'll sleep ok tonight ;)
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Lol yea you seemed overly affected. I hope you didn't take it personally. But yes the school still is undeniably disappointing from almost every angle.

I'm sorry , I didn't mean to bash your school. I have no reason to. Who knows , maybe people will lower their standards, expect the worst, and eventually attend this school after being pleasantly surprised.
 
medikle said:
Lol yea you seemed overly affected. I hope you didn't take it personally. But yes the school still is undeniably disappointing from almost every angle.

I'm sorry , I didn't mean to bash your school. I have no reason to. Who knows , maybe people will lower their standards, expect the worst, and eventually attend this school after being pleasantly surprised.
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So I'll preface this with saying I'm not taking what you're saying personally at all, but you did the same thing again, haha. You keep making bold statements like "the school is still undeniably disappointing from almost every angle," but you don't say why you think that. It's strong language coming from someone who says they aren't meaning to bash a school.

I won't go on another long diatribe, but if anyone seeing this string of posts has specific concerns they'd like to talk about, I'm always happy to answer PMs, or (obviously, haha) engage with people on this forum.
 
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Anyone know if CNU accepts update letters?
 
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Could anyone elaborate on the school's interview process? Especially the "Group interview training." Thanks!
 
SJkay said:
Could anyone elaborate on the school's interview process? Especially the "Group interview training." Thanks!
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The interview process consists of 6 sets of 2 MMI questions with 5 minutes per question. Each set is with its own pair of a faculty and student.
Last year there was a somewhat different MMI setup which included a group MMI of 3 applicants interviewed by a faculty member and student, which might be the "group interview" referenced.
 
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Keyser Sozay said:
Hey guys. Fellow M2 here. Just finished all of my final exams and wanted to share some of my feelings about CNU for those who are considering applying here this cycle.

Most of my classmates, as well as myself, have taken out a loan from a private lender to pay for tuition. CNU isn't eligible for federal loans yet, but CNU has partnered with a few private lenders. The pro is that the interest rate I'm paying is pretty comparable to federal loan rates. The con is that if you have previous debt accrued that hasn't been paid off, you may not be eligible to get this loan. Additionally, the administration is trying to get scholarship money for the students.

Best things about the school: (In my opinion, the pros for the school >>>>>>>>>>> cons)

a) It's a small class of 60, so by now, most of us have become good friends with each other. Most of us are very cooperative, and we try to share resources and help each other out as much as possible. There isn't that sense of competition that may exist at other medical schools. (The incoming Class of 2020 has 90 students, and the Class of 2021 will also have 90 students.)

b) The M2s get a LOT of say in how the school is run. This includes suggesting changes for the curriculum, how certain faculty teach, being allowed to interview future prospective students, etc. The faculty members are very receptive to all of our feedback.

c) The curriculum is pretty innovative. Every week we have normal lectures where we learn the course material and an OSCE session where we get to practice working on a clinical skill with standardized patients. This clinical skill is related to the course material we learned during that week. Additionally, we work in groups of 5 to solve a clinical case where we are given a particular scenario (a patient coming in with xyz symptoms and a certain history) and we have to come up with a diagnosis. Finally, every other week we have a Master's Colloquiam session where we meet in groups of 20 to discuss various aspects of medicine outside the course material, such as ethical situations/problems we may face as physicians. In my opinion, most of the current faculty members know how to teach effectively.

Cons: There aren't many things that I dislike/hate about the school. Since it's a brand new school and we're the first class, we don't have the option to talk to upperclassmen to get advice on succeeding in medical school, opportunities for research and other ECs, applying for residency, etc. This means that we're figuring these things out by ourselves for the most part, along with the aid of the faculty.

Overall, I've really enjoyed my time so far at CNU. I definitely do not regret coming here, and I think CNU will prepare me well to become an effective physician. If you have any other questions about the school, student body, or interview/admissions process, don't hesitate to ask/message me.
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do keep us updated on that scholarship money :)
 
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cantelopeavocado said:
bump also what are the good research programs available here? when is too late to apply to this school
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Many of the faculty conduct their own research and need students to help. We have a mini-grant program that faculty can apply for, which gives $10,000 to projects that are approved. A maximum of 2 students can join these projects, and each student is given a $1000 stipend. Additionally, I know several of my classmates have taken the initiative to get involved with research in Sacramento (through UC Davis). I personally have a connection to UCSF, so I'll probably spend some summers in my old lab over there.

Like most things at CNU currently, it takes a certain kind of person to succeed. CNU tries to make as many opportunities as possible available to its students, but since things are just starting up and we don't have the same on-campus lab resources as more established schools, it takes some initiative on the students' parts to make their own opportunities happen. If you're not the self-motivated type, it would probably be a little frustrating, but I personally don't mind it.

To answer your second question, just like anywhere else, the earlier you apply, the better. The actual deadline should be on AMCAS.
 
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nosarcasm said:
Many of the faculty conduct their own research and need students to help. We have a mini-grant program that faculty can apply for, which gives $10,000 to projects that are approved. A maximum of 2 students can join these projects, and each student is given a $1000 stipend. Additionally, I know several of my classmates have taken the initiative to get involved with research in Sacramento (through UC Davis). I personally have a connection to UCSF, so I'll probably spend some summers in my old lab over there.

Like most things at CNU currently, it takes a certain kind of person to succeed. CNU tries to make as many opportunities as possible available to its students, but since things are just starting up and we don't have the same on-campus lab resources as more established schools, it takes some initiative on the students' parts to make their own opportunities happen. If you're not the self-motivated type, it would probably be a little frustrating, but I personally don't mind it.

To answer your second question, just like anywhere else, the earlier you apply, the better. The actual deadline should be on AMCAS.
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ok I would love to get involved on campus instead of traveling that far. I googled and UCSF seems like quite a drive. Not in state so that would be difficult to do in a summer ... how is the grading/doing well in classes
 
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