NSU-COM Discussion Thread 2010-2011

[thisisapickle]

What's wrong with waiting 6 weeks? There are schools out there that make you wait 8-10 weeks for a decision. If it's in the Dean's hands it's not like any of the staff can do anything about it.

Agreed the other 3 schools i was accepted to took between 10-12 weeks not a problem (all instate MD schools)... but if you tell people 4-5 weeks then at 6 weeks you say well we have no idea when it will be, you (and your institution) look foolish. Then when someone emails you and calls to find out when we may hear (because I had deposits due) and emails and calls go ignored for almost 2 weeks again this reflects poorly to me. I am not mad at the support staff for not knowing, that's fine just be straight forward at the interviews don't say one thing then change it later, just say we dont know which is what all others schools told me. That to me turns me off. It a great school no doubt and I would have enjoyed it but I don't feel they were straight forward; this was my only DO school applied to so maybe this common practice at DO schools IDK, I just don't like how the whole situation was handled in my case. As med schools expect a lot from students I don't think its wrong for us to expect the same in return! Good luck to everyone still waiting I hope your experiences are better then mine!

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[TheSeanieB]

I called the admissions office again on tuesday... they said it's in the dean's hands and is a very person so they have no idea when decisions will be made for post 2/3 groups... the guy I talked to just kept repeating the dean is busy and you cant rush the dean... waiting 6+ weeks and rude/ incredibly unhelpful staff... application officially withdrawn 3/22 weak sauce Nova weak!

I think the fact that you have not received an answer yet means that Nova is still interested in you. Towards the end of the acceptance cycle, it takes longer to make a decision because their available seats are changing on a daily basis. If they were not interested in you, they would have already given you an answer.

 

[EmmaNemma]

Provisionally accepted!! Woo hoo!!

 

[21p]

When did you interview?

 

[munchymanRX]

I called the admissions office again on tuesday... they said it's in the dean's hands and is a very person so they have no idea when decisions will be made for post 2/3 groups... the guy I talked to just kept repeating the dean is busy and you cant rush the dean... waiting 6+ weeks and rude/ incredibly unhelpful staff... application officially withdrawn 3/22 weak sauce Nova weak!

I hope your decision to withdraw your application wasn't based entirely on this factor, lol...

 

[Jacksonthefamou]

Hey I know from reading some the comments here that a lot of people have heard results from Feb 3rd. However, I interviewed that day and have still not heard anything. Is anyone else in the same boat or am I the only one who still hasn't heard?

 

[21p]

Interviewed feb 15th, still haven't heard back yet. Hopefully our notification won't be in the mail!

 

[Lukat]

Provisionally accepted!! Woo hoo!!

Congrats!

 

[thegame11]

What is the tuition/fees for next year?

 

[Lukat]

What is the tuition/fees for next year?

On the financial paper they gave me at the interview, it said sth close to $43,000 (estimated) for coming year. Oh and that's for OOS students, like myself. I'm not sure how much the in-state folks have to pay.

 

[gambit378]

Hey I am a current M1, i saw that some people were asking what your general dates for school will be for next year. Here they are:

August 1 M1s start orientation and classes
August 7, 2011 Opening Exercises/.White Coat Ceremony (Family)
August 8, 2011 Fall Term Begins
September 6, 2011 Labor Day, No Classes
November 24-27, 2011 Thanksgiving Holiday, University Closed
December 9, 2011 M1, M2 Fall Didactic Courses Ends
December 24 – Jan 2, 2011 Winter Break, University Closed
January 3, 2012 Winter Term Begins
January 16, 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No Classes
March 12 - 16, 2012 Spring Recess. No M1, M2 Classes
May 5, 2012 Winter Term Ends
May 7, 2012 Summer Term Begins
May 14, 2012 Summer Term Registration Ends
May 25, 2012 M1 didactic Classes End/End of M1 Year
May 28 –July 1, 2012 M1 Community Service Activities
July 2, 2012 M2 Courses Begins/Summer Session II
July 4 , 2012 Independence Day, University Closed
August 3, 2012 Summer Term Ends
August 6, 2012 Fall Term Begins
August 13, 2012 Fall Term Registration Ends

If any one has questions about NOVA feel free to send me a PM. Good luck to all those on the waitlist. Don't give up, the waitlist moves like crazy in June and July

 

[amt5223]

Anyone feeling like this school is not worth the bang for your buck? 43k MS1? That's steep. LECOM Bradenton is a solid 10k+ a year cheaper. Factor in the cost of living and this is one hell of an expensive medical degree. I am aprehenisve of paying this much when looking back on recent history on SDN and speaking with students there are big problems with biochem. I mean really, for this much money, you should have fixed this problem by now.

