William Carey University - College of Osteopathic Medicine

[WCUDO]

My congratulations to the first group of interviewees...and my humblest apologies for not being there. Also, please forgive this long missive.

I am in Washington, DC for the AMA's Third National Congress on Health System Readiness: Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness in the 21st Century. The late Dr. Strosnider appointed me as the AOA Liason for this group...exciting conference and good curricular material that you will receive in school.

The tone set at the interviews is one of hospitality...if not we want to know about it.

I enjoy Mythbusters and will now comment on some of the postings in the thread.

- "less inclined to sift through the applications..." This clearly is not the case. Dr. Weir, Associate Dean, Student Affairs has a keen sense for applicants. He and Ms. Bennett have spent hours on the applications and in selecting those who will be interviewed. Each application and applicant receives individual and personal review. It is not beyond Dr. Weir to call an applicant who looks good but is missing something from the secondary.
-"...generous acceptances..." There is nothing generous about them. If you got accepted (not just here, but anywhere) you were found deserving of the opportunity to study medicine...you earned it. Others have invested their lives in you (and you in your own), and this is the payoff. We will interview until the class is full. The Dean will call you if accepted...if the Dean is tied up with AOA or other business, I will call you.
- "Class size of 100." The initial class size is 100 and will remain so for the next five years. COCA has approved the COM for 100 seats and it permits eight percent overage to allow for attrition. Thus, WCU-COM can accept 108 students.
- The building is coming along...I just checked our website and Facebook and see that we have not got the most recent pics in queue. I will send Emily an email...she's getting ready for next week's interviews.
- The interview really is about assessing fit. We are looking at you just as much as you are looking at us. If not accepted, it is not necessarily because you couldn't do the work...it might be because in the eyes of the COM it is not a good fit. If accepted and you do not choose to come to WCU...ultimately it is because you decide that it is not a fit.

Shakespeare said "Brevity is the soul of wit." I have been to long...but thought it important enough to comment.

Slainte,

DrL

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[GraceEuphoria]

Oh man...[open mouth insert foot]...by no means was I implying that anyone who received an acceptance was undeserving of such an honor. I would be quite honored myself to be offered a seat at this school! To say that the school might be generous in their acceptance offers was truly a mistake on my part. I apologize if my words were misunderstood. The fact is that there are way more deserving applicants than there are number of seats available for the upcoming class- it's the nature of the beast. By starting the process later than the other schools and potentially receiving fewer applications because of that, the percentage of acceptance offers automatically increases and offers me some excitement about pursuing my goals in a brand new program. Now I shall go tuck my tail between my legs in shame

 

[dkrt3]

Welcome myrmidon and jhfuller! Congrats to you guys as well. It is nice to have people on here that I can now relate to a face.

One thing I did not share that I think is pretty cool is the diverse backgrounds of at least my group. We had people from all places is the spectrum (regarding education, occupation, age, etc...). I will not speak for the others, as that is their business, but i am an x-ray tech from MS. Maybe some of the others will share. I think having a class from different backgrounds will certainly benefit the class. Sometimes it's nice to have a different perspective!

Maybe in the coming weeks, as more people as accepted, we can start a class of 2014 thread and FB page.

 

[Baldi]

Congrats to those acepted.
How long from your file being complete did it take to receive an interview offer?

 

[CHOCCHIP1207]

yeah congrats to those that got accepted! how exciting that you'll will be the first class!!!!! Same question as Baldi...i sent my 2ndary this morning! im praying there will be seats left! Oh and how great that you find out that your accepted the day of the interview! Im impatient! lol

 

[dkrt3]

It was just a few days (a week I think). Once you have mailed your secondary, and have given it a few days to arrive, call or e-mail Emily to see if you are complete. That way she can at least keep you informed on where your file stands. E-mail worked fine for me. Anyone you e-mail there will respond in a timely manner.

 

[sandalman10]

Hey guys, I was in the 8 am group and I got accepted, I don't know if the other people in my group got in but I suspect they did too, In my group there were two from alabama, two from mississippi and one from louisiana

 

[lawyerdoc2b]

Hey guys, I was in the 8 am group and I got accepted, I don't know if the other people in my group got in but I suspect they did too, In my group there were two from alabama, two from mississippi and one from louisiana

Sandalman10,

Congratulations! I hope that the rest of your group (like mine at 1 p.m.) was likewise as blessed as you with an acceptance.

