University of Wisconsin-Madison, Class of 2009!

[Ambs]

Hi

Although I am not positive whether I will attend or not, I wanted to start a thread for obvious reasons. I am attending a second look in May to decide for sure.

Things I like:
1) Awesome new health sciences building
2) Patient examination rooms & associated technology
3) Amazing research opportunities
4) Curriculum (lots of clinical)
5) Part of huge, exciting undergraduate university

Things I'm not crazy about:
1) Madison (I'm more of a bigger city person)
2) Letter grading (though it could motivate me to work harder)
3) Weather

What are some of the things you guys like/dislike?

Current UW med students: if you happen to come across this thread, I would LOVE to hear your experiences and opinions. Thank you!



Ambs

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Ambs]

Please keep me on page one for at least today

 

[crazyvladif]

Glad to see this thread finally up and running

I'll definitely be attending in the fall -- just rescinded all other spots as of yesterday. Kind of a weird feeling after all the years of uncertainty . . .

Not sure how I feel about this, but I know a lot of people in next year's class. I was hoping to 'expand my horizons' beyond Wisconsin (went here for undergrad), but at the same time, I know we're gonna have an AWESOME class next year!

 

[Ambs]

Glad to see this thread finally up and running

I'll definitely be attending in the fall -- just rescinded all other spots as of yesterday. Kind of a weird feeling after all the years of uncertainty . . .

Not sure how I feel about this, but I know a lot of people in next year's class. I was hoping to 'expand my horizons' beyond Wisconsin (went here for undergrad), but at the same time, I know we're gonna have an AWESOME class next year!

HI!

Glad to see you joined the thread.

What made you decide on the UW (besides cost)?

 

[crazyvladif]

Things I'm not crazy about:
1) Madison (I'm more of a bigger city person)
2) Letter grading (though it could motivate me to work harder)
3) Weather

Few things about these:
1) Madison is an awesome city. I've lived in bigger cities before, and the only thing Madison lacks is the high-rises and people stacked on top of each other. Anything else you could want to do is within reach.

2) As far as letter grading is concerned, its possible for everyone to get an A, and most people get A's, AB's or B's. Current students say that makes it really cooperative. Of course, there's always exceptions, but at least I know that the handful of our soon-to-be classmates that I know aren't the least bit gunnerish.

3) Yeah, winter sucks. But it makes Spring time in Madison all the better. Summer comes fast and hard -- its really a nice place to be.

 

[Ottercreek]

I'm an M1, finishing up my first year, and I can say this school is absolutely fantastic!

Amazing facilities for our training including a first class, lvl 1 trauma hospital for the clincal training. The faculty genuinely puts forth an high level of effect with their teaching, and some are quite inspirational. In addition the opportunity for medical and basic research abounds around here.

There is a nice diversity of students here, most of whom are intimately involved in community service. The students are quite brilliant, yet most are very collaborative.

Our graduates match into highly competitive residencies; this years m4 class had 4 match into rad onc, 5 match into radiology, 1 in plastics, 1 in ortho, 1 in derm., etc.

As for the winters...Hey they are no worse than boston, new york, etc., and I don't hear the ivy leaguers complaining about winter. They are working .

UW is definitely on the rise.
OC.

 

[crazyvladif]

HI!

Glad to see you joined the thread.

What made you decide on the UW (besides cost)?

My family lives about an hour and a half east of Madison, so that's a plus. And the city is great -- as opposed to moving to a new city and having to re-learn all the ways of the land, I knda like the idea of staying in my little comfort zone.

Really, it's got all the amenities of a big city -- top notch concert and theater venues (brand new Overture center), Big 10 sports, outdoor activities galore . . . plus, it ties in this tight-knit community feel that I can't really describe -- just the little things, like the Saturday morning farmers markets on Capitol square, free concerts on the Union Terrace overlooking the lake (saw Violent Femmes last night!), and the friendliness of midwesterners.

As for the school, the brand new facilities is a plus. Huge upgrade from the old building. Although tuition is a bit high here, you get what you pay for -- they treat us like private school students.

I'm also basing a lot of my decision on the opinions of current med students -- everybody seems so happy here, and try as I might to eek a complaint out of them, I can't. Some don't like the grading system, but say its really not that big of a deal. If you put the time in, you'll do just fine.

 

[crazyvladif]

I'm an M1, finishing up my first year, and I can say this school is absolutely fantastic!

Seems to be the opinion of most -- I'm hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't like it here.

 

[missiongirl]

Really glad to see this thread. I will be entering this fall, too, and am really excited about it! So hello to everyone!

I was initially very concerned about the letter grading system too, and just to reassure you, I grilled every med student I met at the interview and they all independently said it is not a problem/no big deal/non-competitive to maintain the required minimum GPA, and that people help each other out and are collaborative. Also, I think a letter grading scale will help prepare me better all along for the boards, rather than just pass/fail, but that is just me...And don't be fooled--honors/high pass/pass/low pass/fail is just like a grading scale.

