Msucom

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Med Seeker

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For anyone who applied to MSU, how long after you handed in your 2nds, did it take for you to receive an interview?;) ;)

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2 weeks after completion and by email....by the way...i'm out of state

Good luck! Hopefully, you'd like it there. My experience was absolutely BLAH!!!
 
I had my secondary sent to MSUCOM by early August. I guess I didn't receive an interview invite until about a month later. I imagine that this was the case because they don't actually start interviewing until the end of September. I'm sure a 2 week turn-around is pretty common once the interviewing begins...as was the case with scubadiva. Unlike scubadiva, however, I found the experience to be very much as I had hoped....so much so that I'm not even bothering with any other schools.
 
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Originally posted by scubadiva
2 weeks after completion and by email....by the way...i'm out of state

Good luck! Hopefully, you'd like it there. My experience was absolutely BLAH!!!

Why didn't you like the school?
 
I am sure that MSUCOM is an excellent school, but I was seriously not feeling that I belonged there. To all of those who absolutely loved it there, congratulations and I wish you the best. Here is just a quick and dirty list as to why I did not like MSUCOM:

1. The student ambassadors were very uneducated about the type of programs at other medical schools, in particular osteopathic schools.

Uneducated and uniformed tour guides could not fill me in on the advantages of going to MSUCOM. Ranking number 4 is great, but I don't just care about a school for its ranking....you better give me a reason as to why your school is great. I tried to compare all schools based on a number of criteria. They did not fill me in on this information even though I asked.

2. When we were given a tour of East Fee Hall (the main builing), we LITERALLY only walked up and down the hallways. I felt extremely deprived that all that I was shown were a few hallways. No offesne, but I could have walked around on my won without a student. All the other schools showes students the classrooms and labs. This school LOCKS up everything, the student tour guides did not have unlimited access to resources such as their OMM lab and anatomy lab like the students at other schools. I can't believe they don't trust their future doctors enough to give them a reasonable amount of access to these resources. Most schools were very open about allowing students access to all types of rooms and resources.

The fact that the school doesn't allow unlimited access to resources such as the OMM and anatomy lab like other schools.

3. When given a tour and encountering their fellow classmates, the people did not even crack a smile or a friendly hello to their classmates or even to the interviewees. At all of the interviews I had been to so far, the students were very friendly to the interviewees even if they did not know the person giving the tour guide. Example: I interviewed at UHS, and while in line at the cafeteria, a student struck up a conversation with me about the school and actually sat down with my interview group DESPITE the fact that he did NOT KNOW my tour guide. Friendliness and a sense of fellowship is what I look for in students. Mainly atmosphere is very important to me. I want to work with people who are excited to be in school and who show that they care about people, and watching students interactions with one another tells me alot obout their own personal philosophy.

Essentially to sum up point three as I ramble on, the atmosphere and the students were very cold and unwelcoming. Basically, everyone here looked like they absolutely HATED life.

4. I was attacked for being from California. I believe all states are equal, and I truly believe it is the different life experiences that makes everyone unique and fascinating. All the people I have encountered from various states (talking to random people at the airport, at dinners, lunches, in shuttles....etc.), have been rather friendly and welcoming. Michigan people were helpful and nice. Just to deviate for a second....I got lost on the way to my hotel from the airport, and I stopped at what looked like a police precinct, but lo and behold....there was a crime scene that I stopped at. Go figure, I interrupted the middle of an arrest as I get out of my car (Just on my defense, there were no flashing lights). The cops were really nice to me despite the fact that I was at a crime scene and gave me great directions.

Summing up point four: I love to ask questions and when I asked the students questions, they pretty much made a few low blows and sarcastic remarks about the fact that I was from California. I did NOT appreciate this at all. I never attacked them for being from Michigan. This was a big turnoff.

5. Opportunities for their rotations are limited, especially if you're like me and want to try out or at least have the option of going through different hospital settings.

