WesternU MSMS 2019/2020

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
all4DOlove said:
Anyone applying this cycle?
Click to expand...
Thanks for starting the thread. I feel like I'll have imminent questions coming up. I think I might apply as I start to lose hope for this year's DO cycle, haha. Would you happen to know when the cycle opens?

EDIT: NVM, saw that you posted it opens 10/01/18 in the other thread.
 
Does anyone have any information about linkage this year? Official/unofficial? I know it changes every year from lurking the past threads.
 
I want to apply to this program too but my letter writers seem to be MIA. Contact 3 of my professors but only one respond while one retired and doesn't seem to respond to email anymore and the physic professor isn't with the school anymore. Anyone know what can be done in this type of situation?
 
KEPT said:
I want to apply to this program too but my letter writers seem to be MIA. Contact 3 of my professors but only one respond while one retired and doesn't seem to respond to email anymore and the physic professor isn't with the school anymore. Anyone know what can be done in this type of situation?
Click to expand...
I have the exact same issue. Will be tough for me to get that science letter. I’m still working on a solution haha.
 
I have the LOR for the same professor for my current medical school app cycle but will be difficult to get one for the program lol
 
Wait, I’m getting conflicting reports on the website. In the FAQ section it says applications due 2/1 but the apply now page says 3/1 ???




Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Anyone know the character limit for this program's personal statement? Can we use the same PS as the one wrote for medical school application?
 
Application open but I can't seem to get access to the application, anyone else experiencing this issue?
 
KEPT said:
Anyone know the character limit for this program's personal statement? Can we use the same PS as the one wrote for medical school application?
Click to expand...
As far as I know it has to be specific for the program and not sure about the character limit. I think is 2 page max.
 
KEPT said:
Application open but I can't seem to get access to the application, anyone else experiencing this issue?
Click to expand...
The app link should be available now. If you still have problems you should contact admissions.
 
Does anyone know the earliest dates they start contacting people for interviews?
 
KEPT said:
Anyone know the character limit for this program's personal statement? Can we use the same PS as the one wrote for medical school application?
Click to expand...
I believe that in a previous cycle's forum, someone mentioned it should be about the length of a med school personal statement, so ~1 page
 
Hello everyone! Thank you so much for creating this thread, I just found this thread and will begin following it now since I am applying to the MSMS program this year as well! I am a MD/DO applicant this year who is starting to lose hope, because I have received 0 interviews so far this cycle 🙁

I agree with @hiyhiy ! Usually, the length of a PS is what I've heard from most, but they specifically did not mention a strict min/max limit, so it seems more flexible. Also, when I attend their preview day last weekend, they suggested to emphasize/ tailor it to the program and their mission/vision, as opposed to just copying your medical school PS.

Also, to answer @Inhtnj's question, the application will be due 3/1!

Finally to answer @ralphwalDOemerson , at Preview Day when we asked about official linkage, they said that they usually have 20 DO seats in their school of DO class reserved for those specifically in the MSMS every year, as well as 6 seats for either optometry or dentistry I forget which one so you might have to check.. the rest such as podiatry etc.. is more flexible. They said that if you are in the MSMS program, you are basically applying to their medical school + interviewed in a "closed pool" during the next cycle, whereas for example if you decide to do the MSBS program instead, then you have to apply regularly and interview regularly in the "open pool."

I am still also trying to collect all the LORs since they have to be specifically for the program through the links 🙁 so I feel your struggles..

Wishing you all nothing but the best of luck !!!
 
Last edited:
Just submitted! just to confirm, we don't have to send the MCAT score through AAMC right? Just entering the verification code should be enough? Just wondering cause it says I'm missing an admissions test on my application checklist after I've submitted..
 
