Lincoln Memorial - DeBusk (LMU-DCOM) Discussion Thread 2014 - 2015

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Well, after interviewing on 11/14, I’ve finally got some free time to write up a trip report. For TL;DR – A+.

I landed at the Tri-Cities Regional Airport instead of the Knoxville airport simply due to a price difference. I had a nice BBQ brisket sandwich at Dixie Outpost BBQ before I made my way to Cooper’s Gem Mine only to find out that they were closed. That led into a nice 2 hour drive to get to my hotel in Middlesboro, KY. The drive was very nice and gave me a good opportunity to see the landscape of Tennessee. I was even able to drive through a snow flurry. Being from Texas (more toward the Gulf) I kept thinking, “The rain is falling kind of strange, well the radio hasn’t mentioned anything about it, so oh well.” It wasn’t until I hit a stop sign that the snowflakes accumulated onto the window that I was able to see that no, that wasn’t rain.

I highly recommend the Holiday Inn Express in Middlesboro, KY for your stay. The school will send a shuttle to pick you up and return you after the interview, the hotel offered a wide amount of food for breakfast, and when I arrived – I was given cookies and a welcome packet from DCOM. It is also a straight shot away from the school and the meet and great at Gondolier. Speaking of the meet and greet, I highly recommend it if you can go. I found the students (second years) to be extremely knowledgeable and friendly and thoroughly enjoyed the event.

For the interview day I went ahead and took my rental car over instead of taking the shuttle because I had a few things I wanted to do after the interview. After you sign in at the front desk, they’ll walk you over to a conference room with a good amount of windows where you’ll meet the other 11 applicants and maybe their guests. I mention the windows because when the current students notice that there are some new folks there, they almost come running to offer any advice they may have regarding the area, the school, and or student life. The interview itself is closed file and two staff/faculty members will be speaking with you. Inside the packet they give you when you arrive, it will have their names and titles and the schedule for the interview day.

The only sad thing about the day was that the current students were having a practice gross anatomy exam where the donors were in view. Out of respect for the donors (which I completely agree with), the room was inaccessible to us. Everything else about the school is exactly what I want in a school. Non-mandatory morning lectures that are uploaded to a media website later for viewing, the opportunity to get a MBA, large amount of school clubs (3 pages long), on campus housing, a Kroger 10 minutes away, very welcoming to students who want to do their 3rd and 4th year rotations in other areas, relaxed and non-gunner atmosphere, and outdoor beauty.

After the interview was over, I changed and headed out to a store called Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge and then the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg. There was/is a ton of traffic in Pigeon Forge due to road construction and the fact it felt very touristy. I saw several dinner theatres, a wax museum, a haunted house, several large themed restaurants but the town was decorated in lights for the holidays which made the drive pretty good. Christmas Place is a year round store that sells all things related to Christmas and if you have a mom like I do that is THAT type of mom, you’ll be able to find something here that she will like. And yes, I did find my mom something here. Afterwards, I drove to the aquarium and it was a bit pricey, $30 for a single ticket and you had to pay in cash in order to park. Gatlinburg was pretty (decorated in lights as well), I saw a lot of stores and it seemed like a really nice town to vacation in but with the temperature nearing the teens, I wasn’t going to find out for sure.

When I left for the airport on Saturday, the radio station 95.9 which played rock and some heavy metal started to play Rammstein – Du Hast. My rock radio station in Houston isn’t even brave enough to play them and here I am driving in the middle of nowhere, TN and here comes some German metal.

I’ve got my fingers crossed for some good news soon since I would love to be a student here and I wish everyone else a ton of luck.

Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
^ Dude, judging by your review, your enthusiasm alone will be alone to carry you to an acceptance. The fact that you immersed yourself in the culture down there (for the short time you were in TN) is pretty cool. Wish I could have headed over to Gatlinburg, but maybe next time.

Good luck, and I'm sure you'll hear good news this week.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
^ Dude, judging by your review, your enthusiasm alone will be alone to carry you to an acceptance. The fact that you immersed yourself in the culture down there (for the short time you were in TN) is pretty cool. Wish I could have headed over to Gatlinburg, but maybe next time.