 

[aidama]

Anyone feeling like this school is not worth the bang for your buck? 43k MS1? That's steep. LECOM Bradenton is a solid 10k+ a year cheaper. Factor in the cost of living and this is one hell of an expensive medical degree. I am aprehenisve of paying this much when looking back on recent history on SDN and speaking with students there are big problems with biochem. I mean really, for this much money, you should have fixed this problem by now.

Cost of living will be expensive outside LECOM as it is in Nova. This is South Florida.... the only places that are cheap to live are basically north of Orlando.

 

[lykyamy00]

Hey I am a current M1, i saw that some people were asking what your general dates for school will be for next year. Here they are:

August 8, 2011 Fall Term Begins
August 14, 2011 Opening Exercises/.White Coat Ceremony (Family)
September 6, 2011 Labor Day, No Classes
November 24-27, 2011 Thanksgiving Holiday, University Closed
December 9, 2011 M1, M2 Fall Didactic Courses Ends
December 24 – Jan 2, 2011 Winter Break, University Closed
January 3, 2012 Winter Term Begins
January 16, 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No Classes
March 12 - 16, 2012 Spring Recess. No M1, M2 Classes
May 5, 2012 Winter Term Ends
May 7, 2012 Summer Term Begins
May 14, 2012 Summer Term Registration Ends
May 25, 2012 M1 didactic Classes End/End of M1 Year
May 28 –July 1, 2012 M1 Community Service Activities
July 2, 2012 M2 Courses Begins/Summer Session II
July 4 , 2012 Independence Day, University Closed
August 3, 2012 Summer Term Ends
August 6, 2012 Fall Term Begins
August 13, 2012 Fall Term Registration Ends

If any one has questions about NOVA feel free to send me a PM. Good luck to all those on the waitlist. Don't give up, the waitlist moves like crazy in June and July

while i'm not sure about most of this, i know that the invitation they provided us through the nsucom 2015 group on their shark link portal says white coat is aug 7

 

[Kabe21]

while i'm not sure about most of this, i know that the invitation they provided us through the nsucom 2015 group on their shark link portal says white coat is aug 7

That sounds correct, since White Coat is after your frist week of school ("orientation week").

 

[gambit378]

while i'm not sure about most of this, i know that the invitation they provided us through the nsucom 2015 group on their shark link portal says white coat is aug 7

So i was able to find out all this nonsense!!! The M1s will start class and orientation on the 1st (they mix it all in together), and the ceremony is on the 7th. And the official start of fall is on the 8th. Sorry for the confusion everyone! Good luck getting ready to move down here!

 

[robertch8]

Hey all, I was recently accepted and I am thinking about driving down this weekend to take a second look at the campus (I currently live in north FL); the interview day was sort of stressful so everything I saw about the school is really a blur to me. I was wondering if there were any current students that would be willing to show me around the entire campus, some good places nearby for either hanging out or food, and maybe drive around some of the housing places; I just want to get an entire picture of the place. I know you all are busy but if someone would be willing to spend a day with me or if you know a fellow student that can (I'd probably bring along a friend), I'd greatly appreciate it. Feel free to PM me and I can give you more specific contact info and such.

 

[Cookiejar87]

Hey, are there any currently accepted students that wouldn't mind sending me the paperwork required? Immunizations and such? I'm going to the Dr this week for another school, and in case I get in here that would save me an extra trip to the Dr.

