2023-2024 Western University of Health Sciences (Lebanon, Oregon)

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Please feel free to tag a pre-medical moderator once the secondary prompt has been posted.

Good luck to everyone applying!

Interview feedback:
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Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest Interview Feedback

Review of Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest Interview Feedback. Get the latest information, opinions of fellow students, and LizzyM and SDN Rankings.
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Secondary received today, applied 5/29. Same secondary as the Pomona campus
 
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Secondaries (all are 500 words)

What experience observing a DO solidified your desire/ambition to become an osteopathic physician? (This could be a formal shadowing experience (one-on-one with a physician), scribing, observing your own physician, friend, or family member who is a DO).

If you have not had the opportunity to shadow/observe a DO why is it important to you to become an osteopathic physician?

What was your most memorable community service activity and how did your activity benefit the community?

How does the COMP Northwest Mission statement align with your values?

Why do you want to attend COMP Northwest in Lebanon, Oregon?

What does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to you and why are they important?

Have you participated in research? (y/n)

Briefly discuss any extenuating circumstances which you feel are pertinent to your application (poor grades, course withdrawals, lapse in your education, etc.).

If you have not taken any coursework for over 3 years, please explain why and what you have been doing during that period of time.
 
I submitted my primary in late May. If I haven’t received a secondary from here and Pomona as of yet, does this mean I’m out of the running?
 
I submitted my secondary on July 5th but it says on their application that they are still waiting for my LORs? I'm a bit anxious rn bc this was all in my primary so I'm confused if it takes them longer to process the LORs?
 
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Just going to leave this on all the schools I applied to, I did receive secondaries from every DO school:

Submitted all 16 DO Schools on 5/28/23... Verified 5/31/23

States: 3.73 Science, 3.77 Overall, 501 (125/122/127/127) and 508 (125/125/127/131)

For this school, secondary received: 6/8/23
 
moonpiemaker300 said:
I submitted my secondary on July 5th but it says on their application that they are still waiting for my LORs? I'm a bit anxious rn bc this was all in my primary so I'm confused if it takes them longer to process the LORs?
Click to expand...
They did the same thing with my physician letter of rec. They said that the letter only detailed my accomplishments and didn't say anything about shadowing or mentoring. It's probably the same issue
 
I'm a little confused- i received an email today saying they're excited for me to continue the secondary...but i didn't recieve any instructions on how to complete or log in for a secondary application?
 
I haven't received a secondary here yet, submitted primary in early July, is this normal?
 
acmed333 said:
I haven't received a secondary here yet, submitted primary in early July, is this normal?
Click to expand...
I contacted admissions - felt the email was a little misleading. it stated: "We’re pleased to see that you started your AACOMAS application for the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program on our Oregon campus and are reaching out to let you know we’re available to answer questions as you work to complete the application."

Which to me meant a secondary invitation, but they said they're still reviewing - so am holding tight and keeping my fingers crossed!
 
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Why must they start this new email with "You're Invited........ to August's Virtual Events"???? They know exactly what they are doing! D:
 
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Just got my interview invite! I submitted my primary 06/24/23 and turned in my secondary 07/22/23. Best of luck everyone!
 
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KingF00L said:
Just got my interview invite! I submitted my primary 06/24/23 and turned in my secondary 07/22/23. Best of luck everyone!
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Yayyy!! Congratulations ｡^‿^｡
 
gr9bambino said:
They did the same thing with my physician letter of rec. They said that the letter only detailed my accomplishments and didn't say anything about shadowing or mentoring. It's probably the same issue
Click to expand...
Any updates on this? This is what my application checklist screen says. DO I have to submit the letters again in the portal?
1691790714149.png
 
acmed333 said:
I haven't received a secondary here yet, submitted primary in early July, is this normal?
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I submitted my primary 7/13 and haven't received a secondary yet either. I got an email from them on 7/16 saying they received by AACOMAS application but nothing since. :(
 
jeanluvr3000 said:
Any updates on this? This is what my application checklist screen says. DO I have to submit the letters again in the portal?
View attachment 375564
Click to expand...
I would email admissions. To quote the email they sent me:

"Thank you for reaching out and bringing this to my attention. After review of your letter, Dr. xx's letter expresses the your accomplishments over a period of time, but the letter does not describe any shadowing or mentoring of the applicant. You can reach out to him to have him to elaborate more in an edited letter or choose another physician you have shadowed. You can have him submit it through interfolio or a variety of other ways. Below are instructions for submitting letters.

