2017-2018 Des Moines University (DMU-COM)

[austintr]

If they went down I'd be done for. Today was the first time I left my house in two days for OMM lecture haha

Haha and what a lecture to come to. The highest of yields...

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[Jim90]

Do we need to get a physical from a doctor for the health form that needs to be submitted by June?

 

[allinthehips]

Do we need to get a physical from a doctor for the health form that needs to be submitted by June?

I believe it can be done by a mid level as well, though I don’t have my forms with me at the moment.

 

[DrDazl]

I just withdrew my acceptance in favor of MCW (closer to home for me). Best of luck to those attending next fall and those on the waitlist!

 

[studdoc1]

Soooo are we thinking the quartiles will be released still this week or next? It seems much later than last year!

 

[mdmy318]

Soooo are we thinking the quartiles will be released still this week or next? It seems much later than last year!

Also wondering the same thing...hopefully tomorrow? If not, they were accurate with that May 4th timeline lol

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

Just got off my state schools WL, so I will be withdrawing from DMU. I hope one of you gets my spot and good luck to everyone who is going to be attending this awesome school.

 

[Welp.Theres.That]

GUYS I JUST GOT ACCEPTED!!
Previously waitlisted. Got a high priority email though and sent an LOI.
Will be attending. See you wonderful folks in the fall!!!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

GUYS I JUST GOT ACCEPTED!!
Previously waitlisted. Got a high priority email though and sent an LOI.
Will be attending. See you wonderful folks in the fall!!!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Maybe you got my spot!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[thebiggerfish012]

Will be withdrawing my application today, I was accepted off the waitlist at my state school. Hope it goes to one of y'all, you deserve it and DMU is a great school!

 

[LakridsA]

Has anyone gotten their financial aid award notification yet?

 

[CornFed_16]

ACCEPTED!! Just got the email tonight. High priority alternate list since February. Will be attending! So excited to meet everyone this fall!

 

[studdoc1]

For those on the waitlist still, I think today (or tomorrow) must be the day! They told us that they'd have the quartiles figured out by May 4th!

 

[DRS428]

For those on the waitlist still, I think today (or tomorrow) must be the day! They told us that they'd have the quartiles figured out by May 4th!

Let's hope so! I know you're also waiting on ATSU... maybe we'll get lucky and hear back from both schools within the next few days.

 

[yosuda21]

just curious, anyone know why there was a dip in graduation rate last year? Outcomes and Strategic Plans - Des Moines University

 

[studdoc1]

Let's hope so! I know you're also waiting on ATSU... maybe we'll get lucky and hear back from both schools within the next few days.

Oh we're in the same boat! Yeah, hoping to get good news from (at least) one of the two in the next few days!

 

[austintr]

just curious, anyone know why there was a dip in graduation rate last year? Outcomes and Strategic Plans - Des Moines University

The dip you are seeing is because students from the 13-14 class still technically have this year (and I think another) to graduate. Some may have even graduated at mid-term, I guess. But the idea is that not everyone will graduate in 4 years. We have at least two people in our class that, for whatever reason, have been moved to the next year's class. Leaves of absence, academic/family problems, health problems, you name it. I think another contributing factor (though I don't know specifically if they account for this or not) is the OMM fellowship program. The OMM fellows take an additional year to graduate, so this year's senior fellows would have started in that 13-14 cohort. The fellows probably make up 1-2% of each class, so that could contribute. I would expect the true rate to go up after this semester, but I'm also not an administrator so this is some grade-A prime first-year speculation.

 

[DukeSilverton]

Third quartile. I’m not sure where this stands but I’d imagine the odds of acceptance aren’t great

 

[mdmy318]

Do you guys know when the quartiles typically hear back? Second here.

 

[DRS428]

Just got an update saying I’m ranked in the first quartile! Hopefully that gives me a pretty good chance of being admitted.

 

[Jim90]

For those who are OOS and moving to Iowa, do we need to change our driver's license?

 

[Sharyn]

Waitlisted for the second quartile.... does anybody know the chances of still getting in?

 

[DRS428]

Waitlisted for the second quartile.... does anybody know the chances of still getting in?

Looking at last year’s thread, it looks like people were accepted from the second and even third quartile.

 

[BuzzLightyear17]

Was notified of first quartile. Anyone out there still pondering other choices with this WL information that came out? Say, for example, comparing DMU vs KCU...?