Rotations can only be done at the exact same Michigan hospital for two years and goes mostly by lottery.

6. The only people I truly loved when I got there was the great admissions staff, and the professor himself. I know I would have to get along with students, not just the staff in order to succeed. This would be the only advantage to this school. It seems that they have a great staff.

Lack of comraderie among the students is a definite minus.

7. THE TUITION!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: It's almost 70k a YEAR!!! Geez, I'd be paying off this loan up until the day I die. Maybe generations after me would still be working to pay off this kind of debt.

Tuition for out of state is expensive!

I apologize for the long post. For those of you not accustomed to ramblings, I have (for your convenience) inserted a summmary of each point.

Kudos to those who felt that they belonged here, but I felt like a complete outcast, and I do believe as other people have stated before, that you need to go to a school where you feel you fit in. This was obviously not the school for me. This is not meant to insult anyone who goes here or loved the school....like I said, I just did not have a positive experience here and I wasn't feeling the love :(
 
Scubadiva,
Thanks for your input. I think it was reasonable criticism. I happen to like the school and how the system works so I guess it is the right place for me. See ya there hudsontc!
 
Hey ScubaDiva (and anyone else considering MSUCOM)--

I'm so sorry you had a bad experience! Much of what you said is completelly different from my experience there. I am currently applying to COM, but I also have another view of the school: My husband is an MS1 at COM. So, I've met lots of people and observed the students in their natural environment. I also have been a prospective student at COM for about two yeas now, so I know a few professors and have met with admissions staff on numerous occasions.... So, below are my experiences in contrast with ScubaDiva's .

Thanks ScubvaDiva for your imput though-- everyone views places differently!! Good Luck to whereever you choose to go! :)


Originally posted by scubadiva (with my response surounded by ***asterix***:

1. The student ambassadors were very uneducated about the type of programs at other medical schools, in particular osteopathic schools.

***Maybe this is because these students are separated from the application process since they are engrossed in their studies, and it's been at least a year since they've even thought about comparing MSUCOM to other schools. Maybe the admissions office should train them so they could answer your questions better.

2. The fact that the school doesn't allow unlimited access to resources such as the OMM and anatomy lab like other schools.

***The OMM Lab is brand new (opened last year) It has lots of expensive video/computer equipment that they use for class, not to mention the nice OMM tables and other equipment in the room. Any Schmo could walk through Fee and have the opportunity to reak havoc... So I understand why the Lab is locked down when it isn't being used by a class.

However, there are other places where OMM tables are available for practice: There is a little private room off the student lounge that has a table, for example. Also, down the hall is a larger room with an assortment of tables, all of these are available 24/7.

As for the Anatomy Lab, it has set hours in which it is available to the students. During these hours it is supervised for security purposes, it is not polssible for it to be freely accessed by the students for security reasons. However, from what I 've noticed from my husband's studying, is that it is open quite frequently. It has been open as early as 8am, and open as late as 8pm. It is also open on the weekends. ***

3. Essentially to sum up point three as I ramble on, the atmosphere and the students were very cold and unwelcoming. Basically, everyone here looked like they absolutely HATED life.

***I'm so sorry this is what you experienced! You may have toured on the day of the BioChem final... There were probably quite a few long faces that day! As you may know, MSUCOM has tests constantly, at least one a week. I'm sure students are a bit stressed test days-- but I've hung out with them the afternoon after tests, and they are quite a bit relaxed and friendly. In fact, there is a considerable amount of comradery at COM. They currently have a grassroots ping-pong tournament going on, there is an active Tennis Club, I've heard there was an intermural soccer team and there was a CHM/COM football game. There are also numerous parties and events going on all the time. I'm just giving you and anyone else who is curious examples of how there is comradery-- I don't want anyone to have the impression that MSUCOM is one of those schools where everyone just comes to school for required classes and then goes home, without much interaction. Because it certainly isn't! ***

4. Summing up point four: I love to ask questions and when I asked the students questions, they pretty much made a few low blows and sarcastic remarks about the fact that I was from California. I did NOT appreciate this at all. I never attacked them for being from Michigan. This was a big turnoff.

