Official: Georgetown SMP Class of 07

[Tommyk7]

ive heard everything from wait till orientation to putting dr myers down to turn it in early. i am just putting dr myers down to get it out of the way

Wait, so should we be holding off on turning in secondaries?? I've been trying to get them done ASAP. Also, on the NYMC isn't the graduate LOR optional?

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[RayhanS1282]

Really depends on where in NOVA you are. Do you have any idea as of yet?

It's somewhere called South Dinwiddie Street, Arlington. Apparently there's a bus stop in front of the house.

Mapquest says it's 6.73 miles from Georgetown.

 

[amizle]

Wait, so should we be holding off on turning in secondaries?? I've been trying to get them done ASAP. Also, on the NYMC isn't the graduate LOR optional?

Thats the thing im not too sure about. I e-mailed Mrs. Cabiness and this is the response I got:

The problem with giving one person an assigned advisor is that one
person will post their assignment and everyone will go to the website to
receive one and all of the advisors have not been assigned. You could
put Staff or Faculty Mentor, if you'd like. August 11th is not too
late a date to advisor the school of an advisor.

And then Dr. Myers posted this on the Yahoo message board:

Various schools will treat this issue differently. You don't need to
be concerned about the letter at this point. We send, during
September, a generic letter to each school you've applied to. Some
schools will go ahead and process before that letter, some will start
when they get it, others will wait for a formal advisor letter that
they'll get in November, others will wait for more grades, etc. We'll
discuss this at orientation. For now, all you need to do is indicate
on the AMCAS what courses you'll be taking, and on the secondaries,
that you're attending the program. If they need to have a name, put
down "to be determined", or put down my name. Either will work. We've
done this for 150 students each year, so there's no worry.

So I am not sure what to do.

And for NYMC you need to send in a graduate letter. They tell you all the required letters on the instructions page.

I dont know if this was helpful or not cause it confused me too.

 

[GWmdwannabe]

It's somewhere called South Dinwiddie Street, Arlington. Apparently there's a bus stop in front of the house.

Mapquest says it's 6.73 miles from Georgetown.

Looks like a bit of a trip to Georgetown.

I do know that there's an Arlington loop shuttle of some sort, but I'm not sure where/when it stops.

 

[MercuryX]

FYI, orientation will run until around 5pm on both days.

 

[91946]

I need help guys! I found a place that is close to the Georgetown school of law, but I've never been in DC so I dont know how far that is of a commute to campus. I need to make a decision by tomorrow on the place. Can anybody give me some advice on transporation and such?

 

[MercuryX]

I need help guys! I found a place that is close to the Georgetown school of law, but I've never been in DC so I dont know how far that is of a commute to campus. I need to make a decision by tomorrow on the place. Can anybody give me some advice on transporation and such?

Not sure, 20 minutes? There is a free GUTS shuttle that runs about every hour between the medical center and law school. http://otm.georgetown.edu/guts/index.cfm?fuse=law That area is pretty nice and only 3-4 blocks from the white house

 

[GWmdwannabe]

I need help guys! I found a place that is close to the Georgetown school of law, but I've never been in DC so I dont know how far that is of a commute to campus. I need to make a decision by tomorrow on the place. Can anybody give me some advice on transporation and such?

Georgetown Law is on an entirely different campus from the main and med schools at GU.

The Law School is near Union Station (about 1st and C streets NW) while the main entrance to the main campus is 37th and O Streets NW - a 40+ block distance.

The Law School shuttle schedule is at http://otm.georgetown.edu/guts/index.cfm?fuse=law but the bus doesn't run often (9 times/day). If you can live with the shuttle schedule, great - Capitol Hill is a nice area in which to live (as long as you're in the nice parts). If you find yourself having to go to/from campus at other times, then you'd have to take the metro to either Rosslyn or Dupont and take the more continuous shuttle busses from those locations (Rosslyn is a longer Metro ride, but Dupont is a slightly longer shuttle ride) or take the Metro to Foggy Bottom and walk/take a public bus to Georgetown.

