Kansas City University (KCU-COM) Discussion Thread 2016-2017

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CCmetal94 said:
It's not listed on the KCUMB website, but their 2016-2017 university catalog says that KCU offers a dual DO/MS. With the MS being in bioscience with a emphasis in clinical anatomy research. Is this the first year this dual degree will be offered at KCU or has it been around a while?

Source: http://cdn.agilitycms.com/kansas-city-university/Attachments/admissions/UniversityCatalog2016_17.pdf
Page 5.
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No, this is not the first year that dual degree is offered. I'm unsure how many years it has been around, but I am a former COB student, and the dual DO/MS COM students would take Epidemiology with the COB class as a part of meeting their MS requirement. The program requires a year off between 2nd and 3rd year, I believe, and a lot of work in the anatomy lab and presenting their research.
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aspiringdoctoruiuc said:
I see the same thing when i login to my net partner account and click on the tab "Loans at KCU." It says award type then lists the grad plus and unsubsidized stafford loans. There is no option to accept the award though? I also didnt receive an email saying my award letter was ready yet either (not sure if that matters).

@AlteredScale Would you be able to help? How/when can we accept our aid and is there an option to reduce the amount we actually take out?
Click to expand...

You will have the option to reduce your loan amount. What you see in netpartner now is not your award or your commitment to take full loans. The financial aid office automatically packages everyone the max amounts.

In mid-late may, you will get an email that everything is ready and you can then adjust your amounts down. After you get this email, then you apply for gradplus. The whole process takes about 8 minutes.

All you need to worry about at this point is getting your mpn and entrance counseling done now.


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RamsFan&FutureDO said:
Isn't that the ms you get if you're an anatomy fellow?
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Curriculum has been altered and it's no longer an MS it will be a certificate. Don't know if that's a temporary change or what not but last I heard the main goal is a publication now instead of a masters thesis.


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I just received an email stating that my loans were ready to be approved by me. It allowed me to alter the amount I was being "awarded" (if you consider 74k in loans an award) for both subsidized and plus loans. It defaulted to the max amount. I figure I'll accept it all and make changes next year if I find that I do not need it all. Once you accept it, they state that they will run a credit check to determine final eligibility of the plus loan. Hope that helps. I'm learning as I go too..
 
AlteredScale said:
Curriculum has been altered and it's no longer an MS it will be a certificate. Don't know if that's a temporary change or what not but last I heard the main goal is a publication now instead of a masters thesis.


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Publish or perish


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Spodonn said:
I just received an email stating that my loans were ready to be approved by me. It allowed me to alter the amount I was being "awarded" (if you consider 74k in loans an award) for both subsidized and plus loans. It defaulted to the max amount. I figure I'll accept it all and make changes next year if I find that I do not need it all. Once you accept it, they state that they will run a credit check to determine final eligibility of the plus loan. Hope that helps. I'm learning as I go too..
Click to expand...

I never received an email but I check netpartner and was able to accept my loans so I did. All 74k of them, yikes. I applied for the grad plus as well. I'm learning here too.
 
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Spodonn said:
I just received an email stating that my loans were ready to be approved by me. It allowed me to alter the amount I was being "awarded" (if you consider 74k in loans an award) for both subsidized and plus loans. It defaulted to the max amount. I figure I'll accept it all and make changes next year if I find that I do not need it all. Once you accept it, they state that they will run a credit check to determine final eligibility of the plus loan. Hope that helps. I'm learning as I go too..
Click to expand...

Just a heads up but I believe you can return what you don't need within 120 days or something like that too if you do find that you have way too much in loans! (No sense racking up all that interest am I right?)
 
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Corgilover419 said:
Just a heads up but I believe you can return what you don't need within 120 days or something like that too if you do find that you have way too much in loans! (No sense racking up all that interest am I right?)
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you can return what you dont need anytime before like the last couple weeks of the semester!

p.s. corgis are awesome:)
 
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So everyone on the class of 2021 FB group is buying and selling medical kits without a stethoscope for usually about $650.

How much would it cost me to wait until I arrive to KCU and just buy a complete medical kit with the stethoscope from the school?

Also how much is buying a stethoscope on its own, were I to purchase a used medical kit from one of the second year students currently selling them?

