LMU-DCOM MS Biomedical Professions 2019-2020 Cycle

[WhistleBrewer]

WhistleBrewer never says anything positive about LMU so its hard to trust her opinion. As a previous student, I can assure you most people arent this negative lol. Some things are true; many didnt do well in MGA last year, the new 37 credits will be harder than 30 creds, the school makes a lot of money off the students and is probably getting funneled to future dental, PT schools.

Other things are just bad opinions with no support. For example, LMU obviously cares about their MS program. Why do you think they changed it? It's more rigorous now, but that means that if students do well, they will definitely look good for DCOM. Professors have an open door policy and it's pretty easy to get a hold of them.

How are professors unprepared to lecture? Which classes?

Many people fail MGA at other schools. This is not specific to LMU. The anatomy faculty are very good here.

What miscommunication was "dampening your GPA"? Again this doesn't make sense and there was no serious miscommunication I saw that hurt GPAs.

Administration's "lack of communication" doesn't hurt your experience here. Obviously they can't tell you all the secrets of admission and LMU, but they help when it comes to improving your academic experience.

You mention a lot of vague things to scare people away and nothing good. Youre not showing anyone the "real" LMU. Learn to be a good reviewer.

In the end, focused students won't let small things hurt their academic experience here. No SMP is perfect. At least this one gives many low GPA students a chance. If your like WhistleBrewer and expecting an SMP to be easy going like a regular MS program, you will need to change your mindset. If you do well, you'll be fine for DCOM. Last year, people that were accepted to DCOM from the MS program had high GPAs on avg (like 3.7+ from what Ive seen). The new 37 credits will be tough and hopefully people that finish this spring can shed some light on it.

There are many students who are unhappy at LMU. Most just show a neutral face. There are people who love LMU and are doing well. But majority are struggling. I dare you to sit down 1-1 with grad students to talk over their experience at LMU; some maybe positive, other maybe negative. The reason why I sound negative because the school did me wrong, as with numerous other students. I maybe the only vocal one at this moment, but in the future who knows? People may speak up. After all, many lurk SDN while very few are active like myself.

To clarify some of my "opinions without support", here are some:

1. How are professors unprepared to lecture? Which classes?
Advanced Cell & Molecular class: 2nd Professor's lecture slides were not complete by the time lectures came around. Unprepared to use technology needed to teach (lectures were not recorded for students who could not make it to the lecture). It was bare bones and a simple outline at best. The material covered was sporadic with some section dense while other very brief. The exam questions did not correlate from what was taught in lecture. The exam question stems were weirdly worded with several answer choices being technically correct (double-key). Not to be picky but who throws in a new professor who's never taught a grad hard science course before?

2. Many people fail MGA? Having spoken to graduate and medical students from other universities, their MGA is difficult yes, but the attrition number does not compare to what LMU-DCOM has. Perhaps Caribbean school numbers are at the level of DCOM, maybe more.

3. Miscommunication that damaged GPA
Advisor telling one student that their GPA was competitive for DCOM then few months later when the interview was rolling in, the advisor told them that the GPA is in fact not competitive so they should take MCAT ASAP. Advisor telling a student one advice but telling another student totally different advice even though their situation is the same (Dropping MGA, withdrawing, etc). Falsely encouraging a student to power through MGA even though the prognosis was not too great so they ended up getting a C or lower, destroying their GPA.

4. Lack of communication:
Advisor and MS program admins are not as attentive when you email them. There was a mix-up of where the exams for grad students were going to be administered. Did not inform students of MSBS policy changes. Constant changes in lecture schedules that even faculty are confused / unaware of changes. Admin sending out erroneous emails or written unprofessionally. Getting back to you after the deadline.

5. Learn to be a good reviewer
Thanks for the feedback. I'll definitely work on it! Let me first start off with Yelp reviews of restaurants around Harrogate, TN

Sure, my negative experiences and reviews may scare people away from LMU or rather make them want to challenge themselves by going here. I guess for those people who are like me that want "easy going" should not go here. Let me be clear though, I did well in this program. I was offered and undergone interview at DCOM, though decided not to proceed further with application at this school because I didn't see myself a good fit for the school. By being a grad student here taking classes alongside medical students, observing how the program is run, looking at statistics of graduates, and just plainly speaking with medical students, it was clear to me that this school was inadequate to provide me the tools for success to become a physician. That is why I accepted an offer elsewhere, where I am currently thriving as a student.