I was really impressed with the students' additudes and friendliness and also their comments that the administration really listens to the students, and is supportive and responds to requests for change. Also, the students commented that the professors are incredibly dedicated and helpful and that the study/academic help center is really supportive, helpful and a great resource.

I was hoping to escape the Midwest winters, too, but it does make me appreciate the warm weather all the more, when spring arrives. Also, I am thrilled about moving to Madison-I am looking forward to a change of pace-and it also has basically everything the "third coast" has, but way friendlier people. I love Wisconsin.

I am relocating, and don't have the benefit of knowing any current students, so I have a couple of questions maybe some of you (hopefully ) know the answers to...

1)Are the electives pass/fail, or are they graded, too?

2)Are laptop computers issued to incoming M1 students, or is that something we should plan ahead for? I'd like to get one over the summer if they aren't supplied.

Any other general advice for incoming M1 students would be so helpful! Let's keep this going!

 

[dutchmaster]

Hey All!

It's great to start hearing from future classmates. I will be attending UWMS next year as well! I share everyone's feelings about the faculty, clinical instruction and new facilities! I am really excited to travel throughout the state of Wisconsin for our clinical rotations as well; the diversity of patients in this system is something I really look foward to!

I went to undergrad at UW-Madison and I can tell you that the incoming students you will be with are going to be awesome! We are going to have tons of fun learning together and chilling out on the weekends. A group of us are goign to be getting hockey tickets next year, PM me if you're interested! Also, if anyone has questions about the housing situation in Madison, I'd be more than willing to help out!

 

[missiongirl]

Hey All!

It's great to start hearing from future classmates. I will be attending UWMS next year as well! I share everyone's feelings about the faculty, clinical instruction and new facilities! I am really excited to travel throughout the state of Wisconsin for our clinical rotations as well; the diversity of patients in this system is something I really look foward to!

I went to undergrad at UW-Madison and I can tell you that the incoming students you will be with are going to be awesome! We are going to have tons of fun learning together and chilling out on the weekends. A group of us are goign to be getting hockey tickets next year, PM me if you're interested! Also, if anyone has questions about the housing situation in Madison, I'd be more than willing to help out!

Sounds really great!

What kind of housing advice would you give?
Can you also give 'transportation to school' advice?

 

[dutchmaster]

Sounds really great!

What kind of housing advice would you give?
Can you also give 'transportation to school' advice?

Housing in Madison can be tricky. One development company that has alot of apartments close to the HSLC/CSC is www.goldleafdevelopment.com The apartments are pretty new and very close to the hospital, alot of medical/nursing/pharmacy students end up living here. Steve Brown Apartments (http://www.stevebrownapts.com) is another option. The medical student website also has a housing blog on it (http://students.med.wisc.edu). Finally, the UW also compiles an online housing guide at (http://housing.civc.wisc.edu). Hopefully some of these will get you started on your apartment search. Also some M1s put together a housing guide that you may have recieved by email, i'd check that out too.

Transportation to school: I'd probably forget about driving your car into class every day. The parking situation by the medical center is nasty; to get a parking permit you'd have to drop alot of $$, plus im not even sure if they let medical students compete for parking spots. But there are other cheaper alternatives which will save you money and you wont have to worry about the hassel of bringing your car into campus and running the risk of accident and spending alot of gas. First, Madison is an awesome biking town with an extensive network of bike paths. I bike almost every day to school when the weather is nice. You get a workout on your way to class and you can beat most of the traffic. Second, all UW-Madison students recieve a free bus pass from the university to ride the Madison city bus line free of charge. You can get pretty much anywhere in the city on this bus line. To check out the routes, visit http://www.mymetrobus.com You can also compare the route map with addresses of the apartments you are looking at. If you do decide to live more than walking distance away, I'd say the bus is the best option.

Oh yeah, parking on university lots is free from 4:30pm to 7am. So if you are planning on studying at the medical school late on some evenings, you can bring your car and avoid a dark walk home or riding a late bus line. Just during the day is when parking is crappy.

Hopefully this helps you out missiongirl! I'd be happy to answer more questions.

 

[xadmin]

I am considering Madison too. However I do not like:

-Out of state tuition I have to pay
-Letter grading system
-Diversity of the school (How can the school be diverse when most of the class are Wisconsin resident?). I would not call any state school diverse.

Beside these, I loved the campus. Now, only if they are willing to give me a better scholarship than 15k a year.

 

[missiongirl]

Thanks for the helpful transportation/housing info!
Do you happen to know if we're issued laptops (if not, I am going shopping this summer! ), and also if the 1st and 2nd year electives are on a P/F or letter-graded basis?

 

[dutchmaster]

I'm not sure as to the answer of the grading question. Perhaps a friendly UW M1 could help us out.

