2024-2025 Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (Kansas City) KCU-COM

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"Instead, we would like to offer you a place on our Waiting List should additional seats become available."
Does this mean I didn't make it on the waitlist since it is full? Interviewed 1/13 as well
 
"Instead, we would like to offer you a place on our Waiting List should additional seats become available."
Does this mean I didn't make it on the waitlist since it is full? Interviewed 1/13 as well
Sounds more like you are on the waitlist and will come off the waitlist if seats are available to join the incoming class.
 
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Just finished my interview and realized I picked both campuses instead of picking only KC 🥲. I thought this whole time I had selected KC only… can I email admissions about it? Or just wait for my decision? Personally, I know I would enjoy living in a bigger city.
 
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Just finished my interview and realized I picked both campuses instead of picking only KC 🥲. I thought this whole time I had selected KC only… can I email admissions about it? Or just wait for my decision? Personally, I know I would enjoy living in a bigger city.
As someone at the KC campus, you will be so busy you won’t ever enjoy the city anyway. I’m at home or on campus basically all the time. I have only gone and done things in the city twice since school started, so for what its worth, if you end up at Joplin, you probably wont be missing much. But if you are really strongly opposed to Joplin, you can email admissions to update your application. You may be limiting your chances though because I know KC campus fills up faster than Joplin most cycles.
 
As someone at the KC campus, you will be so busy you won’t ever enjoy the city anyway. I’m at home or on campus basically all the time. I have only gone and done things in the city twice since school started, so for what its worth, if you end up at Joplin, you probably wont be missing much. But if you are really strongly opposed to Joplin, you can email admissions to update your application. You may be limiting your chances though because I know KC campus fills up faster than Joplin most cycles.
I emailed admissions and was just told that campus preference cannot be change post application 🥲 Hoping for the a KC A
 
After my interview I emailed them and asked to be considered for both campuses instead of just the KC campus like I originally selected. They emailed back saying they noted it on my application. It never updated in the portal to say both though so it's hard to say if it actually changed anything.
 
As someone at the KC campus, you will be so busy you won’t ever enjoy the city anyway. I’m at home or on campus basically all the time. I have only gone and done things in the city twice since school started, so for what its worth, if you end up at Joplin, you probably wont be missing much. But if you are really strongly opposed to Joplin, you can email admissions to update your application. You may be limiting your chances though because I know KC campus fills up faster than Joplin most cycles.
Is the curriculum that intense that you don't get free time?
 
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Is the curriculum that intense that you don't get free time?
It’s med school. You will find it intense wherever you go. I appreciate the curriculum, but some blocks are more intense than others. Usually we have an exam every two weeks. During the middle of the semester when public health and ecos (our clinical lab) exams start stacking up, we sometimes have multiple exams per week. The only time we get a weekend free is when we have a Friday exam and no new content until Monday.

That said, you can have as much free time as you want. You just also have to live with the consequences. I have been doing well and I am grateful for that but I have had some friends fail a block. If you fail a block you have to remediate, and then if you fail the remediation you have to repeat the whole year because classes are only offered once per year with your cohort. One friend failed a block and failed the remediation and was dismissed. They have the option to retake the year next year.

I do love that we have multiple exams per block because your grade doesn’t hinge on just one exam day that you may or may not be on your game for. Multiple paths to success are really nice. That said, there is virtually never a time you aren’t preparing for an upcoming exam. So there are trade offs. I wish we could get a long weekend between blocks but it’s fine.

The worst was because of Thanksgiving break- we had an exam in the morning and then four hours of lecture immediately after to get started on the new material. And then we had Thanksgiving break, where we had public health assignments to submit and new content to study for.

Usually when we have a Friday exam and it’s in the morning, the new content isn’t available to us and so it’s a half day, plus Saturday and Sunday. I theoretically could use those to go do stuff in town but a person also has to do laundry, go grocery shopping, meal prep, etc. so every week I give myself time to do those things because I’m human and have to live.

It’s busy and it’s stressful, but that’s med school. On the whole, I’m happy with the curriculum and now it’s structured. But if you want to do well and pass without relying on the curve, you will probably be studying virtually every waking moment and you will dream about studying.

