Gems 2010-11

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Letters will be mailed out shortly (2-3 business days). I was told that all matters regarding decisions were to be kept confidential. Meaning no posting on SDN :-(
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Doctor Rod said:
Letters will be mailed out shortly (2-3 business days). I was told that all matters regarding decisions were to be kept confidential. Meaning no posting on SDN :-(
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I have to respectfully disagree with you Doctor Rod. SDN is an anonymous board, so there is no confidentiality breach. Second, no one told me or anyone that I am aware of that we couldn't post on SDN. This is the way it has been done for all previous years.

I still have not received a call or anything in the mail, for those of you that are watching this board. I am from Florida.

Just as a side note, I noticed you said you brought your luggage to the interview date. You were in my interview date and the only person I remember bringing luggage was one person who came like 20 minutes late. Just curious if that was you?

Would you care to share who told you not to say anything, when and in what context. Perhaps you misunderstood?
 
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eeeekkk! Got the call earlier today! had to play phone tag with dean taylor for a couple hours but i finally got through and heard the good news! Congrats to everyone else who got in!!! Cant wait to meet my new classmates!!!!!
 
For those of you accepted, what are you going to do for housing?
 
any females looking for a roomate to get housing with?
 
I got the Call!!!!! I'm so happy!! I can't wait to see all you guys and start in July!!
 
Congrats to everyone who has been accepted. I'm excited for all of you.

In a few days you will receive a welcome packet in the mail with some important documents of which will be some housing info. Here's my advice..

1) When considering basement apartments remember that VERY LITTLE natural light gets into some of these units. So unless you enjoy the dark, consider looking elsewhere.

2) A lot of you, as I did, will prioritize being close to school. But dont forget you'll need to do shopping every now and again so you don't want to have to waste a couple of hours trying to get to and from a store because you wanted to live 5 mins from school. There are lots of central locations not too far from school yet close to the things you will need

3) for those considering living outside of georgetown Dupont has a shuttle bus that goes directly to the hospital. Also, rosslyn has a shuttle bus that brings you to the undergrad campus. Furthermore, these two areas are extremely close to the metro (dupont more than rosslyn) and lots of restaurants and stores.

4) DC is crazy expensive but there are a lot of places that have great deals come summertime. The best advice I can offer is to simply find a neighborhood you like, park your car and walk around. More places than you think are not listed on craigslist or rent.com or apartmentfinder.com. they are truly hidden treasures so you have to do a bit of searching to find them.

5) you will spend MAJORITY of your time on campus.. you DO NOT need a 1400 sq. ft apartment! something cozy and comfortable should do. so don't set your hopes too high because your budget (unless you have money saved up) is limited and will not provide you with a lot of space if you plan on living alone.

That's about all I have for now.. Gotta get back to preparing for my final. You guys are going to love it here!! Congrats again!
 
tachy23 said:
Congrats to everyone who has been accepted. I'm excited for all of you.

In a few days you will receive a welcome packet in the mail with some important documents of which will be some housing info. Here's my advice..

1) When considering basement apartments remember that VERY LITTLE natural light gets into some of these units. So unless you enjoy the dark, consider looking elsewhere.

2) A lot of you, as I did, will prioritize being close to school. But dont forget you'll need to do shopping every now and again so you don't want to have to waste a couple of hours trying to get to and from a store because you wanted to live 5 mins from school. There are lots of central locations not too far from school yet close to the things you will need

3) for those considering living outside of georgetown Dupont has a shuttle bus that goes directly to the hospital. Also, rosslyn has a shuttle bus that brings you to the undergrad campus. Furthermore, these two areas are extremely close to the metro (dupont more than rosslyn) and lots of restaurants and stores.

4) DC is crazy expensive but there are a lot of places that have great deals come summertime. The best advice I can offer is to simply find a neighborhood you like, park your car and walk around. More places than you think are not listed on craigslist or rent.com or apartmentfinder.com. they are truly hidden treasures so you have to do a bit of searching to find them.

5) you will spend MAJORITY of your time on campus.. you DO NOT need a 1400 sq. ft apartment! something cozy and comfortable should do. so don't set your hopes too high because your budget (unless you have money saved up) is limited and will not provide you with a lot of space if you plan on living alone.

That's about all I have for now.. Gotta get back to preparing for my final. You guys are going to love it here!! Congrats again!
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Thanks for the great advice tachy!! Can you comment at all on this years gems acceptance rate to georgetown med? Also looking back last year, what do yo recommend doing other than going through the study packet? Thanks for your help!

