2017-2018 University of Colorado

[DrDwayneJohnson]

Hey, so I am from the East Coast and don't know about many of the places where the students matched to because I have a limited regional exposure. Could you elaborate more on what you mean by rocking the match? Like are you referring to the fact that you had many students accepted to some competitive specialties like anesthesiology? Or is it the caliber of the programs? I ask because one of my concerns is that I may want to match back to the East Coast (big maybe) and I wonder if going to CU will make that more difficult than attending a school in the East. I know there is selection bias among the students themselves, which makes it hard to really learn anything from looking at match lists.

I’d like to know as well! I didn’t see a lot of students matching into common top programs within specialties such as MGH, Brigham, Stanford, UCLA, UCSF, and other east coast ivys, which was a little concerning. But it could also just be selection bias like you said. I’m from the west coast and want to match back here! (Of course it’d be great to match into a top program and specialty On top of that)

The problem with looking at match lists is that many of us don't truly know what the top programs are. For example, you may have glossed over all the EM matches at Denver Health and the Carolinas. Those are two absolutely badass programs and (based on doximity) are more prestigious than matching EM at MGH, Brigham, and Stanford.

For the rest of the specialties, I can't really say. Clearly IM at Hopkins is rock solid, but I can't really say for the rest of the matches. Also, plenty of students matched in the west coast last year.

TL;DR: I've noticed we, as premeds, aren't the best judges of match lists because we don't really know where the top programs are for a lot of specialties. One example is EM

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[monsieurpomfrey]

Totally agree. That's why I was hoping to get the insight of @TurKFebruarY who is a 4th year

 

[DrMeegan]

The problem with looking at match lists is that many of us don't truly know what the top programs are. For example, you may have glossed over all the EM matches at Denver Health and the Carolinas. Those are two absolutely badass programs and (based on doximity) are more prestigious than matching EM at MGH, Brigham, and Stanford.

For the rest of the specialties, I can't really say. Clearly IM at Hopkins is rock solid, but I can't really say for the rest of the matches. Also, plenty of students matched in the west coast last year.

TL;DR: I've noticed we, as premeds, aren't the best judges of match lists because we don't really know where the top programs are for a lot of specialties. One example is EM

I totally get your point. Denver is definitely top tier for EM and Peds. I am a bit more curious about the top programs for competitive specialties (anesthesiology, derm, neuro, surgery, ortho, etc.) The ones I listed were considered "top" based on Doximity/other articles for most of these specialties. I understand CU is geared towards primary and that may skew the match list a bit. So CU students generally do excellent on Step 1 but choose primary care residencies or do average on Step 1 and go into primary care residencies?

I would love honest feedback from @TurKFebruarY or other 4th years at CU SOM!

 

[RaspberrySlushy]

Interviewed 2/16 and still waiting. Anyone else? Is Second Look next week? I saw it was that week last year and would love to go if accepted but since I haven't heard anything since interview, I don't know what to think! Is there a timeline for when decisions come out? They didn't really give one at interview day.

 

[Mom I'm Fine]

Interviewed 2/16 and still waiting. Anyone else? Is Second Look next week? I saw it was that week last year and would love to go if accepted but since I haven't heard anything since interview, I don't know what to think! Is there a timeline for when decisions come out? They didn't really give one at interview day.

+1

 

[TurKFebruarY]

Looking at match lists is definitely helpful when you have a certain vision of where you want your career to take you. For instance, as has been said, consider where you see yourself after medical school: historic IM program? West coast? New England? Rural? Medicine is a relatively close-knit profession, and word of mouth or medical school "reputation" does carry weight in residency program consideration of candidates. The significance of looking at match lists as a premed is a brief glance at whether the school you are considering has shown that they can provide students the foundation to match at the place or specialty you may see yourself in.

As was stated before, CU is a primary care focused school, so you won't see as much of the "top 4" IM programs on the match list compared to say Harvard because we likely recruit a different student. That said, the diversity of a match list speaks to the diversity of the student body and the quality of training in school: whether you want to go to a high-need rural FM residency, a historic EM program, or IM at Johns Hopkins, there are people in our class who matched those programs.

