Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) Discussion Thread 2016-2017

[BabyDoc814]

This schedule scares me from week 4+ lol. Seems like Exam every Monday or Thursday...

After the first few weeks of first semester, you'll have a test almost every week. Second semester has been better for us; now that we're doing systems, we have a test about once every 2 weeks and the tests have been on Fridays so we get the weekend off. First semester is rough and you're going to be constantly studying but, hey, no one said med school was easy.

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[BabyDoc814]

They come with the computer I believe

You'll access them online. Should have access to all your textbooks all 4 years.

 

[Zzzosyn]

You'll access them online. Should have access to all your textbooks all 4 years.

Thank you! So online access is factored into tuition? I'm also trying to budget everything out

 

[lnguyen1412]

After the first few weeks of first semester, you'll have a test almost every week. Second semester has been better for us; now that we're doing systems, we have a test about once every 2 weeks and the tests have been on Fridays so we get the weekend off. First semester is rough and you're going to be constantly studying but, hey, no one said med school was easy.

I love how consistent the test schedule is.
Will the test Cumulative or we are tested specific section of the materials for each test?

 

[Alienman52]

I love how consistent the test schedule is.
Will the test Cumulative or we are tested specific section of the materials for each test?

Very interested in this as well. Also does ACOM administer cumulative semester finals? @FutureDO814


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[moosheep]

Very interested in this as well. Also does ACOM administer cumulative semester finals? @FutureDO814


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HECK NO

Except for OPP and PCS but those you should be fine with

 

[Alienman52]

HECK NO

Except for OPP and PCS but those you should be fine with

Wow so no finals for things like anatomy/molecular medicine etc? That's pretty nice I guess. Are the exams cumulative then?

 

[hiijakd]

Wow so no finals for things like anatomy/molecular medicine etc? That's pretty nice I guess. Are the exams cumulative then?

Exams are not cumulative. Each block of material is tested on its own. This is great because you don't have months and months of material to study for an exam, it isn't so great because you have frequent exams. The only courses that have cumulative finals are OPP and PCS our clinical type classes because they build cumulatively.

 

[Alienman52]

Exams are not cumulative. Each block of material is tested on its own. This is great because you don't have months and months of material to study for an exam, it isn't so great because you have frequent exams. The only courses that have cumulative finals are OPP and PCS our clinical type classes because they build cumulatively.

I would actually prefer this. Glad to hear it.


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[BabyDoc814]

Thank you! So online access is factored into tuition? I'm also trying to budget everything out

Yep! It's already included in tuition

 

[lnguyen1412]

I would actually prefer this. Glad to hear it.


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Frequent exam is actually a good thing in my opinion cause you will be reinforcing your knowledge by being tested continuously throughout the year. But yea, I don't like cumulative exams unless we have time to prepare for it

 

[moyamoya6]

Frequent exam is actually a good thing in my opinion cause you will be reinforcing your knowledge by being tested continuously throughout the year. But yea, I don't like cumulative exams unless we have time to prepare for it

You won't be reinforcing your knowledge with frequent exams. Most students pump in the information and then dump it out once the test is over. However, I still prefer frequent exams over cumulative.

 

[Zzzosyn]

What's the link to the general ACOM student page?

 

[xkb89]

You guys... I'm starting to lose hope. I think I'm going to be realistic and assume I'm not getting off the waitlist.


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[re33t]

For people on the WL: these were posted in last year's ACOM thread by people on the WL last year:

April 20, 2016

For those (like me) on the wait list I just called and got clarification on what is going to happen. So basically they aren't sure about the exact number on the waitlist, but it's above 50 and less and 200. A lot of those people are "non-viable" candidates (chose to go elsewhere). The deadline for MD applicants to decide on a school has been moved up from May 15th up to May 1st this year. Around that time, they are going to rank the wait list and then pick from that. This will take place all of May and into early June as well. They said only one or two people have been picked off the wait list so far and it was for incomplete requirements etc. So, the fact that we haven't heard anything yet is fine.

May 27, 2016

I spoke to the admissions people and they said wait until at least the second week of June before resubmitting. They are still going through slowly but surely and that is when a significant amount of movement has finally been done.
So hold on to the hope! Prep your app but wait a couple more weeks!

June 15, 2016

Fellow wait-listers... Just got off the phone with admissions and they said that they were pretty much completely full at this point. Anyone that gets pulled off the wait list will be as needed in case of a drop.

