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2025-2026 Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM)

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All OU-HCOM applicants will be required to submit at least two essays:

1. Required Essay - There are philosophical and tangible differences between osteopathic and allopathic medicine. Describe what being an osteopathic physician means to you, and what qualities make a good osteopathic physician. What have you done to gain knowledge and experience of osteopathic medicine?

2. Selected Essay (choose one) -

I. Describe the community in which you were nurtured or spent the majority of your early development. What core values did you receive and howwill these translate into the contributions you hope to make to your community as a medical student and later as a physician?

II. There are multiple paths that lead to medical school and many obstacles along the way. Please describe the unique path that has led you to medicine as well as any obstacle or adversity that you had to overcome in achieving this goal. How will this experience affect your career as a physician?

III. What has been your most meaningful life experience (I.e., family situation, clinical or shadowing experience, volunteer experience, etc.) that influenced your decision to pursue medicine?



Good luck to everyone applying!

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Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine​

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WerkkHardMedBae said:
What is the character count/word limit for each essay?
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For the two required essays, there are no required word/character counts to follow. But if you want to pursue a dual program like DO/MPH, the essay for why you want to pursue that is 250 words or less.
 
Di0nysus said:
For the two required essays, there are no required word/character counts to follow. But if you want to pursue a dual program like DO/MPH, the essay for why you want to pursue that is 250 words or less.
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Thank you!!!!
 
OOS Secondary received 7/8!!!
Secondary Submitted 7/13!!
 
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WerkkHardMedBae said:
my mentor graduated from here and is a resident now in Kentucky and will be a fellow at an Ivy League school, he was also OOS. So don't let that hold you back.
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Are you saying he got out of the contract somehow? Or he has to go back to Ohio after his fellowship?
 
notEinstein said:
You ready to spend the next decade in Ohio? That OOS contract is the only trying holding me back.
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As long as the incoming class is made up of at least 80% Ohio residents then they nullify the contract. They have never historically had less than ~92% Ohio residents in the class so they've never actually had to act upon the contract. They don't expect to ever have to use it.
 
medincle said:
As long as the incoming class is made up of at least 80% Ohio residents then they nullify the contract. They have never historically had less than ~92% Ohio residents in the class so they've never actually had to act upon the contract. They don't expect to ever have to use it.
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Is this 80% stated somewhere in the contract/website?
 
medincle said:
As long as the incoming class is made up of at least 80% Ohio residents then they nullify the contract. They have never historically had less than ~92% Ohio residents in the class so they've never actually had to act upon the contract. They don't expect to ever have to use it.
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Wait, what??? When I asked them, they said there is no getting out of it and we must do all 5 years.

If what you say is true, i’ll apply right now. But admissions gave me a very different story than you are.
 
medincle said:
As long as the incoming class is made up of at least 80% Ohio residents then they nullify the contract. They have never historically had less than ~92% Ohio residents in the class so they've never actually had to act upon the contract. They don't expect to ever have to use it.
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I see how one could make the inference that they don't enforce after 80%. If OUHCOM consistently meets or exceeds the 80% Ohio resident requirement, they probably feel less compelled to enforce the out-of-state contracts for every individual breach, as the overall legislative goal is being met. I can't find anything explicitly stated in the contract or on their website.
 
notEinstein said:
ok please give us some info - how did he get out of it?

or is he just not going to return and hope they dont come after him?
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IIRC you just pay back the difference in tuition you originally saved if you later decide to leave before the 5 years is up. Not 100% sure though
 
Stubbzy said:
IIRC you just pay back the difference in tuition you originally saved if you later decide to leave before the 5 years is up. Not 100% sure though
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Are you maybe confusing Ohio with LECOM? At LECOM, if you do the 3 year program and change your mind you pay back the difference. At Ohio, when I called, they said there is no getting out of the contract.
 
notEinstein said:
Are you maybe confusing Ohio with LECOM? At LECOM, if you do the 3 year program and change your mind you pay back the difference. At Ohio, when I called, they said there is no getting out of the contract.
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Nope. But not surprising that LECOM has that too. And I have zero doubt that LECOM enforces that just like all of their petty rules.