 

[lawyerdoc2b]

My congratulations to the first group of interviewees...and my humblest apologies for not being there. Also, please forgive this long missive.

I am in Washington, DC for the AMA's Third National Congress on Health System Readiness: Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness in the 21st Century. The late Dr. Strosnider appointed me as the AOA Liason for this group...exciting conference and good curricular material that you will receive in school.

The tone set at the interviews is one of hospitality...if not we want to know about it.

I enjoy Mythbusters and will now comment on some of the postings in the thread.

- "less inclined to sift through the applications..." This clearly is not the case. Dr. Weir, Associate Dean, Student Affairs has a keen sense for applicants. He and Ms. Bennett have spent hours on the applications and in selecting those who will be interviewed. Each application and applicant receives individual and personal review. It is not beyond Dr. Weir to call an applicant who looks good but is missing something from the secondary.
-"...generous acceptances..." There is nothing generous about them. If you got accepted (not just here, but anywhere) you were found deserving of the opportunity to study medicine...you earned it. Others have invested their lives in you (and you in your own), and this is the payoff. We will interview until the class is full. The Dean will call you if accepted...if the Dean is tied up with AOA or other business, I will call you.
- "Class size of 100." The initial class size is 100 and will remain so for the next five years. COCA has approved the COM for 100 seats and it permits eight percent overage to allow for attrition. Thus, WCU-COM can accept 108 students.
- The building is coming along...I just checked our website and Facebook and see that we have not got the most recent pics in queue. I will send Emily an email...she's getting ready for next week's interviews.
- The interview really is about assessing fit. We are looking at you just as much as you are looking at us. If not accepted, it is not necessarily because you couldn't do the work...it might be because in the eyes of the COM it is not a good fit. If accepted and you do not choose to come to WCU...ultimately it is because you decide that it is not a fit.

Shakespeare said "Brevity is the soul of wit." I have been to long...but thought it important enough to comment.

Slainte,

DrL

Dr. L.,

Sorry we missed you on December 1st. We appreciate your input. The hospitality was top notch. We were made to feel most welcome. The presentation and interview was a comfortable, nonstressful event.

It won't take long to fill the class with top quality students.

 

[Bones DO]

Emily let me know that my file was complete via email a few days ago. I am hoping to be interviewed, but am from New York... has anyone interviewed from the northeast?

Thanks!

 

[forrealz]

I never received a complete e-mail from her but I called her a while back(more than 1.5 months) and she told me my file was complete. I called her a week ago, and she said my file has not been reviewed yet. I wonder if them completely ignoring my file has anything to do with my OOSer status.

 

[Bones DO]

Oh man.....no <3 for out of region???

 

[lawyerdoc2b]

Oh man.....no <3 for out of region???

Bones DO,

Call Emily. Tell her you like the heat & humidity rather than snow and would seriously consider staying in the region upon graduation (if this is the truth) and you will have a shot at admission.

It is early in the process.

 

[wkc22]

I have received my interview invitation for Dec 17 at 8am. Any others have an interview this day?

 

[wkc22]

I put my secondary in the mail on Monday Nov 30th and received my interview invite on Thurs Dec 3rd. Seemed to be a pretty quick turnaround.

 

[Bones DO]

Bones DO,

Call Emily. Tell her you like the heat humidity rather than snow and would seriously consider staying in the region upon grduation Iif this is the truth) and you will have a shot at admission.

It is early in the process.

This is the truth, I HATE the snow and its constant up here! I'll give her a ring. Thanks!

 

[forrealz]

I put my secondary in the mail on Monday Nov 30th and received my interview invite on Thurs Dec 3rd. Seemed to be a pretty quick turnaround.

What state are you from?

 

[wkc22]

What state are you from?

I'm from central MS.. about 1 hr from hattiesburg.. My LORs and transcripts have been at WCU for a while so the secondary was the only thing they were waiting on.

