University of New England (UNECOM) Discussion Thread 2016-2017

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For those who got off the waitlist, did any of you write an update/letter of intent?

When I accepted my spot on the waitlist, I sent a letter explaining why I wanted to go there

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If you get in ANYWHERE else I would suggest you go there. This school is a disaster. These new, experimental curriculum policies are demoralizing and the mandatory attendance is ridiculous. They expect you to live and act as adults while constantly micromanaging you like infants. I wouldn't do it. People are leaving (or being forced to leave) and the admin does not care about the students. They have made that abundantly clear.
I have heard first-hand from several second years who are preparing for the boards, that the professors are not teaching material to help you succeed on the boards, but rather seem intent on making life and school even that much more difficult for us. Material that is not in line with boards and policies that restrict students from having enough time to even study for them on their own. All around, this is not a supportive nor a healthy environment for any student, let alone an osteopathic medical student. They may advertise that they care about the "whole person" here and tell you that they are supportive of their students reaching their goals but it's NOT TRUE. If you even make it past your first semester here, you will be so demoralized and depressed that you won't want to stay, but will be stuck. As you probably know, there really is no transferring in med school and once you leave one, you'll be VERY hard pressed to get into another. You're stuck. So, make sure you think long and hard about where you choose to go. There really are no "do overs".

.
 
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I appreciate you response but can you please go into more details or examples of specific events?
What can I say? It's become a demoralizing place to be. We just had a comp exam on friday. These happen 3x a semester. If you fail it (and a retake) (<70%), you are forced on a LOA and have to repeat the whole semester/year, depending on when you fail. If you happen to pass, that is your one shot. If it happens again, you are out. The amount of fear and anxiety this causes for us as each comp exam approaches, is almost unbearable. First years, second years, we are fighting this but it is falling on deaf ears. Never in a million years would I have ever thought this school would be this way, especially with the unbelievable welcome you get when you arrive for the tour and your interview.
 
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What can I say? It's become a demoralizing place to be. We just had a comp exam on friday. These happen 3x a semester. If you fail it (and a retake) (<70%), you are forced on a LOA and have to repeat the whole semester/year, depending on when you fail. If you happen to pass, that is your one shot. If it happens again, you are out. The amount of fear and anxiety this causes for us as each comp exam approaches, is almost unbearable. First years, second years, we are fighting this but it is falling on deaf ears. Never in a million years would I have ever thought this school would be this way, especially with the unbelievable welcome you get when you arrive for the tour and your interview.
 
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Additionally, I have told friends not to apply here.. I do not want anyone to go through what we are going through right now. It is so painful. Seriously, until something changes here and they stop experimenting on us with this "new" curriculum, if you can go anywhere else, I would go there. I am so, so sorry to say this. I was so in love with this school before I got here. It's all different now.
 
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What can I say? It's become a demoralizing place to be. We just had a comp exam on friday. These happen 3x a semester. If you fail it (and a retake) (<70%), you are FORCED on a LOA and have to repeat the whole semester/year, depending on when you fail. If you happen to pass, that is your ONE shot. If it happens again, you are out. That's it. And don't be fooled - these are NOT fair tests either. Many of the profs will choose the most obscure, random factoid to test you on - something that was vaguely mentioned offhand at the end of a lecture one day - or they will make the questions so twisted and confusing that you're not sure what they are asking at all. The amount of fear and anxiety this causes for us as each comp exam approaches, is almost unbearable. I am watching friends dropping like flies and I am scared, too. Additionally, the powers that be released "unofficial" scores on Friday and then sent out an email last night saying that SOME people's grades have improved while others remained the same. Now, I'm not sure what kind of system rewards SOME and not ALL, but I will tell you that none if this is transparent and if you try to ask questions or argue your point, you will be dismissed and laughed out the door. First years, second years, we are ALL fighting this but it is falling on deaf ears and I honestly feel like much of the admin enjoy watching us struggle and squirm and fret. Never in a million years would I have EVER thought this school would be this way, especially with the unbelievable welcome you get when you arrive for the tour and your interview. This was my first choice and when I got in, honestly, it was the ONLY choice I could see for myself. But, they LIED. This is NOT the school I signed up for. I am devastated. So much so, that I am thinking of walking away and doing something else with my life entirely. This place will ruin our faith in medicine, in everything. I just don't know what to do anymore at this point. I'm not sure this kind of suffering is worth it.

Whoa, I hate to hear all of this.
Though I really do not know how to respond. The disconnect between what you are saying and my perceptions of the school is huge.
I was under the impression that the administration was all about student input, which eventually led to them modifying the mandatory lecture policy.
Not sure why the faculty I interviewed with would straight up lie about how student centered they are at UNECOM.
Either way, I appreciate your input and hope that your experience gets better!
 
