Midwestern University Chicago (CCOM) Discussion Thread 2014 - 2015

[Rollerbladdin]

Acceptance today!!

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[bitternsweetxo2]

accepted as well

 

[husky92]

Just saw the acceptance email. Love the one week response time.

 

[m4ggiex33]

Congrats everyone! Does anyone want to comment on the interview? What they day was like, what kinds of things they asked, etc.

 

[Runforlife]

Accepted today! Interviewed 9/22 and the wait was agonizing haha!

 

[bitternsweetxo2]

Congrats everyone! Does anyone want to comment on the interview? What they day was like, what kinds of things they asked, etc.

I only got asked questions about my file, so make sure you can answer questions about your activities and such. Others got asked ethical questions, but for those, they just want to see how you think. The day was pretty chill -- lots of waiting around before the actual interview. Once the interview portion finished, we had a financial aid talk, campus tour, and lunch (courtesy of CCOM) in their cafeteria.

 

[crazy87]

Congrats everyone! Does anyone want to comment on the interview? What they day was like, what kinds of things they asked, etc.

Asked about my activities/jobs mainly. only one scenario question that was really easy. I felt like I prepared so much to answer broad questions like "why do you want to be a doc" or tricky questions but they didn't ask that. Right after the interview, I wish I would have talked more eloquently or in depth about my reasons for wanting to be a doc, because their questions were really straight forward and I answered them with relatively short responses. It was laid back, I feel like there was a lot of chuckling going on. Afterwards I was sure I blew it but it turned out ok

 

[bnbu222]

Hi! I know I may be late but with work and the financial cost of the primary I'm just now getting my secondaries. I really like this school but not sure if I should submit the secondary. I felt good about it until reading some posts on here. MCAT-28 sGPA-3.5 Biochemistry Degree and lots of volunteering! Really what's stressing me out is the 1500 cap on the essay prompts, I don't know that I have that much to say! Did everyone pretty much go up to the limit?

 

[kthon9]

Congrats everyone! Does anyone want to comment on the interview? What they day was like, what kinds of things they asked, etc.

The questions they asked were pretty typical interview questions. I recall one ethical question. A couple other people there had questions about the ACA, but I didn't. The interview was with a panel of three, with 2 faculty/physicians and 1 student and they were all very friendly. I noticed that the student was taking notes on a sheet that had categories like compassion, empathy, leadership, etc. so they asked questions that would tell them about each of those categories (it was sitting a foot in front of me so I couldn't help but notice ). There was a lot of waiting around, but overall it was a pretty nice, low-key day.

 

[kthon9]

Hi! I know I may be late but with work and the financial cost of the primary I'm just now getting my secondaries. I really like this school but not sure if I should submit the secondary. I felt good about it until reading some posts on here. MCAT-28 sGPA-3.5 Biochemistry Degree and lots of volunteering! Really what's stressing me out is the 1500 cap on the essay prompts, I don't know that I have that much to say! Did everyone pretty much go up to the limit?

Both of my responses were around 1000 characters. I wouldn't fret too much about the character count as long as you're writing good quality stuff.

 

[crazy87]

Hi! I know I may be late but with work and the financial cost of the primary I'm just now getting my secondaries. I really like this school but not sure if I should submit the secondary. I felt good about it until reading some posts on here. MCAT-28 sGPA-3.5 Biochemistry Degree and lots of volunteering! Really what's stressing me out is the 1500 cap on the essay prompts, I don't know that I have that much to say! Did everyone pretty much go up to the limit?

Mine were also 1000-1200 characters each. But I'd say make them (and your resume) good. The interviewers won't have access to any of your primary application material. So they wont have access to your personal statement. If I had known this, I probably would have spent more time on the secondary instead of rushing through it and hoping the rest of my app would speak for itself (which they can't even see). But it turned out ok.

 

[BPMED]

Can any current students (or anyone with any knowledge, really) comment on housing in the Downers Grove area? I was thinking of staying in the dorms for the first year. Is that a good idea?

 

[Phantom0009]

I got an II last week with a 29, if that helps!

When were you complete? Thanks!