Good luck, and I'm sure you'll hear good news this week.

Thanks, that was really awesome of you to say. I wanted to post some of the things I did and saw as a way to offer ideas for future interviewees. One of my main goals was to travel a bit and see what Tennessee is like to make sure that I would be happy living there. After my small adventures, I can definitely say yes, I would be very happy there.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Thanks, that was really awesome of you to say. One of my main goals was to travel a bit and see what Tennessee is like to make sure that I would be happy living there. After my small adventures, I can definitely say yes, I would be very happy there.
I definitely hear ya. Especially moving from Texas, which is pretty different from Eastern TN. I'll be moving down there from the NYC-area and took another trip down there about 2 weeks after I was accepted to do the tour of the area lol.

If your an outdoorsman/woman, it's hard not to love the area. It's mountains, woods, lakes, rivers, and trails. Everything you could ever want.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I've been sort of a lurker on this thread, but I was interviewed on 11/10 and accepted 11/14 by a phone call from Dr. Weitig (and my acceptance letter that arrived yesterday). Got some time, so I'll write out my interview experience too :).

Stats: cGPA: 3.6, sGPA: 3.3, MCAT: 30 (8/12/10)

I flew into TRI from New Orleans (crazy expensive flight, but that might be in part because I bought my ticket relatively late since I thought I was going to drive originally). I stayed with a friend, so I didn't go to the Gondolier meet and greet, but I did get the chance to chat with some first years. They all seemed to like the school so far, but the regret that I heard from them, one that was echoed several times during my interview day, was that they really missed X, Y, and Z restaurant/shop/grocery store. There is really very little out there, even in the adjacent towns, but it is absolutely beautiful. God, just so SO pretty. It was autumn, so that helps. As a Texas native/Louisiana transplant, I've never experienced really cold weather, but my friend who goes to LMU told me that it gets pretty bleak deep into winter. I wouldn't know. They did all say, though, that there's a lot of studying going on, so the fact that there aren't any bars or festivals or anything going on is sort of a blessing, and I sort of agree. Although that's so different from my current city, New Orleans, that I couldn't even imagine what it would be like with that type of peace and quiet lol.

The interview went well. I was interviewed by Dr. Jared Madden, a DO and the OMT professor, and Dr. Natalie Shirley, a PhD and anatomy professor. Both were extremely nice. I was asked about my background, and we talked a little about my volunteer activities, work, publications, etc. I was also asked the ethics question about Brittany Maynard/assisted suicide (we were told in the intro session while waiting to go into interviews that we'd get one of two ethics questions, and this might be one of them), but many of the people weren't asked any ethics question at all. I also wasn't asked "why osteopathic medicine," which surprised me. Again, everyone was especially kind. That's one thing about this school: from the "set the date" phone call with Robin Lamb to the professors and students, everyone is overtly warm and courteous. I love that type of environment, and I think it exemplifies how much they foster cohesion and teamwork that they're willing to go out of their way to be helpful to everyone around them in any way possible.

After the interviews, as others said, people from academics and financial aid came in to talk about various aspects of attending the school. Dr. Weitig was probably my favorite person. He was a no bull**** kind of guy, which I really respect, and he very clearly went over the curriculum. He made me feel a lot better about the clerkship years at LMU, which I was worried about since there is no hospital directly associated with the school. I think the most appealing part is that, because there aren't as many layers in between you and the attending (i.e., junior residents, senior residents, fellows), you, as the student, can do much more on your own. That's really exciting to me. I also would love to work with a rural population.

Later we went on a tour with some students, and the bus part of that was when I really got to sit down with some second years and discuss what they thought about their experience so far and what they learned about their futures in terms of opportunities, etc. All of them had very positive things to say, and seemed enthusiastic about being there. That's a very good sign.

Lastly, I got a chance after the interview to climb up to Pinnacle Point/the Tristate Peak. It was super gorgeous, and I recommend anyone who goes there for an interview try to go up and do that.

