Marian University (MU-COM) Discussion Thread 2013 - 2014

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futureinhealth said:
Dear MUCOM,

Are your classes graded on an A-F scale or a P/F system? If it is a P/F system, then do the students get ranked? Since I believe many residencies take into consideration both boards scores (USMLE and COMLEX) and rank. Also, if students did decide to take both board exams, does the school offer support in this decision?

Thanks! 🙂
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The first 2 years are on a graded bases (A/B/C/F) with failing being below 70. It's interesting though that we have an extended B range. 95-100 is an A, 90-94 is an A-, 85-89 is a B+, 80-84 is a B, 77-79 is a B-, 74-76 is a C+ and a 70-73 is a C. Don't know what happens if you're say in the middle of a 73 and 74 - is that a C or C+? Rounding has not been explained to us.

The clinical years are a High Honors/Honors/Pass/Fail system. No idea why they did grading different for the first half and second half but that's how it's done. I'm sure they rank us, all schools do this since it's really hard to judge people from different schools comparatively on their grades.

I would assume they would be supportive of both tests being taken since many students do both. We haven't gotten into board review talk but I'm really excited to see what MU-COM has planned.
 
MU-COM:

I was wondering when we might see movement in the wait-list? I know it was mentioned that it would be looked at once this month and was wondering if it already has been? Thank you!
 
futureinhealth said:
Dear MUCOM,

Are your classes graded on an A-F scale or a P/F system? If it is a P/F system, then do the students get ranked? Since I believe many residencies take into consideration both boards scores (USMLE and COMLEX) and rank. Also, if students did decide to take both board exams, does the school offer support in this decision?

Thanks! 🙂
Click to expand...

To go with Meows post, they haven't told us if they rank us or not based on class standing. (Board scores are what matters for residencies anyway). And for exams they don't specifically give us grades, only percentages. They put grades on our transcripts though, like Meows said.
 
MCAT1982 said:
Hello,

I have not seen anyone mentioning that they have been placed in 1st quartile yet - just wondering ! anyone ?

Is there a specific number of applicants that would be placed in each of the quartile ?

Also, does anyone have an idea on the chances being in each of the quartiles (as per last years statistics?) ?

Thanks
Click to expand...
I'm in the 1st quartile.
 
futureinhealth said:
Dear MUCOM,

Are your classes graded on an A-F scale or a P/F system? If it is a P/F system, then do the students get ranked? Since I believe many residencies take into consideration both boards scores (USMLE and COMLEX) and rank. Also, if students did decide to take both board exams, does the school offer support in this decision?

Thanks! 🙂
Click to expand...

This is not directed straight at you, but I wanted to expand on the above bolded a bit.

Please excuse my rant for a moment. The pre-med/medical student notion on this subject rustles my jimmies, especially since I have discussed it with so many actual physicians and the response is always, overwhelmingly the same.

Every single real physician I have spoken with about grades/rank since being in medical school has said, "just pass your classes". Class rank is of such low importance with residency applications. Board scores and amazing audition rotations are what get you into residencies. I've heard directly from residency PDs that audition rotations might very well be THE most important factor. If they really like you and can see you as a part of their team...well you can see how important that could be. People who are overly concerned with class rank tend to fall into the gunner category and the whole ranking thing (to me at least) seems to promote a competitive atmosphere vs schools that do not rank preventing this and creating a cooperative atmosphere among students. It really just seems unnecessary, since in the long run your rank won't really matter all that much anyhow. Work hard, attempt to learn the material for retention, try to enjoy your experience in school and network while you are there. The people who come into this gunning to be in this percentile or that really miss out on the whole experience.

I recently had one of the more prominent physicians here in Indy tell me that he always asks his residents if all that stress in medical school was really worth it...he said he always gets the same answer: no, it wasn't.

The grades in your first two years mean next to nothing as long as you pass. The grades you want to make sure are good are your clinical year grades as this leads to good letters of rec from your preceptors. In almost all cases, if any grades are even looked at come residency time, it will be year 3/4 grades--again, this comes directly from attending physicians.
 
got secondary app yesterday and submitted it yesterday as well. Does anyone know if MUCOM screens heavily before sending the secondary? Im hoping to get some love from this school.
 
