Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 24% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview mixed with a moderate stress level, and felt they did well.
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about motivations for pursuing medicine, specific experiences that influenced interest in osteopathic medicine, examples of leadership and conflict resolution, strategies for stress relief, and ethical dilemmas. Some respondents also faced ethical scenarios like assisting a minor with birth control without parental consent. Additionally, the mention of multiple questions related to nondisclosure agreements suggests that some interviews were conducted in an MMI format with potential confidentiality agreements in place.
Why medicine, Why DO, what experience with DO showed osteopathy
Say you were a physician in Oregon (where medically assisted suicide is legal) and you had a women who was recently diagnosed with ALS (incurable, debilitating disease), and she wanted you to prescribe medications so she could end her life when the disease became too bad. How would that conversation go with her?
Why did you move around so much? I lived in several locations because of work, which forced me to attend a few different schools during post-bacc. Why did you attend so many schools?
What do you suggest the candidates do to improve health care? Describe how you are a leader. Tell me about yourself and how you ended up choosing medicine. Why should we pick you over other candidates. Say you fail your first anatomy exam; what are you going to do about it?
Why DO? Why CCOM? You live close to CCOM, have you visited the campus before?
Ethical question: If your preceptor during clinical rotations asks you to prescribe medication for a patient, how would you deal with the situation?...What if she insists that you do it, even if you say no?
Ethical types: 1) Is you saw a fellow student cheating on a test, what would you do? 2) If you were chief resident and a resident came in with alcohol on their breath, what would you do?
You stated on your secondary application that you enjoyed wine. What type of wine would you recommend? Also, you stated that you enjoyed traveling. Where have you traveled?
At What age did you start thinking about becoming a Doctor? I anticipated this question because of my background Registered Nurse. People often wonder why nurses would want to go to medical school.
If you were a doctor on a rescue boat after hurricane katrina, and you came upon a house where two people were trapped in an attic and you could only save one, who would you save (25 yr fem. severely injured or 60 yr old healthy male)-- water is rising and there won't be time to come back for the other one.
Do you have children?If your husband supportive? Is he willing to move with you? Does he realize that he won't see you for two years? What does he do for a living? What will he do if you move here?
Students said most interesting question asked at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University discussed a wide range of topics including physician-patient relationships, ethical scenarios like assisted suicide and patient confidentiality, personal qualities important for a physician, and challenges like working in teams or handling conflicts. The interview format may have been an MMI, with variations in questions including nondisclosure agreements, but common themes centered around ethics, personal experiences, and healthcare system challenges.
How should we remember you when you walk out of this room?
(This piggy backed off of the question about 3 qualities of a good physician) What is one quality you would like improve during medical school that you think would make you a better physician?
Ethical senecio, you are a M3 or M4 on a rotation and you notice a fellow classmate acting weird. You notice he has alcohol on his breath. What do you do?
If you found out that one of your patients had AIDS but refused to tell his wife, what would you do? What would you do if the wife was also one of your patients?
Ethical question about assisted suicide. What would I do if a patient is in end stage cancer, in extreme pain and asks me to take his pain away through ending his life?
If your state governor came to your school and had a few minutes to talk to you and some of your fellow students, what issues would you ask them about?
ethics questions related to my background (they don't appear to ask the same ethics question to every student, so I would become comfortable with the general base of medical ethics issues).
These were all the questions I was asked during my interview. So I was surprised I wasn't asked similar questions to other applicants, such as Why CCOM? Or anything regarding the D.O. profession? However, I have had significant experience in alternative forms of medicine via my veterinary experiences, shadowing of a D.O., and working in a P.T. clinic.
Say you were on a rotation in a hospital alongside of M.D. students. What would you say or do about an M.D. student who was condescending toward D.O. students? How would you resolve this conflict?
Tell me more about how you intend to complete your current degree program before the next med school class starts (I'm currently a PhD student and I'm intending to graduate next summer).
What is healthcare like in Russia? (I am Russian so the question was relevant-except I moved to the states when I was 11 and have no recollection of medicine in Russia)
More of the fact that the MD in my interview decided to lecture me about the stress levels of med school and then asked me how I planned on dealing with it.
You are the attending physician... you have 3 patients all enter at the same time, 1 you prescribed the wrong medication to, a drunk, and a baby. All have lethal conditions. Who do you treat first and why?
I had two ethical questions back to back. Euthenasia: a patient who is suffering request your assistance to end his/her life. What would you do? What do you do about a patient who is refusing blood transfusion?
(at the end of the interview) Sum up your interest in osteopathic medicine and CCOM and your background; what do you want us to remember when we think back on this interview? (something along those lines)
I actually posted the one before this, but made some mistakes in posting and failed to revise it before posting, so the questions are identical to the last post.
If you were Terrell Owens, and teh docs are sayin don't play in teh superbowl cuz you might get injured more, and you had a chance to talk to him, what would you say?.... Then if you were Terrell Owens, what would you do? Would you play? I am from Philly, so that's why. But it was fun and friendly.
You are an astronaut and alone on a space station. There is a malfunction. You have only ten seconds of oxygen left. What would you do? Whosh, didn't expect this one. The DO interviewer seemed to want to test my ability to think and react quickly. (This was near the end of the interview, so I was pretty relaxed. I just tried to handle the question with a bit of humor and a calm sense of realism).
I write poems so the interviewer asked me: What inspires you to write poems? What kind of poems do you write? Do you think of a topic and then write or does it come with flow?
Suppose one of your patients is overweight and a smoker and so at higher risk of heart disease and other problems. You have been seeing this patient for a few years now and he does nothing to improve his health. How do you deal with him?
Case scenario: you diagnose a potentially life-threatening illness in your patient, who is a child. The child's parents do not wish the child to receive the course of treatment you prescribe due to their religious beliefs. How do you handle the situation?
