William Carey University (WCU-COM) Discussion Thread 2016-2107

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If you've visited the school, done your research, etc and want to be here, then go right ahead. I'm sure you could take an accelerated online course also.


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online specifically a no go but def interested

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Im writing this so hopefully you can learn from my mistake.

I feel it necessary to address this comment, because I'm pretty disheartened that you chose to express your feelings this way.

1) The faculty in general – I think most of our classmates would agree when I say that I have never felt disrespected or patronized by the faculty. The professors actually make the school for me; they always engage with you and make it crystal clear that they are there for you, the student. They want to hear your grievances, through appropriate channels, and try to tailor their teaching and policies to your needs. Whenever I have needed help from a professor, they have been kind and humble. I always encourage the class to seek out the faculty if they ever need anything, because you are truly in good hands. There can be the occasional sarcastic/dry comment by the teachers, but there’s never any doubt that they truly want students to succeed.

2) Professor “DB” – Referring to professors with derogatory names like “dingleberry” is super disrespectful, so I’m not sure if the faculty is the one with the rudeness problem here. Clearly, the professionalism lesson didn’t get through to you. It is true, as someone else stated, that this professor has a somewhat dry sense of humor, but many students learn very well from him. Like him or not, there is no denying that he knows his stuff. Just because you didn’t do well in his course does not mean he should lose his job.

3) Professor “Professionalism” – Seriously, the professionalism lesson lasted the first week. Maybe two. He has definitely mentioned how we need to be, you know, adults, but it didn’t kill any of us, and it is true that his time management skills are not great by any means. But saying he has never worked in “the real world” is just inaccurate. He has worked in his field for decades, and has taught at an Ivy League school. You may not learn from him or even like him, but again, other students do.

4) OMM department – OMM is a whole, independent course. It’s not just an extracurricular. There is a reason DO’s and MD’s have different names – DO’s learn an entire skill that MD’s do not. Did you expect it to be easy to add a whole other class to what you are already learning? It is a tough subject and requires hours upon hours of practice. Those who don’t want to deal with it should go to an allopathic school. The course can be disorganized, but unfortunately with multiple professors that is expected. I have definitely been frustrated because I learn very well from one professor, but another professor’s PowerPoints just confuse me. That doesn’t make the professors any less capable. It means I as a student have my own learning style. The course director absolutely loves his job, and you see it in his work every day. Whether you like the subject or not, those who deny the man’s work ethic and teaching skill are just being ridiculous. When the professors say “Learn it all,” it’s because you have to learn it all. Again, medical school is not supposed to be easy. But if you go to the professors and ask for help, they will oblige.

5) Anatomy – Again, it can be disorganized because there are different professors. You will learn better from some than you will from others. I did find it helpful to pre-study, however.

6) “Group punishment” – Really? This one just made me laugh. A lot of students, unfortunately, cheat. They have been cheating since before we arrived and will long after we leave. If you think assigned seating is an elementary punishment, don’t act like an elementary student. And as for the laptops being closed, if you’re not hiding anything, what’s the big deal? Our school wants to be represented well, and there is nothing wrong with that. That being said, there is also absolutely nothing wrong with voicing your opinions, but please be respectful. Whether or not you regret it, this is your school too.

Bottom line for aspiring doctors: you absolutely cannot know what you’re going to get, or how you will feel, until you are here. That applies to any school. Some professors are better for you than others. You will learn very well from some and not so well from others. It depends on your learning style, and again, this applies to any school. You will not pass every test, let alone get an A on every test. Medical school is hard. You will have to learn how to study, which is something no one can learn right away. If you do the work, go the extra mile, and get help when you need it, you WILL succeed. If you fail a course, you remediate it and learn from your mistakes. If you wake up one day and decide it isn’t for you, that’s perfectly okay too. But please don’t judge any school by one person’s experience, because I can personally attest to the fact that you cannot prepare for this. I (and many of my friends) chose this school because we saw true kindness in the faculty – knowing individual students by name, genuinely interested in their lives…those aren’t just qualities they play up for interview day.

As for the town, Hattiesburg is small but definitely not “rural.” You will have everything you need, and you really won’t have time to be adventurous anyway (though an occasional trip to New Orleans is possible).

Ultimately, all of this is just something you’re going to have to go through for yourself and discover what the right fit for you is. Good luck to all of you!
 
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I feel it necessary to address this comment, because I'm pretty disheartened that you chose to express your feelings this way.

1) The faculty in general – I think most of our classmates would agree when I say that I have never felt disrespected or patronized by the faculty. The professors actually make the school for me; they always engage with you and make it crystal clear that they are there for you, the student. They want to hear your grievances, through appropriate channels, and try to tailor their teaching and policies to your needs. Whenever I have needed help from a professor, they have been kind and humble. I always encourage the class to seek out the faculty if they ever need anything, because you are truly in good hands. There can be the occasional sarcastic/dry comment by the teachers, but there’s never any doubt that they truly want students to succeed.

2) Professor “DB” – Referring to professors with derogatory names like “dingleberry” is super disrespectful, so I’m not sure if the faculty is the one with the rudeness problem here. Clearly, the professionalism lesson didn’t get through to you. It is true, as someone else stated, that this professor has a somewhat dry sense of humor, but many students learn very well from him. Like him or not, there is no denying that he knows his stuff. Just because you didn’t do well in his course does not mean he should lose his job.

3) Professor “Professionalism” – Seriously, the professionalism lesson lasted the first week. Maybe two. He has definitely mentioned how we need to be, you know, adults, but it didn’t kill any of us, and it is true that his time management skills are not great by any means. But saying he has never worked in “the real world” is just inaccurate. He has worked in his field for decades, and has taught at an Ivy League school. You may not learn from him or even like him, but again, other students do.

