2018-2019 Midwestern University, with campuses in (Chicago, Illinois) CCOM

[4thtimeretaker]

woke up to my first rejection- an email from CCOM at 4am. Kinda surprised mostly because I didn't think they would send these out so early and figured i'd get a "silent" rejection in the spring. Guess they were not at all feeling my application.

+1

Rejected

When were ya'll complete, I feel like I have an R coming up real soon too

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[Doctor1993]

Rejected as well today. Not feeling upset by it, I think there is a lot going for a few other DO schools for me. The CCOM campus felt way too small for the number of students they have when I visited - doesn't seem like a close connection with students and faculty.

 

[Pup1_2_3]

When were ya'll complete, I feel like I have an R coming up real soon too

I don’t remember the date, but sometime mid June.

 

[tradersluck]

When were ya'll complete, I feel like I have an R coming up real soon too

They are not sorting the apps in a precise chronological order. I was complete mid-September and received an II 6 days later. That should be pretty good proof that these apps are not reviewed in submission order.

 

[tvakil]

Is it too late to submit secondary for this?

 

[yogidoc19]

When were ya'll complete, I feel like I have an R coming up real soon too

I was complete late June.

 

[B216jt]

Hey guys, Can I ask if the rotation sites at this school are graded more harshly than lesser quality rotation site DO schools? Basically, I have this intuition:

My intuition: Schools with “really good” rotation sites means that, yes the rotation sites teach you well, but they grade you harshly because they expect more from you as compared to “lesser quality” rotation site schools like UNECOM. So CCOMs amazing rotation sites come with harsher grading physicians who expect you to be “strong” because CCOM historically breeds strong medical students.

In my hospital where I scribe it, we have this “really good” EM rotation for PA students, but believe me: it is harsh. Many are expected to know things they say they never learned in their didactic learning, and unfortunately 3/10 fail (That’s it for them, they won’t be PAs, apparently) and the ones that pass are not given “outstanding” results and are usually heavily criticized in their letters and scores.

I fear that higher quality, near the school rotations might be good in increasing your clinical skills, but bad if you want to get into a competitive residency (as you may be graded more harshly based on the expectation that you should know more).

Basically, I got accepted at UNECOM and CCOM, and I’m not sure if CCOMs rotations are a good thing and have this intuition that UNECOMs rotation sites will be also be high quality but also less harsh in grading.

I'm a current 4th year here. The "harshness of a rotation site" depends on attendings present. Regardless of what school you are coming from, the rotation has their own expectations and all students are judged on a leveled playing field. Typically CCOM has a reputation for churning out good students-- that's just who we are. With that said, it's depends on an individual student's performance if you will "fail the rotation." For the most part, as long as you're doing what you need to do, and not be a complete f*ck up or do dumb **** then you're ok.

On a side note-- What I have learned from being with other schools is the fact that core rotations (with a few site exceptions), majority of our sites are nice and close. I'm currently in Michigan for auditions and the school heavily affiliated with this hospital, their students go like everywhere and majority have to find their own housing. In that regard, it's kind of nice. Something to consider if that's important for you. While tuition cost is high, travel might be expensive if you end up in a school where you have to be all over the place come time for rotations.

 

[B216jt]

Hey guys, I was recently accepted at CCOM and I was wondering if someone who was attending the school right now could give me more information about whether or not CCOM gives need based or merit based scholarships? Or is it just all loans?

There's a whole bunch of small scholarships. Mostly merit-based, but I applied every year and got them every year since not many take the time to apply for them. If i remember correctly, they start granting them starting your 2nd year. I dont recall any available for first years. But I can be wrong.

 

[B216jt]

Is it too late to submit secondary for this?

I'd still submit one. Why not. If you have a decent application and want to go to the school, try your hardest. I wasn't complete until like February of the matriculation year and got accepted.
Basically I applied July, submitted secondary in August, then retook the MCAT in Jan. Completed in Feb. Interviewed in March. Waitlisted. Got off the waitlist right away on the first day it started moving.

 

[southflorida1107]

How are you guys going to afford CCOM? Are you planning on taking out $450K in loans with the hope of getting into a high-paying specialty, or do most of you come from very wealthy backgrounds?

I have very solid stats, and I'm trying to decide whether to submit a CCOM secondary. The tuition is honestly insane. People rave over CCOM's location, but honestly, in med school you're probably not going to have much time to hang out in the city anyway.

