CA schools this late?

[Khenon]

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Hey everyone. I was wondering if any of you knew the likelyhood of getting an interview/acceptance at the Cali schools (TUCOM and Western/COMP) this late in the game. As you probably already know, I've just submitted my primary to AACOMAS on Dec. 12, which probably means they won't even get my app until mid-late Jan or Feb. These would be my top 2 choices, but I don't know if I'm just dreaming. Their deadlines are in April, which makes me think they must be looking for several more slots in the spring, but I don't know. I hope I'm not being dillusional thinking I have a shot at these schools.

 

[dr.z]

I know that Western/COMP takes long time to fill their class. I would say go ahead and apply. You never know what will happen unless you apply anyways. Good luck!

 

[Khenon]

Thanks dr.z. I've definitely applied, but I wasn't sure how likely it was to get an interview/acceptance this late in the game. I'm glad to hear that Western/COMP doesn't fill most of their slots early. I hope TUCOM is the same. I will go where ever I'm accepted, but I'm really getting my heart set on California. I lived there for 6 years, and have been yearning to get back. Now that I've applied to these schools it seems more like a reality, but I don't want to be unrealistic. Oh well. I guess I have to play the waiting game like everyone else. 🙂

 

[hotlikebutter]

there are alot of changes from now til march or so. pcom and nycom have yet to interview or respond for that matter to many highly qualified students on the west coast. im sure many of these students are sitting on acceptances to COMP or Touro and will ditch their seats for some east coast lovin. this is the way the game is played. the schools know that too. go ahead and apply. its a good thing the primary is so much cheaper for the DO schools.

 

[joy2004]

there are alot of changes from now til march or so. pcom and nycom have yet to interview or respond for that matter to many highly qualified students on the west coast. im sure many of these students are sitting on acceptances to COMP or Touro and will ditch their seats for some east coast lovin. this is the way the game is played. the schools know that too. go ahead and apply. its a good thing the primary is so much cheaper for the DO schools.

But you should know, that once you get in, 1000 $ deposit is nonrefundable! Oh, and another 1000 $ is due March...I think with MD schools its not that high...

 

[joy2004]

Thanks dr.z. I've definitely applied, but I wasn't sure how likely it was to get an interview/acceptance this late in the game. I'm glad to hear that Western/COMP doesn't fill most of their slots early. I hope TUCOM is the same. I will go where ever I'm accepted, but I'm really getting my heart set on California. I lived there for 6 years, and have been yearning to get back. Now that I've applied to these schools it seems more like a reality, but I don't want to be unrealistic. Oh well. I guess I have to play the waiting game like everyone else. 🙂

I think if you do want to settle in Cali, you should try to get in the best school you can regardless of geographical location. Its not where you attend shool matters, but where you do your residency. And to get into good residency in CA, you have to go to a very good, maybe out-of-state school. Otherwise, it is so COMPETITIVE in CA for everything, that you should be competitive as well...Comon, all successful people I know here are moving here from Harvard, etc. And local people feel like they have to leave the state b/c of competition and high costs of living and everything. This is at least what I've heard...

 

[Khenon]

I think if you do want to settle in Cali, you should try to get in the best school you can regardless of geographical location. Its not where you attend shool matters, but where you do your residency. And to get into good residency in CA, you have to go to a very good, maybe out-of-state school. Otherwise, it is so COMPETITIVE in CA for everything, that you should be competitive as well...Comon, all successful people I know here are moving here from Harvard, etc. And local people feel like they have to leave the state b/c of competition and high costs of living and everything. This is at least what I've heard...

So what you're saying is that the non-Cali schools are better suited for being more competitive for residencies "in" Cali? ie Go to a non-Cali school for DO training, then get into a residency in Cali. I'm sorry that sounded so stupid. I'm not familiar with the residencies or how the "competition" works in terms of getting a residency. I'm pretty sure I'll want to do an IM residency with a post-doc position in hematology/oncology . . . is that something I could do in Cali? So are most people doing the east coast schools because it makes them more competitive for residencies (on the west coast)? This is all so new to me! I'm so focused on just getting an interview to ANY school, that I haven't given any thought (or research) into "what if I have options."