4) OMM department – OMM is a whole, independent course. It’s not just an extracurricular. There is a reason DO’s and MD’s have different names – DO’s learn an entire skill that MD’s do not. Did you expect it to be easy to add a whole other class to what you are already learning? It is a tough subject and requires hours upon hours of practice. Those who don’t want to deal with it should go to an allopathic school. The course can be disorganized, but unfortunately with multiple professors that is expected. I have definitely been frustrated because I learn very well from one professor, but another professor’s PowerPoints just confuse me. That doesn’t make the professors any less capable. It means I as a student have my own learning style. The course director absolutely loves his job, and you see it in his work every day. Whether you like the subject or not, those who deny the man’s work ethic and teaching skill are just being ridiculous. When the professors say “Learn it all,” it’s because you have to learn it all. Again, medical school is not supposed to be easy. But if you go to the professors and ask for help, they will oblige.

5) Anatomy – Again, it can be disorganized because there are different professors. You will learn better from some than you will from others. I did find it helpful to pre-study, however.

6) “Group punishment” – Really? This one just made me laugh. A lot of students, unfortunately, cheat. They have been cheating since before we arrived and will long after we leave. If you think assigned seating is an elementary punishment, don’t act like an elementary student. And as for the laptops being closed, if you’re not hiding anything, what’s the big deal? Our school wants to be represented well, and there is nothing wrong with that. That being said, there is also absolutely nothing wrong with voicing your opinions, but please be respectful. Whether or not you regret it, this is your school too.

Bottom line for aspiring doctors: you absolutely cannot know what you’re going to get, or how you will feel, until you are here. That applies to any school. Some professors are better for you than others. You will learn very well from some and not so well from others. It depends on your learning style, and again, this applies to any school. You will not pass every test, let alone get an A on every test. Medical school is hard. You will have to learn how to study, which is something no one can learn right away. If you do the work, go the extra mile, and get help when you need it, you WILL succeed. If you fail a course, you remediate it and learn from your mistakes. If you wake up one day and decide it isn’t for you, that’s perfectly okay too. But please don’t judge any school by one person’s experience, because I can personally attest to the fact that you cannot prepare for this. I (and many of my friends) chose this school because we saw true kindness in the faculty – knowing individual students by name, genuinely interested in their lives…those aren’t just qualities they play up for interview day.

As for the town, Hattiesburg is small but definitely not “rural.” You will have everything you need, and you really won’t have time to be adventurous anyway (though an occasional trip to New Orleans is possible).

Ultimately, all of this is just something you’re going to have to go through for yourself and discover what the right fit for you is. Good luck to all of you!

Dear applicants: Dont listen to this person.

I know who she is and how she acts around the profs. She is the classic example of a brown noser and teachers pet. She is very wrong and has chosen to ignore all badpoints of WCUCOM because she's invested so much into this school (she was part of the postbacc at WCUCOM). My points are valid and posters in previous years threads corroborate my statements. Dingleberry is a poor excuse for a human and I didnt learn anything from him. Neither did 20-30 ppl in our class who failed the final and his class. Theres a difference between having a "dry sense of humor" (whatever that means) and being a total dingus. Prof "Professionalism" is an angry old man who knows nothing about being a professional. I dont care where he's taught at, read my critique again and you'll see I said his class was okay when he wasnt going on tangents. THeres a reason hes not in the Ivy League and the fact is he's never worked in the real world so hes cluelesss on what professionalism means. Again, AVOID WCUCOM UNLESS YOU HAVE NO OTHER OPTION.
 
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As we are taught with test taking strategies from an early age: saying something is completely one way or the other is usually wrong.


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My review of WCUCOM. If you need more detail than what i give here or you have questions, pm me.
So i passed with a B average so those peeps out there that are gonna disagree and say i just failed out can kick rocks.
Location: Carey is in po dunk Mississippi, so not much going on. Its quiet and has a few great places to eat and drink. Outside of that if you are not ready for the deep deep political south you are in for it. People here are very religious, some what old school in thinking and sexism is a big deal, although most people just brush it off.
Technology: Hands down, it doesnt work. Screen casts often are not uploaded or are inaudible, the mic cuts out at least 10 times a lecture, they have these patient simulators that nobody can use, quiz and test software often fails and the common solution is oh well guess you fail some how this is your fault, and the IT department is rarely able to help. It is a serious problem for everybody.
Education: Well its a brand new school, in the deep south, lectures can go from ok to WTF just happened. The anatomy department is amazing. I mean amazing... These guys got it and deliver things pretty good. However it is very hit and miss with other lectures often leaving us very confused and frustrated. Majority of teaching is very old school thinking and misses a lot of learning opportunities.
Policy: Attendance is mandatory, you have to wear a dorky scrub top, ladies you have to cut your nails off to very short lengths ( guys do too), if you are an out spoken person you better stow it, need to talk to your professor you have to go through a student rep ( this isnt so bad after you get used to it). There were other things that other people complained about ( lab cleanliness, test downloads). All that being said I was able to get around or deal and I think anybody reading this can too. However i do have to be the voice for my classmates and say many feel that if the mandatory attendance was loosened especially around exams our grades would be higher.
Board prep: The school pays for combank and comsaes are required outside of that there isnt much prep. Courses are not taught to the boards. You can do very well in classes and not do well on the boards. This is a very serious problem that has really not been addressed to much of the student body's satisfaction nor does it seem like there is EVER going to be any improvement in this. If you do come to this school be very ready for this and plan way ahead for your board prep because it is on you.
Moral: Its pretty low. We get talked down to weekly, just to have somebody tell us we are the best class yet. Confusing. We are looking at least 10 people that will have to remediate something. At least 2 so far may have to repeat the year. This whole semester felt like a fight for our lives. However most of us made it and at least 90 percent will move on to graduate.
Research: Its a DO school... Aint nobody got time for that. If you want research MD school or bust or do it before you come.
Overall: This school is brand new and having serious growing pains. Things are not easy here if you want to survive you are going to work insanely hard just to pass. Forget As, Cs get degrees and take a serious amount of work to get. If you are a strong applicant with multiple offers, this isnt the place for you. However if you are coming out of a masters program and arent getting much love we welcome you if you are gonna do the work.

