Western/COMP Discussion Thread 2008-2009

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What is the best time to thank you email after interview/acceptance?
 
email - 48 hours later... post cards immediately after because they will arrive within 72 hours
 
I have some questions for anyone who may have paid the deposit by check:
How long did it take for Western to process it and cash it?
Did you get any sort of notification that it was a done deal?

Thanks for the help!
 
They will send you a letter giving you an email address and explaining to you how to log on.

thevillageidiot said:
I have some questions for anyone who may have paid the deposit by check:
How long did it take for Western to process it and cash it?
Did you get any sort of notification that it was a done deal?

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
 
French MD said:
They will send you a letter giving you an email address and explaining to you how to log on.
Click to expand...

I got that letter independent of paying the deposit. There will probably be a confirmation email, but Anna was sick all week so things may be a little backed up.
 
I personally did not apply to DMU but I hear a lot of great things about their program.
I chose western because of location, reputation, and because of the feel of the school...

qtpig said:
just found out i got intoday @ western - yay!
ugh, the decision boils down to dmu vs. western. i was 85% dmu, now im 60% dmu. i like them both very valid different reasons...any insight?
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
our facebook group can be found here...congrats to everyone recently accepted!

😀
 
Does Western's secondary want you to send in two/three? letters of recommendation(one physician and one science professor) or a committee letter?
 
dkim186 said:
Does Western's secondary want you to send in two/three? letters of recommendation(one physician and one science professor) or a committee letter?
Click to expand...


My understanding is that they want a letter from the pre-health committee at your university, and one letter from a DO/MD. If you do not have a pre-health committee then they will accept letters from science instructors, but you have to let them know there is no such committee at your school. They also send you a Pre-Evaluation Form that the committee can fill out in lieu of the LOR, but I had the committee do both to be on the safe side! good luck
 
hey! when did you interview? i interviewed dec 4 and im so nervous!
 
well i never paid my deposit fee...which means im not going to be attending Western! I hope to see a lot more people wanting Western being given the opportunity to interview now that the deadline has passed and they can reassess things.
 
DrMattOglesby said:
well i never paid my deposit fee...which means im not going to be attending Western! I hope to see a lot more people wanting Western being given the opportunity to interview now that the deadline has passed and they can reassess things.
Click to expand...

I can't stop staring at your avatar...
 
I need some help,
If you were to choose between Western COMP and Touro CA and location was not an issue which would you pick? What are the pros and cons of the two academic programs?
Thanks in advance and good luck to you all.
 
I would pick western much more established program (founded in 1977) as opposed to touro CA founded in 1997... other than that I am not too familiar with touro...


Hellothere2 said:
I need some help,
If you were to choose between Western COMP and Touro CA and location was not an issue which would you pick? What are the pros and cons of the two academic programs?
Thanks in advance and good luck to you all.
Click to expand...
 
That is a good point. Thank you very much FrenchMD. Anyone else?
 
Hey guys,

I turned in my seconday application to Western/COMP in September and I still haven't heard back from them about an interview invite or anything else from them. Could this be a definite sign that I am probably in the rejection pile?...since I've heard that COMP gets back to successful applicants within a few weeks for an interview invite. My stats are: 28R, 3.1 overall GPA, and activities of teaching piano, health fair volunteering, UCSF research for 2 years+. Any advice on what I should do? or how they might have reviewed my application? I'd appreciate your feedback guys
 
Hey, I would call the admissions people and ask for a status update... I did and the next day got an interview invite...


mandongo said:
Hey guys,

I turned in my seconday application to Western/COMP in September and I still haven't heard back from them about an interview invite or anything else from them. Could this be a definite sign that I am probably in the rejection pile?...since I've heard that COMP gets back to successful applicants within a few weeks for an interview invite. My stats are: 28R, 3.1 overall GPA, and activities of teaching piano, health fair volunteering, UCSF research for 2 years+. Any advice on what I should do? or how they might have reviewed my application? I'd appreciate your feedback guys
Click to expand...
 
Hellothere2 said:
I need some help,
If you were to choose between Western COMP and Touro CA and location was not an issue which would you pick? What are the pros and cons of the two academic programs?
Thanks in advance and good luck to you all.
Click to expand...