Ethical: You have a homosexual patient whose mate wishes to see the patient. However, the family disgusted by such a relationship refuses the mate's wishes to meet the patient. The mate comes to you, what do you do?
Students said most difficult question asked at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University discussed a wide range of topics including physician-patient relationships, quick decision-making scenarios, leadership experiences, ethical dilemmas, and future career aspirations. While some respondents mentioned standard interview questions, others highlighted the presence of ethical inquiries and scenario-based discussions, indicating a diverse and challenging interview experience that may encompass the MMI format with possible nondisclosure agreements.
(This piggy backed off of the question about 3 qualities of a good physician) What is one quality you would like improve during medical school that you think would make you a better physician?
(I played D1 soccer in college, said was used to stress from this environment) Playing sports is stressful sometimes, but saving a patient's life is a much different stress, how would you deal with that stress?
All questions were pretty predictable. Although I didn't get any medical ethics questions, I know some of my peers did, namely what you as a physician would do with a parent that was refusing to vaccinate their child.
Can, and should, healthcare staff multi-task? (based on my related research in this field. What was hard about this Q is that I only had "related" research in psychology, and I felt like I didn't know the topic well enough to give a solid answer with significant examples)
What stresses you out and how do you handle it? It was a work related question (they were not looking for answers such as "go for a jog." Rather, they wanted to know how I overcome stressful situations on the job).
What questions do you have for us? (they left 10 minutes for me to ask them questions---I didn't really have any, so I just re-asked some questions I already knew the answer to so that I didn't seem disinterested)
The subsequent question to who is my best friend? What would she say you need to do? I took it as identifying a weakness. I chose my mom as a best friend. I said that I need to stop second guessing things I do. I turned it around by saying that doubting decisions we make as a physician can be beneficial in the clinical setting. It allows you to I.D. alternatives to a clinical problem, and recognize common errors that you make when treating a patient. I had been reading "How Doctors Think" by Dr. Jerome Grooopman. That book sort of put that idea in my head. Recommend reading it, really informative book for both patients and health care professionals.
Why I didn't go into medical school earlier if medicine is what I really want to do? (I've been out of school for several years and have been working full-time in a non-health related field.)
I see that you're out-of-state and you mentioned that you're engaged. Is this a concern for you should you be accepted to MWU-CCOM and have to relocate? (paraphrased)
I did not have any ethical questions. I was asked to talk about my research experience and what field I would like to enter. I was also asked why I was choosing to enter medicine and not pharmacy becasue I worked as a pharmacy tech a few years ago.
what do you think of the supreme court decision handed down yesterday? (it was a reference to doctor-assisted suicide. only difficult because i had no idea what they were talking about at first!)
Given you lived in Africa for two years, will you come back to the states? What is the connection between your experiences in Africa, your interest in D.O and infectious disease medicine
None, they were all straight forward and easy. I had no ethical questions, but I know the other group of interviewers asked a lot of ethical questions.
None, really, because I didn't have any ethical questions, but I know that other interviewees had tough ethical questions...for example, referring to hurricane katrina: you see two people on a lifeboat, one is an injured 25 year old female and the other is a perfectly healthy 60 year old male, but you can only save one of them...who do you pick and why? (hahaha, have fun with that one)
1000 people need the flu vaccine and only 100 are available. Two of the people who need it are you grand parents, and then theres a family with a single mom and 4 kids that need it as well. How would you deal with this situation?
Reading your file and talking with you, it is clear that you are a person who takes care of people. Who takes care of you? (This was difficult for me at it was phrased in a very personal way and was an unexpected question, and also because I am very independent.)
How would you deal with the death of a child you were caring for. You can think about that question beforehand on every interview and its still difficult every single time.
One of the interviewers said, "I am sure you have one question that you are so prepared to answer you wish we would have asked it. What is that question and your answer to it? Now is your time to shine. Wow us."
Since you're from the east coast, where there are plenty of good schools, why would you want to go to school here? (Also a tough one: what do you bring to this school?)
If you were working in a rural hospital and a migrant worker came in after hours and requested that you please help him even though he did not have an money or insurance. And you did help him. Then a couple days later he came back but with 7 or 8 of his friends also needing medical treatment but had no way of paying for it. How would you deal with the situation.
The 14-year-old daughter of a good friend comes into your office asking for birth control. What are your ethical obligations in this situation and how would you respond?
Actually, nothing tough.
(I just answered why I liked medicine and autonomy was one of my answers.)
How will you feel and what do you think you can do about HMO's and the like telling you what you can and cannot treat.
An immigrant comes to your practice after hours and you treat him for free. He then repeatedly returns with more and more immigrants who expect free medical treatment. How would you handle this situation?
No difficult questions. They covered all the basics: why medicine, why osteopathic, why CCOM, what are your strengths and weaknesses. Plus, I was asked a few hypotheticals.
There is a woman who is 36. During her twenties she was coked out and drunk. She had 5 kids with 5 different men during that time. After the fifth she got her tubes tied. All of these five kids have been taken away from her by CPS. she is now sober for 6 years and wants her tubes untied. What do you do?
If I double-dosed a patient who also happened to be a lawyer, would I tell the patient even if there was a 99% chance that there would not be any adverse effects?
Nothing that I couldn't handle. Just make sure you can answer the following questions, as they seem to have been asked of all the applicants:
1) Why DO?
2) Why CCOM?
3) Why should we accept you?
4) How do you handle stress?
Philosophical and Scenerio based: While attending lecture, you notice that the student next to you is under the influence of some sort of narcotics. Later you find out he/she abuses drugs. What do you do?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing their applications, practicing common interview questions, and researching the school and osteopathic medicine. Mock interviews, utilizing SDN resources, and discussing questions with friends and advisors were common strategies employed to feel more confident and prepared for the interview process.
Looked over some interview questions, especially basic interview questions like, "Why medicine?" Also, reviewed personal statement, CV, and secondaries.
