DMU questions

[Medicfletch]

I have an interview with them this sat. and am trying to prep for my interview. I appologize, I did a search and couldn't find any information about the program other than everyone seems to walk away loving this school. For those that have interviewed or been accepted/attending, what about the school, rotations and cirriculum impressed you. Thanks in advance.

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[newyorkcougar]

The school will speak for itself when you get to Des Moines. But here are a few good points:

1) The people there are amazingly friendly...students, faculty, staff, everyone.
2) DMU puts TONS of energy into keeping up on all technological trends...from a wireless campus to a "harvey" cardio simulator.
3) Last year 95% of their students got their first or second choice residency, and they have exceedingly high pass rates on the boards.
4) The main building has just been rebuilt and will be finished this summer. It is going to be BEAUTIFUL.
5) They are the second oldest school which means that they have very old relationships with hospitals and clinics all over the country, giving their students a lot of name recognition.
6) They have stadardized patients to train students to give physicals, etc, before you go on your rotations. They video you and critique your work with you. By the time you get to rotations, you have had tons of experience with these standardized patients giving you confidence to get the most out of your clinical experiences.

The list of reasons to go to DMU goes on and on. There are TONS of reasons to go to DMU, but like I said, the school will totally speak for itself when you get there!

 

[babyruth]

Further info about school:
--> Curriculum = 2 years of didactic training with first year emphasizing basic sciences and second year systems based; case studies are thrown in to enrich learning but are not based off of them; medical electives courses are numerous (i.e. medical spanish, death and dying, pain management, leadership, etc. etc.)
--> SPAL Lab = person who took over organizing the COMLEX-PE was the head of our SPAL Lab for several years
--> Big emphasis on OMM and the osteopathic philosophy; spectacular OMM department headed by Dr. Boesler (worship the guy)
--> New president was the governor of IA for several years; hope to get more political clout within community and nationwide (keeping fingers crossed)

The reason I chose DMU was because it was the right fit for me. I interviewed at both allopathic and osteopathic schools and was so impressed with the school that I canceled my other interviews.

Disadvantages = bad food service (meaning its expensive) and crowded study space (which will be remedied with the new building...)

Hope to see you there.

 

[Ypo.]

I was going to say all those things-but people beat me to it-I was impressed by the facilities, people, teachers, OMM clinic, wireless campus-old school-good connections-the Dean was acting governor of Iowa for a long time-what more could you want?

 

[Medicfletch]

Thank you all for you quick replies, its greatly appreciated.

 

[Geronimo]

What is the cost of living like in Des Moines?

 

[Docgeorge]

Cheap!

 

[babyruth]

If you live next to the school, som eof these places can be a little expensive, at least for me ($700-$800 for 2br!). But you can find a good deal within walking distance and its usually anywhere from $400-$600 depending on 1br or 2, and if they pay utilities or not. Food is relatively cheap. So think Midwest when you think of price--usually not bad at all if you decide to live like a student and not a porn star.

 

[Geronimo]

Do porn stars live well?

Cost will certainly be a consideration. For those of you who live there, do you think it is a good idea to live nearby (within walking distance)? My wife thinks that would be a good idea b/c of the weather (i.e. if you live to far out, driving to school might be difficult).

 

[babyruth]

I live close to school and I really love just being able to roll out of bed and go. The weather isn't really that bad, they have pretty good snow plows. Although they do freak out a little about tornadoes here; I don't even do anything when the sirens go off because they 'cry wolf' alot here. I'm originally from southwest Missouri and when the tornado sirens go off--you better take cover or else!

Side note: If you are from another state, you will get a laugh out of how proud Iowans (at least their news stations) are of their state. Go to the State Fair and it is like a circus extravaganza. They have moderately good restaurants, their grocery stores need a little more variety and choice, and their street names are really screwed up (they change names for no reason--usually because they have little suburbs all over the place, which is pretty dumb to me). The up side is that the people here are generally extremely nice, unless you appreciate the vulgarity and flamboyance of bigger cities...
Also, they don't have anyplace to go swimming and I miss having that option (unless you want to go to a public pool or to a cow feces infected swimming hole).

