Western University - Pomona (COMP) Discussion Thread 2016-2017

[Doctor_E]

Interviewed 11/3. Green group. Accepted via portal today!

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[ucsdcopt]

Interviewed 11/3. Green group. Accepted via portal today!

Congratulations!

I've been checking all morning and checked the portal again when I saw your post and mine just updated to ACCEPTED as well!
(No letter yet!)

I was in the Red group on 11/3.

My interview performance I thought was OK and one of my MMIs wasn't the best but I still got in so there is hope for those worrying about it.

For those wondering:
LizzyM 68
sGPA: 3.51
cGPA: 3.57
MCAT: 513
Lots of ECs

 

[rhedr001]

For those who have interviewed, was there any kind of portal change when you received your II? Or was it all just through email?

 

[milkweed2112]

You were in yellow group too?

yes!

 

[ucsdcopt]

For those who have interviewed, was there any kind of portal change when you received your II? Or was it all just through email?

No portal change. Just email.

 

[ucsdcopt]

Has anyone gotten a II with a science gpa lower than 3.5? For some reason my aacomas sgpa came out to be lower than my amcas sgpa

Sorry I misspoke earlier. My AACOMAS sGPA is 3.51 not 3.43. My AMCAS sGPA was lower at 3.43.

 

[lovesports100938]

What portal is everyone talking about? I've been checking the snail mail and interviewed 11/3

 

[maemae0811]

What portal is everyone talking about? I've been checking the snail mail and interviewed 11/3

check westernu BanWeb, where you turned in the secondary

 

[DOapplicant1234]

does anyone know how much the class has filled up by now? is it still too late to apply?

 

[drcoffee17]

does anyone know how much the class has filled up by now? is it still too late to apply?

I don't think its too late. I interviewed on 11/17 and they showed us stats of how many applications they have received so far and how many spots they have offered. I can't remember the exact numbers of those but I know for sure that they said there were only 22 seats deposited for out of a class of 200 some.

 

[Huskies325]

Does anyone get secondaries in the east coast lol

Im from the east coast, interviewing here 12/8

 

[Huskies325]

Can anyone comment on the "written essay" portion of the interview?

 

[DualDegreeGuy]

Does anyone get secondaries in the east coast lol

East coaster and got a secondary

 

[SurgDoc95]

Just put on pre II hold:/ what are the chances of getting an II if you get put on one of these holds?

 

[rhedr001]

Just put on pre II hold:/ what are the chances of getting an II if you get put on one of these holds?

Just got the same email too. Do they do pre-II rejections at all?

 

[MADD!!!]

Just got the same email too. Do they do pre-II rejections at all?

I'm sure they do pre II rejections, so this is not that bad of a sign. Also I'm pretty sure they interview until April so keep them updated!!!

 

[SurgDoc95]

I'm sure they do pre II rejections, so this is not that bad of a sign. Also I'm pretty sure they interview until April so keep them updated!!!

Is it worth calling admissions to see why the application was put on hold to find out what they thought was lacking right now or no?

 

[MADD!!!]

Is it worth calling admissions to see why the application was put on hold to find out what they thought was lacking right now or no?

No u gotta take a different approach. Just keep showing them that you really want to attend WesternU and why, then ask how to increase your chances. Keep calling maybe once every 2-3 weeks and make friends with the ppl you're talking to. Showing interest and being positive about it and hoping you will get in will take you further then dwelling about your weak points. That's my personal take on it

 

[uncreativeusername]

Just put on pre II hold:/ what are the chances of getting an II if you get put on one of these holds?

+1


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[eagle311]

Same here. Pre-ii hold. IS inland empire


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[Spongebobmademedoit]

Just put on pre II hold:/ what are the chances of getting an II if you get put on one of these holds?

Same as everyone. Pre II hold. Hopefully I hear back sometime soon. I really want to go here, but I've interviewed at other schools that only give 60 days for the $2000 down payment

 

[raybae69]

Pre-II hold today as well. OOS, LizzyM 67, and complete early October. Here's to more waiting

 

[SurgDoc95]

With a bunch of us getting pre II holds it makes me wonder if perhaps they're full on interviews at the moment or if they've already given out all spots for their class? Hopefully that means if people decide to go elsewhere we'll be getting IIs after all!

