NSU-COM Class of 2014

[bsiddiq]

A couple of people said that its easier to scribble/make notes on the handouts/packets/powerpoint slides that are given out.

To the laptop discussion from a few weeks ago:

I currently am an M1 and purchased a tablet before entering med school. Unless you want a tablet for other reasons: Taking notes on it is not very viable. 99% of lectures at NSU are given on powerpoints with the notes handed out in packets. The battery life is very short on a tablet compared to other computers. So overall it just wasn't a good choice.

Guys as a second year, I'd recommend just use whatever computer you have unless you absolutely must have a new one. There is no sense in getting a new one for school unless the one you have is running windows 95. All you need is an internet browser, excel, and a word processor.

As far as notes go you will be provided with powerpoint slides to write on so the whole tablet thing would be a waste really. Perhaps take out money in loans to cover a new computer and if you need it some time during the year spend it, but I'd hold off if possible.

Oh yeah, I would definitely not get the computer the school is offering at $1900 or whatever it is now; many of my classmates that purchased those were very disappointed.

---

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[dogenthusiaist]

thanks so much for the info. I guess im going w the desktop then. I wonder how many drinks I can buy w the $400 i save

 

[ericathegirl]

Hey All! I was wondering if anyone knew the name of/remembered the name of the townhouses/condos across from Rolling Hills. I remember seeing them on the tour and was interested into looking into them more. Let me know if you have any helpful information. Thanks!

 

[DitchDoc73]

Hey All! I was wondering if anyone knew the name of/remembered the name of the townhouses/condos across from Rolling Hills. I remember seeing them on the tour and was interested into looking into them more. Let me know if you have any helpful information. Thanks!

I dont know the name, but you can check on the C/O 2014 Facebook group for info as well. There is an ongoing discussion about a bunch of places around campus.

 

[drskinner]

home computer should be fine: current student recommend not purchasing nova's offered laptops

 

[SunDevilDoc]

what is it about the computers from nova make them not preferable?

 

[DitchDoc73]

what is it about the computers from nova make them not preferable?

I think it was in the pre-med osteo NSU c/o 2014 thread about 3 months ago. People were not happy with the quality of the laptop for the price...

 

[IamAriDO]

The laptops that the school offered just are not that great. Sure they have this modular battery and such...but most people who had them are unhappy. The original reason that they wanted us to have certain specs with regard to battery life was that we were going to take tests on the computers. So far this hasnt happened and I doubt it will soon. I personally bought a $300 netbook with an 8 hour battery life for school and I use my HP 17" laptop for every thing else.

oh and it was hugely expensive..like 1800. Just get whatever you want, including mac.

IamAriDO

 

[NK1Positive]

For years 3 and 4 can you choose to do your rotations at any of the core clinical rotations sites that NSUCOM has listed here: http://medicine.nova.edu/do/clinical_rotation.html

I would really love to do mine at Jackson North

 

[NSU14]

For years 3 and 4 can you choose to do your rotations at any of the core clinical rotations sites that NSUCOM has listed here: http://medicine.nova.edu/do/clinical_rotation.html

I would really love to do mine at Jackson North

It's a lottery system and from what I have read most people get one of their top three choices.

 

[NK1Positive]

It's a lottery system and from what I have read most people get one of their top three choices.

But once you get it do you do all of your core rotations there or will you be doing different ones at different places. Other than getting Broward I guess.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

But once you get it do you do all of your core rotations there or will you be doing different ones at different places. Other than getting Broward I guess.

It's a rarity that you do "all" of your core rotations in one single rotation. There are core rotations where you do the majority of them in one location. For pediatrics, there is inpatient and outpatient pediatrics. Usually for outpatient pediatrics, it is at a doctor's office. Even people at Broward Hospital may be doing surgery at one of the satellite locations and not within Broward general itself. You're able to switch with you fellow classmates within the site.

 

[xg12]

what is it about the computers from nova make them not preferable?

They are $1500+ dollars and not really made for studying or note-taking... they have a ridiculously fast core 2 duo processor and a huge hard drive, as well as tons of features that you really do not need. If you just stuck with your own, or purchased a $500 laptop, you would get the same results. Besides, they're not really used much right now, and it's hard to tell when they administration will phase them in for exam-taking.