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[Dochopeful13]

There are many students who are unhappy at LMU. Most just show a neutral face. There are people who love LMU and are doing well. But majority are struggling. I dare you to sit down 1-1 with grad students to talk over their experience at LMU; some maybe positive, other maybe negative. The reason why I sound negative because the school did me wrong, as with numerous other students. I maybe the only vocal one at this moment, but in the future who knows? People may speak up. After all, many lurk SDN while very few are active like myself.

To clarify some of my "opinions without support", here are some:

1. How are professors unprepared to lecture? Which classes?
Advanced Cell & Molecular class: 2nd Professor's lecture slides were not complete by the time lectures came around. Unprepared to use technology needed to teach (lectures were not recorded for students who could not make it to the lecture). It was bare bones and a simple outline at best. The material covered was sporadic with some section dense while other very brief. The exam questions did not correlate from what was taught in lecture. The exam question stems were weirdly worded with several answer choices being technically correct (double-key). Not to be picky but who throws in a new professor who's never taught a grad hard science course before?

2. Many people fail MGA? Having spoken to graduate and medical students from other universities, their MGA is difficult yes, but the attrition number does not compare to what LMU-DCOM has. Perhaps Caribbean school numbers are at the level of DCOM, maybe more.

3. Miscommunication that damaged GPA
Advisor telling one student that their GPA was competitive for DCOM then few months later when the interview was rolling in, the advisor told them that the GPA is in fact not competitive so they should take MCAT ASAP. Advisor telling a student one advice but telling another student totally different advice even though their situation is the same (Dropping MGA, withdrawing, etc). Falsely encouraging a student to power through MGA even though the prognosis was not too great so they ended up getting a C or lower, destroying their GPA.

4. Lack of communication:
Advisor and MS program admins are not as attentive when you email them. There was a mix-up of where the exams for grad students were going to be administered. Did not inform students of MSBS policy changes. Constant changes in lecture schedules that even faculty are confused / unaware of changes. Admin sending out erroneous emails or written unprofessionally. Getting back to you after the deadline.

5. Learn to be a good reviewer
Thanks for the feedback. I'll definitely work on it! Let me first start off with Yelp reviews of restaurants around Harrogate, TN

Sure, my negative experiences and reviews may scare people away from LMU or rather make them want to challenge themselves by going here. I guess for those people who are like me that want "easy going" should not go here. Let me be clear though, I did well in this program. I was offered and undergone interview at DCOM, though decided not to proceed further with application at this school because I didn't see myself a good fit for the school. By being a grad student here taking classes alongside medical students, observing how the program is run, looking at statistics of graduates, and just plainly speaking with medical students, it was clear to me that this school was inadequate to provide me the tools for success to become a physician. That is why I accepted an offer elsewhere, where I am currently thriving as a student.

Not to jeopardize your aynomity but can you recommend better smp’s to get into med school?

 

[Dochopeful13]

There are many students who are unhappy at LMU. Most just show a neutral face. There are people who love LMU and are doing well. But majority are struggling. I dare you to sit down 1-1 with grad students to talk over their experience at LMU; some maybe positive, other maybe negative. The reason why I sound negative because the school did me wrong, as with numerous other students. I maybe the only vocal one at this moment, but in the future who knows? People may speak up. After all, many lurk SDN while very few are active like myself.

To clarify some of my "opinions without support", here are some:

1. How are professors unprepared to lecture? Which classes?
Advanced Cell & Molecular class: 2nd Professor's lecture slides were not complete by the time lectures came around. Unprepared to use technology needed to teach (lectures were not recorded for students who could not make it to the lecture). It was bare bones and a simple outline at best. The material covered was sporadic with some section dense while other very brief. The exam questions did not correlate from what was taught in lecture. The exam question stems were weirdly worded with several answer choices being technically correct (double-key). Not to be picky but who throws in a new professor who's never taught a grad hard science course before?

2. Many people fail MGA? Having spoken to graduate and medical students from other universities, their MGA is difficult yes, but the attrition number does not compare to what LMU-DCOM has. Perhaps Caribbean school numbers are at the level of DCOM, maybe more.

3. Miscommunication that damaged GPA
Advisor telling one student that their GPA was competitive for DCOM then few months later when the interview was rolling in, the advisor told them that the GPA is in fact not competitive so they should take MCAT ASAP. Advisor telling a student one advice but telling another student totally different advice even though their situation is the same (Dropping MGA, withdrawing, etc). Falsely encouraging a student to power through MGA even though the prognosis was not too great so they ended up getting a C or lower, destroying their GPA.