Definately something to consider if you're living out on the Hill.

 

[KrnFord920]

It's somewhere called South Dinwiddie Street, Arlington. Apparently there's a bus stop in front of the house.

Mapquest says it's 6.73 miles from Georgetown.

wow, almost 7 miles... sounds kinda far.

well, whatever floats your boat...

 

[ychoi81]

i'm staying at river place north, and i think it's fantastic.
the metro, GUTS, CVS, safeway are all within few minutes of walk.
i'm paying $1000 for unfurnished studio, but the previous owner offered to leave his desk, chair, desk lamp, bed frame, and mattress, so i didn't need to buy any furnitures. defnitely lucked out on that.

i'm still not used to this humidity (from so cal), so i'm definitely going to utilize GUTS no matter how bad the Key bridge gets cuz it's better than sweating for 20min walking to GU.

if anyone's still looking for a place, i think i saw some listings in the mail room. PM me and i'll email u the info.

good to hear there are fellow SMPers in Riverplace. let's do a movie night or something in the party room one day!

 

[GWmdwannabe]

i'm still not used to this humidity (from so cal), so i'm definitely going to utilize GUTS no matter how bad the Key bridge gets cuz it's better than sweating for 20min walking to GU.

I just moved back to the area, and this is the worst summer I've been through in DC/NOVA. Heat index of 112 at Reagan tomorrow - should be fun!

 

[fightingon]

Thats the thing im not too sure about. I e-mailed Mrs. Cabiness and this is the response I got:

The problem with giving one person an assigned advisor is that one
person will post their assignment and everyone will go to the website to
receive one and all of the advisors have not been assigned. You could
put Staff or Faculty Mentor, if you'd like. August 11th is not too
late a date to advisor the school of an advisor.

LOL i love how at first read Ms. Cabiness's email message makes zero grammatical sense. i have no idea what that means....blah blah BS BS blah blah? ok after the 10th time i finally get it.

actually she totally saved my a** today...apparently somebody in the office put my file in the 'withdrawn' pile. luckily she called to double-check that i didnt actually w/draw. that would NOT have been good

therefore, thank you Cabiness

EDIT: record-setting heat kills...suggestion: dont wear grey

 

[KrnFord920]

good to hear there are fellow SMPers in Riverplace. let's do a movie night or something in the party room one day!

dont forget about those of us over the key bridge!

 

[Tommyk7]

Thats the thing im not too sure about. I e-mailed Mrs. Cabiness and this is the response I got:
...

I dont know if this was helpful or not cause it confused me too.

I'm still confused. So are you actually working on your secondaries and turning them in or are you just writing the essays and waiting until after orientation?

This goes to anyone who is doing secondaries at this point! Are you guys actually submitting the secondaries or are you going to wait until we find out more about what to do at orientation?

 

[spo01]

My martial arts instructor used to tell us he shared a room with 4-5 other guys b/c they couldn't afford anything else. Hell, my dad slept on the kitchen floor when he was in school/med school. It worked out fine for all of them. Also, during this summer I shared a two bedroom apt with 5 other people and it was great. We got along and saved a helluva lot on rent.

DC has some nice studios, especially around Dupont Circle which run about $1000 a month. If you find 3-4 other pre med students, you could share the studio. No cable, no major accessories (ie: desk, bed, drawers). Just use the room to sleep (on a mattress, camper bed, or comforter, whatever) and stop in here and there. Divide the rooms up where each has their own space, use curtains even. Make an agreement b/w all of you to be quiet and not disturb the others if you're sleeping, etc. As pre-med students, this shouldn't be a problem. Doing this you would pay around $250 a month in an ideal location close to campus. You are right next to the metro, and can walk to the shuttle stop which takes you to G'town.

