RFU Biomedical Sciences 2018-2019

[lauradk96]

So if you beat the BMS average, it will be a B kind of thing?

No it’s not a real curve in the way you’re thinking of. The grades are still on an absolute scale (90-100= A) but if the class average is 70% on exam & they want the average to be a 75 or 80 then students will get points back to make the class average a 75 or an 80

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[lauradk96]

I do not believe the courses will remain the same since they specifically stated the program is going to be changed. What change is there then?

The program is being changed such that we are not taking classes with the med students anymore. The medical school curriculum is switching to systems based which doesn’t work with the BMS curriculum. So, BMS classes will remain the same but will not have med students in them

 

[firsttimer123]

The program is being changed such that we are not taking classes with the med students anymore. The medical school curriculum is switching to systems based which doesn’t work with the BMS curriculum. So, BMS classes will remain the same but will not have med students in them

how beneficial do you think the masters program is to the medical school curriculum as well as our future careers?

 

[firsttimer123]

My transcripts just got verified and my app has already been submitted. Am I complete now? I do not see a complete date on my Rfucas

 

[deleted289061]

My transcripts just got verified and my app has already been submitted. Am I complete now? I do not see a complete date on my Rfucas

They’ll send you an email letting you know when you are officially complete. Maybe a day or two.

 

[firsttimer123]

They’ll send you an email letting you know when you are officially complete. Maybe a day or two.

Nice - thanks

 

[deleted289061]

how beneficial do you think the masters program is to the medical school curriculum as well as our future careers?

I think this program is going to be very beneficial to your medical school studies. I have a friend that went through the program and I think he said it helped him calm down when facing such large amounts of information in medical school. You can get overwhelmed so getting a preview of medical school takes some of the shock out.

 

[firsttimer123]

I think this program is going to be very beneficial to your medical school studies. I have a friend that went through the program and I think he said it helped him calm down when facing such large amounts of information in medical school. You can get overwhelmed so getting a preview of medical school takes some of the shock out.

Yeah I hope it helps with the classes as well and the info is relevant. I also hope I get admitted to the program lol. I’m worried cause I’m a bit older and my ECs are sparse. My stats are above average accepted though but it seems like a wide variety get in

 

[lauradk96]

Question for current BMS students: What kind of non-health care setting volunteer work did you participate in? I got the "hey you need 150-200 more hours of volunteer work for CMS" phone call today from an academic adviser and I'm trying to figure out some ideas for the summer now to fulfill that requirement. She already gave me some ideas like homeless shelter, nursing home, etc but I'm curious what you guys participated in

 

[piotrkol1]

I went to see my adviser today (the head of the program) and I noticed multiple packets laying on the table all titled "proposed syllabus", so I'm guessing they're in the process of finalizing next year's classes.

What kind of non-health care setting volunteer work did you participate in? I got the "hey you need 150-200 more hours of volunteer work for CMS" phone call today from an academic adviser and I'm trying to figure out some ideas for the summer now to fulfill that requirement. She already gave me some ideas like homeless shelter, nursing home, etc but I'm curious what you guys participated in

They seem to stress the idea of helping the community so the homeless shelter sounds right in line with that. I volunteered at a food pantry.

 

[firsttimer123]

Question for current BMS students: What kind of non-health care setting volunteer work did you participate in? I got the "hey you need 150-200 more hours of volunteer work for CMS" phone call today from an academic adviser and I'm trying to figure out some ideas for the summer now to fulfill that requirement. She already gave me some ideas like homeless shelter, nursing home, etc but I'm curious what you guys participated in

What type of volunteering did you originally have? I only volunteer at a hospital last year so I might be lacking in that department. Hopefully It doesn’t affect my admissions

 

[arkansas420]

Question for current BMS students: What kind of non-health care setting volunteer work did you participate in? I got the "hey you need 150-200 more hours of volunteer work for CMS" phone call today from an academic adviser and I'm trying to figure out some ideas for the summer now to fulfill that requirement. She already gave me some ideas like homeless shelter, nursing home, etc but I'm curious what you guys participated in

I volunteered at a community center, geared towards helping low income families. You are lucky that you got the call so early, I got the call that i needed hours about 2 weeks before classes started.

 

[firsttimer123]

I volunteered at a community center, geared towards helping low income families. You are lucky that you got the call so early, I got the call that i needed hours about 2 weeks before classes started.

what volunteering did u do on ur application to BMS? I just have hospital volunteering from last year and I am worried that wont be sufficient

 

[aeryna]

For the people who got calls how many hours did you guys have before and how many hours did they require for CMS?

