- Joined
- Jun 18, 2011
- Messages
- 741
- Reaction score
- 202
1. What are the merit based scholarships like? What grades do you need to maintain them?
Some incoming freshmen get offered merit based scholarships that can either be a one time thing or have the option for renewal each year based on how well you do. Also, starting 2nd year, more institutional scholarships are offered for those who do well and there are national ones you can apply for. From what I've seen, you have to keep at least a 3.4-3.5 to keep your scholarships but I think it changes based on your situation (and what the administration tells you specifically).
2. Do any people actually commute? I live less than 10 miles from the school (in NJ), but with NYC traffic, it could take 45 min everyday.
A lot of people commute from NJ and Long Island, but most who do take public transportation (NJ Transit, LIRR etc). I know some have commutes as long as 2 hours! Also, if you take NJ Transit, you can get a monthly discount if you go to the administration for a student discount.
3. If we don't get scholarship offers at the time of acceptance is it safe to say we won't get one?
Untrue. Like I said before, starting 2nd year you're eligible for additional scholarships. Some are only based on academic achievement, but others are based on public involvement and leadership. You can see a more expansive list by looking at the NYCPM student handbook on their website.
4. The first 3 terms of the JAN class seem very lax compared to the normal track. How often do they have class and exams? And in your experience, are most students who drop out from the January class?
I wouldn't call the first 3 terms lax by any means. The first term is the "spring semester" where January students take General Anatomy (with the students in the year ahead of you) and Bacteriology. While Bacteriology is pretty straight forward, Anatomy takes up a lot of time and has a 4 hour lab each week. The second term is the "summer semester" and January students take Infection Diseases with students in the year ahead. That takes up a lot of time as class would be anywhere from 3-5 days a week. The third term is the "fall semester" and here is where the rest of your class (the August starters) join you. During this term you take all the same classes as the rest of your class - Biochemistry, Genetics, Histology, and Neuroscience - except Bacteriology which you will have already taken.
Regarding drop outs, no one has dropped out yet from my class and I'm not sure what the numbers are for the years ahead of me. It seems to me that a lot of the January starters (at least for my year) are quite smart and motivated and have been doing very well. But again, it's too soon to tell how things will turn out!