Michigan State University (MSUCOM) Discussion Thread 2014 - 2015

[SkipJunior]

So are you implying my chances are slimmer because they might assume that I'm just going to attend a MD school instead?

It's hard to say and all this is just speculation. You should still apply to MSUCOM, you have a good chance.

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[mTORR]

As of the last update email, which was only 1-2 weeks ago, only 18 acceptances have been offered. That's 5.5% of the total seats available at this school. So...no. Nothing to worry about yet.

Yeah, but all this talk about how they look at applicants with 30+ MCAT and 3.6+ GPA first is making me a bit nervous lol. I guess I will just have to wait like everyone else. Good Luck everyone!

 

[lm18510]

Thanks! I submitted my secondary 7/19

 

[mTORR]

It's hard to say and all this is just speculation. You should still apply to MSUCOM, you have a good chance.

I already did. Sorry, I wasn't being clear in my original post, but I was just getting worried because I applied and was really hoping to hear back early haha

 

[Lt_Yash]

Maybe they are calling in alphabetical order and I'm last like usual.

 

[SkipJunior]

Will a lot of acceptance calls go out tomorrow??

 

[UBC2014]

Will a lot of acceptance calls go out tomorrow??

Why would you think that?

Who knows what their process is like haha.

 

[SkipJunior]

@abazzi93 do you think acceptance calls will go out tomorrow? I was complete in June, isn't it a bit strange that they haven't told me my status yet?

 

[UBC2014]

@abazzi93 do you think acceptance calls will go out tomorrow? I was complete in June, isn't it a bit strange that they haven't told me my status yet?

Most people have been complete for a long time, and have not heard anything lol. They do things differently at MSU.

If only more schools were like KCUMB and MU-COM that give decisions after specified time frames. Really appreciative of them!

 

[DaddyBex28]

Congrats, when were you complete?

I was complete August 28th. Didn't think I would hear back so early. 28 MCAT 3.3 sGPA and 3.5 cGPA. In state

 

[SkipJunior]

Most people have been complete for a long time, and have not heard anything lol. They do things differently at MSU.

If only more schools were like KCUMB and MU-COM that give decisions after specified time frames. Really appreciative of them!

I didn't know KCUMB and MU-COM did that. Let's hope MSUCOM lets us know soon!

 

[SkipJunior]

I was complete August 28th. Didn't think I would hear back so early. 28 MCAT 3.3 sGPA and 3.5 cGPA. In state

I was complete in June, still haven't heard anything.

 

[UBC2014]

I didn't know KCUMB and MU-COM did that. Let's hope MSUCOM lets us know soon!

Yep, it is a very different process for MSU.

You could be brought to committee this week, or December. It all depends on the strength of your app in comparison to other apps being looked at too in some ways.

At least they don't interview, so it is less stressful in some senses, since there isn't that additional wait period to go do the itnerview and then another wait period for results etc.

 

[UBC2014]

I was complete in June, still haven't heard anything.

Also, have you asked schools how it would work if you do matriculate? Since you have already done the board exams..wouldn't that potentially interfere with the regular flow of things etc..

 

[SkipJunior]

Also, have you asked schools how it would work if you do matriculate? Since you have already done the board exams..wouldn't that potentially interfere with the regular flow of things etc..

If I'm able to join a DO program, I will simply take the COMLEX for the first time and only apply for osteopathic residencies.

 

[HCMVresearcher]

I was complete August 28th. Didn't think I would hear back so early. 28 MCAT 3.3 sGPA and 3.5 cGPA. In state

My stats are similar (little higher sGPA because of my master's degree in bio) and I'm in-state also. I haven't heard anything yet. I hope they show me some love soon, I was complete at the end of June.

 

[SkipJunior]

My stats are similar (little higher sGPA because of my master's degree in bio) and I'm in-state also. I haven't heard anything yet. I hope they show me some love soon, I was complete at the end of June.

do you think they might review apps tomorrow? or at least give acceptance calls tomorrow?

 

[UBC2014]

If I'm able to join a DO program, I will simply take the COMLEX for the first time and only apply for osteopathic residencies.

I would make sure to talk to them upfront, since you definitely not the typical applicant by any means...and they may just discard you without giving you a fair chance - thinking it may be too complicated etc.

