PNWU-COM Discussion Thread 2011-2012

[cnpyr8]

Got the offer today for an interview 2/3 or 2/10! So excited!
Three cheers for schools who promote primary care

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[ManBroDude]

Any more updates on what kind of questions they ask in the MMI interview? Like is it all scenario based questions or will they have a part more like a traditional panel interview where they will go over your applications, grades, and more personal stuff like "tell me about yourself"?

Got interview notice today for 2/3/11. OOS. Is there more detailed information within the thread about the interview format?

Multiple mini interview: 8 stations at 5 minutes each, with one discussing your application. There's a 4-person teamwork activity as well. There's plenty of resources on this site and on the web regarding multiple mini interviews. I had two or three ethical dilemmas and one role-play, but each interview day is different.

 

[Rxbound]

After you noticed that your application was with the committee, how long did it take to get an invite (if you got one)? My status has said "committee" since 1/17/12.

 

[AgDoc84]

Mine was Committee on Thursday and I got the invite on Tuesday. However, you never can tell from one application to another. I'm sure you will hear something soon. Best wishes!!!

 

[ManBroDude]

They should tell you when the committee meets. They lock the door until they have unanimously agreed on all the interviewees, then call the accepted ones that evening. (waitlisters get a letter).

 

[renoadam60]

I just interviewed here on the 20th and it is an amazing school. The faculty and staff are awesome and they are all for rural health!!! This is my top school so I am hoping to get accepted. .

 

[stateU20x]

For anyone who is debating between PNWU and COMP-NW, I got accepted to both, and figured I'd throw out my observations of the two.

COMP-NW
Pros - people were nice, facilities are brand new, they are already accredited, oregon is pretty
Cons - small campus, limited study space (only 10 small rooms), lebanon itself seemed kinda trashy, no sim lab (unless we just missed it on our tour), a lot of broadcasted classes (depends on the person, you might like it), rains all the time

PNWU
Pros - people were nicer (really felt welcome and appreciated, this on my 4th interview in 11 days), new facilities, has a sim lab, a growing campus, seemed very aggressive in securing rotation and residency spots, liked the MMI interview format, lots of sunshine.
Cons - Yakima isn't exactly Mayberry, the crime rate is high, may have some issues with financial aid with provisional accreditation (i don't know about this, it's a speculation), cost of living is higher.

I was all set on PNWU, my buddy is going there and everything, then I went to KCOM and liked it better (in missouri of all places...not sure what's wrong with me), but of the two NW schools, I would endorse PNWU over COMP-NW. That said, COMP-NW was where I got accepted first, and if I hadn't gotten interviews anywhere else I would have gone there and been fine with it. That's my 2 cents, hope it helps, good luck y'all!

 

[Roberie]

PNWU
Pros - people were nicer (really felt welcome and appreciated, this on my 4th interview in 11 days), new facilities, has a sim lab, a growing campus, seemed very aggressive in securing rotation and residency spots, liked the MMI interview format, lots of sunshine.
Cons - Yakima isn't exactly Mayberry, the crime rate is high, may have some issues with financial aid with provisional accreditation (i don't know about this, it's a speculation), cost of living is higher.

I was all set on PNWU, my buddy is going there and everything, then I went to KCOM and liked it better (in missouri of all places...not sure what's wrong with me), but of the two NW schools, I would endorse PNWU over COMP-NW. That said, COMP-NW was where I got accepted first, and if I hadn't gotten interviews anywhere else I would have gone there and been fine with it. That's my 2 cents, hope it helps, good luck y'all!

As a second year student, let me add to what you've said:

1. There aren't any issues with financial aid. Being provisionally accredited doesn't affect that, but that doesn't matter anyway since we'll have full accreditation by the time the new class arrives.

2. Yakima is indeed not Mayberry. I, too, was concerned about the crime before moving here. I heard all kinds of stories about what a $hithole Yakima has become. After living here I can say, meh, yes and no. It sort of depends on where you live. My wife and I live in Selah which is only about a 5-10 minute drive to school, but seems much quieter/safer than the initial downtown Yakima apartment we rented. It's really not that bad, plus you'll be in school or at home studying most of the time anyway.

 

[nwmedapplicant]

Anyone from 1/20/12 interview date get a call this evening??

