DMU-COM Discussion Thread 2011-2012

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FrkyBgStok said:
oh man. Tomorrow is my day. Really hoping I don't mess it up. DMU is my first choice with a substantial lead. Thanks everyone for the input.
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good luck! let us know how it goes :)
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Tomorrow! So excited...sitting in the hotel, researching lol
 
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FrkyBgStok said:
ugh. I don't feel like it went bad, I just wish I felt more confident about today.
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I'm in the same boat. Had my interview at my #1 choice, it was my first one, it went ok I guess, but my confidence level is really low. Though I know it went better than the interview I had today...
 
FrkyBgStok said:
ugh. I don't feel like it went bad, I just wish I felt more confident about today.
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stefspets said:
I'm in the same boat. Had my interview at my #1 choice, it was my first one, it went ok I guess, but my confidence level is really low. Though I know it went better than the interview I had today...
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It's impossible to tell how you did at a med school interview. There are stories all over SDN about this, where people got rejected who felt like they rocked it, and accepted when they felt like they bombed it.

All you can really do is :xf::xf:
 
ok. after talking to my wife and calming my nerves I will give some interview feedback.

The school is better than I thought it would be, and understand that I thought it would be the s**t. It was awesome. The whole day was fairly laid back. The sim lab was way cool and everyone seemed to really love the school. To go to DMU would be an absolute dream.

Now for the interview. I wouldn't say it was completely laid back, but I wouldn't say I got grilled either. I answered honestly. A couple times my interviewer would say, "that was the answer I was looking for" but there was one point where he said, "some of your answers would normally be red flags, but given the context of your application, I understand." One example is he asked if I ever pulled all nighters, and I said, "oh yes, a lot, but I work nights." He then said all nighters show disorganization, so that made me feel bad, but he immediately would move into how I clearly have good time management skills with all the working I did while attending school. That style was most of interview, a comment to say I answered wrong but an explanation to say that I was awesome. It was really weird.

I had 2 interviewers, both were faculty. They kind of bounced back and forth. I left the interview feeling really mediocre about it. I told them the truth about my interest in primary care and OMM, I just hope they don't see my honest answers as bull.

Maybe I did awesome though and I am just worried because it is my number one choice and I want it to work out so bad. Who knows. I am just going to hope like crazy DMU liked me as much as I liked them.
 
FrkyBgStok said:
ok. after talking to my wife and calming my nerves I will give some interview feedback.

The school is better than I thought it would be, and understand that I thought it would be the s**t. It was awesome. The whole day was fairly laid back. The sim lab was way cool and everyone seemed to really love the school. To go to DMU would be an absolute dream.

Now for the interview. I wouldn't say it was completely laid back, but I wouldn't say I got grilled either. I answered honestly. A couple times my interviewer would say, "that was the answer I was looking for" but there was one point where he said, "some of your answers would normally be red flags, but given the context of your application, I understand." One example is he asked if I ever pulled all nighters, and I said, "oh yes, a lot, but I work nights." He then said all nighters show disorganization, so that made me feel bad, but he immediately would move into how I clearly have good time management skills with all the working I did while attending school. That style was most of interview, a comment to say I answered wrong but an explanation to say that I was awesome. It was really weird.

I had 2 interviewers, both were faculty. They kind of bounced back and forth. I left the interview feeling really mediocre about it. I told them the truth about my interest in primary care and OMM, I just hope they don't see my honest answers as bull.

Maybe I did awesome though and I am just worried because it is my number one choice and I want it to work out so bad. Who knows. I am just going to hope like crazy DMU liked me as much as I liked them.
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I agree with the part about it being neither super laid back nor a grill-fest. also, to make you feel a little bit better (at least superficially), I was somewhat depressed and uncertain when I came out of mine, not because I got difficult questions (except for one in which they both asked simultaneously, as if they had rehearsed it, "do you have any other questions...that you would like us to ask you?"........I mean what the heck? I think they asked me this twice, too. yeah, I basically said sorry, I can't think of anything both times...I mean I got like 2 hrs of sleep the night before from nonstop worrying about the interview so by that time my mind was like rush hour traffic in NY or China...it was blocked and stagnant), but mostly because they were expressionless the whole time and just let me talk without responding to most of what I said...so I rambled and rambled, and all I was thinking about during and after the interview was about all the dumb things I said in addition to how I could have potentially given better answers than the ones that I thought were pretty good...I am not a fan of all of this interviewing stuff as you can tell, and I really don't think being stern or merciless as an interviewer is going to bring out the real person in the interviewee....I know myself to be a comical and personable guy, but I'm very sure that I came across as way too serious and insincere simply because I didn't get so much as a flinch from any of responses...but hey, maybe like Donnie1310 said, I might be one of those people who are unsuspectingly accepted! (I ain't gonna bank on it though...)

