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For those who are planning to apply to any 1 year Special Masters Programs, proceed with caution as I will be highlighting my experience with SMP at LMU-DCOM.
First of all, LMU Masters program is ONLY affiliated with DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in that you’ll be taking 3 courses alongside with Osteopathic Medical Students I; Medical Gross Anatomy in the Fall (required), Medical Histology in the Fall (Optional if qualify in the Fall), and Medical Neuroanatomy (Optional if you pass MGA with an A or B. Spring). The bulk of your graduate level courses fall under Math & Sciences Department. Thus, if you’re looking to have a Medical School name on your Master’s Diploma, I advise you to look elsewhere.
In this review I will be covering the overall vibe of the program, mostly realistic personal observations as a student of the program.
0. 2017-2018 Issues
In the previous year, 2017-2018, had several problems most notably with the introduction of Systems Physiology (3 units). From what I heard, 2 AS and around 18 BP students were put into that class and only few students PASSED, with majority failing. The class was brand new and had structural issues with course content and the way exams questions were administered (it was shuffled with MGA so many students struggled with time).
Another issue was scheduling MS interviews. Apparently interviews began late March and April, thus seats for medical classes were mostly full. From speaking to MS -> OMS students, around 30 were accepted (half AS/BP) out of roughly 60ish students who earned the MS degree (Started with 110ish at the beginning of the term).
1. MS Anatomical Sciences > MS Biomedical Professions.
Every year, roughly 30 students are accepted into the AS while around 70 are accepted into BP. With that being said, AS students have higher advantage of being successfully accepted into DCOM for few reasons. Firstly, they’ll only be taking 14 units during the Fall with the bulk being MGA (7 units), Colloquial Principle of Life Sciences aka journal club (1 unit), Research Design & Analysis (3 units), and Radiology Imaging (3 units). For BP students, some will be taking 14 units while others maybe taking 17 units due to course deficiencies or higher course load. Oh by the way, there are lots of prerequisites for the BP program compared to AS!!
With anatomy relevant courses and light course load, AS students typically have more time to study MGA during block exams which typically occur once a month. Thirdly, there are 2 DCOM professors advising 30 AS students while only 1 general science professor for the 70 BP students. With such large volume of students in the BP, it is almost impossible to receive quality advising compared to the AS.
2. “This year is by far the worst year for medical students and graduate students” - Anonymous Faculty
After the 2nd block exam, roughly 10 - 20 grad students dropped MGA due to failing the first 2 exams. Apparently the advisor told them to drop it because it was near impossible to even achieve a C to pass. For those who dropped, they now cannot interview during the Spring despite earning 3.0 GPA or above because they simply did not complete MGA, which is a huge deciding factor for DCOM admission.
Before Thanksgiving, roughly 30 - 50 OMS Is and 22 OMS IIs dropped out of DCOM due to failing multiple courses. Usually medical schools offer remediation exams as 2nd chances and would be advocates for the students but apparently DCOM doesn’t really care about students who are struggling. Furthermore DCOM goes by letter grades, meaning competition among students exist secondary to causing stress & anxiety (Most MDs and more than half of DO schools go by Pass/Fail due to studies showing it benefits students well beings and negates competition).
As you are reading this, you may ask why so many students are failing. Well the next point may shed some light.
3. DCOM changed the curriculum this year for MGA
DCOM implemented a new policy for MGA this year in that you must pass both the written exam AND lab practical section with 70% or higher. Meaning if you get 60% on the written exam and 90% on the lab practical, you will still fail as the threshold 70% was not reached if that makes sense. Additionally, the new 40 question CUMULATIVE final was added for this year for the first time. Due to new policy implementation, I know few of my grad colleagues who got an F in MGA because they could not achieve 70% on either the written exam or the lab practical.
Weeks before the MGA final, med students started a petition for them to be graded separately from MS students for the cumulative final. They believed that it was unfair to be graded together as MS students had the higher possibility of setting the curve. Apparently the Dean of DCOM heard of this and informed the med students that they’ll grade the final separately. MS students did not know about this as there was no word from DCOM nor the Anatomy Department informing them which shows lack of communication and information.
4. Systems Physiology was a MESS
Yet again this year, the class was disorganized. The main issue was the disconnect between how the class was taught and how the questions were delivered. There was total of 3 different professors teaching each block with different exam styles for all 3 exams. The first exam was more like a typical graduate science class and the questions were delivered as such; no clinical questions. The second exam was probably the most straight forward, as it was clear the material was med school level and the questions were similar to BRS (question bank all medical schools and students use). The last exam was the most apparent as the course content was similar to medical students’, with the same exact lectures for a med school class, you typically practice with BRS and prepare for clinical questions. When it came to the exam, the questions were nothing like BRS and there were maybe 2 clinical questions at most. The main issue most students in this class can agree can is that why have 3 exams with drastically different approaches? It's not a matter of rotating professors, because we're used to changing professors per block in MGA. Because there is low total course points due to only 3 exams, failing 1 exam can affect your grade tremendously. Near the end of the semester, the highest grade in the class was around 82% with majority at or below 70%. Because many were failing, students took action to confront the Professor and the Dean. After weeks of talk, some sort of curve was instilled allowing the majority to pass with C.
