The Official KCUMB Class of 2012 Thread!!!

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axebjc said:
I was wondering how long after the financial aid package was sent in that you received your award letter. Has anyone already received their award letter?
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all the lady over the phone told me was that its first come first serve and she generally hopes to get it done by 3 weeks
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I'm in Kansas City this weekend looking for a place to live. We are staying down in the Plaza. I was wondering where yall suggest to eat or what to see while I'm here for the weekend. I just want to get an idea of what all there is to do and see here. Thanks!
 
axebjc said:
I'm in Kansas City this weekend looking for a place to live. We are staying down in the Plaza. I was wondering where yall suggest to eat or what to see while I'm here for the weekend. I just want to get an idea of what all there is to do and see here. Thanks!
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Check out Brookside since your very close to it being down at the plaza. Check out the power and light district (right by the sprint center), for places to live there has been numerous posts suggesting RiverMarket Area, Gladstone, Plaza, Roeland Park (where I live), Fairway. Hope this helps !:thumbup:
 
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Places to eat:

Garozzo's: Upscale yet quite affordable Italian food. It's been voted best Italian restaurant in the KC metro for something like 7 years straight. $12-20 or so per meal. 5th and Missouri or thereabouts.

Guadalajara Cafe: Slightly upscale authentic Mexican food. Taste-wise, it's the best Mexican restaurant I've been to. $10-15 per meal. 103rd and State Line.

Saigon 39: Awesome Vietnamese food. $6-8 per meal, tax included. 39th and State Line.

Princess Gardens: A fantastic Chinese (Szechwan style) restaurant. The best I've been to, easily. $8-10 per meal. 89th and Wornall.

Carmen's: Excellent northern Italian food at an acceptable price. $13-18 per meal. 63rd and Brookside.

Rudy's Tenampa Taqueria: Inexpensive (a burrito spread - big frickin burrito smothered in cheese - is $4) and excellent food. It's the best Mexican restaurant all-around I've been to, hands down. Westport Road (43rd) and State Line.

Oklahoma Joe's: best effing BBQ in history. They won all sorts of prizes in the early 90's and decided to open a restaurant. Go off peak hours (i.e. NOT between 11:30 and 1:00) or you'll be waiting for 30 minutes to get your chow. It's moderately expensive as far as BBQ joints run, but it's oh-so worth it. $5-8 dollars a meal. ~$10-12 for ribs or whole chickens. You can't come to KC without getting barbeque, right? 47th and Mission.

Cafe Rumi: Fantastic Mediterranean food. $8-12. 39th and a few blocks east of State Line.

Taj Mahal: Indian buffet. Great food. If you normally shy away from buffets due to the food sitting out, fear not. They change the food every 10 minutes or so. $9. 75th and Wornall.

D'Bronx: Great pizza and great sandwiches. $5-6 per 8" sandwich, ~$12 for a big effing pizza. 39th and State Line.

Pho 97: It's dirt cheap and really good. I eat there pretty much every day when I work. Oh, it's Vietnamese food, in case the "Pho" didn't give it away. $6 for pretty large portions. Right down the street (east) from KCUMB on Independence Ave and Prospect (next to my CVS!).

Places to go:

Union Station: It's a beautiful building and the largest through-station in the country. You can see the bullet holes from the Union Station Massacre in the marble outside. Very cool. ~19th and Main

Liberty Memorial: I think it's the only WW1 memorial in the country. It's right next to Union Station.

Westport: Great place for night life and a few restaurants and shops. It's mostly bars and stuff. Just north of the Plaza.

Power and Light district: Douchebag central where nightlife is concerned, but it's pretty neat to look at. There are lots of really cool bars, and the pavillion between them (where you can drink and escape from the jam-packed bars) is a great idea. I can get you on "the list" at Mosaic, the most pretentious of the bars down there, if that's your thing. 14th and Grand.

If nothing else, just go and explore the Plaza, Westport and downtown. That's probably where you'll be spending most of your time outside of school and studying.
 
