Lincoln Memorial Uni. Post Bac

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Just sent in all my stuff today
is the turnaround pretty quick like it was for DCOM?


Super quick!!! Except for today and likely for the rest of the week. We got hit with a bunch of snow!!

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What's the interview like? How do you like the masters program? Any advice in general?


The interview is really relaxed. They will likely ask what are 3 weakness/strengths you have, they may ask you something about the new MCAT, and definitely have a good answer for why LMU.

I really do love the masters program. I like being able to take classes with first years, and the courses they have are really interesting. I also really like that I can gain a masters degree after one year. I know there are ton of programs out there that make it impossible to do! Last year, of the people that interviewed, 92% got accepted! Which are amazing stats!

Advice about the interview or the program?
 
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The interview is really relaxed. They will likely ask what are 3 weakness/strengths you have, they may ask you something about the new MCAT, and definitely have a good answer for why LMU.

I really do love the masters program. I like being able to take classes with first years, and the courses they have are really interesting. I also really like that I can gain a masters degree after one year. I know there are ton of programs out there that make it impossible to do! Last year, of the people that interviewed, 92% got accepted! Which are amazing stats!

Advice about the interview or the program?
The program, how are the classes, the area, and anything else you can think of. Thanks so much
 
The program is great! Which of the tracks are you applying to, BP or AS? Our first semester was pretty light, but still challenging. MGA is a tough class, regardless if it is your only class or if you have a full load. It is definitely important to figure out what works for you and what doesn't. I found out that going into the lab about helps me the most.

The area is... well rural. There isn't much to do in Harrogate, but Knoxville is close and there is always something to do there. People always find something to do in the area though, which makes it fun! If you love the outdoors, hiking, biking, running then it is definitely for you! The weather also stays nice for a really long time! We just started getting snow, which is only bad because they aren't super used to it out here!

I do love the program because we do get to take DO classes, and get them out of the way. They really do everything to help you get accepted into DCOM. You meet a ton of amazing professors and build awesome relationships. We have our interviews in the next few weeks, and I know all of us have an amazing shot at getting accepted!
 
The program is great! Which of the tracks are you applying to, BP or AS? Our first semester was pretty light, but still challenging. MGA is a tough class, regardless if it is your only class or if you have a full load. It is definitely important to figure out what works for you and what doesn't. I found out that going into the lab about helps me the most.

The area is... well rural. There isn't much to do in Harrogate, but Knoxville is close and there is always something to do there. People always find something to do in the area though, which makes it fun! If you love the outdoors, hiking, biking, running then it is definitely for you! The weather also stays nice for a really long time! We just started getting snow, which is only bad because they aren't super used to it out here!

I do love the program because we do get to take DO classes, and get them out of the way. They really do everything to help you get accepted into DCOM. You meet a ton of amazing professors and build awesome relationships. We have our interviews in the next few weeks, and I know all of us have an amazing shot at getting accepted!
I'm applying for the bp program . And thanks for your reply!
 
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Hey guys, I'm applying for the AS program and am still waiting for an interview invite. My application has been complete since the middle of December and I'm getting so anxious to hear back! Good luck to everyone else applying and hopefully I'll be meeting you in July!
 
Hey guys, I'm applying for the AS program and am still waiting for an interview invite. My application has been complete since the middle of December and I'm getting so anxious to hear back! Good luck to everyone else applying and hopefully I'll be meeting you in July!


Hi there! I believe that they just started calling for interviews in the beginning of January. If you meet the criteria, I would definitely shoot Holly an email. She is out of state right now, but she's very punctual about getting back to those who email her! Also, campus is closed today, so that may put a damper on your situation! Best of luck! Let me know if I can do anything to help you out!
 
She's out until the 23rd i think, but she does check her email, cause she just sent me an acknowledgement of getting my PS
so yeah just email her
 
I have been emailing her. I'm going to wait for another week or so especially with the school closing before I continue to bug her.
 
Hi Everyone! I applied to the AS program and completed my application back in December. Holly told me that the committee would be meeting at the beginning of January, but I haven't heard from anyone. After reading through some recent posts, I'm guessing I should probably contact her to find out what happened. :(
 
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Hi Everyone! I applied to the AS program and completed my application back in December. Holly told me that the committee would be meeting at the beginning of January, but I haven't heard from anyone. After reading through some recent posts, I'm guessing I should probably contact her to find out what happened. :(
Good Luck! don't worry there was a blizzard last week and they postponed our interviews and I believe we were the first group doing the interview. They will contact you approximately 8 weeks after the date you were complete.
 