 

[munchymanRX]

Hey, are there any currently accepted students that wouldn't mind sending me the paperwork required? Immunizations and such? I'm going to the Dr this week for another school, and in case I get in here that would save me an extra trip to the Dr.

Far as I know, there isn't any. The only paperwork you're required to send in are Title 4 fund releases, residency papers, and the technical standards, etc.

Also that pesky 2 grand deposit.

 

[gatorfann14]

Cost of living will be expensive outside LECOM as it is in Nova. This is South Florida.... the only places that are cheap to live are basically north of Orlando.

Cost of living on the west coast is FAR cheaper than it is on the east cost. my girlfriends house about 5 seconds from nova is 4x the price of the house I grew up in near LECOM. They are both fairly similar in neighborhood and size, with the only real difference being she had a pool and I had a much bigger yard. but something tells me the price difference isnt explained by the pool.

 

[munchymanRX]

Cost of living on the west coast is FAR cheaper than it is on the east cost. my girlfriends house about 5 seconds from nova is 4x the price of the house I grew up in near LECOM. They are both fairly similar in neighborhood and size, with the only real difference being she had a pool and I had a much bigger yard. but something tells me the price difference isnt explained by the pool.

As always with real estate, it's location, location, location!

 

[jdsargen]

As always with real estate, it's location, location, location!

Meh... I live on the west coast and to tell the truth the price difference is so not worth the difference in location.

However, south florida is nice and the area that the school is in is very nice.

 

[DoctorGC]

Hey everyone...so I just logged into sharklink and I noticed that there is a new tab called "Medicine" next to the student tab. I clicked on it and it has a lot of new information. It has handbooks/newsletter, academic calendars, class schedules, etc....check it out. It has fall term starting August 8 and the white coat ceremony on the 14th. Just thought you guys might wanna check it out.

 

[Lukat]

Hey everyone...so I just logged into sharklink and I noticed that there is a new tab called "Medicine" next to the student tab. I clicked on it and it has a lot of new information. It has handbooks/newsletter, academic calendars, class schedules, etc....check it out. It has fall term starting August 8 and the white coat ceremony on the 14th. Just thought you guys might wanna check it out.

cool, thanks, DoctorGC

 

[Yanks10]

Withdrew my acceptance yesterday. Would have been awesome to go to medical school in sunny florida though. Best of luck to you all.

 

[sa22]

Hey everyone...so I just logged into sharklink and I noticed that there is a new tab called "Medicine" next to the student tab. I clicked on it and it has a lot of new information. It has handbooks/newsletter, academic calendars, class schedules, etc....check it out. It has fall term starting August 8 and the white coat ceremony on the 14th. Just thought you guys might wanna check it out.

are you sure? I called today and they said the white coat was on the 7th and that's what the flyer says in the group.

 

[DoctorGC]

Yes I am sure. I downloaded the 2011-2012 Academic Calendar and I am attaching it. I hope it worked

 

[Kabe21]

I think the schedule posted on sharklink may be wrong. Based on official M2 summer schedule, Fall semester begins for M1s and M2s August, which would make your white coat August 7th. I would definitely go by what they told you on the phone and the official white coat invitation. I'd be willing to make a lofty bet that the academic schedule posted has an error, because classes definitely begin August 1.

 

[21p]

Has anyone heard anything this week? I'm still waiting here...

 

[med10333]

Has anyone heard anything this week? I'm still waiting here...

Interviewed early February, still waiting.

 

[ms08bayo]

pushing about 7 weeks at this point without a response...

 

[EmmaNemma]

I think the schedule posted on sharklink may be wrong. Based on official M2 summer schedule, Fall semester begins for M1s and M2s August, which would make your white coat August 7th. I would definitely go by what they told you on the phone and the official white coat invitation. I'd be willing to make a lofty bet that the academic schedule posted has an error, because classes definitely begin August 1.

I spoke to housing and they said that the first day I could move into Rolling Hills was August 5th. I think everything starts on August 8th.

 

[munchymanRX]

pushing about 7 weeks at this point without a response...

Might want to try calling them.