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What can I say? It's become a demoralizing place to be. We just had a comp exam on friday. These happen 3x a semester. If you fail it (and a retake) (<70%), you are FORCED on a LOA and have to repeat the whole semester/year, depending on when you fail. If you happen to pass, that is your ONE shot. If it happens again, you are out. That's it. And don't be fooled - these are NOT fair tests either. Many of the profs will choose the most obscure, random factoid to test you on - something that was vaguely mentioned offhand at the end of a lecture one day - or they will make the questions so twisted and confusing that you're not sure what they are asking at all. The amount of fear and anxiety this causes for us as each comp exam approaches, is almost unbearable. I am watching friends dropping like flies and I am scared, too. Additionally, the powers that be released "unofficial" scores on Friday and then sent out an email last night saying that SOME people's grades have improved while others remained the same. Now, I'm not sure what kind of system rewards SOME and not ALL, but I will tell you that none if this is transparent and if you try to ask questions or argue your point, you will be dismissed and laughed out the door. First years, second years, we are ALL fighting this but it is falling on deaf ears and I honestly feel like much of the admin enjoy watching us struggle and squirm and fret. Never in a million years would I have EVER thought this school would be this way, especially with the unbelievable welcome you get when you arrive for the tour and your interview. This was my first choice and when I got in, honestly, it was the ONLY choice I could see for myself. But, they LIED. This is NOT the school I signed up for. I am devastated. So much so, that I am thinking of walking away and doing something else with my life entirely. This place will ruin our faith in medicine, in everything. I just don't know what to do anymore at this point. I'm not sure this kind of suffering is worth it.

Isnt the drop out rate fairly low though?
 
@snowbirdlyfe2 @mellonceek
Do y'all have any input on these comments?

Haha not trying to feed any trolls here, I highly recommend emailing [email protected] with a request to have a current student email you about any questions you may have in order to get a more rounded picture of the school.

Personally I can't say enough great things about UNECOM and attribute my happiness here to the atmosphere and curriculum at the school. No school is perfect but UNE does a great job of listening to student concerns and working with us to create a healthy learning atmosphere. Some people just aren't meant for medicine I guess, it's a long journey!

Anyone can PM me if you have any specific questions!
 
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Whoa, I hate to hear all of this.
Though I really do not know how to respond. The disconnect between what you are saying and my perceptions of the school is huge.
I was under the impression that the administration was all about student input, which eventually led to them modifying the mandatory lecture policy.
Not sure why the faculty I interviewed with would straight up lie about how student centered they are at UNECOM.
Either way, I appreciate your input and hope that your experience gets better!
Me too and thank you.
 
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Im really conflicted on this school now because im getting really polarizing reviews of it. either its great or terrible depending on who I talk to.
And you will get polarizing views, because things drastically changed this past year. New Dean, new policies, new curriculum leadership... This place doesn't know if it is coming or going right now and the students are taking the brunt of it while they figure it out. Some can call me a troll if they want, but I know many students are unhappy here and I'm saying these things to warn those who may be getting the same utopian impression I got when I interviewed here. However, when I interviewed here, these policies had not changed yet. You can email comsa but you will only get responses from people who have drunk the kool aide or are too scared to say anything against the school. Believe me, I am scared also, but I feel something must be said. The people who will respond to you won't feel the way a lot of us do because the second years who do, have dropped out from being admission ambassadors because their conscience won't let them say something that isn't true. Ultimately, it is up to you where you decide to go. I know I'm just another voice in this thread, but what I am saying is not untrue and it doesn't mean, as another student said, that I am not fit for medicine. This is not the school they advertise, that's all.
 
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And you will get polarizing views, because things drastically changed this past year. New Dean, new policies, new curriculum leadership... This place doesn't know if it is coming or going right now and the students are taking the brunt of it while they figure it out. Some can call me a troll if they want, but I know many students are unhappy here and I'm saying these things to warn those who may be getting the same utopian impression I got when I interviewed here. However, when I interviewed here, these policies had not changed yet. You can email comsa but you will only get responses from people who have drunk the kool aide or are too scared to say anything against the school. Believe me, I am scared also, but I feel something must be said. The people who will respond to you won't feel the way a lot of us do because the second years who do, have dropped out from being admission ambassadors because their conscience won't let them say something that isn't true. Ultimately, it is up to you where you decide to go. I know I'm just another voice in this thread, but what I am saying is not untrue and it doesn't mean, as another student said, that I am not fit for medicine. This is not the school they advertise, that's all.
Anyone can feel free to message me, as well. Unfortunately, I am not a troll, I am an actual student who is experiencing a lot of unnecessary pain due to a school whose priorities are askew.
 
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And you will get polarizing views, because things drastically changed this past year. New Dean, new policies, new curriculum leadership... This place doesn't know if it is coming or going right now and the students are taking the brunt of it while they figure it out. Some can call me a troll if they want, but I know many students are unhappy here and I'm saying these things to warn those who may be getting the same utopian impression I got when I interviewed here. However, when I interviewed here, these policies had not changed yet. You can email comsa but you will only get responses from people who have drunk the kool aide or are too scared to say anything against the school. Believe me, I am scared also, but I feel something must be said. The people who will respond to you won't feel the way a lot of us do because the second years who do, have dropped out from being admission ambassadors because their conscience won't let them say something that isn't true. Ultimately, it is up to you where you decide to go. I know I'm just another voice in this thread, but what I am saying is not untrue and it doesn't mean, as another student said, that I am not fit for medicine. This is not the school they advertise, that's all.
 
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As a second year, I do feel like the views on the school are different based on if you are talking to a first year or a second year. As second years there are mandatory lectures still and there are also optional lectures, depending on who is teaching. This is because a lot of the clinical and pathology based lectures are from guest lectures that have to travel to come teach and unlike the the basic science physiology that lecture the first years. It's also true that they don't teach specifically for students to pass boards, but instead teach material that may be on boards as well as some clinical information and statistics that may not be relevant to boards. I know that the majority of the 2nd years are more board focused at this point in the year and basically study only for boards. But while studying only for boards material and looking over the ppts from class, they are still able to pass easily, so in some ways it is relevant. Underlying point is ...if you only depend on the school's curriculum to help you pass boards and don't self study hard, then you probably won't pass boards.

