To link or not to link...that is my question! (linkage program)

[TheaterOfTheme]

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Hey everyone,

I have been invited to interview with WesternU for a linkage program this may.

Here are the pros as I see it if I get in...

• No astronomical application fees
• Less stress
• Guarantee
• I like DO philosophy
• The match list from 2015 is absolutely stellar--including 3 who went to UCSF and 4 or 5 who each went to UCLA and USC
• Getting in a year earlier

The cons

• limiting options
• little option to do a dual degree
• Relative high tuition
• Less research availability

I am at quite the crossroads--I love this school, however, I do hope to pursue a career at an academic institute eventually (whether clinical or teaching). I have pretty high stats thus far and a passion for research--and am not worried about getting in the traditional route. I see the link as an opportunity to move forward in a timely manner and get on with life and all.

What would you do?

 

[chizledfrmstone]

Hey everyone,

I have been invited to interview with WesternU for a linkage program this may.

Here are the pros as I see it if I get in...

• No astronomical application fees
• Less stress
• Guarantee
• I like DO philosophy
• The match list from 2015 is absolutely stellar--including 3 who went to UCSF and 4 or 5 who each went to UCLA and USC
• Getting in a year earlier

The cons

• limiting options
• little option to do a dual degree
• Relative high tuition
• Less research availability

I am at quite the crossroads--I love this school, however, I do hope to pursue a career at an academic institute eventually (whether clinical or teaching). I have pretty high stats thus far and a passion for research--and am not worried about getting in the traditional route. I see the link as an opportunity to move forward in a timely manner and get on with life and all.

What would you do?

Then go Allopathic route.

 

[TopTomato]

Then go Allopathic route.

To be honest I'm not sure if going allopathic is a must for this. A lot of my professors are attendings/professors at the other medical schools here in Philly.

 

[cliquesh]

I don't know much about California programs, but I don't think the ucla and ucsf matches were at the flagship hospitals. It's like when you see internal medicine at john hopkins bayview or university Chicago north shore. It's not same as matching at john hopkins Osler.

If you're good enough to get into a linked DO program you are likely a good student and you will likely be competitive for DO programs in the future. I don't think it's worth it. I think a linked MD program would probably be worthwhile, especially at a state school that's cheap.

 

[UBC2014]

Are you sure the masters program linkage is gauranteed? Also is the financial cost worth it to you?

I don't think doing masters program is worth it, i mean if you can get into that, you can probably get into other DO schools - or Western in the first place if you apply earlier with improved profile?

The masters degree itself is pretty useless, other than getting you into med. More sure like turning your 4 year DO into a 5 year program.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

Are you sure the masters program linkage is gauranteed? Also is the financial cost worth it to you?

I don't think doing masters program is worth it, i mean if you can get into that, you can probably get into other DO schools - or Western in the first place if you apply earlier with improved profile?

The masters degree itself is pretty useless, other than getting you into med. More sure like turning your 4 year DO into a 5 year program.

Actually, this is a link from Undergrad. straight in to the medical school. So no master's BS along the way.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

Cliquesh--so you are saying wait as I will likely be accepted at a DO regardless? I think that is likely also.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

To be honest I'm not sure if going allopathic is a must for this. A lot of my professors are attendings/professors at the other medical schools here in Philly.

Do you mean at your current DO school that professors work at other universities? Like DOs working at an MD school?

 

[UBC2014]

Actually, this is a link from Undergrad. straight in to the medical school. So no master's BS along the way.

Oh, so your undergrad program has a linkage with westerns DO program?

Then yah go ahead- you can always apply to other schools when you get to that point if you want.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

Yeah its a pretty great program. Don't get me wrong, I'd feel lucky as hell to go there. I just also know that there are cheaper schools/schools with different emphases that may fit me better. I'm gonna go for it and see what happens.

Thanks for all the responses.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Trust me, you don't want to come here. Tuition to make you bankrupt and your scheduled plagued with garbage activities. As added bonus, you do more OMM than most schools, so research will definitely be something you don't have time for.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

Trust me, you don't want to come here. Tuition to make you bankrupt and your scheduled plagued with garbage activities. As added bonus, you do more OMM than most schools, so research will definitely be something you don't have time for.