 

[DRS428]

Was notified of first quartile. Anyone out there still pondering other choices with this WL information that came out? Say, for example, comparing DMU vs KCU...?

I would be at KCU if I could be. I interviewed in Joplin and loved it there. Too bad I got rejected somehow.

 

[hopefulgirl123]

Was notified of first quartile. Anyone out there still pondering other choices with this WL information that came out? Say, for example, comparing DMU vs KCU...?

I know we are lowly wl people but do they match for other do schools? like if someone got off the wl for both and was deciding

 

[aspiremd84]

Was notified of first quartile. Anyone out there still pondering other choices with this WL information that came out? Say, for example, comparing DMU vs KCU...?

I was accepted to both DMU and KCU-KC. I picked DMU because I just got a better vibe from the community there, and felt like I'd be much more happier there. It all comes down to personal preference at the end. I know KCU has two campuses and the fact that you have such a big class size seemed a bit overwhelming. But to each their own! Good luck!

 

[studdoc1]

I made in into the 2nd quartile! I looked through last year's thread and they actually went through the entire waitlist last year and had to reinterview in July. So there is hope, although I bet they put more people on the waitlist this year to try and alleviate the problems from last year! Just from reading last year's info, here's a timeline:
Sent out quartiles: April 12th, 2017
Accepted 1st quartile: May 1st to May 15th, 2017
Accepted 2nd quartile: May 15th to May 22nd, 2017
Accepted 3rd and 4th quartile: May 22nd to June 1st, 2017

So I guess my conclusion is that everything seems to be pushed back a bit this year, but I feel like there's still hope for a lot of us! Good luck to everyone!

 

[GPink08]

For those who are OOS and moving to Iowa, do we need to change our driver's license?

I don’t think we necessarily need to. I’m definitely not changing mine since I don’t see any benefit to it.

 

[PastaandFriends]

I don’t think we necessarily need to. I’m definitely not changing mine since I don’t see any benefit to it.

Legally you have to if you plan on voting in Iowa or if you want to be on Iowa Medicaid. If you get pulled over with an OOS license you might get a talking to, but I think that's really the only consequence. I applied for a passport back in January and my OOS license was fine, they just had me sign next to it saying I was there for school.

 

[Chibucks15]

I don’t think we necessarily need to. I’m definitely not changing mine since I don’t see any benefit to it.

I'm not sure whether you technically qualify to be a resident though since we're here for school. The voting thing is true but I don't think you'll get in trouble or anything having OOS license. I have my license still in my home state, my car is registered and has plates from back home, and I have zero intention of changing them. In my mind its the same as why you didn't change resident states for undergrad (or at least I didn't).

 

[austintr]

Legally you have to if you plan on voting in Iowa or if you want to be on Iowa Medicaid. If you get pulled over with an OOS license you might get a talking to, but I think that's really the only consequence. I applied for a passport back in January and my OOS license was fine, they just had me sign next to it saying I was there for school.

I'm not sure whether you technically qualify to be a resident though since we're here for school. The voting thing is true but I don't think you'll get in trouble or anything having OOS license. I have my license still in my home state, my car is registered and has plates from back home, and I have zero intention of changing them. In my mind its the same as why you didn't change resident states for undergrad (or at least I didn't).

Not to muddy the waters any further friends, but you do not in fact need an Iowa DL to vote here. An OOS DL is sufficient if you have a student ID, utility bill, etc. The main thing is that you can not claim to have voting rights in another state. So if that is the main motivator for someone getting an IA DL, don't sweat it. I still have an OOS DL and have cars registered in Iowa and a home here; I think they require switching DLs within 90 days, but I've been pulled over twice and no one cared.

 

[793424]

Now that the quartiles have come out, should we be expecting WL movement soon (or around the May 15th deadline)? Or do you think it'll be like last year with waitlist movement occurring 3 weeks or so after the quartiles were released?

 

[DRS428]

Now that the quartiles have come out, should we be expecting WL movement soon (or around the May 15th deadline)? Or do you think it'll be like last year with waitlist movement occurring 3 weeks or so after the quartiles were released?

Gut feeling: it will start on Monday for those of us in the first quartile. Hopefully they make it through most of, if not all of the alternate list like they did last year. It makes me wonder, though, does DMU start off with a shorter wait list than most schools, or is there just that much more movement compared to others? Compared to other DO schools, it seems like an abnormally high number of students accepted to DMU are also admitted to M.D. schools late in the cycle.