Hi Everyone! I applied to the AS program and completed my application back in December. Holly told me that the committee would be meeting at the beginning of January, but I haven't heard from anyone. After reading through some recent posts, I'm guessing I should probably contact her to find out what happened. :(


I wouldn't worry about it! We have had a pretty crazy few weeks, and Holly has been out of the office doing recruitment stuff for a few weeks now. I promise she will get back to you in a prompt manner. I do know the AS interviews take a little longer to complete. I don't believe they interview as often as the BP.
 
I contacted Holly and she told me that the AS committee chose to deny my application, however she is forwarding my file to the BP committee. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!! Good luck to everyone who has interviews soon!
 
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Same thing happened to me. Good luck with BP! Hoping we hear some good news next week.

I contacted Holly and she told me that the AS committee chose to deny my application, however she is forwarding my file to the BP committee. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!! Good luck to everyone who has interviews soon!
 
Got the call today for an interview for BP. They'll be calling me on Wednesday!
 
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Got the call today for an interview for BP. They'll be calling me on Wednesday!

I received a call yesterday too! My interview is Wednesday as well! Good luck!!!
 
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Anyone had an interview past Wednesday, Jan 27th? I have been waiting to get the admissions decision and it is going to be a week and Holly did not contact me yet. I am a bit worried.
 
Anyone had an interview past Wednesday, Jan 27th? I have been waiting to get the admissions decision and it is going to be a week and Holly did not contact me yet. I am a bit worried.
i wouldnt worry, they snail mail decisions
 
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Hello all! Here's the best info you are going to get from a current MS student.

First of all, I am going to provide mostly factual info that some current students may disagree with, so keep that in mind.

The region is extremely rural. The people who live here are quite friendly and welcoming. (Honestly if you have trouble with anyone here its more likely going to be a peer than a resident, and even that is unlikley). You may be shocked when you arrive, but you'll quickly assimilate as most of the students are friendly and awesome. You'll build great relationships with MS students as well as OMS-1/2s and even faculty. That being said let's get down to the real facts about this program.

The stats on the MS page are outdated regarding linkage. The class of 2015 that interviewed had amazing acceptance around 93%+. The current class is going thru interviews and the biggest change this year is the class size which has increased over 20%. Approx 110 MS students will interview and realistically, they are NOT going to accept 110 MS students. DCOM is amazing and they have gained tremendous popularity in the last few years. They are not going to accept half of their incoming class from the MS program regardless of what anyone says.

Lets talk stats. This program will be best for those with decent/good MCAT scores. Doing this program and succeeding will help counter the worst of undergrad GPAs. They will accept you into the MS and tell you many things regarding MCAT scores, but if you do not have a 24+/495+ you will very likely be waitlisted and asked to re-take the mcat regardless of GPA. The stats are DCOM are seriously increasing and they are not as flexible as in past years. DCOM is generally very amazing. The MS program is a part of LMU and not DCOM, so recognize that. The benefit of this program is guaranteed interview and faculty relationships that will help you when the committee makes a decision, assuming the faculty that knows you is on the committee. Outside of that, the MS students acceptances follow the same procedure as open applicants.

So AS vs. BP? If you have the stats to be an AS student, GO WITH AS. You have significant exposure and relationship with the anatomy dept which is DCOM faculty. The BP professors are all LMU and have nothing to do with the admissions committee. Another catch? You are more than likely NOT going to graduate in one year as a BP student. They give you these things called deficiencies (they don't tell you this until orientation) which you take in the fall and WILL NOT count toward your MS, meaning you will extend your time to graduate. If you have not achieved a "C" or better in Genetics, Biochem, Medically related ethics course, stats, etc. you will NOT graduate. In the AS program, there is no such thing as deficiencies. They all graduate. If you put the effort forward, BP professors will build relationships, but if the goal is DCOM, AS relationships are more valuable. BP students also have a significantly more challenging spring semester which does help as an OMS-1, however, not having to take MGA and Histo in the fall makes that a non-issue.