PS If any other guys out there are willing to room together, im in!
 
hi guys. congrats to all those who have been accepted into the program! i feel very fortunate to have been offered a position but am also in a dilemma. if you had to choose between GEMS, Ohio State MedPath, or a University of California (UC) postbacc program, which would you choose and why? Here are some of my thoughts:

GEMS - pros: awesome staff, camaraderie among students, intense program that will provide great preparation for med school, class size: ~30-40, considering one does well high chance of matriculating at georgetown med the next year (no glide year). cons: weather and very high cost of tuition/living.

Ohio State MedPath: pros: amazing school, incredible support system (they basically do everything in their power to help you succeed), conditional acceptance to Ohio State SOM the following fall (no glide year), 15 students in cohort, in-state tuition for med school, very affordable cost of living. cons: weather and location?

UC postbacc: pros: unbeatable city with great diversity and nice weather year-round, 10-15 students in cohort, very high success rate of getting into med school. cons: will have to take glide year and do the whole amcas, secondaries, interviews thing again after postbacc year (that's what they recommend as opposed to applying during the postbacc year so that you can show that your grades improved), no guarantees/linkages though at least 50% of the students who graduate from the program end up being accepted to one or more med schools in California. Maybe 1 yr isn't much in the long run, but I've already taken time off after college to work and don't want to waste any more time when I'd rather be in med school and studying!

Sorry for the long post but I really need some input and would appreciate your feedback. Truth be told, here's what it boils down to: Am I willing to give up a conditional acceptance to Georgetown/Ohio State to participate in the UC postbacc? Am I willing to take these chances for the hope of getting in to a CA med school? This means I'll have a take a glide year and go through the money-draining, anxiety-producing, emotional roller coaster of applying all over again (i.e. amcas, secondaries, interviews if I'm lucky enough). There are no guarantees I'll get into a medical school later or even one as great as Georgetown or Ohio State. Ultimately, I'd like to stay in CA, and if you can't tell already, the weather is a very important consideration for me. I feel like I'm at my best (academically, socially, etc.) when the weather is nice. I need a lot of natural light! But hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?
 
Coffeenottea said:
I have to respectfully disagree with you Doctor Rod. SDN is an anonymous board, so there is no confidentiality breach. Second, no one told me or anyone that I am aware of that we couldn't post on SDN. This is the way it has been done for all previous years.

I still have not received a call or anything in the mail, for those of you that are watching this board. I am from Florida.

Just as a side note, I noticed you said you brought your luggage to the interview date. You were in my interview date and the only person I remember bringing luggage was one person who came like 20 minutes late. Just curious if that was you?

Would you care to share who told you not to say anything, when and in what context. Perhaps you misunderstood?
Click to expand...

The person with whom I spoke was a Ms. Amber Dovine, she told me specifically, to keep the acceptance status confidential, as decisions have not yet been reached on everyone. The underlying tone/context was that they did not want people to call the office asking about decisions because they heard or read (presumable from SDN) that acceptance calls were being delivered. I happen to honor confidentiality, but if you were not given that same information, than it's perfectly valid for you to comment on your acceptance status.

I don't think it's a huge deal, nor was I trying to take away from the great resource and fund of information that this thread provides.
 
synkinesia said:
hi guys. congrats to all those who have been accepted into the program! i feel very fortunate to have been offered a position but am also in a dilemma. if you had to choose between GEMS, Ohio State MedPath, or a University of California (UC) postbacc program, which would you choose and why? Here are some of my thoughts:

GEMS - pros: awesome staff, camaraderie among students, intense program that will provide great preparation for med school, class size: ~30-40, considering one does well high chance of matriculating at georgetown med the next year (no glide year). cons: weather and very high cost of tuition/living.

Ohio State MedPath: pros: amazing school, incredible support system (they basically do everything in their power to help you succeed), conditional acceptance to Ohio State SOM the following fall (no glide year), 15 students in cohort, in-state tuition for med school, very affordable cost of living. cons: weather and location?

UC postbacc: pros: unbeatable city with great diversity and nice weather year-round, 10-15 students in cohort, very high success rate of getting into med school. cons: will have to take glide year and do the whole amcas, secondaries, interviews thing again after postbacc year (that's what they recommend as opposed to applying during the postbacc year so that you can show that your grades improved), no guarantees/linkages though at least 50% of the students who graduate from the program end up being accepted to one or more med schools in California. Maybe 1 yr isn't much in the long run, but I've already taken time off after college to work and don't want to waste any more time when I'd rather be in med school and studying!