Only you can judge what weight that holds for you all as you decide which school to attend, but for us graduating seniors, I think most of us are very happy with the residency positions we obtained by way of our CU education.

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[Mom I'm Fine]

I'm looking at CU's 2018 match day results, and with 156 4th year students matching (assuming it's out of a class of 184), this is only about 85% of the graduating class getting into a residency program. 15% are not. Maybe I'm not looking at this the right way, but to me that's a little concerning.

 

[TurKFebruarY]

This includes MSTP students and MPH students who started with our class, as they will with yours, yet of course will not graduate in 4 years

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[TurKFebruarY]

Additionally a small amount of students take leaves of absence every year, delaying graduation for health or family reasons

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[DrDwayneJohnson]

Could also be a lot of people taking research years? Not sure, though, because they may have failed to match and then decided to try research rather than SOAP. Not totally positive how the whole process works.

 

[zebra200]

Interviewed 2/16 and still waiting. Anyone else? Is Second Look next week? I saw it was that week last year and would love to go if accepted but since I haven't heard anything since interview, I don't know what to think! Is there a timeline for when decisions come out? They didn't really give one at interview day.

Second Look is next Friday, April 6th. You could always call admissions to get a better idea on the timeline

 

[madod]

I'm looking at CU's 2018 match day results, and with 156 4th year students matching (assuming it's out of a class of 184), this is only about 85% of the graduating class getting into a residency program. 15% are not. Maybe I'm not looking at this the right way, but to me that's a little concerning.

Our class (of 2018) was the first to have 184 in our complement, the previous classes having had 160. Many students delay for various reasons and the MSTP students come and go. I wouldn't read too much into this. My guess is the numbers simply haven't caught up to the class sizes because of delays.

 

[CMo12]

Just got rejected. Interviewed 1/26

 

[DickAndGo]

Just got the rejection letter too. Interviewed 1/19.

 

[hockeyyy09]

Got the call yesterday from Dr.Z!!

Interviewed in January

 

[ALPAL11]

Did anyone get information or an email about second look day yet? I’m attending, but it’s this Friday and I’m out of state and trying to figure things out before I head to CO tomorrow! Thank you!

 

[BombsAway]

Did anyone get information or an email about second look day yet? I’m attending, but it’s this Friday and I’m out of state and trying to figure things out before I head to CO tomorrow! Thank you!

I just got a schedule via email. I assume that means everyone did, but lemme know if you don't have it and i'll send it to you.

 

[SpringsHTTR]

Did Everyone get emails saying they're an alternate for the scholarships applied to? Or anyone else get some other type of notification? Or no email at all?

 

[monsieurpomfrey]

I just got a schedule via email. I assume that means everyone did, but lemme know if you don't have it and i'll send it to you.

I did not get it. is there any way you can share it here?

 

[zebra200]

Just notified I am on 2 waitlists for different scholarships. Anyone else get this?

 

[SpringsHTTR]

Just notified I am on 2 waitlists for different scholarships. Anyone else get this?

Did it say waitlist or alternate? I got email from 3 saying alternate

 

[zebra200]

Sorry I meant alternate

 

[SpringsHTTR]

Sorry I meant alternate

So We taking that hard L

 

[BombsAway]

I did not get it. is there any way you can share it here?

here ya go

 

[okdna]

Did Everyone get emails saying they're an alternate for the scholarships applied to? Or anyone else get some other type of notification? Or no email at all?

I got them as well :/

 

[pottergirl]

Does anyone know anything about end of February interviews? They said latest we should hear back is March 30... debating whether to call or not

 

[Mom I'm Fine]

Does anyone know anything about end of February interviews? They said latest we should hear back is March 30... debating whether to call or not

I interviewed mid-Feb and have yet to hear back. They may just be a little behind.

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

I got them as well :/

What! I got it as well. So they're not rejecting anybody but plainly stating we're all alternate...

 

[KlausB]

I got the alternate email for one of the scholarships as well.

