MSU-COM Discussion Thread 2012-2013

BU Medical Sciences
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dudeliness said:
My high school stuff is easy. I was homeschooled. Never got a diploma or even a GED lol
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That's nice for you. I moved 4 times in HS and my memory of the first 2 years is very very faint. 🙁
 
For the evaluation forms, since it requires signature from both the applicant and the evaluator, are people printing the forms out, signing, and giving them to the evaluator along with a prepaid envelope?
 
Sunnydidi said:
For the evaluation forms, since it requires signature from both the applicant and the evaluator, are people printing the forms out, signing, and giving them to the evaluator along with a prepaid envelope?
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That's exactly what I did! 👍
 
:idea:
Sunnydidi said:
For the evaluation forms, since it requires signature from both the applicant and the evaluator, are people printing the forms out, signing, and giving them to the evaluator along with a prepaid envelope?
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dudeliness said:
Still trying to decide if I should go through the whole secondary thing with MSU. It's a great school and I'm originally from Michigan, though I haven't lived there for 9 years. Just feel bad asking my evaluators to write more letters of recommendation.
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IN a word.....YES!!!! MSUCOM is one of the best med schools in the entire nation. It also has 1.5 residency positions for every student, which may not matter to you now, but trust me when you get into school it becomes a very big deal. Take the time, do it quickly, get the job done!
 
What is the subject line of the secondary invite? I'd like to search my spambox for it.
 
Also in my spam email! Everybody who is waiting please check your spam search "Michigan"
 
HooliganSnail said:
IN a word.....YES!!!! MSUCOM is one of the best med schools in the entire nation. It also has 1.5 residency positions for every student, which may not matter to you now, but trust me when you get into school it becomes a very big deal. Take the time, do it quickly, get the job done!
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Thanks that's very good to know. What about 3rd and 4th year rotations? Do they have sites where you don't have to move around much? I have a small family so it would be easier to stay in one place all 4 yrs.
 
dudeliness said:
Thanks that's very good to know. What about 3rd and 4th year rotations? Do they have sites where you don't have to move around much? I have a small family so it would be easier to stay in one place all 4 yrs.
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Oh yea, MSUCOM has a base system of 19 hospitals, most of which are located in southeast Michigan. At the beginning of second year you chose which will be your base hospital where you do all of you core rotations at (IM, Peds, Ob/Gyn, Rads, Psych, Surgery) so you can plan on staying in one area for awhile. For fourth year you choose elective rotations which can be at any hospital anywhere, but you get to choose and plan around it. And all of the DO residency programs in MI are located at hospitals that are associated with MSUCOM, and when it comes to matching into a residency networking is everything.

I can not tell you how many students I run into from other med schools, they do rotations all over the country; IM in New York, Surgery in California, its a disaster.

When you consider the national notoriety, residency options, how well the clerkship program is structured (3rd and 4th year), and the fact that its a public state school (its a lot cheaper), MSUCOM is one of the best medical schools in the world!

It's interesting because when you read most people's assessment of what makes a great medical school they focus on research and grants and blah blah blah, but never on what it's like to actually be a student there, like how MSUCOM has the most supportive staff I have ever heard of in a graduate school, and they don't make you travel all over the country just to get a medical degree.

Long story short, if you get accepted GO TO MSUCOM!! The program kicks ass, medical directors recruit MSUCOM students, and Michigan is beautiful.
 
has anyone from another state receive a secondary? My health professions office pretty much told me don't bother applying to MSU, students from NJ rarely ever get a supplemental from them. It'll be a shame if that's true, I heard great things about MSU.
 
playaodamonth said:
has anyone from another state receive a secondary? My health professions office pretty much told me don't bother applying to MSU, students from NJ rarely ever get a supplemental from them. It'll be a shame if that's true, I heard great things about MSU.
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yes, i'm from california and i received a secondary yesterday 🙂
 
I'm out of state too. Got my secondary on 7/5. It was in my spam folder also
 
So I'm seeking some advice 🙂 I applied to MSUCOM last year and really liked the topic I used for my personal essay ("describe a personal experience..."). Obviously I'm not going to use the exact same essay because that just makes me look lazy, so I'd rewrite it, but do you think there's anything wrong with using the same topic? I really can't think of another good one 🙁
 
Got a secondary! But looking at the evaluator forms I am a bit freaked-out. I have lots of physician mentors here who have known me as a student for years (I am a PA student, hence the nickname) but none of them have any clue what an osteopathic physician is. Most have never heard of it and the ones that have don't know too much. How in the world can they possibly answer some of those questions! 🙁
 
DrMeows said:
So I'm seeking some advice 🙂 I applied to MSUCOM last year and really liked the topic I used for my personal essay ("describe a personal experience..."). Obviously I'm not going to use the exact same essay because that just makes me look lazy, so I'd rewrite it, but do you think there's anything wrong with using the same topic? I really can't think of another good one 🙁
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I think it is fine to do so assuming it is not the reason you didn't get accepted last year. It's better than what I have... Honestly, my problem is that it has to be an experience that made you choose to become an OSTEOPATHIC physician, and not just a physician in general. sigh....
 
