Western/COMP Discussion Thread 2008-2009

sithr said:

No clue on the waitlist movement. I assume it's too early in the game for anything to really happen. According to the letter I may be accepted between November and August.

I interviewed 11/6. The letter is postmarked 11/17 and I received it today (11/18).

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You might want to send in some LOIs and call the school every so often to show your interest and send updates if you have any. My other friend did it, and that was what separated him from the rest of the pack.

-------------revising below----------------

So last year they started on the alternate list around late May or June.
My friend sent in LOIs every month, with monthly updates, and biweekly calling to see if anything progressed.

ryserr21 said:

if you get to mexico in an hour and a half from pomona you are going like 120 miles an hour This is IF there is no traffic.

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Out of all the things I comment on you point out the distance to Mexico. WOW

Vooodooo said:

Out of all the things I comment on you point out the distance to Mexico. WOW

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Because it's factually inaccurate? WOW!

Vooodooo said:

Out of all the things I comment on you point out the distance to Mexico. WOW

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haha, thats because it was funny. Mexico is pretty close though, i'd say 3-4 hours to the border with normal traffic. Maybe a little less to Tijuana, i've never driven to that border crossing though.

Vooodooo said:

Out of all the things I comment on you point out the distance to Mexico. WOW

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Okay, why dont I point out something else about your comment:

Its not half an hour to the ski resorts either. The closest ones worth going to are Big Bear and Snow Summit. Those are about 70 miles away. If you got there in half an hour you'd be goin 140 miles an hour. Even if you drive a normal speed of 60 miles an hour, you wouldnt get ther in an hour. But you arent going to be averaging 60 milese an hour because most of the drive you are going up the windy, steep mountain where the speed limit is like 30 and the ground is covered in ice.

Edit: i say the closest ones worth going to, because I dont know where Mountain High is, and it might be closer, but its not even a mountain. Its basically a hill, with two chair lifts and like 4 runs. And they charge like 60 bucks.

ryserr21 said:

Okay, why dont I point out something else about your comment:

Its not half an hour to the ski resorts either. The closest ones worth going to are Big Bear and Snow Summit. Those are about 70 miles away. If you got there in half an hour you'd be goin 140 miles an hour. Even if you drive a normal speed of 60 miles an hour, you wouldnt get ther in an hour. But you arent going to be averaging 60 milese an hour because most of the drive you are going up the windy, steep mountain where the speed limit is like 30 and the ground is covered in ice.

Edit: i say the closest ones worth going to, because I dont know where Mountain High is, and it might be closer, but its not even a mountain. Its basically a hill, with two chair lifts and like 4 runs. And they charge like 60 bucks.

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Man you are a jerk... I just explain how excited I was about being excepted and people like you have to come down on my parade. That's cool though because I know you don't know what the hell your talking about. Some mountain (Mount Baldy) is 30 minutes away from Pomona I'm told (I'm not from Ca, but <10 mi per atlas). And by the way - you say that it would take 3-4 hours to get to Mexico, Tijuana is <115 miles away, straight down the I5 from Pomona. This would get you to mexico in close to 1.5 hours. Regardless I shouldn't have to be attacked about things that everyone on my tour was told. I pray you don't go to Western.

Ladies and Gentleman,

Best of luck! Thanks for the support as I was going through my applications. I will be withdrawing my acceptance to Western to attend a school closer to home. I hope my space gets to one of you!!!

Sincerely,

Chuck's Right Foot

Vooodooo said:

And by the way - you say that it would take 3-4 hours to get to Mexico, Tijuana is <115 miles away, straight down the I5 from Pomona. This would get you to mexico in close to 1.5 hours. Regardless I shouldn't have to be attacked about things that everyone on my tour was told. I pray you don't go to Western.

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DoktorB said:

haha, thats because it was funny. Mexico is pretty close though, i'd say 3-4 hours to the border with normal traffic. Maybe a little less to Tijuana, i've never driven to that border crossing though.

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I wish you the best of luck at western man, i was not trying to rain on your parade in any way. I was just telling you my experience in driving to mexico from the LA area. You're gonna love LA, theres TONS to do. Dont let it take away from what you're learning though, its easy to do!!

BTW, i wouldnt recommend trying to ski at baldy...its a great place to go hiking though!!