So when you are weighing this school verses others, first weigh yourself. This school is not for those that arent fully ready to be doctors no matter what. No joke. You better be willing to do just about anything to be a doc because you just may.This place will push you beyond anything you can imagine.
If you do choose WCUCOM know that each class before you is here for you and will go out of our way to help you be successful.
I hope this was helpful.

^^^^^

Haha, I'm pretty sure some of us warned you about this last year. Other than that, I completely agree with your assessment. Second year is even more of a meat grinder. Good luck and best wishes. And 90% graduation seems entirely too high, I think it will be more like 80%.

I will say that things do get better once you start clinical rotations in the third year, but getting there is pretty rough. I think we've lost about 26 people from our starting 112. Where there's a will, there's a way, but it's much harder here than most other places. Also, I'm glad that we are no longer getting called "crybabies" for speaking up.

That was a main reason I passed on it. I remember reading a faculty member talking like that on SDN on previous years' threads

Perhaps we need something like an Ombudsman.

I have quoted a short convo above between 2 WCUCOM students from last years thread. I should point out that anatomy was different for them because the course director for that year was a great prof but he left for another school. His replacement (who will be leading anatomy for you applicants) hasnt been as good.
 
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@Fedxup The inaugural class started off with 110 students. Somehow 20 failed out, and 86 of the remaining 90 matched. I urge anybody applying to this school to view previous threads about WCU. Also 25% of the class failed the boards the first time. Most of the matches are probably to AOA family medicine, which are the lowest ranking residencies.

According to this, 93 students graduated. 37 matched into AOA programs and 21 FAILED to match in AOA. 35 of them didn't participate, so we don't know if they matched in ACGME or not. 22 percent didn't match into AOA that is pretty alarming.
source: https://www.natmatch.com/aoairp/stats/2014sklstats.html

Where are you getting your information from? @EMDO2018
Look at this chart, 110 students started in the inaugural class back in the 2010-11 school year.
http://www.aacom.org/data/studentenrollment/Documents/2008-2013_AppEnrollGrad.pdf

The post from the 2013-2014 thread said that 90 applied for the match and 86 matched.

Also, guys make sure you get a good idea of any school you apply to, look at the previous threads for this school- mandatory attendance, leadership issues, administrative issues, and the list goes on.

I am a second year here and I just wanted to jump in on this forum (hopefully anonymously) and say please listen to the negatives about this school. I was in your shoes at one point and I didn't care about the admin problems or the attendance policy but I now wish I had listened to the current students who told me all of the negatives would add up. Board scores at WCUCOM will continue to suffer as long as the admin&faculty treat the students like children and mandate attendance, refuse to emphasize high yield board material in class, and dont allow students to learn the most effective way they know how. There are only a handful of professors here that genuinely have the students best interest in mind, but you can forget any of them advocating for change. the attendance policy will be the bane of your existence if you have a hard time learning in class. If you have another acceptance to any other medical school I really encourage you to take it. All schools have problems but I can almost guarantee you will hate it here. WCUCOM treats students like they are children and I cant stress that point enough. if you want to ask anymore questions just pm me.

Ive already said more than id like to I dont want to be branded as some random disgruntled student Im just trying to encourage applicants to really research this school from current students perspective usually students will fluff this place because they are making the best out of a bad situation but if you ask them for the real experience they may tell you this place is so far from being a decent place for an education and the administration has zero idea how to make it better just talk to current students above first year because first years just don't know yet it's too early for them

I have been very positive for a long time now. However, I would like to state that I do not recommend WCUCOM anymore. I believed that every year, things would smooth out. I was wrong. Every year they decide to change up the schedule, the rotation sites, or the way you can take boards.

1. There is a huge lack of professionalism in this school--from the staff and faculty. The communication here between the students and the faculty is severely lacking.
2. The website lies about the rotation sites. The truth is if you are planning to come here, those rotation sites listed will not be available. There are sites in Alabama--this is the last year they will be available. There are sites in Florida--this is the last year they will be available. There are sites in Louisiana which will be reduced in size. Also, if a preceptor (physician) no longer is taking students they will not allow you to set up your own rotation at a residency hospital. Our students overall shine when on rotations, but our school fails to maintain rotation sites.
3. The website is also not up-to-date with our current curriculum.
4. They found that being in class too much hurts the students, so they reduced the amount of time. Then this year, they made it so you are in class from 8AM-5PM Monday-Thursday and 8AM-noon Friday as a first year student with mandatory attendance. This leaves very little time to study--and it is reflected in the grades. In fact, they had to push back first year elections due to the fact that not enough students were in good academic standing.
5. They also have also decided that second year students must take the practice COMLEX (called COMSAE) three times before they must repeat the year. However, now you are only allowed one time when the first time practice test pass rate was about 30%--then you have to remediate the course. This will drastically affect your GPA and thus your odds of getting the residency you want if you are a member of the 70%.

This school has so much potential, but believe me the flaws out weigh by a ton.

Others will tell you I am "just a disgruntled student" and that everyone has their own opinions. I don't find myself to be a disgruntled student. I want more than anyone for this school to realize that their actions are not going unnoticed. They are hurting their students' careers. I think the only way to get change is for people to turn down William Carey and tell them why--it is their fault. They have caused their students to be bitter people. Also, these are all facts, other than the first point. The first point is my opinion of the how the staff/faculty and students do not have a working professional relationship.

For those of you choosing between a newer school and an older school--choose the older school. There will always be kinks in the system that need to be worked out and trust me being the guinea pig is not a fun job.

