2019-2020 Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-COM)

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Secondary Prompt:

750 characters for these questions:
  • Do you have any experience shadowing or working with a physician (DO or MD)? If so, describe the experience (name & location of hospital/clinic, name & specialty of physician, and amount of time spent shadowing)
  • Please share any other relevant information that you would like the MU-COM Admissions Committee to know about you.
1250 Characters for these questions:
  • Indicate any changes or additions that have occurred since submitting your AACOMAS application. (Including, but not limited to, education, employment, extracurricular activities, research, military service, academic warnings, conduct violations, and/or convictions.)
  • Are you interested in practicing medicine in Indiana? If yes, please describe your interest and reasons why. If no, please explain why not.
  • In which area of medicine are you most interested in practicing and why?
  • Please comment on your experience working with and future desire to serve patients in a rural or medically underserved community.
  • Describe your motivation for attending MU-COM. Please be specific.
And additionally:
Please explain any gaps in education or employment longer than holidays and semester breaks
 
Last edited:
I searched previous years of this thread to get clarification on LOR requirements and ended up emailing admissions directly. For the information of everyone applying this cycle to MU-COM, I asked if they accept composite letters in place of two individual science letters. Here is the response:

“MU-COM will not accept one letter signed by multiple faculty members. We will need to see an individual letter from a physician, science professor, and/or an additional science letter/letter from an academic advisor.”
 
Almost third year at Mucom here..GOOD LUCK!!!!
 
Hi All,
We are here to help answer questions for the group or dispel any rumors about our admissions process. Feel free to tag us if you have specific questions we can answer for the betterment of the group.

Attached are our LOR guidelines, please review as not following the guidelines can hold up your application.

Good luck this cycle!!

--MU-COM Admissions
 

Attachments

Hello, does anyone know about when they start sending out secondaries?
 
Just received word that they have received my primary application, and will consider sending out a supplemental application in 1-2 weeks.
 
Just received the secondary, OOS..... for the question: "Are you interested in practicing medicine in Indiana?"
Do you think it will be viewed in a negative light if you say no? I am from NJ, I don't know exactly where I want to practice medicine definitively, so I am unsure if I put no that it would slim my chances of an interview
 
Just received the secondary, OOS..... for the question: "Are you interested in practicing medicine in Indiana?"
Do you think it will be viewed in a negative light if you say no? I am from NJ, I don't know exactly where I want to practice medicine definitively, so I am unsure if I put no that it would slim my chances of an interview
Better to answer honestly IMO, but I wouldn't reject the idea all together. There could be a chance you fall in love with the area and stay!
 
Hi All,
We are here to help answer questions for the group or dispel any rumors about our admissions process. Feel free to tag us if you have specific questions we can answer for the betterment of the group.

Attached are our LOR guidelines, please review as not following the guidelines can hold up your application.

Good luck this cycle!!

--MU-COM Admissions

Regarding the “Please explain any gaps in education or employment longer than holidays and semester breaks.” on the supplemental application...



Is this asking about during undergraduate or including afterwards? I graduated in 2017 and have not had a full course load since then but during undergraduate I never took any breaks. Do I need to write what I’ve been doing from 2017-Present?
 
Regarding the “Please explain any gaps in education or employment longer than holidays and semester breaks.” on the supplemental application...



Is this asking about during undergraduate or including afterwards? I graduated in 2017 and have not had a full course load since then but during undergraduate I never took any breaks. Do I need to write what I’ve been doing from 2017-Present?
Yes
 
Can someone please post the secondary questions? Thanks in advance.
 
Can someone please post the secondary questions? Thanks in advance.
@PapaGuava
Here are the secondary questions!

750 characters for these questions:
  • Do you have any experience shadowing or working with a physician (DO or MD)? If so, describe the experience (name & location of hospital/clinic, name & specialty of physician, and amount of time spent shadowing)
  • Please share any other relevant information that you would like the MU-COM Admissions Committee to know about you.
1250 Characters for these questions:
  • Indicate any changes or additions that have occurred since submitting your AACOMAS application. (Including, but not limited to, education, employment, extracurricular activities, research, military service, academic warnings, conduct violations, and/or convictions.)
  • Are you interested in practicing medicine in Indiana? If yes, please describe your interest and reasons why. If no, please explain why not.
  • In which area of medicine are you most interested in practicing and why?
  • Please comment on your experience working with and future desire to serve patients in a rural or medically underserved community.
  • Describe your motivation for attending MU-COM. Please be specific.
And additionally:
Please explain any gaps in education or employment longer than holidays and semester breaks
 
Regarding the “Please explain any gaps in education or employment longer than holidays and semester breaks.” on the supplemental application...



Is this asking about during undergraduate or including afterwards? I graduated in 2017 and have not had a full course load since then but during undergraduate I never took any breaks. Do I need to write what I’ve been doing from 2017-Present?

Hi BASBaseball15,
Yes, we are asking, in general, what have you been upto since graduating. I hope this helps!
 
I noticed that this school is Catholic and I am wondering how this may be different for the other schools? If I am not Catholic will this ruin my chances? I am waiting to submit secondary to see if it is worth it. Just curious on the difference here compared to the other not religious schools. Thanks!
 
I noticed that this school is Catholic and I am wondering how this may be different for the other schools? If I am not Catholic will this ruin my chances? I am waiting to submit secondary to see if it is worth it. Just curious on the difference here compared to the other not religious schools. Thanks!
Not at all, they accept and welcome people from all backgrounds
 
Not at all, they accept and welcome people from all backgrounds
At most Catholic schools, a majority of the students aren't Catholic. I went to a Catholic undergrad and half our students identified themselves as Catholic, but I imagine only a small portion of those were practicing.
 