I don't know how long the duration between acceptance and deposit is for most people because I think they mentioned it changes for when you're accepted, but I have to put down the $1,250 deposit before 12/4. It's so much money, but it's my first acceptance and I could really see myself going there, so it's not even a question whether or not I'll be paying that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Well, after interviewing on 11/14, I’ve finally got some free time to write up a trip report. For TL;DR – A+.

I landed at the Tri-Cities Regional Airport instead of the Knoxville airport simply due to a price difference. I had a nice BBQ brisket sandwich at Dixie Outpost BBQ before I made my way to Cooper’s Gem Mine only to find out that they were closed. That led into a nice 2 hour drive to get to my hotel in Middlesboro, KY. The drive was very nice and gave me a good opportunity to see the landscape of Tennessee. I was even able to drive through a snow flurry. Being from Texas (more toward the Gulf) I kept thinking, “The rain is falling kind of strange, well the radio hasn’t mentioned anything about it, so oh well.” It wasn’t until I hit a stop sign that the snowflakes accumulated onto the window that I was able to see that no, that wasn’t rain.

I highly recommend the Holiday Inn Express in Middlesboro, KY for your stay. The school will send a shuttle to pick you up and return you after the interview, the hotel offered a wide amount of food for breakfast, and when I arrived – I was given cookies and a welcome packet from DCOM. It is also a straight shot away from the school and the meet and great at Gondolier. Speaking of the meet and greet, I highly recommend it if you can go. I found the students (second years) to be extremely knowledgeable and friendly and thoroughly enjoyed the event.

For the interview day I went ahead and took my rental car over instead of taking the shuttle because I had a few things I wanted to do after the interview. After you sign in at the front desk, they’ll walk you over to a conference room with a good amount of windows where you’ll meet the other 11 applicants and maybe their guests. I mention the windows because when the current students notice that there are some new folks there, they almost come running to offer any advice they may have regarding the area, the school, and or student life. The interview itself is closed file and two staff/faculty members will be speaking with you. Inside the packet they give you when you arrive, it will have their names and titles and the schedule for the interview day.

The only sad thing about the day was that the current students were having a practice gross anatomy exam where the donors were in view. Out of respect for the donors (which I completely agree with), the room was inaccessible to us. Everything else about the school is exactly what I want in a school. Non-mandatory morning lectures that are uploaded to a media website later for viewing, the opportunity to get a MBA, large amount of school clubs (3 pages long), on campus housing, a Kroger 10 minutes away, very welcoming to students who want to do their 3rd and 4th year rotations in other areas, relaxed and non-gunner atmosphere, and outdoor beauty.

After the interview was over, I changed and headed out to a store called Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge and then the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg. There was/is a ton of traffic in Pigeon Forge due to road construction and the fact it felt very touristy. I saw several dinner theatres, a wax museum, a haunted house, several large themed restaurants but the town was decorated in lights for the holidays which made the drive pretty good. Christmas Place is a year round store that sells all things related to Christmas and if you have a mom like I do that is THAT type of mom, you’ll be able to find something here that she will like. And yes, I did find my mom something here. Afterwards, I drove to the aquarium and it was a bit pricey, $30 for a single ticket and you had to pay in cash in order to park. Gatlinburg was pretty (decorated in lights as well), I saw a lot of stores and it seemed like a really nice town to vacation in but with the temperature nearing the teens, I wasn’t going to find out for sure.

When I left for the airport on Saturday, the radio station 95.9 which played rock and some heavy metal started to play Rammstein – Du Hast. My rock radio station in Houston isn’t even brave enough to play them and here I am driving in the middle of nowhere, TN and here comes some German metal.

I’ve got my fingers crossed for some good news soon since I would love to be a student here and I wish everyone else a ton of luck.
I've been sort of a lurker on this thread, but I was interviewed on 11/10 and accepted 11/14 by a phone call from Dr. Weitig (and my acceptance letter that arrived yesterday). Got some time, so I'll write out my interview experience too :).

