University of New England (UNECOM) Discussion Thread 2012 - 2013

BU Medical Sciences
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Anyone have information on this school? I really love the area. I am from Florida and applying to both Nova and LECOM-B.
 
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Apparently nobody at UNECOM uses forums?

Anyway I just decided to go to attend here and have some housing questions if anyone can help...
 
I applied. I just don't understand the lack of enthusiasm for this school on SDN...
 
I applied, would also like some info on the school! 🙂
 
As the spouse of a current UNECOM student and current medical student at another school, I feel like I have to speak out against this school. First, this school is going through a curriculum change, which is never a comfortable transition. What makes it really bad is the apparent disregard for the students and professors input on the curriculum. There are numerous people who believe that whatever Dean Dane is trying to accomplish will not work, but it seems as if he has his own ideas about how things should be and no one is going to stand in his way. On several occasions, the students have met with the dean to discuss the changes, and from what I've gathered from several people, he has been very disrespectful of the students. Instead of listening to them, he dismisses their comments and says they only feel that way because they're a bunch of stressed out med students. At one point, he laughed at someone's comment (the student asked a serious question about the curriculum), and during another meeting, another student became so frustrated by his lack of genuine response that she started to cry. One of the things that has been brought up at several student-dean meetings is the time alotted for boards studying. Compared to students at other schools, UNE students don't get that much time to study. Their rationale, which is totally understandable, is that the curriculum should prepare you so well that you don't need to study and that the school should not teach to a test. Again, totally understandable, but the reality is that the COMLEX 1 and Step 1 (if you want to be competitive for an allopathic residency) are two of the most important tests you will take in your medical career. Given that by the time this years second years and the classes thereafter graduate there may be thousands left out of a residency position due to current med school class expansion without residency expansion, it is an understatement to say that the boards are extremely important.

Second, while some of the faculty I believe are first class (anatomy and bacteriology professors, just to name a few), there seems to be an equal number that are just terrible (biochem). Also, I don't even know if someone thought about how the curriculum is structured. I go to a top 20 allopathic school, and we were no where near studying the amount of material that the UNE kids had to tackle. And I was busy! In my opinion, it was too much material over the course of the year, and the kids were overloaded and often had to choose which class to not study for come exam time. As a result, it is common for kids to fail classes and have to use some of their last summer of freedom to finish first year. Also, I would see my husband studying pathology of an organ/organ system before they were taught the histology of it. For those of you who don't understand, the traditional way of teaching is to learn what is normal, and then learn the pathology, not the other way around.

Third, there seems to have been a mass exodus of faculty and staff from this place. The embryology professor purportedly left mid semester because he was so frustrated with the administration, although they told the students that this was planned. There were many others, so I think that it is telling when professors who have been at the school for many years just up and leave.

Lastly, due to all the frustration, I find the environment of UNE to be a little bit poisonous. The students that I've met are awesome and just like med students at any other school, but as normal people are prone to do, they get frustrated when faced with difficult situations. The stresses become so common that much of the conversation is centered around letting out their frustrations about school. It just struck me as very strange since I pictured osteopathy as a discipline that recognized the importance of things like the mind-body connection, but the school seems to put unnecessary stress on the students. As a med student at another school, I'm telling you it doesn't have to be this way! I would only recommend this school if there was a drastic change in thinking where there was more respect for the students and professors from the administration, and also if someone would sit down and think logically about the curriculum. Otherwise, I would really look elsewhere. The reputation of UNECOM in the past has been very good, but I am very doubtful for the future.
 