Sorry for the long post but I really need some input and would appreciate your feedback. Truth be told, here's what it boils down to: Am I willing to give up a conditional acceptance to Georgetown/Ohio State to participate in the UC postbacc? Am I willing to take these chances for the hope of getting in to a CA med school? This means I'll have a take a glide year and go through the money-draining, anxiety-producing, emotional roller coaster of applying all over again (i.e. amcas, secondaries, interviews if I'm lucky enough). There are no guarantees I'll get into a medical school later or even one as great as Georgetown or Ohio State. Ultimately, I'd like to stay in CA, and if you can't tell already, the weather is a very important consideration for me. I feel like I'm at my best (academically, socially, etc.) when the weather is nice. I need a lot of natural light! But hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?
Click to expand...

I would definitely go for the MEDPATH program. You are guaranteed a spot with the MEDPATH program. With the GEMS program you are NOT guaranteed to get into med school and you still have to submit the AMCAS application and interview for gtown med. (interview is not guaranteed either) and the gems program is disorganized. If you really want to stay in CA which is understandable, I would definitely do the uc postbac. PM me if you have any questions.
 
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LoveMyRam said:
Thanks for the great advice tachy!! Can you comment at all on this years gems acceptance rate to georgetown med? Also looking back last year, what do yo recommend doing other than going through the study packet? Thanks for your help!

PS If any other guys out there are willing to room together, im in!
Click to expand...

The study packet is all you need. BE SURE you know that material extremely well as it will serve as a much needed foundation on which to build a lot of new concepts you will be learning. My advice is not to just memorize it but learn how to integrate the information, that's a big part of GEMS and med school in general so work on perfecting that. Limit outside resource use only to concepts that arent well explained in the packet.
 
escesc said:
I would definitely go for the MEDPATH program. You are guaranteed a spot with the MEDPATH program. With the GEMS program you are NOT guaranteed to get into med school and you still have to submit the AMCAS application and interview for gtown med. (interview is not guaranteed either) and the gems program is disorganized. If you really want to stay in CA which is understandable, I would definitely do the uc postbac. PM me if you have any questions.
Click to expand...

There is nothing disorganized about the GEMS program. Please don't make statements like that to someone considering a potentially life changing decision. My advice to the student is to ask someone from each program how they feel about it. asking these guys is like asking an opposing teammate if they think your team should run or pass.. (no offense to anyone)
 
tachy23, do students usually bring in laptops for either the med courses or the GEMS classes? Or is the paper method still widely used?
 
Bonne Chance said:
tachy23, do students usually bring in laptops for either the med courses or the GEMS classes? Or is the paper method still widely used?
Click to expand...

You can use just about whatever you feel most comfortable using. Many of the med students do bring laptops so they can take notes directly on the powerpoint slides that are provided to you. However, you are also provided a syllabus of all course material (+/- a few) and you can take notes on that itself if you feel you study that way better.

For GEMS classes/FS sessions/small groups all you need is paper and pencil and the syllabus materials. For the most part you'll be at the board anyway presenting on stuff, but if you feel the need to take notes go ahead.
 
Hi current GEMS!

Quick question, what courses from the first year cirr do you guys take?
 
NubQ said:
Hi current GEMS!

Quick question, what courses from the first year cirr do you guys take?
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I believe we received a handout during our interview that briefly outlines all the courses for the year.
 
NubQ said:
Hi current GEMS!

Quick question, what courses from the first year cirr do you guys take?
Click to expand...


Biochem, Cardiopulmonary (med), Gross anatomy (SMP), GI (med), Renal (med), Case based problem solving (GEMS), Advanced physiology and pathophysiology (SMP). The curriculum is likely to change as they may add or subtract classes each year.
 
@Current GEMS:

Were most of you accepted into the SOM? Also, would you recommend any specific loan for the program?

Thanks.
 
I just received the letter, and I mailed it back. I have three questions:

1) I only received an acceptance letter to mail back but there wasn't a packet with information, will this come later?

2) Do we contact Financial Aid on our own to get the ball moving or will that come with out packet.

3) for anyone moving from a large distance, what is an inexpensive moving company I can use to move my furnuture?

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone!!
 
Coffeenottea said:
I just received the letter, and I mailed it back. I have three questions:

1) I only received an acceptance letter to mail back but there wasn't a packet with information, will this come later?

2) Do we contact Financial Aid on our own to get the ball moving or will that come with out packet.

3) for anyone moving from a large distance, what is an inexpensive moving company I can use to move my furnuture?

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone!!
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I Just got the letter today too!!!! Accepted!! Im soooo stoked..

