University of New England (UNECOM) Discussion Thread 2014 - 2015

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After interviewing at a couple of other schools, I'm starting to learn more about the differences in various curriculums(more like similarities since there are different names for the same basic pre-clinical education). I have a few questions about the UNE curriculum, I hope some of the current medical students can chime in:

1. It was rather unclear to me after interviewing. We were told about the "integrated curriculum" and having only two classes, but would you say the curriculum is essentially systems based?

2. How are exams? Do the professors write questions that integrate various subjects similar to board style questions? Other schools are known to do this which helps their students become familiar with these types of questions.

3. Many schools boast that they have XX% students passing their COMLEX. However, it's becoming more and more apparent that taking USMLE is becoming more and more essential esp with the merger in process. How does UNECOM prepare students for the boards? How much time is allocated at the end of 2nd year? I have read other threads from prior years mentioning how UNECOM's faculty had added too many classes to their new curriculum (when they first started implementing it) which cut into board studying time because they felt that the curriculum was enough to prepare their students for the boards. Have things changed?

4. In general, what is the reputation of 3rd year UNECOM students on rotations? Are the clinical skills course preparing their students well enough to impress the preceptors? Most schools seem to emphasize providing simulations and patient encounters early on as well, for example, SOMA allows students to be in clinics during 2nd year which gives them an edge during 3rd year.

5. UNECOM prides itself on having the longest, most rigorous anatomy course. Any pros and cons to this? Does this give you an edge in terms of boards, OMM...what is the benefit of this compared to other schools? I imagine for those interested in a surgical specialty, this is probably very important.

Thank you in advance!
 
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Portlandia8 said:
After interviewing at a couple of other schools, I'm starting to learn more about the differences in various curriculums(more like similarities since there are different names for the same basic pre-clinical education). I have a few questions about the UNE curriculum, I hope some of the current medical students can chime in:

1. It was rather unclear to me after interviewing. We were told about the "integrated curriculum" and having only two classes, but would you say the curriculum is essentially systems based?

2. How are exams? Do the professors write questions that integrate various subjects similar to board style questions? Other schools are known to do this which helps their students become familiar with these types of questions.

3. Many schools boast that they have XX% students passing their COMLEX. However, it's becoming more and more apparent that taking USMLE is becoming more and more essential esp with the merger in process. How does UNECOM prepare students for the boards? How much time is allocated at the end of 2nd year? I have read other threads from prior years mentioning how UNECOM's faculty had added too many classes to their new curriculum (when they first started implementing it) which cut into board studying time because they felt that the curriculum was enough to prepare their students for the boards. Have things changed?

4. In general, what is the reputation of 3rd year UNECOM students on rotations? Are the clinical skills course preparing their students well enough to impress the preceptors? Most schools seem to emphasize providing simulations and patient encounters early on as well, for example, SOMA allows students to be in clinics during 2nd year which gives them an edge during 3rd year.

5. UNECOM prides itself on having the longest, most rigorous anatomy course. Any pros and cons to this? Does this give you an edge in terms of boards, OMM...what is the benefit of this compared to other schools? I imagine for those interested in a surgical specialty, this is probably very important.

Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...

1. Yes, for better or worse they try to make both 1st and 2nd year "systems" based. Often, the 1st & 2nd years are doing the same system at the same time which is extremely beneficial since there is good collaboration between the classes, so the 2nd years can be a great help at explaining concepts. But there are some subjects (ie biochem, genetics, epidemiology) that just don't fit this system and so are pretty disjointed/poorly covered. But the whole idea behind the "integrated curriculum" is that rather than have traditional didactic lectures 8 hours a day, more time is spent in small groups (sort of a "teach yourself & each other" mentality). During the whole class lecture time we do get (I'd say about 2 hours of anatomy a week and about 6 hours of other subjects a week during first year), there are "integrative" questions built into the lecture where we might do a 5-minute discussion amongst our small group to answer a posted question.

2. Exams are not really representative of board exams... I'm not even sure how many professors actually write for boards, let alone have even picked up a board review book. So while exams aren't difficult, they are not reflective of the COMLEX.