your stalker said:
As the spouse of a current UNECOM student and current medical student at another school, I feel like I have to speak out against this school. First, this school is going through a curriculum change, which is never a comfortable transition. What makes it really bad is the apparent disregard for the students and professors input on the curriculum. There are numerous people who believe that whatever Dean Dane is trying to accomplish will not work, but it seems as if he has his own ideas about how things should be and no one is going to stand in his way. On several occasions, the students have met with the dean to discuss the changes, and from what I've gathered from several people, he has been very disrespectful of the students. Instead of listening to them, he dismisses their comments and says they only feel that way because they're a bunch of stressed out med students. At one point, he laughed at someone's comment (the student asked a serious question about the curriculum), and during another meeting, another student became so frustrated by his lack of genuine response that she started to cry. One of the things that has been brought up at several student-dean meetings is the time alotted for boards studying. Compared to students at other schools, UNE students don't get that much time to study. Their rationale, which is totally understandable, is that the curriculum should prepare you so well that you don't need to study and that the school should not teach to a test. Again, totally understandable, but the reality is that the COMLEX 1 and Step 1 (if you want to be competitive for an allopathic residency) are two of the most important tests you will take in your medical career. Given that by the time this years second years and the classes thereafter graduate there may be thousands left out of a residency position due to current med school class expansion without residency expansion, it is an understatement to say that the boards are extremely important.

Second, while some of the faculty I believe are first class (anatomy and bacteriology professors, just to name a few), there seems to be an equal number that are just terrible (biochem). Also, I don't even know if someone thought about how the curriculum is structured. I go to a top 20 allopathic school, and we were no where near studying the amount of material that the UNE kids had to tackle. And I was busy! In my opinion, it was too much material over the course of the year, and the kids were overloaded and often had to choose which class to not study for come exam time. As a result, it is common for kids to fail classes and have to use some of their last summer of freedom to finish first year. Also, I would see my husband studying pathology of an organ/organ system before they were taught the histology of it. For those of you who don't understand, the traditional way of teaching is to learn what is normal, and then learn the pathology, not the other way around.

Third, there seems to have been a mass exodus of faculty and staff from this place. The embryology professor purportedly left mid semester because he was so frustrated with the administration, although they told the students that this was planned. There were many others, so I think that it is telling when professors who have been at the school for many years just up and leave.

Lastly, due to all the frustration, I find the environment of UNE to be a little bit poisonous. The students that I've met are awesome and just like med students at any other school, but as normal people are prone to do, they get frustrated when faced with difficult situations. The stresses become so common that much of the conversation is centered around letting out their frustrations about school. It just struck me as very strange since I pictured osteopathy as a discipline that recognized the importance of things like the mind-body connection, but the school seems to put unnecessary stress on the students. As a med student at another school, I'm telling you it doesn't have to be this way! I would only recommend this school if there was a drastic change in thinking where there was more respect for the students and professors from the administration, and also if someone would sit down and think logically about the curriculum. Otherwise, I would really look elsewhere. The reputation of UNECOM in the past has been very good, but I am very doubtful for the future.
Click to expand...

Very useful and will keep in mind. Thanks!
 
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Got my secondary... but I'm not particularly motivated to submit it. Somehow this school has sort of sunk down on my priority list -- anyone else feel this way? The complete lack of enthusiasm on SDN is bothersome. Obviously one shouldn't judge a school based on the forum contributions of a minority of its student body, but... ehhh.... it's still strange.
 
toxicwombat said:
Got my secondary... but I'm not particularly motivated to submit it. Somehow this school has sort of sunk down on my priority list -- anyone else feel this way? The complete lack of enthusiasm on SDN is bothersome. Obviously one shouldn't judge a school based on the forum contributions of a minority of its student body, but... ehhh.... it's still strange.
Click to expand...

I just don't want to write, nor do I like the prompts. hehe
 
diels alder said:
what are the prompts, or is it the same as last year
Click to expand...

1. Describe your particular interest in attending UNECOM and any contact you have had with UNECOM students, alumni, faculty or clinicians, admissions/student affairs staff members, etc. How did these interactions influence your decision to apply?

2. Please explain any gaps in education or employment. Indicate any changes/additions in education, employment, experiences, research, etc. since submitting your AACOMAS application.

3. Please explain any academic difficulties you encountered during your academic career. What insight or knowledge have you gained from these experiences that you will bring to your studies at UNECOM?

