ATSU/KCOM Discussion Thread 2010-2011

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Hey all!

First, congrats to those accepted and those pending interviews!

I have a couple questions about the 2ndary, if any of you might be able to help. I haven't seen the answer on here, so I apologize if I missed the answer in this thread or elsewhere.

1. Does a DO letter really matter? If I only have MD, is that going to hurt me?

2. Standardized test scores...if I can only recall the total score, not the section scores, do they care? (I took the ACT & SAT in like 1998...and quickly brain-dumped that info after going to college)

Thanks! And good luck! :)

1. The DO letter doesn't matter. I got accepted with an MD letter. Just makes sure you know what osteopathy is all about.
2. I logged into my collegeboard account. I had to use password recovery to get my info. I dont really think they care too much about SAT/ACT scores given that fact that you are in the process/completed a college degree.

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After you schedule an interview, does the confirmation email come immediately? I scheduled a date, clicked send, and then got to the page that said my request had been sent/date scheduled, but I haven't yet gotten a confirmation email. Keeping in mind that it was 5pm pacific time when I sent the request. Either way I can't call them to make sure until tomorrow anyway...but I'm just wondering if other people got the email right away or not. Thanks!
 
After you schedule an interview, does the confirmation email come immediately? I scheduled a date, clicked send, and then got to the page that said my request had been sent/date scheduled, but I haven't yet gotten a confirmation email. Keeping in mind that it was 5pm pacific time when I sent the request. Either way I can't call them to make sure until tomorrow anyway...but I'm just wondering if other people got the email right away or not. Thanks!

I got a confirmation email right away but I sent mine right before 5pm pacific time.
 
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I got a confirmation email right away but I sent mine right before 5pm pacific time.

Thanks. Hopefully its not a problem and I get my confirmation email tomorrow...guess I'll just have to wait and see. Hope I don't have to reschedule!
 
1. The DO letter doesn't matter. I got accepted with an MD letter. Just makes sure you know what osteopathy is all about.
2. I logged into my collegeboard account. I had to use password recovery to get my info. I dont really think they care too much about SAT/ACT scores given that fact that you are in the process/completed a college degree.

Whew! Thanks for the reassurance with the letter.

I hope they don't care about the scores. I'd have to spend more $$$ to get the scores since they are "archived" - and that totally makes me feel old now! I think that collegeboard thing is new since the interweb got all popular and useful after I was in high school. Part 2 of feeling old. hahaha

Thanks nardini! :)

Now to hobble back to work!
 
WHen you guys got interview invites or rejections..... did they email you or was it updated on the website? Thanks
 
Withdrew from Oct 28 interview so it's up for the taking.
 
By way of introduction, I'm another second year ATSU student, happy to answer questions that anyone has.

hey y'all,
did anyone bring a guest with them to the interview? I'm bringing my mom with me, and I'm super curious how many other prospective students brought guests with them, and whether or not the experience was positive for the guest.

Almost every interview day someone has a guest with them. The school loves to meet the people that are your support system, so they try and make them as much a part of the day as possible. While you are doing your faculty interviews, the school gives guests a chance to visit with SAA (Student Advocate Association) Ambassadors, who are mostly spouses/fiances of current students. They also give a presentation about the school's history and what life is like in Kirksville.
 
Quick QUESTION for those that have been accepted:

My interview is on Nov 4th, do you guys think I will find out if I have been accepted/rejected by or before Nov. 18th? I have an acceptance and the deposite will be due by then, and I'm kinda worried. :scared: THANK YOU
 
Quick QUESTION for those that have been accepted:

My interview is on Nov 4th, do you guys think I will find out if I have been accepted/rejected by or before Nov. 18th? I have an acceptance and the deposite will be due by then, and I'm kinda worried. :scared: THANK YOU

I haven't been accepted but am waiting to hear back. The adcom meets on Wednesdays but might not get through the whole stack from the last week in a given meeting. For example, I inerviewed last week but they didn't get to my file yesterday. They told me I would almost definitely find out next week. Given that there are two wednesdays between your interview and the 18th you should hear back on the 17th if not the 13th, and you may have to call and find out yourself.