Basically, what I'm trying to figure out here is how much money do I really save by buying a used medical kit minus the stethoscope for $650?
 
So my angel of a mother is offering to buy my stethoscope and I'm having a hard time deciding which one to get. Do people recommend the Littman cardiology or the classic? I was reading up on it and there seems to be a 50/50 split. A lot of people point out that you can hear everything you need with the classic and since its so much cheaper I'm thinking about going with that one but I'd hate to be wrong and end up getting a new one a few years down the road.
 
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@cantcatchme I am all for saving money, so I looked up what it would cost to get a full set new. Getting everything individually from amazon and the diagnostic set from Welch Allyn, I was able to get it to around $700. That includes a Littmann Classic II SE and a bag for everything. I splurged on a couple items to get above the bare minimum (like the reflex hammer), so you could reduce the price a bit. Also, I've heard that the school has BP cuffs that we can use most of the time, which can reduce price. Without that and the bag, you could save almost $40. I'd be more than happy to send a document with links to everything I found if you are interested.

@Corgilover419 Everything I have read says get the cardiology if you plan on being in a stethoscope using specialty. If you don't, it'll just turn into a glorified reflex hammer. I have a Classic II that I plan to use while I'm in school. I don't think it's worth the extra money.
 
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Corgilover419 said:
So my angel of a mother is offering to buy my stethoscope and I'm having a hard time deciding which one to get. Do people recommend the Littman cardiology or the classic? I was reading up on it and there seems to be a 50/50 split. A lot of people point out that you can hear everything you need with the classic and since its so much cheaper I'm thinking about going with that one but I'd hate to be wrong and end up getting a new one a few years down the road.
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glad to see another corgi lover...i want one when i move there
 
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Are there any programs we use in the preclinical years, that requires a Windows OS ? I have a MacBook Pro and debating on whether to download Windows 10


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julius0121 said:
Are there any programs we use in the preclinical years, that requires a Windows OS ? I have a MacBook Pro and debating on whether to download Windows 10


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Programs like Microsoft word or what?


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julius0121 said:
Are there any programs we use in the preclinical years, that requires a Windows OS ? I have a MacBook Pro and debating on whether to download Windows 10


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There is nothing you need in school that requires windows.


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cantcatchme said:
So everyone on the class of 2021 FB group is buying and selling medical kits without a stethoscope for usually about $650.

How much would it cost me to wait until I arrive to KCU and just buy a complete medical kit with the stethoscope from the school?

Also how much is buying a stethoscope on its own, were I to purchase a used medical kit from one of the second year students currently selling them?

Basically, what I'm trying to figure out here is how much money do I really save by buying a used medical kit minus the stethoscope for $650?
Click to expand...

Corgilover419 said:
So my angel of a mother is offering to buy my stethoscope and I'm having a hard time deciding which one to get. Do people recommend the Littman cardiology or the classic? I was reading up on it and there seems to be a 50/50 split. A lot of people point out that you can hear everything you need with the classic and since its so much cheaper I'm thinking about going with that one but I'd hate to be wrong and end up getting a new one a few years down the road.
Click to expand...

IMO, the "used" kits that you are going to get from a second year student are just a better deal. I am sure you can go on Amazon and find stuff for cheaper, but it most likely won't be the same quality as the stuff you are going to get from the second year class. The stuff from the second years is "used" technically, but we didn't use it much, so the sets are still most likely in perfect shape. Once YOU go on to third year, you can just sell your set to the incoming first years and make your money back. This way, you get a good set and are pretty much renting it for free in the end.

As far as the stethoscope goes, I have the Cardiology III and love it. However, you absolutely do NOT need it for medical school. My thought on it was if I am going to use this for my career, I might as well get the "good" one, but if money is tight, then the answer to your question is that you absolutely don't NEED the Cardiology III for medical school.
 
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spectacles05 said:
Do you even need to buy a medical kit? Can you just get by with a stethoscope ?


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Yes, you need to get a kit. You will be participating in the SCORE1 program (once at the end of 1st year, and MANY times during second year) where you perform physical exams on the children at low income elementary schools. You need to have your own kit. Like I said, you can make the choice to either sell it back at the end of your second year or keep it.