 

[hotlikebutter]

But you should know, that once you get in, 1000 $ deposit is nonrefundable! Oh, and another 1000 $ is due March...I think with MD schools its not that high...

very true. i didnt like the high deposit. but if you think about it, 1000 is not much in the grand scheme of things. losing that 1000 to be happier for med school in terms of where you want to go for 4 years is not a big deal. trust me, im in debt like crazy during this process, but you gotta look at the long run. but you are right, i wish the deposits were like the MD schools.

 

[Khenon]

very true. i didnt like the high deposit. but if you think about it, 1000 is not much in the grand scheme of things. losing that 1000 to be happier for med school in terms of where you want to go for 4 years is not a big deal. trust me, im in debt like crazy during this process, but you gotta look at the long run. but you are right, i wish the deposits were like the MD schools.

So I take it that you have to put this deposit down right away (upon getting your acceptance), then if you decide to go to another school, you just lose that money? That seems unfair. It's not like people are getting all their interviews in one week, so they can make an informed decision within 2 weeks of an acceptance. And . . . $1000!! Holy crap! I make okay money right now, and that's ALOT of money to me!

 

[snuffles04]

For COMP the deadline for the $1000 deposit is Feb. 1st for students accepted from Sept-Jan, and April 1st (or later) for students accepted afterward. The reason they do this is because alot of people keep their acceptance for a long time even though they know they wont go to COMP in the end, and that's bad for the school because they really need to have a complete finalized class list. COMP also starts interviewing alot after Feb. 1st because alot of people give up the seats they were holding because they know they wont go there and dont want to pay the non-refundable $1000 if they know they wont go there. From what I hear, the deposit for most other DO schools is $1000 as well.

 

[hotlikebutter]

i have a seat at COMP with my 1000 bucks thats correct. i dont know if I would go some where else, i feel im at a good point in my applications cause I am actually in control. I want to see if NYCOM and PCOM can offer me more than COMP, even though COMP is a great school as I can tell, it cant hurt to see for myself if offered interviews.

i was also accepted at Touro MI and declined the offer. their initial deposit is 2000! i ultimately chose COMP over Touro for personal reasons. Both are great schools, they all are, just didnt see myself on MI for 2-4 years.

but hey, leaving deposits for a seat is better than being rejected from all the schools you applied to.

 

[Khenon]

Well as if by some omen, I got a solicitation from COMP today to apply to their school. I know it doesn't mean much, but I'm guessing that since they're sending out solicitations they must still be looking at apps. That's nice to know. I even emailed the recruiter to see if I could submit my secondary and/or send LOR's. Probably not, but it was worth a try.

 

[Dr. Don]

Well as if by some omen, I got a solicitation from COMP today to apply to their school. I know it doesn't mean much, but I'm guessing that since they're sending out solicitations they must still be looking at apps. That's nice to know. I even emailed the recruiter to see if I could submit my secondary and/or send LOR's. Probably not, but it was worth a try.

hey khenon, I'm a first year at Western/COMP and I definitely want to encourage you to apply! Western is a good school specially if you want to do primary care and WANT TO STAY IN CALIFORNIA! I don't know what that person was talking about going to a "ranked/quality" school like Harvard to come back to cali...not true at all! Our match list is impressive in primary care with awesome spots at institutions like UCLA, USC, Loma Linda, etc. If you or anyone have any questions about COMP and med school in general feel free to PM me, take care and best of luck everyone! The hardest thing about med school is getting in!
Dr. DOn
P.S. By the way we just go a new Dean, and he has an awesome plan to make COMP even better! Everyone is pretty excited about that and that's the buzz right now....look him up if you'd like

http://wsprod.westernu.edu/wu/newsreleases/nr_detail.jsp?id=2243

 

