*** Official UMDNJ-SOM class of 2009 ***

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Kazema said:
Hey if you play long enough you might not have a car to pay for :smuggrin:.
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nice. this is going to be fun. im definitely all in.
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Found the RFP for Contractors to bid on providing the COMLEX prep.

A PDF converted to HTML

Section 3.0 is where all the interesting stuff for us is.

I wonder who will win the bid.

3.2.3 Instructional Format

The Contractor must provide instruction on-site, in a classroom format, utilizing interactive

presentations. The Contractor must provide Clinical Presentations including examples and tie-

ins. The Contractor must provide follow-up assistance to students who are not successful in

passing their medical licensing exam. The names of students who are in need of this will be

furnished to the contractor by UMDNJ- SOM when the information is available. The Contractor

must provide diagnostic exams and interpretation of results to be issued at beginning and

completion of course to check pre / post course knowledge and course effectiveness.
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3.3

Board Certification Criteria

The Contractor must increase the Board Certification pass rate by a minimum of 3% annually.

The UMDNJ-SOM student mean should be maintained, at a minimum, at 30+ points above the

national mean, as indicated by the COMLEX Scores Report prepared by the NBOME.
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wow, kazema you completely wrecked the mcat. i thought i did well, but you took that thing and drop-kicked it. nice job.
 
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PublicEnemy said:
wow, kazema you completely wrecked the mcat. i thought i did well, but you took that thing and drop-kicked it. nice job.
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Thanks, that was a pretty good day for me ;)
 
Even though we sent back the form for April 8th, does anyone know if we also have to call to confirm that we'll be attending?
 
Kevbot said:
Even though we sent back the form for April 8th, does anyone know if we also have to call to confirm that we'll be attending?
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Yeah i received a call last night from an M1. The message asked me if I was going to come or not. This confused me because i had already received several calls asking for my housing preferences and all. I am going to call them back to confirm just in case. Sorry I've been mute since november on here, life is hectic. I just bought a place after an extremely tough search for housing. If you are renting its a breeze, but buying is hard with the choices being either ghetto or upperclass. There wasn't too much in the middle, but it finally worked out for me. See you guys on the 8th, when we reveal our true identities hahaha.
 
Hey congrats on the new house!

We should all wear two nametags - one with our real name and one with our SDN name. Though PublicEnemy may raise some eyebrows :smuggrin:.
 
How about we have a pre-meeting for SDNers, we can arrive a half-hour early and meet in the little courtyard by the Academic Center.

I was in the area today looking at apartments. I went by the "Colonials" in Cherry Hill. The good is that all utilities are included in the rent so there is no fluctuations from month to month and the school system is top (important for me since I have kids) but the bad is that it is 20 plus minutes away from SOM without traffic and there is no freight elevator; I have no clue how I would get some of my furniture up, especially my huge TV. I stopped by the school and spoke with someone in financial aid, he was very helpful.

I am seeing other apartment complexes over the next week and I will post about them too in case that it help other people.
 
hey guys, yeah, my screen name is a little intimidating on a name tag.

i heard that there will be reps from several of the popular living places, apt complexes at the luncheon/housing thing next week.
 
I like the pre-meeting idea. Anyone else?

This is what I was told over the phone about the schedule.

8:45 am -- Breakfast and some kind of info session (I think)
11 am - 12 pm -- Q&A session with current students
12 pm -- Lunch with students
1 pm - 2 pm -- Q&A with faculty
2 pm - ? -- Housing stuff

Anyone more clear about the schedule than me? I talked to Paula on Monday about my missing bio credits (she was really nice about that and waived it for me :D) and she gave me a really quick rundown on the housing day before I had to go supervise a group so I don't think I heard it all right.
 
Yeah, 8:45am is the start; let's meet in the courtyard at 8:15am just so we know who is who by our SDN names. I am looking forward to meeting you all and doing anything that I can to help our class out.

See you all there.
 
when ur lookin for housing for next semester, make sure u ask the administration for a list of comments that the 1st years put together for you guys. there's a few places that you would want to think twice about moving into... and on the other hand theres some places that are extremely popular and almost ideal.

not so good - woodmere ( even though its probably oen of the closests complexes to the school)

popular and affordable - timberidge, stonington court

the best deal - pine hill gardens (its subsidized housing, so you're NOT gonna find a better deal anywhere. trust me)

anyway..back to some DRY microbio :sleep:
 
Nate said:
Yeah, 8:45am is the start; let's meet in the courtyard at 8:15am just so we know who is who by our SDN names. I am looking forward to meeting you all and doing anything that I can to help our class out.