Vooodooo said:

Man you are a jerk... I just explain how excited I was about being excepted and people like you have to come down on my parade. That's cool though because I know you don't know what the hell your talking about. Some mountain (Mount Baldy) is 30 minutes away from Pomona I'm told (I'm not from Ca, but <10 mi per atlas). And by the way - you say that it would take 3-4 hours to get to Mexico, Tijuana is <115 miles away, straight down the I5 from Pomona. This would get you to mexico in close to 1.5 hours. Regardless I shouldn't have to be attacked about things that everyone on my tour was told. I pray you don't go to Western.

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I'm sorry, I didnt mean to come off that way, and I'm not trying to rain on your parade. You should be very excited about Western, its a great school, with great students, and so cal is a great location. I love so cal, as I have grown up here all my life. I wasnt attacking you, you just seemed a little misinformed. And yes, I forgot about Mt Baldy...that resort is pretty much under the radar around here, for the same rasons that Mountian High is under the radar. Its better to just drive a little further to BIg Bear, trust me. And I never said it would take 3-4 hours to get to Mexico. Your unwarranted anger/hatred for me has blinded you, and you are confusing my comments with another poster's. Check again.

I think you should just take a chill pill, relax, and not be so defensive. Dont let people get under your skin so easily. I never said anything negative about you or Western, so I'm not sure what you are so angry about.

As far as calling on the powers of God to make sure I don't attend Western.......ouch!! That one kinda hurts. How about I pray to God that I do go to Western and we'll see who he likes more? Although I feel its only fair to warn you, I am a URM, so i might have a slight edge. Or is that only in the med school application process?

EDIT: Just in case any one gets offended by my last comment, I was joking. I am URM, and was making fun of the people that always say you can get in to med school as a URM with a 2.8 23 MCAT.

And youll probably hate me for this, but since i already lost your love, it really doesnt matter anymore. The "I5" is not near Pomona. Its about 30 miles west. From there, its about 130 miles (depending on where you get on the 5) to San Diego and still further to the Tijuana border. You'd be better off taking the 15 from the pomona area down to san diego. Yes, I konw what I'm talking about. I grew up in San Diego, go to school in LA, and live 30 miles from western.

U guys need to take your personal issues else where.

Anyways... anyone from last Thursday's Interview on here?

How was your interview? Mine was good, I just hated how the day was super drawn out and the food was sucky.

viciouz said:

U guys need to take your personal issues else where.

Anyways... anyone from last Thursday's Interview on here?

How was your interview? Mine was good, I just hated how the day was super drawn out and the food was sucky.

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It was worse for us two weeks ago! They had the thanksgiving feast laid out right in front of us and then they were like "oh thats not for you" and handed us the paper sacks full of food. It was a tease for sure! I feel you on the long day too..

DoktorB said:

It was worse for us two weeks ago! They had the thanksgiving feast laid out right in front of us and then they were like "oh thats not for you" and handed us the paper sacks full of food. It was a tease for sure! I feel you on the long day too..

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haha! thats super lame.

I just finished talking to my husband (he is MS1- NW track at Western) and even though there are a lot of tests coming up this week and next, he is in a good mood, still running everyday and belongs to several different study groups, He is also taking advantage of tutoring in biochemistry provided by the school - he thinks it is a great place!

I remember this time last year and how stressful it was, he had an acceptance to DMU and paid his deposit there but had to wait until January for his Western interview. As he really wanted the NW Track program he was really happy when he got his acceptance.

Hang in there and take care of yourselves! Good Luck to all.

ryserr21 said:

if you get to mexico in an hour and a half from pomona you are going like 120 miles an hour This is IF there is no traffic.

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Not really. With no traffic, 85ish would do it.

ryserr21 said:

As far as calling on the powers of God to make sure I don't attend Western.......ouch!! That one kinda hurts. How about I pray to God that I do go to Western and we'll see who he likes more?

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Well then, while you're both at it, can you guys pray that I get into Western?

medking said:

Not really. With no traffic, 85ish would do it.

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I was exaggerating the speed, but more importantly, how many times a year do you think youll drive through LA with no traffic? Ive been in traffic in LA at 2 in the morning. But maybe if you take the 15 its not as bad, im not sure cuz i never take the 15 to get to and from LA and San Diego.

iluvmed&ba6eekh said:

Well then, while you're both at it, can you guys pray that I get into Western?

