Baylor Class of 2007

[Indy]

i didn't see an existing thread for our class, and thought it might be helpful as we begin to deal with financial aid, housing, and other issues.

so who am i going to be seeing at baylor next year? speak up!

also, what are your thoughts on the community service work opportunities that came with the financial aid paperwork? i want to work for maybe 10 hrs per week, but preferably in the baylor building, like the study room perhaps, and not outside TMC...anyone know how to find out about the 'on-campus' work opportunities?

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[Peter Parker]

Indy,
I'll be seeing you at BCM next year. Are you excited? I don't know about you, but it really hasn't set in yet that I'm going to Baylor.
Have you figured out housing yet? I'm still looking at a few places around the med center, but they all look eerily similar. I don't know much about the Community Service program, though they did send us the information for it in the Fin Aid packet. At the moment, I'm more curious about the International Medicine track and the Medical Ethics track. Do you think they look promising?

 

[Indy]

yeah man i'm so excited, i keep going to that class of 07 website and to the main website to see if they post anything new, and every time i look at the tmc map i can't believe my luck.

as for housing, i live in austin and i'll be back in texas after graduation in may, so when i get home i'm going to head to houston and check out some places, also try to find out about jobs in the library etc. do you know many other people going to baylor who've already chosen housing? i was expecting most people to do that this summer...which is why that housing PDF file on the class of 07 website didn't seem to have too many 'roommate wanted' ads so far from people in our class.

one question though - from the fin aid packet, did you understand it to mean that as long as it's submitted by may 13, we'll be in the first round of fin aid awards? or are they rolling it starting as soon as we received the packet? i submitted the fafsa already, but my parents are just now finishing filling out the other paperwork.

and regarding the international health or bioethics tracks, i'm having a really hard time deciding which to pursue...every few days here there's some seminar or other about bioethics or about international health, so every time i go to one of those it changes my mind about which focus to pursue. i think it'd be really cool though, if i did the international health focus, to maybe use part of the 10 month break in MS3 and MS4 to travel abroad and make a documentary about international health or volunteer in some health setting.

so there's gotta be more people on sdn than just you, me, and rjhtamu planning to go to baylor...maybe people just haven't updated on the acceptances thread

 

[nero]

i'm heading over to houston in the fall......i'm probably going to make a trip ther ebefore i move in so i can check out the apartments...........i'm pretty excited abut their curriculum and moving to texas (since i'm out of state).......................


nero

 

[wazupshah]

Wazup Fellas'! How's the weather in Texas this week?? The East Coast is pretty fu@king cold this week - I'm looking forward to the warm plains of Houston. Hopefully I'll be joining y'all at Baylor this fall. (I'm still waiting to hear back Post-interview)

Nero, my fellow outta-stater - where ya' from? I'm from the DC area.

Indy - I'm leaning towards the int.health track. The ethics track certainly sounds interesting, but the prospect of using those 10 free months to do some amazing clinical rotations at various locations around the world is too enticing. Anyone know how many of those months can be done abroad? Is there a limit?

Let's hope some more faces start popping up in this thread, it's starting to look like a poor showing for Baylor. Maybe there's just less SDNers in the Baylor acceptee pile than at other schools.

 

[Serenity07]

hey everyone,
i'll be at baylor in the fall, and i am very excited. i can offer some tips as far as housing goes. the student affairs office gave me the names of two very sweet apartment locators, and we went and looked around over spring break, and i found a nice place on a very good deal. they give you this huge packet with all the nearby apartments, their amenities, and prices, and then if you want to look around, they'll go with you. if you just want to pm me, i can give you their names.
for financial aid, i think if you get it in by may 13, you'll be in the same cycle. the woman i talked to in the fin aid office said that the ones they get by mid april will be hearing something back by the end of april.
congratulations to everyone! can wait to meet you all on july 28th!!

 

[Peter Parker]

I think some of the UT-Houston and some BCM people have already been looking at housing. If I remember correctly, rjhtamu and Pickle Salt already have settled on places...as have some others who I can't recall. But, you are right, the Housing info on the BCM Class of 2007 website does seem a bit sparse.

