COMP Class of 2008 part 01

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by calcrew14
It took 24 days for my letter to be mailed. The delay was probably due to Thanksgiving week.

The letter says that I have until February 15 to let them know of my decision. But the sentence is followed by the informative "however" to let me know that, if I want to, I can make the deposit of $1000 to secure the offering seat asap. So far I am the only one who interpret it as a mandate. My coach and cheerleaders believe otherwise.

I wonder how Ndestrukt and others deal with the deposit.

i got the same letter with the same delay. we probably interviewed the same week. i took it as "better send it in soon", so now i'm trying to figure out how to come up with a grand during christmas. i think going back to the old college standard of cookies as a present will help.

so will you be in our superlative class next fall?

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[calcrew14]

I have always known that I most likely would go to COMP. Unless miracle would happen at UCSD, UCI or Drew of course. At this time, all of those schools, and other out of state allopathic schools, are still too far out of my reach. Only one out-of-state interview so far.

 

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by FowlersGap

what is everyone's story?

i'm sure you people know most of mine, but for the ones who don't:

i am 26, born and raised in long beach. i've also lived in SF and london.
blond, brown eyes, with a long-time love of red lipstick
married but extremely independent.
one BA in anthro, one BS in bio-physiology, both from cal state long beach.
i am a registered neurodiagnostic technologist, most commonly doing intraoperative spinal cord monitoring for spinal surgeries. i work at many different hospitals around LA and orange counties.
i am obsessed with books, crossword puzzles, most types of music (newer country not included), foil fencing, swimming and any other type of physical exertion i can find. i also like hello kitty quite a bit.

anyone else want to introduce themselves?

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by that dr. jack
blond, brown eyes, with a long-time love of red lipstick
married but extremely independent.

Too bad you're married...
Yes, I hope our class has some nice looking girls. It makes going to class more pleasant when there's some eye candy around.

 

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by Slickness
Too bad you're married...
Yes, I hope our class has some nice looking girls. It makes going to class more pleasant when there's some eye candy around.

i've been often told i resemble an old style film star, and was once told i looked like renee zellweger (which i don't really see). i wouldn't think of myself as eye candy, unless you get off on grace kelly or ava gabor lookalikes. i just can't compete with the modern standard of beauty of skinny skinny and lots of make-up.

if i'm in surgery i usually look like crap because i don't bother with putting on make-up (it's not cool when it smears on the inside of the mask) or even with styling my hair just so it can spend 12-14 hours in a hair cover.

i do agree that having good looking classmates helps. all you men had better be at least somewhat good looking in return.

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by that dr. jack
i do agree that having good looking classmates helps. all you men had better be at least somewhat good looking in return.

It's cool. I'll try to do my part...

 

[friedcfood]

This thread is turning into a love connection.

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by friedcfood
This thread is turning into a love connection.

Yea you're right. We should switch the topic.

So does everyone know what they're doing for housing yet?

 

[Adapt]

I was curious about financial aid and whether or not we had to include our parent's contribution in the Fafsa. I looked on the FAQ on Western's website and it says it is optional but may be required for some scholarships. So is everyone not going to include their parent's contribution or will you do so.

I've never filled out FAFSA before so I'm not sure what to do.

 

[gioia]

Gee folks,

You're making my decision easier. I think I'll go live in the sticks of Maine for medical school.

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by gioia
Gee folks,

You're making my decision easier. I think I'll go live in the sticks of Maine for medical school.

Ok I'm not sure what that was supposed to mean. Anyways, it was obvious you had your mind set on UNECOM from the beginning. As I know myself, it's hard to change someone's mind.

So back to my financial aid question. Is anyone going to include parental information. I think it can only hurt if your parents make a decent amount of money. I'm not sure though.

 

[that dr. jack]

from the financial aid web page for COMP, it says that since COMP is considered graduate education, we don't include our parents info.

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by that dr. jack
from the financial aid web page for COMP, it says that since COMP is considered graduate education, we don't include our parents info.

Yea I figured as much so I probably won't include it. However, I didn't work this past year so I have no tax return form and had no income. For all intents and purposes, I'm still dependent on my parents but I know that for graduate school I will be considered independent.

