2022-2023 Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM)

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Jsmith48483922 said:
What’s the layout of the interview day 9-3? I assume a presentation, Q&A, lunch, faculty interview, etc. Can’t find anything online about this
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The interview happens early in the day. Its like the second thing you do. First its an overview of the school. After the interview, you meet with other departments and the last thing is a tour. There is a prompt that you need to answer. It's a written question. Nothing crazy. Very basic question. I was worried they wouldn't understand my writing.

You will get an itinerary the day before the interview of your day and who your interviewers are going to be. There is also an info session with just students where you can ask whatever questions you want and it has no impact on your admission. It's not recorded or anything.
 
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Emailed them about my interest and got the following reply just now:

Hello drthedude,



I am Lindsey Hargrave, the admissions coordinator. During this time, many applicants will submit letters of intent, update letters on shadowing/classwork/etc., and new MCAT scores. I think your application is competitive, but anything you can think of to add to the application is beneficial to you right now. Anything that will allow the committee to get to know you more.



Additionally, I will add your email to your application for the committee to see your interest in ARCOM. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you.
 
Just got the II ! I am happy but also quite stressed about getting there from OOS. Could people that did the interview please give me some tips about traveling arrangement?

Questions:
Did you drive or fly?
If fly, which airport is closest to ARCOM?
Which hotel did you stay? Price?
When did you have to arrive?
How long is the whole interview and visit? Were you able to leave the same day?
Did you attend student-lead virtual Meet & Greet the night before interview? Was it helpful/necessary?

Oh What is the interview format? is it one on one or group or ?

Thanks a lot for any advice!
 
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seasunlight said:
Just got the II ! I am happy but also quite stressed about getting there from OOS. Could people that did the interview please give me some tips about traveling arrangement?

Questions:
Did you drive or fly?
If fly, which airport is closest to ARCOM?
Which hotel did you stay? Price?
When did you have to arrive?
How long is the whole interview and visit? Were you able to leave the same day?
Did you attend student-lead virtual Meet & Greet the night before interview? Was it helpful/necessary?

Oh What is the interview format? is it one on one or group or ?

Thanks a lot for any advice!
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I was planning to fly. My flight got canceled the night before I was leaving and ended up driving the 13 hours there. Do not recommend it.

The closest airport is Fort smith airport. Its like 15-20 minutes from the school.
I stayed at the home2suites. I called them and they gave me a discount rate of less than 100 per night. It's basically a studio with utensils and sink etc and includes a free continental breakfast. They can pick you up from the airport. Someone said that they can also take you to school on interview day, but since I brought the car, I drove myself.

I arrived the evening before. Originally was supposed to arrive the morning before.

The interview starts at 9 and ends around 3pm. I stayed a day but I knew someone that left in the evening that same day.

The Meet and Greet was helpful. You make of it what you want. The students answered everything and no faculty was allowed there.

Its a 30 minute closed file interview. One staff, one community member. Very casual. It flew by for me. I wished it was longer.
 
seasunlight said:
Thank you so much! Sry that your flight got canceled..
For the Meet and Greet, did you do it at the hotel with your laptop or ? Does the hotel have free internet?
Did you go by yourself or with family? Is family allowed in any part of interview day? is it like 9-9:30 interview, then orientation or what's after that until 3pm?
Does the school have free parking for visitors? Did you park like next to the interview building or ?

Thank you!!
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I honestly enjoyed the drive because I got to explore the state. As someone that loves hiking and nature, its very appealing.
I used my iPad and used the hotels free internet. I went with my wife and she explored the area. They are not allowed at the interview. However, after the interview, I drove around with her looking at the campus housing and surrounding area.
The interview is like the second thing that you do. Half of the people get interviews and the other do a "project" and answer a written prompt. The majority of the day is presentations from different departments. You do a tour towards the end and then the last thing is to meet with the president. You do also get lunch in between. Parking is free. They send you information the night before on where to park. It's literally in front of the building.
 
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EArlyBirdGetsTheWorm said:
I honestly enjoyed the drive because I got to explore the state. As someone that loves hiking and nature, its very appealing.
I used my iPad and used the hotels free internet. I went with my wife and she explored the area. They are not allowed at the interview. However, after the interview, I drove around with her looking at the campus housing and surrounding area.
The interview is like the second thing that you do. Half of the people get interviews and the other do a "project" and answer a written prompt. The majority of the day is presentations from different departments. You do a tour towards the end and then the last thing is to meet with the president. You do also get lunch in between. Parking is free. They send you information the night before on where to park. It's literally in front of the building.
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I second all of this @seasunlight . They make the day an overall very positive experience and you get the interview going right away so you aren't sitting and dwelling on it. Like EarlyBird, I make the trek 11 hours via car. This was my first time in arkansas so I was actually happy I did drive as I got to see what they all had to offer.
 