 

[Phantom0009]

Hi all. Any input on my situation? MCAT = 32 (11/11/10). UGPA mechanical engr = 3.2. Masters GPA in biomed engineering = 3.5. Five first author publications in reputable journals. Complete on 8/28 and have not heard anything. Thanks!

 

[Smeyes]

Do any accepted students know if the $1000 deposit due in December is refundable or non-refundable?

 

[VanEman]

Is anyone for sure matriculating? I'm like 80% sure.

So for those of you ready to put down a deposit, what was is that made you say,"Yes! This is the right school for me!"

 

[ananasmed]

So for those of you ready to put down a deposit, what was is that made you say,"Yes! This is the right school for me!"

I sat in on classes last year at CCOM and was really able to imagine myself being a student here. It just felt right. I am from the area and would like to stay in Chicagoland for school, and likely also for my residency if possible. I like the fact that CCOM has a lot of students who match into residencies in the area, and that programs around here know the Midwestern-CCOM name and quality of the students. On a related note, I love that all of the core rotations are in the Chicago metro area - I won't have to move to another state for my third/fourth year. I guess a lot of these reasons may seem like they are "convenience" factors, but for me, it's more than that. I assign a very high value to being close to family. Would I go to CCOM just because it is close to home if it were a place where I thought I would receive a subpar education? Maybe not. But the fact that it is local for me, coupled with the fact that students from here are successful (in measurable outcomes like board scores and matches), makes the choice easy.

I haven't paid the deposit yet, but it's basically a done deal for me.

 

[MedOldAge]

I sat in on classes last year at CCOM and was really able to imagine myself being a student here. It just felt right. I am from the area and would like to stay in Chicagoland for school, and likely also for my residency if possible. I like the fact that CCOM has a lot of students who match into residencies in the area, and that programs around here know the Midwestern-CCOM name and quality of the students. On a related note, I love that all of the core rotations are in the Chicago metro area - I won't have to move to another state for my third/fourth year. I guess a lot of these reasons may seem like they are "convenience" factors, but for me, it's more than that. I assign a very high value to being close to family. Would I go to CCOM just because it is close to home if it were a place where I thought I would receive a subpar education? Maybe not. But the fact that it is local for me, coupled with the fact that students from here are successful (in measurable outcomes like board scores and matches), makes the choice easy.

I haven't paid the deposit yet, but it's basically a done deal for me.

Is the area very residential or very commercial like the heart close to lake shore drive?

 

[ananasmed]

Is the area very residential or very commercial like the heart close to lake shore drive?

Downers Grove is a suburb, so it's a mix of residential and commercial (meaning restaurants, shops, etc. - not like Big Industry). Lake Shore Drive/Lake Michigan in general is probably 25-30 miles east of Downers Grove. Other parts of the city are more accessible, but I doubt you'll be hanging out in Chicago all the time. However, it is great to live on the outskirts of such a major world city with access to basically anything you could want

 

[MedOldAge]

Downers Grove is a suburb, so it's a mix of residential and commercial (meaning restaurants, shops, etc. - not like Big Industry). Lake Shore Drive/Lake Michigan in general is probably 25-30 miles east of Downers Grove. Other parts of the city are more accessible, but I doubt you'll be hanging out in Chicago all the time. However, it is great to live on the outskirts of such a major world city with access to basically anything you could want

How far and how are the drive to O'Hara ?

 

[ananasmed]

How far and how are the drive to O'Hara ?

I have never driven between Midwestern and O'Hare so I'm not totally sure. Google Maps says it is about 18 miles, most of which is on 294, a big tollroad highway. There can be bad traffic on 294 during rush hour times in the morning and afternoon, but otherwise the drive should be quick, ~20-30 minutes at a non peak time. There are alternative routes which avoid the tollroad, but those will take longer.

 

[67552931811]

How far and how are the drive to O'Hara ?

The drive is pending a whole slew of factors. It should *normally* take about 20-25 minutes. However, it's close to a major city with typical major city traffic hell-- at normal rush hour and even at odd times on occasion.

 

[67552931811]

I have never driven between Midwestern and O'Hare so I'm not totally sure. Google Maps says it is about 18 miles, most of which is on 294, a big tollroad highway. There can be bad traffic on 294 during rush hour times in the morning and afternoon, but otherwise the drive should be quick, ~20-30 minutes at a non peak time. There are alternative routes which avoid the tollroad, but those will take longer.