Most questions on the FAFSA deal with how much you make and so forth. I guess my application will have a bunch of 0s for most of the questions. My expected family contribution will be almost 0. I am wondering how they deal with that.

 

[calcrew14]

Originally posted by Slickness
............I think it can only hurt if your parents make a decent amount of money. I'm not sure though.

I think you are correct

Base on a student's income (and probably asset too) they want to know the parents' income (and assets too?) so that they can accurately figure how much the parents should contribute. I see no reason to keep them throwing wild punches.

Higher parents' income hurts as much as a lot of parents' assets at undergrad level. That doesn't seem to be the case here where asset doesn't seem to count much.

I am talking about loan (subsidized and unsubsidized), not grants, scholarships or other freebies.

Correct me if I am wrong.

BTW, I guess it right that your income is close to 0. No need to withholding any parents' info. My older brother didn't need that.

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by calcrew14
I think you are correct

Base on a student's income (and probably asset too) they want to know the parents' income (and assets too?) so that they can accurately figure how much the parents should contribute. I see no reason to keep them throwing wild punches.

Higher parents' income hurts as much as a lot of parents' assets at undergrad level. That doesn't seem to be the case here where asset doesn't seem to count much.

I am talking about loan (subsidized and unsubsidized), not grants, scholarships or other freebies.

Correct me if I am wrong.

BTW, I guess it right that your income is close to 0. No need to withholding any parents' info. My older brother didn't need that.

I kind of see what you're saying but Western doesn't need your parents' income. My parents make a good amount of money combined so if I do add my parent's information, I think it will hurt me. Thus, I probably won't add it since it is optional. However, as I said, I have no earnings or anything like that so my FAFSA will look pretty much blank and I'm not sure how Western will view that.

 

[calcrew14]

Sorry, I take it back. Your are correct. I forgot about the "cap" of about $50,000-60,000. It is wise to withhold the info if parents' gross income is above $60,000.

Still, I believe that in the process, parents' 2003 income tax return or an estimate may be required though.

Good luck.

 

[that dr. jack]

Happy Holidays everyone- make it as fun as possible and think about how different our lives will be this time next year.

 

[SUPERSTARZ]

What did you all think of COMP's holiday card? I have not even received an interview invite from them yet they sent me the holiday card. I thought that was strange, but it was kind of a neat card, despite it's over-the-top cheesiness. Any other opinions?

And when on earth am I going to hear back from COMP? I've heard from every other D.O. school I've applied to, but no word from COMP. I've called my admissions coordinator twice to make sure everything was complete, that the app was submitted to the committee, etc. but still nothing. hhmm. .. .

Happy Holidays!

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by SUPERSTARZ
And when on earth am I going to hear back from COMP? I've heard from every other D.O. school I've applied to, but no word from COMP. I've called my admissions coordinator twice to make sure everything was complete, that the app was submitted to the committee, etc. but still nothing. hhmm. .. .

COMP is pretty slow in those regards. They were the last interview I had because they gave me an interview the latest. Just wait till January and I'm sure you'll get an interview.

Hey, you received a Christmas card and I didn't so they must like you.

 

[FowlersGap]

yeah you'll probably hear soon; i just got interviews at nova, lecom and ccom in the last two days; i'm gonna cancel them though

there's still time

 

[crazy250]

I am concerned about the California earthquakes. Experts predict that in the next few years, there maybe catastrophic earthquake in Cali. Is this really a problem?

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by crazy250
I am concerned about the California earthquakes. Experts predict that in the next few years, there maybe catastrophic earthquake in Cali. Is this really a problem?

Hey crazy,
I don't think it would be a problem. I have lived in CA all my life and although there have been some quakes, experts have always predicted catastrophic earthquakes coming to CA. I really don't think it's that big of a problem and am not afraid for my life for that matter.

So are you from CA and are you joining us at COMP next year?

 

[crazy250]

no. but i'm pretty close to it. yes i'll be at comp. look for the craziest person in your class and that would be me. i asked the last question cuz i don't want cadavers flying all over the place when we're in anatomy lab.

