Albany Class of 2011

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Congrats everyone who's been accepted.

vk and Zack have given good advice. I moved up here about the middle of August. I moved from Colorado, which took about 3 days, and had ~2 weeks to get everything set up here. I flew up a few months beforehand to scout out rentals. I tried to set up viewings a few days in advance, but Albanites seemed to prefer you calling up the day you want to see a place. Most people rent houses, not apartments in large complexes.

In addition to what they guys have already said, east of Lark is ok, until you get down to the river valley, where it starts to get rough. You want to stay south of Central, and south of the hospital on New Scotland is good too. I would be hesitant of buying a house here, unless you planned on living in Albany for a long time - 4 years in Albany's market is not enough time to flip a house and get good returns on your money.

If you're up here overnight looking for a place, I recommend staying at the Inn on South Lake. It's right near the school and it's a nice place. About ~$90/night.

The most recent Match list hasn't been posted yet, but keep a look out on the website.

I responded to the PM's that people sent me, so check your mailboxes.
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Does anyone know how long it takes for them to send out the official acceptance letter/all the info and such?
 
StarryNite82 said:
Does anyone know how long it takes for them to send out the official acceptance letter/all the info and such?
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I got the official packet about a week after the email, and I'm on the West Coast. I think the email was on a Friday, and the letter came the following Thursday.
 
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So i still haven't technically gotten the email-- I just called in and asked, so hopefully that shouldn't delay me, right?
 
That I don't know. I was accepted of the "under consideration" category, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference.
 
Is anyone able to access the financial aid website? It keeps saying not available when I try and get to it.
 
Steiner said:
Is anyone able to access the financial aid website? It keeps saying not available when I try and get to it.
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Steinier,
I had the same problem...if you are able to get on let me know.
KC
 
yeah, it seems that the site is temporarily down...
 
i'm not exactly sure which financial aid site you're referring to, and i'm not sure if this is related, but albany med's director of financial aid suddenly left the school about a week ago and his duties have been split up amongst various parties (no official word as to why he left.) this may result in some minor delays, so hang in there.
 

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Hey guys... I just got my acceptance, and am ridiculously excited. I haven't looked over all the posts in depth yet, but I'd like to live with at least one roommate in a house - and am planning on driving up in late may to do some hunting... if anyone is in the same boat, let me know and we can chat. I'm a non-smoker, play lots of guitar, would like to have a basement to put some woodworking tools in, most of all would love to find some cool people to share this adventure with...

-adam
 
Hey Adam,

Im also interested in having at least one roommate to live with, so we can definitely work something out. I will not have a car, so one preference I have is to live within a 5-10 minute walk of school.

Also, for everyone attending AMC in the fall, join the AMC class of 2011 facebook group...it will make it easier for everyone to meet each other.
 
Anyone bringing a family with them? If so, my wife would be willing to watch any children from infants to 5 yrs old. She is an Elementary Teacher, and has 3+ years experience as a teacher and administrator in Early Childhood/Daycare. Her rates will be much lower than anywhere in Albany. I have checked around for costs of my children. For Toddlers(2yr olds) it is ~$200/week and Pre-K(4yr olds) it is ~$185/week. Infants are going to be even more expensive than that because of laws regulating ratio of adults to children. Please let me know if your interested. This is also posted in the AMC 2011 & AMC facebook groups, and I will post something at or near the admissions office when I am looking for apartments in June.

PM me if you're interested.
 
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Hey all,

I'm thinking of doing a cross country road trip to Albany this summer. It will be me, my tacoma, a trailer, and 3000 miles of road. I'm coming from Los Angeles, and am willing to pick up one or two people for the trip. Anyone interested? We could split gas and throw some of your stuff in my trailer as well. I'll eventually get around to opening a facebook account too because SDN is a little too anonymous.

cheers,
v
 
I'm pulling a cross country trip also, but I will be toting a trailer of my own. What days and cities are you stopping in. I'm coming from Vegas and plan on taking off around July 30th & getting to Albany late night Aug. 2nd.
 
Steiner said:
I'm pulling a cross country trip also, but I will be toting a trailer of my own. What days and cities are you stopping in. I'm coming from Vegas and plan on taking off around July 30th & getting to Albany late night Aug. 2nd.
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To tell you the truth I haven't planned the trip yet. It would make sense for me to go up the I-15, taking me right through Vegas and probably up through Utah. For my own sake, I don't think I'm gonna do more that 500 miles/day, which means its probably gonna take me 5-6 days to get to Albany. It'll give me a chance to enjoy some of the landscape as well.
 
does anyone know what albany requires for immunizations? I haven't received anything in the mail lyet-- but I had doctors appts lined up for another school-- so it'd be easier to figure out what i have to get and what i dont' need from albany.
 
measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis and hep-c, i believe. you'll also get blood drawn during orientation (or slightly thereafter) for titers. on top of that, you need a routine physical. but don't quote me on that.. i'd probably wait to see what your official packet says.
 
zahque said:
measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis and hep-c, i believe. you'll also get blood drawn during orientation (or slightly thereafter) for titers. on top of that, you need a routine physical. but don't quote me on that.. i'd probably wait to see what your official packet says.
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You do need a physical, and they'll do a PPD for tuberculosis.