Lost_Mountain_Man said:
You're probably as good as anyone to ask, but as far as accreditation goes, why is ARCOM listed as "Accreditation with Heighten Monitoring"? Is that just because its a fairly new school (est. 2017) or is are there issues with the curriculum and/or school that are warranting the heightened monitoring?
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They had their OMM chair leave for another school in the middle of the year, right before their COCA inspection and didn't have anyone with over 3 years who were board certified in OMM to assume oversight of the OMM curriculum, hence they did not meet that standard. Heightened monitoring means a school has less than 3 standards that were not fully met and is the accreditation level just below regular accreditation.
 
seasunlight said:
is this bad? is this gonna be a serious concern/risk for future/current students? This now makes me worry...
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It's not uncommon for OMM chairs to bounce around from school to school. There are many things to worry about, but this wouldn't rank very high on my list of concerns. Match, board pass rate, student attrition rate, attendance/remediation policies, overall faculty turnover, legitimate research opportunities, etc would all rank higher as concerns if I were a student.
 
Is anyone interviewing on 8/30? I'm still looking for a hotel or something for the night before, and I've never been to Fort Smith before 😬.
 
seasunlight said:
is this bad? is this gonna be a serious concern/risk for future/current students? This now makes me worry...
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Nope, they already replaced that position and came into compliance with the standard. The way COCA does their accreditation, the heightened monitoring status remains until the next full inspection 4 years after the first, even though the thing that lead to it was corrected.
 
Is this considered complete? I'm not sure if I'm missing anything here.
 

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issslinggling said:
Is this considered complete? I'm not sure if I'm missing anything here.I
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I emailed admissions to make sure my application was complete. It turned out that I was missing the signed technical standards form. After that, they said all is now completed. I still have the same as in your picture.
 
to anyone that flew in for an interview, did you rent a car or did you just find hotels that offer shuttles from the airport and to the campus? The interview invite email said some of the nearby hotels offer shuttles to campus but didnt specify which ones.
 
seasunlight said:
After in-person interview, when do people get notified with decision?
I heard there is a prompt to write during interview? Is it to write an essay on paper with pen like a test? How long is time allowed for how many words?
Thanks
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It took me 13 days. They did tell us in the interview 2-3 weeks. The prompt is written with a pen. There was no formal time or limit. The staff member left a bunch of us in the room to write. I wrote about half a page. I have no idea whether it affected my admission decision.
 
hanginginthere112b said:
II! Wow they do work fast. Secondary was submitted yesterday
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did you have a LOR from a DO? Can I get a waiver for my DO LOR with a MD LOR? I have shadowed a DO, but didn't build enough of a relationship to ask for a LOR.. I just submitted my secondary and technical form too, did anybody receive an interview invite with a DO LOR waiver??
 
rj78131658 said:
did you have a LOR from a DO? Can I get a waiver for my DO LOR with a MD LOR? I have shadowed a DO, but didn't build enough of a relationship to ask for a LOR.. I just submitted my secondary and technical form too, did anybody receive an interview invite with a DO LOR waiver??
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I got an interview with a waiver! I emailed the admissions email and asked for the waiver, it’s 2 short essays (why you don’t have a DO letter and demonstrating that you know the difference of DO v MD. They approved my waiver in like 30 minutes, I completed the secondary and then literally got the interview invite like 5 minutes later. They work quick 😂 good luck!
 
tobicat2016 said:
I got an interview with a waiver! I emailed the admissions email and asked for the waiver, it’s 2 short essays (why you don’t have a DO letter and demonstrating that you know the difference of DO v MD. They approved my waiver in like 30 minutes, I completed the secondary and then literally got the interview invite like 5 minutes later. They work quick 😂 good luck!
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how did you wait for secondary? like from day you submitted waiver, also from day you submitted primary?
 
So my stats aren't great and I'm from Oklahoma but I've got 4000 hours of Healthcare experience, 3 LOR from MDs, 1 from PA, on top of the faculty letters, 600 research hours with 2 posters. Do you guys know if they'll be willing to overlook a low mcat and their average GPA with my ECs? I sent my primary a few days ago. (I know about the DO waiver, I'm currently filling it out)
 