Now, is your deposit due on the 18th? Because if you find out you didn't get in late on the 17th you could put yourself in a pickle if you hadn't sent that deposit.
 
Quick QUESTION for those that have been accepted:

My interview is on Nov 4th, do you guys think I will find out if I have been accepted/rejected by or before Nov. 18th? I have an acceptance and the deposite will be due by then, and I'm kinda worried. :scared: THANK YOU

I found out 5 days after my interview that I was accepted, so like banana said it just depends if they get to your file that first week or so.
 
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I found out 5 days after my interview that I was accepted, so like banana said it just depends if they get to your file that first week or so.

Man would that have been nice. I'm incredibly unsure about this one because I had one interview go really well and the second was the polar opposite. At this point even if it's a rejection I just want to know. It's like KCOM purgatory over here.
 
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I decided to apply DO kind've late in the game and have been waiting on my DO letter. It should be done this week, so I am trying to finish up all my secondaries so I can be complete as soon as he is done, and I just have a question about the secondary. They give you 500 words for each essay, and normally I tend to be really wordy and go over the word limit, but for the first one my essay is only about 250 words. I feel weird "tooting my own horn" so to speak, and I don't want to write stuff just to write it...Is the 250 words alright, or are they going to look at it and think I didn't put enough effort into it? Do you guys think I still stand a shot this cycle? my cgpa is 3.55 sgpa 3.2 MCAT 26. I'm fluent in Spanish and I want to work with the underserved, which is what my application is built around. Thanks everyone and congrats to everyone that has gotten interviews and acceptances already!
 
The group on Facebook is invite only because it is only for those who are definitely coming to KCOM to get to know their classmates. If you fall under this category, we will contact you to join.

I made a thread in the big kid D.O. forum to discuss issues that were more about being a first year and less about the application process.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=771809

There is also a sweet facebook group going on. Just search for "KCOM Class of 2015" and ask to be accepted. It's admined by KCOM administration so I imagine it will be a pretty reliable source of info as we get closer to orientation.
 
:whoa:

Accepted to KCUMB. I hope one of you gets my interview spot. Good luck!!
 
I haven't been accepted but am waiting to hear back. The adcom meets on Wednesdays but might not get through the whole stack from the last week in a given meeting. For example, I inerviewed last week but they didn't get to my file yesterday. They told me I would almost definitely find out next week. Given that there are two wednesdays between your interview and the 18th you should hear back on the 17th if not the 13th, and you may have to call and find out yourself.

Now, is your deposit due on the 18th? Because if you find out you didn't get in late on the 17th you could put yourself in a pickle if you hadn't sent that deposit.

Oh wow, thanks, I hope to hear on that first Wednesday, cuz if its the second one, I would be cutting it wayyyy to close. but considering I would be a thursday interview and thats a day after the adcom has met I would hope :xf: I would have a good chance of getting reviewed that following Wednesday. :scared:
 
They've had my letters for ten days now and have not processed them yet.
 
They've had my letters for ten days now and have not processed them yet.

It took them close to three weeks to mark my letters received. I called and they were marked received the next day, but my letters were also there for a lot longer than yous have been.
 
Hey quick question, if you've been accepted but you're waiting on other schools but you put down the deposit $, does that bind you to Kirksville?

I thought you can pay the $, then rescind the acceptance and just lose the deposit if you're accepted to another school that you want to attend.
 
Interview invite- scheduled for 11/11! I'm excited- I've heard a lot of goooood things about KCOM.

For those who have interviewed already, would you mind telling us more about the interview process? Was it stressful? What time is it over?



Accepted!!!

congrats!!!
 
The deposit does not bind you to Kirksville. It just guarantees that you have a seat in the Class of 2015. If you choose to attend another school, you just forfeit your deposit. If you decide to attend Kirksville, the deposit is applied toward your tuition.


Hey quick question, if you've been accepted but you're waiting on other schools but you put down the deposit $, does that bind you to Kirksville?