Just take a look at some of the threads on SDN from current Touro-CA students. I was not impressed when I interviewed there a few years ago. There was no information about curriculum/rotations provided. Western has a much more established track record. And frankly, it is not that convenient to get into the city from Vallejo. Who wants to get on the ferry?!
 
French MD said:
Hey, I would call the admissions people and ask for a status update... I did and the next day got an interview invite...
Click to expand...

I've been complete since the 5th of December. 3.21 cum 27M. Should I give them a call as well or should I give a little more time? im gettin a little worried.
 
waitwhat said:
I've been complete since the 5th of December. 3.21 cum 27M. Should I give them a call as well or should I give a little more time? im gettin a little worried.
Click to expand...

I would give it time. You've only been complete for about a week and a half and they are going on holiday soon. I honestly wouldn't start to worry until about mid-January if I were you. It took them at least a month to get back to me about an interview invite.
 
Ya that's what I figured. I was just hoping to hear of an interview before the holidays....fingers-crossed.
 
My secondary was completed apporximately Nov. 24th. I just received an invite to interview in March. Kind of late for an interview, but oh well.

How many students do they accept? and when is the final date of interviews?
 
I got an interview invite today. The earliest day they have is March 5th though which is pretty far away.

My file was complete on Nov. 26.
 
My friend recently interviewed at Western U/COMP and he really liked it. I didn't get a chance to head out there. He said they hammered him on his research experience. Did any that happen to anyone else?
 
obbobbo said:
My friend recently interviewed at Western U/COMP and he really liked it. I didn't get a chance to head out there. He said they hammered him on his research experience. Did any that happen to anyone else?
Click to expand...

I was actually only interviewed by one faculty member, but he seemed to be very interested in the fact that I did do research. However, he asked me more about the questions concerning: Why research or why primary care. He also asked how many schools I applied to and how many interviews/acceptances I thought I would get 😕 Oh well.. hopefully it turns out well.. it hasn't even been one week since I interviewed but it seems like forever already.. (sigh)
 
obbobbo said:
My friend recently interviewed at Western U/COMP and he really liked it. I didn't get a chance to head out there. He said they hammered him on his research experience. Did any that happen to anyone else?
Click to expand...

I interviewed 12/16 and I got pretty hammered on my research as well (in addition to numerous other things). Not so much about the research I did in undergrad, but more the work I do now in clinical chemistry for J&J. I walked out feeling like they had it out for me, but maybe it is like that with everyone
 
coffeeeandtea said:
LOL definitely one of the highlights of the interview day. do you think we'll find out soon about our decisions?? it seems like forever... but then again they did say that they'll tell us around Jan. 7... dammit haha
Click to expand...

The next time the admissions committee is meeting is Jan. 7, so we'll probably find out within the couple weeks after that.
 
Hey everyone,

I have looked at their website and done my research but I cant seem to find out much about the NMM/OMM teaching at Western. Maybe I just am not looking in the correct place but I cant seem to find out very much about this part of their curriculum. Anyone want to point me in the correct direction, or give me an opinion on the level of OMM/NMM training at Western-?

Thank you.
P
 
so, i have to pay a deposit for another school in 2 weeks, and i am anxiously awaiting to hear from western. i was at the 12. 16 date.

what do you think i should do?
 
gobruins2007 said:
so, i have to pay a deposit for another school in 2 weeks, and i am anxiously awaiting to hear from western. i was at the 12. 16 date.

what do you think i should do?
Click to expand...

I had the same problem, but I was told that nothing could really be done by the folks at Western, since they're not meeting until Jan. 7. So I requested an extension for the deposit deadline at the other school, and I was really lucky to get it. You might want to give that a try, since depending on what school it is, they might be a little nice and give you an extension at least until after the adcom at Western meets again. Good luck!
 
I've got several DO school acceptances in hand, and will pay to hold a seat at one since I'll lose the seat if I don't; Western isn't interviewing me until February, if I even decided to attend...my large amorphous question is whether it even pays to go to the interview...On one level, I recognize that ANY DO school that has state and national acceditation is going to get me out there to help the sick heal, so having gotten into two already...Well, what does Western have that is "significant" (subjective though the term is in this context) pedigogically or in terms of quality of life that I need to know about...their website and what (little) research I've done doesn't make them stand out to me....what else do I need to know?
 
ben7ok said:
I've got several DO school acceptances in hand, and will pay to hold a seat at one since I'll lose the seat if I don't; Western isn't interviewing me until February, if I even decided to attend...my large amorphous question is whether it even pays to go to the interview...On one level, I recognize that ANY DO school that has state and national acceditation is going to get me out there to help the sick heal, so having gotten into two already...Well, what does Western have that is "significant" (subjective though the term is in this context) pedigogically or in terms of quality of life that I need to know about...their website and what (little) research I've done doesn't make them stand out to me....what else do I need to know?
Click to expand...