***I agree this is a big turnoff!! I'm sorry you had this experience. I know there is at least one first year from California... They probably are wondering why you want to move to cold bleak Michigan from sunny CA! ***


5. Rotations can only be done at the exact same Michigan hospital for two years and goes mostly by lottery.

***I admit I don't know everything about this process, but I do know that the sites only go to lottery if more people sign up for the site than are seats. Often, The Lansing hospital goes to lottery, as many people don't want the hassle of moving. From what I've heard, most sites don't end up going to lottery. So it's not a completely random process. ***

6. Lack of comraderie among the students is a definite minus.

***See above. I love the admissions department too! ****

7. Tuition for out of state is expensive!

***WOW, 70,00, that is expensive. Can't help you there... :) ***
 
Congratulations Med Seeker on your acceptance!

I can't relate to much of what scubadiva has said here since I was shown all the labs, am an in-state student, and had great interactions with the students. It seemed as though students were striking up conversations with me left and right. In fact, I was in the bathroom standing at the urinal and sure enough, one of the students starts chatting away about how he loves it there and telling me about all that is going on. This seemed to be a repetitive thing throughout my time there. As I drove home, I decided that these students must truly be happy because they have no personal incentive to be so kind and enthusiastic about the program.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience there, scubadiva. You'll find a program that fits your expectation of what medical school should be. MSUCOM definitely fits mine!
 
7. THE TUITION!!! It's almost 70k a YEAR!!! Geez, I'd be paying off this loan up until the day I die. Maybe generations after me would still be working to pay off this kind of debt.

I think MSUCOM charges about $40,000 tuition per year for out of staters . It is not 70K a YEAR. You can verified the amount with the school official. It might cost $70,000 a year for total expenses such as room and board, books and equipment, as well as spending money.

$40,000 per year for tuition is high, no doubt about that. However, if you look at some DO schools charge around $30,000 tuition per year, in reality, MSUCOM charges about $10,000 more per year. If you add them up, it costs less than $40,000 for the entirety of your medical school education. I guess if you like MSUCOM, the $40,000 should not be that big of a drop-dead issue. It's an investment in yourself. After all, after you become a doctor, you can earn that $40,000 very fast.
 
I guess if you like MSUCOM, the $40,000 should not be that big of a drop-dead issue. It's an investment in yourself. After all, after you become a doctor, you can earn that $40,000 very fast.

This is not very accurate because I actually just heard the financial aid and the prospective tution at MSUCOM for out of state residents. The tution actually is over 40k because the school is year round and you are actually paying for 3 semesters total, and when they show the tution on the website, they mislead students by only counting tution the way that other schools do which is by only including two semesters. That's perfectly fine to quote a tution price for two semesters IF you happen to be a school that is on a two semester system and not on a trimester system. Therefore tution is above and beyond 40k for an entire school year!!!

You cannot earn 40k relatively quickly. Think of interest that you'll be paying on 280k loan! The financial aid that I have heard at some schools that I interviewed at actually recommended to keep loans as low as possible, estimating that a debt of something close to 280k is NOT a manageable amount which would be something clsoe to what I would rack up in loans if I go to an expensive school like MSUCOM! A manageable amount, from what I gather, is something less than 160k. They have goals of getting students to aim for paying off their loans in 10 years. Remember the first years as a resident, you would only be making 30-40k a year to live off of....not to mention the fact that you are currently placing payments towards your huge debt.