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Haha... I wasnt actually going to pray, since the last time i did that was....never. But, I guess my first time could be for a Western hopeful

ryserr21 said:

I was exaggerating the speed, but more importantly, how many times a year do you think youll drive through LA with no traffic? Ive been in traffic in LA at 2 in the morning. But maybe if you take the 15 its not as bad, im not sure cuz i never take the 15 to get to and from LA and San Diego

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Haha, yea, traffic sucks in LA. Rush hours are brutal.

Generally, I would say during 10am - 1pm and 10pm - 5am there is not enough traffic to slow you down substantially. But that's just from my personal experience

medking said:

Haha, yea, traffic sucks in LA. Rush hours are brutal.

Generally, I would say during 10am - 1pm and 10pm - 5am there is not enough traffic to slow you down substantially. But that's just from my personal experience

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I agree, speed of traffic is great too (80mph baby!!). I come home to the pacific northwest and feel like everyone is grandma and gramps at the wheel. I have been in the same EXACT spot as ryserr though...2AM: 10 freeway: parking lot. You learn pretty quick what freeways to try and avoid

DoktorB said:

I agree, speed of traffic is great too (80mph baby!!). I come home to the pacific northwest and feel like everyone is grandma and gramps at the wheel. I have been in the same EXACT spot as ryserr though...2AM: 10 freeway: parking lot. You learn pretty quick what freeways to try and avoid

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WOW, that's crazy!!! Good thing I don't need to drive on the 10 on a daily basis

Dakayus said:

As one of the tour guides for the Osteopathic interest group, we were not really prepared for a tour. We showed up and they said to show them whatever we liked. The medical library is just a library (I honestly don't like giving tours of it, but I did for my group) and we never use the Bartlett theater so you didn't miss much.

Also just to let you know, we had an extremely busy week so most of the people on the panel were pretty sleep deprived. Just to let you know, we didn't get paid for anything and everyone came to help further the interest in our school.

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Thanks for clarifying on our behalf, Dakayus! I was also a member of the student panel, and I can assure you we weren't paid and we were there just to give others our perspective/info.

PreMed5112 said:

does anyone know if western has a max number of students they can take from certain schools? for ex- someone told me that theyve already taken the quota for number of uc irvine students they can interview/accept..

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0_o

who told you these things? sounds like the rumor mill to me...

PreMed5112 said:

also does anyone know if counselors @ COMP have any say in the admissions process?

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unless this is something new this cycle, i've never heard of admissions counselors. do you mean the people that work in the admissions office?

PreMed5112 said:

does anyone know if western has a max number of students they can take from certain schools? for ex- someone told me that theyve already taken the quota for number of uc irvine students they can interview/accept..

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another rumor

imari said:

unless this is something new this cycle, i've never heard of admissions counselors. do you mean the people that work in the admissions office?

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No they have these. You are assigned an admissions counselor alphabetically by last name at COMP. I would doubt that they have any say in your admissions into the school, they dont seem like ones to evaluate applicants. I think they are there to help applicants through the process.

Now how long after your interview are you notified of the decision? Also, can anyone comment on the interview? It is the one school I am interviewing at that is really competing with my DMU acceptance. Any thoughts? Thanks so very much!

So I moved up my interview up from feb to dec 16th!!! anyone else interviewing that day?

melv55 said:

So I moved up my interview up from feb to dec 16th!!! anyone else interviewing that day?

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Did you call them a couple of times to see if there were any earlier spots that opened up and end up getting lucky?

medking said:

Did you call them a couple of times to see if there were any earlier spots that opened up and end up getting lucky?

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Yes- the original emails had 3 february options, but I called and explained how western was one of my top 2 choices, and I would like to get in earlier if possible... Ana gave me Jan 15th. I asked her to keep me on a "cancellation list" so to speak, incase anyone cancelled in december, and she said she would keep me in mind... Later that day she e-mailed me saying that they were opening up another interview day in Dec and asked if I wanted to come then. Very lucky!!!

melv55 said:

Yes- the original emails had 3 february options, but I called and explained how western was one of my top 2 choices, and I would like to get in earlier if possible... Ana gave me Jan 15th. I asked her to keep me on a "cancellation list" so to speak, incase anyone cancelled in december, and she said she would keep me in mind... Later that day she e-mailed me saying that they were opening up another interview day in Dec and asked if I wanted to come then. Very lucky!!!