 

[NK1Positive]

It's a rarity that you do "all" of your core rotations in one single rotation. There are core rotations where you do the majority of them in one location. For pediatrics, there is inpatient and outpatient pediatrics. Usually for outpatient pediatrics, it is at a doctor's office. Even people at Broward Hospital may be doing surgery at one of the satellite locations and not within Broward general itself. You're able to switch with you fellow classmates within the site.

This is exactly what I was looking for thanks!

 

[LW4816]

For my class, summer term is going to be 5/3-5/21 and will consist of radiology, medicine, health and society, and microbiology - well the parasitology and mycology portion. If you failed any course during your M1 you will have to take a remediation exam sometime between 6/7-6/18. If you passed everything you have the rest of the summer off, starting 5/21 going to ~7/6. I assume it will be similar for c/o 2014 but you never know.

Wait...the PDF file that someone posted stated that tuition for the summer term (18 days??) cost another 11k???? So I'm paying the same tuition for a 4 month semester for a period of 18 days?? I hope I'm misunderstanding.....

 

[LW4816]

The cost of attendance is actually higher than $73K for out of state. Here is the link if anyone is interested:

http://medicine.nova.edu/resources/forms/cost_of_attendance.pdf

This is the max amount of money you can get for loans. It does not mean you have to take all of that but it is available should you need it.


The priority deadline at NOVA for financial aid isn't until April 15th. I am assuming that decisions will be made and award letters will be sent after this deadline (probably late April/early May). However, with the huge overhaul of the financial aid system that was just passed last night I am not sure.

I'm still waiting on whether or not I have been accepted to NOVA. The deadline is around the corner and I'm sure I will not have an answer by then. So if I do get into NSU for 2014, how will get obtain financial aid?

 

[NSU14]

Wait...the PDF file that someone posted stated that tuition for the summer term (18 days??) cost another 11k???? So I'm paying the same tuition for a 4 month semester for a period of 18 days?? I hope I'm misunderstanding.....

I believe they just break the aid for the whole year into three sections. The summer term doesn't actually cost that much.

 

[Kabe21]

I believe they just break the aid for the whole year into three sections. The summer term doesn't actually cost that much.

Yes, that is how I took it as well- they break it into 3 separate payments so that you can space it out more and budget your money throughout the year.

 

[dcwildcat05]

I'm still waiting on whether or not I have been accepted to NOVA. The deadline is around the corner and I'm sure I will not have an answer by then. So if I do get into NSU for 2014, how will get obtain financial aid?

You apply now for the financial aid. You don't have to be accepted in order to apply. In the FAFSA form you just put all the schools you want the information sent to. If you aren't accepted (but this won't happen right? ) they just ignore your FAFSA.

Otherwise you can wait to apply but your funds will probably not be disbursed until well after you start. The priority deadline insures you get your funds within the first few weeks of the term.

 

[DOstudent77]

To the new NSU M1 class:

There was a curriculum meeting today for the current M1's where some changes were discussed. I thought I would pass some information along to you guys about changes that will impact you:

Firstly: Spanish will now be part of the curriculum. You will take conversational Spanish your first year and Medical spanish your second year.

Secondly: There will be 2 weeks of community service required for students. (Medical Mission trips sponsored by the University count toward this time). 2 weeks = 80 hours.

 

[Kramerica]

To the new NSU M1 class:

There was a curriculum meeting today for the current M1's where some changes were discussed. I thought I would pass some information along to you guys about changes that will impact you:

Firstly: Spanish will now be part of the curriculum. You will take conversational Spanish your first year and Medical spanish your second year.

Secondly: There will be 2 weeks of community service required for students. (Medical Mission trips sponsored by the University count toward this time). 2 weeks = 80 hours.

The Spanish seems like a good idea b/c of the huge latino population in FL. And community service time doesn't seem bad either.

Is the exam schedule staying the same with exams every Monday or did they switch over to block exams (I remember they were talking about this at the interview)? Thanks.

 

[MossPoh]

The Spanish seems like a good idea b/c of the huge latino population in FL. And community service time doesn't seem bad either.

