Kansas City (KCUMB-COM) Discussion Thread 2012 - 2013

[gmcguitar4]

Oh no I completely understand its a subjective process. I don't believe her not just because of the low stats alone, but also because she doesn't seem at all to be a good fit anywhere. She is very socially awkward and rubs people the wrong way. Definitely not med school material, says I and the majority of my class. I would be surprised if she got accepted anywhere, let alone KCUMB being considered one of the more established DO programs. The point of my earlier comment was to find out if anyone here went to the interview and had NOT got fitted for their white coat, since she claims she'll be fitted at orientation.

Yea I don't get how those people slip by. I have worked with med students at a couple of pretty good MD schools and they were probably some of the weirdest people I have ever met. No ability to communicate.

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[playaodamonth]

Yea I don't get how those people slip by. I have worked with med students at a couple of pretty good MD schools and they were probably some of the weirdest people I have ever met. No ability to communicate.

Yeah people slip through the cracks quite often. I'm just trying to gather info on if she actually went to a KCUMB interview in the first place. Were you fitted for your white coat?

 

[gmcguitar4]

Were you fitted for your white coat?

Yup, right before our interviews.

 

[babdoc]

Yeah people slip through the cracks quite often. I'm just trying to gather info on if she actually went to a KCUMB interview in the first place. Were you fitted for your white coat?

So you think she's either confused or lying? Or maybe she's the 1 out of 1000 that missed the white coat fitting. You say she's weird. Maybe this person is absent minded and didn't pay attention on interview day.

There are some pretty goofy people in every class. Maybe she'll be that person for your class. Don't worry too much and just hope those people either end up in path or rads.

 

[playaodamonth]

There are some pretty goofy people in every class. Maybe she'll be that person for your class. Don't worry too much and just hope those people either end up in path or rads.

Haha I think she's lying, and so does everyone else that knows her. Just wanted to gather some incriminating evidence for the next time she uses her favorite line toward a fellow classmate again...which is "I'm sorry, I got into med school, you didn't, so your opinion means nothing to me." Glad to know she really didn't get accepted and won't be a future colleague. Hopefully no med school gives her an interview.

Thanks everyone for your help! Back to my med-school thread

 

[babdoc]

Hey guys I just thought you should all know that KCUMB officially announced it is LOWERING next years tuition by 1%!! Although it seems low, lowering tuition is almost unheard!

Dang! I thought it was great when there was no change between my first and second years. That is pretty sweet for everyone coming in!

 

[pathologyDO]

Hey guys I just thought you should all know that KCUMB officially announced it is LOWERING next years tuition by 1%!! Although it seems low, lowering tuition is almost unheard!

Heck yes! I'll take it

 

[Night Hawk]

.

 

[deleted492904]

Hi guys, I'm not sure if this post belongs here but here goes. Is there a certain LOR requirement for KCUMB like having 2 science faculty LORs or can the letters be from anyone we want? I can't seem to find the info about this on their website and maybe I need to look a little harder. Thanks in advance.

 

[Night Hawk]

.

 

[deleted492904]

Is there anyone that had an exception to this experience? I have been out of school for about a year and a half now and I don't think I can get a LOR for my science professors. Should I call KCUMB's admission office and ask what I can do to substitute the letters? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance (and thank you night hawk for the pointer, I've been looking at the admission requirement the whole time).

Submit Letters of Recommendation

KCUMB's College of Osteopathic Medicine requires three letters of recommendation/evaluation to be submitted as part of the secondary application. Applicants must submit one from each of the following sources:
A physician (preferably an osteopathic physician)
A science faculty member who is familiar with the applicant's academic work
A premedical source
This could be an advisor's letter, a composite evaluation or evaluations from a committee. If a premed source is not available, please submit a letter or evaluation from another science faculty member.

Recommendation/evaluation letters do not have to be on the KCUMB letter templates. These templates are provided merely as a guide for those writing the letters. KCUMB does accept letters from Interfolio and/or Virtual Evals.

Letters should be mailed directly to the Office of Admissions by the letter writer and should never be handled by the applicant. If the applicant's school sends the letters on the applicant's behalf to the Office of Admission, that is acceptable as well.

In addition, recommendation/evaluation letters have a maximum acceptable life span – they must have been written within two years prior to the prospective student's matriculation. (For example: If you are applying to enter KCUMB-COM during the 2013-2014 academic year, letters must be dated after August 2011.)

http://www.kcumb.edu/admissions/medical-students/how-to-apply/application-process/
Under the Secondary tab

 

[pathologyDO]

Looks like we will all be getting the 128 GB ipad this semester!!!

