RFU Biomedical Sciences 2018-2019

[arkansas420]

How close are the the Navy base housing options? I’m going to have a car but prefer to drive as little as possible since I’ve never driven in snow before.

Navy housing is kind of like a large neighborhood that is right next to RFUMS. A semi-busy 2 lane road divides RFU and Navy housing without any walkways from one side to the other for pedestrians. Also, the Navy housing neighborhood is huge, you might end up with a house that is on the opposite side of the neighborhood and would either have a 3 minute drive, or 15 minute walk. Student housing/Woodlands is 5 minutes away.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[tc1118]

I'll be going with Woodlands for the convenience and proximity to campus, mostly because I won't have a car (although I hear it is strongly recommended to have one). However, on campus housing and Woodlands are some of the more expensive options, and a lot of students seem to utilize the Navy housing too.

Do we have a FB group for accepted students yet?

I have a brother going to school full-time as well so I really need to find a cheap place to live. Are there certain areas near campus known for cheap housing? How about in the surrounding towns like Waukegan?

 

[arkansas420]

Do more people in the BMS program go with Woodlands or the Student Housing option? And if you do choose to live at Woodlands, is it still somewhat easy to walk to RFU even in the snow or would it be better to have a car?

So it seems as though most BMS students are split between Woodlands and Student housing, although i know a few people in Navy housing. Woodlands is the same distance to school as Student housing is, both are a 5 minute walk away, so you will not need to drive your car to campus unless you are lazy/its -20 degrees out lol.

I have a brother going to school full-time as well so I really need to find a cheap place to live. Are there certain areas near campus known for cheap housing? How about in the surrounding towns like Waukegan?

So Lake County is the most affluent county in Illinois I believe, and it encompasses RFUMS/Waukegan/Lake Forest. Lake forest is nice/affluent/safe while Waukegan does not really feel the same. Waukegan definitely has cheaper housing though! If you are in the area, I would recommend compiling a list of places you'd potentially live at and then just driving past each one day. My bottom line recommendation is woodlands/student housing though, even though they are more expensive.

 

[firsttimer123]

How close are the the Navy base housing options? I’m going to have a car but prefer to drive as little as possible since I’ve never driven in snow before.

driving in snow isnt an issue. im worried about shelling out 60k ater living expenses and stuff without getting into med school since the program is changing.

also did you guys receive a community service call after you got accepted or after you got accepted and made a deposit?

 

[Simba0930]

driving in snow isnt an issue. im worried about shelling out 60k ater living expenses and stuff without getting into med school since the program is changing.

also did you guys receive a community service call after you got accepted or after you got accepted and made a deposit?

I agree with you there- your concern is a bigger issue than where to live. I can’t improve my college GPA any further, and even if I do much better on my MCAT I’m still worried that medical schools will hold the GPA (cGPA around 3.2) against me, although I may have a better chance at DO schools, but I didn’t get into any osteopathic schools this cycle, so this sort of a program, despite the changes that may be coming (although they don’t seem like a drastic change- I could be wrong) is a much better option for me. I have decided to accept the offer and will pay my deposit this week and do what I can to succeed.

 

[firsttimer123]

I agree with you there- your concern is a bigger issue than where to live. I can’t improve my college GPA any further, and even if I do much better on my MCAT I’m still worried that medical schools will hold the GPA (cGPA around 3.2) against me, although I may have a better chance at DO schools, but I didn’t get into any osteopathic schools this cycle, so this sort of a program, despite the changes that may be coming (although they don’t seem like a drastic change- I could be wrong) is a much better option for me. I have decided to accept the offer and will pay my deposit this week and do what I can to succeed.

yeah i think I'm going to enroll as well - since i have low stats too. Are you going to re-take your mcat / what is ur current score?

Also when did u guys receive a call for community service? I don't know if mine is sufficient or not

 

[Simba0930]

I’ve made a (potentially risky) decision not to retake my MCAT- scores were 504 then 500. I’m rolling the dice by only applying to RFU for med school during the next application cycle, unless one of their advisers advise me differently.

 

[Dochopeful13]

yeah i think I'm going to enroll as well - since i have low stats too. Are you going to re-take your mcat / what is ur current score?

Also when did u guys receive a call for community service? I don't know if mine is sufficient or not

Did you get in? congrats!

 

[firsttimer123]

Did you get in? congrats!

yeah - I'm looking into costs and what not right now as well as viability. Im currently 60k in the debt for undergrad/etc and i need to make sure this masters program is still linked to the med school. but based on peoples comments on here it seems like it is so I'm going to take their word lol. hows ur app going

I’ve made a (potentially risky) decision not to retake my MCAT- scores were 504 then 500. I’m rolling the dice by only applying to RFU for med school during the next application cycle, unless one of their advisers advise me differently.

when are you going to talk with the advisors?

