Hi. I'm a second year med student at Des Moines University and am glad to put my 2 cents worth in about the school.
Firstly, I'll second the opinion that DMU is one of Iowa's best kept secrets. This, however, does not apply on rotations. DMU is well known throughout the medical field for it's Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, one of the hallmarks of a DO.
Secondly, don't let the high acceptance rate kid you, it's still a medical school and just as difficult as any of the rest. Add to this the fact that DMU has the longest ciriculum for the first year. So, while the rest of the schools are out for the summer, we're still studying our butts off. As for the high acceptance rate, I'll reference what the Dean said when I had my interview, "the reason so many people are offered a chance at one of the 200 DO seats is that many, if not all, of those students are also selected at other medical schools." Does this mean my school is skimming the bottom of the barrel? NOT! Our students have to pass the same boards that everone else does to get that golden DO after their name.
Thirdly, if osteopathic manipulation interests you, I highly recommend DMU. We've finished first 3 years running for board scores on the national boards. Every student who completes their first year is able to give a full body treatment.
So, what's the downfall, right? EACH school has their own problems and quirks. I would be lying if I said my school didn't have any. Also, each school has a subject area that they have allocated resources and funds to and, as such, as very good at. We don't have internet hookups in the lecture halls. You can't download your lecture notes at the end of the day. Some teachers even still use poorboy overheads. Maybe, we're not as hi-tech as MSU or the like, but we do have redeaming qualities, like giving a person a chance.
The school is a private school, so the minority ratio may not be that of a public institution. Looking around my class, though, I can't see that. We have people from all sorts of walks-of-life. Not one of our stories of how we got there is the same. And our class is as unique as the DO 2003 class of UHS or OU or MSU.
Since you're interested in scores (a minor part of your application), my GPA was a 3.14 cum and MCAT scores of 24 and an o on the essays. Do these scores accurately give a picture of me? Nope, they just helped open the door and get me an interview. Once I got there, I had to sell myself to them just like at any other institution of medicine.
So, all propaganda aside, should you consider DMU? That depends on you. But, I'd at least look into us. You might find you love it out here when you come for the interview (as I did) or you might not. But, at least you'll never be able to say, "what if...." Good luck in the future.
Jason