 

[lnguyen1412]

I'll pray for all of you who on the wait-list. It will be stressful, but please have some hope.

 

[FingersCrossed22]

I concur with @FutureDO814 regarding second semester. I have found the second semester a lot less stressful. ACOM has changed the schedule every year based on feedback from students, it will be stressful but at ACOM you have a lot of people supporting you and you're not in it alone. Second years will share their resources and answer any questions you run into.

As far as the waitlist, last year we had students accepted up until the first week of class so hang in there!

 

[moosheep]

You guys... I'm starting to lose hope. I think I'm going to be realistic and assume I'm not getting off the waitlist.


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Got off in the beginning of July, 3 weeks out

 

[epap]

In looking at the ACOM cost of attendance for the coming academic year, it estimates $5,350 for books and supplies. This number seemed pretty steep to me as I know that all of the textbooks are online and I have already looked through the price listings for the medical equipment. Can any of the second or third years speak to how accurate this estimate is? I am trying to write up my budget for the coming year, and want to ensure that it is as accurate as possible. Thank you in advance!

Keep in mind you claim the required medical equipment on your taxes if you itemize and you will likely get several hundreds back. I know I did. I said this on the facebook page, but you can just take the full scholarship amount and then meet with Travis Cobb or someone else from financial aid when you get here to help you "return" some of the loan money without penalty within 120 days of disbursement. If you are a saver like me you will likely find yourself with extra money at the end of the year (pending you are lucky and have no accidents or unexpected financial burdens throughout the year). That just means you borrow less the next year PM me if you have any specific questions about budgeting.

 

[epap]

This schedule scares me from week 4+ lol. Seems like Exam every Monday or Thursday...

My group of friends called that "hell month" I only survived because of study groups-- but that was my style! You will get through it!!

 

[RainbowGolf93]

Hello everyone. I've been posting sporadically on this thread for some months now and I cannot express how helpful and prompt everyone has been with their informative replies.

I have sort of an odd question and am just going to throw it out there in case anyone might have any experience with this.

So 18-20 months ago I really didn't think or know I'd end up on the path or pursuing medicine. I was a happy and content health and fitness instructor that made a good living seeing about 6-7 clients a week (which means 12-14 hours of on=the-job work and the rest from home), while working out, drawing/painting, other various hobbies, etc. in my spare time. I had loads of time to follow my passions and pleasures outside of work and basically did what I wanted without too much care or concern.

This included fulfilling my (kinda crazy/extreme) love for animals as well. I won't get into all of them, since most people don't know the proper ways to deal with iguanas, birds, tarantulas, etc. (lol) but I have 'normal' pets as well. I've sadly made arrangements for my more exotic animals and a family member agreed to adopt my flemish rabbit, which leaves me with a more sane total of one dog and one cat.

I'm worried about having to keep them and properly care for them on a medical student's schedule. I'm not at all worried about the cat. They are awesome in that I could honestly disappear for a couple of weeks (I WOULD NEVER DO THIS~) and somehow he'd somehow have managed to access food and water just fine and be purring contentedly upon my return.

My puppy, however, is a differnet story. Like I said, before I knew I'd be on my way to medical school, I had a very open and free lifestyle. I got an 8 week old rottweiler puppy and he's one of the major joys of my life. That said, he required MASSIVE amounts of hands-on care, training, affection/attention, etc. Even on my 12-14 work hours per week schedule, it'd be quite stressful to leave him home for just a couple of hours a day. He would get massive anxiety without me and forget crates. He (even when he wasn't more than 20lb.) would leave me (not always but just a few times) with furniture that was only good for putting on the curb to be taken away by waste management, broken glass/dishes/etc, the very occasional bathroom accident to clean up (he's house trained... but his stress/anxiety response includes once in a while having an accident-- just like some people lol). He's a dream dog 95% of the time and I know that when I got him what I had signed up for in getting a large, intelligent, active, stimulation-requiring breed. I'd be a terrible person to just forget his needs and just forcibly crate him for however many hours each day.

The short version of my question is: WHAT THE HECK DO I DO?! I can't imagine giving him up, and I can't, obviously, sacrifice medical school. I'm in a bit of a quandary and I'm open to any and all suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

[moyamoya6]

Hello everyone. I've been posting sporadically on this thread for some months now and I cannot express how helpful and prompt everyone has been with their informative replies.

I have sort of an odd question and am just going to throw it out there in case anyone might have any experience with this.