okay, enough of spilling my guts...I feel bad for those ppl who still have to interview who might be reading this! Don't be afraid! just know one very important thing: you may very well have a conversational and compassionate interviewer (which I believe is the case for many), but expect that you may not, and therefore be prepared to do one very simple thing -- be jovial, confident and terse with any kind of interviewer that you have! Don't say more than the answer to the question and that will save you a lot of worries after the interview....just my 2 cents.
 
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hello2 said:
I agree with your first sentence. also, to make you feel a little bit better (at least superficially), I was somewhat depressed and uncertain when I came out of mine, not because I got difficult questions (except for one in which they both asked simultaneously, as if they had rehearsed it, "do you have any other questions...that you would like us to ask you?"........I mean what the heck?
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lol wut.

That's an..... interesting spin on the classic "what do you want the committee to know about you?" question (which is a question i despise... my primary and secondary apps are filled with what I want the committee to know about me).
 
hello2 said:
I agree with the part about it being neither super laid back nor a grill-fest. also, to make you feel a little bit better (at least superficially), I was somewhat depressed and uncertain when I came out of mine, not because I got difficult questions (except for one in which they both asked simultaneously, as if they had rehearsed it, "do you have any other questions...that you would like us to ask you?"........I mean what the heck? I think they asked me this twice, too. yeah, I basically said sorry, I can't think of anything both times...I mean I got like 2 hrs of sleep the night before from nonstop worrying about the interview so by that time my mind was like rush hour traffic in NY or China...it was blocked and stagnant), but mostly because they were expressionless the whole time and just let me talk without responding to most of what I said...so I rambled and rambled, and all I was thinking about during and after the interview was about all the dumb things I said in addition to how I could have potentially given better answers than the ones that I thought were pretty good...I am not a fan of all of this interviewing stuff as you can tell, and I really don't think being stern or merciless as an interviewer is going to bring out the real person in the interviewee....I know myself to be a comical and personable guy, but I'm very sure that I came across as way too serious and insincere simply because I didn't get so much as a flinch from any of responses...but hey, maybe like Donnie1310 said, I might be one of those people who are unsuspectingly accepted! (I ain't gonna bank on it though...)

okay, enough of spilling my guts...I feel bad for those ppl who still have to interview who might be reading this! Don't be afraid! just know one very important thing: you may very well have a conversational and compassionate interviewer (which I believe is the case for many), but expect that you may not, and therefore be prepared to do one very simple thing -- be jovial, confident and terse with any kind of interviewer that you have! Don't say more than the answer to the question and that will save you a lot of worries after the interview....just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

at the risk of sounding like an assbag, this does make me feel better.
 
This was my second interivew and all I can say is your interview skills will improve from this point on. Although I was nervous at the beginning, it was nothing like my first interview and I was actually able to have some conversation with my interviewers.

Regarding the interview itself, I agree with the above posters - it was neither too laid back nor grilling. For the most part, I was impressed with their top-notch facility, friendly environment, and very supportive facutly members and students. Overall, my interview day was positive and informative.

Good luck everyone:luck:
 
So I don't know what it was; maybe it's because I'm a reapplicant. But I was not nervous AT ALL for today's interview. It was like that weird calm you hear about settling in before death. BUT I think it really helped me.

Campus was awesome, actually got me pretty interested in OMM. Students were great, everyone was quick to give you their email address in case we had any questions.

I thought my interview went really well. At the worst, my complete lack of debilitating nerves may have made me come off as arrogant, but I really hope not, because I was seriously in a twilight zone of utter calm. I had three interviewers: a DO faculty member, a PhD faculty member and a third year student.I had the same kind of not-totally-laid-back-but-not-a-grill-fest-either interview. The questions were biggies but fair, and the answers were respected. Why DMU, why Des Moines, what do you know about osteopathic medicine, a bunch of random half-conversation about my interests and what the school/area had to offer.