Hvilledoc said:
got secondary app yesterday and submitted it yesterday as well. Does anyone know if MUCOM screens heavily before sending the secondary? Im hoping to get some love from this school.
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I think they do. I didn't get my secondary right away. And I think they take a while to answer. The interview invitations are going to be for late January or February now. I am form Indiana, and hopping for an II too.
 
That sounds like a lot of grade inflation. Would you say that a lot of people are getting A's or B's then? I have heard a lot of people say that their grades were so high in college and they drop a lot in medical school. Have you found that to be the case?

DrMeows said:
The first 2 years are on a graded bases (A/B/C/F) with failing being below 70. It's interesting though that we have an extended B range. 95-100 is an A, 90-94 is an A-, 85-89 is a B+, 80-84 is a B, 77-79 is a B-, 74-76 is a C+ and a 70-73 is a C. Don't know what happens if you're say in the middle of a 73 and 74 - is that a C or C+? Rounding has not been explained to us.

The clinical years are a High Honors/Honors/Pass/Fail system. No idea why they did grading different for the first half and second half but that's how it's done. I'm sure they rank us, all schools do this since it's really hard to judge people from different schools comparatively on their grades.

I would assume they would be supportive of both tests being taken since many students do both. We haven't gotten into board review talk but I'm really excited to see what MU-COM has planned.
Click to expand...
 
jockdoc97 said:
That sounds like a lot of grade inflation. Would you say that a lot of people are getting A's or B's then? I have heard a lot of people say that their grades were so high in college and they drop a lot in medical school. Have you found that to be the case?
Click to expand...

Yep and thats why it makes no sense to do it this way, and residencies know this...thats why they really only look at boards and clinical grades.

Personally I have noticed the "got awesome grades in college but dropped significantly in med school" phenomena for myself. I am still doing fine (meaning passing my classes--so I suppose "doing fine" is relative depending on if you are a gunner or not...or have tiger parents-I've seen both), but I am still not getting nearly the types of grades I was in undergrad. I understand the game tho so I am ok with it. The school even said to expect this the first week of orientation...seems like most of my class wasn't paying attention that day haha. There are A LOT of "competitive folks" in our class...and I would say there is a substantial portion of the class getting "A's" and "B's". Exams averages are usually around 80% after a small curve. This basically makes letter grades nonsense in medical school. If you read my post above, they really don't mean much. It is best to think of the first two years as P/F, because in the long run that is pretty much what it turns out being. Too bad MU-COM doesn't grade the first two years that way...it seems to really influence the vibe of the class and brings out the worst in people.
 
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Indianarn said:
I think they do. I didn't get my secondary right away. And I think they take a while to answer. The interview invitations are going to be for late January or February now. I am form Indiana, and hopping for an II too.
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They received my primary on Thursday, well thats when I got the email stating that they received it. I hope you get an ii as well 🙂 have you interviewed anywhere thus far in the cycle?
 
Mr Kenobi said:
Yep and thats why it makes no sense to do it this way, and residencies know this...thats why they really only look at boards and clinical grades.

Personally I have noticed the "got awesome grades in college but dropped significantly in med school" phenomena for myself. I am still doing fine (meaning passing my classes--so I suppose "doing fine" is relative depending on if you are a gunner or not), but still not getting nearly the types of grades I was in undergrad. I understand the game tho so I am ok with it. The school even said to expect this the first week of orientation...seems like most of my class wasn't paying attention that day haha. There are A LOT of "competitive folks" in our class...and I would say there is a substantial portion of the class getting "A's" and "B's". Exams averages are usually around 80% after a small curve. This basically makes letter grades nonsense in medical school. If you read my post above, they really don't mean much. It is best to think of the first two years as P/F, because in reality that is pretty much what it turns out being. Too bad MU-COM doesn't grade the first two years that way...it seems to really influence the vibe of the class and brings out the worst in people.
Click to expand...

👍
 
Hvilledoc said:
They received my primary on Thursday, well thats when I got the email stating that they received it. I hope you get an ii as well 🙂 have you interviewed anywhere thus far in the cycle?
Click to expand...

