ATSU/KCOM (Kirksville) Discussion Thread 2011-2012

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
For people worried about catching the 350 flight out..dont be. There were 4 of us on it and we had time to do the whole tour and stay for everything and an admissions person drove us to the airport after. Its a one room airport so you really only need to get there 20 minutes before your flight.

I ended up liking this school a lot on interview day.. now I really need to think about where I wanna go....

Where did you stay in terms of lodging (cheap price and good place) nearby ATSU?

Members don't see this ad.
 
I would suggest the Comfort Inn or the Super 8 (only $48/night). They both seemed decent and were ~5 min from campus by car. I stayed at the Super 8 and it was fine. Many people who interviewed with me stayed at the Knight's Inn and had terrible things to say about that place.
 
Interview invite. Coming December 1st but would like to move that up sooner... Anyone else coming then?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Interview invite. Coming December 1st but would like to move that up sooner... Anyone else coming then?

Yea, I am interviewing on Dec. 2nd. I hope it isn't too late for us to get accepted. Good luck to you! This school is my #1 DO school in my list.
 
I stayed with a student :) one of the other students stayed at the comfort inn and said it was fine.
 
I am from Tucson AZ, I booked a flight that goes from Tucson to St. Louis. It says that it departs at 6:05 AM and arrives at 12:25 PM. Is this time in EST, PST or CST? Is 12:25 PM the time in Tucson or St. Louis? Anybody has any idea who flew from west coast to St. Louis?
 
I am also from AZ and I'm not sure what time zone St. Louis is in (damn you AZ for not giving a crap about daylight savings), but the 12:25 PM is the time in St. Louis when you arrive. Flights give you the local time for arrival and departure.

The time zone isn't too important to know unless you're just curious. I think it is CST though, since you asked.
 
I am also from AZ and I'm not sure what time zone St. Louis is in (damn you AZ for not giving a crap about daylight savings), but the 12:25 PM is the time in St. Louis when you arrive. Flights give you the local time for arrival and departure.

The time zone isn't too important to know unless you're just curious. I think it is CST though, since you asked.

That explains my confusion, thanks!
 
When signing up for an interview date, it had options to choose if you wanted a student host. I have yet to hear from anyone. I would just like to know soon so that I know if I need to make hotel arrangements.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
 
When signing up for an interview date, it had options to choose if you wanted a student host. I have yet to hear from anyone. I would just like to know soon so that I know if I need to make hotel arrangements.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk



I was told by admissions, (And was in-fact what happened), that if available I would be contacted by a student host approximately 1 week in advance to my interview date.
 
Withdrew my application today, and cancelled my interview for 11/3 Good luck everyone!
 
Also withdrew my application today. There should be an interview opening on Nov. 4 if anyone wants to grab it. Good luck!!
 
Got the acceptance call today!! :) Loved this school, but still struggle a bit with the super small town vibe.

Anyone have anything to add to life in Kirksville as well as the OMM opportunities.. not only class and fellowships, but integration into the curriculum, rotations and residencies. OMM and primary care are my main interests at this juncture.

One more question, what is life like for the 30-40+ aged student without a family to bring along?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Just arrived in Kirksville. Good luck to everyone else interviewing tomorrow!
 
Those of you who were accepted into this school, would you mind giving your stats?

I finally got verified and got the secondary in today. Unfortunately my Sep 1st MCAT suffered after I didn't fall asleep until 7 in the morning on my 1 P.M. exam. Made a 29 on the previous practice test but it is what it is.

cGPA: 3.855, sGPA: 3.72 MCAT: 22(2010) 21 (2011)

Good extracurriculars blah blah but that probably won't matter with my MCAT. Just wondering if I have a chance at all based on stats for the year so far.
 
I
have pretty average stats 3.45 CGPA 3.49 SGPA (with retakes in a few classes) took the MCAT once and got a 27 (7P 9V 11B). My ECs are very good and I know my LOR were excellent as well. Your MCAT is scrapping the bottom of the acceptable barrel but with excellent ECs and LORs and a good answer as to why the difference between your GPA and MCAT you will have a chance, it might be a small chance but it's worth giving it your best shot. I would consider taking the MCAT again. If you bump it up a few more points your chances of getting in to med school will increase greatly. Try changing your study strategies, or consider a prep course like KAPLAN or TPR they are expensive but worth it if they get you into med school. Good luck.
 
I
have pretty average stats 3.45 CGPA 3.49 SGPA (with retakes in a few classes) took the MCAT once and got a 27 (7P 9V 11B). My ECs are very good and I know my LOR were excellent as well. Your MCAT is scrapping the bottom of the acceptable barrel but with excellent ECs and LORs and a good answer as to why the difference between your GPA and MCAT you will have a chance, it might be a small chance but it’s worth giving it your best shot. I would consider taking the MCAT again. If you bump it up a few more points your chances of getting in to med school will increase greatly. Try changing your study strategies, or consider a prep course like KAPLAN or TPR they are expensive but worth it if they get you into med school. Good luck.

