Ohio University (OU-HCOM) Discussion Thread 2016-2017

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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Accepted!!!!! I am so happy this has been my top choice :) Anyone else accepted to the Dublin branch? Do we have a Facebook page? Good luck to everyone else in the process still!
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Will be applying next year, would love to get advice for applying DO!
 
Futuredoc112 said:
Accepted!!!!! I am so happy this has been my top choice :) Anyone else accepted to the Dublin branch? Do we have a Facebook page? Good luck to everyone else in the process still!
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Congrats! I'm glad you got in!
 
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Futuredoc112 said:
Accepted!!!!! I am so happy this has been my top choice :) Anyone else accepted to the Dublin branch? Do we have a Facebook page? Good luck to everyone else in the process still!
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Congratulations! Yes, we actually have two FB pages for you. They are both closed groups so you'll need to request membership. There is one for your entire class at https://www.facebook.com/groups/HCOM2021/ and the one specifically for Dublin is https://www.facebook.com/groups/1160066477419658/. Not much action yet on the Dublin page though. :(
 
Is there a preference toward Ohio residents? I was curious because I was interested in applying. My cGPA is a 3.2 though. Is it too late?
 
Clarus said:
Is there a preference toward Ohio residents? I was curious because I was interested in applying. My cGPA is a 3.2 though. Is it too late?
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Each year there are only a few oos students who are accepted in an attempt to keep students that graduate from OU in the state of Ohio. For the entering class of 2016, only 3% were oos but I do know of a few oos who have interviewed and been accepted this year! You never know till you send in the application!

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How is OU-HCOM going to handle the new AACOM change regarding dropping their handling GPA replacement? Will OU-HCOM still consider it in future years?

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Anyone know if OU's rotations are mostly preceptors- or wards-based?

EDITED: @meep!! meep!!, can you please chime in on this one?
 
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BoroPreMed92 said:
Maybe @meep!! meep!! Can chime in on this one

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Hi All!

Yes, this is an extremely hot topic as you can imagine. I'm happy to share any information I can here, so here is the OU-HCOM plan moving forward with the next application cycle...

We will not be recalculating science gpas once the new policy has gone into effect for the 2017-2018 cycle. We have decided on this course of action for a couple of reasons.

One, we do not feel it is appropriate to purposefully create a conflicting set of data. If we calculated our own gpas that allowed for grade replacement, then we wouldn't be able to accurately compare apples to apples within the national applicant/matriculant pools. We believe that for data integrity we should not rely on or publish a "local" or recalculated gpa. The gpa will be the gpa good, bad, or neutral.

Two (and really the most important reason), we review applications holistically and we are perfectly fine with giving more consideration to higher level and most recent coursework. This change will require our committee to take an even deeper dive into trends, strength of curriculum, and level of coursework (graduate/undergraduate/postbac) and again, that is fine with us. Our goal each year is to put a class of students together who we feel can help us meet our mission and be successful within our curriculum. We are just as likely to give an interview and acceptance to an applicant who has overcome academic hardships and who is demonstrating current success in the sciences as we are to someone who maybe hasn't struggled in the sciences at all.

You have likely observed that there isn't a medical school around that does not want to boast about taking students with high science gpa's, but the reality is it isn't the gpa that becomes the physician, it is the person. Life lessons, experiences, hardships and triumphs make you into the person that we read about and meet on interview day and as long as we can be sure we are not setting someone up for failure, we can get over some academic speed bumps.

So, if anyone is still reading this, I'll end by saying that yes, this news is upsetting and confusing and I know it feels like a rug has been yanked (hard) out from under you, but this should not be a crushing blow to your dream. Trust that we will objectively and holistically evaluate an application and that everything will fall into place as it should.
 
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Futuredoc112 said:
Accepted!!!!! I am so happy this has been my top choice :) Anyone else accepted to the Dublin branch? Do we have a Facebook page? Good luck to everyone else in the process still!
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Congrats!!!! I have also applied to the Dublin campus, but have not received an interview yet. Do you mind posting your stats and when your application was completed? Thanks!
 
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Would it be too late to apply? I received an email today from the school encouraging me to apply, but I'm unsure how reasonable of a shot I would have at this point in the cycle.
 
For those that have received interviews how far in advance did you receive the interview invite via email? Getting anxious waiting.
 
Buckeye_913 said:
For those that have received interviews how far in advance did you receive the interview invite via email? Getting anxious waiting.
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They usually try to give you at least a two week heads up from what I wad told.