 

[Dochopeful13]

yeah - I'm looking into costs and what not right now as well as viability. Im currently 60k in the debt for undergrad/etc and i need to make sure this masters program is still linked to the med school. but based on peoples comments on here it seems like it is so I'm going to take their word lol. hows ur app going

when are you going to talk with the advisors?

That’s awesome congrats. I wish you the best of luck. I’m applying next cycle. If you don’t mind can I PM you at some point to see what you think of the program?

 

[firsttimer123]

That’s awesome congrats. I wish you the best of luck. I’m applying next cycle. If you don’t mind can I PM you at some point to see what you think of the program?

yeah feel free - why are u applying next cycle by the way and why don't u apply now (its not too late)

 

[firsttimer123]

I was accepted 4/9 and I have ~500 hrs of non clinical and ~100 hrs of clinical volunteering (which I realize might fall a little short, but hope it is compensated by the substantial amount of clinical research/paid work experience that I have). I'm hoping that I get the call sooner than later if I have areas in need of improvement so I can start working on them!

let me know how it goes for u

 

[Simba0930]

yeah - I'm looking into costs and what not right now as well as viability. Im currently 60k in the debt for undergrad/etc and i need to make sure this masters program is still linked to the med school. but based on peoples comments on here it seems like it is so I'm going to take their word lol. hows ur app going

when are you going to talk with the advisors?

Probably before I start there- I’m doing research in Chicago right now so getting up to North Chicago by train is pretty easy. I guess I’ll wait till the BMS program ends so that the professors may have more time to spend with me.

 

[firsttimer123]

if this program is linked highly, why don't more people attend/apply to the program. It seems like a guarantee admissions to the MD program as long as u get over a 3.5 on ur first semester grades

 

[En3rgy]

if this program is linked highly, why don't more people attend/apply to the program. It seems like a guarantee admissions to the MD program as long as u get over a 3.5 on ur first semester grades

There is no guaranteed admission into the MD school. Even if someone performs well in the program, they could be rejected due to poor interview performance.

The program is expensive and generally difficult. For many applicants, an SMP is simply not worth the risk.

 

[firsttimer123]

is there a Facebook group for the prorgam

 

[lauradk96]

is there a Facebook group for the prorgam

I joined the this year's just too see what's up there but I don't think they've made one for the 2018-2019 class yet

 

[firsttimer123]

for some reason i am acting like i got accepted to medical school by getting into the BMS ...lol

 

[firsttimer123]

can someone explain/elaborate on how strict attendance is for the classes? do most people go to classes?

 

[firsttimer123]

also does anyone know exactly in detail why the curriculum change?

 

[deleted289061]

also does anyone know exactly in detail why the curriculum change?

A lot of schools around the country have been changing their curriculum to be more integrated and less repetitive. So rather than take dedicated courses for biochemistry, pathology, and pharmacology, you just learn the pertinent bits of each discipline for the system you’re studying. The way most schools try to teach is start with the basics: what is the cardiovascular system? Ok. You know it now, what diseases affect it? Oh you got that? Moving on to how you treat those diseases with drugs. This makes things difficult for SMPs since they want to provide students with a whole course rather than just blocks. I’m not sure of all the SMPs that have switched to the block system but Gtown has. And it seems to be working fine. Maybe more will switch in time. At Gtown, you get grades within the first 8-10 weeks. Regardless, every SMP is going to teach the same stuff and it will be immensely helpful for medical school. I make cookies and I bet you do too. But our recipes are probably a little different. But I bet they still both taste good.

 

[clutch100]

also does anyone know exactly in detail why the curriculum change?

In short, from my understanding the change happened because it allows the curriculum to be more predicative of actual clinical scenarios (integrated topics) and because PBL curriculums have been correlated with higher Step 1 scores.

 

[DPATEL4]

Hey all,

First and foremost, congratulations to those who have already been accepted into the BMS program or have found there into medical school through this program. I am currently working on the application and aiming to submit it by the end of this week (fingers crossed). My application is nearly complete except for my personal statement. I am having a little trouble writing my personal statement, so I was wondering if I could get some advice from those who have already completed their statement and submitted their application on how to approach it. Is it possible that I can write it similar to medical school application or should I take a different approach? Any and all advice will be beneficial? Thank you!