Make bullet points for the most common questions. Make sure you have a "story bank" that you can pull from when they ask you situational/behavioral type questions.
I just looked over my application (they have most of the application there - just not MCAT scores and GPA) and prepared for the obvious questions - why do you want to be a doctor and why osteopathy
I reviewed my personal statement and secondary essays. I also read the SDN interview feedback, printed out all the possible questions, and went through each one, audio recording myself.
read their website; SDN; review application; they are big on ethics questions, so I read all about medical ethics/bioethics on wikipedia to have a general base of knowledge.
Read my C.V., all secondary applications, used questions from SDN from previous applicants. Just because they say an interview is casual and stress free, doesn't mean that is how it will be. Be mentally prepared for anything in an interview. The cold/unfriendly stress interview is a common tactic, don't mistake it for something else. I have relatives that were on Med School admission committees in the past, and that is exactly what they intend to do!
SDN, e-mailed students from the school, read interview book, wrote out 50 interview questions from this site and gathered my ideas/thoughts on paper. I think this is what really helped me out. My responses weren't concrete or reherased, but it definitely made it easier for my ideas to flow easier.
Put together a list of possible interview questions from SDN and practiced answering them, watched the DVD that the school sent, read about the DO program on the school's website, read about the history and philosophy of osteopathic medicine on AACOM, reviewed what I wrote in my primary & secondary essays & what I had on my resume
sdn, reviewing my primary and secondary applications, practicing interview questions with my significant other, practiced speaking clearly and without ''ums'', ''uhs'', ''likes'', or pronouncing words incorrectly.
Briefly read SDN's interview feedback and searched the archives for posts on CCOM. Watched the school's DVD and read all of the brochures they sent me. Other than that, I relied on my previous interview experience.
SDN interview feedback, school website, reflection on expected questions, worked out at hotel night before. Make certain you are very familiar w/your seconday essay & resume. The interview is closed file and they will not have access to your gpa or mcats unless this information is referenced in your secondary app. Also be prepared with your own questions for the interview panel.
spoke with current students at the school, read SDN, reread CV and personal statement (interviewers are only provided w/ secondary app and letters of rec)
I was the least prepared for this interview, but it was laid back and my 3rd interview so I was able to make due. For my interviews, I have thought about the standard questions, including D.O. questions and read articles and books about health care issues.
Applicants were most impressed by the friendly and welcoming environment at the school, with students, faculty, and staff all being described as approachable and supportive. The campus and facilities were highlighted as modern and beautiful, with an emphasis on the school's location near Chicago and strong clinical rotation opportunities.
I liked the info sessions before the interview where they told us about the curriculum structure and rotation sites. The interview was overall pretty laidback.
new facilities apparently, everyone was really friendly. They gave us the names of who was interviewing us ahead of time which was really helpful, as well as a schedule for the day so we know what order we were interviewing in.
While we were waiting for our interview time, we were in a fishbowl type room in the library and random med students would pop in throughout the morning and answer any questions we had about the school. They weren't connected with the admissions committee at all so they were able to give us very honest answers.
Incredible campus and facilities, and the faculty and staff are very welcoming and kind. The students all seem to genuinely love their school and their experience there. Also they have incredible rotation opportunities.
Campus is beautiful. Cadaver lab was clean, well ventilated, and had a great view. Saw students working together. Random students popped by through the interview to talk about the school
The rotation sites, the beauty of the school, the amazing view of downtown Chicago from the very spacious anatomy lab on the top floor of the science building
The amount and quality of information they provided. They were willing to truthfully answer any questions. They know they aren't the number one osteopathic school but they are consistently in the top 5 of board scores, so they are complacent with their results.
Very friendly students and faculty. MSI students stopped in the room we were waiting in through out the day. They are building a new core science building.
Everything! I loved the location of the campus, the safety, and how beautiful it is. The students were all SO nice and helpful and really seemed to help one another there. The dean and the director of admissions were extremely nice and so were the tour guides. The rotation sites, match lists, buildings, research opportunities, campus involvement...everything impressed me!
The students were continuously coming in to the conference room where we awaited our interviews to ask us if we had any questions and to give us their impressions of the school. The admissions staff was very warm and welcoming. The surrounding area, while not a cultural mecca, was a very pleasant suburban area within driving distance of Chicago.
CCOM is a very established school with a great reputation. It is in a great location, being near the hubub and hospitals of Chicago. For the most part, everyone was really nice and friendly. And the campus is beautiful and modern.
The campus is very nice and the weather is quite normal.
The food in the cafeteria was good, though their version of a veggie burger is a turkey burger.
You can do your rotations in established hospitals in Chicago area, without having to travel much.
The people. The admissions reps were very friendly, students just stopped in to say hello and answer our questions while we waited for the interviews, and there was a very close knit community among students and faculty
How positive the students were about the school, they have over an 80% pass rate into MD residencies, some students never studied for COMPLEX exams and passed, they only relied on their education
Location. Chicago has 7 medical schools, so patients are used to seeing medical students when they go to the doctor. There are rural and urban clinical sites, and several urban clinics where you do your 1st and 2nd year patient interaction.
School's location, staff, students were friendly, food was good, nice on campus housing if you wanted it, Downer's Grove is a nice area, cool little downtown, close to Chicago (if you have any money left to go to Chicago).
There were several students who we got the chance to interact with. They were all very helpful and seemed as if they actually enjoyed being there and spending time with us. Everyone we interacted with did their best to make us feel comfortable. The campus was scenic and inviting, the facilities were in very good shape as well. The residency match list for the school is impressive, with nearly an equal amount of students matching in MD and DO residencies. All personnel who teach you during rotations are paid, meaning they have an incentive to give you the necessary attention. All rotations are in or near (1 hr drive or less) Chicago. Tuition is higher than the 2 Illinois state schools (SIU and UIllinois) but lower than any of the private schools in Illinois.