When I spoke with a medical student regarding the International Health track, she had mentioned that it is possible to tack on an extra whole year to go abroad (in addition to the 3-6 months you get with the International Health track) -- apparently, the Office of Student Affairs will work with you to construct any sort of international experience desired, but it may turn into a '5-year' MD plan. I know it's early to start thinking about this, but do any parts of the world hold particular interest for you? I found this solid website (currenty under renovation) showing perhaps hundreds of international health rotations in over 50 countries(http://www.ifmsa.org/exchanges). I'm not sure if any of you have looked at Baylor's electives abroad, but they are very diverse also: http://public.bcm.tmc.edu/intl_students/elective_locations.html

With regard to the fin aid packet, I believe that all those who submit their info by May 13 will have decisions in the first round. Now, my question is: Do they have to receive our parents tax returns before they give us a financial aid package, or will they rely on the estimates?

Serenity,
If you don't mind sharing, which apartments seemed most reasonable? I'll probably wait until May or June before seriously committing to any place, but who knows.

 

[Serenity07]

The apartments I can think of off the top of my head are 2111 Holly Hall, Archstone Medical Center, the Lanesborough, and Parque del Oro. Archstone Medical Center and the Lanesborough were my favorites (albeit a little expensive), with 2111 Holly Hall being a great deal at a good price.

 

[nero]

Originally posted by wazupshah

Nero, my fellow outta-stater - where ya' from? I'm from the DC area.

What;'s up wzupshah....i'm from cocoa beach (right next to cape canaveral) and go to school in ft lauderdale...............from DC huh?..got lots of friends and family there, love the place, just can't stand the cold......where abouts in dc are you from?.....i got lots of family in rockville (md)..........................



nero

 

[tej77]

Hey all,

I'll be at Baylor in the fall too. I've got my housing pretty much down...I live in Houston now, but I'll be moving closer to the med center. I'm very excited and happy to meet all of you. I've already bought some Baylor gear from the bookstore.

Hey Serenity...how are things going?

 

[Serenity07]

hey tej, things are going pretty good! have you decided where you're going to live? i was in houston this weekend, and i went to ikea. so much to buy, so little money! pm me if you want.

 

[spacecadet]

Hey there,

I'll be in the class with you. You'll recognize me as the old lady at orientation.

Pam

 

[Indy]

good to see there'll be plenty of us at bcm...

tej - have they renovated the bookstore area yet? they had temporarily moved the bookstore into that tiny space near the fuseball tables when i ivwd, but they said they were moving to a larger room soon...just wondering if that actually happened.

btw did anyone see the baylor gym? somehow i forgot to check it out

naveen

 

[Peter Parker]

Indy,
I've seen the gym on the top floor of one of the buildings. To tell you the truth, it's not much at all. It has a basketball court, one medium-sized weight room, and another room with treadmills. However, it does the job. The Rice gym which is only a few blocks away, though, is amazing.

Btw, did anyone get to see the anatomy labs? I missed that part of the tour. Also, is everybody here in-state?

So, it looks as though there are at least seven of us on SDN heading to BCM next year -- 5% of the class almost.

 

[nero]

So are we allowd to use the rice gyms?......peter parker, i'm out of state adn so is wazupshah.....i

nero

 

[Indy]

yeah i'd be interested to know more about this rice gym...speaking of which, are we allowed to go to rice events (and is this common), like lectures on campus, get invovled in their student orgs perhaps - since there's that rice-baylor bs-md program i figure there's got to be some sort of relationship between students and programs at both schools.

i did see bcm's anatomy lab, and it was really nice. i took anatomy last semester, duke's anatomy lab is pretty small, the ceiling is low, it smells b/c of poor ventilation, and the whole lab is split up into sections by walls, it's freezing cold, the display bones are all broken b/c they're old and have been dropped many times, the lab is in a building that's separate from the classrooms bldg, and the whole room is white tile so it has that sterile autopsy-suite look. also the smell is made worse b/c the bodies are left on tables and wrapped in black garbage bags.

