COMP Class of 2008 part 01

[FowlersGap]

UHS has a similar thread; i figured i should start one too
i'm pretty set on COMP unless i hear from other schools in socal
i've got a few friends there and they all love it a lot
they told me that they really make you feel proud to be a DO
who else out there is planning on coming here next august?

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[Adapt]

Hey Fowler,
I most likely will go to COMP also unless I hear from other southern CA schools as well. Good idea starting this thread. Maybe you should start it in the Osteopathic forum instead of the pre-DO forum.

 

[NDESTRUKT]

COMPs got some cute girls...i'll give you that much =)

I'm heading back to the Midwest though, but man...I'm gonna miss SoCal...

 

[FowlersGap]

yeah slick i just realized that after i pressed post; whoops

 

[tsukiewok]

Me too... it's COMP unless another socal school accepts me.

 

[Luwi25]

Well hello there my "very-potential" classmates of COMP!! Just wanted to extend a well-deserved congrats to all of you for getting accepted into COMP (a med school in beautiful Southern California!) I will most definitely be attending COMP as well unless some other Southern Cali schools sends some love my way (where if it is a UC then it would be WAY cheaper to attend).

Regardless We're IN a medical school!!!

We're gonna be physicians!!!

COMP Class of 2008 ALL THE WAY!!

 

[GoForIt]

Congrats for your COMP acceptance. Would anyone of you be interested in COMP's summer anatomy courses? One is for those that did not take any anatomy course at undergrad, hence is an introductory course. The other is an accelerated advance course. It is for those that meet a certain requirements such as gpa, mcat and have taken anatomy before. After you completed the advanced course, you can help your fellow classmates in the fall as facilitators. I am sure COMP, or those that have taken the course, can give you more detail info if you are interested.

 

[FowlersGap]

i was thinking about it and my interviewer even suggested that i take an anatomy class before coming to COMP so i can be ahead of the game; i might take it at a community college next semester cause i want to have fun this summer
what are other people thinking about doing?

 

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by FowlersGap
i was thinking about it and my interviewer even suggested that i take an anatomy class before coming to COMP so i can be ahead of the game; i might take it at a community college next semester cause i want to have fun this summer
what are other people thinking about doing?

(i got my interview call today!!! woo hoo!)

the admissions lady i talked to said that if you take an anatomy course before you enroll you can take a special summer course that will fulfill some requirements for the first year, and you can help other students. i've taken anatomy up the butt, so i'm looking forward to not having *so* much stuff to learn that first year.

 

[FowlersGap]

so what do you guys like to do for fun?

 

[tsukiewok]

Of course!

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by NDESTRUKT
COMPs got some cute girls...i'll give you that much =)

Yea I hope our class has some cute girls. I like to party also. Hopefully people in our class will be cool.

 

[Luwi25]

California always attracts cute girls (not that I really care about my own sex)...but boys...remember that you don't want too many cute girls in your class because that means...way too many distractions!

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by Luwi25
California always attracts cute girls (not that I really care about my own sex)...but boys...remember that you don't want too many cute girls in your class because that means...way too many distractions!

True. If I remember correctly from my AZCOM interview, you're not so bad looking yourself.

 

[Luwi25]

Originally posted by Slickness
True. If I remember correctly from my AZCOM interview, you're not so bad looking yourself.

Well thanks so much for that complement Slickness...now I see where your name stems from.

Well, in that case...I hope I'm not a distraction for you next year at COMP cause then we wouldn't be able to be study buddies!

On a serious note though...have you been keeping up with the thread I started on the "osteopathic forum" asking COMP students their opinions about the school? There are some really negative comments on that thread but they do bring up some good issues about the rotations and problems that accumulate primarily in the 3rd and 4th years. I've been thinking of maybe going over to the school and meeting with the administration and even talking to current students about some of my concerns. Do you think it's a good idea? If you have some time, maybe we can even go together, double team em' and kinda find out more about what we'll be getting ourselves into next year. Just thought I'd throw that out to you. Let me know what ya think!

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by Luwi25
Well thanks so much for that complement Slickness...now I see where your name stems from.

Well, in that case...I hope I'm not a distraction for you next year at COMP cause then we wouldn't be able to be study buddies!

On a serious note though...have you been keeping up with the thread I started on the "osteopathic forum" asking COMP students their opinions about the school? There are some really negative comments on that thread but they do bring up some good issues about the rotations and problems that accumulate primarily in the 3rd and 4th years. I've been thinking of maybe going over to the school and meeting with the administration and even talking to current students about some of my concerns. Do you think it's a good idea? If you have some time, maybe we can even go together, double team em' and kinda find out more about what we'll be getting ourselves into next year. Just thought I'd throw that out to you. Let me know what ya think!