3. Actually with the AOA/ACGME merger, the COMLEX will be accepted at all "allopathic" residencies (though I am not sure when this will take effect). UNECOM's emphasis seems more towards preparing students for 3rd/4th year rather than Level/Step 1. During second year, there is plenty of time to study for boards though since most classes are not mandatory (and are video recorded). Every 2nd year student is required to purchase the Kaplan online course (they add it to the tuition) which is a great resource for preparing for both the COMLEX & USMLE. This year, classes end in early/mid May and clinical rotations start in August, so we are required to take the COMLEX by the end of June (in order to make sure we pass before rotations start). So I feel like there is plenty of time available to study for boards, but the majority of information comes from outside resources.

4. I know quite a few medical students at a variety of schools who have rotations alongside UNE students -- ALL of them have high praise for the UNECOM students! So while the school may overlook Step 1 preparation during class time, it seems to do a great job at preparing us for clinical rotations!

5. Our anatomy program really is top notch. While this may seem like it comes at the cost of learning other subjects 1st year, having such a great foundation of anatomy really helps bring everything together 2nd year. And again, this deep understanding of anatomy allows UNECOM students to look great when getting pimped in clinical years. Plus, being a true Osteopathic school, having a greater understanding of anatomy is needed to follow the tenants of Osteopathy. I know many classmates who had the option to go to other "better" schools but instead they came to UNECOM specifically for its great reputation for the anatomy department.
 
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UNECOM 2017 said:
1. Yes, for better or worse they try to make both 1st and 2nd year "systems" based. Often, the 1st & 2nd years are doing the same system at the same time which is extremely beneficial since there is good collaboration between the classes, so the 2nd years can be a great help at explaining concepts. But there are some subjects (ie biochem, genetics, epidemiology) that just don't fit this system and so are pretty disjointed/poorly covered. But the whole idea behind the "integrated curriculum" is that rather than have traditional didactic lectures 8 hours a day, more time is spent in small groups (sort of a "teach yourself & each other" mentality). During the whole class lecture time we do get (I'd say about 2 hours of anatomy a week and about 6 hours of other subjects a week during first year), there are "integrative" questions built into the lecture where we might do a 5-minute discussion amongst our small group to answer a posted question.

2. Exams are not really representative of board exams... I'm not even sure how many professors actually write for boards, let alone have even picked up a board review book. So while exams aren't difficult, they are not reflective of the COMLEX.

3. Actually with the AOA/ACGME merger, the COMLEX will be accepted at all "allopathic" residencies (though I am not sure when this will take effect). UNECOM's emphasis seems more towards preparing students for 3rd/4th year rather than Level/Step 1. During second year, there is plenty of time to study for boards though since most classes are not mandatory (and are video recorded). Every 2nd year student is required to purchase the Kaplan online course (they add it to the tuition) which is a great resource for preparing for both the COMLEX & USMLE. This year, classes end in early/mid May and clinical rotations start in August, so we are required to take the COMLEX by the end of June (in order to make sure we pass before rotations start). So I feel like there is plenty of time available to study for boards, but the majority of information comes from outside resources.

4. I know quite a few medical students at a variety of schools who have rotations alongside UNE students -- ALL of them have high praise for the UNECOM students! So while the school may overlook Step 1 preparation during class time, it seems to do a great job at preparing us for clinical rotations!

5. Our anatomy program really is top notch. While this may seem like it comes at the cost of learning other subjects 1st year, having such a great foundation of anatomy really helps bring everything together 2nd year. And again, this deep understanding of anatomy allows UNECOM students to look great when getting pimped in clinical years. Plus, being a true Osteopathic school, having a greater understanding of anatomy is needed to follow the tenants of Osteopathy. I know many classmates who had the option to go to other "better" schools but instead they came to UNECOM specifically for its great reputation for the anatomy department.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions UNECOM2017! Much appreciated!
 
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Does anyone have information about when we will be receiving our financial aid packages?

And good luck to the interviewees!
 
biodome92 said:
Does anyone have information about when we will be receiving our financial aid packages?
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I talked to the Graduate Financial Aid office last week. I'm not sure about getting other information, but the only thing you have to worry about right now is getting your taxes done, then completing FAFSA to be eligible for federal loans, etc. Apparently there's no UNE deadline for FAFSA, but the federal deadline is June 30th, and you can check your state deadline here: https://fafsa.ed.gov/deadlines.htm#

The state deadline refers to your legal state of residence, so for Mainers it's May 1st, but out-of-state folks should check their own state deadline.