The tuition is ridiculous, but you need to remember that you will be a physician and you will pay it off. It might take a bit longer than others, but it’ll be done. I think the rotation sites we have access to offsets the tuition.
And personally, I made it a point to go out in the city every weekend during first and second year.

 

[southflorida1107]

With compounding interest taken into consideration, we're talking $700K+ in debt by the end of residency. How many years would it take a primary care physician making $150K/year (once taxes and insurance are subtracted) to pay off this debt while living comfortably? Am I missing something?

There are several different loan repayment programs you can do: HPSP, practicing rural medicine, peace Corp, employer loan repayment, etc. And as stated, there are several scholarships available. You just need to explore your options.

 

[arc5005]

With compounding interest taken into consideration, we're talking $700K+ in debt by the end of residency. How many years would it take a primary care physician making $150K/year (once taxes and insurance are subtracted) to pay off this debt while living comfortably? Am I missing something?

girllll, you do realize most physicians coming out of med school right now are paying on the 10 year pay based on income loan repayments, STARTING IN RESIDENCY... at the end of the 10 years it is forgiven, and you pay a taxed amount.

 

[CoomassieBlue57]

girllll, you do realize most physicians coming out of med school right now are paying on the 10 year pay based on income loan repayments, STARTING IN RESIDENCY... at the end of the 10 years it is forgiven, and you pay a taxed amount.

Only if they work at a non-profit. There are other options as well.

 

[QueenOfJunkertown5]

There are several different loan repayment programs you can do:

-HPSP: Nah
-practicing rural medicine: I'm no white girl. I can't stand any racism. Been there, done that. Even rural Illinois are so unwelcoming of Arabs. Especially hijab wearing Arabs.
peace Corp: Not interested in traveling abroad.
employer loan repayment: unlikely
Several scholarships available: Just like undergrad, there isn't a guarantee you'll receive anything.

 

[QueenOfJunkertown5]

How are you guys going to afford CCOM? Are you planning on taking out $450K in loans with the hope of getting into a high-paying specialty, or do most of you come from very wealthy backgrounds?

I have very solid stats, and I'm trying to decide whether to submit a CCOM secondary. The tuition is honestly insane. People rave over CCOM's location, but honestly, in med school you're probably not going to have much time to hang out in the city anyway.

I would say that if you have another DO acceptance that costs 10k less per year, go there. In the end you will be a doctor. And with 40k less debt (if you account for interest): 80k less debt (which is huge). If you account for Chicago cost of living maybe another 100k debt on top of the 80k (compared to other DO schools that cost less in an area with low cost of living)

There is no guarantee that you'll match into competitive specialties, especially as a DO and with the uncertainty of the merger. I'd say only go to CCOM if you are local or you have no other good option.

Example: $454,582 is the estimated cost of attendance at CCOM for the 4 years. Add 7% interest each year (Unsubsidized Stafford loans interest rate is 6.6%, GradPLUS is 7.6%, so let's just call it 7% total) for 10 years (the usual repayment plan) assuming you make no payments (which is not a good assumption but it allows the math to be simple), you are looking at $894,000. Just to give you a sense of how fast interest rates blow up.

Now let's say you go to UNECOM which has a $331,200 total cost of attendance, after 10 years interest 7% accrual you are looking at $651,520.53 (again, after making the bad assumption of no payments for 10 years to make the math easier and give you a sense of how fast interest builds), I'd say why pick CCOM? Especially if you're into primary care or are uncertain if you can get into that competitive residency.

 

[southflorida1107]

There are several different loan repayment programs you can do:

-HPSP: Nah
-practicing rural medicine: I'm no white girl. I can't stand any racism. Been there, done that. Even rural Illinois are so unwelcoming of Arabs. Especially hijab wearing Arabs.
peace Corp: Not interested in traveling abroad.
employer loan repayment:
Several scholarships available: Just like undergrad, there isn't a guarantee you'll receive anything.

‍♂️ Options are options. If you have issues with them then that’s on you. There are caveats to each one, sure, but once you satisfy the contract, you can do whatever you want.

 

[yonjohnson11]

I ultimately decided to not submit a secondary to CCOM. For a middle-class or lower-class person, it's very financially irresponsible to pay three-quarters of a million dollars over the course of decades in exchange for an osteopathic medical education.

I also discourage others from applying to, let alone attending, CCOM. The price is no longer reasonable given the relative rewards of becoming a primary care physician. The only way to fight a predatory institution is through defensive consumerism. Once CCOM sees that its average class stats and application numbers are dropping, they may decide to make their prices comparable to those of other private DO schools.