Stats: cGPA: 3.6, sGPA: 3.3, MCAT: 30 (8/12/10)

I flew into TRI from New Orleans (crazy expensive flight, but that might be in part because I bought my ticket relatively late since I thought I was going to drive originally). I stayed with a friend, so I didn't go to the Gondolier meet and greet, but I did get the chance to chat with some first years. They all seemed to like the school so far, but the regret that I heard from them, one that was echoed several times during my interview day, was that they really missed X, Y, and Z restaurant/shop/grocery store. There is really very little out there, even in the adjacent towns, but it is absolutely beautiful. God, just so SO pretty. It was autumn, so that helps. As a Texas native/Louisiana transplant, I've never experienced really cold weather, but my friend who goes to LMU told me that it gets pretty bleak deep into winter. I wouldn't know. They did all say, though, that there's a lot of studying going on, so the fact that there aren't any bars or festivals or anything going on is sort of a blessing, and I sort of agree. Although that's so different from my current city, New Orleans, that I couldn't even imagine what it would be like with that type of peace and quiet lol.

The interview went well. I was interviewed by Dr. Jared Madden, a DO and the OMT professor, and Dr. Natalie Shirley, a PhD and anatomy professor. Both were extremely nice. I was asked about my background, and we talked a little about my volunteer activities, work, publications, etc. I was also asked the ethics question about Brittany Maynard/assisted suicide (we were told in the intro session while waiting to go into interviews that we'd get one of two ethics questions, and this might be one of them), but many of the people weren't asked any ethics question at all. I also wasn't asked "why osteopathic medicine," which surprised me. Again, everyone was especially kind. That's one thing about this school: from the "set the date" phone call with Robin Lamb to the professors and students, everyone is overtly warm and courteous. I love that type of environment, and I think it exemplifies how much they foster cohesion and teamwork that they're willing to go out of their way to be helpful to everyone around them in any way possible.

After the interviews, as others said, people from academics and financial aid came in to talk about various aspects of attending the school. Dr. Weitig was probably my favorite person. He was a no bull**** kind of guy, which I really respect, and he very clearly went over the curriculum. He made me feel a lot better about the clerkship years at LMU, which I was worried about since there is no hospital directly associated with the school. I think the most appealing part is that, because there aren't as many layers in between you and the attending (i.e., junior residents, senior residents, fellows), you, as the student, can do much more on your own. That's really exciting to me. I also would love to work with a rural population.

Later we went on a tour with some students, and the bus part of that was when I really got to sit down with some second years and discuss what they thought about their experience so far and what they learned about their futures in terms of opportunities, etc. All of them had very positive things to say, and seemed enthusiastic about being there. That's a very good sign.

Lastly, I got a chance after the interview to climb up to Pinnacle Point/the Tristate Peak. It was super gorgeous, and I recommend anyone who goes there for an interview try to go up and do that.

I don't know how long the duration between acceptance and deposit is for most people because I think they mentioned it changes for when you're accepted, but I have to put down the $1,250 deposit before 12/4. It's so much money, but it's my first acceptance and I could really see myself going there, so it's not even a question whether or not I'll be paying that.

Thank you both for such a thorough summary of your interview days, that's really helpful!
 
Completed 10/28, 1st MCAT-27, 2nd MCAT-26 :( sGPA-3.62, cGPA-3.77
What are my chances? Haven't gotten an II yet ... is this normal? Kinda stressing out...
 
Completed 10/28, 1st MCAT-27, 2nd MCAT-26 :( sGPA-3.62, cGPA-3.77
What are my chances? Haven't gotten an II yet ... is this normal? Kinda stressing out...

Seems kinda early still, I would say give them a month
 
Anyone struggling to choose between LMU-DCOM and another school?
 
Emailed to ask if they were going to wait to decide on II/waitlist/reject until my 11/7 MCAT scores come back or not and they told me I have an interview!!

complete 11/13
3.7 cGPA
3.64 sGPA
24 MCAT (8/7/9)
lots of shadowing
lots of non-clin volunteering
some clin volunteering
two mission trips abroad
semester abroad for my major (spanish)


going to schedule date this afternoon when i get a longer break from work today! they said they are currently scheduling interviews for january
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Emailed to ask if they were going to wait to decide on II/waitlist/reject until my 11/7 MCAT scores come back or not and they told me I have an interview!!

complete 11/13
3.7 cGPA
3.64 sGPA
24 MCAT (8/7/9)
lots of shadowing
lots of non-clin volunteering
some clin volunteering
two mission trips abroad
semester abroad for my major (spanish)


going to schedule date this afternoon when i get a longer break from work today! they said they are currently scheduling interviews for january


Congrats! Great stats!
 
