2018-2019 University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM)

[NeuroScot]

Invite for 8/16!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[D.O.YourBest!]

Are the majority of you with interviews thus far from the New England Region? Submitted everything back in June/July and remain in silence - wish this school had a portal! Heard UNE COM has strong regional bias. I am from NYS, but attended a university in Mass for 5 years and would consider practicing in the North East (commented on this in my secondary).

 

[OBNUG123]

Congrats to you too!!!

I interviewed last year and flew in to Boston, rented a car and drove two hours to the hotel I booked in Saco. Saco is the closest city to Biddeford and apparently many students live around there as well? The flight directly to Maine is to Portland, which is roughly 30 minutes from Biddeford - but the price to fly there was twice as high compared to Boston so I didn't even consider it lol.

I'm really glad I rented a car and drove around though. You get a feel of the area and I had the chance to visit Portland as well, which is genuinely a beautiful little city. I'm from a big metropolitan area (practically everything is accessible by train and bus), so I thought it would be jarring but it was actually quite nice! I think it contributed to me reapplying here.

Not to be offensive, but what part of Saco did you see? The entire area sucks; I live near there. The area around UNE, however, is quite nice.

 

[QueenOfJunkertown5]

Well, I bombed the interview. At least someone else will benefit from my spot.

Here to report a negative interview experience.

It was not conversational, it was an interrogation. A Q&A session where my interviewers have blank facial expressions and would take notes on what I said. I ended up feeling extremely uncomfortable and and unwelcome. So I stuttered/slammered on words and did not give good answers. I simply could not be myself when I get no feedback from expressionless interviewers.

We had 2 sets of interviewers. I think the first set may have been conversational, but my set of interviewers were treating this like an interrogation and they only spoke to ask questions. In fact, when one of the volunteer student tour guides asked me which set of interviewers I interviewed with, they looked sorry for me and told me “I’m sure it went well”. So even they knew which set of interviewers were better. I had that sense too. The other set seemed much friendlier and smiley. I saw the laughing and engaging with the interviewees. Wish mine was like that.

It’s a shame I won’t be going to my top choice. I guess I’ll add a few more DO schools to my list, because this one for sure was a failure for me.

TLDR: Do not anticipate a conversational interview. Some students at the interview with me said theirs was conversational, others said it was like an interrogation. Don’t go in thinking you’ll get a conversational interview. You may not. The students are nice and helpful though.

 

[TheStudyOfLife]

II yesterday for 10/18!

 

[Xanias]

Are the majority of you with interviews thus far from the New England Region? Submitted everything back in June/July and remain in silence - wish this school had a portal! Heard UNE COM has strong regional bias. I am from NYS, but attended a university in Mass for 5 years and would consider practicing in the North East (commented on this in my secondary).

 

[toedrag]

View attachment 239830

The regional bias is real

 

[c_yang]

Are the majority of you with interviews thus far from the New England Region? Submitted everything back in June/July and remain in silence - wish this school had a portal! Heard UNE COM has strong regional bias. I am from NYS, but attended a university in Mass for 5 years and would consider practicing in the North East (commented on this in my secondary).

I'm from the midwest, but lived near Boston for a year and worked with a doc that went to UNECOM!

 

[toedrag]

Anyone else interviewing Thursday?

 

[tlccreepwaterfalls]

Well, I bombed the interview. At least someone else will benefit from my spot.

Here to report a negative interview experience.

It was not conversational, it was an interrogation. A Q&A session where my interviewers have blank facial expressions and would take notes on what I said. I ended up feeling extremely uncomfortable and and unwelcome. So I stuttered/slammered on words and did not give good answers. I simply could not be myself when I get no feedback from expressionless interviewers.

We had 2 sets of interviewers. I think the first set may have been conversational, but my set of interviewers were treating this like an interrogation and they only spoke to ask questions. In fact, when one of the volunteer student tour guides asked me which set of interviewers I interviewed with, they looked sorry for me and told me “I’m sure it went well”. So even they knew which set of interviewers were better. I had that sense too. The other set seemed much friendlier and smiley. I saw the laughing and engaging with the interviewees. Wish mine was like that.

It’s a shame I won’t be going to my top choice. I guess I’ll add a few more DO schools to my list, because this one for sure was a failure for me.

TLDR: Do not anticipate a conversational interview. Some students at the interview with me said theirs was conversational, others said it was like an interrogation. Don’t go in thinking you’ll get a conversational interview. You may not. The students are nice and helpful though.