 

[med10333]

Might want to try calling them.

its been 8 weeks for me now. I've called multiple times and they told me they don't know when they are going to have decisions. they also keep telling me that webstar is the most up to date way to check anyways. calling is futile at this point

 

[bravotwozero]

This several years away for most of you, but coming from a soon to be NSU grad, worth considering:

As someone who went through the nightmare of having to scramble, I just wanted to give you all a heads up: If you end up having to scramble as a Nova student, NSU COM will do NOTHING to help you.

When I asked for help, I was told the OBVIOUS, that a) I need to scramble, and b) If I would like the website link to open positions.

I called the dean's office, they bluntly told me that "we can't help you".

The clinical education department here also told me that "we don't have the resources to help you" if you need to scramble. I find this hard to believe, considering the amount of money we pay in tuition each year.

Other medical schools have advisers, who help you set up a plan for the scramble, who will call up programs for you, who will set up multiple phone lines, computers and fax machine for you, when you need to contact programs and send them your application quickly. New York Medical College and KCUMB in Kansas City are two such examples. However, you don't have to take my word for this, just contact any medical school and see what kind of process they have in place for scrambling students. NSU COM does none of this; they have shown a complete lack of regard for the well being of their students.

I would not wish for anyone to have to go through the scramble; it is frustrating and horrific. I hope you guys all succeed in getting the residency of your dreams. But, it is inevitable that some people in every class may end up in the same predicament as I was. Who will look out for you then? I strongly advise you to address this issue through your class reps and the SGA, so that you have a process set in place, in case you do end up facing what I faced.

Other concerns: FAU's med students will now be rotating at two of NSU-COM's rotation sites, namely Broward General and Mount Sinai. FAU is going to pay the hospital, and the preceptors to teach their medical students; there is also talk of establishing allopathic residency programs at Broward. NSU has absolutely no intentions of paying anyone. They may just end up losing these rotation sites to FAU if they just keep doing what they do. Where our tuition money from our M3 and M4 years is anyone's guess right now; they have already lost Jackson North, and almost lost Northwestern as their rotation sites.

There is of course also the issue of 'rural rotations', where you don't have a say in when you can schedule them. They could be scheduled smack in the middle of audition rotation season, when you're trying to rotate at programs you wish to match at.

You will also be forced to learn spanish and perform 80 hours of community service, on top of trying to survive the medical school curriculum.

Just food for thought...

 

[munchymanRX]

This several years away for most of you, but coming from a soon to be NSU grad, worth considering:

As someone who went through the nightmare of having to scramble, I just wanted to give you all a heads up: If you end up having to scramble as a Nova student, NSU COM will do NOTHING to help you.

When I asked for help, I was told the OBVIOUS, that a) I need to scramble, and b) If I would like the website link to open positions.

I called the dean's office, they bluntly told me that "we can't help you".

The clinical education department here also told me that "we don't have the resources to help you" if you need to scramble. I find this hard to believe, considering the amount of money we pay in tuition each year.

Other medical schools have advisers, who help you set up a plan for the scramble, who will call up programs for you, who will set up multiple phone lines, computers and fax machine for you, when you need to contact programs and send them your application quickly. New York Medical College and KCUMB in Kansas City are two such examples. However, you don't have to take my word for this, just contact any medical school and see what kind of process they have in place for scrambling students. NSU COM does none of this; they have shown a complete lack of regard for the well being of their students.

I would not wish for anyone to have to go through the scramble; it is frustrating and horrific. I hope you guys all succeed in getting the residency of your dreams. But, it is inevitable that some people in every class may end up in the same predicament as I was. Who will look out for you then? I strongly advise you to address this issue through your class reps and the SGA, so that you have a process set in place, in case you do end up facing what I faced.

Other concerns: FAU's med students will now be rotating at two of NSU-COM's rotation sites, namely Broward General and Mount Sinai. FAU is going to pay the hospital, and the preceptors to teach their medical students; there is also talk of establishing allopathic residency programs at Broward. NSU has absolutely no intentions of paying anyone. They may just end up losing these rotation sites to FAU if they just keep doing what they do. Where our tuition money from our M3 and M4 years is anyone's guess right now; they have already lost Jackson North, and almost lost Northwestern as their rotation sites.