 

[renoadam60]

I am with you......no call. Anyone else?

 

[shantibala]

Hello All and congratulations to all of those who have been accepted!

I have my interview coming up.. and i am super excited and nervous at the same time!

I was wondering if we had a writing assignment as a part of the interview process, or its just the 8 stations at 5 minutes each..?

Thanks!

 

[nwmedapplicant]

Hello All and congratulations to all of those who have been accepted!

I have my interview coming up.. and i am super excited and nervous at the same time!

I was wondering if we had a writing assignment as a part of the interview process, or its just the 8 stations at 5 minutes each..?

Thanks!

You will also have a couple essays to write. GL on your interview!!

 

[ManBroDude]

You will also have a couple essays to write. GL on your interview!!

Shhh, don't spoil the surprise!

 

[cnpyr8]

Anyone have any idea how full the class is? This is my school of choice (interview 2/10) and am a little anxious that it may be almost full...?!?!

 

[ManBroDude]

Good question. I'd call Hope or LeAnn and see what they say.

 

[PunkFan86]

Anyone have any idea how full the class is? This is my school of choice (interview 2/10) and am a little anxious that it may be almost full...?!?!

I'm not sure if the school will give you that sort of information, but good luck with your interview!

 

[tmac514]

I'm not sure if the school will give you that sort of information, but good luck with your interview!

I received tthat the committee is reviewing my application email on January 26, after submitting secondary on Dec 30.

I received interview invite today Jan 31st, and my dates to choose from are March 16th and Arpil 6th, both fridays.

Conjecture: If they are interviewing until April, and I think they still have committee reviews left, I cannot imagine the class is that close to full.

 

[PunkFan86]

I received tthat the committee is reviewing my application email on January 26, after submitting secondary on Dec 30.

I received interview invite today Jan 31st, and my dates to choose from are March 16th and Arpil 6th, both fridays.

Conjecture: If they are interviewing until April, and I think they still have committee reviews left, I cannot imagine the class is that close to full.

Congrats on the invite and good luck with your interview!

Not saying this will happen to anyone this year, but I do know of one girl who was told at her interview that they were basically full and placing people on the wait list. But she also told me she was in the last interview group of the year.

 

[bobbidothechef]

I just submitted AACOMAS to Pacific Northwest. Does anyone have the supplemental application questions so I can get a jump start on them?

 

[ManBroDude]

I just submitted AACOMAS to Pacific Northwest. Does anyone have the supplemental application questions so I can get a jump start on them?

What personal qualities do you possess that will make you a successful osteopathic physician?

Which experiences and people have inspired you to become an osteopathic physician?

What inspired you to apply specifically to PNWU?

 

[cougardiver]

What personal qualities do you possess that will make you a successful osteopathic physician?

Which experiences and people have inspired you to become an osteopathic physician?

What inspired you to apply specifically to PNWU?

And it must all fit on one page.

 

[cougardiver]

.

 

[mechanictodr]

I was wondering if there were any 3rd or 4th year students that could give a good review of the rotation sites. The good, the bad, anything else important to know before choosing a site. After talking to a few second year students it seems that most just had to choose based off location and hope that the learning they received was going to be quality. I tried talking to the rotations office and to say the very least they were the most rude people I have met thus far at PNWU. You'd think they would be happy to answer simple questions, but they acted as if I was out of line and not to be concerned with how they ran the 3rd and 4th year. At a price of nearly 50k/yr I would think I could get a simple run down of each rotation site and the opinions of the students who are currently there. After talking to a few 3rd year students and one 4th year student doing the Yakima rotation it sounded like the local site is pretty good along with Tri-Cities. Is there someone from each site on here? If so can we get a review/run down of each site and the experiences we can likely expect? What's good or bad? How do regional deans treat the students? How are didactic sessions? How much hands on experience does each site offer? How much of what you do is outpatient vs inpatient? How much driving do you need to do? Do you ever find yourself with no rotation? If so, is it hard to fill in an unfilled month?

Those were the questions I asked the office, and for some reason that seemed to piss them off so I will ask them on here.

I know this thread is mostly about applications, but once you get in and start classes what to expect after COMLEX is very hard to obtain as a first year student.

