Boston University MAMS 2017-2018

[ss901]

Thank you very much! Of all the programs I applied to, this is my number 1 choice so I really hope to hear back soon. I was complete on 5/16.

Best of luck to you then! BU was my #1 as well, but the more I hear about Loyola MAMS, the more unsure I am. I've been trying to make some pros/cons, but there's just so many things to consider. Could you share the main reasons why you'd chose BU MAMS over Loyola?

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[phenamanlphysician]

Best of luck to you then! BU was my #1 as well, but the more I hear about Loyola MAMS, the more unsure I am. I've been trying to make some pros/cons, but there's just so many things to consider. Could you share the main reasons why you'd chose BU MAMS over Loyola?

Gladly! I like the BU program over other programs because of their option to do an MPH or do a year of research the following year of medical classes. I am planning on taking the MCAT after doing a masters program (it makes more sense to me to do it after finishing the masters as opposed to before starting it) and I like that BU offers options to spend that additional year.

 

[sss1219]

Best of luck to you then! BU was my #1 as well, but the more I hear about Loyola MAMS, the more unsure I am. I've been trying to make some pros/cons, but there's just so many things to consider. Could you share the main reasons why you'd chose BU MAMS over Loyola?

One thing that helped me choose was alumni routes for DO vs. MD. Try stalking SDN/mdapps members and the alumni lists on program websites to gauge how many alumni ended up going MD in each program. My conclusion was that more people ended up MD and ended up at more impressive MDs from BU (and Gtown was comparable) vs. other programs, but yours may end up different

 

[mj826]

Would anyone be able to comment on how many students also hold part time jobs while in school/if that is manageable or not? I'm trying to figure out how to pay for this program without going into mountains of debt before medical school too

 

[sss1219]

Would anyone be able to comment on how many students also hold part time jobs while in school/if that is manageable or not? I'm trying to figure out how to pay for this program without going into mountains of debt before medical school too

Been discussed a couple pages ago, you will have no time to do anything but coursework during 1st semester. 2nd semester is a little more lax and people often volunteer, have part time jobs, etc.

 

[coda4451]

How often did weather/snow in Boston cancel classes?


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[sss1219]

How often did weather/snow in Boston cancel classes?


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Usually starts to snow towards December and then picks up towards the end of January. Last two winters were relatively warm. We had 2 or 3 snow days if I remember correctly, 1 towards finals week in first semester and 1 or 2 at the beginning of second semester. It takes a lot more snow to cancel medical classes in comparison to undergrad, but it does happen. Everything is recorded so they'll either post the previous year's podcast or go over the material in the next class. Really not too big of a deal.


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[siengmia]

Are you supposed to receive a separate email when your application is "complete"? I submitted mine back in May 2 and when I check the app status it says they received everything but I haven't heard anything since. I was trying to be patient bc it said it might take up to 4 weeks for them to even begin processing it but at this point I'm about ready to give up on this program. I'm going to try contacting them on Tuesday, but I was wondering if I should be expecting a separate email/notification when my app is complete or under review.

 

[coda4451]

I got an email that said i was complete


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[clyons1995]

Are you supposed to receive a separate email when your application is "complete"? I submitted mine back in May 2 and when I check the app status it says they received everything but I haven't heard anything since. I was trying to be patient bc it said it might take up to 4 weeks for them to even begin processing it but at this point I'm about ready to give up on this program. I'm going to try contacting them on Tuesday, but I was wondering if I should be expecting a separate email/notification when my app is complete or under review.

I actually didn't get an email saying mine was complete, and when I emailed Dr. Offner about it she said that not everyone gets an email and that the system can be a bit glitchy. I know that several people called the program office which turned out to be helpful.


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[ssquared11593]

How do people afford to live in Boston!?!? omg I have been trying to find a place but its seems like all the apartments are 3,000$ starting! Is there any affordable options?

 

[byrdhouse]

How do people afford to live in Boston!?!? omg I have been trying to find a place but its seems like all the apartments are 3,000$ starting! Is there any affordable options?