There is of course also the issue of 'rural rotations', where you don't have a say in when you can schedule them. They could be scheduled smack in the middle of audition rotation season, when you're trying to rotate at programs you wish to match at.

You will also be forced to learn spanish and perform 80 hours of community service, on top of trying to survive the medical school curriculum.

Just food for thought...

You know, I've heard a lot of conflicting things about the points you bring up, and I was wondering if anyone could clear any of them up.

1) scrambling at nsu sucks for sure, and the utter ineptitude of the administration is a bit scary, but are there any other students that scrambled? What was your experience?

2) I thought you had a say in when you could schedule rural rotations?

3) Also thought spanish might be optional next year, and if not, it's mostly an online class anyway?

4) 80 hours over 2 years doesn't sound that bad. Even over 1 year, actually.

 

[bravotwozero]

You know, I've heard a lot of conflicting things about the points you bring up, and I was wondering if anyone could clear any of them up.

1) scrambling at nsu sucks for sure, and the utter ineptitude of the administration is a bit scary, but are there any other students that scrambled? What was your experience?

2) I thought you had a say in when you could schedule rural rotations?

3) Also thought spanish might be optional next year, and if not, it's mostly an online class anyway?

4) 80 hours over 2 years doesn't sound that bad. Even over 1 year, actually.

1) Several others scrambled, most ended up in traditional rotating internships. The experience was pretty miserable, as I mentioned above. Of course, the colossal clusterf**k that was the nrmp and eras, which both crashed on scramble day, making it impossible for people to find out open spots or apply for them, made the process 10 times worse. I was trying to do this all alone, my friends in the area were all out for spring break, the school offered no help or resources, the faculty at the clinical education department were all on vacation, and I was prevented from speaking with the dean by his secretaries.

The list of aoa unfilled spots was sent to us a full TWO weeks after the match. This same list was easily accessible online anyway, and was not even remotely updated - most of the slots had been filled by that time.

2) You have 2 months of mandatory rural rotations - you have NO say on when these are scheduled, or where you end up. All you can do is switch with someone. If you end up in the 'prime' months, why would anyone switch with you?

Your third rural 'selective' month is all up to you, you can go anywhere, even in a large teaching hospital an urban underserved area with residency programs - cook county and upmc to name a few.

Don't know if point 3 has any truth to it.

as for 4) You tell me how you like it after going through a year of class.

 

[DarkHorizon]

I personally spoke to the dean after seeing your comments on the matchlist. The dean was apologetic, he had no idea this had gone on. Him and Lynn Cawley both told m that this issue was brought up in the administrative meeting. And that they only had one person handling the whole ERAS so it was difficult for that person. The dean said that there will be changes in coming years, however, he will not be able to help those who don't match after the NRMP match, unless they are willing to take left over primary care osteopathic spot. He said that he can help students in the osteopathic match, but even then students must realize that competition for specialties is fierce and those who must scramble were probably trying to match competitive specialties anyway. So there won't be many, if any spots open in those specialties to begin with I.e after the match. however his office will most definitely help those in the AOA match. He specifically told me never to trust the administration and always check with him and make sure everything is smooth. whether he and his office will follow through, it remains to be seen.

Also, I Nova has quite a lot of problems, I agree, but it will get you where you wanna be. Most of the problems that Nova has are also prevalent at other DO schools, except for 4 or 5 founding schools. I know that you are in a tough spot right now, and lack of help from the school is making you further jaded. But I am sure that after you get your EM spot next year, hopefully, and move on with your life, you will look back and be thankful for the opportunity that Nova provided to you.

 

[bravotwozero]

Right...the dean telling you never to trust the administration, and come to him. That reflects really well on the school, doesn't it? And how are you to do that, exactly? The phone calls for the dean's office are answered by his secretaries, he is always 'busy' and 'in a meeting'...

People have had to scramble for YEARS. This is nothing new. Nobody thought about this before? Really? I can think of no good reason why there was not a system in place already. Why was there only 1 person taking care of ERAS? What is going on with the 40,000 dollars we were paying in tuition every year? It's not like NSU pays their clinical preceptors or teaching hospitals anything, unlike our allopathic counterparts, so where is the money going? Would it kill them to hire a few more advisors?