I haven't heard of the school issuing laptops, however I do know that the UW gives out some awesome discounts to students when they buy tech equipment from the DOIT (division of information technology) techstore. Basically, all you need is a UW-Madison student ID# and you get awesome discounts (up to 300-400 bucks) on computers and other tech gear. You can even use this discount to buy ipods at a reduced rate ($269 for a brand new 20GB).

Good luck on your computer search

Thanks for the helpful transportation/housing info!
Do you happen to know if we're issued laptops (if not, I am going shopping this summer! ), and also if the 1st and 2nd year electives are on a P/F or letter-graded basis?

 

[xadmin]

While we are on this topic, is UW-Madison an "organ-based" approach or "discipline" approach?

 

[MadameLULU]

While we are on this topic, is UW-Madison an "organ-based" approach or "discipline" approach?

Discipline like biochemistry, pathology, etc.

 

[missiongirl]

Discipline like biochemistry, pathology, etc.

Do you know if there is a lab part of Biochemistry, or is it strictly just lecture?

Also, how does UWisc medical school handle exams? I think I remember hearing that they are almost every Monday during each semester?

And also, does the school do something I've been reading about, called "shelf exams", or is it just USMLE Step I, II, etc.?

Thanks for any advice you can give on these questions!

 

[xadmin]

Yeah discipline sucks. Anyway, how hard are the tests?

 

[washkeep]

I'm pretty damn excited and nervous about going to UW next year. I really like warm Madison. I figure I'll be in the library during the winter... right? I'm really not a cold weather person but i'm a hard-ass so i'll stick it out. Has anyone heard of a housing place.. the Monticello? My good friend, a nurse, has a two bedroom there that i might live in. anyways.. can't wait to meet all you guys!

 

[USAF_Dentman]

Im an undergrad at UW-Madison and i highly doubt i will even apply to its med school. Its not that the school is bad or anything, i just dont know if i can stand Madison for another 4 years..

The new med school? Is that the one being built across from Steenbock library?

 

[YzIa]

Im an undergrad at UW-Madison and i highly doubt i will even apply to its med school. Its not that the school is bad or anything, i just dont know if i can stand Madison for another 4 years..

The new med school? Is that the one being built across from Steenbock library?

While I'm not sure where Steenbock is, the new medical school facilities are next to the hospital and connected to the other health education buildings. It is very nice.

 

[USAF_Dentman]

While I'm not sure where Steenbock is, the new medical school facilities are next to the hospital and connected to the other health education buildings. It is very nice.

Oh its waaay out there, i never knew that, maybe i'll check it out, thanks

 

[DrET]

I will be moving from California to Wisc at the end of July and was wondering if early Aug is too late to find a place to live close to the med school? Do most of you have your housing arrangements made yet? Thanks a lot!!

 

[Ottercreek]

was wondering if early Aug is too late to find a place to live close to the med school? !

The lease start date for almost all madison rental properties is Aug 15 (I mean like 95% of the student rentals all have that _exact_ same date...kinda strange). But the housing situation is pretty good from a renters perspective - I think there are more units than renters in most years.

That being said, here is a good link to other M1s looking for roomates:

http://students.med.wisc.edu/

good luck,
OC

 

[DrET]

Sorry, another question. What is everybody doing as far as health insurance? Is the university health insurance (SHIP) pretty good? Any input would be much appreciated!
Thanks.

 

[liverotcod]

Sorry, another question. What is everybody doing as far as health insurance? Is the university health insurance (SHIP) pretty good? Any input would be much appreciated!
Thanks.

I have no idea if it's any good, but I was planning on enrolling the whole family in SHIP, at $7500 per annum. If it isn't good, I'm sure I'll regret that decision.

 

[liverotcod]

Also, check out the option of AMSA group health coverage, at studentresources.com (select AMSA from the dropdown).

 

[45408]

Also, how does UWisc medical school handle exams? I think I remember hearing that they are almost every Monday during each semester?

That's what I've heard, which I don't think I would like. I'm a WI resident, so obviously UW and MCW are two big considerations for me. I've heard that UW can be rather gunner-ish though, but I've only heard that second-hand.

 

[Ottercreek]

That's what I've heard, which I don't think I would like. I'm a WI resident, so obviously UW and MCW are two big considerations for me. I've heard that UW can be rather gunner-ish though, but I've only heard that second-hand.

Tests at UWisc are every two weeks. Its kinda nice because there's not enough time to build up too much material.

As for gunners, our class has seemed really mellow to me; of course most are shooting for good grades, but they don't do it to the detriment of their fellow students.

 

[liverotcod]

Who ever heard of a med school over-booking their class? Weird. Nevertheless, it bodes well for Wisconsin's future reputation, eh?

 

[washkeep]

I'm tempted to defer... but I'm ready to go. Does anyone have reccomendations for laptops for med school? That tablet looks way cool but way unneccessary.

 

[liverotcod]

I'm strongly considering the Dell Inspiron 9300 - a little bulky but you can get a great price on it using slickdeals.net. I think it's a good product but I don't know if it will be especially good for a med student. I have never had a laptop as a student.