Hi guys,

on the Secondary Application, they ask to upload a PDF of the fee waiver but I am not sure where I would find my PDF of that on the AACOMAS application. Could someone tell me where I could find it so I could upload it to the secondary? Thanks guys
 
Hi guys,

on the Secondary Application, they ask to upload a PDF of the fee waiver but I am not sure where I would find my PDF of that on the AACOMAS application. Could someone tell me where I could find it so I could upload it to the secondary? Thanks guys
Hi friend, not sure if there is a place to download a PDF. Might be easiest to take a screenshot and paste it into a document and convert that into a PDF. Hope this helps.
 
I had my LOR submitted to AACOMAS but on my status page it indicates that they have not received the letters. Do they get marked at a later date or did the letters not meet the requirements?
 
I had my LOR submitted to AACOMAS but on my status page it indicates that they have not received the letters. Do they get marked at a later date or did the letters not meet the requirements?

I have the same status; I think maybe they manually review the letters or something. It does say to expect a 2-3 week wait before materials are reviewed for completion I believe.
 
I have the same status; I think maybe they manually review the letters or something. It does say to expect a 2-3 week wait before materials are reviewed for completion I believe.
Haven't heard anything since they sent the "Within the next 1—2 weeks, you may receive an invitation to complete a supplemental application" email. Do you only have access to your status page once they send you a secondary?
 
Haven't heard anything since they sent the "Within the next 1—2 weeks, you may receive an invitation to complete a supplemental application" email. Do you only have access to your status page once they send you a secondary?
I personally got the full secondary! I was just curious about the LOR.
 
@MU COM Hello! I am an incredibly interested applicant. I was wondering if the initial screen would screen out an applicant with a cumulative GPA just below the minimum, but with an incredibly strong upward trend? I read on your website that an emphasis is put on the last 120 credits earned, but is it even possible to make it past the initial stats only screen with stats just below the minimum? Thank you!
 
Marked complete on the portal! Must've updated a few days ago as my letters were still pending earlier this week.
 
Haven't heard from Marian yet and am starting to get really nervous since it has been 2+ weeks since I got the "1-2 weeks" email...
 
Hi guys,

on the Secondary Application, they ask to upload a PDF of the fee waiver but I am not sure where I would find my PDF of that on the AACOMAS application. Could someone tell me where I could find it so I could upload it to the secondary? Thanks guys

It should be under the 'Submit Application' tab in your AACOMAS, and you can download PDFs for any school.
 
Anyone still have 'incomplete' status for their LORs on the application status page?

Yes, it's still showing as incomplete for mine as well. However, I submitted 7/8/2019, so I'm just waiting for it to update until 2-3 weeks have passed.
 
Anyone still have 'incomplete' status for their LORs on the application status page?

Hi All,
In regards to LoRs, if one submits them through AACOMAS we have more than likely received them, but the process to check them off in the admission portal is a manual one that is handled by our staff. We check them off in chronological order from the time one submits the supplemental application and typically takes 2-3 weeks to complete. We hope this helps!!
 
@MU COM quick question here! Is it looked upon negatively if I do not put anything for that last question about additional information? I feel like I would simply be adding something to fill space!

Thank you for answering questions on here.
 
@MU COM quick question here! Is it looked upon negatively if I do not put anything for that last question about additional information? I feel like I would simply be adding something to fill space!

Thank you for answering questions on here.
Hi bowler,
No, it is not looked upon negatively if you do not put anything for the last question on the supplemental. That question is truly just for anything extra you did not get to communicate on the other parts of your application.
 
Interviewed at MUCOM last cycle. Ended up declining my acceptance, but I was super impressed. They really have their **** together for a relatively new school, and their admissions team is phenomenal. Good luck, everyone!
 
Interviewed at MUCOM last cycle. Ended up declining my acceptance, but I was super impressed. They really have their **** together for a relatively new school, and their admissions team is phenomenal. Good luck, everyone!
Would you mind sharing any specifics?
 
Would you mind sharing any specifics?

Well-established rotations, great board passage rates, respectable match list (which they don’t publish on their site for some reason), professional relationship with Eli Lilly (major pharma company), emphasis on student mental health, nice college campus with a sense of community, located in a really young, vibrant city... Also, all of the staff, faculty, and students I met on interview day were super friendly and seemed determined to turn MUCOM into a top DO school.

Lol, I promise I’m not someone MUCOM hired to praise the school. I’m actually choosing to go to another DO school... but MUCOM left a super positive impression on me, so I thought I’d reflect here.
 
Does MU-COM send secondaries to all applicants or is there a screening process from the primaries?
 
Would it be a bad idea to address a weak part of your application in the other relevant information section (example: EC part) and mention things that you will be involved in the upcoming semester that would add to that? (I'm going on two local volunteer trips next semester because the trip was canceled last semester)
 
@MU COM I had a quick question. Once our application is complete, how will we be notified about interview invitations (if we are chosen for an interview)? Will it be on the portal or via phone/email?
 
@MU COM I had a quick question. Once our application is complete, how will we be notified about interview invitations (if we are chosen for an interview)? Will it be on the portal or via phone/email?
Hi Royal,
Applicants invited to interview here will be notified via email and their admissions portal will change so that they may select their interview date. We hope this helps!
 
Just got an email about my application being forwarded for review! I think my app was marked complete on the portal ~1.5 weeks ago. It also says that the review process can take ~4 weeks, or longer depending on when in the cycle it is. I'd love to check out Indianapolis 😀
 
Just got an email about my application being forwarded for review! I think my app was marked complete on the portal ~1.5 weeks ago. It also says that the review process can take ~4 weeks, or longer depending on when in the cycle it is. I'd love to check out Indianapolis 😀
+1
 
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