4. Lack of communication:
Advisor and MS program admins are not as attentive when you email them. There was a mix-up of where the exams for grad students were going to be administered. Did not inform students of MSBS policy changes. Constant changes in lecture schedules that even faculty are confused / unaware of changes. Admin sending out erroneous emails or written unprofessionally. Getting back to you after the deadline.

5. Learn to be a good reviewer
Thanks for the feedback. I'll definitely work on it! Let me first start off with Yelp reviews of restaurants around Harrogate, TN

Sure, my negative experiences and reviews may scare people away from LMU or rather make them want to challenge themselves by going here. I guess for those people who are like me that want "easy going" should not go here. Let me be clear though, I did well in this program. I was offered and undergone interview at DCOM, though decided not to proceed further with application at this school because I didn't see myself a good fit for the school. By being a grad student here taking classes alongside medical students, observing how the program is run, looking at statistics of graduates, and just plainly speaking with medical students, it was clear to me that this school was inadequate to provide me the tools for success to become a physician. That is why I accepted an offer elsewhere, where I am currently thriving as a student.

Not to jeopardize your aynomity but can you recommend better smp’s to get into med school?

 

[WhistleBrewer]

Not to jeopardize your aynomity but can you recommend better smp’s to get into med school?

From what I hear, people who go through LECOM's 1 year MMS and NOVA Southeastern's 2 year MSBS are pretty reliable. My colleagues' siblings and their acquaintances has gotten into the respective DO schools there. I know Midwestern (both Arizona and Illinois)'s 1 year and 2 year SMPs are reliable as well given that you understand the quarter system, which is intense if not familiar with it. Lastly, I've noticed that few of the first year DO students at DCOM went to Barry University (Florida) for SMP. Someone I know who goes to dental school in Boston suggested Barry as well as several of his classmates went there.

Other than that, all I can suggest is be sure to ask the current students how SMPs are at their respective schools.

 

[dochopeful1460]

There are many students who are unhappy at LMU. Most just show a neutral face. There are people who love LMU and are doing well. But majority are struggling. I dare you to sit down 1-1 with grad students to talk over their experience at LMU; some maybe positive, other maybe negative. The reason why I sound negative because the school did me wrong, as with numerous other students. I maybe the only vocal one at this moment, but in the future who knows? People may speak up. After all, many lurk SDN while very few are active like myself.

To clarify some of my "opinions without support", here are some:

1. How are professors unprepared to lecture? Which classes?
Advanced Cell & Molecular class: 2nd Professor's lecture slides were not complete by the time lectures came around. Unprepared to use technology needed to teach (lectures were not recorded for students who could not make it to the lecture). It was bare bones and a simple outline at best. The material covered was sporadic with some section dense while other very brief. The exam questions did not correlate from what was taught in lecture. The exam question stems were weirdly worded with several answer choices being technically correct (double-key). Not to be picky but who throws in a new professor who's never taught a grad hard science course before?

2. Many people fail MGA? Having spoken to graduate and medical students from other universities, their MGA is difficult yes, but the attrition number does not compare to what LMU-DCOM has. Perhaps Caribbean school numbers are at the level of DCOM, maybe more.

3. Miscommunication that damaged GPA
Advisor telling one student that their GPA was competitive for DCOM then few months later when the interview was rolling in, the advisor told them that the GPA is in fact not competitive so they should take MCAT ASAP. Advisor telling a student one advice but telling another student totally different advice even though their situation is the same (Dropping MGA, withdrawing, etc). Falsely encouraging a student to power through MGA even though the prognosis was not too great so they ended up getting a C or lower, destroying their GPA.

4. Lack of communication:
Advisor and MS program admins are not as attentive when you email them. There was a mix-up of where the exams for grad students were going to be administered. Did not inform students of MSBS policy changes. Constant changes in lecture schedules that even faculty are confused / unaware of changes. Admin sending out erroneous emails or written unprofessionally. Getting back to you after the deadline.

