For anyone interested in Marian...

[411309]

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I was curious and emailed them about admission, this is what they told me:

.Thank you for your interest in Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-COM) - you have reached the right person! We are currently seeking accreditation for the new COM through the AOA-COCA and are indeed still planning for an August 2013 start for our first class of 150 DO students. We are also pleased to announce that the Institutional Actions Council (IAC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Higher Learning Commission (HLC) recently approved expansion of Marian University’s accreditation to include the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree, which brings us one step closer to determining the final timeline to achieve provisional status from the AOA-COCA. We anticipate earning provisional status in late spring this year and plan to begin accepting applications this summer. Things are moving forward according to plan!.
. .
.With regard to GPA and MCAT scores, the average GPA and MCAT scores nationally for entering students into DO schools are about 3.5 and 27 and we anticipate similar numbers for our class. If your GPA is below 3.2 and your MCAT score is below 24 then these would deserve attention re: improving them to become more competitive. Graduate work with demonstrated high success in biomedical science would positively influence the admissions committee. Being from Florida, you would certainly have as good a chance as any applicant provided you are an equally competitive candidate..
. .
.In preparation for applying to the COM, I would encourage you to look at the AACOM website (www.aacom.org). The premedical requirements would be the same as most other schools and in particular, we would most likely use the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine as a model. When allowed, we will publish our admission requirements on the website for Marian University (www.marian.edu) as well as on the AACOM website once we are awarded provisional status from COCA..
. .
.If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask and I’d be happy to answer as best I can..
. .
.Good luck!


They anticipate having around a 3.5 gpa 27 mcat for their entering class..doesn't that seem a bit high?
.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

For a new school, I think it sounds very high. Those are the average nationally and many people with the upper level of numbers aren't going to take a chance on a school they aren't sure about. some will, especially people that are local, but most won't. I will imagine their scores would be around a 3.3-3.4 and 25 mcat average. Maybe lower.

 

[Hockeyfan23]

Yea I emailed them not to long ago and got an email pretty similar. I doubt they will have numbers this high. I agree with the above post in that their numbers will prob be a cgpa around 3.35 and an MCAT 25-26

 

[Goro]

I have a little inside information on this, as I'm applying for a faculty job there. And in having spoken to the new Dean, you need to consider that the qualified applicant pool in the state of Indiana alone who didn't get into the IU schools is definitely large enough to fulfill the requirements that MUCOM is looking for.

You might say that "well, those applicants will just go to CCOM or the other DO schools that surround the state of Indiana".

To which I'd say, keep in mind that they have to compete against the qualified applicants from those states.

And here's an intangible: from the Hoosiers I've met, they're a pretty parochial lot, and so they have an incentive to want to stay in their home state.

And given that in a rotten ecomony, the number of qualified applicants simply goes up.

So, in sum, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that the pioneer class at MUCOM will be close to the national avg in terms of GPA or MCAT.

My two cents.

I was curious and emailed them about admission, this is what they told me:



.They anticipate having around a 3.5 gpa 27 mcat for their entering class..doesn't that seem a bit high?.

 

[411309]

I guess we will find out soon enough, lol. 3.5 27 just seems so high because that's where many established schools sit, and marian is just opening. My guess was a 3.3-3.4 25-26 mcat as well, but then again she did say around the national average. And the numbers that me and the two other posters tossed out are certainly around it, although a bit lower.

 

[235788]

Yea I emailed them not to long ago and got an email pretty similar. I doubt they will have numbers this high. I agree with the above post in that their numbers will prob be a cgpa around 3.35 and an MCAT 25-26

sounds a bit more realistic.

 

[help2]

Just keep in mind that of course the school is going to set higher expectations for itself than it may achieve. Marian is not going to say "oh, you have a 3.2 gpa and 23 mcat? ok with us!" they want people to push themselves to improve their applications just as any other school would- which isn't to say they won't accept someone with these stats, but just that if that's their "average" they set, then all of a sudden people with 2.9 gpas and 22 mcats may think they have more of a chance.

They just have to set a goal and work towards achieving it- it's better to set the bar too high than to set it too low in my opinion.

 

[411309]

It makes them sound better too when they say they have admissions stats on par with many established DO schools..

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Will they offer federal loans? or are they going to have to wait until graduating their first class to be fully accredited?

Also, I was wondering if they will be regional biased in terms of admission.

could someone answer these? please!

 

[411309]

they will not be regionally biased according to the email they sent me; I asked if being from florida put me at a slight disadvantage and she said no.

 

[chiddler]

they will not be regionally biased according to the email they sent me; I asked if being from florida put me at a slight disadvantage and she said no.

" We plan to give geographic preference to Indiana residents although we will accept students from other states and countries. "

from an email response :-x

 

[411309]

When I asked if they preferred instate, this is what I was told ".Being from Florida, you would certainly have as good a chance as any applicant provided you are an equally competitive candidate.".