 

[DPATEL4]

I literally just used my exact med school personal statement for this program. I can't remember if there were any word or character limits for this app, but I guess just keep it with 5300 characters (same as AMCAS limit). Don't waste your time writing a whole new one, since their question I believe is just basically paraphrasing what AMCAS is asking sort of.

Oh really? Did they accept that personal statement and were you accepted into the program? I do have my personal statement for medical school with me and I have to say that I spent nearly 2-3 months working on it haha.

 

[dedicated321]

how did you guys send your MCAT? Rosalind is emailing me saying I need to email them with the verification number (16 digit), my score and my ID. I screen shot my score but idk wtf else they want me to do? I can't find any verification number.

 

[firsttimer123]

how did you guys send your MCAT? Rosalind is emailing me saying I need to email them with the verification number (16 digit), my score and my ID. I screen shot my score but idk wtf else they want me to do? I can't find any verification number.

You need to print out/ save the MCAT score reporting page. There should be an option to do hay on the Amcas website. Then you can upload that page that has the verification number. Look around on the webpage that reports your score and u should find the link.good luck homie

 

[Simba0930]

They did accept it and I was accepted into the program. I'd like to think the general consensus is that you can use your medical school personal statement for this, as long as it roughly answers the question RFU asks. For me, it did because I spent a decent amount of time talking about my clinical experience and volunteering and why that influenced my decision to be a doctor. If you did the same then by all means, do it and don't waste any more time on your personal statement. If you haven't followed this format, then I would spend more time on your personal statement.

I pretty much echo what has been said- I used my personal statement and made a few modifications addressing why RFU- I was accepted and have paid my deposit and look
forward to starting.

 

[firsttimer123]

If anyone has spoke with the advisors regarding the linkage to the CMS program as well as if a low MCAT score is acceptable please let me know. I want to know if the clean slate is still a basis of the program

 

[tc1118]

If anyone has spoke with the advisors regarding the linkage to the CMS program as well as if a low MCAT score is acceptable please let me know. I want to know if the clean slate is still a basis of the program

From what I've been told by the advisor as well as previous posts, if you're accepted into the BMS program it essentially means you MCAT is suitable for CMS. Unless you want to retake it for another school with higher requirements I don't think it's necessary. Enjoy the summer before you sell your life to the program

 

[gfernandez002]

Does anyone know how I go about submitting my transcripts? The website makes it seem that we need to submit it through the application portal, but when I go to request an official transcript from my school they require that it be sent to a physical address.

 

[firsttimer123]

Does anyone know how I go about submitting my transcripts? The website makes it seem that we need to submit it through the application portal, but when I go to request an official transcript from my school they require that it be sent to a physical address.

I sent it to the physical address. I think thats the best way to do it. Turn around is like a week but u better get on it ASAP

 

[brew]

This is what I used when applying on AMCAS for the future BMS coursework. There was no Health Administration: Business track for this year. Introduction to Interprofessional healthcare (HIPS 502A/B/C) was pass/fail, but everything else was letter graded.

Might want to double check with current BMS administration that your course names and numbers will stay the same.

I'll probably be MIA for the next 2.5 weeks or so until the program finishes. Good luck!

 

[premedtilimded]

The wait is torture!! has anyone heard back in the past week?

 

[firsttimer123]

is anyone worried about the COA if you get into CMS? can one of the previous BMSer who got into CMS elaborate? it would be at least 70-75k a year *5 which is 350 to 375k total without interest accumulation

 

[firsttimer123]

Where in the world are you getting 75K? CMS is 55K tuition and BMS is 44K. Since Waukegan isn't exactly the city of Chicago, I highly doubt you'd pay an extra 20K for additional COA unless you're really horrible with your finances.

The tuition is 55k at the moment without fees. COL is not Chicago expensive but it is not cheap (at least 1k a month minimum giving rooming as well as food expenses - 12k+ min). In addition, tuition goes up few percent on average a year so by the time you are a m4 you are at least paying 60k a year. misc fees such as residency/etc. add up too. hence 70k-75k. I didn't know the BMS was less than CMS but still - its a high cost

 

[Simba0930]

Most private med school tuitions are similar- tuition at UIC for OOS is more than 70 K alone, so the tuition at CMS is in line with h other private institutions and probably cheaper than most state schools if you’re OOS.

 

[GGH]

Does anyone know if we created a FB page? would love to see who else is looking for roommates/ other people going into program!

 

[lauradk96]

just made an fb group for this upcoming class: "Rosalind Franklin BMS 2018-2019"
add yourselves please!!

 

[firsttimer123]

when did u guys receive the call for volunteering - and where are u guys going to do your volunteering to make up for ur lack of? Are there any places that RFU reccoemends to volunteer at ?