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I received my invitation to interview on Oct 17 for an interview on Nov 4. My recommendation is that the risk of wasting an app fee is worth the possible reward of going to a great school, even your chances would have been better earlier in the cycle.


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Hello Everyone! I just got accepted in the class of 2021. I have a few questions for graduates that have finished their residencies and are now working after having their degree from this great school. How did you compare to other students whether they be DO's or MD's when you wanted to specialize? How hard was it to find the job of your choice as compared to your peers? Do you feel OU-HCOM is only good for primary care? For those that left the state, why did you leave and how did you compare against other MD's and DO's from other states?

Thank you everyone! Super excited for this year!
 
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Does any body knows how many students are in the fall 2017 first semester class (first year) at the Athens class?
 
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IS, from Cleveland, lots of CCF experience and application has been complete since July. Going here would be a dream come true for me, but the silence is very worrisome. Anyone know how many interview days there still are? Just trying to remain patient and calm. Sorry if this info has already been posted!
 
doctah2be said:
IS, from Cleveland, lots of CCF experience and application has been complete since July. Going here would be a dream come true for me, but the silence is very worrisome. Anyone know how many interview days there still are? Just trying to remain patient and calm. Sorry if this info has already been posted!
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I think they interview every Friday until March or April if they need to. Still plenty of time don't give up hope. Maybe send the admissions office update letters/ letter of intent?

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doctah2be said:
IS, from Cleveland, lots of CCF experience and application has been complete since July. Going here would be a dream come true for me, but the silence is very worrisome. Anyone know how many interview days there still are? Just trying to remain patient and calm. Sorry if this info has already been posted!
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You should have already heard back. Have you toured the Cleveland Campus? If you haven't you need to schedule it ASAP. Go dressed up in a suit, prepare some smart questions, and participate with your tour guide. Let him or her know why you are a great candidate and ask about your downfalls. The tour guide probably does not have a say in your acceptance but will still communicate everything to the selection committee and add it to your application. Make sure you have a DO letter of evaluation.
I toured in the beginning of December put in my secondary a few days later and got my interview about two weeks later. Got my interview and got accepted. The interviewer let me know that the tour guide talked about me to him and that it positively affected their consideration. I also sent in an update of my volunteer activities, shadowing a DO, my job, and my personal life a week after taking the tour.

Hope this helps!
 
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medschoolplease123 said:
too late to apply?
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Depends on your stats, if you're in state with strong ties and if you have the necessary DO letter, DO shadowing, and great life experiences. Take the tour if you're interested in more info. The tour guide is really helpful.
 
medstudent95 said:
You should have already heard back. Have you toured the Cleveland Campus? If you haven't you need to schedule it ASAP. Go dressed up in a suit, prepare some smart questions, and participate with your tour guide. Let him or her know why you are a great candidate and ask about your downfalls. The tour guide probably does not have a say in your acceptance but will still communicate everything to the selection committee and add it to your application. Make sure you have a DO letter of evaluation.
I toured in the beginning of December put in my secondary a few days later and got my interview about two weeks later. Got my interview and got accepted. The interviewer let me know that the tour guide talked about me to him and that it positively affected their consideration. I also sent in an update of my volunteer activities, shadowing a DO, my job, and my personal life a week after taking the tour.

Hope this helps!
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I sent in an update a month ago and got an e-mail back saying thank you and that it has been added to my application, so at least I know that my app hasn't been overlooked somehow. Just to clarify, the Cleveland campus tour isn't a required part of the admissions process, right? I am definitely going to go regardless, but I just want to make sure that I'm not missing anything! Thanks for the advice, it was very helpful!
 
Hello future Bobcats Med students, mind telling us which day you received your acceptance letter? i.e. a Monday, Tuesday, etc...?
 
BoroPreMed92 said:
Take that shot, fam. I doubt they're full yet!

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medstudent95 said:
Depends on your stats, if you're in state with strong ties and if you have the necessary DO letter, DO shadowing, and great life experiences. Take the tour if you're interested in more info. The tour guide is really helpful.
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OOS avg stats, no DO LOR
 
medschoolplease123 said:
OOS avg stats, no DO LOR
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Being completely honest with you, you have a 99.9% chance you will not get in. They want someone that has had experience with Osteopathic Medicine and have strong ties to the state of OH. OU-HCOM is hard to get into because they are looking for a very specific candidate. In fact, you might be accepted to Harvard because you have the best stats , experiences, letters, etc; but you will not get into OU-HCOM due to their goal of having primary care providers for the state of OH.
 