Is the exam schedule staying the same with exams every Monday or did they switch over to block exams (I remember they were talking about this at the interview)? Thanks.

Spanish is conceptually a good idea, but it is how they implement and teach it that will matter most. They offer medical spanish at my school and a huge percentage of people take it first semester. They then stop after that. It is just really hard to learn foreign languages in a classroom if you lack the opportunity or drive to go out and practice it. Many docs I know wound up picking up the key stuff on the fly anyway. Unless you have previous exposure or are already fluent, the time investment to have a comfortable conversation with a patient will be far too great. That is magnified by the amount of dialects and slang one must learn.

Part of me does wish I enjoyed spanish more. I was a German major and can read swedish and dutch enough to get around. Also took French and Spanish. I've encountered a couple patients (this is north florida) that would've been better conducted in Spanish, but I lacked the ability. It does force you to develop other means of communication which are equally as important. There will be patients who speak languages that nobody in the hospital knows. The ability to work around phone translation and to read/understand other cultures is very important.

Also, someone mentioned the computer thing. I was about as close to going to NSU as one could get and I remember them pushing the computer real hard. If you have any kind of tech savvy then I'd recommend against it. If you are truly inexperienced then it may be good to have, just because tech support at schools tend to have backups or parts for those type of computers.

 

[DOstudent77]

The Spanish seems like a good idea b/c of the huge latino population in FL. And community service time doesn't seem bad either.

Is the exam schedule staying the same with exams every Monday or did they switch over to block exams (I remember they were talking about this at the interview)? Thanks.

There were a few reasons for implementing spanish:

The first is the rural medicine rotation: A majority of the underserved populations in south florida exclusively speak spanish. Secondly, many of the missions trips and community outreach programs that NSU offers are in areas that predominantly speak spanish. They said that they understand it's nearly impossible to become fluent in spanish in such a short time, but this will allow basic conversation skills, at a minimum, and a greater ability to connect and communicate with patients of different backgrounds.

They said they are teaming up with the Undergraduate Spanish program to provide tutors, small group activities, and other events such as outings to a restaurant where you may only speak spanish. So I think they have more than just lectures in mind.


I'm not sure of the testing schedule for M1s. M2s are in block scheduling. They had stated, however, that the M2 schedule will be available in a few weeks, and I"m assuming the same goes for the M1 schedule.

 

[SunDevilDoc]

Spanish is conceptually a good idea, but it is how they implement and teach it that will matter most. They offer medical spanish at my school and a huge percentage of people take it first semester. They then stop after that. It is just really hard to learn foreign languages in a classroom if you lack the opportunity or drive to go out and practice it. Many docs I know wound up picking up the key stuff on the fly anyway. Unless you have previous exposure or are already fluent, the time investment to have a comfortable conversation with a patient will be far too great. That is magnified by the amount of dialects and slang one must learn.

Part of me does wish I enjoyed spanish more. I was a German major and can read swedish and dutch enough to get around. Also took French and Spanish. I've encountered a couple patients (this is north florida) that would've been better conducted in Spanish, but I lacked the ability. It does force you to develop other means of communication which are equally as important. There will be patients who speak languages that nobody in the hospital knows. The ability to work around phone translation and to read/understand other cultures is very important.

Also, someone mentioned the computer thing. I was about as close to going to NSU as one could get and I remember them pushing the computer real hard. If you have any kind of tech savvy then I'd recommend against it. If you are truly inexperienced then it may be good to have, just because tech support at schools tend to have backups or parts for those type of computers.

I was a German major too! I think youre the only person ive heard of taking the same career route as me.
I think if they took us to a mexican restaurant where we could only speak spanish I would definitely end up throwing some german in there.

 

[idoc2014]

For years 3 and 4 can you choose to do your rotations at any of the core clinical rotations sites that NSUCOM has listed here: http://medicine.nova.edu/do/clinical_rotation.html

I would really love to do mine at Jackson North

Does anyone know how many spots are available at each location for rotations? Or if the sites further from the school, such as the west coast of Florida, are less competitive at all?