This sounds terrifying. I’m sorry you came out feeling that way.
Thank you so much for the honest feedback— i’m interviewing here in a few weeks. Any advice on how to approach them?

 

[duckdocgoose]

This sounds terrifying. I’m sorry you came out feeling that way.
Thank you so much for the honest feedback— i’m interviewing here in a few weeks. Any advice on how to approach them?

On the other hand mine was incredibly relaxed and enjoyable.

 

[QueenOfJunkertown5]

This sounds terrifying. I’m sorry you came out feeling that way.
Thank you so much for the honest feedback— i’m interviewing here in a few weeks. Any advice on how to approach them?

I would prepare as if it were any other MD school interview. Don’t assume it will be laid back (even though it very well might be).

I think it’s best to go in with the understanding that you may get a set of interviewers who have a different style. Just be very friendly and welcoming even if your interviewers don’t appear like they are! Good luck!

 

[allanMED15]

Well, I bombed the interview. At least someone else will benefit from my spot.

Here to report a negative interview experience.

It was not conversational, it was an interrogation. A Q&A session where my interviewers have blank facial expressions and would take notes on what I said. I ended up feeling extremely uncomfortable and and unwelcome. So I stuttered/slammered on words and did not give good answers. I simply could not be myself when I get no feedback from expressionless interviewers.

We had 2 sets of interviewers. I think the first set may have been conversational, but my set of interviewers were treating this like an interrogation and they only spoke to ask questions. In fact, when one of the volunteer student tour guides asked me which set of interviewers I interviewed with, they looked sorry for me and told me “I’m sure it went well”. So even they knew which set of interviewers were better. I had that sense too. The other set seemed much friendlier and smiley. I saw the laughing and engaging with the interviewees. Wish mine was like that.

It’s a shame I won’t be going to my top choice. I guess I’ll add a few more DO schools to my list, because this one for sure was a failure for me.

TLDR: Do not anticipate a conversational interview. Some students at the interview with me said theirs was conversational, others said it was like an interrogation. Don’t go in thinking you’ll get a conversational interview. You may not. The students are nice and helpful though.

Sorry to hear about this. As a student interviewer myself, I can tell you none of us strive to make the interview stressful at all. We really do want to just have a conversation. Pulling for you!

 

[Feelgood MD]

Hi all, soon to be OMS-II here. I will be on from time to time to answer any questions you may have. Good luck!

Tried to start a conversation. New to SDN, so hopefully you see what I asked.

 

[kc887]

Is it faculty like professor and doctors doing the interviews or is there also a current medical student interviewing us as well? Also how many interviewers were there and is it open file? For some reason, I am reading conflicting things.

The ideal setup is 3 people, one 2nd year student, and 2 faculty either a combination of professors and/or physicians. Sometimes you will just have 2 interviewers with a combination of those individuals. It is open file, and the interviewers will have access to your full application beforehand. It is a straightforward 30 minute interview with you and the individuals in the room (no MMI, group interview, multiple interviews, etc.). Interviewers do not have a list of questions they have to ask, so they can ask any question within reason. Interviews are usually friendly and conversational, but doesn't have to be. Even if an interview didn't go as well as you hoped that's your personal opinion and the interviewers and committee may feel otherwise, so you can still get in! Do your best, show your best self, enjoy your visit, and hopefully you'll have a pleasant surprise acceptance email in the coming weeks/months! Good luck!

 

[gsk2020]

Does anyone know what the post-interview acceptance rate is?

 

[toedrag]

Does anyone know what the post-interview acceptance rate is?

heard it's 60-70% ish

 

[kc887]

Does anyone know what the post-interview acceptance rate is?

60.2% 2017-2018

 

[kdods]

Does anyone know if they send out II late? I haven't heard back since July

 

[tlccreepwaterfalls]

60.2% 2017-2018

Where do y’all get this info from?

 

[kc887]

Where do y’all get this info from?

From the admissions office.

 

[kdods]

II today!!

 

[hockeylover]

II today for 11/1! Complete on 9/5, Lizzy M 61. Anyone know how soon the class gets filled?

 

[applicant45]

II today for 11/1! Complete on 9/5, Lizzy M 61. Anyone know how soon the class gets filled?

congrats! what are your stats like? are you from the new england area? Do they call or email, and around what time?

 

[Xanias]

Anybody interviewing here on 10/02 ?

 

[kdods]

Do any girls interviewing on 10/31 want to split an AirBnb? I'm thinking of coming the 30th and staying till the 1st.