docmayer said:
I think it is fine to do so assuming it is not the reason you didn't get accepted last year. It's better than what I have... Honestly, my problem is that it has to be an experience that made you choose to become an OSTEOPATHIC physician, and not just a physician in general. sigh....
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Thanks for the feedback! I'm hoping they didn't reject me because of my essay (it's not like my topic was "oh i used to be a meth addict and now i only do cocaine...i want to be a doctor"). I'll probably end up using the same topic 🙂

And I know what you mean about connecting it to osteopathic medicine - mine has to do with my learning about osteopathic medicine in general that's why I don't want to change it. Maybe you can tie a shadowing experience or one you had specifically while you were around an osteopathic physician? Just a suggestion, but I know it's easier said than done 😳
 
DrMeows said:
Thanks for the feedback! I'm hoping they didn't reject me because of my essay (it's not like my topic was "oh i used to be a meth addict and now i only do cocaine...i want to be a doctor"). I'll probably end up using the same topic 🙂

And I know what you mean about connecting it to osteopathic medicine - mine has to do with my learning about osteopathic medicine in general that's why I don't want to change it. Maybe you can tie a shadowing experience or one you had specifically while you were around an osteopathic physician? Just a suggestion, but I know it's easier said than done 😳
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We need a personal experience that influenced development of our character, which has given us qualities important for being an osteopathic physician. I'm trying to attack this backwards. I think of the qualities of an osteopathic physician, now I'm trying to relate it to a personal experience that allowed me to have these qualities. Is that a bad idea? I'm having a lot of trouble with this...
 
docmayer said:
We need a personal experience that influenced development of our character, which has given us qualities important for being an osteopathic physician. I'm trying to attack this backwards. I think of the qualities of an osteopathic physician, now I'm trying to relate it to a personal experience that allowed me to have these qualities. Is that a bad idea? I'm having a lot of trouble with this...
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I know I hate the topic of the essay. As far as mine goes, it was a couple of things lumped into one, one of those things being an experience with a DO. But I think working backwards is a good way to look at it. I just wanted to make sure I touched on the fact that I know what osteopathic medicine is and am familiar with it so they know I'm not just one of the many people applying as an MD backup. Good luck with th essay 👍
 
psychgirrrl said:
Why do they want to know HS stuff?
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It shows you didn't just throw together a bunch of undergrad fluff last minute for your app.

playaodamonth said:
has anyone from another state receive a secondary? My health professions office pretty much told me don't bother applying to MSU, students from NJ rarely ever get a supplemental from them. It'll be a shame if that's true, I heard great things about MSU.
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No offense to you, but your professions office has no idea what they're talking about. MSU doesn't even screen for IS/OOS for the secondary. There is a huge amount of OOS people accepted within the first month of the cycle.

DrMeows said:
Thanks for the feedback! I'm hoping they didn't reject me because of my essay (it's not like my topic was "oh i used to be a meth addict and now i only do cocaine...i want to be a doctor"). I'll probably end up using the same topic 🙂
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Just so you know, they very carefully check what has changed between cycles with re-applicants. I don't know where you went wrong but reusing the same general essay will be seen as lazy (even if it's a great essay topic)
 
Everglide said:
It shows you didn't just throw together a bunch of undergrad fluff last minute for your app.



No offense to you, but your professions office has no idea what they're talking about. MSU doesn't even screen for IS/OOS for the secondary. There is a huge amount of OOS people accepted within the first month of the cycle.



Just so you know, they very carefully check what has changed between cycles with re-applicants. I don't know where you went wrong but reusing the same general essay will be seen as lazy (even if it's a great essay topic)
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I know they do and that's why I asked my initial question. I was going to rewrite the whole thing I just wanted to know is my topic could stay the same. Thanks though! 🙂
 
Has anybody who is waiting on their MCAT score or planning to write the MCAT received a secondary yet?
 
docmayer said:
👍 +1 . The ONLY way I would attend this school is if i'm placed at DMC campus, so I could live at home and cross the border to class...
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Crossing the border is a pain and you would be paying at least 7-8 dollars a day. Not to mention the hassle of customs. One of my classmates that commutes missed a mandatory class because he was pulled in by customs for secondary screening. Most mandatory classes are at 8, and lab is everyday in the summer, so you have to attend. I would strongly suggest living in the US.
 
drgioiadds said:
Crossing the border is a pain and you would be paying at least 7-8 dollars a day. Not to mention the hassle of customs. One of my classmates that commutes missed a mandatory class because he was pulled in by customs for secondary screening. Most mandatory classes are at 8, and lab is everyday in the summer, so you have to attend. I would strongly suggest living in the US.
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Then I would not attend MSUCOM. There is no way I could afford or get the loans to cover tuition and living expenses - not a chance.
 