See you all there.
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8:15am eh? I see the sleep deprivation begins early this year. It might not be a bad idea though. I'm up for it.
 
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finding out who's who on SDN. that's going to be interesting. i anticipate it'll be a big mystery trying to figure out who nate or kevin are.

me, that shouldn't be too hard either, although i probably won't have a ski mask on.
 
To make a long story short: I am mostly decided on the Echelon Glenn Apartments in Voorhees after 4 trips to south jersey last week and seeing 6 apartments. It comes down to being a bit more expensive but these are the factors that won it: Proximity to UMDNJ (.5 mile), quality and size of apartment, Voorhees school system for my kids and safety of area, and a recommendation from a current student :)

Although I can't reserve the apartment yet because we haven't received our financial aid award letters yet, that is the plan unless I see or hear of something better before I get my financial aid letter. Again, if I was alone (without my kids) and in a different situation I probably would have chosen differently so I don't know how much help this is to anyone else.

Can't wait to meet you all on Friday :)
 
Nate said:
To make a long story short: I am mostly decided on the Echelon Glenn Apartments in Voorhees after 4 trips to south jersey last week and seeing 6 apartments. It comes down to being a bit more expensive but these are the factors that won it: Proximity to UMDNJ (.5 mile), quality and size of apartment, Voorhees school system for my kids and safety of area, and a recommendation from a current student :)

Although I can't reserve the apartment yet because we haven't received our financial aid award letters yet, that is the plan unless I see or hear of something better before I get my financial aid letter. Again, if I was alone (without my kids) and in a different situation I probably would have chosen differently so I don't know how much help this is to anyone else.

Can't wait to meet you all on Friday :)
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Hey Nate and everyone else....

Congrats again.... have fun at accepted students day. Try to get out and talk to the current students; they are your best source of info. Also, Nate, I think you made a great move as far as apts. are concerned. If you have kids, you want to live in Voorhees or Cherry Hill. Its def. worth the extra $$$. Also, I suggest that you guys all check out Pufferbellys over there across from the Ford dealer. If you don't know about Puffers, you will soon enough! I suggest that you SDN guys go in there, throw back a couple of pints of the beer of the month (2.00 or 2.50 / pint depending on the beer), and relax. You will spend a lot of time there....TRUST ME!! Try to meet Gil and Sid if you don't already know them or haven't met them yet. They are the best and they also happen to be your best source of info. Enjoy your new home for the next 4 years!
 
DrFeelgoodDO said:
Hey Nate and everyone else....

Congrats again.... have fun at accepted students day. Try to get out and talk to the current students; they are your best source of info. Also, Nate, I think you made a great move as far as apts. are concerned. If you have kids, you want to live in Voorhees or Cherry Hill. Its def. worth the extra $$$. Also, I suggest that you guys all check out Pufferbellys over there across from the Ford dealer. If you don't know about Puffers, you will soon enough! I suggest that you SDN guys go in there, throw back a couple of pints of the beer of the month (2.00 or 2.50 / pint depending on the beer), and relax. You will spend a lot of time there....TRUST ME!! Try to meet Gil and Sid if you don't already know them or haven't met them yet. They are the best and they also happen to be your best source of info. Enjoy your new home for the next 4 years!
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Is this ass-rammer STILL talking about Jersey? Christ.....
 
Congrats to all who got in! I hope to meet you at accepted students day!
 
Boomer said:
Is this ass-rammer STILL talking about Jersey? Christ.....
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There will also be a round the world party at timber ridge that all incoming student are invited.