Letters of Recommendation:



  • Only one set of letters of recommendation are necessary if you applied to both campuses. Letters of recommendation can be received by mail directly from your recommender to WesternU/Enrollment Data Services Office, Attn. COMP, 309 E. Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766 Attn. COMP. Letters of recommendation given to you for posting or delivery must be signed over the seal by the recommender in order to be considered. Letters of recommendation posted to VirtualEvals or Interfolio should be designated for Western University/College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) Pomona. Pomona campus staff process letters of recommendation for BOTH campuses. Letters may also be submitted to AACOMAS along with your primary application. Letters will be posted to your file within 10 working days. There may be an additional delay in posting to your account by VirtualEvals or Interfolio.
  • Letters of recommendation may be obtained from undergraduate, graduate, or professional school professors who instructed you in the prerequisite science coursework. We will accept a copy only if it is part of a packet that is posted by the Pre-health Advising Office on your campus. We recommend that your letters be electronically submitted as this will shorten processing time. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to request additional letters of recommendation.
  • All letters of recommendation must be on professional or University/College Letterhead to be considered. If a physician does not have letterhead, his/her mailing address, email address, and telephone number can be used in lieu of letterhead; all academic letters of recommendation must be on University/College Letterhead. All letters of recommendation must be signed by the recommender. A letter included in your AACOMAS primary application that does not meet our requirements cannot be resubmitted via AACOMAS. A different method of resubmission will have to be used.
  • We will not consider letters of recommendation from family members, friends, and friends of family members, family connections or acquaintances. Letters of recommendation must be from people who have worked with you independent of personal or family connections and have gained a good sense of your character and/or academic ability outside of family influences and ties. We prefer that your physician recommendation be from someone you have worked with in a clinical setting.
    • A letter from a physician is required
    • A Committee Evaluation for the Pre-health Professions Committee on your campus is preferred. The evaluation must include at least 2 science professor evaluations.
    • If your university does not have a pre-health Professions Committee a letter of recommendation from a science professor who instructed you in a prerequisite science course is acceptable.
    • https://prospective.westernu.edu/media/osteopathic/donw/pdfs/secondary-app-instructions.pdf


If you have any more questions, please reach out."

In short, use Interfolio and address it to WesternU/Enrollment Data Services Office, Attn. COMP, 309 E. Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766. This worked for me.
 
gr9bambino said:
I would email admissions. To quote the email they sent me:

"Thank you for reaching out and bringing this to my attention. After review of your letter, Dr. xx's letter expresses the your accomplishments over a period of time, but the letter does not describe any shadowing or mentoring of the applicant. You can reach out to him to have him to elaborate more in an edited letter or choose another physician you have shadowed. You can have him submit it through interfolio or a variety of other ways. Below are instructions for submitting letters.

Letters of Recommendation:



  • Only one set of letters of recommendation are necessary if you applied to both campuses. Letters of recommendation can be received by mail directly from your recommender to WesternU/Enrollment Data Services Office, Attn. COMP, 309 E. Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766 Attn. COMP. Letters of recommendation given to you for posting or delivery must be signed over the seal by the recommender in order to be considered. Letters of recommendation posted to VirtualEvals or Interfolio should be designated for Western University/College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) Pomona. Pomona campus staff process letters of recommendation for BOTH campuses. Letters may also be submitted to AACOMAS along with your primary application. Letters will be posted to your file within 10 working days. There may be an additional delay in posting to your account by VirtualEvals or Interfolio.
  • Letters of recommendation may be obtained from undergraduate, graduate, or professional school professors who instructed you in the prerequisite science coursework. We will accept a copy only if it is part of a packet that is posted by the Pre-health Advising Office on your campus. We recommend that your letters be electronically submitted as this will shorten processing time. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to request additional letters of recommendation.
  • All letters of recommendation must be on professional or University/College Letterhead to be considered. If a physician does not have letterhead, his/her mailing address, email address, and telephone number can be used in lieu of letterhead; all academic letters of recommendation must be on University/College Letterhead. All letters of recommendation must be signed by the recommender. A letter included in your AACOMAS primary application that does not meet our requirements cannot be resubmitted via AACOMAS. A different method of resubmission will have to be used.
  • We will not consider letters of recommendation from family members, friends, and friends of family members, family connections or acquaintances. Letters of recommendation must be from people who have worked with you independent of personal or family connections and have gained a good sense of your character and/or academic ability outside of family influences and ties. We prefer that your physician recommendation be from someone you have worked with in a clinical setting.
    • A letter from a physician is required
    • A Committee Evaluation for the Pre-health Professions Committee on your campus is preferred. The evaluation must include at least 2 science professor evaluations.
    • If your university does not have a pre-health Professions Committee a letter of recommendation from a science professor who instructed you in a prerequisite science course is acceptable.
    • https://prospective.westernu.edu/media/osteopathic/donw/pdfs/secondary-app-instructions.pdf