Overall, I loved it!
 
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3 weeks or less. No friggin way I can be this nervous for 3 weeks. Luckily I have another interview in a week so I can add to my nervousnesss. Yay! I just really hope DMU works out. Being from Iowa, this school started out awesome, but it really is better than i thought it would be. which is hard because i thought it would be crazy awesome.
 
Hi, new here. Got a fast track interview, scheduled on 10/14. Was wondering if anyone knows how many interviews they do over the year. Are the odds good that if you get a fast track you will get accepted?
 
WusUpDoc said:
Hi, new here. Got a fast track interview, scheduled on 10/14. Was wondering if anyone knows how many interviews they do over the year. Are the odds good that if you get a fast track you will get accepted?
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According to a rumor, the odds of getting accepted after the interview was like 50%. I'm not sure if a fast track interview makes any difference in the admission decision. At least they like your numbers and what they see on the initial application, so I would say you are in a better position.

Good luck.
 
DrIBProfen said:
I wanted to see if there are any people interviewing tomorrow, 9/15/11, who would be interested in grabbing food and/or a couple drinks at the Hessen Haus tonight, 9/14/11?

If anyone's interested send me a PM and we can exchange phone numbers. I'll be on the road most of the day but I will still be able to receive emails.
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For those of you that have interviewed or that live in Des Moines, I get in Des Moines Sunday for interview Monday. I hope to get there early enough so I can check out the town and school beforehand. Any recommendations on good places to see or eat would be swell.
 
doingit9 said:
For those of you that have interviewed or that live in Des Moines, I get in Des Moines Sunday for interview Monday. I hope to get there early enough so I can check out the town and school beforehand. Any recommendations on good places to see or eat would be swell.
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Sorry, forgot to delete the quote.
 
LUCPM said:
According to a rumor, the odds of getting accepted after the interview was like 50%. I'm not sure if a fast track interview makes any difference in the admission decision. At least they like your numbers and what they see on the initial application, so I would say you are in a better position.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

I thought someone posted before that it was close to 85% acceptance after interview. Hmm..
 
mtmed said:
So I don't know what it was; maybe it's because I'm a reapplicant. But I was not nervous AT ALL for today's interview. It was like that weird calm you hear about settling in before death. BUT I think it really helped me.

Campus was awesome, actually got me pretty interested in OMM. Students were great, everyone was quick to give you their email address in case we had any questions.

I thought my interview went really well. At the worst, my complete lack of debilitating nerves may have made me come off as arrogant, but I really hope not, because I was seriously in a twilight zone of utter calm. I had three interviewers: a DO faculty member, a PhD faculty member and a third year student.I had the same kind of not-totally-laid-back-but-not-a-grill-fest-either interview. The questions were biggies but fair, and the answers were respected. Why DMU, why Des Moines, what do you know about osteopathic medicine, a bunch of random half-conversation about my interests and what the school/area had to offer.

Here's the kicker: my lead interviewer walked me from the interview and said, "I think you're a really good fit for this school, and I'll be recommending you for admission. You should hear in two to three weeks." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you think this is standard procedure? Because I kinda freaked out a little bit.
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That is awesome!
 
I interviewed today at DMU. I loved the school and was impressed by the facilities. Everyone was super nice. The interview was laid back, and though I was nervous, I was able to speak positively of my experiences without volunteering too much information, and demonstrate my passion for becoming a physician. I feel good about the interview; I know I did my best today.

I hope I get an acceptance here; the school is excellent and though I still love the other DO school I interviewed at, I know I could be happy here as well.
 
stefspets said:
I interviewed today at DMU. I loved the school and was impressed by the facilities. Everyone was super nice. The interview was laid back, and though I was nervous, I was able to speak positively of my experiences without volunteering too much information, and demonstrate my passion for becoming a physician. I feel good about the interview; I know I did my best today.

I hope I get an acceptance here; the school is excellent and though I still love the other DO school I interviewed at, I know I could be happy here as well.
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congrats. glad the interview went well. your awesome stats better not take my spot :) I am sure you would get accepted even if you spit on your interviewers.:laugh:
 
I'll post my interview experience as well since not everyone checks the interview feedback threads:

I came in with high expectations concerning the quality of their facilities and I have to say that DMU exceeded even my elevated expectations :thumbup: For those have not visited, the facilities are top notch and include several sim lab patients, surgical skills practice suites, mock surgical theaters, cadaver labs with large LCD TVs above them, etc.