 

[SkipJunior]

I would make sure to talk to them upfront, since you definitely not the typical applicant by any means...and they may just discard you without giving you a fair chance - thinking it may be too complicated etc.

Okay I'll do that.

 

[abazzi93]

@abazzi93 do you think acceptance calls will go out tomorrow? I was complete in June, isn't it a bit strange that they haven't told me my status yet?

I have no idea. The AdCom director didn't talk about that and I didn't think to ask her. I feel like it could be any day they would call you.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Yep, it is a very different process for MSU.

You could be brought to committee this week, or December. It all depends on the strength of your app in comparison to other apps being looked at too in some ways.

At least they don't interview, so it is less stressful in some senses, since there isn't that additional wait period to go do the itnerview and then another wait period for results etc.

Haha, very true on all accounts. At some point, you just need to relax and realize that you've done what you've done and submitted what you've submitted, and it's all out of your hands. ...though I know that it's hard to ignore that little voice in the back of your head that thinks you can do more. "oh geeze, should I send an update letter? I spent another 20 hours volunteering last month, helped my neighbor cross the street, and found a lost puppy, so they MUST want to know about that!!!".

I was so worried about all my other interviews and various statuses that I had nearly forgotten about my application to MSUCOM by the time I got an acceptance call .

 

[Runforlife]

Ah I guess they left a message at my home phone with my parents for me to call them back! I'm hoping this means an acceptance!!! I'll give them a call tomorrow morning ))))

 

[Shinobiz11]

On my "Document Status" portal, its showing that I have 5 letters received. Two extra were added and they were the ones I sent in last cycle. When I talked with one of the adcom members, she said if you're a reapplicant, they look at last year's application as well to see what changed. This has to be the only reason these letters showed up, right? And if so, I'm assuming they reviewed my app I didn't get an acceptance... . Maybe I'm thinking too much...

 

[fshalabs]

On my "Document Status" portal, its showing that I have 5 letters received. Two extra were added and they were the ones I sent in last cycle. When I talked with one of the adcom members, she said if you're a reapplicant, they look at last year's application as well to see what changed. This has to be the only reason these letters showed up, right? And if so, I'm assuming they reviewed my app I didn't get an acceptance... . Maybe I'm thinking too much...

Thanks for the insight regarding part of their process for reapplicants. Good to know that their holistic review takes that into consideration. I hope there are more strengths than weaknesses associated with our current apps because of that.

You may not have received an acceptance, but you haven't been rejected, or even put on hold yet - it could always be worse! Best thing to do is stay optimistic.

 

[abazzi93]

How long does it usually take for COM to update the secondary with your letters after submitting them? I submitted mine on 9/23 and they haven't shown up on the secondary yet.

 

[Runforlife]

Anyone know how long we have to accept the offer? December 5th? Has anyone been to a visit day yet? Looks like the next one isn't until we have to have our deposits in on December 5th. Do you think admissions would accommodate us oos students and have one before if I asked?

 

[SkipJunior]

Anyone know how long we have to accept the offer? December 5th? Has anyone been to a visit day yet? Looks like the next one isn't until we have to have our deposits in on December 5th. Do you think admissions would accommodate us oos students and have one before if I asked?

so you called them back today? did they mention if they are making acceptance calls today?

 

[ananasmed]

Anyone know how long we have to accept the offer? December 5th? Has anyone been to a visit day yet? Looks like the next one isn't until we have to have our deposits in on December 5th. Do you think admissions would accommodate us oos students and have one before if I asked?

Was thinking the same thing. I believe we have until December 5th to accept the offer/pay deposit, but kinda confused about the visit day. In the September 9th update email, it said something about an "open house day" on 11/21 at the East Lansing campus, so maybe I will try to go to that... but I'm not sure if it's equivalent to a visit day. If I find out any more information, I'll be sure to let you know! I'm also OOS and definitely need to see the med school before making a decision.

 

[abazzi93]

http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/2014cib/2014cib-56 MSUCOM.pdf

MSUCOM CIB page 2 tells you how long you have to pay the deposit/accept the offer depending on when you get the acceptance.