I was placed on a secondary hold with 2100 healthcare hours, 220 non-clinical hours, 200 research hours with textbook and publication etc and a 498 MCAT
EFleming1996 said:
So my stats aren't great and I'm from Oklahoma but I've got 4000 hours of Healthcare experience, 3 LOR from MDs, 1 from PA, on top of the faculty letters, 600 research hours with 2 posters. Do you guys know if they'll be willing to overlook a low mcat and their average GPA with my ECs? I sent my primary a few days ago. (I know about the DO waiver, I'm currently filling it out)
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EFleming1996 said:
So my stats aren't great and I'm from Oklahoma but I've got 4000 hours of Healthcare experience, 3 LOR from MDs, 1 from PA, on top of the faculty letters, 600 research hours with 2 posters. Do you guys know if they'll be willing to overlook a low mcat and their average GPA with my ECs? I sent my primary a few days ago. (I know about the DO waiver, I'm currently filling it out)
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depends on what the MCAT is and if your mission aligns with ARCOM
 
drthedude said:
I was placed on a secondary hold with 2100 healthcare hours, 220 non-clinical hours, 200 research hours with textbook and publication etc and a 498 MCAT
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Have you both beat, over 7,000 hours! My MCAT is the same as their average, but my GPA is on the lower end. I'm non-traditional and graduated from college over a decade ago with a very low GPA. Lets hang in there, we still have time.
 
Question! Is the secondary application finished when you pay the fee? I paid it and got a confirmation of the payment, but not a confirmation that they received the application.
 
EFleming1996 said:
So my stats aren't great and I'm from Oklahoma but I've got 4000 hours of Healthcare experience, 3 LOR from MDs, 1 from PA, on top of the faculty letters, 600 research hours with 2 posters. Do you guys know if they'll be willing to overlook a low mcat and their average GPA with my ECs? I sent my primary a few days ago. (I know about the DO waiver, I'm currently filling it out)
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No secondary here yet with low mcat
 
nachosun said:
Question! Is the secondary application finished when you pay the fee? I paid it and got a confirmation of the payment, but not a confirmation that they received the application.
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After you pay the fee, I believe the secondary app process should finish when you send the signed and technical standard form. After that, they should email you indicating your app is completed, or you can ask them about the status of your secondary app.
 
Livingthird said:
I really liked the rural location, mission, and student support. While this is my only admission thus far, I feel like they will stay first choice for those reasons!
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As someone that grew up in a big city, I definitely enjoyed the quieter environment. I want to stay in my state, but if that doesn’t happen I will definitely come here. Before coming to the interview I wasn’t sure what to expect. The mission and faculty support are very encouraging. I’m also enticed on that new research building that they are doing. I’m curious to see what opportunities there will be.
 
Does anyone know how long it takes them to receive a secondary after getting this email:

"Thank you for your interest in the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM), on the campus of Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE)! Your application has been received from AACOMAS and is currently under review. You will be notified by email once our review is complete and your status has changed. In the meantime, please make sure all required letters of recommendation and ALL MCAT scores are submitted to AACOMAS. If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Moving forward, some emails may come from a "admissions=[email protected]" address (or Campus Nexus) which tend to 1) go to junk/spam folders or 2) be rejected by college/university email accounts. Please make every effort needed to receive these emails, as they could be invitation to proceed to the next step of our admission process.

Thank you, again, for your interest in ARCOM. I hope you have a great day."
 
theOzoneColor said:
Does anyone know how long it takes them to receive a secondary after getting this email:

"Thank you for your interest in the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM), on the campus of Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE)! Your application has been received from AACOMAS and is currently under review. You will be notified by email once our review is complete and your status has changed. In the meantime, please make sure all required letters of recommendation and ALL MCAT scores are submitted to AACOMAS. If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Moving forward, some emails may come from a "admissions=[email protected]" address (or Campus Nexus) which tend to 1) go to junk/spam folders or 2) be rejected by college/university email accounts. Please make every effort needed to receive these emails, as they could be invitation to proceed to the next step of our admission process.

Thank you, again, for your interest in ARCOM. I hope you have a great day."
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still waiting, been about 6 weeks. they only send secondaries to people they interview!
 
seasunlight said:
is 3rd or 4th year rotation in ARCOM strictly in Arkansas? can rotation be done in other states?
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There are 9 core rotation sites. 6 of them are in Arkansas (Fort Smith, NWA, Searcy, Central/Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Hot Springs). 3 are elsewhere (Texoma, Popular Bluff, Shreveport). You must do your 3rd year at a core rotation site. You can go anywhere for your 4th year.
 
m1microglia said:
There are 9 core rotation sites. 6 of them are in Arkansas (Fort Smith, NWA, Searcy, Central/Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Hot Springs). 3 are elsewhere (Texoma, Popular Bluff, Shreveport). You must do your 3rd year at a core rotation site. You can go anywhere for your 4th year.
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How does the lottery for year 3 sites work? Do you rank your top 3?
 
omogedoctor said:
How does the lottery for year 3 sites work? Do you rank your top 3?
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Everyone is placed in a random number generator and you rank all sites. The computer matches you up accordingly. You can elect to write special circumstances as to why you want a specific site (spouse lives there, etc.). Just because you put something down as a special circumstance does not mean they will accept your request.
 
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