You guys can bash me if you'd like, but there's absolutely no excuse for MWU to charge what it does at CCOM and AZCOM. It is predatory behavior -- preying on impulsivity, desperation, and financial illiteracy.

I needed a glass of water after reading this comment

 

[drhop]

I needed a glass of water after reading this comment

I need a stiff drink after reading the message!

Sent from my SM-J730GM using SDN mobile

 

[yonjohnson11]

I was commenting on how salty that whole series of comments was. That person clearly hasn't seen Midwestern's match list if they think CCOM students are trading 750k in exchange for a one-way ticket to rural family med.

 

[tradersluck]

Uh huh, right. Now do yourself a favor and step out of your ridiculous fantasy world for a moment. 60% of CCOM graduates in 2018 matched into FM, IM, or pediatrics. You can sit there and give yourself empty guarantees that you're not going to ever be in that 60% but at the end of the day, that's the majority of the class.

C'mon. You're not helping yourself by ranting on this thread. Just un-watch it and move on.

 

[Layray]

C'mon. You're not helping yourself by ranting on this thread. Just un-watch it and move on.

Betting this guy was waitlisted and salty af and is trying to deter people from applying or accepting

 

[tradersluck]

Betting this guy was waitlisted and salty af and is trying to deter people from applying or accepting

Terrible bet.



Not looking to help myself. Doing a public service.

Calling someone's professional aspirations a "ridiculous fantasy world" is not a public service. It is purposefully belittling another human. This is the kind of attitude that other healthcare professionals loathe about doctors.

I agree, though; the tuition is very high. I would need more evidence to argue whether or not it is predatory.

 

[goldfish_goldfish]

Yo if you can't afford it then don't apply, like you said, why calling it predatory? They are not hiding the tuition cost from you when you apply.

 

[tradersluck]

Yo if you can't afford it then don't apply, like you said, why calling it predatory? They are not hiding the tuition cost from you when you apply.

I agree. There are much more predatory behaviors from the DO schools that require students to organize their own clerkships, and from Caribbean schools that ream hopefuls of money, despite tanking reputations.

 

[4thtimeretaker]

Hey guys how long did it take for yall to get any update after the complete email?

 

[QueenOfJunkertown5]

Uh huh, right. Now do yourself a favor and step out of your ridiculous fantasy world for a moment. 60% of CCOM graduates in 2018 matched into FM, IM, or pediatrics. You can sit there and give yourself empty guarantees that you're not going to ever be in that 60% but at the end of the day, that's the majority of the class.

I have to agree with you there.

I have no idea how as a primary care/pediatric physician, I'd be able to pay more than 700k in debt. Most students who graduate from there go into primary care.

These are 2 objective facts. It doesn't matter if they are unpopular in this thread. This is a serious problem for CCOM.

I'd only go there if I had no other options.

 

[MotherofDragonflies]

I have to agree with you there.

I have no idea how as a primary care/pediatric physician, I'd be able to pay more than 700k in debt. Most students who graduate from there go into primary care.

These are 2 objective facts. It doesn't matter if they are unpopular in this post. This is a serious problem for CCOM.

I'd only go there if I had no other options.

It’s a legit comcern. I’ve already got over 100k in debt from my BS and MS degrees. Pathology (my dream field) isn’t a big paying field. It comes down to how would I handle that additional load. Could I? I definitely think investing in a meeting with a financial planner could help me. But I have no II’s even yet. Let alone acceptances.

 

[QueenOfJunkertown5]

It’s a legit comcern. I’ve already got over 100k in debt from my BS and MS degrees. Pathology (my dream field) isn’t a big paying field. It comes down to how would I handle that additional load. Could I? I definitely think investing in a meeting with a financial planner could help me. But I have no II’s even yet. Let alone acceptances.

Yeah, I don't understand how people are so blind to this.

In fact, I may be a victim.

I hope that I get rejected post-interview. I already have a DO acceptance, but I fear that if CCOM accepts me, I won't be able to make a rational decision. CCOM's lecture notes instead of textbooks make me want to go there. Chicago, I'm not really a fan of. The cost of attendance is disgusting because I'm looking for Emergency Medicine or Internal Medicine, but my future board scores may force me into IM/FM (not a good test taker--506 MCAT, and in fact, I bet you many DO students are in my position)...And in fact, the majority of CCOM students go into primary care. Its a real concern about how I'm going to pay. But at the same time, this school is beautiful and did I mention lecture notes instead of textbooks?

