BU MAMS Fall 2009

[camaras2480]

Sooo I just got back from the BU office and I was sold. Any doubts I had with this program has been magically wiped. I loooove the staff and deans etc everyone is so helpful and so friendly and I spent two hours talking to Natasha and Dr. Broitman (sp?) and they answered any question I coulda possibly had and more. So I officially submitted my deoposit today and am sooo excited to be starting in a month : )

Broitman - spelling good. Yes, you want to get to know Natasha, Dianna (MAMS admin), and Millie (thesis coordinator)

He is a powerful guy, and a very nice guy. Really involved in the MAMS program, as well as MD/PhD.

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[camaras2480]

Anybody have anything to say about courses?, what's hard, what's not, which professors suck, which are good for getting recs from, etc. Can we get used books somewhere? Is there anything at all that we definitely should know, anything you're thinking right now....I wish I had known that when I started, hehe....

Post #207 has information about electives - not much, but some. Take classes based on what you think you will like, not what is easy. You probably will not be very happy in the medical courses haha, so you want to have things that you actually like on the side. The med courses are hard. I think Path and the nutrition courses come next in difficulty. Then comes Pharm and Embryo. At a similar level (or easier) is most everything else. Some classes are notorious for giving a little grief, like I heard the forensic anthro course can be a pain.

Used books are available in the book store on campus, but amazon/ebay/half will most likely be cheaper. You don't really need books for the med courses - they give you an inclusive syllabus. However, additional support material (like Lippincott for Biochem and Costanzo for Physio) is very helpful. I didn't use any additional texts, but I know a lot of people who did. I think physio was the most common to have extra reading material for. Then biochem.

Anything you should know: this is your last true shot at catapulting your application into a competitive range for a US MD school. Pack your life away and put it in a corner, and strive for the 4.0. Don't go and get a 3.0 - it will more or less brand you as incapable of handling medical school curricula.

 

[camaras2480]

If you have room in your schedule for an elective you should def take these bioethics course in the fall and/or the reproductive technology course in the spring taught by Ronnee Yashon, she is amazing, she part time taught at Tufts and as long as you put in an opinion in class it's a guaranteed A.

Not true, I know two students who took that course and got a B+. Sure, not a bad grade, but a hell of a long way from an A. And I believe that class has like 20 kids, so two of them getting a B+ isn't necessarily a great thing. These two students got almost all A or A-'s in the med courses.

It is not the difficulty of electives that gets students - it is the lack of time commitment, since the med courses eat up so much time.

 

[camaras2480]

lol thanks redsquareblack, I didn't see your posts til now

Hey, guys. Just thought I'd jump in here and clear up a couple of points, at least until Cameras returns. If I'm incorrect on any of the particulars, I'm sure she'll let us know.

Yes, cuz I'm a b1tch

The med curriculum is in a transitional state right now, and the Medical Education powers that be have been tooling around to try and find the most effective order and composition of the classes. Because of this, the med school Neurosciences course is offered over the winter, but to prevent too much overlap, the med school biochemistry class was shifted to start meeting earlier (mid-August, I believe). Therefore, the Biochemistry/Cell Biology class that you'll be taking in the GMS program is not with med students, though it is an equivalent course.

From what I heard, it wasn't with the med students last year either. So I agree - very unlikely to be literally taking the class with med students. But yes, an equivalent course - same material, same tests, just graded against your MAMS peers.


For this next part, I'm just gonna add some stuff in bold:

Because the MAMS program typically admits upward of 180 students per year, and there's only so much room in a given lecture hall, the Histology and Physiology courses, as well as Immunology and Endocrinology, can be taken in one of three ways:

1. Both 6-credit Medical Physiology and 6-credit Medical Histology together in one semester. These courses are taken with the medical students. This is typically more demanding, time-wise, but definitely doable. Only possible in the Spring.
2. Both Physiology A & B, and Histology A & B, over two semesters. These courses are NOT with medical students. Lots of people to whom I've spoken preferred to split up these two gargantuan courses, but keep in mind that Physiology A & Histology A will both be taken concurrently with Biochemistry/Cell Biology. Depending upon your time-management and confidence, this might be a good option. Also, if you are applying to medical school before starting MAMS (ie applying now), then this may be a favorable option, since these grades will be available by December, and you can update your schools with a heavy hard science lineup.
3. Physiology A & B split over two semesters, & 6-credit Medical Histology in the spring semester. Histo would be taken with the med students. It is now (I believe) also possible to take Histo A & B split, and 6 credit Physio in the Spring.