The people, the school, the facilities, the location of the school..... everything. I loved it! Also, they called to inform me of my acceptance, which I thought was nice that they took the time to call as opposed to send a letter.
Its in a great location even though its a small school. They match well also. Many of the graduates match in MI,IL so you may end up staying the Midwest for longer than you might like
Beautiful surrounding area. I think the surrounding area's woods is called the ''Lyman woods'' or something like that. The trees were colored in red, yellow, orange and green. Nice suburb feel. Decent campus. Has enough dorm if you want to live in one without an A/C. Disclosure of all the 3rd and 4th yr clinical sites in the greater Chicago area...which means this school is very established.
The students were all excited to be there. They all said the curriculum was real tough but they enjoyed studying there. The campus is beautiful (although the bulidings are small)...but very nice landscape. The campus is in a foresty area which is nice..and its really peaceful in campus. The facilities are very new, and only 4-5 people to a cadaver. Great rotations. Library is nice and quiet. The whole day was well organized.
The campus is really nice and everyone seemed super friendly. The cafeteria had fresh fruit and salad bar and options for vegetarians. The OMM lab is AMAZING.
The facilities are really nice and some are brand new. All of the staff members and students we interacted with were extremely nice, helpful, and seemed genuinely interested in their work. Everyone had a very upbeat attitude and was happy to be there.
The facilities are amazing. The students are actually nice and will communicate very openly with you, as well as the staff too. The gym on campus is nice and would be a great break from studying (and they have locker rooms to shower afterwards). The area is kind of wooded, which is nice; it gives you a break from the 'burby feeling.
Nice campus in a good suburb, good facilities. It's a top DO school, so 100% match rates, 50% Osteo, 50% Allo, 60% speciliazing. Great hospital clerkships.
Everybody- students, faculty and interviewees were really happy to be there. Also even thought the school is extremely old, all their buildings are very new.
Speaking with the Dean positively impressed me and I enjoyed how the interview was more like a conversation rather than a grueling questioning session. Also, there were at least three students who stopped by to say Hi and to answer questions, then two different students took us on the tour.
I live in Downers Grove, IL so even if there was something that I didn't like I would have still gone for this school. But the facilities were nice, good campus.
Facilities, Downers Grove area and Chicago, clinical rotation sites, residency match list, affiliate residencies, new athletic building to be finished this winter, 4-5 students per cadaver
The way students randomly popped in/out of the room where interviees were-they were all very enthusiastic and seemed like they were happy at CCOM. The assistant dean also came in and talked and answered our questions for about 30 min.
EVERYTHING! An actual campus, great area, not all classes in one building, OMT taught by practicing DO's from the area, Chicagoland clinicals, awesome match rate DO or MD, everyone was so nice.
The campus was really beautiful and the facilities were outstanding! I can't believe there's a huge recreation building with a pool, two weight rooms and a gym. It was also way cool that the dean stopped by and talked to us for a few minutes.
the facilities - nice library, campus, close to chicago, i imagine students are friendly... things went like clockwork, had a lot of time to talk with other interviewees during the day.
How welcoming the people were. Students really being at the school. The program is difficult but there is enough support from faculty/staff and other students. The Pass/Fail grading student allows people to work together and eliminate competition.
EVERYONE was so freakin' friendly, everyone was trying to help each other out, there was no "i'm trying to be better than you" mentality, medical students would randomly come into the room and introduce themselves and answered any questions you had, all while being very enthusiastic about their school...very close-knit community
The atmosphere at the school; I really liked that it felt like a family where everyone seemed to know one another. The students would come into the room we were in and just talk to us and tell us about what we wanted to know.
The campus is beautiful, and it's not that far out of Chicago. The facilities are great - and all the students are professional students so no undergrads around. No dress code, no mandatory attendance,students are friendly, and they have great rotations and residency match list
Mostly nice facilities. I knew going in that the school's rotation sites were really strong, and that was certainly reinforced by the Dean of CCOM and many others.
The facilities were very nice, and the students were friendly. The school does not have a dress code and doesn't require attendence. The campus is very pretty and has a great gym. They school gave us a list of clinical rotation sites, and they were all in the Chicago area. The admissions staff was friendly, and the cafeteria was good.
The financial aid presentation was really good. The financial aid office gave the applicants material that was applicable to applying for aid at any school. The first deposit is $250 (due at the beginning of December) and the second deposit is $750 (due 2-4 weeks later).
The table coaches for OMM are practicing physicians from the community. They have fantastic rotations. The interviewers were very nice, but I had a hard time overcoming my anxiety.
the schools aoutstanding reputation,facilities, (liked the campus setting, nice gym)students were friendly, also the admissions director was very friendly and laid back.
The campus was beautiful with great facilities, and the interview was more personal than other schools I had been to. Also, the amount of residency opportunities in Chicago is almost enough to make me want to choose CCOM over any other school.
It's a great environment. The students are really friendly, the staff is warm, and the facilities are great. The courseload is rigorous but manageable. You would definitely be focused on this campus.
The campus was laid back and had an excellent reputation. The dean was extremely nice. They spoke of having a staff comprised of both MD and DO professors as well as PHDs. All the core rotations are in the Chicago area and then there are 5 or 6 elective rotations you can do anywhere. School had a campus feel and everyone was really young.
The school, the awesme OMM lab, the facility, the library, the technology. Everything was brand new and shiny. Everyone was happy and friendly and open. The students loved being there. So did the faculty. I just got a really awesome vibe!
The facilities were new and beautiful, the library is impressive, I've never seen so many computers on this size a campus (wired for wireless too). Of course, the pool is a plus! Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful to the point where they wanted more questions but I was all out. It was even warm enough to walk around without a coat.
Everything exceeded my expectations. I also expected to wait four weeks (till after holidays) to learn decision of adcom, but was thrilled to be informed of my acceptance (via message on my cell phone) just ten days after my interview. The call was a nice touch.