 

[bsiddiq]

I got this off of sharklink:

NSU endorsed laptop:http://medicine.nova.edu/resources/forms/nsu_endorsed_laptop.pdf

You may satisfy the Option 2 laptop requirement by using a laptop (MAC or PC) that you own, or by purchasing one.
The following are the specifications for the NSU endorsed Dell laptop. If purchasing a laptop from a vendor, take this information and make sure that the sales person has the list. You may elect to maintain or purchase a laptop without the following specifications and upgrade as you continue in the program, if necessary.
Hardware Requirements for Laptop:

• 2.4 GHz processor
• 2 GB of system memory
• 120 GB hard drive
• Support for DirectX 9 graphics with: WDDM Driver and 256 MB of graphics memory
• 8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink Power DVD
• Intel® 4965 802.11a/g/n Dual-Band Mini Card

Software Requirements for Laptop:

• Windows Vista
• Office 2007
• Compu Trace

We have no preference and want you to choose the option that is best for you.

 

[axylotl]

So I just wanted to come on here quickly and says congrats to all that have been accepted to Nova! I just joined the NSUCOM 2014 class on facebook but wanted to let you guys on here know that if you have any questions, dont hesitate to email me. I'm an M1 currently and I remember exactly what it felt like to get ready for medical school and all the questions I had. You can contact me via any of the emails or on FB. Enjoy the time you have before school starts

Sincerely,
Jessica Maxcy
[email protected]
[email protected]

 

[SunDevilDoc]

Is our nova email address really your two initials and three arbitrary numbers? Or is it firstname.lastname as well? Thanks

 

[NSU14]

Is our nova email address really your two initials and three arbitrary numbers? Or is it firstname.lastname as well? Thanks

Pretty sure its just your initials and then the three numbers...pretty lame

 

[MossPoh]

I was a German major too! I think youre the only person ive heard of taking the same career route as me.
I think if they took us to a mexican restaurant where we could only speak spanish I would definitely end up throwing some german in there.

I find myself pronouncing a lot of the german words correctly and then I get a blank stare. There are a fair amount of German names and terms in medicine. The major benefit so far has been the fact that I don't have a problem with the really long combo words.

 

[p30doc]

Pretty sure its just your initials and then the three numbers...pretty lame

yup, it seems to have just changed to this system starting for c/o 2013, i am not a fan.

 

[dcwildcat05]

Hey all,

Just a quick FYI to let you know that the Pre-Orientation Module is now up on WebCT: http://www.nova.edu/webct/

The log-in is the same for SharkLink.

 

[idoc2014]

So are M1s going to have a test every Monday? Or is there a test every 3 weeks? I've heard both.

 

[MadJoe11]

Anyone else been added to an academical society? Mine seems rather deadbeat on the groups...

 

[NK1Positive]

Anyone else been added to an academical society? Mine seems rather deadbeat on the groups...

Im in Burns.... I was talking to an M1 who is in it and he said that Burns is rather inactive.

 

[DitchDoc73]

Burns here also

 

[EvryBreathAGft]

Congrats to you all. I'm a first year and wanted to share some things that I wish someone would have shared with me before I started here:

1. The orientation week is useless. It literally serves no purpose other than to waste your last precious week of summer and for admins to pop in and out of steele and tell you how wonderful you all are. There is also a disproportionate amount of OPP that week. Please don't take this to indicate that OPP is in anyway significant during the rest of the year. Believe me, it'll be the least of your worries.

2. Do not sleep with anyone in the class during that week. Wait at least until after the first biochem test.

3. The first biochem test isn't real.

4. Put your ****in hand down. Nobody cares. BELIEVE me nobody cares. If you have a burning question, that's what the breaks are for. You'll just annoy people (including the professor)

5. Unless you're really into the cutting, anatomy lab is essentially a waste of time. Show up, make sure you're seen, and then get the hell out of there. You're wasting precious study time.

6. You will HEMORRHAGE money during club week. It's unavoidable.

7. A surprising number of people in your class are douches. Do not be discouraged. Buried somewhere in steele auditorium are likely some of the coolest people you'll ever meet.