I am still enjoying the process though because I love learning and growing and challenging myself. If you do not love hard work, or love the learning process, do not do this. Stop before the student loans hit and there is no turning back. 😂

TLDR
Yes
 
It’s med school. You will find it intense wherever you go. I appreciate the curriculum, but some blocks are more intense than others. Usually we have an exam every two weeks. During the middle of the semester when public health and ecos (our clinical lab) exams start stacking up, we sometimes have multiple exams per week. The only time we get a weekend free is when we have a Friday exam and no new content until Monday.

That said, you can have as much free time as you want. You just also have to live with the consequences. I have been doing well and I am grateful for that but I have had some friends fail a block. If you fail a block you have to remediate, and then if you fail the remediation you have to repeat the whole year because classes are only offered once per year with your cohort. One friend failed a block and failed the remediation and was dismissed. They have the option to retake the year next year.

I do love that we have multiple exams per block because your grade doesn’t hinge on just one exam day that you may or may not be on your game for. Multiple paths to success are really nice. That said, there is virtually never a time you aren’t preparing for an upcoming exam. So there are trade offs. I wish we could get a long weekend between blocks but it’s fine.

The worst was because of Thanksgiving break- we had an exam in the morning and then four hours of lecture immediately after to get started on the new material. And then we had Thanksgiving break, where we had public health assignments to submit and new content to study for.

Usually when we have a Friday exam and it’s in the morning, the new content isn’t available to us and so it’s a half day, plus Saturday and Sunday. I theoretically could use those to go do stuff in town but a person also has to do laundry, go grocery shopping, meal prep, etc. so every week I give myself time to do those things because I’m human and have to live.

It’s busy and it’s stressful, but that’s med school. On the whole, I’m happy with the curriculum and now it’s structured. But if you want to do well and pass without relying on the curve, you will probably be studying virtually every waking moment and you will dream about studying.

I am still enjoying the process though because I love learning and growing and challenging myself. If you do not love hard work, or love the learning process, do not do this. Stop before the student loans hit and there is no turning back. 😂

TLDR
Yes
Thanks for the insight!
 
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It’s med school. You will find it intense wherever you go. I appreciate the curriculum, but some blocks are more intense than others. Usually we have an exam every two weeks. During the middle of the semester when public health and ecos (our clinical lab) exams start stacking up, we sometimes have multiple exams per week. The only time we get a weekend free is when we have a Friday exam and no new content until Monday.

That said, you can have as much free time as you want. You just also have to live with the consequences. I have been doing well and I am grateful for that but I have had some friends fail a block. If you fail a block you have to remediate, and then if you fail the remediation you have to repeat the whole year because classes are only offered once per year with your cohort. One friend failed a block and failed the remediation and was dismissed. They have the option to retake the year next year.

I do love that we have multiple exams per block because your grade doesn’t hinge on just one exam day that you may or may not be on your game for. Multiple paths to success are really nice. That said, there is virtually never a time you aren’t preparing for an upcoming exam. So there are trade offs. I wish we could get a long weekend between blocks but it’s fine.

The worst was because of Thanksgiving break- we had an exam in the morning and then four hours of lecture immediately after to get started on the new material. And then we had Thanksgiving break, where we had public health assignments to submit and new content to study for.

Usually when we have a Friday exam and it’s in the morning, the new content isn’t available to us and so it’s a half day, plus Saturday and Sunday. I theoretically could use those to go do stuff in town but a person also has to do laundry, go grocery shopping, meal prep, etc. so every week I give myself time to do those things because I’m human and have to live.

It’s busy and it’s stressful, but that’s med school. On the whole, I’m happy with the curriculum and now it’s structured. But if you want to do well and pass without relying on the curve, you will probably be studying virtually every waking moment and you will dream about studying.

I am still enjoying the process though because I love learning and growing and challenging myself. If you do not love hard work, or love the learning process, do not do this. Stop before the student loans hit and there is no turning back. 😂

TLDR
Yes
How common is it failing a block? Sounds like a nightmare
 
It’s med school. You will find it intense wherever you go. I appreciate the curriculum, but some blocks are more intense than others. Usually we have an exam every two weeks. During the middle of the semester when public health and ecos (our clinical lab) exams start stacking up, we sometimes have multiple exams per week. The only time we get a weekend free is when we have a Friday exam and no new content until Monday.