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Wow, great job at staying proactive! Current applicants should make a note of this

Dakayus and Sassybird, I'm sorry I came off sounding so rude and ungrateful. I know you all were volunteering some of your rare free time and I appreciate it. My beef was really with the crowd asking too many dumb questions about admissions related things like "what were your UG majors" and personal/irrelevant "what specialty" type questions. I would have rather heard more about student life and satisfaction with the curriculum and instruction. One-word answers don't offer much opportunity to show enthusiasm. But you guys couldn't control the questions and I didn't raise my hand in time to ask one so I should shut up.

And Dakayus, message boards don't reflect my incessant sarcasm too well. The little laughing face was my way of saying I know I didn't miss much with the library and Bartlett. Twas my backwards way of saying my tour guide showed us everything important and I was quite happy with the tour and the campus. Western is my top choice and I know the info session was designed more for the prospective student and not the inpatient current applicant who was wishing they were really there for an interview instead of an info session. My post was intended to be a positive review for anyone planning on attending the next info session and it really should have been more thankful to the school and the students for putting it on.

melv55 said:

Yes- the original emails had 3 february options, but I called and explained how western was one of my top 2 choices, and I would like to get in earlier if possible... Ana gave me Jan 15th. I asked her to keep me on a "cancellation list" so to speak, incase anyone cancelled in december, and she said she would keep me in mind... Later that day she e-mailed me saying that they were opening up another interview day in Dec and asked if I wanted to come then. Very lucky!!!

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I got the email today for Dec 16, and I emailed her back this evening to accept my spot. I didnt have any options for Feb, now I am worried that I responded too late, and I might be pushed back? I had to rearrange 2 finals. One was really important that I wasnt sure if I could reschedue, and I checked on it at class today before I responded, and I figured the other teacher would be cool with it (and she was).... hmmm. Well, maybe I will know tomorrow!

ummyeah said:

Dakayus and Sassybird, I'm sorry I came off sounding so rude and ungrateful. I know you all were volunteering some of your rare free time and I appreciate it. My beef was really with the crowd asking too many dumb questions about admissions related things like "what were your UG majors" and personal/irrelevant "what specialty" type questions. I would have rather heard more about student life and satisfaction with the curriculum and instruction. One-word answers don't offer much opportunity to show enthusiasm. But you guys couldn't control the questions and I didn't raise my hand in time to ask one so I should shut up.

And Dakayus, message boards don't reflect my incessant sarcasm too well. The little laughing face was my way of saying I know I didn't miss much with the library and Bartlett. Twas my backwards way of saying my tour guide showed us everything important and I was quite happy with the tour and the campus. Western is my top choice and I know the info session was designed more for the prospective student and not the inpatient current applicant who was wishing they were really there for an interview instead of an info session. My post was intended to be a positive review for anyone planning on attending the next info session and it really should have been more thankful to the school and the students for putting it on.

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ummyeah, thank you for going out of your way to apologize, you didn't have to and it shows a lot of your character. I am sorry that your questions weren't addressed, but you do have 2 of at least the 7 of us on SDN and this thread, so ask away!!

For the 3rd and 4th year rotations, does Western set everything up for the students. Ie, you just show up at the hospital. Or do they give you the list of possible locations and you need to call the places to see if they will take you? I heard that some years back the latter was how it was done. Thanks!

gobruins2007 said:

I got the email today for Dec 16, and I emailed her back this evening to accept my spot. I didnt have any options for Feb, now I am worried that I responded too late, and I might be pushed back? I had to rearrange 2 finals. One was really important that I wasnt sure if I could reschedue, and I checked on it at class today before I responded, and I figured the other teacher would be cool with it (and she was).... hmmm. Well, maybe I will know tomorrow!

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When I called yesterday she said dec 16th was very open... so it should not be a problem! It took her days to send me back a confirmation e-mail (try over a week!) for my previous interview date. So don't worry if you don't hear back today. But you could always call and make sure you are in, she is really nice on the phone.

I don't think most of these are posted in here. So for anyone curious, here are the Western match lists from 2000-2008, minus 2004. Enjoy!