Hope to see you there,
 
PublicEnemy said:
actually it might still be kaplan. kaplan is in the process of re-designing a course thats specifically tailored for COMLEX I and they're working on a class-room based course for the COMLEX II since they don't have anything like that yet. cherry hill kaplan center is still negotiating, trying to secure a long term contract with SOM, not sure whether they'll get it or not, but all the same umdnj-som has been influential in getting kaplan to gear their curriculum and is pro-actively looking for the best test-prep for their students. its sounds like its win-win since many of the SOM students choose to take the USMLE also and kaplan knows what they're doing with regards to that. SOM is looking out for its students.
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For your info, its not Kaplan this year. It is "boards boot camp" and I heard that it is much better. A doctor with phd teaches this course and I hear that is has been pretty effective so far with good pass percentages
 
luckyDO said:
For your info, its not Kaplan this year. It is "boards boot camp" and I heard that it is much better. A doctor with phd teaches this course and I hear that is has been pretty effective so far with good pass percentages
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yeah, i saw that too. well, that sounds promising.

i would still recommend kaplan qbank though for people who want to take both comlex and usmle. from what i've seen and heard, its not a bad deal and worth it.
 
party is at 7pm at timber ridge, ask the first or second years at the club fair (2-4pm in the MPR). most of the clubs will be represented with tables and first or second year members. first years have gross lab that afternoon so we'll be running back and fourth to meet you guys and answer questions.

Jay
 
Is there going to be a party for people accepted after April 8th????? :(
 
ArcherM2 said:
Is there going to be a party for people accepted after April 8th????? :(
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YUP, it's called your "orientation week." definitely a fun time to get to know each other and the class ahead of you.

to all those who made it today thanks for a great showing of SOM spirit. we were all really happy to meet you and i'm glad to have met some of you SDN guys.

and to all those who couldn't make it we'll still be looking forward to meeting you and showing you around as well.

-J
 
Can I just say you guys are all awesome. Thanks for a great party :D.
 
Nate said:
*hic* I just got home
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Well I'm glad you didn't drive Nate. A good time was had by all last night. I can see that med school is definitely going to be an adventure. The whole orientation day and night was great. Thanks to everyone for that.

So on housing: Timber ridge, Echelon Glenn, and Lake View seemed like a few of the best places to live. I think everyone who wants a roommate will get one. Since most of these places have the option of either 2 or 3 people per townhouse, there won't be an odd man left out. And also, with roommates, the apartments seemed to be significantly cheaper. I guess now it's just a matter of pairing everyone up.
 
So what was the final tally last night Nate? The last I saw, you were kind of zoning out on a recliner in Mexico. Sorry I forgot to say goodbye :oops:.
 
It's okay Kazema. I ended up crashing on USA's couch around 5 am. To all the people who hosted the party thank you very much. You guys rock.

It was great meeting you all, it was mind numbing trying to remember so many names :)
 
Nate said:
It's okay Kazema. I ended up crashing on USA's couch around 5 am. To all the people who hosted the party thank you very much. You guys rock.

It was great meeting you all, it was mind numbing trying to remember so many names :)
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Sorry Had to sneak in and read on your thread.

Sounds like you guys are having a blast already. Good for you. Work hard and play hard make people happy bunch. something like that.

Nate Montreal is still on... even with the changes.
BA
 
Nate said:
It's okay Kazema. I ended up crashing on USA's couch around 5 am. To all the people who hosted the party thank you very much. You guys rock.

It was great meeting you all, it was mind numbing trying to remember so many names :)
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Don't worry about remembering names just yet. We get face sheets with everyone's picture and information so we don't forget our classmate's names. Good to see that you can party hard.. b/c you sure will have to work hard later :rolleyes:
 
What are you guys planning on doing this summer?
 
I'm working through the end of June and then I am leaving for Honduras again for a few weeks. I plan to do some vacationing/networking while I am down there. The networking is for my hopeful plans to start an international medicine club this year and, if we get some faculty support, plan a medical mission to Honduras. I should be back a week before orientation. This of course is trumping my prior plans to attend the pre-matriculation program.

@DocBill - I look forward to it
 
Do you work with some Doc's down in Honduras?
 
Yes, I have become good friends with the pediatric surgeon in the regional hospital down there. I have worked with him and met other docs recently including the director of the hospital. The region, Olancho, is one of the largest and poorest of the country.
 
Nate said:
Yes, I have become good friends with the pediatric surgeon in the regional hospital down there. I have worked with him and met other docs recently including the director of the hospital. The region, Olancho, is one of the largest and poorest of the country.
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Hey Nate,
If I want to go on International mission ... do I have to be in Medical school. What NGO doesn't require this?

