2019-2020 West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM)

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uglypremed said:
I read somewhere (either some brochure or a pass SDN thread) that said they interviewed about 550 and accepted about 430 or something like that
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I remember clearly now lol They put up these numbers on twitter.
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VelvetOreo said:
I have a couple questions! I was just browsing the housing situation throughout Lewisburg, and it doesn't seem like there are a ton of options. Were you easily able to find housing? Also, I saw you mentioned Lewisburg being a gem in another post; what is your favorite part about it? Last question, what is prep for boards like? Thank you!
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Housing
My wife and I at the time didn't have any issues finding housing. I'd imagine there are even more options now than what we had to choose from. As long as you aren't super picky, you shouldn't have an issue finding housing. WVSOM should have a list of available housing in the area.

Lewisburg
Lewisburg is special to me and I know most of my classmates I graduated with would say the same. It's a quaint town with friendly people. Prices and cost of living are reasonable. For a small town, there are some great restaurants/bars/shops (Asylum, Food and Friends, Del Sol were my fave) between downtown Lewisburg and the Greenbrier Resort. I'm an avid cyclist, and riding around Lewisburg was some of the best cycling experiences I've ever had. Once you get a bit outside Lewisburg, the rolling hills, lack of traffic, and all-around beautiful scenery made for some great memories. My wife and I also trekked the entire 77.1 mile Greenbrier River Trail and we spent many days hiking/camping on that trail. There is also disc golf/more hiking and camping in the Greenbrier State Forest (myself and some classmates rented a cabin there for graduation, had a ton of fun).

Lewisburg had enough to do to satisfy things you wanted to do outside of school work, but not enough to distract you from what you're there for, and that's to study/do well in school.

Board prep
I won't go too deep into the nitty gritty of board prep but I'll go over a couple things. The two most important things you can do to set yourself up for a great board score is to 1) pay attention in class and do well on exams, and 2) Buy First Aid for the USMLE step 1 and start annotating it along with your courses (when you cover cards/pulm, go over that section in First Aid).

I didn't open First Aid until just before board prep time. If I could go back, I would slowly go through that entire book along with my course work and by the time board prep time would come around I would have already made one pass, or close to it, through that book. Another key thing is to go through a question bank. I used UWorld which I thought was way better than COMBANK. Get through UWorld at least once. If you take USMLE and then COMLEX, I would use the week between the two exams to go over OMT questions in COMBANK (which the school should give you for free).

I used DIT, thought it was meh. I started studying end of March and took the exam end of May/first week of June. I took USMLE first then one week later I took COMLEX. I studied 10-12 hours per day 6 days per week during that time. Some days I studied less and some I studied more.

So, recap. Resources I used in order of importance:
1) First Aid for USMLE Step 1
2) UWorld
3)Pathoma
4)Sketchy Micro (and now I think they have sketchy pharm)
5) DIT (wouldn't recommend honestly, wish I just spent more time on above)
 
Tri4thlete said:
Housing
My wife and I at the time didn't have any issues finding housing. I'd imagine there are even more options now than what we had to choose from. As long as you aren't super picky, you shouldn't have an issue finding housing. WVSOM should have a list of available housing in the area.

Lewisburg
Lewisburg is special to me and I know most of my classmates I graduated with would say the same. It's a quaint town with friendly people. Prices and cost of living are reasonable. For a small town, there are some great restaurants/bars/shops (Asylum, Food and Friends, Del Sol were my fave) between downtown Lewisburg and the Greenbrier Resort. I'm an avid cyclist, and riding around Lewisburg was some of the best cycling experiences I've ever had. Once you get a bit outside Lewisburg, the rolling hills, lack of traffic, and all-around beautiful scenery made for some great memories. My wife and I also trekked the entire 77.1 mile Greenbrier River Trail and we spent many days hiking/camping on that trail. There is also disc golf/more hiking and camping in the Greenbrier State Forest (myself and some classmates rented a cabin there for graduation, had a ton of fun).

Lewisburg had enough to do to satisfy things you wanted to do outside of school work, but not enough to distract you from what you're there for, and that's to study/do well in school.

Board prep
I won't go too deep into the nitty gritty of board prep but I'll go over a couple things. The two most important things you can do to set yourself up for a great board score is to 1) pay attention in class and do well on exams, and 2) Buy First Aid for the USMLE step 1 and start annotating it along with your courses (when you cover cards/pulm, go over that section in First Aid).

I didn't open First Aid until just before board prep time. If I could go back, I would slowly go through that entire book along with my course work and by the time board prep time would come around I would have already made one pass, or close to it, through that book. Another key thing is to go through a question bank. I used UWorld which I thought was way better than COMBANK. Get through UWorld at least once. If you take USMLE and then COMLEX, I would use the week between the two exams to go over OMT questions in COMBANK (which the school should give you for free).