Beautiful campus- actually felt like a campus, on my other interviews the schools felt like tiny community colleges. I graduated from UF and am used to 40,000 undergrad students!
location, location, location! campus is amazing. students are really nice and stopped by randomly to talk to us. the dean is one inspiring person! good matching rates, board pass rates, and awesome rotation sites.
the involvement of the dean with the students, the quality of clinical rotations (most of the chicagoland hospitals), the opportunity to volunteer in an underserved area clinic, the encouragment of a clinical rotation abroad, the academic reputation of the school.
I was really impressed with the campus. Lots of new buildings and the students that gave the tour we're really cool and interested in helping us. Since they just took a test that morning, they didn't have much to do that afternoon and they stayed to talk to us while we waited for our interviews which made the day less stressful. Also, the OMM lab is awesome. It's huge with TV's so you can see what the professor is doing if you're way in the back. If you get accepted, you only need to start your deposit with $250, then $750 later. Not 1K or 2K like some schools.
I was surprised that I could see myself going to school with the other prospective students that were there to interview on the same day. We all got along pretty well.
(1) The curriculum, while test heavy(every Monday and Tuesday), really gets you ready for your clinical years. You really learn a lot of anatomy, histology, etc. (2) The clinical opportunities in the city and suburbs of Chicago is really second to none of all the osteopathic schools. Whats more, CCOM DO students are really welcomed by the Chicago community, as evidenced by the fact that many of them place into residencies at places like Loyola, UIC, Rush and the Advocate Health System. (3) Many of the facilities are brand new. (4) There are other health professions schools on campus, such as pharmacy and PA. This gives the school a real campus atmosphere as you see a lot of students out and about.
The school has a longstanding reputation. There are a lot of rotation sites in Chicago; a lot of opportunity. Great cafeteria, nice OMM lab, great campus. Chicago in the fall: beautiful.
The interviewers. The asked great questions and I felt like they were really testing my problem solving skills and ethical reasoning. The campus was very nice.
How relatively stress-free and amicable the students were. The facilities were top notch. The students have every amenity on campus. The whole program really impressed me. My group unexpectedly ran into one of their distinguished alumni. He was the team doctor for the Chicago Bears football team. I wasn't sold on the DO concept, but I am now. If you want to be a primary care physician, DO is the way to go!
rotations around chicago, the downtown of Chicago is really close yet far enough away its cool, lots of sports facilities on campus including weightroom and indoor pool. Professors care about students and students seem happy.
Facilities are great. Curriculum is very solid and school is very well respected in Chicago area, despite large number of MD schools in close proximity.
The facilities are exceptional, the staff and students are very nice and inviting, it's not in downtown Chicago so it feels a lot more laid back. This is also one DO school that actually emphasizes their students pursuing specialties, unlike some of the other schools I have been to that emphasize primary care.
The students are very happy and friendly. The facilities look great. The interviewers showed genuine interest in me and were very laid back. Plus, I absolutely love Chicago.
everything. I love this place much better than most of the MD schools I've seen. The students really cared about you. Random people came up to us and offered to answer our questions. The tours were really good. The staff was great.I felt totally comfortable and felt at home. The curriculum is more vigorous than most MD schools that I've seen.
The new library and many recently updated facilities. The campus feel due to the numerous health schools located on the site. Really nice work out facilities. Lab is a workshop that is case based and serves as way to assimilate and solidify new material.
The facilities that the campus has to offer are amazing, especially the new OMM lab. I also like the on-campus housing options a lot, a cheap way to go for the Chicago-land area!
The faciliies -- which include a gym and a pool-- are awesome. The school is located near two major highways which can get into major parts of Chicago including downtown in 20-30 minutes (traffic willing)
The facilities at CCOM are extremely nice. The library/lecture hall building is brand new and very impressive. A new 3 story parking structure was just completed, and the physical fitness facility has an olympic size pool, a full size gymnasium and a nice weight and cardio room.
The friendly environment of students there and also the easy going nature of the interviewers. Also, they have on campus housing, so its a plus. Oh yes, and state of the art gymnasium.
The tour was very good. The two students who showed us around were VERY enthusiastic, more so than other schools I've interviewed with. Beautiful campus and buildings. School takes pride in its students and invests lots of $$ in them in terms of providing new facilities, etc.
Applicants were consistently concerned about the high cost of tuition, lack of information about the school's offerings, outdated facilities, limited student interaction, and the stress-inducing curriculum with frequent exams. Suggestions included improving communication about the school, updating facilities, increasing student engagement, and reevaluating the curriculum structure to reduce stress on students.
I feel like they didn't do a great job selling the school at all. Really the only thing that was a pro that they kept on saying was their reputation and nearby clinical sites. Felt like there wasn't too much for them to brag about.
Dean said really the only time he thinks it is accepted for students to research during the summer in between their first and second year which seemed odd to me.
During the interview I had very little body language feedback about my answers. I even cracked a few jokes and was barely even able to get a smile out of any of them, except the medical student. I understand this can be typical of any interview, but it was my first experience with it at a DO school. All of my other DO interviews (4 before this one) were all very conversational and two-sided as opposed to this which was more rapid fire questions.
The school is kind of its own little town separated from the outside world it seemed like. I don't know Chicago well, but it seems to be in a rural area...not really I'm exaggerating, I would just like it to be closer to city center.
Pretty expensive tuition and cost-of-living is pretty high for a student (especially if you live in the city for your rotation years), but students told us it is definitely do-able, even if you live on your own (without a roommate).
What gives that we only have like 30 days to decide and have to pay $1000 to hold our spot? As someone who is interviewing through March and is waiting on acceptances at grad school for her spouse, this is really frustrating!
The cost. This school is ab 25k more expensive than either of the other schools I've been accepted to. Also, I think it's strange that a number of students said it's not necessary to attend lecture, but none of the lectures are recorded.