8. Do not be afraid to skip class. I can't tell you how many precious precious hours I wasted in class. I probably would have been much more successful and a lot less stressed if I stopped going to class early on. Study time>class time.

9. Keep your mouth shut. No one cares how smart you are. No one cares how many whatever degrees you have. PhD in something? That's nice. Again, no one cares. Remember-we all ended up in the same place. The people that talk the most about how much "medicine" they know are prime examples of #7.

10. Finally--surround yourself with good, (sane) people early on. Figure out who the #7s are, and get away from them. quickly. There will be times when that balcony in your apartment will start to look pretty good. Don't give in. You're IN MED SCHOOL. That's pretty freakin awesome.

Congrats again, and enjoy what's left of your pre-med school life. It'll never be the same again.

 

[DOstudent77]

Congrats to you all. I'm a first year and wanted to share some things that I wish someone would have shared with me before I started here:

1. The orientation week is useless. It literally serves no purpose other than to waste your last precious week of summer and for admins to pop in and out of steele and tell you how wonderful you all are. There is also a disproportionate amount of OPP that week. Please don't take this to indicate that OPP is in anyway significant during the rest of the year. Believe me, it'll be the least of your worries.

2. Do not sleep with anyone in the class during that week. Wait at least until after the first biochem test.

3. The first biochem test isn't real.

4. Put your ****in hand down. Nobody cares. BELIEVE me nobody cares. If you have a burning question, that's what the breaks are for. You'll just annoy people (including the professor)

5. Unless you're really into the cutting, anatomy lab is essentially a waste of time. Show up, make sure you're seen, and then get the hell out of there. You're wasting precious study time.

6. You will HEMORRHAGE money during club week. It's unavoidable.

7. A surprising number of people in your class are douches. Do not be discouraged. Buried somewhere in steele auditorium are likely some of the coolest people you'll ever meet.

8. Do not be afraid to skip class. I can't tell you how many precious precious hours I wasted in class. I probably would have been much more successful and a lot less stressed if I stopped going to class early on. Study time>class time.

9. Keep your mouth shut. No one cares how smart you are. No one cares how many whatever degrees you have. PhD in something? That's nice. Again, no one cares. Remember-we all ended up in the same place. The people that talk the most about how much "medicine" they know are prime examples of #7.

10. Finally--surround yourself with good, (sane) people early on. Figure out who the #7s are, and get away from them. quickly. There will be times when that balcony in your apartment will start to look pretty good. Don't give in. You're IN MED SCHOOL. That's pretty freakin awesome.

Congrats again, and enjoy what's left of your pre-med school life. It'll never be the same again.

Wow...why are you in my class and med school if you're so angry? I'm also an M1 at NSU and here's my take on what this person stated.

1) For the most part I really enjoyed Orientation week. It was long, and exhausting, sure... but I was really excited to be there and get started. I think you might have brought your own misery on yourself. There were only a few times where I felt like the pace should have been picked up... but I really enjoyed a lot of the OPP and History of medicine talks. This was what I was looking forward to for years now. Also: OPP is one of my favorite classes. The professors are fantastic. They were warm, open, and receptive--ESPECIALLY during the first week: And it was our first chance to learn REAL medicine. I loved it.

2)I agree.

3)Biochem at NSU isn't the strongest of the courses offered. If you try really hard to get the material out of it, though, that you need to--It'll make the independent studying for boards that you will be doing easier.

4)Kinda true. Though during the first week I would say be as social as you can... Meeting different people and finding who you get along with is really important to forming study groups, friends, and relationships.

5) I really really enjoyed anatomy lab. Sure it smells bad and cutting through fat is as annoying as it is gross... I thought it was unbelievably fascinating. Ever cut somebody's heart out? Ever separate all the muscles of somebody's forearm? Who can say that they've done things like that. If you are there to learn, that's what you'll do. If you're there for social hour, then I can see why it would waste your time.

6) Yeah... Club week is very expensive and that was shocking. The M1's currently are working on a way to inform you of what exactly the club offers and what it is you'll be getting from them. We'll also let you know what's important and what isn't for these materials.

7) There are douches everywhere. I wouldn't say a surprising number of NSU students are... but they do exist.