bcm's lab on the other hand was freshly carpeted (which is sorta weird) b/c of the floods last yr, it wasn't freezing cold, very well ventilated, i didn't notice any smell, they have really nice body sections displayed outside, the room is more comfortable and it feels like you could sit there for hours late at night without constantly turning around to see if a body came back to life and was wandering around the room. the lab at baylor is one large room which seems to me better for teaching, well lit, not white fluorescent light but incandescent, and it's in the same building as the classrooms so you don't have to hike there. the bodies are in tanks, which to me seems cleaner and protects the bodies better than duke's table setup, not to mention limiting the smell.

i'm sort of in state - used to live in texas, then moved to VA at the end of high school, then in college while i was in applying to med school my parents moved back to texas...so lucky for me that gave me instate status.

naveen

 

[wazupshah]

Anyone got an anwswer about our access to Rice gym/orgs/events?


Nero - Dude, I work in Rockville! and I live 10 minutes away in Gaitherburg. Small world, eh.

 

[tej77]

Hey spacecadet/Adcadet....I think I know you from another forum!! Anyway, as far as places to live, I decided on the lanesborough....at least I put money down over there...Serenity, you and Alauna talked me into it.

Indy, the bookstore is definitely renovated now...it's in the basement behind the cafeteria. They were still kind of setting up when I was there, but it's way better than that other one...

Peter, the anatomy lab is great, like Indy said. They have a state-of-the-art ventilation system to keep the smell away....

wazupshah, I'm from Houston and I work in the medical center now. I don't really know there to be many crossover events between Rice and Baylor. There are a lot of Rice people at Baylor, and events are open to Baylor student, but it's not a formal thing as far as I know.

I'll PM you, Serenity!

 

[Peter Parker]

tej77,
Are there 1-bedroom apts. available at the Lanesborough, or are they all 2-bedrooms. Also, you probably already know this, but if you to rent.com, you can get $100 off your lease at the Lanesborough (by saying you saw the property on their website).

And you're right. There are A LOT of Rice students at BCM. Something on the order of two dozen in every class, I believe. There isn't any formal relationship I think with regard to accessing the gyms, lectures, and clubs -- however, I don't think Rice minds BCM students at all. For gym access, it might be best to befriend a Rice undergrad and use their guest pass. I know of some Baylor students who attend events sponsored by Rice clubs. These two institutions co-exist very well, and I would imagine cross-programming to be a common thing.

Spacecadet,
I remember you from the forums last year! I've been in touch with mma, who has helped me a great deal through all of this. I hope you had a restful year. I hear Baylor's like one big family.

 

[nero]

Originally posted by wazupshah
Anyone got an anwswer about our access to Rice gym/orgs/events?


Nero - Dude, I work in Rockville! and I live 10 minutes away in Gaitherburg. Small world, eh.

REally?...my sister works in the government building for HRSA.......its near the plaza with the huge old navy and barnes and noble...the plaza's across from fridays.....(forgot the street)......probably nto a good description, but since its a small town you might knwo where it is...........where abouts do you work?

So do most Rice kids come from this BS/MD program?......is it some 7 year program or something?............if you think about i would expect a lot of baylor kdis to be welcome by rice for use of their facilities, and vice versa since rice is like baylors undergrad (baylor's no longer associated with baylor university in waco) and baylor is like rice's med school.......

nero

 

[Indy]

thanks to serenity for the apartment recommendations...i looked up 2111 holly hall, fyi it has horrible reviews (n=9) for its management and maintenance, which probably explains why it's cheaper. found the reviews at http://www.aptratings.com

i did some research on the other apts serenity mentioned, since some of us can't check out the apts in person until school ends and we head to texas.

lanesborough is really nice but also quite expensive, 2 bed 2 bath is between 500-600 per person per month (couldn't find exact price online). that's unfurnished and utilities not included, i believe.