I am an OMSII at WCUCOM and it is extremely disappointing that a faculty member believes student complaints about the attendance policy are excuses for poor performance. I have maintained a very high GPA but choosing a school with an attendance policy is one of my biggest regrets. I am not an auditory learner, so spending hours in lecture is very inefficient. I have been successful but aware that I could achieve much more if greater flexibility was allowed. The goal is to learn as much as possible to become a competent physician.

Also, rates of dismissal and "strongly encouraged withdrawal" are very high. Many of the dismissed students experienced a death in the family, depression, or physical illness that contributed to abnormally poor performance. So please do not assume it cannot happen to you.

I am another 2nd year here at WCU, and I would like to second my previous classmates' concerns. It is not merely a case of sour grapes as one of senior faculty members would like you to believe. I firmly believe that the school is doing everything in it's power to try and maintain it's high board pass scores by preventing students that it believes may reflect poorly on the school from taking the exams. Our class started with 112 members, we lost 16 the first year, and have lost another 9 just in the first semester of 2nd year. We will be lucky to get to Step 1 with 90 people left in the class.

The school looks for any and every way that it can to not promote people. It records grades every semester as opposed to just at the end of the year like most schools do. This gives you less of an opportunity to improve the test you may have bombed on. Additionally, WCU will break courses into 2 sections, which you have to pass independently in order to pass the course. Couple that with an inflexible attendance policy, and you have a system that's set up for 10% attrition.

Listen if you'd like, or don't. I have nothing to gain or lose from passing this information on. I just wish more people would have been open about the actual atmosphere of the school before I had signed on. The school will force you to hold it's hand the entire time, but will not hesitate to drop you if you're becoming a burden.

And WorldChanger36, there are explicit rules against wearing headphones while in class.

Above are some posts from previous years about WCUCOM poor board and residency results. They also make legitimate points about the attendance policy and curriculum. I wish things were better now but it's not, the most recent class had an 83% pass rate for COMLEX Level I (WCUCOM isn't publicizing that data but students saw during a presentation in the fall).
 
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Some people like this school and some don't. I don't mind the school and would come here again if given the opportunity, but there are other people that obviously hate it. To each their own.

One thing that any applicant should know about this school is this: WCUCOM has, unfortunately, had to crack down on students this year for numerous reasons. The biggest of which is that students have been caught cheating during their exams. This didn't happen during my first year, and, as far as I know, has never happened before. Not to say students haven't cheated before, but no one has been obvious enough to get caught. It's not indicative of the typical student at this school, but this is a new problem this year that the school has had to figure out. It will invariably affect future students. Things like "professionalism" should be a given when you're in medical school, but that has not been at the forefront of some people's thoughts. It's sucked for everyone involved, but that's what happens when a few people try and cheat the system.




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Some people like this school and some don't. I don't mind the school and would come here again if given the opportunity, but there are other people that obviously hate it. To each their own.

One thing that any applicant should know about this school is this: WCUCOM has, unfortunately, had to crack down on students this year for numerous reasons. The biggest of which is that students have been caught cheating during their exams. This didn't happen during my first year, and, as far as I know, has never happened before. Not to say students haven't cheated before, but no one has been obvious enough to get caught. It's not indicative of the typical student at this school, but this is a new problem this year that the school has had to figure out. It will invariably affect future students. Things like "professionalism" should be a given when you're in medical school, but that has not been at the forefront of some people's thoughts. It's sucked for everyone involved, but that's what happens when a few people try and cheat the system.




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Truth. Preach on preacha man


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They sent me an email that I was complete around 12/15 and Im wondering how long they take to send out interview invites. I know they took a break because of the holidays and all. My stats are 3.4 cGPA, 3.2 sGPA and 503 MCAT.
 
Just talked to admissions and they're looking for 3.5 gpa's or higher.
 
What about mcat scores?
seems like they're ok with anything 500 and over. i was just a little confused though, b/c they are very selective in sending out secondaries and sent one to me even though i'm below a 3.5 ...
 
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Just talked to admissions and they're looking for 3.5 gpa's or higher.
I think that's just their "optimal" stats. They're a low tier DO school. They'll be lucky to have students matriculating with a 3.5+

seems like they're ok with anything 500 and over. i was just a little confused though, b/c they are very selective in sending out secondaries and sent one to me even though i'm below a 3.5 ...

See above. My GPA is below 3.5 as well, but my MCAT is 503 (I received a secondary application invite)
 
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Current 2nd year, here. Congratulations to those of you who have received interviews! I would also like to add to the fact that many of us truly do like it here. Personally, if I could go back I would not change a thing. Overall, I do not feel like I am lacking in away way compared to my friends at other medical schools. Like most things in life, med school is what you make of it. I can assure you, what determines your success here is much more about your work ethic and your ability to adapt and improve than it is about school policy/teaching styles of our professors. That said, I personally have never had a problem with any of the professors. I learn, work hard, and so far that seems to be working just fine..... Lastly, best of luck to all potential applicants! I remember how exciting and nerve wracking it was to apply to med school. My intentions in posting were to simply welcome you and to let you know that despite any negative opinions voiced on this thread, I do believe this school is equipping me with everything I need to become a great doctor. Moreso, there are some of us who feel strongly positive about our school. Again, congrats and best of luck.
 
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I'm a 2nd year student here at WCUCOM, class of 2019. I'm very happy to be where I am, but I'm not sure how much of it is based on my personality, learning style, and career goals. It's commonly said that the benefit of a 80% mandatory attendance policy is that you actually get to know your classmates and don't find yourself stuck in your room for 24 hours a day and only see your classmates on exam days or labs. Generally speaking, there is a lower incidence of "gunners" at WCUCOM. Perhaps in order to make good out of a hard situation, we try to maintain an environment of mutual support that get's us through the negative things in the school.

