KSUCPM - ask me anything!!!

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Kf523

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Hello everyone! I am currently a 1st year student at KSUCPM and I remember having so many questions/concerns during the application process last cycle. I'm more than happy to answer any questions that you guys may have about the school! Please do not hesitate to reach out. Asking questions and obtaining information can only help! Good luck everyone! :)

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How was the interview? I only applied and interviewed at one school last year and it overall left a horrible impression on me (Not going to go into huge detail as I don't want to be recognized, but overall rude staff, unhappy students, etc).

I ended up not going and applying to a few schools this cycle and have an interview at Kent coming up in the following month. Here are my 3 questions.

1. Would you say me being offered an interview this early with the almost exact Kent average of MCAT/GPA, and around 20 hours of shadowing puts me in a good spot compared to your peers that are with you now?

2. What is the living situation like for most people? I'd be moving out of state and there aren't any dorms as far as I know, I'd have to rent a house/apartment.

3. Obviously you've just started, but how difficult has it been compared to your senior year of undergrad?

Thanks for any insights you can give, looking forward to my interview.
 
Hello! I'm sorry that you had a bad experience at another school, I can see how that can impact you negatively.

1. With that being said, my interview was FUN! We started with a nice conversational opening with some admissions staff and Dr. Boike, our dean. It was very casual and I felt that it flowed nicely. Just trying to get to know who you are really, and that's the whole point of the interview. You look good on paper and that's why they extended the interview to you in the first place. So to piggy back on that, I think if you have the interview and your stats are where you say they are, you definitely have a good chance, but at the end of the day, it's the decision of our admissions staff. Just be yourself and relax. Interview day is not bad here! You get a lot of interaction with students and I might be one of the ambassadors on your interview day depending on what day you are signed up for. There is a tour of the school and a really great lunch with students and staff again. There are presentations to give you information but I think most of the information incoming students want is insight from the students, so make sure to ask as many questions as you can! I'm a huge advocate for being completely informed before making any decisions!
2. Living situations are plentiful! I also moved out of state so it can be a little scary at first. No there are no dorms on campus but around Independence (not IN independence) other towns close by - there are a gazillion apartment complexes or houses for rent or even to buy. Its not an expensive market up here at all. If you get accepted, there are lists that admissions staff will make for your class to show who is looking for a roommate to decrease cost of living and expenses, so buddy up with someone, I did and its been great!
3. The material is not difficult I would say, HOWEVER, there is way more information to master at one time than during undergrad! I had a very rigorous schedule in undergrad and took all pre-med courses and multiple upper level biology courses at the same time to prepare myself so that material that I am seeing is not new material, entirely. Yes, there is greater detail now that we are in medical school, but the concepts are not new. If you prepared yourself well in undergrad, you should do just fine. I also am a nontrad student so time management has always been a strong suit for me, so if its not for you, I highly recommend working on that before attending medical school because a lot is thrown at you at once and exams are not few and far between like undergrad. You are expected to learn that material in a short amount of time so you can move onto other material quickly. It is very fast paced.

With all that being said, DO NOT STRESS INTERVIEW DAY!!! It's going to be fun and you will be (I hope) super glad that you came!!! Good luck! Let me know if I can answer anything else for you!!!
 
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Hello everyone!! I'm currently a 1st year at KSUCPM as well, and I remember having so many questions/concerns during the application process last cycle.

I'm more than happy to answer any questions that you guys may have about the school!
 
Do both of you like it there overall?
I'm currently applying to DO schools, though I shadowed a podiatrist and really enjoyed it. I'm from Ohio, so I think this would be the only podiatry school I would apply to, but I want to know how you feel about the school :)
 
Do both of you like it there overall?
I'm currently applying to DO schools, though I shadowed a podiatrist and really enjoyed it. I'm from Ohio, so I think this would be the only podiatry school I would apply to, but I want to know how you feel about the school :)
I love the school! The student body is very diverse and the camaraderie is strong! The faculty and staff are so supportive and do anything they can to help us out. There is tons of tutoring to take advantage of and plenty of opportunities to succeed! Not to mention, the school is so pretty!!
 
I agree with that sentiment! Being at the school feels like being in a family. Everyone there wants you to succeed, and they are all there to help from the professors to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year students. There are so many opportunities to get experience its crazy! On top of all that, the building is top notch!
 
Thank you both for the response! I'm still really thinking about podiatry, and I think I might go ahead and send in my application for this school. I heard the building was pretty and it makes me excited to hear that its an environment that wants people to succeed!

It seems like the residency rates are doing pretty well too, which makes me happy. Are either of you by chance planning on staying in Ohio? While moving wouldn't be the end of the world, I guess one of my biggest preferences would be to stay in state. I'm from the Columbus area, though I hear places that are ~sorta~ near podiatry schools is pretty hard to find a job?
 