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ugh..this secondary is one nociceptor activation in the gluteus maximus.

haha..yeah lame I know. but seriously... these LOR forms are a pain.
 
playaodamonth said:
ugh..this secondary is one nociceptor activation in the gluteus maximus.

haha..yeah lame I know. but seriously... these LOR forms are a pain.
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ditto that. i don't even know who to ask...it's summer and everyone's off doing their own thing. heck, one of my profs is in africa! there's no way i'm fed-exing the form to some rural village.

did you guys tell your profs that you were applying to 'osteopathic' medical school or just medical school? i'm really not sure if could get that one evaluator form signed 🙁
 
If anyone can read over my personal essay for MSU and let me know what you think I would appreciate it!
 
I know that it's not required to get someone from academic or DO as our evaluators, but is it really ok?
 
Quester said:
I know that it's not required to get someone from academic or DO as our evaluators, but is it really ok?
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No idea. So I picked an academic evaluator and DO that "knew me well". Problem solved 🙂
Honestly, they say pick someone that knows you well. BS. Pick someone who can answer the questions on the evaluation form. Just provide them with as information as possible to answer each question effectively (tell them your volunteer, your research, write them up a description of what you know about osteopathic philosophy, tell them your contingency plan, etc..). Then they will just elaborate on what you told them as if they "knew you well".
 
Hi guys...Can I correct my ps in primary after I submitted AACOMAS
I feel like an idiot. I am not a native speaker and I misspelled the word boarding and put bordering...I submitted on Friday still waiting for my last transcript...

Good luck with everything!!!
 
hey guys sorry if this question has been addressed already, I tried to glance through the thread to look. anyway where can we find the evaluation form that our letter writers need to use? i'm searching their website inside and out and can't find it
 
1289 said:
hey guys sorry if this question has been addressed already, I tried to glance through the thread to look. anyway where can we find the evaluation form that our letter writers need to use? i'm searching their website inside and out and can't find it
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It comes with the supplemental packet. Did you get a secondary from them yet?
 
1289 said:
hey guys sorry if this question has been addressed already, I tried to glance through the thread to look. anyway where can we find the evaluation form that our letter writers need to use? i'm searching their website inside and out and can't find it
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They give you the evaluation form when they send you the secondary. When you sign into the secondary website it's easy to find 🙂
 
oh okay no I haven't. that explains it. so we have to go through the process of getting the letter AFTER we get the secondary? this school sounds like a real pain to me..
 
Just received word that I don't meet their pre-reqs - I'm missing 3 credits of behavioral science. I guess I never read the fine print that my half-dozen religion, philosophy, and ethics courses don't count for this requirement. Also, because the anthropology course I took wasn't considered cultural anthropology, then I'm SOL on that too. I assume they realize that people who take social and biological anthropology turn out to be horrible physicians - it must be cultural anthropology.

Even if I got accepted I probably wouldn't go here because of their OOS tuition, so this just made the decision easier for me.

Good luck to everyone else who is jumping through their hoops. It seems like a great school and I'd love to attend, unfortunately I don't think they want me.
 
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EnergyDrink said:
Just received word that I don't meet their pre-reqs - I'm missing 3 credits of behavioral science. I guess I never read the fine print that my half-dozen religion, philosophy, and ethics courses don't count for this requirement. Also, because the anthropology course I took wasn't considered cultural anthropology, then I'm SOL on that too. I assume they realize that people who take social and biological anthropology turn out to be horrible physicians - it must be cultural anthropology.

Even if I got accepted I probably wouldn't go here because of their OOS tuition, so this just made the decision easier for me.

Good luck to everyone else who is jumping through their hoops. It seems like a great school and I'd love to attend, unfortunately I don't think they want me.
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Dude all they wanted was a basic intro psychology class. It sucks that you didn't get a secondary but you shouldn't dog on the school. Behavioral sciences will be pre-reqs for other schools and recommended by most other schools. The new mcat will have a behavioral sciences section -- dont be so surprised. Good luck.
 
DrMediterranean said:
Dude all they wanted was a basic intro psychology class. It sucks that you didn't get a secondary but you shouldn't dog on the school. Behavioral sciences will be pre-reqs for other schools and recommended by most other schools. The new mcat will have a behavioral sciences section -- dont be so surprised. Good luck.
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I'm not trying to put the school down, its directly my fault for not having the pre-req, although I just think its a bit too specific. I applied only to school in the Northeast/Midatlantic (both MD and DO), and MSU is the only one west of Pennsylvania because it looks like such an awesome school (and the Midwest is awesome). I just need to gripe 😛

I do have a basic psychology course, which accounts for 3 of the 6 required credits. I have 2 religion courses, 1 philosophy course, 2 ethics courses, 1 anthropology course, and 2 literature courses which were behavioral sciences at my school. I also have dozens of leadership /command certifications that aren't eligible for college credit 😛

Its just disappointing.
 
I mailed my application last Monday (7/9) and they still haven't received it yet. I still need to have my letter writers mail their letter as well, and I'm supposed to have everything in by August 6th. At the rate I'm doing, I'll be lucky if that happens 🙂 Frustrating application indeed.
 
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