Sure, what does it matter if you have great mental health when you're not feeling like you're getting a good education? As far as lectures go, you need to learn how to take what's good and ignore what's not helpful and keep moving on. So be the intelligent medical student that you are and don't rely on the professors to tell you what you need to know. I personally like the professors more in 2nd year than in 1st year. But part of that is that the material is much more board relevant and has the clinical application that makes more sense of it all. In the end, I credit a lot of my success to ignoring the complainers. Stop making a big deal out of certain annoying things, move on and keep on studying to remember long-term. It's rough that you expect more when you're paying $50,000+/year to teach yourself, but it's kind of a step that everyone has to take whatever medical school you go to.

For those who like stats, I like stats.
Class of 2019 started with ~113 students. (including 3 repeating the year, 1 taking a leave of absence)
1 student dropped after the first month for personal reasons, and is now in the MBS program at Carey
1 supposedly got into a med school in Louisiana and left after 2 months.
1 found out that medical school wasn't for her and got married and has a baby.
1 supposedly had loaded parents and decided to go into teaching (last I heard)
1 failed three classes the first semester and now is in the MBS program at Carey.

At the end of the year we had a handful of students remediate classes (Mostly physiology) and three are repeating year 1 because they failed the remediation. Starting second year we had three repeating 2nd year. Overall the attrition rate hasn't been that bad. The class of 2018 apparently had a lot more students fail out or do poorly on COMLEX. I might let someone else speculate on why. But generally speaking our board scores and passing rate has continually increased with each class.

I can't give WCUCOM a glowing review. There's definitely two sides to every story. I love OMT, so WCUCOM is great for that. I manage to study well and not waste time during our mandatory lectures, so that's fine. I love the friends that I've made the past two years, so the future is still bright. However, I wouldn't put WCUCOM at the bottom of your list. But it has been the top of mine.
 
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Hi everyone, I just got an interview invite this morning and am now in a pickle- I don't know whether I should go for the interview based on all the negativity I'm hearing and seeing on this thread. My current situation is that I have already been accepted to a brand new school and WCUCOM is my second invite. What should I do? I'm just looking for any advice from people who have been in a similar situation as me. I'm also trying to manage finances and debating whether this invite is worth it...Any advice would be helpful, thanks!:)
 
Hi everyone, I just got an interview invite this morning and am now in a pickle- I don't know whether I should go for the interview based on all the negativity I'm hearing and seeing on this thread. My current situation is that I have already been accepted to a brand new school and WCUCOM is my second invite. What should I do? I'm just looking for any advice from people who have been in a similar situation as me. I'm also trying to manage finances and debating whether this invite is worth it...Any advice would be helpful, thanks!:)

Congrats!! Do you mind if I ask you when you were complete for this school?


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First let me preface this by saying, my first semester at WCUCOM was not an easy one. I struggled with just about every class & I failed every subject's first test. I am now a second year here and would not be if it wasn't for an amazing support group of friends and faculty. Every professor at this school cares about the students, I have been in numerous different offices and receive nothing but help. Any professor here will is more than willing to help a closed mouth don't get fed so YOU HAVE TO BE THE ONE WHO ASKS. I'm not talking about them just telling me a resource to look up, I go into their office with the book or power point and nag them with questions for an hour.

There are some policies that I like many before me don't agree with (mainly the attendance policy), but that's life and this will continue to exist no matter what specialty you choose. But you have have to be able to adapt and overcome. Many students, myself included use this time to study (... or nap). Not once has a professor given a student a hard time for not paying attention in class. Most of the professors understand that we do not like the attendance policy but the policy is set by the undergraduate university so such is life. I have gone up and grabbed ear plugs between classes and professor have straight up told me that they understand that I am just trying to be productive and manage my time and have no hard feelings towards this action.

This school is still young and at least they administration here, is open to change. Here are a few examples. We didn't like how board prep was thrown in with our clinical sciences class, so presto now we have a new separate class just for board prep. Last year when one of our professors left for for a non teaching job, the interviewing applicants taught us and our input was heard on which professor we liked and wanted to teach here.

Medical school sucks no matter where you go, and the only way out is through, but you know what sucks than an attendance policy. NOT GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL. I for one am grateful that WCUCOM gave me an opportunity to achieve my dream, because most people never get a chance to. This school is not perfect but no where is going to be. But most of the students and faculty are working hard to try to make it as best as we can.
 
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Hi everyone, I just got an interview invite this morning and am now in a pickle- I don't know whether I should go for the interview based on all the negativity I'm hearing and seeing on this thread. My current situation is that I have already been accepted to a brand new school and WCUCOM is my second invite. What should I do? I'm just looking for any advice from people who have been in a similar situation as me. I'm also trying to manage finances and debating whether this invite is worth it...Any advice would be helpful, thanks!:)

I am guessing you were accepted to a brand new DO school and new MD schools is a different story. New schools is all about risks. Is the school going to be ok post merger (2020)? Is the school in an area that can recruit great faculty? What professors does it have? Old retired physicians and new phds or proven faculty? What kind of support are you going to get for boards, classes, living and study space? Is it a place you want to be in? What kind of medicine do you want to practice?

If you dont have the cash for another interview and you are happy with your acceptance do not come to the interview. It is impossible to compare new schools to established ones but if I was in your shoes an established school beats a brand new one.


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First let me preface this by saying, my first semester at WCUCOM was not an easy one. I struggled with just about every class & I failed every subject's first test. I am now a second year here and would not be if it wasn't for an amazing support group of friends and faculty. Every professor at this school cares about the students, I have been in numerous different offices and receive nothing but help. Any professor here will is more than willing to help a closed mouth don't get fed so YOU HAVE TO BE THE ONE WHO ASKS. I'm not talking about them just telling me a resource to look up, I go into their office with the book or power point and nag them with questions for an hour.