That said, you can have as much free time as you want. You just also have to live with the consequences. I have been doing well and I am grateful for that but I have had some friends fail a block. If you fail a block you have to remediate, and then if you fail the remediation you have to repeat the whole year because classes are only offered once per year with your cohort. One friend failed a block and failed the remediation and was dismissed. They have the option to retake the year next year.

I do love that we have multiple exams per block because your grade doesn’t hinge on just one exam day that you may or may not be on your game for. Multiple paths to success are really nice. That said, there is virtually never a time you aren’t preparing for an upcoming exam. So there are trade offs. I wish we could get a long weekend between blocks but it’s fine.

The worst was because of Thanksgiving break- we had an exam in the morning and then four hours of lecture immediately after to get started on the new material. And then we had Thanksgiving break, where we had public health assignments to submit and new content to study for.

Usually when we have a Friday exam and it’s in the morning, the new content isn’t available to us and so it’s a half day, plus Saturday and Sunday. I theoretically could use those to go do stuff in town but a person also has to do laundry, go grocery shopping, meal prep, etc. so every week I give myself time to do those things because I’m human and have to live.

It’s busy and it’s stressful, but that’s med school. On the whole, I’m happy with the curriculum and now it’s structured. But if you want to do well and pass without relying on the curve, you will probably be studying virtually every waking moment and you will dream about studying.

I am still enjoying the process though because I love learning and growing and challenging myself. If you do not love hard work, or love the learning process, do not do this. Stop before the student loans hit and there is no turning back. 😂

TLDR
Yes
Thanks for the info. Are you at KC or Joplin?
 
Having an interview on 02/20.Does anyone wanna give me an insight on what the group activity during the interview looks like?
 
Just gunna throw a comment that the work life balance gets better after 1st year. I do a lot with friends and have never relied on the curve the pass, am also board prepping etc. Learning to manage time in med school is a huge learning curve but you don’t have to sacrifice your happiness.

E.g. I had an exam last Friday and immediately skipped town to go fly to a friends baby shower. In recent days I was also able to make her a gift for her baby.

TLDR Yes it’s busy but you don’t need to spend 24/7 with your nose in the books to succeed.
 
As someone at the KC campus, you will be so busy you won’t ever enjoy the city anyway. I’m at home or on campus basically all the time. I have only gone and done things in the city twice since school started, so for what its worth, if you end up at Joplin, you probably wont be missing much. But if you are really strongly opposed to Joplin, you can email admissions to update your application. You may be limiting your chances though because I know KC campus fills up faster than Joplin most cycles.

Is the curriculum that intense that you don't get free time?
NO. I had plenty of free time throughout the last 3 years. It's difficult and adjusting to the pace of med school is a challenge but it's all about work-life balance. If you prioritize your self care, you can still have a very full life outside of school. For example, I set a strict rule that I would stop studying by 7pm everyday regardless of my progress so that I could prioritize time with my spouse in the evenings. Other students would study through the night and it made no difference, we all passed. Don't let people scare you into thinking your life is over when you start med school, it simply isn't true.
 
How common is it failing a block? Sounds like a nightmare
I know quite a few people that have failed a block and it's not the end of the world. I even have a couple friends that repeated a year - no biggie. Remediation is typically pretty simple and a lot of schools don't even offer that option so KCU is generous in that account. However, they have a 3 strike policy and are very strict about it and I unfortunately know of some students that got messed over in that case.
 
Just gunna throw a comment that the work life balance gets better after 1st year. I do a lot with friends and have never relied on the curve the pass, am also board prepping etc. Learning to manage time in med school is a huge learning curve but you don’t have to sacrifice your happiness.

E.g. I had an exam last Friday and immediately skipped town to go fly to a friends baby shower. In recent days I was also able to make her a gift for her baby.

TLDR Yes it’s busy but you don’t need to spend 24/7 with your nose in the books to succeed.
That’s great to hear. First year has been pretty intense so far. Good to know it gets lighter as you go.
 
