WesternU MSMS Fall 2013/2014

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DrHouseYangGrey said:
I just got an email for an interview on the 20th of April. Yaye! Can anyone be more specific about the actual interview?

Also, do you think schools would change interview dates that clash with religious commitments? I'm not sure if I would be able to attend on Saturdays but I don't want it to count against me. I have till Friday to reply. Any advice appreciated!
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Congrats to you! I just got the email today as well, so I hope I'll be seeing you on the 20th. There are some posts in last year's thread about the actual interview so you can check them out for more info, although I do would like to know more about this year's set up as well so if anyone can shed some lights on the subject - that would be awesome! Good luck everyone!:)
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I got the email for the interview on April 13th and sent her back an email saying I was interested, but haven't heard anything else? Anyone else having this issue?
 
villama6 said:
I got the email for the interview on April 13th and sent her back an email saying I was interested, but haven't heard anything else? Anyone else having this issue?
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I replied to the email yesterday so it's understandable that I haven't received any reply yet. Mine is for the 20th though so I'm not sure about your situation. I would call in to make sure they have received your email. Good luck at your interview!
 
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I haven't heard anything either. I emailed them about a month ago asking the status of my app and they saiad it was sent to the committee. Idk how long it actually takes? My app haas been complete since like february. Sigh I just wish if they were going to reject me to tell me already. This waiting is so nerve racking.
 
Lnguyen11 said:
I haven't heard anything either. I emailed them about a month ago asking the status of my app and they saiad it was sent to the committee. Idk how long it actually takes? My app haas been complete since like february. Sigh I just wish if they were going to reject me to tell me already. This waiting is so nerve racking.
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Yeah, it seems they've recently began sending out invitations for the last 2 interviews. They haven't gotten back to me about a question I asked them.
if you feel like you were a competitive applicant I'm sure they'll reach out and email you soon.

I'm just getting nervous as the data go by 11/18 days to go.
 
After you accept the interview offer, you'll get an email about two weeks later that provides more info about interview day.


baochuongm1 said:
Did you hear back from Western after you accepted the interview offer?
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Yeah, I didn't hear back from Western after their initial invitation for a few days. I got my invite to the interview for the 13th of April on Tuesday march 30th and didn't get an email with more info til that friday. Anyone else going on 4/13?
 
I'll be there with bells and whistles on the 13th.

villama6 said:
Yeah, I didn't hear back from Western after their initial invitation for a few days. I got my invite to the interview for the 13th of April on Tuesday march 30th and didn't get an email with more info til that friday. Anyone else going on 4/13?
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graduate2be said:
After you accept the interview offer, you'll get an email about two weeks later that provides more info about interview day.

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Thanks for the update!! :) I'll be waiting to receive that email with the mysterious instructions... Hope you ace that interview!!
 
This is what the email will say:


"Dear Interviewee,

I am pleased to confirm that you will be coming in for an interview for Western U's Master of Science in Medical Sciences program.  Interviews will be held on our Pomona, California campus and you are scheduled for April 13, 2013.

You should plan to arrive in the Health Education Center, 1st Floor Lobby at 8:15 a.m.

You will be given an agenda upon check in. You can anticipate being on campus from 8:15 a.m. to3:00 p.m. or earlier (depending upon the time of your interview).

Please take a moment to review our Interviewee Web Page for additional details. There you will find information on:

What to expect during the interview

How to prepare

Local airports

Local hotels

Directions to the campus

*Parking – Please park in the Daily Permit parking spaces located directly north of the URC building. You will be required to pay $3.00 at the kiosks to park in the designated Daily Permit parking slots.  Please do not park in the student, employee, or visitor parking lots as you may be ticketed from the city. Please see the following link to the campus parking map:

http://www.westernu.edu/campus-parking-map

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, it is our policy to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with a disability who may need assistance during their visit to our campus.  If you require any reasonable accommodations while on campus, please call Kathy Ford at(909) 469-5542.

International students and any other applicants who are not United States citizens living in the U.S. should be prepared to provide proof of legal U.S. residency at the time of interview.  Proof of legal U.S. residency is required prior to any offer of acceptance.

If you wish to cancel your interview, please notify Daniell Mendoza at (909) 469-5541 immediately so that the opening can be filled. 

We look forward to seeing you on campus soon. 