I am not planning to stay in OH since I'm not from this area. However, I am open to exploring once 3rd and 4th year gets here and possible seeing what my options are. So far, I like Ohio, I'm just not a huge fan of cold weather. So we will see. I can't really speak to the fact of less jobs around the schools since I haven't really ventured out yet but If you come to interview here, that is a good question to ask staff :)
 
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I'm interviewing here in the near future, two quick questions.

1. How long does it normally take to hear back afterwards, and at what point would contacting admissions be advised?

2. You probably don't have this info, but can you estimate how often people interviewed are accepted assuming the actual interview wasn't a disaster?

Thanks for doing this thread.
 
I'm interviewing here in the near future, two quick questions.

1. How long does it normally take to hear back afterwards, and at what point would contacting admissions be advised?

2. You probably don't have this info, but can you estimate how often people interviewed are accepted assuming the actual interview wasn't a disaster?

Thanks for doing this thread.

1. Heard back within 7 business days or sooner. Contact them after 7-14 business days.
2. If you've gotten an interview, they are interested in you and want to see if you, as a person, checks out. There is no hard number. You can easily go in with a greater than 50% chance of acceptance, screw up the interview, and leave with 0%.

If you've gotten an interview, its very likely you will get the acceptance. Don't put a number on it.
 
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When is a good time to start looking for apartments/places to live? Do you have any areas that you recommend?
 
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I'm interviewing Monday! So nervous!!
 
I am not planning to stay in OH since I'm not from this area. However, I am open to exploring once 3rd and 4th year gets here and possible seeing what my options are. So far, I like Ohio, I'm just not a huge fan of cold weather. So we will see. I can't really speak to the fact of less jobs around the schools since I haven't really ventured out yet but If you come to interview here, that is a good question to ask staff :)

Do you happen to know how the interview is set up? Is it one on one or a panel? Thank you!
 
Hi there! Im about to interview in 2 weeks and i have reviewed basically all of the available interview prep material on SDN and the internet and I think I have a good idea of what I want to ask the interviewer and students. I was wondering if, as a current student, there is anything you wish you asked or found out during your interview specifically about the program itself at KSUCPM that you didn't until later on?
 
Hi there! Im about to interview in 2 weeks and i have reviewed basically all of the available interview prep material on SDN and the internet and I think I have a good idea of what I want to ask the interviewer and students. I was wondering if, as a current student, there is anything you wish you asked or found out during your interview specifically about the program itself at KSUCPM that you didn't until later on?

Probably something that the 1st and 2nd year student ambassadors wouldn't be able to answer, but as a 4th year at KSUCPM I would say clinical volume and experience is key. Most schools will teach similar material in the first two years. Where they will start to vary dramatically is in the 3rd and 4th years. Things like how many externships you get (and which months), what clinical rotations you get, the QUALITY of clinical encounters (just trimming toenails versus getting varied pathology).

The most consistent complaint I have heard among my classmates is that the school clinics, one in the school building itself and another in Cleveland (Midtown) have relatively low patient volume and are run very inefficiently. Additionally, you may have a great surgical rotation or a weak one depending on where you rotate and what cases are going on in that month. Couple that with having 2 months of standardized patients in 3rd year, which IMO is would be better used to gain more real world experience,, and those more or less sum up my major complaints with the 3rd year curriculum. The bulk of your patient encounters 3rd year will be at the Cleveland VA, which admittedly is a decent rotation. How prepared you feel going into 4th year and externships will depend largely on how much experience you get 3rd year.

That being said, they're generally good about letting students DO what ever procedures come through and a lot of the younger attendings are attracting more interesting cases. I suspect that the school will continue to improve in these areas, but these are my candid thoughts on that. For myself personally, I believe that my clinical competence and knowledge base blossomed in my 4th year.

Just something I figured I'd throw in given the 1st years here haven't had the opportunity to experience this side of their education yet.
 
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Probably something that the 1st and 2nd year student ambassadors wouldn't be able to answer, but as a 4th year at KSUCPM I would say clinical volume and experience is key. Most schools will teach similar material in the first two years. Where they will start to vary dramatically is in the 3rd and 4th years. Things like how many externships you get (and which months), what clinical rotations you get, the QUALITY of clinical encounters (just trimming toenails versus getting varied pathology).

The most consistent complaint I have heard among my classmates is that the school clinics, one in the school building itself and another in Cleveland (Midtown) have relatively low patient volume and are run very inefficiently. Additionally, you may have a great surgical rotation or a weak one depending on where you rotate and what cases are going on in that month. Couple that with having 2 months of standardized patients in 3rd year, which IMO is would be better used to gain more real world experience,, and those more or less sum up my major complaints with the 3rd year curriculum. The bulk of your patient encounters 3rd year will be at the Cleveland VA, which admittedly is a decent rotation. How prepared you feel going into 4th year and externships will depend largely on how much experience you get 3rd year.

That being said, they're generally good about letting students DO what ever procedures come through and a lot of the younger attendings are attracting more interesting cases. I suspect that the school will continue to improve in these areas, but these are my candid thoughts on that. For myself personally, I believe that my clinical competence and knowledge base blossomed in my 4th year.