Western is expanding a lot. They have a curriculum that is already proven yet they are trying to improve it even more. They have been established since 1977 and is one of the fastest growing private schools in the nation, possibly the biggest starting next year. They emphasize research because they just now bought a new building to expand research in all fields. Because the school is also based in southern california, it allows you the opportunity to land great residencies around the surrounding hospitals in california, which is ideal for those like me who want to stay in California. Bottom line: WesternU is an ambitious school and I have no doubt in my mind that the name will become known nationwide over the next decade.


Btw... I just put down my deposit for WesternU 😍
 
viciouz said:
Western is expanding a lot. ...Bottom line: WesternU is an ambitious school and I have no doubt in my mind that the name will become known nationwide over the next decade.
Click to expand...

While I appreciate Vicious's enthusiasm for his chosen school (congratulations!), one hopes for something beyond "expanding curriculm" and future name recognition. My medical ambitions are to treat the poor and needy, not make a name for myself--if that's what I wanted, I be looking at an Ivy League allopathic school, not a (hopefully) patient centered DO school....So what does Western have that is going to help me to be a better caregiver than say, Touro or Nova or for that matter Harvard? How does its COMLEX and USMLE pass rates compare? Does the Dean's promise (per the website) of caring, mentoring faculty stand up to scrutiny? The most cutting edge genetist I know of can't teach undergraduates to save her live, while some mediocre RAs are a dream in the lecture hall... What kind of teachers (which is different than asking about their clinical competence) does Western have? Are the lectures available on line promptly...Do they spend a year doing digging through fat in the sake of gross anatomical tradition or have they figured out that prosections and computer generated graphics give a more accurate picture of the living body....Do they understand the needs of older students with spouses and children? Is the student body doing community outreach 🙂 of it's own initiative or with faculty help? Or at they hunkering down to try for dermatologi$t and pla$tic residencies .... Are students learning how to be the next generation of AOA representatives? and on and on....What makes it a better OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL school (not research facility or cash cow)?
 
If your goal is to treat the poor and needy, Western is located in an low class, underserved area of California. I'm sure there is ample opportunity for you to get involved. You just need to think about where you want to end up for residency. If you want to stay in so cal, then Western is going to be a better choice than Nova or Touro. If you want to be in Florida, then Nova is going to be a better choice than Western or Touro. Not to say that you can't match in Florida if you go to school in CA, but you want to make it as easy as possible on yourself.
 
Western has all its lectures videotaped and available online 1 hour after the lecture, they have a program which allows you to speed up or slow down the lectures. At western you have to opprtunity to volunteer in the community clinics that student at western have, and get real patient contact our first year. You have opportunities to help in the homeless clinic as well as community clinics, western also has rotations abroad where you can go to help. I am not a student yet but I am sure current students will chime in. Western has prep classes for the comlex and give you time to study before the exam.

but sound to me like you have you mind set on another school...
Medical school is what you make of it. all the things you want are possible a western.

Research is a BIG part of medicine.




ben7ok said:
While I appreciate Vicious's enthusiasm for his chosen school (congratulations!), one hopes for something beyond "expanding curriculm" and future name recognition. My medical ambitions are to treat the poor and needy, not make a name for myself--if that's what I wanted, I be looking at an Ivy League allopathic school, not a (hopefully) patient centered DO school....So what does Western have that is going to help me to be a better caregiver than say, Touro or Nova or for that matter Harvard? How does its COMLEX and USMLE pass rates compare? Does the Dean's promise (per the website) of caring, mentoring faculty stand up to scrutiny? The most cutting edge genetist I know of can't teach undergraduates to save her live, while some mediocre RAs are a dream in the lecture hall... What kind of teachers (which is different than asking about their clinical competence) does Western have? Are the lectures available on line promptly...Do they spend a year doing digging through fat in the sake of gross anatomical tradition or have they figured out that prosections and computer generated graphics give a more accurate picture of the living body....Do they understand the needs of older students with spouses and children? Is the student body doing community outreach 🙂 of it's own initiative or with faculty help? Or at they hunkering down to try for dermatologi$t and pla$tic residencies .... Are students learning how to be the next generation of AOA representatives? and on and on....What makes it a better OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL school (not research facility or cash cow)?
Click to expand...
 