Hey Luwi,
Well, it is an interesting idea to talk to people at COMP because after all they are the source. However, though some students seem dissatisfied with the last two years, I don't think the situation could be as bad as they paint it out to be. After all, graduates still seem to have no problem when trying to get into residencies.

At this time, I don't think it's necessary to go and talk to the admins about the situation because I just wouldn't want to bother them. Even with all the problems, I will most likely go there pending the other socal schools. So, I say, don't worry about it. However, I do look forward to meeting you again next fall if we do actually both decide to go to COMP.

 

[FowlersGap]

i was just wondering especially because my friend who is a first year at AZCOM was telling me during my interview there that there isn't really a social scene there because a lot of students have committments to families and are understandably beyond the party scene
but i guess you'll find that at any school
it even came up during my interview at COMP; someone asked the tour guide "i noticed a lot of people are married, do you guys ever hang out as a class"
the student replied by saying "yeah a lot of people are married but others aren't"
i guess its a superficial concern; but i'd like to have some fun in addition to working super hard!
Luwi, if you're concerned about the administrative matters, I think you should go ahead and meet with them, i was a journalist in undergrad and i'm always encouraging that sort of investigative curiosity
also what do you really have to lose?...nothing
but i do agree with slickness in that grads end up doing great and the complaints may not really last long-term but are more short term, also i think someone said the majority of people that comment are just sitting around on the computer and don't really have anything better to do; that's why it seems like there are more minuses than pluses...
that's just my opinion...party on

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by FowlersGap
i was just wondering especially because my friend who is a first year at AZCOM was telling me during my interview there that there isn't really a social scene there because a lot of students have committments to families and are understandably beyond the party scene
but i guess you'll find that at any school
it even came up during my interview at COMP; someone asked the tour guide "i noticed a lot of people are married, do you guys ever hang out as a class"
the student replied by saying "yeah a lot of people are married but others aren't, we even rent out the gay bar on campus some nights to hold parties" as they did for halloween
i guess its a superficial concern; but i'd like to have some fun in addition to working super hard!

I hear you. Actually, I went to walk around campus last week and I was surprised to see a bar right there in the middle of campus. I didn't know it was a gay bar though! I had to go to the bathroom there because it was late at night and not other places were open. The lady working there was nice though, and there was no one there luckily.

Anyways, I would have thought AZCOM to have more young people because they have the oncampus housing that most people live in and I guess it may seem more fun. I hope that not everyone is married in our class. I'll be 22 when school starts so I figure I'll be one of the youngest in the class. I hope there are others like me. How old are you people and are you married yet?

 

[FowlersGap]

i'll be 23 when school starts
far from married!

 

[that dr. jack]

26 and married, but i go out more now than when i was single.

please don't think all married people just want to sit around looking at each other and thinking "hey, we're married. let's play some scrabble."

 

[FowlersGap]

Originally posted by that dr. jack
26 and married, but i go out more now than when i was single.

please don't think all married people just want to sit around looking at each other and thinking "hey, we're married. let's play some scrabble."

that's actually really funny that you mentioned scrabble; cause when I was on the east coast last year finishing a masters program, my housemates and I (all younger and unmarried) kind of became addicted to scrabble!

i hear you, but I think the culture at my grad school might have been different, some of the older people kind of had a stigma about the younger kids who just wanted to go out and have a good time after exams, their idea of fun wasnt really hanging out around a keg in front of 20 something year olds...
but hopefully things will be different here and there will be a greater sense of class "community"!

i'm not agist at all, because some of my closest friends were a lot older than me, I actually learned so much from them.

us youngsters can be immature at times but one of the things i'm looking forward to the most is the diversity in ages!

 

[that dr. jack]

scarbble is cool, but i'd rather play trivial pursuit or simpson's monopoly anyday. ever since the house rule of "no scientific/obscure medical terms" came along, i've been losing all the time.

the funny thing is that i don't feel old at all- i spent my early twenties hooked up with a soul-sucking speed freak boyfriend, working and going to school full time. i've spent the months since i last graduated reading all the books and seeing all the movies i never got to before, plus trying to get my legendary low tolerance to alcohol to respectable levels.

i'm actually afraid to tell them if they ask me what i do for relaxation- "sit around at a dive bar with my friends from junior high, drinking, smoking and singing along to old punk songs on the jukebox".

i look forward to meeting you at the TUCOM interview (i see we're on the same day). if you want to hook up before, let me know. i'm going up tomorrow, and then going to the best western on sunday.

 

[FowlersGap]

i actually cancelled tucom's i-view
maybe we'll meet up at western

 

[Luwi25]

I'm 23 and not married. I think we'll have a range and that'll be fun! Plus, after 21 I feel like age really ain't nuthin' but a number when comparing differences of like 3-5 years.