We have the same rule as far as the first year's in terms of passing exams with a 70% or higher or else we have to retake. I personally don't know anyone who has dropped from our class due to that policy change. From what I hear from first years is that its incredibly stressful to have that pressure on you to do well on every exam because it is so daunting, and this year's course directors for them are not making them feel better, but trust me guys 2nd year will be better for you, at least I hope. In terms of administration not caring about the students, I don't think that is true, it may seem that way, but I think they are always open for feedback. Hang in there first years! You're almost there!
 
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What can I say? It's become a demoralizing place to be. We just had a comp exam on friday. These happen 3x a semester. If you fail it (and a retake) (<70%), you are FORCED on a LOA and have to repeat the whole semester/year, depending on when you fail. If you happen to pass, that is your ONE shot. If it happens again, you are out. That's it. And don't be fooled - these are NOT fair tests either. Many of the profs will choose the most obscure, random factoid to test you on - something that was vaguely mentioned offhand at the end of a lecture one day - or they will make the questions so twisted and confusing that you're not sure what they are asking at all. The amount of fear and anxiety this causes for us as each comp exam approaches, is almost unbearable. I am watching friends dropping like flies and I am scared, too. Additionally, the powers that be released "unofficial" scores on Friday and then sent out an email last night saying that SOME people's grades have improved while others remained the same. Now, I'm not sure what kind of system rewards SOME and not ALL, but I will tell you that none if this is transparent and if you try to ask questions or argue your point, you will be dismissed and laughed out the door. First years, second years, we are ALL fighting this but it is falling on deaf ears and I honestly feel like much of the admin enjoy watching us struggle and squirm and fret. Never in a million years would I have EVER thought this school would be this way, especially with the unbelievable welcome you get when you arrive for the tour and your interview. This was my first choice and when I got in, honestly, it was the ONLY choice I could see for myself. But, they LIED. This is NOT the school I signed up for. I am devastated. So much so, that I am thinking of walking away and doing something else with my life entirely. This place will ruin our faith in medicine, in everything. I just don't know what to do anymore at this point. I'm not sure this kind of suffering is worth it.


You haven't sited a single specific example of how the administration is being unfair or why you don't like the school besides the fact if you fail they will kick you out of the school. Even still, you say, if you do fail a test they give you a second chance. So from my understanding you want to be able to fail more tests and still pass. You sound like you are a very emotional person. Cite an instance of the administration not caring, being treated unfairly, or you'll continue to be seen as whiny. You're thinking about moving on and doing something else? Go for it. No one is stopping you.
 
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Just received an interview invite here on Wednesday, scheduled for March 9th. I really hope the class isnt full because I already have two schools that waitlisted me :(

I'm interviewing that day as well. Is your interview at noon/do you know what time it is supposed to end. I'm trying to figure out flights
 
I'm interviewing that day as well. Is your interview at noon/do you know what time it is supposed to end. I'm trying to figure out flights

You can expect to get out around 4:30pm if not sooner depending on your interview time. There is an 1 hr for a welcome introduction and then 30 minute interview slots with multiple rooms running interviews at the same time. Depending on your time, some people will go on a tour of campus first and then interview or interview first and then go for a tour. After you have done both you are free to leave, but the entire day overall lasts until around 4:30pm.
 
If you get in ANYWHERE else I would suggest you go there. This school is a disaster. These new, experimental curriculum policies are demoralizing and the mandatory attendance is ridiculous. They expect you to live and act as adults while constantly micromanaging you like infants. I wouldn't do it. People are leaving (or being forced to leave) and the admin does not care about the students. They have made that abundantly clear.
I have heard first-hand from several second years who are preparing for the boards, that the professors are not teaching material to help you succeed on the boards, but rather seem intent on making life and school even that much more difficult for us. Material that is not in line with boards and policies that restrict students from having enough time to even study for them on their own. All around, this is not a supportive nor a healthy environment for any student, let alone an osteopathic medical student. They may advertise that they care about the "whole person" here and tell you that they are supportive of their students reaching their goals but it's NOT TRUE. If you even make it past your first semester here, you will be so demoralized and depressed that you won't want to stay, but will be stuck. As you probably know, there really is no transferring in med school and once you leave one, you'll be VERY hard pressed to get into another. You're stuck. So, make sure you think long and hard about where you choose to go. There really are no "do overs".
Ok so I am a current first year as well and Im sorry but I cannot agree with what you are saying. You are free to your own opinion but I don't believe this is truly a professional way to go about this. What you are doing is actively trying to push people away and are framing our school in the wrong way. I feel like there is a very small percentage of people who feel the way you do. The faculty is very responsive to the students opinions, yes they have made changes throughout the year but those changes have been for the better and have been due to what the students as a whole have wanted. For the comp exams and other exams all have been extremely fair. Yes some questions are more difficult than others but medical school is hard and they are not supposed to spoon feed us questions. 70% of questions are very basic knowledge, while the other 30% are picky details that are challenging. Getting a 70% on an exam is extremely reasonable and if you dont hit that mark they give you a chance to try again. Life is not easy or fair for anyone and we are all stressed and medical school is tough, I can sympathize with you but you should try to build up this great program and not bring it down. To all prospective students, this school is really great. I am so happy here and I love all the faculty so much. The curriculum is fair, they are extremely responsive, and the way they introduce clinical material to you so far ahead compared to other schools is really amazing. I have friends in other medical schools who are second years and still don't know some of the things that we learn.
 