ryserr21 said:
If your goal is to treat the poor and needy, Western is located in an low class, underserved area of California. I'm sure there is ample opportunity for you to get involved. You just need to think about where you want to end up for residency. If you want to stay in so cal, then Western is going to be a better choice than Nova or Touro. If you want to be in Florida, then Nova is going to be a better choice than Western or Touro. Not to say that you can't match in Florida if you go to school in CA, but you want to make it as easy as possible on yourself.
Click to expand...

^^ what he said, but to add to it... I heard you see a lot of cool things because Westerns clinic and the surrounding hospitals you do rotations in are in lower income areas so you get the opportunity to see things that are only seen in textbooks. Why? because people don't have insurance and wait to the last minute to let their conditions become worse to the point they must seek medical aid. Also, I heard that they are building a newer and better clinic for the city of pomona and allow you the opportunity to volunteer and help out as a student at the clinic or other locations.

Sorry I don't know much about the other schools.
 
I'm giving up my Jan 22nd interview date to Western COMP...

merry xmas🙂
 
ben7ok said:
So what does Western have that is going to help me to be a better caregiver than say, Touro or Nova or for that matter Harvard?
Click to expand...

I only sent one secondary and had one interview so I can't comment about the other DO schools myself, but my mom has worked as a nurse for the past 10yrs at Arrowhead Regional Hospital (one of the major rotation sites you'll have at Western, which also has many Western graduates as residents).

She says compared to other DO residents (in particular, Touro) that the WesternU ones seem to be better prepared and also that the nurses like working with them a lot better too. In regards with DO vs MD residents, she says that they're all doctors as far as they're concerned, but also insists that the DOs seem more compassionate while the MDs are more aggressive. 👍
 
Hey guys,
Congrats to those accepted and those with interview. I'm a first year and just finished our first semester. Since I'm on break and have some free time, I thought I'd answer some questions based on my perspective as a student.

When I was applying, Western was not really one of my foreseen destinations. I had acceptances at other schools that I had preference for at the time, but decided to go to Western simply because of location. I haven't regretted it one bit. I don't know if I'd be happy at other schools, but I am definitely happy here. The students are terrific; we all have alot of fun. We just had a Powder Puff football game before the break. It's a tradition here now that we have a flag football game betwen the 1st year girls (Tight Ends) vs. 2nd year girls (Heavy Hit-Hers). We lost; the 2nd year are undefeated. I can say all the people I know here are happy so far.

Professors: We have some good ones and some not so good ones. However, I don't think your grade is dependent on how good your professors were. We have many professors here who are very close with the class; they truly care for your well being. We had parties at some of the professors' houses; many are very welcoming.

Video recording: Lectures are recorded and available online each hour. It is very dependable. You can play it in real speed or up to 2x. After anatomy, I'd say 50% of the students didn't even go to class. Having the video recording is a big plus for some people who live far away. So essentially, you can get by with coming to school 2 times a week (OMM and Essentials of Clinical Medicine)

Anatomy: You dissect yourself. There are some prosections to look at though. It is 8 people to a body. 4 people dissect one day, the other 4 dissect the other day. I didn't really like this format since you don't get to dissect everything yourself. I think this format is pretty common at other schools as well. It could be a good thing or a bad thing. There is one anatomist for every 4 tables, and there's an ISAC student (those taken anatomy over the summer) for every 2 tables. So you do get plenty of help in the lab. Lab is in the morning; usually 8-12 or 9-12, followed by lectures at 1. So it is important to preview your materials before you go to lab.

OMM: You partner up of course; girls in sports bra and short; guys in shorts. You can wear shirt/sweater, but you should take those off when you are the patient. We had professors, practicing physicians and fellows demonstrating and teaching us the techniques. For every 8 tables, we had 1 fellow, and 1 second year for every 2 tables. You get plenty of help if you need it; the second year will stay after class to help you if you ask, fellows will help you and you can sign up for a second year tutor. Alot of us did that and it kind of makes you practice OMM even if you don't want to.

