Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University Interview Feedback Summary
Downers Grove, IL
Osteopathic Medical Schools | Private For-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 24% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview generally impressive with a moderate stress level and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
8.0
Above Average
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 967 responses
Score Reference:
9–10 Exceptional
8–8.9 Very Good
7–7.9 Good
6–6.9 Mixed
< 6 Needs Improvement
The SDN Interview Experience Score (SIES) is a composite metric that represents applicants overall impressions of their interview experience, based on multiple factors such as professionalism, facilities, responsiveness, and stress levels.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
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
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about why the candidate chose medicine or osteopathic medicine, their experiences in the field, their strengths and weaknesses, ethical scenarios, leadership qualities, and their fit for the specific medical school or program. Many respondents mentioned questions related to the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format, indicating a structured interview process that may involve nondisclosure agreements.
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Why medicine, Why DO, what experience with DO showed osteopathy
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Why DO?
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Why do you want to go into osteopathic medicine?
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tell me about a time you observed and served underserved communities
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If you had to pick one quality, whats the most important quality of a leader?
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Tell us a little bit about yourself.
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Make a rubric that can allow you to assess your weakness
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What do you think the best part of working in a team is?
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Why Medicine?
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Why CCOM
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What is the last book you've read?
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(Piggybacking off Why DO answer) Generic question about patient autonomy / refusal of care
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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?
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Tell me about yourself and your journey to here
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Why CCOM/Why osteopathic medicine?
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Why CCOM?
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Literally read off resume and asked "tell me about this and that (from resume)"
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Tell us about yourself.
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"Why would you be a good fit here at CCOM?"
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Why D.O and Why at Midwestern?
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why medicine
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Why Midwestern? Why DO?
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How do you handle stress?
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Why osteopathic medicine?
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What brings you to Midwestern and why you choose to pursue osteopathic medicine?
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How do you deal with conflict?
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Why DO/ Why Midwestern?
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How do you resolve conflict?
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Tell me more about your research findings.
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How will you react if you fail your first test in medical school?
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Why Midwestern?
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What was a time you took a chance and you were happy with the results?
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Why DO? Why CCOM compared to the rest of the schools I applied to?
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Why Medicine, why DO?
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Talk about a clinical experience that made you want to be a doctor.
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Why medicine? Why DO? Why CCOM?
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Tell us about your research.
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How do you deal with difficult patients?
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Why DO? (though neither of my interviewers where DOs); why CCOM?; Why medicine?
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What experiences influenced your interest in osteopathic medicine?
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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?
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Tell us about yourself and what has brought you to CCOM.
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Tell us about you and why you want to come to CCOM?
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Tell us about ion channels (I do research in that area)
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tell me about yourself?
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Why DO? Why CCOM?
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Please describe an ethical issue you will face in medicine.
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What are the ethical and financial constraints in patient care and what did you learn about that in your shadowing experience?
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Why did you get a masters in anatomy?
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Why do you believe that CCOM will be a good fit for you?
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Tell me about yourself and how you ended up on this path.
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An instance in which you were a leader and what did you learn?
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Why are you in current job (non-medical)? Did you decide to switch paths?
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Tell me about yourself. Why osteopathy?
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How would you react if you failed your first anatomy exam? What would you do about it?
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Why Medicine? Why DO? What should CCOM accept you over the other 500 interviewees?
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Why DO? Why medicine? Why CCOM?
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If I had a specific cultural or moral disagreement with someone and how I handled that situation.
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Tell me about yourself; Why did you choose this profession, specifically DO; What do you know about osteopathic manipulations
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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?
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Tell us about yourself, why DO and why CCOM?
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Why medicine, specifically Osteopathic Medicine?
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Why DO/CCOM?
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Strengths/weaknesses
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WHy do you want to become a physician?
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What do you think is the biggest problem in health care today?
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See above
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What is one of your weaknesses?
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Why you over the other 500 people?
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Why D.O.?
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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?
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Tell us about a clinical experience that had a profound effect on you.
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How were you able to get in touch with so many doctors to get your extensive shadowing experience?
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Where else did you apply?
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Tell me about yourself.
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What about MSU-COM? (I'm from Michigan)
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Why medicine? Why DO? Why CCOM?
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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?
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Generic- Why DO, why medicine, more about yourself, if not accepted what would you do?
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What did you do this weekend? (in chicago, I am from out of town)
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Tell us about your college experience.
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What motivated you to become a DO? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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where do I see myself in 10 years
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What is Osteopathic Medicine?
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What are your strengths/ weaknesses?
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Are you currently reading any books? If not, what was the latest book you have read?
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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?
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Tell me about your interest in DO program and how do you relate it to other alternative medicine practices in your country.
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What do you think about malpractice?
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What do you do for your health? How hard do you think medical school will be?
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Tell us a little bit more about this activity (they have your resume and pick a few things to ask about).
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Describe a time when you took on a leadership position and tell us the advantages and disadvantages to being a leader.
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What is the major problem in healthcare today? How would you deal with it?
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the whole stress thing
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Why medicine
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what are you passionate about?
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Why medicine, why osteopathic
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Explain a situation in which you have had a lead role and can you please walk us through exactly what you did?
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Why medicine, why osteopathy, why CCOM?
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Why do you want to be a doctor, osteopathic physician, and why CCOM?
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Tell us about yourself./Why physician? Why D.O.? Why CCOM?
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Why physician? Why D.O.? Why CCOM?
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why osteopathic medicine, any specifics from shadowing DO,
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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.
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What would you do if the 14 year old daughter of your best friend came to you for birth control pills?
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why medicine, why DO, why chicago
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If you could sit down with anyone for dinner who would it be?
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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.
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Handling stress
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3 problems in healthcare today?
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Why do you want to be a D.O. and why CCOM?
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How do you think you will be able to handle the stress of medical school? What do you do to relieve stress?
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How you deal with stress.
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What about my osteopathic shadowing experience made me like osteopathic medicine more.
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Why CCOM? Why DO? Tell me about your research experience.
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Tell us about the most interesting patient you have ever worked with.
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What unique characteristic would you bring to this school?
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Why medicine, why DO, why CCOM?
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best friends 14 year old daughter needs birth control.. what do you do?
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What do you feel to be your greatest accomplishment?
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Why do you want to be a doctor? Why CCOM? What the difference between allopathic and osteopathic?
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Tell me about your masters program.
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why medicine, why osteopathic in particular
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If any, what reason will prevent you from getting into medical school?
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Who are you? Why doctor? Why CCOM? What do you know about osteopathic medicine? Has anyone done OMT on your or have you ever seen it?
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Why Medicine? Why Osteopathy?
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why medicine and not research?
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A couple questions about my major in college (they were confused and thought I only got an economics major and missed my biology major).
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Who are you? Why are you here? Why CCOM, why DO?
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How do you deal with being a subordinate since you have been in so many positions of leadership?
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What experience have you had with DO (in long term prior career listed on my resume)? Have you ever seen OMM?
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Why osteopathic medicine? Why CCOM?
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If a fellow M3 showed up during rotations with a hangover, what would you do?
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Questions about research experience.
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with all your clinical/ shadowing experience, was there one paticular event that stood out in your mind?
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What would you do if you caught a classmate cheating?
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What's going to be the hardest part of med school?
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Tell me a time when you were a leader.
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You went to Cuba? Why? Wasn't that illegal?
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the last book that you read
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TEll me about yourself
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What was the most difficult time of my life and what did I do about it?
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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?
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Tell us about yourself.
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why medicine/DO/CCOM
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The HMO one...
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If a friend's 15 year old daughter came to you and said she wanted BC pills, what would you do?
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How do you like the Downers Grove area? Do you plan on practicing as a physician in the area?
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How would you respond in an ethical sitatution? Say your friends 14 yr. old daughter asks you for birthcontrol pills outside of your clinic?
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What came of your anesthesia research? (note: if you've been published, it's a good idea to bring a copy of the article to give the interviewers)
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why do? why CCOM? why medicine?
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Explain my thoughts on medicine and any changes that might take place in the future that would benefit medicine.
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Did you have a DO mentor?
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Tell me about your tennis abilities?
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What do you do now?
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A fourteen-year-old daughter of a family friend comes into your office and asks for birth control. What do you do?
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What was a past academic challenge and how did you get through it?
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From your experience volunteering at a hospital, is there any single patient that sticks in your memory and influenced you to pursue medicine?
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What did you like/dislike about your undergraduate experience/
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How has diabetes helped you in your decision to become a physician.
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Why do you want to be an osteopathic physician?
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What is the last book you read?
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How do I deal with stress?
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Why D.O.? Why Midwestern University?
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why did I chose my undergrad institution.
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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What specialty are you interested in?
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tell us about your out of school expereinces
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What do you do for fun?
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decribe a sitatuion in which you failed and how you dealt with it?
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Why medicine, why osteo med, why Midwestern? All separate questions. What other schools did you apply? Where else have you had interviews?
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why do over md?
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Tell me about your past job and how it relates to medicine.
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Why medicine, why D.O., why CCOM?
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Do you think you'll have a hard time getting back into studying? (I've been out of school for 2.5 years)
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How do you keep your patient's best interests in mind when you are dealing with managed care?
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Why medicine, why D.O. and why CCOM? How do you handle stress? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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How do you deal with stress?
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Is there a specific reason why you want to practice Osteopathic Medicine?
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Why Osteopathic medicine and not allopathic?
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Why medicine...and more specifically why DO?
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If you saw someone cheating, what would you do?
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Tell us how you got to this point.
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what DO? why medicine? Asked about my research
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"Tell us about working for the catering company." (the PhD worked as a waiter when he was younger too)
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Why osteopathy.
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Your best friend's 14 year old daughter comes in to your clinic asking for contrceptives. Do you give them to her, and do you notify her parents?
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Why doctor? Why d.o.? Why CCOM?
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Why DO? What do you know about osteopathy?
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why you wanna be a doctor.
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Look at step 3, second part.
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Why Osteopathy and why CCOM?
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What was the last book that you have read? What's your favorite author
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What would you do if you did not get into medical school?
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Why do you want to be a doctor and why Midwestern?
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What would you do if you saw a class mate cheating?
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What made you want to become a DO and why at Midwestern University?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University discussed a wide range of topics, including ethical scenarios about patient care, challenges in medicine, qualities of a physician, and personal experiences impacting their medical journey. The interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) based on the variety of questions and mention of nondisclosure agreements by some respondents.
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How should we remember you when you walk out of this room?
