2021-2022 Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM)

[HAS18]

Congrats! When did you interview?

10/8!

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[Puertorrican in MIA]

Hi everyone! Congrats to those accepted!! To those that have interviewed already, I have my interview next week in-person and am freeeeaking out. How was the interview day as a whole? Also, what should I expect besides the classic questions of "Why medicine", "Why DO", "How are you a good fit here", "Tell us about yourself"? Do they address any discrepancies in your app?

 

[hmm333]

Has anyone who got accepted yesterday received an email about the application update yet?

 

[Mr_Churchill]

Hi everyone! Congrats to those accepted!! To those that have interviewed already, I have my interview next week in-person and am freeeeaking out. How was the interview day as a whole? Also, what should I expect besides the classic questions of "Why medicine", "Why DO", "How are you a good fit here", "Tell us about yourself"? Do they address any discrepancies in your app?

It's a blind interview. Meaning, the interviewers do not have your file.

It sounds cliche, but be yourself. The interviewer does not want to hear "I just LOVE the osteopathic philosophy." Be yourself, be honest (without shooting yourself in the foot), and be personable.

 

[hmm333]

Hi everyone! Congrats to those accepted!! To those that have interviewed already, I have my interview next week in-person and am freeeeaking out. How was the interview day as a whole? Also, what should I expect besides the classic questions of "Why medicine", "Why DO", "How are you a good fit here", "Tell us about yourself"? Do they address any discrepancies in your app?

its a blind interview, so they know absolutely nothing about your application which is kind of nice. they just want to get to know you. it would have been helpful to know that you interview with one admissions person and one community member who knows NOTHING ABOUT MEDICINE- literally nothing lol. other than that pretty chill. i actually was really stressed post interview bc my interviewer was like "are you sure you want to be a doctor" and making me second guess myself because im very young & just became pre med like a year ago. got accepted yesterday though, so dont stress if they ask you those types of questions, just be confident in yourself and your abilities!

 

[welpjustsendit]

What is the overall cost of attendance for out of state student. I have been accepted into the school so this info will help alot. On their website it say annual cost with on campus living is $76,000 annually. Please share this information

In-state vs out of state tuition is the same

 

[Puertorrican in MIA]

It's a blind interview. Meaning, the interviewers do not have your file.

It sounds cliche, but be yourself. The interviewer does not want to hear "I just LOVE the osteopathic philosophy." Be yourself, be honest (without shooting yourself in the foot), and be personable.

I appreciate the help! How was the interview day/experience? I heard that the actual interview is like 30 mins

 

[Puertorrican in MIA]

its a blind interview, so they know absolutely nothing about your application which is kind of nice. they just want to get to know you. it would have been helpful to know that you interview with one admissions person and one community member who knows NOTHING ABOUT MEDICINE- literally nothing lol. other than that pretty chill. i actually was really stressed post interview bc my interviewer was like "are you sure you want to be a doctor" and making me second guess myself because im very young & just became pre med like a year ago. got accepted yesterday though, so dont stress if they ask you those types of questions, just be confident in yourself and your abilities!

Lol I want to think that there being one community member is a good thing because I can really express my interest and who I am to someone who knows nothing about Medicine! I appreciate your response! I'm just very nervous because I want it so badly (like many many people)!!

 

[hmm333]

Lol I want to think that there being one community member is a good thing because I can really express my interest and who I am to someone who knows nothing about Medicine! I appreciate your response! I'm just very nervous because I want it so badly (like many many people)!!

i was in the same boat a couple weeks ago, im sure you'll do great! they also asked me my TWO greatest weaknesses (instead of one) which kinda threw me off if you wanna prepare for that. best of luck

 

[Puertorrican in MIA]

i was in the same boat a couple weeks ago, im sure you'll do great! they also asked me my TWO greatest weaknesses (instead of one) which kinda threw me off if you wanna prepare for that. best of luck

thanks for that one! it's a tricky one for sure lol

And thank you! Hoping for the best!!

 

[AB92]

Hi everyone! Congrats to those accepted!! To those that have interviewed already, I have my interview next week in-person and am freeeeaking out. How was the interview day as a whole? Also, what should I expect besides the classic questions of "Why medicine", "Why DO", "How are you a good fit here", "Tell us about yourself"? Do they address any discrepancies in your app?