ECM (essentials of clinical medicine): This is probably my favorite class. From the very beginning, you get to interact with standardized patients. This is where we actually feel like we were in medical school. For the first semester, we learned to take history and do physicals. The class is divided into 2 groups. Each week, one group sees the standardize patients while the other learn clinical techniques. ECM is every thursday, so when you guys interview and see us in white coats...that's what we're doing. Usually after we finish, we'd have some time and many of us like to just come over and say hi to you guys.

MCBM (molecular and Cell Basics of Medicine): Basically Molecular, Biochem, Physiology, and histology all in one. Not much to say here; pretty standard classes.

Community service: If you are into serving the underserved, Western is a good fit for you. We have a Service Learning class where we have to write a proposal for a community service project. Pomona and the surrounding areas are pretty poor and so we have many projects through different clubs. We have health screenings seemingly every week. We have so many different clubs, and most of them have community service committments to serve kids, homeless, and older populations. You won't run out of things to do for sure. Another thing is, most of us volunteer because we simply want to. It is not like in undergrad where you do it for the hours. One of the things that is unique to Western is our association with the Montclaire clinic. If you haven't heard of it, you will. Starting in the second semester, we can volunteer at the clinic. It is owned by a Western alumus and it is run by residents and Western students. You get to work side by side with residents. Notice I said work, not shadow. It is as close to being a resident/doctor as you can get. I haven't done it yet, but I definitely will.

As for boards, I don't have a clue yet.

Sorry for the long post, I just want to give you guys a glimpse into the first semester of the first year. Hope you guys enjoy the break and goodluck to everyone.
 
thanks!

i just wish i knew my status. i interviewed right before break, and i have to pay a deposit to hold my seat for another school in 12 days. sheesh.
 
For those got accepted around 12/11/08, did you guys receive the confirmation mail with the western email address?
I paid my deposit right way with credit card ($10 cashback:laugh:).
 
Beadoc said:
For those got accepted around 12/11/08, did you guys receive the confirmation mail with the western email address?
I paid my deposit right way with credit card ($10 cashback:laugh:).
Click to expand...

I got accepted on 12/13/08. No confirmation mail yet.
 
this may or may not be too late for you, but just so you know, (quoting from the press release) " .COMP ranked No. 1 in the COMLEX Level 2-PE/Clinical Skills Exam" .
sorry for the big type, this was for the class of 2008
also the OMM department has wonderful professors. a few weekends ago the UAAO was able to take a day-long workshop in san diego with Dr. Viola Frymann, one of Dr. Sutherland's original students, and because of our location it was very simple for us to get there. it was very cool.

ben7ok said:
While I appreciate Vicious's enthusiasm for his chosen school (congratulations!), one hopes for something beyond "expanding curriculm" and future name recognition. My medical ambitions are to treat the poor and needy, not make a name for myself--if that's what I wanted, I be looking at an Ivy League allopathic school, not a (hopefully) patient centered DO school....So what does Western have that is going to help me to be a better caregiver than say, Touro or Nova or for that matter Harvard? How does its COMLEX and USMLE pass rates compare? Does the Dean's promise (per the website) of caring, mentoring faculty stand up to scrutiny? The most cutting edge genetist I know of can't teach undergraduates to save her live, while some mediocre RAs are a dream in the lecture hall... What kind of teachers (which is different than asking about their clinical competence) does Western have? Are the lectures available on line promptly...Do they spend a year doing digging through fat in the sake of gross anatomical tradition or have they figured out that prosections and computer generated graphics give a more accurate picture of the living body....Do they understand the needs of older students with spouses and children? Is the student body doing community outreach 🙂 of it's own initiative or with faculty help? Or at they hunkering down to try for dermatologi$t and pla$tic residencies .... Are students learning how to be the next generation of AOA representatives? and on and on....What makes it a better OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL school (not research facility or cash cow)?
Click to expand...
 
Anyone know where I can find the specific hospitals the 3rd and 4th years do their rotations at. Not just a general list of hospitals Western is associated with, but specifics such as "Internal Medicine Rotation at blah blah hospital, OB/GYN at blah blah..." I looked around online but wasn't able to find it. Maybe someone has it or I guess I should just call them. Thanks!
 
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