 

[SUPERSTARZ]

For those of you wondering what this talk of Western U's Xmas card is about(and, yes, this is from a school I have not even received an interview invite from). Be sure to click on the link. And make sure your computer's sound is on:


As another year comes to a close, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in Western University and send our warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday season...

Please take a moment to view our holiday message and short video by clicking on the below link: http://bb.westernu.edu/web/temp/holidaygreeting/
<http://bb.westernu.edu/web/temp/holidaygreeting/>

Happy Holidays!

~~From The Western University Admissions and Recruitment Team~~ Susan, Linda, Crystal, Gloria, Esther, Kathy, Pam, Bonnie, Jean, Sylvia, Michelle, Karen, Collette, Ann, Marie, Diana, Jennifer

 

[calcrew14]

It might be a good idea to reciprocate with an illustration to prove that Santa has granted your wish for an interview at your first choice school. Good luck.

 

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by crazy250
look for the craziest person in your class and that would be me.

i don't know man, i think you and i might have to tie for "craziest person". i will be trying to tone it down in the interest of acting as mature as a med student should.

did anyone in so cal feel that earthquake? slickness? Fowlers?

i don't think i've felt an earthquake since that one on MLK day in 1994- and that was only because i had just snuck back into the house after being out all night with my boyfriend. if that quake had been about 3 minutes earlier i would've been f&^ked.

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by crazy250
no. but i'm pretty close to it. yes i'll be at comp. look for the craziest person in your class and that would be me. i asked the last question cuz i don't want cadavers flying all over the place when we're in anatomy lab.

It's cool. I'll keep an eye out for the craziest person in class and you keep an eye out for the slickest person in class.

I never thought about the cadavers flying around. It would be an interesting sight. They probably have them tied down so they don't fall or anything. Besides, if there was an earthquake in the anatomy lab, we might have to take cover under the cadaver tables so we'd be safe from any flying body parts.

drjack, I didn't feel the earthquake because I was sleeping at the time. Yes I like to sleep most of the day. This will conflict with class time next year.

 

[skypilot]

Originally posted by Slickness
Yes I like to sleep most of the day. This will conflict with class time next year.

Maybe you can take the night shift when you become a doc.

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by skypilot


Maybe you can take the night shift when you become a doc.

Yes that would certainly work with my schedule.

 

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by Slickness


drjack, I didn't feel the earthquake because I was sleeping at the time. Yes I like to sleep most of the day. This will conflict with class time next year.

mmmmm, sleep. another thing to indulge in for the next 6 months.

 

[DoHzA]

Anybody leaning towards any one speciality???

I am biased towards Emergency medicince because that's most of what i've seen for the last 4 years or so. But there are other more important reasons i am leaning towards it.

You work when you work and are not on call not to mention it's not a 5 day a week 9 to 5 job... that would drive me nuts.

plus i am known to get bored easily so never knowing what would come thru those ER doors is what would keep me goin on a daily basis.

Jack of all trades...master of none!

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by DoHzA
Anybody leaning towards any one speciality???

I am biased towards Emergency medicince because that's most of what i've seen for the last 4 years or so. But there are other more important reasons i am leaning towards it.

You work when you work and are not on call not to mention it's not a 5 day a week 9 to 5 job... that would drive me nuts.

plus i am known to get bored easily so never knowing what would come thru those ER doors is what would keep me goin on a daily basis.

Jack of all trades...master of none!

I always thought EM was a job with a lot of hours. As for me, I'm leaning towards family practice because from all the doctors I've shadowed, they seemed to have the happiest time. I thought FP was a 9 to 5 job but since going to this site, I've heard that it wasn't. Maybe I should look into EM.

 

[FowlersGap]

i'm thinking about EM too

i get easily bored as well and i'd like to see something new every time

but who knows what will happen in the next four years; our minds might completely change

 

[Jinyaoysiu]

hi everyone
i've been reading these threads and i thought i should post something for a change since I'm also going to be in the class of 2008.

a little about me...
26yo male from LA but has been working in NYC as a web developer for past 3 years. As for housing, I'll be living at home in Cerritos which would be about 30-40 min drive to school depending on traffic and how fast I drive

talk to you all again soon

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by Jinyaoysiu
hi everyone
i've been reading these threads and i thought i should post something for a change since I'm also going to be in the class of 2008.

a little about me...
26yo male from LA but has been working in NYC as a web developer for past 3 years. As for housing, I'll be living at home in Cerritos which would be about 30-40 min drive to school depending on traffic and how fast I drive

talk to you all again soon

Hello Jinyaoysiu and welcome.
I also live about 30 min from school but I'm going to get an apartment close by. I heard that some people do commute even as far as from Hollywood.