Also, there has been some talks that were never confirmed nor denied on last year's forum, as well as during preview day regarding the removal of the summer intensive anatomy course. Is there any current MSMS student looking through this forum who can provide us with a little more info on that??? Every time I check the curriculum on WesternU's website, it still includes it clearly! Thank you very much in advance!
 
hiyhiy said:
Just submitted! just to confirm, we don't have to send the MCAT score through AAMC right? Just entering the verification code should be enough? Just wondering cause it says I'm missing an admissions test on my application checklist after I've submitted..
Click to expand...
Yeah I just entered my verification code and it eventually was accepted like a few days after I submitted
 
Does anyone know how the repeated coursework sheet counts towards the calculated gpa?
 
Ballincereal3 said:
Does anyone know how the repeated coursework sheet counts towards the calculated gpa?
Click to expand...

If I understand correctly, they are doing the same thing that DO medical schools now do: no more grade replacement.

Your transcript in college will most likely have a grade replacement policy, so if you repeated a class then the first grade for it gets dropped from your overall calculated GPA.

However, medical schools as well as this program count everything in.. so if you took a class twice, both will be accounted for in your overall GPA. Hope this helps!
 
Thank you guys both!

Are you both MSMS students by any chance? If so, would anyone be willing to answer a few questions? Thank you in advance !!
 
d00d said:
Pretty sure ISAC is still happening next year.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for your response! Ok, that makes sense because there doesn't seem to be any official written sign of changes this year so far..
 
d00d said:
Yes, both of us are. Feel free to ask away!

A quick disclaimer though -- our class is fairly busy over the next two weeks (exams, projects, etc. due before winter break), so replies may be delayed.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for all your helpful tips, and sharing your busy time with us.. Here are some questions that I would like to have your opinion on:

1) Now that you both have been in the program for quite sometime, how is it preparing you for the next phase (e.g. medical school)? Do you like it, and do you feel supported there from Western?
2) Do you have people in your class commuting, or do you think I would be so busy that it would be a cause of stress (drive about an hour or a little less at times)? If you recommend housing which one do you feel like is best cost wise, but provides proximity to campus?
3) If I have not taken any sort of anatomy in HS nor college, do you recommend that I try to study independently anatomy online before beginning the intensive anatomy course in MSMS (since I heard it's pretty difficult)? Or will that not be helpful at all once I start? If not, then what advice do you recommend to be able to successfully do well in that course?

Thank you so much once more, and I wish you both the best of luck finishing up this year in the MSMS program! 🙂
 
hiyhiy said:
thanks to everyone who responded! my MCAT score was received about a week after I submitted it (same time as the science professor review)
Click to expand...

Can also confirm that! 👍 Today, my MCAT score as well as the science professor review were received, and it has been exactly one week since submitting my application.
 
Joining this thread a a bit late. I plan on submitting my application next week but I'm struggling with my personal statement. I'm having trouble getting it down to 1.5 pages. Right now I'm slightly under 2 pages but that's with 1.5 spacing. I took it to the Health Professions advisor on my campus twice to get it cut down and at this point he said I would be taking away the heart of the message. So I said all that to say do you think they would mind it being 2 pages? Also does it have to be double spaced since there are no instructions given online?
 
djay_93 said:
Joining this thread a a bit late. I plan on submitting my application next week but I'm struggling with my personal statement. I'm having trouble getting it down to 1.5 pages. Right now I'm slightly under 2 pages but that's with 1.5 spacing. I took it to the Health Professions advisor on my campus twice to get it cut down and at this point he said I would be taking away the heart of the message. So I said all that to say do you think they would mind it being 2 pages? Also does it have to be double spaced since there are no instructions given online?
Click to expand...

Welcome! 🙂 No, no not late at all it's still pretty early !!

Since they did not give strict instructions on that, I personally didn't care as much about the length, as I did for the actual message and clearly conveying their mission, and vision as they advised on preview day! Mine was also 2 pgs. but this was how much I needed to clearly convey my message and story... this is just my opinion, but please if anyone else heard any other specifics on that, chime in.. Also, I did not see instructions on spacing, so I did mine single spaced like a med school PS, but again please correct me if I am wrong.. best of luck!! 🙂
 
creativemind0306 said:
Welcome! 🙂 No, no not late at all it's still pretty early !!