My better half and I are looking outside of Boston in Allston, Medford, Jamaica Plains, etc. She has a job outside of Boston in Davers so it is mutual for us to move to a surround area. There we are finding apartments for $1500-2000 but the trade off is I will have a 45ish minute commute on the T to and from campus

 

[lbrams27]

Hello guys,
To those accepted in the program, how are you guys paying for ot?
I learned that Federal Direct Loan only provide $20,500 in loans, does that mean one will have to take private loans?

 

[lbrams27]

Also one more question, is there an interview component to the application process?

 

[byrdhouse]

Hello guys,
To those accepted in the program, how are you guys paying for ot?
I learned that Federal Direct Loan only provide $20,500 in loans, does that mean one will have to take private loans?

Grad plus loans cover what is left but has a slightly higher interest than federal direct loans

 

[byrdhouse]

Also one more question, is there an interview component to the application process?

no

 

[ama303]

Hi everyone!
I'll be going to the MAMS program this year and thought I'd send a feeler out for if anyone is looking for a roommate. PM if you are!

 

[coda4451]

How much in loans do students usually take for this program?


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[pandachubs]

Hi everyone! Former MAMS student here! My bf and I are looking for someone to take the 2nd bedroom in a 2 bd / 1 ba condo in the south end. PM me for more details.

 

[Deathiel]

If I am submitting my recommendations via interfolio, I dont need to add references on the applications for my application to be considered complete right? I just sent my recommendations via interfolio and I cant submit my application because it keeps saying I need to add references

 

[coda4451]

You need to add at least 1 reference. Just put dr. Offner as 1


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[doppio]

How would you roughly rank Boston MAMS, Tufts BMS, and Loyola MAMS in terms of the success of the graduates?

Also, is it too late to apply for Boston MAMS? Is the class full yet?

 

[bat28]

I didn't see this thread started by any one. Are y'all applying to the program and for the previous alumni can you contribute any info about your experiences and/or acceptances to med school?

"Long term outcomes of BU MAMS"

I just ran into a classmate from my MAMS program (2004-2006) and figured i would share my experience after finishing the program---

Many of my profs from MAMS are still faculty and they were great. The real key is to bust your ass- think of this year as your 'last chance' to go to medical school and treat it as such. I had a couple friends in the program that fell into the same traps as they did in undergrad and ended up not getting in to med school. The coursework should be your 100% focus. If you work hard, you will get in to medical school. The program gives you the opportunity to demonstrate that you can excel, but it is on you to actually do it. After I got in the BU MAMS, my premed advisor (@BU) told me "you need A range grades. This is your chance and it is on you"... after years of complaining about grade deflation at my undergrad BU program.

I did the 2 year track. I applied for med school twice- the first time would have been to start MD after the 1st year of the GMS program- i only applied to a handful of places and did not get any interviews. My undergrad GPA was not good (~3.0 ish science GPA-- and that is after I crushed my senior year grades- so it was pretty ugly before that). I took MCAT summer after junior year undergrad and did well (33), but that is about all i had. I had a 3.8ish GPA i think in the MAMS year and applied again and got in to BUSM, where i ended up attending. During the second year, I moved back home and used that time to work and write my thesis-- which is what a lot of us did that year. There were a number of people that got into med school during the 1st year of the program (i was very jealous at the time), so they finished it and metriculated after year 1.

While there are no automatic acceptances from MAMS to BUSM, if you do really well in the MAMS program you should have a really good chance with BU- they know the intensity of histo/biochem/physio. There were around 15 of us that ended up at BU med. A few of my other friends went to NYMC, SUNY downstate, UMDNJ, and U Texas. The big benefit of going to BUSM after is that histo, physio, biochem, immunology all transferred so i did not have to take them during MS1 year.

After med school, I did my residency in orthopedic surgery-- which is pretty competitive-- I say that only to make the point that doing well in MAMS sets you up to do well in med school. In my ortho residency program (5 per year/25 residents total), there were 5 of us that had been in the BU MAMS program. Now, during fellowship, i have run into a few ortho residents from other places that were in the program as well.

