Kansas City University (KCU-COM) Discussion Thread 2016-2017

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Just booked my flight to KC for my Feb 15th interview! Can't wait to meet some of you weirdos who have been blowing up my notifications for the past 5 months ;)
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cantcatchme said:
What were your favourite and least favourite things about the school? It's been so long since my interview date I forgot half the reasons I liked the School so much lol
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Haha how long has it been since your interview? So our reasons for liking the school may be different, but here are my thoughts in a nutshell:

Pros:
1) School puts a TON of focus on prepping for the boards. Professors specifically align lecture material and content presentation with anticipated board questions. The way the curriculum is set up makes room for lots of review, which is awesome. One of the first 2 years (I forget which) is shortened and Kaplan test prep instructors are brought in to help with board prep. KCU's average board scores are stellar and have consistently been higher than the national average.
2) School is 100 yrs old. It is historic, established, and faculty/staff are very experienced.
3) Nice facilities. Large anatomy and OMM lab, tons of places to study.
4) Faculty/students are super nice, chill, and genuine. Not cut-throat.
5) Stimulating learning environment. Diverse student body and faculty.
6) Global health track and annual international missions
7) Early clinical exposure via Score 1 program
8) A ton of sites in various states for clinical rotations
9) 100% class matched

Cons:
1) I personally am used to small schools. KCU has a class size of 270 students. Makes me wonder about student:faculty ratio and the extent to which students can build academic relationships with the faculty.
2) Students were telling us about occasional bouts of "petty crime" around the area, however residences like CT are gated and majority of university's security officers have been police officers and are everywhere all the time.

Hope this was helpful!
 
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doctah2be said:
Haha how long has it been since your interview? So our reasons for liking the school may be different, but here are my thoughts in a nutshell:

Pros:
1) School puts a TON of focus on prepping for the boards. Professors specifically align lecture material and content presentation with anticipated board questions. The way the curriculum is set up makes room for lots of review, which is awesome. One of the first 2 years (I forget which) is shortened and Kaplan test prep instructors are brought in to help with board prep. KCU's average board scores are stellar and have consistently been higher than the national average.
2) School is 100 yrs old. It is historic, established, and faculty/staff are very experienced.
3) Nice facilities. Large anatomy and OMM lab, tons of places to study.
4) Faculty/students are super nice, chill, and genuine. Not cut-throat.
5) Stimulating learning environment. Diverse student body and faculty.
6) Global health track and annual international missions
7) Early clinical exposure via Score 1 program
8) A ton of sites in various states for clinical rotations
9) 100% class matched

Cons:
1) I personally am used to small schools. KCU has a class size of 270 students. Makes me wonder about student:faculty ratio and the extent to which students can build academic relationships with the faculty.
2) Students were telling us about occasional bouts of "petty crime" around the area, however residences like CT are gated and majority of university's security officers have been police officers and are everywhere all the time.

Hope this was helpful!
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I believe it's 2nd year that's shortened. First year doesn't end until the last week of June...which is probably 3-4 weeks longer than most med schools. I actually wish I knew that as an applicant, but at this point it's what we got.

Also agreed the campus security is excellent, they're always driving around and always near the walk from CT. However you will get notifications every week or so about gun shots around the campus/CT so tbh it's not just petty crime. CT is pretty secure though so I wouldn't worry much.

I'd say the large class size won't impede you from getting to personally know the faculty. Probably 90% of students just know faculty in passing and are friendly, rather than work with them outside of class or on a first name basis. So you can def go meet w/ any of them anytime they're in their office, etc.
 
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Gave up my interview: Hope someone here gets it! (The admissions lady said there's a 300+ waitlist to get an interview, so...)
 
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If anyone in here is going to be in KC in the next few days, I am selling:

2015 and 2016 First Aid for the USMLE ($20 and $30)

If you havent heard of FA, it's a must have for your classes because it is full of the highest yield material. It is a board resource. You will need to get the new one at the end of you second year for boards, but for now, either of these books will work great for coursework. Let me know if interested.
 