 

[thehoneybadger]

Looks like we will all be getting the 128 GB ipad this semester!!!

The iPad reaction of all KCUMB students...

 

[dinnydindin]

Looks like we will all be getting the 128 GB ipad this semester!!!

Lol, yeah I like how a lot of the stuff is on the ipad, less books to buy! However, is there any word on if we can bring our own ipad? or use an older generation?

 

[ValentineLissar]

Are the ipads being loaded with all of our semester's textbooks? Does that mean we don't have to pay for textbook costs?

 

[OKEMDoc83]

I believe that's what we were told. The reality is I've only used 3 books all year. I'd wait on purchasing any books until classes begin. There will be several people looking to unload some books for very little.

 

[Cranial ALLDAY]

iPads and tuition lowering are good things, but these come at a cost of having no pre-printed paper notes and mandatory attendance, major buzzkill. Also don't worry about book cost, you don't use any at KCUMB which is balling.

 

[KGflyboy]

Why would anyone need preprinted notes? I can print my own notes as long as they are posted online.

 

[OKEMDoc83]

This is the last year we're getting printouts. It's a ton of paper and many people have become accustomed to getting them to take notes on. Several lecturers will provide outlines, but other than that the actual slides can be annotated on the iPad. This is only my opinion, as there are tons of ways people take notes and the only right way is what works for you.

 

[ValentineLissar]

Thanks for all of the responses! Out of curiosity, how formal is the dress code? I know you can wear scrubs and formal button down shirts and dress pants, but can you get away with business casual sweaters and blouses that aren't as formal?

 

[OKEMDoc83]

You'll see within a few weeks people start to relax about the dress a bit. I tend to wear scrub pants and a t shirt. Often when we have to dress up, it's with the white coat for patient interviews or simulations, so you don't want to wear something too bulky.

 

[Jlaw]

Thanks for all of the responses! Out of curiosity, how formal is the dress code? I know you can wear scrubs and formal button down shirts and dress pants, but can you get away with business casual sweaters and blouses that aren't as formal?

The official dress code is full scrubs or professional dress but most students wear scrub bottoms and a t-shirt or sweatshirt. Professional dress is meant to include a white coat but no one is going to hassle you for wearing slacks and a sweater. Basically just don't show up to class in shorts or jeans and you'll be fine.

 

[Jlaw]

Why would anyone need preprinted notes? I can print my own notes as long as they are posted online.

The only reason not having the pre-printed notes is a downside is that some people use them exclusively to study from so its going to be a pretty big adjustment to go from all paper to all electronic. You could print your own but it would be a pretty monumental task since we get about 20 basic science lectures and a couple OCS lectures, in addition to supplemental outlines, each week. You'd probably spend an hour or two every week getting the files, printing and organizing it all...and obviously a spare hour or two is a precious commodity as a med student.

They had talked about grandfathering packets for c/o 2016 to avoid making people change their routines so drastically but I guess they decided against it.

 

[Cranial ALLDAY]

the only time there's an enforced dress code is for patient encounter activities, pretty chill otherwise

 

[Mosonik]

Can any current student comment on the benefits (outside of the intrinsic reward from teaching/learning/etc) of the OMM or anatomy fellowships?

 

[Night Hawk]

.

 

[Jlaw]

Can any current student comment on the benefits (outside of the intrinsic reward from teaching/learning/etc) of the OMM or anatomy fellowships?

Both involve taking a year off, usually between 3rd and 4th year and returning to the school to work in the OMM or Anatomy Labs. Tuition is waived for the year you spend as a fellow. Basically you help teach the labs, give lectures to the to the classes below you, and do research.

The main benefit is that you become very proficient in the area you are a fellow in and it looks great on your resume when it comes time to apply for residency. I'm not sure what the OMM fellows plan to do but a lot of the Anatomy fellows are interested in matching to surgical fields. I've heard from former fellows who went into surgery that taking that year was very beneficial to them and was the main topic of conversation at residency interviews. If you're motivated enough to spend the extra year it definitely will not hurt you. Added benefit is you will get much closer to the professors and probably get some killer letters of recommendation.

 

[Mosonik]

Great, appreciate the reply and insight.

 

[dinnydindin]

This is kind of a random question, but for those at KCUMB currently, do you use your laptop a lot? my laptop is running on its last legs and im looking to buy a new one, but with textbooks/curriculum on the ipad, would i even be using my laptop much? thanks!