 

[lauradk96]

For the people who got calls how many hours did you guys have before and how many hours did they require for CMS?

I have ~750 hours of clinical research, 30 hours shadowing, & 20 hours of volunteering in an health care office. I only have ~30 hours of volunteering in a non-healthcare setting (nursing home). They told me that CMS requires 150-200 hours of volunteer work a health care setting & 150-200 hours in a non-health care setting. So I have to do like 50-100 more hours in a healthcare setting that isn't clinical research b/c they want to see some diversity there and then 150-200 in non-health care.

 

[lauradk96]

I volunteered at a community center, geared towards helping low income families. You are lucky that you got the call so early, I got the call that i needed hours about 2 weeks before classes started.

Oh wow! That's suchhh late notice! did you just end up doing it on weekends when the semester started?

 

[arkansas420]

what volunteering did u do on ur application to BMS? I just have hospital volunteering from last year and I am worried that wont be sufficient

From what I remember, I think i had around 400 hours of hospital volunteering, 400 hours of shadowing, and 200 hours of volunteering at a firestation... those numbers aren't exact though.

Oh wow! That's suchhh late notice! did you just end up doing it on weekends when the semester started?

Luckily I was able to scramble and find the community center i mentioned earlier in the thread, i worked there for around 8 or 9 hours a day, for the 2 weeks that led up to BMS. It was great actually, it got my mind off stressing about doing well in the BMS program for a little while.

During BMS, I volunteered an extra 15 hours through an organization called feed my starving children. You basically pack food for communities in different countries. It's fulfilling, and a nice break from studying. I'd try to work in around 2 or 3 hours a week.

 

[firsttimer123]

how much does RFU value research? I know they have a stem cell research center but to what degree do medical students participate - thx

 

[aeryna]

Just received my acceptance decision! Does anyone know when their information sessions are or where I can find more information about that?

Does this program have any success with getting applicants into medical schools (MD programs) other than their own?

 

[firsttimer123]

Just received my acceptance decision! Does anyone know when their information sessions are or where I can find more information about that?

Does this program have any success with getting applicants into medical schools (MD programs) other than their own?

Congrats! And I am not sure - it most likely depends on a bit more your current academic stats since other schools won't see your master grades in the app. Also, the program is changing.

 

[premedtilimded]

Accepted too!!

Could you share your stats if you don’t mind?

 

[premedtilimded]

Accepted too!!

AND CONGRATS!!

 

[premedtilimded]

Thank you! I prefer to keep my exact stats private, but they are higher than the average listed on the BMS website. Fyi it took 3 weeks for me to hear back, for those wondering about the timeline... hang tight!

3 weeks after you submit your app or after you were marked complete?

 

[firsttimer123]

3 weeks after you submit your app or after you were marked complete?

I'm still waiting to be complete too lol -

 

[tc1118]

Hi everyone, I just got accepted and am super excited for the opportunity! My biggest concern is the changing curriculum and whether our courses will be weighed by the CMS admissions committee the same way. I really don’t want to go $45k in debt if the committee thinks our work isn’t sufficient. Also, just to clarify, we aren’t expected to retake the MCAT if admitted to the BMS program correct?

 

[COMMANDER CLOWN]

Hi everyone, I just got accepted and am super excited for the opportunity! My biggest concern is the changing curriculum and whether our courses will be weighed by the CMS admissions committee the same way. I really don’t want to go $45k in debt if the committee thinks our work isn’t sufficient. Also, just to clarify, we aren’t expected to retake the MCAT if admitted to the BMS program correct?

Same about the curriculum worries. The part that concerns me the most is that there is nothing on their website about the changes. If it wasn't for SDN, I wouldn't even know about the curriculum changes. I feel like this information should be readily available if they expect us to invest 45k into this program. Seems a tad bit unorganized.

 

[firsttimer123]

does anyone know how RFU rotations work as well? I'm looking at the schools match list and few people matched into competitive fields. How do they match into competitive fields if they don't have any rotations or home department (example ENT, ortho, etc)

 

[firsttimer123]

Same about the curriculum worries. The part that concerns me the most is that there is nothing on their website about the changes. If it wasn't for SDN, I wouldn't even know about the curriculum changes. I feel like this information should be readily available if they expect us to invest 45k into this program. Seems a tad bit unorganized.

are you sure its not online?

 

[COMMANDER CLOWN]

are you sure its not online?