~500 miles/day is a sustainable pace for a trip cross country with belongings in tow. Chicago will not be pretty this time of year (lots of construction and hot), so avoid it if you can.

One of our classmates started a Facebook group for everyone to coordinate activities during the year, but it is also a good idea to use the "Discussion" feature there to plan trips.
 
Hey guys,

I'm a little shaky on this whole financial aid process. I submitted my letter of acceptance to AMC about 3 weeks ago. Am I supposed to receive something from the financial aid office in the mail? Is there anything I can do in the meantime? Thanks.
 
Scubva,
FAFSA if you haven't done it already then the NEEDS scholarship application if you are under 31 (see the financial aid stuff in your acceptance packet or go to the guidebook Steiner posted). I called the office the other day and they are extremely helpful and friendly, so if you are at all confused they would be glad to help.
KC
 
How long does the online system take to update? I was accepted 4/20 and it still says congratulations on being invited for an interview. Just wondering b/c I remember seeing on here something about being able to input information about yourself online-something like a "get to know your class" survey.

Also, when and where did current students buy the equipment needed; opthalmoscope, otoscope, dissecting kit, tuning fork, flashlight, reflex hammer, & bag? Are they available to purchase at the medical school, and if so, how much is everything? Just wondering if I should look online and buy them now or wait to see what is offered at the school.
 
That online system isnt really updated at all, since I was accepted in January and I get the same thing, and once I called about that online survey and the admissions office told me not to fill it out since its from last year or something
 
Steiner said:
How long does the online system take to update? I was accepted 4/20 and it still says congratulations on being invited for an interview. Just wondering b/c I remember seeing on here something about being able to input information about yourself online-something like a "get to know your class" survey.

Also, when and where did current students buy the equipment needed; opthalmoscope, otoscope, dissecting kit, tuning fork, flashlight, reflex hammer, & bag? Are they available to purchase at the medical school, and if so, how much is everything? Just wondering if I should look online and buy them now or wait to see what is offered at the school.
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Buy nothing. Seriously. I had a (working) stethoscope leftover from a Halloween costume and that's all I needed for the 1st year clinical skills class. Everything else - opthalmoscope, otoscope...tuning fork, flashlight, reflex hammer - are available throughout the school and hospital. Dissection tools are provided in Anatomy lab. Nobody buys a doctor's bag. Nobody.

On a related note, I bought all of my books (mostly used) here after class started. Paid maybe ~$100 total.
 
Do you happen to have the book list b/c a friend of mine gave me a bunch of textbooks from medical school and I was wondering if I already had some of the required textbooks.
 
Steiner said:
Do you happen to have the book list b/c a friend of mine gave me a bunch of textbooks from medical school and I was wondering if I already had some of the required textbooks.
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There are no required texts. The syllabus is all you need. Many folks like to use other books because they like a different writing style, or the text has more information, etc. Really, all I'd get is Little Moore's (or any anatomy text), K, and Costanzo.

K gives you histo, path, and physio info (your histo lectures will come out of this book). Costanzo is a BRS book, but if you read it early in the theme, the overall theme makes more sense (for me) and you'll know about 60-80% of what'll you'll need to know for each exam, and anatomy is obvious.

Get them used. A lot of students will sell books, so just save your money. And if you got some texts for free, bring them anyways. My method may not work for you and you may find a use for them.
 
Steiner said:
Do you happen to have the book list b/c a friend of mine gave me a bunch of textbooks from medical school and I was wondering if I already had some of the required textbooks.
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i haven't bought/opened/touched a textbook all year and i'm doing fine. in my opinion, the syllabus is sufficient, but play it by ear.
 
im not sure if i remember this correctly, but at the interview i remember being told that on a certain day, admissions will contact me and ask if i want to be on the waitlist. only the people that explicitly say that they want to be on the list will be taken off. is this correct? do you guys know around when we will be contacted about this?
 
