Same here. The Penn State portal says ‘Your application is currently under review’.
On another note, Univ of Cincinnati have canceled their 2021 BSMD program.
The biggest thing that Union gave me was time management, since students in the program are usually taking 4 courses at a time on a trimester system. This means that we are usually pretty busy and need to budget our time efficiently to stay on top of things. Medical school is very similar in the sense that you have to use your limited time effectively, and time management on a trimester schedule is very similar to how medical school is structured in ‘blocks’ or ‘units’. I was also pleasantly surprised that a lot of the biology and chemistry courses I took in undergrad are very helpful in understanding the basic science lectures that we have at AMC. In terms of opportunities, I was involved in a few research projects at AMC as an undergrad which allowed me to have somewhat of a ‘presence’ at AMC before I started medical school. The investigators I worked with previously were great and put in some good words for me with other faculty who were looking for MS1s/MS2s to work on their projects.
In terms of what to expect from AMC. I got the Union acceptance in Late November and received the supplemental application in mid to late December. I think I was given a week or two to fill out the application and then heard back a couple weeks later about the interview. I was offered interview dates at the end of January and beginning of February. They usually offer interviews on Mondays and Fridays, but I have no idea how this will work during the pandemic. Usually they interview around 80 students and accept 40. They have rolling admissions and will send out the first round of acceptances once they have interviewed 40 students. At this first decision date they will accept some students and then defer the rest of the students to the second decision date.
1 Like
Honestly it was pretty great up until we got sent home 2/3rds of the way through Senior year. The way that a lot of BSMD students at Union structure their schedules is to take extra courses so that our spring trimester of senior year is relatively free, so we have more free time. I was a little sad that I never got the chance to enjoy my Senior spring, but I had a great time at home and I’m honestly thankful that I was able to spend a lot of time with my family before Medical School started. I have no regrets about choosing to attend Union and believe that it did a great job of preparing me for Medical School.
The first semester of Medical School has gone by really fast and I think I have settled into a nice routine. It was jarring at first when I realized the sheer volume of information we were expected to know, but once I worked out how to study effectively things became much easier. I’m really enjoying being a medical student since the information is interesting and I feel accomplished after finishing an exam that I know I studied hard for.
1 Like
Thank you @Undecided3494 for your valuable insights into Union/AMC. Really appreciate it!
If you don’t mind, Can I PM you when and if I get my AMC application?
@Undecided3494, thanks for the detailed information! Looks like AMC is 20mi from Union college. Just curious, how do you really do research at AMC? Is there a special transportation between AMC and UNION?
That’s a bummer about UC, especially since it sounds like it will be reopened in 2022.
That’s a big group of (in their website’s own words) “highly motivated, intellectually curious, and academically talented students who are serious about a career in medicine” that won’t be heading to UC.
Good feedback for the current group of students.
And good to know you feel prepared for medical school.
COVID19 messed plans for everyone but good you could spend quality time with family.
Keep sharing your experience in the experience thread as well.
Of course! I will try to respond quickly, but it may take me a couple of days to get back to you. Hope you get the supplemental application!
2 Likes
I was not really required to go to AMC to get involved in my research as I was mostly involved in Quality Improvement projects in the Capital Region. This meant that I was only required to attend video calls and periodically update the research coordinator on my progress. Since we get an MS or MBA in the Union/AMC program, it makes sense for us to get involved in Healthcare management projects. I was able to do bench research at Union itself, where I worked in a neuroscience professor’s lab for 2 and a half years. There is no special transportation from AMC to Union, but they do have a few events every year where the Union students can interact with the faculty from AMC.
1 Like
Thanks for reassuring me about the PSU SKMC program guys. I also had a question if anyone has heard news about Rutgers BA/MD newark yet?
Anyone heard back from TCNJ, NJMS or PITT?
I haven’t heard from NJMS yet (Rutgers combine program). I probably got rejected from NJMS then lol.
Well, it’s too early to say that.
All of the programs I applied to send out interviews supposedly mid-late December but people on this forum have already received some interviews so I’m just sorta worried right now. Also, the programs don’t do well notifying applicants of anything which is unfortunate. I guess for now all we can do is wait and keep going with senior year.
Thanks @Undecided3494! I am not sure how many courses all other students in pre-med take but you mentioned that most of them take 4 at Union. How difficult is that? How difficult is it to get 3.5 GPA?
1 Like
Any one had their NJIT interview yet, wondering if it was a panel interview or one in one. Thanx
When you got your interview invite from NJIT was it via mail or email? And did you get notified of your honors college acceptance before the invite? Just curious as I have yet to receive word from the college
I got the NJIT interview invite via email. I haven’t heard anything from the honors college, but I did get into their UG.
The typical pre-med student at Union will take 3 classes in a trimester as they do not have to take an extra 12 (for the MS) or 16 (for the MBA) classes in their 4 years. The fourth course is usually a graduate course that has lecture once a week for 3 and a half hours from 6:00 to 9:30. Taking the graduate courses is not that difficult since you are usually only taking two science courses at a time (which is very manageable), and the last course you take is usually related to your other major. The only time I felt really stressed was when I had to write my history thesis while taking 4 other courses, but that could not be avoided. Getting a 3.5 GPA is not that hard, but you have to start off strong and build a good buffer during Freshman year. Personally, I did not adjust well to college at all and ended my first trimester with a 3.3 and was put on probation. I ended up with a 3.9 GPA, so it is not impossible to dig yourself out of the hole either. Union also provides a lot of help for struggling students, and the advisor for the LIM programs does a great job of supporting us. Just a sidenote, the required GPA is a 3.5 overall GPA as well as maintaining a 3.5 math/science GPA.
@9the0girl7 - Did they send the webex link for the interview?