All the MSI students, Dean, and Admissions people prior to the interview had explained how casual and laid back the interview was going to be. However, I felt like I was on defense the whole time. One interviewer seemed a little unfriendly and cold the whole time, which was probably an interview tactic. I wish I had prepared mentally for this type of interview environment because it caught me off gaurd compared to what you heard it was going to be like. It was my first interview, and I was already a bit nervous too, which probably didn't help. Hope this helps anyone else in the future.
A lot of the students kept repeating "You don't know what it's like," over and over throughout the interview. We get it, med school is hard, we know what we're getting ourselves into. Also, the anatomy lab was kind of dark, but maybe because that's the way anatomy labs are.
The interview was a little more stressful and nervewracking than the 3 others I have had. We also didn't get to tour all the facilities because it was *too cold* that day to do so.
One of my interviewers was kind of stone faced the entire interview. She could have smiled or something to make me less nervous! She also made a heinous comment about University of Illinois
COST!
Exams every week, not sure how I feel about it. Students seemed to think it was good, but they also don't know anything different. To me it seems like you'd never get a weekend off. Also exams are at 7:30 am, major bummer if you live off campus.
And, again, Cost.
The interview was so short, I didn't feel like they really were making an effort to get to know me. They asked me maybe 8-10 questions and I asked them 2. Then it was time to go.
High living cost (1 br apartment runs $900 if not $1000 a month + about $100/month utilities-the loans do not allow you to live alone...must get a roommate), extremely hyper student tour guide, self absorbed interviewer (not a faculty but outside D.O.) who talked about his view points on medicine for about 20 minutes out of the 30 minute interview, very few minorities in the student body......
I didnt like the new gym they have built - its kinda small and murky...but its still a gym. There are lots of geese around and they crap everywhere. Classes are from like 8-5 everyday, and exams at 7:30AM twice a week...im not a morning person. The tuition is huuge! 38G for instate, 42 for out-of-state...and the financial aid is bad.
There was a lot of downtime during while waiting to be called for your interview or while waiting in between presentations. This might make some people more nervous as they wait to be called. There were usually people stopping by to talk to the group, which helped.
There was little or no discussion about research opportunties, even though I have heard that it is quite possible to do research over the summmers while a student.
The financial aid presentation. Its a lot of money and I was not very encouraged about my ability to be financially secure through out the next four years.
The tourguide said mostly discouraging things about the school. Made it seem like he was there because it was his last resort. He talked about how he skips classes all the time because they don't help him and how he prefers to study on his own. The cafeteria and dorms were a dissapointment as well.
Very short day that has no presentation on the curriculum or clinical rotation system, only students that interacted were the tour guides, didn't get to see clinical prep labs, no clear explanation on what the clinical prep entailed, tests almost every Monday and Thursday
They ran a little late during interviews and cut the second group of interviewees short. And the dumb girl who brought her boyfriend with to the interview. Seriously.
very very cold... wish we had gotten more time with more students... my student interviewer (MS-III) was rather cold, but that could've just been for the interview...
They don't have a patient simulation on campus. Its something that has become mainstream on most campuses, it just seems they may be a little behind the times.
Some of the students are not as friendly. In other schools where I've interviewed, the students came up to me to ask me if I need any help or if I had any questions.
The school overall. Everyone was focused on the reputation and it seemed that several students wanted to be MDs instead of DOs. It's also insanely expensive (estimated cost of attendance is $57-61,000).
The dorms are really ghetto--they remind me of bad undergraduate dorms. That is certainly not going to happen. I don't care how cheap and convenient they are. Additionally, there was a ton of downtime on the day. Things felt largely unorganized and unpolished. The area itself seems okay but is nothing spectacular. Perhaps not a reflection of CCOM, but the school just didn't give me the "wow" feeling that I got from the other school I interviewed at.
Mainly the area. The school's 30 miles outside of Chicago in a very suburban area loaded with chain restaurants. I prefer more urban environments. Also, they don't place much emphasis on OMM.
The cafeteria food was below average. I was also disappointed with the lack of clinical experience during the first two years. This is probably because the nearest hospital in Downers Grove (which is very prestigious) does not want to be associated with CCOM.
I got a feeling that many of the students spend a large amount of time in class. There is no student note taking service, something I would try to start if I get accepted here
We didn't have much time to get a feel for the school. We were pretty much in the same room and the only contact with students was when they happened to show up. It felt like a commuter campus.
Got drilled with ethical questions, most of the responses I gave were contested.I Felt quite uncomfortable during the interview. Interviewers were not very friendly compared to other schools...just my opinion
The campus isn't as close to downtown Chicago as I would like (although I knew this ahead of time) and I wish my interview had been longer (it was only about 20min. long).
There is a sense of this school being "the havard of osteopathic medical schools", it is a good school but let the students and facilities do the talking.
Suburban location.
Almost no Matches outside the Chicago area. (I'm from the east coast and want to return here after school is over).
DO/Pharmacy students take lectures together.
some buildings reminded me of high school; student tour guides weren't really friendly; the student population is not as diverse as i thought it would be
down-time during interview. low pass-rate for comlex this past year (though i was told pass-rate was lower than usual due to unusually difficult material. also, most grads matched residencies in im, fp, em, etc. a few surgical matches, one anesthesiology match. though to be expected with DO program.
This has been mentioned often, but there is downtime in the conference room waiting for everyone to complete their interview. Breaking us into two groups was helpful and students stopped in to speak informally with us, but that part of the day did drag on. A few of the students (not official ambassadors) seemed somewhat unprofessional and immature. They did not lead my tour group.
The only other negative for me is the idea of 7:30 a.m. exams on Monday mornings; so much for family day on Sundays, we'll have to be flexible.
The students didn't seem like they ever relaxed, the campus felt like a summer camp to me, nobody went out of their way to really inform applicants about the school's strengths, and there was a lot of down-time where we were just sitting in a room waiting.