All I did to prepare was think about answers to the questions listed on the SDN interview page for ARCOM! I got asked many of those exact same questions.

 

[Puertorrican in MIA]

All I did to prepare was think about answers to the questions listed on the SDN interview page for ARCOM! I got asked many of those exact same questions.

Will def do this then! Thanks!

 

[darlingletsgocrazy]

7 A's already, wow. Any tips?

Not really. I mean 7 Acceptances is not a lot given I applied to nearly 75 schools total I think. One of these days I should really count the number of schools smh (my parents paid for most of my apps)

 

[aduuubacsi]

Not really. I mean 7 Acceptances is not a lot given I applied to nearly 75 schools total I think. One of these days I should really count the number of schools smh (my parents paid for most of my apps)

Lmao people would kill for just one acceptance.

 

[Jambandman]

Not really. I mean 7 Acceptances is not a lot given I applied to nearly 75 schools total I think. One of these days I should really count the number of schools smh (my parents paid for most of my apps)

I’m curious, when you go to all of these interviews do you say to yourself I definitely want to go here or do you just take all interviews as they come to “practice” interviewing for your highest ranked schools. I would just think by 7 acceptances you may have an idea where you would potentially go and decline the ones that don’t have a chance.

 

[darlingletsgocrazy]

I’m curious, when you go to all of these interviews do you say to yourself I definitely want to go here or do you just take all interviews as they come to “practice” interviewing for your highest ranked schools. I would just think by 7 acceptances you may have an idea where you would potentially go and decline the ones that don’t have a chance.

I say 'I don't know if I want to go here because I don't know what I want in a medical school' - I wish I had an idea of where I want to go! People say to look at X Y and Z factors but for instance, i'm like 'um excuse me i don't know how to read a graph and draw conclusions' so it's essentially a dead end. I have all these internet sources I don't know how to use/interpret to help me make a decision on where to go.

 

[petomed]

I say 'I don't know if I want to go here because I don't know what I want in a medical school' - I wish I had an idea of where I want to go! People say to look at X Y and Z factors but for instance, i'm like 'um excuse me i don't know how to read a graph and draw conclusions' so it's essentially a dead end. I have all these internet sources I don't know how to use/interpret to help me make a decision on where to go.

Be that as it may, your signature says you applied to 29 or less DO schools. From those, you’ve been invited to 12 interviews and seem to be on track to being accepted to 11 of them before Thanksgiving. You’re doing something right in the DO world, make no mistake.

 

[aduuubacsi]

I got an II here! Turn around time is crazy fast after submitting secondary.

 

[darlingletsgocrazy]

Be that as it may, your signature says you applied to 29 or less DO schools. From those, you’ve been invited to 12 interviews and seem to be on track to being accepted to 11 of them before Thanksgiving. You’re doing something right in the DO world, make no mistake.

I've been crazy burned out from interviewing I'm barely hanging on, I could barely wake up for my most recent interview, don't expect an A from that school that's for sure

 

[chemgirl97]

Sent in my primary on 10/15 and got the app received and no secondary invitation on 10/19 :/

 

[aduuubacsi]

Sent in my primary on 10/15 and got the app received and no seconday invitation on 10/19 :/

Lol I submitted my primary in early July and barely got the secondary two days ago. It seem they are very selective of who they want to send a secondary to.

 

[Rachelbord]

If you interviewed in person here, did you Uber to the school? I’m flying in by myself and staying in a hotel that I’m pretty sure doesn’t have a shuttle to the school.

 

[Puertorrican in MIA]

Hi everyone! I'm interviewing this week in person and just looked at the weather; it's gonna be 47-63 F. Is bringing a coat/jacket okay? I'm from FL so anything below 60 is cold lol

 

[Puertorrican in MIA]

If you interviewed in person here, did you Uber to the school? I’m flying in by myself and staying in a hotel that I’m pretty sure doesn’t have a shuttle to the school.

I would say call the hotel to see if they have a shuttle. If not, Uber is the way to go!

 

[darlingletsgocrazy]

If you interviewed in person here, did you Uber to the school? I’m flying in by myself and staying in a hotel that I’m pretty sure doesn’t have a shuttle to the school.

