Marian University (MU-COM) Discussion Thread 2013 - 2014

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What is the remediation/failure policy at Marian?

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What is the remediation/failure policy at Marian?

This issue was talked to death on the preceding pages of this thread. Long story short: there is remediation, but the specifics have yet to be fully vetted since no one has been remediated yet.
 
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This issue was talked to death on the preceding pages of this thread. Long story short: there is remediation, but the specifics have yet to be fully vetted since no one has been remediated yet.

Slight update: we received an email with remediation dates (to take a single exam). And I guess for some classes it will be oral & essays for the remediation and others will be multiple choice.
 
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Interview invite for 3/14

Secondary complete: 9/3
*Hold for fall grades, followed by MCAT hold
MCAT update: 2/25
II: 3/4

I was able to secure a 3/14 slot, but I'm pretty sure a date this early was a fluke. The remaining dates are throughout April. My sense of elation cannot properly be conveyed via this text box.
 
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Did anyone notice a trend as to what time of the month Marian has reviewed the alternate list or is it random? I die a little inside every thursday hoping for the call. Best of luck to everyone!
 
Did anyone notice a trend as to what time of the month Marian has reviewed the alternate list or is it random? I die a little inside every thursday hoping for the call. Best of luck to everyone!

It varies based on our interview schedule. March will likely be later in the month.

Admissions
 
God, this was hard. SO hard, but I ended up giving up my seat due to financial reasons.

God, this school...just so much LOVE for it.
 
God, this was hard. SO hard, but I ended up giving up my seat due to financial reasons.

God, this school...just so much LOVE for it.
Where are you headed to?

And thank-you :soexcited:. I am on the wait list and maybe I'll get your spot!
 
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My in-state SOM...I wouldn't have to move and I calculated that I'd save about $100,000 after the 4 years so I have to take it :)
 
My in-state SOM...I wouldn't have to move and I calculated that I'd save about $100,000 after the 4 years so I have to take it :)

Congrats on making the big decision!! Money is a huge factor, so I don't blame you. Good luck to you! :)
 
Can't wait to meet those of you at the accepted students weekend! Hope you all love it here :)
 
Whoa - haven't been on here in ages but I'm so glad to see all the excitement surrounding MUCOM! Looks like my classmates have been doing a great job keeping you all informed.

Enjoy Accepted Students Weekend! I'll be around so I hope to meet some of you! Feel free to message me if you have questions - I think I remember seeing a question about on-campus housing? I highly recommend it!
 
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Admissions and for those of you whose have been interviewed on previous dates:
How many interview candidates for each date?
What is the acceptance rate or approximately, how many will be accepted each cycle?
How many candidates will be put in alternate list?
Thanks
 
Admissions and for those of you whose have been interviewed on previous dates:
How many interview candidates for each date?
What is the acceptance rate or approximately, how many will be accepted each cycle?
How many candidates will be put in alternate list?
Thanks

Generally, MU-COM interviews 56 candidates two weekends a month from September to April. There is no formula on how many we accept or place on the alternate list. We seek to admit the most highly admissible candidates.

Admissions
 
In regard to the close of the 2014 application cycle for the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-COM), the following are important updates:
  • Seats still exist for the entering fall 2014 class.
  • The supplemental application deadline is 5 PM EDT on April 1, 2014.
  • Letters of recommendation and related application materials will be accepted until 5 PM EDT on April 4, 2014.
  • Materials received after this date will not be processed. There will be no exceptions to this timeline.
  • Processing of completed applications will continue after April 4, 2014, until a final decision is rendered.
When submitting application materials to us, please do so electronically.
  • Letters of recommendation should be submitted by Interfolio or VirtualEvals; your AACOMAS ID must be specified in your upload. Letters are downloaded only twice a week.
  • Alternatively, materials may be submitted by email directly to Kelly Early at [email protected]; include the applicant's full name and AACOMAS ID. (NOTE: Letters of recommendation must be submitted by the recommender, not the applicant.)
Finally, please resist the overwhelming urge to call our office immediately after submitting materials. Given the volume of applications received, processing can take 2—3 days (or longer). Phone calls delay processing for everyone. Remember, you can check the status of your application 24 hours a day in the portal. You will receive an email confirmation of your status once processing is complete. Accordingly, if you have questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected].

