midwestern/CCOM/what the heck?!

[MRa2z]

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i've been complete since mid january - and have yet to hear anything. my stats are competitive for CCOM, and i've been showing a lot of interest in the school since early on in the cycle - attending open houses, talking to advisors, etc etc...my letters of rec are good too.
unfortunately, i have yet to hear anything. this past week or two, all theyve said is "your application is under review". does that mean they are looking at it? or that it's simply complete? the admissions office informed me they will interview through mid april..anyone else know anything?
i'm getting kinda ticked off waiting for a response 😡

 

[Dr JPH]

Sounds like theyre looking at your application. Your numbers may be competitive but that doesnt necessarily mean you application as a whole is competitive.

PCOM got over 5,000 applications this year. How many do you think had "competitive" numbers? Even if only 30% did thats still 1500 people. PCOM doesnt even interview HALF that many.

As long as your application is complete then you have done all you can do.

 

[GreenShirt]

i've been complete since mid january - and have yet to hear anything. my stats are competitive for CCOM, and i've been showing a lot of interest in the school since early on in the cycle - attending open houses, talking to advisors, etc etc...my letters of rec are good too.
unfortunately, i have yet to hear anything. this past week or two, all theyve said is "your application is under review". does that mean they are looking at it? or that it's simply complete? the admissions office informed me they will interview through mid april..anyone else know anything?
i'm getting kinda ticked off waiting for a response 😡

Their admissions committee only meets once a month (I know that's for acceptances, may be true for file reviews as well), so they don't move very quickly.

 

[mdille2]

January is very late. I know people who were complete in Oct and Nov who just had interviews. Good Luck to you!
Marcia

 

[MRa2z]

im sure there are people who were complete in august who didn't hear anything either. a friend from my university was complete 2 weeks before me, had lower stats ( gpa and mcat* ), less research, less volunteer work, and less job experience - and has already interviewed and received an acceptance. i'm more than happy for her, but still frustrated for myself.
i understand that this process is a crap shoot, but it's hard not to get peeved in such situations. i just recently got word that CCOM's class is pretty much full - so i guess it's game over for me. in any case, i suppose there's always next year. 🙁

 

[KeyLime]

Even if it isn't true, CCOM may have felt that they were your backup since your app wasn't complete until January since that's when some MD applicants turn into DO applicants.

You may still get an interview offer from them, especially as other applicants sometimes cancel their interviews at the last minute. They have been known to call applicants the night before the interivew due to cancelations from others. Best Wishes!

 

[Dr JPH]

Even if it isn't true, CCOM may have felt that they were your backup since your app wasn't complete until January since that's when some MD applicants turn into DO applicants.

Absolutely. Hard to believe that someone who waits until January to apply is applying to their "first choice" school. First choice DO school perhaps...

The DO schools are aware of this and judge accordingly. Its funny that the applications dwindle and then in February there is a huge surge of people applying. They all suddenly realized they want to be doctors.

 

[MRa2z]

sigh.
i didn't apply to any MD schools.
i took the august MCAT. by the time i got my scores, it was late late fall. there were transcript problems from a school i took summer courses at,( Purdue, * they lost my information )and i wasnt able to submit aacomas until november either. aacomas confirmed my app in december - and they miscalculated my gpa, by quite a BIT. It took another 10 days to fix that. by mid december i was in malaysia and south asia working with a relief organization - my internet access was extremely limited, and that slowed down the process as well.

this is why i wasnt complete until january. I stayed in touch with Midwestern throughout the process, so they should know i'm not an MD reject looking for a quick fix. either way, i'm not goin to be bitter any longer - this process isn't for the weak of heart, and there are worse things than a year off. 😎

 

[gynolicious]

Hey Everyone,

Just got an interview at CCOM...My App has been complete since early August. Hang in there folks! There's still hope for all of us who really want to do D.O.

😀

 

[KeyLime]

Hey Everyone,

Just got an interview at CCOM...My App has been complete since early August. Hang in there folks! There's still hope for all of us who really want to do D.O.

😀

I thought that you were going to NSU...

 

[xTinaBna]

I thought that you were going to NSU...

actually i thought gynolicious hated ccom?

 

[KeyLime]

actually i thought gynolicious hated ccom?

That's what previous posts would suggest.

 

[gynolicious]

That's what previous posts would suggest.

Hey Everyone,

Yea I don't like CCOM much personally, but just felt like you CCOMers could use a little positivity, since it seems that you're all getting the cold shoulder.

Sorry for the confusion

🙂

 

[KeyLime]

Hey Everyone,

Yea I don't like CCOM much personally, but just felt like you CCOMers could use a little positivity, since it seems that you're all getting the cold shoulder.

Sorry for the confusion

🙂

Are you going to attend your interview??