 

[Irishfan]

For those interviewing tomorrow it's been raining all day today, and it is supposed to do the same tomorrow. Might want to bring an umbrella. Good luck!

 

[creativename]

Some other qualities Mississippians pride themselves on are of course our hospitality, our southern cuisine (gotta love some catfish, fried food is big here, it could be associated with our obesity ranking), our music(blues and folk).
There's other cultural aspects to consider about this great state such as its history and authors but these aren't things that would necessarily convince someone to remain in MS and set up a practice here.

 

[creativename]

The short and the long of it: open file, three interviewers(Dr. Weir, Dr. Lovins, Dr. Bailey). Kicked it off with the quintessential, "What led you to want to become a physician?" and the rest as per usual:
1)Why DO? or some variation of that question, basically how is osteopathic medicine different in your eyes. I explained how shadowing experiences had helped make up my mind. If you're going into primary care then DO is the way to go.

2)Why WCU/MS? Hint: A desire to train and learn where you plan on practicing is a good way to look at this question so if you're in it to win it with MS this question should go smoothly. If you're out of state it helps to have something legitimate, a tie of some kind to the southeast, to back up your rationale.

3)"If I were to ask you what medical field you're leaning towards right now, you would say?" And I think there was a where do you see yourself 10 years from now question.

4)What are the top three qualities expected of a physician?

5)And my requisite ethical query went like this:
You barely pass your first couple of tests and you come to find out two students did exceptionally well with the help of a little drug known as adderall.
I think there was some mention of them offering to sell you some. Either way, I fumbled my way through this question. The main thing to remember is that this is a controlled substance and on top of that you have future doctors dealing drugs. You can go several ways with this question, such as; legal ramifications, higher moral standards when it comes to this kind of behavior from a health professional, and using an unprescribed drug for its enhancement properties without proper diagnosis to gain an advantage is tantamount to cheating. At any rate, check out this link for more info.

So yeah, pretty standard procedure stuff as far as an interview goes, I would think. No curveballs.
Keeping with the expression of good news traveling fast, they were super fast at delivering an admission's decision (the same day) and hopefully for future applicants being interviewed that expediency will remain the case going into the new year. I found this extra personal touch of consideration on the school's behalf really noteworthy. They definitely won my favor by avoiding a drawn-out process thereby leaving the potential student on pins and needles.

Tip: Dr. Ed Williams' advice in the application process was of invaluable aid. He is great about setting up contacts with the right people and genuinely cares about those students he's helping. He's straight-up, so don't let it get you down if he says there's work to be done. Not to mention he doesn't charge a penny for his premed counseling.

 

[DO3]

So, I had my interview today. All of the staff members were amazing!!! Dr. Lovins set the relaxed tone from the beginning. All of my other fellow interviewees were very nice to be with in addition to the two ladies from the admissions office. I enjoyed the presentation, and it truly looks like big things are going to come from this program. The rotation sites that WCU-COM students will have access to are, I believe, going to be very, very good since there is only one other medical school in the state. I know it's a new school and there's always a risk in being part of one of the first classes. For some reason, I am very tempted to go to WCU-COM over another school, possibly two other schools that I have been accepted to. I don't know why, I just have a good feeling about the place. Dr. Murphy and Dr. Lovins both came from Pikeville, and the graduates of Pikeville that I have talked with have had nothing but good things to say about the both of them. Does anyone who has acceptances to other schools besides WCU-COM have any thoughts?

FYI...the ethical question that they ask is not the same for everyone. Don't just come prepared for one topic becuase you will be surprised.

 

[lbm65]

Hi all,

I saw where someone asked about the first group of students that interviewed on Dec. 1st. I was also accepted that day as well. I look forward to meeting you all that have already been accepted as well in August!

(I am not sure about the others out of my group that interviewed but I feel sure they were accepted as well. They all seemed to be great candidates!)
WCU-COM class of 2014!

 

[lbm65]

And also good luck to those of you who will be interviewing soon! I had a great experience at William Carey and I am sure you will love just as I did!

 

[AgDoc84]

Anyone hear anything from yesterday afternoon?