If you have any more questions, please reach out."

In short, use Interfolio and address it to WesternU/Enrollment Data Services Office, Attn. COMP, 309 E. Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766. This worked for me.
Click to expand...
I emailed the admissions consultant and this is what they sent me :

"Thank you for reaching out. Don’t be concerned about the hold for your letters. There is a 10 day waiting period for letters to be processed after we receive your CASPer score, which was today 8/11. I’ll keep an eye on it, if it hasn’t changed in 10 days, I‘ll make some inquiries."
 
Secondary received 8/29. ACCOMAS was received by Western U on 6/13. Any idea why I got a secondary so late? It was the only school I didn't receive one from until yesterday. I thought I had been screened out early and assumed I wouldn't get one.
 
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drose36 said:
Secondary received 8/29. ACCOMAS was received by Western U on 6/13. Any idea why I got a secondary so late? It was the only school I didn't receive one from until yesterday. I thought I had been screened out early and assumed I wouldn't get one.
Click to expand...
Same thing happened to me
 
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drose36 said:
Secondary received 8/29. ACCOMAS was received by Western U on 6/13. Any idea why I got a secondary so late? It was the only school I didn't receive one from until yesterday. I thought I had been screened out early and assumed I wouldn't get one.
Click to expand...
Same, just received secondary a few days ago not sure what delayed it.
 
ThanksForLettingMeIn95 said:
Hello everyone! 3rd year here. Happy to answer any questions you may have.
Click to expand...
Thank you!

I'd love to hear what some of your favorite things have been about the program, and if you are open to sharing, anything you wish was different.

Also I'm curious, do most people live in Lebanon or does anyone commute from corvalis/salem/portland?
 
ThanksForLettingMeIn95 said:
Hello everyone! 3rd year here. Happy to answer any questions you may have.
Click to expand...
When applying to Western U, are you applying to both locations and the placement is made later, or are the applications separate and distinct for Lebanon & Pomona? Thanks if you know this, I spent a lot of time trying to look it up and came out no wiser!
 
wysdoc said:
When applying to Western U, are you applying to both locations and the placement is made later, or are the applications separate and distinct for Lebanon & Pomona? Thanks if you know this, I spent a lot of time trying to look it up and came out no wiser!
Click to expand...
Separate for each location. I applied only to Lebanon, and you would have to select the Pomona location in AACOMAS to be considered for that campus.
 
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rockdrummer2809 said:
Thank you!

I'd love to hear what some of your favorite things have been about the program, and if you are open to sharing, anything you wish was different.

Also I'm curious, do most people live in Lebanon or does anyone commute from corvalis/salem/portland?
Click to expand...
Hi there! Sorry for the long post. Feel free to message me or post more questions and I can expand on my thoughts.

For my class, we were only on campus 2-3 times per week for anatomy, clinical medicine, and OMM. All lectures were on zoom and recorded. I am not sure how much this is gonna change now that COVID is less prevalent. For my class, I'd say 85% lived in Lebanon, 10-15% in Corvallis/Albany (20 minute drive), and 1 person lived in Portland (1.5 hour drive) and 1 in Salem (~45 minute drive). I personally lived in Lebanon and drove back to Portland most weekends to see family and my SO, which was super doable. I think living in Lebanon was good for making friends early on, attending events, hanging out with people, and forming solid study groups.