archstone med ctr is 2 bed 2 bath is either 489 or 455 per person per month depending on your choice of floor plan. the website said "major utilities included: pest control" but i dont know if that means utilities like electricity and water are included or if that just means they consider pest control a major utility. unfurnished

parque del oro seemed better priced, 2 bed 2 bath is 845, unfurnished and no utilities but one website says it's 'full size washer/dryer', whether that means it's included in each apartment or whether they have a laundry facility somewhere or whether there's just a space for the machines in the apartment i dunno. has excellent review on the aptratings.com website, although n=1 so it could be the apartment owner trying to fudge the review...
http://www.parquedeloro-houston.com


naveen

 

[Peter Parker]

If anyone is interested in an awesome apt. complex on a bus line to Baylor, check out the Greenbriar Chateau. It's a bit pricey at $975 for a two bedroom/two bath, but it's in such a beautiful area...and very close to Rice Village. It's not located in Condo-land either, which could be a plus or a disadvantage -- depends on how you look at it.
You can find the info on it at rent.com. Another nice complex I found that is very central to things is The Boulevard (see rent.com for this one also).
Are people generally considering the area south of Holcombe, or other areas as well?

 

[spacecadet]

Originally posted by tej77
Hey spacecadet/Adcadet....I think I know you from another forum!!

Hi tej, which forum? OPM? Adcadet is a different person, I'm just spacecadet.

Pam

 

[tej77]

Sorry spacecadet! Well, I think I know you from mommd. I'm the engineer from Houston.

Anyway, thanks peter for the advice on the $100 off. I'll try it even though I've already given them some deposit money. We'll see. Anyway, I got in on a pretty good deal at Lanesborough. They were having a really nice special at the time I signed up and it amounts to over $100 off every month.

With the apartment stuff, also, I think it would be nice for everyone to think about how they're getting to campus everyday. Does the apt have a free shuttle? Does it have a pay shuttle (this must be factored into your monthly expenses). Or, do you have to ride the bus?

There are some apts like Laneborough, and the Greenbriar, that are close to a free shuttle. Also, I've heard bad things about 2111 Holly Hall too. Be ware.

 

[cmz]

Originally posted by tej77


There are some apts like Laneborough, and the Greenbriar, that are close to a free shuttle. Also, I've heard bad things about 2111 Holly Hall too. Be ware.

I have a single bedroom at the lanesborough and I love it. It's 8 mins walking distance from the Red shuttle (also near the soon-to-be-built metro rail come 2004)... of course, you would get the same deal if you lived across the street at the Greenbriar or Briar Green Place.

 

[jalan2]

Hi guys!

I'm not accepted yet, but I really want to go there! I'm wondering if you guys know when the first day of orientation and the first day of class are for Baylor this year.

Thanks!!
-j2-

 

[Indy]

hey jalan,

orientation starts on july 28, and classes start on august 4

here's baylor's academic calendar for next year:
http://www.bcm.tmc.edu/osa/2007/calendar.html

good luck to you!

 

[tej77]

Any other Baylor people lurking out there?

 

[jalan2]

Thanks Indy!!!

 

[Joos]

Hey everybody! I'm also an out-of-stater and I'll be attending Baylor this summer. I've heard good things about the lanesborough (but it is expensive)... In finding an apartment I mainly want a place that's quiet, convenient to baylor (like close to a free shuttle), and safe. Have you guys found anything like that priced under the lanesborough? Well, thanks for any help you can give and I look forward to seeing you guys in July!

 

[Serenity07]

page 3 ... unacceptable!

has anyone received their financial aid stuff yet? i'm really curious to find out what my financial situation is going to be like...

 

[tej77]

I didn't want our Baylor thread to die out! What are all you Baylor people doing for the summer? What do you think about the PRN groups?

 

[bujji13]

Originally posted by tej77
I didn't want our Baylor thread to die out! What are all you Baylor people doing for the summer? What do you think about the PRN groups?

PRN groups??
What's that?

 

[nero]

Originally posted by bujji13
PRN groups??
What's that?

So bujji have you decided on Baylor? I know you had a tough decision to make........to answer your q, here's it below.....

