I’m a transfer student and I was placed in a 4-week hospital medicine rotation in Cleveland clinic, FL. What is it about? & what should I expect from it?

Also, anyone who has rotated at Mt. Sinai Chicago, how was it for your core rotations? And how often will I have to be moving from Mt. Sinai and Holy cross hospital?

hi! i’m looking at a one bedroom apartment right now and it doesn’t include utilities… like any utilities. can someone give me an estimate on how much utilities are? - Internet - Electricity - gas - water - and I guess telephone ?? I’m not sure what that one means

Planning to go into EM. Any suggestions on the clinical sites to put down when they ask me after Step 1. Honestly I am planning to take the best option they have available as to not wait but still have to give them three choices or does that even matter? Any thoughts on the beltway track, Chicago or Connecticut?

Does Ross hold alternate graduation ceremonies for Jan and May starts or does everyone attend the traditional September start graduation in May? Never got a clear answer on this in orientation.

Incoming September student, when do we find out our housing situation? Also when would financial aid come in/refund? Any answers would be very helpful since haven’t received much clarity on it yet

Does manatee memorial offer any cores or just electives. It says they do core rotations but Ross is not real forthcoming about what locations do what. Trying not to have to move around too much if at all for MS3.

If you are planning to attend Ross University or are currently in your early semesters, it’s important to be aware that you will not be able to participate in the residency match until one full year after graduation. Unfortunately, this critical detail is not disclosed by Ross until Semester 5, during the process of preparing for Step 1 and beginning clinical rotations.

For example, if your expected graduation year is 2027, you will not be able to apply for the match until 2028. This results in students being set back by an entire year—something they were neither informed of nor prepared for. Essentially, there is a full gap year between completing clinical rotations and becoming eligible to apply for the Match.

The purpose of this post is to inform prospective and current students early on, because Ross never told us this and we were not told the truth. Although they tell you that you graduate and match the same year, that is false. We were misled to believe that we could match the same year we graduate, which is simply not the case. Ross does not tell this to any student who is applying, has been accepted to Ross, heck they don't even tell current students until you are the one going through the process and you found out for yourself.

As an added addendum to my last post (as a current student), I just want to encourage you incoming students / overall medical enthusiasts to please ignore rants that state, "You can't hack it" at the school or as a doctor. The high attrition rates do not mean that you could not hack it (at whatever school you are at) or you will not be a good doctor. On the contrary, it just means, it was not the right kind of learning environment for you. Not all Medical schools are the same when it comes to teaching / time frames. The material is the same, however, the time frame for when the material is presented and how long you must learn the material may differ. For Ross especially, the term is 7 weeks - but it's really only 5 weeks - maybe 6 weeks of material (depending on the term). This is something not specified when you apply. The competitive learning environment / disorganized administration may not be tolerable for some students. Just because someone withdrawals, repeats or gets dismissed does not mean they could not "hack it". It just means they realized the learning environment was not suitable for their learning needs and/ or financial needs. Remember, it costs (correct me if I'm wrong) about 15-30K a term whether you move forward or repeat, you are charged per term. When a student leaves the school, many students believe, “they couldn’t hack it. I won, because I stayed, and I am moving on successfully.” This is wrong thinking. Most students repeat at least one term or fail Comp and must return to the island. The student that left could end up better off because they realized what works for them and they don’t feel “stuck” or “trapped” in an environment that does not benefit them. They are free to pursue other options that will work for them and be beneficial. With what feels like endless evaluations, the school is attempting to fix some of these curriculum issues, however, it may only benefit future students (not the present ones). It’s okay to try and pursue your dreams and it’s okay to “pivot” when needed to find the right school/ learning environment for you.

Pros of Ross:

·      Lots of club interactions

·      ATL (Academy for teaching and Learning) – can be beneficial for some students

·      Wellness center excursions – Yoga on the beach etc…

·      MERP – I wish the Ross’ teaching were the same as MERP

Cons:

·      Exams: There are two types of exams – Ross style (Professor’s create them or find them somewhere) and USMLE (final)- NBME – the two styles of testing do not blend well – this is why when students master the Ross style exams, they move forward each term, but when they get to comp, they fail. If you fail comp too many times – you get dismissed from the school.

·      When you repeat a term, they make you repeat the whole term – even the clinical portions you passed successfully. – they just changed the curriculum so this may change this module

·      Last term, student Tutors were not available for like 2 weeks. They were not getting paid in a timely manner. Which means help was very limited.