 

[demayette]

I am planning to apply for next cycle. 3.2 cGPA, 3.4 sGPA , RN ,non-traditional, no ECs yet. What mcat score do I need in order to have a decent chance for William Carey?

 

[lawyerdoc2b]

I am planning to apply for next cycle. 3.2 cGPA, 3.4 sGPA , RN ,non-traditional, no ECs yet. What mcat score do I need in order to have a decent chance for William Carey?

The Dean, Dr. Murphy told me last August that he expected the "average" MCAT to be around a 25. As this is the first class, it is not possible to know until the class matriculates and the entrance statistics tallied.

 

[demayette]

The Dean, Dr. Murphy told me last August that he expected the "average" MCAT to be around a 25. As this is the first class, it is not possible to know until the class matriculates and the entrance statistics tallied.

I am worried about my 3.2 cGPA but people have told they give a closer look at sGPA. Is that true?

 

[lawyerdoc2b]

I am worried about my 3.2 cGPA but people have told they give a closer look at sGPA. Is that true?

I don't know the answer to your question but a 3.2 is competitive.

 

[wkc22]

Anyone else have an interview this Thurs morning at 8am?

 

[iwork4911]

Has anyone heard from WCU lately? I have sent two emails and haven't received a reply, I am sure they have been busy but thought I would ask.

 

[Jayscin]

Has anyone heard from WCU lately? I have sent two emails and haven't received a reply, I am sure they have been busy but thought I would ask.

I heard from them about an interview this morning. They invited me for 01/14....I have an interview at KCOM that day, so I'm trying to reschedule one of them.

 

[Gatorfan44]

Anyone else have an interview this Thurs morning at 8am?

I do...coming in from AL Wed night.

 

[iwork4911]

Dang. I submitted the first day they opened up and have been complete for a long time.

Though I am now an out of state applicant, I was hoping that having been born in Alabama, and having a great deal of family in and around AL and MS, that my desires to get back to the region would help out.

I suppose I will try to be patient and wait.

 

[MakesSense]

Dang. I submitted the first day they opened up and have been complete for a long time.

Though I am now an out of state applicant, I was hoping that having been born in Alabama, and having a great deal of family in and around AL and MS, that my desires to get back to the region would help out.

I suppose I will try to be patient and wait.

As long as you made your desires to move back known to them, that should be a plus.

The waiting stinks!

But for now that is better than being rejected

 

[KPermanganate]

How long did it take for an interview invite after completion??

 

[Jayscin]

It took me a couple of weeks before I received an intervview invite. I sent a letter of interest and then received a phone that they had misplaced my LORs. Give them call to make sure they have everything. If they do, send Emily a letter of interest. PM me and I will send you a copy of the letter that I sent.

 

[CHOCCHIP1207]

has anybody been accepted that's not from MS or the surrounding areas? anybody without any ties? im from texas and i dont have any family or friend ties in MS. i dont know what to do.

 

[creativename]

has anybody been accepted that's not from MS or the surrounding areas? anybody without any ties? im from texas and i dont have any family or friend ties in MS. i dont know what to do.

If you've gotten your secondary in then you're good. Just have to wait for them to extend their interviews beyond the South. I'm not sure what their stance on Texas is. Mississippi has much love for OOSers. It's not OUCOM.

 

[CHOCCHIP1207]

If you've gotten your secondary in then you're good. Just have to wait for them to extend their interviews beyond the South. I'm not sure what their stance on Texas is. Mississippi has much love for OOSers. It's not OUCOM.

Thank you creativename...I was just talking to my cousin about everything. I think I stress to much...but I will just leave it in God's hands and whatever is supposed to happen will.

 

[Irishfan]

If you've gotten your secondary in then you're good. Just have to wait for them to extend their interviews beyond the South. I'm not sure what their stance on Texas is. Mississippi has much love for OOSers. It's not OUCOM.

Their focus is Mississppi, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

 

[wkc22]

Had my interview 8am Dec 17th. I was very impressed with all of the staff and faculty that I met while at William Carey. They made the day as low stress as possible. And the best thing, I found out I was accepted before I even left the campus. How did everyone else's interview Dec 17th go?