There are some policies that I like many before me don't agree with (mainly the attendance policy), but that's life and this will continue to exist no matter what specialty you choose. But you have have to be able to adapt and overcome. Many students, myself included use this time to study (... or nap). Not once has a professor given a student a hard time for not paying attention in class. Most of the professors understand that we do not like the attendance policy but the policy is set by the undergraduate university so such is life. I have gone up and grabbed ear plugs between classes and professor have straight up told me that they understand that I am just trying to be productive and manage my time and have no hard feelings towards this action.

This school is still young and at least they administration here, is open to change. Here are a few examples. We didn't like how board prep was thrown in with our clinical sciences class, so presto now we have a new separate class just for board prep. Last year when one of our professors left for for a non teaching job, the interviewing applicants taught us and our input was heard on which professor we liked and wanted to teach here.

Medical school sucks no matter where you go, and the only way out is through, but you know what sucks than an attendance policy. NOT GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL. I for one am grateful that WCUCOM gave me an opportunity to achieve my dream, because most people never get a chance to. This school is not perfect but no where is going to be. But most of the students and faculty are working hard to try to make it as best as we can.
Thank you for elaborating on your experience. Are there still issues with getting residencies in MS? Also, do they have a lot of clinical rotation locations? How long do they give you for board prep?
 
I am guessing you were accepted to a brand new DO school and new MD schools is a different story. New schools is all about risks. Is the school going to be ok post merger (2020)? Is the school in an area that can recruit great faculty? What professors does it have? Old retired physicians and new phds or proven faculty? What kind of support are you going to get for boards, classes, living and study space? Is it a place you want to be in? What kind of medicine do you want to practice?

If you dont have the cash for another interview and you are happy with your acceptance do not come to the interview. It is impossible to compare new schools to established ones but if I was in your shoes an established school beats a brand new one.


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Thanks for your input. I think I'm going to do a little more research on WCUCOM and gain a few other perspectives before making a choice.
 
Congrats!! Do you mind if I ask you when you were complete for this school?


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I was complete by the first week of December, and then I called yesterday to check on my app's status and lo and behold, they sent me an interview invite today.
 
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Hi everyone, I just got an interview invite this morning and am now in a pickle- I don't know whether I should go for the interview based on all the negativity I'm hearing and seeing on this thread. My current situation is that I have already been accepted to a brand new school and WCUCOM is my second invite. What should I do? I'm just looking for any advice from people who have been in a similar situation as me. I'm also trying to manage finances and debating whether this invite is worth it...Any advice would be helpful, thanks!:)

First of all – CONGRATS ON YOUR INTERVIEW – William Carey really hand picks the people who are invited to interview so if you have received an invitation then they really see something special in you and they think you would make an excellent addition to our program. I don’t think you should ever listen to reviews written on the internet because you have no idea who is writing them or how disgruntled they may be. I will say that the opinions previously posted over the last weeks are NOT mirrored by the entire class like previously written and the student body is very upset that these posts have been made. With that being said – my advice to you is to accept the invitation and see for yourself what our program is about. Make up your own mind and don’t listen to the minds of the little people who would rather break down the program that they worked hard to get into instead of raising it up and making it better.
 
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First of all – CONGRATS ON YOUR INTERVIEW – William Carey really hand picks the people who are invited to interview so if you have received an invitation then they really see something special in you and they think you would make an excellent addition to our program. I don’t think you should ever listen to reviews written on the internet because you have no idea who is writing them or how disgruntled they may be. I will say that the opinions previously posted over the last weeks are NOT mirrored by the entire class like previously written and the student body is very upset that these posts have been made. With that being said – my advice to you is to accept the invitation and see for yourself what our program is about. Make up your own mind and don’t listen to the minds of the little people who would rather break down the program that they worked hard to get into instead of raising it up and making it better.

I'm glad people like you are posting in this thread. The not so great posters were the reason why I held off so long on submitting my application.

Looking back at it makes me want to kick myself now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an II!
 
First of all – CONGRATS ON YOUR INTERVIEW – William Carey really hand picks the people who are invited to interview so if you have received an invitation then they really see something special in you and they think you would make an excellent addition to our program. I don’t think you should ever listen to reviews written on the internet because you have no idea who is writing them or how disgruntled they may be. I will say that the opinions previously posted over the last weeks are NOT mirrored by the entire class like previously written and the student body is very upset that these posts have been made. With that being said – my advice to you is to accept the invitation and see for yourself what our program is about. Make up your own mind and don’t listen to the minds of the little people who would rather break down the program that they worked hard to get into instead of raising it up and making it better.
Thanks for the advice, I really liked your ending thought, very true indeed, people should be focusing their efforts on making what they're a part of better.
 
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First of all – CONGRATS ON YOUR INTERVIEW – William Carey really hand picks the people who are invited to interview so if you have received an invitation then they really see something special in you and they think you would make an excellent addition to our program. I don’t think you should ever listen to reviews written on the internet because you have no idea who is writing them or how disgruntled they may be. I will say that the opinions previously posted over the last weeks are NOT mirrored by the entire class like previously written and the student body is very upset that these posts have been made. With that being said – my advice to you is to accept the invitation and see for yourself what our program is about. Make up your own mind and don’t listen to the minds of the little people who would rather break down the program that they worked hard to get into instead of raising it up and making it better.

Actually the student body is happy these posts have been made. We are having a townhall with the Dean and faculty mostly because of what I said. Hopefully they listen to what we are saying and change things for the better.
 
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Actually the student body is happy these posts have been made. We are having a townhall with the Dean and faculty mostly because of what I said. Hopefully they listen to what we are saying and change things for the better.
I sure hope things change for the better for you current students because it is disheartening to hear that a lot of people aren't happy.
 