EDIT: Actually, I think state deadlines only really matter for undergraduate students, so if your state deadline has already passed, don't stress too much about it.
 
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pseudonym37 said:
I talked to the Graduate Financial Aid office last week. I'm not sure about getting other information, but the only thing you have to worry about right now is getting your taxes done, then completing FAFSA to be eligible for federal loans, etc. Apparently there's no UNE deadline for FAFSA, but the federal deadline is June 30th, and you can check your state deadline here: https://fafsa.ed.gov/deadlines.htm#

The state deadline refers to your legal state of residence, so for Mainers it's May 1st, but out-of-state folks should check their own state deadline.

EDIT: Actually, I think state deadlines only really matter for undergraduate students, so if your state deadline has already passed, don't stress too much about it.
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I've had my FAFSA done for a while. I'm just getting anxious!
 
hi guys. just withdrew my spot. i hope it goes to one of you!

it's an amazing school. battled it out with my other acceptance for awhile. good luck!
 
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Does anyone know the percentage of people that are interviewed that get acceptances? Are many people being put on the waitlist that have interviewed in Feb/March?
 
mellonceek said:
Does anyone know the percentage of people that are interviewed that get acceptances? Are many people being put on the waitlist that have interviewed in Feb/March?
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I interviewed in late January and was waitlisted in early February. I have not heard anything back since.
 
I only interviewed last week, so I know it's too early for decisions, but just feeling nervous, and wanted to get a feel for how many acceptances vs rejections vs waitlist offers they usually give out post interview. Like if majority of people who get interviews also get acceptances, etc etc.
 
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just got a rejection email, interviewed last week. hopefully the rest of you did well
 
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Interviewed last week, waitlisted today! Was sent via email but I understand they'll be sending a hard copy via USPS as well. Any acceptances from last week?
 
Waitlisted today, interviewed March 5th. I haven't seen any acceptances in the last month so far, hopefully the waitlist movement will grant us some good news!
 
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Kerosene Hat said:
Did you hear by email or snail mail? I interviewed the first week of March (almost a month ago), but haven't heard anything at all...

EDIT: realized that moleraffe interviewed that week as well. Anyway, how did you get the news?
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I was notified yesterday, April 1st, via e-mail.
 
Just withdrew my acceptance, hope it goes to someone who'd get the most out of it.
 
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ephemchao said:
I applied back in October, no word... boosted my MCAT 5 points in January... any chances there are still interview invites going out? Suggestions on sending a letter of continued interest?
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They told us at our interview (march 26th) that we were the last interviewees of the cycle
 
I spoke with admissions today and it was implied that interviews have been completed for this cycle
 
Had you guys not taken BioChem? Or is the pre-req different than Biochem I?
 
Any wait listers get an invite to the Osteoblast coming up?
 
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BlackbirdFly said:
I am on the wait list but was not invited to osteoblast... bad sign?
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I am in the same boat as you. Wait listed, haven't yet received an invite, but I am from Maine and have been taking classes through UNE...
 
I'm also waitlisted and haven't been invited to Osteoblast...how do they pick the people the invite? How many people who are on the waitlist have been invited? I'm also worried that this is a bad sign...
 
mellonceek said:
I'm also waitlisted and haven't been invited to Osteoblast...how do they pick the people the invite? How many people who are on the waitlist have been invited? I'm also worried that this is a bad sign...
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I doubt it means anything. I haven't gotten invited. I'm sure it's not a tell on the schools part that you aren't gonna get in. Keep the faith!
 
I don't think it is a tell on their part or a bad sign if you weren't invited. I bet it was geographical.
 
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highhopes92 said:
I don't think it is a tell on their part or a bad sign if you weren't invited. I bet it was geographical.
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I was invited and I'm a NH resident but currently living and working OOS, so invites could be based on state residency. A current student on the Osteoblast! planning committee told me that all the seats for the class are full, but they will start pulling from the waitlist soon! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for everyone :)
 
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Not sure if this helps anyone but I am living in Vermont (only about 3 hours away) and I was not invited to Osteoblast. I am guessing this is a bad sign..
 
It looks like a similar question came up in last year's application cycle, and Osteoblast was open to whomever wanted to go. I'm going to assume that the same applies in this cycle, but you know what happens when you assume...
 
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