Thank you for your honest response. Unfortunately, I have already taken Kaplan in 2010 and spent 5 weeks this summer with the Princeton Review. My practice scores increased reasonably with TPR with sciences going from 7's/8's to consistent 9's/10's. Verbal stayed about the same, despite all the work I was putting into it. My verbal section wrecked me this time with a 5 and 8's in the sciences. I ended up being a passage short on the sciences and 2.5 passages short on verbal (marking CCCC). Anxiety got the best of me .

While I'm aware of steps 1,2, and 3, standardized testing is not my forte. I do much better in class. I'll probably retake early next year.
 
Got the acceptance call today!! :) Loved this school, but still struggle a bit with the super small town vibe.

Anyone have anything to add to life in Kirksville as well as the OMM opportunities.. not only class and fellowships, but integration into the curriculum, rotations and residencies. OMM and primary care are my main interests at this juncture.

One more question, what is life like for the 30-40+ aged student without a family to bring along?

I was accepted today too!!! I loved it too, but my undergrad has over 30,000 people so it will definitely be an adjustment for me too.
 

Just don’t give up without a fight! In my opinion (which is worth what you paid for it) there are two main things standardized tests like the MCAT tests for: A wide knowledge base and the ability to creatively and critically use the knowledge base under pressure. If you were scoring around 29 on practice tests and with your GPA it sounds like you have a decent knowledge base and an ability to use it, however like you said Anxiety and panic caused most of your problems. I think this could be remedied though tweaking your test taking strategies and lots and lots of practice tests under testing center conditions which to me meant putting pressure on myself (trying to finish under time) and pretending the practice test was the real thing. I wish I would have practiced more, but I practiced enough that when the real thing came I was able to calm myself down by telling myself that this test is not different than any other MCAT test I have taken, and that I have the strategies to manage the test no matter what was on it. If you can get that mind set then you will have the pressure part of the MCAT down and most likely a nice score. I’m no MCAT expert, but I hope I helped. Who knows maybe will get in with what you got. Good luck !!

And for what it’s worth my friend took the MCAT 3 times, he got a 20, 23, and a 30. He is now in his second year of Med school.
 
Well I will be seeing all those interviewing tomorrow bright and early. Just got waitlisted at DMU so hopefully this interview goes better.
 
Got the acceptance call today!! :) Loved this school, but still struggle a bit with the super small town vibe.

Anyone have anything to add to life in Kirksville as well as the OMM opportunities.. not only class and fellowships, but integration into the curriculum, rotations and residencies. OMM and primary care are my main interests at this juncture.

One more question, what is life like for the 30-40+ aged student without a family to bring along?

There is plenty of OMM around your entire 2 years, in Kville, trust me. Some classes integrate it more than others, but in actual OTM class they talk about how it can be used in actual practice.

I have classmates in their 30s/pushing 40. Its a matter of what you enjoy doing. They often would come out to dinner and drinks with the rest of us who are mid 20s and fit in just fine. If you prefer to keep it low key, I'm sure you would be able to find people to share that with as well.

Let me know if you have more questions...
 
I was told by admissions, (And was in-fact what happened), that if available I would be contacted by a student host approximately 1 week in advance to my interview date.

Cool. I hope someone will take me in. I feel like an abandoned pet Lol

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
 
I got the acceptance call this morning. Congrats guys! :D

I attended my interview at KCOM yesterday, very impressed, felt like the interview was great... I actually enjoyed having a conversation with my interviewers. Definetly wouldn't mind living in Kirksville, my undergrad was in a town of 10,000 which is slightly less than Kirksville.

For those of you who recently got an acceptance call, how long was it after your interview date. My admissions counselor told me 1-2 weeks and then Alice said 2 weeks... just trying to get a rough guestimate.
 
I attended my interview at KCOM yesterday, very impressed, felt like the interview was great... I actually enjoyed having a conversation with my interviewers. Definetly wouldn't mind living in Kirksville, my undergrad was in a town of 10,000 which is slightly less than Kirksville.

For those of you who recently got an acceptance call, how long was it after your interview date. My admissions counselor told me 1-2 weeks and then Alice said 2 weeks... just trying to get a rough guestimate.

How did you prepare for ATSU-KCOM interview? Let me know if there was any surprising question or happening if you don't mind. Thanks.
 
application put on hold. dunno if thats a bad thing....
 
How did you prepare for ATSU-KCOM interview? Let me know if there was any surprising question or happening if you don't mind. Thanks.