Thanks for the input! We ate at Jack Stack or something like that down in the Plaza lastnight. The BBQ was pretty good. I might have to try mexican today. I'm from Texas and can eat Mexican everyday!!! We're also going to go to the Power and Light district today just to check it out.

We found a townhome in Gladstone yesterday. Just wondering if anyone lived in Gladstone. If so, how is the drive to school and back? I think we're going to make the drive today to see and drive around the town. Do you like living in Gladstone? Some feedback about Gladstone would be nice. Thanks!
 
axebjc said:
Thanks for the input! We ate at Jack Stack or something like that down in the Plaza lastnight. The BBQ was pretty good. I might have to try mexican today. I'm from Texas and can eat Mexican everyday!!! We're also going to go to the Power and Light district today just to check it out.

We found a townhome in Gladstone yesterday. Just wondering if anyone lived in Gladstone. If so, how is the drive to school and back? I think we're going to make the drive today to see and drive around the town. Do you like living in Gladstone? Some feedback about Gladstone would be nice. Thanks!
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The only thing I have heard about "north of the river" is that traffic can get pretty conjested in the mornings. But its a big city, so ALL the main highways will be conjested approaching 8:00 am. Just do a few practice runs before school starts :thumbup:
 
Traffic from the north is much better than that from Johnson County, KS. A large construction project to widen the freeway on I-35 is underway. This should eliminate what little traffic there is. In general, KC traffic is nothing compared to major metro area.

Regarding the previous question, Gladstone is a convenient, safe place to live.

DiverDoc said:
The only thing I have heard about "north of the river" is that traffic can get pretty conjested in the mornings. But its a big city, so ALL the main highways will be conjested approaching 8:00 am. Just do a few practice runs before school starts :thumbup:
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How long has it been since you've been to Guadalajara Cafe? We ate there today and it was horrible. We were the only ones in there at 1:00. If that is what you call good mexican food, wait until I move up there. I will make you some good sourcream chicken enchiladas. haha I'm from Texas so we have a ton of Mexican food down here.
 
axebjc said:
How long has it been since you've been to Guadalajara Cafe? We ate there today and it was horrible. We were the only ones in there at 1:00. If that is what you call good mexican food, wait until I move up there. I will make you some good sourcream chicken enchiladas. haha I'm from Texas so we have a ton of Mexican food down here.
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Uh, yeah, it's the Midwest, for sure. You won't get Mexican food in KC like you'd get in Texas, or California. Good BBQ here, though. I'm tired of it. Been to Gates (there's one near the school) one too many times.

D'Bronx pizza is awesome. I can't recommend it highly enough. I go there frequently, particularly after tests. It's near KUMED... Very busy though, especially during lunch time; the line to order can be out the door and it can be crowded inside.

KC is a small city. The traffic here is nothing compared to other places I've lived. There is some mild congestion in the mornings and during the time when everybody drives home in the evening, especially if you take the more major highways, but you learn some alternate routes. Just drive around a bit before school starts and you'll quickly find them. I'm currently living in Gladstone and it's a good area. It's convenient, not too far away from school, safe, and there is a park nearby. You can't go wrong living in Gladstone.
 
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axebjc said:
How long has it been since you've been to Guadalajara Cafe? We ate there today and it was horrible. We were the only ones in there at 1:00. If that is what you call good mexican food, wait until I move up there. I will make you some good sourcream chicken enchiladas. haha I'm from Texas so we have a ton of Mexican food down here.
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It's been awhile, admittedly. 2 years or so? It was recommended to me by a Mexican family originally, so it must have gone downhill considerably since then. I stopped going after they hiked their prices from $8-9 per meal. Sorry for the bum recommendation. :( I have been to all the other places recently except for Cafe Rumi, though, so they should be okay. They changed their menu a couple months ago, and I haven't had time to explore it much yet. It's still been good the 2 times I went.
 