Post-bacc? That program is a total money scam. If you cannot get into this MS or another linkage MS or post-bacc your stats are way to low for med school and you need to review your application. Post-bacc is a 1.5 year program that generally leads to a Master's but, this is opinion btw, there are better and less costly options.

Rounding it out, outside of your GPA before this program, if your MCAT is weak, this program is gonna bite you at some point. Work on raising that before you get here. AS definitely has advantages over BP, but the BP program is great if you don't get stuck with "deficiencies". It great getting ahead in these science classes we're taking this spring. Also, be realistic. DO schools are getting as tough as MD schools. If your MCAT is weak and/or you don't have strong ECs, work on that. This program is generally geared to those who want to improve GPAs and show they can do well in grad/med courses. Yes, an A in Medical Gross Anatomy is important. Those with Bs will get in, but an A is much more telling. Its rumored that this year, for the first time, students with As have not been immediately accepted due to MCAT. This is not a backdoor into medical school.

I am not bitter at all, and am extremely grateful for this opportunity. I do not know whether I have an admission to DCOM, so this info is truly factual, except where it is noted. There are too many new posts that are giving an idealized response and I do not think that is fair. I wish you the best of luck. You learn a lot from this program and it is a great opportunity.

P.S. The BP program is awesome, the AS students just get some extra stuff. Deficiency courses WILL NOT count towards your MS degree. This matters if you decide to go somewhere else or do not get accepted to DCOM. You need to have at least 13 graduate units in the fall to graduate in the spring

Cheers
 
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Hi all,

Also a current MS student, in the BP track.

This poster is correct in that this school will put you in as many deficiencies as they can your first semester. Honestly, I can't really think of a reason why they would do this, other than to prolong graduation to bring in tuition for the students that have to take summer classes or continue with their MS the next semester, but that's just my opinion. You would think that as a graduate student having already taken the prerequisites for medical school, they would just let us start the MS courses required for graduation, but who knows. While I got lucky and did not get stuck in any deficiencies, a good majority of the people that I know in the BP track did. Make sure that you have a biomedical ethics, biochemistry, genetics and statistics class under your belt before coming here, otherwise that just adds one more nuisance to deal with.

This poster was also mistaken in the percentage of the 2015 MS class that was accepted to DCOM this year. Around 93% of the people that earned their interviews got accepted to DCOM, not 93% of the entire class. Approximately 1/3 of the DCOM 2019 class is made up of former MS students, and the DCOM class started this year with 257 students. I was also told by an OMS-I that is an MS alumni that the 7% of people that earned their interviews that didn't get offered a seat were for low MCAT or low grades in medical school courses.

Regarding our class size increasing by about 20%, yes the class size did increase this year, but not as drastically as rumors are holding. 20 people in the MS BP track are pre-vet, meaning that they are not going for DCOM, and there are several others that want to go into different professional program (ie. chiropractic, DPT) and there are life sciences research majors. While the pre-DO group did see an increase in size, it is not as catastrophically drastic as everyone seems to think.

Also, the number of MS students that earned and are accepting their interview at DCOM is around 80, not 110. From my understanding, a decent number of students did not return for the spring semester due to either getting into a different school and wanting to save money/not wanting to return to Tennessee or not making the grades for their interview. Also, per DCOM admissions, their OMS-I class starting this August does not even have half of their seats filled yet. So you do the math. The program will want to maintain their acceptance rate into DCOM at approximately 90% for those that interviewed, otherwise they would have trouble filling this program with quality students.

What was said about the MCAT scores seems to be relatively true, the general rule of thumb is to score the equivalent of 24+. I know several people that are planning to retake it or have been told to retake it. My advice would be to get the score you need before coming here and starting school. Overall, I think that is a fair expectation of DCOM admissions to have. If you can't pull your MCAT score above a 22, how do you expect to do well on the boards and then eventually match competitively?

Overall, this program has helped a lot of people meet their goals when they otherwise would not have. I am glad that I decided to come here over the other masters program that I was accepted into, and would have made the same choice retrospectively in a heart beat.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

Hello all! Here's the best info you are going to get from a current MS student.

First of all, I am going to provide mostly factual info that some current students may disagree with, so keep that in mind.

