2020-2021 A.T. Still University (Kirksville, Missouri) ATSU-KCOM

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Anyone from the 11/9 interview day hear back yet?
 
Can any 3rd or 4th year speak about rotations here? I believe they told me during the interview day that you are placed at either a 1 year or a 2 year site for 3rd/4th year? That is, you don't have to move too frequently it seems for rotation sites?

You are matched to a region during Semester 4 for Third and Fourth year. Some sites require out rotations, so you may have to travel some during third and fourth years depending on the site you get.
 
Has anyone had the opportunity to visit Kirksville and can comment on what it’s like? I don’t think I’ll be able to visit the school before making my decision and I’m curious to know how it is

It’s rural. There is a state park and hiking areas. Truman University is near ATSU-KCOM, so you’ll see lots of undergrad students if you live near campus. Some parts of town are nicer than others. The square has a few bars and restaurants as well as a movie theater.

I come from a town smaller than this, but I think there’s less to do here quite honestly. I guess it allows for plenty of studying.
 
Anyone know if the Hinsdale IL rotation site ( AMITA health ) is a one or two year rotation? Same question for the SIU rotation sites, Peoria and Normal IL, one or two year rotation?
 
Anyone know if the Hinsdale IL rotation site ( AMITA health ) is a one or two year rotation? Same question for the SIU rotation sites, Peoria and Normal IL, one or two year rotation?
1st year student here. Per the rotation site list, all sites are 2 year rotations.
 
Interviewing Friday, any tips or advice?
 
1st year student here. Per the rotation site list, all sites are 2 year rotations.
Gracias me amigo!! As a first year would you recommend any topics to review before starting in July ( subjects like pathology etc or Anki/amboss/reading scientific literature etc)? I know the topic of pre-studying med school is beating a dead horse, but anything for my own edification lol.
 
Gracias me amigo!! As a first year would you recommend any topics to review before starting in July ( subjects like pathology etc or Anki/amboss/reading scientific literature etc)? I know the topic of pre-studying med school is beating a dead horse, but anything for my own edification lol.
Bien sur mon ami! And nope, not one bit. So the first semester is just foundations, while 2-4 are systems. We don't touch path til 2nd semester, so no need to pre-study. Only thing for anki is to learn how to use it, although I will say this is pretty manageable to do in July. Personally, I read scientific literature just to stay stimulated (had journal club for the lab I was in prior to starting at KCOM, and still read whenever I have time). But there's no benefit to doing so for the curriculum. Biggest things you can do is work on developing healthy habits, structure, etc to make your life easier when you get here and start. And that is universal, you'll need it at any school you go to.
 
Anyone know if the Hinsdale IL rotation site ( AMITA health ) is a one or two year rotation? Same question for the SIU rotation sites, Peoria and Normal IL, one or two year rotation?

Hinsdale was not offered this year. The other sites you mentioned are two year sites.

Sites are constantly changing, so your year may be different. One site offered this year was a questionable 2 year, for example.
 
Read the interviewer bios and have a few hobbies to talk about. They want students who are well rounded.

Interviews here are laid back so nothing to stress about.
I haven’t received any info about my interviewers. I’m guessing I’ll be getting it today? Thank you though, I appreciate it!
 
STILL haven't heard anything from my 11/9 interview :grumpy: at what point should I email them? They told me 3-4 weeks and I'm getting inpatient :nailbiting:
 
STILL haven't heard anything from my 11/9 interview :grumpy: at what point should I email them? They told me 3-4 weeks and I'm getting inpatient :nailbiting:
Yeah same. Idk how long to wait before sending an email.
 
On my interview day we all got them the day of because I think the person who typically sends them was out of office that week or something.

It should still be the same as they did for in person interviews.

1 admission member (never bothered getting to know them, no opinion).

1 doctor- they can be any of the OMM faculty or FM doctors. I haven’t heard of any IM interviewers, but I wouldn’t rule them out. The OMM and FM faculty are all really nice and will talk about why you want to be a doctor and why you think you’d fit in here.

1 professor- The anatomy department faculty are all great. Biochem is generally good. If micro does interviews, they’re all fantastic as well. I assume micro is busy this week with first years, though.
 