SynapticDoctah said:
If anyone in here is going to be in KC in the next few days, I am selling:

2015 and 2016 First Aid for the USMLE ($20 and $30)

If you havent heard of FA, it's a must have for your classes because it is full of the highest yield material. It is a board resource. You will need to get the new one at the end of you second year for boards, but for now, either of these books will work great for coursework. Let me know if interested.
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Any difference from the two versions?

inb4 auto-acceptance when walking in holding FA at the interview.
 
Swish&Flick said:
Gave up my interview: Hope someone here gets it! (The admissions lady said there's a 300+ waitlist to get an interview, so...)
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What does that even mean? People who are competitive enough to be offered, but no II dates available? I called them last week and they said while they can accommodate switching between II dates, they aren't offering any more II for this cycle.
 
Mr. D.O.five said:
What does that even mean? People who are competitive enough to be offered, but no II dates available? I called them last week and they said while they can accommodate switching between II dates, they aren't offering any more II for this cycle.
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That's basically what that means. They have tentatively filled their classes for both Joplin and KC and so they halt anymore IId to avoid over accepting and having an issue of too many ending up trying to come to KCU and having to ask some to defer a year.


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Can any current students speak about the safety of walking between century towers and campus? And is a car needed for the first 2 years? Thank you

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AlteredScale said:
That's basically what that means. They have tentatively filled their classes for both Joplin and KC and so they halt anymore IId to avoid over accepting and having an issue of too many ending up trying to come to KCU and having to ask some to defer a year.


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Click to expand...
So that means that all interviews right now are for the waitlist?
 
synapticterminal said:
Can any current students speak about the safety of walking between century towers and campus? And is a car needed for the first 2 years? Thank you

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I'd like to know this as well. Not because I'm really fearful for my life, but I'm bringing my car with me and the last thing I want is for somebody to see my Cali plates and then mistake me for a tourist and try to break in.

On a related note, how is the parking in CT like? Is is a parking structure underground? A gated lot? Open access that anyone can just walk into? Side of the road?

Do many students/CT residents report car breakins?
 
Mr. D.O.five said:
So that means that all interviews right now are for the waitlist?
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Not necessarily since those that have acceptances at this time of the year will start getting into their state md schools which will open up spots giving those about to interview spots!
 
Mr. D.O.five said:
So that means that all interviews right now are for the waitlist?
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No. So whatever interviews they have right now are also added into the projected number of accepted applicants. So from that projected number they estimate how many will actually matriculate and then base their decision on how many more interviews they are going to provide.
 
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cantcatchme said:
I'd like to know this as well. Not because I'm really fearful for my life, but I'm bringing my car with me and the last thing I want is for somebody to see my Cali plates and then mistake me for a tourist and try to break in.

On a related note, how is the parking in CT like? Is is a parking structure underground? A gated lot? Open access that anyone can just walk into? Side of the road?

Do many students/CT residents report car breakins?
Click to expand...

Parking is gated. It is not underground. Only people with accesses keys can get in the lot.

The KCU police also take rounds around the area 24/7, 365 days a year.

No one is going to steal your cali plates lol. There's such a strong security detail for our school that the likelihood of it occurring is VERY small.
 
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AlteredScale said:
Parking is gated. It is not underground. Only people with accesses keys can get in the lot.

The KCU police also take rounds around the area 24/7, 365 days a year.

No one is going to steal your cali plates lol. There's such a strong security detail for our school that the likelihood of it occurring is VERY small.
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No, I don't mean they'll steal the plates themselves lol. Just that they'll see plates and know I'm from out of town and break into the car
 
cantcatchme said:
No, I don't mean they'll steal the plates themselves lol. Just that they'll see plates and know I'm from out of town and break into the car
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Lol youre fine. The campus is safe...the lots are safe...as long as you arent walking from campus to CT at midnight waving $100 yelling come mug me I am sure youre fine.

I wish someone would steal my truck. I gotta find a way to get rid of this POS.


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SynapticDoctah said:
Lol youre fine. The campus is safe...the lots are safe...as long as you arent walking from campus to CT at midnight waving $100 yelling come mug me I am sure youre fine.