JamesBond15 said:

For the 3rd and 4th year rotations, does Western set everything up for the students. Ie, you just show up at the hospital. Or do they give you the list of possible locations and you need to call the places to see if they will take you? I heard that some years back the latter was how it was done. Thanks!

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Third year rotations are set up through the school - you have to do surgery, family practice, internal medicine (x3), psychiatry, ob/gyn, peds, OMM & an elective. The school has tracks with rotations at various hospitals, most of which are in Southern California. You rank the tracks, and then a lottery process takes place. If you don't get a track that you like, there is trading that goes on between students. This all takes place in November/December of 2nd year. You can do your elective rotation wherever you want, although many hospitals will not take visiting 3rd year students, only 4th years. There are only 3 required rotations during 4th year - I think Surgery, ER and Family Practice (don't quote me on this). The rest are electives.

Hope this helps.

For those of you who interviewed on the 20th of Nov., have you guys heard anything yet (mail?)?

hi, brand new to the SDN...this is a really great site. just wanted to ask some questions to those who have done their interview at western: does the interview really last until 4pm? did you fly into lax? how long until you hear back from them after the interview? if you get accepted how long do you have to make your decision (like 2 weeks)? i know these questions have probably been answered but there are so many posts to go through I thought i'd ask again. thanks!

hoopstaahh22 said:

hi, brand new to the SDN...this is a really great site. just wanted to ask some questions to those who have done their interview at western: does the interview really last until 4pm? did you fly into lax? how long until you hear back from them after the interview? if you get accepted how long do you have to make your decision (like 2 weeks)? i know these questions have probably been answered but there are so many posts to go through I thought i'd ask again. thanks!

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Fly into Ontario!! Avoid LAX at all costs!!

Welcome,
The interview length depends on how many interviews there are on that particular day. I was out by 2:30 but I would not count on being out beforer 4 if you are flying. Definetely Ontario is the better airport choice. It takes 2 weeks from the Wednesday after the interview to get a response. When you are accepted I beleive depending on when that is (after december 15) you would have 2 weeks from your acceptance (don't quote me on that last part though).

hoopstaahh22 said:

hi, brand new to the SDN...this is a really great site. just wanted to ask some questions to those who have done their interview at western: does the interview really last until 4pm? did you fly into lax? how long until you hear back from them after the interview? if you get accepted how long do you have to make your decision (like 2 weeks)? i know these questions have probably been answered but there are so many posts to go through I thought i'd ask again. thanks!

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hoopstaahh22 said:

hi, brand new to the SDN...this is a really great site. just wanted to ask some questions to those who have done their interview at western: does the interview really last until 4pm? did you fly into lax? how long until you hear back from them after the interview? if you get accepted how long do you have to make your decision (like 2 weeks)? i know these questions have probably been answered but there are so many posts to go through I thought i'd ask again. thanks!

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As others have said, try to avoid LAX. Ontario seems to be a popular choice, but also check out flights into Burbank. Its a little farther (although not really that much farther than LAX, its just in a different direction) but might be worth it if you can find a cheap flight.

thanks for the heads up on the airport!

Has anyone stayed at claremont inn? Is it nice?

Also, I am going a few days early so I will have 3 days before the interview to do whatever. We were thinking venice beach one day, but other than that I have no idea. Does anyone have suggestions on things to do around the LA area?
Thanks!!

melv55 said:

Has anyone stayed at claremont inn? Is it nice?

Also, I am going a few days early so I will have 3 days before the interview to do whatever. We were thinking venice beach one day, but other than that I have no idea. Does anyone have suggestions on things to do around the LA area?
Thanks!!

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Venice beach is fun, very unique. If you want a normal beach I would recommend Santa Monica or Manhattan beach since they are in the same area...my personal favorite is newport but that is pretty far from there.

Pasadena has a fun little downtown and it is probably 30 minutes at most from Pomona (would be a good place to have dinner/go to bars). You could check out Universal City walk, Disneyland is reallly close to pomona (but kind of pricy), make sure to hit in-n-out (they're everywhere)...Ill think of some other stuff, there's quite a bit to do!

melv55 said:

Has anyone stayed at claremont inn? Is it nice?

Also, I am going a few days early so I will have 3 days before the interview to do whatever. We were thinking venice beach one day, but other than that I have no idea. Does anyone have suggestions on things to do around the LA area?
Thanks!!

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Hollywood. Beverly Hills.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!