Thank you,
Admissions
 
Generally, MU-COM interviews 56 candidates two weekends a month from September to April. There is no formula on how many we accept or place on the alternate list. We seek to admit the most highly admissible candidates.

Admissions
Dear Admissions,
Thank you so much for the info.
One more reason to love MU-COM.
 
If we want to make an update about an ec for a WL spot, we should do so via aacomas?
 
Just submitted my secondary application. New to the forum. How holistic is Marian in reviewing applicants? I have a fairly strong application in terms of medical experience, research, etc. I have a masters degree +, non-trad, but nervous about MCAT scores.
 
Just submitted my secondary application. New to the forum. How holistic is Marian in reviewing applicants? I have a fairly strong application in terms of medical experience, research, etc. I have a masters degree +, non-trad, but nervous about MCAT scores.

They've been focusing mostly on stats this year from what people have said.
 
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Just submitted my secondary application. New to the forum. How holistic is Marian in reviewing applicants? I have a fairly strong application in terms of medical experience, research, etc. I have a masters degree +, non-trad, but nervous about MCAT scores.
I would have to disagree with serenade on this one. I've met many nontrads with less than stellar stats (myself included) who were accepted here. Throughout the entire process, MUCOM seemed more interested in my fit with the school and their style and my application as a whole than my specific stats (MCAT, gpa) per se. I was very impressed with the entire application process.
That said, your performance on the interview and the score they assess you does seem to be a big deciding factor so no matter how stellar or poor your stats are, you need to do well throughout the interviews if you want to be accepted. Also, in the event you get wait listed, I would recommend a LOI as they do actually read them here.
 
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I would have to disagree with serenade on this one. I've met many nontrads with less than stellar stats (myself included) who were accepted here. Throughout the entire process, MUCOM seemed more interested in my fit with the school and their style and my application as a whole than my specific stats (MCAT, gpa) per se. I was very impressed with the entire application process.
That said, your performance on the interview and the score they assess you does seem to be a big deciding factor so no matter how stellar or poor your stats are, you need to do well throughout the interviews if you want to be accepted. Also, in the event you get wait listed, I would recommend a LOI as they do actually read them here.

Well I'm hoping my LOI was convincing then haha.
 
Well I'm hoping my LOI was convincing then haha.
You can always send another one to show you're serious. Can't hurt, right? Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see a bunch of people come off the waitlist sometime in May as the number of people in the FB group leads me to believe there are still a good number of spots left.
 
You can always send another one to show you're serious. Can't hurt, right? Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see a bunch of people come off the waitlist sometime in May as the number of people in the FB group leads me to believe there are still a good number of spots left.

Who knows, I feel like there may be a healthy amount of movement.

And I think a second LOI may be excessive haha.
 
You can always send another one to show you're serious. Can't hurt, right? Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see a bunch of people come off the waitlist sometime in May as the number of people in the FB group leads me to believe there are still a good number of spots left.

Second LOI? Don't go giving away all my good ideas, captlaracms... Although I'm pretty sure you can only send one Letter of Intent. Subsequent correspondence should be titled accordingly: Memorandum of Pleading, Summary of Desperation, and finally the Declaration of Stalking.
 
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Still have yet to turn in my secondary...is it worth the application fee at this point or are there simply no spots left? 3.8GPA (s and c) with a 26 MCAT, new MCAT scores coming 2/25
Your numbers are great for a shot at an interview invite. When the interview comes I think your mcat and gpa is forgotten. If you're good at MMI and score 5-7 average (which means you are the favorite interviewee for at least 5/7 people who interview you) score you have an acceptance.
 
MU-COM Admissions,
I have two questions:
1)What is the approximation of acceptance candidate, not matriculate, whose stats are 3.2-3.5 both SGPA and CGPA and 23-25 MCAT?
I know it's a little hard to answer this question accurately but I hope you will give a general number such as 25-30%, 30-35%, ... or wider like 20-30%, 30-40%,...
2)When making acceptance decision, will Admissions Committee only looks at interview day scores or both interview day scores and application stats like GPAs and MCAT?
Thank you very much.
 