Emailed to ask if they were going to wait to decide on II/waitlist/reject until my 11/7 MCAT scores come back or not and they told me I have an interview!!

complete 11/13
3.7 cGPA
3.64 sGPA
24 MCAT (8/7/9)
lots of shadowing
lots of non-clin volunteering
some clin volunteering
two mission trips abroad
semester abroad for my major (spanish)


going to schedule date this afternoon when i get a longer break from work today! they said they are currently scheduling interviews for january

What address did you email?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Just sent a letter of intent pre-interview hold. Anyone who did this have an idea how long before they responded after sending one of these letters?
 
bummer. got a response and still on hold...
 
Just got an II. LMU is the only medical school to show any interest in me so far, and getting my first II is such an awesome feeling. IS, 3.93 GPA, 29 MCAT.
bummer. got a response and still on hold...
I'm sorry to hear it. I sincerely hope you get an II to LMU later this year!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Just got an II. LMU is the only medical school to show any interest in me so far, and getting my first II is such an awesome feeling. IS, 3.93 GPA, 29 MCAT.

I'm sorry to hear it. I sincerely hope you get an II to LMU later this year!

Congrats to you! At least mine wasn't an outright rejection. They said they will let me know when my file is more competitive for consideration. So not sure if that means they will re-review my files as the process continues or if I should do more EC or something and send another LOI. Gonna call them up later on in the cycle and see what I can do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Congrats! Great stats!

thx :D i was worried the MCAT would hold me back, but this will be my third interview

What address did you email?

[email protected]
that was in one of the emails they had sent me, one of those automated ones about my file I believe. it might have been in the email inviting me to fill out a secondary. can't quite remember. however, robin mace responded back to me. since i haven't seen her email in any public way, i don't want to share her email in case that is not how they want us to contact them. cheers
 
thx :D i was worried the MCAT would hold me back, but this will be my third interview



[email protected]
that was in one of the emails they had sent me, one of those automated ones about my file I believe. it might have been in the email inviting me to fill out a secondary. can't quite remember. however, robin mace responded back to me. since i haven't seen her email in any public way, i don't want to share her email in case that is not how they want us to contact them. cheers
Gottcha. Well congrats on your interview invite!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Just got an II. LMU is the only medical school to show any interest in me so far, and getting my first II is such an awesome feeling. IS, 3.93 GPA, 29 MCAT.

I'm sorry to hear it. I sincerely hope you get an II to LMU later this year!
Did you call/email as well? Thinking to do it soon-ish..
 
i would suggest contacting if you have been complete for a while or are really interested. seems like they are sending out II to fill up january
 
Did you call/email as well? Thinking to do it soon-ish..
I emailed them and simply asked what the timeline for hearing back about an interview was. I got an email back saying that my application had already been reviewed and that I had been given an interview. I don't think they hand out interviews frequently, but that they send out large batches of interview invitations once every so often. So, you may get a green light for an interview, but may not hear about it for a few weeks unless you email or call them, in which case they'll go ahead and tell you the result of your application. If you've been complete for 2-3 weeks, I'd shoot them an email or give them a phone call.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
thx :D i was worried the MCAT would hold me back, but this will be my third interview



[email protected]
that was in one of the emails they had sent me, one of those automated ones about my file I believe. it might have been in the email inviting me to fill out a secondary. can't quite remember. however, robin mace responded back to me. since i haven't seen her email in any public way, i don't want to share her email in case that is not how they want us to contact them. cheers
where else did you apply, if you don't mind me asking?
 
scheduled for monday 1/12

i was told that the available dates for january are:
monday 1/12
friday 1/23
monday 1/26

but don't quote me on that ;)
hoping for some of you to hear back soon!

i spoke with robin lamb and she was incredibly kind and receptive. very southern :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
scheduled for monday 1/12

i was told that the available dates for january are:
monday 1/12
friday 1/23
monday 1/26

but don't quote me on that ;)
hoping for some of you to hear back soon!

i spoke with robin lamb and she was incredibly kind and receptive. very southern :p

lol you were probably why i had to be put on hold to schedule mine. i think those were the dates too
 
lol you were probably why i had to be put on hold to schedule mine. i think those were the dates too

haha yes she did ask me to hold right at the beginning of my call!