[Khenon]

hey khenon, I'm a first year at Western/COMP and I definitely want to encourage you to apply! Western is a good school specially if you want to do primary care and WANT TO STAY IN CALIFORNIA! I don't know what that person was talking about going to a "ranked/quality" school like Harvard to come back to cali...not true at all! Our match list is impressive in primary care with awesome spots at institutions like UCLA, USC, Loma Linda, etc. If you or anyone have any questions about COMP and med school in general feel free to PM me, take care and best of luck everyone! The hardest thing about med school is getting in!
Dr. DOn
P.S. By the way we just go a new Dean, and he has an awesome plan to make COMP even better! Everyone is pretty excited about that and that's the buzz right now....look him up if you'd like

http://wsprod.westernu.edu/wu/newsreleases/nr_detail.jsp?id=2243

Thanks Dr. Don! That's so good to hear. I really like the Pomona area too, so my fiance and I are getting pretty excited about the COMP prospect. I do want to get back to, and stay in California, but I want to specialize in hematology/oncology. Is it tough to get internal medicine residencies and post-doc positions for that specialty in Cali?

Well, I'll post once I hear something from them. They don't even have my app yet, so I've got a ways to go!

 

[Dr. Don]

Thanks Dr. Don! That's so good to hear. I really like the Pomona area too, so my fiance and I are getting pretty excited about the COMP prospect. I do want to get back to, and stay in California, but I want to specialize in hematology/oncology. Is it tough to get internal medicine residencies and post-doc positions for that specialty in Cali?

Well, I'll post once I hear something from them. They don't even have my app yet, so I've got a ways to go!

excellent, internal medicine is considered primary care, so it's all good! best of luck to you! by the way if you do decide to come to COMP, I recommed living in claremont, montclair, or covina, west covina area. Pomona itself is alright, but not as nice as these other places, take care

 

[stealthbomber]

hey khenon, I'm a first year at Western/COMP and I definitely want to encourage you to apply! Western is a good school specially if you want to do primary care and WANT TO STAY IN CALIFORNIA! I don't know what that person was talking about going to a "ranked/quality" school like Harvard to come back to cali...not true at all! Our match list is impressive in primary care with awesome spots at institutions like UCLA, USC, Loma Linda, etc. If you or anyone have any questions about COMP and med school in general feel free to PM me, take care and best of luck everyone! The hardest thing about med school is getting in!
Dr. DOn
P.S. By the way we just go a new Dean, and he has an awesome plan to make COMP even better! Everyone is pretty excited about that and that's the buzz right now....look him up if you'd like

http://wsprod.westernu.edu/wu/newsreleases/nr_detail.jsp?id=2243

Thanks for the good word about COMP. I have my interview this month and I am really excited at the posibility of going there. What are some of the best things that the school has to offer?

 

[Dr. Don]

Thanks for the good word about COMP. I have my interview this month and I am really excited at the posibility of going there. What are some of the best things that the school has to offer?

well, there are various things, some better than others. It all just depends and what you are looking for in a med school. I like the systems based approach (starting second semester), 2--3 afternoons off for independent study, clinical volunteering, research, hang out, etc. We have the opportunity to do rotations on some big time institutions like UCLA, UCI, USC, Loma Linda, and Arrowhead County. If you want to work with the underserved, you can't go wrong, Pomona needs help. Overall we are a quality school in CALIFORNIA (although tuition is a little high-it's a private school, but the financial aid office is really good and they will take care of you once you are here!) We are in the up and up and hopefully with our new Dean we can strive to be better! I wish you the best in your interview and hopefully we'll be seeing you next year! Late

Dr. DOn

 

[bellavista]

😕 🙁 Hey Butter-
I wanted to know if you would disclose your mcat and gpa stats? I have a 2.9 and a 29. I realllllly want to go to western. what do you people think my chances are there and anywhere else for that matter? I'm doing a masters right now and i have done pretty well in it so far (3.5). i'm so nervous. i submitted my application late, but i hope that they have plenty of seats still availible. my gpa is lower than the accepted gpa of most schools, but i hope my higher mcat will help?

