<p>Prepare very well for your interviews at UMDNJ. It's one of the toughest interviews my DS experienced and the selection hinges highly on your performance in this interview.
Good luck to all of you who are applying.</p>
<p>i would still say to prepare very well, but i don't know how much the selection actually hinges on your interview. i personally thought that my UMDNJ interview was my best one, but to my surprise I didn't get in. however, i did get into several other programs (regarded by many as even higher tier than UMDNJ) where i still had good interviews, but i didn't think they were as good as my UMDNJ interview.</p>
<p>hey thanx for the insight guys...is there nything you can tell us about the interview process itself and the kinds of questions they ask?</p>
<p>i always hear that they ask alot of ethics questions...im jus tryna figure out wat to expect..</p>
<p>yea, like do you have any tips on how to prepare for it?
thanks :)</p>
<p>I had emailed these to a CC'er who asked details about the interview. I have copied part of my message below. I heard how important the interview is through the director of admissions who my DH happened to bump into at a seminar. She was the person who told my DH that 50% elimination occurs at the UMDNJ interview.</p>
<p>Therefore, be well prepared for the interview. BE ON TIME! Make eye contact and speak clearly. Show your passion for Medicine. Be ready for the following topics.</p>
<ul>
<li>what kind of ECs/and or research you have done in school</li>
<li>why do you feel you want to be a doctor
*what is the difference between traditional MD degree (ie 4+4) vs the 7 year program</li>
<li>what medically related activities you have done that indicate your inclination for medicine</li>
</ul>
<p>The doc who interviewed my DS was quite an older guy (60+ yrs old) and even asked him where else he had applied. My DS was frank and told him the names of all the schools. After the interview, DS had second thoughts about whether he should have been so frank in the first place...... but it worked out for him anyway.</p>
<p>Try to get your Dad or Mom to run through a list of questions with you and prep for your interview. </p>
<p>Good luck, you all!</p>
<p>
[quote]
In response to your statement that 'NJMS is a mediocre medical school' -</p>
<p>As far as medical schools are concerned, one should ask themselves whether they want to seek an MD/PhD program or a purely clinical MD degree.</p>
<p>I agree that if you are a Research oriented person, NJMS is probably not the best place for you. You ought to go by US News ratings for research. Do note however, that US News rates medical schools by the research opportunities and not by "clinical experience".</p>
<p>I would read up posts by other medical students or doctors (Veterans on this board IMO) such as BDM, Bluedevilmike, or Norcalguy or My $0.02 who have repeatedly mentioned that US News is not a valid rating if you are interested in a 'clinical' degree and if you are not interested in pursuing research. So, when you call any US certified medical school mediocre - I suggest you read up their prior posts about clinical ratings.</p>
<p>My post above in no way restricts OP from applying to Rice or NW. Do note however that if any of you are considering applying to UMDNJ, and if you are a State resident, your chances of being accepted are much higher within NJ schools than outside of NJ.</p>
<p>Total cost involved and opportunity-</p>
<p>Most states, as a rule accept a greater % of students within the state than OOS.
Also note that as a state resident your tuition and fees will be far lower than as an OOS applicant.</p>
<p>NJMS's current total tuition is around $25,000. Add to this about $15,000 for room and board + $3000 for books. Your total cost of education if you were to start medical school today, would be around $43,000/year. Rutgers and TCNJ provide 100% ride to students that are accepted in their 7 year NJMS program. So, your parents will shell out minimal costs for your undergraduate education.</p>
<p>Rice and Northwestern are absolutely great places to apply. However, their cost of undergraduate education is about $40,000-45,000 for each year of undergrad and for NW, med schools is ~ $52,000 today. By the time you graduate with your BS and start med school, expect Northwestern's med school education to be around $60,000 per year.</p>
<p>So, if you plan to go ear deep in debt or have very wealthy parents whose 401ks are not dwindled down in these difficult economic times and are 100% sure about their security for the next 8 years, go for Northwestern and Rice! You might be very few lucky ones amongst most students these days who can be so sure of their economic spiggets for next 8 years!</p>
<p>As a parent, I would much rather keep aside the extra $200-250,000 to give my son as a gift toward a Clinic he may one day want to open.
[/quote]
I agree completely.</p>
<p>I'm current a 3rd year pharmacy student at Rutgers University and I'm in the National Guard with a commissioning date of August 2009.</p>
<p>In my case, I would not choose any other medical school than a NJ state school if I were accepted. Why?</p>
<p>-Tuition waiver: I would pay nearly nothing for medical school for every single semester while I am there.
-I would receive Captain pay with BAH while I'm in school which comes out to $90k+ per year. Who can say they're not paying anything for medical school while getting paid $90+k/year?
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-Take out loans and have it covered under the Healthcare Loan Repayment program.<br>
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<p>I'll take all that over paying $50k/year for a medical school in a nice area.</p>
<p>Just met a dear old friend yesterday. Her DD is a JHU Premed although she is from NJ.
When she sent her DD off to JHU, she was fairly secure in her job and health.</p>
<p>However, most recently, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. On top of that, due to the tough economic time, she been informed that she has only 2 more months in her job. She has been paying $55k/year which was not easy for her even with a secure job. Now, with her job security gone, was lamenting over using up all her 401K for DD's Premed. </p>
<p>Looking back on the decision my DS took in matriculating at the TCNJ 7 yr BS/MD program, I am relieved with his choice.</p>
<p>A LOT of things can change over 8 years... people loose jobs, critical and life changing health problems can arise, what may seem like a secure parental financial backing today can take turn for the worse. One should keep these variables in mind before making a decision.</p>
<p>Even if students choose to take loans. Be cognizant of the total loan amounts you accrue over a course of your BS/MD and the kinds of constraints they may impose on you when you are ready to 'start living'</p>
<p>polo i looked extensively into the ASR program, and i came across several people who are actually in the program. you will only be receiving pay as a 2nd Lieutenant and you will only get living expense reimbursements for a maximum of 3 years. all together, it's about $50k-$55k a year for 3 years, which is really good, but nowhere near the $90k per year you were quoting.</p>
<p>after the 3 years, you are no longer an active soldier and will only have to attend drilling sessions once a month for a period of 5 years (yes that will extend into residency and they will still expect you to come). during this 5 year drilling period, you receive no salary because you are not an active soldier, you will make only make $ for each drilling session you attend. from what i've heard, it's about $300 per drilling session, so if you go 10 times a year, it's about $3000 a year.</p>
<p>
[quote]
polo i looked extensively into the ASR program, and i came across several people who are actually in the program. you will only be receiving pay as a 2nd Lieutenant and you will only get living expense reimbursements for a maximum of 3 years. all together, it's about $50k-$55k a year for 3 years, which is really good, but nowhere near the $90k per year you were quoting.</p>
<p>after the 3 years, you are no longer an active soldier and will only have to attend drilling sessions once a month for a period of 5 years (yes that will extend into residency and they will still expect you to come). during this 5 year drilling period, you receive no salary because you are not an active soldier, you will make only make $ for each drilling session you attend. from what i've heard, it's about $300 per drilling session, so if you go 10 times a year, it's about $3000 a year.
[/quote]
I'm currently 21 and a 3rd year pharmacy student. I'll be commissioning this August 2009 into a traditional combat arms branch. By the time I graduate pharmacy and am eligible for med school, I will most likely have already been promoted to CPT so it'd be typically more than 50-55k/year as a 2LT.</p>