2019-2020 Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM)

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Good luck to everyone applying!
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I guess it's that time of the year again. 2020 is upon us guys. Good luck to everyone applying. Budding OMS2 here, please feel free to ask me anything about ARCOM and applications before I get buried in board materials in a few months.
 
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DrStephenStrange said:
I guess it's that time of the year again. 2020 is upon us guys. Good luck to everyone applying. Budding OMS2 here, please feel free to ask me anything about ARCOM and applications before I get buried in board materials in a few months.
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What’s your favorite thing about the school? What were your stats getting in?
 
chemdoctor said:
What’s your favorite thing about the school? What were your stats getting in?
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My favorite part is the fact that the school is trying their hardest to expand GME in the state for us students, and already have multiple established affiliated residency programs already, which cannot be said for pretty much most other new schools.

My stats were 3.7 cumulative and sGPA and my MCAT was 500.
 
DrStephenStrange said:
My favorite part is the fact that the school is trying their hardest to expand GME in the state for us students, and already have multiple established affiliated residency programs already, which cannot be said for pretty much most other new schools.

My stats were 3.7 cumulative and sGPA and my MCAT was 500.
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Did you ever consider retaking the MCAT for a chance at MD schools? Also, why did you choose Arkansas? What specialty do you plan to pursue?
 
chemdoctor said:
Did you ever consider retaking the MCAT for a chance at MD schools? Also, why did you choose Arkansas? What specialty do you plan to pursue?
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I did, that was one of my retakes, and I was tired of taking the MCAT. English is also my second language (or should I say third?). I still had one MD interview (in-state) which unfortunately turned into a rejection. I chose Arkansas because it's not too far from my family, and not too rural. Also, because the school seemed to have a lot of support from the state, which is why they are able to make all these connections in the state and expand GME. I always wanted Internal Medicine (with possibility of doing a fellowship later), but I don't know yet, I also kinda like EM and Radiology.
 
Hello everyone!! Good luck to all the applicants this year! I will be starting OMS-1 this year (2019) so I just got done with the application cycle! I applied to DO and MD as a Texas Resident, I got interviews and acceptances from both types of medical schools. Please feel free to ask any questions about the process of applying, interviews, or schools! Once again, good luck future docs!
 
Tex2614 said:
Hello everyone!! Good luck to all the applicants this year! I will be starting OMS-1 this year (2019) so I just got done with the application cycle! I applied to DO and MD as a Texas Resident, I got interviews and acceptances from both types of medical schools. Please feel free to ask any questions about the process of applying, interviews, or schools! Once again, good luck future docs!
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Why did you choose ARCOM over the other schools you got accepted at?
 
Hope4Me2BDoc said:
Why did you choose ARCOM over the other schools you got accepted at?
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I chose ARCOM for the same reason I chose my undergrad, I wanted to go to a school that really focused on the students and provided the support of a "small school." During the interview, I spoke to many students that all said that they have 24/7 access to their professors and that some will even call them into their offices to discuss grades and issues that may be arising. I found it comforting to know that the professors cared this much about their students and that if times ever got tough, I would be able to bounce back with a little help from them. Aside from this, the facility and overall campus gave me a country feel which I look for because it lowers my overall stress level, as opposed to being located in a major city. The open fresh air and multiple rivers, trails, and parks made me choose ARCOM.
 
Tex2614 said:
I chose ARCOM for the same reason I chose my undergrad, I wanted to go to a school that really focused on the students and provided the support of a "small school." During the interview, I spoke to many students that all said that they have 24/7 access to their professors and that some will even call them into their offices to discuss grades and issues that may be arising. I found it comforting to know that the professors cared this much about their students and that if times ever got tough, I would be able to bounce back with a little help from them. Aside from this, the facility and overall campus gave me a country feel which I look for because it lowers my overall stress level, as opposed to being located in a major city. The open fresh air and multiple rivers, trails, and parks made me choose ARCOM.
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That’s really awesome! Being able to go to a school that you will be happy at is so important so I’m glad that you found that! Thanks for answering my question and good luck on your med school journey!
 
Hope4Me2BDoc said:
That’s really awesome! Being able to go to a school that you will be happy at is so important so I’m glad that you found that! Thanks for answering my question and good luck on your med school journey!
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Thank you so much! I'm glad I was able to help! I know trying to find the perfect fit in medical schools can be stressful, I hope I was able to help you in your path to med school! Let me know if there are any other questions you have, even outside of ARCOM! I was a fairly "unique" applicant (good GPA but not so hot MCAT (4 attempts) with good volunteering and clinicals), so unique that I actually got rejected by ARCOM but then later accepted once I contacted the admissions office (more proof that the staff is super friendly and understanding). Good luck to you as well!!
 