I used DIT, thought it was meh. I started studying end of March and took the exam end of May/first week of June. I took USMLE first then one week later I took COMLEX. I studied 10-12 hours per day 6 days per week during that time. Some days I studied less and some I studied more.

So, recap. Resources I used in order of importance:
1) First Aid for USMLE Step 1
2) UWorld
3)Pathoma
4)Sketchy Micro (and now I think they have sketchy pharm)
5) DIT (wouldn't recommend honestly, wish I just spent more time on above)
Click to expand...
Thank you this is so helpful!
 
Tri4thlete said:
Housing
My wife and I at the time didn't have any issues finding housing. I'd imagine there are even more options now than what we had to choose from. As long as you aren't super picky, you shouldn't have an issue finding housing. WVSOM should have a list of available housing in the area.

Lewisburg
Lewisburg is special to me and I know most of my classmates I graduated with would say the same. It's a quaint town with friendly people. Prices and cost of living are reasonable. For a small town, there are some great restaurants/bars/shops (Asylum, Food and Friends, Del Sol were my fave) between downtown Lewisburg and the Greenbrier Resort. I'm an avid cyclist, and riding around Lewisburg was some of the best cycling experiences I've ever had. Once you get a bit outside Lewisburg, the rolling hills, lack of traffic, and all-around beautiful scenery made for some great memories. My wife and I also trekked the entire 77.1 mile Greenbrier River Trail and we spent many days hiking/camping on that trail. There is also disc golf/more hiking and camping in the Greenbrier State Forest (myself and some classmates rented a cabin there for graduation, had a ton of fun).

Lewisburg had enough to do to satisfy things you wanted to do outside of school work, but not enough to distract you from what you're there for, and that's to study/do well in school.

Board prep
I won't go too deep into the nitty gritty of board prep but I'll go over a couple things. The two most important things you can do to set yourself up for a great board score is to 1) pay attention in class and do well on exams, and 2) Buy First Aid for the USMLE step 1 and start annotating it along with your courses (when you cover cards/pulm, go over that section in First Aid).

I didn't open First Aid until just before board prep time. If I could go back, I would slowly go through that entire book along with my course work and by the time board prep time would come around I would have already made one pass, or close to it, through that book. Another key thing is to go through a question bank. I used UWorld which I thought was way better than COMBANK. Get through UWorld at least once. If you take USMLE and then COMLEX, I would use the week between the two exams to go over OMT questions in COMBANK (which the school should give you for free).

I used DIT, thought it was meh. I started studying end of March and took the exam end of May/first week of June. I took USMLE first then one week later I took COMLEX. I studied 10-12 hours per day 6 days per week during that time. Some days I studied less and some I studied more.

So, recap. Resources I used in order of importance:
1) First Aid for USMLE Step 1
2) UWorld
3)Pathoma
4)Sketchy Micro (and now I think they have sketchy pharm)
5) DIT (wouldn't recommend honestly, wish I just spent more time on above)
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your detailed info! I was wondering how much dedicated Board prep time you had in OMS-2 year. Thanks!
 
FailingPremed123 said:
Thank you so much for your detailed info! I was wondering how much dedicated Board prep time you had in OMS-2 year. Thanks!
Click to expand...

WVSOM gives more dedicated board time than most medical schools. Our dedicated board time went from the third week of March until you took your test ( usually late May, early June). I studied for roughly 8 full weeks. Some of the current students on this forum can chime in if this has changed in any way.
 
Anyone have advice for the interview? I'm doing SDN questions basically. I know the interview is advertised as conversational and easy going but my first interview was also supposed to be like that and it wasn't at all. Really hoping that doesn't happen again!
 
uglypremed said:
Anyone have advice for the interview? I'm doing SDN questions basically. I know the interview is advertised as conversational and easy going but my first interview was also supposed to be like that and it wasn't at all. Really hoping that doesn't happen again!
Click to expand...

The interview is low stress I can 100% guarantee you that. But they will ask you difficult questions about yourself that you definitely don't want to be caught off guard by. For example, they asked me about one of my grades I got from a few years ago. They also asked why I hadn't considered doing pharmacy because of prior work experience as well as any differences in observations I had made while shadowing MDs vs. DOs.

My advice to you, you're going to have a conversation about yourself, your past experiences, and your future aspirations. Be comfortable with your past experiences, be able to explain and converse about them. Lastly, BE YOURSELF. I know that sounds cliche but it's the advantage of a traditional interview format compared to a MMI. You get to explain your thoughts and past and give them insight into who you are.

You're going to do great! Best of luck.
 
uglypremed said:
Anyone have advice for the interview? I'm doing SDN questions basically. I know the interview is advertised as conversational and easy going but my first interview was also supposed to be like that and it wasn't at all. Really hoping that doesn't happen again!
Click to expand...

When is your interview?