 

[Gatorfan44]

Had my interview 8am Dec 17th. I was very impressed with all of the staff and faculty that I met while at William Carey. They made the day as low stress as possible. And the best thing, I found out I was accepted before I even left the campus. How did everyone else's interview Dec 17th go?

I was accepted as well from your group. I'm waiting on acceptance news from other schools, but my wife and I fell in love with the staff/faculty/area/etc. and I'm very proud to be a part of their innaugural class. See you guys in Aug.

 

[Irishfan]

For those interested, 29 students have been accepted so far: http://www.wmcarey.edu/news/1/364/29StudentsAcceptedin.shtm

 

[CHOCCHIP1207]

For those interested, 29 students have been accepted so far: http://www.wmcarey.edu/news/1/364/29StudentsAcceptedin.shtm

Irishfan, thank you so much for posting this...good to know.

 

[MakesSense]

For those interested, 29 students have been accepted so far: http://www.wmcarey.edu/news/1/364/29StudentsAcceptedin.shtm

I would guess that the majority of these 29 have another offer besides Carey or soon will have.

(CONGRATULATIONS to ALL of you in this position and wish EACH of you the very best in making a most difficult decision.)

 

[lawyerdoc2b]

I would guess that the majority of these 29 have another offer besides Carey or soon will have.

(CONGRATULATIONS to ALL of you in this position and wish EACH of you the very best in making a most difficult decision.)

Perhaps there is some validity to your comment but I disagree based upon the four other applicants that I interviewed with on December 1st. Of the five of us, I was the only one who had been accepted elsewhere prior to our interview.

Two of the four had applied only to WCU as I recall. The others had applied elsewhere but decisions were pending. All of the four expressed their desire in our discussions while waiting our turn to interview to attend WCU as their first (or only) choice.

I have no knowledge about the other 24 of the 29 accepted. I predict based upon this anecdotal "evidence" that the vast majority of the 29 will accept the offer, send in their class depost and attend WCU.

I don't fault them. WCU will be a great school from what I have seen.

 

[DO3]

Perhaps there is some validity to your comment but I disagree based upon the four other applicants that I interviewed with on December 1st. Of the five of us, I was the only one who had been accepted elsewhere prior to our interview.

Two of the four had applied only to WCU as I recall. The others had applied elsewhere but decisions were pending. All of the four expressed their desire in our discussions while waiting our turn to interview to attend WCU as their first (or only) choice.

I have no knowledge about the other 24 of the 29 accepted. I predict based upon this anecdotal "evidence" that the vast majority of the 29 will accept the offer, send in their class depost and attend WCU.

I don't fault them. WCU will be a great school from what I have seen.

Out of my group of 5, I was the only one who had an acceptance elsewhere. Only one of the others had even been to an interview. Another one of the others had an interview coming up. I'm with you. Most of the 29 that have been accepted will end up going to WCU. I believe that this is mainly because the students that they are interviewing are from Mississippi and surrounding states. There no DO schools in this area. Most of the students in my interview group were looking to stay close to home.

 

[MakesSense]

Perhaps there is some validity to your comment but I disagree based upon the four other applicants that I interviewed with on December 1st. Of the five of us, I was the only one who had been accepted elsewhere prior to our interview.

Two of the four had applied only to WCU as I recall. The others had applied elsewhere but decisions were pending. All of the four expressed their desire in our discussions while waiting our turn to interview to attend WCU as their first (or only) choice.

I have no knowledge about the other 24 of the 29 accepted. I predict based upon this anecdotal "evidence" that the vast majority of the 29 will accept the offer, send in their class depost and attend WCU.

I don't fault them. WCU will be a great school from what I have seen.

Gentlemen, I bow to your knowledge of the situation . I made an assumption and all of us know what CAN happen when you assume.

My main point was to offer congratulations and best wishes in making a difficult decision.

 

[creativename]

At first glance a prospective applicant might see that 29 and become worried that nearly a third of the seats are taken. However at this stage of the game that's still a pretty slim number of seats offered. Many other schools have already switched over to waitlisting. I think even though WCU is very expedient, they're still having to play catchup since they weren't able to start interviewing until so late.