KCUMB Discussion thread 2007-2008

[mshheaddoc]

For discussion of the school noted above. This includes interview dates, questions, etc. Threads will be merged in here if they are created on their own.


We are doing this to cut down on the traffic of threads so it makes it easier for people to find information about a school.

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[woodhorse22]

I called KCUMB today just for the hell of it to check if they had made any decisions even though they told the interviewees that they would know by the 26th of september. Phil Burns picked up the phone and told me that letters will be sent out today and tomorrow. He even told me whether I was rejected or accepted over the phone......

 

[spicedmanna]

I'm interpreting your "" as "accepted."

Congratulations.

 

[Animus]

Yeah...wondering why you are keeping it a secret on an anonymous forum...

 

[osli]

Probably just in case he is the only one who happened to call today... but no worry, I doubt Phil reads SDN, and if he did I don't think anyone would fault you for being excited.

Congrats!

 

[Beau Geste]

Quick question here folks -

has anyone gotten an interview with KCUMB and not had biochem? It's the only science class I haven't taken and I'm just deciding whether to take the chance of sending in my 2ndary or just forgetting about it b/c I don't have biochem.

(I posted this on another thread but thought I might get a better response here)

 

[lackoftalent]

Quick question here folks -

has anyone gotten an interview with KCUMB and not had biochem? It's the only science class I haven't taken and I'm just deciding whether to take the chance of sending in my 2ndary or just forgetting about it b/c I don't have biochem.

(I posted this on another thread but thought I might get a better response here)

I did!

 

[Beau Geste]

I did!

Seriously?????

Are you planning on taking biochem?

 

[lackoftalent]

Seriously?????

Are you planning on taking biochem?

It's part of the plan, but only if I get accepted.

 

[osli]

I had not yet taken biochem when I was granted an interview, but I did go on and that that the spring before matriculation since it is one of their requirements.

Even a 3 hour "survey" or intro level biochem course will meet the requirements, though it may not do as much good as preparing you for the material in med school. Due to scheduling conflicts, the course I took was a survey of biochem intended for non biochem majors, and was 80% useless as a preparatory course. But it met the requirements... and not everyone is already strong in every subject before matriculation anyway.

 

[IUgrad]

I did but I have it listed as taking in the Spring (just to cover myself for schools that require it). I figure that I get in to a school that requires it, I'll take it then or the summer before school starts.

 

[t-funk]

I interviewed there and I am currently enrolled in BC. I believe I read somewhere that they will only review your file if you have less than 6 hours of prereqs left or something, otherwise they will put it on hold. All I had left was BC though.

 

[DiverDoc]

Even though my interview day wasnt great. The first thing I said to my family when they asked me about how it went was " The Center for Clinical Competence, was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen on a campus."

 

[WannaBaDoc]

So I called the admissions office and supposedly they sent out an application in July, which I never got. So they are sending me a new one, hopefully I'm not tooo late

 

[osli]

haha u did a good job, i was 100% neutral going to the school, now i like it more than the MD schools i visited. i got an interview at nova next week but its gonna have to be damn good to top kcumb

NOVA is a good school... I felt like they offered a great education and had fabulous facilities and resources on campus for the most part. Didn't like the attendance policy, but I go to class anyway so it wouldn't have been a bid deal. They also have a great reputation and good connections into many fields, and a strong clinical program in the first two years.

I thought KCUMB's clinical training for the first two years was second to none, and I also liked the fact that everything about KCUMB is for the med students... NOVA gave me the impression that if they could make money by offering a certain graduate degree, they would. Probably an unfair criticism though as the students certainly seemed to like the school and graduates do very well.

Enjoy the South Florida scenery while you are there!

 

[osli]

So I called the admissions office and supposedly they sent out an application in July, which I never got. So they are sending me a new one, hopefully I'm not tooo late

You're still early in the application cycle, so you should be fine if you get it back in soon.

 

[fiji]

i am turning down an interview to KCUMB because it is just too far. reading all the postiive feedback from the school really makes me doubtful

 

[jzeidenb]

i am turning down an interview to KCUMB because it is just too far. reading all the postiive feedback from the school really makes me doubtful

check out their core sites, they have em all over the place, there may be one close to ur home

 

[osli]

i am turning down an interview to KCUMB because it is just too far. reading all the postiive feedback from the school really makes me doubtful

For many people, location can trump everything else. If there are family or financial (or both) reasons to look at a particular location, that might be all that matters. That being said, there are a lot of rotation sites so it may be 2 years vs. 4, which in my case made a difference. I could drag the wife off for 2, but 4 would probably have been stretching it a bit.

 

[ChristianDoc]

So, those of you who got interviews at KCUMB, what were your stats??
--Just seeing if I have a chance

 

[jzeidenb]

So, those of you who got interviews at KCUMB, what were your stats??
--Just seeing if I have a chance

i dont think telling you my stats would help as much as telling u that the presentation in the morning quoted their averages as being:

3.6gpa
3.5sci
27MCAT

and its going up every year

i had a
3.56
3.4
31

 

[ChristianDoc]

Thanks for the stats.