 

[Geronimo]

I live close to school and I really love just being able to roll out of bed and go. The weather isn't really that bad, they have pretty good snow plows.

Does the "snow plows" answer apply to suburbs as well?

I like the idea of rolling out of bed 30 minutes before class. A quick shower and I'm off to class. That could be nice!

 

[sunstar1877]

As a former resident of Iowa and grad of Iowa State I'm really excited to be going down to DMU for an interview in the next couple of weeks. I went down and did a campus tour a couple of months ago and the facilities are great. Des Moines is a very midwestern town - nice people, clean city, and best of all CHEAP!! Anyone already had their interview that could provide advice on what type of questions to prepare for?
thanks!!

 

[babyruth]

I think they do a pretty good job from what I hear, unless they get dumped with alot overnight---you still have to leave early because the traffic into town will be terrible that day.

 

[kahoo99]

some one posted on the interview feedback sight that they offer tuition and half tuition waivers for select students above a 30/3.5. does anyone know about more about this?
thanks

 

[craigkes]

When do they plan on building this new building? Are they already in the process of doing so?

 

[Geronimo]

I think the building is supposed to be done by summer or during the summer. They were working on it two weeks ago. It looked as though it was already nearing completion (on the outside - we didn't go in).

To the scholarship question, that is what I heard as well: above a 3.5 GPA and a 30 MCAT. That is all they told us though.

 

[babyruth]

Building supposed to be done in the late spring, fingers crossed so I at least get to go in the building....

Call the admissions office and ask, again, they are very helpful.

 

[DOitright]

some one posted on the interview feedback sight that they offer tuition and half tuition waivers for select students above a 30/3.5. does anyone know about more about this?
thanks

As far as I know, if you're accepted and chosen for the scholarship, you'll be notified. I don't think there is anything that you need to do! They kinda pamper you there, do a lot for you! Seems nice!

when i was there in september, they said the building would be done in June! Just in time for the new incoming class! Looks like it's gonna be real nice!

What I thought of DMU:

I was very impressed by the school, students, and staff. Especially how friendly they were and how they really made you feel like you were there because they wanted you to be!

The curriculum is pretty typical of any medical school (DO/MD): 2 years didactic - classroom education, and 2 years clinical.

But...

They have a few good things I haven't seen at many other schools:
- Harvey...heart simulator. During my interview we had a demonstration of Harvey and it was really neat. The professor who gave the demonstration (and also teaches the class) was great! I felt like I was in a mini-lecture, and if she teaches how she did then, it would be a great class to be in.
- SPAL - You are video taped with a mock-patient who presents with whatever condition you are studying at the time. Seems like it would be nerve-recking at first, but well worth it in the end.
- OMM is one of the, if not the, best in the country! If you planning on using OMM as a big part of your practice, you can't find a better place.
- they give you a laptop and two PDA's (one your first year, and one before you clinical rotations) and hey...who doesn't like free stuff!
- new campus building...completly wireless...lecture notes supplied for a fee...and im sure there are many other great things!

If you don't mind living in the midwest, you'll enjoy DMU! I have nothing against the midwest, I am currently in Minnesota, and very well may attend DMU next fall...Des Moines (and the midwest) is just a little different than big city life (I'm originally from SF, CA)!

Good luck!

 

[OnMyWayThere]

I think the school rocked in all those areas mentioned above!
Things I didn't like: The class size of 200+, being in Iowa (no offense to Iowans, just that the distance from my family and the weather are not for me). I also asked students what there is to do there and most said not much. Nevertheless, I think the school rocked.

 

[babyruth]

Remember that last year was a fluke and we usually have a mean of 200. The 2007 class has 189. It depends on how they are arranging their admissions this year. I thought I would have trouble with the big class size and I was completely wrong (since I came from a small private school where size per course was around 20 students). Everyone pretty much knows everyone, at least those that come to class, or at least recognize your face. When talking with someone from the U. of Iowa med school, they said they barely knew more than ten people really well. Let me tell you that it is not like that here.