Congratulations!"

baochuongm1 said:
Thanks for the update!! :) I'll be waiting to receive that email with the mysterious instructions... Hope you ace that interview!!
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graduate2be said:
This is what the email will say:


"Dear Interviewee,

I am pleased to confirm that you will be coming in for an interview for Western U’s Master of Science in Medical Sciences program.* Interviews will be held on our Pomona, California campus and you are scheduled for*April 13, 2013.

You should plan to arrive in the*Health Education Center, 1st*Floor Lobby at*8:15*a.m.

You will be given an agenda upon check in. You can anticipate being on campus from*8:15*a.m. to3:00*p.m. or earlier (depending upon the time of your interview).

Please take a moment to review our*Interviewee Web Page*for additional details. There you will find information on:

What to expect during the interview

How to prepare

Local airports

Local hotels

Directions to the campus

*Parking*– Please park in the Daily Permit parking spaces located directly north of the URC building.*You will be required to pay $3.00 at the kiosks to park in the designated Daily Permit parking slots.* Please*do not*park in the student, employee, or visitor parking lots as you may be ticketed from the city. Please see the following link to the campus parking map:

http://www.westernu.edu/campus-parking-map

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, it is our policy to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with a disability who may need assistance during their visit to our campus.* If you require any reasonable accommodations while on campus, please call Kathy Ford at(909) 469-5542.

International students and any other applicants who are not United States citizens living in the U.S. should be prepared to provide proof of legal U.S. residency at the time of interview.* Proof of legal U.S. residency is required prior to any offer of acceptance.

If you wish to cancel your interview, please notify Daniell Mendoza at*(909) 469-5541*immediately so that the opening can be filled.*

We look forward to seeing you on campus soon.*

Congratulations!"





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I appreciate this!! Thanks soooo much!
 
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DrHouseYangGrey said:
No, not yet. Has anyone been accepted? Anyone else got an interview for the 20th?
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Hey, I got the email today with the instructions, so you should be receiving yours soon (if not already). See you at the interview! :)
 
I got my interview date last week of March with all the info too :) I am usually a good interviewer but I am pretty nervous! I'll see everyone on the 13th! Good luck to everyone and have fun!
 
baochuongm1 said:
Hey, I got the email today with the instructions, so you should be receiving yours soon (if not already). See you at the interview! :)
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Still no response. I guess I'm not going. I won't be able to afford the ticket if they intend to respond one week before the interview :(
 
So I took some time and went through the past 2 years of post from applicants for this program to this school on this forum. I'm a little discouraged because it seems like a lot of people had to wait kinda long for correspondence

I'm scheduled for April 20, but my date needs to be changed, they were looking to see if they could but no one has responded. I'm sure they're very busy and all and I'm very patient but the sooner I know, the better.

I just want to know if anyone for the April 13th interview has gotten all their information regarding the interview, or if anyone from the February interview heard anything yet from them.
 
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I have received all my information and they got back to me within 2 days of me accepting the invite. My interview is the 13th.
 
diananaa said:
I have received all my information and they got back to me within 2 days of me accepting the invite. My interview is the 13th.
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Ok cool. I guess mine should come sometime this week. How much time between the interview and the interview confirmation or initial invite did they give you? (especially out of state students)
 
I got my info about the interview about 2 weeks after I received the invite. That is the time frame that I was told to expect. As far as communications issues, I can't complain. I always got speedy and accurate responses to emails and phone calls.


DrHouseYangGrey said:
So I took some time and went through the past 2 years of post from applicants for this program to this school on this forum. I'm a little discouraged because it seems like the communication issue only gets worse after interviews. Definite improvement or revamping of the involved committee is needed if applicants complain about the same thing for 3 years (from what I've read).

I'm scheduled for April 20, but my date needs to be changed, they were looking to see if they could but no one has responded. I'm sure they're very busy and all and I'm very patient but the sooner I know, the better. I'm flying in from out of the US(seems like I'm the only one) and I'm not quite happy to be paying almost $1000 for a round trip ticket, food and hotel....especially if I'm not accepted (which I pray won't be the case...but if I am, that money was well worth it)

I just want to know if anyone for the April 13th interview has gotten all their information regarding the interview, or if anyone from the February interview heard anything yet from them.
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graduate2be said:
I got my info about the interview about 2 weeks after I received the invite. That is the time frame that I was told to expect. As far as communications issues, I can't complain. I always got speedy and accurate responses to emails and phone calls.






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Cool. I shall just wait it out. But they are possibly going to change my date, so I'm not sure if to prepare to travel for next week.
 