MU-COM Admissions,
I have two questions:
1)What is the approximation of acceptance candidate, not matriculate, whose stats are 3.2-3.5 both SGPA and CGPA and 23-25 MCAT?
I know it's a little hard to answer this question accurately but I hope you will give a general number such as 25-30%, 30-35%, ... or wider like 20-30%, 30-40%,...
2)When making acceptance decision, will Admissions Committee only looks at interview day scores or both interview day scores and application stats like GPAs and MCAT?
Thank you very much.
 
Current MU-COM students and candidates who have been accepted this year,
Please give us your opinion about river10 questions.
Thanks
 
MU-COM Admissions,
I have two questions:
1)What is the approximation of acceptance candidate, not matriculate, whose stats are 3.2-3.5 both SGPA and CGPA and 23-25 MCAT?
I know it's a little hard to answer this question accurately but I hope you will give a general number such as 25-30%, 30-35%, ... or wider like 20-30%, 30-40%,...
2)When making acceptance decision, will Admissions Committee only looks at interview day scores or both interview day scores and application stats like GPAs and MCAT?
Thank you very much.
Let me rewrite question 1:
1)What is the percentage of accepted candidate, not matriculate, whose stats are 3.2-3.5 both SGPA and CGPA and 23-25 MCAT? ( data of this year or past years are good too)
 
MU-COM Admissions,
I have two questions:
1)What is the approximation of acceptance candidate, not matriculate, whose stats are 3.2-3.5 both SGPA and CGPA and 23-25 MCAT?
I know it's a little hard to answer this question accurately but I hope you will give a general number such as 25-30%, 30-35%, ... or wider like 20-30%, 30-40%,...
2)When making acceptance decision, will Admissions Committee only looks at interview day scores or both interview day scores and application stats like GPAs and MCAT?
Thank you very much.
Is this a serious question? If so, you are focusing too hard on stats and not enough on your application as a whole and who you are as an applicant/interviewee. MUCOM is not going to give you stats that specific - nor would it matter - as stats are not causal and will have no impact on your actual ability to get in.
 
MU-COM Admissions,
I have two questions:
1)What is the approximation of acceptance candidate, not matriculate, whose stats are 3.2-3.5 both SGPA and CGPA and 23-25 MCAT?
I know it's a little hard to answer this question accurately but I hope you will give a general number such as 25-30%, 30-35%, ... or wider like 20-30%, 30-40%,...
2)When making acceptance decision, will Admissions Committee only looks at interview day scores or both interview day scores and application stats like GPAs and MCAT?
Thank you very much.

Sorry, but the admissions office does not comment on an applicant's competitiveness in public forums. Our mission and selection criteria are described on our website and in the AACOM CIB.

MU-COM
 
Is this a serious question? If so, you are focusing too hard on stats and not enough on your application as a whole and who you are as an applicant/interviewee. MUCOM is not going to give you stats that specific - nor would it matter - as stats are not causal and will have no impact on your actual ability to get in.
Yes, it's a serious question.
Unless you have low GPA and/or low MCAT scores with multiple rejections, you will not understand the feeling of those people.
Do you want to spend money, time and effort to apply to the school that screen out candidates that have low stats?
I have seen and known many people with "not bad stats" and not much of " who you are" got accepted
I also have seen and known wonderful people with Master Degree and many EC's but low stats, especially 20-23 MCAT got multiple rejections years after years.
 
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Do students need a car? Do they stay on campus all four years, or will there be extensive commuting in the 3/4th years for rotations? (Will rotations be at a hospital nearby or hospitals all over the area?)

I also looked at the website, it looks like the 3rd year will have extensive primary care focused rotations, while for the fourth year has 20 weeks of mandatory rotation. Does this mean for the remainder of the year you can take ~4-6(?) electives of specialties youre interested in?
 
Yes, it's a serious question.
Unless you have low GPA and/or low MCAT scores with multiple rejections, you will not understand the feeling of those people.
Do you want to spend money, time and effort to apply to the school that screen out candidates that have low stats?
I have seen and known many people with "not bad stats" and not much of " who you are" got accepted
I also have seen and known wonderful people with Master Degree and many EC's but low stats, especially 20-23 MCAT got multiple rejections years after years.
TBH, I have not heard of any U.S. schools (DO or MD) that accept an MCAT of 23 or lower so if that's your score, I would work on retaking. I'm by no means an expert on that, but most schools I've looked at state right on their admissions requirements that a 24 MCAT is the minimum accepted. That said, if you read through this thread, you will see students with 24 & 25 MCATs have been accepted this year so MUCOM is certainly not screening out based on MCAT alone.