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Actually the student body is happy these posts have been made. We are having a townhall with the Dean and faculty mostly because of what I said. Hopefully they listen to what we are saying and change things for the better.


I don’t know what student body you’re talking about, because I did not see anyone being pleased about having this meeting.


Jasongenova, like Dr. Turner said if you are really unhappy about being at this school, please talk to someone because it’s not worth being unhappy for the next 3 years. We have one life to live, so might as well be happy about our choices right? And I am sure the student body will be happy to see you go too.


Also, if anything, the meeting today proved now more than ever how much the faculty and administration cares about WCUCOM and its students. Even after the uproar you caused, Dr. Turner is willing to transfer you to a different school. If you ask me, that’s generous.


To prospective applicants, I can honestly say that I am happy to be at WCUCOM. Is it hard? Yes. Am I pushed to the limit? Yes. Are there days where I do not get enough sleep? 100x yes. But once again this is medical school. For the millionth time, it is not supposed to be easy. There are rough patches in our school, but here’s the thing: WCUCOM knows and they listen to what the students have to hear and make changes accordingly. (So the previous years’ posts that Jasongenova linked to is really… useless. WCUCOM then is not WCUCOM now. Heck, WCUCOM last year is not WCUCOM now.) But at the end of the day, every school has their own problems. The most important thing is if the school caters to your own needs, learning style and environment. Research, research, research. Talk to students, and not only on SDN but through other outlets. PLEASE, do not let SDN be your only source of information.


Finally, our class did go through some ups and downs, especially with cheating. However, that has been since addressed. It sucks that we have to go through this and that we have this reputation but I think it is time for the class to move forward and just leave that in Fall 2016. Spring 2017 is a new slate and I am positive that we, as the Class of 2020, can redeem ourselves and prove to be one of the most successful class this school has ever had.
 
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I don't know who "Jason" is but I can assure you he is in the minority. After finding out about his/her anonymous whining about the school everyone I spoke to was outraged. My name will forever be attached to WCUCOM and I'm proud of that. This school took a chance on me and I'm very happy to be here. I was accepted into two medical schools and I chose Carey and I wouldn't change it for anything.
Is this school perfect? No it isn't. It has it's shortcomings as all schools do, but it also has its strengths.
If you are considering Carey when you come here for your interview talk to as many students as you can. Be obnoxious about how many you speak to, who cares. Get as much info as you can and see for yourself. Don't let one disgruntled whiner make your choice for you.
 
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I don’t know what student body you’re talking about, because I did not see anyone being pleased about having this meeting.


Jasongenova, like Dr. Turner said if you are really unhappy about being at this school, please talk to someone because it’s not worth being unhappy for the next 3 years. We have one life to live, so might as well be happy about our choices right? And I am sure the student body will be happy to see you go too.


Also, if anything, the meeting today proved now more than ever how much the faculty and administration cares about WCUCOM and its students. Even after the uproar you caused, Dr. Turner is willing to transfer you to a different school. If you ask me, that’s generous.


To prospective applicants, I can honestly say that I am happy to be at WCUCOM. Is it hard? Yes. Am I pushed to the limit? Yes. Are there days where I do not get enough sleep? 100x yes. But once again this is medical school. For the millionth time, it is not supposed to be easy. There are rough patches in our school, but here’s the thing: WCUCOM knows and they listen to what the students have to hear and make changes accordingly. (So the previous years’ posts that Jasongenova linked to is really… useless. WCUCOM then is not WCUCOM now. Heck, WCUCOM last year is not WCUCOM now.) But at the end of the day, every school has their own problems. The most important thing is if the school caters to your own needs, learning style and environment. Research, research, research. Talk to students, and not only on SDN but through other outlets. PLEASE, do not let SDN be your only source of information.


Finally, our class did go through some ups and downs, especially with cheating. However, that has been since addressed. It sucks that we have to go through this and that we have this reputation but I think it is time for the class to move forward and just leave that in Fall 2016. Spring 2017 is a new slate and I am positive that we, as the Class of 2020, can redeem ourselves and prove to be one of the most successful class this school has ever had.

Wow... Let me just point out what is going on here is silly. It is not new to see this, it happens every year. It is just one single review but because everybody just lost their mind over it now it has blown up. If you want to paint Carey as this awesome friendly place that so many people are going to be happy at it helps if you DONT attack your fellow classmates for having an opinion.
1) I can't speak for the student body but I don't want nor would I be happy Jasongenova left. I would like it if every Carey student had success in their career goals.
2) The whole Dr. Turner statement..... I hope you are not taking this literally....
3) WCUCOM trys to gets better from year to year but by no means does this make what happened years before null and void.

It is my hope that Jasongenova continues to post but does so in a more mature and professional manner. If you feel his or her ( let be honest its the internet could be anybody) is not reflective of Carey as you know it to be post how its different but please don't be so sensitive about someone else feeling your school isn't everything you feel it is.
 
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Wow... Let me just point out what is going on here is silly. It is not new to see this, it happens every year. It is just one single review but because everybody just lost their mind over it now it has blown up. If you want to paint Carey as this awesome friendly place that so many people are going to be happy at it helps if you DONT attack your fellow classmates for having an opinion.
1) I can't speak for the student body but I don't want nor would I be happy Jasongenova left. I would like it if every Carey student had success in their career goals.
2) The whole Dr. Turner statement..... I hope you are not taking this literally....
3) WCUCOM trys to gets better from year to year but by no means does this make what happened years before null and void.

It is my hope that Jasongenova continues to post but does so in a more mature and professional manner. If you feel his or her ( let be honest its the internet could be anybody) is not reflective of Carey as you know it to be post how its different but please don't be so sensitive about someone else feeling your school isn't everything you feel it is.
Thanks for saying that and clearing the air because it's kind of sad to see fellow peers bagging on each other's different viewpoints. Each individual is entitled to their own opinion and may have a different experience than others. I have decided to decline my interview invitation, but I do hope it goes to someone who finds this school as a good match for them. Best of luck to all.:)
 
If you are a student at WCUCOM, please verify that through sdn... I feel that there are some low-post ghost accounts in this thread.
 