Are you able to enjoy the experience?

 

[chizledfrmstone]

Are you able to enjoy the experience?

Lmfao, I don't think he's in a good mood.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Lmfao, I don't think he's in a good mood.

Why would you say that? I can't wait until my OMM practical monday followed by the written test Tuesday and then another test 3 hours later.

Are you able to enjoy the experience?

Honestly, no.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

Why would you say that? I can't wait until my OMM practical monday followed by the written test Tuesday and then another test 3 hours later.


Honestly, no.

I can't believe the crap they make you guys go through. We're one of the old 5 and even we don't have that much emphasis on OMM.

No required OMM rotation here.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I can't believe the crap they make you guys go through. We're one of the old 5 and even we don't have that much emphasis on OMM.

No required OMM rotation here.

We did want to become MD,DO tho lol.

 

[kenjixshadow]

Trust me, you don't want to come here. Tuition to make you bankrupt and your scheduled plagued with garbage activities. As added bonus, you do more OMM than most schools, so research will definitely be something you don't have time for.

How many OMM hours per week?

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I can't believe the crap they make you guys go through. We're one of the old 5 and even we don't have that much emphasis on OMM.

No required OMM rotation here.

And that's just for OMM. If this place was somewhere other than California, it would be as popular as LECOM.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

How many OMM hours per week?

4 hours. Most schools have 2. Also, we have an entire 8-5 week on second year doing only cranial crap.

 

[user3]

Trust me, you don't want to come here. Tuition to make you bankrupt and your scheduled plagued with garbage activities. As added bonus, you do more OMM than most schools, so research will definitely be something you don't have time for.

thats a shame. Wish California had better DO options than Western and Touro-- neither seem very well reviewed...

 

[chizledfrmstone]

And that's just for OMM. If this place was somewhere other than California, it would be as popular as LECOM.

We have lectures and labs too. I believe our OMM chair is close to your OMM chair in making sure the education is similar.

We get 2-4 hours of lab a week. A few lectures thrown in for the exams.

It's just not shoved down our throat.

I know it sucks at times but I'm just really thankful for my acceptance. During college I bitched about things that don't matter anymore. In 10 years I'll look back and hopefully say it wasn't so bad.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

Thanks for the responses--no one wants to vouch for Western?!?
This makes me sad! Well, I will still apply in the future.

 

[ERK123]

thats a shame. Wish California had better DO options than Western and Touro-- neither seem very well reviewed...

Everyone I have spoken to at Touro loved it. I know next to nothing about Western.

 

[TopTomato]

Do you mean at your current DO school that professors work at other universities? Like DOs working at an MD school?

Yeah this is pretty common actually, or at least in Philly it is.

 

[cliquesh]

Cliquesh--so you are saying wait as I will likely be accepted at a DO regardless? I think that is likely also.

Where are you exactly in your education?

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

Where are you exactly in your education?

I am a junior--I am done with all pre-reqs and am taking the MCAT at the end of the summer. I have done pretty well--sci. GPA is greater than a 3.9. Despite this, the MCAT is looming and will ultimately determine my future. Having such a solid guarantee through a linkage is quite a tempting offer. Many good students get rejected from everywhere--its quite the emotional roller coaster.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

Many "good" students don't have a 3.9 and apply to only a handful of programs because they think they are God's gift to earth.

Screw the linkage. Take your MCAT. Keep on with your high GPA. apply MD. Don't look back.

 

[cliquesh]

I am a junior--I am done with all pre-reqs and am taking the MCAT at the end of the summer. I have done pretty well--sci. GPA is greater than a 3.9. Despite this, the MCAT is looming and will ultimately determine my future. Having such a solid guarantee through a linkage is quite a tempting offer. Many good students get rejected from everywhere--its quite the emotional roller coaster.

In that case, I wouldn't apply to the linkage program. You'll be fine for DO with or without the linkage program. Your MCAT will determine your future.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Thanks for the responses--no one wants to vouch for Western?!?
This makes me sad! Well, I will still apply in the future.