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Has anybody received anything recently from KCUMB--like academic calendar, award letters, white coat ceremony, orientation,textbooks, etc.....:confused:
 
kimmi said:
Has anybody received anything recently from KCUMB--like academic calendar, award letters, white coat ceremony, orientation,textbooks, etc.....:confused:
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I talked to the school today and they said matriculation packets should be in the mail this week or next.
 
Has anyone received their financial aid award letter yet?
 
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I called the Financial Aid office last week, and they said that it may take till middle of July for me. I only applied for the Stafford though, so if you have GradPlus it might be different.

Looking for a roomate and some place to rent b/c Century tower is full, anyone have suggestions? Thanks.
 
spicedmanna said:
Uh, yeah, it's the Midwest, for sure. You won't get Mexican food in KC like you'd get in Texas, or California. Good BBQ here, though. I'm tired of it. Been to Gates (there's one near the school) one too many times.

D'Bronx pizza is awesome. I can't recommend it highly enough. I go there frequently, particularly after tests. It's near KUMED... Very busy though, especially during lunch time; the line to order can be out the door and it can be crowded inside.

KC is a small city. The traffic here is nothing compared to other places I've lived. There is some mild congestion in the mornings and during the time when everybody drives home in the evening, especially if you take the more major highways, but you learn some alternate routes. Just drive around a bit before school starts and you'll quickly find them. I'm currently living in Gladstone and it's a good area. It's convenient, not too far away from school, safe, and there is a park nearby. You can't go wrong living in Gladstone.
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Would that be at Bennington Ridge? Thats where my gf and I live
 
Jape said:
Would that be at Bennington Ridge? Thats where my gf and I live
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Bennington Ridge is in Kansas City around Parvin Rd. and I-435. Gladstone is a little more to the West along North Oak Street and Antioch.

As far as great local places to eat, if any of you are in Liberty (though I hear there are now locations in Belton and Independence), check out Mavi Casual Italian. The food is delicious, and the service is quick and great. Also, Corner Cafe in Liberty is wonderful if you like home-style cooking and large servings. Check it out.

I don't much care for Gate's style of BBQ sauce (personal preference). I like Jack Stack BBQ. Also, if you are in the mood for a quick BBQ lunch, try Smokin' Guns in North Kansas City on Swift Ave. The walls are decorated with their numerous contest ribbons and medals. It's just north of the river.
 
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I was wondering if anyone knows of a great Baptist church with a strong young adult ministry. If you attend one, or know of one please message me. Thanks!
 
I grew up in Brookside. Went to high school in Roland Park. Lived on the plaza while at UMKC. I will apply to KCUMB next year. I want to go there SO BAD!!!!
Good luck and Have fun!
 
quartz1357 said:
I called the Financial Aid office last week, and they said that it may take till middle of July for me. I only applied for the Stafford though, so if you have GradPlus it might be different.

Looking for a roomate and some place to rent b/c Century tower is full, anyone have suggestions? Thanks.
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Check out Casa Loma on the plaza. Best deal I could find and I looked forever! Plus, I grew up in Kansas City(Brookside). I lived at Casa Loma while at umkc.
Good luck with the search!
 
I'm trying to come up with a monthly budget for myself. I don't know what a gas bill runs. I know all of my appliances are electric, but I have gas heat. Can someone help me by estimating an average price for a gas bill. Thanks!
 
Hi all, and congratulations on your acceptance to KCUMB and the beginning of the first phase of your life as physicians! Be prepared for some very exciting, sometimes fun, sometimes gruelling, but often, highly rewarding times as you progress in this new endeavor.

Hope this isn't considered spamming, but I see others are advertising their homes for rent/sale so I hope it's okay.

I am a 2006 alum and I own a home about 2 miles from the school. It is in a very safe area, 2 blocks south and 2 blocks east of Gladstone Blvd (it curves around there). I lived there all 4 years of med school and beyond with roommates much of the time and it was very convenient and comfortable. You get the sensation of being away from campus in a family-friendly, VERY quiet neighborhood, yet with no commute whatsoever - an added plus: save on gasoline! Not a small thing as I doubt the allowed living expense has kept up with the higher cost of gas - I know it hasn't for the rest of us! My listing/ad is posted on Blackboard with all my contact information, or email me and I'll send the flyer direct.