Favorite things:
1. Community - cliche answer, but it is the truth. All my classmates are great and everyone always tries to help each other. We share study resources, and we all do fun things together (sports, hikes, bars, etc) when we are not studying. The greater Lebanon community is also great! Several business really like us and they really make an effort to get to know the students. Hazellas bakery and Mugs Coffee Shop were always amazing.
2. Anatomy - The anatomy department, particularly the ISAC program, is fantastic. If you are able to get into the ISAC program do it. You basically do all the anatomy dissections over 6 weeks during the Summer before starting school and take all the practicals. It will make your first year so much easier and then you can be a TA (and get paid!) for the year.
3. Sim Center - The simulation center is very new, but really fun. You learn how to intubate, put foley's in, place IVs and central lines, birthing simulations, etc.
4. Research - You have to be proactive to do research, but the opportunities are certainly there. There's a lot of ongoing projects involving anatomy, ultrasound, microbiology, anthropology, basic science, surveys, etc...The professors are also very nice and always willing to help and answer questions. Some students also get connected and do research with our local hospital in Corvallis (Good Sam), which has a lot of residency programs.
5. Extracurriculars - Lots of different things to be involved outside of just studying. There's the track to become a firefighter, mentoring at the local high school, free Spanish clinic in albany and a free clinic in Lebanon, the DREAM program every Summer for mentoring underrepresented pre-meds, SOMA pre-med mentorship, community garden, soup kitchen volunteering, etc. There are also many, many clubs that put on events throughout the year. The best part is you get to decide how involved you want to be!

Things I wish were different:
1. Communication/organization/admin - I think this is a problem at pretty much any med school. Sometimes the school will schedule mandatory things in the days leading up to finals, forget to tell us about an assignment, or just generally cause inconveniences. Not the biggest deal, but gets annoying after 2 years.
2. OMM - The school has a pretty heavy OMM curriculum and practicals were difficult since they are cumulative. I wish these were not graded and simply made pass/fail. I felt like studying for these kept me from studying more clinical material for exams and boards, especially 2nd year. Overall, my least favorite part of the curriculum.
3. Rotations - The clinical education department and rotation sites got really messed up during COVID I think. The department is going through a restructuring phase right now and dealing with staffing issues. The biggest issues are preceptors cancelling rotations at the last minute, students being sent to a different state for a rotation with a few days notice, and poor communication. However, this might be fixed by the time your class starts. The Pomona and Lebanon departments merged to help with the staffing issues and they are actively working on recruiting more rotation sites to increase opportunities for students.
 
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Is anyone else having trouble logging into the pre-interview student ambassador event? It's asking for a meeting password and I don't think I received one...
 
ThanksForLettingMeIn95 said:
Hi there! Sorry for the long post. Feel free to message me or post more questions and I can expand on my thoughts.

For my class, we were only on campus 2-3 times per week for anatomy, clinical medicine, and OMM. All lectures were on zoom and recorded. I am not sure how much this is gonna change now that COVID is less prevalent. For my class, I'd say 85% lived in Lebanon, 10-15% in Corvallis/Albany (20 minute drive), and 1 person lived in Portland (1.5 hour drive) and 1 in Salem (~45 minute drive). I personally lived in Lebanon and drove back to Portland most weekends to see family and my SO, which was super doable. I think living in Lebanon was good for making friends early on, attending events, hanging out with people, and forming solid study groups.

Favorite things:
1. Community - cliche answer, but it is the truth. All my classmates are great and everyone always tries to help each other. We share study resources, and we all do fun things together (sports, hikes, bars, etc) when we are not studying. The greater Lebanon community is also great! Several business really like us and they really make an effort to get to know the students. Hazellas bakery and Mugs Coffee Shop were always amazing.
2. Anatomy - The anatomy department, particularly the ISAC program, is fantastic. If you are able to get into the ISAC program do it. You basically do all the anatomy dissections over 6 weeks during the Summer before starting school and take all the practicals. It will make your first year so much easier and then you can be a TA (and get paid!) for the year.
3. Sim Center - The simulation center is very new, but really fun. You learn how to intubate, put foley's in, place IVs and central lines, birthing simulations, etc.
4. Research - You have to be proactive to do research, but the opportunities are certainly there. There's a lot of ongoing projects involving anatomy, ultrasound, microbiology, anthropology, basic science, surveys, etc...The professors are also very nice and always willing to help and answer questions. Some students also get connected and do research with our local hospital in Corvallis (Good Sam), which has a lot of residency programs.
5. Extracurriculars - Lots of different things to be involved outside of just studying. There's the track to become a firefighter, mentoring at the local high school, free Spanish clinic in albany and a free clinic in Lebanon, the DREAM program every Summer for mentoring underrepresented pre-meds, SOMA pre-med mentorship, community garden, soup kitchen volunteering, etc. There are also many, many clubs that put on events throughout the year. The best part is you get to decide how involved you want to be!