5. Learn to be a good reviewer
Thanks for the feedback. I'll definitely work on it! Let me first start off with Yelp reviews of restaurants around Harrogate, TN

Sure, my negative experiences and reviews may scare people away from LMU or rather make them want to challenge themselves by going here. I guess for those people who are like me that want "easy going" should not go here. Let me be clear though, I did well in this program. I was offered and undergone interview at DCOM, though decided not to proceed further with application at this school because I didn't see myself a good fit for the school. By being a grad student here taking classes alongside medical students, observing how the program is run, looking at statistics of graduates, and just plainly speaking with medical students, it was clear to me that this school was inadequate to provide me the tools for success to become a physician. That is why I accepted an offer elsewhere, where I am currently thriving as a student.

1. I admit that's a primary example and I think everyone can easily agree about disliking that teacher and that experience. The first professor of that class and system phys that year were pretty bad too, but other than that, the other like 9 classes(?) were decent/great for the most part. Getting As and learning wasnt that hard. This is were you couldve mentioned some good professors instead of saying only the negatives.

2. Yes MGA is generally the hardest class at every school. Some schools dont even have multiple choice answers for their lab practicals and spelling counts (This is obviously harder compared to LMU and leads to more ppl failing). I know one med school where half the class of 100 1st years didnt pass MGA. I think LMU is in the middle (not too bad and not too good). At the end of the day, this really depends on the individual, but you like to blame the school and faculty. Sorry they dont hold your hand through anatomy? For our class of MS students, like 10-15? failed MGA out of nearly 100. Are there improvements you would to see here? How much 'better' is anatomy at your current school?

3. This is another one I cant completely blame the advisor and I dont have the full story anyways. In general, you have to take the advisor's word with a grain of salt. They dont sit on the dcom committee and even if they do, there are other people there with their own beliefs. Also, it's pretty easy to look up the avg gpa and mcat for dcom, so that will let you know how competitive you are. Even if she tells you to take the MCAT asap, everyone knows to only take it when ready. For dropping or finishing MGA, that again is up to the student. We were told during orientation that very few ppl get in to dcom with a C. It's not like the advisor totally knows the academic capabilities of the student. You would think a person knows when to drop a class after years of undergrad. If they dont, their MGA situation was just another learning experience.

4. I did hear of the BMS advisor being slow with replying to emails but thats probably because of so many students. The AS were quick. The rest of the things you mentioned dont really affect your academic performace at lmu. May be the deadlines part but idk the specifics about that.

Pretty much all the problems you mentioned you will find in variations at other schools. Or is your current school perfect? I'd like to see your review about it. At least youre not pointlessly complaining about how LMU uses its money anymore.

As a result, your last part is not only subjective but it hardly carries any weight. Everyone has their reasons for picking a med school. Some people feel they will become a great physician by going to LMU and some dont. Same goes for the school you attend. Theres a bunch of people that dont go there because they feel it is a bad school for them. The SMPs you mentioned may be better but not everyone gets into those. LMUs is probably in the better half of SMPs especially with the new changes.

 

[Startingover123]

1. I admit that's a primary example and I think everyone can easily agree about disliking that teacher and that experience. The first professor of that class and system phys that year were pretty bad too, but other than that, the other like 9 classes(?) were decent/great for the most part. Getting As and learning wasnt that hard. This is were you couldve mentioned some good professors instead of saying only the negatives.

2. Yes MGA is generally the hardest class at every school. Some schools dont even have multiple choice answers for their lab practicals and spelling counts (This is obviously harder compared to LMU and leads to more ppl failing). I know one med school where half the class of 100 1st years didnt pass MGA. I think LMU is in the middle (not too bad and not too good). At the end of the day, this really depends on the individual, but you like to blame the school and faculty. Sorry they dont hold your hand through anatomy? For our class of MS students, like 10-15? failed MGA out of nearly 100. Are there improvements you would to see here? How much 'better' is anatomy at your current school?

3. This is another one I cant completely blame the advisor and I dont have the full story anyways. In general, you have to take the advisor's word with a grain of salt. They dont sit on the dcom committee and even if they do, there are other people there with their own beliefs. Also, it's pretty easy to look up the avg gpa and mcat for dcom, so that will let you know how competitive you are. Even if she tells you to take the MCAT asap, everyone knows to only take it when ready. For dropping or finishing MGA, that again is up to the student. We were told during orientation that very few ppl get in to dcom with a C. It's not like the advisor totally knows the academic capabilities of the student. You would think a person knows when to drop a class after years of undergrad. If they dont, their MGA situation was just another learning experience.

4. I did hear of the BMS advisor being slow with replying to emails but thats probably because of so many students. The AS were quick. The rest of the things you mentioned dont really affect your academic performace at lmu. May be the deadlines part but idk the specifics about that.