 

[DOCrohns]

+1


+2

 

[ryeela66]

I was invited for an Interview in mid-January 3 weeks ago and my portal status still has not changed to interview. Has anyone else found this problem too?

 

[LiOxide]

I was invited for an Interview in mid-January 3 weeks ago and my portal status still has not changed to interview. Has anyone else found this problem too?

I have the exact same problem. I'm scared that they sent the II to the wrong email or something.

 

[newkidontheblock79]

Would it still be worth it to send in an app at this point? LizzyM ~70

 

[ryeela66]

I have the exact same problem. I'm scared that they sent the II to the wrong email or something.

You want to hear something funny along those lines...I was sent an email saying application on pre-interview hold two days ago even after my interview invite confirmation for January 3 weeks ago so I had to call the school and ask if I was accidentally sent an interview invite or not. They said to disregard the on hold email, but I was like I do not know how this happens....

 

[LiOxide]

You want to hear something funny along those lines...I was sent an email saying application on pre-interview hold two days ago even after my interview invite confirmation for January 3 weeks ago so I had to call the school and ask if I was accidentally sent an interview invite or not. They said to disregard the on hold email, but I was like I do not know how this happens....

LOL. Now I'm even more scared.

 

[SandSide]

how are the students ranked if the curriculum is pass/fail/honors...like what determines if a student is top 10% of their class? Thank you for any help!

 

[DrD2Be]

Where do you see the comments of pre-II hold? I don't see any comments...


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[darknecrosforte]

how are the students ranked if the curriculum is pass/fail/honors...like what determines if a student is top 10% of their class? Thank you for any help!

You still get points and a percentage that you can see online at all times. Transcripts will reflect F (<70%)/P (70-89.99999%)/HP (high pass = >90% AND highest 10%) for each course, but comparing the "hidden" percentages is how they do things. Hypothetically, you could have a class where no one gets high pass or where the high pass starts at 99%.

OPP has a specific passing requirement where not only do you have to be >70% overall, but midterm written exam (~5% final grade) and final written exam (~45% final grade) must average above 70% also. Same with midterm practical and final practical. So you could theoretically get a 39% on the first written exam and get 100% on everything else and technically fail (unless you pass remediation) even though you earned 98% final grade. LOL. Haven't heard of that happening to anyone, though I was slightly concerned for myself briefly >.> Ugh... video games...

 

[ryeela66]

During the interview here, does anyone know if you want to take an ambiguous standpoint and look at both sides of an ethical issue in one's response, or do you want to take a side and stick to it?

 

[rhedr001]

During the interview here, does anyone know if you want to take an ambiguous standpoint and look at both sides of an ethical issue in one's response, or do you want to take a side and stick to it?

From my interview practice with my advisor, you want to consider all sides of an argument and show that you can be thoughtful to all points of view, but then definitely take a stanve on the issue unambiguously. You want to look thoughtful and considerate, but ultimately decisive.

 

[Vocoded Super Saw]

II today.

 

[Dolly96]

II today.

Congrats! When were you complete?

 

[Vocoded Super Saw]

Congrats! When were you complete?

mid November

 

[mandersz]

it's like how will us "pre-II hold" folks know if his status isn't the worst of news unless someone posts that they were rejected pre-II lol. I hope they do send out rejections as well for our sake :/

 

[LiOxide]

Does anyone know if there's a specific grade requirement for the pre-req courses?
I got a C- in one of the pre-reqs and I don't know if I should retake it.

 

[summergirl]

Does anyone know if there's a specific grade requirement for the pre-req courses?
I got a C- in one of the pre-reqs and I don't know if I should retake it.

It's fine. Same thing with me and I contacted them. They said ok.

 

[SandSide]

Hi
From reading other forums I noticed that some students mentioned WesternU-Pomona's curriculum to not be good. They mentioned that it did not prepare students well for board exams (it was not focus on board exams and not a lot of time to study for board exams) and that the curriculum has more OMM time/focus than most other DO programs. I am not sure if these remarks are accurate, I would love to hear students comments on this please since I am a prospective student who is very interested in studying at WesternU. Many thanks!