8) Going to class is a good way to get the material needed to be successful. If you have friends to that for you: That will work out fine: assuming you are motivated to do study on your own. Attendance is required, however, so if you need to go, bringing study material and sitting in the back is always a good option.

9) Talking to other people is good... but yeah, don't brag about the degrees you have.

10) Agreed.



To the poster: You made it sound like NSU COM is terrible... I am enjoying my experience here so far. There are things I would change, sure, but I feel like I'm learning a lot and getting well trained. I think you are giving the entering class a bad first impression of the school and a bad mindset to enter with. Know that it will be hard work, you won't agree with everything, but you're a professional and have been chosen among MANY students to be a part of this educational program. Respect your peers, your professors, and continue forward with integrity: You'll have a great time.

 

[YogaDoc78]

Orientation week was a total waste of time. You're really busy with trying to move down and get all of your details in order and you have to sit through presentations about learning styles and watching skits featuring Lucille Ball and a chocolate factory. Skip after you've swiped in.
Yeah, it was totally worth the price of tuition.
Anatomy lab. Well, it wasn't properly ventilated and we had 2 hours to dissect and memorize a whole bunch of stuff that you forget as soon as you are done the final.
OPP is a waste of time. Two hour labs that could be done in 40 minutes and all that study time wasted.
For the record, I don't think the poster sounded angry, I thought they were speaking the truth. I am not in favor of censoring people who speak the truth.
And look out for #7, they can show up where you least expect them.

 

[aterry]

Hey everyone-

Congrats on getting in here! Med school is an interesting experience that has its ups and downs but it will be worth it and it seems hard at first but you do get the hang of it. I wanted to let everyone know they are welcome to contact me if I can answer any questions.

As for the above long list of things you should know. While I totally respect my classmate (whoever they are!) I think you have to take this advice with a grain of salt. Med school has a way of making some people bitter and frustrated and I think we all have been there at some point. Maybe they were having a bad day or are ultra stressed about the upcoming week with 3 finals?? Totally understandable but the negativity can be frustrating to those of us who genuinely enjoy Nova and think we are receiving a great education.

Some things that I could disagree with are:

OPP -- I totally love OPP and I enjoy the hands on learning time and the teachers in this area are very dedicated to the students and to teaching. You can't ask for a better group of professors. We have Dr Wallace who is the queen of OMT and she is probably one of the best teachers I have met. She is passionate about her work and wants us to be as well, who could ask for more. Then there is Boesler who just rocks my socks off. LOL. He is great and patient and always there. The other professors and OPP fellows (M3s) are great too.

Anatomy lab is definitely what you make it. I think its best if you use this time for your own learning. I put headphones on sometimes and just used it as lab study time. Like most of med school, this time IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT.

Yes, there are jerks and rotten people wherever you go. In med school I think there are still people who think that you have to push someone else out of the way to get to your goal. I don't think this is true and last time I checked I think we are all going to be doctors and if you work hard enough you will get to be exactly what you want.

I think it is great advice to watch people and be patient when making friends at the beginning. I used to be pretty relaxed about making friends and I still am but med school is a different beast. You have to surround yourself with people who will challenge you to be as good of a student as you can be but also don't make you feel inadequate for not being as great or discplined as them. You have to find that balance. If you want to study all the time and be top of the class, find the people who want that too. If you want to have a balance between good grades and free time, find those people. If you want to be a 7-0 = DO kinda person, find the people who want that too. Nothing wrong with any group but the people you hang out with do shape your attitude more than you will realize so I think that its important to know that the first week is not when people show who they are because they don't really know who they are going to be yet. Be patient.

If there is anything else any of you need please let me know. I am in the MPH program as well and can give you info about that. Email me because I don't check SDN as obsessively as I did in my pre-med school days (LOL you know you do it!) So email is great. You are welcome to call as well. I did A LOT of apartment hunting from out of state so let me know if you need help with that. If you are married coming down, don't worry, there are others of us who are married too! Its great to have a network of married folk to help you through.

Ashley PM me for my email and phone #

 

[Ulmo]

Hello people.

I had a couple questions, maybe someone can help me out.