4. Describe how you see the role of physicians in society (outside the direct practice of medicine). What experiences have you had that demonstrate your readiness to meet these future role expectations?

Each question limited to 2000 characters including spaces....eck..not feeling these prompts at all
 
I looked online and it talked a whole lot about how the school accepts in state residents as well as applicants from the northeast region. I am from the south and was wondering how competitive you have to be to have a shot at an interview?
 
I used to live in New England and I have family there so maybe that would help my case - OOS from midwest

whyyy is this thread so dead.
 
diels alder said:
I used to live in New England and I have family there so maybe that would help my case - OOS from midwest

whyyy is this thread so dead.
Click to expand...

Haha you rhymed, kudos. But yeah I wonder that also, maybe that negative post above has some merit to why this thread's a ghost town...
 
Just submitted my secondary to this school. Would be really excited if I got an interview here. I think the negative post might have scared some off, but I think we just have to see for ourselves. What I can tell from students and what I have read, UNECOM is a great osteopathic school! What impresses me about UNECOM is that it is one of the few osteopathic schools with a strong research foundation, excellent clinical rotation sites, and an innovative curriculum. I think those interested in the school should really look at the new curriculum the dean created. It actually seems like a great approach. Plus, the dean was a physician for two of our nation's presidents (I thought that was a very cool fact).
 
Can another student talk about this school, it would be nice to get another perspective. No offense to the previous poster.
 
Hello all,

It has been over two years since I posted on this forum, but I thought the above post necessitated a response. I am a current almost 4th year student at UNE (just have to pass an ob gyn exam this afternoon and I will be done with 3rd year!) and I wanted to offer an opinion of someone a little further along in the process. No offense is meant in any of my following comments; I just thought that another opinion could be helpful.

Firstly: the issue of boards studying. I agree, that has been a contentious issue. My class had difficulties with that as well, and we communicated them to the administration. This year they have one fewer class than we did (to allow for more boards studying). I will say, even with that class my class did just fine on boards. Step one is an overwhelming exam, and there is no one correct way to go about preparing. UNE likes to keep its students in class later; their rationale is that they like to teach more to students in class. There are schools that finish a lot earlier than we did. That is something that you need to know before making a decision about coming to this school. Incidentally (and im not sure what the case is this year), attendance was optional for most of second year so we just never went to class and studied for boards. Personal opinion here: I don't feel it fair to blame an institution for how you did on Boards. At the end of the day it is an individual effort regardless of the institution. That is the same at UNE and Harvard. I know people in my class who had board scores that were absolutely outstanding and people who failed; that is the way it is.

Secondly: I cannot speak to the current curriculum at UNE as I am not currently there except to say this. The curriculum is in flux; it was in flux when I was there, it is in flux now and it will be in flux forever. As medical education everywhere moves away from lecture based format and towards problem based learning there will be changes. I have rotated with medical students from a bunch of other medical schools this year and we all have the same complaint, constantly changing curriculum. Medical students don't like change, and at the end of the day it is all the same information. As I don't know the exact situation this year, I cannot comment specifically. I would just say that curriculum changes are constant part of medical education, and at the end of the day the information you need to learn is always the same. They can dress it however they like, but Robins and Netters are not changing.

One final comment as well (and in no way meant to demean or invalidate the previous posters concerns), the end of second year is probably the most stressful point in your medical education. The whole of the previous two years of your life come evaluated in one 8 hour test that has way too much significance. Everyone becomes stressed, angry and frustrated. I know that during this period I was angry every day at UNE for everything, but when I started third year that anger dissipated. Just as food for thought, I would encourage everyone who reads posts on SDN (especially negative ones) to take them in the context in which they were written: often overworked, underappreciated, stressed out, fatigued and frustrated.

I personally have complaints with UNE (high tuition, lack of GME affiliated programs, unnecessary emphasis on rural medicine in Maine). That being said, you can get a great education at UNE. I have worked with a bunch of attendings this year (even ones in no way affiliated with UNE) who have a very positive opinion of the school. As long as UNE students continue to empress, there is no reason to believe that they reputation of the school will suffer at all.
 