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Thoughts on physician-patient relationship.
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Before you walk out of this room, what is one thing you want us to remember you by?
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If you had to pick just one quality, what is the most important of a physician?
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tell me about a time you showed leadership
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What's a time you had to stick with a decision you disagreed with?
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Why osteopathic medicine specifically?
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What is a quick decision that you made and were you proud or did you regret your decision
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What is a downside of working in a team?
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Was there a patient interaction that sticks out to you from your time working in the hospital?
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What would you do if a fellow resident was drunk?
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What is the last book you've read?
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(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?
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At the end of the day, how would you like us to remember you?
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What do you think will be the worst part about going through medical school and becoming a doctor?
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Describe a time you dealt with challenge
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How do you feel right now?
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"If we were both doctors and you saw me doing drugs at a party, and the next day I was making some bad calls in the hospital what would you do?"
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Tell me what you know about vaccines. How would you speak to a parent who does not want to vaccinate their child?
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Tell me about League of Legends (I mentioned I like playing video games and that I was ranked in the top 1% for LoL)
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What do you think you will struggle with the most in medical school?
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What do you do for fun?
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How did your patients impact you?
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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?
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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?
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Nothing
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How do you resolve conflict?
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How do you feel about small medical facilities opening up in drug stores such as Walgreens and CVS?
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What proteins did you find in your research?
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Which patient do you remember most from your mission trip?
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How would you deal with a student who wasn't contributing to a project you were both working on?
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The med student asked me what is the one question you wish we asked you..
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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?
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If your peer came to work in the ED drunk, what would you do?
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Should healthcare staff use checklists to ensure medical safety? (based on my previous work in that area)
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How will you help to diversify the student body?
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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?
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Provide an example of one patient that made a profound impact on you and your decision to enter medicine.
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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).
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The ethical question about the 14 year old wanting birth control behind her parents' backs
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Through your shadowing, clinical, or volunteer experience, can you describe a patient or case that you found particularly intersting?
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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.
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Since you have not shadowed a D.O. that uses OMM, why would KNOWING OMM still be beneficial?
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Argue the health care debate from both sides.
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What will you do in the (little) free time you have during medical school?
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ethical questions
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We got way off topic...
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What did i like about a specific science class i took in college last year which i mentioned in my CV.
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How did a girl like you end up enjoying anatomy?
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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?
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They were all pretty straight forward - nothing was out of the ordinary or strange.
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Who would want to have dinner with? Anyone from mankind?
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nothing really.
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Describe a situation where you saw something or experienced something that helped define who you are today.
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NA
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something about my CV
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If I had a specific cultural or moral disagreement with someone and how I handled that situation.
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What would you do if a fellow student came to the rotations and you could tell they were drunk?
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What do you do if your friend's 15 year old daugther comes to you asking for birth control pills?
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Tell me about a time where you had to make a quick decision and you were proud of the outcome.
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Probably the ethical question.
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Nothing really interesting
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What do you do to relieve stress?
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If a 14 yr old girl came to you and asked for birth control and you were good friends with her mother, what would you do?
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If you could fix the state of healthcare today, what would you do, within reason?
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What's your favorite movie? What book are you reading right now? If you could meet one person (living or dead), who would it be?
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If a fellow MS3 showed up hungover/still drunk to rotations with you, how would you handle the situation?
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What is the biggest problem facing our healthcare system today?
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in today's society what do yoy think is the biggest problem in terms of healthcare?
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I'm sure working in a doctor's office, you have doctors who are not easy to work with. . .how do you deal with it?
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Why do you enjoy hobby X?
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Why are you changing your career now?
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none really
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Tell us about [something I wrote about in my AACOMAS essay].
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Who are you most like your mother or your father?
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Having been an engineer, don't you feel you'll have left a significant part of your previous training behind?
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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).
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Asked about my time working in New Zealand and what it was like.
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So you pheasant hunt... tell me about that.
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What is your opinion of the bird flu and what is currently being done about it?
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Your best friend's 14 year old daughter asks you to prescribe her birth control and to not tell her mother. What would you do?
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Share with us a time you had to make an ethical or moral decision.
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If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only take a book, a cd and some music with you, what would you take?
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Ethical situation/question.
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None of the questions was interesting, in my opinion
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What do you think the most enjoyable aspect of medical school will be? The most challenging?
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Explain how having family in the area is a double edge sword.
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What do you do to relieve stress in your free time?
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They were all basic interview questions. What are your strengths/ weaknesses?
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If you could meet anyone, living or deceased, who would you meet and why?
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Ethical question: What would you do if a friend came up to you and asked for a script for a sore throat? How would you handle the situation ethically?
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I had a story about how I developed an interest in DO program. They asked me about that.
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What kind of music do you like/what is the one type of music that you hate?
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What is your favorite kind of music?
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Why did you pick UIC for undergrad?
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Tell us about a time when you failed to perform a task and how did u handle that failure
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How would you explain osteopathic medicine to someone who knew nothing about it?
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What did you gain from working at [retail store]?
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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)
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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.
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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?
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what question do you want us to ask you?
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Why medicine, why osteopathic?
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What was your MCAT score?
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How do you think your experience in theater can relate to practicing medicine?
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Ok...you sit down to read and try to turn on the lamp and it doesn't work, what do you do?
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Tell us about a crisis in your life and how you handled it.
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nothing really interesting...just basic interview questions...
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say you were watching tv and all of a sudden it goes black. what do you do?
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Discuss a time when your opinion was challeged by someone else?
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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?
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If the 14 year old daughter of your best friend came to you for birth control pills, what would you do?
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When living in other cultures can we impose our values?
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About the medical implications of Hurricane Katrina and how to prevent problems in the future
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They asked about my years working at a nursing home and how I handle losing one of my residents.
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Did I apply to MSUCOM (because I'm from Michigan)?
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Can you think of an event or occurrence that you would like to have taken back, or regret?
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What did you learn in Australia?
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1) What are the cons of socialized medical care? 2) If your friends 16 year old daughter came in for birth control pills what would you do?
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A patient comes in with pain in there upper right abdominal cavity, whats there and what could be wrong?
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What would you do if a 14 year old asked you for oral contraceptives?
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(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)
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What I would do if a fourteen year old girl asked me for birth control pills?
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Honestly, all the questions were standard questions...I know that most of the other students had ethical questions.
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As a non-traditional student, why are you choosing to pursue medical school and why now?
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What accomplishment are you most proud of?
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What DVD, CD, and book would you bring if you were stranded on a deserted island?
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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.
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In Britain, they have socialized medicine. They do not permit bypass surgery in anyone over the age of 65. What do you think about that?
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What are you going to do if you get rejected?
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What was the biggest mistake you made in your life and how did you deal with it?
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What's a huge event in your life that directed you onto a certain path?
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What patient in your volunteer experinces stood out to you?
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Tell us about your work as an AIDS advocate.
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Is there anything else that you wanted us to know about yourself?
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situational/moral dillema questions
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Tengo una amiga "name"que trabaja en la republica dominican, le concoces ?
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a question about alzheimer's disease and what i would do to prevent/delay its symptoms
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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.
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Where do you see yourself in ten-fifteen years from now?
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nothing too interesting--typical questions.
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If you were at a rotation full of MDs and you were the only DO, how would you distinguish yourself from everyone else?
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What problems do you see in the medical profession.
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How much money does a chicken farmer make? Just kidding...
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If you were representing the city of Boston, how would you describe it to me?
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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).
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I really wasn't asked any "interesting" questions. Just the stereotypical stuff.
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If a woman comes into the hospital complaining of upper right abdominal pain, what are 4 possible diagnoses you would come up with?
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If fellow students were drinking to celebrate the completion of an exam during the next lecture, what would you do?
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
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If you were a MS3 and during one of your rotations a friend, also a MS3, showed up hungover, what would you do?
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What is the question that you were just sure we were going to ask that we haven't asked? (But when I told them they did not ask for an answer to it)
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Let's say you've been treating a family for many years, and the daughter is now 15 and wants birth control, do you give it to her?
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A question about why i picked my email address (I have a unique name i suppose)
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What is electrofishing? [Related to a job I had.]
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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?
-
I am a talker, so it was an open discussion for most of the time. Simply who are you, and how did you get here sort of questions.
-
If you were a family doctor and a family that always came to you was 6 months behind on their bills what would you do?
-
If you could be on any reality television show, which one would you pick and why?
-
If you had a young lady who had terminal brain cancer and she was screaming in pain on the ward, how would you handle it?
-
Do you think you can handle the stress of medical school?
-
nothing really hard. no ethics at all. just wanted to know what experiences i had.
-
If you had a patient on an HMO who wanted to see a doctor (be referred to)not on the plan, what would you tell them?
-
Tell me about your ambulance experiences that most stand out for you? (application specific)
-
What was my favorite video game?
-
Who was that one person you touched in your volunteer experience?
-
How would you incorporate your philosophy background into your practice of osteopathic medicine?
-
Explain my thoughts on medicine and any changes that might take place in the future that would benefit medicine.
-
After working with cancer patients, what are your feelings towards euthanasia?
-
Can Andy Roddick bring back men's tennis? (answer: only if he is Pete Sampras in disguise)
-
How much of the responsibility is the patients and how much is yours when it comes to patient education?
-
If a friend's fourteen year old daugther comes in and ask you for birth control what would you do?
-
Where do you tell a homeless person who needs medical attention to go when he's standing right outside a private hospital?
-
Case scenario: patient won't take prescribed meds...what would you do?
-
So with all your experiences, what is the biggest problem facing healthcare today and how would you solve it?
-
Why did you decide to become a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant)?
-
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?
-
Was there ever a situation in which you felt stressed?
-
Nothing out of the ordinary.
-
How my previous experience as a mechanic will help me to be a better doctor.
-
nothing too interesting. interview was relaxed, talked about info on my resume' mostly
-
Have I ever been in a conversation with someone about my religious beliefs and if so how did I handle it?
-
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?
-
A terminal patient asks you, "When am I going to die?". What do you tell her?
-
What do you think about the growing number of non-English speaking patients, and what woudl you do about it as a doctor
-
Nothing that out of the ordinary. A lot about my background and activities.
-
I talked about volunteering abroad so they asked if the people there resented an American in their clinic
-
What my stance was on the use of animals for research.
-
What would I do if my boss submitted false information about our research to the sponsoring agency?
-
You are a physician at a high school health fair. What would you want to talk about and why?