1. I've had a hard time getting a hold of anyone regarding this, but does anyone know if we can check if our Florida Residency has been approved for tuition? I've called Financial Aid, they tell me I'm not approved and to find out why, I must call so and so. I call so and so, they tell me they don't handle that and I am to call such and such. Such and such hasn't returned my messages and emails haven't been fruitful either. Lol. Has anyone applying for Florida Residency had any similar problems? Has anyone found a way to know what's up? Thanks.

2. What are these Societies we've been put into used for? What do they mean?

Thanks! Look forward to meeting you guys in August!

 

[toothless rufus]

I'm a third year, and this is a great post and oh so true!! Especially 1,4,7,and most importantly 8!!Follow this one and you can still have a life!! Congrats to everyone and good luck!!

Congrats to you all. I'm a first year and wanted to share some things that I wish someone would have shared with me before I started here:

1. The orientation week is useless. It literally serves no purpose other than to waste your last precious week of summer and for admins to pop in and out of steele and tell you how wonderful you all are. There is also a disproportionate amount of OPP that week. Please don't take this to indicate that OPP is in anyway significant during the rest of the year. Believe me, it'll be the least of your worries.

2. Do not sleep with anyone in the class during that week. Wait at least until after the first biochem test.

3. The first biochem test isn't real.

4. Put your ****in hand down. Nobody cares. BELIEVE me nobody cares. If you have a burning question, that's what the breaks are for. You'll just annoy people (including the professor)

5. Unless you're really into the cutting, anatomy lab is essentially a waste of time. Show up, make sure you're seen, and then get the hell out of there. You're wasting precious study time.

6. You will HEMORRHAGE money during club week. It's unavoidable.

7. A surprising number of people in your class are douches. Do not be discouraged. Buried somewhere in steele auditorium are likely some of the coolest people you'll ever meet.

8. Do not be afraid to skip class. I can't tell you how many precious precious hours I wasted in class. I probably would have been much more successful and a lot less stressed if I stopped going to class early on. Study time>class time.

9. Keep your mouth shut. No one cares how smart you are. No one cares how many whatever degrees you have. PhD in something? That's nice. Again, no one cares. Remember-we all ended up in the same place. The people that talk the most about how much "medicine" they know are prime examples of #7.

10. Finally--surround yourself with good, (sane) people early on. Figure out who the #7s are, and get away from them. quickly. There will be times when that balcony in your apartment will start to look pretty good. Don't give in. You're IN MED SCHOOL. That's pretty freakin awesome.

Congrats again, and enjoy what's left of your pre-med school life. It'll never be the same again.

 

[gocatgo]

anyone here receive any news about their financial aid status? I filed my FAFSA in February.

 

[NSU14]

anyone here receive any news about their financial aid status? I filed my FAFSA in February.

I filled out mine in Feb as well and haven't heard anything yet...

I read through the class of 2013 thread and it looks like the first half of May is when they found out their info. By the middle of may if I have not heard anything still I will probably call and see what the time line is going to be.

 

[gocatgo]

I filled out mine in Feb as well and haven't heard anything yet...

I read through the class of 2013 thread and it looks like the first half of May is when they found out their info. By the middle of may if I have not heard anything still I will probably call and see what the time line is going to be.

Thanks! Hopefully we'll get our official financial aid notice by May.

 

[MossPoh]

Congrats to you all. I'm a first year and wanted to share some things that I wish someone would have shared with me before I started here:

1. The orientation week is useless. It literally serves no purpose other than to waste your last precious week of summer and for admins to pop in and out of steele and tell you how wonderful you all are. There is also a disproportionate amount of OPP that week. Please don't take this to indicate that OPP is in anyway significant during the rest of the year. Believe me, it'll be the least of your worries.

2. Do not sleep with anyone in the class during that week. Wait at least until after the first biochem test.

3. The first biochem test isn't real.

4. Put your ****in hand down. Nobody cares. BELIEVE me nobody cares. If you have a burning question, that's what the breaks are for. You'll just annoy people (including the professor)

5. Unless you're really into the cutting, anatomy lab is essentially a waste of time. Show up, make sure you're seen, and then get the hell out of there. You're wasting precious study time.