 

[tlccreepwaterfalls]

Anybody interviewing here on 10/02 ?

Me!!!!!!!!!! Super excited. Unecom is one of my top schools

 

[Xanias]

Interview experience today was very positive! Good luck to everyone that's interviewing soon!

 

[deleted922690]

Accepted today by email! Interviewed 09/12.

 

[toedrag]

Accepted and elated! First med school acceptance for me (email)

 

[bostonstrong95]

Accepted and elated! First med school acceptance for me (email)

Congrats!! when did you interview?

 

[NCDocs]

Accepted this morning! Interviewed 9/18

 

[toedrag]

Congrats!! when did you interview?

09/20!

 

[crazymedguy123]

Accepted today!

Interviewed on 9/19!

 

[masshole1995]

Accepted today! Interviewed 9/13!

 

[MaineDOGirl17]

Accepted today! Interviewed 9/12! Congrats and best of luck to everybody this cycle!

 

[herpes free since 03]

For those of you who live there or have already interviewed, how reliable is Uber in that neck of the woods? I interview on the 11th and since I'm flying into Portland, I figured I'd just uber but my flights are late and early (10pm and 6am) so I'm a little concerned.

If anyone else is interviewing the 11th and wants to carpool, hit me up.

 

[Xanias]

For those of you who live there or have already interviewed, how reliable is Uber in that neck of the woods? I interview on the 11th and since I'm flying into Portland, I figured I'd just uber but my flights are late and early (10pm and 6am) so I'm a little concerned.

If anyone else is interviewing the 11th and wants to carpool, hit me up.

Funny you ask this, I was at the Holiday inn express in Biddeford which is about 6 miles away from Campus. I try to get uber/lyft at 7 AM to get to campus for my interview and there was none. Luckily I was able to get a cab in time (which was a rip off) otherwise I would've missed my interview.

Moral of the story: get a cab if you have the early interview session and make sure you call them at least half an hour ahead.

I don't think you'll have a problem getting an uber at 10 PM though.

 

[PB3220]

ACCEPTED!!!! OOS from Louisiana, interviewed 9/11!

 

[NABIHANA]

Submitting my primary/secondary today cause its never too late

 

[holdmystethoscope]

Hello a second year from UNECOM here. I disagree with the vibe this post trying to convey. It is true that classes are mandatory which sucks. Going to lecture and answering quiz questions add couple points to your final grades, so if you don't go you just don't get those points. Last block was our hemonc block, and I only attended half of the classes and spent lots of time self studying in the library and did well without the full quiz points. Also, I heavily depending on online board study resources like many other medical students. The 2nd year student body and the administration are trying to work out the attendance policy and we expect to come to an agreement in next few weeks. We had a similar situation during our first year where the admin tried to make classes mandatory but then they backed off after we complained, and I am hoping same thing will happen this time around as well. So yes, we don't like the mandatory lecture policy and hope the administration gets rid of it.

The powerpoint issue is very rare tbh. Sometimes we have physicians travel to give us lectures and the powerpoints don't get uploaded before classes. Yes it happens with some professors too but overall it doesn't happen as often. The administration hasn't doubled down, the attendance policy has been the same since we started class this year.

This student doesn't speak for the whole class obviously. No I am not miserable here at UNECOM and appreciate my time here everyday. My friends from other med schools (MDs and DOs) complain about their administrations all the time so it is not exclusively an UNE issue. I sympathize with my fellow classmate who wrote this post and it must be so hard not to feel supported. Please reach out to your classmates/friends to see how they are handling the attendance policy. I personally find this school to have a very close and caring community. If any of the newly accepted students have any question please message me.