 

[BuzzLightyear17]

Does anyone know how fast we'll have to make a decision if offered an acceptance off of the WL?

 

[Asiago]

The dip you are seeing is because students from the 13-14 class still technically have this year (and I think another) to graduate. Some may have even graduated at mid-term, I guess. But the idea is that not everyone will graduate in 4 years. We have at least two people in our class that, for whatever reason, have been moved to the next year's class. Leaves of absence, academic/family problems, health problems, you name it. I think another contributing factor (though I don't know specifically if they account for this or not) is the OMM fellowship program. The OMM fellows take an additional year to graduate, so this year's senior fellows would have started in that 13-14 cohort. The fellows probably make up 1-2% of each class, so that could contribute. I would expect the true rate to go up after this semester, but I'm also not an administrator so this is some grade-A prime first-year speculation.

Apparently there's also a 5-year track that I think is technically open for anyone to do but is commonly used by students with families / other life commitments who would prefer to take fewer classes at once.

I was accepted to both DMU and KCU-KC. I picked DMU because I just got a better vibe from the community there, and felt like I'd be much more happier there. It all comes down to personal preference at the end. I know KCU has two campuses and the fact that you have such a big class size seemed a bit overwhelming. But to each their own! Good luck!

I was in the same boat and chose DMU as well. I remember the schools being essentially tied on any of the big objective criteria like board scores, match rates / where ppl matched, and hospital affiliations. Once that's out of the way, it's def all about personal preferences with the community, facilities, student body, profs, and curriculum style.

I really vibed with the profs / students I met at DMU and everything seemed so laid back compared to other places. DMU felt more like a family environment in a lot of ways which I liked. At KCU (main), I got more of a competitive vibe which turned me off and wasn't a fan of how sketch the area around the school seemed. Idk how accurate that all actually is, but after a year at DMU I def think my first impression of them was spot on and am happy with my choice.

Gut feeling: it will start on Monday for those of us in the first quartile. Hopefully they make it through most of, if not all of the alternate list like they did last year. It makes me wonder, though, does DMU start off with a shorter wait list than most schools, or is there just that much more movement compared to others? Compared to other DO schools, it seems like an abnormally high number of students accepted to DMU are also admitted to M.D. schools late in the cycle.

Posted this earlier in the thread, but one of my buddies is a student-interviewer and said that DMU does try to keep a much smaller / more-exclusive wait-list than most schools and rejected wayy more people post-interview than he expected.

 

[DRS428]

Apparently there's also a 5-year track that I think is technically open for anyone to do but is commonly used by students with families / other life commitments who would prefer to take fewer classes at once.


I was in the same boat and chose DMU as well. I remember the schools being essentially tied on any of the big objective criteria like board scores, match rates / where ppl matched, and hospital affiliations. Once that's out of the way, it's def all about personal preferences with the community, facilities, student body, profs, and curriculum style.

I really vibed with the profs / students I met at DMU and everything seemed so laid back compared to other places. DMU felt more like a family environment in a lot of ways which I liked. At KCU (main), I got more of a competitive vibe which turned me off and wasn't a fan of how sketch the area around the school seemed. Idk how accurate that all actually is, but after a year at DMU I def think my first impression of them was spot on and am happy with my choice.


Posted this earlier in the thread, but one of my buddies is a student-interviewer and said that DMU does try to keep a much smaller / more-exclusive wait-list than most schools and rejected wayy more people post-interview than he expected.

What do you think of the frequent testing? I would have chosen KCU over DMU had I been accepted there, mainly because I loved the way the curriculum was organized.

 

[Chibucks15]

What do you think of the frequent testing? I would have chosen KCU over DMU had I been accepted there, mainly because I loved the way the curriculum was organized.

It honestly isn't THAT bad. Sure there are some weeks that are tough, but you get used to it pretty quickly. Theyre in meetings about possible future changes and are usually pretty receptive to concerns. This year we got a few tests changed and a couple removed because the courseload would've been excessive. Just stay on top of your stuff and you'll be fine. Plus second year is closer to block scheduling from what I've heard its just first year that has the frequent testing

 

[BuzzLightyear17]

Something of note about KCU that I appreciate is their attention to, and concern for, preparing students to adapt to the rigor of med school and training their incoming students how to, potentially, alter their study habits to best fit the pace and intensity of med school. I know DMU has an office that heads this sort of support for their students, but do you current students feel like that is enough? I suppose it’s largely dependent upon each student going out and putting in the time and effort to make changes as necessary, but it’s also nice to see the school coming in and placing an emphasis on this transition, as well.