Here's the flyer for the Macomb and Detroit open houses on Nov. 1
http://com.msu.edu/Admissions/Documents/Images/See-the-Sites-2014.jpg

EL's open house is on Nov. 21

 

[ananasmed]

http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/2014cib/2014cib-56 MSUCOM.pdf

MSUCOM CIB page 2 tells you how long you have to pay the deposit/accept the offer depending on when you get the acceptance.

Here's the flyer for the Macomb and Detroit open houses on Nov. 1
http://com.msu.edu/Admissions/Documents/Images/See-the-Sites-2014.jpg

EL's open house is on Nov. 21

Just to clarify, the CIB date may not be accurate - it says you need to confirm your seat by 12/2 if accepted before November, but the accepted student info clearly says December 5th for the deposit and confirmation. Also, still unsure if "open house" = "visit day"... visit day may be specifically for accepted students? It might not really matter, in the long run, but it's good to have all the information before scheduling a trip! I've been to East Lansing and visited MSU before, but not MSUCOM - I'm looking forward to it

 

[iluvmedicine2]

Congratulations to those of you who have been accepted!

How many volunteer hours did each of you have and did you include research/student organization activities with your volunteer work?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DaddyBex28]

Congratulations to those of you who have been accepted!

How many volunteer hours did each of you have and did you include research/student organization activities with your volunteer work?

Thanks in advance!

I had about 500 volunteer hours since high school, but most were in a clinical setting.
My research hours are in the thousands since I have worked in some labs for several years.
Student orgs ~100 total

 

[SkipJunior]

Looks like MSUCOM only gives acceptance calls every 2 weeks on a Thursday. Also the adcom meets bimonthly so don't expect anything for another 2 weeks.

 

[wolverine909]

On my "Document Status" portal, its showing that I have 5 letters received. Two extra were added and they were the ones I sent in last cycle. When I talked with one of the adcom members, she said if you're a reapplicant, they look at last year's application as well to see what changed. This has to be the only reason these letters showed up, right? And if so, I'm assuming they reviewed my app I didn't get an acceptance... . Maybe I'm thinking too much...

Do you mean to say that all of your letter writers are listed in the Notes section for the "Document Status" page? Mine just shows a green check mark.

 

[Shinobiz11]

Do you mean to say that all of your letter writers are listed in the Notes section for the "Document Status" page? Mine just shows a green check mark.

Yeah they are. Also I emailed and they said because I am a reapplicant it's showing all the letters in the system.

 

[wolverine909]

Yeah they are. Also I emailed and they said because I am a reapplicant it's showing all the letters in the system.

Oh okay. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[iluvmedicine2]

I had about 500 volunteer hours since high school, but most were in a clinical setting.
My research hours are in the thousands since I have worked in some labs for several years.
Student orgs ~100 total

Wow, that's great. Thanks for replying. I was kinda hesitant to include everything, since a post awhile back mentioned MSUCOM rejecting or waitlisting individuals that included research and student orgs in their volunteer experience. I guess they look at everything like I was hoping lol.

 

[SkipJunior]

Wow, that's great. Thanks for replying. I was kinda hesitant to include everything, since a post awhile back mentioned MSUCOM rejecting or waitlisting individuals that included research and student orgs in their volunteer experience. I guess they look at everything like I was hoping lol.

I assume they look at your reseach and student org work from your aacomas app.

 

[DaddyBex28]

Wow, that's great. Thanks for replying. I was kinda hesitant to include everything, since a post awhile back mentioned MSUCOM rejecting or waitlisting individuals that included research and student orgs in their volunteer experience. I guess they look at everything like I was hoping lol.

Well, I didn't include research or student orbs in my volunteer hours. I was paid for the research I did and the student orgs/shadowing I put as a separate category from volunteering.

I think they stress volunteering, but they can tell when someone is lying/extending hours for certain activities. I was very upfront about the hours I actually committed to volunteering and what my role was in those experiences.

 

[mark krunch]

Will they leave a voicemail or email if I dont pick up numbers that I dont recognize?

 

[SkipJunior]

Will they leave a voicemail or email if I dont pick up numbers that I dont recognize?

Yes I believe they will do both. Question for you, do you think MSUCOM might give some acceptance calls this coming week?

 

[DaddyBex28]

Will they leave a voicemail or email if I dont pick up numbers that I dont recognize?

They will leave a voicemail, but they may not tell you any information in the voicemail.

