Western COMP Reviews

[TheaterOfTheme]

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I have recently received my MCAT score and it was a 512 (equiv of a 32 and 87th percentile). I will likely stay with the linkage--as I will only be qualified for lower tier MD schools if I applied MD.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

You mention that COMP published attrition rates. It seems to me that they only have graduation rates right now...Is that what you are referring to?

If you are considering WesternU, or any other school, there are other more important things to consider than attrition rate. I'd pay more attention to attendance policy, rotation sites, mandatory OMM rotation, curriculum (traditional vs integrated), amount of non-medical curriculum activities, and above all, tuition.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

If you are considering WesternU, or any other school, there are other more important things to consider than attrition rate. I'd pay more attention to attendance policy, rotation sites, mandatory OMM rotation, curriculum (traditional vs integrated), amount of non-medical curriculum activities, and above all, tuition.

Okay, that makes complete sense. How would you define the difference between traditional and integrated curriculum? Is this similar to a 'block' system? Which do you find better?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Okay, that makes complete sense. How would you define the difference between traditional and integrated curriculum? Is this similar to a 'block' system? Which do you find better?

At WesternU, we follow a traditional curriculum, aka blocks. At other schools, such KCUMB, they go thru the physiology aspects of the systems during first year, then they do pathology of systems in second year. I can't tell you which one is better since you need to try both to make such a claim, but in theory, the latter seems more beneficial since you go thru the material twice.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

At WesternU, we follow a traditional curriculum, aka blocks. At other schools, such KCUMB, they go thru the physiology aspects of the systems during first year, then they do pathology of systems in second year. I can't tell you which one is better since you need to try both to make such a claim, but in theory, the latter seems more beneficial since you go thru the material twice.

There are benefits to the KCU curriculum. A lot of second years think that it makes first year too accelerated and makes the pace hard. But who knows, we do end up with decent boards so maybe it's worth it in the end.

 

[Kevin Baker]

You mention that COMP published attrition rates. It seems to me that they only have graduation rates right now...Is that what you are referring to?

Yup. My bad

 

[chizledfrmstone]

There are benefits to the KCU curriculum. A lot of second years think that it makes first year too accelerated and makes the pace hard. But who knows, we do end up with decent boards so maybe it's worth it in the end.

It's weird but 2nd year seems a bit more laid back so far. They really beat the crap out of you first year.

Having a good physiology foundation for all the systems really helps learn the pathology. I can't imagine covering pathology for a system I haven't covered. Plus in any spare time I can cover topics I might have glazed over in first year.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

It's weird but 2nd year seems a bit more laid back so far. They really beat the crap out of you first year.

Having a good physiology foundation for all the systems really helps learn the pathology. I can't imagine covering pathology for a system I haven't covered. Plus in any spare time I can cover topics I might have glazed over in first year.

Therefore, you think the systems approach is better than the classical approach? In the classical format, wouldn't you learn the physiology, then learn the pathology for one system and so on for other systems?

 

[burritowithgreensauce]

which school increases ur wins on Tinder? don't drink the kool-aid. nothing. else. matters.

 

[WalterDonnie]

I have to comment on this because I remember being concerned whether different schools "prepared you for the boards" when I was in your position. The real answer is you should be far more worried about 3rd/4th year quality than 1st/2nd when assessing schools. Trust me when I tell you that the curriculum in 1st/2nd year isn't going to play a huge role in how you do on the boards. You can do very well on the USMLE coming from Western or Touro or any random school. Its going to be solely dependent on how hard you are willing to study for it when the time comes and how well you are at test-taking.
3rd/4th year is the really the huge variable that matters in your medical education.