 

[ManBroDude]

Here's the list of clinical rotation cities on PNWU's website.

http://www.pnwu.org/college-of-osteopathic-medicine-com/clinical-rotations/

I think it's going to be next to impossible to compile this data, as 3rd and 4th years have other things to worry about than rating their rotation sites and putting it on one central location. That being said, I wouldn't doubt the tenacity of students to put up their own website and pass it down the generations like a lot of other schools have done.

 

[thesauce]

Here's the list of clinical rotation cities on PNWU's website.

http://www.pnwu.org/college-of-osteopathic-medicine-com/clinical-rotations/

I think it's going to be next to impossible to compile this data, as 3rd and 4th years have other things to worry about than rating their rotation sites and putting it on one central location. That being said, I wouldn't doubt the tenacity of students to put up their own website and pass it down the generations like a lot of other schools have done.

3rd years maybe...4th year is the easiest year of your life.

Obviously I didn't attend the school, but I know that several of the PNWU students enjoyed their Internal Medicine rotation at Sacred Heart in Spokane.

 

[sylvanthus]

I was wondering if there were any 3rd or 4th year students that could give a good review of the rotation sites. The good, the bad, anything else important to know before choosing a site. After talking to a few second year students it seems that most just had to choose based off location and hope that the learning they received was going to be quality. I tried talking to the rotations office and to say the very least they were the most rude people I have met thus far at PNWU. You'd think they would be happy to answer simple questions, but they acted as if I was out of line and not to be concerned with how they ran the 3rd and 4th year. At a price of nearly 50k/yr I would think I could get a simple run down of each rotation site and the opinions of the students who are currently there. After talking to a few 3rd year students and one 4th year student doing the Yakima rotation it sounded like the local site is pretty good along with Tri-Cities. Is there someone from each site on here? If so can we get a review/run down of each site and the experiences we can likely expect? What's good or bad? How do regional deans treat the students? How are didactic sessions? How much hands on experience does each site offer? How much of what you do is outpatient vs inpatient? How much driving do you need to do? Do you ever find yourself with no rotation? If so, is it hard to fill in an unfilled month?

Those were the questions I asked the office, and for some reason that seemed to piss them off so I will ask them on here.

I know this thread is mostly about applications, but once you get in and start classes what to expect after COMLEX is very hard to obtain as a first year student.

Sadly, you are not going to get the answers to your questions. Neither from the school itself (because they do not know what is going on at individual sites and likely would not be honest anyhow) and not from students (because quite frankly not that many are on here, and not that many would even be honest as they worry about retaliation from the school).

The best thing to do is go for the more established, larger sites where students seem to be flocking. Likely, there is a reason students are flocking to these areas.

 

[mechanictodr]

Here's the list of clinical rotation cities on PNWU's website.

http://www.pnwu.org/college-of-osteopathic-medicine-com/clinical-rotations/

I think it's going to be next to impossible to compile this data, as 3rd and 4th years have other things to worry about than rating their rotation sites and putting it on one central location. That being said, I wouldn't doubt the tenacity of students to put up their own website and pass it down the generations like a lot of other schools have done.

This list is something anyone applying here should know about already. However, if doesn't really give a good review of the sites.

3rd and 4th year sound way light compared to year 1 and 2, so I imagine it's not a time issue.

 

[mechanictodr]

Sadly, you are not going to get the answers to your questions. Neither from the school itself (because they do not know what is going on at individual sites and likely would not be honest anyhow) and not from students (because quite frankly not that many are on here, and not that many would even be honest as they worry about retaliation from the school).

The best thing to do is go for the more established, larger sites where students seem to be flocking. Likely, there is a reason students are flocking to these areas.

Retaliation? Like what? I bet the people in the rotations office would like to penalize students from commenting on rotation sites as I got the clear indication that now that I'm paying the school tuition that I'm pretty much their *****, but really what could they do if we discussed sites?

I snagged this years final list from a second year who was kind enough to forward it to me and it looks like the sites west of the mountains pretty much filled up along with Yakima and Tri-cities. I've heard mixed reviews about Spokane, Centralia, Aberdeen, and especially Portland. (unfortunately I'll have preference in P-town). Portland did fill this year, but I haven't talked with anyone going there now or soon to attend that site so all I've heard is hearsay.