By way of explanation, due to circumstances beyond my control I had to move to Michigan to finish my Residency, but I plan to come back to KC when finished. (See my bio for a few more details.) I would consider selling the house, but to be honest, I'm afraid with today's market it wouldn't be a good value for what I owe on it - around $84K. I'm not really sure about that though, as I haven't looked into it and I have no idea what the comps are running at in that area. Residency is pretty all-consuming; even more so than med school, so be forewarned! ;)

Anyway, look for it on Blackboard and/or email me if interested.

Cheers, and good luck as you embark on one of the most difficult, and yet most rewarding and fulfilling 4 years of your lives!

GrannyDoc
 
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I just moved into CT this Tuesday! It took me awhile, but, I finally got my apartment settled. If anyone needs any help moving in or just wants to hang out and get a drink, shoot me a message. By the way, good luck to everyone moving in on the 1st, it sounds like it’s going to be kinda crazy.
 
E-mail Amy O'Connor at [email protected] (almost MSIII) if you are interested (or you have any questions for me). Good luck this upcoming year.

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Lippincott's Biochemistry $10
Langman's Medical Embryology (good for embryo) $10
Lange Review of Medical Physiology $10
Stedman's Medical Dictionary $10
Lange Microbiology textbook $20
Curran's atlas of histopathology $10
Embryo books The Developing Human and study guide $5
Lange Histology and Cell biology review book $10
HY Behavioral Science (good for COMLEX & USMLE) $10
USMLE Step 1 Recall $5
DiGiovanna (good for OMT, like new condition) $20
The Medical Interview $10
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Where are some good coffee shops that are fairly close to the school? Good for coffee and good for studying?

Thanks
 
DiverDoc said:
Where are some good coffee shops that are fairly close to the school? Good for coffee and good for studying?

Thanks
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Unfortunately, although there are a ton of coffee houses in the downtown area, they're really not open late enough to be useful for studying, except maybe on the w/e's, when they still close in the afternoon. City Market Coffee House and Scooter's just south of the City Market are pretty decent by all accounts. Scooter's has WiFi, not sure about City Market. Apparently there's not quite enough people living/shopping downtown to have the extended hours students need. The Kansas City Power and Light District hold promise, but right now it's pretty much just bars and such.

The best places I know for sure to study are Broadway Cafe in Westport if you want local flavor, and Starbucks in Barnes and Noble on the Plaza has great ambiance. It's the Barnes and Noble that gives it the charm of course (it's the Plaza!) - my study group and I used to go there a lot for a change in venue.

There were others of course, both in the City Market and Westport, but they've gone the way so many other coffee houses have gone with the proliferation of "a Starbucks on every corner." There may be others downtown, but you'll just have to scope them out yourself.

Part of the issue of why there are so many in the Plaza & Westport area is because all the universities are in that area: KU, UMKC, Rockhurst, UMKC SOM & Dental school (midtown but still closer to Westport than downtown) and KCUMB is the only one downtown. There are plenty of newer ones in those areas I haven't visited; once you get into clerkships/residency, coffee house studying mostly goes by the wayside - you pretty much have to study "on the run."

Anyway maybe those will give you a place to start, and you can explore outward from there! Cherish these next 2 years and make the most of them. Believe it or not, they have the potential to be the most fun (yes, fun!) and exciting time as you travel down the path to becoming a physician. The close friends you make during this phase will likely be friends for life, so cherish them as well!

Good luck as you start this next phase of your exciting quest for knowledge!

Cheers,
 
GrannyDoc said:
Unfortunately, although there are a ton of coffee houses in the downtown area, they're really not open late enough to be useful for studying, except maybe on the w/e's, when they still close in the afternoon. City Market Coffee House and Scooter's just south of the City Market are pretty decent by all accounts. Scooter's has WiFi, not sure about City Market. Apparently there's not quite enough people living/shopping downtown to have the extended hours students need. The Kansas City Power and Light District hold promise, but right now it's pretty much just bars and such.

