Pacific Northwest University (PNWU-COM) Discussion Thread 2014 - 2015

Get Your Med School Admissions Questions Answered!
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
I'm going! I haven't been accepted, but am interviewing the day before. Perfect timing! See you next weekend!
Members don't see this ad.
 
Anyone from Spokane or Eastern Washington going to the Open House?

I'm looking for 3-4 highly motivated study partners that will help me navigate the first two years of med school. We will meet at least twice a week to go over the week's lecture and fill in the gaps. I work out quite a bit and one of my vices is good food so anyone interested in joining me for some good Korean bbq buffet and other delicacies in Seattle plus entertainment after class on Fridays private message me. Thanks.
 
HeadtoDOC said:
Anyone from Spokane or Eastern Washington going to the Open House?

I'm looking for 3-4 highly motivated study partners that will help me navigate the first two years of med school. We will meet at least twice a week to go over the week's lecture and fill in the gaps. I work out quite a bit and one of my vices is good food so anyone interested in joining me for some good Korean bbq buffet and other delicacies in Seattle plus entertainment after class on Fridays private message me. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Another one of our classmates and I are going to be coming to the open house from Pullman. And I'm sure I'll take you up on the group studying once school starts!
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hrdrock said:
Another one of our classmates and I are going to be coming to the open house from Pullman. And I'm sure I'll take you up on the group studying once school starts!
Click to expand...

That is awesome! I promise to do my best to make our time fun, entertaining, and educational.

I'm prepared to give UW some stiff competition. Although I ended up not applying there, I do read some of the posts here. UW simply is not large enough to take in all the qualified students over 5 states supporting a population in excess of 15 million. So rest assured that together we will make magic happen!
 
Last edited:
I'm glad I'm not the only one looking for a study group. I made some mistakes in my undergrad and I'm really hoping to learn from those and take advantage of my fresh start.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
DrLefty said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one looking for a study group. I made some mistakes in my undergrad and I'm really hoping to learn from those and take advantage of my fresh start.
Click to expand...
Yeah I actively avoided study groups in undergrad (to my benefit). I didn't actually study in a group until my senior year when a few friends and I who had all been accepted to med school got together to study and it actually worked well. I think the trick is just to find peers with similar studying attitudes and capabilities as yourself. Plus it can help you pull longer hours if you're all there together!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hrdrock said:
Yeah I actively avoided study groups in undergrad (to my benefit). I didn't actually study in a group until my senior year when a few friends and I who had all been accepted to med school got together to study and it actually worked well. I think the trick is just to find peers with similar studying attitudes and capabilities as yourself. Plus it can help you pull longer hours if you're all there together!
Click to expand...
For sure. On top of that, 3-4 brains are more powerful than 1. I am sure at some point one of you poor saps is going to have to sit there frustrated as you try to explain some concept to me that for some reason I don't understand. o_O

Also, for those of you who have been working on your "New Student" paperwork, have you had anything show up as "complete" on your checklist yet? I have submitted a couple things (not very many though) but I haven't seen anything change on my checklist.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Long time lurker from Pullman. Will plan on being at open house and am definitely interested in forming a study/commiseration group!

(Also, first time sdn post...this is such a special moment!)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hey all, I noticed that there are not many first years or second years posting here. I'm currently finishing my first year, and I'll be in one of the sessions on Saturday. A day in the life I think it is called? If you have any questions let me know and I'll answer them to the best of my ability. Cheers!
 
NagisaStar said:
Hey all, I noticed that there are not many first years or second years posting here. I'm currently finishing my first year, and I'll be in one of the sessions on Saturday. A day in the life I think it is called? If you have any questions let me know and I'll answer them to the best of my ability. Cheers!
Click to expand...

I am sure many of the questions will be answered on Saturday.

But since I am not sure I signed up for your "a day in the life" session, I'll ask you couple questions. What has your weekly schedule been like? I know PNWU is lecture based as opposed to problem based learning. Should we expect to be in school from 8 - 5pm, 5 days a week in lectures, labs, and group sessions. And my 2nd question is how has your study load been relative to your undergraduate ? This will help me schedule my workouts and fun activities to do in Yakima to stay healthy and happy. Thanks in advance.
 
School is typically 8-5 Mon-Fri. Although Friday's you might get out early depending on whether you will be having a clinical experience at a family practice site or another place. It is important to note that the curriculum is changing from what we had, but the scheduling is basically the same.

My study load is a lot heavier than undergrad. Normally I study after school from 7-11 pm everyday and I study 8-5 on Saturdays. I take an hour for lunch everyday, 2 hours for dinner, and I take Sunday's completely off. The week before test block I would wake up at 5:30 am to study before school to add a few extra hours in. Again, you won't have the same testing as we had, but I would plan on 30 hours a week on top off school hours. It may be more or less it depends on the person. I also do 99% solo study.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
NagisaStar said:
School is typically 8-5 Mon-Fri. Although Friday's you might get out early depending on whether you will be having a clinical experience at a family practice site or another place. It is important to note that the curriculum is changing from what we had, but the scheduling is basically the same.