I scheduled a Lyft. There are Ubers around, but there are not many.

 

[darlingletsgocrazy]

Hi everyone! I'm interviewing this week in person and just looked at the weather; it's gonna be 47-63 F. Is bringing a coat/jacket okay? I'm from FL so anything below 60 is cold lol

Yes, absolutely. I made a post on some page about how there is a place to store your belongings. The staff is so so kind!! Make yourself comfortable and you'll have the best interview experience ever

 

[Puertorrican in MIA]

Yes, absolutely. I made a post on some page about how there is a place to store your belongings. The staff is so so kind!! Make yourself comfortable and you'll have the best interview experience ever

thanks for this!!

 

[supersenior2]

October 12 interviewees should hear back this week!

 

[darlingletsgocrazy]

its a blind interview, so they know absolutely nothing about your application which is kind of nice. they just want to get to know you. it would have been helpful to know that you interview with one admissions person and one community member who knows NOTHING ABOUT MEDICINE- literally nothing lol. other than that pretty chill. i actually was really stressed post interview bc my interviewer was like "are you sure you want to be a doctor" and making me second guess myself because im very young & just became pre med like a year ago. got accepted yesterday though, so dont stress if they ask you those types of questions, just be confident in yourself and your abilities!

I don't know what your experience is but I had my hardest questions from my community member. Probably some of the most unexpected--although not necessarily that hard--I've ever had in my interview experiences. The interview was uniquely challenging is the way I like to put it. Congrats on the A!

 

[deleted1017762]

Waitlisted by email, post II from 10/15. Really disappointed, I thought I connected with this school.

 

[darlingletsgocrazy]

Waitlisted by email, post II from 10/15. Really disappointed, I thought I connected with this school.

if it makes you feel better, i think it was more likely to get a R than WL given you interviewed mid-october. Idk why these DO schools' spots are filling up so quickly. you're still in the game. also, if they ultimately reject you, you deserve better anyway. xoxo

 

[motivationoverload987]

Hey, has anyone who originally signed up for an interview in person asked to be switched to a virtual one? If so, what was your experience like?

 

[Rachelbord]

Hey, has anyone who originally signed up for an interview in person asked to be switched to a virtual one? If so, what was your experience like?

I’m about to do that tomorrow because I was supposed to fly in today and interview on Tuesday but my flight got canceled and the soonest flight I can get there now is on Tuesday! Can’t call the school today since it’s Sunday so with 1 day notice I have to call and ask to switch to an online interview. Wish me luck

 

[motivationoverload987]

I’m about to do that tomorrow because I was supposed to fly in today and interview on Tuesday but my flight got canceled and the soonest flight I can get there now is on Tuesday! Can’t call the school today since it’s Sunday so with 1 day notice I have to call and ask to switch to an online interview. Wish me luck

It sounds like everything was out of your control. Don't worry! Good luck and please let me know how they respond!

 

[Rachelbord]

It sounds like everything was out of your control. Don't worry! Good luck and please let me know how they respond!

I just called! With literally 24 hours notice, the woman on the line said it happens all the time and it’s not a problem at all and she’ll send me a link and agenda for a virtual interview later today!

 

[Puertorrican in MIA]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to update those who have yet to interview. I had my in-person interview on 10/29 and have to say that everyone was SO NICE. I completely understand why people say that about this school. Faculty makes you feel like you should be there and belong there.

My interview began with the typical "Tell me about yourself" so make sure to have some things in your mind, then the interviewers asked me about myself, my experiences, etc. They did ask me a question about "something ethical" I experienced while working in the hospital, but that might have been because of my particular experiences. I also got asked about a provider I found to be difficult to work with or a provider I do NOT want to be like, and why, and about my family/significant other, since I mentioned it in my introduction, and if our relationship would be affected with a move to Arkansas.

If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask or message me! Good luck ya'll!

 

[darlingletsgocrazy]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to update those who have yet to interview. I had my in-person interview on 10/29 and have to say that everyone was SO NICE. I completely understand why people say that about this school. Faculty makes you feel like you should be there and belong there.