 

[4 lyfe]

anyone know when they will review canadian apps?

 

[Runforlife]

would any current students/alumni be able to comment on the campus, atmosphere, classes, and rotations? I wont be able to visit the campus until late November during the open house which is just before we have to submit our deposits in early December :/

 

[SiyingLi]

.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

would any current students/alumni be able to comment on the campus, atmosphere, classes, and rotations? I wont be able to visit the campus until late November during the open house which is just before we have to submit our deposits in early December :/

Just a first year, so I can't say much about rotations (except that I'm excited to get to them!). You can find a general outline here: http://www.com.msu.edu/AP/clerkship_program/clerkship_documents/clerkship_degree_requirements.pdf

Remember that there are three distinct sites where classes/labs are held, so the atmosphere varies greatly. I am at the EL site (and have not seen the others), so can't discuss them. EL is great... even though the facilities are a bit old. We do most of our coursework in one area -- right around Fee Hall -- where there's a lecture hall, anatomy lab, OMM labs, media centers, etc. However, you also have the resources of one of the biggest universities in the country behind you and available in many ways (e.g., I'm just getting started with research and am blown away by the number of people who can help set up various aspects of my complex translational imaging project). Beyond classes, if you've ever lived in a big college town, you get the idea! Please let me know if you have specific questions, because I could ramble on for pages...

Your first semester -- Summer -- is all anatomy. Everything is prosected, and you learn region-by-region (head/neck, abdomen, thorax, extremities, etc.). You have a couple of hours of lecture in the morning followed by an afternoon lab. Second semester is basic sciences with classes from generally 8am-12pm daily. You have OMM labs, clinical skills labs, and histology/micro labs in the afternoons throughout the week. Exams are every other week, and are integrated with all the subjects you're currently learning. After the second semester, we go into systems for the remainder. Patient care/clinical skills/OMM are longitudinal throughout the first two years. I've attached a grid of our pre-clerkship curriculum.

Hi everyone! I'm justing wondering that if we are accepted and have paid the deposit .. It's not legally binding to attend right? So if we later get accepted to a more preferred school we just lose the deposit money?

No, not binding at all... you just lose your big chunk of money!

 

[xc1591]

Was thinking the same thing. I believe we have until December 5th to accept the offer/pay deposit, but kinda confused about the visit day. In the September 9th update email, it said something about an "open house day" on 11/21 at the East Lansing campus, so maybe I will try to go to that... but I'm not sure if it's equivalent to a visit day. If I find out any more information, I'll be sure to let you know! I'm also OOS and definitely need to see the med school before making a decision.

So the open houses are like a visit day.. They just aren't exclusive to accepted students. So, anyone who is interested in getting a tour and talking to a panel of current med students can go. I actually never went to the visit day before coming to MSUCOM. I probably wouldn't be the best to ask advice on for that aspect. I do know one of my friends said she never came to a visit day because she was living out in California. But, that may not be good enough to you. Which is fine!!

Also, for all of those waiting to hear back from MSUCOM--I know exactly what you are going through and it sucks. There is not better way of putting it. But, I will tell you that I was actually waitlisted by MSUCOM in January I believe of this year.. and ended up getting accepted in April off the waitlist. I couldn't tell you whether significant movement occurs over the course of the cycle, but I did get in somewhat towards the end! (I know this is not what you want to hear... more waiting haha) Keep up the good work and if you think you aren't as strong of an applicant as you wanted to be, start working on your ECs NOW! Don't wait. I will tell you that I am IS, had a 27 MCAT, 3.6 GPA. My stats were average I would say. I remember that the admissions adviser told me last year that they typically look at MCAT of 28+ and GPA of 3.7+ first. The lower scores that you saw from the people that have been accepted so far may have been from people who decided to defer a year from the last app cycle. But, again, I am not sure about it. Keep the faith and know that you did everything you could at this point! It is out of your hands and you can only hope MSUCOM wants you as bad as you want to be a part of the family GOOOD LUCK! To those accepted, I will see you all next summer as your mentor OMS-2!

 

[ananasmed]

So the open houses are like a visit day.. They just aren't exclusive to accepted students. So, anyone who is interested in getting a tour and talking to a panel of current med students can go. I actually never went to the visit day before coming to MSUCOM. I probably wouldn't be the best to ask advice on for that aspect. I do know one of my friends said she never came to a visit day because she was living out in California. But, that may not be good enough to you. Which is fine!!