Since they did not give strict instructions on that, I personally didn't care as much about the length, as I did for the actual message and clearly conveying their mission, and vision as they advised on preview day! Mine was also 2 pgs. but this was how much I needed to clearly convey my message and story... this is just my opinion, but please if anyone else heard any other specifics on that, chime in.. Also, I did not see instructions on spacing, so I did mine single spaced like a med school PS, but again please correct me if I am wrong.. best of luck!! 🙂
Click to expand...

Awesome! Ok that makes me feel so much better because me and my advisor really didn't want to take anything else out lol

Is everyone here aiming for their DO Program after?
 
d00d said:
1) I feel that the program has prepared us well for medical school. The faculty are very helpful and supportive, some even coming in on weekends to hold workshops to help us understand critical concepts.

2) There are a few people that live fairly far away (~1 hour commute one way). They're able to pull it off, but I know I personally wouldn't be able to. I would recommend living as close as possible to minimize your commute, but ultimately it comes down to whether you think you can handle that commute (that extra 30 minutes in traffic = 30 minutes you aren't studying). The Daumier and The Helix are two close housing options (on campus, but relatively expensive). You can also try checking WesternU's student housing portal (there are apartments, houses, and rooms for rent that are posted there regularly). That said, if those don't yield any housing options, checking Craigslist and other sites with housing listings may be helpful (be VERY careful with those though, as there are a lot of.... questionable.... listings on Craigslist in particular). Cost-wise, the absolute cheapest I've heard of someone in our class paying for a room off-campus is around $550 or so. Could vary a LOT (the on-campus options can cost between $850 - $1625 depending on where and floor plan).

3) First off, wait until you are accepted into the program before trying to prepare for anything. Once you know you will be enrolling in the program, it may help to self-study the bones on the lead-up to the first day of class. There's a great anatomy app that several of us have downloaded (and continue to use) -- Complete Anatomy by 3D4Medical (available on Android, iOS, and Windows). You have to pay to get the full version, but it's worth every penny. To be successful in ISAC (intensive summer anatomy course) itself, one needs to make sure they are studying efficiently every day and going into lab to review after hours (both are equally important!). If those things are done, ISAC will be manageable. Studying without going into lab after hours = bad idea.

Hope that all helps!
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for taking time to answer all my questions in detail!! Happy New Year ! 🙂
 
I'm assuming everyone here is planning on taking out loans for both the masters program and their respective professional school the following year so my question is would we have to start paying back the loans for the masters program while we're in DO/Dental school or is it all defferd ?
 
d00d said:
Assuming that you move directly into the professional program of your choice (i.e., no gap year between MSMS and the professional program), your student loans should remain in deferment. If accepted to MSMS, consult WesternU's financial aid department for more info.
Click to expand...
Awesome! That's what I was hoping, thank you.
 
Hiiii!
I have a question for people already in the program. I am trying to plan my life to be more prepared in case I get a spot in the program . In order to apply to the DO program, have you seen yourself or others retaking the MCAT? And also, when is the best time to apply during the cycle to the DO program? Since is at the same time you are attending the MSMS program and you need letters/MCAT scores and the DO admissions is rolling based. Do they have more flexibility with MSMS students?
 
MagicFairy said:
Hi everyone,
Is anyone here a reapplicant? Does anyone know if portions of the PS from the first application cycle can be reused?
Click to expand...
Hello Guys!! I am currently a reapplicant for this year's MSMS program (I was waitlisted last year). I spoke with an admission counselor last year in November and she told me that all I had to do was retweak my personal statement (for MSMS specifically) and obtain one LOR from a science professor! Although I changed a little bit of my PS I am still a little worried about not giving the admissions fresh materials for them to read.
 
forestandsands said:
Hiiii!
I have a question for people already in the program. I am trying to plan my life to be more prepared in case I get a spot in the program . In order to apply to the DO program, have you seen yourself or others retaking the MCAT? And also, when is the best time to apply during the cycle to the DO program? Since is at the same time you are attending the MSMS program and you need letters/MCAT scores and the DO admissions is rolling based. Do they have more flexibility with MSMS students?
Click to expand...