5. Losing DCOM study room access
MS students are allowed to study in DCOM study rooms on the 4th floor of Math & Science Building for Fall semester ONLY. Since MS students won’t be taking MGA (DCOM sponsored course) in the Spring, they WILL lose access to the rooms. This has been ongoing since the inception of the SMP and the administration will not likely to change this anytime soon. BUT for this year, MS students lost access 1 week before the MGA final. This was really unfair and the administration did take notice but their only advisement was to seek open classrooms or go to the library where you must fight for study space against the undergrads.
6. Student IDs
The student IDs for MS students are the same as undergrads with no “grad” designation. Thus, only DCOM DO and PA students get special ID cards with full access to DCOM facilities with their respective designations.
7. Administration’s lack of support for mental health
Rather than comforting students and thoroughly seeking options to help students cope with failed exams or planning course of actions, the BP advisor simply refers students with needs to the Mental Health Counseling office for evaluation.
8. Failed recruitment for MS SMP 2018-2019
Apparently there was series of changes with recruitment coordinator position early in the year. As such, only total of 75 students started the program this year compared to previous year’s ~110.
9. Do NOT live on CAMPUS
The on-campus apartments; University Inn (UINN) and Lee & Mars is very low maintained and not worth the money. The interior was transitioned to new residents without proper cleaning. My apartment was very dusty, the kitchen had oils and spoiled remnants of food pieces everywhere, prior residents’ leftovers such as Tupperware, utensils, alcohol bottles, etc were present. The lights are very dim, the washer and dryer are 20+ years old, the chairs / couch has holes with stuffing coming out, water pressure is low with sometimes water being murky, cold showers during winter, A/C braking continuously, refrigerator 10+ years old with malfunctions, etc.
10. DCOM is going through Accreditation problems with the American Osteopathic Association per SDN forum;
LMU-DCOM heightened monitoring
Because of this reason, they may have restructured MGA and other courses as they FAILED 3 or more elements out of 67 standards outlined on the guidelines.
On a final note, this again is written by me personally with my observation, what I heard from other students, and what some current students would agree on. Some information may not be spot on accurate but this was written with the intention to forewarn those who are interested in the LMU SMP.
Hope this helps as there were nothing like this when I researched SDN when applying to LMU SMP.
Proceed with caution and good luck with your medical endeavors 🙂
First of all, LMU Masters program is ONLY affiliated with DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in that you’ll be taking 3 courses alongside with Osteopathic Medical Students I; Medical Gross Anatomy in the Fall (required), Medical Histology in the Fall (Optional if qualify in the Fall), and Medical Neuroanatomy (Optional if you pass MGA with an A or B. Spring). The bulk of your graduate level courses fall under Math & Sciences Department. Thus, if you’re looking to have a Medical School name on your Master’s Diploma, I advise you to look elsewhere.
In this review I will be covering the overall vibe of the program, mostly realistic personal observations as a student of the program.
0. 2017-2018 Issues
In the previous year, 2017-2018, had several problems most notably with the introduction of Systems Physiology (3 units). From what I heard, 2 AS and around 18 BP students were put into that class and only few students PASSED, with majority failing. The class was brand new and had structural issues with course content and the way exams questions were administered (it was shuffled with MGA so many students struggled with time).
Another issue was scheduling MS interviews. Apparently interviews began late March and April, thus seats for medical classes were mostly full. From speaking to MS -> OMS students, around 30 were accepted (half AS/BP) out of roughly 60ish students who earned the MS degree (Started with 110ish at the beginning of the term).
1. MS Anatomical Sciences > MS Biomedical Professions.
Every year, roughly 30 students are accepted into the AS while around 70 are accepted into BP. With that being said, AS students have higher advantage of being successfully accepted into DCOM for few reasons. Firstly, they’ll only be taking 14 units during the Fall with the bulk being MGA (7 units), Colloquial Principle of Life Sciences aka journal club (1 unit), Research Design & Analysis (3 units), and Radiology Imaging (3 units). For BP students, some will be taking 14 units while others maybe taking 17 units due to course deficiencies or higher course load. Oh by the way, there are lots of prerequisites for the BP program compared to AS!!
With anatomy relevant courses and light course load, AS students typically have more time to study MGA during block exams which typically occur once a month. Thirdly, there are 2 DCOM professors advising 30 AS students while only 1 general science professor for the 70 BP students. With such large volume of students in the BP, it is almost impossible to receive quality advising compared to the AS.
2. “This year is by far the worst year for medical students and graduate students” - Anonymous Faculty
After the 2nd block exam, roughly 10 - 20 grad students dropped MGA due to failing the first 2 exams. Apparently the advisor told them to drop it because it was near impossible to even achieve a C to pass. For those who dropped, they now cannot interview during the Spring despite earning 3.0 GPA or above because they simply did not complete MGA, which is a huge deciding factor for DCOM admission.