The best places I know for sure to study are Broadway Cafe in Westport if you want local flavor, and Starbucks in Barnes and Noble on the Plaza has great ambiance. It's the Barnes and Noble that gives it the charm of course (it's the Plaza!) - my study group and I used to go there a lot for a change in venue.

There were others of course, both in the City Market and Westport, but they've gone the way so many other coffee houses have gone with the proliferation of "a Starbucks on every corner." There may be others downtown, but you'll just have to scope them out yourself.

Part of the issue of why there are so many in the Plaza & Westport area is because all the universities are in that area: KU, UMKC, Rockhurst, UMKC SOM & Dental school (midtown but still closer to Westport than downtown) and KCUMB is the only one downtown. There are plenty of newer ones in those areas I haven't visited; once you get into clerkships/residency, coffee house studying mostly goes by the wayside - you pretty much have to study "on the run."

Anyway maybe those will give you a place to start, and you can explore outward from there! Cherish these next 2 years and make the most of them. Believe it or not, they have the potential to be the most fun (yes, fun!) and exciting time as you travel down the path to becoming a physician. The close friends you make during this phase will likely be friends for life, so cherish them as well!

Good luck as you start this next phase of your exciting quest for knowledge!

Cheers,
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Thank you so much for your informative and helpful reply :thumbup:
 
DiverDoc said:
Thank you so much for your informative and helpful reply :thumbup:
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You're so welcome! I know most things are pretty settled by now, but any other questions that might come up, feel free to post. I've lived KC most of my life so I know it pretty well, plus I've managed to survive the DO/MBA program and clerkships in KC. I'd be happy to help as much as possible, keeping in mind I may not always be able to answer timely depending on where I'm at, and in what rotation.

Take care! :)
 
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Do you know of a good vet north of the river? I will be living off of 29 at NW 64th. I am needing to find a vet quickly because my dog will need some booster shots in 2 weeks. Thanks!
 
Thanks for the vet info spicedmanna. My dog has an appointment on Saturday.
 
Just thought I would let everyone know that the PRIMO loans (Missouri Rural program) will be late again this year. The person in charge told me it would be the end of August at the latest!!! Yay being poor for another month!
 
I got in off the wait list today. Looks like i'm gonna be in the class of 2012 after all. Nothing like 3 days notice.
 
Hey congrats! Be sure to join the facebook group. See you Monday!!!
 
axebjc said:
I was wondering if anyone knows of a great Baptist church with a strong young adult ministry. If you attend one, or know of one please message me. Thanks!
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Hmm... Well, I don't know any in the downtown area, but I went to a pretty cool church that I think would fit your needs, in Lenexa, KS, which is about half an hour, or so, away. It's called Central Church of the Nazarene.
 
Thatguy. Im in the same boat. Got a call this morning and have been running around like mad trying to get everything done.

Anyone need a temp roomate for a month or two till I find a house for the wife and dog?
 
... I suggest you seriously rethink your options before selecting KCUMB. I am sure each medical school has their shortcomings and issues to address but KCUMB is definitely no exception. The school has lost numerous faculty over the last several years because of its "corrupt administration" (President Pletz) and is well known for providing a sub-standard clinical education during 3rd and 4th years.

Students are not valued at KCUMB by the administration. This is of course an opinion but it is a widely held opinion amongst the student body. The faculty who are still there do for the most part take an active interest in their students and there are some tremendous teachers. The administration, however, does not care about your education. At KCUMB you will be treated as a child and viewed as a dollar sign.

Administration does not work with students. Instead, they work against them. You will fight them to get what you rightly deserve considering the huge amount of tuition you will pay.

The president makes around 1.4million$ per year with compensation as everyone was informed last year in a mass email a concerned student sent out to the student body. That makes her like the 3rd highest paid med school president in the country!!! You can find this information on guidestar.org

The president of the university is something of a tyrant at the school. She has done a lot to build the school up but putting the education of the student and the desires of the faculty first is not one of them.