So 18-20 months ago I really didn't think or know I'd end up on the path or pursuing medicine. I was a happy and content health and fitness instructor that made a good living seeing about 6-7 clients a week (which means 12-14 hours of on=the-job work and the rest from home), while working out, drawing/painting, other various hobbies, etc. in my spare time. I had loads of time to follow my passions and pleasures outside of work and basically did what I wanted without too much care or concern.

This included fulfilling my (kinda crazy/extreme) love for animals as well. I won't get into all of them, since most people don't know the proper ways to deal with iguanas, birds, tarantulas, etc. (lol) but I have 'normal' pets as well. I've sadly made arrangements for my more exotic animals and a family member agreed to adopt my flemish rabbit, which leaves me with a more sane total of one dog and one cat.

I'm worried about having to keep them and properly care for them on a medical student's schedule. I'm not at all worried about the cat. They are awesome in that I could honestly disappear for a couple of weeks (I WOULD NEVER DO THIS~) and somehow he'd somehow have managed to access food and water just fine and be purring contentedly upon my return.

My puppy, however, is a differnet story. Like I said, before I knew I'd be on my way to medical school, I had a very open and free lifestyle. I got an 8 week old rottweiler puppy and he's one of the major joys of my life. That said, he required MASSIVE amounts of hands-on care, training, affection/attention, etc. Even on my 12-14 work hours per week schedule, it'd be quite stressful to leave him home for just a couple of hours a day. He would get massive anxiety without me and forget crates. He (even when he wasn't more than 20lb.) would leave me (not always but just a few times) with furniture that was only good for putting on the curb to be taken away by waste management, broken glass/dishes/etc, the very occasional bathroom accident to clean up (he's house trained... but his stress/anxiety response includes once in a while having an accident-- just like some people lol). He's a dream dog 95% of the time and I know that when I got him what I had signed up for in getting a large, intelligent, active, stimulation-requiring breed. I'd be a terrible person to just forget his needs and just forcibly crate him for however many hours each day.

The short version of my question is: WHAT THE HECK DO I DO?! I can't imagine giving him up, and I can't, obviously, sacrifice medical school. I'm in a bit of a quandary and I'm open to any and all suggestions. Thanks in advance.

You could crate him while you're in class in the morning, which is four hours max, and then during the one hour lunch break, go home to let him out and play with him. Then crate him again for another four hours max and after the afternoon lectures are done, study at home with him and spend time with him. This is what I did with my pup. Unless you get distracted with him while you're studying, then it could be a problem. Mine just sleeps or plays with his toys when I'm at home studying.

 

[lionwar]

Hey guys to anyone who still on the waiting list, when is it safe to call it quits on this school in your opinion? I appreciate your feedback. Thanks

 

[Doctor Dolphin]

Has anyone been accepted in the past few weeks? Really hoping for the best for you all. I would love to have classmates as excited about the school as you are.


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[moyamoya6]

Hey guys to anyone who still on the waiting list, when is it safe to call it quits on this school in your opinion? I appreciate your feedback. Thanks

There have been people who have been pulled off the wait list in early and late July.

 

[DogLuvr2]

There have been people who have been pulled off the wait list in early and late July.

Agreed! As someone who was taken off the waitlist in Mid-July, I would not call it quits until late July. I would simply re-apply to other schools just in case it won't work out, but always keep in mind that you might have to move at any time. I would keep in close touch with admissions and let them know that you're still interested in attending the school.

 

[lionwar]

Agreed! As someone who was taken off the waitlist in Mid-July, I would not call it quits until late July. I would simply re-apply to other schools just in case it won't work out, but always keep in mind that you might have to move at any time. I would keep in close touch with admissions and let them know that you're still interested in attending the school.

Thank you all for your helpful input I was wondering about the keep in touch part,i have been trying to do that by sending updates letters, since I became a my clinic research coordinator so I have been able to generate quite a sum of research publications to my name, but I do not know what else to send them?

 

[DogLuvr2]

Thank you all for your helpful input I was wondering about the keep in touch part,i have been trying to do that by sending updates letters, since I became a my clinic research coordinator so I have been able to generate quite a sum of research publications to my name, but I do not know what else to send them?