BTW, MUCOM's website does say you need a 3.2 sgpa and cgpa as well as a 24 MCAT to be considered competitive http://www.marian.edu/osteopathic-medical-school/admissions/requirements-for-admission
 
So do can any of you guys give examples of some of the MMI stations? I've looked through this entire thread and the interview feedback page but can't find anything. I would greatly appreciate it!
 
TBH, I have not heard of any U.S. schools (DO or MD) that accept an MCAT of 23 or lower so if that's your score, I would work on retaking. I'm by no means an expert on that, but most schools I've looked at state right on their admissions requirements that a 24 MCAT is the minimum accepted. That said, if you read through this thread, you will see students with 24 & 25 MCATs have been accepted this year so MUCOM is certainly not screening out based on MCAT alone.

BTW, MUCOM's website does say you need a 3.2 sgpa and cgpa as well as a 24 MCAT to be considered competitive http://www.marian.edu/osteopathic-medical-school/admissions/requirements-for-admission
I know (not heard of, actually know) 3 people with a 23 MCAT or below that were accepted this cycle, one to an MD school...
 
Your numbers are great for a shot at an interview invite. When the interview comes I think your mcat and gpa is forgotten. If you're good at MMI and score 5-7 average (which means you are the favorite interviewee for at least 5/7 people who interview you) score you have an acceptance.
I am nearly certain the committee doesn't simply "forget" your MCAT and GPA once you are invited to interview. The committee views the candidate holistically post-interview and, according to MU-COM on my interview day, offers spots to those "most highly admissible". However, I know that the interview is incredibly important at MU-COM so a great MMI score could do wonders for your total application when it is reviewed.
 
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TBH, I have not heard of any U.S. schools (DO or MD) that accept an MCAT of 23 or lower so if that's your score, I would work on retaking. I'm by no means an expert on that, but most schools I've looked at state right on their admissions requirements that a 24 MCAT is the minimum accepted. That said, if you read through this thread, you will see students with 24 & 25 MCATs have been accepted this year so MUCOM is certainly not screening out based on MCAT alone.

BTW, MUCOM's website does say you need a 3.2 sgpa and cgpa as well as a 24 MCAT to be considered competitive http://www.marian.edu/osteopathic-medical-school/admissions/requirements-for-admission

There are a lot of schools that accept low MCAT (23 included) and mucom is no exception... Of course your other areas will need to be exceptional.

They've been focusing mostly on stats this year from what people have said.
I've heard the same.
 
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Hmmm...I have.
That's the beauty of the statement "I have not heard of" - it's purely based on what I've heard. As I said before - not an expert - nor do I care to be. Just reiterating the requirements MUCOM put on their own site. You are welcome to throw in your expertise.
 
Pretty sure river10 & Love DO are two sides of the same coin.

It should be apparent to all that an MCAT score is just one portion of an application. If you're 21 years old, have never had a job, and have yet to move out of your family's home, it stands to reason you have little to contribute other than your stats and charming smile.

Getting back to the original questions:

Just submitted my secondary application. New to the forum. How holistic is Marian in reviewing applicants? I have a fairly strong application in terms of medical experience, research, etc. I have a masters degree +, non-trad, but nervous about MCAT scores.

Andromeda4, my application was recently complete with Marian (2/25). I lack extensive research experience, don't have a master's degree, and am non-trad with certainly less than perfect stats. I was invited to interview a few days later. Representatives from admissions were very straightforward about their decision-making process and made it clear that if you receive a secondary invite, your stats stand a chance. No one on this forum can give you anything more concrete than that, other than the administration.

And:

Let me rewrite question 1:
1)What is the percentage of accepted candidate, not matriculate, whose stats are 3.2-3.5 both SGPA and CGPA and 23-25 MCAT? ( data of this year or past years are good too)

This is bizarrely specific and you won't get the answer you're seeking.

They've been focusing mostly on stats this year from what people have said.

I wonder how a consensus forms around these ideas. This statement is akin to "The administration is really focusing on qualified applicants this year." But, more directly, your stats are irrelevant if you stare at the ceiling and refuse to speak throughout your MMI, or if your background investigation reveals you are a baby snatcher.

