Should I Go to My DMU Interview?

[Assembler]

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Hi everyone,

I just found out I got into KCUMB for the Class of '09, and I have an interview scheduled with DMU sometime late next week. I'm having a hard time deciding on whether or not I should attend it. If I did go, this woud be my third time (I had an interview at KCOM recently as well, and at the time, didn't know how close Des Moines was to Kansas City). The main thing holding me back is that I have a number of exams and reports all next week, so if I were to reschedule the interview, I might have to make it sometime in late February; which to me would seem like I was interviewing for a waitlist spot, since it would be really late in the cycle. I'd just like to get a consensus on not really which one is better per-se, but rather what DMU has to offer academically, whether the campus is attractive, etc. They don't have much info on their website, so it's hard to make a decision without getting any other input. Ideally, I'd love to be in a place with a nicely sized population (I'm from CA, so basically that reads = big city, lol), but also one that looks modern and would have something for me to do besides just studying once in school. The sort of things that would help me adjust to the transition a bit easier. Anyhow, I know this was a really long post, but I'm looking forward to the feedback. Thanks everyone!

P.S.

The only thing making this really hard for me to do is that DMU has been awfully great about immediately responding to my concerns (ie. the invite reply was within days of receiving my secondary), and also getting an Alumnus to speak with me over the phone, I thought was a really neat thing for them to do.

 

[gsrimport]

If it were your first choice, then you should definately go. If you feel that you would enjoy DMU, then it is worth going. Talk to your professors about your exams and see if you could take them earlier.

If you are satisficed with an acceptance from another school, then you could save the money by not traveling.

 

[BATiger]

When I was trying to decide between DMU and another school, I requested a list of 3rd and 4th year rotation locations from DMU. I am from NY, and like you I want to stay in a big city. I could not picture myself living in any of the states they have rotations in. But DMU is a really good school, you would get a great education there, the location just didn't work for me personally.

 

[DOctorJay]

I say go to every interview you get. Otherwise you may always have a question in the back of your mind.

-J

 

[BOHICA-FIGMO]

I say go to every interview you get. Otherwise you may always have a question in the back of your mind.

-J

I'd tried telling my boss that, but she didn't buy it!

 

[puddlejumper]

The Des Moines population is close to a half million. If that's too small for you, then don't bother going. However, I think it's silly to not give a place a chance b/c you think it's too small. What does a big, overcrowded, dirty city have to offer over a smaller city w/ plenty of clubs, malls, movies, broadway shows, etc. I think there's plenty to do in Des Moines, but you may not like the weather. If you want some place warm, don't go there. There are a lot rotation slots available, and they get more every year.

 

[Assembler]

I'm still trying to decide. I've already talked to the professor about rescheduling my exam so I literally take it at 8AM (eight hours after my flight arrives back here). I'm swamped with work and midterms every single week for the month of february, so that's a big concern for me.

As far as a big city vs. small city, well, to tell you the truth, it does have some significance. The city I live in alone has 8 million people; 16x that of Des Moines. That wasn't the objective of my post though. I wanted to get a bit more information about what the campus looks like (ie. is it modern?), the curriculum, and where the 3rd and 4th year rotations are held. Most likely I will just call tomorrow and find out for myself. The clerkships are a big deal for me because at least with KCUMB, I can do my 3rd year in AZ or NV, and my 4th year I can set up at absolutely any hospital in the country I want. That means I can inevitably go back to CA. I've heard DMU only has rotations around the mid-west. It is def. something to consider before choosing a school.

 

[Docgeorge]

The campus is brand spnaking new. The technology is amazing. The whole campus is wired you get a Laptop and 2 Pda's (one your 1st year and 1 your 3rd) with all the medical software included. Labs out the ass. We have ENT labs, Neonate labs, Opthamolgy labs and the best of all Surgery Lab. When you leave here for third year you will be able to shine.

We have Core rotations all over the place unfortunately california is a dry as far as 3rd year core sites go. But on the other hand you only have to spend 8 mo at a core site during the third year and the all the others you can do anywhere. Whats also cool is that we have a lot more elective time during our 3rd and 4th year then pretty much everyone else.

The faculty and students at DMU are great. All the classes esp the basic sciences are taught by PhD's, MD's and DO's . We dont for example, have any of our Physiology classes taught by EdD's as they do in KCUMB. My s/o attends KCUMB and she says in hindsite that she wishes that she had chosen DMU. She says that compared to KCUMB it seems like the administration at DMU is much more receptive to the concerns of the students and as a whole takes care of it's students better.

 

[eldarion3141]

what's an EdD?

 

[Assembler]

Docgeorge, thank you so much for responding! That's just what I needed to hear. I went ahead and called them anyway to ask them about their clinical rotations, of which they said the same thing.

More than likely, I will be going to the interview next week. That is, if I can hopefully finish whatever else I have to do by then.

I also didn't know that KCUMB had courses taught by EdD's. I wouldn't even understand how an EdD would be qualified to teach Physiology. That's something that I'll have to look into. I have by no means settled on any one school just yet. I few interviews out in the west still that I would like to consider before making a final decision.

Eldarion3141, an Ed.D. is a Doctor of Education.

 

[Coolmullis]

One regrets what they do not do, more than what they have done. 👍

 

[Geronimo]

GO TO EVERY INTERVIEW! I almost backed out of my interview at DMU but decided to go anyway. It turned out I got a scholarship offer. As it turns out, I had a better offer at my state school but if I hadn't, I would be off to DMU this summer instead. GO!