 

[Chibucks15]

Something of note about KCU that I appreciate is their attention to, and concern for, preparing students to adapt to the rigor of med school and training their incoming students how to, potentially, alter their study habits to best fit the pace and intensity of med school. I know DMU has an office that heads this sort of support for their students, but do you current students feel like that is enough? I suppose it’s largely dependent upon each student going out and putting in the time and effort to make changes as necessary, but it’s also nice to see the school coming in and placing an emphasis on this transition, as well.

They do a great job if you seek them out. It's all about putting in the work and CTL has helped me in the past. More or less all schools will have this because it reflects better on them if their students stay in

 

[yosuda21]

This probably was addressed earlier in this thread but does anyone know how well DMU's curriculum prep you for Step1? Like if one does well in the curric does this tend to correlate with similar performance on boards or is the correlation between the two not substantial.

 

[Chibucks15]

This probably was addressed earlier in this thread but does anyone know how well DMU's curriculum prep you for Step1? Like if one does well in the curric does this tend to correlate with similar performance on boards or is the correlation between the two not substantial.

From what I've been told the core classes (phys, path, etc) are taught well for step. There was a boards prep meeting they had and our average scores were pretty decently high (I dont remember exact number though). Apparently the class that just took them last year did real well too

 

[Asiago]

What do you think of the frequent testing? I would have chosen KCU over DMU had I been accepted there, mainly because I loved the way the curriculum was organized.

Going into it, I actually saw the frequent testing as a big positive. I had the mindset that it forced you to stay on top of the material, there would be less info per exam, and more practice questions would mean better retention. However, I kind of have mixed feelings about it after our second semester. I think those positives remain mostly true, but because of the number of classes we have it can kind of cause a cram-test-cram cycle where you focus almost entirely on one class for 3-4 days, have an exam, and then repeat for the next one. I don't think everyone has this problem but it's def something I've experienced and am concerned that it's hurting long term retention for me. I've brought it up to my advisor and he said to trust the process, it's a common feeling that first years get, and that I'm prob retaining more than I think but I can review some big pic / basic stuff over the summer if I'm really worried about it. With that being said, I think the frequent testing has really helped me refine my study habits in the sense that it provided a lot of quick feedback on what was working / what wasn't. It was also nice knowing that 1-2 exams wouldn't determine my grade in the course and that I had plenty of opportunities to make adjustments / improve.

In regards to the systems-based aspect of KCU's curriculum, I have mixed feelings about it for starting off but I haven't experienced it yet so it's hard for me to say anything. I'll prob have more of an opinion once I try it out in our second year.

Something of note about KCU that I appreciate is their attention to, and concern for, preparing students to adapt to the rigor of med school and training their incoming students how to, potentially, alter their study habits to best fit the pace and intensity of med school. I know DMU has an office that heads this sort of support for their students, but do you current students feel like that is enough? I suppose it’s largely dependent upon each student going out and putting in the time and effort to make changes as necessary, but it’s also nice to see the school coming in and placing an emphasis on this transition, as well.

Kind of hard for me to compare because idk what KCU specifically does to help incoming students adjust, but I've used the center for teaching & learning (CTL) office at DMU quite a bit and found it really helpful. This semester we've been so busy that I haven't really paid attention to what CTL events or emails they've been doing, but last semester they held tons of optional workshops for study tips, using anki, making study schedules, managing stress, etc. I think they also organized study groups for biochem. DMU really pushed utilizing CTL during welcome week so I went to a few of the meetings and felt like I got a lot of them. This semester, I haven't gone to any events but I was struggling with phys and made one or two appointments with this dude at CTL who helped me systematically look at my study habits / make changes. I thought it was awesome because instead of just offering a fix to my current problem he taught me this system of identifying and fixing problems that I could use in the future as well. CTL is also ridiculously helpful for finding relevant resources outside of the course recommendations (i.e. board review books) to help in different areas or for finding practice problems.

This probably was addressed earlier in this thread but does anyone know how well DMU's curriculum prep you for Step1? Like if one does well in the curric does this tend to correlate with similar performance on boards or is the correlation between the two not substantial.

