William Carey (WCU-COM) Discussion Thread 2012 - 2013

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Definitely applying!! (from Idaho...strong ties though)
 
I am very interested in William Carey... and by very I mean its pretty much the only school I am considering. My question is, do you think it would be crazy of me to commute from Mobile, AL to WCU everyday? Its only 1.5 hours but that ends up being 3 hours total. I am only considering commuting because we recently bought a house in Mobile and my wife has a great job here. If I were to commute I would hope the lectures are recorded so I can at least listen to them again as I drive. I am just curious if you all think I am crazy for wanting to commute.

Also, do you think I have a competitive chance with a GPA 3.6 and a MCAT of 30? I only recently (last year) decided I wanted to go into medicine instead of Emergency Management so I just don't know if I need to boost my GPA.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
DOctorBound said:
I am very interested in William Carey... and by very I mean its pretty much the only school I am considering. My question is, do you think it would be crazy of me to commute from Mobile, AL to WCU everyday? Its only 1.5 hours but that ends up being 3 hours total. I am only considering commuting because we recently bought a house in Mobile and my wife has a great job here. If I were to commute I would hope the lectures are recorded so I can at least listen to them again as I drive. I am just curious if you all think I am crazy for wanting to commute.

Also, do you think I have a competitive chance with a GPA 3.6 and a MCAT of 30? I only recently (last year) decided I wanted to go into medicine instead of Emergency Management so I just don't know if I need to boost my GPA.

Any help would be appreciated.
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I would not commute that far at all. You'll want those 3 hours....for sleep, studying, spending time with your wife. You will especially not have that time your first semester when you are spending so much time in gross lab.
 
torshi said:
whats the avg stats for applying here
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Mentally putting together stats that I have seen, mostly on SDN pulled from other sources, the MCAT's of the 1st two classes was 24.6 & 26. I think the avg GPA of the the 1st two classes was 3.43. I think the incoming class will have better stats than either of the 1st two classes.


BTW, we have a lot of Texans in our 1st two classes. (I think it may be fourth behind MS, LA, & AL. in the states with the most students at WCUCOM). At least 10 people in my class are from Texas and they really seem to like it. I am not sure how many Texans are in the Class of 2016.

Hope this helps
 
MakesSense said:
Mentally putting together stats that I have seen, mostly on SDN pulled from other sources, the MCAT's of the 1st two classes was 24.6 & 26. I think the avg GPA of the the 1st two classes was 3.43. I think the incoming class will have better stats than either of the 1st two classes.


BTW, we have a lot of Texans in our 1st two classes. (I think it may be fourth behind MS, LA, & AL. in the states with the most students at WCUCOM). At least 10 people in my class are from Texas and they really seem to like it. I am not sure how many Texans are in the Class of 2016.

Hope this helps
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Thanks and it sure does 👍
 
As a faculty member, I would categorically advise you NOT to commute! This will simply not work out for you. After over 30 years of teaching medical school, I speak here with ample precedence. Good luck with your application process.
 
Pre-AACOMAS uGPA: 2.4
AACOMAS uGPA: 2.9
So far 22 credit hrs of SMP work at Mississippi College: 4.0
MCAT (only one attempt): 28O
MS resident
By end of Summer, at least 300 hrs of hospital volunteering
and approximately 40-50 hrs of shadowing

With my uGPA being horrific, I wanted to figure out how significant my graduate coursework at MC is with rectifying my academic credibility as well as how likely is it that I may gain acceptance at WCU.


Thank you in advance!!!
 
shataiki said:
Pre-AACOMAS uGPA: 2.4
AACOMAS uGPA: 2.9
So far 22 credit hrs of SMP work at Mississippi College: 4.0
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Honestly, I think your MCAT is fine for admission, and the other shadowing is good as well. The SMP at MC is also very good. How is your sciGPA? Depending on that, you may or may not need to re-take some undergrad courses to raise your GPA. I would try and visit the school and ask that specific question - they give the impression to me, at least, that they will be honest and straightforward with you about what you should do to become competitive. Good luck.
 
does this school have any regional bias? thanks
 
I'd really like to go here. I visited on my way down to Florida. I'm an Arkansas resident. Anyone have a ballpark for the MCAT score I'd need?

I majored in Biology, cGPA: 3.5, sGPA: 3.2, pre-req GPA: 3.7. I've finished half of a Master of Public Health--GPA: 4.0. I have two years of full time research experience, and I've spent two summers in Mozambique and South Africa building a health clinic. I also spent all four years of college in a leadership position in a campus ministry, played drums at church, etc.

Thanks guys,
Brian
 
mdny said:
yes, southern gulf states
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WCUCOM does have a SE & SW regional bias. After all, it's mission is to train physicians for Mississippi and the surrounding states.

It does accept primary applicants from other geographical regions. Unlike many schools, WCUCOM will not automatically send out secondaries. It sends out secondaries to about 1 out of every 4 applicants. We have students from California, Arizona, and New York

IMHO, a qualified applicant from another part of the country, who is open-minded about practicing in the target region of WCUCOM will be in good shape.
 