To answer the last question for you, there's a lot of U-haul dealers around, where you can pick up a uhaul in one location and drop it off across the country. Ive always found u-haul to be the cheapest in that regards, especially if you have a hitch on a truck or car, it's easy, cheap, and quick.
 
Some acceptance data about last years class:

24 students started the program.

2 students didn't make it through the first semester.

2 students didn't make it through the second semester.

20 completed the program.

18 were recommended to interview for the SOM and received interviews.

13-14 were accepted.
 
kjhherg said:
Some acceptance data about last years class:

24 students started the program.

2 students didn't make it through the first semester.

2 students didn't make it through the second semester.

20 completed the program.

18 were recommended to interview for the SOM and received interviews.

13-14 were accepted.
Click to expand...

Let me edit this for you...

24 students started the program.

2 students didn't make it through the first semester.

22 completed the program.

21 were recommended to interview for the SOM and received interviews.

2 withdrew their application after interviewing as they were going to other med schools.

13-14 were accepted.

Of those who were not accepted 2 ended up at Howard SOM, another at AUC and 1 who didn't interview at Loyola.
 
Ischemic said:
Let me edit this for you...

24 students started the program.

2 students didn't make it through the first semester.

22 completed the program.

21 were recommended to interview for the SOM and received interviews.

2 withdrew their application after interviewing as they were going to other med schools.

13-14 were accepted.

Of those who were not accepted 2 ended up at Howard SOM, another at AUC and 1 who didn't interview at Loyola.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the edit, Ischemic! That definitely fills in the story a bit more.
 
Ischemic said:
Let me edit this for you...

24 students started the program.

2 students didn't make it through the first semester.

22 completed the program.

21 were recommended to interview for the SOM and received interviews.

2 withdrew their application after interviewing as they were going to other med schools.

13-14 were accepted.

Of those who were not accepted 2 ended up at Howard SOM, another at AUC and 1 who didn't interview at Loyola.
Click to expand...

Thank You Ischemic for giving us this information. This might be a silly question, but just out of curiosity what/where is AUC?

So does this mean 13-14 were accepted to Georgetown and 4 additional students went elsewhere? So 17-18/22 went to some medical school? Thank you in advance!! :)
 
Coffeenottea said:
Thank You Ischemic for giving us this information. This might be a silly question, but just out of curiosity what/where is AUC?

So does this mean 13-14 were accepted to Georgetown and 4 additional students went elsewhere? So 17-18/22 went to some medical school? Thank you in advance!! :)
Click to expand...

AUC is abbreviation for American University of the Caribbean.
 
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And the results for this years class are out..
 
Doctor Elegant said:
Sup guys, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in renting this place. It's a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom place that is very close to campus. This is the link to this ad: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/apa/1764470335.html
The rent would be fairly cheap if three people rented this place: 590 per person. Please PM if your interested.
Click to expand...

This sounds convenient because Q street (in georgetown) is on the D6 route which will drop you off right in front of the med school if you dont feel like walking to class. Sounds like a good deal
 
kjhherg said:
21 started the program.

3 left at the end of the first semester.

16 interviewed and accepted?
Click to expand...

Really, everyone who interviewed were accepted? If so, that's impressive. Congrats current GEMS.
 
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This Forum is so quiet, what happend people...we need to start bonding...

Has anyone found housing yet? I have been looking but everything is so crazy expensive! When I find a place I think is alright I look up the reviews and everyone says stay away. Finding a place has been way harder than I thought. I'm thinking of making another flight out there to find a place.

Any suggestions from those familiar with the area? I'm looking for a one bedroom and everything seems to be like 1700+? That's just crazy...:eek:
 
Coffeenottea said:
This Forum is so quiet, what happend people...we need to start bonding...

Has anyone found housing yet? I have been looking but everything is so crazy expensive! When I find a place I think is alright I look up the reviews and everyone says stay away. Finding a place has been way harder than I thought. I'm thinking of making another flight out there to find a place.

Any suggestions from those familiar with the area? I'm looking for a one bedroom and everything seems to be like 1700+? That's just crazy...:eek:
Click to expand...

I agree, looking for housing is extremely hard. Please share any info people and I will do the same.
 
Cheers to the bonding!!

Ive found a bunch of places, it seems that the best prices you'll find are in arlington VA, or in glover park, which is close to campus but not as nice as other apartments. It also looks like rent is a lot cheaper when you have a roommate.. if I find a nice place thats got multiple rooms, i'll keep yall posted.