Tex2614 said:
Thank you so much! I'm glad I was able to help! I know trying to find the perfect fit in medical schools can be stressful, I hope I was able to help you in your path to med school! Let me know if there are any other questions you have, even outside of ARCOM! I was a fairly "unique" applicant (good GPA but not so hot MCAT (4 attempts) with good volunteering and clinicals), so unique that I actually got rejected by ARCOM but then later accepted once I contacted the admissions office (more proof that the staff is super friendly and understanding). Good luck to you as well!!
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Oh wow that’s awesome! I’ll definitely let you know if I have any other questions! Congrats and thank you again!
 
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Cricothyroidotomy said:
This school accepts nearly everyone. It’s pretty much a Caribbean DO school. So if you want to go to med school, but don’t want the hassle of moving to the Caribbean, I highly recommend applying here.
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That's not true. I know people that have been rejected or waitlisted and never got accepted. Go check the previous cycle thread to see how many people are complaining about the very little movement the waitlist has had so far. Plus there's no way they would accept all ~5000 people that apply since they only interview about 700 people for 150 spots.
 
Cricothyroidotomy said:
All I see are people celebrating the fact that they got off the waitlist. Does this school publish rates of attrition? If so, I’d imagine it is pretty high.
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I go here, incoming OMSII, so I know what I'm talking about. It's anything but a Caribbean DO school. Rate of attrition is not high. I only know of 2 people that has been kicked out of the program so far, and one them was a professionalism issue. About 3% have had to repeat a year which is lower than the national average of 4%. Also, only a few people have been celebrating being pulled off the waitlist. You need to go a few days/weeks back in the 2018-2019 thread to see how many have been complaining.
 
DrStephenStrange said:
I go here, incoming OMSII, so I know what I'm talking about. It's anything but a Caribbean DO school. Rate of attrition is not high. I only know of 2 people that has been kicked out of the program so far, and one them was a professionalism issue. About 3% have had to repeat a year which is lower than the national average of 4%. Also, only a few people have been celebrating being pulled off the waitlist. You need to go a few days/weeks back in the 2018-2019 thread to see how many have been complaining.
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Where are you getting that data? I know a few people from college that go there and have heard them talk about a lot of people having to repeat and or getting expelled from the program. Not 3%.
 
Cricothyroidotomy said:
Where are you getting that data? I know a few people from college that go there and have heard them talk about a lot of people having to repeat and or getting expelled from the program. Not 3%.
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The 96% graduation rate over 6 years, you can get from AACOM data. The 3% I get from the amount of people having to repeat in my class and people that have had to repeat from the inaugural class.
 
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Cricothyroidotomy said:
Where are you getting that data? I know a few people from college that go there and have heard them talk about a lot of people having to repeat and or getting expelled from the program. Not 3%.
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Also, it's a new DO school, so there are some bumps here and there, but it's definitely not a Caribbean DO school like you mentioned before.
 
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Doctor Rob said:
So should I retake the mcat..?
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You’ll easily get into arcom and maybe a few other DO schools with that score. But if you wanted in a more desirable program you could boost it up a few points. But at the end of the day you’ll still be a doctor. (Assuming the new schools get accredited, you pass the boards, and get a score competitive enough to get you into residency)
 
Doctor Rob said:
So should I retake the mcat..?
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The school average MCAT is about 500-501, so you might have a chance with a 497 (depending on how the rest of your application look), but I haven't seen a lot of people get in with less than a 498. Although, I've heard from some faculty that the incoming class average MCAT has gone up a little (maybe around 501-503). Your best bet though is to retake the MCAT anyway and aim for higher than 500. Someone who was on the current waitlist had a 496 and got accepted after updating the school about his/her MCAT increase to 501 along with a letter of intent.
 
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DrStephenStrange said:
The school average MCAT is about 500-501, so you might have a chance with a 497 (depending on how the rest of your application look), but I haven't seen a lot of people get in with less than a 498. Although, I've heard from some faculty that the incoming class average MCAT have gone up a little (maybe around 501-503). Your best bet though is to retake the MCAT anyway and aim for higher than 500. Someone who was on the current waitlist had a 496 and got accepted after updating the school about his/her MCAT increase to 501 along with a letter of intent.
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Can you cite where you got that data?
 
I’m not going to assign much value to insider knowledge. I think rob will be more than competitive with his current score at arcom and other brand new do schools.
 
Cricothyroidotomy said:
I’m not going to assign much value to insider knowledge. I think rob will be more than competitive with his current score at arcom and other brand new do schools.
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And he's more than welcome to try. 497 is pretty low, and not a lot of people get in with these scores.
 
