University of Rochester School of Medicine Individual responses

📚 General Info ▼

What graduating class are you in?

2012

Are you pursuing any joint degrees (MD/PhD, MD/MPH, etc.)?

No

Are you considered in-state or out-of-state for tuition purposes?

Not applicable

What is your race/ethnic background?

Caucasian

Overall, how would you rate this medical program?

7 out of 10

What is the reputation of the school in the medical community?

8 out of 10

What is the reputation of the research that goes on at this school?

8 out of 10

What was your MCAT score?

518

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What was your undergrad GPA?

3.4

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What was your undergrad science GPA?

3.3

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What was the zip code of your residence in high school?

11580

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What do you like most about this school?

There are so many opportunities here. Whatever your area of interest (or curiosity) it is very easy to find a faculty member who would be happy to have you work with them. Also doing a family medicine-type clerkship in the first two years is great - you learn a lot plus it keeps you motivated and you can see the material learned in class in a clinical perspective.

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What do you like least about this school?

Too much class time. While lectures aren't mandatory, there are mandatory small group activities more days than not. The amount of time is part of the downside of doing more intense clinical work during your first two years.

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Please provide any other general comments on your school

Most students are here because they want to be at this school in particular, whereas I feel some schools in say nyc get students who are more enthusiastic about the area than the school. There is a lot of individual support here, both from the faculty as well as fellow students checking in on each other.

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Curriculum ▼

How is the curriculum structured?

Systems-based

How many courses are taken at a given time?

2

How long are you typically in class per day?

5-6 hours

Are courses recorded for medical students?

Powerpoint slides provided only

How many days per week is anatomy lab?

4

How many students per cadaver?

3-4

How long (in months) do you have anatomy?

6 months

Is the curriculum lecture-centric or small-group centric?

5 out of 10

Are standardized patients used?

yes

How much patient interaction is there in the pre-clinical years?

10 out of 10

Are syllabi provided for the student?

yes

How frequently do pre-clinical medical school activities have mandatory attendance?

Mandatory PBL three times a week in the am. Once a week mandatory sessions in the afternoon, plus either one or two afternoons a week spent working at a preceptor's office out in the community.

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What books are necessary?

We are provided with syllabus for each course written by the instructors. Many of these are so well done that no other resources are needed (or maybe just an atlas for anatomy, etc.)

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What books are unnecessary?

Depends on your learning style.

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Is the curriculum designed to promote a specialty? If so, which specialty?

I feel there is an equal balance between emphasizing research/academic medicine and clinically-focused medicine.

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Location & Housing ▼

How do you feel about the location of the school?

7 out of 10

Do you feel safe on campus?

7 out of 10

How available and convenient is public transportation?

6 out of 10

Is a car necessary at any point during your education here?

All years

If a car is required for education, how available and convenient is the parking provided to students?

6 out of 10

Is on-campus housing available?

yes

What is the quality of available on-campus housing?

8 out of 10

What percentage of your medical school classmates would you estimate live on campus, if on-campus housing is available?

3 out of 10

Is couples housing available?

yes

Is nearby off-campus housing available?

yes

How expensive is nearby off-campus housing?

9 out of 10

Please describe the on-campus housing if available (i.e., cost, type - studios, 1-br, 2-br, etc.)?

There are a few different areas of grauate student (mostly medical) housing. This ranges from an apartment building next to the hospital to a nearby complex of houses with multiple bedrooms, playground, etc that are preferred by families. Not very expensive, plus most come with utilities included (heat can cost a lot in rochester, not having to turn down the thermostat to save money is really nice).

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Cost/Financial Aid ▼

Are fees/tuition expensive?

3 out of 10

How is the cost of living (rent, food, bills, etc.)?

9 out of 10

Are many institutional scholarships/grants available?

7 out of 10

Is institutional aid need-based or merit-based?

Both

Faculty/Grades ▼

Are faculty members very open to students during office hours?

7 out of 10

Are faculty members very available to students via email/message board?

9 out of 10

Are there many opportunities to shadow/work with clinical faculty?

10 out of 10

Are the faculty willing to mentor students in regards to career guidance?

9 out of 10

Is the class ranked?

no

How is the instructional faculty during pre-clinical years?

There are many amazing, supportive faculty very dedicated to educating each student. Not all the lecturers are uniformly excellent, but most of the course directors are.

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How is the instructional faculty during clinical years?

Good for the most part.

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What is the grading scale used during pre-clinical years?

Pass/Fail, the top 10% in a given class get a small recognition, such as inclusion of this information in their dean's letters. However I have not seen this cause any competition or stress, most people are not in the top 10, so we just focus on passing. I don't think it takes away from the advantages of the pass-fail system, but rather gives the top students an opportunity to be additionally recognized.

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What is the grading scale used during clinical years?

Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail

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Clinical Rotations ▼

Are the desired rotation sites easy to obtain?

3 out of 10

Is desired rotation order easy to obtain?

3 out of 10

Are the elective rotations easy to obtain?

8 out of 10

Is there substantial hands-on experience for medical students?

8 out of 10

Are the rotation sites conveniently accessible for medical students?

8 out of 10

How far are the clinical sites from the main campus?

8 out of 10

How are clinical rotations scheduled? What are the required rotations?

Students rank their preferences for different "tracks", and they use an algorithm to optimize preferences.

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What responsibility do med students have on the wards?

Varies with clerkship, attending, etc. Most students are given a couple patients for whom they oversee care.

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What is the status/condition of the affiliated hospital(s)?

Strong, the main teaching hospital, is excellent and most highly regarded in the area. Students sometimes rotate at other affiliated hospitals nearby. Administration seems responsive to student concerns - a "bad" rotation at a specific hospital has been eliminated to do complaints.

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What is the typical patient population medical students work with?

Rochester has a great variety - from urban, inner-city, poorer communities, to middle class/upper middle class suburban communities, to pretty rural communities in the surrounding region. I think the diversity of the patient population is definitely a strong aspect of the clinical training.

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Social Environment ▼

Do students do a lot of activities outside of school together?

9 out of 10

How would you rank student involvement in extracurricular clubs?

6 out of 10

What is the range of extracurricular clubs available?

6 out of 10

Is the student body cooperative or competitive?

8 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for underrepresented minorities?

8 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transsexual students?

8 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for students with disabilities?

5 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for married students?

7 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for older/non-traditional students?

7 out of 10

What do the students typically like to do in the area?

Go out to different restaurants, bars, occasionally to dance clubs. Several movie theatres, including a nearby $2 theatre and good independent theatre. Lots of opportunities for outdoor activities close by - hiking, rock climbing, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, etc.

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Post Graduation ▼

How do graduates from this school fare in residency and clinical practice?

Students are well-prepared for residency, and while many non-medical professionals aren't familiar with Rochester, in medical circles it has a very strong reputation for being an excellent school.

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Is this school known for producing physicians strong in a certain area? If so, which area?

Neuroscience and primary care departments are particularly strong. Rochester students are strong in both research and clinical practice, depending on a student's interest.

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What do you believe residency directors think about graduates from this program?

Graduates are well-regarded by residency directors. In particular, having had 4 years of clinical work as opposed to 2 years, students are known for being very competent and comfortable talking to and counseling patients compared to students form other schools.

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University of Rochester School of Medicine

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