Yea I do a couple of em.
 
jockdoc97 said:
That sounds like a lot of grade inflation. Would you say that a lot of people are getting A's or B's then? I have heard a lot of people say that their grades were so high in college and they drop a lot in medical school. Have you found that to be the case?
Click to expand...

Yeah like Kenobi said our averages turn out to usually be about an 80. They curve them a little bit here I think because this is the first year they're putting out tests and they're not sure how students will respond to answering them. That being said, there's people that get As, people that get Cs, and people that still fail tests, and a handful that failed our first class we just completed. They told us at the beginning everyone here is used to doing well and it's something to be expected in medical school - not everyone is going to be the best. I'm not sure why they don't do P/F the first 2 years, I really don't see the use in letter grades honestly. But I don't actually care either way. That being said, I don't really think it brings out the worst in everyone. Competitive people are going to be competitive no matter what. I personally do the same here as I did in college - but I was pretty average in college too 🙂 the most important thing to do is get through the first 2 years with your head above water, and anything better than that is a bonus. Hope that answers your question!
 
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DrMeows said:
That being said, I don't really think it brings out the worst in everyone. Competitive people are going to be competitive no matter what.
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Lol. Obviously a P/F grading system eliminates academic competition to some degree and eases anxiety in the class. It does this via promoting a more cooperative learning environment. You know, like a team, not unlike what we will be working in when we get out into the real world. Also, studies have shown that it does this without compromising performance.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19704204/?i=3&from=/21848714/related
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/17120399/?i=5&from=/21848714/related
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/7718068/
 
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Mr Kenobi said:
Lol. Obviously a P/F grading system eliminates academic competition to some degree and eases anxiety in the class. It does this via promoting a more cooperative learning environment. You know, like a team, not unlike what we will be working in when we get out into the real world. Also, studies have shown that it does this without compromising performance. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/7718068/
Click to expand...

You know I love you Kenobs 😉 but I will agree to disagree with you on this one. A pass/fail system is really a pass/fail/high pass/honors system....to me looks a lot like a F/C/B/A system: another way of really saying the same thing. The people you are talking about, the truly competitive ones, will care because they'll want their class rank (albeit not that big of a deal come residency time, they'll still care), and will therefore be competitive no matter what. We're really getting off topic here on the MUCOM thread though, I'm sure they're not going to change the way their grading system works.
 
DrMeows said:
You know I love you Kenobs 😉 but I will agree to disagree with you on this one. A pass/fail system is really a pass/fail/high pass/honors system....to me looks a lot like a F/C/B/A system: another way of really saying the same thing. The people you are talking about, the truly competitive ones, will care because they'll want their class rank (albeit not that big of a deal come residency time, they'll still care), and will therefore be competitive no matter what. We're really getting off topic here on the MUCOM thread though, I'm sure they're not going to change the way their grading system works.
Click to expand...
😉 ...the logical fallacies are strong in this post. No one suggested a grading system change and there are schools that offer a straight P/F preclinical grading system. You are obviously entitled to your opinions, but the evidence suggests otherwise.
 
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kaura said:
MU-COM:

I was wondering when we might see movement in the wait-list? I know it was mentioned that it would be looked at once this month and was wondering if it already has been? Thank you!
Click to expand...

We revisit the alternate list at least once a month—and we have done so.

MU-COM
 
Accepted students,

If you were admitted before November 10th but have not received your admit packet, please email Kelly at [email protected].

Thanks,
Admissions
 
I will be studying as hard as I can to learn as much as possible for the benefit of my future patients and have never considered the grading scale. The COMLEX is the great equalizer and until those scores come out your padding oppinion is just that, an oppinion.
 
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<<DocD>> said:
I will be studying as hard as I can to learn as much as possible for the benefit of my future patients.
Click to expand...

This is probably the best way to look at it. That's how I try and think 🙂
 
<<DocD>> said:
I will be studying as hard as I can to learn as much as possible for the benefit of my future patients
Click to expand...
That is a good way to look at things.
<<DocD>> said:
have never considered the grading scale.
Click to expand...
Thats because haven't started medical school yet.
<<DocD>> said:
COMLEX is the great equalizer and until those scores come out your padding oppinion is just that, an oppinion.
Click to expand...
? clever OPP-inion pun or just misspelling
 
so MUCOM have ppl come off the waitlist in decent amount yet? How many people are on it and how many have been accepted?
 
serenade said:
so MUCOM have ppl come off the waitlist in decent amount yet? How many people are on it and how many have been accepted?
Click to expand...