 

[WalterDonnie]

The one factor I would consider worth finding out in regards to the didactic curriculum and boards is how much time you get off to study. In other words, how much time do you get off between 2nd and 3rd year. Some schools give you 1 month, some 2months. That'll be of far greater importance when it comes to being prepared for boards than what you learn in 1st/2nd yr.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I have to comment on this because I remember being concerned whether different schools "prepared you for the boards" when I was in your position. The real answer is you should be far more worried about 3rd/4th year quality than 1st/2nd when assessing schools. Trust me when I tell you that the curriculum in 1st/2nd year isn't going to play a huge role in how you do on the boards. You can do very well on the USMLE coming from Western or Touro or any random school. Its going to be solely dependent on how hard you are willing to study for it when the time comes and how well you are at test-taking.
3rd/4th year is the really the huge variable that matters in your medical education.

When the school's curriculum doesn't mirror the boards, then you end up having to waste a lot of time learning things you weren't taught. Quality of 3rd and 4th year means nothing if you walk out of 2nd year with 400 on your COMLEX. You'll end up having to do residency in the middle of nowhere.

 

[WalterDonnie]

you'll forget 75% of what you learned by the time you'll start studying for boards regardless. Once you study for boards and take them come back and talk to me.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

you'll forget 75% of what you learned by the time you'll start studying for boards regardless. Once you study for boards and take them come back and talk to me.

While it's true you'll forget most things. There is research showing that when you learn something for a 2nd, 3rd, etc. time, the speed of learning is vastly increased compared to the first run around.

 

[thepoopologist]

I've had the occasional Western student rotate with me. They range from average to really knowledgeable and quick. Haven't had a dud thus far.

 

[LLCoolK]

When the school's curriculum doesn't mirror the boards, then you end up having to waste a lot of time learning things you weren't taught. Quality of 3rd and 4th year means nothing if you walk out of 2nd year with 400 on your COMLEX. You'll end up having to do residency in the middle of nowhere.

that's with a lot of schools. not just western. I'd go as far as to say only caribbean schools really tailor their curriculum to focus on only training you for boards

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

that's with a lot of schools. not just western. I'd go as far as to say only caribbean schools really tailor their curriculum to focus on only training you for boards

How are you liking your experience LLCoolK?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

that's with a lot of schools. not just western. I'd go as far as to say only caribbean schools really tailor their curriculum to focus on only training you for boards

Hardly. The majority of DO & MD are tailored towards presenting you with board formated questions and content heavily tested on them.

 

[jtm0021]

I literally get something from Western every 3-4 days asking me to apply there.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

Can anyone comment on how many months they give to study for the boards?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Can anyone comment on how many months they give to study for the boards?

We get done with second year on April 30th and have to come back to school for rotation orientation week on June 14. This means, we have about 6 weeks of time to prep and take the boards. From what I have been reading, 4 weeks should be enough to prep for USMLE and then take COMLEX 3-4 days afterwards.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

We get done with second year on April 30th and have to come back to school for rotation orientation week on June 14. This means, we have about 6 weeks of time to prep and take the boards. From what I have been reading, 4 weeks should be enough to prep for USMLE and then take COMLEX 3-4 days afterwards.

Awesome, thanks for the response. Have you taken the boards yet?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Awesome, thanks for the response. Have you taken the boards yet?

No, if everything goes well, I'll be taking them in June.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

No, if everything goes well, I'll be taking them in June.

So you can postpone them?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

So you can postpone them?

From what I've been told, the school administers a practice test to assess students' readiness. Those who score below a threshold are advised to take their vacation month in advance to help them prepare more for the boards.

 

[SlugMD]

We get done with second year on April 30th and have to come back to school for rotation orientation week on June 14. This means, we have about 6 weeks of time to prep and take the boards. From what I have been reading, 4 weeks should be enough to prep for USMLE and then take COMLEX 3-4 days afterwards.