I thought you can pay the $, then rescind the acceptance and just lose the deposit if you're accepted to another school that you want to attend.
 
Interview invite- scheduled for 11/11! I'm excited- I've heard a lot of goooood things about KCOM.

For those who have interviewed already, would you mind telling us more about the interview process? Was it stressful? What time is it over?





congrats!!!

The interview process at KCOM is not quite as stressful as other school interviews (or so I've been told.) The day begins at 8:00 a.m. with a little introduction. From 9:00-12:00 you have your interviews. There are three interviews, generally one with a Ph.D., one with a physician, and one with an admissions representative, but you could have two Ph.D. interviewees, it just depends on who you are given to interview with. At 12:00 you eat lunch with the wonderful student ambassadors (no bias here!:)), and then from 12:30-1:00 p.m. some more student ambassadors will do an OTM demonstration for you. From 1:00-2:00 you have a presentation about Financial Aid and Thompson Campus Center (our gym). From 2:00-2:45 p.m is a campus tour with some more student ambassadors. Some people have to leave early to catch flights, and I think they are willing to work with you, as long as you don't leave before you finish your interviews obviously.
 
The interview process at KCOM is not quite as stressful as other school interviews (or so I've been told.) The day begins at 8:00 a.m. with a little introduction. From 9:00-12:00 you have your interviews. There are three interviews, generally one with a Ph.D., one with a physician, and one with an admissions representative, but you could have two Ph.D. interviewees, it just depends on who you are given to interview with. At 12:00 you eat lunch with the wonderful student ambassadors (no bias here!:)), and then from 12:30-1:00 p.m. some more student ambassadors will do an OTM demonstration for you. From 1:00-2:00 you have a presentation about Financial Aid and Thompson Campus Center (our gym). From 2:00-2:45 p.m is a campus tour with some more student ambassadors. Some people have to leave early to catch flights, and I think they are willing to work with you, as long as you don't leave before you finish your interviews obviously.

haha! that totally made me smile!

thanks for the quick overview! Wow, a 3 hour interview?! That sounds pretty stressful to me (compared to 30 mins at some schools). :scared:
 
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haha! that totally made me smile!

thanks for the quick overview! Wow, a 3 hour interview?! That sounds pretty stressful to me (compared to 30 mins at some schools). :scared:

The interview time slot is three hours, but each interview is only scheduled for a maximum for one hour each. So your interviews are all one-on-one. When I came, I interviewed with a surgeon who had to leave for surgery, so that interview was only 30 minutes, and then my other interview was maybe 50 minutes, and then my third interview was probably around 30 minutes with the admissions rep. I agree--a 3 hour interview would be a little stressful! Sorry I didn't make that very clear.
 
Wow, 3 hours of interviewing. That does sound intense. Do they tend to focus of separate parts of your application or is there a lot of overlap in questions?
 
Wow, 3 hours of interviewing. That does sound intense. Do they tend to focus of separate parts of your application or is there a lot of overlap in questions?

It all just depends on the interviewer. They really are more of getting to know you type conversations. They'll ask you questions about your application. They don't necessarily know what you told the other interviewer so there could be overlap.
 
For those who have interviewed already, would you mind telling us more about the interview process? Was it stressful? What time is it over?

KCOM by far had the best breakfast spread of any interview I went on. I'm not saying that's what sealed my decision, just saying it didn't hurt.

The interviews I had were really laided back. I'm a tall guy, and me and one of my interviewers, who was a very tall guy, just talked about how being tall is cool in social situations.

They already know everything about you that is relevent (They could probably even school your mom in a toe-to-toe contest), so just relax and don't say you like being a DO because it is "more holistic". Not an incorrect answer, they have just heard it four-hundred other times before.
 
Being the first DO school and founded by AT Still himself, I have heard that they spend much more time with OMM than other schools. Is this true?
 
Being the first DO school and founded by AT Still himself, I have heard that they spend much more time with OMM than other schools. Is this true?

You have OMM every quarter (right now it's Tuesdays and Thursdays--2 hour labs). I don't know how other schools compare as I am unfamiliar with other curriculums.
 