I think just letting them know that you are still interested in attending and calling to check in every 2-3 weeks can be a good idea too. I spoke with Mr. Willis once and he told me that they keep a running tally of who calls because they know that they're very interested applicants who specifically want to go to ACOM and that if they were to take them off the waitlist, that they would more than likely come. Somebody told me that he's telling people vaguely where they are on the waitlist right now so you might want to call and check on that too. At one point last year, I called to ask when he thinks I should reapply for the next cycle because I didn't want to hurt my chances to get into ACOM for the next year while waiting to get off the waitlist. You can ask him that too. Hope this helps!

 

[loosiee]

I think just letting them know that you are still interested in attending and calling to check in every 2-3 weeks can be a good idea too. I spoke with Mr. Willis once and he told me that they keep a running tally of who calls because they know that they're very interested applicants who specifically want to go to ACOM and that if they were to take them off the waitlist, that they would more than likely come. Somebody told me that he's telling people vaguely where they are on the waitlist right now so you might want to call and check on that too. At one point last year, I called to ask when he thinks I should reapply for the next cycle because I didn't want to hurt my chances to get into ACOM for the next year while waiting to get off the waitlist. You can ask him that too. Hope this helps!

Thanks! that helps a lot. So when we call, do we call the general ACOM number or call Mr. Willis directly and just let him know that we are currently on a waitlist? Also, is it appropriate to ask if they're reviewing applicants right now? This is my first time in this situation and I'm not sure how to get across that I'm very interested without being pushy or asking inappropriate questions? Thanks!

 

[deleted244469]

I think just letting them know that you are still interested in attending and calling to check in every 2-3 weeks can be a good idea too. I spoke with Mr. Willis once and he told me that they keep a running tally of who calls because they know that they're very interested applicants who specifically want to go to ACOM and that if they were to take them off the waitlist, that they would more than likely come. Somebody told me that he's telling people vaguely where they are on the waitlist right now so you might want to call and check on that too. At one point last year, I called to ask when he thinks I should reapply for the next cycle because I didn't want to hurt my chances to get into ACOM for the next year while waiting to get off the waitlist. You can ask him that too. Hope this helps!

Do you think emails hold the same weight? I'm not much of a phone person, to be honest.

 

[Doctor Dolphin]

Did anyone get this email yesterday about changing my password? My account switched from "Applicant" to "OMS 2021" but it didn't tell me what my new username is and the old applicant one isn't working. Thought I would ask here before I call IT and embarrass myself with a silly question


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[Copper Lewis]

Hey guys, I spoke with Mr. Willis over the phone today and asked him a few questions regarding the waitlist. He stated that Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Lenz just started pulling a few people off the waitlist last week. They expect more move movement in the next 3 weeks and will be pulling more students off the list. I specifically asked if the waitlist was ranked and the answer was no. Mr. Willis said that they review the applications weekly and will pull from the list. He stated that many of the candidates on the waitlist are not viable because they have chosen to go elsewhere.

 

[lnguyen1412]

Did anyone get this email yesterday about changing my password? My account switched from "Applicant" to "OMS 2021" but it didn't tell me what my new username is and the old applicant one isn't working. Thought I would ask here before I call IT and embarrass myself with a silly question


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Nothing changed from my account yet. Maybe call IT?

 

[Doctor Dolphin]

Nothing changed from my account yet. Maybe call IT?

Ok I called them and they said not to worry about it. Pretty crazy to see my name next to "OMS" for the first time.


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[RainbowGolf93]

Ok I called them and they said not to worry about it. Pretty crazy to see my name next to "OMS" for the first time.


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Which "student page" are you referring to, exactly? The Resources-> Self-Service page? I feel as though I'm missing something because that's the only one that I've known about ... it used to have a checklist of items to be done but that is blank now. I don't see anywhere referring to me as an applicant or an OMS. Link me, kindly!? X-D

 

[Doctor Dolphin]

Which "student page" are you referring to, exactly? The Resources-> Self-Service page? I feel as though I'm missing something because that's the only one that I've known about ... it used to have a checklist of items to be done but that is blank now. I don't see anywhere referring to me as an applicant or an OMS. Link me, kindly!? X-D

It was just an email asking me to update my password and my "status" showed OMS 2021 rather than Applicant as it showed with previous emails from IT. No need for concern. IT just said it was a routine email but I'm bad at keeping up with things so I called to check up on it


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[crocaine]

Withdrawing my seat. Best of luck to you waitlisters!

 

[ididthedew]

Does anyone know when the 2017-2018 Discussion thread will begin?