Waiting4Drexel said:
...only the people that explicitly say that they want to be on the list will be taken off...
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So, if you want to go to AMC, they'll not let you in? I don't understand what you mean. But if it's been more than a week or so, just give admissions a quick call and ask them your status.
 
sorry, i worded that post pretty badly.

what i meant was that on a certain day, admissions will contact the people that are "still under consideration" and formally create a waitlist. only those people who respond to this inquiry will be placed on the waitlist, and have a chance of being accepted off of it.

this is how it works, right? or am i confusing different schools here? it seems a bid odd since i know that a few SDNers were put in the "under consideration category" and got in already. anyone know if this is right, and if so, when they start contacting people?
 
I didn't experience that part of the process, so I can't help you any more than by telling you to call the admissions office and confirm with them.
 
i was taken off the waitlist at the end of june, and about a month previous to that, i received an e-mail asking if i wished to stay on the waitlist or wanted to withdraw my application. i can't say for sure that every individual on the waitlist receives such an e-mail.
 
just a quick thing about books, SDN is good for getting an idea of what's good but certain books are better for certain schools than others. The student wellness committee puts out a list in your orientation packet in the beginning of the year. just to say it again, don't buy any books. even the ones that they (admin, professors) tell you to buy in your first theme and for clinical skills, etc., EBHC 1) everyone is constantly selling books from all 4 classes and 2) your second year advisor will probably hand you a bunch of books if they haven't sold them. 3) they have 3 great photocopy machines and people photocopy entire books. (ya it's free.)
 
Are there any grants or scholarships available at AMC? It is very expensive school. I found some info on AMC web site, but most of it "if funds are available". Any comments, please?
 
I didn't get offered any as a first year (though the other guys may have been more lucky!). Everyone is eligible for the awards you mentioned starting second year (and the list on the website is not complete). If you're into research, you can get money there. Most awards and grants are smaller (1-5k), but they help pay the bills.
 
Hey guys,

What, if anything, should we expect to receive from AMC in the mail besides the official acceptance packet? Is there any formal communication outlining orientation, fall start dates, class roster, ect..? If so, when is that information generally distributed?

cheers
 
i agree, besides an acceptance letter i received months ago, I have gotten no other communication from admissions
 
What are some good sports bars in the Albany area? Looking for good food and a place to watch some games while I'm in town looking for an apartment. I'll have a car, so anywhere around Albany is good.
 
Steiner said:
What are some good sports bars in the Albany area? Looking for good food and a place to watch some games while I'm in town looking for an apartment. I'll have a car, so anywhere around Albany is good.
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I have a 6th sense when it comes to sports bar. After my interview this past April I wandered around downtown Albany looking for a place to grab a pint, buffalo wings, and watch a game. I found the Bayou Grill on Pearl St. It's an Irish pub type of place with cool staff and pretty good bar food. Hopefully, the city has better places to offer, but that's a spot I wouldn't mind going back to.
 
the local favorite is graney's, which is on new scotland about two blocks from school (we go there to drink after exams.) they have a bunch of tvs everywhere (including a mammoth projection screen) and air most major sporting events. it's a bit more of a dive, but i love it. if you're living more towards lark street, and want something slightly classier, legends is the place to be. it's a three floor bar that just opened and has multiple plasma screens on every wall. they have two dollar draught specials every day and great sliders (mini burgers.) finally, for those of you looking way downtown, jillians is the spot on sunday afternoons. they have massive projection screens on each wall and air every NFL game being played that day.

in terms of sports bars, those are my "big three."
 
thats really good to hear...definitely need a good place to watch my knicks, yankees, and giants
 
Any current students able to tell us whether or not we can invite friends and family to the whitecoat ceremony?
 
Sorry, no. Unless they completely changed the ceremony, you can't have guests. My dad really wanted to go - but there just isn't any space in the room they use.
 
Thanks

Anyone have a copy of the AMCFAA-Albany Medical College Financial Aid Application?
 
hey guys,

my first time posting! :) pretty sure i'm going to be in albany this fall...how are you all going to go about finding roommates (or are you living alone)? i have a dog so i just wanted to get a feel for what everyone else is doing.
 
chocpretzel02 said:
hey guys,

my first time posting! :) pretty sure i'm going to be in albany this fall...how are you all going to go about finding roommates (or are you living alone)? i have a dog so i just wanted to get a feel for what everyone else is doing.
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I'm guessing most people are gonna go the roommate route. Our Stafford loans budget 550 bucks for housing, so that's a pretty comfortable budget for rent in Albany. As for me, I'm going to try to find a small place of my own. I'm 26, slightly older than the typical entering students, and I'm just so over the whole roomate thing.
 
Steiner said:
Any current students able to tell us whether or not we can invite friends and family to the whitecoat ceremony?
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They do a webcast though
 
Anyone have the most recent match list? I'm wondering how many people match into residencies on the west coast.
 
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