Also, for all of those waiting to hear back from MSUCOM--I know exactly what you are going through and it sucks. There is not better way of putting it. But, I will tell you that I was actually waitlisted by MSUCOM in January I believe of this year.. and ended up getting accepted in April off the waitlist. I couldn't tell you whether significant movement occurs over the course of the cycle, but I did get in somewhat towards the end! (I know this is not what you want to hear... more waiting haha) Keep up the good work and if you think you aren't as strong of an applicant as you wanted to be, start working on your ECs NOW! Don't wait. I will tell you that I am IS, had a 27 MCAT, 3.6 GPA. My stats were average I would say. I remember that the admissions adviser told me last year that they typically look at MCAT of 28+ and GPA of 3.7+ first. The lower scores that you saw from the people that have been accepted so far may have been from people who decided to defer a year from the last app cycle. But, again, I am not sure about it. Keep the faith and know that you did everything you could at this point! It is out of your hands and you can only hope MSUCOM wants you as bad as you want to be a part of the family GOOOD LUCK! To those accepted, I will see you all next summer as your mentor OMS-2!

So, sorry to beat a dead horse, but the "visit days" ARE actually exclusively for accepted students? I may just attend the open house day instead because it is sooner (and before the deposit deadline!!).

Question for you or @johnamo or anyone else, does MSUCOM have SIM labs? If not, is there any "clinical" exposure during the pre-clerkship curriculum? Also, how did you feel about the anatomy being prosected instead of dissection - all of the other schools I've interviewed have dissection, but I understand there are pros and cons to both!

 

[SpartanWolverine]

So, sorry to beat a dead horse, but the "visit days" ARE actually exclusively for accepted students? I may just attend the open house day instead because it is sooner (and before the deposit deadline!!).

Question for you or @johnamo or anyone else, does MSUCOM have SIM labs? If not, is there any "clinical" exposure during the pre-clerkship curriculum? Also, how did you feel about the anatomy being prosected instead of dissection - all of the other schools I've interviewed have dissection, but I understand there are pros and cons to both!

All very good questions.

I believe my "visit day" was not exclusively accepted students, though the vast majority were. I remember them asking at the beginning to raise our hands if we were accepted, waitlisted, or just interested in the school. The visit day is comprised of a presentation by administrators, a student panel, and a tour, so there's not much you would miss if you decided to attend the open house instead. If you have a schedule for the open house and there isn't a tour and/or student panel (though I expect there will be), feel free to send me a message -- I can definitely show you around and answer any questions.

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know if we have SIM labs or not. I remember being paraded around lots of them on interviews, but never saw one at MSUCOM and didn't receive a real answer when I asked about it on my visit day. With a little searching it does look like we might in concert with the other MSU health schools? http://lac.msu.edu/ At the very least, I know we do have standardized patients at some point, though, right now (semester 2) we're learning basic clinical exam skills on each other. I'm sure I'm selling our curriculum and resources short, so don't listen too much to what I'm saying here.

There are plenty of opportunities to get clinical exposure. For example, there's an elective called "community integrated medicine" where you can provide basic healthcare to communities around Lansing (e.g., they were doing flu shots at the capitol today). If OMM is something you're interested in, there's also a Sports OMM elective where you can do OMM on some of the great athletes we have at MSU. Beyond that, our surgery club does suture clinics, our anesthesia club does intubation clinics, and there's all kinds of other skills you can learn if you have the interest. Continuing on the theme of electives, there's also one where you can prosect the cadavers for upcoming classes -- so if that's something you really want to do, it's available!

I don't mind having our anatomy lab prosected. On the one hand, I like not having to dig through layers of fascia, fat, and muscle to get down to my objective for the day. On the other hand, I felt like I didn't truly get an appreciation for some of those structures. Overall, I think it's a plus... but I am more of a spatial/hands on kind of learner who would have enjoyed dissection as well.

Hopefully someone with more experience at MSUCOM can chime in to help answer your questions a little better.

 

[iluvmedicine2]

Maybe I missed it, but does MSUCOM send complete emails? Also, how long did it take to receive a decision after being marked complete?