The thing about the scramble process, is that there are good spots that fill up quickly, like within 20 minutes after the process begins. You need to have people calling up programs, have access to a fax machine, and people fax your application, multiple computers so you can email and look up programs, and have academic advisors to sit down and discuss your scramble 'game plan'. You may possible end up in some crappy rural osteopathic program being run out of some fm doctor's private office, but there are good spots that sometimes go unfilled. You should at least have a fighting chance to try for those spots before you give up and go for the easier left over spots. That is IF your school actually has a vested interested in you succeeding, unlike NSU.

I don't trust the dean, and I think he is paying lip service.

 

[DarkHorizon]

Right...the dean telling you never to trust the administration, and come to him. And how are you to do that, exactly? The phone calls for the dean's office are answered by his secretaries, he is always 'busy' and 'in a meeting'...

People have had to scramble for YEARS. This is nothing new. Nobody thought about this before? Really? I can think of no good reason why there was not a system in place already. Why was there only 1 person taking care of ERAS? What is going on with the 40,000 dollars we were paying in tuition every year? It's not like NSU pays their clinical preceptors or teaching hospitals anything, unlike our allopathic counterparts, so where is the money going? Would it kill them to hire a few more advisors?

The thing about the scramble process, is that there are good spots that fill up quickly, like within 20 minutes after the process begins. You need to have people calling up programs, have access to a fax machine, and people fax your application, multiple computers so you can email and look up programs, and have academic advisors to sit down and discuss your scramble 'game plan'. You may possible end up in some crappy rural osteopathic program being run out of some fm doctor's private office, but there are good spots that sometimes go unfilled. You should at least have a fighting chance to try for those spots before you give up and go for the easier left over spots. That is IF your school actually has a vested interested in you succeeding, unlike NSU.

I don't trust the dean, and I think he is paying lip service.

I agree with everything you are saying, the most that we can do is talk to the administration, which I already did. It becomes a philosophical discussion when you start asking questions like where the money is going and why. You are right that Nova needs to hire a few more advisors who would actually prepare for the scramble. BTW, KCUMB committed a match violation this year, though I am sure it helped their students, it was nonetheless a match violation.

 

[bravotwozero]

There is nothing philosophical about asking where YOUR money is going. You have a right to know, particularly you when you are told TO YOUR FACE that 'we can't help you, because we don't have the resources to'. There is no financial transparency here at nsu com. You are right that all you can do is talk to the admin, but don't simply believe everything they tell you uncritically.

And exactly what 'match violation' did kcumb commit? Was it with a residency program? Because match violations usually involved residency programs disclosing rank lists to applicants, or applicants violating their contract. I don't see how that is applicable to the scramble process. The NRMP actually lists the names of programs committing 'match violations' on their website. I don't believe I saw kcumb's name mentioned there.

 

[DarkHorizon]

There is nothing philosophical about asking where YOUR money is going. You have a right to know, particularly you when you are told TO YOUR FACE that 'we can't help you, because we don't have the resources to'. There is no financial transparency here at nsu com. You are right that all you can do is talk to the admin, but don't simply believe everything they tell you uncritically.

And exactly what 'match violation' did kcumb commit? Was it with a residency program? Because match violations usually involved residency programs disclosing rank lists to applicants, or applicants violating their contract. I don't see how that is applicable to the scramble process. The NRMP actually lists the names of programs committing 'match violations' on their website. I don't believe I saw kcumb's name mentioned there.

They emailed the list of all open ACGME programs to all the students, whether they matched or not, that was surely a violation. How they obtained that list, I have no clue because from my understanding, osteopathic schools don't have access to that list. Also, Allopathic schools that do have access are not supposed to share it with everyone. I am pretty sure about that.

Let me add that I think it was a violation because they emailed that list I think on tuesday, the day after the match. Parties who were not in the scramble are not supposed to have access to that list until next monday.