-
If you could be any historical figure, who would it be and why?
-
Nothing super interesting, but there were two or three ethical questions.
-
How do you keep your patient's best interests in mind when you are dealing with managed care?
-
Nothing really that interesting.
-
How can osteopathic medicine fit into the rural community?
-
Have you ever failed at anything?
-
What is my stance on managed health care?
-
If you caught someone cheating what would you do?
-
How did you become interested in osteopathic medicine?
-
How would I deal with irate family members after a bad outcome with a patient?
-
Have you noticed any trends in illnesses within the population you've been working with?
-
cubs or sox? (if you say sox, you're automically out, just kidding :)
-
What could you bring to CCOM if accpeted
-
"While working at catering company X describe a time when you had to hold your tongue when responding to a client or guest?"
-
If you could spend an Hour with someone, who would it be
-
Explain your political activism.
-
Would you tell a terminal elederly pt. that they only had a few months to live if the family begged you not to? Lots of ethical questions.
-
Pretty standard hypothetical questions
-
If the 14 year old daughter of my best friend came to me for birth control pills, what would I do?
-
What are your hobbies?
-
What was a stressfu situation and how did you deal with it?
-
If you were to describe Jazz music to someone, how would you describe it?
-
If another doctor's patient came to you for a prescription refill that he had no medical indications for, what would you do?
-
If I think in Russian (my mother tongue)or English.
-
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?
-
What are some problems with the healthcare system today and how would you go about in solving it?
-
How do you deal with death
What was the most difficult question?
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, decision-making scenarios, dealing with stress, leadership experiences, and ethical dilemmas. While no specific trend emerged, it was noted that some interviews featured ethical questions, and the format may have included MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) components with possible nondisclosure agreements.
-
Thoughts on physician-patient relationship.
-
Are you worried about your extracurriculars getting in the way of your studies?
-
tell me about a time you have to make a quick decision
-
If there's one thing you'd want us to remember you by, what would it be? (yikes for me)
-
Create a scenario and describe a conversation you would have with someone with different religious or political beliefs then you
-
What is a downside of working in a team?
-
What are some leadership experiences you have had and what did you learn from them?
-
What is the most meaningful patient interaction you ever had?
-
(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?
-
If your friend were here, what would they tell you not to do?
-
(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?
-
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? ( I hate these standard types of questions)
-
Have you had any conflicts or issues you have had to overcome? Any disagreements with another person?
-
"If we were both doctors and you saw me doing drugs at a party and the next day I was making some bad calls in the hospital what would you do?"
-
Weakness?
-
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.
-
If you got accepted into an MD school right now and not any DO schools, would you go to the MD school?
-
Tell me about a time you had to deal with a stressful situation with a coworker and how you handled this situation.
-
Name a time when you failed, and what did you do, so the next time you were able to conquer it? (No academic related examples)
-
How do you deal with conflict?
-
Ethical question regarding contraception, however with a slight twist.
-
The first general, why CCOM, why medicine, why Osteopathy?
-
Why do you want to be a doctor? (it is just so generic!)
-
none
-
They kept probing after I answered how I handle stress, and specifically asked how I would handle an unexpected stressful situation in the moment.
-
Same as the above question.
-
A question concerning what I would do if someone in my group was not pulling his/her own weight.
-
If your peer came to work in the ED drunk, what would you do?
-
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 is the biggest problem facing physicians today?
-
If you had a couple come in and the wife was pregnant and it turned out to be a case of fetal death, how would you handle telling them?
-
What qualities of an institution do you look for in applying?
-
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.
-
none were TOO difficult.
-
Nothing too difficult, but overall the questions required a little more thinking than other interviews I have attended.
-
Mine were pretty straightforward - no off the wall ones...
-
They will ask ethical questions, so be prepared
-
The interview was casual. Very, very casual.
-
Almost Half the questions required thinking on the spot
-
If one of your family friends had a severe brain injury, how would you deal with it if you were a DO?
-
None really. They were all fairly standard.
-
How are you going to deal with failing a class because you will?
-
none. Very laid-back interview. Nothing to worry about...I think.
-
see the above cheating question.
-
What would you say if a terminally ill patient asked you to assist them with suicide?
-
NA
-
If I had a specific cultural or moral disagreement with someone and how I handled that situation.
-
Tell us one time you were at fault and how you handled the situation
-
What does being a leader mean and how did you represent that?
-
Name one thing you want us to remember (This wasn't difficult. I wanted to say more)
-
Tell me about a time where you had to make a quick decision and you were proud of the outcome.
-
There weren't any difficult questions. All the typical stuff.
-
History of osteopathic medicine
-
What are your weaknesses? What are your strengths?
-
Describe an experience from a leadership position and what you took away from it.
-
If a person refuses a life saving treatment due not to ignorance, but religious beliefs, what would you do?
-
what are your weaknesses?
-
No difficult questions. All questions were about my essays/CV.
-
What is osteopathic medicine?
-
None.
-
no difficult questions
-
Is there any sort of lasting impression you would like to leave with us?
-
How do you handle witnessing a doctor breaking difficult news to patients? (It seemed so easy but hard to answer on the spot)
-
Talk about a time you have been in an ethical dilemma.
-
What do you think will be the future of medicine?
-
Why DO? (seriously it was a laid-back interview)
-
Tell me about yourself (seriously, because they were all easy).
-
none really
-
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.)
-
What do you want us to remember you by?
-
If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only take a book, a cd and some music with you, what would you take?
-
non
-
How do you go about solving a conflict when the other person is unwilling to listen.
-
Describe a situation in which you had to overcome differences with someone.
-
If you were only accepted to allopathic medical schools, would you attend? Not really difficult, but unexpected.
-
What are two major issues facing healthcare and why?
-
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 was a major struggle you encountered during your preparation for medical school? (It was more difficult to answer than I had anticipated)
-
What I believed osteopathic medicine consisted of? (I know what it is, I just didn't want to give a poorly stated, fluffy answer)
-
None, All were pretty standard questions.
-
What do you have to offer to CCOM?
-
Why DO?
-
Tell us something to remember you by
-
Tell me about yourself
-
How do you know you can do this?
-
Describe an interpersonal conflict that you have faced and how you dealt with it.
-
Tell me your strengths
-
If you were on rounds at the ER and a man came in with a fast heartbeat what would you do?
-
None really.
-
What do you think about people going over to Canada to get prescription medications? What do you think of socialized medicine?
-
Describe a situation in which you had a conflict with someone outside of work. How did you resolve it?
-
What do you want us to remember about you?
-
What are three major problems in healthcare today?
-
Tell us about a situation when you failed, and how did you handle the failure?
-
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!)
-
I really didn't have any difficult questions
-
The Euthenasia question what a little bit challenging.
-
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
-
see above
-
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.
-
Name three major problems in healthcare today.
-
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)
-
none, really
-
Nothing really - just some questions about research/work experience on my resume that I had to remember since it was so long ago.
-
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?
-
What would you if confronted with a conflict? I asked for clarification because the question was vague.
-
Above. There were no "difficult" questions really.
-
Nothing really difficult -- the one ethical question above and a question about my weaknesses.
-
Who was your most memorable patient?
-
None were difficult
-
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
-
There were none.
-
If you had to choose one medical specialty that you know you don't want to go into now, what would it be and why.
-
One of your classmates shows up to clinical rotations hungover... but they could still be drunk... you dont really know... what do you do?
-
None really- all questions were personal and seemed easy to me. Other applicants had ethical questions, while I had none.
-
A female patient comes in complaining of upper abdominal pain. What could be some possible causes?
-
same as above, I really didn't have a patient that came to mind and I had to think about the answer for a while.
-
Why CCOM?
-
None really. They were all very open ended and about myself and my experiences.
-
very traditional interview... nothing too dificult.
-
What negative things would your parents say about you?
-
what question would i ask california governor arnold schwarzenegger?
-
None really, these guys really seem like they just want to get to know you and get you talking. Very friendly.
-
How would explain to a high School student the Pros-Cons of your undergraduate institution?
-
why medicine and not research? fairly straightforward--was the first question i was asked and i was a bit nervous and fumbled my words.
-
Same.
-
If an 70 year old man was at the top of the kidney recipient list and a 30 year old man with 2 children needed a kidney to survive, what would you do?
-
How would you use Osteopathic medicine to help with patient non-compliance?
-
See above.
-
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.)
-
What is one thing that you want us to leave here knowing about you.
-
If the head faculty of a department was very difficult to the point that it detracted from your studies, what would you do?
-
In depth questions pertaining to a research experience 4 years ago.
-
same
-
Same as above
-
What would you do if you caught a fellow student cheating?
-
Let's say you've been treating a family for many years, and the daughter is now 15 and wants birth control, do you give it to her?
-
nothing, pretty much all the standard questions found on SDN
-
Should it be a physician's job/responsibility to determine who should get a flu shot?
-
Have you ever been a leader? how do others look up to you when you are a leader?
-
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.
-
see above or "if you had a conflict with one of the residents as a medical student, what would you do to resolve that confict?"
-
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."
-
If a 13 year old girl came in and asked for birth control, what would you do?
-
If your best friend's 15yo daughter asks you for birth control, what do you do?
-
what is your weakness in a career in osteopathic medicine
-
If you came to the scene of an accident, car with mother and child -vs- motorcycle with male driver, what would you do?
-
nothing really
-
What are some personal adjustments you'd like to make within yourself that would better prepare you for medical school.
-
What is you strongest and weakest point? (For some reason I always feel weird about this question.)
-
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?)
-
Can you name a time when you had to make a split-second decision that you weren't proud of.
-
How do I handle a request I cannot satisfy
-
What would you do if asked to participate in physician assisted suicide? (basically told him he was crazy for even asking)
-
above
-
A 14 year old girl asks you for oral contraceptives. Would you give them to her?
-
Have you ever encounter a situation were people have different religious or political views? How did you handle it?
-
What is the one thing that you want us to remember you by after you leave?
-
A child shows up to the ER with no insurance. What would you do? Classical ethical question, which I was prepared for.
-
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.
-
What is a problem in today's healthcare system and how would you fix it?
-
It was pretty easy- nothing hard.
-
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?
-
nothing difficult as well, just your standard questions...no hypotheticals
-
Same as above.
-
Tell us about yourself. (so open-ended)
-
What do you do if the parents of a child refuse potentially life-saving treatment for the child?
-
If you were taken to court for malpractice, how would you deal with the stress
-
Why should we admit you to CCOM as opposed to the other candidates?