Just something I figured I'd throw in given the 1st years here haven't had the opportunity to experience this side of their education yet.


This is exactly the type of response I was looking for- thank you so much! I will be sure to focus more on clinical experiences and exposure when talking to students at the schools im interviewing at!
 
Hi, thanks for the great thread. I am an Ohio kid born and raised, so Kent is currently my number one choice. I am applying for the 2020-2021 cycle (beings August 5, 2020 I believe). I just had a few questions.

1. How will they contact me and let me know that I have, or have not received an interview? (i.e. will it be via email, phone call, letter in the mail)

2. You said generally you should hear back in approximately 7 business days, again, is that via email? Phone call? Letter in the mail?

3. Do you recommend playing "hard ball"? (I know this may sound like a dumb question but let me explain) - I have a close family friend who told the panel at the end of his interview that Kent was number one on his list, and that if he were to be excepted, that he would cancel all other interviews he had. He said that literally on the car ride home to Columbus, he receive a phone call from the panel telling him he was accepted. Just curious as to see if this strategy would be a good one.

4. By me applying as soon as the application cycle opens, does that give me a better chance of interviewing earlier? I.e, by applying August 5th, will I be more likely to receive an interview in September/October/November rather than say December/January/February?

5. How many other students interviewing could I expect on interview day?

6. What are the personalities usually of the two person panel? Good-cop, bad-cop (person grilling you) sort of deal? Good-cop, Good-cop?

Sorry that these are really nit-picky. Any feed back is appreciated.

Thank you and stay healthy!
 
Hi, thanks for the great thread. I am an Ohio kid born and raised, so Kent is currently my number one choice. I am applying for the 2020-2021 cycle (beings August 5, 2020 I believe). I just had a few questions.

1. How will they contact me and let me know that I have, or have not received an interview? (i.e. will it be via email, phone call, letter in the mail)

2. You said generally you should hear back in approximately 7 business days, again, is that via email? Phone call? Letter in the mail?

3. Do you recommend playing "hard ball"? (I know this may sound like a dumb question but let me explain) - I have a close family friend who told the panel at the end of his interview that Kent was number one on his list, and that if he were to be excepted, that he would cancel all other interviews he had. He said that literally on the car ride home to Columbus, he receive a phone call from the panel telling him he was accepted. Just curious as to see if this strategy would be a good one.

4. By me applying as soon as the application cycle opens, does that give me a better chance of interviewing earlier? I.e, by applying August 5th, will I be more likely to receive an interview in September/October/November rather than say December/January/February?

5. How many other students interviewing could I expect on interview day?

6. What are the personalities usually of the two person panel? Good-cop, bad-cop (person grilling you) sort of deal? Good-cop, Good-cop?

Sorry that these are really nit-picky. Any feed back is appreciated.

Thank you and stay healthy!
1. All of the above.
2. All of the above. Email is usually quickest. Have also received a phonecall before. Snail mail the slowest.
3. Be genuine. Podiatry is a very small circle. Even smaller when you get in. If you want to play hardball, that's on you. If its genuine, great. If you've told every school that- they can and will find out if they want to. Don't put yourself in a situation where you've told a program that and then have to turn down their acceptance later.
4. Yes. It is a rolling basis. Someone who applies as soon as the cycle will have interviews before someone who applies in Sep-Oct etc.
5. Anywhere from 1-4 other people. The actual interview will just be you and faculty/admin, no other students in the room.
6. You are over analyzing this. They will ask whatever questions they think are pertinent. Any red flags in your file, things they thought were interesting from your personal statement, questions about your ECs or personality if everything on paper checks out. There is "no good cop bad cop" routine. There is no "gaming the system". This is graduate school. They want to make sure you are a normal person before handing you the ability to go see and treat patients.
 
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I know that past statistics are not indicative of future performance, but a couple of things I had concerns about white Kent State is the 4 year graduation rate and first time boards pass rate. Are these issues I should be concerned about (have an interview next week)? Thanks.


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4 year graduation rate is due to the large class size which unfortunately includes lower quality students. I graduated from Kent and did so without feeling like I was at risk of failing at any time. That was equally true for at least the averagely competent of my classmates.

As far as the boards pass rate, that can be hit or miss depending on the year. I think it is similar to what I stated above - as long as you put the time in passing boards on the first try is unlikely to be an issue. Our year (Class of 2020) and our upperclassmen had a 92-94% Part I pass rate as a reference.
 
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4 year graduation rate is due to the large class size which unfortunately includes lower quality students. I graduated from Kent and did so without feeling like I was at risk of failing at any time. That was equally true for at least the averagely competent of my classmates.

As far as the boards pass rate, that can be hit or miss depending on the year. I think it is similar to what I stated above - as long as you put the time in passing boards on the first try is unlikely to be an issue. Our year (Class of 2020) and our upperclassmen had a 92-94% Part I pass rate as a reference.

Thanks- I am headed to KSUCPM and really excited to start my next journey!
 
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