Maybe it's just me with the contact troubles but I emailed and called today and had to leave messages on answering machines. Seems like no one is there at the moment. Going to try back later. :xf:

Update: Tried back to no avail. I called more than one person too
 
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good luck and hopefully things work out for you. I know the process is frustrating but try to stay positive! I am sure they will get back to you as soon as they can. Can't imagine working in their office during this time of year.
 
Yea omg its tomorrow! good luck everyone =) im getting major anxiety already
 
diananaa said:
good luck and hopefully things work out for you. I know the process is frustrating but try to stay positive! I am sure they will get back to you as soon as they can. Can't imagine working in their office during this time of year.
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I finally got them. I'll be there next week. It's my birthday weekend so hopefully it'll be good luck :)
 
see everyone who's going tomorrow soon! I have been trying to prepare this week but not sure what to do haha. :) Good luck!
 
I just made it to Pomona and am about to drive to school from my hotel to check out the route (Comfort Inn on Geary; 1 mile from campus and very nice rooms). To all who are interviewing tomorrow, I wish us all the best!

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graduate2be said:
I just made it to Pomona and am about to drive to school from my hotel to check out the route (Comfort Inn on Geary; 1 mile from campus and very nice rooms). To all who are interviewing tomorrow, I wish us all the best!

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The school is pretty easy to find. parking is another story. But I guess they told you where to park and stuff (I haven't got that info yet) the school is nice and small and the statues scare the life out of me at night lol. have fun! Who knows, within the next month we may all be classmates!
 
Best of luck to everyone who is interviewing tomorrow!! :) And DrHYG, I'll see you next weekend! :D
 
So, I had my interview today and it was very stress-free and relaxed. For starters, we did not have to type an essay. It seems that they are doing away with that component of the interview. :)

The day started with presentations from admissions, financial aid, an associate dean, and the program director,Dr. Goode. While we waited for our names to be called for the interview, we got to ask questions of a group of current students. It seems that they are all very happy and have all done well. 10 of the pre-dents have gotten into Western's DMD program and all of the pre-D.O.'s have been admitted to COMP (~20ish). There was, however, some confusion relating to whether or not there will be a linkage program with the cohort that starts this year. I distinctly remember it being said that there will not be a linkage program; however, later, I heard it said at least twice that if you have a 24 MCAT and a 3.0 in the program, you retain the linkage. One of the other points that was stressed on at least two occasions is that you really have to be flexible as the program is a work in progress. For example, the current cohort is taking the IPE class but the new cohort won't be taking it. Additionally, Dr. Goode stressed that they are increasing the range of research opportunities to include community-based participatory research and translational clinical research in addition to the existing bench research opportunities.

The interview day started at 8:15 AM and there was plenty of parking ($3.00 / day). They had snacks and waters and we were fed lunch from Subway. After the interviews, there were tours but it wasn't mandatory that you attend the tour. I decided not to as I've toured the campus on two prior occasions and because I ruptured my achilles tendon several weeks ago, I was in pain and just wanted to get back to my hotel room. As far as the interview itself, it was partially closed file. I say that because I THINK that the faculty interviewer may have seen the file prior to the interview but the student interviewer has not seen the file. In my case, Dr. Goode was one of my interviewers and she most certainly saw my file because she specifically commented on the grade that I made in my respiratory pharmacology class in my grad school program. She and the student interviewer took turns asking questions (about 10 I think) but they were designed to see who you are as a person. They did not ask anything about prior grades or MCAT.

Again, they aren't focused on grades and MCAT; if you got an interview, you meet the cut as far as the numbers. At this point, they want to know about YOU and what makes you tick. One thing that was mentioned was that if you really want to go to an MD-granting institution, you should seek a program that will help you do that. If you are interested in Western and osteopathic medicine, then this is the program for you. Dr. Goode mentioned that two students during the whole history of the program have matriculated into allopathic medical schools but by and large, the majority of students go D.O. or DMD. A student that was interviewing asked if the program was good prep for allopathic medical school admissions so that's how that whole thing came up.

Hmmm, what else? If you get in, you have to bust your ass. The program starts fast but every one of the current students said that it is more than doable. You just have to be willing to adjust your study habits. They also all said DO NOT SKIP CLASSES and DON'T COME LATE. You have to dress in slacks/dockers, nice dress shirt/polo, and the short white coat that they give you while you are in the MSMS classes (except for Gross Anatomy). Again, they all seemed very happy with their decision to come. You end up doing a minimum of about 60 hours of shadowing and community service but those are just minimums; the student that interviewed me along with Dr. Goode had something like close to 220 hours of shadowing and volunteer experience. For those of you that may be wondering if you can work while in the program, its not recommended. There are a few tutoring positions and you may secure a work study position but even that is not encouraged, certainly during the summer gross anatomy class (8 or 9AM till about 4:30 or 5PM Monday through Friday).