This may sound extreme to a lot but as I mentioned earlier, you spend most all your time studying, volunteering, working, whatever- you're never home. Most of us study at the library then go to class etc, and you won't be back home till late. So why not do this?

 

[daeojkim]

I see that many are going to be living far from campus and commuting will be a concern. I lived in SIlver Spring, MD, 12 miles from campus, and if I left during rush hour it would take me about an hour or more to get to campus. So I started leaving early between 6am to 6:30 am. Then it would take me about 20 minutes. Went to bed before 11 pm so that I could get up early. Except during exam periods I would leave very early.

I usually got to campus by 7 am and did some pre-reading before class or review previous day's material if I had extra time. It is really quiet in the morning so you can concentrate well.

For those that own a car, but are planning to take metro and GUTS shuttle, I would recommend that you try metro and drive and see how much difference it will make. I tried metro few times, but it was taking me an hour or more, and reading in metro seemed to be pretty useless. I just could not concentrate because I would be concerned about missing the station. So I got a parking space about 4 blocks away from medical school and that worked out to be the best way.

I understand that the cost is an issue and one needs to be frugal but don't get carried away. Remember that this is the year to make a big difference, so make most of it.

If you want to save money, get used books, pack your own lunch / dinner and water. Heed advice given in SMP survival guide, they are truly useful.

Well it's only a week away, so good luck to everyone.

 

[imrep1972]

I'm still confused. So are you actually working on your secondaries and turning them in or are you just writing the essays and waiting until after orientation?

This goes to anyone who is doing secondaries at this point! Are you guys actually submitting the secondaries or are you going to wait until we find out more about what to do at orientation?

Ok, everyone who has questions about secondaries, read here:

GET YOUR SECONDARIES DONE NOW!

With the exception of Georgetown's secondary (you will have plenty of time to do that one, and you want to wait to do the essay until you have personal experiences to share about) get all of them done BEFORE school starts, if you can. Once school begins, it will be crazy hectic. You *can* do them then, certainly, but my experience was, I didn't want to have to deal with the stress of writing essays/turning in secondaries while trying to study for CMP, Immuno and Embryo. The people I knew who did wait to do their secondaries were able to do it, but they were often complaining of being overstressed.

If you need to put the name of an advisor for a LOR, use Dr. Myers. He will probably NOT be the person who will ultimately write your letter, but you can always change the name later. The important thing is to get the secondary in now so you don't have to deal with it later.

This is the same advice they gave us last year in orientation, and, unless something major has changed for some reason, will be the same advice you will hear this year.

If you have any specific questions, post them and I will answer.

 

[daeojkim]

Get the secondaries done now like imrep1972 said. I can't stress more the importance of this. I am saying this from experience. I had not done my secondaries before beginning of class and it was major stress trying to get it done.

 

[91946]

Georgetown Law is on an entirely different campus from the main and med schools at GU.

The Law School is near Union Station (about 1st and C streets NW) while the main entrance to the main campus is 37th and O Streets NW - a 40+ block distance.

The Law School shuttle schedule is at http://otm.georgetown.edu/guts/index.cfm?fuse=law but the bus doesn't run often (9 times/day). If you can live with the shuttle schedule, great - Capitol Hill is a nice area in which to live (as long as you're in the nice parts). If you find yourself having to go to/from campus at other times, then you'd have to take the metro to either Rosslyn or Dupont and take the more continuous shuttle busses from those locations (Rosslyn is a longer Metro ride, but Dupont is a slightly longer shuttle ride) or take the Metro to Foggy Bottom and walk/take a public bus to Georgetown.

Definately something to consider if you're living out on the Hill.

how about biking? is that a good idea? mapquest says its around 4.7 mile away

 

[GWmdwannabe]

how about biking? is that a good idea? mapquest says its around 4.7 mile away

You'd know how good of a biker you are more than I would. Biking would be uphill going to Georgetown and downhill going back to the Hill. 5 miles sounds about right (some roads on your route might be cars-only), but I'd factor in a bit more distance & time at night because there will be some neighborhoods from which you want to stay away.