Someone needs to knock some sense out of me, because I've never thought I'd be in a position to hope for a rejection. Because I fear that I would regret the choice to not go to CCOM and think about what could have been (1st world problems, ). God dam, I'm such a pathetic girl.

 

[deleted953743]

Secondary received today! One of my top choices so very excited!

 

[irishRN2doc]

Interviewed 10/12, accepted via portal today. Have not received official email but check your accepted student checklist on the portal!

EDIT: Received acceptance email about 20 minutes after checking my portal.

 

[tradersluck]

Interviewed 10/12, accepted via portal today. Have not received official email but check your accepted student checklist on the portal!

EDIT: Received acceptance email about 20 minutes after checking my portal.

Wow that was really fast! I'm interviewing tomorrow so I hope I kill it as much as you did!

 

[bostonstrong95]

does anyone know if Midwestern takes updates?

 

[irishRN2doc]

Wow that was really fast! I'm interviewing tomorrow so I hope I kill it as much as you did!

Yea they told us on interview day 1-2 weeks for a decision, so they are pretty efficient. Good luck on your interview and enjoy the beautiful campus!

 

[theloop43]

Accepted today. Interviewed 9/28. Very excited to attend CCOM!

 

[sammy404]

does anyone know if Midwestern takes updates?

yes they do! Just email an update letter to the admissions email address and they will add it to your file. I personally think it's great to send update letters, especially if things have been silent for a while. good luck!

 

[bostonstrong95]

yes they do! Just email an update letter to the admissions email address and they will add it to your file. I personally think it's great to send update letters, especially if things have been silent for a while. good luck!

Thank you!!

 

[BasedKahuna]

Interviewed monday, accepted yesterday! Very excited about CCOM.

 

[goldfish_goldfish]

Interviewing on Friday 11/2! Super excited.

 

[tradersluck]

Just interviewed today. What a great experience! Good luck to other interviewers and applicants!

 

[goldfish_goldfish]

Hey guys how long did it take for yall to get any update after the complete email?

Hi, for me its around 2-3 weeks. I sent in the physician letter super late and that was my bottleneck. As soon as I sent them in, 3 days later I got a complete email and 2.5 weeks later I heard back.

 

[BullMoose]

Interviewing here on 10/29/18. Super excited! Anyone else?

 

[PotGoblinsales10]

Hey, Does any current medical student care to discuss the living situation in CCOM?

Redwood hall and the pines apartments: Are they readily available? What is attracting me to this school is avoiding leases and rent agreements with landlords and instead have an agreement with CCOM instead.
I also like not having to drive every day to school.

Are these apartments readily available to students? How much do they cost (redwood, redwood II and the Pines apartments respectively)? and is it difficult to land a private bathroom?

 

[Vee-83]

Would it be a waste to send my primary now?

 

[BluegrassBuckeye]

Would it be a waste to send my primary now?

Absolutely not. Go for it. I wasn't complete until December the year I was accepted. Obviously it's not ideal to apply so late, but if my N=1 experience counts for anything it's still very much possible.

 

[Ma2330]

I’m a reapplicant who was waitlisted last cycle, what do you guys think of my chances of getting in this year? My changes from last application to this one is a lot more clinical and shadowing hours.

 

[applicant45]

what's the lowest MCAT you all know of to receive an II here?

 

[CoomassieBlue57]

what's the lowest MCAT you all know of to receive an II here?

It ultimately depends on the rest of your application. They look at the whole application, so experiences such as research, volunteering, collegiate athletics, GPA, letters of recommendation, personal statement all play a role and can help a lower MCAT.

 

[applicant45]

It ultimately depends on the rest of your application. They look at the whole application, so experiences such as research, volunteering, collegiate athletics, GPA, letters of recommendation, personal statement all play a role and can help a lower MCAT.

Thanks! Just trying to get an idea of some numbers, not sure if my MCAT is enough for the rest of my application to compensate for

 

[theloop43]

Thanks! Just trying to get an idea of some numbers, not sure if my MCAT is enough for the rest of my application to compensate for

The average MCAT for the 2017 entering class was a 507. But remember thats an average, people get get accepted with higher AND lower scores. If you're overall application is good then you should be good.

 

[tradersluck]

Thanks! Just trying to get an idea of some numbers, not sure if my MCAT is enough for the rest of my application to compensate for

A friend of mine was admitted this cycle with a 503, but he had a solid GPA and research experience at a T10, if that gives you any direction.