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You haven't sited a single specific example of how the administration is being unfair or why you don't like the school besides the fact if you fail they will kick you out of the school. Even still, you say, if you do fail a test they give you a second chance. So from my understanding you want to be able to fail more tests and still pass. You sound like you are a very emotional person. Cite an instance of the administration not caring, being treated unfairly, or you'll continue to be seen as whiny. You're thinking about moving on and doing something else? Go for it. No one is stopping you.
I did get emotional about it, you're right. It's hard to thrive in this climate as it stands, especially because it came with no warning. The school I interviewed at and the school I arrived to last summer are very different places. I think, in hindsight, some warning about these many and drastic changes would have gone a long way. Some people don't feel this way, I get that. I have heard that over 20 students are taking the retake this Saturday and that's after points were given back. It's not a small number. You're entitled to your opinion.
 
Recently Accepted!
I was wondering if current students could answer a couple questions.
1. How do you feel about the curriculum in terms of board relevancy, fairness, intensity, how well its taught etc.
2. Thoughts on the towns of biddeford and portland?
3. Do you feel you have enough time to have a balanced life?
4. Whats the drop out rate in your estimation?

not looking to slack or anything lol just need some straight up honest opinions here

Hi!

Second year student here. Congrats on your acceptance! That's a huge deal. The drop out rate is low but here is the important part: virtually everyone in my year that dropped out did so because they had issues other than school. When people drop out it is for medical or mental health or family reasons, not because they cannot manage the curriculum.

As for work life balance, it all depends on what your goals are with medicine. If your goal is to simply pass and spend your nights and weekends focused on family and community, you can do so without issue. If your goal is to do very well and still have a life outside of medicine, you can probably do that as well. My girlfriend did not want to give up her ballet career when she started medical school and dances nightly and still does very well. I run by the ocean every morning and cook great food for the next day every evening, which is completely doable if you spend the day studying hard. I personally find that I am more effective at studying when I am eating well and exercising, so those have always been things that make time for themselves. There is always time for a beer on the weekends with friends to recharge.

One of the biggest complains that you will hear regarding parts of the curriculum is that it does entirely cater to boards. This is true. Every doctor you meet will tell you that there is what matters for boards and there is what matters in the real world. We sometimes have lectures on things that aren't highly boards relevant (like surgery) that are aimed at allowing us to shine during our third year rotations. To me, this is an asset rather than a detriment.

That being said fifty percent of our class passed the COMSAE (a retired board exam) that we all took for practice in December. To me, the fact that half of our class passed a prior boards test six months before boards is pretty astounding. Furthermore, there is plenty of time second year to touch up on what you forgot during your first year - free time for this is intentionally built into the curriculum. The comment that was made about the second years not being able to do well on boards because of the curriculum is nonsense. Everyone in the group I am studying with is shooting for the 90th percentile on both the USMLE and the COMLEX, and some of us are already there four months out from the exam date.

There are plenty of valid critiques to make about virtually any institution, but the worry that you cannot live a balanced life and simultaneously do well on boards and clinical rotations at this institution is an invalid one.
 
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I did get emotional about it, you're right. It's hard to thrive in this climate as it stands, especially because it came with no warning. The school I interviewed at and the school I arrived to last summer are very different places. I think, in hindsight, some warning about these many and drastic changes would have gone a long way. Some people don't feel this way, I get that. I have heard that over 20 students are taking the retake this Saturday and that's after points were given back. It's not a small number. You're entitled to your opinion.

Thanks for the reply. I understand that medical school is tough and when things don’t go the way you want then it can also be frustrating but, do not tell me that when you were applying to medical school you thought it was going to be easy ride. I’m not sure about all the changes that happened at your school as you were fairly vague about what happened. It sounded like you were talking more out of emotion than making a logical argument to stand behind.

I am wondering if you agree that there may have been a better way to go about countering changes at your school? Could you have spoken to an advisor or someone in SGA? I don’t think the school is just making random changes just for the sake of it. It is most likely because that was input from previous students and from people with a background in education that are putting forth the most innovative way for students to learn the medical knowledge. I doubt any school is just trying to make it hard on their students. That wouldn’t be a very good business model making your customers angry. The school would quickly be going out of business. I feel whatever the school is doing is because there has been significant research completed about how to help their student’s learn and apply the necessary skills and knowledge they will need when they are in the field.

Further, you say that ~20 people failed the test and had the opportunity to retake it and pass, but isn’t the class size something around 160-180 people? That means for every one person that failed that 6 or 7 people passed. That honestly doesn’t sound absurd to me, that’s only about 10% for argument sake. If there was half the class failing I would certainly agree that there was something wrong with the test. My questions regarding 20 people failing the test would be.

1) Do you honestly believe that you did everything you could do to prepare for that exam?
- That includes not taking the weekend off before the exam to go skiing or partying instead of studying
- That includes not watching all the extra episodes of your show on Netflix instead of studying

2) What are the other 150 people in the class doing right and passing the test?
 
You haven't sited a single specific example of how the administration is being unfair or why you don't like the school besides the fact if you fail they will kick you out of the school. Even still, you say, if you do fail a test they give you a second chance. So from my understanding you want to be able to fail more tests and still pass. You sound like you are a very emotional person. Cite an instance of the administration not caring, being treated unfairly, or you'll continue to be seen as whiny. You're thinking about moving on and doing something else? Go for it. No one is stopping you.