Hi, MSMS alum here! If you get into the MSMS program and need to retake the MCAT, you will be contacted by one of the program directors to discuss available test prep resources, available accommodations, and testing deadlines. Quite a few people in my class decided to prep for and retake the MCAT during the program. It was tougher for some because of research responsibilities, but it is very much doable.

Honestly, the best time to apply depends on what the holes are in your MD/DO application and your reasons for doing the MSMS program. If you are confident in your med school application, are only doing the MSMS program as a backup, and are planning on applying outside of WesternU, I would advise applying very early on in the cycle.

I'm going to be very candid with you. MSMS is a great program if you are perfectly okay with attending COMP or COMP-NW, because the colleges work closely in terms of fulfilling requirements and laying out specific deadlines. If ISAC still happens this summer, you won't have anything new to add to your med school applications until December, which is extremely late in the cycle.
 
Tuldun said:
Hi, MSMS alum here! If you get into the MSMS program and need to retake the MCAT, you will be contacted by one of the program directors to discuss available test prep resources, available accommodations, and testing deadlines. Quite a few people in my class decided to prep for and retake the MCAT during the program. It was tougher for some because of research responsibilities, but it is very much doable.

Honestly, the best time to apply depends on what the holes are in your MD/DO application and your reasons for doing the MSMS program. If you are confident in your med school application, are only doing the MSMS program as a backup, and are planning on applying outside of WesternU, I would advise applying very early on in the cycle.

I'm going to be very candid with you. MSMS is a great program if you are perfectly okay with attending COMP or COMP-NW, because the colleges work closely in terms of fulfilling requirements and laying out specific deadlines. If ISAC still happens this summer, you won't have anything new to add to your med school applications until December, which is extremely late in the cycle.
Click to expand...

Does the MSMS program let you decide whether you want to attend COMP or COMP-NW considering you do well in the program?
 
It's late Jan already, has anyone heard anything from the program?
 
KEPT said:
It's late Jan already, has anyone heard anything from the program?
Click to expand...

That is a negative on my end 🙁

The first interview date is fast approaching (2/16), so I can only assume that they will def. start sending out those interview invitations soon enough! I also remember reading previous years starting to receive their invitations right around now, so I feel like they should start any minute now!!
 
Ballincereal3 said:
Does the MSMS program let you decide whether you want to attend COMP or COMP-NW considering you do well in the program?
Click to expand...

+1 I would also really like to find out more about this, because I am from SoCal, so I would love to stay at the Pomona campus through out my master, AND years of medical school! Does anyone know more about this???

I can only assume though that since it is at the Pomona campus, then it is natural that medical school will be there as well if we get accepted.. unless we decide to apply to other schools including COMP-NW!

Can anyone provide some input on this? Thanks!!
 
KEPT said:
It's late Jan already, has anyone heard anything from the program?
Click to expand...
From past threads and the westernu website, I think they send out interviews invites like 2 weeks before the date, so im assuming we will start hearing back like February 2nd or a little before or after that hopefully!!
 
Did any of you receive an email stating that your application is under review? My status checklist is all complete but I noticed in past threads that they received an email mentioning this.
 
steezzz said:
Did any of you receive an email stating that your application is under review? My status checklist is all complete but I noticed in past threads that they received an email mentioning this.
Click to expand...

Mine has been marked complete since the first week application was open but haven't receive any email from them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
WesternU MSMS 2025-2026
2 3 4 5
Replies
218
Views
15K
PremedCloud
P
P
MSMS morehouse
Replies
3
Views
549
uniqvemd2b
U
U
Morehouse MSMS Program 2025
Replies
4
Views
586
uniqvemd2b
U
P
WesternU MSMS 2024/2025
2
Replies
95
Views
14K
YaaasDoctor
Y
D
WesternU MSMS 2023-2024
2 3
Replies
123
Views
19K
Riiilew
R
Top