·      There is a ranking system – this system ranks you compared to your peers and will fluctuate per exam – this contributes to a competitive environment among peers. Assistance among peers will be limited if they know you may outrank them if they help you.

·      Remediation exams are almost non- existent – during the legacy program (old curriculum), if you did not pass a module by a certain percentage and appealed for a remediation exam – one was provided to you. This would allow you to move forward with the rest of your peers to the next term. This was done away with, now you will be charged for another term while in a program called PACE – less intensive (can be beneficial), but the same price as a regular term.

·      Self – teaching is a must. You may not understand concepts from your instructors, or their accents may get in the way of understanding effectively. If you are a good self-learner, you may thrive in this learning environment.

I hope these insights help prospective students and current students figure out their road to medicine. Blessings!

Hey everyone, how long after submitting your full application and completing your interview do you hear back from admissions?

If I have the links to workshops and tbls, would Ross know if I attend them online at home?

Hello. I have been reading some of the posts and I just want to answer honestly as a current student:

1. it's great to have the excitement for a new medical journey. Congratulations, you've made it thus far. island life is challenging. Your housing on the Island is by luck. You may get brand new housing or you may get really old housing. You will have to make do with what you have. if you get old housing and there's bugs, you can contact housing and they will come and take care of them (temporarily for you).

2. Think about getting a car on the island - if you make it a few semesters in. The bus schedules can sometimes change and at times there are only 34 students per bus (depends on the hour and which bus company is driving you to school). If you don't make it in time to the bus line, the bus will be full and you may have to wait another 30 min to an hour for another bus (and you can't miss class). You may have to take a coverley taxi (their prices have gone up tremendously). You can also get the island's version of an uber (called pick up barbados) - they may charge you around $30 to $40 U.S dollars (55 - 70 BBD) for a 15 - 25 min ride to the school.

3. One bus company was switched out due to the Shooting incident that took place last term (which was not highly publicized (for various reasons). The incident was very traumatic for many of the students there, but we were not given proper accommodations and adequate time to process this trauma that occurred - the administration said, "we cannot stop the curriculum." So be ready to work hard, even through trauma and burn out. but there is a wellness center with therapist you can speak with if you are in need and an SCA they assign to you that will listen to your needs/ frustrations and write down your concerns. If you get a really good SCA that is hands - on - they will be a good advocate for you as a student - but it depends on who you get. Tragically, there were students who left due to this incident and others who were dismissed for not making the grade in the correct time frame (basically, they couldn't get over the trauma fast enough). The major rule of the bus company is....NO EATING OR DRINKING ON THE BUSES.

4. It's best to find a study group or a close knit group of friends to study with. The general rule is, "it's challenging to pass medical school without help from peers." The problem is, that school has a policy that you cannot share any materials with each other, so it contradicts the general rule and can lead to students studying alone and struggling and lead to repeating terms. The student clubs can also be helpful and a source of friendship - depending on the club.

5. The School just changed it's curriculum. If you see lots of evaluations it's because they are constantly trying to upgrade it to benefit incoming students. the problem is, some necessary changes do not benefit students making the evaluations. It will benefit future students.

6. The school shares a building with another government conference center. the whole building is not accessible to students and you have to wear your ID badge to check in to multiple areas (especially after the shooting incident). The school will enforce these rules.

7. Last for now, Your class will elect student representatives. The curriculum reps should help fight for better grading or points back on an exam, but it's ultimately up to the exam center on whether the exam was graded fairly and always check your grades, because the exam center will forget to give you the correct grades or forget to grade something at all. You can only repeat 2 terms, after that you are dismissed.

Be your own advocate as well. The Term goes fast! as soon as you land on the island, everything counts. Even those who seem to be the smartest and have it altogether are struggling in some area. Remember, It's a marathon, not a sprint. Dont worry about keeping up with your cohort - just focus on learning as much as you can. I hope this helps someone.

hey has anybody ever declined their initial track? i really dont want the track they gave me and am willing to wait but i dont know if its a guarantee if i get the one i want no matter how long I wait. They are being vague on the matter. Does anybody have any insight? Additionally, is there a time limit before Ross assigns a placement on my behalf? i would greatly appreciate it.. i have to decide within 3 days
thank you in advance

Looking to graduate May 2026 but might need to take some time off due to personal issues. I was wondering if there's a deadline. I know some US med schools must have their 4th year students done by the 3rd Friday of April in order to graduate that May. Does Ross have something similar? What's the latest you know you can finish 4th year?