Thanks for taking your time and providing us with your insight. I appreciate having another opinion. I am finishing my application and I will judge this school if/when I get an interview.

👍 Appreciate it!
 
As a recent UNE-COM graduate I feel compelled to respond:

1) Curriculum: As the above poster mentioned, UNE's curriculum has been in flux since the beginning of time. But this is fairly common at all medical schools. It is fairly rare to find a medical school that is not revising their curriculum to some degree every year. I can't comment on the specifics of the current curriculum but even when I was applying I heard the same kind of stuff. There are some awesome courses such as anatomy where at least when I was there was one of the best in the country among osteo and allo schools and then our biochem course has sucked for at least the past 6 years. It is what it is. If you are really passionate about biochem don't go there but as you will learn during 3rd and 4th year it's probably one of the most useless classes anyways.

1A) Curriculum Difficulty: UNE-COM is HARD. They will fail people who don't get 70% on the test. There is very little hand holding. But most people (at least in my class) finished it without failing anything. Also, it is a great preparation for rotations. If you are not willing to work hard, maybe you should consider other schools. But the great thing about it is that as long as you pass there is very little BS that you have to put up with.

2) Boards: Contrary to what some others have mentioned, medical school is not about boards. They are important but it is not the sole purpose of a school. If you are looking for that kind of school UNE is not the place (thank god). At least when I went through, you got 4 weeks of uninterrupted time to study for boards. That should be plenty of time and everyone studies 1-2 hours/day during the second half of second year. You can either learn the material in that timeframe or you can't and your board scores will reflect that. Not everyone will rock it, but that's the whole purpose. Of course if they give everyone 6 months to study for the boards, everyone would do better on them but that's not the point. This is not MCAT anymore. If everyone got awesome board scores, then residencies would just raise their cutoffs. It is a supply and demand issue not a score issue.

3) People: I had the pleasure of working with some of the best (now physicians) in my class. I didn't like everyone, but respected everyone from my class. It is one of the most non-malignant and collegial environments that you can find at a medical school these days.

4) IS vs OOS: They take 60% from New England, 20% from the North East and 19% from the rest of the country and usually 1-2 from Canada. Has been this way for awhile and will not change anytime soon. However, that doesn't mean that if you are OOS you should be discouraged. If you like the school apply anyway but be mindful that you probably have to have above average stats for the school as an OOS applicant.

5) SDN: UNE-COM has one of the lowest SDN participation among all schools (look at previous years). It has always been this way. I think it is partly because we have better things to do with our lives (e.g. enjoy Maine) and partly that we have it pretty good. Most students don't realize how good they have it at UNE until they go on rotations and see/talk to their colleagues from other schools.

Overall: I personally loved UNE-COM. Would go there again in a heartbeat. Is it perfect? not by any stretch of imagination. But compared to lot of other schools it's a great place to train. It also has a great reputation among other clinicians as the above poster alluded to and everything will work out at the end.

:luck: to all applicants!
 
Last edited:
Tuckermans said:
Hello all,

Personal opinion here: I don’t feel it fair to blame an institution for how you did on Boards. At the end of the day it is an individual effort regardless of the institution.
Click to expand...

👍

Agreed.

Can't discuss the curriculum, since I've been out for greater than 5 years.


Thanks.


Wook
 
wook said:
👍

Agreed.

Can't discuss the curriculum, since I've been out for greater than 5 years.


Thanks.


Wook
Click to expand...

how do we keep track of the status of the application?. just submited the secondary

thanks
 
Hello,

I am a UNECOM student, class of 2015. Unfortunately, there are not many people in the current classes that post on here so you are not getting a well rounded view of the school. In my opinion, you should not form your opinion on this school solely based on the fact that there is not much talk about UNECOM on here and that there is one very negative post on this thread. Instead, you should talk in person or via email to multiple students and alum and use your interview experience to mold your opinion. If you email the office of constituent services and ask to contact a current student they will set you up with one to email with. I volunteer as a student contact and I email with several prospective students and answer all of their questions very thoroughly. You can also set up campus visits and even sit in on classes.