To my knowledge, students accepted to WCU from outside of the gulf region are applicants who had attended schools in the south prior to applying....meaning residency in non-gulf region states but have attended institutions in the south. I guess this would demonstrate to admissions that you have been in the gulf region and have the desire to remain here indefinitely.
 
LovePeds said:
To my knowledge, students accepted to WCU from outside of the gulf region are applicants who had attended schools in the south prior to applying....meaning residency in non-gulf region states but have attended institutions in the south. I guess this would demonstrate to admissions that you have been in the gulf region and have the desire to remain here indefinitely.
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Not necessarily. I'm from Oklahoma, definitely not part of the gulf region, and only attended OU before coming to WCUCOM. WCUCOM has a preference for gulf region students, however, they look at more than just numbers & location on your application.
Good luck to everyone applying! 🙂
 
I am very interested in WCUCOM. I plan on applying this cycle. I am a TN resident and had 3.5 GPA and 23 MCAT. I have over a year of experience (>2000 hrs) as an ER Scribe under my belt and I am about to start as a Medical Assistant at the largest Cardiology Clinic in the city. Any chance at getting in with that MCAT score?
 
mdthomas714 said:
I am very interested in WCUCOM. I plan on applying this cycle. I am a TN resident and had 3.5 GPA and 23 MCAT. I have over a year of experience (>2000 hrs) as an ER Scribe under my belt and I am about to start as a Medical Assistant at the largest Cardiology Clinic in the city. Any chance at getting in with that MCAT score?
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I would love to see another TN native at WCU. Your GPA is about avg,your MCAT is definitely low, but your EC's look good. IMHO

WCU does look at more than raw scores. They try and know the applicants to see if they can handle medical school and the subsequent boards AND if they will be a good fit for the school and its mission.

Go on and apply early and see what happens.
 
MakesSense said:
I would love to see another TN native at WCU. Your GPA is about avg,your MCAT is definitely low, but your EC's look good. IMHO

WCU does look at more than raw scores. They try and know the applicants to see if they can handle medical school and the subsequent boards AND if they will be a good fit for the school and its mission.

Go on and apply early and see what happens.
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Thanks I definitely plan on sending my application in here within the next month. I am taking the MCAT again on July 6th after doing the Kaplan Course for ~10 months. Hopefully it helps and gets my score up a little bit.
 
any word on secondary essay questions?
 
called today, and was told to anticipate a secondary towards the end of the summer... BUT...
 
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secondaryyy received today! hahah was not expecting one until way later.. but not complaining!!
 
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Does everyone else's secondary say 2013-2014?

And we definitely have to mail it in, correct?
 
mdny said:
secondaryyy received today! hahah was not expecting one until way later.. but not complaining!!
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they've already sent out secondaries?? argh i haven't gotten one yet...
 
I plan on coming down in a couple weeks on a Saturday when passing through for vacation. Any chance the school will be open to go look around at facilities? Also what are some of the nicer neighborhoods to live in?
 
mdthomas714 said:
I plan on coming down in a couple weeks on a Saturday when passing through for vacation. Any chance the school will be open to go look around at facilities? Also what are some of the nicer neighborhoods to live in?
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Hey! You can give Emily Bennett or Dr. Weir a call and ask if they could give you a look around. 🙂
 
BrianK0220 said:
I'd really like to go here. I visited on my way down to Florida. I'm an Arkansas resident. Anyone have a ballpark for the MCAT score I'd need?

I majored in Biology, cGPA: 3.5, sGPA: 3.2, pre-req GPA: 3.7. I've finished half of a Master of Public Health--GPA: 4.0. I have two years of full time research experience, and I've spent two summers in Mozambique and South Africa building a health clinic. I also spent all four years of college in a leadership position in a campus ministry, played drums at church, etc.

Thanks guys,
Brian
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I would say about 10% of my class is from Arkansas. It is hard to generalize about MCAT scores because in each of the 1st three classes the avg MCAT has gone up. I would guess that a 26 or above would put you in decent shape but this is an OPINION of an uninformed rising 2nd year student.
 
DocFelt said:
Applying here. It's not the top of my list, but I'm only applying to about 4 schools and I'm an underdog. I've checked the campus out, and it definitely seems like a great place with a bright future. I think they've got the right people in the right place, as far as administration goes.

But have they got classroom time thing figured out over there? I know a couple people that go there and told me that they are literally in class all day and study all night. I understand that medical school is rigorous, but they (and apparently many other WCU students) felt that a lot of class time could be cut out. Growing pains, I'm sure.

I don't wish to open up a can of worms here. I know this was a discussed issue in last years thread. I just want to know everything I can before entering the game.
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As stated earlier, this was discussed ad infinitum, ad nausem, in last years thread.