All I know is that we could make this experience FUN...so I'm really excited about that!

 

[Adapt]

So I talked to my family physician today who is an alum of COMP. I told him how I was accepted to COMP and Temple and asked him what he thought about it.

He basically told me that if I wanted to be an FP, pediatrician, or internist, I could choose either school and I would be fine in terms of getting a good residency as long as my board scores were good. He said by the time you practice there is no difference between MDs and DOs. Also, DOs are making real advances in terms of being accepted in the medical community as compared when he was trying for residency which was about 20 years ago. However, he did say that if I wanted to specialize such as do surgery it would be more difficult if I went to COMP.

That doesn't matter though for me at least because I want to stick to primary care. He also told me that he still keeps in touch with people at COMP and that it's a tight knit group over there. So it looks like I'm off to COMP pending other CA schools.

 

[Luwi25]

Originally posted by Slickness
He basically told me that if I wanted to be an FP, pediatrician, or internist, I could choose either school and I would be fine in terms of getting a good residency as long as my board scores were good. He said by the time you practice there is no difference between MDs and DOs. Also, DOs are making real advances in terms of being accepted in the medical community as compared when he was trying for residency which was about 20 years ago. However, he did say that if I wanted to specialize such as do surgery it would be more difficult if I went to COMP.

This is great Slickness! But I think that we already knew this so why not go to a medical school that will encourage you and keep you happy (location wise) right? I just read about a study that looked at Hopkins Med students. It was a prospective study with like 30 years of follow-up. And they found that the med students with more social support that were happier during med school were less likely to get CV disease and cancer later in life. Just thought it was an interesting study...so for my health I would rather be a "happy" med student in CA. So I'll see ya at COMP (pending other CA schools).

 

[GoForIt]

That doesn't matter though for me at least because I want to stick to primary care. He also told me that he still keeps in touch with people at COMP and that it's a tight knit group over there. So it looks like I'm off to COMP pending other CA schools.

I think if you want to go into primary care and stay in So. Cal, COMP would be an excellent choice for you, other than CA schools. It's always good to have a successful medical career, and a network of friends nearby after you finish your med education.

Primary care is very much in high demand in So. Cal. I received a phone call from a friend last week. He and I worked for Cedar Sinai Med Center about 20 years ago. He told me that he has now three clinics within a 10 miles radius. He is looking to hire three additional primary care doctors. Work schedule is Monday thru Friday 9 to 5, no on calls, $65 to $70 per hour plus benefit. It's respectable considering you do not have to worry about overhead or malpractice insurance.

 

[friedcfood]

I guess I'll be joining some of you at COMP! Nice to meet you all.
If you guys are on AIM instant message me at "friedcfood."

 

[FowlersGap]

awesome;
my IM is hpatel410
hey i know its way early to talk about this but what are people doing about housing?
when i was at gtown, i split a townhouse with five people from my class; it was cool cause we had the same schedules and worked out pretty well
don't know how many townhouses there are in the area though
but i heard a lot of people live in the surrounding areas of claremont/montclair etc.
what are other people thinking about in terms of housing;
again i know its early cause i'm waiting on other CA schools too and my decision to attend comp pends on the other schools

 

[Adapt]

Hey Fowler I've looked into some apartments already and here's what I found. I posted this in a thread in the osteopathic forum but I'll repost here.

There is this apartment called the Plaza that is in walking distance from school. People have said it's a bad place to live and it is not safe. Also, I heard that COMP does not recommend students to live there. I have been there and it seems decent because it is gated but the neighborhood is a bit run down.

I have found really nice apartments in Claremont about 3 miles away from school (8 minute drive on the streets). There is actually a whole street of apartments that have both Western students and Pomona College students which is next door to the apartments. This area is nicer and has a lot of stores around it including a starbucks most likely because of Pomona Collge being right there. I will probably live there once I get all the housing information and roommate info. Supposedly we get this roommate info in March or so.

 

[FowlersGap]

i think the way it works is that you fill out a roommate sheet and then you get copies of everyone's sheets that match your criteria and then you just call people from the sheets and figure it out from there

 

[friedcfood]

Housing in Ponoma isn't great...like most med students suggested, Clairemont, Chino Hills, the areas surrounding Western are probably best. Living in LA isn't too bad either. I grew up in the Pasadena/LA area and its pretty nice...lots to do. Can't say the same about the surrounding area of Pomona. Commute from LA isn't bad either, you'll be driving against traffic both ways. The school had some apartment guides in there lobby...if you didn't pick one up for the interview, i'm sure if you ask, they'll mail one to you.