Everything DrStephenStrange has said is true and accurate. I would say that it's quite competitive accepting only 150 out of just shy of. 6,000 applications. The staff truly does take a holistic approach to their applicants but I would agree that a 498 should be the minimum goal of applicants with anything over 500 giving you a good chance. I don't think its remotely accurate to call ARCOM a Caribbean DO School.
 
Cricothyroidotomy said:
Might be a little biased coming from two people who are going to the school. Nothing wrong with going to a Caribbean DO school. I’m sure they’ll do fine in a couple of years when they get everything figured out. But as for now, like all of the other brand new DO schools (way too many imo), they’ve got a huge learning curve to account for.
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Yeah I definitely understand that but I’m a Texas resident and I turned down a MD spot at my local university to come here. Everything I have experienced with ARCOM made me choose them and sacrifice a little higher tuition to attend there compared to our instate perks in Texas.
 
Tex2614 said:
Yeah I definitely understand that but I’m a Texas resident and I turned down a MD spot at my local university to come here. Everything I have experienced with ARCOM made me choose them and sacrifice a little higher tuition to attend there compared to our instate perks in Texas.
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And I know at least 3 more people in my class alone who have turned down an MD acceptance to come here as well. I'm not going to judge their decision, but I just wanna point out that we do have some pretty good caliber students coming here as well, and that even if it's a new school, it's still fairly competitive. Don't just think you'll be just fine with a 496-497 MCAT or a barely 3.0 GPA.
 
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DrStephenStrange said:
That's not true. I know people that have been rejected or waitlisted and never got accepted. Go check the previous cycle thread to see how many people are complaining about the very little movement the waitlist has had so far. Plus there's no way they would accept all ~5000 people that apply since they only interview about 700 people for 150 spots.
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I see they deleted their original post. What an idiot.

No, not everyone gets a damn invite or acceptance here.
 
Starting OMSI at ARCOM in the next couple of weeks. Please reach out if you have any questions about applying and the interview. I got some awesome vibes while at my interview and turned down my other acceptance and waitlist spot to attend.
 
QuantumWolverine said:
Starting OMSI at ARCOM in the next couple of weeks. Please reach out if you have any questions about applying and the interview. I got some awesome vibes while at my interview and turned down my other acceptance and waitlist spot to attend.
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Can you private message me please? Thank you
 
Just got an email from ARCOM, sounds like there isn’t a secondary but idk
 
Tex2614 said:
Thank you so much! I'm glad I was able to help! I know trying to find the perfect fit in medical schools can be stressful, I hope I was able to help you in your path to med school! Let me know if there are any other questions you have, even outside of ARCOM! I was a fairly "unique" applicant (good GPA but not so hot MCAT (4 attempts) with good volunteering and clinicals), so unique that I actually got rejected by ARCOM but then later accepted once I contacted the admissions office (more proof that the staff is super friendly and understanding). Good luck to you as well!!
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This is very intriguing- would you be willing to share more about how you got in after a reject? In the same cycle?

Also- just got the confirmation email everyone else is talking about ^^^^
Looks like they pre-screen for secondaries

Edit: from last year's forum, looks like the first person to post about receiving a secondary was on July 21.
 
So it looks like there is a secondary application: From ARCOM's website

"
ARCOM Secondary Application Process

Secondary applications will be made available to applicants who are best suited to fulfill the mission, values and goals of ARCOM.
Those who receive access to the Secondary Application should complete and submit the application and pay the $50.00 Secondary Application Fee by the required deadline. Secondary Applications should be submitted as early as possible and at least four weeks prior to the latest filing date. ARCOM conducts a rolling-admissions process.
Candidates will be required to acknowledge their ability and willingness to comply with ARCOM’s technical standards, policies on attendance, dress code, requirements for participation in osteopathic teaching and education, ARCOM student professional and academic conduct and policies.
"
 
incoming OMS-I at ARCOM, would be happy to answer any questions about the school, Fort Smith, apps, etc!
 
Called and confirmed that there will be a secondary application. The next step is to review AACOMAS application to receive an invite to fill out a secondary application.
 
Tex2614 said:
Yeah I definitely understand that but I’m a Texas resident and I turned down a MD spot at my local university to come here. Everything I have experienced with ARCOM made me choose them and sacrifice a little higher tuition to attend there compared to our instate perks in Texas.
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And I think you're crazy for that.

Its nothing against ARCOM or any DO school, but just for the sake of not taking two sets of board exams would be enough for me to have to taken the MD accept.
 
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DOthebestyoucan said:
Called and confirmed that there will be a secondary application. The next step is to review AACOMAS application to receive an invite to fill out a secondary application.
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Guys chill out. Let the adcoms do their magic. They’ll send a secondary and get to you. Orientation is next week and school starts next Friday so they’re probably super busy right now.
 
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