I second being yourself. Know some topics/main points you want to bring up and be able to apply those to multiple questions (since you never know which questions you’ll be asked). Also know your application inside and out.
Good luck!
 
rahrahb said:
When is your interview?

I second being yourself. Know some topics/main points you want to bring up and be able to apply those to multiple questions (since you never know which questions you’ll be asked). Also know your application inside and out.
Good luck!
Click to expand...

I interview on 1/16. My topics/main points do you mean different topics to use while answering their questions?
 
Howdy, y'all! Good luck on all your interviews. Do any of you know approximately how long it took to receive an II from the time of secondary submission/completion? Thank you!
 
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pvt.kabob said:
Howdy, y'all! Good luck on all your interviews. Do any of you know approximately how long it took to receive an II from the time of secondary submission/completion? Thank you!
Click to expand...

It's highly variable, some people hear back within a month while others hear back after 6 months... Just make sure you are sending update letters/updated transcripts.
 
uglypremed said:
I interview on 1/16. My topics/main points do you mean different topics to use while answering their questions?
Click to expand...

Yes, different topics but also different experiences and parts of your application that can be applied broadly. Some of the questions may have similar answers, for example:

What do you think your worst quality is?
Tell me about a difficult time at work/school and how you handled it?

Both of these questions could be answered using the same topic (or quality). So if you have a handful of topics/experiences you wish to talk about you can tailor how you answer them in order to answer multiple questions.

I hope that helped clarify what I meant!

Also, would you mind sending me a PM please?
 
Is the Microsoft Surface the only computer WVSOM will provide, or can we opt for a MacBook? I know the computer is given to us with the different programs we need for school, but I’m just biased towards Apple products.
 
DOgdad said:
Is the Microsoft Surface the only computer WVSOM will provide, or can we opt for a MacBook? I know the computer is given to us with the different programs we need for school, but I’m just biased towards Apple products.
Click to expand...
That is understandable. You will have to use the surface. They won't provide you with another option because it's easier to standardize everything onto one computer type. All of your test taking software is on the surface You also need it to access the EHR that we use. Other than that, there is no reason that you can't use a mac if that's what you already own. Most students just use the surface, but a few students use a mac or other computer for all their studying.
 
klebsiella1 said:
Will be interviewing here this week - was wondering how you all got around? I tried to look up ubers in the area but it says there are no drivers over there. If you used taxi - how much was your cost? I'll be staying at a hotel down the road and it's a bit too far to walk unfortunately.
Click to expand...

Do you interview tomorrow or Friday?
 
klebsiella1 said:
Will be interviewing here this week - was wondering how you all got around? I tried to look up ubers in the area but it says there are no drivers over there. If you used taxi - how much was your cost? I'll be staying at a hotel down the road and it's a bit too far to walk unfortunately.
Click to expand...
If you stay at the quality inn/ holiday inn, they have a complementary shuttle service from the airport to the hotels and also throughout the town (lol its so small). The town is small enough that you can go for a 5min stroll and end up at any of the restaurants there. The shuttle service can also bring you back from the interview to the hotel. Both hotels use the same shuttle. The guy who drives the bus is thee man. Hope that helps!
 
klebsiella1 said:
Will be interviewing here this week - was wondering how you all got around? I tried to look up ubers in the area but it says there are no drivers over there. If you used taxi - how much was your cost? I'll be staying at a hotel down the road and it's a bit too far to walk unfortunately.
Click to expand...

I rented a small car when I went for my interview years ago. Lewisburg's public transportation does leave a little to be desired 🙂
 
FailingPremed123 said:
Thank you so much for your detailed info! I was wondering how much dedicated Board prep time you had in OMS-2 year. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hey! I'm an OMS-II. We are done with year 2 on April 3 so that's when our "dedicated" time starts but most people have already started studying since the semester started. Most people are taking Boards the end of may / beginning of June so we have about 8 weeks of solely board study.
 
Does anyone know when specific dates for 2020-2021 syllabus comes out and when we know what date school starts? And what assignments to do? I saw the website still has class of 2023 required assignments
 
Does anyone know if they have any events for parents on interview day? My parents will be joining me during my trip so I was just wondering.
 
Futurebonedoc said:
Is WVSOM only interviewing for waitlist now? I interview mid february.
Click to expand...
I heard that they haven’t filled up their class yet, and normally they would be into their waitlist, but they aren’t. That was last week though so it could have changed and spots could have filled up by now.
 
Hi there, so I just created this one, and I'm doing some approvals on it.

WV Class of 2024 (Students only) | Facebook

Let’s have an actual students group. Please eitherdm me or email proof of acceptance and I’ll approve your request.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

No housing posts, just admitted students with the intent to go here, and I'll keep the membership curated down.
 
Howdy, y'all!

Can anyone comment what interview day was like? Any tips? Closed/Open File? I'd love any bit of information... I'll promise to be friends 🙂
 
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