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Hey everyone! To anyone that lives in Missouri or the Joplin area - how much of a threat is the weather there? Do most houses have a safe room? What is the process if there is a Tornado (alarms for example). Thanks!! Anyone that can offer any info it would be greatly appreciated. :)
 
Zelda_LSP said:
Hey everyone! To anyone that lives in Missouri or the Joplin area - how much of a threat is the weather there? Do most houses have a safe room? What is the process if there is a Tornado (alarms for example). Thanks!! Anyone that can offer any info it would be greatly appreciated. :)
Click to expand...

Are you from California? Haha

It's not a big deal. We have had tornado sirens 0 times in two years (Overland Park). I know that in North KC there have been more tor-nay-ders though. It depends on where you live though. For example, my apartment I am in right now doesn't have a basement (which kinda sucks). I am pretty sure most houses have basements around these parts though.


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SynapticDoctah said:
Are you from California? Haha

It's not a big deal. We have had tornado sirens 0 times in two years (Overland Park). I know that in North KC there have been more tor-nay-ders though. It depends on where you live though. For example, my apartment I am in right now doesn't have a basement (which kinda sucks). I am pretty sure most houses have basements around these parts though.


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Do people go storm chasing? I would TOTALLY do that. I love severe weather.


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Last edited:
Zelda_LSP said:
Hey everyone! To anyone that lives in Missouri or the Joplin area - how much of a threat is the weather there? Do most houses have a safe room? What is the process if there is a Tornado (alarms for example). Thanks!! Anyone that can offer any info it would be greatly appreciated. :)
Click to expand...
I wouldn't worry too much about tornados. I've lived in the Joplin area for 25 years now and the only tornado that has ever really affected Joplin was the EF-5 a few years ago. I was hit by it and I don't really worry too much about the storms. As far as tornado shelters, our building will probably have one in Joplin and I believe all the Joplin schools have public shelters. Most houses don't have tornado shelters, but it shouldn't be a problem.
If there is a tornado, going to a central room in your house/apartment is the safest option (usually a bathroom and hunker down in the tub with blankets or a mattress over you). If you are driving around, stop at a building and seek shelter. If you can't find shelter, get in a low lying ditch. Don't get under a bridge, very bad idea. Sirens will go off only if there is a tornado warning (i.e. on the ground nearby). Feel free to send me a message if you have any further questions.
 
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Hello!! Can anyone tell me what exactly are in the medical kit? What is the specification that is needed?

Thanks!! Please let me know :) @AlteredScale
 
DrRedstone said:
@cantcatchme I am all for saving money, so I looked up what it would cost to get a full set new. Getting everything individually from amazon and the diagnostic set from Welch Allyn, I was able to get it to around $700. That includes a Littmann Classic II SE and a bag for everything. I splurged on a couple items to get above the bare minimum (like the reflex hammer), so you could reduce the price a bit. Also, I've heard that the school has BP cuffs that we can use most of the time, which can reduce price. Without that and the bag, you could save almost $40. I'd be more than happy to send a document with links to everything I found if you are interested.

@Corgilover419 Everything I have read says get the cardiology if you plan on being in a stethoscope using specialty. If you don't, it'll just turn into a glorified reflex hammer. I have a Classic II that I plan to use while I'm in school. I don't think it's worth the extra money.
Click to expand...


Yes, oh my god, if you could send me a document with links that would be a dream! I believe you can post docs in this thread or you could pm it to me. Additionally if it would be easier, I could give you my email address and you could just email me. Whichever is easiest for you!

Thanks so much
 
DrRedstone said:
I wouldn't worry too much about tornados. I've lived in the Joplin area for 25 years now and the only tornado that has ever really affected Joplin was the EF-5 a few years ago. I was hit by it and I don't really worry too much about the storms. As far as tornado shelters, our building will probably have one in Joplin and I believe all the Joplin schools have public shelters. Most houses don't have tornado shelters, but it shouldn't be a problem.
If there is a tornado, going to a central room in your house/apartment is the safest option (usually a bathroom and hunker down in the tub with blankets or a mattress over you). If you are driving around, stop at a building and seek shelter. If you can't find shelter, get in a low lying ditch. Don't get under a bridge, very bad idea. Sirens will go off only if there is a tornado warning (i.e. on the ground nearby). Feel free to send me a message if you have any further questions.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! :)
 
Is there some sort of portal where I can see how much money is owed to the school in tuition? Like, I know the net partner site has how much loan money I can borrow, but I plan on covering part of my loan using some money I've saved up at least for the first year.