 

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by DoHzA
Anybody leaning towards any one speciality???

I am biased towards Emergency medicince because that's most of what i've seen for the last 4 years or so. But there are other more important reasons i am leaning towards it.

You work when you work and are not on call not to mention it's not a 5 day a week 9 to 5 job... that would drive me nuts.

plus i am known to get bored easily so never knowing what would come thru those ER doors is what would keep me goin on a daily basis.

Jack of all trades...master of none!

i hear you with the jack of all trades bit- my parents were prophetic with giving me this name.

right now, i want to be open to everything, but peds and OB/GYN just doesn't pull at me (BUT YOU'RE A CHICK! CHICKS LOVE THAT STUFF!). ER sounds cool, cardio/neph/pulm not so much.

ortho, neuro and gas are the ones i see most often, so i'm drawn to those. i did have a gas man tell me i should do neuro, because the reimbursement for an EMG is the same as an inguinal hernia repair (except it takes less time and i know how to do EMG now), plus most programs aren't hard to get into and finding a job wouldn't be too hard.
who knows, i could end up doing neonateology. crazy.

 

[Adapt]

I called up the financial aid office and they said that you do not have to include your parents' information while filling out the fafsa because you are considered independent. It is also ok if you're a senior in college and did not work. Your fafsa application will just have a bunch of 0s on it. I thought I would throw that out there for anyone that was wondering about financial aid at COMP.

 

[friedcfood]

I'm going into internal medicine...from there i'll start with primary care or oncology....not sure tho.


Has anyone asked COMP about the ISAC program?

 

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by friedcfood



Has anyone asked COMP about the ISAC program?

i e-mail dr. kuehn about it, and he said he would get my stats from admissions and get back to me about it. my guess is that they invite some people, and if you're really serious about it you can get in even if you don't have the GPA/MCAT stats they give as "minimums".

 

[pyoj]

hey all, just wanted to congradulate you on getting into medical school and welcome to COMP. I'm a third year and i finished rotating through the Arrowhead block. I just wanted to throw down a few tidbits of advice.

Make sure you focus on your academics, your friends, your classmates, your family during your first two years. try not to get caught up in all the drama of medical school (because it's the same everywhere). make shure you get "me time"/"fun time". it's the only way you'll stay sane and keep a clear focused mind.
ultimate goal is doing well in class and doing the best you can on the board exams.

right now i'm on my vacation rotation and i am struggling to figure out what i want to do for the rest of my life. i started out thinking about peds, then i discovered i hate kids 10hrs/day. then i thought ortho, then i discovered 7 yrs of residency and my boards scores were not in the 90th percentile, then psych, then FP, then IM. so i'm back to square one with absolutely no idea what i want. you'll find that there are more factors that play into finding the right residency for you than just hours and salary. for those of you who made up your mind, congradulations and best of luck to you.

i had a great experience my first two years at COMP and created close bonds with all of my classmates. i'm having an even better time out in rotations.

i hope your experiences will be as good as mine.
peace all.
~j

 

[pyoj]

hey all, just wanted to congradulate you on getting into medical school and welcome to COMP. I'm a third year and i finished rotating through the Arrowhead block. I just wanted to throw down a few tidbits of advice.