NO. I had plenty of free time throughout the last 3 years. It's difficult and adjusting to the pace of med school is a challenge but it's all about work-life balance. If you prioritize your self care, you can still have a very full life outside of school. For example, I set a strict rule that I would stop studying by 7pm everyday regardless of my progress so that I could prioritize time with my spouse in the evenings. Other students would study through the night and it made no difference, we all passed. Don't let people scare you into thinking your life is over when you start med school, it simply isn't true.
Yeah I can only comment to my first year experience but it sounds like the consensus from you and others that it gets lighter after first year which I’m looking forward to. 🙏
 
Maybe a slightly weird question but does anyone know what model iPad we are given and if we are given an apple pen with it? Also, if it is “school property” is it restricted by what we can do on it? Or does it become ours personally?

I’m mostly trying to plan out what I have to buy before the fall, and also, I don’t have a laptop right now, so I need to buy one and this will help me with the decision. Any laptop suggestions would be great too 🙂
 
Maybe a slightly weird question but does anyone know what model iPad we are given and if we are given an apple pen with it? Also, if it is “school property” is it restricted by what we can do on it? Or does it become ours personally?

I’m mostly trying to plan out what I have to buy before the fall, and also, I don’t have a laptop right now, so I need to buy one and this will help me with the decision. Any laptop suggestions would be great too 🙂
it's yours to keep but if you don't finish the 4 years, they will ask for it back. it does not come with an apple pen.
 
Is the exact iPad they give you specifically required for testing or just any sort of tablet or computer? I thought I saw somewhere that some people trade in the iPad for a different/upgraded version or they sell the iPad when they get it to buy a different table that they prefer (Surface, Samsung, etc.)
 
Is the exact iPad they give you specifically required for testing or just any sort of tablet or computer? I thought I saw somewhere that some people trade in the iPad for a different/upgraded version or they sell the iPad when they get it to buy a different table that they prefer (Surface, Samsung, etc.)
You have to have an IPad of some sort for exams. Not sure the one they will give your class. I got the iPad they gave us, and then I also bought another iPad that was larger and better for what I wanted. I kept the smaller one for my anatomy lab iPad and the larger one is for note taking. That has worked really well for me but some people have gotten laptops etc. but you must have an iPad for exams.
 
Vast majority of people I know have an iPad (either the one we got or they upgrade to the pro) as well as a laptop. The laptop you get is up to personal preference 🙂 I don’t know anyone personally that just functions with the iPad.
 
Does anyone know if KCU sends out A’s and WL’s in waves ? Or is it mixed
 
A couple months ago, I got this email, "The first review of your application did not result in an interview invitation. The application cycle continues throughout the year, so your application will be reviewed periodically." I sent an update letter conveying some research and EC updates, yet still haven't heard anything.

At this point, do I just give up and call this one an R or try sending another update that shows my research was accepted for publication as a 2nd author? I presume my chances here are veryyy low at this point, but it is my #1 school ;(

504 MCAT, 3.94 GPA so I thought my stats were average here.
 
A couple months ago, I got this email, "The first review of your application did not result in an interview invitation. The application cycle continues throughout the year, so your application will be reviewed periodically." I sent an update letter conveying some research and EC updates, yet still haven't heard anything.

At this point, do I just give up and call this one an R or try sending another update that shows my research was accepted for publication as a 2nd author? I presume my chances here are veryyy low at this point, but it is my #1 school ;(

504 MCAT, 3.94 GPA so I thought my stats were average here.
Sending an update letter/LOI will not hurt you if this is truly your number one choice. I’d say your chances at this point in the cycle are better with a letter than without one.
 
Sending an update letter/LOI will not hurt you if this is truly your number one choice. I’d say your chances at this point in the cycle are better with a letter than without one.
Am I allowed to send an LOI to both an MD and DO school? I have a LOI to my first choice MD school, so I don’t wanna risk anything and write one for KCU.
 
A couple months ago, I got this email, "The first review of your application did not result in an interview invitation. The application cycle continues throughout the year, so your application will be reviewed periodically." I sent an update letter conveying some research and EC updates, yet still haven't heard anything.

At this point, do I just give up and call this one an R or try sending another update that shows my research was accepted for publication as a 2nd author? I presume my chances here are veryyy low at this point, but it is my #1 school ;(

504 MCAT, 3.94 GPA so I thought my stats were average here.
They stated the last group of interviews are in February when I signed up for mine 🤷‍♂️
 
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hey! can Canadians that are accepted here this cycle pls dm me
 
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