We actually had an optional meeting about this awhile back. I'm pretty sure they said GPA has consistently had the strongest correlation to high board scores for students at DMU so supposedly it prepares you well. I also heard that the most recent class killed boards but can't remember averages, I think they might have been posted earlier in the thread tho.

 

[nb23]

Ranked into the third quartile of the alternate list. It sounds like there was decent movement even out of the 3rd last year but it’s hard to not be disappointed. I have an acceptance to another great school but DMU is for sure my top choice. Did anyone last year get pulled off the alternate list very close to school start date and still end up making the move to Des Moines and attending? I like DMU more than my current acceptance AND it’s much cheaper. I’m thinking that i would go to DMU even if accepted very close to the start date because I love the school and I could save on tuition. I’m just worried that since I’m in third quartile there’s a good chance I won’t get accepted and then I won’t be able to find a roommate/reasonably priced apartment in the city of the school where my current acceptance is. Any thoughts or any others in a similar predicament?

 

[DRS428]

Ranked into the third quartile of the alternate list. It sounds like there was decent movement even out of the 3rd last year but it’s hard to not be disappointed. I have an acceptance to another great school but DMU is for sure my top choice. Did anyone last year get pulled off the alternate list very close to school start date and still end up making the move to Des Moines and attending? I like DMU more than my current acceptance AND it’s much cheaper. I’m thinking that i would go to DMU even if accepted very close to the start date because I love the school and I could save on tuition. I’m just worried that since I’m in third quartile there’s a good chance I won’t get accepted and then I won’t be able to find a roommate/reasonably priced apartment in the city of the school where my current acceptance is. Any thoughts or any others in a similar predicament?

It’s still definitely possible to get admitted off the waitlist, so don’t lose hope. If you don’t mind me asking, where were you admitted?

 

[Chibucks15]

Ranked into the third quartile of the alternate list. It sounds like there was decent movement even out of the 3rd last year but it’s hard to not be disappointed. I have an acceptance to another great school but DMU is for sure my top choice. Did anyone last year get pulled off the alternate list very close to school start date and still end up making the move to Des Moines and attending? I like DMU more than my current acceptance AND it’s much cheaper. I’m thinking that i would go to DMU even if accepted very close to the start date because I love the school and I could save on tuition. I’m just worried that since I’m in third quartile there’s a good chance I won’t get accepted and then I won’t be able to find a roommate/reasonably priced apartment in the city of the school where my current acceptance is. Any thoughts or any others in a similar predicament?

I live across the street and there still are still places so dont worry about that

 

[Chibucks15]

I'm bored with this crazy semester winding down so if anybody has any questions feel free to hit me up on here or PM

 

[Veggie_Girl]

Ranked into the third quartile of the alternate list. It sounds like there was decent movement even out of the 3rd last year but it’s hard to not be disappointed. I have an acceptance to another great school but DMU is for sure my top choice. Did anyone last year get pulled off the alternate list very close to school start date and still end up making the move to Des Moines and attending? I like DMU more than my current acceptance AND it’s much cheaper. I’m thinking that i would go to DMU even if accepted very close to the start date because I love the school and I could save on tuition. I’m just worried that since I’m in third quartile there’s a good chance I won’t get accepted and then I won’t be able to find a roommate/reasonably priced apartment in the city of the school where my current acceptance is. Any thoughts or any others in a similar predicament?

I have a friend at school who was accepted off the wait-list a couple weeks before we started, she was able to find a place right by DMU...not sure if that would be similar for your current acceptance area, but if you get in last minute to DMU I am sure you would be able to find a place. You could always find a place at the current acceptance city for now and then just lose the deposit if you end up going to DMU. It wouldn't be awesome, but in the long run if DMU is cheaper overall I don't think losing an apartment deposit would be the worst. Just explain to the apartment that school required you to move to a different city.

 

[BuzzLightyear17]

I was accepted to an in-state MD school, and will be withdrawing my application and spot on the alternate list with DMU. It's certainly with a heavy heart, too, because this was a program I was very excited about. Hope this means some more movement happens for those still waiting! All the best.

 

[DRS428]

I was accepted to an in-state MD school, and will be withdrawing my application and spot on the alternate list with DMU. It's certainly with a heavy heart, too, because this was a program I was very excited about. Hope this means some more movement happens for those still waiting! All the best.

Congrats