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Prepared said:
Hello future Bobcats Med students, mind telling us which day you received your acceptance letter? i.e. a Monday, Tuesday, etc...?
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You will get your notice of accepted, waitlisted or non-accepted the next business day after your interview.
 
doctah2be said:
I sent in an update a month ago and got an e-mail back saying thank you and that it has been added to my application, so at least I know that my app hasn't been overlooked somehow. Just to clarify, the Cleveland campus tour isn't a required part of the admissions process, right? I am definitely going to go regardless, but I just want to make sure that I'm not missing anything! Thanks for the advice, it was very helpful!
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I would go as soon as possible. It is not a requirement but how can they know you really want to be there if you applied way back in July and still haven't even visited? If you are in Cleveland I would schedule a tour ASAP
 
I agree with medstudent95. Also, we had a presenter at my undergrad come from the admissions dept and he said no DO letter is a common deal breaker for them. So being late in the cycle and out of state, I wouldn't bother if I also didn't have a letter. If you really want in, do your best to get one ASAP!


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medstudent95 said:
I would go as soon as possible. It is not a requirement but how can they know you really want to be there if you applied way back in July and still haven't even visited? If you are in Cleveland I would schedule a tour ASAP
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For what it's worth, I got accepted to the Cleveland campus without visiting. They never asked about it on my interview day. But you will have a video interview with someone at the cleveland campus and mentioning you've been there might help demonstrate your interest.


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doctah2be said:
IS, from Cleveland, lots of CCF experience and application has been complete since July. Going here would be a dream come true for me, but the silence is very worrisome. Anyone know how many interview days there still are? Just trying to remain patient and calm. Sorry if this info has already been posted!
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I am in the same boat as you except for the Dublin campus. I am starting to worry I won't get an interview!
 
sleepyhead22 said:
I wasn't aware that scheduling a tour was even an option...
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It's not a part of the interview day, but if you're interested in going to the Cleveland or Dublin campuses I believe you can call them up and arrange a tour on your own time.


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sleepyhead22 said:
I wasn't aware that scheduling a tour was even an option...
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You can schedule a tour at any campus but it's certainly not a requirement for admission. Would look good though if they communicate that you were there with the admissions staff in Athens.
I toured Cleveland after I was offered an interview and was accepted to athens.

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medstudent95 said:
Being completely honest with you, you have a 99.9% chance you will not get in. They want someone that has had experience with Osteopathic Medicine and have strong ties to the state of OH. OU-HCOM is hard to get into because they are looking for a very specific candidate. In fact, you might be accepted to Harvard because you have the best stats , experiences, letters, etc; but you will not get into OU-HCOM due to their goal of having primary care providers for the state of OH.
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I'm super OOS, got average stats, and had no DO letter, but got accepted. OP's problem, however, is applying late in the cycle.
 
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Yeah. True. I was just curious about it... But seems like they really want DO LOR but i am mission oriented... They factor that in?
 
Thanks for the info everyone! I'm in Boston finishing up my masters now but will schedule a tour for when I get back home for break. Fingers crossed I hear something soon!



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Prepared said:
Hello future Bobcats Med students, mind telling us which day you received your acceptance letter? i.e. a Monday, Tuesday, etc...?
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I got a call on my drive home from the interview on Friday :)
 
I sent an update two days ago but havent received a response saying they got it, even though I asked them to. Did you guys get update confirmations?
 
bigindian4891 said:
I sent an update two days ago but havent received a response saying they got it, even though I asked them to. Did you guys get update confirmations?
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I emailed the admissions staff directly a number of times and they got back to me the same day or the next day. I was pretty impressed with the response times. This was in late October. All schools seem to be extremely busy seeing as it's mid-application season
 
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Robotfishbrain said:
I emailed the admissions staff directly a number of times and they got back to me the same day or the next day. I was pretty impressed with the response times. This was in late October. All schools seem to be extremely busy seeing as it's mid-application season
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Gotcha, that makes sense. Thanks for letting me know!
 
bigindian4891 said:
I sent an update two days ago but havent received a response saying they got it, even though I asked them to. Did you guys get update confirmations?
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I emailed them a few weeks ago and they responded first thing the next morning! Like robotfishbrain mentioned however, they're probably busy since it's mid-application season. Maybe follow up in a week if they haven't responded by then!
 
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