Just found the contract of admission for HCOM. Requires annual confirmation of employment and residency. Honestly it's not a terrible deal. Ohio is pretty affordable and we have excellent healthcare markets. Our literal mission statements include our goal of training physicians for Ohio. That's what our state funding is contingent upon, as others have pointed out. We get a TON of resources from the State and OOA. I appreciate the tuition subsidy, every bit helps. If you are an Ohio resident, it's a no-brainer.

We're young. 5 years is nothing compared to our hopefully long careers. And residency after medical school counts toward that 5 year requirement. An in-state graduate completing an FM or EM residency would only need two more years of working as an attending in Ohio to satisfy the contract. Actually EM might go to 4 years soon, but you get the picture.

Must pay back the Ohio resident subsidy plus liquidated damages and attorney fees within 30 days of breach of contract.

Full text below (apologies for my copy-paste formatting from my phone):

This contract of admission is hereunto made between the President and Board of Trustees of Ohio University through the Heritage College of Osteopathic

Medicine and the undersigned, a non-resident of Ohio for tuition purposes, for the purpose of granting admission to the Heritage College of Osteopathic

Medicine, hereinafter referred to as the applicant.

Both the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and the applicant hereby agree to the following items and conditions of this contract of Admission.

n The applicant agrees that in consideration of admission to the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and for the medical education to be provided

by the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine he/she will become licensed to and will practice medicine in the State of Ohio full-time for a period

of at least five (5) years from the date of completion of both the undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, with the date of completion to be

determined by the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. The applicant understands that internship, residency and postgraduate fellowships are

included within postgraduate medical education and applicant understands that he/she will receive no credit toward the five (5) year requirement to

practice medicine in the State of Ohio while applicant is pursuing said postgraduate medical education.

n The applicant agrees that his/her residency status will be determined according to the residency rules promulgated by the General Assembly of Ohio, the

Ohio Board of Regents or the Board of Trustees of Ohio University which are applicable as of the date the applicant signs this contract with the Heritage

College of Osteopathic Medicine; and that any change in the applicants’ residency status to that of an Ohio resident for any purpose, according to such

rules or other rules, will not affect the binding nature of this contract of admission.

n The applicant agrees that in the event of his/her breach of this contract of admission for failure to fulfill the terms and conditions contained herein and

upon failure to fully correct this breach within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the same, the applicant shall pay to the Heritage College of

Osteopathic Medicine the sum of the annual enrollment driven subsidy per full-time enrolled student in effect at the time of the breach times four years as

liquidated damages. This amount will be used to help provide medical education to one medical student. Further, the applicant agrees that he/she will pay to

the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine the amount of liquidated damages within thirty (30) days after official notice of the breach and the specific

amount of liquidated damages, and that he/she will be responsible for all costs, including attorney fees, if the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine or

other agency or instrumentality of the State of Ohio must commence litigation to recover the liquidated damages. Further, the applicant agrees that he/she

will annually notify the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine according to its prescribed procedures whether he/she is fulfilling the obligations as set

forth by this contract of admission.

n Until the employment obligation has been satisfied, the applicant will inform the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at the office of the Director of

Alumni Affairs, Grosvenor Hall, of his or her current address and employment status and will document employment satisfying the terms of this agreement.

Said information shall be provided by the applicant on at least a yearly basis and immediately upon any change of name, residence or business address.

n The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and the applicant agree that this contract of admission is void if the Heritage College of Osteopathic

Medicine gives the applicant notice that he/she will not be admitted to the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, or the applicant does not matriculate

at the Heritage College; and it is voidable by the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine if the applicant, after being admitted, is terminated from the

Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine for reasons including but not limited to, academic performance, disciplinary action, or financial reasons. Further,

the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine may release an applicant from his/her obligation as set by this contract of admission for reasons solely within

the discretion of the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
 
WerkkHardMedBae said:
it was waived, just as someone mentioned before about the how its nullified if they have ~80% Ohio residents
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There is nothing in the contract about nullifying if there is 80% and the admissions team seems to be confused that any of us think it would be nullified. So im pretty confused.
 
notEinstein said:
There is nothing in the contract about nullifying if there is 80% and the admissions team seems to be confused that any of us think it would be nullified. So im pretty confused.
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loopholes maybe idk..lol either way don't let it deter you from applying. I just know for sure that my mentor said he does not know anyone who had to do the 5 years and that his was waived
 
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