"A part of the Baylor experience that we are quite fond of is PRN (Pre-Clinical Resource Network). PRN was formed by students to help ease the transition into medical school. Each of you will be in a group of 11-12 first year students. The groups (e.g. ?The Hearts, The Rolling Histones, etc.?) participate in orientation parties, lunches, study breaks coordinated by faculty and student advisors, and more. Two faculty members, two second year students, one third year student and one fourth year student are assigned to each group; they are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to be of assistance in any way they can, not to mention ready to have fun! "

tej, i think this is a great idea, it'll be fun and we'll get a chance to get to know eachother and upperclassmen who can provide guidance and tell us about what's fun in houston (i'm out of state, so i know nothing)...........also, having faculty you are close to is always helpful...........i think since its informal, it may be less intimidating to talk to these people...........shoudl be fun thouh....what you think?


nero

 

[tej77]

I think the PRN thing sounds good in theory. I definitely think it will help with the transitional thing. I like the idea of the retreat to. I appreciate the fact that they've spent a lot of time trying to help us get acclimated to each other and med school in general. I hope the groups end up being what they are designed to be, and not just a half-a$$ed kind of thing. That's my only "bad" thought about it. But, like I said, I appreciate the attempt!

 

[nero]

Hey, hope everyone's realxing and enjoying their break.......


for those in the houston area, how are Westbury Gardens?.....
I'm looking for a condo, and was wondering if it is near the medical school and if its in a safe/nice area...............thanks for your help.........


nero

 

[Peter Parker]

Nero,
Do you have the address of the place?

When does everybody plan on getting settled in? I will probably make it there around late July. Also, has anyone received their financial aid package?

 

[Serenity07]

I received my financial aid stuff at the end of April, and I had completed my application and other paperwork by the end of March.

For those of you who are buying new computers, what kind are you getting? I'm also debating whether or not to hold out until I am officially enrolled so that I can get the "significant" Dell discount. Does anyone have an idea of what that discount is?

Back to work... I am sooo bored.

 

[nero]

Peter - i checked out the distnace and its like 8.5 miles, so i'm thinking its too far..........what about 2425 Holly Hall Plaza Place. its only ~ 2 miles away....do you know anything about them?


serenity - i'm thinking of getting a laptop....not for the purpose of bringing it to school, but because my desktop is too much of a pain to bring from florida and takes up too much space............i'm not sure what kidn of deal they can give us, casue there are some pretty good dell laptops for sale for like 900........a friend of mine just got one...i mena its not like some lighting fast one wehre you can save like 10 mllin songs...but it gets teh job done......guess it depends on what you want it for.....


nero

 

[Peter Parker]

Nero,
I've heard that Holly Hall is very popular with the med students. I'm not a big fan of 'Condo Land,' but it does have its conveniences. If you purchase one of the condos there for 80K or so (many are listed on the BCM Class of 2007 website), I've been told the mortgage comes out to 400/-, much cheaper than some apts. in the area. Also, it's really close to a bus line to the Med Center -- I can't stress the importance of this enough.
Try not to live too far from BCM. They say the main advantage to living close by comes during second year when you hit your rotations and can then go home really fast to crash at the end of your shift.

Serenity,
If I'm not mistaken, you might want to give Dell a call and tell them you're going to be a student at BCM -- they'll probably just give you the same student deal right over the phone.

 

[jalan2]

Hey Guys,

For those who had completed their paperwork/financial aid stuff, does Baylor ask for a copy of your parents' tax form?

I'm curious since my parents live overseas, so it would take me a bit more coordination to obtain a copy. I think most other schools ask for it as well.

Thanks for the help. Good luck to those of you who are looking for a place to live!
-j2

 

[Serenity07]

Jalan -- If you want to apply for scholarships, then Baylor does want a copy of your parent's tax return.

 

[jalan2]

Thanks Serenity07!

-j2

 

[wazupshah]

Scoot, make room... Cuz this fool just joined the ranks of Baylor's class of 2007!!

Waazzzzzzup!

And the first thing I gotta say is...
Anyone notice on the website that BCM has an Ultimate Frisbee Club?! How freakin' awesome is that?!?!?!