In hindsight, although the program is not cheap, i look at it as the tax that i had to pay to get here. You will have all the resources you need to be successful, just use them. It is one year--- Do NOT get distracted, work as hard as you can every day, f-ing crush your classes. If you want to be a doc, you will get there.


*also, the key to an A in histo is to keep up during the semester and then memorize the entire syllabus before the test. It takes a long time and sucks, but it works.
It works well for biochem, not as much for physiology which requires more conceptual thinking. Learning how to memorize so much material makes med school much much easier.

 

[sss1219]

"Long term outcomes of BU MAMS"

I just ran into a classmate from my MAMS program (2004-2006) and figured i would share my experience after finishing the program---

Many of my profs from MAMS are still faculty and they were great. The real key is to bust your ass- think of this year as your 'last chance' to go to medical school and treat it as such. I had a couple friends in the program that fell into the same traps as they did in undergrad and ended up not getting in to med school. The coursework should be your 100% focus. If you work hard, you will get in to medical school. The program gives you the opportunity to demonstrate that you can excel, but it is on you to actually do it. After I got in the BU MAMS, my premed advisor (@BU) told me "you need A range grades. This is your chance and it is on you"... after years of complaining about grade deflation at my undergrad BU program.

I did the 2 year track. I applied for med school twice- the first time would have been to start MD after the 1st year of the GMS program- i only applied to a handful of places and did not get any interviews. My undergrad GPA was not good (~3.0 ish science GPA-- and that is after I crushed my senior year grades- so it was pretty ugly before that). I took MCAT summer after junior year undergrad and did well (33), but that is about all i had. I had a 3.8ish GPA i think in the MAMS year and applied again and got in to BUSM, where i ended up attending. During the second year, I moved back home and used that time to work and write my thesis-- which is what a lot of us did that year. There were a number of people that got into med school during the 1st year of the program (i was very jealous at the time), so they finished it and metriculated after year 1.

While there are no automatic acceptances from MAMS to BUSM, if you do really well in the MAMS program you should have a really good chance with BU- they know the intensity of histo/biochem/physio. There were around 15 of us that ended up at BU med. A few of my other friends went to NYMC, SUNY downstate, UMDNJ, and U Texas. The big benefit of going to BUSM after is that histo, physio, biochem, immunology all transferred so i did not have to take them during MS1 year.

After med school, I did my residency in orthopedic surgery-- which is pretty competitive-- I say that only to make the point that doing well in MAMS sets you up to do well in med school. In my ortho residency program (5 per year/25 residents total), there were 5 of us that had been in the BU MAMS program. Now, during fellowship, i have run into a few ortho residents from other places that were in the program as well.

In hindsight, although the program is not cheap, i look at it as the tax that i had to pay to get here. You will have all the resources you need to be successful, just use them. It is one year--- Do NOT get distracted, work as hard as you can every day, f-ing crush your classes. If you want to be a doc, you will get there.


*also, the key to an A in histo is to keep up during the semester and then memorize the entire syllabus before the test. It takes a long time and sucks, but it works.
It works well for biochem, not as much for physiology which requires more conceptual thinking. Learning how to memorize so much material makes med school much much easier.

10 years later, all of this still applies minus credit transferring over if you end up at BUSM because they changed the med curriculum. Only piece of advice I would add is to not overestimate your abilities once you start. What I mean by that is that many of you coming to the program are here for GPA redemption, but there is a reason behind why your undergrad GPA is low. Identify these underlying problems early otherwise you will struggle in MAMS. For me, this meant stepping out of my comfort zone and getting tutors, meeting with professors regularly, studying differently than I usually did, etc. Don't be hesitant to do anything that you think may help! Getting a 3.7+ in the program is incredibly difficult and I think you'll find that anyone who does end up with a lower GPA than desired lost most of it due to work early in semester 1, so it's important to come in with your best foot forward.


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[clyons1995]

For any current/former MAMS students: if you ended up taking/re-taking the MCAT after the first year, when did you start studying for it? I know most people take it in June, and it seems like studying for it would be difficult with classes/finals.