Choosing to describe a person's words as "emotional" or "whiny" could just as well put one under similar categories too. Your interpretation of what this person has to say, based on their rightful opinion, is likewise your own. I also did not see anywhere in this thread that asked your advice on whether they should choose a different career path. Therefore if we were to be focusing this conversation on the tone of these comments, such an italicized and mannerless reply as yours would be deemed just as "emotional" and "whiny."

As for who is "stopping" who... it is my hope that you do not carry a similar approach toward others, say perhaps your future patients (if you are indeed a medical student), with that sort of judgement and tone. I know I'm young but I also know enough to say that this particular community (of osteopaths) does not advocate for the judgement of any person, regardless of what they choose to post on a public forum. I recently wrote a paper for my biomedical ethics course about A.T. Still, so a quote of his comes to mind... something along the lines of anyone being able to find disease and that, instead, the focus should be on the patient's health (the good). I could be wrong but your choice of words leads me to assume that you are focusing on the wrong things in a broader sense.

Additionally, from my understanding, it seems like this program's curriculum should remain the topic of conversation and not the discussion of someone's career path or emotional status. I challenge you to reconsider the next time you so boldly categorize a stranger's opinion because you may never know who that person is. With that being said, and as a future DO/MD applicant (hopefully next year), I would rather hear from a student who is experiencing these things than become the student myself. Remember, this forum's purpose is for people to anonymously share their opinion(s) and requesting for specific administrative actions or examples is a violation of FERPA. Engaging in discussions regarding the details of these "specific examples" you are asking this person to cite is probably not the best approach for someone, or anyone, to take here on SDN.
 
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I am very new to this forum but am well-aware with SDN and how it works. I have a cousin that graduated from UNECOM in 2012, so I know mostly about this school from what they told me but from the sounds of it (this forum), things have certainly changed since I watched him graduate. I am not against change... or an integrated approach. However, it sounds to me like this school made some major changes since my cousin's graduation and it doesn't sound like everyone is happy with it. One of my undergraduate classmates is currently a UNECOM student (and no, I asked, they haven't spoken here) and from what they told me over holiday break, it's that they were overall disappointed with the program for a number of reasons, not just due to these course policies. This student did mention that they were in good academic standing and have yet to face what many students are facing right now. Not sure if that disclaimer is relevant to their opinion of the school but I thought it would be fair to note. I'm from the midwest, so if I do end up applying to UNECOM, it will be when I start reading more mature banter from those who are obviously opinionated (current) UNECOM students. I have been reading other schools' forums for months and just now felt the need to create an account to hopefully realign the topic/purpose of this thread for the sake of my cousin's alma mater. After showing him this thread, my cousin seems embarrassed that actual students are talking to each other (and about the program) like this. I will definitely be doing my research on schools when it's my time to apply...
 
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Choosing to describe a person's words as "emotional" or "whiny" could just as well put one under similar categories too. Your interpretation of what this person has to say, based on their rightful opinion, is likewise your own. I also did not see anywhere in this thread that asked your advice on whether they should choose a different career path. Therefore if we were to be focusing this conversation on the tone of these comments, such an italicized and mannerless reply as yours would be deemed just as "emotional" and "whiny."

As for who is "stopping" who... it is my hope that you do not carry a similar approach toward others, say perhaps your future patients (if you are indeed a medical student), with that sort of judgement and tone. I know I'm young but I also know enough to say that this particular community (of osteopaths) does not advocate for the judgement of any person, regardless of what they choose to post on a public forum. I recently wrote a paper for my biomedical ethics course about A.T. Still, so a quote of his comes to mind... something along the lines of anyone being able to find disease and that, instead, the focus should be on the patient's health (the good). I could be wrong but your choice of words leads me to assume that you are focusing on the wrong things in a broader sense.

Additionally, from my understanding, it seems like this program's curriculum should remain the topic of conversation and not the discussion of someone's career path or emotional status. I challenge you to reconsider the next time you so boldly categorize a stranger's opinion because you may never know who that person is. With that being said, and as a future DO/MD applicant (hopefully next year), I would rather hear from a student who is experiencing these things than become the student myself. Remember, this forum's purpose is for people to anonymously share their opinion(s) and requesting for specific administrative actions or examples is a violation of FERPA. Engaging in discussions regarding the details of these "specific examples" you are asking this person to cite is probably not the best approach for someone, or anyone, to take here on SDN.
 
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Yeah I would just like objective info on the schools curriculum without personal inferences on people being made as well. I have heard enough gripes from various sources to believe these sort of claims are legitimate and its a service to future students to air them out in an objective manner so we could make our own decisions.

Thank you for concurring. Good luck to you and your SDN ventures! I on the other hand should log off SDN and finish this TPR chapter or else I'll never get into any schools... #mcatlife
 
Choosing to describe a person's words as "emotional" or "whiny" could just as well put one under similar categories too. Your interpretation of what this person has to say, based on their rightful opinion, is likewise your own. I also did not see anywhere in this thread that asked your advice on whether they should choose a different career path. Therefore if we were to be focusing this conversation on the tone of these comments, such an italicized and mannerless reply as yours would be deemed just as "emotional" and "whiny."

As for who is "stopping" who... it is my hope that you do not carry a similar approach toward others, say perhaps your future patients (if you are indeed a medical student), with that sort of judgement and tone. I know I'm young but I also know enough to say that this particular community (of osteopaths) does not advocate for the judgement of any person, regardless of what they choose to post on a public forum. I recently wrote a paper for my biomedical ethics course about A.T. Still, so a quote of his comes to mind... something along the lines of anyone being able to find disease and that, instead, the focus should be on the patient's health (the good). I could be wrong but your choice of words leads me to assume that you are focusing on the wrong things in a broader sense.