The region is extremely rural. The people who live here are quite friendly and welcoming. (Honestly if you have trouble with anyone here its more likely going to be a peer than a resident, and even that is unlikley). You may be shocked when you arrive, but you'll quickly assimilate as most of the students are friendly and awesome. You'll build great relationships with MS students as well as OMS-1/2s and even faculty. That being said let's get down to the real facts about this program.

The stats on the MS page are outdated regarding linkage. The class of 2015 had amazing acceptance around 93%+. The current class is going thru interviews and the biggest change this year is the class size which has increased over 20%. Approx 110 MS students will interview and realistically, they are NOT going to accept 110 MS students. DCOM is amazing and they have gained tremendous popularity in the last few years. They are not going to accept half of their incoming class from the MS program regardless of what anyone says.

Lets talk stats. This program will be best for those with decent/good MCAT scores. Doing this program and succeeding will help counter the worst of undergrad GPAs. They will accept you into the MS and tell you many things regarding MCAT scores, but if you do not have a 24+/495+ you will very likely be waitlisted and asked to re-take the mcat regardless of GPA. The stats are DCOM are seriously increasing and they are not as flexible as in past years. DCOM is generally very amazing. The MS program is a part of LMU and not DCOM, so recognize that. The benefit of this program is guaranteed interview and faculty relationships that will help you when the committee makes a decision, assuming the faculty that knows you is on the committee. Outside of that, the MS students acceptances follow the same procedure as open applicants.

So AS vs. BP? If you have the stats to be an AS student, GO WITH AS. You have significant exposure and relationship with the anatomy dept which is DCOM faculty. The BP professors are all LMU and have nothing to do with the admissions committee. Another catch? You are more than likely NOT going to graduate in one year as a BP student. They give you these things called deficiencies (they don't tell you this until orientation) which you take in the fall and WILL NOT count toward your MS, meaning you will extend your time to graduate. If you have not achieved a "C" or better in Genetics, Biochem, Medically related ethics course, stats, etc. you will NOT graduate. In the AS program, there is no such thing as deficiencies. They all graduate. If you put the effort forward, BP professors will build relationships, but if the goal is DCOM, AS relationships are more valuable. BP students also have a significantly more challenging spring semester which does help as an OMS-1, however, not having to take MGA and Histo in the fall makes that a non-issue.

Post-bacc? That program is a total money scam. If you cannot get into this MS or another linkage MS or post-bacc your stats are way to low for med school and you need to review your application. Post-bacc is a 1.5 year program that generally leads to a Master's but, this is opinion btw, there are better and less costly options.

Rounding it out, outside of your GPA before this program, if your MCAT is weak, this program is gonna bite you at some point. Work on raising that before you get here. AS definitely has advantages over BP, but the BP program is great if you don't get stuck with "deficiencies". Also, be realistic. DO schools are getting as tough as MD schools. If your MCAT is weak and/or you don't have strong ECs, work on that. This program is generally geared to those who want to improve GPAs and show they can do well in grad/med courses. Yes, an A in Medical Gross Anatomy is important. Those with Bs will get in, but an A is much more telling. Its rumored that this year, for the first time, students with As have not been immediately accepted due to MCAT. This is not a backdoor into medical school.

I am not bitter at all, and am extremely grateful for this opportunity. I do not know whether I have an admission to DCOM, so this info is truly factual, except where it is noted. There are too many new posts that are giving an idealized response and I do not think that is fair. I wish you the best of luck. You learn a lot from this program and it is a great opportunity.

P.S. The BP program is not awful. Deficiency courses WILL NOT count towards your MS degree. This matters if you decide to go somewhere else or do not get accepted to DCOM. You need to have at least 13 graduate units in the fall to graduate in the spring

Cheers
 
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Hello all! Here's the best info you are going to get from a current MS student.

First of all, I am going to provide mostly factual info that some current students may disagree with, so keep that in mind.

The region is extremely rural. The people who live here are quite friendly and welcoming. (Honestly if you have trouble with anyone here its more likely going to be a peer than a resident, and even that is unlikley). You may be shocked when you arrive, but you'll quickly assimilate as most of the students are friendly and awesome. You'll build great relationships with MS students as well as OMS-1/2s and even faculty. That being said let's get down to the real facts about this program.