Beat me to it.

 

[lwgw]

I have some questions about getting to the school. I will be flying from the West and planning to get to Chicago in the afternoon, and then driving to a hotel close to school. After the interview the next day, I’m planning to leave on the same day in the evening. So I will get to Downers Grove a day before the interview. Do you guys think it is enough time or is it necessary for me to get there a day earlier? I’ve never been to the area and I’m afraid that I won’t be able to make it on the day for whatever reasons (like flight and weather delay)?

 

[ananasmed]

I have some questions about getting to the school. I will be flying from the West and planning to get to Chicago in the afternoon, and then driving to a hotel close to school. After the interview the next day, I’m planning to leave on the same day in the evening. So I will get to Downers Grove a day before the interview. Do you guys think it is enough time or is it necessary for me to get there a day earlier? I’ve never been to the area and I’m afraid that I won’t be able to make it on the day for whatever reasons (like flight and weather delay)?

And what month are you interviewing?

 

[lwgw]

Sounds like a fine plan. What time are your inbound and outbound flights?

I have not book the flight yet, but I want to get to the airport before 3 pm and hopefully get to the hotel by like 5 so that I have some time to check out the school about where I'm suppose to go on the next day, and still have time to prepare for the following day. Since the interview is done by around 1pm, I'm thinking of booking a flight after 5 pm so that I don't have to rush and would not mind having a couple of extra hours.

And what month are you interviewing?

In like 3 weeks or so. So it will be during the first half of November. Hopefully the weather is ok during that time.

Any suggestions about traveling would be great

 

[ananasmed]

Unlikely to snow in the first half of November. There could be rain or something that causes your flight to be delayed, but this is a reality when flying to any interview! I think you are allowing ample time by flying in the afternoon before your interview, especially if your flight is direct. Good call on the flight out after 5PM, if you are flying to/from O'Hare, remember that this is one of the busiest airports in the country and you should really arrive quite early (2 hours) before your flight, so you don't want to cut it too close. That will give you plenty of time.

 

[lwgw]

I have not decided whether to fly to O'Hare or Midway airport, but I think it will depend on the flight since some don't fly to both.

Thanks for the reply ChiTownBHawks and ananasmed. I think I will go with the original plan of getting to the school just a day earlier.

 

[67552931811]

I have not book the flight yet, but I want to get to the airport before 3 pm and hopefully get to the hotel by like 5 so that I have some time to check out the school about where I'm suppose to go on the next day, and still have time to prepare for the following day. Since the interview is done by around 1pm, I'm thinking of booking a flight after 5 pm so that I don't have to rush and would not mind having a couple of extra hours.




In like 3 weeks or so. So it will be during the first half of November. Hopefully the weather is ok during that time.

Any suggestions about traveling would be great

If I were you, I would undoubtedly make sure that you pick a flight to where your plane arrives no later than 130 pm. Traffic usually picks up around 2/230- especially in the direction you will be traveling (everyone leaving the city to go to their home in the burbs). If you do this you will get to your hotel with ease (~20 from O'hare and probably 20-25 from Midway). It would suck majorly to be stuck in traffic. A few weeks back it took me 40 minutes to go 1 mile on my way to O'hare, while this was an extreme rarity (this was the worst traffic I have exp. to date) you want to avoid this: this is NOT to frighten you, just an example so you can plan accordingly. Your outbound idea sounds reasonable.

 

[lwgw]

If I were you, I would undoubtedly make sure that you pick a flight to where your plane arrives no later than 130 pm. Traffic usually picks up around 2/230- especially in the direction you will be traveling (everyone leaving the city to go to their home in the burbs). If you do this you will get to your hotel with ease (~20 from O'hare and probably 20-25 from Midway). It would suck majorly to be stuck in traffic. A few weeks back it took me 40 minutes to go 1 mile on my way to O'hare, while this was an extreme rarity (this was the worst traffic I have exp. to date) you want to avoid this: this is NOT to frighten you, just an example so you can plan accordingly. Your outbound idea sounds reasonable.

good to know, I will keep that mind about the traffic. thanks.