You'll find very soon that this is the general way to describe all of the staff at DCOM. They're awesome.

And very southern. :D

that will not be an issue at all! i love it.... ya'll! omgsh it's getting to me already. :p
 
You'll find very soon that this is the general way to describe all of the staff at DCOM. They're awesome.

And very southern. :D

Definitely agree. I applied as far down south as DCOM up to UNECOM, and people definitely got more friendly the farther south I called.

Being from the Big Apple, while walking around Knoxville with my big camera, I had a stranger (possibly homeless?) stop me and my first thought was, he's definitely going to ask for money. However, the dude just wanted to know how I was enjoying Knoxville. Caught me off guard, and highlighted how cynical and jaded people from around here are (myself included, I guess) compared to the South. Can't wait to get away from the North.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
too lazy to look back in multiple pages...

where has everyone flown into? how'd you get from airport to your hotel? which hotel?

thanks guys.
 
Have they started making calls today yet? About acceptances? I interviewed on Monday and I just want to knowwww
 
too lazy to look back in multiple pages...

where has everyone flown into? how'd you get from airport to your hotel? which hotel?

thanks guys.

I think mostly people fly into McGhee Tyson in Knoxville, rent a car, and then stay at the Holiday Inn or Sleep Inn in Middlesboro.

The exception being the people that fly into Tri-Cities airport near Kingsport and drive in from there.
 
yeah my cheapest deal when looking within 3 hours of the school was mcghee. and hotels, honestly the holiday inn was the cheapest that i could find that serves breakfast. was hoping to find something around the $50 range, but oh well.

this trip will be more expensive than my interview down at VCOM-auburn.
 
So apparently the dean at DCOM just peaced out? Does anyone know about this?
 
So apparently the dean at DCOM just peaced out? Does anyone know about this?
imagesCAY5JWHO.jpg
 
So apparently the dean at DCOM just peaced out? Does anyone know about this?

I'll preface this by saying no one has gone into any detail with this is so this is pure speculation. Dr. Stowers, our dean, has had a few health issues (and that's as much detail about that as I know). For a large part of last year he was absent due to them. I believe that, in conjunction with being ready to retire, has lead to this decision. Dr. Weiting, who many of you spoke to at interviews, is taking over as interim dean while they commence their search. Dr. Weiting was acting dean for the year Dr Stowers was AOA president and during his absence last year.

No worries, we are all still in good hands :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
I'll preface this by saying no one has gone into any detail with this is so this is pure speculation. Dr. Stowers, our dean, has had a few health issues (and that's as much detail about that as I know). For a large part of last year he was absent due to them. I believe that, in conjunction with being ready to retire, has lead to this decision. Dr. Weiting, who many of you spoke to at interviews, is taking over as interim dean while they commence their search. Dr. Weiting was acting dean for the year Dr Stowers was AOA president and during his absence last year.

No worries, we are all still in good hands :)
Thank you so much! I was worried for a second there...
 
Have they started making calls today yet? About acceptances? I interviewed on Monday and I just want to knowwww

They had to cancel our "Deans Hour" this Wednesday because many of the officials that needed to be there were out of town. Many of these are also on the acceptance committee. Obviously I have no idea if they met or not, but I wouldn't throw in the towel if you don't hear this weekend.
 
They had to cancel our "Deans Hour" this Wednesday because many of the officials that needed to be there were out of town. Many of these are also on the acceptance committee. Obviously I have no idea if they met or not, but I wouldn't throw in the towel if you don't hear this weekend.
I'm DYING here... I REALLY want to go here! I loved it!
 
Robin said that they met on Wednesday and that Weiting has "the list" but probably won't be calling until tonight/ this weekend/ sometime in the future. DYING HERE
 
Top