-
What is an ethical dillema you have faced? I was expecting a hypo question
-
what is it about you that will set you apart from the otehr applicants?
-
No questions were unexpected.
-
Why DO over MD?
-
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.
-
Explain ... (a specfic failure in my past)
-
None were difficult.
-
You are a family physician. Your friend's 13 year old daughter comes to you with a request for birth control. What do you do?
-
If I saw my friend cheating what would I do?
-
How did you become interested in osteopathic medicine?
-
I talked most of the time so only one or two questions were asked.
-
How will you combine your teaching experience with medicine?
-
nothing too difficult.
-
If a colleague was cheating his patients out of money what would you do and would you still refer your patients to him/her
-
I did not feel that any of the questions asked were difficult. They asked a couple of ethical questions, which were not really tough.
-
If your colleague had a different opinion than you, what would you do
-
What are your weaknesses
-
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?
-
What ethical problem have you encountered?
-
Why do you want to be an Osteopathic physician at CCOM?
-
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?
-
Nothing too difficult. See question on prescription refill.
-
Not difficult, but long. Why DO, why Midwestern, and why do you want to be a doctor
-
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?
-
What moral dilemna have you faced and how did you deal with it?
-
Tell us about your self, why medicine why osteopathic medicine, all in one question.
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of 20 - 30 minutes.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 3 people.
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.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a in a group interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had a closed file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Applicants commonly prepared for the interview by reviewing their application materials, practicing with mock interviews, reading interview feedback on SDN, researching the school website, and discussing potential questions with friends and advisors. Suggestions include familiarizing oneself with personal statements, secondary applications, and resume, preparing for common questions like 'Why medicine?' and 'Why this school?', and being ready for ethical and situational questions during the interview.
-
SDN + basic med questions
-
SDN, reddit, practiced questions with advisor and friends.
-
SDN, primary and secondary apps
-
reviewed application, practiced answers, reviewed this forum and other general interview resources
-
Went through sdn interview answers, read through my primary and secondary essays and work and activities sections.
-
Just did general prep from the interview feedback question bank but still they asked me different questions.
-
Practicing the questions on this website (very helpful)
-
Basically just did basic research on the school and reviewed the answers from my secondary application.
-
Read over my AACOMAS application, secondary essays, CCOM overview on website. and SDN
-
Not a lot, just reviewed what I put on my ACCOMAS application and reviewed some facts about the school and Chicago area.
-
Mocks and wrote answers for Why DO, Why medicine, and Why CCOM
-
Read over primary, secondary, resume, interview feedback on SDN, practiced potential questions and answers...
-
Studied the school quite a bit, what they have to offer for me and truly why I would want to attend.
-
Read my file, read up on the school, spoke to students I stayed with
-
I wrote bullet points to questions I thought would be asked and thought through several ways to ad lib between them.
-
Reading practice interview questions online, reviewing secondary essays
-
SDN, mock interview with pre-med adviser, read personal statement/secondary app again
-
Looked over some interview questions, especially basic interview questions like, "Why medicine?" Also, reviewed personal statement, CV, and secondaries.
-
Wrote out answers to about 100 questions. Discussed answers with family and friends.
-
SDN, prepared answers to questions I thought interviewers would ask
-
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.
-
Read the school info, talked to previous interviewees, asked alumni.
-
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
-
Went over supplemental application
-
SDN interview feedback; reading school-specific forum; meeting with instructor who prepares many students for interviews.
-
SDN, talked to friends about the school
-
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.
-
Reviewed my file, thought of questions to ask, reviewed in the Interview Feedback here.
-
Purchased a DVD and a book on medical school interviews, practiced with a counselor, read SDN and extensive research on the MWU website.
-
sdn, mock interview, other interviews, research
-
Re-read personal statement and essays, practiced SDN questions
-
SDN Interview Feedback, CCOM website, SDN CCOM forum
-
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 application, talked to current student I know, SDN
-
Already had gone through a couple, so didn't do much. Just checked SDN.
-
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.
-
Read over secondary application.
-
SDN, School Website, Alumni Reviews
-
SDN, mock interview, read over secondary and resume, practiced with my family and friends.
-
I reviewed the resume I submitted. This is what they will have with them.
-
Read my CV that I turned in with my secondary.
-
Looked over supplemental application b/c interviewers just have your resume and supp
-
SDN, reread my secondary and resume.
-
SDN, mock interviews w/friends & family, research.
-
SDN, read my essays to them, reviewed my personal statement, practiced with friends and family.
-
SDN, and thought of generic questions they could ask.
-
read sdn, ccom brochure and guidebook
-
read over my application
-
SDN, went over my application material
-
SDN. Read over secondary. Did research on the school and on the history of osteopathy.
-
I looked over my application materials.
-
Re-read essays, re-read resume, read questions on SDN
-
Re-read my materials, practiced typical questions
-
SDN, previous 3 interviews, reread personal statement and secondary application
-
SDN feedback (all the questions are here)
-
SDN, mock interview with wife
-
SDN, went over my application
-
SDN
-
practiced, read over cv and secondary
-
Read primary and secondary applications
-
Looked over my secondaries and resume, read up on important current events and health issues, and of course: SDN :)
-
SDN, friends
-
Reread my personal statement, essay to CCOM, resume, application, Read feedback on SDN, and practiced answering questions.
-
SDN, writing out responses, researching the school
-
sdn, fomer CCOM interviewer, frnds at CCOM
-
Looked over my full application.
-
SDN/AMCAS/School Web site
-
Read my secondary application to CCOM.
-
SDN, CCOM website, secondary application, AACOM website
-
SDN interview feedback, CCOM's website.
-
Read SDN questions and my personal statement
-
DSN, CCOM website, mock interview
-
Read CCOM's website as well as several other websites on osteopathic medicine, SDN, underwent an informal mock interview.
-
SDN, CCOM website, reviewed my application materials.
-
Other interviews. Read SDN, the school's website, pamphlets.
-
SDN, AACOMAS primary essay, secondary essay and resume, Midwestern website
-
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, read and reread my PS, resume and secondary essay, eatched the dvd they sent
-
SDN, mock interview, read my app
-
SDN and read all of my essays.
-
Having had 3 interviews previously, I didn't really prepare for this one
-
SDN and MWU website
-
SDN, mock interviews, asking other students on campus, practicing answers.
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SDN, Cheeseburger & Paradise
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SDN, spoke with second year medical students who attend Midwestern, read over AACOMAS and secondary application
-
I had my roommates drill me and I also had my girlfriend ask me questions over the phone.
-
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.
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SDN Website.
-
I actually completely forgot about this site until someone in the interview group mentioned it so I didn't really do any prep
-
I got up and got dressed and drove to the school...I am just myself, no preparation.
-
SDN, mock interview.
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SDN, Gevitz's book, previous interviews
-
Mock interview, sdn, reviewed my application, watched their DVD, reviewed their website
-
SDN, read over my application, school web-site, mock interview
-
CCOM website, sdn, read over my essays
-
This site, website, reviewed application
-
Mock, SDN, review resume, accomas
-
Read sdn, reviewed resume & common questions
-
SDN, School website
-
SDN, looking my resume/applications.
-
SDN, mock interview, read apps, watched DVD
-
sdn, read over my secondary app., mock interview
-
read sdn, school's website, my aacomas
-
SDN, Website, DVD, Personal statement
-
Reviewed questions on SDN webpage, reviewed my primary, secondary application and resume.
-
Read up on the school, look at SDN, look over my application and essays
-
SD, mock interviews, practice questions, positive self-talk
-
read these postings, watched dvd, checked out website
-
Read SDN, mock interviews, read over entire application.
-
SDN, mock interview, read my resume
-
Read about the school and did the typical stuff. The best preparation has been going to other interviews though.
-
looked at this website, looked over my secondary essay and resume, because they'll ask you questions about it
-
looked at the school's website (not really that great), mock interviews, SDN
-
SDN, school website, went over resume, secondary. Really know you resume and secondary because they will ask you questions about it
-
Read my Resume that i proved for them. Read the essay of why i chose the school. Checked StudentDoctor.
-
School website, SDN, re-read my application materials.
-
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.
-
Read SDN, researched the school on its website.
-
Read SDN, talked to current students, looked at the website, watched the DVD the admissions office sent me, relaxed
-
SDN, application
-
Read website, wrote out some thoughts/questions, read SDN extensively, and talked to students at the school.
-
sdn, school website and info sent, read over my statements
-
school website, sdn
-
Read personal statement, SDN, secondary app.
-
SDN! CCOM website, read over applicatioon essays, and looked at interview/ethics book
-
Read over my file, studentdoctor.net, mock interviews, studied about current medical issues and osteopathic medicine.
-
SDN, mock interviews
-
SDN, read school website, interview book
-
SDN, read their website
-
read this website, wrote out practice questions and answered them outloud.
-
sdn, ccom website, kept up-to-date with recent medical issues and current events
-
Read SDN, reviewed my secondary. Practiced answering questions out loud.
-
Read a lot. Websites, books, etc. on ethics, morals, Osteopathy, Midwestern-CCOM, etc.
-
sdn interview feedback.
-
Left Chicago 2 hours before just in case of traffic (which wasn't bad) at 6 AM
-
Took it easy; tried to prepare for the ethics question I knew they would ask.
-
Read SDN, personal statement, etc
-
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.
-
Self-reflection, SDN, mock-interview
-
Student Doctor Network, CCOM website, and reviewed my secondary application
-
Student Doctor, relax, sleep.
-
SDN, website
-
SDN, ccom website, reviwed my application
-
SDN, Midwestern's website, and a previous interview at Michigan State
-
CCOM web site; SDN; read up on current events
-
SDN, reviewed my app
-
SDN, application, midwester.edu
-
This website
-
Read SDN and actually slept ( I am a horrid insomniac)
-
SDN, osteopathy history texts, talking to alumni and a retired osteopathy professor, writing out my anwers to possible questions...
-
CCOM website, SDN
-
sdn, CCOM website, DO books, and 2 other interviews
-
Read school's website, visited SDN.
-
read SDN, school website
-
SDN, mock interviews, and a bit of research on MWU.
-
sdn, secondary, school website
-
Read SDN, the CCOM website, and paid attention during my campus tour.
-
Read this site. Read "The DO's" by Gevitz (good for historical background)Already had a few interviews so I knew what to expect
-
Looked over my secondary and the school's website.