COST!!! VERY expensive for out of state students. Wasn't really impressed with one of the tour guides. We didn't get to see the on campus housing and there was a ton of downtime.
the students are in class from 8-5 pretty much EVERY day and there is a min. of 2 test per week...pretty stressful and a lot of the students who were giving the tour or just stopped by to drop in, although very friendly had a lot of negative things to say about the school.
The assistant dean was fililng in for the dean and he did not seem to be happy about it. Came off as a bit rude in his introductions to the group as well as in my interview.
no complaints except one interviewer was quiet and didnt say much. could be good or bad, just made me a little nervous, but i heard the person is always quiet. close to downtown, but nothing immediately close.
The GA lab, you may have up to severn students at one table. You take turns with dissection, so you may not get to do some stuff. Financial aid people were a little misguided. You must investigate the validity of some of their claims.
Nothing, everything was absolutely wonderful. There were students in and out throughout the day to talk to us, the environment was very casual and I cannot say enough about Mr. Laken, awesome guy.
Nothing! There is goose poop but that just makes it a challange to get from place to place. The dorm (yes, they are dorm rooms not apartments) rooms were very small and the showers even smaller (one of the students took us over to his room, it wasn't part of the tour)
hardly any student interaction, the one student I did talk to focused on how incredibly stressful medical school is there, admission staff that gave the tour couldn't answer all of our questions, we waited for hours for our interview, no general presentation was given in the down time about the school
Seemed like there was no students there...it was the first week back from break and really cold so I'm sure thats why. The campus is nice, but feels very isolated from civilization...going through security gate to get in (then again...good for keeping focused)
Downers Grove is not really that close to downtown Chicago, so don't expect to live in the city. If you have never lived in a Chicago burb, be prepared for periods of mind-boggling traffic, although the area around the school is not that bad. Also, tuition is pretty steep, even for an in-state resident.
As everyone else has said on this website there is goose droppings all over the campus. Also the campus is very expensive and hard to get a place on campus.
Six students per cadaver, no clinical experience during the first two years, and lower than average COMLEX scores over the past few years. I had just interviewed at AZCOM the day before my interview at CCOM. It seems like CCOM is trying to catch up to the standards that have been set by AZCOM in the last 8 years. CCOM is confined by its history; change is difficult.
The interview day did not make good use of the time we spent there. Most of the day consisted of waiting around. The staff was not particularly friendly or unfriendly. The students were no where to be seen! The campus had a very undergraduate feeling to it. The students who gave us a tour were late and could not answer simple questions asked. No one seemed to know anything about the combined D.O./PhD program.
admissions office in basement of school so the only students we spoke to were our tour guides. they were great but it woul have been nice to speak to multiple students.
The student we had lunch with was a little obnoxious. He did not present himself as being very intelligent and made jokes about not passing the boards.
the interview was jsut an aweful experience. also, the students didn't seem very enthusiastic about the school or the program. there was A LOT of down time and we heard NOTHING about the school in terms of its program. downers grove is in the middle of nowhere.
match for the rotations in 3rd and 4th years, COLD, not having very good directions on how to get to downers grove besides "take a cab" (AKA $30 from airport)
Very impersonal staff and interviewers. The student population had the Chicago attitude. I am from Chicago so I suppose I have it too, but I have just been spoiled by the extremely laid back attitude at the other DO schools I visited.
They spent 10 minutes on the financial talk. The interviews were WAY too short and never led to a discussion. It became strictly a question and answer session.
not able to see anatomy lab - they said it was illegal, but I've seen others in IL. Also, the students said that if you fail a class you have to re-take it in Nebraska?
The outsides of most the buildings still look straight out of the '70s. The on-campus "dorms" would not be a great place to live. All the down time between interviewing and taking tour.
During my interview, I asked the interviewers what they would change about the school. The physician responded that when he gets the students for their rotations in their third year, that the students don't even know how to do a physical. With that comment, I was sure to ask on the tour when you see your first patient. The answer: in the third year. Also, many of the current students were not friendly at all, boardering on rude.
The students were between terms and therefore not on campus, so we did not have the opportunity to talk to any. The admissions staff did however do their best to make up for this problem.
The long wait periods between the interview and tour. The interview was also a little too short which didn't allow time really for more discussions. I didnt' feel like I got to know the faculty that much at all whereas other schools go out of their way to introduce you to them, tell you about them, etc.
Applicants commonly expressed a wish to have known more about the interview format, the types of questions asked, and the overall relaxed and conversational atmosphere. Many mentioned the importance of being prepared for ethical scenarios, the semi-closed file nature of the interview, the short duration of the interview, and the need for more practice in structuring answers.
They might flip your answers around on you, so make sure you can discuss why you made the decisions you made.
The interview is very short so be very prepared for the questions and be prepared for an ethical scenario. They also have your secondary/resume open but nothing else from your file.
I wish I had known about the more traditional panel-like interview style so I could have prepared better mentally, but I also should have been more proactive and done that anyways.
The interview is fairly short because they try to stick to the allotted 30 minutes for each student, and of those 30 minutes, they give you 5 minutes at the end to ask any questions you may have
That "breakfast" at CCOM means an artificially flavored cereal bar and some water. Didn't they say "continental breakfast will be provided?" Maybe not and it was a good thing that I ate something at my hotel. The lunch doesn't come until 1 o'clock or so, after the tour. I couldn't pay much attention to the facilities on an empty stomach.
There is a place to hang jackets and keep luggage, You can also leave your purse in the room during the interview, so I would have brought a bigger one that fit all of my things
I wish I'd taken a little more time to think about my hobbies/interests such as books and movies. This is something that nearly a third of the interview was spent talking about.
How laid back the interview was! I was so nervous and did not need to be at all! Even though some of the questions caught me off guard, it did not matter to my interviewers that I stumbled a bit.
Not too much. I heard from a few other interviewees that traffic and road construction were bad, but no one was late. Also, the tour involves a lot of walking outdoors so you should probably wear comfortable shoes and be dressed appropriately for the weather (I already knew this from reading SDN).