Where can i see the exact amount I owe in tuition to KCU, as well as see the $2000 I've already paid to the school?
 
spectacles05 said:
How long do you have to accept your financial aid award?


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I contacted the financial aid office, and they told me that we have until the end of May to accept our awards. Also, if you've already submitted your MPNs, they'll still come up as "Not Received" on the portal until later in the summer
 
How long does it take for SentryMD to verify your stuff? What happens if it's not verified before Monday?
 
As a prospective applicant, does anyone that has gotten an interview/received an acceptance at KCU have any information on their screening protocol?

I have a 2.75 undergraduate GPA (upward trend last 2 years of 3.65), and I just finished my graduate SMP (in Texas) with a 4.0. I think that brings my cumulative GPA to around a 3.0. I have a 506 on my MCAT. Lots of shadowing, local non-profit work, free health clinics, research. Am I competitive for this school? Also, is there anything KCU really wants you to focus on in terms of mission, secondaries, broad themes. Thank you guys, and congrats to everyone that's in!
 
brachialplexus said:
As a prospective applicant, does anyone that has gotten an interview/received an acceptance at KCU have any information on their screening protocol?

I have a 2.75 undergraduate GPA (upward trend last 2 years of 3.65), and I just finished my graduate SMP (in Texas) with a 4.0. I think that brings my cumulative GPA to around a 3.0. I have a 506 on my MCAT. Lots of shadowing, local non-profit work, free health clinics, research. Am I competitive for this school? Also, is there anything KCU really wants you to focus on in terms of mission, secondaries, broad themes. Thank you guys, and congrats to everyone that's in!
Click to expand...

Your upward trend is strong. I would send a primary here if you get a secondary then that means you passed the screening.

Big push regarding community service from what I've seen so far. It doesn't mean talk only about community service it means describing how your activities impact the community whether that's research or leadership.


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Hello KCU community!
I have a few question for current 2nd year students or above who have been assigned clerkship sites and I apologize if this has already been answered on here. If it has a link would be appreciated because I couldn't find it :)
Could someone please explain to me how clerkship assignments work for third and fourth year? I went to accepted students day a few weeks ago and they focused mainly on the curriculum for the first two years. My ambassador was great but did not know much about rotations as she was only a first year. On the KCU website it has a list of core sites but I am a little confused of how exactly that fits in with the sample curriculum shown for 3rd and 4th year. Are students assigned to just one core site and complete all their required rotations there? What about elective rotations? I know KCU also mentions that they are preceptor based so are students responsible for finding their own preceptor or will the school assign one? and if a student wants to find their own preceptor is that allowed?
I am asking for two main of reasons: first, I would like to know how likely it would be for me for me to stay in Kansas City for all four years (because I know KCU has clerkship sites everywhere). I have heard KCU gives preference to students with children or spouses, but what I am wondering is if they will give preference to a single person (single on paper at least) who has grown up and lived in Kansas City their whole life with strong family and personal ties to the community--if not I might have to speed up those wedding bells.... Second of all I would like to know if it would be beneficial to start making connections with community physicians in highly specialized fields early in order to work with them for elective rotation sites. Thank you in advance!
 
cantcatchme said:
So everyone on the class of 2021 FB group is buying and selling medical kits without a stethoscope for usually about $650.

How much would it cost me to wait until I arrive to KCU and just buy a complete medical kit with the stethoscope from the school?

Also how much is buying a stethoscope on its own, were I to purchase a used medical kit from one of the second year students currently selling them?

Basically, what I'm trying to figure out here is how much money do I really save by buying a used medical kit minus the stethoscope for $650?
Click to expand...

I've heard on pretty good intel that if you want to buy just the Med Kit (no stethoscope or books) you can buy them from second years for around $500-550 used if you wait a bit. Take it as you may but I know personally I would rather wait and save the ~100 dollars for something that will most likely only be used a handful of times.
 