 

[Cranial ALLDAY]

This is kind of a random question, but for those at KCUMB currently, do you use your laptop a lot? my laptop is running on its last legs and im looking to buy a new one, but with textbooks/curriculum on the ipad, would i even be using my laptop much? thanks!

I personally take notes solely on paper and also have an ipad. I barely touched my computer during the 2 years. You may want it to rewatch lectures, but you have computers at the lib and also an ipad for that worst case.

 

[FakeEmpire]

I guess I will go ahead and post my opinion that the no preprinted notes thing is a HUGE negative to me. I am a paper, hard copy, book kind of gal. I still buy all my newspapers, magazines and books in paper form. It may have something to do with my bad eysight but I can't stand reading in electronic form. It gives me a headache and I just can't concentrate. I study best when I can write little notes on my lectures slides and then review them later. I highlight, scribble, everything..... I am just not sure what i am going to do and I am slightly freaking out.

 

[Night Hawk]

.

 

[moocow47]

I guess I will go ahead and post my opinion that the no preprinted notes thing is a HUGE negative to me. I am a paper, hard copy, book kind of gal. I still buy all my newspapers, magazines and books in paper form. It may have something to do with my bad eysight but I can't stand reading in electronic form. It gives me a headache and I just can't concentrate. I study best when I can write little notes on my lectures slides and then review them later. I highlight, scribble, everything..... I am just not sure what i am going to do and I am slightly freaking out.

I strongly prefer paper as well but I'm sure we'll find a way to cope. We'll probably just print out what's online. Don't worry!

 

[babdoc]

I strongly prefer paper as well but I'm sure we'll find a way to cope. We'll probably just print out what's online. Don't worry!

And unless things have changed since I was on campus, you get a gratuitous allotment for printing on campus.

 

[thehoneybadger]

I thought I heard on this thread or the Class of 2017 Facebook group something suggesting that we wouldn't be getting the printing allotment anymore. If not all of it, maybe just a little of the previous allotment. I am not 100% sure, but I thought that in order to keep tuition from increasing the administration used the printing allotment money to help defray the cost of the iPads.

 

[babdoc]

I thought I heard on this thread or the Class of 2017 Facebook group something suggesting that we wouldn't be getting the printing allotment anymore. If not all of it, maybe just a little of the previous allotment. I am not 100% sure, but I thought that in order to keep tuition from increasing the administration used the printing allotment money to help defray the cost of the iPads.

Makes sense. Less printing would be greener too, I guess

 

[Mosonik]

Would it at all help that I got a letter from a KCUMB alum?????

Get the strongest LOR you can get regardless of who writes it and where they graduated from. The rest will fall into place

 

[moocow47]

Would it at all help that I got a letter from a KCUMB alum?????

I think it would be great to have a letter from an alum.

 

[Koala666]

I guess I will go ahead and post my opinion that the no preprinted notes thing is a HUGE negative to me. I am a paper, hard copy, book kind of gal. I still buy all my newspapers, magazines and books in paper form. It may have something to do with my bad eysight but I can't stand reading in electronic form. It gives me a headache and I just can't concentrate. I study best when I can write little notes on my lectures slides and then review them later. I highlight, scribble, everything..... I am just not sure what i am going to do and I am slightly freaking out.

When I started this year, I too was a strictly on-paper, hard copy note taker... By the end of the section, I was carrying (2) 3" binders full of paper to study for the finals. It gets heavy...
I made the transition to only using an iPad after the second section and found it to be incredibly painless! Scribbling notes during lectures is just as easy, if not more-so. Don't get stressed about it... People are still working out their study techniques, finding the most efficient and retainable methods, and we are currently in the last section of the year... If what you try doesn't work well, you can always change it up; most of us have.
There are plenty of folks around that are more than willing to help out and give some pointers on how to be successful. You will have a second year assigned to you that will be able to answer any questions that come up.
Seriously, don't freak out... If this wasn't totally achievable, there wouldn't be so many doc's out there.

P.s. you are going to like it here. 😃

 

[FakeEmpire]

Thanks for the reassurances everyone! I was having a brief freak out and felt the need to post it online. I'm sure I will survive but I know I will need to make adjustments.

I am excited to meet everyone in July/August. I will be sure to point myself out as the one who freaked out over not having paper notes!

 

[Jlaw]

I strongly prefer paper as well but I'm sure we'll find a way to cope. We'll probably just print out what's online. Don't worry!