Has anyone heard from financial aid or gotten the study packet yet?
 
Seeking places here too. Messaged a few great deals on CL and obtained the usual "I am Dr._____ and I am currently in Africa on a missionary trip" type of spam e-mail.

Haven't really looked into Arlington as of yet.
 
Was just reading about you guys interested in moving to Arlington and wanted to interject a bit more.

Arlington is great and inexpensive but remember to keep a few things in mind.
First, if you do not plan on driving, remember that you will need a place either close to the blue line metro or the GUTS bus. believe me, you DO NOT want to be late for FS in the morning..ever!!

for those of you who anticipate driving to school. Traffic absolutely sucks, and if you live in Va you won't be able to park in georgetown. they have zone parking that requires you to be a resident of the neighborhood. and if you plan on using a meter and putting money in it every few hours, that won't happen either. you'll receive several tickets long before bootcamp is over.

If you know anyone in the area or if a few of you can get a cheap hotel for a few days id recommend another visit if you can afford it because a lot of places here offer specials that arent listed online and some places as ive mentioned before arent even listed. I've talked to a few of you and will help with listings as much as possible but i am limited in how far I am willing to walk in this heat :).. So congrats to you all and I will see you guys soon!!
 
BTW there's also a GEMS facebook group for you guys to join and talk more about housing so you dont always have to come here and broadcast to the world
 
Anyone looking for a roommate please pm me, I found some places today online. After a long and stressful day apartment hunting, I concluded the best option is to have a roommate. Most ranging from mid $800's to 1150 per month each (including utilities) for a 2 bedroom. It is nearly impossible to find a single, or studio, that is less than $1200 and in close to GT University.
 
I wonder how many students will be in the class this year?
 
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Has anyone received the information packet yet? I received an e-mail about our study packet arrriving sometime mid June, but nothing else. How is everyone out there doing...? It seems like there are only a couple of us on SDN talking about the program, does this mean our class is going to be very small?

Also I will be heading out to DC next week to find a place and sign a lease, if any of you guys want me to look at something for you let me know.
 
Hey all I received an information packet. There are 27 ppl that were accepted in the program. The info packet was further details about the program i.e. classes and holidays, Immunization forms, detailed budget, List of classmates with email addresses, and possible housing options. I live in the DC/MD/VA area so everyone else should receive it either tomorrow or monday.
 
Well, I talked to the fin aid office today and I will share the info to you guys. First, send in a recent copy of your credit report along with the Georgetown Institutional Aid Form found here http://som.georgetown.edu/72549.html . Only include your info, do not include your parents'. Also, the federal financial aid services are different this year because the government is the lender for all educational loans. If you previously applied for Direct student loans, then you will NOT have to apply for the Direct Sub and Unsubsidized loans (same with signing a Direct Master Prom Note). If you haven't used Direct Loans previously, click on the link www.dlenote.ed.gov/ and apply for a Direct Sub/UnSub loan. You WILL have to use your fin aid pin number from fafsa in order to gain access to the application website. Just click "sign-in" and enter your info. If you do not have a fafsa pin, or do not remember it, you will have to 1. apply for federal fin aid through fafsa.gov or 2. request a duplicate pin. You can borrow the max for these loans, which is roughly 20K. Also, if it's your first time borrowing from Direct Loans, you will have to 1. complete entrance counseling before applying for the Direct Sub/UnSub loan, and 2. Sign a Master Prom Note after submitting the loan. The Direct Sub/UnSub loans are NOT credit based, so no one should not have any problems getting these two. These two steps should take 45-1hr to complete.

Ok, next you will have to apply for the Direct Plus loan. This is a typical loan application, and "YES" it is credit based. The requirements are pretty low but make sure your credit report is straight (just google grad plus loan credit requirements) with no current collection, educational loan defaults, and 90 day past due accounts. Once you start the application, select "max amount the school will let you borrow minus the Direct Sub/UnSub loans" and Georgetown University as your school. Finish the application, and the credit screening will be the last step. It will let you know if you got approved or denied, instantly. After completing and submitting the Direct Plus Loan application, YOU WILL HAVE TO DO A SECOND MASTER PROM NOTE (MPN) for the Direct Plus Loan. This step should take about 3-5 minutes to complete.

When your loan docs are submitted, sit back and wait for the fin aid office to process everything. Sorry it took so long guys, but I want to make sure everyone is "fin aid" savvy. If any more questions, please pm me.

P.S. I recommend everyone to finish their fin aid as quickly as possible. Thus, making sure your loan money is at Gtown during the first week of classes.
 
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