-
sdn, website, application, emailed current CCOM students
-
SDN, not much, already had plenty of experience
-
SDN, CCOM website
-
This website, MWU website, re-read my application
-
SDN, Midwestern website
-
SDN, researched the Midwestern website, and looked over application
-
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)
-
This website, CCOM website
-
Read up on CCOM via the internet, and prepared a list of typical interview questions.
-
Reviewed the questions on this website and had a good friend give me a mock interview.
-
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.
-
checked out CCOM's website
-
Review my application and this website.
-
Reviewed SDN and school websites, reviewed my primary and secondary applications, read a book on osteopathic medicine, and got a good night's sleep.
-
by interviewing at other schools. By reviewing what I had written in my applications. By becoming familiar with the school through their website.
-
sdn, reviewed application, mock interviews
-
SDN, mock interview, talked with other DO's, read past interview questions over the internet
-
Looked at school's e-catalog. Prayed.
-
SDN, talked to alumni, read over resume.
-
SDN site, read ethics books, read med. technology books, answered standard questions for myself first
-
Website, SD.net
-
SDN, talked to a friend who attends
-
read sdn, read the school website
-
Reviewed my supplemental, AACOMAS, current events, and info about Midwestern.
-
Reread hx of DO, personal statement, CCOM website and went through an interview book.
-
SDN, read interview feedback, talked to friends in chicago area on how to get around
-
SDN, school website, reread application information
-
Read my secondary, SDN, and CCOM website info. They don't have access to your COMAS app.
-
SDN, interview feedback forms from undergrad school, studied my resume/essay (they do see these), looked at school website/catalog
-
read over secondary application, reviewed possible questions
-
Student Net, review essay and resume because that's all they have access to, get to know the ins and outs of CCOM program.
-
Talked to Alumni
-
SDN, re-read my secondary
-
school website, SDN, review my personal material & potential questions
-
I've had a lot of interview experience and basically elaborated on what I wrote in my essay.
-
Read secondary application, interview feedback, mock interview, school website
-
mock interview, read over application, look over their website, drive my boyfriend crazy with going over possible questions
-
Read over my secondary, practice interview questions, read "The D.O.'s", and interview feedback
-
Read over application (they will ask questions from app.), SDN, talked to friend that is MS-III there
-
Reread personal statement
-
This website, CCOM's website.
-
SDN, Midwestern's website
-
mock interview, sample questions, and lots of reading about the school
-
Reading this forum.
-
Interview feedback and mock interview with myself and a cassette recorder.
-
Went over my secondary and AACOMAS applicaiton
-
Midwestern University website, SDN, reviewed medical issues
-
Talking with my preceptor(DO), internet, former students
-
Read the information that I had sent to them in my application and had a Mock interview with a student who went to CCOM.
-
Reread my files (AACOMAS, secondary)
-
I did a practice interview with friends from school
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendly and welcoming atmosphere of the faculty, staff, and students at the school, as well as the beautiful campus and modern facilities. They appreciated the open communication, genuine enthusiasm, and helpfulness of current students, the quality of information provided, and the strong emphasis on clinical rotations and residency placements, particularly in the Chicago area. Suggestions for improvement were minimal, with some mentioning minor issues such as food options or specific preferences.
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Nice faculty, smiles immediately
-
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.
-
All of the faculty and students, everyone was professional and friendly. The campus was awesome as well.
-
I liked the openness of med students and the dean of admissions and background was very interesting and impressive to me.
-
The casual conversation between the interviewers and myself.
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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.
-
The staff members were nice.
-
Interviewers and admissions staff were all very nice
-
The facilities
-
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.
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It's a beautiful campus - very different from other DO schools I went to. Also, the match list is great!
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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.
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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
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Rotation sites
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The school had very nice, modern, facilities.
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Rotation sites. Chicago. Students who genuinely love their school.
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Got free food.
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Anatomy lab, professors seem really open and student-focused
-
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
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The genuine attitude of the people that worked/attended the school.
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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.
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Interviewers, anatomy lab
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Nothing much
-
Facilities, gate staff, faculty, staff, and students.
-
The students that gave the tour were really excited about the school and the program.
-
The faculty
-
Awesome clinical rotations for which you wouldn't have to travel around the country.
-
The facilities, the students seemed happy with the school.
-
The students were extremely friendly, always helpful in answering questions. The campus is beautiful and the anatomy lab was very nice.
-
The students were all very open and stopped by to talk to us. Everyone seemed to love the school.
-
Very passionate and helpful students (about 15 MSI/MSII students stopped by to answer questions). Great admissions staff that made us feel at home.
-
The students all seem very comfortable and happy.
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Students were very friendly, they have great rotation sites and a great match list for residencies.
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The quality of the facilities.
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great campus; clearly a well-established school/program; only school I've interviewed at that served hot lunch.
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Nice campus, nice people
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Practically everything--especially the dean's presentation. She was incredibly engaging and really SOLD the school.
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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.
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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!
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Friendliness of students, nice facilities, good food.
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Student reviews, campus, admissions staff, friendly interviewers
-
Great atmosphere - friendly students and staff. I really liked the campus layout too. Oh - the cafeteria is amazing...!!!
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Rotation cites, dorms on campus
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Incredible faculty.
-
environment that fosters learning of the students and the friendliness of the fellow classmates
-
All the students that came in to the room to talk to us in between interviews
-
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.
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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.
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campus and the area
-
Facilities were excellent and rotations students do seemed to be excellent, and list of residencies students placed into also seemed great.
-
facilities, great clinical locations, solid residency placement.
-
strong match list, nice scenic campus, the dean eventually eats lunch with all M1s to get feedback
-
I like the campus setting, it reminds me of my undergraduate institution. The clinical rotations are also amazing.
-
The staff and the relaxed atmosphere.
-
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 interviewers were very kind and personable.
-
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
-
Everyone was very nice and helpful. There was a great vibe here.
-
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).
-
Campus is in a nice location...lots of trees.
-
clinical rotations
-
The interviewers were really nice, and so were the medical students on campus.
-
Board scores, match list, clinical rotations, commitment to OMM (but not overbearingly, for those who don't really take to it)
-
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 staff was very helpful
-
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.
-
the students seemed very happy and aware of the school's reputation
-
nice people
-
The tour guide was full of enthusiasm and a lot of students dropped by to answer questions. The interviewers were nice enough.
-
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.
-
Friendly people, everyone seemed to be glad they were there, nice facilities.
-
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.
-
Campus, location
-
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.
-
Everyone was very nice and really were happy they were 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.
-
newer facilities, excellent clinical rotations
-
The students seemed happy, supportive of each other. The facilities are good. The campus is pretty.
-
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.
-
How completely thrilled the current students are about CCOM. They love the school.
-
Interviewers were great, school was nice, and the students were helpful.
-
Proximity to Chicago, nice-looking facilities, friendly students
-
The campus and surrounding area. All of the students and faculty I encountered were really friendly and happy to be there.
-
Everyone involved seemed to be truely helpful and wanted you to do well.
-
The architecture, on-campus housing, SNOW!, lots of current students willing to answer questions!
-
Everyone was very welcoming and went out of their way to make the day enjoyable and stress free.
-
I really liked the enthusiastic staff and the tour guide leaders. They gave me a lot of postive feedback.
-
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.
-
The dean spoke to us and she was very good
-
The OMM laboratory.
-
The relationship between faculty/staff and students.
-
All the faculty members were really nice.
-
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 enthusiasm most students had towards the school.
-
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.
-
nice campus
-
The facilities, the location
-
everyone was really nice. Students came by during the day to say Hi and see if we had any questions
-
Student atmosphere was awesome really really nice people and the faculty and staff were also very nice.
-
The location & organization
-
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 is so condensed, everything is so close and within walking distance. Everyone was Soo 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.
-
it was very very laid back and stress free.
-
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.
-
Every one you meet at the school is so nice and so willing to help. The facilities are beautifull and the school facts are quite impressive.
-
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.
-
My interviewers were really nice and they tried to make my interview more like a conversation rather than a question and answer meeting.
-
Graduate from here and you can get any residency you want. They even started a D.O neurosurgery residency
-
everyone was very friendly, campus was gorgeous-especially with the fall foliage
-
How extremely welcoming and friendly everyone was. They also have an amazing OMT lab.
-
Residency Match. I want to stay in the chicago area and they have residency matches at a lot of the top hospitals in and around the city.
-
How easy it is to get into the city. The clinical correlates in the curriculum is cool too.
-
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
-
The campus was really nice, the OMM lab is amazing.
-
Most of the facilities were nice, faculty was friendly, great gym.
-
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).
-
Quality of the facilities and friendly staff and students. Interviewers were very friendly and professional.
-
The well spoken director of admissions. The facilities were also nice. The types of residency programs that the graduates get into is impressive.
-
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.
-
Wonderful facilities, good area, friendly students, and professional staff.
-
Gorgeous campus, huge gym, sharp students, great FA presentation and school packet.
-
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.
-
everyone is very attentive to you... friendly staff and students.
-
Throughout the day med students would pop in and answer any questions we had. Everyone was very nice and enthusiastic about their school.
-
location; cleanliness of the facilities; cafeteria food was good; friendliness of students
-
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, and the campus area.
-
attitude of students, new buildings, location
-
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.
-
The location of the clinical rotations: no need to relocate because they are all in the greater Chicago-land area.
-
Shiny happy people everywhere - so young, so supple! Average age 24 - new facilities.
-
Students seem happy.
-
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.
-
The rotations are all in the Chicago-area, which is nice because you don't have to move around multiple times during the third and fourth years.
-
The campus, students, and faculty. I also liked the fact that they push a lot of giving back to the community thru service.
-
The facilities.
-
Very nice facilities. Great OMM lab and disection area.
-
the facilities are very nice, the students seem very welcoming
-
The well-kept campus and facilities and the friendliness of the students.
-
The campus and the facilities. They have a pool!
-
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!
-
Facilities, beautiful campus, cafeteria, library, new student apartments under construction on campus.
-
Its a great school and the clinical rotations are excellent.
-
The open-ness of the students and teh faculty. It seems to be a very supportive and community type institution.
-
The campus was very open with plenty of windows and that the top 2 residency choices are FP and EM (which I intend to enter)
-
The students seemed so happy even though they are studying like mad. Great facilities and beautiful (even though it is small) campus.
-
All of the students there really seemed happy. The campus was very nice and safe.
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Great campus, super friendly students, good admissions staff
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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.