Note that you CAN'T take Histo A & B, and then the 6-credit Physio in the spring, for some reason. I'm not really sure why.

Again, now available, if I'm not mistaken.

My recommendation is to take Physio & Histo concurrently. Either do both 6-credit courses, or both A & B courses. These courses are designed to complement one another, and so when you're looking at one system in Physio, you'll generally also be looking at that system in Histo, so that you can get a good appreciation for the relationship between structure & function.

I like the idea, and support it. Just be wary - the double 6 credit in the Spring is a tough, tough time.

 

[camaras2480]

Really, truly... if you have a decent amount of research experience already, and if you're able to keep your GPA respectable-like in the program, a library thesis is the way to go to finish the program within a year. I just did that, and even doing a library thesis, it felt pretty rushed. There's a reason most people don't do it. It's great to be ambitious, but I don't think that you'll be able to establish a relationship with a thesis advisor, schedule research around classes, perform research, and write the thesis in one year AND do well in all your classes. I know I couldn't, and I did damn well in the program.

Yes, library is the way to go for 1 year. I did a lab thesis in the one year, and it was not fun. I still did well in the program, but I wasn't very happy. lol

Yes, wait. Trust me, Millie will kill you, eat you, and curse your soul if you try to adjust classes before orientation.

Or, Millie will just talk to you. That will scare you enough. Trust me, you'll know what I mean the day she speaks to you. Right redsquareblack? lol

The 6-unit classes aren't too hard to get into. Off the top of my head, I think the GMS class splits something like 60-40 into the A&B Histo/Physio & the 6-credit courses, respectively.

Based on what I have heard, last year, there were ~50 students in 6 credit physio, and ~150 in Split A/B. I believe the same applied to Histo.

Lots of people are intimidated by the thought of taking the two 6-credit courses concurrently in one semester. It IS hard to do, and I don't recommend it if you're not good with time management & study habits.

Absolutely - remember, the #1 goal is the 4.0. Not taking cool combinations of classes and doing poorly.

 

[camaras2480]

So it sounds like trying to get help in the form of a dean's letter and other LORs (LsOR?) from the faculty if you want to finish in a year/apply during the first year is like crossing the Styx.

LORs

Your professors from your Fall courses will gladly write you a rec by late December, maybe early January. Obviously, those from the Spring can't write one until May. This could still be helpful for waitinglist situations though. The Dean's letter is really tough to get early, simply because they have nothing to base their letter on. Rumor has it you can manage to get the letter by like March, but look - how much weight does a letter have when it is based on one semester of classes, and nothing else?

I've already applied to the texas schools for fall 2010, which isn't a big deal cuz the common app is cheap and it's my third time applying. I've made an alternate list the previous two cycles so I figure I might as well apply if I'm this close.

As you wish, this is personal preference.

My question is should I pursue any help from BU faculty during my first year? Perhaps singling out a helpful prof to write just one letter of support? Would this be worth my while?

Yes, like I said above. Get one from biochem, assuming you do well, that would be helpful.

Should I avoid help from Wilcox and co. like the plague?

No, you need the help from the GMS office. They can help you out, or totally slow you down. You want to be in their good books.

 

[GeoBanana16]

Thanks so much for all that Camaras and Redsquareblack, very helpful and am looking forward to starting in the Fall.

Also, about the class with Yashon, I actually know her personally and it's not by any means like a hard science class, she really bases A LOT on class participation and if you go to her, she is extremely approachable and will probably talk away. But I guess I'm a bit bias lol.

Thank you again so so much to everyone who has written in this forum and seriously convinced me to choose this program over tufts.

 

[camaras2480]

Thanks so much for all that Camaras and Redsquareblack, very helpful and am looking forward to starting in the Fall.