Before Thanksgiving, roughly 30 - 50 OMS Is and 22 OMS IIs dropped out of DCOM due to failing multiple courses. Usually medical schools offer remediation exams as 2nd chances and would be advocates for the students but apparently DCOM doesn’t really care about students who are struggling. Furthermore DCOM goes by letter grades, meaning competition among students exist secondary to causing stress & anxiety (Most MDs and more than half of DO schools go by Pass/Fail due to studies showing it benefits students well beings and negates competition).
As you are reading this, you may ask why so many students are failing. Well the next point may shed some light.
3. DCOM changed the curriculum this year for MGA
DCOM implemented a new policy for MGA this year in that you must pass both the written exam AND lab practical section with 70% or higher. Meaning if you get 60% on the written exam and 90% on the lab practical, you will still fail as the threshold 70% was not reached if that makes sense. Additionally, the new 40 question CUMULATIVE final was added for this year for the first time. Due to new policy implementation, I know few of my grad colleagues who got an F in MGA because they could not achieve 70% on either the written exam or the lab practical.
Weeks before the MGA final, med students started a petition for them to be graded separately from MS students for the cumulative final. They believed that it was unfair to be graded together as MS students had the higher possibility of setting the curve. Apparently the Dean of DCOM heard of this and informed the med students that they’ll grade the final separately. MS students did not know about this as there was no word from DCOM nor the Anatomy Department informing them which shows lack of communication and information.
4. Systems Physiology was a MESS
Yet again this year, the class was disorganized. The main issue was the disconnect between how the class was taught and how the questions were delivered. There was total of 3 different professors teaching each block with different exam styles for all 3 exams. The first exam was more like a typical graduate science class and the questions were delivered as such; no clinical questions. The second exam was probably the most straight forward, as it was clear the material was med school level and the questions were similar to BRS (question bank all medical schools and students use). The last exam was the most apparent as the course content was similar to medical students’, with the same exact lectures for a med school class, you typically practice with BRS and prepare for clinical questions. When it came to the exam, the questions were nothing like BRS and there were maybe 2 clinical questions at most. The main issue most students in this class can agree can is that why have 3 exams with drastically different approaches? It's not a matter of rotating professors, because we're used to changing professors per block in MGA. Because there is low total course points due to only 3 exams, failing 1 exam can affect your grade tremendously. Near the end of the semester, the highest grade in the class was around 82% with majority at or below 70%. Because many were failing, students took action to confront the Professor and the Dean. After weeks of talk, some sort of curve was instilled allowing the majority to pass with C.
5. Losing DCOM study room access
MS students are allowed to study in DCOM study rooms on the 4th floor of Math & Science Building for Fall semester ONLY. Since MS students won’t be taking MGA (DCOM sponsored course) in the Spring, they WILL lose access to the rooms. This has been ongoing since the inception of the SMP and the administration will not likely to change this anytime soon. BUT for this year, MS students lost access 1 week before the MGA final. This was really unfair and the administration did take notice but their only advisement was to seek open classrooms or go to the library where you must fight for study space against the undergrads.
6. Student IDs
The student IDs for MS students are the same as undergrads with no “grad” designation. Thus, only DCOM DO and PA students get special ID cards with full access to DCOM facilities with their respective designations.
7. Administration’s lack of support for mental health
Rather than comforting students and thoroughly seeking options to help students cope with failed exams or planning course of actions, the BP advisor simply refers students with needs to the Mental Health Counseling office for evaluation.
8. Failed recruitment for MS SMP 2018-2019
Apparently there was series of changes with recruitment coordinator position early in the year. As such, only total of 75 students started the program this year compared to previous year’s ~110.
9. Do NOT live on CAMPUS
The on-campus apartments; University Inn (UINN) and Lee & Mars is very low maintained and not worth the money. The interior was transitioned to new residents without proper cleaning. My apartment was very dusty, the kitchen had oils and spoiled remnants of food pieces everywhere, prior residents’ leftovers such as Tupperware, utensils, alcohol bottles, etc were present. The lights are very dim, the washer and dryer are 20+ years old, the chairs / couch has holes with stuffing coming out, water pressure is low with sometimes water being murky, cold showers during winter, A/C braking continuously, refrigerator 10+ years old with malfunctions, etc.
10. DCOM is going through Accreditation problems with the American Osteopathic Association per SDN forum;
LMU-DCOM heightened monitoring
Because of this reason, they may have restructured MGA and other courses as they FAILED 3 or more elements out of 67 standards outlined on the guidelines.
On a final note, this again is written by me personally with my observation, what I heard from other students, and what some current students would agree on. Some information may not be spot on accurate but this was written with the intention to forewarn those who are interested in the LMU SMP.
Hope this helps as there were nothing like this when I researched SDN when applying to LMU SMP.
Proceed with caution and good luck with your medical endeavors 🙂
<how they feel about democrats with Lincoln’s name attached (of course picture this as a donkey).