 

[bellavista]

Dearest KHENON,
I just reviewed your stats. We're pretty similar in everything. You have a much higher GPA, and I have a higher MCAT. I truly hope we both get in. I am currently doing a Masters, and I know you have done one as well. I hope that we can both matriculate although we have applied late. I have kind of been in a frozen state since submitting my do application. i'm so nervous. i feel as though i have a chance, but in the end no 1 really knows. I just wish I had submitted it earlier. Tourro has much easier requirements than Western. For example, western's entering class for 2004 had a average GPA of 3.3 and mcat of 27, whereas Tourro has a average GPA of 3.0 and MCAT of 23. You and I both together would make the average of Western's grades and MCAT. It seems as though we are more worried about it than most others who are applying as we are the two asking questions and stressing on studentdr. net

 

[frank51]

Hey guys, I’m facing a dilemma and would greatly appreciate your advice. My application has already been sent to several DO schools, but I didn’t apply to Western/COMP because even though my GPA is on par with their average GPA, my MCAT is 3 points lower than their average MCAT score. What do you think I should do? Should I spend a $100 for application/secondary? Do I have a decent chance of getting an interview based on my numbers?

 

[Khenon]

Dearest KHENON,
I just reviewed your stats. We're pretty similar in everything. You have a much higher GPA, and I have a higher MCAT. I truly hope we both get in. I am currently doing a Masters, and I know you have done one as well. I hope that we can both matriculate although we have applied late. I have kind of been in a frozen state since submitting my do application. i'm so nervous. i feel as though i have a chance, but in the end no 1 really knows. I just wish I had submitted it earlier. Tourro has much easier requirements than Western. For example, western's entering class for 2004 had a average GPA of 3.3 and mcat of 27, whereas Tourro has a average GPA of 3.0 and MCAT of 23. You and I both together would make the average of Western's grades and MCAT. It seems as though we are more worried about it than most others who are applying as we are the two asking questions and stressing on studentdr. net

Yeah, I know what you mean about stressing it. Western definitely has one of the higher MCAT averages of most other DO schools, so it does concern me. I'm pretty sure I'll get a secondary (I emailed the admissions assistant and she told me if your GPA is above a 2.5 and your MCAT is at least 18, you should get a secondary), and then I'm just hoping they can look past my MCAT score and see all my other strong qualities as a non-trad applicant. I guess you're hoping for the same! 🙂 Western is definitely my top choice. This being said having NO interviews yet this season. But just based on what I've heard, and having lived in the Southern Cali area before, I'm pretty sure I'd be happy there. When did you submit your app? Mine was complete at AACOMAS on Dec. 27, so I'm hoping it won't be much longer then 4 weeks from that date. I think I'll start calling them in a couple of weeks and "nag." 🙂 Best of luck with your app. Keep us posted!

 

[Khenon]

Hey guys, I’m facing a dilemma and would greatly appreciate your advice. My application has already been sent to several DO schools, but I didn’t apply to Western/COMP because even though my GPA is on par with their average GPA, my MCAT is 3 points lower than their average MCAT score. What do you think I should do? Should I spend a $100 for application/secondary? Do I have a decent chance of getting an interview based on my numbers?

I guess I don't know your specific chances at COMP, but in general you have to keep in mind the term "average." COMP's average is 27, so that means there are people well above AND below that number. I think you would have a good shot, if the rest of your app is strong. I'm applying with a 23 MCAT score, and I feel I have a good shot at it. But you never know. If you want to attend there, I would go ahead and submit. If it's not one of your top schools then maybe not, but that's a personal choice. Good luck with your decision. Take care.

 

[dr.z]

Khenon,

If you haven't done so, I would recommend going to COMP's web site to fill the secondary out. It is pretty long, and it would save you time.

 

[Dr. Don]

remember guys: with osteopathic schools, the "whole application" approach is more significant than allopathic schools. They really take into account EVERYTHING IN YOUR APP! Unlike some schools that will basically cut you off with you don't meet a minimum GPA and MCAT. I had a 3.3 GPA (3.8 post bac) and a 26-27 MCAT (took mcat more than once) and here I am. Interviewed late january, got accepted a week later! It's definitely possible. I must admit getting into med school (both allo and osteo) is getting tougher and tougher every year, with SO MANY quality applicants applying, but you'll never know for sure whether you can make it or not, if you don't apply! so go for it and good luck!!!!