My interview began with the typical "Tell me about yourself" so make sure to have some things in your mind, then the interviewers asked me about myself, my experiences, etc. They did ask me a question about "something ethical" I experienced while working in the hospital, but that might have been because of my particular experiences. I also got asked about a provider I found to be difficult to work with or a provider I do NOT want to be like, and why, and about my family/significant other, since I mentioned it in my introduction, and if our relationship would be affected with a move to Arkansas.

If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask or message me! Good luck ya'll!

did they make time to take you down any rabbit holes? sounds like you had a surfacy interview based on what you have here but don't want to misjudge

 

[Puertorrican in MIA]

did they make time to take you down any rabbit holes? sounds like you had a surfacy interview based on what you have here but don't want to misjudge

They asked me things based on what I said and did a couple of f/u questions per prompt. I can't recall any specific "rabbit hole-like" questions, but they were pretty thorough and were trying to understand what I was saying/ what I meant. The community member asked me things more related to me and who I am, while the faculty member asked me things related to Medicine and my clinical experiences.

 

[Malenkaya]

I submitted my AACOMAS in May and just now got the invite to fill out a secondary app for this school, crazy lol. But there's hope for those of y'all that never got a secondary to get one eventually.

 

[brockhamptonfanacct]

I submitted my AACOMAS in May and just now got the invite to fill out a secondary app for this school, crazy lol. But there's hope for those of y'all that never got a secondary to get one eventually.

I got my secondary months after submitting too. To echo other comments I did my interview virtually & it was incredibly fun, my interviewers and I laughed and told stories and had a good time overall! I even had tech problems and it was no big deal

 

[aduuubacsi]

Anyone know if they're using zoom or webx for virtual interviewing?

 

[jasmine1015]

Microsoft teams!

 

[MedStudent1992_]

I want to share some of my experiences with ARCOM so that you all can make an informed decision.

The "triple helix" curriculum is not unique. For the unaware, the idea is that students will be exposed to the same information but with added layers multiple times throughout their pre-clinical and clinical education. Think of it as an onion. Every time you peel a layer, you add a layer of thickness and complexity. However, like many great ideas, the curriculum leaves much to be desired.

One of the main issues is consistency between courses, professors, and topics. For instance, FAS (read: anatomy) covers the upper extremity, back, and shoulder during the first month of school. OPP (read: OMM class) does not cover this material until the 3rd exam block, over ~2 months later. By this point, students have already covered the lower extremity, pelvis, thorax (lungs, heart, etc.), GI cavity, and reproductive organs in FAS. There is a severe discontinuity between courses which leads to re-learning material in the same semester.

This is bizarre because, typically, you may have to review this material for boards. Alternatively, one may have to review for a final exam. But at other institutions, one does not have to learn everything about the topic the first month of school, then again halfway through the semester (OPP faculty LOVE testing on anatomy!), and for a third time at the end of the semester for the cumulative final exam in OPP. Is this what the school means when they say "triple helix"? Because for students, this equates to hell.

This is only one small glimpse into not just my experience, but one that is shared by 180+ students (~20 of whom had to repeat the first year).

 

[brockhamptonfanacct]

I want to share some of my experiences with ARCOM so that you all can make an informed decision.

The "triple helix" curriculum is not unique. For the unaware, the idea is that students will be exposed to the same information but with added layers multiple times throughout their pre-clinical and clinical education. Think of it as an onion. Every time you peel a layer, you add a layer of thickness and complexity. However, like many great ideas, the curriculum leaves much to be desired.

One of the main issues is consistency between courses, professors, and topics. For instance, FAS (read: anatomy) covers the upper extremity, back, and shoulder during the first month of school. OPP (read: OMM class) does not cover this material until the 3rd exam block, over ~2 months later. By this point, students have already covered the lower extremity, pelvis, thorax (lungs, heart, etc.), GI cavity, and reproductive organs in FAS. There is a severe discontinuity between courses which leads to re-learning material in the same semester.

This is bizarre because, typically, you may have to review this material for boards. Alternatively, one may have to review for a final exam. But at other institutions, one does not have to learn everything about the topic the first month of school, then again halfway through the semester (OPP faculty LOVE testing on anatomy!), and for a third time at the end of the semester for the cumulative final exam in OPP. Is this what the school means when they say "triple helix"? Because for students, this equates to hell.