DO2013,

Thanks for answering all of our questions and for having so much patience! It's been great reading and getting advice from a current student. :)
 
Just got my first post-interview rejection :(

Interviewed 10/18. Rejection letter dated 10/21. Received it via mail today.
 
Being the first DO school and founded by AT Still himself, I have heard that they spend much more time with OMM than other schools. Is this true?


OTM is 1-2 times per week for the c/o 2014, cannot speak or 2013. Each session is 2 hours. During our 3 month quarter I believe we have 3 practicals where we have 5 minutes to perform a certain technique(s). I would not think that the OTM curriculum is excessive. We spend maybe 10% at most of our study/class time. and yes 5 quarters of OTM is correct- total of 7 quarters of classes in year 1 and 2
 
DO2013,

Thanks for answering all of our questions and for having so much patience! It's been great reading and getting advice from a current student. :)

Aww..you are very welcome! Keep those questions coming! :) I really enjoy going to school here. Medical school is a really big investment, so any where you choose to go I would recommend getting your questions answered and just seeing how well you fit in at the school/town. ATSU-KCOM was a really good fit for me, but everyone has different personalities and things they are looking for in a school or community.
 
OTM is 1-2 times per week for the c/o 2014, cannot speak or 2013. Each session is 2 hours. During our 3 month quarter I believe we have 3 practicals where we have 5 minutes to perform a certain technique(s). I would not think that the OTM curriculum is excessive. We spend maybe 10% at most of our study/class time. and yes 5 quarters of OTM is correct- total of 7 quarters of classes in year 1 and 2


You may not spend as much time study/class time in OTM, but as you go on in the curriculum they begin emphasizing it a little more in the other classes. For instance, in microbiology and infectious disease classes, you do case presentations in which you have to determine the disease, etiologic agent, and treatment for a patient that presents (essentially, it's "playing doctor"). You are also required to name the sympathetic and parasympathetic findings that you would expect using your OMM exam TART findings.

They do offer a craniosacral OMM elective course at the very end of the first year. I'm not sure if other schools offer this or not.
 
Is anyone interviewing November 1? I'm one of the Ambassadors joining you for lunch! :thumbup: I can sense your excitement already!:laugh:
 
I can't wait for Nov 4th! super excited, I'm just hoping it won't be bad weather since I'm driving with a rental car from KC.
 
Aww..you are very welcome! Keep those questions coming! :) I really enjoy going to school here. Medical school is a really big investment, so any where you choose to go I would recommend getting your questions answered and just seeing how well you fit in at the school/town. ATSU-KCOM was a really good fit for me, but everyone has different personalities and things they are looking for in a school or community.

Word.
 
Does anyone have experience taking the flight from St. Louis to Kirksville? I booked this flight a while ago and recently found out it is a 4 person plane!! Needless to say, I can not change my travel plans and I am freaking out a bit.
 
Does anyone have experience taking the flight from St. Louis to Kirksville? I booked this flight a while ago and recently found out it is a 4 person plane!! Needless to say, I can not change my travel plans and I am freaking out a bit.

I took the plane last week. The little Cessna's feel a bit squirrelly compared to the larger jets, but there is nothing to worry about! They seemed fairly new and maintained, and the pilots were good. Just be prepared for a noisy flight.
 
Me too. Rejection high-five!
woohoo. :D

Does anyone have experience taking the flight from St. Louis to Kirksville? I booked this flight a while ago and recently found out it is a 4 person plane!! Needless to say, I can not change my travel plans and I am freaking out a bit.
I was nervous too but it's a great flight! Noisy but wonderful view. It's also tons of fun to watch the pilots. they look pretty bored in the air -- just attempting to pass the time like the passengers.

hope for good weather though!
 
I took the plane last week. The little Cessna's feel a bit squirrelly compared to the larger jets, but there is nothing to worry about! They seemed fairly new and maintained, and the pilots were good. Just be prepared for a noisy flight.

thanks :)
 
anyone interviewing on November 8th?
 
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