Can any current ATSU students talk about the curriculum and if it functions under a pass/fail system?
 
Can any current ATSU students talk about the curriculum and if it functions under a pass/fail system?

First semester you learn the basic sciences. Second semester you start systems based learning. OTM and Complete DO are under a different test cycle than the rest of the classes and are tested together during your first year. You receive letter grades for almost every class, though some classes span 3 semesters, and they won’t be graded until the end of S4.

It’s not “pass/fail”, in the sense that you receive a letter grade. ATSU-KCOM does have a final each semester. The final is only factored into your grade if you get less than a 70% in a subject, though the school only schedules 2 days from your last exam to review everything, so it sucks anyway. If you fail the final for one class, the score will then be factored in to your grade. This rule does not apply for Complete DO or OTM.

It is “pass/fail” in the sense that graduating does mean that you’ve passed and are a doctor. Board scores matter more than your GPA. That might change with upcoming changes, but nobody can know until that class matches.
 
I know that Kirksville is rural, but are the rotation sites that they offer rural as well? Or is it a nice mix of urban and rural rotations. Also, for students who choose to rotate outside of Kirksville, how often did you return to Kirksville during your 3rd and 4th years? Sorry, I'm a bit new to the whole process of 3rd and 4th year rotations.
 
So I emailed this morning since Friday was the end of the 4th week since my interview and I got this response...ugh...

"Hello. We hope your week has been going well. We added a couple of interview days to this cycle due to virtual interviews. We are running behind with decisions. We will do our best to have a decision to you by the end of the week. Take care and have a great start to your week!"
 
So I emailed this morning since Friday was the end of the 4th week since my interview and I got this response...ugh...

"Hello. We hope your week has been going well. We added a couple of interview days to this cycle due to virtual interviews. We are running behind with decisions. We will do our best to have a decision to you by the end of the week. Take care and have a great start to your week!"
Tough to say. Unless you completely sabotaged yourself during the interview, I would say that is a standard response. I won't lose hope, the cycle still has lots of time!
 
Hello All,
I have an interview coming up and I am so nervous! It is my second interview and I feel like the first one was not great. So, I was wondering is anyone had any advice for me, any general questions I can prepare for, or just information about how the layout of the interview.
Thank you in advance!
 
So I emailed this morning since Friday was the end of the 4th week since my interview and I got this response...ugh...

"Hello. We hope your week has been going well. We added a couple of interview days to this cycle due to virtual interviews. We are running behind with decisions. We will do our best to have a decision to you by the end of the week. Take care and have a great start to your week!"
Maybe we'll get lucky by friday 🙂
 
Hello All,
I have an interview coming up and I am so nervous! It is my second interview and I feel like the first one was not great. So, I was wondering is anyone had any advice for me, any general questions I can prepare for, or just information about how the layout of the interview.
Thank you in advance!
Keep your cool, read through your application one more time, speak from the heart, have a glass of water with you! Do not bug out you will survive it lol
 
Hello All,
I have an interview coming up and I am so nervous! It is my second interview and I feel like the first one was not great. So, I was wondering is anyone had any advice for me, any general questions I can prepare for, or just information about how the layout of the interview.
Thank you in advance!

This was the most conversational and laidback interview that I had. I didn’t think any of the questions were unfair and it felt like my interviewers just wanted to get to know me. Just make sure you know your app because it is open file
 
I know that Kirksville is rural, but are the rotation sites that they offer rural as well? Or is it a nice mix of urban and rural rotations. Also, for students who choose to rotate outside of Kirksville, how often did you return to Kirksville during your 3rd and 4th years? Sorry, I'm a bit new to the whole process of 3rd and 4th year rotations.

You can find a list of rotation sites that have been offered to ATSU-KCOM students on the website. It’s not entirely accurate. There’s a mix of rural and urban. Arizona and St. Louis accept the most students each year.

You won’t have to come back to Kirksville much if you choose to rotate somewhere with a residency.
 
For those that interviewed today, 12/14--I asked during the morning session how the ~4 week decision-making process would be impacted by the holiday break. They said they close from 12/19-01/04 and that the decisions for this group would be made towards the end of January. <3
 
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