Additionally, from my understanding, it seems like this program's curriculum should remain the topic of conversation and not the discussion of someone's career path or emotional status. I challenge you to reconsider the next time you so boldly categorize a stranger's opinion because you may never know who that person is. With that being said, and as a future DO/MD applicant (hopefully next year), I would rather hear from a student who is experiencing these things than become the student myself. Remember, this forum's purpose is for people to anonymously share their opinion(s) and requesting for specific administrative actions or examples is a violation of FERPA. Engaging in discussions regarding the details of these "specific examples" you are asking this person to cite is probably not the best approach for someone, or anyone, to take here on SDN.

I actually do not see your point whatsoever. In fact, I do not think you were following the thread very well. Furthermore, I do not think you know what FERPA is. I wasn't asking the student to share anyone's education record against their will. Me asking the person to "cite" specific examples is asking more than some of these direct quotes:

“New Dean, new policies, new curriculum leadership”
“The school I interviewed at and the school I arrived to last summer are very different places”
“these policies had not changed yet”
“It's become a demoralizing place to be”
but I will tell you that none if this is transparent and if you try to ask questions or argue your point, you will be dismissed and laughed out the door.”
“ I honestly feel like much of the admin enjoy watching us struggle and squirm and fret. “

But, they LIED”

I have no idea what any of that means in any logical context. There wasn’t a specific policy or even one anecdotal situation that was listed. It was a bunch of emotional whining, which I understand right after I situation happens that did not go your way it may seem like the best thing to do, but in reality it is not. I think my points were rational especially based on the fact the other student is starting to delete some of their responses/modifying them. My point was to make a specific and logical statement about why you feel you are being screwed over by the school.

And finally a direct quote from you, “I also did not see anywhere in this thread that asked your advice on whether they should choose a different career path.”

You are right no one asked my opinion on anything, but does that mean I can not give it? The student in question, stated they are considering a different career choice, I merely said they should go for it if they are truly serious about changing careers. And if you said I can not give my opinion because no one asked for it, then who asked your opinion about my opinion about someone else’s opinions?
 
Yeah I would just like objective info on the schools curriculum without personal inferences on people being made as well. I have heard enough gripes from various sources to believe these sort of claims are legitimate and its a service to future students to air them out in an objective manner so we could make our own decisions.

I agree with you there may be grievances that need to be aired out, but I am honestly not sure they they problems are based on some of these people's comments. All I want is some solid example about what is going on. I think opinions are more persuasive if they are based on an appeal to logic instead of emotion.
 
Thanks for the reply. I understand that medical school is tough and when things don’t go the way you want then it can also be frustrating but, do not tell me that when you were applying to medical school you thought it was going to be easy ride. I’m not sure about all the changes that happened at your school as you were fairly vague about what happened. It sounded like you were talking more out of emotion than making a logical argument to stand behind.

I am wondering if you agree that there may have been a better way to go about countering changes at your school? Could you have spoken to an advisor or someone in SGA? I don’t think the school is just making random changes just for the sake of it. It is most likely because that was input from previous students and from people with a background in education that are putting forth the most innovative way for students to learn the medical knowledge. I doubt any school is just trying to make it hard on their students. That wouldn’t be a very good business model making your customers angry. The school would quickly be going out of business. I feel whatever the school is doing is because there has been significant research completed about how to help their student’s learn and apply the necessary skills and knowledge they will need when they are in the field.

Further, you say that ~20 people failed the test and had the opportunity to retake it and pass, but isn’t the class size something around 160-180 people? That means for every one person that failed that 6 or 7 people passed. That honestly doesn’t sound absurd to me, that’s only about 10% for argument sake. If there was half the class failing I would certainly agree that there was something wrong with the test. My questions regarding 20 people failing the test would be.

1) Do you honestly believe that you did everything you could do to prepare for that exam?
- That includes not taking the weekend off before the exam to go skiing or partying instead of studying
- That includes not watching all the extra episodes of your show on Netflix instead of studying

2) What are the other 150 people in the class doing right and passing the test?


You are making A LOT of assumptions about things of which you nothing about. I am not the only one who is feeling this way and I don't take my education for granted. I am not a student who is in trouble with my grades, but it is entirely possible with a policy that strikes so much fear. I don't know about you, but if I'm too nervous, I don't think as well or perform as well. I do feel I could be doing better, but there is a big amoutn of fear instilled in us. I'm sick of seeing so many unhappy people and feeling the constant stress and fear of failing out of school if I happen to answer a few more questions wrong on one test, on a bad day. I know I am not alone in this, but i am apparently the only one willing to talk about it. And for good reason I guess because it puts you on the frontline for criticism from people like you. Fortunately, it seems that this topic is on the minds of a lot of us at school right now because someone made a survey and sent it out to us this morning. I don't know what it's for but it gives me some hope that maybe something will change for us and these new, untested policies will be repealed. Even the smallest change on someo of them would make a change for the better. I don't know how appropriate it is to be posting syllabi or whtever so that you can have your "solid" exapmles so I guess you'll have to either ignore me or just take into consideration that UNECOM is not the supportive and friendly shangrila it once seemed.
 