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Campus is beautiful and facilities are clean and new. The students and faculty give you the feeling it's like a big family there.
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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.
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Everything. The campus is beautiful, the people are amazing, the faculty is second to none. I want to go here so bad it hurts!
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campus, students, location
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The campus! The buildings were georgeous and everyone seemed happy to be there.
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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.
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The interviewers were great. The group of canidates I was with were very friendly.
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great opportunities for rotation sites in chicago, school seems to be highly respected in chicago area, some new facilities
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facilities, curriculum, lack of empahsis on OMT
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The interview went really smooth and they (the interviewers) asked all the right questions for me. The campus is small.
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The facilities are brand new and the students were very nice.
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The new facilities
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The size of the campus
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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.
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clinical shadowing starts first year in Chicago
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(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.
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Campus was in a very safe location. The students were very approachable.
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The facilities are really nice.
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The facilities and how friendly everyone was.
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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.
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The campus is very nice. The interview went well and was very relaxed.
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nice facilities, happy students, great omm lab.
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I loved the city of Chicago.
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Students' universal enthusiasm for the program. Early clinical exposure and nearby availability of residencies.
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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.
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The look of campus, the interviewe's group dinamic, fascilities, library, many rotation sites in down town chicago, school's connections
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The facilities were beautiful and very modern. The students all seemed very happy.
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loyalty of students to the school, friendliness, new facilities, amazing cafeteria
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the new library facility
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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!
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campus - cozy, yet near bustling city, board scores - near the top, student body - friendly and seemed happy
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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.
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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.
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Very well maintained facilities and they are expanding. High COMLEX pass rate (about 91%), family atmosphere, safe campus.
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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.
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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.
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very friendly; they did everything they could to make you feel welcome; got to see (and smell) the anatomy lab; interviewers were laid back and open
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nice campus atmosphere, great OMM facilities and faculty, get all notes for class prior to class, students are from all over the country.
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Organized, Friendly, helpful, beautiful campus( I loved my tour of Chicago down town.)
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Everyone was so positive and so laid back. Students all have smiles on their faces and truly love where they are.
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excellent campus & friendliness of students
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Very modern campus and facilities.
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Friendly, supportive students. Great facilities.
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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.
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The facilities are really modern and the campus is intimate. All of the students really were happy at CCOM.
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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.
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nothing really
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Quality of school facilities
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The campus and facilities were nice.
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Campus facitilites, location
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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!
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Everyone was smiling and really paying attention to what i was saying. The last 5 minutes if the interview were coll becasue we just chatted.
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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)
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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.
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Students, faculty (being described as great!!!!!), facilities, everything is so wonderful here!
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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.
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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.
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How many new buildings the school had
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about the high cost of tuition, lack of engagement or enthusiasm from interviewers and student ambassadors, limited opportunities for interaction with faculty, outdated facilities, and a feeling of isolation from the surrounding community. Suggestions included improving campus facilities, increasing faculty and student engagement, providing more information about the curriculum and clinical experiences, and addressing the high cost of attendance.
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Tuition
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N/A
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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.
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school shared interviewers ahead of time but most of those interviewers were different than the day ahead
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nothing.
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school is super expensive. none of the student ambassadors knew anything about the on campus housing options.
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Questions were hard, they asked me questions that were not asked to anyone else.
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Tuition, Bad body language of interviewers, very awkward ending
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The tuition
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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.
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Just the tuition is worrisome, and the faculty mentioned how there is a possibility of increasing tuition by 2-3% the following years
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Honestly nothing, the school is great
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Lack of informational material presented, no chance to interact with faculty, student tour guides seemed like they didnt really care
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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.
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Weather. Barren campus. Small gym.
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There aren't very many food options aside from the main cafeteria, which is about the level of a nicer hospital.
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Nothing about the school itself other than steep tuition and the school website, which needs some updating.
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The weather was in the negatives on my interview day.
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wait time in between interviews
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The amount of classtime
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Shortness of actual interview session.
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There was a lot of lag time before and after the interview.
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None
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The school seems somewhat technologically behind. Very few/No outlets in lecture halls. Lectures not recorded.
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I am looking for a school that seems to be the right fit for me, and I am not sure if this is the one.
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If I have one gripe, it's that the school isn't as close to the Chicago nightlife as I had hoped. Minor inconvenience though.
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Not being able to share recorded lectures amongst students.
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Some of the labs looked old and disappointed that the new building wasn't ready for us to tour.
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One of my interviewers seemed somewhat discouraging, but this was probably an interview tactic.
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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).
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How much the students joke around about skipping class.
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not much
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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!
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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.
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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.
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nothing :)
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Felt very much like a college campus. This wasn't really negative, just different.
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Nothing really!
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Very cold weather
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Buildings, campus in general has an "old" feeling to it.
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NOTHING!
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The 4th year that was part of my interview group. He was yawning and looking out the window the entire time like I was boring him
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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.
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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.
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cost of tuition and living as everyone else before me has said. also the quarterly system seems a little outdated.
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Expenses. Tuition/living very very expensive. Not sure if I will like the quartely system with multiple exams to stdy for at once.
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the g-damn cost of attendance. there is no excuse for 44k/year in tuition.
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no sim lab, high tuition
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The cost of tuition and cost of living are EXPENSIVE.
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NA
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Lack of organized transportation for applicants -- it's expensive to get a cab completely on your own
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It was my first interview; I feel that my performance could have been better.
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You need a car to get around, facilities weren't wonderful
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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
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Not as up to date on the technology as AZCOM. But this is a nit picky detail,
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COST!
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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.
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The blank stares and coldness of all 3 interviewers. I had such a terrible time during this interview that I could not enjoy the rest of the day.
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tuition, cost of living in the area, no sim lab, older facilities
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Nothing at all!
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Very little. Traffic and winter, but anyone who knows Chicago should be aware of these things, already.
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We only saw one on-campus dormitory, and it did not seem very comfortable. Perhaps other on-campus housing options are more cozy.
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Nothing thus far
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Nothing
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tuition...
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nothing so far...campus too small
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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.
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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......
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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.
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They don't have some of the technology that I've seen at other schools, and I didn't like that they didn't show us the anatomy lab or the dorm rooms.
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The train from Downer's Grove to downtown Chicago runs at 1am and 6am. Puts a damper on going out in the city.
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Facilities were less up to date than some, not as many study abroad opportunities as other schools
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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.
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The facilities weren't as nice as DMU.
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Goose poop. That's it.
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small campus, gated campus, library only open till midnight. Exams 2x/wk @ 7:30am.
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We didn't get a chance to see what the on-campus apartments looked like during the tour. However, we did see a dorm.
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Curriculum is very stressful. Two 7:30am exams each week, 8hrs of lecture per day.
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The tour was really short and hurried as the students had to go for a quiz.
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A lot of down time. Cafeteria is terrible! Not very well ventilated anatomy lab.
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A little to much waiting around for interviews.
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Like DMU, you take some classes with other health prof. students. Also I couldn't stay w/ a student.
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We ran late other than that nothing.
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No wireless internet in classrooms!?, interview day ran a little late, (NOTHING MAJOR)
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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.
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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.
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There was lot of waiting before the my interview turn so that built up the anxiety.
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Campus is pretty plain, small, and not very nice. Food not so great. Interviewers very unfriendly and didn't seem like they cared.
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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.
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They are getting rid of the pool..j/k
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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
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A student who came in haggard and complaining.
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Nothing-everything/everyone were great!
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The dorms were a little old fashioned but nothing terrible
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having to sit in a room for an hour before and an hour after my interview
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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.
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The dorms remind me of freshman year in college.
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It was pretty flippin' cold that day, and there is a mob of geese on the grounds that crap everywhere`
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it was pretty damn cold.
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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...
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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.
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Not enough minority representation, just wondering why?
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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.
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Students were super competitive.
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one interviewer did everything to seem uninterested during the interview
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Nothing at all.
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The on campus dorms.
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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).
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The interview. I felt like it was really sterile and the interviewers didn't really try to make you feel comfortable.
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The dorms that students can live in look like a prison cell. I definately would not opt to live in the dorms there.
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Nothing really, maybe that i didnt have a med student along with the professor and DO.
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There were not a lot of minorities who are underrepresented in medicine.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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).
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The campus is secluded from the suburb and definitely from the city! It's about an hour away from downtown. Geese and their poop are everywhere!
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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.
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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.
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Its farther from Downtown that I would have liked. The geese made kind of mess and were roaming everywhere. Overall nothing major though.
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very academic environment. seemed less clinical based than some other schools.
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Tests every Mon/Fri at 7:30 am!
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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
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Nothing really.
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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.
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Breakfast could have been more than a granola bar. I'm reaching...
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All the students brag about skipping class; the school seemed to have a more undergraduate atmosphere than some other medical colleges.
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Exams at 7:30 AM twice a week for TWO YEARS! Ouch! Classes 8-5, which many people skip, apparently, b/c of the gargantuan course load.
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No on-site hospital. Not a big fan of OMM.
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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.
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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.
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a lot of down time
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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.
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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.
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The interview was a bit stressful; I couldn't get a read on one of the interviewers.
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Nothing, the school seems to be ontop of their game.
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A somewhat materialistic feel about students.
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The campus is kinda bland. It has a lot of open space, but no big architecture attractions. Truthfully not a huge issue, but something I noticed.
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Nothing really except maybe the cost of tuition but it's pretty high everywhere
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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.
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The campus did not seem to be very supportive of students with families.
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It was raining like a mofo, so it was a downer day overall
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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.
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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.
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cost of living, distance from downtown Chicago (it's definitely in the suburbs)
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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.
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gloomy weather
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The traffic driving from Chicago to the school. Don't be fooled by the name, it is located in the 'burbs.
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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)
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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
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some students "only going here because couldn't get into MD school"
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We sat around for at least 2 hours during the day. The school is secluded from the community (has a guard booth and fence around perimeter)
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There was a lot of sitting around and the interviewers didn't answer my questions well.
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waiting around and the antagonisitc nautre of one of the interviewers
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It was freezing outside while we were given our tour of the campus.
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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)
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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.
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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.
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Downers Grove - I'm not really a suburbs person so I'd try to live in the city.
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The interview was three on one which made it difficult to connect with any one interviewer.
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Some down-time with nothing to do.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The school is on the campus of an old university so the facilities are not as new, but they are gradually remodeling.
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Somewhat lower board pass rate than I would have expected.
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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.
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I thought it was within Chicago, the area is pricy for rent
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Distance from downtown Chicago.