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[sss1219]

For any current/former MAMS students: if you ended up taking/re-taking the MCAT after the first year, when did you start studying for it? I know most people take it in June, and it seems like studying for it would be difficult with classes/finals.


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Talked about this a couple pages ago, but people usually start studying 2nd semester and take it late june/early july. By taking immuno second semester, which finishes earlier than its counterpart human body systems/anatomy, you afford yourself more time to start to study with since you will only having 2 classes left for the semester. This is what a lot of retakees end up doing, but it's not totally necessary. You will have a good 1.5-2 months to study either way, and with how much of the mcat bio/chem you go over in the biochem course, if you are diligent with your studying this will be more than enough time.

Edit: for any of you that are planning to retake, one thing I'd recommend doing now while you have free time is practicing the examcrackers CARS book. Unlike the other sections, CARS is more of a skill than it is understanding/memorizing, and all it really takes is practice...which takes time, which you won't have too much of when you're really getting into studying next summer. Getting used to the passage timings and the patterns in questions now while you aren't doing much will be very helpful down the road!

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[clyons1995]

Talked about this a couple pages ago, but people usually start studying 2nd semester and take it late june/early july. By taking immuno second semester, which finishes earlier than its counterpart human body systems/anatomy, you afford yourself more time to start to study with since you will only having 2 classes left for the semester. This is what a lot of retakees end up doing, but it's not totally necessary. You will have a good 1.5-2 months to study either way, and with how much of the mcat bio/chem you go over in the biochem course, if you are diligent with your studying this will be more than enough time.


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Ahhhh I probably should've checked back to see the post first, but thank you!


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[pennepasta]

Accepted last week!

 

[on-key]

I just committed a few days ago! Looking for a roommate or a cheap studio in a nearby neighborhood.

 

[clyons1995]

Does anyone know how financial aid works during the second year? I remember Dr. Offner mentioning that the cost of the program is the same for the one year and two year tracks, but are you billed only during the first year?


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[medbear17]

Got my acceptance letter today! Completed 5/31

What were your stats? I'm eager and still waiting

 

[Blank912]

Does anyone know how financial aid works during the second year? I remember Dr. Offner mentioning that the cost of the program is the same for the one year and two year tracks, but are you billed only during the first year?


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Hello! I just finished my first year in MAMS doing the one-year track. For the first year tuition is 50k and some students get scholarships with loans or family paying off the rest. Basically what happens is that during first year all the classes you take sum up to 28 credits, but you need 32 to graduate from the program. The last 4 credits are split up into two 2 credit "independent research" courses that you either take Summer Session I and II for one-year track or Fall and Spring semester of year 2 for two-year track. To pay for these extra credits, you get charged around $1500 per credit for each semester, making it a total of $6000 extra after first year tuition that all students will pay regardless of track. You can get more financial aid (Stafford loans) to pay off the extra $6000 or some people get part-time jobs and pay it off themselves.

 

[pascalwk]

Hey all, Just trying to get some more insight on what my 2nd year will be like. For the 2nd year track are most of the research opportunities unpaid or are there some paid ones available? If not is it possible, schedule wise, to also get a part time job?

 

[sss1219]

Hey all, Just trying to get some more insight on what my 2nd year will be like. For the 2nd year track are most of the research opportunities unpaid or are there some paid ones available? If not is it possible, schedule wise, to also get a part time job?

Dr. Offner emails out research opportunities at the various hospitals that you can contact the PI and interview for. One or two might be paid, but most are not. Otherwise you can search on your own, but it's totally up to you to find a paid research position, however people do it each year.