You are making A LOT of assumptions about things of which you nothing about. I am not the only one who is feeling this way and I don't take my education for granted. I am not a student who is in trouble with my grades, but it is entirely possible with a policy that strikes so much fear. I don't know about you, but if I'm too nervous, I don't think as well or perform as well. I do feel I could be doing better, but there is a big amoutn of fear instilled in us. I'm sick of seeing so many unhappy people and feeling the constant stress and fear of failing out of school if I happen to answer a few more questions wrong on one test, on a bad day. I know I am not alone in this, but i am apparently the only one willing to talk about it. And for good reason I guess because it puts you on the frontline for criticism from people like you. Fortunately, it seems that this topic is on the minds of a lot of us at school right now because someone made a survey and sent it out to us this morning. I don't know what it's for but it gives me some hope that maybe something will change for us and these new, untested policies will be repealed. Even the smallest change on someo of them would make a change for the better. I don't know how appropriate it is to be posting syllabi or whtever so that you can have your "solid" exapmles so I guess you'll have to either ignore me or just take into consideration that UNECOM is not the supportive and friendly shangrila it once seemed.

With all due respect, why is the drop out rate still so low?
 
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You are making A LOT of assumptions about things of which you nothing about. I am not the only one who is feeling this way and I don't take my education for granted. I am not a student who is in trouble with my grades, but it is entirely possible with a policy that strikes so much fear. I don't know about you, but if I'm too nervous, I don't think as well or perform as well. I do feel I could be doing better, but there is a big amoutn of fear instilled in us. I'm sick of seeing so many unhappy people and feeling the constant stress and fear of failing out of school if I happen to answer a few more questions wrong on one test, on a bad day. I know I am not alone in this, but i am apparently the only one willing to talk about it. And for good reason I guess because it puts you on the frontline for criticism from people like you. Fortunately, it seems that this topic is on the minds of a lot of us at school right now because someone made a survey and sent it out to us this morning. I don't know what it's for but it gives me some hope that maybe something will change for us and these new, untested policies will be repealed. Even the smallest change on someo of them would make a change for the better. I don't know how appropriate it is to be posting syllabi or whtever so that you can have your "solid" exapmles so I guess you'll have to either ignore me or just take into consideration that UNECOM is not the supportive and friendly shangrila it once seemed.

I appreciate the reply. There is no need to post your syllabi, as you already stated the testing policy in your previous post. It just took you a long time to get to your point in your previous posts.

I don’t mean to straight up criticize you, and I wish you would not take it that way. I only mean to understand your point of view more in a logical context. Before you sounded more like you were on a rant and I was not sure the reason why. Right now, it sounds like your concern is the testing policy. In your previous posts you made it sound like it was WWIII going on at your school as you were clearly angry. I honestly just thought there must have been a better way to go about going dealing with problem instead of trashing on your school. In the long run that only hurts the school, and if you a product of your school, then it hurts you too.

Now, that you are clear to all of us in the forum with your problem with the policy you can complain about it all day long, but that does not help or fix the situation. I suggested you got to your administration or someone in your SGA, most schools have one of those, and suggest a solution to what you deem a problem.

I, on the other hand see the policy you put forth and think it already sounds more lax than I thought medical school would be. You are allowed to fail 33% of your exams and you are given a second chance. That sounds pretty damn good to me except I don’t plan on failing any exams. Further, when you previously complained the tests are unfair it does a disservice to everyone that passed the test. It basically is saying it's random who does and doesn't pass. They may have put a lot of work into studying for the test (maybe even more than what you consider is a lot of studying) and you are basically saying it doesn't matter. 150 people passing a test vs 20 people failing is not random or mean it's an unfair test. I see, 150 people that did what they were supposed to do and 20 people that need to make adjustments moving forward.

I know exams can be scary in fact that they test your knowledge, but there has to be some way for the school to reasonably and confidently say you have learned the material and are safe moving forward to second year, boards, clinicals, all that good stuff. Eventually you aren’t going to have second chances, you aren’t going to be given extra time, and you won’t be given notice. When a patient is coding and bleeding out on you and you’re the doctor you won’t be able to say “I just need 10 extra minutes!” or “I’ll get em’ next time!” My point is medical school is supposed to be tough because you’re going into one of the most stressful and difficult careers.

I wish you the best of luck. Remember you made it this far, it’s not all going to fall apart in one day. If you have prepared like you should have you are going to be fine moving forward and I'm sure that's exactly what your professors would say. In the future you should just try to be more constructive and positive instead of destructive and negative especially about your school since they already made a bet on you in that you would succeed.
 
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Anyone heard from a January 25th interview?
 
Just got an email accepting me from the waitlist!! UNECOM is beautiful and a great school, but I will probably be declining the offer. Chins up, fellow waitlisters!

EDIT: They want me to make a decision in 24 hours and be ready to put down a $500 non-refundable deposit :bored:
 
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I appreciate the reply. There is no need to post your syllabi, as you already stated the testing policy in your previous post. It just took you a long time to get to your point in your previous posts.

I don’t mean to straight up criticize you, and I wish you would not take it that way. I only mean to understand your point of view more in a logical context. Before you sounded more like you were on a rant and I was not sure the reason why. Right now, it sounds like your concern is the testing policy. In your previous posts you made it sound like it was WWIII going on at your school as you were clearly angry. I honestly just thought there must have been a better way to go about going dealing with problem instead of trashing on your school. In the long run that only hurts the school, and if you a product of your school, then it hurts you too.

Now, that you are clear to all of us in the forum with your problem with the policy you can complain about it all day long, but that does not help or fix the situation. I suggested you got to your administration or someone in your SGA, most schools have one of those, and suggest a solution to what you deem a problem.