 

[poopyhead]

Well, one way to increase applicant competitiveness is to offer scholarships for incoming students during the provisional period.

 

[411309]

Well, one way to increase applicant competitiveness is to offer scholarships for incoming students during the provisional period.

Doubt that will happen, im sure theyll get plenty of applicants anyways

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Well, one way to increase applicant competitiveness is to offer scholarships for incoming students during the provisional period.

i've heard of MD schools doing this and being successful, but I have never heard of a new DO school doing this. doubt they will start.

 

[NurWollen]

Will they offer federal loans? or are they going to have to wait until graduating their first class to be fully accredited?

Also, I was wondering if they will be regional biased in terms of admission.

could someone answer these? please!

If I'm not mistaken, (and I very well could be), they will be able to offer federal financial aid because they are associated with a pre-existing, accredited institution. RVU couldn't because they are a stand-alone school.

Same reason why RVU and PNWU's web sites are .org and not .edu... when they get full accreditation, they will be able to use .edu.

Marian, on the other hand, is subject to no such restriction because they are associate with an already-accredited institution.

 

[angldrps]

Just keep in mind that of course the school is going to set higher expectations for itself than it may achieve. Marian is not going to say "oh, you have a 3.2 gpa and 23 mcat? ok with us!" they want people to push themselves to improve their applications just as any other school would- which isn't to say they won't accept someone with these stats, but just that if that's their "average" they set, then all of a sudden people with 2.9 gpas and 22 mcats may think they have more of a chance.

They just have to set a goal and work towards achieving it- it's better to set the bar too high than to set it too low in my opinion.

you make some good points. I think what might happen is they will get a lot of applicants because students may consider this to be a 'safe' school with a higher chance of acceptance. However, once applicants receive multiple acceptances, they will most likely not rank Marian very highly on their top school wish list.

 

[slyfox]

My undergrad school just held a health professions fair where ~7 osteopathic schools had representatives present to speak to. Among them was Marian, and i had the chance to speak with two different reps from there. One of the men stated that they expect to recieve full accredidation status by the end of March, that way they will appear on aacomas in time for the start of the application cycle. The reps were obviously trying to "sell" their school, but it still seemed like their doing a lot of great things, getting involved with the hospitals of Indiana to have good clinicals/residencies.. etc. etc.

Two things that stood out to me:1. The school is attempting to heavily gear their students into primary care. Makes sense, after all, Indiana is in the midst of a primary care shortage. 2. Applicants from Indiana who show a strong desire to stay and practice in Indiana (especially in rural areas) are favored. I told the rep my stats and asked if they were competitive (cgpa3.45 sgpa3.25 MCAT 28) and je assured me that they were very competitive. This could be helped by the fact that I'm from Indiana originally, go here for college, and do want to practice here. This is just some food for thought..

 

[411309]

My undergrad school just held a health professions fair where ~7 osteopathic schools had representatives present to speak to. Among them was Marian, and i had the chance to speak with two different reps from there. One of the men stated that they expect to recieve full accredidation status by the end of March, that way they will appear on aacomas in time for the start of the application cycle. The reps were obviously trying to "sell" their school, but it still seemed like their doing a lot of great things, getting involved with the hospitals of Indiana to have good clinicals/residencies.. etc. etc.

Two things that stood out to me:1. The school is attempting to heavily gear their students into primary care. Makes sense, after all, Indiana is in the midst of a primary care shortage. 2. Applicants from Indiana who show a strong desire to stay and practice in Indiana (especially in rural areas) are favored. I told the rep my stats and asked if they were competitive (cgpa3.45 sgpa3.25 MCAT 28) and je assured me that they were very competitive. This could be helped by the fact that I'm from Indiana originally, go here for college, and do want to practice here. This is just some food for thought..

I would think with those stats you are competitive for almost any DO school though

 

[obbobbo]

My undergrad school just held a health professions fair where ~7 osteopathic schools had representatives present to speak to. Among them was Marian, and i had the chance to speak with two different reps from there. One of the men stated that they expect to recieve full accredidation status by the end of March, that way they will appear on aacomas in time for the start of the application cycle. The reps were obviously trying to "sell" their school, but it still seemed like their doing a lot of great things, getting involved with the hospitals of Indiana to have good clinicals/residencies.. etc. etc.

Two things that stood out to me:1. The school is attempting to heavily gear their students into primary care. Makes sense, after all, Indiana is in the midst of a primary care shortage. 2. Applicants from Indiana who show a strong desire to stay and practice in Indiana (especially in rural areas) are favored. I told the rep my stats and asked if they were competitive (cgpa3.45 sgpa3.25 MCAT 28) and je assured me that they were very competitive. This could be helped by the fact that I'm from Indiana originally, go here for college, and do want to practice here. This is just some food for thought..