Make sure you focus on your academics, your friends, your classmates, your family during your first two years. try not to get caught up in all the drama of medical school (because it's the same everywhere). make sure you get "me time"/"fun time". it's the only way you'll stay sane and keep a clear focused mind.
ultimate goal is doing well in class and doing the best you can on the board exams.

right now i'm on my vacation rotation and i am struggling to figure out what i want to do for the rest of my life. i started out thinking about peds, then i discovered i hate kids 10hrs/day. then i thought ortho, then i discovered 7 yrs of residency and my boards scores were not in the 90th percentile, then psych, then FP, then IM. so i'm back to square one with absolutely no idea what i want. you'll find that there are more factors that play into finding the right residency for you than just hours and salary. for those of you who made up your mind, congradulations and best of luck to you.

i had a great experience my first two years at COMP and created close bonds with all of my classmates. i'm having an even better time out in rotations.

i hope your experiences will be as good as mine.
peace all.
~j

 

[Adapt]

Thanks for your post pyoj. It's good to see a COMP student that enjoyed his/her first two years. Could you provide more input on how the social scene is the first two years. In other words, do classmates hang out together or maybe even party together?

 

[friedcfood]

Thanks for the tips!

 

[calcrew14]

Originally posted by pyoj
hey all,
Make sure you focus on your academics, your friends, your classmates, your family during your first two years. try not to get caught up in all the drama of medical school (because it's the same everywhere). make sure you get "me time"/"fun time". it's the only way you'll stay sane and keep a clear focused mind.
ultimate goal is doing well in class and doing the best you can on the board exams.

~j

Thanks. That's exactly what I am going to do. Hope that you don't mind if I join allopathic training afterwards though. That's the only way I can have this cake and eat it too.

In the mean time, let's DO it!
I myself just can't wait any longer!

 

[Adapt]

So calcrew, are you going to COMP next year?

 

[DoHzA]

Pyoj, your post made me feel really good for some reason!

EVERYBODY ELSE, I'm freaking out cuz i just found out i have to live solo out at COMP and I have no idea what town to pick or where to live and the thought of livin alone would kill me cuz i live off of other people's energy so after 10 hrs in class comin home to nothin would drive me nuts

oh well

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by DoHzA
Pyoj, your post made me feel really good for some reason!

EVERYBODY ELSE, I'm freaking out cuz i just found out i have to live solo out at COMP and I have no idea what town to pick or where to live and the thought of livin alone would kill me cuz i live off of other people's energy so after 10 hrs in class comin home to nothin would drive me nuts

oh well

Why can't you get a roommate?

 

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by DoHzA
Pyoj, your post made me feel really good for some reason!

EVERYBODY ELSE, I'm freaking out cuz i just found out i have to live solo out at COMP and I have no idea what town to pick or where to live and the thought of livin alone would kill me cuz i live off of other people's energy so after 10 hrs in class comin home to nothin would drive me nuts

oh well

don't be sad DoHzA! you'll find someone to live with, and hopefully they won't be the creepy kind of roomate.
if i didn't already have a boy to live with, i'd totally want you to live with me. we've been looking at OC and maybe it's a bit expensive for how crappy it really is (Fullerton and Brea are not Newport or Laguna after all) so we're thinking maybe Chino Hills or some sort- a house would be nice.

I had a panic attack at Target the other day because i realized in 6 months i won't be able to afford a luxury like my beloved Downy fabric softener and i will have to check prices and clip coupons and balance my checkbook and $hit.

slickeness! and all you others that are coming straight outta college and living with your parents are so lucky, because being an adult with a job and disposable income for nearly 5 years is tough to let go of. when i was a poor 22-year-old living on scott toilet paper and drugstore make-up it wasn't so bad, but now it seems like torture.

maybe that's just the vodka and blueberry juice talking though. eek, drunken typing is a bad, bad thing.

 

[DoHzA]

my cousin who was going to get a place w/ me decided it's pointless for him to move from diamond bar to an area 10 min away and pay rent when he can live home for free
makes sense but leaves me out in the cold
what's COMP's deal w/ settin up people w/ places or roommates?

 

[Adapt]

Originally posted by that dr. jack
slickeness! and all you others that are coming straight outta college and living with your parents are so lucky, because being an adult with a job and disposable income for nearly 5 years is tough to let go of. when i was a poor 22-year-old living on scott toilet paper and drugstore make-up it wasn't so bad, but now it seems like torture.

maybe that's just the vodka and blueberry juice talking though. eek, drunken typing is a bad, bad thing.

Drunk and typing on SDN. I've done that a few times.

Dohza, I think you fill out some survey and send it back to COMP. Then they give you a list of compatible roommates. This is what I heard but I'm sure it's something like that.