It's not difficult to find the national statistics on medical school entry stats. Everyone knows (or has actually heard of) someone who got in with lower than average stats. I'd venture that, hmmm, about half of all applicants got in with below average stats. It's still solid advice, though, to say that if your stats are low you would greatly benefit from having some other compelling factors in your application.
 
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So do can any of you guys give examples of some of the MMI stations? I've looked through this entire thread and the interview feedback page but can't find anything. I would greatly appreciate it!

It would be inappropriate for anyone to give you samples of the actual MMI prompts, and ultimately not very helpful. They describe scenarios concocted by the administration and the topics are largely irrelevant. The format is an opportunity to see how you respond to unique situations and a rehearsed answer may allow you to check the necessary boxes, but the actual content of your answer is clearly only one of the factors being assessed.

If you really think a broad example would help you, consider this, "You've just been appointed Creative Director of Marketing for a large pharmaceutical company. What are some of the strategies you will employ?" You'll have a few minutes to consider your answer and then deliver that answer to the interviewer. The interviewer may ask follow-up questions, or they may ask you personal questions. The prompts could be about any topic, and the interviewer could ask you any question. Aside from practicing critical thinking and general conversation skills, there is no way to prepare for the MMI. I found it to be enjoyable.

*Note: I devised that prompt, and it does not follow the theme or structure of any prompt I was exposed to. If it resembles one another interviewer has seen, it's purely coincidence.
 
Do students need a car? Do they stay on campus all four years, or will there be extensive commuting in the 3/4th years for rotations? (Will rotations be at a hospital nearby or hospitals all over the area?)

I also looked at the website, it looks like the 3rd year will have extensive primary care focused rotations, while for the fourth year has 20 weeks of mandatory rotation. Does this mean for the remainder of the year you can take ~4-6(?) electives of specialties youre interested in?

Without question, you will need some method of reliable, on-demand transportation in your later years. Most of MU-COM's current partnerships are in Indianapolis proper, but sites are located throughout the entire state. As for rotations, the general format of primary care and other required rotations followed by elective rotations (specialties of interest) is a format adhered to by all medical schools and is not specific to Marian. I welcome clarifying information if I'm mistaken in that regard.
 
Your numbers are great for a shot at an interview invite. When the interview comes I think your mcat and gpa is forgotten. If you're good at MMI and score 5-7 average (which means you are the favorite interviewee for at least 5/7 people who interview you) score you have an acceptance.
Interesting. So if you score a 6, you are the favorite of 6/7? Is that how it works?
 
Interesting. So if you score a 6, you are the favorite of 6/7? Is that how it works?

Don't think that is totally accurate. The 6 is just an average. You could have multiple 7s that bring up your average then a couple lower ones that pull it back down. I also don't think they score you relative to other interviewees but rather a score based on how they perceived you did. Multiple people could get a 7 at the same station so I don't think saying favorites is totally accurate.
 
Interesting. So if you score a 6, you are the favorite of 6/7? Is that how it works?
The total score is actually out of 49 (meaning up to 7 points at each station) and then additionally each interviewer ranks a favorite interviewee for your group, although I don't believe this is necessarily tied to the score each person received - as in multiple people could get 7s but only one would be a favorite for that station. The entire process is much more complicated than a simple score though and is described in detail on your interview day. The school goes to great lengths to make sure the grading takes into account variation amongst interviewers or groups by adjusting the scores appropriately (i.e. a score of 3 from an interviewer who is notoriously hard might be bumped up to a 4 or a score of 7 from an interviewer who generally provides favorable scores may be edged down).
 
Do students need a car? Do they stay on campus all four years, or will there be extensive commuting in the 3/4th years for rotations? (Will rotations be at a hospital nearby or hospitals all over the area?)

I also looked at the website, it looks like the 3rd year will have extensive primary care focused rotations, while for the fourth year has 20 weeks of mandatory rotation. Does this mean for the remainder of the year you can take ~4-6(?) electives of specialties youre interested in?

Take a look at this, lifted straight from their marketing materials:

MUCOM Rotations.JPG


Recall that MU-COM's mission is largely to provide Indiana with Primary Care physicians. The administration has stated that they will attempt to return students from rural areas of Indiana back to those rural areas to serve (should they so desire).
 
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