I wish someone would steal my truck. I gotta find a way to get rid of this POS.


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Yeah don't walk around with 100 dollars AND don't walk back to CT wearing a Make America Great Again hat. Both not suggested haha.


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Mr. D.O.five said:
Any difference from the two versions?

inb4 auto-acceptance when walking in holding FA at the interview.
Click to expand...

I am sure there are some differences, but when you are using them for coursework that really won't matter. You will want to get the updated version though before your USMLE which you take at the end of 2nd year.
 
Swish&Flick said:
Gave up my interview: Hope someone here gets it! (The admissions lady said there's a 300+ waitlist to get an interview, so...)
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Such a shame to lose a fellow Ravenclaw Potterhead! Best of luck wherever you end up!
 
Really loved today's interview day! Hoping for good news in the coming weeks! Good luck everyone
 
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AlteredScale said:
Parking is gated. It is not underground. Only people with accesses keys can get in the lot.

The KCU police also take rounds around the area 24/7, 365 days a year.

No one is going to steal your cali plates lol. There's such a strong security detail for our school that the likelihood of it occurring is VERY small.
Click to expand...

As a woman who currently lives at CT for the past year and a half, I feel the security is great. I've had no car issues (I have CA plates). Everything is gated and can only be opened with a magnetic key. On weeknights, there's usually a security guard who controls the car gate to make access even easier.

Parking is out in the open but gated. There's the main parking lot and an "upper" overflow one. I've only had to park in the overflow one (which is still connected to the main one) a handful of times. Management is also pretty quick to get a snow plow in when it snows.

The only security issue that could possibly occur is with guest parking. Guests can only park on the street but when my parents were here and parked there all day, they had no issues (it was a rental car).

If you have any more questions regarding living in CT, PM me.


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People living in CT with dogs: do you mind it or is it annoying? I'm currently on a first floor apartment with ample grassy area so I'm worried this will be a major pain. The area surrounding CT appears to have zero places for dogs but its hard to tell from afar.
 
Corgilover419 said:
People living in CT with dogs: do you mind it or is it annoying? I'm currently on a first floor apartment with ample grassy area so I'm worried this will be a major pain. The area surrounding CT appears to have zero places for dogs but its hard to tell from afar.
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There seems to be quite a few people that have said they live in CT with dogs, but I didn't like the idea that I'd be taking a risk by walking my dog around the area.
 
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RamsFan&FutureDO said:
There seems to be quite a few people that have said they live in CT with dogs, but I didn't like the idea that I'd be taking a risk by walking my dog around the area.
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Yeah that's kind of how I feel as well. The nice part being that I could run home at any time to let her out and what not. I guess its a trade off either way!
 
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AspiringPhys4 said:
How's the metro system in KC?
How necessary/useful is a car during years 1 + 2?


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Its necessary. The metro from thenschool is meh. However, in dowtown you have the trolley station which is nice.


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Corgilover419 said:
People living in CT with dogs: do you mind it or is it annoying? I'm currently on a first floor apartment with ample grassy area so I'm worried this will be a major pain. The area surrounding CT appears to have zero places for dogs but its hard to tell from afar.
Click to expand...

Living at CT, there are definitely a lot of dogs. I don't have a dog here but my friend who's an M2 does and she usually goes across the street to the gated park area that KCU owns. CT also has a small gated dog area. I've also seen many dogs playing within the gated parking lot off to the side.

FYI There's also a KCU Pet Sitter FB group.


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Interviewed here yesterday. Despite the weather, the school itself is great! I can definitely see myself going to this school in the future! Met some great people and my interviewer was awesome! Btw, how can I get a hold and send a thank you note or email to my interviewer? They didn't go into much detail on that and I don't know the preferred way of doing it.
 
Mr. D.O.five said:
Interviewed here yesterday. Despite the weather, the school itself is great! I can definitely see myself going to this school in the future! Met some great people and my interviewer was awesome! Btw, how can I get a hold and send a thank you note or email to my interviewer? They didn't go into much detail on that and I don't know the preferred way of doing it.
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Send it to the admissions email and they will forward it!
 