 

[bravotwozero]

Fine, that may have been a match violation. But 1) no one is asking for the list to be sent to those who have matched, and thus that argument is irrelevant; I was referring more to the fact that they had a system in place. I know this because my wife is a student there. 2) The nrmp itself emailed a list of available slots to unmatched people that day. The school could have gotten access that way.

 

[DarkHorizon]

Fine, that may have been a match violation. But 1) no one is asking for the list to be sent to those who have matched, and thus that argument is irrelevant; I was referring more to the fact that they had a system in place. I know this because my wife is a student there. 2) The nrmp itself emailed a list of available slots to unmatched people that day. The school could have gotten access that way.

I can't disagree with that, I wish I hadn't canceled my KCUMB interview, they are a better school than Nova, and it's evident by the fact that they were willing to help their students, though it may have been a violation on their part.

 

[munchymanRX]

I can't disagree with that, I wish I hadn't canceled my KCUMB interview, they are a better school than Nova, and it's evident by the fact that they were willing to help their students, though it may have been a violation on their part.

Yeah me neither.. However, of the two schools I got into, nsu was definitely the lesser of two evils. Touro-ca is plagued by many of the same administrative problems.

 

[beachblonde]

This several years away for most of you, but coming from a soon to be NSU grad, worth considering:

As someone who went through the nightmare of having to scramble, I just wanted to give you all a heads up: If you end up having to scramble as a Nova student, NSU COM will do NOTHING to help you.

When I asked for help, I was told the OBVIOUS, that a) I need to scramble, and b) If I would like the website link to open positions.

I called the dean's office, they bluntly told me that "we can't help you".

The clinical education department here also told me that "we don't have the resources to help you" if you need to scramble. I find this hard to believe, considering the amount of money we pay in tuition each year.

Other medical schools have advisers, who help you set up a plan for the scramble, who will call up programs for you, who will set up multiple phone lines, computers and fax machine for you, when you need to contact programs and send them your application quickly. New York Medical College and KCUMB in Kansas City are two such examples. However, you don't have to take my word for this, just contact any medical school and see what kind of process they have in place for scrambling students. NSU COM does none of this; they have shown a complete lack of regard for the well being of their students.

I would not wish for anyone to have to go through the scramble; it is frustrating and horrific. I hope you guys all succeed in getting the residency of your dreams. But, it is inevitable that some people in every class may end up in the same predicament as I was. Who will look out for you then? I strongly advise you to address this issue through your class reps and the SGA, so that you have a process set in place, in case you do end up facing what I faced.

Other concerns: FAU's med students will now be rotating at two of NSU-COM's rotation sites, namely Broward General and Mount Sinai. FAU is going to pay the hospital, and the preceptors to teach their medical students; there is also talk of establishing allopathic residency programs at Broward. NSU has absolutely no intentions of paying anyone. They may just end up losing these rotation sites to FAU if they just keep doing what they do. Where our tuition money from our M3 and M4 years is anyone's guess right now; they have already lost Jackson North, and almost lost Northwestern as their rotation sites.

There is of course also the issue of 'rural rotations', where you don't have a say in when you can schedule them. They could be scheduled smack in the middle of audition rotation season, when you're trying to rotate at programs you wish to match at.

You will also be forced to learn spanish and perform 80 hours of community service, on top of trying to survive the medical school curriculum.

Just food for thought...

FAU doesn't have a medical school....? Do you mean FIU? Because they have 6 students total at Broward next year, doing ONLY ob-gyn. I'm not sure about Mt Sinai but the # of spots for NSU hasn't changed there.

And this student is now well known as being the cry baby who didn't get his way in the MD match. This individual is hiding behind anonymous internet forums and spreadsheets and bitching instead of providing any concrete evidence of what happened. Forgive me my skepticism.

I think the clinical education office could do better, they do help people in the DO match and are working on having a better system of the MD match. No school is perfect. I can't really blame the school for not being 100% gung-ho about half their students going to ACGME residencies since it's not their system. I'm definitely going to the ACGME route, but I have reasonable expectations about what my osteopathic school can and cannot provide for me.

I like having my anonymity on this forum, but seeing this crap pisses me off because it devalues my degree, so I do come out of the woodwork occasionally.