I am concerned about this because I have not had credit card debt or any other massive amount hovering above me. I do not mind sacrificing for my career. I am very excited at the prospect of becoming a doctor, however, at the same time, I would like to have a manageable and practical amount of debt to deal with when I get out of school. I really don't need the reality of over a 280k loan to hit me in the face when I knew that I could have made a much wiser decision. Yes, selling my life to the armed forces or underserved area is an option, but if I commit to something such as service for at least 4 years and then realize I don't want to do the service for these organizations, I am going to be completely screwed by the system.
 
i went to msu as an undergrad, and had a chance to go to msucom, but passed it up to go elsewhere for various reasons. its a nice school, but i'll tell you this much. there is now way i would pay 40 grand as an out of state resident to go there. that is just rediculous.
 
scubadiva, congrats that you are accepted to MSUCOM.

I have a very dear friend, also from California, attending MSUCOM now. Based on our past conversation, here's her experience facing similar situations as you:


"3. When given a tour and encountering their fellow classmates, the people did not even crack a smile or a friendly hello to their classmates or even to the interviewees"

She feels that the people and classmates are friendly. Also, classmates form study groups and help each other. The school has a pass/fail grade system. Everyone tries to help each other out to pass, or even to honor, the course. When one person has difficulty, the rest of the members in the study group take it very personal. They blame themselves for not doing a good job to help. It's truly a very tight group of friends.


"4. I was attacked for being from California."

She was not attacked, at least she did not tell me that. As a matter of fact, she is very popular among her classmates. She was elected as one of the officers in a honor fraternity. Also, when she moved to a different apartment, there was an army of classmates show up to help.

"5. Opportunities for their rotations are limited, especially if you're like me and want to try out or at least have the option of going through different hospital settings."

I think MSUCOM has a statewide hospital system consisiting of many hospitals. All students are exposed to clinical skills during the second year. Each is required to spend one day a week in the hospital.

As far as tuition fee for out of staters, I still think it's about $40,000 a year. I know MSUCOM uses a tri-semester system. Tuition fee for the three semester adds up to about $40,000.

Oh scubadiva, I also heard that if you are willing to do your residency in Michigan after graduation from MSUCOM, you will be entitled to the in-state tuition fee for the fourth year. Hopefully this would reduce the financial burden.

The bottom line is how you like MSUCOM. I just hope that out of state tuition is not the only thing stopping you. You can request deferment for one year, and then work in Michigan for one year to establish your residency before start med school. That way you will be entitled to the in state fee.

Good luck to you wherever you decide to attend med school.
 
Thanks to everyone who had positive experiences and opinions on MSUCOM.

I am actually happy that I had a negative experience at MSCOM. This way I won't be tempted to jump into a program where I will end up with an unmanageable amount of debt that will take forever to pay off.

I probably just experienced MSUCOM on a bad day. That's alright, it makes my decision easier.
 
scubadiva,
Just to let you know, I had similar experiences at MSUCOM. I can relate to many of the things you said, especially the atitude of the students. I am also a scuba diver, so maybe that has something to do with it :laugh:
 
Hi aberfly,

It's good to know I'm not alone on this MSUCOM perspective. I received strange stares when they found out that I was a scuba diver :D and when they found out I snowboarded. I wanted to laugh because they thought that just because I was from California that I had never seen snow before. Not true, Big Bear is only an hour and a half away, not to mention Mammoth is about 5 to 6 hours away!
 
I have a good friend who was just accepted to MSUCOM. She went to MSU for undergrad as well.

If your class starts up a website (on Yahoo or something) please post it on SDN so I can pass the info along to her. I'm sure she would love to talk to her future classmates.

Thanks!
 
I am working on this secondary and I can't believe how many things there are. This is going to take me a while and I will have to send in a large envelope. I love how every school has completely different formats/questions/requirements/processes/duedates/etc...

Could they make the process any easier?!

I guess the only thing that keeps me going is knowing that I'm in state and will most likely get an interview??? I hope.

My poor LOR writers. I feel bad for them having to fill out that whole packet of papers. Oh well, they get paid well....
 
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