There is a irish pub in downtown Downers Grove, which is pretty cool. Would have tried to stay an additional night to hang out with some friends in the area.
The student tour guides had us tromp all over campus, including a walk through some woods and up and down several flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator, so I wished I had worn more comfortable shoes.
That a lot of students commute. I think that would be pretty hard to do. Also IL doesn't let you apply for state residency even after you have been there for a couple of years.
That we would be sitting for a long time. Also, I wish I would have known that I was going to have a place to put my belongings while I was there. I came prepared for everything when I didn't even need to.
How many students skip lecture and how much like a badly taught undergrad class the students treat lecture. I was very inimpressed with the student body - it seemed as if they chose the school cause of reputation and not cause of true interest in osteopathic medicine.
they don't have access to your mcat scores or gpa during the interview, they're completely blinded when it comes to that...all they have is your secondary essay and resume
Swimming pool. Beautifuly secluded campus with less than 2000 students. they also have pretty competitive intramural sports year round. Pharmacy students, physician assistans, PT/OT all on same campus, cool environment.
I did some driving around. There are actually many options for married/family housing within a ten mile radius of school (recommended maximum commuting distance). I knew that, if accepted, I would not live on campus and was concerned that my arrangements would pose a disadvantage in my education. If I were younger and single or married without children, I do think living on campus would be enjoyable, convenient and affordable.
Unless you live on campus, you will probably commute to school. Downer's Grove is a nice litle suburb, but CCOM is on the edge of town on a busy street near the interstate.
The cost of living is ridiculously expensive. There is no way that my husband and I could afford a house near campus and the student housing is way too small.
CCOM has a great relationship with many of the area hospitals, so you can do clinicals in very reputable places, plus you get to mix with all the other medical students in Chicago.
Nothing that would've really helped me but what got me pretty excited was the fact that they are one of the few COMs with a rotation in NEUROSURGERY!!!! Totally stoked about that.
the map is a little confusing. If you're heading south on Highland you have to take a left, not a right, onto 31st street to get to the campus. The program is much better than I thought it would be from reading SDN. If you have the opportunity to go to an interview and this site doesn't give you a good impression of the school-GO ANYWAY!!! Your opinion might not be the same.
How well the students place for residency. Also, the fact that the area around campus is not as cheap to live in as I thought it would be(I live in downtown Chicago, and thought the burbs would be cheaper).
CCOM felt more like an undergraduate institution than a medical school. Compared to AZCOM, CCOM has a stronger focus on research; a lot of professors are involved in research.
many students live in dorms, there is a way to get from chicago downtown to the school without a car (thanks to one of the sdn people who shared the travel info -- ohare airport, take L train to union station, take Metra train to Downers grove, then take cab to school)
I had friends so I leanred the mass transit really fast so I learned to take the "L" and buses to union station and then a 3.70 train ride to belmont where you can get a taxi to the downers grove hotels for like 8-9 bucks. MUCH CHEAPER than the 30 one way ride. I also discovered downers grove is really busy as well and has almost everything you need around there....including some of the traffic as its 20 minutes to chichago WITHOUT traffic....usually an hour or so with.
that all teachers give out detailed notes from lecture and many students don't even buy the books!
It is true that if you fail anatomy, you have to retake it in Nebraska
That it is such a short drive from the city. Only took me 30 minutes during rush hour. Of course it helps that I was going out of the city instead of in.
The typical time frame to pay for your slot if accepted is one month. If your holding out for another school, and pay the start of your deposit, only 40% will be refunded. Hope you get into your first choice early to avoid being stuck.
Applicants generally found the interview process at CCOM to be straightforward and well-organized. Most candidates had positive experiences, with interviewers focusing on getting to know them as individuals rather than drilling them with tough questions. The campus and facilities were generally well-received, with students and faculty being friendly and helpful. Some applicants noted a lack of information about the school's programs and curriculum, with downtime during the day and limited engagement with current students.
Overall very straightforward interview. Usually a faculty member and a M3 or M4. The last 5 minutes are for you to ask them questions so make sure to have some ready.
They ask you a lot of general (non-med school) interview questions.
One interviewer will be “pushing” you with curt answers or making you doubt what you said, which is apparently on purpose. If you tell them any points about yourself or what you do, then they definitely write it down and come back to ask/explain yourself in more detail.
I practiced answers to a lot of these questions which are definitely really similar to the real thing. I think I asked really good questions at the end which might have helped me too. They give you around 10 minutes to ask questions so be prepared.
I don't appreciate it when people ask a question, I give them part of an answer, and then they immediately either interrupt me or ask a follow up question about what I had just said. I don't feel as though they really got a full picture of who I was as a person, outside of my medical experience. But overall, the interview wasn't terrible, just somewhat impersonal, in my opinion.
It was a good experience overall. The interviewers were kind and genuinely wanted to learn more about you as a person. The students and faculty seemed friendly too. The interviewers have your secondary essays and resume/cv that you uploaded as a part of your secondary application. They do not have your transcripts, personal statement, or anything related to your primary application. It really isn't too stressful, so just try to be calm and smile!
Wass impressed by the school. Easy day. Nice people. Get along with the fellow interviewees. Admissions commented on how they loved the fact that we were all talking to one another and felt awkward when other groups were silent throughout the day.
Seems like a great place to be! Would be a toss up between here and MSUCOM. Only downside is the 6 month long winters, but we shouldn't hold that against them.
they only have your CV/resume and/or secondary application. They stress that the interview is conversational and really just want to see what kind of person you are. They decided your numbers were already good enough to gain their interest, so it purely is about how you are as a person and whether they think you would enjoy being here. Don't stress if you didn't get to talk about ethics, showcase your medical knowledge, or explain some setbacks. Relax, be enthusiastic, and show you're excited to be there.