Things I wish were different:
1. Communication/organization/admin - I think this is a problem at pretty much any med school. Sometimes the school will schedule mandatory things in the days leading up to finals, forget to tell us about an assignment, or just generally cause inconveniences. Not the biggest deal, but gets annoying after 2 years.
2. OMM - The school has a pretty heavy OMM curriculum and practicals were difficult since they are cumulative. I wish these were not graded and simply made pass/fail. I felt like studying for these kept me from studying more clinical material for exams and boards, especially 2nd year. Overall, my least favorite part of the curriculum.
3. Rotations - The clinical education department and rotation sites got really messed up during COVID I think. The department is going through a restructuring phase right now and dealing with staffing issues. The biggest issues are preceptors cancelling rotations at the last minute, students being sent to a different state for a rotation with a few days notice, and poor communication. However, this might be fixed by the time your class starts. The Pomona and Lebanon departments merged to help with the staffing issues and they are actively working on recruiting more rotation sites to increase opportunities for students.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the detailed response, I really appreciate it!
 
Submitted 8/29 and under review 9/6. Anyone still waiting for an II in the same boat?
 
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Any idea what WesternU screens for? I am an Oregon resident and submitted in early June, but still no secondary. Should I just move on from this school?
 
Contacted the director. She said I’m pre-secondary at based on my MCAT score.

The Pomona campus is still reviewing my app though.
 
Y'all! I can't believe it! I got the call yesterday at 10:54am!!! My first A and to my dream school!

Primary: June 21
Secondary: June 26
II: Aug 14
Interview: Sep 9
A: Oct 2

Stats: 3.9 cGPA and sGPA, 510 MCAT, and ~500 hrs clinical volunteering.

To anyone reading this, you got this! If I can do it, you definitely can. Like maybe some of you, I neurotically check these threads (like once every hour and even schools I did not apply to) and stress myself out. I would see all of these qualified and amazing people achieve their dreams or receive a rejection and think "Well, if they are/weren't accepted, I definitely won't be." I would think that I don't have enough clinical hours or non-clinical volunteering experience; or I did not have the elegant writing/interview skills like everyone else. To be honest, I applied last year and was rejected post interview (30 MD schools, 25 secondaries, and 1 II). I think I cried for the whole day. However, this is your journey! It won't look like anyone else's. Keep going! You have worked hard and earned this! If you have any questions, want to vent, or just need a friend, reach out!
 
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thepremedcowboy said:
Y'all! I can't believe it! I got the call yesterday at 10:54am!!! My first A and to my dream school!

Primary: June 21
Secondary: June 26
II: Aug 14
Interview: Sep 9
A: Oct 2

Stats: 3.9 cGPA and sGPA, 510 MCAT, and ~500 hrs clinical volunteering.

To anyone reading this, you got this! If I can do it, you definitely can. Like maybe some of you, I neurotically check these threads (like once every hour and even schools I did not apply to) and stress myself out. I would see all of these qualified and amazing people achieve their dreams or receive a rejection and think "Well, if they are/weren't accepted, I definitely won't be." I would think that I don't have enough clinical hours or non-clinical volunteering experience; or I did not have the elegant writing/interview skills like everyone else. To be honest, I applied last year and was rejected post interview (30 MD schools, 25 secondaries, and 1 II). I think I cried for the whole day. However, this is your journey! It won't look like anyone else's. Keep going! You have worked hard and earned this! If you have any questions, want to vent, or just need a friend, reach out!
Click to expand...
Congratulations!! Enjoy celebrating it sounds like you've earned it :)
 
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Acceptance call this morning! OOS!! Interviewed September 9th
 
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Alternative offer today, interviewed Sep 09
 
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