MU-COM does not comment on the current application cycle (i.e., numbers) while it is ongoing; this includes the alternate list. Statistics for the entering fall 2014 class will be released in August once orientation starts.

Our practice is and has been to review the alternate list once a month. Finally, offers have been made to alternate list candidates.

We hope this helps.

Admissions
 
MU COM said:
MU-COM does not comment on the current application cycle (i.e., numbers) while it is ongoing; this includes the alternate list. Statistics for the entering fall 2014 class will be released in August once orientation starts.

Our practice is and has been to review the alternate list once a month. Finally, offers have been made to alternate list candidates.

We hope this helps.

Admissions
Click to expand...

Yes thank you!
 
Volume 3 of the Advantage Series is in the portal for admitted and deposited students. The final volume will be released next week.

Finally, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Office of Enrollment Management will be closed from noon on 11/27 to 8 AM on 12/2. May you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving.

MU-COM
 
zerochaosx said:
Just received an interview invite! Complete 11/7 3.1 & 30

Will most likely be withdrawing. Heard so many great things about the school though!
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I toured the school and loved it. I think its too early for me to get a call, but any how where did you get accepted?
 
Indianarn said:
I have been complete since 11/18/13, nothing yet 🙁
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man the wait is terrible... hope you hear back soon... i think you should hear back within the first week of December. do you mind sharing your stats. you cam PM if youd like. 🙂
 
Hvilledoc said:
man the wait is terrible... hope you hear back soon... i think you should hear back within the first week of December. do you mind sharing your stats. you cam PM if youd like. 🙂
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I don't mind sharing them, but my GPA is 3.38 and I will tell you my MCAT once I accepted somewhere. A hint is that its very close to yours. I have 2 interview next month.
 
Ad4444 said:
Do you mind sharing when you were complete? I was complete 11/7 like zerochaosx and haven't heard anything.
Click to expand...

We are currently screening files complete between 11/7 and 11/15. Due to the holiday, decisions will be released tomorrow or early next week. Remember, some screeners work ahead of this schedule.

Admissions
 
MU COM said:
We are currently screening files complete between 11/7 and 11/15. Due to the holiday, decisions will be released tomorrow or early next week. Remember, some screeners work ahead of this schedule.

Admissions
Click to expand...

Oh alright. Thank you, MU-COM!
 
Indianarn said:
I don't mind sharing them, but my GPA is 3.38 and I will tell you my MCAT once I accepted somewhere. A hint is that its very close to yours. I have 2 interview next month.
Click to expand...
cool.. no worries 🙂 im sure you will get in somewhere. by the way i go the complete email today from MUCOM... im so excited for MUCOM!
 
Just got a "Not selected" email from the school. I am sad. Its a great school. Good luck to all invited for an interview and got accepted. Happy for you.
 
I just got an email that my application was placed on hold. Anybody know how likely it is that somebody put on hold gets an II later on? Everybody is making this school sound so good.
 
rkmoto121 said:
I just got an email that my application was placed on hold. Anybody know how likely it is that somebody put on hold gets an II later on? Everybody is making this school sound so good.
Click to expand...

I don't know numbers, but both myself and others around the same time got pulled off the "hold" status and interviewed. I found out within the next month, so don't give up now!
 
Indianarn said:
Just got a "Not selected" email from the school. I am sad. Its a great school. Good luck to all invited for an interview and got accepted. Happy for you.
Click to expand...
so sorry to hear that. 🙁 keep the hope up... you have interviews coming up and im sure it will work out.
 
Pre-interview hold email . Hopefully when I get reviewed in a month it will be good news. As an OOS applicant, I would love to attend MUCOM and it is one of my top choices.
 
From my experience MUCOM does have movement off of their pre interview hold list to receive an interview
I was placed on hold this year pre-interview and exactly one month later received an interview
So there is hope if you are on hold pre-interview
 
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