Sorry about taking so long to get back to you... There really weren't any truly surprising questions, most were app specific. That being said have a good idea of how you are going to defend any flaws in your app as you will be talking one on one with three different individuals for a total of three hours. Also, know why you want to be a physician and why you want to be a D.O., this should be standard practice for any interview that you come across. I would add though that this is my second interview at KCOM, last cycle I interviewed late (almost March). That previous interview was rough, got grilled for an hour about universal healthcare, another hour started off with me having to explain the four basic tenants of osteopathic medicine and then my app was on the grill for the rest of the time (that interviewer said that I would be TOO involved in medical school because I had a lot of ECs in my undergrad). Really though, just know your app, know its weaknesses and have a good time at your interview. They are really great at KCOM and very welcoming, the interviews tend to be conversational and gives you a good chance to interact with the faculty.

Best of luck to you!
 
So, my interview is Friday Nov 18th at 8am. I am trying to book a flight from Kirksville back to Buffalo, NY where my undergrad college is for Thursday, Nov. 17th 2011 to Saturday, Nov. 19th 2011. Both are small airports so the minimum is 2 connecting flights.

There's a flight going from Buffalo --> Kirksville for Thursday that I'm gonna buy. Coming back, however, there are NO AVAILABLE FLIGHTS. I'm in (somewhat) freak-out mode now. Are the planes leaving Kirksville so tiny that there are no more seats on the 1 flight outta there every day? Guess so...

I'd be fine with doing a 3:50pm flight out of there Friday instead of Saturday, but there are no available flights for that day either(via Expedia)!! dfoidsfjdfjds. Luckily, there's a flight on Sunday, but that'll mean I'm in Kirksville the whole weekend. Is anyone commuting by car to the interview that day (Nov 18th), by any chance, and is driving back to a city like St. Louis? I could then find tickets from there... Whether it's Friday or Saturday you'd be leaving, I wouldn't mind. I know this is a stretch and the possibilities of finding someone that's commuting back to/near a city with a larger airport are slim, so I'll probably end up flying back that Sunday. oy.
 
Personally I rented a car and flew in and out of St. Louis, but I am also over 25 so it was cheaper for me to do that.

I heard back about my acceptance less than a week after my interview. That's not what they told us on the interview day, though, they said 2 weeks.
 
So, my interview is Friday Nov 18th at 8am. I am trying to book a flight from Kirksville back to Buffalo, NY where my undergrad college is for Thursday, Nov. 17th 2011 to Saturday, Nov. 19th 2011. Both are small airports so the minimum is 2 connecting flights.

There's a flight going from Buffalo --> Kirksville for Thursday that I'm gonna buy. Coming back, however, there are NO AVAILABLE FLIGHTS. I'm in (somewhat) freak-out mode now. Are the planes leaving Kirksville so tiny that there are no more seats on the 1 flight outta there every day? Guess so...

Yeah that is just bad timing with anyone interviewing that date. That is the day of our finals before Thanksgiving break so everyone is flying home that weekend. The airport only has flights leaving 3 or so times a day with only 8 or so seats on them so it filled up months ago for that weekend. You may be able to catch a greyhound bus over to St Louis to fly out so you don't have to be stranded for the weekend, or take the Amtrak train from La Plata over to Kansas City to fly out of.
 
Personally I rented a car and flew in and out of St. Louis, but I am also over 25 so it was cheaper for me to do that.

I heard back about my acceptance less than a week after my interview. That's not what they told us on the interview day, though, they said 2 weeks.

So did you hear the Wednesday of the next week? About what time did they call you?
 
I just got the call! I've been accepted!!!! This is awesome! I'm really going to be a doctor!

FYI- interview 10/20, acceptance 10/25
 
Got the acceptance call today as well!! Interviewed 10/13..so it was 2 weeks for me to hear back.
 
Congrats! :) Mind me asking what your stats are? I've been complete since 9/25. I guess only a month......but I'm getting so antsy! :bang:

3.21c, 3.18s, 27Q
-Lots of ECs, lots.
-Medical work as an EMT for 3 years

I know it is tough to wait... definetly the most cruel thing about the whole med school application process. You will make it though, and you can finally breathe easy when it is done.

Best of luck
 
After a long wait today, no phone call for me :(

A BIIIG congrats to those who did receive it!!! :)

Instead I received an e-mail:
"Due to the competitiveness of the applicant pool this year, the Admissions Committee has decided to release a decision regarding your application on January 18, 2012. We will be contacting you with the information as soon as the decision is available from the Admissions Committee. Thank you for your patience."


Is this considered waitlist .. or .. anyone have any experience?
 
After a long wait today, no phone call for me :(

A BIIIG congrats to those who did receive it!!! :)

Instead I received an e-mail:
"Due to the competitiveness of the applicant pool this year, the Admissions Committee has decided to release a decision regarding your application on January 18, 2012. We will be contacting you with the information as soon as the decision is available from the Admissions Committee. Thank you for your patience."