This is only one small glimpse into not just my experience, but one that is shared by 180+ students (~20 of whom had to repeat the first year).

Thank you for posting this. Is that amount of students repeating a year common? Do you have any information regarding ARCOM’s remediation policies?

 

[chemgirl97]

I submitted my AACOMAS in May and just now got the invite to fill out a secondary app for this school, crazy lol. But there's hope for those of y'all that never got a secondary to get one eventually.

Did they ever email you that you hadn't been selected to receive one at the time of your primary submission, or is this the first you heard from them?

 

[Malenkaya]

Did they ever email you that you hadn't been selected to receive one at the time of your primary submission, or is this the first you heard from them?

I got an initial email in June that my AACOMAS application was received and going to be reviewed by them and then I havent heard from them again until now

 

[MedStudent1992_]

Thank you for posting this. Is that amount of students repeating a year common? Do you have any information regarding ARCOM’s remediation policies?

No, it is not normal. From the top of my head, the national average retention rate is ~95% over 4 years, if I am not mistaken. I believe there are 187 students in the Class of '25. Typical class size is 160. Meaning, there are 27 extra students in the Class of '25. Many of these students failed the BECOM-2 (read: physiology, pharmacology, microbiology, biochemistry, etc.) remediation exam in Spring '21. Only 1 student out of the 20 or so students who took it passed. Students who failed the BECOM-2 remediation exam had to repeat the first year despite having already successfully passed 1st semester.

This highlights an even bigger issue at ARCOM: remediation and exam passage. ARCOM's policy is that you will most likely be allowed to take the remediation exam for, say, BECOM-1 or FAS if your score in the failing class is at least a 60%. If you have 2 courses at 69%, you may not be allowed to take the remediation exams despite being only 1% off. They may just tell you to repeat the entire year. It is easier than you think to be below 70% at ARCOM.

There are no retakes on exams at ARCOM. This is dissimilar to many other institutions. In BECOM-1, there are only 4 exams worth 25% of your final grade each. If you do poorly enough on just 1 exam, or maybe 2 near-passes, it could be 'bad enough' to force you to remediate. There are no quizzes in BECOM-1 or FAS. There are no homework assignments. There are no exam retakes. There are no extra points. It is a money grab to force students to repeat the year.

 

[brockhamptonfanacct]

No, it is not normal. From the top of my head, the national average retention rate is ~95% over 4 years, if I am not mistaken. I believe there are 187 students in the Class of '25. Typical class size is 160. Meaning, there are 27 extra students in the Class of '25. Many of these students failed the BECOM-2 (read: physiology, pharmacology, microbiology, biochemistry, etc.) remediation exam in Spring '21. Only 1 student out of the 20 or so students who took it passed. Students who failed the BECOM-2 remediation exam had to repeat the first year despite having already successfully passed 1st semester.

This highlights an even bigger issue at ARCOM: remediation and exam passage. ARCOM's policy is that you will most likely be allowed to take the remediation exam for, say, BECOM-1 or FAS if your score in the failing class is at least a 60%. If you have 2 courses at 69%, you may not be allowed to take the remediation exams despite being only 1% off. They may just tell you to repeat the entire year. It is easier than you think to be below 70% at ARCOM.

There are no retakes on exams at ARCOM. This is dissimilar to many other institutions. In BECOM-1, there are only 4 exams worth 25% of your final grade each. If you do poorly enough on just 1 exam, or maybe 2 near-passes, it could be 'bad enough' to force you to remediate. There are no quizzes in BECOM-1 or FAS. There are no homework assignments. There are no exam retakes. There are no extra points. It is a money grab to force students to repeat the year.

Thank you very much for this.

 

[brockhamptonfanacct]

To dispel some worries about the class being full, I just got accepted!

edited to add: feel free to DM questions about complete date/interview date/stats!

 

[HarvardofIndiana]

Hey all, I'm a 1st year at ARCOM. I'm considering hosting applicants at my apartment. I live close to the school but you would be required to provide your own transportation, food, and personal care products. Internet and utilities are all provided, of course. There would be a small fee associated per night that would be less than the local hotels! DM me if you are interested.