In fairness, there are people that seem to love it here. The thing is that when you understand how other programs are ran, you begin to see how screwed we are here. For example, some schools will give you a week off (or maybe a few days) after a class is over. Over here, you finish a class in the morning then you go to OMM in the afternoon for 4 hours and the next day at 8am the next class begins. Also, for winter break we get 2 weeks, whereas UCI got 3-4 weeks off, which wouldn't be so bad until the fact that you have a test 1 week after you come back.

Don't get me started on IPE though. You'll never meet more arrogant people than veterinary students. Every other word they say is "zoonotic" and they keep claiming they are in the hardest program in all the school; then you see them take 4 days off to go to Coachella while we're screwed having to study all day. If the average student here takes more than 1 day off here, they're massively behind.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

In fairness, there are people that seem to love it here. The thing is that when you understand how other programs are ran, you begin to see how screwed we are here. For example, some schools will give you a week off (or maybe a few days) after a class is over. Over here, you finish a class in the morning then you go to OMM in the afternoon for 4 hours and the next day at 8am the next class begins. Also, for winter break we get 2 weeks, whereas UCI got 3-4 weeks off, which wouldn't be so bad until the fact that you have a test 1 week after you come back.

Don't get me started on IPE though. You'll never meet more arrogant people than veterinary students. Every other word they say is "zoonotic" and they keep claiming they are in the hardest program in all the school; then you see them take 4 days off to go to Coachella while we're screwed having to study all day. If the average student here takes more than 1 day off here, they're massively behind.

It's probably like that at all DO schools.

We get 1 week winter break, 1 week spring break and then 4-5 weeks summer break.

We did have a PEP week which was downtime but it still had required classes and an exam at the end.

DO students are burned out by the time 3-4 year hits.

 

[TopTomato]

In fairness, there are people that seem to love it here. The thing is that when you understand how other programs are ran, you begin to see how screwed we are here. For example, some schools will give you a week off (or maybe a few days) after a class is over. Over here, you finish a class in the morning then you go to OMM in the afternoon for 4 hours and the next day at 8am the next class begins. Also, for winter break we get 2 weeks, whereas UCI got 3-4 weeks off, which wouldn't be so bad until the fact that you have a test 1 week after you come back.

Don't get me started on IPE though. You'll never meet more arrogant people than veterinary students. Every other word they say is "zoonotic" and they keep claiming they are in the hardest program in all the school; then you see them take 4 days off to go to Coachella while we're screwed having to study all day. If the average student here takes more than 1 day off here, they're massively behind.

OMM 4 hours a day? Or is that just a lab?

Geez, it sounds like I should be grateful that the only OMM i'm exposed to is the 1.5 hour lab I have a week.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

OMM 4 hours a day? Or is that just a lab?

Geez, it sounds like I should be grateful that the only OMM i'm exposed to is the 1.5 hour lab I have a week.

4 a week (all in 1 day) and it's mainly lab time. Maybe once a month a lecture.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

It's probably like that at all DO schools.

We get 1 week winter break, 1 week spring break and then 4-5 weeks summer break.

We did have a PEP week which was downtime but it still had required classes and an exam at the end.

DO students are burned out by the time 3-4 year hits.

I actually wanted to ask why our breaks are a lot shorter than other schools? Is it because we get these PEP weeks that kinda are supposed to be chill?

 

[chizledfrmstone]

I actually wanted to ask why our breaks are a lot shorter than other schools? Is it because we get these PEP weeks that kinda are supposed to be chill?

I think it had something to do with them cramming in a bunch of OMM/PCM labs into the first year.

2nd year is also going to be PACKED. We have a test the Wednesday before thanksgiving break and there was also another one right before winter break. No one is going home early.

Honestly, I don't even know what I'm going to do with 4-5 weeks of free time.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

Where do I look to see how each DO school is structured? If it's PBL or traditional lecture-based, has mandatory attendance, how many hours of OMM, etc.? I am applying next month and need to get a solid picture as to where I'll be applying.

 

[user3]

Where do I look to see how each DO school is structured? If it's PBL or traditional lecture-based, has mandatory attendance, how many hours of OMM, etc.? I am applying next month and need to get a solid picture as to where I'll be applying.

the schools with substantial class attendance requirements are WCU, VCOM's, Campbell, ACOM, and LECOM's lecture program. That is the main criteria I would worry about--put these choices low on your list, along with LUCOM.