With that said, I have loved my first year at UNECOM. There are always curriculum changes, that is no secret, and change can always be difficult. Some changes work great and other still need to be worked on. I personally think that much of the faculty is receptive to student input. I have talked one on one with a couple of faculty and given feedback on online modules we watch and have seen my feedback be addressed. You will not like every single faculty member, that is no surprise. You also wont like every single curriculum change. When have you ever liked every single one of your classes, professors, faculty and administration at a school? I love that they added and emphasis on case based learning because I feel like it enhances my understanding of the concepts we are learning. The course really helps me see the hard science concepts in a clinical context, and integrates all the different classes together. I think it is an asset to my education. I also love that they have "unstructured" time in our schedule where we basically get a few hours off during the day a couple of times a week.

I think I am getting an amazing education here and the amount that I have learned in just one year is astronomical. When shadowing physicians in the area, I have blown them away with how much I knew after just a couple months of school. I can go home and treat my friends and family with OMM and actually make a difference. It is truly amazing.

Also, the people in my class are the most wonderful people I have ever met. Anyone who says any different needs to open their eyes and their minds and try having a conversation with some of their classmates. To hear someone, especially someone who is not a current student, call the environment poisonous makes me furious, and frankly a little sad for them that they feel that way. Yes, there is a lot of pressure on us and they do give us a ton of work but that is medical school. The administration, particularly Dean Dane did admit that this curriculum change gave us one particular 6 week block where there was way too much work and they apologized for that and have stated that they are fixing it for incoming classes. And of course we talk about school and let out our frustrations with each other, that is what friends and classmates do. Especially when they are going through medical school together. However, we also have tons of fun together, whether its going out on the weekends, hanging around or exploring Maine together. We support each other and have formed true friendships. Not to mention that the class is great with sharing study material, study space, and really working together for all of us to succeed. There is really a vibe of teamwork as opposed to competition within class and the school as a whole. I could not think of a better environment for medical school.

Lastly, I was at that student meeting with Dean Dance that @yourstalker talked about in her post. At the meeting, if you raised your hand and were called on you were able to address the dean and talk about your personal thoughts and concerns. Yes, a student did cry. When she was speaking, she got very choked up because, like all of us, she is very emotionally invested in her medical education and her future as physicians. She felt very strongly about what she was saying and was overwhelmed with frustration that she wasn't being listened to. However, Dean Dane could not even respond to her comment because he said (in his own words) that he would get equally as emotional if he were to talk. Dean Dane is a difficult person to deal with, but he listened to us that day and I feel that he was really affected by seeing our response to the curriculum changes. Although the deans at this school may not be my favorite people in the world, by holding that forum (which was the second of two) they were trying to make an effort to let us feel listened to and to try to hear what we were saying.

I think this post is long enough. If you would like to talk to me more please send me a message. Coming to UNECOM was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I will stand by the school. Also, living on the beach is never a bad thing 🙂

Good luck in your application process and your medical career.
 
Last edited:
One more thing - our class has been fighting for more board study time at the end of the year. We are trying to get them to shorten second year curriculum to leave some extra weeks so that classes can end earlier, but it is difficult to rework the schedule because they don't want to take away classes that they think are valuable in our medical education.
 
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Uhh, really stupid question...

I submitted the secondary online, but I don't remember whether or not I paid... was it possible to pay on the online secondary?
 
EnergyDrink said:
Uhh, really stupid question...

I submitted the secondary online, but I don't remember whether or not I paid... was it possible to pay on the online secondary?
Click to expand...

Haha, no such thing as a stupid question...remember grammar school?

To pay for the supplemental by credit card, you need to call the number that's on the supplemental application guideline and give your info over the phone. To pay by check, you need to mail it in.. So unless you have short-term memory loss and forgot that you called and gave them your credit card info, or forgot you wrote out a check and mailed it in, then I'm pretty sure you didn't pay the fee yet.
 