I, on the other hand see the policy you put forth and think it already sounds more lax than I thought medical school would be. You are allowed to fail 33% of your exams and you are given a second chance. That sounds pretty damn good to me except I don’t plan on failing any exams. Further, when you previously complained the tests are unfair it does a disservice to everyone that passed the test. It basically is saying it's random who does and doesn't pass. They may have put a lot of work into studying for the test (maybe even more than what you consider is a lot of studying) and you are basically saying it doesn't matter. 150 people passing a test vs 20 people failing is not random or mean it's an unfair test. I see, 150 people that did what they were supposed to do and 20 people that need to make adjustments moving forward.

I know exams can be scary in fact that they test your knowledge, but there has to be some way for the school to reasonably and confidently say you have learned the material and are safe moving forward to second year, boards, clinicals, all that good stuff. Eventually you aren’t going to have second chances, you aren’t going to be given extra time, and you won’t be given notice. When a patient is coding and bleeding out on you and you’re the doctor you won’t be able to say “I just need 10 extra minutes!” or “I’ll get em’ next time!” My point is medical school is supposed to be tough because you’re going into one of the most stressful and difficult careers.

I wish you the best of luck. Remember you made it this far, it’s not all going to fall apart in one day. If you have prepared like you should have you are going to be fine moving forward and I'm sure that's exactly what your professors would say. In the future you should just try to be more constructive and positive instead of destructive and negative especially about your school since they already made a bet on you in that you would succeed.
I have no dog in this fight, but I must say your responses to a student trying to provide helpful insight to applicants who might be choosing between multiple acceptances are among the most arrogant and patronizing I've ever seen on SDN. I particularly like your insinuation that this individual deserves to fail their exams. The fact of the matter is you have no experience in medical school and despite your colorful hypothetical coding patient scenario, zero experience as a resident or attending physician. Stop acting like you're enlightened. If you don't like this person's opinion of UNECOM then move along.
 
How do you get notified about decision post interview? Do you get email than an official copy of the mail?
 
Is there a facebook group for accepted students?
 
I have no dog in this fight, but I must say your responses to a student trying to provide helpful insight to applicants who might be choosing between multiple acceptances are among the most arrogant and patronizing I've ever seen on SDN. I particularly like your insinuation that this individual deserves to fail their exams. The fact of the matter is you have no experience in medical school and despite your colorful hypothetical coding patient scenario, zero experience as a resident or attending physician. Stop acting like you're enlightened. If you don't like this person's opinion of UNECOM then move along.

I can see that you did not appreciate my previous post, but I do believe that you have not been following the thread very well. I can't just let you comments go even though you appear to be ignorant of the entire conversation. But to fill you in since you wanted to comment so badly...see below.

If you have been following the entire thread you would have seen a student complaining about their school without a single, legitimate, logical reason. The posts consisted of a bunch of emotional spew. I listed a bunch of direct quotes of the student in a previous post that you can search for yourself. After I saw several of the rants, I was intrigued and wanted to know the reasons behind the rant. If you are happy just hearing people hating things and making an emotional argument good for you, but I typically like an opinion based on logic. To be complete, the student finally opened up and said the rant was directed at a testing policy.

I do find what you said regarding "provide helpful insight to applicants" very troubling as if you understood any of the rant about why the student thought this school is terrible and took that as gospel then I have to assume you are very easily swayed by what anyone says. Furthermore, it sounds like you rather appraise people than have truth.

And regarding your comment on "I particularly like your insinuation that this individual deserves to fail their exams". I never claimed they should be failing a test, I asked the student if they were working to the best of their ability to be passing the test in the first place. The student even said they should probably be doing more to prepare for the test! Yet you rather hear someone complain that failing tests should be the new normal. I try to have higher goals than just not trying to fail.

Finally, your comment citing "you have no experience in medical school" is troubling in that you have no idea what my experience is. I find it very odd that you would know anything about me besides my few posts. And if you think I made up some hypothetical situation about a patient dying and a doctor trying to help them is so crazy then you may be in the wrong forum. THIS FORUM IS FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN MEDICINE! Sorry to blow that up, but wanted to make sure you could read it properly. Helping patients is kind of the job of a doctor and I'm sure there are patients coding at this very moment in hospitals across the country. You need to open up your mind a little bit.
 
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As a note to all users in this thread: SDN supports a discussion that is open to a multitude of opinions and views and not just to those that are agreeable in nature or by the majority. There will be those that wholeheartedly express disdain or disagreement with a school's policies and/or how that school is run. It is important for us to never suppress opposing viewpoints in order to protect what is an open discussion here on SDN.
 
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I hope that is not directed at me, maybe I have not been articulate enough to say: I get your angry at the school, but WHY? You don't have to answer, but it would probably be very helpful to people considering the school to hear a logical reason behind what you are saying and then maybe a proposed solution you think would make it better. I have only been trying to get people to talk about the issues and haven't tried to infringe upon anyone's free speech.

Literally, that's all I've been trying to get out of this conversation. WHY?????
 
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Hey all, maybe we should bring this conversation to a close. It's clear feelings were hurt and emotions are high on both sides. Something tells me the prospective students who are nervously awaiting their admission letters are sort of over this conversation and are more focused on being able to interact with their peers and share information regarding waitlist movement and recent acceptances.
 
Hey all, maybe we should bring this conversation to a close. It's clear feelings were hurt and emotions are high on both sides. Something tells me the prospective students who are nervously awaiting their admission letters are sort of over this conversation and are more focused on being able to interact with their peers and share information regarding waitlist movement and recent acceptances.
 
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