All I could find on the BMS website was the 2017-2018 curriculum with this note: * Note: Curricular changes may occur at the discretion of the PHS department from one academic year to the next, which could include additions, deletions or modifications of required core basic science courses and/or certificate tracks or courses. The above curriculum reflects the academic year 2017-2018 curriculum.

 

[firsttimer123]

All I could find on the BMS website was the 2017-2018 curriculum with this note: * Note: Curricular changes may occur at the discretion of the PHS department from one academic year to the next, which could include additions, deletions or modifications of required core basic science courses and/or certificate tracks or courses. The above curriculum reflects the academic year 2017-2018 curriculum.

maybe you can call them for more detail. Do you think the curriculum change is going to be a big deal? How much u think the program will cost after considering cost of living

 

[COMMANDER CLOWN]

maybe you can call them for more detail. Do you think the curriculum change is going to be a big deal? How much u think the program will cost after considering cost of living

I'm not sure. All I can say is, it almost feels like they're trying to hide what the new curriculum is so that they can get more application money from people who only know of the program's reputation with the old curriculum. Super shady. I understand if they're still working on a new curriculum since that takes some time, but there has been NO communication from them.

 

[firsttimer123]

I'm not sure. All I can say is, it almost feels like they're trying to hide what the new curriculum is so that they can get more application money from people who only know of the program's reputation with the old curriculum. Super shady. I understand if they're still working on a new curriculum since that takes some time, but there has been NO communication from them.

Welcome to the real world, I don't know how hold you are (I'm 26) and i realized everyone is shady. The thing about healthcare though is it has the most honest people.

 

[tc1118]

I'll try to get some additional information and I'll post it here if I hear anything useful. Surely if confronted they'll fill us in.

 

[firsttimer123]

I'll try to get some additional information and I'll post it here if I hear anything useful. Surely if confronted they'll fill us in.

can you also ask them when do SMP students get interviewed for the medical school spots? I am curious about that as well

 

[tc1118]

can you also ask them when do SMP students get interviewed for the medical school spots? I am curious about that as well

I saw earlier in the thread it’s usually around Jan - Feb. they set aside certain dates that line up well with the bms schedule

 

[firsttimer123]

I saw earlier in the thread it’s usually around Jan - Feb. they set aside certain dates that line up well with the bms schedule

they only look at fall semester grades?

 

[arkansas420]

they only look at fall semester grades?

Yes they mostly look at your cell bio and biochem grades at that point. But that doesn't matter, because even if you are accepted based off those classes, you need to pull out at least a B in physio and neuro.

 

[firsttimer123]

Yes they mostly look at your cell bio and biochem grades at that point. But that doesn't matter, because even if you are accepted based off those classes, you need to pull out at least a B in physio and neuro.

nice so its 4 classes during the fall? doesn't seem that bad - also what about certificate classes? what certificate did you do?

 

[clutch100]

does anyone know how RFU rotations work as well? I'm looking at the schools match list and few people matched into competitive fields. How do they match into competitive fields if they don't have any rotations or home department (example ENT, ortho, etc)

I think you are highly overestimating how many people match into competitive fields, from any medical school. Just taking a look at Columbia's match list this year (an Ivy league medical school), RFU had more people match into neurosurgery and ENT than Columbia for 2018. Columbia only had 3-4 more people match into derm and orthopedics than RFU.

A little bewildered by that comment because RFU is known for having one of the better match lists in the country.

 

[firsttimer123]

I think you are highly overestimating how many people match into competitive fields, from any medical school. Just taking a look at Columbia's match list this year (an Ivy league medical school), RFU had more people match into neurosurgery and ENT than Columbia for 2018. Columbia only had 3-4 more people match into derm and orthopedics than RFU.

Just a little bewildered by that comment because RFU is known for having one of the better match lists in the country.

I understand and i was aware before I commented- it has a very good match list - but how is that possible if the students do not have a home department? Do they rotate at other places or do research at other institutes or is it the board scores? That is my question -

 

[arkansas420]

nice so its 4 classes during the fall? doesn't seem that bad - also what about certificate classes? what certificate did you do?

So you'll be taking cell bio, biochem, and your track courses. It doesn't seem bad, but its pretty terrible. Cell bio is a class filled with little details that must be memorized, and biochem requires broad picture thinking. Biochem wasn't too bad. I did health administration, the work is interesting to me and requires about 3-4 online posts per week, along with an essay or project every 2 to 3 weeks. This doesn't seem like a lot, and its not, but coupled with all your other courses, it can become overwhelming.