Warning to anyone thinking of coming here for medical school. Do yourself a favor, make this your last choice school. Doing this could potentially save you from a horrible, expensive, and draining experience. This is not a good school to attend for second year. For first year, yeah, you could not ask for a more supportive or better school. But, for second year, your mental health will be destroyed, you will be ignored, you will be exposed to a disorganized and immature administration, you will question why you chose this school, you will be blamed for problems caused by the administration, and you will be taught with very outdated techniques. Our lectures are not video recorded, our attendance is mandatory, sometimes we are not even provided power points before class to take notes with. For some reason we are often given powerpoints days after the material has been presented. Some professors don't even use powerpoints ever when teaching EVER. They will get up in front of the class and talk for 4 hours with no learning materials, and we are just expected to learn whatever they say. At most schools, providing a powerpoint is considered the minimum standard for giving a presentation. At UNE, you count yourself lucky when you have the a powerpoint before class. Individual learning styles are ignored here. You will not thrive here if you are anyone but the type of student that loves to learn in 4 hour long lectures with no interruptions or loss of focus. The Deans here will meet with you to hear your complaints. But one Dean will tell you that if you 'don't want to take part in mandatory lecture, like other schools, then you should have gotten into another school'. One other Dean will talk to you like a child and pretend like she knows more about how you learn than you do. And finally, another Dean will blow you off completely and tell you that pandering to the wants of the course directors is more important than students being happy. Second years here are crying, or pissed off. Mental health is at an all time low. The boards are looming. And in response to these issues the administration has doubled down on stressful lecturing with punitive attendance quizes. They tell us it is for our own good, but test scores are dropping for anyone who cannot learn in large lectures of almost 200 students. Students are miserable here. To fix this, most people sit in lecture and stare off into space, or flip through flash cards to try to learn, or browse reddit. If given a chance to do all of this again I think I would rather not go into medicine than have to go to UNE. I feel completely unsupported. And the worst part is I know I am more than capable of learning the material presented, but all the tools I need to learn it have been taken away by the administration. I would stay away from this school for at least a few years until the administration changes and we finally get brought back up to current medical education standards.

 

[Witty_Username]

Another OMS-II at UNE here. Let me start by saying this school has many strengths: academics, community, clinical skills. We recently received accreditation with distinction (the highest rating) from the DO accreditation board. When deciding between schools, keep the comments from the poster above me in mind; no school is perfect and each will have their strengths and weaknesses.

The most frustrating aspect of our school to me as a second year student is the dynamic between the administration and the students. The deans will listen to student concerns but ultimately say things are “out of their control” or “take too long to implement change.” It seems that there always exists an excuse to not implement policy changes recommended by the students. The curriculum committee seems unable to accomplish much due to the stonestance of those in charge.

On a separate note, there are professors here who are essentially holding the administration hostage. The course director for OMK-II, is adamant about mandatory attendance. The deans refuse to supersede because the “deans control the pocketbooks and the course directors control the curriculum.” He has also implemented a policy where lectures are no longer recorded; this is incredibly detrimental to student learning, especially for members of our class who learn best through repetition, those with families, and those who struggle to maintain concentration through 4 hour lecture blocks.

Additionally, we will be losing one of our best professors to another school where he accepted a Dean position at the end of this academic year. On numerous occasions he has expressed an understanding with the students, attempted to reason on our behalf to the other course directors, but to no avail. While I cannot speak on his behalf, I think he was also frustrated with the administration’s refusal to work with students on these issues and this is reflective in his decision to leave his alma mater to work elsewhere.

I hope to give you the most accurate description of our school so that you can make an educated decision on where you would like to end up.

Hello a second year from UNECOM here. I disagree with the vibe this post trying to convey. It is true that classes are mandatory which sucks. Going to lecture and answering quiz questions add couple points to your final grades, so if you don't go you just don't get those points. Last block was our hemonc block, and I only attended half of the classes and spent lots of time self studying in the library and did well without the full quiz points. Also, I heavily depending on online board study resources like many other medical students. The 2nd year student body and the administration are trying to work out the attendance policy and we expect to come to an agreement in next few weeks. We had a similar situation during our first year where the admin tried to make classes mandatory but then they backed off after we complained, and I am hoping same thing will happen this time around as well. So yes, we don't like the mandatory lecture policy and hope the administration gets rid of it.

The powerpoint issue is very rare tbh. Sometimes we have physicians travel to give us lectures and the powerpoints don't get uploaded before classes. Yes it happens with some professors too but overall it doesn't happen as often. The administration hasn't doubled down, the attendance policy has been the same since we started class this year.

This student doesn't speak for the whole class obviously. No I am not miserable here at UNECOM and appreciate my time here everyday. My friends from other med schools (MDs and DOs) complain about their administrations all the time so it is not exclusively an UNE issue. I sympathize with my fellow classmate who wrote this post and it must be so hard not to feel supported. Please reach out to your classmates/friends to see how they are handling the attendance policy. I personally find this school to have a very close and caring community. If any of the newly accepted students have any question please message me.