The stats on the MS page are outdated regarding linkage. The class of 2015 had amazing acceptance around 93%+. The current class is going thru interviews and the biggest change this year is the class size which has increased over 20%. Approx 110 MS students will interview and realistically, they are NOT going to accept 110 MS students. DCOM is amazing and they have gained tremendous popularity in the last few years. They are not going to accept half of their incoming class from the MS program regardless of what anyone says.

Lets talk stats. This program will be best for those with decent/good MCAT scores. Doing this program and succeeding will help counter the worst of undergrad GPAs. They will accept you into the MS and tell you many things regarding MCAT scores, but if you do not have a 24+/495+ you will very likely be waitlisted and asked to re-take the mcat regardless of GPA. The stats are DCOM are seriously increasing and they are not as flexible as in past years. DCOM is generally very amazing. The MS program is a part of LMU and not DCOM, so recognize that. The benefit of this program is guaranteed interview and faculty relationships that will help you when the committee makes a decision, assuming the faculty that knows you is on the committee. Outside of that, the MS students acceptances follow the same procedure as open applicants.

So AS vs. BP? If you have the stats to be an AS student, GO WITH AS. You have significant exposure and relationship with the anatomy dept which is DCOM faculty. The BP professors are all LMU and have nothing to do with the admissions committee. Another catch? You are more than likely NOT going to graduate in one year as a BP student. They give you these things called deficiencies (they don't tell you this until orientation) which you take in the fall and WILL NOT count toward your MS, meaning you will extend your time to graduate. If you have not achieved a "C" or better in Genetics, Biochem, Medically related ethics course, stats, etc. you will NOT graduate. In the AS program, there is no such thing as deficiencies. They all graduate. If you put the effort forward, BP professors will build relationships, but if the goal is DCOM, AS relationships are more valuable. BP students also have a significantly more challenging spring semester which does help as an OMS-1, however, not having to take MGA and Histo in the fall makes that a non-issue.

Post-bacc? That program is a total money scam. If you cannot get into this MS or another linkage MS or post-bacc your stats are way to low for med school and you need to review your application. Post-bacc is a 1.5 year program that generally leads to a Master's but, this is opinion btw, there are better and less costly options.

Rounding it out, outside of your GPA before this program, if your MCAT is weak, this program is gonna bite you at some point. Work on raising that before you get here. AS definitely has advantages over BP, but the BP program is great if you don't get stuck with "deficiencies". Also, be realistic. DO schools are getting as tough as MD schools. If your MCAT is weak and/or you don't have strong ECs, work on that. This program is generally geared to those who want to improve GPAs and show they can do well in grad/med courses. Yes, an A in Medical Gross Anatomy is important. Those with Bs will get in, but an A is much more telling. Its rumored that this year, for the first time, students with As have not been immediately accepted due to MCAT. This is not a backdoor into medical school.

I am not bitter at all, and am extremely grateful for this opportunity. I do not know whether I have an admission to DCOM, so this info is truly factual, except where it is noted. There are too many new posts that are giving an idealized response and I do not think that is fair. I wish you the best of luck. You learn a lot from this program and it is a great opportunity.

P.S. The BP program is not awful. Deficiency courses WILL NOT count towards your MS degree. This matters if you decide to go somewhere else or do not get accepted to DCOM. You need to have at least 13 graduate units in the fall to graduate in the spring

Cheers

Hi all,

Also a current MS student, in the BP track.

This poster is correct in that this school will put you in as many deficiencies as they can your first semester. Honestly, I can't really think of a reason why they would do this, other than to prolong graduation to bring in tuition for the students that have to take summer classes or continue with their MS the next semester, but that's just my opinion. You would think that as a graduate student having already taken the prerequisites for medical school, they would just let us start the MS courses required for graduation, but who knows. While I got lucky and did not get stuck in any deficiencies, a good majority of the people that I know in the BP track did. Make sure that you have a biomedical ethics, biochemistry, genetics and statistics class under your belt before coming here, otherwise that just adds one more nuisance to deal with.

This poster was also mistaken in the percentage of the 2015 MS class that was accepted to DCOM this year. Around 93% of the people that earned their interviews got accepted to DCOM, not 93% of the entire class. Approximately 1/3 of the DCOM 2019 class is made up of former MS students, and the DCOM class started this year with 257 students. I was also told by an OMS-I that is an MS alumni that the 7% of people that earned their interviews that didn't get offered a seat were for low MCAT or low grades in medical school courses.