I heard a rumor that he class of 2012 kept their FB page private to discuss rotation site issues without retaliation from staff. Maybe if one of them was on here a similar site could be opened and made private for all currently attending students. This whole secrecy about my future education is a irritating.

 

[sylvanthus]

Retaliation? Like what? I bet the people in the rotations office would like to penalize students from commenting on rotation sites as I got the clear indication that now that I'm paying the school tuition that I'm pretty much their *****, but really what could they do if we discussed sites?

I snagged this years final list from a second year who was kind enough to forward it to me and it looks like the sites west of the mountains pretty much filled up along with Yakima and Tri-cities. I've heard mixed reviews about Spokane, Centralia, Aberdeen, and especially Portland. (unfortunately I'll have preference in P-town). Portland did fill this year, but I haven't talked with anyone going there now or soon to attend that site so all I've heard is hearsay.

I heard a rumor that he class of 2012 kept their FB page private to discuss rotation site issues without retaliation from staff. Maybe if one of them was on here a similar site could be opened and made private for all currently attending students. This whole secrecy about my future education is a irritating.

Not sure what the school would do if they heard us discussing sites in an honest and open manner. I'm sure it fits into "unprofessionalism" somehow, since that word is all encompassing and basically means whatever the person wants it to mean.

I don't think it is necessarily secrecy as much as it is "the school just doesn't know wtf is going on at sites."

I received an email from someone in the rotations office asking what I think of my site because they do not hear much from us. Meaning, they do not know wtf is going on here.

If you want organization, shoot for something like tri-cities, mt vernon, yakima, etc. If you want to do more procedures and are ok with a completely disorganized site, shoot for one of the smaller ones like hermiston, centralia, aberdeen.

 

[mechanictodr]

I guess they could give us even less time to complete our post tests if we talk about rotations

 

[PunkFan86]

I was wondering if there were any 3rd or 4th year students that could give a good review of the rotation sites. The good, the bad, anything else important to know before choosing a site. After talking to a few second year students it seems that most just had to choose based off location and hope that the learning they received was going to be quality. I tried talking to the rotations office and to say the very least they were the most rude people I have met thus far at PNWU. You'd think they would be happy to answer simple questions, but they acted as if I was out of line and not to be concerned with how they ran the 3rd and 4th year. At a price of nearly 50k/yr I would think I could get a simple run down of each rotation site and the opinions of the students who are currently there. After talking to a few 3rd year students and one 4th year student doing the Yakima rotation it sounded like the local site is pretty good along with Tri-Cities. Is there someone from each site on here? If so can we get a review/run down of each site and the experiences we can likely expect? What's good or bad? How do regional deans treat the students? How are didactic sessions? How much hands on experience does each site offer? How much of what you do is outpatient vs inpatient? How much driving do you need to do? Do you ever find yourself with no rotation? If so, is it hard to fill in an unfilled month?

Those were the questions I asked the office, and for some reason that seemed to piss them off so I will ask them on here.

I know this thread is mostly about applications, but once you get in and start classes what to expect after COMLEX is very hard to obtain as a first year student.

I don't know if you've been accepted or not yet, but if you have you could look up the Class of 2016 on Facebook and ask this question, as several current students and at least one administrator have joined it. I know that some of the people I've talked to said the school is working hard to make more rotation and residency sites, and the school does get some feedback from students about how good/bad the sites are.

 

[Limvostov]

I don't know if you've been accepted or not yet, but if you have you could look up the Class of 2016 on Facebook and ask this question, as several current students and at least one administrator have joined it. I know that some of the people I've talked to said the school is working hard to make more rotation and residency sites, and the school does get some feedback from students about how good/bad the sites are.

He is running into the "wall" that is the admin office. It happens to all of us after not too long. Just need to push through and make the best of what you get.

I believe that he is a first year student already.

I would not ask this on the FB page. He would lose his anonymity and the fact that there are faculty on there would not make that a good decision. FB is the last place you should ask this question unless the group is private.

 

[ManBroDude]

What sort of retaliation or negative consequences could come of having an open, honest discussion about rotation sites?

 

[renoadam60]

Is there anyone that knows how much the wait-list moves? I received a letter saying that they will begin to look at it in May, but I want to know whether I have a good shot or not. Thanks, much appreciated.