I have pretty odd stats:
3.9 GPA
4.0 Science
22 MCAT!! (After getting mid-30's on all practice tests)

I guess I'll just have to wait for the call.

 

[t-funk]

I got accepted there with a 27 and a 3.6 but I get the impression that they are not huge number ******.

 

[jzeidenb]

I got accepted there with a 27 and a 3.6 but I get the impression that they are not huge number ******.

i think thats changing a little, the guy in the beginning was braggin pretty heavily about how great their stats are getting.

 

[Terpskins99]

I thought KCUMB's clinical training for the first two years was second to none...

I'm in rotations right now, and I can tell you that all of those patient simulations (which I hated at the time, admittedly) are paying dividends right now. I do think they need to continue to tweak that portion of the curriculum. They spend way too much time emphasizing history taking, and not nearly enough on evaluating physical findings (this is what I'm still struggling with on rotations... the pimping rounds). But overall, my transition into clerkships has been very smooth.

I'm not sure if I agree with the "second to none" sentiment though... the students rotating from other schools are really good as well (granted, they've all already been on rotations for at least a month before we started). But at least I definitely don't feel unprepared.

 

[t-funk]

i think thats changing a little, the guy in the beginning was braggin pretty heavily about how great their stats are getting.

That's true too. In the interview though, it seemed like all they were focused on were ethics and my personal statement and just finding out about me in a non-medical and non-academic way. They really liked my personal statement which I think really helped me because I am horrible at interviewing.

 

[jzeidenb]

That's true too. In the interview though, it seemed like all they were focused on were ethics and my personal statement and just finding out about me in a non-medical and non-academic way. They really liked my personal statement which I think really helped me because I am horrible at interviewing.

i agree, i got asked personal questions, not a single thing about my numbers, i didnt even get an ethics question.. the hardest question i got was "do i think culture is important in medicine"

dont think theres a choice in answering that one lol

 

[osli]

i think thats changing a little, the guy in the beginning was braggin pretty heavily about how great their stats are getting.

That's probably just a reflection of the average of applicants rising, not necessarily them being more selective. Or, worded differently, the top applicants may be rising in stats bringing the average up while they are still happy to consider the same students they always have.

But maybe they are getting a little more selective. All schools are as students compete and drive up stats across the board.

The stats that really matter are match lists and board scores/pass rates. KCUMB does terrific on COMLEX, and better than the average DO school on the USMLE (though I still wish the AOA would just consolidate the damned test with an additional OMT section for DO students).

 

[osli]

I'm in rotations right now, and I can tell you that all of those patient simulations (which I hated at the time, admittedly) are paying dividends right now. I do think they need to continue to tweak that portion of the curriculum. They spend way too much time emphasizing history taking, and not nearly enough on evaluating physical findings (this is what I'm still struggling with on rotations... the pimping rounds). But overall, my transition into clerkships has been very smooth.

I'm not sure if I agree with the "second to none" sentiment though... the students rotating from other schools are really good as well (granted, they've all already been on rotations for at least a month before we started). But at least I definitely don't feel unprepared.

Point well taken, though this might just be a semantics thing. To me "second to none" means on par with the best. I think to a lot of people it means "the best, period." Subtle but important difference, and perhaps I should have chosen my words more carefully.

I think the new patient simulators are going to help speed up physical exam skills for incoming classes. There are a lot of things you can't practice on the simulators, but getting used to the idea of physically touching the patient and being efficient in your approach will help teach those skills.

 

[jzeidenb]

Point well taken, though this might just be a semantics thing. To me "second to none" means on par with the best. I think to a lot of people it means "the best, period." Subtle but important difference, and perhaps I should have chosen my words more carefully.

I think the new patient simulators are going to help speed up physical exam skills for incoming classes. There are a lot of things you can't practice on the simulators, but getting used to the idea of physically touching the patient and being efficient in your approach will help teach those skills.

yea, patient interaction helps no matter what youre doing, right now i get to jab tonal pens into patients eyes to test for glaucoma, it takes some getting used to and the first couple of patients i did though i was going to kill them haha

 

[baby methuselah]

i didn't see it anywhere on their website, or in the packet i requested. but when i got an e-mail w/ the secondary, it says that biochem and genetics are required (in addition to another 3 credits of bio i don't have). i called to ask them if i should still apply, and they said as long as i'm going to have those classes under my belt before fall '08, then i'm good to go. so i said i could probably take them online or something. but since i only applied to four schools and my mcat is bad (50th percentile), i'm studying for the dumb thing again and i might not have those classes done before fall '08. most of my time will be spent studying for the mcat, working, and maybe trying the marriage thing. should i even bother applying? a few current students there said not to worry about the prereqs and apply anyway... does this mean i can get it w/o the classes? little confused... sorry for the long post

 

[Meatwad]

Nah, I don't think they meant you can get away without 'em. I don't think they will waive the pre-reqs, but you can call again and confirm that. Check around the website, too, because I know for a fact I saw them listed somewhere (although I seem to remember it wasn't the easiest one to extract important info from).