Also, about the class with Yashon, I actually know her personally and it's not by any means like a hard science class, she really bases A LOT on class participation and if you go to her, she is extremely approachable and will probably talk away. But I guess I'm a bit bias lol.

Thank you again so so much to everyone who has written in this forum and seriously convinced me to choose this program over tufts.

Yeah if you know her from before, then definitely go for it - automatic minimum A- from what I hear. Don't take both classes she offers though, that would be obvious.

 

[yezzur]

Ah! I got a voicemail today from Natasha, I was at the hospital for my internship, and there is no reception.

Well, I applied here last year, my senior year in college, and I recently got in contact with her, because I was interested in applying again.
After submitting my MCAT and latest transcript.

Her voicemail said, Dr. Broitman, wanted to talk to me personally and help me out? Probably a rejection, but I'm trying to stay positive, She said she'll give me a call on Tuesday, ( I'm getting anxious) I'm trying to gather a lot of other post-bacc programs, so that I can get ASAP.

So far, I got Marshall Biomedical, UPENN, UMDNJ, Duquesne. Which one of these schools is the "easiest" to get into? I need some suggestion on "easy" schools to apply to

 

[camaras2480]

Ah! I got a voicemail today from Natasha, I was at the hospital for my internship, and there is no reception.

Well, I applied here last year, my senior year in college, and I recently got in contact with her, because I was interested in applying again.
After submitting my MCAT and latest transcript.

Her voicemail said, Dr. Broitman, wanted to talk to me personally and help me out? Probably a rejection, but I'm trying to stay positive, She said she'll give me a call on Tuesday, ( I'm getting anxious) I'm trying to gather a lot of other post-bacc programs, so that I can get ASAP.

So far, I got Marshall Biomedical, UPENN, UMDNJ, Duquesne. Which one of these schools is the "easiest" to get into? I need some suggestion on "easy" schools to apply to

I think UMDNJ is pretty easy to get into, but I'm not well informed of Marshall or Duquesne. I would post this in the general threads so you get more views/input.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

wow.. application complete on the 22nd, acceptance packet sent out the 23rd... is anyone else's turnaround this quick?

 

[camaras2480]

wow.. application complete on the 22nd, acceptance packet sent out the 23rd... is anyone else's turnaround this quick?

Are you incoming GMS?

 

[RogueUnicorn]

gms?

 

[camaras2480]

gms?

GMS = Graduate Medical Sciences, the department that offers the Master of Arts in Medical Sciences. You would be referred to as a GMS student if you attend, not an MAMS student.

Get with the program. Falcon KICK!

 

[RogueUnicorn]

your falcon kick is no match for my pk thunder.

and yea.. i'm leaning BU, but i want to compare finaid packages from them and tufts and take it from there... i have a couple friends who got into both as well and we kind of have to sit down and talk about it soon

 

[camaras2480]

your falcon kick is no match for my pk thunder.

OMG, what an annoying character. PIKACHU PIKACHU PIKACHU. every 2 seconds. That stupid rat flies SO FAR when hit by the falcon PAUUUUNCH!

and yea.. i'm leaning BU, but i want to compare finaid packages from them and tufts and take it from there... i have a couple friends who got into both as well and we kind of have to sit down and talk about it soon

BU will be about 8-10k more expensive (I think). To be honest (and impartial actually), it is the better program though. It is more established, and more adcoms are aware of its success. Having the letter from BU would generally carry more weight than the one from Tufts. Then again, BU's program may be more difficult to do well in, I'm not exactly sure.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

hey, just wanted to let u folks kno i just completed the first year of coursework here at BU GMS. if i can offer anyone any help, or answer any questions, feel free to PM me, and ill also try to follow this thread.

good luck!

what are you doing with your second year?

 

[RogueUnicorn]

OMG, what an annoying character. PIKACHU PIKACHU PIKACHU. every 2 seconds. That stupid rat flies SO FAR when hit by the falcon PAUUUUNCH!

your smash clearly needs schooling, young grasshopper. pk thunder = ness

 

[camaras2480]

your smash clearly needs schooling, young grasshopper. pk thunder = ness

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. thats right, the rat just says PIKAAAAAA when the lightning comes down huh? good catch!

not that ness is any less annoying: PK FIYAH!

