Hey everyone,
I'm a current CCOM'er (class of 2012) and I've skimmed the posts here. I remember the pre-medical days quite well and the anxieties and such that go along with the whole process.
As JHild above offered, please let me know if you have any questions about the school. I can throw down some truths here based off of what I read.
1) Definitely have some warm clothes for your interview as it's getting quite chilly here.
2) CCOM does have access to great rotation sites as some of the premier hospitals around the Chicago area. If you're looking for opportunites as a specialist I'd consider this in your desicion.
3) Classes are brutal here. That's not to say they're impossible but they do demand quite a bit of time investment. That sounds like an obvious statement but you'd be surprised at some people's reaction to the work. There is an emphasis at CCOM to push the class hard with frequent testing. It's a double edged sword as it is at once nervewracking and rewarding. I feel I'm learning a vast amount in a short amount of time and credit my frequent tests for that.
4) The anatomy department faculty are, in my humble opinion, second to none. It's difficult to find a collection of extraordinarily qualified professors who are willing to go to extreme lengths to have their students become masters in their field. The faculty here are not easy--there's no handouts--and their tests are exceedingly difficult, but they do not kid around about the open door policy and are quite available for questions and instruction should students need it. Needless to say I'm very impressed with my profs
.
5) The grounds of the school are nice. Yep, there's a baseball field and, well, lots of fields in general. It's a pretty campus in a nice part of town so there's that.
6) For brownie points, refer to it as "Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine" as it's the founding college of Midwestern University. For extra style points don't say "C-kom" but rather "c-c-oh-em". They don't like the previous for some reason.
7) Yes, both Midway and O'Hare are haggard airports. O'Hare might edge out Midway for a bigger headache in my opinion but they're almost equidistant from the campus. Note from personal experience: if you do choose to fly out of Midway, and have a GPS device, take care not to set it to 'avoid tollways' as it will invariably take you through some scary neighborhoods.
8) Use the Midwestern.edu online Interact Now site. Strangely enough we don't use it as students but I remember well using it quite often as an applicant. You can also network with current students and submit a letter of sincere interest in the school via the program (every bit helps).
9) Don't worry about timing the mail from MWU. I'm not sure how the mail leaves this place but it's never on time. There are numerous stories of letters being mailed two weeks later than they were postmarked (in my case my acceptance letter) and I'm not sure if it's the school's fault. The whole postal system around here seems a bit off.
10) If you have the opportunity to squeak in a Biochemistry course (as it's not required) I'd highly suggest doing so this upcoming spring semester. That and molecular genetics have been the two most helpful courses that I'd taken in my undergrad transitioning to medical school.
There you have it. I need to return to the Biochemistry--speaking of which we have a final tomorrow--that I'd put on hold for too long
.
Let us know if you have any other questions or if I missed something. Good luck everyone.
*thumbs up*