Pretty much all the problems you mentioned you will find in variations at other schools. Or is your current school perfect? I'd like to see your review about it. At least youre not pointlessly complaining about how LMU uses its money anymore.

As a result, your last part is not only subjective but it hardly carries any weight. Everyone has their reasons for picking a med school. Some people feel they will become a great physician by going to LMU and some dont. Same goes for the school you attend. Theres a bunch of people that dont go there because they feel it is a bad school for them. The SMPs you mentioned may be better but not everyone gets into those. LMUs is probably in the better half of SMPs especially with the new changes.

Can you PM me? I was hoping I could ask a few questions. Would you recommend that a program? Is it doable to get the required GPA? Are tests fair? Any advice I would greatly appreciate it. Is AS easier to get the grades to get into the med school?

 

[deleted1026531]

If you're reading this thread you're probably a prospective LMU student. Let me tell you, don't do that to yourself. LMU might care about you if you're in the AS program but if you're in the BMS program they most certainly want you to either 1) fail or 2) have a mental breakdown. There are at least seven concrete examples I can point to where they've proven this again and again and I've only been here for a single semester. PM me if you want some details I guess?

 

[Dochopeful13]

If you're reading this thread you're probably a prospective LMU student. Let me tell you, don't do that to yourself. LMU might care about you if you're in the AS program but if you're in the BMS program they most certainly want you to either 1) fail or 2) have a mental breakdown. There are at least seven concrete examples I can point to where they've proven this again and again and I've only been here for a single semester. PM me if you want some details I guess?

Please PM me. Are you in the program
Currently with the guranteed acceptance?

 

[Xaos]

I guess for those people who are like me that want "easy going" should not go here.

I can agree with that.

This is not the program that you take to check a few boxes and skate into medical school. An SMP is meant to prove that you've got what it takes to get into medical school, when your MCAT score and undergraduate GPA aren't convincing admissions committees. LMU's program, as part of their mission as an opportunity school, accepts some students who literally could not get into another program, and a number of those don't make it through with flying colors. But if you think you have what it takes, they'll give you a shot to prove it and they back up their guaranteed admission when you do. DCOM stands behind their program.

If you think an SMP should give you a nice fat 4.0 graduate GPA to bypass your 3.0 uGPA or your sub-50th percentile MCAT, go find a program that advertises their grade inflation. If you have zero interest in going to DCOM for medical school, you're probably better off going somewhere that has linkages to other programs.

 

[Startingover123]

I can agree with that.

This is not the program that you take to check a few boxes and skate into medical school. An SMP is meant to prove that you've got what it takes to get into medical school, when your MCAT score and undergraduate GPA aren't convincing admissions committees. LMU's program, as part of their mission as an opportunity school, accepts some students who literally could not get into another program, and a number of those don't make it through with flying colors. But if you think you have what it takes, they'll give you a shot to prove it and they back up their guaranteed admission when you do. DCOM stands behind their program.

If you think an SMP should give you a nice fat 4.0 graduate GPA to bypass your 3.0 uGPA or your sub-50th percentile MCAT, go find a program that advertises their grade inflation. If you have zero interest in going to DCOM for medical school, you're probably better off going somewhere that has linkages to other programs.

Are you a current student? Any difference in linkage between the AS and the Biomed programs?

 

[Dochopeful13]

Are you a current student? Any difference in linkage between the AS and the Biomed programs?

I have heard the AS program has a much better linkage.

 

[Xaos]

Are you a current student? Any difference in linkage between the AS and the Biomed programs?

Not a current student. I'm local and know a bunch of current MS/DCOM students, grads, and faculty/staff at LMU.

The AS and BS linkage procedures are identical (must pass Histo/MGA, 3.0 gets you an interview, 3.4/499 gets you accepted on the condition that you successfully complete the interview and background check and whatnot), but AS is a more selective program (fewer than half as many students as BS, generally students have higher sGPAs and already have the minimum MCAT for acceptance at DCOM). Some people say that AS is easier, but I don't think it's easier so much as the bar for students to enter that program is higher than BS, so they're more likely to hit the threshold for linkage. I don't know if they actually have any higher GPA/MCAT than BS students.