My study load is a lot heavier than undergrad. Normally I study after school from 7-11 pm everyday and I study 8-5 on Saturdays. I take an hour for lunch everyday, 2 hours for dinner, and I take Sunday's completely off. The week before test block I would wake up at 5:30 am to study before school to add a few extra hours in. Again, you won't have the same testing as we had, but I would plan on 30 hours a week on top off school hours. It may be more or less it depends on the person. I also do 99% solo study.
Click to expand...

At least I will be able to make my weekly protein runs to Seattle on Friday nights if we get out early and maybe go kayaking on the San Juan islands on Saturdays. Any takers?
 
NagisaStar said:
School is typically 8-5 Mon-Fri. Although Friday's you might get out early depending on whether you will be having a clinical experience at a family practice site or another place. It is important to note that the curriculum is changing from what we had, but the scheduling is basically the same.

My study load is a lot heavier than undergrad. Normally I study after school from 7-11 pm everyday and I study 8-5 on Saturdays. I take an hour for lunch everyday, 2 hours for dinner, and I take Sunday's completely off. The week before test block I would wake up at 5:30 am to study before school to add a few extra hours in. Again, you won't have the same testing as we had, but I would plan on 30 hours a week on top off school hours. It may be more or less it depends on the person. I also do 99% solo study.
Click to expand...
How "required" are 8-5 classes? I was never one to skip lecture in undergrad, but I've heard numerous times that sheer amount of information in medical school makes it more efficient at times to just watch the lectures at 1.5x or 2x. Not that I plan on skipping every lecture, but it would be nice to have the option if you need to catch up at times.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hrdrock said:
How "required" are 8-5 classes? I was never one to skip lecture in undergrad, but I've heard numerous times that sheer amount of information in medical school makes it more efficient at times to just watch the lectures at 1.5x or 2x. Not that I plan on skipping every lecture, but it would be nice to have the option if you need to catch up at times.
Click to expand...

The only required classes are labs and community DOctering, the rest (at least this year) are not required. I never go to class unless I have questions, and even then I can just pop in their offices and ask what I need.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
NagisaStar said:
The only required classes are labs and community DOctering, the rest (at least this year) are not required. I never go to class unless I have questions, and even then I can just pop in their offices and ask what I need.
Click to expand...

Has this affected your exam performance? Perhaps you miss some key points that the professor might make in class. In other words, can you do really well in the class if you are missing so many? Are the classes taped and accessible online? And this one is very particular, but are exams essay based, short answer, or multiple choice, or combination of all? The main reason I ask is that I've heard that UW does all multiple choice exams and I just wonder about the format, it's just a frame of mind thing.
 
HeadtoDOC said:
Has this affected your exam performance? Perhaps you miss some key points that the professor might make in class. In other words, can you do really well in the class if you are missing so many? Are the classes taped and accessible online? And this one is very particular, but are exams essay based, short answer, or multiple choice, or combination of all? The main reason I ask is that I've heard that UW does all multiple choice exams and I just wonder about the format, it's just a frame of mind thing.
Click to expand...

I have done better because I take the class time to go over it myself and it's more efficient for me. I tend to doze off or end up on Facebook, sdn, etc during class. The lectures are recorded and accessible. I have never used it though. The exams are all multiple choice with the exception of anatomy lab and histology image exams.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
HeadtoDOC said:
Has this affected your exam performance? Perhaps you miss some key points that the professor might make in class. In other words, can you do really well in the class if you are missing so many? Are the classes taped and accessible online? And this one is very particular, but are exams essay based, short answer, or multiple choice, or combination of all? The main reason I ask is that I've heard that UW does all multiple choice exams and I just wonder about the format, it's just a frame of mind thing.
Click to expand...
You'll find the way that's most efficient for you once we start. I had one course in UG that used recorded lectures and it was very helpful. In almost 100% of the cases, the professor talks slow enough where you could easily understand it at 1.5x or 2x speed. Having the freedom to take 10 minute breaks every hour is just one of the many benefits of having recorded lectures available. It keeps you awake and able to keep on studying!
 
Hrdrock said:
You'll find the way that's most efficient for you once we start. I had one course in UG that used recorded lectures and it was very helpful. In almost 100% of the cases, the professor talks slow enough where you could easily understand it at 1.5x or 2x speed. Having the freedom to take 10 minute breaks every hour is just one of the many benefits of having recorded lectures available. It keeps you awake and able to keep on studying!
Click to expand...