Regarding our class size increasing by about 20%, yes the class size did increase this year, but not as drastically as rumors are holding. 20 people in the MS BP track are pre-vet, meaning that they are not going for DCOM, and there are several others that want to go into different professional program (ie. chiropractic, DPT) and there are life sciences research majors. While the pre-DO group did see an increase in size, it is not as catastrophically drastic as everyone seems to think.

Also, the number of MS students that earned and are accepting their interview at DCOM is around 80, not 110. From my understanding, a decent number of students did not return for the spring semester due to either getting into a different school and wanting to save money/not wanting to return to Tennessee or not making the grades for their interview. Also, per DCOM admissions, their OMS-I class starting this August does not even have half of their seats filled yet. So you do the math. The program will want to maintain their acceptance rate into DCOM at approximately 90% for those that interviewed, otherwise they would have trouble filling this program with quality students.

What was said about the MCAT scores seems to be relatively true, the general rule of thumb is to score the equivalent of 24+. I know several people that are planning to retake it or have been told to retake it. My advice would be to get the score you need before coming here and starting school. Overall, I think that is a fair expectation of DCOM admissions to have. If you can't pull your MCAT score above a 22, how do you expect to do well on the boards and then eventually match competitively?

Overall, this program has helped a lot of people meet their goals when they otherwise would not have. I am glad that I decided to come here over the other masters program that I was accepted into, and would have made the same choice retrospectively in a heart beat.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

I think these two posts aptly sum up the entire program. Bravo! Thanks for the insight.
 
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Does anyone know is there any way to switch to AS track at this point after I have done an interview for BP?
 
Hello all! Here's the best info you are going to get from a current MS student.

First of all, I am going to provide mostly factual info that some current students may disagree with, so keep that in mind.

The region is extremely rural. The people who live here are quite friendly and welcoming. (Honestly if you have trouble with anyone here its more likely going to be a peer than a resident, and even that is unlikley). You may be shocked when you arrive, but you'll quickly assimilate as most of the students are friendly and awesome. You'll build great relationships with MS students as well as OMS-1/2s and even faculty. That being said let's get down to the real facts about this program.

The stats on the MS page are outdated regarding linkage. The class of 2015 had amazing acceptance around 93%+. The current class is going thru interviews and the biggest change this year is the class size which has increased over 20%. Approx 110 MS students will interview and realistically, they are NOT going to accept 110 MS students. DCOM is amazing and they have gained tremendous popularity in the last few years. They are not going to accept half of their incoming class from the MS program regardless of what anyone says.

Lets talk stats. This program will be best for those with decent/good MCAT scores. Doing this program and succeeding will help counter the worst of undergrad GPAs. They will accept you into the MS and tell you many things regarding MCAT scores, but if you do not have a 24+/495+ you will very likely be waitlisted and asked to re-take the mcat regardless of GPA. The stats are DCOM are seriously increasing and they are not as flexible as in past years. DCOM is generally very amazing. The MS program is a part of LMU and not DCOM, so recognize that. The benefit of this program is guaranteed interview and faculty relationships that will help you when the committee makes a decision, assuming the faculty that knows you is on the committee. Outside of that, the MS students acceptances follow the same procedure as open applicants.

So AS vs. BP? If you have the stats to be an AS student, GO WITH AS. You have significant exposure and relationship with the anatomy dept which is DCOM faculty. The BP professors are all LMU and have nothing to do with the admissions committee. Another catch? You are more than likely NOT going to graduate in one year as a BP student. They give you these things called deficiencies (they don't tell you this until orientation) which you take in the fall and WILL NOT count toward your MS, meaning you will extend your time to graduate. If you have not achieved a "C" or better in Genetics, Biochem, Medically related ethics course, stats, etc. you will NOT graduate. In the AS program, there is no such thing as deficiencies. They all graduate. If you put the effort forward, BP professors will build relationships, but if the goal is DCOM, AS relationships are more valuable. BP students also have a significantly more challenging spring semester which does help as an OMS-1, however, not having to take MGA and Histo in the fall makes that a non-issue.