So, I hope this gives those that have yet to interview a decent breakdown of what to expect. To those that interviewed today, it was nice meeting you (at least those that I got to meet and speak with) and I wish us all well. Hope I'll be seeing you all in the fall (If admitted here, I'm choosing this program over Touro-Nevada all the way!):thumbup:
 
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Thank you for the detailed break-down! Did you by any chance know if any students have been accepted and when will the committee make their decisions? I know that the program is rolling-basis so getting the last interview date sort of worries me a bit...
 
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Hi,
I am a past MSMS student and currently a medical student at WesternU. Faculty members do screen SDN regularly and by posting interview questions you are hurting the interview process, because students will be able to prepare for these questions prior to the interview. These questions were designed for the program solely to get an honest assessment of the applicant. While I know your intentions are good, I advise you to not do that in the future, not for just the MS program, but for any other program.

Sincerely,
Mick
 
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I was told that the decisions could start being sent about two weeks after the interview and that a decision could be rendered all the way up until the week that the program starts. One current student said that she got her admissions offer a day or two after the program started but she also said that the school worked with her to give her time to complete required paperwork (physical, submitting final transcripts, etc...) I feel the same way that you do. If I am admitted, depending on when that would be, I wouldn't have much time to secure housing and I wonder how rapidly the financial aid office could turn around an award letter. My FAFSA is already done so that helps. But, as my dad told me today, I just have to cross that bridge when I get to it. First issue is to see if I get accepted...

baochuongm1 said:
Thank you for the detailed break-down! Did you by any chance know if any students have been accepted and when will the committee make their decisions? I know that the program is rolling-basis so getting the last interview date sort of worries me a bit...
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Sorry; I hadn't thought about that. No harm intended. I'll edit my response to remove those questions. Thanks for the heads up!

mickc said:
Hi,
I am a past MSMS student and currently a medical student at WesternU. Faculty members do screen SDN regularly and by posting interview questions you are hurting the interview process, because students will be able to prepare for these questions prior to the interview. These questions were designed for the program solely to get an honest assessment of the applicant. While I know your intentions are good, I advise you to not do that in the future, not for just the MS program, but for any other program.

Sincerely,
Mick
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Its Sunday people! 2 interviews down, and the last one to go. *Breathes deeply* resisting the urge to pack bags. I wish yesterday's group all the best and this group as well, I hope all of us on this forum gets in! I am do ready to start shopping for school supplies and to go house hunting! :xf: :thumbup: :D ;) :rolleyes: :cool:
 
Does anyone know from yesterday's interview if they mentioned how long it may take for us to find out? I knwo they said ANYTIME between now and June, but was there an estimate of when they will try to send out acceptances?
 
Thanks for the reply! I'm sure once you get the acceptance letter then everything else would fall into their places... So there's no words on how many people have been accepted since the first interview?

graduate2be said:
I was told that the decisions could start being sent about two weeks after the interview and that a decision could be rendered all the way up until the week that the program starts. One current student said that she got her admissions offer a day or two after the program started but she also said that the school worked with her to give her time to complete required paperwork (physical, submitting final transcripts, etc...) I feel the same way that you do. If I am admitted, depending on when that would be, I wouldn't have much time to secure housing and I wonder how rapidly the financial aid office could turn around an award letter. My FAFSA is already done so that helps. But, as my dad told me today, I just have to cross that bridge when I get to it. First issue is to see if I get accepted...
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Not that I have heard....

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Hey, can anyone tell me how much people were present at the first and second interviews (idk if someone said it before or not)

There were 15 at the first, how much was there last week?
 
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Don't have an exact count but it looked like 35 to 40ish...

DrHouseYangGrey said:
Hey, can anyone tell me how much people were present at the first and second interviews (idk if someone said it before or not)

There were 15 at the first, how much was there last week?
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OK thanks. Last year there were like 99 interviews so it might be around there again.
 
I counted around 39 or 40, but I think one person was missing when the girl was calling out for a male to come in and interview, could have possibly been in the restroom though. So not positive if there was a no-show or not. Im assuming there will be about another 40 or so next saturday, since February they had 15 interviews, and last saturday there was a good 39/40. Anyways, good luck to next weeks interviewees!
 
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