 

[Lukat]

I can't disagree with that, I wish I hadn't canceled my KCUMB interview, they are a better school than Nova, and it's evident by the fact that they were willing to help their students, though it may have been a violation on their part.

I interviewed at both KCUMB and Nova. In my opinion, they are on the same level. If you consider how much older KCUMB is (~100 years sth) and that Nova has been around for much less than that (Nova is 30 some, I believe), Nova has done very well for itself. I was seriously blown away by the school and I am certain that I make the right choice to go to Nova.

 

[bravotwozero]

And this student is now well known as being the cry baby who didn't get his way in the MD match. This individual is hiding behind anonymous internet forums and spreadsheets and bitching instead of providing any concrete evidence of what happened. Forgive me my skepticism.


I like having my anonymity on this forum, but seeing this crap pisses me off because it devalues my degree, so I do come out of the woodwork occasionally.

Well known by who exactly? What happened to me was real. Cry baby? Did you go through the scramble process lady? Do you know exactly what it's like to have your entire future hang in the balance and no one to help you? I am posting this on here because I want students to know what happened, so they can change things. What is YOUR proof that they are working to change things with regards to the scramble process? People have been scrambling for years, with the status quo remaining the same. PM me, and I'll be more than happy to give you my contact info and tell you everything you need, while you can hide behind your internet sn and call me a cry baby.

MY post on the spreadsheet was hardly anonymous. I can name names and give exact sources. I was just trying not to single anyone out here.

 

[21p]

Please don't hijack this thread.

If you want to vent... please go to the main forum, where more people will read your post and respond accordingly. You must surely realize that 99.999% of people reading this thread are hoping to get IN to medical school and .001% of this 99.999% are gonna care about what's 4 years down the road for a small fraction of 230ish students. Some students may have a choice of schools, but most of the ones actively reading are likely not in that category.

I don't have any idea what you must be going through, and I do appreciate the heads up... but you've given your two cents and now I'd like to get back to wringing hands and pulling hair while the adcom determines whether we belong at this school

Remember... you're a year from being a doc. We ain't even in the door yet, bro!

 

[ILikeFood]

FAU doesn't have a medical school....? Do you mean FIU? Because they have 6 students total at Broward next year, doing ONLY ob-gyn. I'm not sure about Mt Sinai but the # of spots for NSU hasn't changed there.

And this student is now well known as being the cry baby who didn't get his way in the MD match. This individual is hiding behind anonymous internet forums and spreadsheets and bitching instead of providing any concrete evidence of what happened. Forgive me my skepticism.

I think the clinical education office could do better, they do help people in the DO match and are working on having a better system of the MD match. No school is perfect. I can't really blame the school for not being 100% gung-ho about half their students going to ACGME residencies since it's not their system. I'm definitely going to the ACGME route, but I have reasonable expectations about what my osteopathic school can and cannot provide for me.

I like having my anonymity on this forum, but seeing this crap pisses me off because it devalues my degree, so I do come out of the woodwork occasionally.

Nothing will change at NSU by sitting back and suppressing his opinions or destroying his credibility. He is venting, obviously, and I'm glad some of his points were clarified but the fact that he had to scramble without the assistance of the school is not something that we should be rationalizing away. Why is it such an issue to demand resources to help scrambling students find spots? The administration has no problem rewarding students who would've been successful anywhere but when someone is struggling they leave them tossing in the wind and that isn't right. If I was faced with the scramble and told that there were no resources to help me I'm not sure I would associate myself with the school ever again after graduation, despite everything else they may or may not have done.

This obviously shouldn't define NSU since they have many other bright areas, but I find that there is A LOT of rationalizing going on when the weaknesses are pointed out that leads to absolutely no change whatsoever.

Edit: The "cry baby" remark was unnecessary. First, he wasn't talking about matching EM, only that he wasn't helped during the scramble. Our degrees are absolutely useless without residency, and for those having to scramble, it becomes a real possibility that they face a year of doing nothing while their massive debt accrues interest. It is not an unreasonable thing to want more help from the school in finding a position.