Post-bacc? That program is a total money scam. If you cannot get into this MS or another linkage MS or post-bacc your stats are way to low for med school and you need to review your application. Post-bacc is a 1.5 year program that generally leads to a Master's but, this is opinion btw, there are better and less costly options.

Rounding it out, outside of your GPA before this program, if your MCAT is weak, this program is gonna bite you at some point. Work on raising that before you get here. AS definitely has advantages over BP, but the BP program is great if you don't get stuck with "deficiencies". Also, be realistic. DO schools are getting as tough as MD schools. If your MCAT is weak and/or you don't have strong ECs, work on that. This program is generally geared to those who want to improve GPAs and show they can do well in grad/med courses. Yes, an A in Medical Gross Anatomy is important. Those with Bs will get in, but an A is much more telling. Its rumored that this year, for the first time, students with As have not been immediately accepted due to MCAT. This is not a backdoor into medical school.

I am not bitter at all, and am extremely grateful for this opportunity. I do not know whether I have an admission to DCOM, so this info is truly factual, except where it is noted. There are too many new posts that are giving an idealized response and I do not think that is fair. I wish you the best of luck. You learn a lot from this program and it is a great opportunity.

P.S. The BP program is not awful. Deficiency courses WILL NOT count towards your MS degree. This matters if you decide to go somewhere else or do not get accepted to DCOM. You need to have at least 13 graduate units in the fall to graduate in the spring

Cheers

Hi all,

Also a current MS student, in the BP track.

This poster is correct in that this school will put you in as many deficiencies as they can your first semester. Honestly, I can't really think of a reason why they would do this, other than to prolong graduation to bring in tuition for the students that have to take summer classes or continue with their MS the next semester, but that's just my opinion. You would think that as a graduate student having already taken the prerequisites for medical school, they would just let us start the MS courses required for graduation, but who knows. While I got lucky and did not get stuck in any deficiencies, a good majority of the people that I know in the BP track did. Make sure that you have a biomedical ethics, biochemistry, genetics and statistics class under your belt before coming here, otherwise that just adds one more nuisance to deal with.

This poster was also mistaken in the percentage of the 2015 MS class that was accepted to DCOM this year. Around 93% of the people that earned their interviews got accepted to DCOM, not 93% of the entire class. Approximately 1/3 of the DCOM 2019 class is made up of former MS students, and the DCOM class started this year with 257 students. I was also told by an OMS-I that is an MS alumni that the 7% of people that earned their interviews that didn't get offered a seat were for low MCAT or low grades in medical school courses.

Regarding our class size increasing by about 20%, yes the class size did increase this year, but not as drastically as rumors are holding. 20 people in the MS BP track are pre-vet, meaning that they are not going for DCOM, and there are several others that want to go into different professional program (ie. chiropractic, DPT) and there are life sciences research majors. While the pre-DO group did see an increase in size, it is not as catastrophically drastic as everyone seems to think.

Also, the number of MS students that earned and are accepting their interview at DCOM is around 80, not 110. From my understanding, a decent number of students did not return for the spring semester due to either getting into a different school and wanting to save money/not wanting to return to Tennessee or not making the grades for their interview. Also, per DCOM admissions, their OMS-I class starting this August does not even have half of their seats filled yet. So you do the math. The program will want to maintain their acceptance rate into DCOM at approximately 90% for those that interviewed, otherwise they would have trouble filling this program with quality students.

What was said about the MCAT scores seems to be relatively true, the general rule of thumb is to score the equivalent of 24+. I know several people that are planning to retake it or have been told to retake it. My advice would be to get the score you need before coming here and starting school. Overall, I think that is a fair expectation of DCOM admissions to have. If you can't pull your MCAT score above a 22, how do you expect to do well on the boards and then eventually match competitively?

Overall, this program has helped a lot of people meet their goals when they otherwise would not have. I am glad that I decided to come here over the other masters program that I was accepted into, and would have made the same choice retrospectively in a heart beat.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask!

Thank you so much for the insight into the program! There is not much transparency about the linkage and I am glad to learn this information regarding my decision to attend this program.
 
You can email Holly and ask. Idk if it's possible since you already interviewed but ask her. Did you hear back from your interview yet?

Does anyone know is there any way to switch to AS track at this point after I have done an interview for BP?
 