 

[dseattle]

i must be trippin, because i thought i got rejected from ccom in december, but when checking myinteractnow there is nothing in the comment box, below the application complete box. i got the followup rejection email still in my gmail archive - "there's still other opportunities in healthcare", and i thought i saw the rejection in that comment box december '06, and i haven't checked since then. i am assuming that i have been rejected long ago, but the empty box is confusing me and has me trippin billies.

 

[MRa2z]

the interact now isn't really updated that often - and if it is, it's usually messed up. call them and confirm is you're unsure though.

 

[supervic8]

i must be trippin, because i thought i got rejected from ccom in december, but when checking myinteractnow there is nothing in the comment box, below the application complete box. i got the followup rejection email still in my gmail archive - "there's still other opportunities in healthcare", and i thought i saw the rejection in that comment box december '06, and i haven't checked since then. i am assuming that i have been rejected long ago, but the empty box is confusing me and has me trippin billies.

Not to give you false hope... but I got that email too AFTER I was accepted. At least in the email I got it wasn't a rejection email but it seemed like a generic email to all prospective students who's email address they have gotten. The email talked about all the opporutnities they had at their school (which I had already applied and been accepted). It'd be awseome if you really did receive this email and mistaken it for a rejection. I would definitely call and ask.

 

[CTrainSJU]

i've been complete since mid january - and have yet to hear anything. my stats are competitive for CCOM, and i've been showing a lot of interest in the school since early on in the cycle - attending open houses, talking to advisors, etc etc...my letters of rec are good too.
unfortunately, i have yet to hear anything. this past week or two, all theyve said is "your application is under review". does that mean they are looking at it? or that it's simply complete? the admissions office informed me they will interview through mid april..anyone else know anything?
i'm getting kinda ticked off waiting for a response 😡

I'm with you OP. I really see the time CCOM has taken in getting back to me virtually inexcusable. I have been complete for around 5-6 months and not a word. Every time I ask them I get the same BS canned response ("we are still reviewing you app......blah...blah..blah..). If I'm rejected just tell me. Thank god other schools were efficient in letting me know my standing almost immediately. I just don't think this reflects well at all on CCOM. There are numerous threads like this about CCOM so we're not alone here.

 

[KeyLime]

I'm with you OP. I really see the time CCOM has taken in getting back to me virtually inexcusable. I have been complete for around 5-6 months and not a word. Every time I ask them I get the same BS canned response ("we are still reviewing you app......blah...blah..blah..). If I'm rejected just tell me. Thank god other schools were efficient in letting me know my standing almost immediately. I just don't think this reflects well at all on CCOM. There are numerous threads like this about CCOM so we're not alone here.

DO schools tend to get back to applicants very quickly, and CCOM seems to be the exception. To be fair, many MD schools leave their applicants hanging until the bitter end. Many MD schools send out all rejections in May, June, or not at all. Are all those MD schools crap because they are slow? No! I interviewed at a certain school in November and still haven't heard back about my post-interview status. Some DO schools are looking for a particular kind of applicant. Above average stats don't always cut it. So, even though CCOM is slow, it is normal for schools to blow of applicants as a whole.
And, yes, I am probably going to CCOM next year. No need to point out the bias.

 

[Pansit]

I'm with you OP. I really see the time CCOM has taken in getting back to me virtually inexcusable. I have been complete for around 5-6 months and not a word. Every time I ask them I get the same BS canned response ("we are still reviewing you app......blah...blah..blah..). If I'm rejected just tell me. Thank god other schools were efficient in letting me know my standing almost immediately. I just don't think this reflects well at all on CCOM. There are numerous threads like this about CCOM so we're not alone here.

The fact that ccom is slow is not because of the school. It's because the school is located in illinois!! Go to the pre-allo forums and chat with the UIC, Loyola, Rush applicants and you will all see how ccom just fits right in with the crowd...

 

[KeyLime]

The fact that ccom is slow is not because of the school. It's because the school is located in illinois!! Go to the pre-allo forums and chat with the UIC, Loyola, Rush applicants and you will all see how ccom just fits right in with the crowd...

So True! RUSH has had major problems this year! They actually e-mailed fake interview invites to applicants on accident. Some people were able to schedule interviews online and RUSH didn't accept them. Apparently, they have stopped offering interviews for the year, but they haven't (and probably won't) send out actual rejections letters. I applied to RUSH, and I don't assume that the school is bad because their admissions is terrible.

 

[theraball]

I'm with you OP. I really see the time CCOM has taken in getting back to me virtually inexcusable. I have been complete for around 5-6 months and not a word. Every time I ask them I get the same BS canned response ("we are still reviewing you app......blah...blah..blah..). If I'm rejected just tell me. Thank god other schools were efficient in letting me know my standing almost immediately. I just don't think this reflects well at all on CCOM. There are numerous threads like this about CCOM so we're not alone here.