How do we keep track of the application. I'm confused. Thanks
 
Just got an e-mail saying my file was incomplete (they had not received my letters of recommendation).... My undergrad sent it to them via virtual evals back in the first week of July ha. I shot them an e-mail..hopefully everything goes over smoothly.
 
I apologize if my comments offended you or anyone else at UNECOM. I did not mean to say anything bad about the students themselves, it was more about how I felt that the school made things unnecessarily stressful on the students and the students were just reacting how any sane person would. Perhaps I've just happened to be around when the complaints about the school have dominated the conversation, but it just seemed to me like it was more than the usual amount of complaining from med students. As for Dean Dane not being able to respond to a crying student's statement, what's wrong with him showing emotion? If it were me, I would be more impressed if I heard he had showed more emotion rather than give some trite statement.

The intent of my posts is not to try to get people to not apply or go here. As I said previously, I am a med student myself, and I am posting my impressions of some aspects of the school that are obviously colored by my own experiences. I still stand by what I said before: I don't think that the administration shows the students or faculty enough respect, and I think that the curriculum, while it sounds like a good idea, needs much work.
 
SU1989 said:
🙂

I STILL didn't receive a secondary though.. Should I email them? 😕
Click to expand...

If it makes you feel any better, AACOMAS still hasn't even verified me. haha

If you e-mail them, they'll probably just give you some line about how it's sent to everyone sooner or later. Doesn't hurt either though, just in case they forgot you or something somehow. 😛
 
Is UNECOM known to take many out of staters?
 
Last edited:
DOzealot said:
Is UNECOM known to take many out of staters?
Click to expand...

"Thank you for your interest in the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Although we do have a preference for students from the New England states, we do still admit many students from other states. Typically 65-70% of our students admitted each year are from the NE region, but 9-10% are from the Northeast, (NY, NJ, PA) and the remainder are from the other states and from outside of the US."

From an email

so around 20% from non-NE area
 
I noticed that it looks like UNECOM is requiring all of their prerequisites complete before January of the matriculating year. Does anyone know if this is true of the biochemistry requirement?

I say this for a variety of reasons. While not opposed to taking the course, I physically don't have a college/university in the area that offers the course until the Spring of 2013. While I'm familiar with the UNECOM Biochemistry course, I'm hesitant to pay $1100 for an online course. I've heard it's pretty good, but I really prefer lecture-based coursework. I feel like I get more out of the course.

I have an advisor who has pushed me to apply to UNECOM (it's arguably my top choice for medical school), but I wonder if it's a productive endeavor without that requirement finished. I also have an issue paying for an online course, that I might not have the best experience with, just to get a denial from my top choice. $1100 is a lot of money for my family (non-traditional applicant).

Anyone have experience with this or have any first hand information from the admissions office? I've heard this is a new requirement this year, so I'm wondering if it's a firm requirement. I had originally anticipated taking the couse in the spring or summer before matriculation, but then I saw that requirement.
 
joedontknoe said:
Released 7/26 and still waiting as well
Click to expand...

Same here released same date and still no secondary and I interviewed there last year after applying very late in the cycle. This school is one of my top choices after getting to visit it last year. Hope I get the secondary soon.
 
I had an email correspondence with an adcom member today regarding if I should apply and chances of an interview. Here is what they said:

"The MCAT results reported below do fall within a competitive range. That being said, we're now deeply entrenched in the review process of EC 2013 with close to 1400 apps received thus far and our Committee is holding fast to the 3.40 GPA/24 MCAT cutoff for consideration for possible interview. As of this moment, the average GPA for those being selected to interview is 3.57; average MCAT 28.5. Based on the sheer volume of apps received and the quality of those apps, one of the strongest pieces of advise I can pass along is to try to do everything within your power to apply with a very solid academic preparation."

Just an FYI about what their applicant pool looks like so far this year!
 
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