 

[that dr. jack]

i talked it over with my boy, and he said moving to fullerton would be great for us. at first i thought i could stay in long beach and commute, but i really don't want that long of a drive anymore.
fullerton is about halfway from long beach (where he works and goes to school) and pomona. its against traffic to pomona, and they have all sorts of really nice little craftsman bungelows for cheaper than the ones we like in LBC.

the only weird thing now is: living in OC, especially inland. eek! i was always safe and sheltered in LB.

 

[tkim]

Sorry I haven't been around too much lately - school is sucking up most of my time.

I just want to say 'congrats' to all of you!

- Tae

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by tkim6599
I just want to say 'congrats' to all of you!

- Tae

Thanks. Hey Tae, what's the breakdown between married students and single students in your class? Also, how many nontraditional students vs traditional students are in your class?

Finally, where do most of the single students live? I know it's a lot of questions but thanks for the help.

 

[tkim]

Originally posted by Slickness
Thanks. Hey Tae, what's the breakdown between married students and single students in your class? Also, how many nontraditional students vs traditional students are in your class?

Finally, where do most of the single students live? I know it's a lot of questions but thanks for the help.

Actually, I have no idea what the breakdown is. There are far more single students than married, and the younger the student, the more likely they are single.

Although there are a few hardy souls that live in Pomona, the majority live in the surrounding areas - Claremont, Ontario, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, north of the 10 highway, and Chino Hills south of the 10.

Claremont is arguably the closest and nicest area near Pomona, but it's also arguably the most expensive place to live.

When it gets closer to summer, those of you who live in SoCal and plan on moving closer should scope out places. If you have the time, post your experiences for those out of state - it's a big help.

Here's a link to last year's thread - some good info about apartments:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53733

- Tae

 

[mackaikai]

I also turned down Tucom's interview.... maybe I will see you guys at Western next year It's on top of my want-to-go list of schools.

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by tkim6599
When it gets closer to summer, those of you who live in SoCal and plan on moving closer should scope out places. If you have the time, post your experiences for those out of state - it's a big help.

I see thanks. I actually looked at some apartments already and I really liked the set of apartments by Pomona College. I guess that would be the Claremont ones. I'm not sure about the rest though.

 

[Luwi25]

Hey Slickness...

I wanted to PM you but your PM inbox is full. Just thought I'd let ya know!

And thanks guys for reminding me that I need to look for housing. Does anyone know how much a studio costs in any of the neighboring areas of Pomona? My studio in Brentwood was $1000 a month and I'm really hoping that it's way cheaper out there.

Thanks!

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by Luwi25
Hey Slickness...

I wanted to PM you but your PM inbox is full. Just thought I'd let ya know!

Cool. Yea I think I'm having a problem with my PM box. I think I deleted everything but I guess people still can't PM me. Does anyone know how to fix it?

 

[tkim]

Originally posted by Slickness
Cool. Yea I think I'm having a problem with my PM box. I think I deleted everything but I guess people still can't PM me. Does anyone know how to fix it?

The default is that it only shows you PM's sent within 2 days. You need to check 'all' in the date range to see and delete all of them.

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by tkim6599
The default is that it only shows you PM's sent within 2 days. You need to check 'all' in the date range to see and delete all of them.

Yes I found out I cleared my Inbox but not my sent folder as well. It's fixed now. Thanks.

 

[DoHzA]

I'M IN GUYS!

I'M IN!!!

 

[mackaikai]

YAY FOR YOU

 

[friedcfood]

congrats....see you there!

 

[that dr. jack]

i canceled my interviews with LECOM and DMU today. i had already been planning on going to COMP barring some incredible acceptance, but we found out a couple of days ago that my grandma has cancer, so staying here to be near her is of utmost importance.

see you all in a few months. it's crazy man- we're going to be doctors!

 

[FowlersGap]

sorry to hear about your grandma
hopefully it is not too serious
i can't believe we're going to be doctors either
see you guys soon if we all decide to go to comp next year!!

 

[Adapt]

Hey Fowler, so hows the app process going for you. Are you set on COMP or are you waiting for other schools?

 

[FowlersGap]

i'm pretty set on COMP for now but who knows what will ultimately happen
i liked AZCOM a lot but i don't think i'd want to be there for two if not four years....
if i get in to a UC i'll probably go there
if hear good stuff from USC it will be a tough decision...
haven't heard anything positive from MD schools yet; but its all good
i'm happy with COMP and i think learning OMM will be an added benefit to my education
so yeah i guess i can say that i'm pretty set on COMP
what about you?

 

[Adapt]

I'm still waiting on Loma Linda and the other Cali schools, but otherwise I'm going to COMP. I'll know for sure in April probably.