6. You will HEMORRHAGE money during club week. It's unavoidable.

7. A surprising number of people in your class are douches. Do not be discouraged. Buried somewhere in steele auditorium are likely some of the coolest people you'll ever meet.

8. Do not be afraid to skip class. I can't tell you how many precious precious hours I wasted in class. I probably would have been much more successful and a lot less stressed if I stopped going to class early on. Study time>class time.

9. Keep your mouth shut. No one cares how smart you are. No one cares how many whatever degrees you have. PhD in something? That's nice. Again, no one cares. Remember-we all ended up in the same place. The people that talk the most about how much "medicine" they know are prime examples of #7.

10. Finally--surround yourself with good, (sane) people early on. Figure out who the #7s are, and get away from them. quickly. There will be times when that balcony in your apartment will start to look pretty good. Don't give in. You're IN MED SCHOOL. That's pretty freakin awesome.

Congrats again, and enjoy what's left of your pre-med school life. It'll never be the same again.

Excluding OPP, that is pretty much the summary of every medical school in the US.

 

[gocatgo]

Hello people.

I had a couple questions, maybe someone can help me out.


1. I've had a hard time getting a hold of anyone regarding this, but does anyone know if we can check if our Florida Residency has been approved for tuition? I've called Financial Aid, they tell me I'm not approved and to find out why, I must call so and so. I call so and so, they tell me they don't handle that and I am to call such and such. Such and such hasn't returned my messages and emails haven't been fruitful either. Lol. Has anyone applying for Florida Residency had any similar problems? Has anyone found a way to know what's up? Thanks.

2. What are these Societies we've been put into used for? What do they mean?

Thanks! Look forward to meeting you guys in August!

1. I'm an out of stater, sorry I can't help you with this one.
2. From what I've heard, the class is basically split into smaller groups (i.e. societies) so you can form study groups, activities, etc. There are also M2-M4 students in each society who also serve as mentors.
That's all I know for now.

 

[DOstudent77]

Hello people.

I had a couple questions, maybe someone can help me out.


1. I've had a hard time getting a hold of anyone regarding this, but does anyone know if we can check if our Florida Residency has been approved for tuition? I've called Financial Aid, they tell me I'm not approved and to find out why, I must call so and so. I call so and so, they tell me they don't handle that and I am to call such and such. Such and such hasn't returned my messages and emails haven't been fruitful either. Lol. Has anyone applying for Florida Residency had any similar problems? Has anyone found a way to know what's up? Thanks.

2. What are these Societies we've been put into used for? What do they mean?

Thanks! Look forward to meeting you guys in August!

1) I applied for florida residency and it also took me a while to clear it up. I think I would up calling a few people to clear it up: but eventually the person who did was I think the admissions office? It's going to be a maze though but be patient and it will get worked out eventually... you have lots of time before tuition/etc is due.

2) The societies are kind of like Harry Potter. You will sit with them for the first day of orientation to get to know them, you will be in labs with them, Anatomy bodies are shared by members of the same society, the class Medicine Health and Society has small group meetings which are held with a professor and just your society to discuss various topics. You sit with your society during the White Coat ceremony, you have society meetings and peer mentors within your society (from the M2 class). ESSENTIALLY it's a way to break down the class into smaller groups to help you make friends/studygroups/connections easier and make things feel more comfortable.

 

[gocatgo]

DOstudent77 (or any current students out there)
how should we dress during Orientation week? (business-casual?)
thanks!

 

[p30doc]

DOstudent77 (or any current students out there)
how should we dress during Orientation week? (business-casual?)
thanks!

They will tell you(maybe), but it is "dress code". Business dress or ceil blue scrubs. For opp lab, gym shorts and tshirt, women sports bra. I think the first day everyone was in business dress, then quite rapidly everyone started switching to scrubs. The stores in the area will sell out of scrubs quickly. To avoid the mad rush and to get them cheaper, get them in advance and online. http://www.allheart.com/ is a pretty good site for scrubs. Their brand sucks and isn't actually ceil blue. Dickies, cherokee, landau, and barco are all decent brands i'm sure there are others that are good too. Elastic waist pants with pockets are ideal.