 

[jCrews]

Does anyone know when the 2017-2018 Discussion thread will begin?

Following this.

 

[orangelily]

Waitlisters - I was pulled off the wait list last year after a late interview. ACOM is VERY receptive to those who are genuinely interested in the school. Call admissions, figure out WHY you were waitlisted and WHERE you can improve. Once you have it figured it out, send a letter-of-update and letter-of-intent if this is truly where you want to go. I found this to be true to many schools, if you take active effort in improving your application and show genuine interest in the school (via phone calls, updates, e-mails, checkups, etc), your application is more likely to be re-reviewed.

 

[Dr.Rick&Morty]

To current MS, would you recommend the Littman Master Cardiology or Cardio IV? Thanks!

 

[epap]

To current MS, would you recommend the Littman Master Cardiology or Cardio IV? Thanks!

I love my Cardio IV. I have heard many times from clinical faculty and doctors I scribed for that it is not the stethoscope, but rather the skill of the person using it. But, I am sure with practice you will make either work for you!

As a side note, at Osteopathic schools we refer to ourselves as OMS

 

[Dr.Rick&Morty]

I love my Cardio IV. I have heard many times from clinical faculty and doctors I scribed for that it is not the stethoscope, but rather the skill of the person using it. But, I am sure with practice you will make either work for you!

As a side note, at Osteopathic schools we refer to ourselves as OMS

Ah, got it! Thanks so much!

 

[futurephysician57]

Uhhhhhh I can't wait till July 24th to meet my new family

 

[podsquad24]

Does anyone know when the committee will meet next to decide on waitlists or is it just sporadically as seats open up?

 

[TheyCallMe]

Does everyone need to purchase the medical equipment through the store? I'm comparing prices on Amazon, and it looks like there are way better deals out there, but I don't want to be lost in class just because I have different equipment.

 

[moyamoya6]

Does everyone need to purchase the medical equipment through the store? I'm comparing prices on Amazon, and it looks like there are way better deals out there, but I don't want to be lost in class just because I have different equipment.

Nah, I know a few students who bought theirs from other students. However, ACOM did want us to buy it from their "medical store," and during the orientation week, you could refund the parts once they approve that your set is okay. I didn't do this though because I had no idea at that time and they were okay with it. But I recommend buying the same brand/equipment, except for stethoscope and reflex hammer because the professors will be teaching the students as a group on how to use the medical equipment. Also, the patient encounters are standardized and if you do not use a brand the faculty is familiar with, you will get points taken off for "not appropriately performing xx" because they might not know if your equipment is different.

 

[Doctor Dolphin]

To those current students living at Summerfield, do you ever feel like you are going crazy being on campus all day every day? Do you ever get annoyed seeing your classmates at home and school? Trying to decide where to live and I like the idea of walking to school but I'm worried about ACOM overload


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[moyamoya6]

To those current students living at Summerfield, do you ever feel like you are going crazy being on campus all day every day? Do you ever get annoyed seeing your classmates at home and school? Trying to decide where to live and I like the idea of walking to school but I'm worried about ACOM overload


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Some students were worried about that and decided to live on the other side of town. It's your own personal preference. I, on the other hand, like the proximity to school because I'm lazy and I can wake up 15 mins before class and then walk to school. Some students like living at Summerfield because they can find classmates to have study sessions with or play basketball. The dog owners have puppy play dates. I rarely see my classmates living at Summerfield because I do my own thing, but I like going back home during breaks for naps and food. I never had an issue with ACOM overload. I also had friends who lived across town chill at my place during breaks if they were too lazy to drive back home or if they didn't want to chill at school. They sometimes stored their food at my place so they could have snack or lunch breaks.

 

[Canuck10]

This is the current first year's tentative schedule. I'm sure it won't be the same for you and they make changes throughout the year. As of right now the 2018 Spring semester is scheduled to start January 8th. Let me know if you have any questions.

Also, the class is split into Lab Group A and B for OPP and Anatomy Lab. So usually you would only be attending one session per week for both of those. Nearly all of the Primary Clinical Skills (PCS) sessions will be 1.5hrs at most (you'll be in a smaller group for that). It looks a lot worse than it is.

Couldn't help but notice that on Tuesday of orientation there was breakfast and then golf at Highland Oaks. Any idea if they plan on doing that again this year? I've played golf since I was 4 and seeing this on the orientation calendar just 100% reaffirmed my decision to attend ACOM. I love it already.