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Anyone know the status of how full the class is? Interviewing near the end of Feb, would this most likely be for a wait list?
 
Davidko said:
Anyone know the status of how full the class is? Interviewing near the end of Feb, would this most likely be for a wait list?
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When the school says they are out of interviews it's because those who have interviews now (from Jan till the end of the cycle) are the end of their projected accepted class. Now how many seats are left and what each interview group is fighting for is unknown but I really doubt you'd be interviewing if they only had waitlist spots available so you still have a shot.




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Is 6 week wait time for decisions normal? Or is it because it is late in the cycle? That's what they told us on our interview day.
 
Mr. D.O.five said:
Is 6 week wait time for decisions normal? Or is it because it is late in the cycle? That's what they told us on our interview day.
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I heard back the following week, but I think that was because they wanted to get decisions out before the holiday break. But I do remember reading further back in the thread that 6 weeks was a pretty standard wait time.
 
hey future peers! just wanted to confirm, but FAFSA is due March 15th correct? I'm for sure going to try to have it complete before then anyways but wanted to double check just in case
 
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Anyone know when they're gonna build the new sim center? I see news that they have the plans but did they start yet?


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julius0121 said:
Anyone know when they're gonna build the new sim center? I see news that they have the plans but did they start yet?


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The funding is supposed to be done this year so they'll probably start building end of this year or next year.


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Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I figured I would since there are current students here + incoming ones who are far more knowledgable about this than me lol:

Currently, I am on the waitlist for Century Towers. As far as I understand it (at least from previous years), we should be given our housing agreements starting on May 1st. However, since I will be using GradPLUS to cover the rent at CT, I need verification that I have received the loan. The priority deadline for applying for financial aid at KCU at March 15th, and we should be given confirmation of our packages sometime in mid to late-April correct? At which point, I can verify over to CT that I have secured the loan.

Basically, I'm just asking if I have my timeline above right so that I don't miss anything. Essentially:

1. Apply for Century Tower waitlist (already completed - still searching for a roommate though lol)
2. Apply for FAFSA/aid by March 15 (currently in the process of doing; should be complete by this weekend hopefully)
3. Receive confirmation of financial aid package from KCU by mid to late April
4. Send over confirmation of loans to CT so that i can secure housing when they release decisions on May 1st

Anything I miss/ got incorrect?
 
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Do KCU's residency programs favor KCU students in any way? I noticed that most of KCU's residency's have gotten pre-accred for the merger (including their Ortho, ENT, Derm, and EM programs). It'd be nice to know that if my app was in order I'd have a shot at some competitive specialties as a DO.
 
CCmetal94 said:
Do KCU's residency programs favor KCU students in any way? I noticed that most of KCU's residency's have gotten pre-accred for the merger (including their Ortho, ENT, Derm, and EM programs). It'd be nice to know that if my app was in order I'd have a shot at some competitive specialties as a DO.
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+1 on this topic!

CCmetal I have gone through them and they do seem to have a decent amount of KCU grads in their programs so that could be a good indication that they do!
 
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CCmetal94 said:
Do KCU's residency programs favor KCU students in any way? I noticed that most of KCU's residency's have gotten pre-accred for the merger (including their Ortho, ENT, Derm, and EM programs). It'd be nice to know that if my app was in order I'd have a shot at some competitive specialties as a DO.
Click to expand...

The residency programs that are sponsored by KCU will def give favor to KCU students even beyond the merger since we get to spend probably the most time rotating there.
 
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RamsFan&FutureDO said:
+1 on this topic!

CCmetal I have gone through them and they do seem to have a decent amount of KCU grads in their programs so that could be a good indication that they do!
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I'm mainly interested in EM, which is DO friendly, but getting much more competitive. It'd be nice to have a little home program love
AlteredScale said:
The residency programs that are sponsored by KCU will def give favor to KCU students even beyond the merger since we get to spend probably the most time rotating there.
Click to expand...

Shibbbbyyyy!
 
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