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professors dont pay attention to all students (I attended a class)
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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.
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Nothing. Even the interview panel was at least decent to me. At some other schools the interviewers are incredibly rude.
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i wish the interview was longer.
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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)
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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.
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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.
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Geese poo is everywhere!!!!
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Absolutely nothing!
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Only our tour guides came to visit while we were in the admissions office, some other students did talk to us during lunch which was helpful.
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Nothing really, except that the schoo is far from the airport.
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not much to complain about...geese poop all over campus is about it!
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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?
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Would have liked more time to talk with interviewers, only 30 minutes seems too short.
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cold
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the two interviewers would randomly talk to each other in the middle of the interview soemtime. It was wierd.
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The amount of exams. There are exams every Monday and Friday at 7:30 a.m. Otherwise the school is great and nothing else to complain about.
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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.
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The third interviewer (the PhD) didn't show up. Only the DO and the student interviewed me. They werent prepared at all for that. That kinda hurt.
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Our particular tour guides were extremely unprofessional. I could have found out more by asking one of the geese on campus.
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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.
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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.
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Nothing particular
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The library. Although it is new, it needs more than it has.
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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.
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The cost
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly expressed a wish to have known more about the interview format, including the semi-closed nature of the interview, the need to be prepared for ethical scenarios, and the conversational and relaxed atmosphere. Additionally, many applicants emphasized the importance of being concise in responses, having a good understanding of the program's curriculum, and being aware of the high cost of attendance.
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They might flip your answers around on you, so make sure you can discuss why you made the decisions you made.
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Just one interview. Also, lots of time to talk with other applicants and get to know them.
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It is a semi-closed interview. The interviewers have your resume, personal statement, and secondary... but they don't know your grades or MCAT.
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How rubric-based the questions felt, wish I practiced my structure and delivery of questions more.
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How easy and casual the conversation was going to be.
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They ask a lot of rapid questions. My interviewer was not conversational and just kept asking questions.
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N/A
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More preparation.
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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.
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The interview is very relaxed
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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.
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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
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The estimated cost with cost of living and tuition is about $100,000 a year.
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How relaxed the interview was. Conversational with standard interview questions
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I perused SDN interview feedback and knew some friends who are matriculating there, so everything was pretty much as I had heard.
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To relax!!!
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To not stress! It was very relaxing.
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That the interview was semi closed file. They only had access to secondary application information and not any AACOMAS materials.
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More of the actual length being questioned.
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Calm down!!!
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More about interview day
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It is a panel interview. Multiple interviewers, one interviewee
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That the tour wouldn't be super informative.
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Nothing. There really weren't any surprises.
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Breakfast was only a granola bar. Good thing I ate at the hotel.
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Everything went pretty much as expected.
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nothing
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the interview is only a semi-open file. they have reviewed your secondary, but not your primary.
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That it cost $1000 to hold your spot and you don't have a lot of time to decide. I probably wouldn't have applied.
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How difficult it might be to get home (weather complications) and how expensive it would be.
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See what I mentioned above. I grew up in the area, so if you have questions about anything in the suburbs, feel free to ask!
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That it would have been just as easy to stay in downtown Chicago and get out to the campus in the morning.
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prepared for ethical questions better
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Nothing really
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That lunch would be so late!
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That it would be overcast and kind of rainy. Bring an umbrella, you never know when you might need it!
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how early the day would end, more about the local public transportation, how little institutional aid the school has.
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eat breakfast b/c the school provides little
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How short the day is. You interview in the morning, and you're basically free to go after lunch.
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That the tollbooths require change (not dollars) and there is no one to exchange it for you.
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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.
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I felt prepared.
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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
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They give you a DVD and a stress ball, so bring a bag that you can carry items in.
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You can skip the tour and lunch. This is important if you want to catch an earlier flight out of town.
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To expect a really great day.
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Nothing. Just relax if you can.
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interviews were first thing
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To carry $2.00 in change, coming from MDW. If you have to run tolls, don't run more than 4, and make sure you pay them online within 7 days!!!
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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.
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the interview panel varies from 1-2 interviewers NOT 3!
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That a 30 minute interview would fly by so quickly. I maybe would've tried to be a little more concise with my answers.
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Nothing.
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How laid back the interview was going to be!
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How far it was from downtown Chicago.
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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.
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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).
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That I-88 was more torn up than it usually is.
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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.
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no suprises
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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.
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The admissions committee only meets once a month, so if you interview at the begining of the month you'll have to wait weeks to get a decision.
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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.
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Not to much...They are building a new gym, but I already knew that.
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I wish I had worked on shutting up a listening. The interviewers had a lot of really interesting things to say about CCOM.
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Eat a large breakfast...I was starving towards the end of the day and it seemed like forever until we had lunch.
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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.
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None.
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How unwelcoming the interviewers were, they really turned me off to the school and I wish I hadn't spent the money to make the trip.
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Nothing really.
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Downers Grove is a pretty cool little town.
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That we would be looking at cadavers right before lunch.
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It's a little difficult to find as it is on the interior to the right of 31st St. I got a little lost.
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nothing - they give you all of the info that you need
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on-campus apartments are small and not very family friendly, as they are only 500 sq. ft.
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nothing really... sticker shock though!
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The Residency match result was outstanding. I believe this is a good place to be.
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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.
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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
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That my dad had locked himself out of the car and would leave me stranded at the campus for an hour after everyone else had left.
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That they are central time - not eastern. I did know this but I forgot to set my clock back an hour and it screwed my schedule up a bit
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Interviewers do not have access to your grades, MCAT scores, or AACOMAS personal statement.
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The first deposit is $250 (due at the beginning of December) and the second deposit is $750 (due 2-4 weeks later).
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Nothing really, I didn't have any ethical questions while most other students that interviewed there did so be prepared for those.
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I think it's possible to fly in and out the same day.
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exams every monday morning
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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.
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Students take tests every Monday and Friday at 7:30AM. Brutal.
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That I should have brought an umbrella for the storm that occurred.
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I wish I had gone to bed earlier - interview day starts at 8 AM! Ouch again!
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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.
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How large the campus was. 2,000+ students with all the other programs. The interviewers do not know your GPA or MCAT scores
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that they are make slight changes in their cirriculum...although no one could really explain the changes very well
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How great the school is.
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Excellent clicial rotations, campus bigger than expected.
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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.
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On-campus housing seems the best option and I have a cat I cannot part with. It's going to be a tough decision if I am accepted.
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That there would be so many good looking ladies on campus.
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How much it really costs. Tuition plus living expenses they estimate to be over $58,000 a year.
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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.
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how suburban the area really is
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how cold it was and how really close it was to downtown chicago, about 30 minutes
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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.
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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.
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They have a VERY strong neuro dept. and the 3rd and 4th year rotations are done, by and large, closer to campus than most other D.O. schools.
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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.
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so much down time, wouldn't be able to talk to students much while on campus
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good residency placement
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That the admissions board only meets once a month.
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The tuition is very high.
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they have no on site hospital or clinic, or at least that they talk about
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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).
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You can't do the anataomy lab if you are pregnant. This isn't pertainant to me or most applicants, but I did find it interesting.
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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.
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nothing really..the geese poop everywhere was nasty.
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The school is a half-hour from Chicago!!!`
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Bi-weekly testing! Ugh.
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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)
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On campus housing option with meal plans are available.
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distance from downtown Chicago
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The admissions office is downstairs in the admissions building. It was my fault I forgot to re-read their instruction letter.
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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.
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I wish I had a better feel for how competitive the school was. Reminded me very much of a traditional MD school.
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The Hampton Inn shuttle actually doesn't run early enough to get to campus. I had to use a cab instead.
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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
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How far Downers grove is from the city. The curriculum is only recently changing to become more problem based and patient oriented.
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How committed the is school is to Osteopathic medicine. They truly belive in the concept and they expect you to do the same.
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The business about re-taking classes in Nebraska.
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Length of interview.
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Don't stress out!!!!
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that they were on the quarter system and that the itnerview is closed file. DOn't worry about having to explain your grades.
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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.
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their website was really informative.
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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.
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See negative comments. It was super cold!
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I wish I would have known that classes werent in session during that week so I could have scheduled my interview for another date.
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Nothing...
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found the interview process at CCOM to be straightforward and relatively stress-free. They appreciated the opportunity to interact with students and faculty, although some felt that the interview day could have been more informative about the school's programs and facilities. There were mixed feelings about the interview experience itself, with some finding it enjoyable and conversational, while others found it impersonal or slightly stressful.
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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.
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Great experience. Interview day made me more interested in CCOM.
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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.
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Wish I hadn't gotten in my own way more, but it was a great learning experience for me.
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overall the interview was pretty easy, their questions weren't super hard. just know your app, have solid examples, and practice.
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I performed poorly. I had the highest chances of getting accepted to this school, and I failed to deliver myself in the interview.
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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.
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less of a conversation and more of the interviewers just asking the questions
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The school was okay. Nice campus but seemed very isolated
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Schools really just interested in your money, but it will make you a doctor.
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Nice and relaxed interview
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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.
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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.
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Really wonderful school, fun interview day. Their cafeteria makes a mean grilled cheese. Anatomy lab is gorgeous.
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I love this school! 10/10 would interview again =)
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The interview was somewhat conversational. I have heard that when others interviewed, they were really conversational.
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I was impressed with this school.
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Great school, awesome staff, welcoming alumnie, and great faculty.
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I think this school's greatest strength is its clinical rotations, which ultimately is one of the most important considerations. However, I wasn't terribly impressed with the technological resources.
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Overall, it seemed like a nice school. I just wish I had been able to see more of the facilities.
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Great school! Everyone seems to love it there (except one MSII that walked in and said she wasn't pleased with her rotations and stared at us for a reaction. she was the only one with a negative feedback I've heard from throughout all my research)
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You have a lot of time to sit with the other applicants before/after your interview. Be sure to wander around the building and pick up a CCOM catalog among other literature.
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Nice school, good programs, I do like it but not sure if I can commit to go there because I will still be waiting on other info.
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Great school.
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Despite having a negative interview experience, it doesn't change my view of the school. I take this as a learning experience to further prepare for future interviews, and to expect the unexpected. When dealing with stress interviews, always remain calm and collected. That is what they are looking for in their applicants. Wish everyone the best of luck in their application process!
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super friendly. like old friends you've never met.
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Interviews are relatively laid back
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Great school, awesome campus, good rotations 3rd and 4th year. Wish they emphasized the technology side of medicine that is so prevalent now.