Warning to anyone thinking of coming here for medical school. Do yourself a favor, make this your last choice school. Doing this could potentially save you from a horrible, expensive, and draining experience. This is not a good school to attend for second year. For first year, yeah, you could not ask for a more supportive or better school. But, for second year, your mental health will be destroyed, you will be ignored, you will be exposed to a disorganized and immature administration, you will question why you chose this school, you will be blamed for problems caused by the administration, and you will be taught with very outdated techniques. Our lectures are not video recorded, our attendance is mandatory, sometimes we are not even provided power points before class to take notes with. For some reason we are often given powerpoints days after the material has been presented. Some professors don't even use powerpoints ever when teaching EVER. They will get up in front of the class and talk for 4 hours with no learning materials, and we are just expected to learn whatever they say. At most schools, providing a powerpoint is considered the minimum standard for giving a presentation. At UNE, you count yourself lucky when you have the a powerpoint before class. Individual learning styles are ignored here. You will not thrive here if you are anyone but the type of student that loves to learn in 4 hour long lectures with no interruptions or loss of focus. The Deans here will meet with you to hear your complaints. But one Dean will tell you that if you 'don't want to take part in mandatory lecture, like other schools, then you should have gotten into another school'. One other Dean will talk to you like a child and pretend like she knows more about how you learn than you do. And finally, another Dean will blow you off completely and tell you that pandering to the wants of the course directors is more important than students being happy. Second years here are crying, or pissed off. Mental health is at an all time low. The boards are looming. And in response to these issues the administration has doubled down on stressful lecturing with punitive attendance quizes. They tell us it is for our own good, but test scores are dropping for anyone who cannot learn in large lectures of almost 200 students. Students are miserable here. To fix this, most people sit in lecture and stare off into space, or flip through flash cards to try to learn, or browse reddit. If given a chance to do all of this again I think I would rather not go into medicine than have to go to UNE. I feel completely unsupported. And the worst part is I know I am more than capable of learning the material presented, but all the tools I need to learn it have been taken away by the administration. I would stay away from this school for at least a few years until the administration changes and we finally get brought back up to current medical education standards.

 

[Dr.RIckandMorty]

Can someone whos interviewed give me an idea as to how long the day lasts? Just trying to see which train to take back to Boston. My interview is at 8am btw.

 

[toedrag]

Can someone whos interviewed give me an idea as to how long the day lasts? Just trying to see which train to take back to Boston. My interview is at 8am btw.

Last interview ends around 11am for the morning session. You can choose to leave then or you can stick around and explore the campus. Good luck!

 

[allanMED15]

Can someone whos interviewed give me an idea as to how long the day lasts? Just trying to see which train to take back to Boston. My interview is at 8am btw.

Sometimes the interviews are scheduled for 11 and 11:30 so you could potentially be there until noon. But once you have interviewed and toured, you’re free to go.

 

[Dr.RIckandMorty]

Sometimes the interviews are scheduled for 11 and 11:30 so you could potentially be there until noon. But once you have interviewed and toured, you’re free to go.

So if my interview day starts at 8am will i be able to make the 3pm train back to boston? Thanks.

 

[allanMED15]

So if my interview day starts at 8am will i be able to make the 3pm train back to boston? Thanks.

Definitely. You’ll be done by noon

 

[heavymetalfan]

On a separate note, there are professors here who are essentially holding the administration hostage. The course director for OMK-II, Dr. David Stein, is adamant about mandatory attendance. The deans refuse to supersede because the “deans control the pocketbooks and the course directors control the curriculum.” He has also implemented a policy where lectures are no longer recorded; this is incredibly detrimental to student learning, especially for members of our class who learn best through repetition, those with families, and those who struggle to maintain concentration through 4 hour lecture blocks.

To you and @holdmystethoscope, I really appreciate the update on this whole attendance situation. I just interviewed, and there is so much that I like about UNE - the students, the staff, the campus, the environment. Other schools talk about being supportive, but it seemed more authentic here. I do hope that there will be a fair policy. Succeeding in medical school requires good time management so that we can excel in both academics and extracurriculars. I've been at another medical school where they provided printed out lecture notes (not just powerpoint slides) before class. On top of recorded lectures, they get lecture notes - to me, that looks like a medical school genuinely interested in providing students with the tools to succeed. I can understand that lecturers don't like to give lectures to an empty classroom, but it does surprise me that the course director who should be invested in helping students succeed would choose to take away learning resources rather than find ways to promote classroom attendance.

please fight the good fight!

 

[SG32]

Anyone interviewing on 10/10?
Edit: because I am too

 

[ansid]

Got a II on thursday, and scheduled for november. I did not expect it so soon because I literally just submitted my primary/secondary on Monday.... weird.

For those that have interviewed, would scheduling a flight back home at 6PM be okay? My interview is at noon.