I'm a paper guy too so I'm not thrilled about the sudden switch to iPads but I think it will work out. I've been using my computer more and more in the last few sections but next year is going to be an adjustment for sure.

For what its worth they are going all in on the ipad thing, they are going to have us take our tests on them and they are hoping to have one at each tank in anatomy lab. I guess the good thing is that its going to be an adjustment for everyone, including the professors and the students who already use ipads and computers.

Also what they are telling us at the moment is that there will be no printing next year. I'm assuming they will still have printing stations but if you want to use you will have to pay.

 

[ValentineLissar]

Hey, I am assuming that if they're giving us ipads next year, most of the school mandated coursework, tests, will be performed on them? If that's the case, do we still need a laptop? What do you guys use your computers for right now (besides typing and organizing notes)? Also is KCUMB very PC or Apple friendly or both? I am up in the air about getting a macbook or a PC because I don't want to deal with incompatibility issues.

 

[Jlaw]

Hey, I am assuming that if they're giving us ipads next year, most of the school mandated coursework, tests, will be performed on them? If that's the case, do we still need a laptop? What do you guys use your computers for right now (besides typing and organizing notes)? Also is KCUMB very PC or Apple friendly or both? I am up in the air about getting a macbook or a PC because I don't want to deal with incompatibility issues.

The plan is to have tests on them, however it might not be ready for the first section or two, they are still working on the software. Pretty much all of our quizzes and assignments are done online already, the only big change will be computerizing the midterm and final exams.

You can probably get by with only an ipad but I would definitely want a laptop or desktop so I didn't have to study off my ipad all the time! Also at the moment I think there are a few compatibility issues with ipads so you can't use them for everything, they will probably fix those issues for next year though.

KCUMB is PC and Mac friendly, I have a mac and haven't had any problems and I haven't heard my friends with PC's complain about anything. All you really use is the blackboard website, powerpoint and .pdf reader anyway.

 

[IDFsoldierboy]

Hey, I am assuming that if they're giving us ipads next year, most of the school mandated coursework, tests, will be performed on them? If that's the case, do we still need a laptop? What do you guys use your computers for right now (besides typing and organizing notes)? Also is KCUMB very PC or Apple friendly or both? I am up in the air about getting a macbook or a PC because I don't want to deal with incompatibility issues.

so right now some of blackboard quizzes cant be done via ipad...i am sure they will be working on this and it wont be an issue come the fall...that being said i would prefer having a device thats not from the university so as it sits from what our emails have been saying is that the ipad belongs to the university until graduation and is then "gifted" to us. I don't know if or what they might be monitoring on the ipads and I would rather have a device separate regardless of studying and what not.

 

[KGflyboy]

The email I received said the ipad is ours to keep as long as we complete our first semester. I didn't read anything about it being property of the university until graduation. Did I miss something?

 

[Jlaw]

The email I received said the ipad is ours to keep as long as we complete our first semester. I didn't read anything about it being property of the university until graduation. Did I miss something?

I'm not sure how they worded it to the incoming class but they told the current students that the ipads become ours at graduation but must be returned to the school if we leave school for any reason.

 

[IDFsoldierboy]

The email I received said the ipad is ours to keep as long as we complete our first semester. I didn't read anything about it being property of the university until graduation. Did I miss something?

regardless of the wordage if they plan to do exams on the ipads then they will probably inspect them to make sure no one cheats and i would rather not use a device that the school can monitor for my personal life. but thats just my preference it can be very hard to have a personal life stay personal in the digital age

 

[KGflyboy]

I can't imagine someone stopping 250 students with iPads at the door on test day and examining the iPads.

Nobody is going to be inspecting them.

 

[Jlaw]

I can't imagine someone stopping 250 students with iPads at the door on test day and examining the iPads.

Nobody is going to be inspecting them.

They will use special software to administer the tests. I know nothing about it but I would imagine it will block any other applications from running when it is open so you won't be able to google answers, or pull up notes/lecture slides you have saved.

 

[babdoc]

They will use special software to administer the tests. I know nothing about it but I would imagine it will block any other applications from running when it is open so you won't be able to google answers, or pull up notes/lecture slides you have saved.

Current students on rotations take their quiz-exams on a desktop computer or laptop using a lock-down browser. It eliminates the use of the computer outside of the special browser program. Apple has this type of functioning built into iOS already: they call it Guided Access. They promote its features for kids--i.e. not being able to press the home button, only being able to tap on certain areas, etc. Here's Apple's support section about guided access. I suspect the software they use will simultaneously use this guided access functioning to lock the device while accessing the school's exam.