I completely agree with the previous answer. With these stats you should be competitive at just about any DO school. Maybe not a shoe in at all of them, but definitely competitive. My stats were just slightly lower (not much) and I was accepted to 4 different schools.

As for the MUCOM scores hoping to be 27 MCAT and 3.4 GPA I'd say that is a bit too high. I spent a fair amount of time on my own researching school scores and new schools just don't get that high. New schools are lucky to get a 25 and 3.2 average.

 

[slyfox]

I completely agree with the previous answer. With these stats you should be competitive at just about any DO school. Maybe not a shoe in at all of them, but definitely competitive. My stats were just slightly lower (not much) and I was accepted to 4 different schools.

As for the MUCOM scores hoping to be 27 MCAT and 3.4 GPA I'd say that is a bit too high. I spent a fair amount of time on my own researching school scores and new schools just don't get that high. New schools are lucky to get a 25 and 3.2 average.

I will definitely be applying to other schools as well. I realize my stats, while not oustanding, are good enough to potentially receive admissions at other schools. Its just nice hearing that from a representative of a school that I'm going to apply to. Obbobbo, thank you for the information in your post, that was very helpful. As a guy who is currently obsessing over the admissions process and gainign admissions, its nice to hear that someone with similar stats was accepted at 4 different schools.

 

[GypsyHummus]

I completely agree with the previous answer. With these stats you should be competitive at just about any DO school. Maybe not a shoe in at all of them, but definitely competitive. My stats were just slightly lower (not much) and I was accepted to 4 different schools.

As for the MUCOM scores hoping to be 27 MCAT and 3.4 GPA I'd say that is a bit too high. I spent a fair amount of time on my own researching school scores and new schools just don't get that high. New schools are lucky to get a 25 and 3.2 average.

But remember, you will have all the borderline candidates, some with 3.5ish/28ish on the MCAT who couldnt make it into IU medical school. I heard IU is very tough to get into. I think that if MUCOM wanted to have their stats high, they would have no problem attracting students in state with borderline stats.

Now for out of state, there are much more attractive DO schools.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

But remember, you will have all the borderline candidates, some with 3.5ish/28ish on the MCAT who couldnt make it into IU medical school. I heard IU is very tough to get into. I think that if MUCOM wanted to have their stats high, they would have no problem attracting students in state with borderline stats.

Now for out of state, there are much more attractive DO schools.

IU and all of the state schools outside of the coasts and Illinois are incredibly easy to get into compared to many other public MD schools. My state's school barely interviews 30% of in state applicants and the stat's averages are a solid 3.7/32.

 

[GypsyHummus]

IU and all of the state schools outside of the coasts and Illinois are incredibly easy to get into compared to many other public MD schools. My state's school barely interviews 30% of in state applicants and the stat's averages are a solid 3.7/32.

If I'm not mistaken, I think those are the averages for IU as well. I also think that while IU interviews a ton of people, particularly in state people, they reject and wait list alot too.

I've hear IU is one of the best med schools in the midwest. Obviously not as good as U of M and some in Illinois, but still very strong.

 

[Mosonik]

Where did everyone find the contact information for admissions? I've been keeping an eye on their website but it doesn't seem to have any of that on it.

 

[ruiner]

IU and all of the state schools outside of the coasts and Illinois are incredibly easy to get into compared to many other public MD schools. My state's school barely interviews 30% of in state applicants and the stat's averages are a solid 3.7/32.

😕

 

[GraceEuphoria]

IU and all of the state schools outside of the coasts and Illinois are incredibly easy to get into compared to many other public MD schools. My state's school barely interviews 30% of in state applicants and the stat's averages are a solid 3.7/32.

If I'm not mistaken, I think those are the averages for IU as well. I also think that while IU interviews a ton of people, particularly in state people, they reject and wait list alot too.

I've hear IU is one of the best med schools in the midwest. Obviously not as good as U of M and some in Illinois, but still very strong.

I don't know if I would go so far as to say "incredibly easy" lol...easier than coastal schools? Sure, I guess. But there are people who are in undergrad linked programs, basically guaranteed a spot with certain stats that STILL get the runaround from IU. I know their MCAT average is right at 31 to 32, from many of my friends who attend there. You're definitely not a shoo in even being a resident, I'll say that much 🙂

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

😕

Lol, I'm ranting.

I don't know if I would go so far as to say "incredibly easy" lol...easier than coastal schools? Sure, I guess. But there are people who are in undergrad linked programs, basically guaranteed a spot with certain stats that STILL get the runaround from IU. I know their MCAT average is right at 31 to 32, from many of my friends who attend there. You're definitely not a shoo in even being a resident, I'll say that much 🙂

Eh, I'm just ranting when I see a school interview over 50% of instate applicants and mine barely does 25%. Oh well, I guess at least it's better than California....