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Ah, you are in Pomona!!!!!!!! 😀
Good luck with today's interview and you should get some sleep!
I guess I'll just start with a review of the day.
Although we were told to get there at 8:15, the day started around 8:45 with Dr. Adams, the dean, coming in to speak with us about the school, history, etc. Everyone introduced themselves to the dean and other interviewing students by stating their name, where they're from, and what college they attended. Of all the interviewees, I would say 90% were from CA. Of those 90%, I would say another 90% were UC grads, with the majority from UCI, followed by UCSD, UCLA, UCSC, UCD, and then Cal.
After Dr. Adams' intro, we were given presentations on admissions, student affairs, financial aid, and the curriculum by various faculty members and administration staff. At around 10:30 we were split into two groups, and went on the campus tour for about a hour. We were able to check out some classes, including an anatomy lab where we saw some guy just walking around with a human brain in his hand like it was nothing
At around 11:30, we were given an OMM demonstration by Dr. Redding that was pretty interesting. We went back to where we met in the morning to get our lunch, which was made up of a sandwich, chips, cookie, and water. We were then further broken up into smaller groups of three or four to have lunch with an assigned COMP student. Lunch lasted until 1:00, and interviews began at 1:30.
When you first get to WesternU in the morning, you're given an information booklet. Inside that booklet is a piece of paper indicating what time your interview is at. If your interview isn't until later in the day, you're free to do whatever you wish. All they ask is that you come back 15 minutes prior to the interivew.
The interview is really low stress. The faculty know that this can be a pretty stressful experience for some people, so they try their best to make the interview seem like a normal conversation. I was interviewed by two faculty members; one of them had read my file and the other had not. They asked basic questions, such as "why medicine?", "why DO?", "why WesternU", "tell me about *blank* experience you've had", etc. The only question that tripped me up was when I was asked about my GPA, and why I think I can handle the rigors of medical school. I had an answer, but she kept prodding me for more, but I can't really blame her. The interview was about 30 minutes long, but we all know that time flies. Afterward, you're free to leave or sit in on another class.
As for why I think Western U is amazing, I was a bit biased before coming into the interview today. I spent a few months at one of their medical centers earlier this year, and I was amazed at how awesome the faculty at Western U are. Every single faculty member I've met has been welcoming, informative, and available for anything. The COMP students I met were all happy with their choice, and recommended the school to me. Those experiences really made me want to attend COMP.
Another plus was how the faculty and staff did not try to "sell" the school to us. They wanted all of us to be sure that this is where we want to be, which was nice. Besides the faculty, I really like COMP's curriculum. It's broken up into three "phases", with the first phase having distinct classes such as Anatomy, but this only lasts for the first semester. The next 1 & 1/2 years makes up phase two, which is systems based. During second year, they begin having "small groups", where students meet to solve out problems (like PBL?). Phase three is the clinical years. Western U is a pretty established school, so their rotations list is solid. Nothing more to say about that. If you're not from the area, you may not like how a car is required in socal. Public transportation sucks, and you will need a car to get to your rotations.
When it comes to board scores, we were told they're in the top quartile in terms of score when it comes to COMLEX Level 1. Western U is also #1 in COMLEX Level 2 PE scores, apparently due to the early clinical experience and interaction with hired patient actors. Another plus for me is that COMP is located in CA. This may not matter for some of you, but I've been in CA since I was a child, and I want to practice medicine here. So it just makes sense for me to attend a medical school in CA. Being in socal also gives COMP students a lot of opportunities, such as research, or clinical rotations at some of the best hospitals in the world. Another awesome thing about being in Pomona/socal is that when you get some downtime, you're ~45 minutes from the beach, ~45 minutes from downtown LA, really close to the mountains, minutes away from great Asian food in Rowland Heights, etc. Basically, anything you could ever want is here.
Sure the campus isn't as nice as other schools, the area surrounding the campus isn't the greatest, and the cost of attendance/living is high (living costs are actually cheaper for some of us. Apparently a 1 bedroom apartment next to campus can be had for $750, which is unheard of in Orange/LA county), but it's totally worth it in my opinion. The great faculty, awesome curriculum, good rotations, and unlimited opportunities easily makes it my first choice.
I'm sure I missed a lot of stuff, so feel free to ask me any questions.
edit: The ISAC and SMSPP programs seem like pretty cool additions. I would seriously consider ISAC if I get accepted
Most students almost exclusively spend their time in the new building (the HEC). There's tons of break-out rooms, study lounges, nice big, modern lecture halls, lockers for the students, and the little cafe that sells snacks, coffee, sandwiches, etc. The only time we really leave the HEC is for either OMM, anatomy lab, or the clinical skills lab ... or if we need to visit the bookstore or library or some other building. So sure the campus isn't amazing overall, but the place where you'll spend the majority of your time is actually very nice.
Anyway -When were you complete and what are your stats if you don't mind posting?
I have been "complete ready for review" since 9/27 (would have been earlier if would have sent the letters to the Ostepathic and not the podiatric programs
Since I had upcoming interviews, I called and was able to get the decision over the phone. I was accepted 😍. However, they did say that letters were going out next week. Good luck, everyone!
Interesting that it has taken this long to get back to everyone. From their website:
Question 12: When are acceptance letters and final notification letters mailed?
Acceptance letters are mailed no more than two weeks following your interview. Alternates are selected from the list of alternate candidates after the class is filled in April. All applicants will be notified of their final status in August.
Breaking their own FAQs
Well that would suck. Luckily my interview is next Saturday 😉
For those of you that have been accepted, did your application status in BanWeb change?
I've been obsessively checking it since last week