 

[cnpyr8]

Hey everyone! Thought I'd update you all. I received an email today from Ms Ennis letting me know that the class is about half full. Anyone else have an interview this Friday (2/10)?

 

[Jlaw]

Hey everyone! Thought I'd update you all. I received an email today from Ms Ennis letting me know that the class is about half full. Anyone else have an interview this Friday (2/10)?

I interviewed last week and they told us there were 41 seats taken out of the 75 person class. We are supposed to get notified of our status today so the number of vacant seats will probably drop but there is plenty of room left in the class. Good luck!

 

[OhioG]

I applied kind of late and still havent heard back.

OOS, 27N, 3.31 cGPA 3.1 sGPA.
Strong DO letter and good experiences with OMT.

What do you think my chances are of getting an interview

 

[Doctor Duck]

Has anybody been accepted from last week?

 

[supafreak]

Not a word!

 

[supafreak]

I applied kind of late and still havent heard back.

OOS, 27N, 3.31 cGPA 3.1 sGPA.
Strong DO letter and good experiences with OMT.

What do you think my chances are of getting an interview

Your stats look totally fine, but how late did you apply? And are you a PacNW resident? ...My secondary wasn't complete 'til the end of Dec. and I received an invite a couple of weeks ago.

 

[supafreak]

I'm not sure how much this helps you, but I asked Hope about this and she said that in May or June, they go through all the waitlisted applicants and rank them in order to decide who gets a slot.

 

[Jlaw]

Has anybody been accepted from last week?

The committee was supposed to meet today from 1-3 (PST), then they were going to call all accepted applicants and update everyone elses portal status.

I guess no call in the next hour or two probably means waitlist or rejected.

 

[Jlaw]

FYI decisions are up online. I got waitlisted.

 

[supafreak]

Got the call!!

 

[OhioG]

Your stats look totally fine, but how late did you apply? And are you a PacNW resident? ...My secondary wasn't complete 'til the end of Dec. and I received an invite a couple of weeks ago.

I was finished in Jan.

And I am from Ohio.

 

[supafreak]

I was finished in Jan.

And I am from Ohio.

PNWU seems to strongly favor NW students. I'm just a student, so I can't say for certain, but it seems that when most schools select students outside of their region, they often choose students with notably higher stats than their average. But if you have sincerely articulated your desire to serve as a D.O. for rural, underserved populations, particularly within the Northwest, your app would probably have a better chance.

 

[mechanictodr]

PNWU seems to strongly favor NW students. I'm just a student, so I can't say for certain, but it seems that when most schools select students outside of their region, they often choose students with notably higher stats than their average. But if you have sincerely articulated your desire to serve as a D.O. for rural, underserved populations, particularly within the Northwest, your app would probably have a better chance.

Are you suggesting this applicant state they want to do rural, undeserved, primary care in the NW just to get an edge.......? Oh, then I guess the essay will look like most of my classmate's apps who I've found out really want to be big city specialists/surgeons.... go figure eh?!?!

 

[ManBroDude]

Funny how that works. The major difference is the "from the NW, practicing in the NW" part.

 

[mechanictodr]

What sort of retaliation or negative consequences could come of having an open, honest discussion about rotation sites?

As previously stated, I imagine it would fall under the term "unprofessional" if there were any negative things said in a less than constructive way. We dealt with this last week and it was certainly inconvenient for all of us currently attending. It would be nice to actually get a solid review of some sort going. I'm not sure how the first two years did the match for clinical sites, but the class this year had a sort of point system. So..... knowing what is close to where you have preference and which sites are more solid for experience greatly shapes how you fill out your preference form. As was also stated, it looks as if the bigger sites all filled up so I hope/guess that those are the sites to strive for.

 

[mechanictodr]

Is there anyone that knows how much the wait-list moves? I received a letter saying that they will begin to look at it in May, but I want to know whether I have a good shot or not. Thanks, much appreciated.

Last year it seemed to move a lot. Many people get more than one acceptance and I know that OHSU dose a lot of its final decisions in May and that usually pulls people from the accepted list. I'm not sure, but I imagine UW does the same. If you're on the waitlist I think you're in a good spot. You should check back in early May and ask where you're ranked for a better idea of how good your spot really is.