 

[PebbleDoc]

Hi guys! Are there are any former BMSers who did get As and Bs with a successful interview, but still didnt get accepted to CMS at the end of the year?

 

[lauradk96]

Thank you for taking the initiative @lauradk96!

RFU just sent out invites over email for its students to join the fb group that they created for the class of 2019 so I decided to delete the one I made sorry guys!

 

[tc1118]

I have a question for former BMSers and those knowledgeable on the upcoming curriculum. I've been out of school for a year now and definitely need to do some refreshing at some point soon; what topics should I spend time on if I want to get off to a head start on studying?

 

[lauradk96]

They did the same thing last year and I saw the group that the RFU admins made only had one member while the one that one of the students made was used primarily lol. My guess is that no one was added to the faculty-created one for some reason. Maybe we should have kept the student-created group lolol

Haha well if someone else wants to go for it again they’re more than welcome! I just didn’t want to get into any trouble with RFU for anything ya knoww

 

[lauradk96]

lol well I don't think you'd get in trouble with RFU, but I guess maybe we can wait and see if RFU admins add people to that group. If not, then maybe someone here can restart the old group. Might be a bit redundant, but who cares

The group only had 6 people in it thus far so it won’t be hard to restart haha

 

[arkansas420]

I have a question for former BMSers and those knowledgeable on the upcoming curriculum. I've been out of school for a year now and definitely need to do some refreshing at some point soon; what topics should I spend time on if I want to get off to a head start on studying?

I'd really not recommend studying lol. Enjoy your summer and do some volunteering. I tried to study over the summer prior to BMS, it didn't help me at all. The material you'll be seeing in BMS isn't like basic physics, or chemistry material. You are gonna get hit with a lot of different scientific procedures (like PCR and blotting and stuff), some basic biochemical pathways (glycolysis and such), and a bunch of different cellular transporters (Na/K atpase, AE1...). It's all stuff you just have to memorize.

As many people have said in the past, medical school material is not hard, it's just the immense amount of material that makes it hard.

 

[prettypremed12]

For people applying to medical school this summer 2018 right before starting the BMS program, what is your gameplan as far as when you are submitting primary etc I got into BMS with a 501 but am re-taking the MCAT to make myself more competitive in general for applying. I plan to take it August 3,2018. Is this too late? Scores come out Sep 5,2018 so that would be the last thing left to make me 'complete'. Anyone have thoughts or experience with this type of situation? TIA.

 

[clutch100]

For people applying to medical school this summer 2018 right before starting the BMS program, what is your gameplan as far as when you are submitting primary etc I got into BMS with a 501 but am re-taking the MCAT to make myself more competitive in general for applying. I plan to take it August 3,2018. Is this too late? Scores come out Sep 5,2018 so that would be the last thing left to make me 'complete'. Anyone have thoughts or experience with this type of situation? TIA.

There’s an upside and downside to sending in your primaries as early as possible. The upside is that the earlier you send in your primaries to every school besides Chicago Medical School, you’ll have a better shot of getting an interview (it doesn’t matter when you send in your primaries if you’re in the BMS program). The downside is that BMS advisors offer to help you with writing your personal statement. Whatever you choose, I would suggest waiting to send in your secondary for Chicago Medical school because BMS advisors offer help with writing that as well.

We had a few colleagues this year who took the MCAT during the school year. I would suggest just making sure to take the MCAT before the school year starts. Also if you can bring your MCAT score up a little bit, make sure to apply DO. It’s always good to have a backup in case the program doesn’t work out.

 

[clutch100]

when did u guys receive the call for volunteering - and where are u guys going to do your volunteering to make up for ur lack of? Are there any places that RFU reccoemends to volunteer at ?

Just a heads up, I think we received an email last year stating we should call ourselves to see if we need to do any extra volunteering.

 

[firsttimer123]

I'd really not recommend studying lol. Enjoy your summer and do some volunteering. I tried to study over the summer prior to BMS, it didn't help me at all. The material you'll be seeing in BMS isn't like basic physics, or chemistry material. You are gonna get hit with a lot of different scientific procedures (like PCR and blotting and stuff), some basic biochemical pathways (glycolysis and such), and a bunch of different cellular transporters (Na/K atpase, AE1...). It's all stuff you just have to memorize.

As many people have said in the past, medical school material is not hard, it's just the immense amount of material that makes it hard.

Isn't this stuff you guys learned in undergrad in cell biology or biochemistry classes? I remember all of this stuff even though its been years lol

 

[premedtilimded]

Accepted to the program this past weekend! Very excited to be attending. Does anyone know which forum/group to join to find a roommate??