The students were very friendly and seemed genuinely interested you attending DMU. They advised us to relax and reassured everyone there that, if you were invited to an interview, you were already academically qualified and would likely get an acceptance.

I'm an individual driven by numbers and data and, much to their credit, DMU started the day by handing out their last 8 years of COMLEX scores and last 3 years of USMLE. I'm of the opinion that if a school is transparent about their data (board scores, match %, etc.), they are proud of their academic product.

As for OMM, they are quite proud that they do 200 hours whereas other schools do 80. As the OMM fellow said, if you don't want to do a lot of OMM, then maybe DMU isn't for you.

All in all, it was a good day. Based on the quality of my fellow 9/15 interviewees, I think they'll be sending out a large round of acceptances to these individuals in the near future.
 
Interviewed two weeks ago today......

Hoping for an email.
 
Hi, I have a question about the secondary. According to the directions, it is recommended to submit it within 30 days. Since I'm waiting for new MCAT scores, will DMU wait for those scores even if I submit my secondary now? Or should I wait until scores are released to mail everything together? TIA!
 
Interviewed earlier this week and it feels like time has stopped.
 
papercrown said:
Hi, I have a question about the secondary. According to the directions, it is recommended to submit it within 30 days. Since I'm waiting for new MCAT scores, will DMU wait for those scores even if I submit my secondary now? Or should I wait until scores are released to mail everything together? TIA!
Click to expand...

Send in your secondary ASAP. You don't need to wait for your MCAT score. They will receive it separately. And yes, DMU will wait for those scores. :)
 
So i got an interview... only dates are in october???

anyone know when they will open more dates?
 
akatigerj said:
So i got an interview... only dates are in october???

anyone know when they will open more dates?
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When I scheduled mine for October I saw an opening in November but I didn't look past that. Hope you find a time to go!
 
Any word yet on any acceptances? I'm impatiently waiting...
 
It will be 3 weeks this friday (9/23) for me. I haven't heard a word....
 
redchief said:
It will be 3 weeks this friday (9/23) for me. I haven't heard a word....
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They said they would get back to us in 3 weeks or less, so I guess it will be sooner or later.:luck:
 
I just called and asked them, they said the results of interviews should "be available early next week"
 
Didierdrogba said:
I just called and asked them, they said the results of interviews should "be available early next week"
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Can I ask when you were interviewed? Never mind, I see you were interviewed on 9/2.
 
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Hi guys,

I have a quick question about luggage. I'm going to arrive in Des Moines on 9/28 for my interview on 9/29. I'm staying at the Hampton. I'm checking out of the hotel the morning of my interview, before I leave for DMU by taxi. Unfortunately, I just thought about the fact that I won't have anywhere to put my luggage since I'll be checking out of the hotel that morning, and not taking a car.

Should I just rent a car for the day, and leave my stuff in the car? I just don't want to be late for my flight back. The departure time is 4:30... so if I have to drive myself to the airport and deal with Avis, then get to my gate... I'm worried I'll be late for the flight.

Any thoughts? How late do the interviews tend to last?

Sorry for all the questions... lol. Super nervous! :rolleyes:

--------EDIT

I just re-read the email DMU sent out. It says this:

"The Enrollment Management Office is located on the 1st floor of the
Student Education Center (SEC), 3200 Grand Avenue (Building #4 on the
linked Campus Directory Map). If you are taking a taxi or hotel
courtesy car, have the driver take you to the circle driveway in
front of 3440 Grand Avenue (the Academic Center). The Academic Center
is located directly to the west of the SEC. If you are driving,
please refer to the Campus Directory map for parking lot locations.

You may leave baggage and personal items in the Enrollment Management
Office during the day."

Does baggage include my suitcase? I'd hate to be the only one who comes in rolling with all his luggage, lol.
 