 

[plainoatmeal]

I'm an accepted OOS student currently struggling to decide between CU and my in-state school, which has offered me a substantial scholarship that is guaranteed all 4 years. I love Colorado but the accountable student fee is extremely daunting on top of the tuition, plus I already have a substantial amount of loans from grad school. Anyone have any insight into choosing between your dream school and a financially reasonable school? I'm not necessarily looking to go into a competitive specialty, but the in-state school is very new without any matching stats yet, although they took on a significant amount of staff from another state med school with solid established residencies.

 

[DrDwayneJohnson]

I'm an accepted OOS student currently struggling to decide between CU and my in-state school, which has offered me a substantial scholarship that is guaranteed all 4 years. I love Colorado but the accountable student fee is extremely daunting on top of the tuition, plus I already have a substantial amount of loans from grad school. Anyone have any insight into choosing between your dream school and a financially reasonable school? I'm not necessarily looking to go into a competitive specialty, but the in-state school is very new without any matching stats yet, although they took on a significant amount of staff from another state med school with solid established residencies.

You'd probably get a less biased and more complete answer by making a "School X vs Y" thread.

 

[BombsAway]

I'm an accepted OOS student currently struggling to decide between CU and my in-state school, which has offered me a substantial scholarship that is guaranteed all 4 years. I love Colorado but the accountable student fee is extremely daunting on top of the tuition, plus I already have a substantial amount of loans from grad school. Anyone have any insight into choosing between your dream school and a financially reasonable school? I'm not necessarily looking to go into a competitive specialty, but the in-state school is very new without any matching stats yet, although they took on a significant amount of staff from another state med school with solid established residencies.

Go to the cheaper school.

 

[3Ds&anL]

I'm an accepted OOS student currently struggling to decide between CU and my in-state school, which has offered me a substantial scholarship that is guaranteed all 4 years. I love Colorado but the accountable student fee is extremely daunting on top of the tuition, plus I already have a substantial amount of loans from grad school. Anyone have any insight into choosing between your dream school and a financially reasonable school? I'm not necessarily looking to go into a competitive specialty, but the in-state school is very new without any matching stats yet, although they took on a significant amount of staff from another state med school with solid established residencies.

I’ve received a lot of advice from doctors encouraging me to pick the cheapest option as far as med school goes. An orthopedic surgeon talked to me recently about a colleague of his (also an ortho, so making a pretty high income) who was struggling with his med school debt. He said not having the burden of large sums in student loans was very freeing compared to his colleague, who was feeling “trapped” because of his medical school and residency choices (expensive schools, expensive cities). I don’t know what that means for you, or others in similar situations, but what I’ve heard from many docs is that large medical school loans are not something to take lightly and having them can really put you between a rock and a hard place down the road.

 

[okdna]

Hey guys, I'm a little confused on where we need to submit all the papers post-acceptance. The email says to submit the contract and residency forms electronically but the contract sheet itself says to send it to Office of Admissions. Did you guys just submit them to [email protected]? Does the Technical Standards one also need to be sent to the same email? The Colorado Springs one seems to have its own separate email we need to send it to.

Sorry about all the questions. Thanks in advance!

I sent everything to the somadmin email. I think I called and that's what they said to do. Regardless, it hasn't seemed to cause any problems.

 

[okdna]

Thanks. does that also include the Colorado Springs sheet?

Yep

 

[DosageMTP]

Does anyone know anything about end of February interviews? They said latest we should hear back is March 30... debating whether to call or not

Nothing but silence here....it would have been nice to hear back either way before second look day

 

[aab865]

Still radio silence from January 19th.... At this point I think I have given up hope.

 

[bostonterrier94]

I may have missed this, but is there an accepted students facebook page yet? Looking to find some potential roommates thanks!!

 

[okdna]

I may have missed this, but is there an accepted students facebook page yet? Looking to find some potential roommates thanks!!

Yes. University of Colorado School of Medicine Class of 2022

 

[Mom I'm Fine]

Just got placed on the alternate list. Interviewed 2/16. Not sure what my chances are at this point.

 

[CELLEC]

I'm an accepted OOS student currently struggling to decide between CU and my in-state school, which has offered me a substantial scholarship that is guaranteed all 4 years. I love Colorado but the accountable student fee is extremely daunting on top of the tuition, plus I already have a substantial amount of loans from grad school. Anyone have any insight into choosing between your dream school and a financially reasonable school? I'm not necessarily looking to go into a competitive specialty, but the in-state school is very new without any matching stats yet, although they took on a significant amount of staff from another state med school with solid established residencies.