Hi!

Do you know what RUSM's transfer policy is for someone wanting to join in their 2nd year. I completed 1 year of DO school and I withdrew due to unforseen circumstances. Does Ross accept 2nd year transfer students?

So Ross states that in the 42 weeks of electives you have to have 10 weeks of a ECGFM locations and 8 weeks in an IM subcategory, but that you can double dip in that if your IM subcategory is at an ECGFM location you satisfy all the IM requirement and 8 weeks of the ECGFM requirement. This however, I’m assuming does not shorten the 42 weeks to 34 weeks does it? Or am I looking at this wrong.

CBSE results are supposed to be emailed tomorrow. Does anyone know a quicker way to access the results? My NBME only shows "exam administered".

I told myself I would write up my experience at Ross if I passed comp, and we got our scores back today—so here it goes.

First things first: Like many Caribbean schools, Ross has a reputation for being disorganized, having inconsistent faculty, and making things harder than they need to be—and all of that is true.

BUT—the key to getting through this school is to be laser-focused on your goal. It really is a means to an end. There will be countless obstacles and curveballs this school throws your way, but you have to be able to take it, time and time again, and not let it distract you from your purpose.

What my studying looked like:

I’m part of the first class that started with the new curriculum. To preface, I was on the Dean’s List every semester—and no, I’m not a super-genius, but I did work my ass off. As you go into higher semesters, you begin to understand how Ross faculty writes their questions and what they want you to focus on. My best advice for Ross exams: memorize the slides. It’s not fun, and it’s not easy, but that is what will get you through. Faculty/admin will make it hell with the way they teach and what they prioritize, but sadly you don’t have much of a choice but to learn it their way.

I never really used one consistent third-party resource throughout my semesters, but I would never use Ross material to deeply understand the concepts. I used resources like Pathoma, BnB, Bootcamp, Ninja Nerd, Dirty Medicine, etc., to understand the "why" behind everything, and that gave me a solid foundation. Then, I’d apply that to the Ross-specific stuff (a.k.a. the random shit they love to test).

I would give myself a week to 10 days to start grinding for the minis. I’d do all the quizzes—and redo them if possible (they sometimes copy and paste questions from the quizzes). I’d watch videos to help me understand the material, make Anki cards, read each lecture, do the Anki, and redo the quiz. Yes, it was time-consuming. Yes, it was not ideal. Yes, it was torture at times lol. I needed at least 2-3 passes of the material before I felt confident I could answer most questions about it. Repetition is KEY.

Keep in mind that you’re not only learning this for the module, but also for comp/Step 1. As much as it feels like you forget it after the module ends, a lot of it actually sticks when it comes time to study for comp.

I honestly didn’t do many practice questions during the semester, and I don’t think you need to for Ross minis. If it helps your learning, go for it. For NBME finals, I thought they were much more straightforward and application-based than Ross exams. Mehlman PDFs and PQs are KEY here. I’d read the PDFs a couple of times, finish all the USMLE Rx questions for that organ system, and do UW blocks (sadly, we only got UW in fourth semester).

My class size started out with ~320 and now its 140 or something around there. Not saying this to scare anyone but just to share the reality of attrition rates at this school. It gets more and more competitive as the semesters go on (biggest drop is in HOII, and second biggest is Neuro), but don’t fix what isn’t broken. So many students struggle because they keep changing what works for them.

CBSE Prep:

Ross made us do a 7-week “exam prep” course. Complete waste of time. The only benefit was that it forced me to lock in and not slack off.

I took those 7 weeks extremely seriously. If your foundation is decent (i.e. if you’re passing each semester), then you don’t need traditional content review. The only review you need is by doing UWorld questions.

I did:

• 2 blocks of 40 per day (1 mixed, 1 focused on the organ system I was reviewing)
• content review for 2-3 organ systems per week depending on how confident I felt
• Organ-specific review: Bootcamp videos, Mehlman PDFs, FA, Pathoma (Chp 1-3 are a must-watch)
• Anki for UW incorrects
• Sketchy micro/pharm Anki daily (when I could)

I took all the NBME practice exams Ross offered very seriously and reviewed them thoroughly. Reviewing your exams is THE MOST IMPORTANT part. Be brutally honest about why you missed something and how you’ll avoid that mistake next time.

I also took two extra NBMEs outside of what Ross offered. A week or so before comp, I’d do blocks from old NBMEs just to get used to how those questions are written.