I got my reject without an interview from CCOM months ago--they didn't waste a lot of time with me. (I did get accepted into their branch school AZCOM however--go figure). It's probably a good sign that they didn't dump you just yet.

As others have stated--you waited until mid-January to apply, which is a time when most of the seats are taken and you're really just competing for the waiting list at this point. I'm sure you had excellent reasons for waiting, but anyway that's the reality. The good news is... there's always next year, and you're still young! Good luck 🙂

 

[MRa2z]

thanks for the feedback everyone. i spoke with midwestern today and they said their last interview date is for April 13th (* officially).
i sent in another letter of update along with an extra letter of rec. I don't know if i'm rejected or not, but i can at least assume that if i don't hear anything by April 13th then i'm rejected for sure, since interviews are over at that point.....this coming cycle i'm going to apply on the very first day - then maybe CCOM will respond to me by Spring of 08'..🙄, based on the 5 or 6 month waits some of you have been talking about.

 

[bigdog8829]

So True! RUSH has had major problems this year! They actually e-mailed fake interview invites to applicants on accident. Some people were able to schedule interviews online and RUSH didn't accept them. Apparently, they have stopped offering interviews for the year, but they haven't (and probably won't) send out actual rejections letters. I applied to RUSH, and I don't assume that the school is bad because their admissions is terrible.

This is very true. My application is STILL 'complete' or 'pending' or whatever you want to say at both loyola and rush.
many times they hang on to you until the last moments to see that maybe just one day, your app will look good enough to get called for an interview. and if so, it will come as a great surprise.
i'd rather be in limbo for 5-6 months than get rejected after one.
a .1% chance is still better than 0%

 

[MaximusD]

I guess I have to be the jerk amongst you guys, but I heard back from CCOM within 3 weeks of completion.

CCOM was great to me, and I wouldn't consider myself a stellar applicant or anything like that..

 

[xTinaBna]

I guess I have to be the jerk amongst you guys, but I heard back from CCOM within 3 weeks of completion.

CCOM was great to me, and I wouldn't consider myself a stellar applicant or anything like that..

yeah maybe it is an illinois thing..i took at least 3 months to hear from ccom, rush, and uic

 

[etman7]

I don't know if its an Illinois thing. In my case, primary submitted mid-December, secondary late January, invite first week of February for March interview. The only real waiting time was between invite and interview, and interview to decision.

 

[grinchick5]

I guess I have to be the jerk amongst you guys, but I heard back from CCOM within 3 weeks of completion.

CCOM was great to me, and I wouldn't consider myself a stellar applicant or anything like that..

I guess that makes me a jerk too. CCOM was just about the quickest school I applied to.

 

[MRa2z]

this is all rather depressing. CCOM can offically bite me.

 

[grinchick5]

this is all rather depressing. CCOM can offically bite me.

I think the most difficult thing is not to take this process personally. It's a true crap shoot. Who the hell knows that CCOM was looking for this year? Maybe they needed more dark haired females with BAs in biology. Maybe next year, they'll want more blue eyed Asian males with 29 MCATs.

I'm sure its easier for me to "not take it personally" b/c I have an acceptance (I don't know how I'd feel if I didn't...though I can certainly imagine asking schools to "bite me").

Good luck and hang in there. It can't be easy.

 

[WannaBaDoc]

is there a phone number that the admissions at Rush can be reached at besides emailing them, since those take forever to get returned...

 

[bigdog8829]

is there a phone number that the admissions at Rush can be reached at besides emailing them, since those take forever to get returned...

I was wondering the same thing. I've emailed them 3x and never got anything back. I was going to start a thread on this.
I paid $70 for them to look at my app; there is a level of service one should expect.

 

[bigdog8829]

I guess I have to be the jerk amongst you guys, but I heard back from CCOM within 3 weeks of completion.

CCOM was great to me, and I wouldn't consider myself a stellar applicant or anything like that..

My turnaround was great too. I applied to 3 schools and CCOM was the last of the 3 to actually give me an interview (about 1 - 1.5 month)
I got the interview for a week later, and got in within 3 weeks i think.

My experience dictates that it depends how they like your file. Its either a now or later situation.

 

[MRa2z]

a family member of mine is on board at rush's admissions. they have enough deposits to fill the class twice over. so that ship has sailed for most peeps.
as far as turnaround time goes - application date is crucial. i think it's absolutely necessary to get the app complete before winter break to have a good shot at an interview at most schools, and the turnaround time tends to be shorter as well.

 

[gynolicious]

NSU is so much better folks. You should all join me there!!!

😀