AS and BS both take MGA (currently; will likely change next semester) and Histology with DCOM students, as well as intro Pharmacology and Physiology. BS students take "typical SMP" courses like Biochem, Cell Bio, Genetics, Immunology, plus Bacteriology/Virology, so if you have a lower uGPA in those undergrad courses, they will probably suggest that you go the Biomedical route. AS take more specialized anatomy coursework like Embryo, Imaging, Dissection. Both can take Neuroanatomy with DCOM students in the Spring, but I don't think it's required. I'm not sure if BS students are required to do research, but I think the AS students are required to take a formal research course and they usually present at LMU's student conference day.

 

[Aiguo]

Not a current student. I'm local and know a bunch of current MS/DCOM students, grads, and faculty/staff at LMU.

The AS and BS linkage procedures are identical (must pass Histo/MGA, 3.0 gets you an interview, 3.4/499 gets you accepted on the condition that you successfully complete the interview and background check and whatnot), but AS is a more selective program (fewer than half as many students as BS, generally students have higher sGPAs and already have the minimum MCAT for acceptance at DCOM). Some people say that AS is easier, but I don't think it's easier so much as the bar for students to enter that program is higher than BS, so they're more likely to hit the threshold for linkage. I don't know if they actually have any higher GPA/MCAT than BS students.

AS and BS both take MGA (currently; will likely change next semester) and Histology with DCOM students, as well as intro Pharmacology and Physiology. BS students take "typical SMP" courses like Biochem, Cell Bio, Genetics, Immunology, plus Bacteriology/Virology, so if you have a lower uGPA in those undergrad courses, they will probably suggest that you go the Biomedical route. AS take more specialized anatomy coursework like Embryo, Imaging, Dissection. Both can take Neuroanatomy with DCOM students in the Spring, but I don't think it's required. I'm not sure if BS students are required to do research, but I think the AS students are required to take a formal research course and they usually present at LMU's student conference day.

I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe someone's opinion who is not a current student but spends so much time on SDN trying to convenience others to apply to this program. I would urge others to not believe this person either and instead reach out to people enrolled for a truthful opinion. Someone who is not enrolled in this program really has no merit to discuss it or "what they hear" since you do not know the inner workings of it. Kind of a weird hobby in my opinion unless you are staff or faculty that benefit from student enrollment.

No one signs up for an SMP expecting it to be easy. This is our shot to prove ourselves and gain acceptance into medical school. It is a lot of money to sign up for an SMP as well, therefore, any student should make an informed decision based on anecdotal evidence as well as hard statistics of how successful an SMP is. (LMU statistics are not published anywhere and that is no surprise)

With that being said that does not take away from the shortcomings of this specific program that could be improved upon. It doesn't take away from the stressors caused by unorganized classes, professors, technology or the fact that the administration running the program can be quite unprofessional at times. For anyone considering applying do you research, see if your money is worth it here, or if another program better fits your needs where you can work hard maybe without additional stressors and gain acceptance.

 

[doyinDO]

I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe someone's opinion who is not a current student but spends so much time on SDN trying to convenience others to apply to this program. I would urge others to not believe this person either and instead reach out to people enrolled for a truthful opinion. Someone who is not enrolled in this program really has no merit to discuss it or "what they hear" since you do not know the inner workings of it. Kind of a weird hobby in my opinion unless you are staff or faculty that benefit from student enrollment.

No one signs up for an SMP expecting it to be easy. This is our shot to prove ourselves and gain acceptance into medical school. It is a lot of money to sign up for an SMP as well, therefore, any student should make an informed decision based on anecdotal evidence as well as hard statistics of how successful an SMP is. (LMU statistics are not published anywhere and that is no surprise)

With that being said that does not take away from the shortcomings of this specific program that could be improved upon. It doesn't take away from the stressors caused by unorganized classes, professors, technology or the fact that the administration running the program can be quite unprofessional at times. For anyone considering applying do you research, see if your money is worth it here, or if another program better fits your needs where you can work hard maybe without additional stressors and gain acceptance.

I agree with you, Auigo, in general but in this case, Xaos said a lot of the right things. I was a previous AS student. I don't really think AS is easier but the classes people generally find easier are imaging and dissection. Embryo is pretty hard and thats required for AS. The rest of the classes are available for both BS and AS students. Neuro isnt required but they say its highly recommended to take it since its a dcom class. Research isnt required for AS or BS but it doesnt hurt. The BS curriculum has a couple more required science classes and its actually more geared towards preparing for dcom from what faculty told me.