I go to CU and I absolutely love it, but I would say the cheaper option might be better in the long run. Med school is hard and assuming you have some kind of support (maybe family) around your home school will be invaluable. Also, less debt frees up your options of speciality picking in the end because you do not have to worry about salary as much. So I would make the more financially smart decision considering the already existing debt and your desire to not go into a very competitive speciality.

 

[TurKFebruarY]

I'm an accepted OOS student currently struggling to decide between CU and my in-state school, which has offered me a substantial scholarship that is guaranteed all 4 years. I love Colorado but the accountable student fee is extremely daunting on top of the tuition, plus I already have a substantial amount of loans from grad school. Anyone have any insight into choosing between your dream school and a financially reasonable school? I'm not necessarily looking to go into a competitive specialty, but the in-state school is very new without any matching stats yet, although they took on a significant amount of staff from another state med school with solid established residencies.

My $0.02: I'm graduating with nearly $400k in debt. There are many great things about CU, but cost of attendance is not one of them. Denver is getting more expensive by the day. If the fear of attending an "unknown" school is bothering you, consider that you can also do away rotations at places you're interested in 4th year to get yourself better known. The name on the school matters, but probably not as much as everyone imagines. Read the program directors survey on the nrmp website to see how much various specialties weigh med school prestige in their consideration of an applicant.

The curriculum will be more or less the same anywhere you go. You may have better patient exposure in the preclinical years at one school vs another, or one school may have more small groups, but you will learn the same material.

I would say consider fit above others. While I'm burdened with a mountain of debt, I'm going into a specialty that pays average on the spectrum of salaries, and I have no fear about my ability to repay that debt. There are various income-driven repayment plans available to you once you graduate medical school, as well as PSLF-qualified facilities to assist with loan forgiveness. So, while daunting, it is absolutely possible to pay off even the highest of loan burdens.

Kind of a hand-wavey answer, but ultimately go with your gut and what works best for your personal situation

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[deleted445355]

Anyone receive financial aid/student loan news from the financial aid office yet? My impression was that they release results in April, but I wasn't sure exactly when...

 

[DrDwayneJohnson]

Anyone receive financial aid/student loan news from the financial aid office yet? My impression was that they release results in April, but I wasn't sure exactly when...

I overheard Dr. Z on SLD say that FinAid would probably be released the third week of April, but she continued to say she's not in that office, so she doesn't know their timeline for sure. I would say by the end of next week at the latest, but the end of this week is my personal expectation.

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

Last year's thread also released around end of April.

 

[nobody12]

Did we need to include Parent's information in our FAFSA?

 

[Deus Ex Medicine]

Just got placed on the alternate list. Interviewed 2/16. Not sure what my chances are at this point.

For anyone on the waitlist, I wanted to share what I learned last week when speaking to someone in the office. For your reference, I was waitlisted way back in December (OOS, interviewed in October). No communication since then (emails, portal updates, or phone calls).

I was told that by early May, we should be sent an email clarifying the process for everyone on the alternate list. In previous years, there was a “priority” level (high, med, low) assigned to each applicant in the email - though it is not certain whether this same classification will be used this year.

I was further told that should I not receive an email within two weeks, I should contact the admissions office for clarification (so I assume by mid-to-late May). Also, as most of you reading will probably already know, CU does not accept application updates. Finally, I was told that last year (2016-2017 cycle) there was little waitlist movement, but that that trend may or may not hold up this year.

A quick glance at previous application threads seems to show waitlist movement as early as April 30th and as late as August (orientation). Hope this helps!

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

Fully committed to CU this morning. Mom I'm moving to Colorado!

 

[Deus Ex Medicine]

Fully committed to CU this morning. Mom I'm moving to Colorado!

Congratulations! Try out Dazbog coffee when you have a chance!

 

[nobody12]

Just to make sure, when you commit to a school, you don't have to say anything to the school you're going to attend right? You just have to withdraw from other schools by April 30th?