I feel like I need more than 10 min. breaks every hour. An interesting information regarding learning efficiency taken to an extreme is in at least one med. school back East that I also got into which I turned down in favor of PNWU is that their first two years of preclinical consists of just meeting 3 times a week for 2 hours each. This is a problem based learning approach so you discuss different medical cases during those 3 meetings a week and you are expected to read and learn basically all the basic sciences on your own. And the tuition is only $32,000/yr. I thought what a life. In the end, being in the Pacific Northwest, my home, near family and friends means the world to me.

Now having said this, I do believe that lectures should be interesting and go beyond just mere regurgitation of textbooks, maybe through clinical vignettes, professor's own past experiences, and additional info not in textbooks. It should never put students to doze off or make us feel like time could be spent better.
 
Last edited:
Yeah I'm not sure how useful it would be for me personally to sit in lecture 8-5 every weekday. That being said I will do it to see if it is the best way for me to learn. I don't think it will be, but I'm not gonna pay 50k a year and not try to take advantage of every opportunity I have to learn. As I mentioned before, this is a new start for me and I don't wanna miss anything. but if working in my own is more productive I'd rather stick to that
 
The teachers just mentioned that they are finishing up picking. Good luck to everyone!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
NagisaStar said:
The teachers just mentioned that they are finishing up picking. Good luck to everyone!
Click to expand...
Do you know if we will get the email or change in our portal status first?
 
pglo said:
Do you know if we will get the email or change in our portal status first?
Click to expand...
My friend who interviewed in February had her portal status change first. They were also calling acceptances at that time though. It could happen differently this time around.
 
Won't they wait until Friday like the other interviews or will they send out information early since it is so late in the year?
 
I believe that we should hear back today or tomorrow since the committee met yesterday, nothing yet though :/
 
drflores417 said:
Won't they wait until Friday like the other interviews or will they send out information early since it is so late in the year?
Click to expand...

care-for-all said:
I believe that we should hear back today or tomorrow since the committee met yesterday, nothing yet though :/
Click to expand...

The general impression I got was also that they would call for offers right after the Tuesday meeting for both March and April's interview groups, and mail the rest. But that could have been mis-information. Probably not worth holding our breaths for the whole week.
 
tinypatrol06 said:
The general impression I got was also that they would call for offers right after the Tuesday meeting for both March and April's interview groups, and mail the rest. But that could have been mis-information. Probably not worth holding our breaths for the whole week.
Click to expand...
I've been holding my breath for the last week or so. Shouldn't our portal status change at the very least?
 
I never got the impression they would call immediately after the decisions were made. If you look at all the other interviews, they were on Saturdays (minus the April one), committee met Tuesday, calls were made on Fridays. I just thought they might have accelerate the timetable since it is late in the year.
 
drflores417 said:
I never got the impression they would call immediately after the decisions were made. If you look at all the other interviews, they were on Saturdays (minus the April one), committee met Tuesday, calls were made on Fridays. I just thought they might have accelerate the timetable since it is late in the year.
Click to expand...
Do they call you if you are on the wait list? IIRC there are barely any acceptance offers to be given out from the March/April dates.
 
There wont be many open seats for the March/April sessions. Waitlisted and denied applicants will receive a letter. Hope did tell me in a previous email that you will be able to know your rank on the waitlist so that you may plan accordingly.
 
drflores417 said:
There wont be many open seats for the March/April sessions. Waitlisted and denied applicants will receive a letter. Hope did tell me in a previous email that you will be able to know your rank on the waitlist so that you may plan accordingly.
Click to expand...

Ranking is helpful.
 
So I'm assuming that today should be when we hear back from interviews... Best of luck everyone!
 
I'm thinking today is the day! Super excited and nervous...and ready to hear back so I can make a plan!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Yea.. the self service portal may be occupied

"The Application form is not available at this time. Please check back later."
 
Nothing yet here either. Checked my mail as well with nothing. I am not able to log into the self service website right now, but i could a few hours ago....


I take that back, self service shows me as denied. Good luck all.
 
I'm out too. New applications start May 1st so I guess it's a couple weeks off then hit the apps again. Good luck to everyone!
 
I'm out. Pretty sour about it.
 
Did you receive an email or did your application status change? I have nothing!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

PapaGuava
2022-2023 Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU-COM)
5 6 7 8 9
Replies
411
Views
51K
FutureDocPlease
F
PapaGuava
2021-2022 Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU-COM)
6 7 8 9 10
Replies
488
Views
104K
watermelonseeds
watermelonseeds
PapaGuava
2020-2021 Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU-COM)
23 24 25 26 27
Replies
1K
Views
166K
DocSherman
DocSherman
PapaGuava
2019-2020 Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU-COM)
14 15 16 17 18
Replies
868
Views
120K
aspiring 2B great doctor
A
P
Pnwu vs lmudcom.
Replies
0
Views
530
Premeddd8
P
Top