 

[RayhanS1282]

how about biking? is that a good idea? mapquest says its around 4.7 mile away

I thought about this too but with the recent heat wave and the humidity, I wouldn't do it.

But how about a modified shopping cart? Go uphill and let the sucker loose.

 

[Tommyk7]

Is anyone getting a meal plan? I'm thinking of getting one just to save time on food prep and stuff. Also, do any of you former students know how far away the dining commons are from our classes? Thanks!

 

[MercuryX]

The main large dining hall is not too far away from the med school area, 5 minutes? Its located around the undergrad housing. There is another dining hall right next to the hospital. Although they are primarily for undergrads, youll have no trouble using them. As far as getting a meal plan? It's not cheap and the food isnt that great. Unless you want to make elaborate meals i'd suggest just buying groceries and making simple lunches/dinners. Good luck.

 

[GWmdwannabe]

I thought about this too but with the recent heat wave and the humidity, I wouldn't do it.

But how about a modified shopping cart? Go uphill and let the sucker loose.

Except for those pesky laws of physics.

Damn you, law of conservation of energy! DAMN YOU!

 

[chaeymaey]

Yeah, I was gonna get a meal plan as well. That way I'll only have to worry about making dinner and cooking on weekends. I care more about convenience than cash.

 

[RayhanS1282]

Except for those pesky laws of physics.

Damn you, law of conservation of energy! DAMN YOU!

Hmm....I thought about this. I figured if the passenger in the cart was naked, maybe it would improve aerodynamics.

I'm Johnny Knoxville and this is riding a shopping cart naked.

 

[tacrum43]

Yeah, I was gonna get a meal plan as well. That way I'll only have to worry about making dinner and cooking on weekends. I care more about convenience than cash.

I wouldn't get a meal plan. In fact, I didn't even know that we could as grad students. You can add money to your GoCard, which is accepted all over campus, and at some nearby off-campus places too. The most convenient places are: the coffee stand that sells sandwiches and is located in the Med/Dent building (their muffins are awesome, btw, especially the vanilla yogurt with chocolate chips), and then the fast food places in the Leavey Center. The Subway is good, but avoid the Pizza Hut Express. Yuck.

Oh, and for those looking at transportation options, be sure to check out www.wmata.com if you haven't already. For those living along the orange/blue lines in VA, I would think your best bet is to ride the metro to Rosslyn, and then take the Georgetown GUTS bus to campus. You probably could also take purely public transit (the D6 and D3 buses stop right out front of the med school), but that would probably take longer and the GUTS bus is free for students.

 

[Tommyk7]

Yeah, I was gonna get a meal plan as well. That way I'll only have to worry about making dinner and cooking on weekends. I care more about convenience than cash.

well said. I don't want to worry about cooking/dishes/grocery shopping while going through the most grueling year of my life. Don't care if the foods sucks or not, or if it is costly.

 

[silkworm]

Any tips on getting cheap furniture? I will probably need the poor graduate student combo package: bed, desk and chair.

 

[daeojkim]

Any tips on getting cheap furniture? I will probably need the poor graduate student combo package: bed, desk and chair.

Go to craigslist and look for free stuff. There are plenty of free stuff by people moving or replacing furniture.

 

[daeojkim]

well said. I don't want to worry about cooking/dishes/grocery shopping while going through the most grueling year of my life. Don't care if the foods sucks or not, or if it is costly.

About saving time. You will be surprised to find how much time you can save by going grocery shopping once a week during uncrowded time, and packing your own sandwiches. You don't have to go all the way to eatery and come back to library every time you want to eat. Sometimes during cold winter you don't want to even go out.

In case you did not know, you are allowed to eat within the medical library. So if you do bring your food, technically, you don't have to leave the library.