I just read the 2015/2016 catalog and it says that 3rd year rotations start July 22nd. Could they have moved it back since when you started?
https://www.westernu.edu/bin/registrar/2015-2016-catalog/comp.pdf
See page 59

Wouldn't this give you up to 12 weeks to prepare? Or must you have your score by July 22nd? Correct me if I'm wrong but I have read that medical schools allow you to start rotations with the assumption that you have passed step 1 and will pull you out of those rotations if you didn't so you can study for the retake.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I just read the 2015/2016 catalog and it says that 3rd year rotations start July 22nd. Could they have moved it back since when you started?
https://www.westernu.edu/bin/registrar/2015-2016-catalog/comp.pdf
See page 59

Wouldn't this give you up to 12 weeks to prepare? Or must you have your score by July 22nd? Correct me if I'm wrong but I have read that medical schools allow you to start rotations with the assumption that you have passed step 1 and will pull you out of those rotations if you didn't so you can study for the retake.

Must be a typo. Perhaps @GUH , a third year student, could explain this. For my class, as I mentioned above, our second year classes end on April 30th and we start third year rotations on June 20th. However, we need to have taken the boards (at least comlex) before June 14 because we have an orientation week before we start rotations.

You don't need to have your scores in before starting rotations, you only need to have taken the boards. If you fail the boards, you get pulled off your rotations and given an opportunity to study and retake the boards.

 

[SlugMD]

Must be a typo. Perhaps @GUH , a third year student, could explain this. For my class, as I mentioned above, our second year classes end on April 30th and we start third year rotations on June 20th. However, we need to have taken the boards (at least comlex) before June 14 because we have an orientation week before we start rotations.

You don't need to have your scores in before starting rotations, you only need to have taken the boards. If you fail the boards, you get pulled off your rotations and given an opportunity to study and retake the boards.

If you took a vacation month at the beginning of 3rd year to study wouldn't that give you an extra 4 weeks to study? Must you absolutely have to COMLEX by June 14th? I would assume some strong students who want a high score would want those extra 4 weeks. Or they could take the COMLEX by June 14th to satisfy that requirement and use the extra 4 weeks to study USMLE only?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

If you took a vacation month at the beginning of 3rd year to study wouldn't that give you an extra 4 weeks to study? Must you absolutely have to COMLEX by June 14th? I would assume some strong students who want a high score would want those extra 4 weeks. Or they could take the COMLEX by June 14th to satisfy that requirement and use the extra 4 weeks to study USMLE only?

Yes, you need to have taken COMLEX prior to start of your rotations. You'd be surprised to know that when we were in the process of selecting our rotations, the rotation tracks that have the vacation month at the beginning were the least popular. No one wants to spend more time studying than they need to. Everyone tells me that if you start studying seriously for the boards at the beginning of the spring semester, you'd be more than ready for the exam. Of course, not everyone is the same, and a good portion of your classmates will need the extra month to be ready. However, the vast majority of the students don't need more than 4-5 wks of dedicated time to study for the boards.

P.S. I haven't taken the boards yet, so I'm not the best source to get advise from. I'm currently registered to take COMLEX on June 13 and I still haven't signed up for USMLE (will do that next week). I'm planning to do my best this semester to prepare for boards so that when I get to my dedicated study time, I won't need more than 4 weeks of practice before taking the exams.

 

[GUH]

My first rotation started in June, not July.

As for putting vacation first, it's not necessary. All students are expected to take the COMLEX before starting rotations, even if they have vacation first. You can have your vacation converted to a study block if it looks like the extra month will make the difference between a pass and a fail but the administration does the same even for students who do not have vacation first. Students who are already getting solid scores on practice exams are discouraged or disallowed from doing this. I found that four and a half weeks was enough time to study for both me and my friends who had started our preparation in December. Most of us eventually hit a plateau of diminishing marginal returns on study times anyways. You can take the USMLE if and whenever you want to.
By putting vacation first you also forfeit the opportunity for a vacation later in third year and risk tetting burned out. There are no built-in vacations or holidays so if you want winter break, for example, it would be advisable to not do your vacation first.

 

[GUH]

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