No, seriously though:
Any advice for someone moving to Texaz?

Also, is there any requirements that our computer has to meet? I'm thinking about buying an apple laptop - One of those sweet titanium powerbooks, and I'm wondering if I'm going to have compatability issues.

 

[Peter Parker]

Welcome to the family, Wazupshah, and congratulations!

My advice on moving to Houston:
1) Find a place close to a bus line to the med center, because you can forget about parking.
2) Your summer wardrobe is now your entire year's wardrobe.
3) And try to get comfortable with the idea that country music isn't all that bad.

As for the Apple notebook, I believe there are some basic requirements listed on the Class of 2007 website in one of the announcements (either #1 or #2, I can't remember). BCM has also got these wireless cards they lease out to you for only $10/year -- now, there's a deal.

Has anyone had any luck with any of the rental properties/roommates from the Housing announcement on the Class of 2007 website?

 

[Indy]

yo wazupshah, congratz dude...about freakin' time!

there's some great apartments really close to BCM on the free TMC shuttle line that runs 20 hrs/day and the light rail line...but as you go farther out you gotta pay per ride for a private shuttle, which usually runs only till about 6 or 7 pm, not so useful as an M1.

if you're gonna buy a laptop with a built in wireless card, make sure it's compatible with cisco 802.11b access points, b/c that's what they've got at bcm...if you've got your own wireless card, bcm also charges some fee to use their access points.

peter parker, i put up a roommate listing on the class of 2007 website last week, but from what i've heard most people haven't started looking for housing just yet. speaking of which if any of you are looking for a roommate, let me know!

also just got my finaid letter today, very generous package including some grant money).

naveen

 

[rjhtamu]

Hey what's up guys? I didn't know this thread was buried under the masses or else I would have been on it sooner. I'm enjoying my summer as much as possible as I just got back from a week in Orlando. Anyone who's ever been there knows it's impossible not to have a good time there. I'm also going to Puerta Vallarta next month before moving to Houston to start school. I'm most likely going to end up living at Archstone Greenbriar. It's pretty expensive compared to most places in Condoland, however I really liked how it was on the Medical Center Shuttle route (free bus transportation) and how the floor plans were really open and inviting. As far as financial aid goes, I'm still trying to decide on a lender to go with. Who is everyone choosing as their lender and why, if you're at this point yet.

 

[Indy]

rjhtamu, welcome back, we were wondering what happened to you!

with archstone greenbriar, i really liked the apartments there, just make sure you compare their best deal with lanesborough's best deal - lanesborough turned out cheaper for me, even with a bigger floorplan, and it's right next to arch greenbriar.

as for finaid lender, i chose medloans, one of the reasons was that in the 4th year, they give loans for traveling to residency interviews, which a lot of lenders don't. also with medloans they have a longer grace period after med school, 9 months compared to the more common 6 months. (luckily my parents understand all this stuff much better than me)

 

[Akash]

hey guys, i just found this thread. i had been wondering if there was a baylor class of 2007 thread...im new to this whole thing. anyway, im going to BCM this fall so i guess ill be seeing all of yall there.

im hoping to live at lanesborough, but im on some waitlist...so we'll see what happens. ya the shuttle is the best bet. the traffic in the morning in h-town is ridiculous, so its best to bike or walk to the shuttle stop.


i didnt see if anyone had replied about the rice gym, but the staff there have been getting more strict the past year or so...i think it may be possible to just walk in there. i was a student there and i never gave them my id, it was too much of a hassle...so i think u can sneak by.

akash

 

[Indy]

hey akash - welcome, and i look forward to meeting you in a couple of months -

as for the lanesborough waitlist, don't sweat it - i think they're one of the places with a 30-day move out notice, so they won't know which apartments will be vacant until 30 days before people start moving out. I'm also planning to live at lanesborough, but the person i spoke to, jamilynn, said it won't be a problem to get off the waitlist, since many people (mostly M4's i'm guessing) will be moving out soon.
which floor plan are you consdiering at lanesborough? i really liked plan H.

naveen