 

[RogueUnicorn]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. thats right, the rat just says PIKAAAAAA when the lightning comes down huh? good catch!

not that ness is any less annoying: PK FIYAH!

wrong again! the lightning crashing down is "vivooooo". the rat only goes pikaaaaaaaaa as a taunt. and don't insult ness. he is the man...... boy.

 

[camaras2480]

wrong again! the lightning crashing down is "vivooooo". the rat only goes pikaaaaaaaaa as a taunt. and don't insult ness. he is the man...... boy.

vivo? it doesn't sound like it at all - even so, why? lol

im not into boys. i go for men.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

vivo? it doesn't sound like it at all - even so, why? lol

im not into boys. i go for men.

oh that's cold.. very cold.


ps. i had a real question for you somewhere here..

 

[camaras2480]

what are you doing with your second year?

oh lol. most students do a lab thesis over the 2nd year, because they don't really have anything else to do. maybe work on the side too to help pay rent. if you have extra money, or need to take more classes to help your GPA, you could take some. but yeah, in general, second year is pretty dull from what i hear.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

did you just opt to take off after year one? because that's something i'm considering

 

[camaras2480]

did you just opt to take off after year one? because that's something i'm considering

take off? as in, complete the program in 12 months, and then just lounge around for 12 months before med school starts? I certainly know some kiddos that have done that. Others do a library thesis until, say, like November. Then they spend like 9 months lounging around before school.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

i mean more like not complete it after year 1

 

[camaras2480]

i mean more like not complete it after year 1

Med schools require completion of any degree program you are enrolled in while applying.

A library thesis is really easy. If you only work on that and do nothing else for like 2-3 weeks, you can get it done.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

hm. well that's a bummer.. so much for taking off for columbia MPH in that glide year...

 

[GeoBanana16]

your falcon kick is no match for my pk thunder.

and yea.. i'm leaning BU, but i want to compare finaid packages from them and tufts and take it from there... i have a couple friends who got into both as well and we kind of have to sit down and talk about it soon

hey i actually got into both as well and ended up deciding on BU after visiting both schools and speaking with admissions etc. Like Camaras was saying BU is more established, but I think it would actually be easier to do better in the BU program because of the fact that you have an option for electives whereas Tufts does not...also if you do end up going to BU they'll let you exempt out of the med school classes you took and keep that grade, whereas Tufts definitely does not, and from my friends who have done the mbs program last year it seems most of them are going to tufts, whereas BU has a wider range because it is more well known and in terms of ranking BU med is actually better. Also, I personally liked the BU schedule better than the 3 block period Tufts followed.

I went to Tufts undergrad so may be a little biased but after reading EVERYTHING on these forums and going to both schools I personally felt BU had more to offer even if simply for the fact that it's been around way longer. But it's a personal choice and you have to take into consideration other factors of the program, etc.

Good luck!

 

[camaras2480]

hm. well that's a bummer.. so much for taking off for columbia MPH in that glide year...

BU does offer a 2 year, MA/MPH, just FYI.

And for Columbia, you can easily finish BU courses by May, and the library thesis by July, sign the documents in August, and start the Columbia MPH in September (assuming that is when it starts).

 

[camaras2480]

hey i actually got into both as well and ended up deciding on BU after visiting both schools and speaking with admissions etc. Like Camaras was saying BU is more established, but I think it would actually be easier to do better in the BU program because of the fact that you have an option for electives whereas Tufts does not...also if you do end up going to BU they'll let you exempt out of the med school classes you took and keep that grade, whereas Tufts definitely does not, and from my friends who have done the mbs program last year it seems most of them are going to tufts, whereas BU has a wider range because it is more well known and in terms of ranking BU med is actually better. Also, I personally liked the BU schedule better than the 3 block period Tufts followed.

I went to Tufts undergrad so may be a little biased but after reading EVERYTHING on these forums and going to both schools I personally felt BU had more to offer even if simply for the fact that it's been around way longer. But it's a personal choice and you have to take into consideration other factors of the program, etc.