 

[MeowMix]

A big factor you should consider (not mentioned yet) is rotation sites. Unless things have changed, you will probably end up leaving Des Moines for your third and fourth-year rotations. You should be prepared to live somewhere else (OH, MI, etc.) and move frequently. Weaknesses of the rotation system were the biggest drawback about DMU for me.

 

[DOitright]

A big factor you should consider (not mentioned yet) is rotation sites. Unless things have changed, you will probably end up leaving Des Moines for your third and fourth-year rotations. You should be prepared to live somewhere else (OH, MI, etc.) and move frequently. Weaknesses of the rotation system were the biggest drawback about DMU for me.

I thought the rotations at DMU were one of their strong points! They have tons of affiliations, and they do all the work (as far as setting them up...sorry you have to do your rotations yourself ) for you. You should be able to get a rotation in Des Moines or somewhere close if you want to...but that's up to you! At least this is the impression I am under!

 

[babyruth]

Spots within the Des Moines area and within Iowa are, unfortunately, limited to a certain amount of slots--though this is a third of the alotted amount. We just opened up sites in Minnesota and in Idaho, while some of our other sites include Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and NY and NJ, Florida, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas. We do have strong associations within the state and outside of the state due to the fact that 60-75% of people enrolled do not come from Iowa, like me. We are not the only school that does this of course, Kirksville is tha big one that comes to mind. All applicants should research this beforehand before deciding on any school.

 

[sether52do]

some one posted on the interview feedback sight that they offer tuition and half tuition waivers for select students above a 30/3.5. does anyone know about more about this?
thanks

Yes, this is true. Though, they are giving me $7000 a year, and I came in with a 29/4.0. Of course, to keep the scholarship for all 4 years, you must keep an 85% and pass Step 1 of the boards on the first sitting. I'm not sure for those 30/3.5 scholarships if they give them to everyone with those stats or if you are just in the running if you are accepted. That would be something you'd have to ask Becky Grissom about.

 

[Geronimo]

Yes, this is true. Though, they are giving me $7000 a year, and I came in with a 29/4.0. Of course, to keep the scholarship for all 4 years, you must keep an 85% and pass Step 1 of the boards on the first sitting. I'm not sure for those 30/3.5 scholarships if they give them to everyone with those stats or if you are just in the running if you are accepted. That would be something you'd have to ask Becky Grissom about.

Did your offer come with your acceptance letter also?

 

[craigkes]

Des Moines is a fantastic school. As far as the laptop and PDA goes, it comes out of your tuition. Just found out this last weekend. Still a great school though.

As far as I know, if you're accepted and chosen for the scholarship, you'll be notified. I don't think there is anything that you need to do! They kinda pamper you there, do a lot for you! Seems nice!

when i was there in september, they said the building would be done in June! Just in time for the new incoming class! Looks like it's gonna be real nice!

What I thought of DMU:

I was very impressed by the school, students, and staff. Especially how friendly they were and how they really made you feel like you were there because they wanted you to be!

The curriculum is pretty typical of any medical school (DO/MD): 2 years didactic - classroom education, and 2 years clinical.

But...

They have a few good things I haven't seen at many other schools:
- Harvey...heart simulator. During my interview we had a demonstration of Harvey and it was really neat. The professor who gave the demonstration (and also teaches the class) was great! I felt like I was in a mini-lecture, and if she teaches how she did then, it would be a great class to be in.
- SPAL - You are video taped with a mock-patient who presents with whatever condition you are studying at the time. Seems like it would be nerve-recking at first, but well worth it in the end.
- OMM is one of the, if not the, best in the country! If you planning on using OMM as a big part of your practice, you can't find a better place.
- they give you a laptop and two PDA's (one your first year, and one before you clinical rotations) and hey...who doesn't like free stuff!
- new campus building...completly wireless...lecture notes supplied for a fee...and im sure there are many other great things!

If you don't mind living in the midwest, you'll enjoy DMU! I have nothing against the midwest, I am currently in Minnesota, and very well may attend DMU next fall...Des Moines (and the midwest) is just a little different than big city life (I'm originally from SF, CA)!

Good luck!

 

[sether52do]

Did your offer come with your acceptance letter also?

No, it came later. In the middle of June some time.