The school recently hired a dean to replace the old one who left because of conflict with the administraiton. The new dean is like 30 years old. I am sure he is an exceptional doctor etc but remember you are the one paying $40,000 per year for tuition and deserve only the best.

It is widely known that KCUMB reads student email, a huge invasion of personal privacy.

During the summer between years 2 and 3 students are forced to remain in Kansas City and attend "summer courses". These are "filler" and only serve to allow the very small percent of students who participate in the MBA program to finish out the program while everyone else waits. This way they are not behind other students which is in KCUMB interests financially but not in the educational interests of most students. It amounts to a wasted summer. So while most med schools have their students participating in clinical rotations by June, July or August, you will not start them until September at KCUMB. This puts you at an automatic disadvantage to other students who you rotate with who already have several rotations under their belt.

It also puts you at a disadvantage when applying for residency because you will have only been able to complete from 0 to 2/3 elective rotations (the field you may want to go into, completed during 4th year) before applications should be submitted (depending upon the program). Basically you may have to commit to what you want to do before you have had a chance to really see if it is what you want.

I encourage anyone looking at KCUMB as a future school to investigate other osteopathic schools, including KCUMB, much more. Talk to current students online, search for them on facebook, etc. I am not talking about students used by the school to recruit. I am talking about regular students who will speak candidly. If you hear more than a few serious and intelligent concerns then assume there are many more you are not hearing.

I have not had any direct problems with KCUMB and do not harbor any individual grudges. I have been treated the same as all other students. I, however, believe students deserve a school that works in their interests instead of only the interests of the school's bank account. The KCUMB administration will do as little as they have to, especially during your 3rd and 4th years, where the drop off in education and direction is huge. By that time, however, it is too late for the student advocate. When a student tries to ask for better clinical rotations or a change in the curriculum they are not taken seriously. When students have continued to speak up about such issues they have been indirectly threatened with expulsion. With huge amounts of loan money hanging over your head you really have no recourse at that point. The administration is commonly known to bully any dissenting students.

I know right now all a premed is thinking about is "just get me in the door" and so did I but wow I wish I could have looked past that and really examined my potential schools hard. I'm just trying to save future students from the shortsightedness I fell victim to.

If you talk to students at the Oklahoma osteopathic school, NYCOM, UMDNJ, Kirksville, Arizona, New England, Michigan, etc and hear these same kinds of things then I guess the problem is more widespread than I was aware, but at least do yourself the service of going to that extra length.

Good luck to all of you on your journey to become doctors. If it is your desire to be a good one then nothing will stop you.

Concerned Student
 
KCUMBscarCONTR (KsC) has continued his opiniated rant aginst KCUMB.

He raises the valid point of evaluating every school to which that one has applied. Based on my review of several school fora, there are a few people who have issues with their school and post all the negatives while claiming not to have an agenda. That leads to the conclusion no school is perfect.

KsC has previously lameneted the loss of several good professors and now implies that the loss of good teachers is due to a corrupt administration. Ok, so professors leave. Why did they leave? If they had issues with the administration, what were they? Its easy to slap a label on something and say "See?.. this is why they left. Where are the FACTS.

While you complain about lousy 3rd and 4th year sites, I haven't seen you complaining about COMLEX scores. I wonder if classroom education has any correlation to those scores????

You say you need to fight the administration for everything you rightfully deserve. What better training is there to prepare you for fighting the unyielding bureacracy in hospitals and insurance companies. They can blackball you as easily as the administration.

Be factual in your criticisms. Point out factual matters. Say whats wrong. Ask the easy questions.. they are tougher to answer.

KCUMB's website is the first thing a prospective student might visit.

1. Why is the 2007-2008 academic calendar on line after the 2008-2009 year has started?

2. Why is Homecoming the only upcoming event shown?

3. Why isn't the administration touting the Surgein General's appearance? Does that not have any appeal to prospective students... the high level visibility of th e school.

Criticism is healthy. When you do criticize, let the bells ring with a clear tone instead of a dull thud.
 
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