Good luck!

Nice post. +1 for BU!

 

[loveplums]

I realize this is late but I'm a female planning on attending the BU MA program in need of a roommate. Is anyone still looking?

 

[loveplums]

I realize this is late but I'm going to Boston University's MA program in the fall and I'm a female in need of a roommate! Is anyone still looking/interested?

 

[julyjulyjuly]

so uh. what kinds of weather should we be prepared for, clothes-wise? i'm moving from the golden state and not feeling too knowledgeable specifically in the shoe department...

help!!!

p.s. forgot if i asked before on this thread, but anyone living in harrison? we'll be neighbors

 

[RogueUnicorn]

so uh. what kinds of weather should we be prepared for, clothes-wise? i'm moving from the golden state and not feeling too knowledgeable specifically in the shoe department...

help!!!

p.s. forgot if i asked before on this thread, but anyone living in harrison? we'll be neighbors

the weather is total crap. bring all your summer clothes and buy at least one waterproof jacket, and depending on how sensitive to cold you are, thick fleeces, puffies and hoodies. esp. with winterwear, the waterproofer the better. finally, get a good pair of waterproof shoes/boots. they will save your life in the winter. thick socks too.

ps. brasileiro/a?

 

[camaras2480]

the weather is total crap. bring all your summer clothes and buy at least one waterproof jacket, and depending on how sensitive to cold you are, thick fleeces, puffies and hoodies. esp. with winterwear, the waterproofer the better. finally, get a good pair of waterproof shoes/boots. they will save your life in the winter. thick socks too.

ps. brasileiro/a?

Yeah that. And brasiliera.

 

[camaras2480]

I realize this is late but I'm going to Boston University's MA program in the fall and I'm a female in need of a roommate! Is anyone still looking/interested?

Nice, creative re-post. lol I tease I tease!

 

[GeoBanana16]

so uh. what kinds of weather should we be prepared for, clothes-wise? i'm moving from the golden state and not feeling too knowledgeable specifically in the shoe department...

help!!!

p.s. forgot if i asked before on this thread, but anyone living in harrison? we'll be neighbors

Umm yeah Boston weather SUCKS, I think we had a week of real summer, winters can be really bad, but then again I was all the way out in Medford so I'm sure in the city they're faster with the streets, eh dunno, it's colder here than NY/NJ so prep for that but august is usually nice and sept, then it gets cold till May

 

[camaras2480]

Umm yeah Boston weather SUCKS, I think we had a week of real summer, winters can be really bad, but then again I was all the way out in Medford so I'm sure in the city they're faster with the streets, eh dunno, it's colder here than NY/NJ so prep for that but august is usually nice and sept, then it gets cold till May

Um, only kinda. lol.

 

[julyjulyjuly]

the weather is total crap. bring all your summer clothes and buy at least one waterproof jacket, and depending on how sensitive to cold you are, thick fleeces, puffies and hoodies. esp. with winterwear, the waterproofer the better. finally, get a good pair of waterproof shoes/boots. they will save your life in the winter. thick socks too.

ps. brasileiro/a?

haha não, i'm not brasileira and i don't speak portuguese ...but my siggy is my fave lyric of all time from a cansei de ser sexy song.

and thanks for the clothes advice!

 

[GeoBanana16]

Sorry it took so long - have been a bit busy.

I'll only mention the pure science classes, since I've already mentioned most everything else.

Biochem and Pharm in the Fall
Physio, Immuno, and Endo in the Spring

There is no option with biochem, so i have nothing to say. Yeah, it is hard, but I think an A- is relatively easy. You have to work for the A.

Pharm is an easy class, but I found it boring. It is 4 credits though, and it will require 4 credits worth studying/time commitment to the class.

6 credit physio is not very fun - it is very intense, very fast, but certainly A-able. If you take 6 credit histo with it, you will have no life - but STILL, certainly A-able (both).

Immuno and Endo are relatively easy. The only issue with immuno is that physio (6 credit) is ongoing while immuno begins, and ends. So, Physio is like Jan 26 - April 26 or something, and immuno is like march 17 to april 26. Approximate dates of course. So exam week of April 22ndish sucks. I believe there is a histo exam (6 credit) that week as well. Endo starts after physio and immuno are over. Only histo is ongoing at that point.