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If anyone here is interviewing on January 30th, let me know we can go get something to eat the night before :)
 
Last night Carey was hit by a tornado and took very severe damage to the COM itself. I posted a few links to some news outlets in the osteopathic medical student forum. I am trying not to double post so check it out over there. It is really bad.
 
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Last night Carey was hit by a tornado and took very severe damage to the COM itself. I posted a few links to some news outlets in the osteopathic medical student forum. I am trying not to double post so check it out over there. It is really bad.
 
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Last night Carey was hit by a tornado and took very severe damage to the COM itself. I posted a few links to some news outlets in the osteopathic medical student forum. I am trying not to double post so check it out over there. It is really bad.

So sorry that this happened to ya'll. My house was flooded in April of 2016 so I can sympathize with rebuilding after a natural disaster. I wish you guys the very best in the months to come.
 
Hello,

I received notice that I still need to take an "English" course. They are quite strict on the course be titled English and not simply a course which requires intensive writing. Would be worthwhile to take an additional class to get an interview at this school? I'll add that I already finished my bachelors and currently not a student

I had the same problem with this school. After sending them the syllabus for a couple writing classes at my institution, they accepted my writing credits and sent me a secondary. I didn't follow through with the application though because I was already accepted into another program at that point.

Long story short, you might not have to take another writing class.

Just talked to admissions and they're looking for 3.5 gpa's or higher.

I received a secondary with: 3.33 cGPA, 3.42 sGPA, and a balanced 505 MCAT. 3.5 is definitely not a cutoff. I think anybody with slightly lower gpa's but a strong recent academic history (last two years-ish) will be okay.
 
I had the same problem with this school. After sending them the syllabus for a couple writing classes at my institution, they accepted my writing credits and sent me a secondary. I didn't follow through with the application though because I was already accepted into another program at that point.

Long story short, you might not have to take another writing class.



I received a secondary with: 3.33 cGPA, 3.42 sGPA, and a balanced 505 MCAT. 3.5 is definitely not a cutoff. I think anybody with slightly lower gpa's but a strong recent academic history (last two years-ish) will be okay.

At this point I dont think there will be too many secondaries sent out to anyone.


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At this point I dont think there will be too many secondaries sent out to anyone.


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Yeah sorry, I wasn't thinking... I was reading through this thread to see if there was any new information on what the school was going to do now and forgot why I was here in the first place when I responded...

Hoping WCU comes up with a way to finish this year and come back strong next year for the c/o 2021. :(
 
Yeah sorry, I wasn't thinking... I was reading through this thread to see if there was any new information on what the school was going to do now and forgot why I was here in the first place when I responded...

Hoping WCU comes up with a way to finish this year and come back strong next year for the c/o 2021. :(
At this point, I wonder if there's even going to be a c/o 2021.....
 
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I have no reason to doubt they'll come up with a solution for next year. It may not be the best option, and it doesn't even mean that students would want to come here knowing that, but I assume they'll have something set in place. People get very resourceful when millions of dollars are at stake.


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I have no reason to doubt they'll come up with a solution for next year. It may not be the best option, and it doesn't even mean that students would want to come here knowing that, but I assume they'll have something set in place. People get very resourceful when millions of dollars are at stake.


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I think the DO community will be more than willing to help too. Heck, I've barely got any money but I'll donate what I can if it means it'll help the school out.
 
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I have no reason to doubt they'll come up with a solution for next year. It may not be the best option, and it doesn't even mean that students would want to come here knowing that, but I assume they'll have something set in place. People get very resourceful when millions of dollars are at stake.


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If it were me, I would just pre-record lecture and then use the in-tact lecture halls to create make shift OMM/Anatomy Labs.

It should be interesting.
 
I have an interview scheduled here on 1/30, but due to the unfortunate events do you think it will be cancelled or postponed? Thanks
 
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I have an interview scheduled here on 1/30, but due to the unfortunate events do you think it will be cancelled or postponed? Thanks

As of right now I would assume it is postponed. The entire William Carey University campus is closed until further notice, and all dorm students have been evacuated. All three COM buildings were damaged, with at least one of them currently unusable (as are several of the university's other facilities). The neighborhoods around the school were also heavily damaged, so there is a lot of debris to clean and power lines to repair before normal traffic to the area resumes. Just sit tight for now, the COM and the university as a whole are currently trying to gather their thoughts and come up with a plan for the students. I'm sure as soon as administration has a plan in place they will contact everyone. They are working as quickly as they can to get things operational with as little loss to us (and you guys) as possible. As of right now we're still waiting to find out if, when and where we will be holding classes from now on. We will try to keep everyone updated.
 
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I had the same problem with this school. After sending them the syllabus for a couple writing classes at my institution, they accepted my writing credits and sent me a secondary. I didn't follow through with the application though because I was already accepted into another program at that point.

Long story short, you might not have to take another writing class.



I received a secondary with: 3.33 cGPA, 3.42 sGPA, and a balanced 505 MCAT. 3.5 is definitely not a cutoff. I think anybody with slightly lower gpa's but a strong recent academic history (last two years-ish) will be okay.
I think they w
I have an interview scheduled here on 1/30, but due to the unfortunate events do you think it will be cancelled or postponed? Thanks
I also have an interview on the 30th. I plan on calling them tomorow to see what is the situation. it sucks cause I already paid 600 for the ticket/hotel
 
I have an interview scheduled here on 1/30, but due to the unfortunate events do you think it will be cancelled or postponed? Thanks

Dont know yet. We are not even sure if there is a school to go to at this point. It could take a long time to rebuild. If I were you I would find another option.


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