When you crave for some good sandwich, go to Weissmiller (spelling?) about a block from undergrad library. They make one of the best sandwich / sub I ever had. Get Chicken Madness or California Chicken Sandwich... very very good and very addicting.

 

[fightingon]

I just got the invite for the NYMC secondary, and in the instructions it states the following in regard to those who are starting grad school in the fall (ie. us). --Hope this helps those of you who are confused!

If your graduate studies will begin in Fall of 2006 please enter the graduate recommendation letter information as follows:



Under Evaluator name TBA
Under Evaluator Title TBA
Under Course number 99
Under College name Enter name of graduate school
Under Course name TBA
Under Credits earned 99

When you have the graduate recommendation letter information you should email us at [email protected].

 

[amizle]

for our GoCards do we need to have a picture to bring in or can we just show up and they take a picture of us

 

[MercuryX]

for our GoCards do we need to have a picture to bring in or can we just show up and they take a picture of us

They take a picture of you at the office.

 

[fightingon]

for our GoCards do we need to have a picture to bring in or can we just show up and they take a picture of us

if you send them a pic by email they can use that. otherwise just show up, they'll it in 2 seconds. i sent mine by email but they 'lost/never got it' so i took a new one right there. simple! oh yeah our IDs say 'graduate med student' so we're differentiated from undergrads and the title is exciting

 

[chaeymaey]

if you send them a pic by email they can use that. otherwise just show up, they'll it in 2 seconds. i sent mine by email but they 'lost/never got it' so i took a new one right there. simple! oh yeah our IDs say 'graduate med student' so we're differentiated from undergrads and the title is exciting

That is too cool!

 

[DOCpureprincess]

I'm in! I am so incredibly happy! I'm waiting to hear from a few other places, but this is in all likelihood my top choice.


Since you want them, my stats are:
3.3 GPA (2.9 BCPM) from a top 10 school
30 Q MCAT


Everybody hang in there!

Ok im VERY new to this whole thing... so I'm trying to figure out what the BCPM means and how come you have a "Q" after your MCAT score? ...And speaking of scores (I know if I reasearched more I could figure it out on my own, but I figure, hey I should as you since were on the topic), what are "good" "bad" and "average" scores for the MCAT thanx!

 

[Mr. Three-Wiggle]

BCPM = Biology Chemistry Physics and Mathematics - it's basically your scientfic GPA. Letters after an MCAT score represent grades for the writing portion of the test: J being the lowest and T the highest.

 

[tacrum43]

Ok im VERY new to this whole thing... so I'm trying to figure out what the BCPM means and how come you have a "Q" after your MCAT score? ...And speaking of scores (I know if I reasearched more I could figure it out on my own, but I figure, hey I should as you since were on the topic), what are "good" "bad" and "average" scores for the MCAT thanx!

I would recommend that you buy a copy of the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) book. It will answer many questions for you, and it's only about $25 on either Amazon.com or the AAMC website. The latest edition is for 2007-2008.

As for good/bad/average MCAT's, it depends on what you mean and who you ask. The average on the test is about a 25 (that is to say a 25 is usually about the 50th percentile), the average for applicants is about 27, and the average for accepted students is about 30. The average for accepted students is much high at some schools than others. At a top school, the average is around a 35 (which is like 97 percentile).

 

[KNightInBlue]

Hmm....I thought about this. I figured if the passenger in the cart was naked, maybe it would improve aerodynamics.

I'm Johnny Knoxville and this is riding a shopping cart naked.

Good luck at Georgetown Rayhan. Hope you have better luck next year.

 

[River Rat]

got in off the waitlist baby!

Now looking forward to a daily commute from Burke, VA to Washington D.C. every day!

3.45 BCPM and cum GPA/29S MCAT....mannn so late in the game, but so glad I don't have to go all the way to Boston!

 

[imrep1972]

got in off the waitlist baby!

Now looking forward to a daily commute from Burke, VA to Washington D.C. every day!