 

[Simba0930]

I guess that another question that would be important to know the answer to given the concerns about next year’s possible curriculum change is where do the students who don’t matriculate at RFU medical school end up going to school? How is this program regarded by other institutions?

 

[clutch100]

I understand and i was aware before I commented- it has a very good match list - but how is that possible if the students do not have a home department? Do they rotate at other places or do research at other institutes or is it the board scores? That is my question -

h23 did a great job summarizing this question. They rotate at multiple hospitals. There is plenty of opportunities to conduct research at the school itself, but since the school is also connected with multiple hospitals throughout the area, a lot of students conduct research for physicians throughout Chicago.

 

[Dochopeful13]

Hi everyone, I just got accepted and am super excited for the opportunity! My biggest concern is the changing curriculum and whether our courses will be weighed by the CMS admissions committee the same way. I really don’t want to go $45k in debt if the committee thinks our work isn’t sufficient. Also, just to clarify, we aren’t expected to retake the MCAT if admitted to the BMS program correct?

I think people are overreacting about the curriculum change. Why would a few classes changing affect the linkage? The material I imagine will largely be the same and as long as you do well why wouldn’t you have a good shot getting in?

 

[piotrkol1]

nice so its 4 classes during the fall? doesn't seem that bad - also what about certificate classes? what certificate did you do?

During orientation back in August a couple students from the previous BMS class had a Q&A/advice session with us, and when it came to the track courses they said that they were a joke. When it comes to the health administration track, I can confirm that is mostly true. As long as your work is somewhat on-topic or loosely answers the questions, and has proper grammar/formatting, you will have no problem getting full points for discussion posts/papers. Obviously I'm not going to complain about an easy A, but considering this is graduate school it's a little sad that it's such a cakewalk. Some of the discussion posts by the other students are pretty meager and I'm assuming they're still getting by with it. By the last week of one of the courses I had already secured enough points for an A so I blew off the discussion posts for that week, but then I still got full credit for them anyways...It makes you wonder if the people running these courses really care that much about it.
I was actually kind of interested in learning about health administration at the start of the year, but once things got going I got tired of the track courses real quick. It sucked having to take time out of studying for the important classes to grind out a paper. On the other hand, if you end up getting into CMS and want to pursue a MS in health administration, you will have already completed a decent amount of the work because of the track courses. From what I understand, the nutrition track has quizzes instead of papers, so it might not take up as much time but it probably won't be as easy to get an A.

 

[lauradk96]

During orientation back in August a couple students from the previous BMS class had a Q&A/advice session with us, and when it came to the track courses they said that they were a joke. When it comes to the health administration track, I can confirm that is mostly true. As long as your work is somewhat on-topic or loosely answers the questions, and has proper grammar/formatting, you will have no problem getting full points for discussion posts/papers. Obviously I'm not going to complain about an easy A, but considering this is graduate school it's a little sad that it's such a cakewalk. Some of the discussion posts by the other students are pretty meager and I'm assuming they're still getting by with it. By the last week of one of the courses I had already secured enough points for an A so I blew off the discussion posts for that week, but then I still got full credit for them anyways...It makes you wonder if the people running these courses really care that much about it.
I was actually kind of interested in learning about health administration at the start of the year, but once things got going I got tired of the track courses real quick. It sucked having to take time out of studying for the important classes to grind out a paper. On the other hand, if you end up getting into CMS and want to pursue a MS in health administration, you will have already completed a decent amount of the work because of the track courses. From what I understand, the nutrition track has quizzes instead of papers, so it might not take up as much time but it probably won't be as easy to get an A.

Is there a limit on how many students can pursue a certain certificate

 

[Psyonic]

I think people are overreacting about the curriculum change. Why would a few classes changing affect the linkage? The material I imagine will largely be the same and as long as you do well why wouldn’t you have a good shot getting in?

I think he/she is referring to the grading policy change. Our grades will now be weighed against fellow BMS students rather than the M1 students.

 

[deleted289061]

I think he/she is referring to the grading policy change. Our grades will now be weighed against fellow BMS students rather than the M1 students.

It sounds like the competition of this program will be heating up. Eek!


Typed on my iPhone

 

[Psyonic]

 

[Dochopeful13]

It sounds like the competition of this program will be heating up. Eek!


Typed on my iPhone

Idk I’m not the most competitive person but the way I see it as long as you get a B your fine.