Is this considered waitlist .. or .. anyone have any experience?

I also want to know the answer for this. I am not sure why they delay making a decision after the interview is done...If you were wait-listed, they must have stated in your email letter. So, I don't think you are on the waitlist. It is just abnormal that they make a decision after 3 months from now.

I am scheduled to interview on Dec. 8th and I was expecting 2 weeks to receive the decision after the interview.

I really want to know about your case, though. Keep your hopes up!
 
I'm in the same boat Eric552. Not sure about this... I feel pretty discourage about waiting almost three months to finally hear a decision from the admissions committee…
 
Sorry to hear that. It sounds like they are saying "you are too good to waiitlist, but not good enough to accept, so we will see if anyone better comes along." I suppose it isn't bad news, but I can see how you would think it iis. Good luck.
 
Sorry to hear that. It sounds like they are saying "you are too good to waiitlist, but not good enough to accept, so we will see if anyone better comes along." I suppose it isn't bad news, but I can see how you would think it iis. Good luck.

But, is this case normal for the medical schools? I thought they are usually good at sending decisions after the interview is done within normal time range they announce. I have never seen this situation before where you have to wait 3 months to hear the decision.
 
But, is this case normal for the medical schools? I thought they are usually good at sending decisions after the interview is done within normal time range they announce. I have never seen this situation before where you have to wait 3 months to hear the decision.

I haven't ever seen this either. I think FrkyBigStok is right on with what he is saying. It seems kind of like a limbo situation. If I were in that boat I would for sure send a LOI and update them on changes to your app. I also think it wouldn't hurt to call or e-mail just to ask them what you should take from that e-mail...

This post pops my century-mark cherry.
 
Last edited:
Hey guys! I just withdrew my application/interview for 11/3. I hope someone on SDN can nab that date! Good luck everyone!

Also: They sent me an email with the schedule. I don't know if it's already been posted in this thread, so forgive me if I'm reposting information. Just trying to help you guys out!



8:00-8:15 am: Admissions Briefing

8:15-9:00 am: Curriculum Overview

9:00-12:00 pm: Interview I and II (two, 30-45 minutes 1:1 interviews)

Admissions Staff (one, 20-30 minute interview)

Spouse/Significant Partner/Guest Informational Overview

12:00-12:30 pm: Lunch with Student Ambassadors

12:30-1:00 pm: Osteopathic Case Study Demonstration

1:15-1:45 pm: Financial Assistance Program

1:45-2:00 pm: Still Well Presentation

2:00-2:45 pm: Campus Tour (Optional)

2:45-3:00 pm: Interview Day Wrap Up

3:00 pm: Thompson Campus Center Tour (Optional)

Still National Osteopathic Museum Tour (Optional)
 
Interview invite, Nov. 14th!! Flights are ridiculous from AL so looks like I will be driving 10 hours....:thumbdown:
 
I haven't ever seen this either. I think FrkyBigStok is right on with what he is saying. It seems kind of like a limbo situation. If I were in that boat I would for sure send a LOI and update them on changes to your app. I also think it wouldn't hurt to call or e-mail just to ask them what you should take from that e-mail...

This post pops my century-mark cherry.

Hey guys! Let’s keep this thing alive!
So I wrote back to the school and they say that they “are having more applicants this year so the committee just wanted to wait until a few more interviews happen before making a decision. There are several folks in this situation so it isn't just you!”… From my point of view the rolling admission thing doesn’t play anymore b/c even though you took the MCAT back in May or June -or before that- and you applied early, you’ll still have to wait for others, the ones that applied later in the cycle, to be admitted if they are “better” than you (no offence intended)
Doing the math I feel pretty discourage, KCOM interview 8-12 individuals 3 times a week roughly around 30 every week (correct me if I’m wrong) of those 60% or more are accepted (again correct me if I’m wrong) so in the next 9 or 10 weeks before Jan/18 (taking out 2 weeks for Christmas brake) a total of 200 individual will be offer acceptance. I know the school will only accept 172 (around 150 I guess, taking in consideration those accepted from last cycle to the 2016 class)...
I don’t even know if they are rejecting after interview or if they are keeping in the pocket the remaining 40% of the interviewed anxious pre-meds like me! I read from previous forums that they place you in an “alternative list” or they “accept you upon seat availability” being the second the most important.
Any suggestions to calm down my anxiety will be greatly appreciated. (Sorry for my long ADD comment:))
 
They probably want to see who who will hold on to their acceptances before they decide whether or not to give you a seat.

They will accept more than 200. The rough estimate I see is about double the size of the class. Plenty of people that they accept will be accepted multiple places and will choose to go somewhere else.

Don't lose hope yet.
 
Top