I think splitting the classes A/B do give you a better shot at getting A's, but of course there is always the possibility that taking 6 credit "looks" a bit better, seeing as how you actually sit in with the med students and are graded against them, not just your peers.

Hi again, so I finally got a look at my schedule and I am registered for Biochem, Pharm, Biostats (which I'm waiving) and the research credit, so does that mean my spring is automatically the courses you listed above?

 

[camaras2480]

Hi again, so I finally got a look at my schedule and I am registered for Biochem, Pharm, Biostats (which I'm waiving) and the research credit, so does that mean my spring is automatically the courses you listed above?

Hi GeoFruit.

If you are waving biostat, you will need another course in the Fall. Biochem Pharm and Research (4 credit max) give you at MOST 14 credits. You'll need another 2 credit course.

Then in the spring, you would have Physio, Histo, Endo, and BiomedInfo by default (I believe). That would be 16 credits.

This is a reasonable way to go; granted physio and histo together in the spring will be a memorable experience, but probably in the worst way.

You will have the option to switch stuff around at orientation, so I'd wait til then before getting too concerned.

 

[GeoBanana16]

Hi GeoFruit.

If you are waving biostat, you will need another course in the Fall. Biochem Pharm and Research (4 credit max) give you at MOST 14 credits. You'll need another 2 credit course.

Then in the spring, you would have Physio, Histo, Endo, and BiomedInfo by default (I believe). That would be 16 credits.

This is a reasonable way to go; granted physio and histo together in the spring will be a memorable experience, but probably in the worst way.

You will have the option to switch stuff around at orientation, so I'd wait til then before getting too concerned.

I wasn't really concerned, it actually works better for me to have a lighter fall and a harder spring cuz in the fall I'll be finishing up the end of my summer research. What is the max credits are you allowed to take and is it possible to take immuno in the spring on top of those other courses? Thankks

 

[GeoBanana16]

and is there a site or anything that students post reviews on the other courses. etc? and are the credit hours pretty correlative to the difficulty of the course? thankss

 

[camaras2480]

I wasn't really concerned, it actually works better for me to have a lighter fall and a harder spring cuz in the fall I'll be finishing up the end of my summer research. What is the max credits are you allowed to take and is it possible to take immuno in the spring on top of those other courses? Thankks

Oh cool, that works out well then. Max credits per semester? I believe 18, without incurring extra fees (21 with extra fees). I'm guessing on both numbers, but fairly certain.

With physio, histo, and endo, taking immuno wouldn't work. Can you? Yes. Do I think your life will resemble a living hell enough without immuno? Yeah, probably. In one week near the end of April, you will have a physio final worth ~42.5% of your grade, a histo midterm worth some ~30% of your grade, and an immuno final worth about ~85% of your grade.

Not something you want to do, I would imagine.

 

[camaras2480]

and is there a site or anything that students post reviews on the other courses. etc? and are the credit hours pretty correlative to the difficulty of the course? thankss

I don't think there really is any site. I think at orientation you will get to talk to some GMS students, and they would be the best bet for straight up answers.

Yes, many of the credit hours are more or less correlated to the difficulty. Pharm may be more like a 3 credit course. Immuno and endo are 2 credit courses. Those should be at least 3 credit courses in my opinion. In the past, Endo used to be 4. Getting 2 credits for those are sort of an injustice, haha

 

[RogueUnicorn]

brasileiros everywhere in boston. makes me miss sao paulo sometimes.

 

[camaras2480]

brasileiros everywhere in boston. makes me miss sao paulo sometimes.

There's this place, Café Belo. Some of the Bostonians think it is quite good. Perhaps you could suggest if it actually resembles true Brazilian food. Somehow, I doubt it.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

hard to make brazillian food without brazillian cows... where's this cafe? seems familiar but i'm drawing a blank

 

[camaras2480]

hard to make brazillian food without brazillian cows... where's this cafe? seems familiar but i'm drawing a blank

I believe somewhere down in the Brighton/Allston area.