Can someone please rate or write a review about Lincoln Memorial University- Debusk College of Ostepathic Medicine Post Bacc Program and William Carey College of Osteopathic Medicine Masters of Biomedical Science program.
I would really appreciate it! Thank you.
I remember when I was looking at programs, it sucked that no one had rated LMU so here it goes. Remember that there's been a lot of changes that have been put into place for next year. Instead of just one track that everyone followed, this next year there's going to be 3 proposed tracks and you can pick and choose the elective classes on your own. Regardless, I'm sure the criteria for admission will be the same (looking at performance in MGA, histo) so here's a breakdown of the program:
1)
The Pros and Cons of their program (structure of the program, learning environment, cost, location, faculty, classes, difficulty, competitiveness, other students, buildings/classrooms/facilities, etc..)
Pros:
- Faculty/admissions really cares about watching you succeed
-You get to take medical school classes (MGA, Histology, Neuroscience--not sure if they're letting PMSP students take Physiology next year) WITH the med students
-If you do well in the med school classes (>80%), and you get into DCOM, you don't have to take those classes the following year
-Lots of study rooms with TV that you can plug your laptop into
-Awesome anatomy lab (PMSP students in the past have gotten to take a Prosection class 2nd semester so that really helps with Anatomy)
-The non med school classes aren't very rigorous (LMU isn't exactly a very competitive UG institution)
-VERY friendly environment; everyone for the most part tries to help each other
Location: I guess it was a plus for me because it was easy to study; no distractions. It's very safe and I felt comfortable walking around and driving to town to run errands. VERY different from city life.
-Extremely high linkage. They won't say it's a guarantee but you really have to screw up to not get in. The school wants to retain their post-bacc students and they'll do their best to help you out.
Cons:
-It was around 30,000 dollars for us, which was expensive
-Location: it's VERY rural. The town has 3,000 people...and really crappy fast-food joints.
-No starbucks (they have one of those "Brew Starbucks" coffee shops in the student center but it has odd hours and it's not super close to the med school building)
-Was slightly unorganized because of changes in admin for the PMSP program and other changes, but I think they ironed most of that out for next year.
2) The kinds of classes you've taken and a description.
I can only speak for previous years so take this with a grain of salt because the curriculum is changing quite a bit.
MGA (medical gross anatomy): a 7.5 unit class you take with med students. There's the lecture portion and the lab portion. Lectures are usually in the morning and labs are 2 x a week in the afternoon. In lab you're assigned to a body with 4-5 other people and you dissect according to the syllabus. Every 3-4 weeks, there's a block exam with a lecture component and a lab/practical component in the afternoon. The practical is where they pin structures and you walk around and identify them/answer secondary questions about the. Dr. Cross is a GEM of a person. I went and spoke with him numerous times and he was really helpful and supportive about things. He flies through his lectures but a majority of his questions are fairly straightforward. Dr. Hermey is hilarious and she does a lot of the abdomen lectures in anatomy. Also very helpful and willing to come into lab before exams and help you out. Dr. Shirley is a bit intimidating but is a GENIUS and does a few lectures. She's usually in lab during lab times and will come around and help you/ answer questions while you're dissecting.
Histology: (this past year, it was split into 2 courses-- Histo I in the Fall and Histo II in the Spring).
This class was definitely NOT one of my favorites. Dr. Bassett is VERY straightforward and her slides are fairly organized which is PERFECT because she only tests on material from her powerpoints. There's lecture in the mornings and once a week, there's TBL (team based learning) exercises. You're basically with the same group of 4-5 people and you take a short individual quiz on the week's lecture. Then you go over the answers as a group. After that, you're giving an "application" exercise and you answer the questions with your group. The application questions tend to be ones that generate debate/discussion. So after all groups have submitted their answers, you go over each questions one by one together with the entire class. I really didn't like it and felt like it was a waste of my time (almost everyone else I spoke to felt the same way). This year, I heard that Histo is going to be all one class, spanning most of the 1st semester. This might be better since a lot of post-baccs didn't do well, as the entire grade in the class was based on only 2 tests
Neuroscience: This class was offered to PMSP students in the Spring, given that they got >80% in MGA/Histology. It was taught by Dr. Leo, who's also the Dean of Students, and a really great lecturer. The class was difficult but extremely interesting.
Prosection: Not sure if next year's post-bacc class will have a chance to take this but anyone that got >80 in MGA/histo first semester was able to sign up. We basically chose our groups (4-5 people) and dissected a cadaver from beginning to end. It was supposed to be fairly relaxed but there were some issues with communication/TAs/leadership/etc. In the end it ended up being okay. Took far too much time and unless you're REALLY into dissecting (I'm not), I wouldn't recommend taking it.
The undergrad classes will be changing immensely since it's not a Master's program but if they're anything like the ones we took, I wouldn't worry too much. Go to class, memorize the powerpoints, and you'll end up with at least a B+.
3) Something they wished they knew coming into the program
How to study for MGA right off the bat. It's really hard to do well if you do extremely poorly on the first exam and I know that happened to quite a bit of people. And just how invested the faculty/admissions associated with the program are in ensuring that post-bacc students get in to DCOM.
4) Something they would like to tell incoming students about your program
Do your work, stay on everyone's good side and you'll be fine. The med students at DCOM are incredibly encouraging, as are previous years' post-baccs. If you're having trouble/confused bout anything, school related or not, feel comfortable asking anyone.
5) Tips for students applying to your program
Make sure your MCAT is above a 22 (at the very least a 20) and your extra curriculars and everything are in order before the program. It's incredibly hard to do well in MGA and Histo AND study/do well on the MCAT. Don't do anything that'll compromise your shot of getting in. Also, take advantage of the friendliness of the faculty: if you're having trouble, go talk to them. They'll listen and give you advice.
6) Did it help you get into medical school/dental school/etc.?
I liked DCOM so much, I didn't want to apply anywhere else. I know a few people did get into other places though. With the exception of 4 people, everyone else is coming here.
7) Anything else you'd like to add
Focus on doing well in MGA, because it'll be the most important determinant of admission the following year AND because you don't want to retake it (there's a few people having to do that next year and they're not happy). After that, your MCAT will matter most. Just make sure you keep your GPA up with the undergrad classes but don't sweat too much about them.
8) A rating from 1-5 (1 being the worst (no recommendation) to 5 (full recommendation)
4
The undergrad classes were a complete waste of time and prosection was unnecessarily stressful but other than that, I owe everything to this program. Last year I had no idea what I was going to do with my life and now i'm starting medical school in the Fall--with a lighter course load to make the transition even easier. I've met some really amazing students/faculty and I'm really glad I'm going to be here for the next few years.
If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.