The rising first year students will have the same schedule that we had last year in the first semester :

Gross Anatomy
Histology
Embryology/Genetics
Osteopathic Principles and Practice
Physical Diagnosis
Doctoring Skills

The second semester will also be the same as our's and include:

Medical Physiology
Biochemistry
Neuroanatomy/Immunology
Osteopathic Principles and Practice
Physical Diagnosis
Doctoring Skills

Now there will probably be some "tweeks" in the rising 1st years' schedule from our schedule last year but it is essentially the same.

It has to be noted that my classes first year schedule was different and had less class room hours than our inaugural class. It is also true that our second year schedule will be different than the one our inaugural class just completed.
 
I read that William Carey heavily pre-screens for secondaries. Can anyone else confirm this?
 
ag0637 said:
I read that William Carey heavily pre-screens for secondaries. Can anyone else confirm this?
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this is true i believe, i spoke with a dean today he told me the same thing
 
Yes, they do not give secondaries to almost anyone; only to those that they are seriously considering to invite for an interview. Having said that, I have much respect for an institution that is not trying to generate additional money via applications. Yet, tuition is a little high; so, an abundance of secondary ap money is probably not necessary lol
 
great, that's very encouraging! good luck yall!
 
For those of you that do receive a secondary app, you should really put your all into it. They look at it closely, and they don't invite a large amount of people for interviews. If you get one, it means something. The day I interviewed, there were only 4 of us, and 3 got in. There are no guarantees, but getting an interview puts you in a good position.
 
any tips on what they are looking for? From what I read the school seems like a perfect fit so I would like to do all I can!
 
ag0637 said:
any tips on what they are looking for? From what I read the school seems like a perfect fit so I would like to do all I can!
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LEGALESE- This is an uninformed rising second year's opinion.

The ideal candidate will be from Mississippi, or the neighboring states who has an interest in primary care and be willing to practice in an underserved area in Mississippi, or neighboring states. (This goes along with the Mission Statement of WCU-COM.)

If you have any of the characteristics of the ideal candidate, along with a good GPA and MCAT score, then you should be in good position.

TIP's: Be yourself in your Primary Essay and in the Secondary essays, if you get one. WCU wants to know the people they interview and see how well they fit into the school and that the school fits them.

(To me this is one of the strongest selling points of WCU and it does not stop once you get accepted. The faculty does a great job of getting to know the students as individuals.)
 
Thanks so much! I'm working on my secondary essay now and your advice really helps. Hopefully they will consider Florida a "neighboring state" and I'll be all good
 
ag0637 said:
Thanks so much! I'm working on my secondary essay now and your advice really helps. Hopefully they will consider Florida a "neighboring state" and I'll be all good
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I wouldn't worry much about being from Florida. There are a bunch of us from all over FL starting in August. I'm from all the way in South Florida (Ft. Lauderdale/Miami).
 
Just got my secondary today. SOOOO excited. WCU is my number one choice. Going to spend all day on this secondary tomorrow to make it shine. I dont have a comittee letter yet but i guess ill just send that in late july when it comes. Im also from florida.
 
ColeSmalls said:
Just got my secondary today. SOOOO excited. WCU is my number one choice. Going to spend all day on this secondary tomorrow to make it shine. I dont have a comittee letter yet but i guess ill just send that in late july when it comes. Im also from florida.
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Congratulations on the secondary! Just let the committee who you are though the essay questions. Our admissions process is thorough but it is also laid back. Good luck!!!
 
MakesSense said:
LEGALESE- This is an uninformed rising second year's opinion.

The ideal candidate will be from Mississippi, or the neighboring states who has an interest in primary care and be willing to practice in an underserved area in Mississippi, or neighboring states. (This goes along with the Mission Statement of WCU-COM.)

If you have any of the characteristics of the ideal candidate, along with a good GPA and MCAT score, then you should be in good position.

TIP's: Be yourself in your Primary Essay and in the Secondary essays, if you get one. WCU wants to know the people they interview and see how well they fit into the school and that the school fits them.

(To me this is one of the strongest selling points of WCU and it does not stop once you get accepted. The faculty does a great job of getting to know the students as individuals.)
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👍 this is a great quality for a school to have
 
for current med students, how is hattiesburg? I realize as a med student I will be VERY busy studying, but I would like to get a feel for the town I could be living in.
 
ag0637 said:
for current med students, how is hattiesburg? I realize as a med student I will be VERY busy studying, but I would like to get a feel for the town I could be living in.
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Hattiesburg is a small city of about 50,000 and its metro area is about 140,000. It has most everything that you would need. For a day get-away, it is about 60-90 minutes from New Orleans LA, Mobile AL, and Jackson MS. It is about an hour away from the Gulf coast.

In short, you have everything that you need when you do have a chance to get away from studying.
 
anyone could post out secondary questions? Thanks
 
.The mission of the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine is to ..prepare men and women to become osteopathic physicians through an emphasis on primary care, lifelong learning, and scholarly activity. By using a community-based training model, the COM will educate and train graduates who are committed to serving the healthcare needs of all individuals with special attention directed to the medically underserved and diverse populations of the state, region, and international mission field..
. .
.In the space below, please explain how your ambitions and career plans will help WCU-COM to fulfill this mission..
 
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