AS is more selective with admissions. I think its generally known that AS had better incoming stats to the SMP so it makes it seem that AS has an easier time getting into dcom. Both AS and BS have fair chances. Just thinking back to my class I can remember a lot of the good BS students getting into dcom.

LMU doesnt publish the statistics of how many people got interviewed and got in but in my year, i would say 50%+ of the people that interviewed got in.

I bet the curriculum is a lot harder now with 37 credits. whew! but tbh a good number of other SMPs have 30 something credits too.

 

[Xaos]

I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe someone's opinion who is not a current student but spends so much time on SDN trying to convenience others to apply to this program. I would urge others to not believe this person either and instead reach out to people enrolled for a truthful opinion. Someone who is not enrolled in this program really has no merit to discuss it or "what they hear" since you do not know the inner workings of it. Kind of a weird hobby in my opinion unless you are staff or faculty that benefit from student enrollment.

No one signs up for an SMP expecting it to be easy. This is our shot to prove ourselves and gain acceptance into medical school. It is a lot of money to sign up for an SMP as well, therefore, any student should make an informed decision based on anecdotal evidence as well as hard statistics of how successful an SMP is. (LMU statistics are not published anywhere and that is no surprise)

With that being said that does not take away from the shortcomings of this specific program that could be improved upon. It doesn't take away from the stressors caused by unorganized classes, professors, technology or the fact that the administration running the program can be quite unprofessional at times. For anyone considering applying do you research, see if your money is worth it here, or if another program better fits your needs where you can work hard maybe without additional stressors and gain acceptance.

It’s an anonymous forum. I like to think there’s good in the world, and that the people with knowledge of the application system and specific programs actually enjoy helping others. Why else does this website exist?

I know many students, most of whom are too busy actually trying to excel in their programs to maintain an active presence on SDN, but I have their blessing to paraphrase their opinions - which is why I tend not to comment about specific courses and faculty, because I haven't taken them and opinions of current and former students on individual courses are extremely varied. And frankly, I do know a lot more about the program than current students because most of the current masters students are only here for one year Fall and Spring, and base their knowledge on the rumor mill, or from Spring starters of the previous year, or from the limited regular communication they get from DCOM staff and faculty. Current students don't understand why we don't teach this course both semesters, or why this professor doesn't teach that course. I know that it's because they tried that two years ago, and it didn't work out, or because they lost a faculty member and don't have someone to teach that course second semester. When you know people who teach there from church, you hear a lot that the students don't, capisce? So take my input with a grain of salt or don't, it really doesn't matter to me.

For some insight on how the university system works, staff and faculty do not benefit directly from student enrollment. They're not commission-based. The administrative staff that work with the students regularly do not have much control over what goes on, and are the middle man between upper management and the students - this is at all universities, not just LMU. Many of them, staff and faculty, are not well-paid. For some of them, this is just a job. And for others, they invest their lives in their work and their work is student success. They want students to do well and to be happy. No one likes to see students fail. None of the advisors like telling their students that their best option is to drop a class, or telling them that they may not graduate on time when they fail. None of the faculty like when students fail their exams. None of the staff like filing the paperwork when someone quits. That's not why they do this job.

I don't know what to tell you about the statistics, except maybe to call someone on staff and ask them! The individual people are far more likely to tell you things that are not published, because they don't control what goes on the website! But my guess is that, due to the fluidity of the program structure, coursework, capacity, and faculty, statistics aren't going to be a great indicator, either.

As far as no one signing up for an SMP expecting it to be easy, I can tell you that people do. Even medical students usually have no idea how difficult it's going to be. Everyone hears that it's hard, grad school is hard, med school is hard, but no one really gets what they mean until you get there. And yes, some people walk into an advisor meeting and say, "So, it's your job to get me into medical school."

Really, we're saying the same thing here: Do your own research! Don't trust strangers. Cut out the toxic middle man that is SDN and call the damn program to get your info. Be skeptical of everyone. Talk to current students (real ones! not internet ones!) if you're not sure that admissions is being forthright. Look at more than one program and pick the one that's right for you!

 

[deleted1026531]

Before starting this program, I called quite a few different people and numbers, none of which picked up. None of the staff picks up the phone to answer questions for prospective students and they don't return calls. You can email them and they might. i'm only writing this because making the decision to do this program has ruined my future and I wish I had listened to the people who warned me. This program is for you if you've already done an SMP or if you're in AS. I hear they're making changes again for next year so maybe it'lI be different but good luck to y'all.