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The interviewers are only given a copy of your resume/CV and your secondary. They go primarily off of that with their questions.
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Definitely one of my top choices. Great campus, excellent rotations it seems, and I think students do well in residency placements...so overall excellent other than expenses.
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Based on my prior interviews, I was expecting this to be really relaxed and conversational. While my interviewers were by no means rude, they were very question-and-answer, a little bit dispassionate and uninterested. Of course, it all depends on who your interviewers are. I did find it a bit strange that two of my interviewers, an MD and a 4th year, didn't show up. It seemed like everybody in my group got an ethical question. They don't have patient sims and their technology isn't that impressive. They also have quizzes and tests pretty much every week, which depending on who you talk to, is a positive or a negative. Also, if you're driving, bring lots of quarters for the tollways.
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I flew in the night before, rented a car (the school is about 25 miles from Chicago Midway Airport), and stayed at the Comfort Inn. The day started around 8:30 AM (eat at your hotel beforehand) and the interviews concluded around 10:00 AM. Parking on campus is free, and they offer you a place to put your luggage if you don't have any other options. While you are waiting for your interview, students pop in and offer you the chance to ask questions. After a brief financial talk, a student gives a campus tour and the school offers you lunch. The last two activities can be skipped if you need to leave town.
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This was my 4th interview this year and after seeing KCUMB, Western and AZCOM, I was really impressed with what CCOM has to offer. They have a nice swimming pool too. The dean (female!) seemed very nice and balanced. She emphasized that CCOM has a very demanding curriculum, which made me think that going through CCOM may be harder than going through other schools. CCOM students seemed very stressed, except for two or three "school ambassadors" that came to speak to our group. I was under impression they were trying very hard to be "cool" and laid back. I am a little concerned because CCOM curriculum seems very old fashioned. Students are under a great deal of pressure because of exams and the structure of the curriculum, it seems, but their board scores are lower than those in many other DO schools. I worry that the professors think that since they went through hell while they were in medical school, the tradition has to continue. I was under impression that Western and KCUMB had happier students. I still think I am choosing CCOM, though!
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Great school, great interviewers, great program... I want in! If you stay at the Hampton Inn in Lombard, make sure that the shuttle is picking you up. Even with it scheduled, it cancelled last minute.
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The interviewers had the personal statement and resume, but nothing else.
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I was interviewed by a PhD and a person in admissions. Standard interview questions. The students seem to really like the school and are genuinely satisfied with the education they are receiving. All students were honest about the admissions process and about the school, which was nice to hear. The day included a short financial aid presentation, tour and lunch with the students.
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Yeah, I didn't do too well on the "time where you had to make a quick decision." I'm not really good on my feet and hadn't prepared for that one, so I did a fair amount of meandering around trying to find a solid answer. The interviewers were nice though, and kind of helped me find my footing. What can I say, it was my first interview! Here's hoping for an acceptance...
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Generally liked the school. Cost is the only reason why I might not choose to go there.
-
my particular room was missing one of the interviewers and the interviewers that were there were not receptive. I was not having a conversation with them, but rather them asking me a question, me answering, and then long pauses before moving onto the next question. Other students that were in different groups said that it was laidback and conversational. It must just depend on your interviewers!
-
The interview was actually HALF closed file. They have your secondary, but not your primary.
-
Overall the interview day was enjoyable. The dean came in and talked for a bit about the school, and I was impressed by what I heard. Great match rates, great board scores, and a great reputation. Not to mention, very well established clinical rotation sites in the Chicago land area. The interviewers had access ONLY to our secondary applications and resumes, they did not know anything about us academically. Knowing this makes me think that if you get to the interview stage, your academic credentials are already considered to be good enough for the school. Its just your personality and characteristics that they try to gauge in the interview. The admissions committee meets once a month at the end of the month to decide on who to admit based on the interviews. I interviewed on 9/16 and received an acceptance on 10/3, FYI.
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We got there and we had an ice breaker with a person from the office of admissions. Then the Head of Admissions and the Dean spoke to us. They were both very poised and gave us good information. Then the groups were divided in two. One group went on interviews first and the other group went on campus tours first. Then the groups switched. I was the very last person to interview which was kind of stressful, but paid off in the end. I'm definitely going there next year, and sent my money in already!
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it was my first int ever but it was a great experience nice people, nice place, helped calm down my nerves
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We spent a lot of the day chit-chatting with other interviewees, nice to get to know people. It seemed like the interview was only to make sure you're not a complete weirdo. They didn't have enough time to actually get to know you off paper. Overall it was a good experience though. The students all seem happy.
-
You interview first then your given the tour/etc which is the inverse for how a lot of other schools do it. I was interviewed by a M4, PhD, DO
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7:45 AM-meet at the library (Littlejohn hall) 8:00 AM-split into 2 groups of 4-5 people group A-interview group B-financial aid presentation (sucks...she couldn't give you any useful info) 10:00 AM group B-interview group A-financial aid presentation 12:00 PM lunch then campus tour 1:30 PM dismissed. The admissions personnel were nice and informative. The buildings were nice (better than AZCOM). We didn't get to look at any dorm or on campus apartments. The curriculum appeared strong. The only downside to this school is extremely high budget (tuition+living cost+ books etc....) at $68K/yr and will rise 5% every year.
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Have to check in by 7:45AM. I was there by 7:30, and almost everyone in my group were already there when I got there. There were about 11 people in my group. There was a table with water, coffee and nutri-grain bars, and we could help ourselves. At promptly 8AM, we were taken into a library conference room, and an admissions counselor came in and talked about what the day was going to be like - she also walked us thru the sheets of paper given in the folder they provided. The folder contained info about the curriculum, rotation hospitals, matchlists, and the schedule for the day. The group then split into half (they had already determined who was in which group). Then, starting at 8:30AM, one group interviewed and the other group had a financial aid presentation...then the groups switched. I interviewed first, and it was by an MD, PhD and an M3. They were all really nice, and tried to make you comfortable! They joked around and even threw in a few of their stories about their experiences as I gave my responses. However, the girl who interviewed after me was apparantly grilled on ethical questions by the PhD...I was surprised cuz I only got one ethical question from the PhD. After the interview, it was financial aid presentation for me...it was kinda rushed through, and hard to understand the lady who presented. And I wasnt happy with the financial aid available. Then, we were taken on a tour of the campus by medstudents who were really enthusiastic and happy to be attending there. We got to see the cadaver lab, the dorms, the lecture halls (beautiful, btw), and library. Then, we had lunch with medstudents. The cafeteria was good...salad bar, pies, brownies, juices, coffee, hot-chocolate, cappucinos, lasagna, fries, and some meat stuff (im vegetarian). Then, we were free to go.
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I got there around 7:30, sat around, they did an intro to the school, then interviews, a financial aid presentation, tour of the school, then lunch. We were done by about 12:30.
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Very relaxed. I just basically had a conversation with my interviewers. The interviewers have access to your secondary file but NOT your AACOMAS. So they have your resume but not your GPA/MCAT. This means you won't get any questions about lapses in grades or poor MCAT scores. Also, CCOM has a refund policy on your deposit to hold your seat should you choose to go to school somewhere else.
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Facilities not as up to date as some, but students were very personable and helpful.
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The entire experience was very laid back. You need to check in by 7:45a and the dean comes in to give a short talk around 8:00a. Interviews go from 8:30a to 11:00a. While the first few applicants are interviewing the rest attend a short financial aid seminar, then while they're interviewing the first few students attend the seminar. At 11:00a they had a wrap-up session and told everyone what was next in the admissions process. That was pretty much the end of the official interviews; the campus tour was more informal. The students giving the tour were very friendly and answered any questions we could come up with. We ended the tour with lunch in the cafeteria (food was so-so) and then we were free to leave.
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Day started at 7:30 with check-in. Intro from director of admissions at 8am, and interviews started at 8:30 with financial aid presentation following. Group tour was at 11:30 and lunch at noon, then we were free to go.
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When you arrive on campus, they have juice/water/coffee and little breakfast bars for you to eat. That was nice, plus they're available the whole day, so if you get hungry or thirsty you can go grab some. The interview was definitely the most laid back and easiest that I've had. Very nice people. Students popped in and out of the main room we were in to tell us about the school. This place has a ton of international opportunities, which I though they might...and I definitely want to do. The participate in DOCARE, which is cool, but you have to take medical spanish first, which CCOM offers. The lecture halls are beautiful. I totally see myself going here and doing well here, because the environment is very conducive for learning. Downtown Chicago is about 20 miles east, and there is a train that goes into the city in downtown Downers Grove. Ok back to the interview... financial aid presentaion was kind of bad. Not much info. Tour was great; enthusiastic students lead it. They talked about the rotation sites, which are numerous in the Chicagoland area. Also, there are like 3 opportunites to participate in clinics (and you can right when you start school). After my interview, financial aid presentation and tour, we ate on campus in the cafeteria. I thought the food was the best by far out of any school, and they gave a lot of options.
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Early arrival (7:45am) with check in and intros with a nice talk by the dean. A lot of sitting around in the morning waiting for everyone to be interviewed. Brief tour by students and lunch at cafeteria (which was average)...overall low stress and nice interviewers and other interviewees!
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Overall, pleasant, relaxed, positive.
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The interview itself was great, one of the most enjoyable I've had so far. All three interviewers were very responsive and friendly. The day itself wasn't very scheduled. After the brief intro and financial aid presentation you just sit in the library and wait around for everyone to interview. You can check your e-mail or wander around, but no additional info about the school. Occaisionally a student pops in for some Q&A, which is really nice. By the time we got to the cafeteria for lunch most of the food was gone. Literally, one piece of pizza, a couple ladles of one soup left, half bowl of salad. Eat a big breakfeast.
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Overall it was a gr8 experience. The interview was really laid back and comfortable. The interviewers did not have my GPA and MCAT scores, They only had my resume, PS and secondary essay, so be thorough on those. The only thing was there was a huge window overlooking a parking lot behind the interviewers and cars kept coming in and out of ther, which was really distratcing for me. Also it is helpful to know that they ask a lot of ethical Q's so prepare for that
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Meet in the morning with other interviewers, welcome session with dean, interview, fin. aid session, tour, lunch. The day starts at 7:45, ends around 1:30.
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Very laid back. We had 10 people in the interview group and everyone felt the same way. The day is a little different as compared to most schools I have interviewed at because you interview early on.