For those who have had interviews, how many days later did you guys get scheduled for interview after the secondary was complete?
 
flight24 said:
For those who have had interviews, how many days later did you guys get scheduled for interview after the secondary was complete?
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2011 -2012 Interview Invites Thread for DMU as of 9/16/2011:

dmucom: gbmd15 (c: 7/6, ii: 7/21, i: 9/9) texastaco (c:7/13, ii: 7/21, i: 9/2 oos), ravensgal (c: 7/13, ii: 7/21, i:9/9 oos) lucpm (c: 7/21, ii:7/21, i 9/12 oos), frkybgstok (c: 7/13, ii: 8/4, i: 9/12, is), stefspets (c: 7/20, ii: 7/21, i: 9/15, oos) jayg (c:7/13 ii:8/4 i:9/16 oos) drapdo(c:8/5 ii:9/9 i:10/7 oos)

C: Secondary Completed, ii: Interview Invite, i: Interview
 
Iliketoytles said:
Any thoughts? How late do the interviews tend to last?

You may leave baggage and personal items in the Enrollment Management
Office during the day."

Does baggage include my suitcase? I'd hate to be the only one who comes in rolling with all his luggage, lol.
Click to expand...

The actual interview was either at 1:15, 2:00, or 2:30 (maybe 2:45? I don't remember, as I had an earlier one). It runs for 30-45 minutes. The people who had 1:15 did their interview and then a tour, while the other two groups did a tour and then interview (and then were done for the day following their interview.)

And your suitcase is fine. They have a coat closet in the admissions office where you start the day where everyone puts all their stuff. They even said that women could drop purses in their if they didn't want to haul them around all day.
 
Iliketoytles said:
Hi guys,

I have a quick question about luggage. I'm going to arrive in Des Moines on 9/28 for my interview on 9/29. I'm staying at the Hampton. I'm checking out of the hotel the morning of my interview, before I leave for DMU by taxi. Unfortunately, I just thought about the fact that I won't have anywhere to put my luggage since I'll be checking out of the hotel that morning, and not taking a car.

Should I just rent a car for the day, and leave my stuff in the car? I just don't want to be late for my flight back. The departure time is 4:30... so if I have to drive myself to the airport and deal with Avis, then get to my gate... I'm worried I'll be late for the flight.

Any thoughts? How late do the interviews tend to last?

Sorry for all the questions... lol. Super nervous! :rolleyes:

--------EDIT

I just re-read the email DMU sent out. It says this:

"The Enrollment Management Office is located on the 1st floor of the
Student Education Center (SEC), 3200 Grand Avenue (Building #4 on the
linked Campus Directory Map). If you are taking a taxi or hotel
courtesy car, have the driver take you to the circle driveway in
front of 3440 Grand Avenue (the Academic Center). The Academic Center
is located directly to the west of the SEC. If you are driving,
please refer to the Campus Directory map for parking lot locations.

You may leave baggage and personal items in the Enrollment Management
Office during the day."

Does baggage include my suitcase? I'd hate to be the only one who comes in rolling with all his luggage, lol.
Click to expand...

Yes, you can bring your suitcase to the interview. They have a coat/luggage closet for all the interviewers that does lock.
 
Not sure that the door locks per se, but either Amanda or Kyle will be present and watching over your belongings. Based on the people I met at DMU, your belongings would be completely safe even if you left them in the middle of the commons.
 
Did you ask them for an early interview? Personally mine was scheduled last (at 2:45), but they ran late so I don't think we started until 3 and didn't finish until around 3:30 or so. Just thought I'd mention that.

Otherwise, don't hesitate to leave your bag in their coat room, it's plenty big and they are super friendly so it's absolutely fine to do that.
 
I have an interview on 10/14 via fast track so my LOR's didn't have to done when I scheduled my interview, but now I am still waiting on some of my LOR's to be submitted! Has anyone dealt with procrastinating letter writers? I've already bugged them twice, both said they would have it out that week (over a week ago) and still nothing! I don't want to nag them, but I don't want my application to be incomplete because of them either. Not to mention none of my other med apps are complete for the exact same reason. So frustrating!!!!
 
WusUpDoc said:
I have an interview on 10/14 via fast track so my LOR's didn't have to done when I scheduled my interview, but now I am still waiting on some of my LOR's to be submitted! Has anyone dealt with procrastinating letter writers? I've already bugged them twice, both said they would have it out that week (over a week ago) and still nothing! I don't want to nag them, but I don't want my application to be incomplete because of them either. Not to mention none of my other med apps are complete for the exact same reason. So frustrating!!!!
Click to expand...

I think it's time to nag. Mention that you have an interview (push the date up to 10/08 just to get them moving) and you need the letters in no later than the fifth.
 
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