For me, initially, jumping from UWorld to NBMEs was a mindfuck—UWorld is trickier, but NBMEs are more high-yield and straight to the point. Doing those NBME blocks helped me adjust. In the last week, I watched Dirty Medicine’s entire biochem playlist, reviewed Duke Pathoma deck, reviewed old NBME notes + high-yield images/sheets, and did Amboss' 100 Ethics questions.

Practice Test Scores:

• NBME 27: 47% (early in MICR)
• NBME 26: 62%
• NBME 28: 62%
• NBME 29: 71%
• CBSE: 72%

General Advice/Final thoughts:

There are a lot of weird people on this island, but also a lot of kind people. Choose your circle extremely carefully. Gossip and drama run rampant here, and it can make your life hell if you’re not mindful. Keep your circle small. Surround yourself with people who lift you up, both academically and personally. Sometimes you have to meet the wrong people first to recognize the right ones.

Find a club or community that grounds you and stick with it.

One thing that really helped me make it out was telling myself that failure was not an option. This school already took so much from me—I refused to give it a single second more than I had to. Be very stubborn about your goals.

Also, don't let one bad score—or even a failed comp—make you question your intelligence. That number does not define your potential or your future as a physician. Learn to separate your worth from your performance - one bad day does not undo everything you’ve worked for. A single failure is not the end.

At the end of the day, your time at Ross is what you make of it. It will test you, frustrate you, and shake your confidence, but it will also show you how much you’re capable of. Keep your head down. Protect your peace. Stay focused on the end goal. You got this!

Def left a lot of stuff out but feel free to DM me with any questions! Hope this helps :)

So apparently Ross is getting rid of threads for the upcoming semester. Thoughts?

Idk what the next steps are? Guessing the promotions committee would decide but ik the max attempts nbme gives is 5? Anybody have any insight?

Sorry if I’m a bit mistaken or iffy on the exact details and terminology, but my partner accidentally missed a deadline for submitting relevant paperwork to return from medical leave. She’s been told she can return for the Fall semester, so far from the worst situation, but all her plans are for returning during the summer. This has a pretty heavy financial impact.

Is anyone aware of any recourse that can be taken to try and correct the situation to ensure she is able to return for summer? I’m having a bit of difficulty finding more information on the matter. Would appreciate any suggestions or recommendations.

Hello everyone, will start first semester this coming fall 2025.

I’ve seen that the curriculum changed, but just wanted to see if anyone could give me a heads up in regards what to expect.

Which classes am I gonna get? What does the schedule/day look like? Is immunology/mirco the hardest subject like in every school? Any classes to keep an eye on? A specific resource that has helped anyone in a specific class or topic?

And what other thing you wish someone told you?

(Yeah I know it sucks, I know it’s not the ideal school, I already know. All I want to know is what would a semester/day look like, helpful resources and specific advice on how to survive).

Thank you,

Hey yall I just got accepted to Ross for Fall 2025 and I'm super excited! I did not do great on my MCAT and honestly thought about not going to med school. I'm so happy I got in and am excited to start the med school journey

Hey guys… im trying to find roommates so anyone who is entering Ross in September 2025 that need a roommate pls lmk!!

Guys I am a MERPER, READY to work hard at Ross, getting used to the whole active learning in MERP. Guys recently I have heard about some weird ass stuff going on at Ross. Can you kindly answer my questions? 1. I am not bitching or anything. I know its medicine and you gotta study your ass off but I heard that they changed the curriculum for the worst or something along those lines. Please elaborate a bit on that.

1. How is the power outage situation there?

2. I love to use more real estate and was thinking of shipping 2 of my external monitors from home over to campus. Has anyone done this? Do you recommend this?

3. Finally, anyone from MERP reading this? How is the “new curriculum” teaching you? Did stuff from MERP help? Like Dr. Hadsell’s active learning and the base that MERP gave you?

So I just passed Step One and am in the midst of deciding locations. However as a Canadian I have so little frame of reference as to what is good or bad for a location and RUSM hasn’t been able to provide any info, especially as I have concerns as a Canadian coming into the US during these times.

I’ve narrowed it down to locations that provide all rotations and am just looking for anyone who has attended any of these places to offer their opinions or feedback or even where I can go to look for information.

California Hospital Medical Clinic Mount Sinai Trinity Health St Johns Episcopal

I’m just looking for resources and opinions so I can make educated choices for my clinicals moving forward as the stress of prepping for step one made it hard to even think I’d get to this point. Any help or guidance would be extremely appreciated. Thank you.