HJP_7 said:
Hello KCU community!
I have a few question for current 2nd year students or above who have been assigned clerkship sites and I apologize if this has already been answered on here. If it has a link would be appreciated because I couldn't find it :)
Could someone please explain to me how clerkship assignments work for third and fourth year? I went to accepted students day a few weeks ago and they focused mainly on the curriculum for the first two years. My ambassador was great but did not know much about rotations as she was only a first year. On the KCU website it has a list of core sites but I am a little confused of how exactly that fits in with the sample curriculum shown for 3rd and 4th year. Are students assigned to just one core site and complete all their required rotations there? What about elective rotations? I know KCU also mentions that they are preceptor based so are students responsible for finding their own preceptor or will the school assign one? and if a student wants to find their own preceptor is that allowed?
I am asking for two main of reasons: first, I would like to know how likely it would be for me for me to stay in Kansas City for all four years (because I know KCU has clerkship sites everywhere). I have heard KCU gives preference to students with children or spouses, but what I am wondering is if they will give preference to a single person (single on paper at least) who has grown up and lived in Kansas City their whole life with strong family and personal ties to the community--if not I might have to speed up those wedding bells.... Second of all I would like to know if it would be beneficial to start making connections with community physicians in highly specialized fields early in order to work with them for elective rotation sites. Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
Are you a first year at KCU then? If so, I wonder why they haven't talked to yall about clerkships?
 
HJP_7 said:
Hello KCU community!
I have a few question for current 2nd year students or above who have been assigned clerkship sites and I apologize if this has already been answered on here. If it has a link would be appreciated because I couldn't find it :)
Could someone please explain to me how clerkship assignments work for third and fourth year? I went to accepted students day a few weeks ago and they focused mainly on the curriculum for the first two years. My ambassador was great but did not know much about rotations as she was only a first year. On the KCU website it has a list of core sites but I am a little confused of how exactly that fits in with the sample curriculum shown for 3rd and 4th year. Are students assigned to just one core site and complete all their required rotations there? What about elective rotations? I know KCU also mentions that they are preceptor based so are students responsible for finding their own preceptor or will the school assign one? and if a student wants to find their own preceptor is that allowed?
I am asking for two main of reasons: first, I would like to know how likely it would be for me for me to stay in Kansas City for all four years (because I know KCU has clerkship sites everywhere). I have heard KCU gives preference to students with children or spouses, but what I am wondering is if they will give preference to a single person (single on paper at least) who has grown up and lived in Kansas City their whole life with strong family and personal ties to the community--if not I might have to speed up those wedding bells.... Second of all I would like to know if it would be beneficial to start making connections with community physicians in highly specialized fields early in order to work with them for elective rotation sites. Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...

For the short answer, you are assigned a clerkship based on you ranking your top 3 choice of where you want to go. The entire class rank list is then entered into a computer system that magically spits out a list that has the highest percentage of students getting one of their top 3 choices. Last year there was a bunch of people who didn't match into one of their top 3 choices and were sent to places they did not wanna go. This year we had 100% of people getting one of their top three choices.

This doesn't mean that people were happy though. Obviously there are a lot of people that are going to want to stay in KC. There are about 90 KC spots available and there are 250 students in the class. The admin will do a "mock" match before hand so you can see how many people are wanting to go to each site. This year there was about 120 people wanting KC for the 90 spots. Also, if you match into a specialty track (which KCU reserves 30 spots in KC for) then you automatically match KC. So now you have to take out 30 spots from the available 90. Now you are down to 60 spots in KC.

If you are wanting to go to any site specifically (KC or not) you will submit a appeal letter stating why you should get chosen to go to whatever site you want. However, for the KC site I know a ton of people who wanted KC with good reasons and DID NOT get to stay here. For example, some were getting married this summer and would have to move without their spouses, some have kids, jobs, from KC, etc. A lot of these people did not get to stay. They go through on a case by case basis. So to answer your question, your chance at getting into KC depends on how many people wanna stay and how good their reasons are compared to yours.

KC sites are mostly preceptor based and the school will take care of all that for you. Other sites many be more "residency-like."
 
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