 

[darknecrosforte]

Hi
From reading other forums I noticed that some students mentioned WesternU-Pomona's curriculum to not be good. They mentioned that it did not prepare students well for board exams (it was not focus on board exams and not a lot of time to study for board exams) and that the curriculum has more OMM time/focus than most other DO programs. I am not sure if these remarks are accurate, I would love to hear students comments on this please since I am a prospective student who is very interested in studying at WesternU. Many thanks!

The syllabi cover the Step 1 outline pretty well. We do NBME exams after each course. We make at least two passes on all material via a mix of systems -> pathology and then "flipped" classroom on high-yield topics. 4000 Kaplan Q Bank USMLE-style questions and extra for COMLEX are available within the first months of 1st year for us to use. We have big cumulative finals each semester on everything taught by that point with a study outline that references testable topic and where they are found in FA2016. If that wasn't enough, there are opportunities for getting subsidized test prep if you exhaust the Kaplan Q Banks. OMM time is not noticeable enough to be relevant. I suck at it and cram it several days prior to the infrequent practical exams (2 total) and get around 85/100 (below class average woot), even when completely forgetting crap on the structural exam. Those ~10 hours total of outside of class time spent due to extra OMM focus compared to other DO schools over a semester are no biggie.

8 weeks of dedicated board prep plus all this is definitely enough for the average student. One thing I noticed from some upperclassmen was a hint of "why do you have First Aid right now?" But when talking to those same people 15 weeks later, they tell me they wish they looked at it sooner so they could get a feel for what to pay attention to in class -_- Sometimes it's good to have a natural inclination to tell busybody pessimists to fark off, amirite?

 

[SandSide]

The syllabi cover the Step 1 outline pretty well. We do NBME exams after each course. We make at least two passes on all material via a mix of systems -> pathology and then "flipped" classroom on high-yield topics. 4000 Kaplan Q Bank USMLE-style questions and extra for COMLEX are available within the first months of 1st year for us to use. We have big cumulative finals each semester on everything taught by that point with a study outline that references testable topic and where they are found in FA2016. If that wasn't enough, there are opportunities for getting subsidized test prep if you exhaust the Kaplan Q Banks. OMM time is not noticeable enough to be relevant. I suck at it and cram it several days prior to the infrequent practical exams (2 total) and get around 85/100 (below class average woot), even when completely forgetting crap on the structural exam. Those ~10 hours total of outside of class time spent due to extra OMM focus compared to other DO schools over a semester are no biggie.

8 weeks of dedicated board prep plus all this is definitely enough for the average student. One thing I noticed from some upperclassmen was a hint of "why do you have First Aid right now?" But when talking to those same people 15 weeks later, they tell me they wish they looked at it sooner so they could get a feel for what to pay attention to in class -_- Sometimes it's good to have a natural inclination to tell busybody pessimists to fark off, amirite?

thank you so much for your insight! I appreciate i a lot

 

[greenplant]

I'm not sure if this has been asked already, but how long did it take to hear back for an interview after submitting the secondary?


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[SandSide]

grateful to receive an acceptance to this school! Interviewed November 17th!!

 

[Dolly96]

Just got placed on hold. This one hurts especially after improving my app so much. After getting rejected last year I sought advice from admissions and was told that being on hold isn't very promising as so many applicants get placed in this category. So bummed.

 

[embyr]

Just got placed on hold. This one hurts especially after improving my app so much. After getting rejected last year I sought advice from admissions and was told that being on hold isn't very promising as so many applicants get placed in this category. So bummed.

Just got the "Application on Hold" email too...

 

[embyr]

.

 

[embyr]

Just got placed on hold. This one hurts especially after improving my app so much. After getting rejected last year I sought advice from admissions and was told that being on hold isn't very promising as so many applicants get placed in this category. So bummed.

I looked back at the thread from last year and saw a lot of people who were still offered II after being put on hold. Trying to stay hopeful!

Has anyone received an II after being on hold this cycle so far?

 

[Dolly96]

I looked back at the thread from last year and saw a lot of people who were still offered II after being put on hold. Trying to stay hopeful!

Has anyone received an II after being on hold this cycle so far?

A little bit of hope has been restored, thanks!