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[siengmia]

So if I submitted my app 5/2, called to confirm it was complete (which it was), and have not heard anything at this point... I'm assuming I'm rejected?? But even if I were, wouldn't I receive an email regarding a decision, whatever that decision may be? I won't be attending the program anyway at this point since it's too late, but I'm kind of wondering if anyone else is remotely in my situation haha

 

[drnancydrew]

So if I submitted my app 5/2, called to confirm it was complete (which it was), and have not heard anything at this point... I'm assuming I'm rejected?? But even if I were, wouldn't I receive an email regarding a decision, whatever that decision may be? I won't be attending the program anyway at this point since it's too late, but I'm kind of wondering if anyone else is remotely in my situation haha

I think I can say I'm in a similar situation as you are? I submitted my application in the middle of March and called to confirm that all of my materials were received, but I only just got an email about two weeks ago saying my application was complete and that a decision would be made by the end of this month. So maybe you might find out then as well? It's possible that you might find out sooner though.

 

[coda4451]

Hello! I just finished my first year in MAMS doing the one-year track. For the first year tuition is 50k and some students get scholarships with loans or family paying off the rest. Basically what happens is that during first year all the classes you take sum up to 28 credits, but you need 32 to graduate from the program. The last 4 credits are split up into two 2 credit "independent research" courses that you either take Summer Session I and II for one-year track or Fall and Spring semester of year 2 for two-year track. To pay for these extra credits, you get charged around $1500 per credit for each semester, making it a total of $6000 extra after first year tuition that all students will pay regardless of track. You can get more financial aid (Stafford loans) to pay off the extra $6000 or some people get part-time jobs and pay it off themselves.

During second year would your financial aid be limited to only covering tuition and not rent since you're not a full time student?


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[Blank912]

During second year would your financial aid be limited to only covering tuition and not rent since you're not a full time student?


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During second year you are considered a full time student. Even though you're only taking two credits a semester, you will submit a form called "certified full time" explaining that you're spending about 20-40 hours a week on your research. So you can definitely get more than 6k financial aid to cover living expenses.

 

[Embryo]

.

 

[doppio]

So if I submitted my app 5/2, called to confirm it was complete (which it was), and have not heard anything at this point... I'm assuming I'm rejected?? But even if I were, wouldn't I receive an email regarding a decision, whatever that decision may be? I won't be attending the program anyway at this point since it's too late, but I'm kind of wondering if anyone else is remotely in my situation haha

I got an email saying that they will send me a decision email next week. Email the office!

 

[gandalf07]

Hi everyone! I'm gettin really antsy here waiting for a decision.. does anybody know if the program has already reached full capacity or they are still admitting students? My app was complete very late (6/28) so I'm concerned :/ Thanks!

 

[capa55]

Same situation. Hoping there's still space!

I believe there is still space in the program, submitted my app 7/16, app completed 7/20, accepted 7/21.

 

[doppio]

I believe there is still space in the program, submitted my app 7/16, app completed 7/20, accepted 7/21.

Wow, that was quick! Your app must have stood out. Do you have a high GPA/MCAT score?

 

[gandalf07]

I got an email saying that they will send me a decision email next week. Email the office!

Hey doppio! Did you receive a decision email yet? They also emailed me saying they'd get back to me "on or before 7/24." Haven't heard back yet :'(

 

[doppio]

Hey doppio! Did you receive a decision email yet? They also emailed me saying they'd get back to me "on or before 7/24." Haven't heard back yet :'(

I haven't received it. I was going to ask you the same thing. :/ I wonder if the program would want me less because I'm old....

 

[mattmtm]

I was just accepted on the 27th. Is anyone still looking for a roommate?

 

[KME11]

.

 

[capa55]

Wow, that was quick! Your app must have stood out. Do you have a high GPA/MCAT score?

cGPA/sGPA 3.2, MCAT 514. Best of luck to everyone still waiting to hear back.

On another note, anyone still looking for a roommate?

 

[Mumzy20]

Hey guys, does anyone know if there's a BU MAMS facebook group for the class that starts in the fall of 2017?

 

[BUMAMS2015.6]

Hey guys, does anyone know if there's a BU MAMS facebook group for the class that starts in the fall of 2017?

Hi! Yes there is a facebook group that we can add you to as long as you have committed to attending MAMS. You can request access here: Log into Facebook | Facebook and we will be able to add you in.