 

[Xaos]

This program is for you if you've already done an SMP or if you're in AS.

How would this be a good program if you've already done an SMP? Why would someone who has already completed an SMP do another SMP? Do not do this.

 

[deleted1026531]

How would this be a good program if you've already done an SMP? Why would someone who has already completed an SMP do another SMP? Do not do this.

an SMP, past bio MS, post-bacc, anything to give you the advantage of having taken the classes before and seeing the material before.

 

[dochopeful1460]

I agree with you, Auigo, in general but in this case, Xaos said a lot of the right things. I was a previous AS student. I don't really think AS is easier but the classes people generally find easier are imaging and dissection. Embryo is pretty hard and thats required for AS. The rest of the classes are available for both BS and AS students. Neuro isnt required but they say its highly recommended to take it since its a dcom class. Research isnt required for AS or BS but it doesnt hurt. The BS curriculum has a couple more required science classes and its actually more geared towards preparing for dcom from what faculty told me.

AS is more selective with admissions. I think its generally known that AS had better incoming stats to the SMP so it makes it seem that AS has an easier time getting into dcom. Both AS and BS have fair chances. Just thinking back to my class I can remember a lot of the good BS students getting into dcom.

LMU doesnt publish the statistics of how many people got interviewed and got in but in my year, i would say 50%+ of the people that interviewed got in.

I bet the curriculum is a lot harder now with 37 credits. whew! but tbh a good number of other SMPs have 30 something credits too.

AS has an easier schedule in the fall. Along with the advisor issue, I think those are what get talked about the most. They really need to fix these issues. The rest of the stuff you said is pretty accurate.

Before starting this program, I called quite a few different people and numbers, none of which picked up. None of the staff picks up the phone to answer questions for prospective students and they don't return calls. You can email them and they might. i'm only writing this because making the decision to do this program has ruined my future and I wish I had listened to the people who warned me. This program is for you if you've already done an SMP or if you're in AS. I hear they're making changes again for next year so maybe it'lI be different but good luck to y'all.

Its better to email and then setup a phone convo.

How would this be a good program if you've already done an SMP? Why would someone who has already completed an SMP do another SMP? Do not do this.

This isnt as rare as you think but it doesnt seem logical. Many people do a post bac. A regular MS is pretty uncommon.

 

[Xaos]

This isnt as rare as you think but it doesnt seem logical. Many people do a post bac. A regular MS is pretty uncommon.

I completely understand doing a postbac and then an SMP (though usually I would only recommend it if students a) aren't sure they are ready to commit to the rigor of an SMP after a poor academic background or b) need to do GPA repair to qualify for an SMP), and I even understand doing an SMP after a regular MS or MA (but of course wouldn't recommend the standard MS/MA), but doing one SMP and then another SMP makes very, very little sense. By nature an SMP is meant to get you into medical school. If you successfully completed one SMP, you shouldn't need another. If you failed out of an SMP, it might theoretically help you to enroll in another, but your chances are probably better to put five years behind you first.

 

[dochopeful1460]

I completely understand doing a postbac and then an SMP (though usually I would only recommend it if students a) aren't sure they are ready to commit to the rigor of an SMP after a poor academic background or b) need to do GPA repair to qualify for an SMP), and I even understand doing an SMP after a regular MS or MA (but of course wouldn't recommend the standard MS/MA), but doing one SMP and then another SMP makes very, very little sense. By nature an SMP is meant to get you into medical school. If you successfully completed one SMP, you shouldn't need another. If you failed out of an SMP, it might theoretically help you to enroll in another, but your chances are probably better to put five years behind you first.

It depends because for LMU, people that already had SMPs probably came to this program to take advantage of the linkage. I don't think this is a bad idea. Betting on yourself to reach the requirements of a linkage is worth the 50k, but you have to be very honest with your ability to do this. Maybe the first SMP you had some unforeseen events, so your GPA ended up being bad.

If it was a student that had an SMP and applied for a 2nd one that didn't have any guaranteed interviews/acceptances, then that's a bad idea.

If it was a student that failed an SMP, then it's probably a bad idea to try for a 2nd one right away.

 

[deleted990763]

hey y'all. does anyone know if there is a new thread for the 2020-2021 cycle? I can't seem to find one!
thanks in advance

 

[Xaos]

hey y'all. does anyone know if there is a new thread for the 2020-2021 cycle? I can't seem to find one!
thanks in advance

Not that I know of.