If you don't think you can fit the classes in, don't worry; you're better of getting a higher score on your retake of the MCAT than being able to apply to one more school (KCUMB) and possibly preventing you from scoring high on the MCAT.

Good luck.

 

[osli]

I have no direct knowledge of them waiving the pre-reqs, but I do know that my 3 hour "survey of biochem" for non biochem majors was fine to satisfy their criteria. Can't say that it prepared me for biochem, but it got me in the door.

 

[DiverDoc]

I am currently enrolled in genetics, and will be taking Biochem in the spring. I got accepted.

 

[osli]

Congrats!

 

[EEL08]

.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Anyone who has the chance to take biochem but doesn't needs their head examined. It is an awesome class. I took two semesters. It is super-interesting.

 

[EEL08]

Is 1.5 pages for the KCUMB secondary essay too long? I feel like it kind of is asking to include everything I have from my other secondaries. I'm having a hard time trying to cut it down but I almost feel like that's too long.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

i didn't see it anywhere on their website, or in the packet i requested. but when i got an e-mail w/ the secondary, it says that biochem and genetics are required (in addition to another 3 credits of bio i don't have). i called to ask them if i should still apply, and they said as long as i'm going to have those classes under my belt before fall '08, then i'm good to go. so i said i could probably take them online or something. but since i only applied to four schools and my mcat is bad (50th percentile), i'm studying for the dumb thing again and i might not have those classes done before fall '08. most of my time will be spent studying for the mcat, working, and maybe trying the marriage thing. should i even bother applying? a few current students there said not to worry about the prereqs and apply anyway... does this mean i can get it w/o the classes? little confused... sorry for the long post

Taking genetics and biochem will help your MCAT prep significantly. Take them while you study for the MCAT.

The more I read about this school, the more I like them.

 

[IUgrad]

I don't know if I should say anything until it's "official" but I just found out today (when I called to update my address, I thought I'd ask for the heck of it)...I've been accepted to KCUMB! My first acceptance - yay!!

 

[jzeidenb]

I don't know if I should say anything until it's "official" but I just found out today (when I called to update my address, I thought I'd ask for the heck of it)...I've been accepted to KCUMB! My first acceptance - yay!!

grats, when did u interview?

 

[IUgrad]

grats, when did u interview?

9/24

 

[spicedmanna]

I don't know if I should say anything until it's "official" but I just found out today (when I called to update my address, I thought I'd ask for the heck of it)...I've been accepted to KCUMB! My first acceptance - yay!!

Congrats and welcome!

 

[DiverDoc]

9/24

Congrats future classmate !

 

[IUgrad]

Thanks, Spiced and Diver! Looking forward to joining you guys there next year!

 

[TexasTriathlete]

So I get the impression from the VP of admissions that KCUMB is most interested in the science GPA and MCAT score. This makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

 

[DiverDoc]

Did any of you guys/gals get to sit in on a lecture at KCUMB? I didnt for my interview but did last year. It was on hyperkalemia, very cool !

 

[t-funk]

Congrats IUGrad!!!

I didn't get to sit in on a lecture but we walked through during a lecture. It was somewhat uncomfortable. They have a kid with hyperkalemia on either a Mystery Diagnosis or Untold Stories of the ER episode. It's pretty interesting. Are you sure you're going to KCUMB now, Diverdoc? What helped you decide?

 

[DiverDoc]

Congrats IUGrad!!!

I didn't get to sit in on a lecture but we walked through during a lecture. It was somewhat uncomfortable. They have a kid with hyperkalemia on either a Mystery Diagnosis or Untold Stories of the ER episode. It's pretty interesting. Are you sure you're going to KCUMB now, Diverdoc? What helped you decide?

Well, my family (support system) is in Kansas. I have a desire to practice in the midwest. KCUMB's curriculum. Their percentage 90 + get their first choice match. Large list of core sites to work with 3rd/4th year. Opportunity to go into more fields it seems than WVSOM (stat speaking). All of those things IMO trumped a bad vs. good interview experience. Also the availability of tutors, I like the study rooms at Leonard Smith Hall. Plus new study areas in Weaver next year. Have you cancelled any interviews now T-funk? Where else are you looking at?

 

[spicedmanna]

Also the availability of tutors, I like the study rooms at Leonard Smith Hall. Plus new study areas in Weaver next year.

Yeah, I'm grateful for the tutors. I got one for OMM and it definitely helped.

Also, Smith Hall is awesome. I'm studying in one of the rooms right now.