You can email Holly and ask. Idk if it's possible since you already interviewed but ask her. Did you hear back from your interview yet?
I did email Holly. She is recruiting students and is away. I have not heard back yet. I am trying to take all the deficiency courses online before I go there and I need to know their decision.
 
Does anyone know is there any way to switch to AS track at this point after I have done an interview for BP?
Last yr, I tried to switch from BM to AS. Holly said they have 2 different admission teams, so she would forward your app to the other team, and if they move forward, you may have to interview again. I got turned down fast since I didn't take UG Biochem.
 
Last yr, I tried to switch from BM to AS. Holly said they have 2 different admission teams, so she would forward your app to the other team, and if they move forward, you may have to interview again. I got turned down fast since I didn't take UG Biochem.
Yes Holly told me I can switch and have the interview again. I even had advanced biochemistry courses with labs but since I have interviewed for the BP I am not sure it is the right move?!
 
Yes Holly told me I can switch and have the interview again. I even had advanced biochemistry courses with labs but since I have interviewed for the BP I am not sure it is the right move?!

Honestly, the BP program is amazing! If you want more biology courses do BP if you want more "anatomy" courses do AS. It is up to you.
 
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Received a provisional acceptance by email for BP pending a background check! Very excited!!
 
Did you take Genetics, Stats, and Medical or BioEthics? They'll make you take 'em like darealmvpnc said. I took Environmental Ethics in undergrad and they made me take the undergrad Medical Ethics. Good course, but now I can't graduate in May.
 
Yes, I have taken stats and bioethics and I'm taking genetics now.

Did you take Genetics, Stats, and Medical or BioEthics? They'll make you take 'em like darealmvpnc said. I took Environmental Ethics in undergrad and they made me take the undergrad Medical Ethics. Good course, but now I can't graduate in May.
 
Did you take Genetics, Stats, and Medical or BioEthics? They'll make you take 'em like darealmvpnc said. I took Environmental Ethics in undergrad and they made me take the undergrad Medical Ethics. Good course, but now I can't graduate in May.
did you have any Immunology course?
 
Honestly, the BP program is amazing! If you want more biology courses do BP if you want more "anatomy" courses do AS. It is up to you.

Someone on here says when you are in AS track you are more exposed to the DCOM faculty. I was wondering how many percentage of BP students get DCOM admission and how many are from AS track?
 
I was provisionally accepted last Friday and my background check came through clean on Wednesday. So... that is exciting.

I called the University and Ms. Watson said the background checks are a new addition to the process. She is training to log in and review them this weekend and when Holly returns to campus next week, they will be informing us when to expect an official acceptance package in the mail. I also asked about deficiencies, but she said it would be better to ask Holly these questions when she returns from her trip. It seems odd to make students who have the prerequisites for medical school completed take these additional courses unless they truly do not have the breadth of biology courses that a science major would have. If all else fails, there are online immunology courses . I haven't found any online bioethics courses though. =\

Anyway, congratulations to the others who were provisionally accepted!
 
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I go to UF and I took medical bioethics online so that may be worth looking into.
 
So the figures I posted earlier as based on DCOMs final admissions of 2015 (after they have their final class). According to that less than 70 got in, however that still equates to 93%.
DCOM informed us during our interview that approx 110 MS students are interviewing in total. DCOM stats have increased and continue to increase, so there's a chance 30-40MS students will be waitlisted and/or rejected if they accept based on last year's numbers. Realistically if everyone in the Master's program has 24+ and does well in their courses, they may accept everyone, but not everyone has that.

The BP program has a class size about 2.5x the AS students so even though AS students are more likely to get in, that's more due to the smaller class size and they had to have higher stats originally to get in. If you want to switch to AS or at least have the opportunity to do so make sure you inquire. There is no reason they should deny you of that opportunity.

I agree, deficiencies make no sense. Remember you need a "C" or better in biochem, genetics, stats, AND medically related ethics course. Missing any of these will screw your. They might make you take undergrad immunology (no reason for this) but many people got out of that.

Holly is the go to. She's good about e-mails. I don't understand how she's out for recruitment 90% of the time and MS students have no point of contact. With all the money they suck out of everyone they should hire someone else. Also, if you're being denied anything and it doesn't seem right, talk to a program director.

Good luck everyone. As I said before, its generally a great program. Just remember it is not a backdoor into medical school.
 
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