3.45 BCPM and cum GPA/29S MCAT....mannn so late in the game, but so glad I don't have to go all the way to Boston!

Congrats River Rat!

See you next week.

 

[daeojkim]

got in off the waitlist baby!

Now looking forward to a daily commute from Burke, VA to Washington D.C. every day!

3.45 BCPM and cum GPA/29S MCAT....mannn so late in the game, but so glad I don't have to go all the way to Boston!

Congrats River Rat!!
Better get used to I-395...

See you next week..

 

[chaeymaey]

Congrats! Today was my last day of work, so I'm really sad. I've said goodbye to my school and my job and next will be my family and state. It's really sad, but it just makes this next year all the more important.

 

[zim]

Hi,

I just recently got accepted into the program and am a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out the housing situation. I've been checking craigslist, but was wondering is anyone out there looking for a roommate or can suggest a place close to campus or a GUTS stop? Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks!

 

[daeojkim]

Hi,

I just recently got accepted into the program and am a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out the housing situation. I've been checking craigslist, but was wondering is anyone out there looking for a roommate or can suggest a place close to campus or a GUTS stop? Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Hi zim,

Hopefully this can be of some help.

There are few places that you can look for.

The closest area to campus is Burleith. You can just walk to campus (5 to 10 minutes). Usually 4-6 students share a townhouse or there are basement studios.

Then there are Glover Park and Fox Hall. There is no GUTS shuttle but you can walk to campus within 15 to 20 minutes. There are many apartments in Glover Park.

If you want to take GUTS then there are Rossyln in VA, and Dupont Circle in DC. Rosslyn is just across the Key bridge and it is also walkable distance (about 25 to 30 minutes). River Place is a popular place to live and you should be able to find people looking for roommates. I don't know too much about Dupont Circle. But in general I would recommend Rosslyn over Dupont Circle.

As far as finding a place would check Craigslist like you have done so far, but with above criteria. There were also few ads in YAHOO physio group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/physios/ (General Physio group)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smp07/ (Physio Class of 2007 group)

Also try Off-campus housing
http://och.georgetown.edu/

For more advices and sugegstions, go to Yahoo Physio group, then to file section and download SMP survival guide. There are advices for housing and other recommendations that will be useful through the year.

Congratulations on your acceptance and see you in a week!

 

[River Rat]

so whats the deal with parking? SMP students don't qualify for university parking? damn, really did not feel like taking the metro every day.
any of you former smp'ers got any tips?

ps: thanks for the congrats!! woooooo, see ya guys next week.

 

[imrep1972]

so whats the deal with parking? SMP students don't qualify for university parking? damn, really did not feel like taking the metro every day.
any of you former smp'ers got any tips?

ps: thanks for the congrats!! woooooo, see ya guys next week.

as far as I know, you're pretty much locked in to the metro and the GUTS bus. Some days you will be able to drive in and park on the street, but it is metered, and only 2 hours at a time. So, you can do that, but on longer days it may be a hassle.

 

[daeojkim]

so whats the deal with parking? SMP students don't qualify for university parking? damn, really did not feel like taking the metro every day.
any of you former smp'ers got any tips?

ps: thanks for the congrats!! woooooo, see ya guys next week.

There is no university parking but you should be able to find a parking spaces for rental near campus. Current rate is $150 / month.

The meters are 4 hours and 75 cents / hour. I did this for about a month then ended up renting a parking space. So much hassle to find a empty meter then going to refill every 4 hours.

Street parking without meters is limited to 2 hours. Pretty strictly enforced.

 

[ssquared]

Hi-sorry to crash your thread, but I have a question that I would love to have answered-

I really REALLY want to go to the SMP program next year (it would be a total dream come true for me for a lot of reasons). When did people start applying? I sent an email to the program and I got back the reply with "next year" which really wasn't much help. And when did people start hearing back about acceptances?

Thanks! I'm one of those people who like to plan these things months and months in advance and not knowing when I should be applying makes me nervous...