 

[pink/\floyd]

Withdrew my II/application. GL everyone!

 

[orangeman25]

Can a current medical student please comment on some of the research opportunities or clinical/community service organizations? All I keep seeing is info on stats, which is nice and all, but not really what I care for

Thanks

 

[VisceralFlame]

Can a current medical student please comment on some of the research opportunities or clinical/community service organizations? All I keep seeing is info on stats, which is nice and all, but not really what I care for

Thanks

There are a lot of opportunities to do one on one research with professors. They provide a list of all current professor projects and you can contact them to set it up. Or you can approach the professors with an idea of your own

 

[ananasmed]

Paid my seat deposit - it's official! Wooooh!

 

[husky92]

Does anyone (maybe a current student) have any info on recent average board scores? I can find plenty on pass rates but am curious to the average scores. Thanks in advance.

 

[ElectricSlide19]

II today! Will be interviewing here October 27th!

 

[Phantom0009]

II today! Will be interviewing here October 27th!

Congrats! When were you complete?

 

[ElectricSlide19]

Congrats! When were you complete?

Sometime in July

 

[m4ggiex33]

Does anyone have any recommendations on where to stay and the cheapest way to get to/from the airport and campus?

 

[DrDreams]

Guys, I am having a bit of a hard time with the secondary prompt. I know they are asking how CCOM would provide the type of osteopathic education I am seeking. I am not sure what they mean, are they asking about the cirriculum, the campus etc?

 

[emkayveedee]

Guys, I am having a bit of a hard time with the secondary prompt. I know they are asking how CCOM would provide the type of osteopathic education I am seeking. I am not sure what they mean, are they asking about the cirriculum, the campus etc?

You could talk about the curriculum if you wanted to, but I would lean more towards the mission statement of the school and what specifically separates CCOM from other osteopathic schools.

 

[DrDreams]

Are they PBL now?

 

[crazy87]

Are they PBL now?

I don't think so, no.

 

[DrDreams]

Really even though I got an email saying " a challenging problem based didactic cirriculum..."

 

[ananasmed]

Really even though I got an email saying " a challenging problem based didactic cirriculum..."

I think they are just using the terminology "problem based" to describe a certain aspect of the curriculum, perhaps partly, but not limited to, the fact that they include case-based learning in some of the courses (I believe?). Didactic is the key word in that sentence that describes the curriculum.

I did not talk about the curriculum in my essay, but rather talked about specifically what opportunities I would like to take advantage of as a student, and what I liked about the MWU/CCOM environment based on my previous contact with the school.

 

[DrDreams]

Did you already get accepted? I didn't either. I don't know what the heck to write.

 

[ananasmed]

Did you already get accepted? I didn't either. I don't know what the heck to write.

I have already been accepted. Just write from your heart! I don't mean this AT ALL in a condescending way, but if you can't even figure out why you'd want to go to a school enough to write a 1500 character essay, why bother even applying? You can definitely tackle this question - just do research on the Midwestern website or maybe even their Facebook page, look for things that interest you (specific clubs, activities, research, even curriculum or elective classes, rotations sites/clinical opportunities, location), and write about those. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, just tell them what you like about the school, and how those things relate back to you.

 

[orangeman25]

Whoa! Apparently this school doesn't do lecture recordings. Ugh. Sad b/c this is actually one of the finer schools

 

[Majestic Mallika]

Is CCOM completely lecture-based or is there a component of team-based learning?

 

[kalibay]

hey guys,

I am a second year (just finished my first year) and a CCOM student. I lived on SDN when I was applying and it helped me tremendously. I would love to pay it back. Let me know if you have any questions!

Hi, I received my acceptance to CCOM on 10/10/14 (very excited!). I've been accepted at a few other places and I'm weighing my options. I noticed that a new simulation center is being built at CCOM. Has it been completed? If it hasn't been completed, do you have simulators (i.e. those advanced human dummies) in another part of the campus? In general, I'm curious to know how useful simulators are in the learning process...? I realize that tons of physicians have learned to become doctors without them. However, the simulators seem like a great learning tool. Thanks for any advice or insight. I appreciate it.