I figure since I defered for one year, I can now put in some time before starting. Of course you know I speak French. So Africa is a good place.. I also speak a few other languages. Unfortunately no Spanish. That is the next one to learn.
 
For me, I just did it on my own and in that case there is no requirement =) My dad was born in Cuba and after making a decent living here in the US he decided he needed to live his dream and return to Latin American farm life. He has lived in Honduras since on his ranch and I have been going down there since I was a teenager to visit. From there I have been able to build the relationships and contacts needed to do what I want. Without formal medical training I would imagine it hard to do any medical mission work with a group. In your situation, without any contacts, family, or friends in the country you wish to visit, you probably will have to wait until medical school to get involved. However, you can always join the Peace Corps, where knowing a language such as French would be great. That was one of my crushed dreams; since I have two children for whom I am solely responsible I could never do that.

For me, learning French is next. Maybe we can help each other

On another note this is my 499th incredibly helpful and informative post :rolleyes:
And so, for my next and 500th post, I will wait to make it memorable, or until my SDN addiction overwhelms me. Whichever comes first :laugh:
 
Nate said:
For me, I just did it on my own and in that case there is no requirement =) My dad was born in Cuba and after making a decent living here in the US he decided he needed to live his dream and return to Latin American farm life. He has lived in Honduras since on his ranch and I have been going down there since I was a teenager to visit. From there I have been able to build the relationships and contacts needed to do what I want. Without formal medical training I would imagine it hard to do any medical mission work with a group. In your situation, without any contacts, family, or friends in the country you wish to visit, you probably will have to wait until medical school to get involved. However, you can always join the Peace Corps, where knowing a language such as French would be great. That was one of my crushed dreams; since I have two children for whom I am solely responsible I could never do that.

For me, learning French is next. Maybe we can help each other

On another note this is my 499th incredibly helpful and informative post :rolleyes:
And so, for my next and 500th post, I will wait to make it memorable, or until my SDN addiction overwhelms me. Whichever comes first :laugh:
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Thanks for the info Nate.

500 only... you were away in sourth america for a long time. I already passed 1000. I don't know how many of them are informative. hehehe

BTW.. can't joint the Peace Corp. Canadian. ehhh!

I will try to get my own contacts going.. cause MSF won't accept students.

BA
 
I was just wondering if you all received phone calls notifying you of your acceptances, or if some of you received them by mail.
 
When was your interview and when did the committee meet?
There was a girl on accepted students day that didn't get a phone call and just received a letter of acceptance in the mail.
 
Also, if you got an interview that's a very good sign. UMDNJ seems to interview only a small pool of people verses some of the other schools that I applied to which interviewed tons of people.
 
I interviewed on Friday and the committee met today. I had heard that they send out phone calls the day the comitte meets. But then on the sheet that they give at the interview it says that we will be notified by mail. Nevertheless, I'm just trying to stay cool about it and not freak out.
 
Hey Archer, Dr. Wallace calls people in the evening. He won't leave a message about it though so if he doesn't get through to you it will come in the mail. Let us know as soon as you know!
 
ArcherM2 said:
I was just wondering if you all received phone calls notifying you of your acceptances, or if some of you received them by mail.
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I was notified of acceptance via mail only :)
 
:( Waitlisted....

Any ideas on what I should do now? I would absolutely, 100%, no if, ands, or buts, go to this school. Does anyone have any information on how many people get off the waitlist, etc....
TIA
 
You can write a letter of intent to Dr. Wallace and tell him just that; you would come to UMDNJ over any other school. You could also meet with Paula Slade and ask her that in person. I hope it works out for you Archer.
 
At accepted students day, there were a lot of students that were still waiting on other schools--so you still have a good chance. I agree with Nate that you should contact Dr. Wallace and Paula. Just keep updating the school on your present activities and make them well aware of how enthusiatic you are about going to UMDNJ. Paula is extremely nice, and I think it would be a good idea to get to know her better (and let her know you better). You could also just ask Paula what you could do to get off the waitlist. I'm pretty sure if you're persistent and enthusiastic about UMDNJ, you'll have a good chance of getting pulled off the waitlist. Good luck. Hope to see you in the fall.
 
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