Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific School Feedback

General Info

What graduating class are you in?

Response	# Responders
2007	0
2008	0
2009	0
2010	0
2011	0
2012	1
2013	1
2014	0
2015	0
2016	1
2017	0
2018	0
2019	0
2020	0
2021	0
2022	0
2023	0
2024	0

Are you pursuing any joint degrees (MD/PhD, MD/MPH, etc.)?

Response	# Responders
No	2
BA/DO	0
BS/DO	0
DO/JD	0
DO/MA	0
DO/MBA	0
DO/MPH	1
DO/MS	0
DO/PhD	0
MD/JD	0
MD/MBA	0
MD/MPH	0
MD/MS	0
MD/PhD	0

Are you considered in-state or out-of-state for tuition purposes?

Response	# Responders
in-state	1
out-of-state	0
international	0
Not applicable	2

What is your race/ethnic background?

Response	# Responders
Caucasian	2
African American	0
Hispanic	0
Asian or Pacific Islander	0
Native American/ Native Alaskan	0
Other/Multiracial	0

Overall, how would you rate this medical program?

Response Avg	# Responders
6.67	3

0 = terrible, 10 = world class

What is the reputation of the school in the medical community?

Response Avg	# Responders
7.00	3

0 = really bad, 10 = top tier

What is the reputation of the research that goes on at this school?

Response Avg	# Responders
2.67	3

0 = really bad, 10 = top tier

What was your undergrad GPA?

Response Average	# Responders
3.47	3

What was your undergrad science GPA?

Response Average	# Responders
3.25	3

What was the zip code of your residence in high school?

02865

92508

92602

What do you like most about this school?

"living in southern california" | Report Response

"Faculty staff training facilities" | Report Response

"location" | Report Response

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What do you like least about this school?

"clinical rotations arranged by yourself, large geographical distance between clinical sites, poor faculty/student relationships, money hungry" | Report Response

"Nothing... Maybe lack of research? But I did a research project and they paid me for it." | Report Response

"administrative difficulties" | Report Response

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Please provide any other general comments on your school

"If you are able to work well independently and enjoy living in the best region of the united states for a single person in their late 20's then this is a good choice for you. Living in Southern California was a great experience, and I would do it again. You are in control of your own destiny and can match into a high tier MD residency if you put your mind to it." | Report Response

What was your MCAT score?

Response Average	# Responders
517	3

Curriculum

How is the curriculum structured?

Response	# Responders
Systems-based	3
Traditional	0

How many courses are taken at a given time?

Response	# Responders
1	0
2	0
3	0
4	3
5	0
6	0
7	0
8	0
9	0
10	0

How long are you typically in class per day?

Response	# Responders
<1 hour	0
1-2 hours	0
2-3 hours	0
3-4 hours	1
4-5 hours	1
5-6 hours	1
6> hours	0

Are courses recorded for medical students?

Response	# Responders
Video recording	3
Free note taking service	0
Fee-based note taking service	0
Powerpoint slides provided only	1
None	0

How many days per week is anatomy lab?

Response	# Responders
1	0
2	1
3	2
4	0
5	0
6	0
7	0

How many students per cadaver?

Response	# Responders
Prosections only	0
1-2	0
3-4	3
5-6	0
7-8	0
>8	0

How long (in months) do you have anatomy?

Response	# Responders
3 months	3
6 months	0
9 months	0
12 months	0
24 months	0

Is the curriculum lecture-centric or small-group centric?

Response Avg	# Responders
5.33	3

0 = 100% lecture, 10 = 100% small group

Are standardized patients used?

Response	# Responders
yes	3
no	0

How much patient interaction is there in the pre-clinical years?

Response Avg	# Responders
7.67	3

0 = none, 10 = extensive

Are syllabi provided for the student?

Response	# Responders
yes	3
no	0

How frequently do pre-clinical medical school activities have mandatory attendance?

"always- which sucks, lectures recorded but attendance mandatory." | Report Response

"Rarely" | Report Response

"In 2012, about half or less. For the newer classes almost all these are mandatory" | Report Response

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What books are necessary?

"None" | Report Response

"none. They require some, but it's up to you to purchase." | Report Response

What books are unnecessary?

"powerpoints with all needed information is provided" | Report Response

"None" | Report Response

"almost all" | Report Response

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Is the curriculum designed to promote a specialty? If so, which specialty?

"no" | Report Response

"family medicine" | Report Response

Location & Housing

How do you feel about the location of the school?

Response Avg	# Responders
8.33	3

0 = Uncomfortable, 10 = Desirable

Do you feel safe on campus?

Response Avg	# Responders
8.33	3

0 = Not safe, 10 = Very safe

How available and convenient is public transportation?

Response Avg	# Responders
6.67	3

0 = Non-existent, 10 = Extensive & convenient

Is a car necessary at any point during your education here?

Response	# Responders
Pre-clinical years	0
Clinical years	0
All years	3
No	0

If a car is required for education, how available and convenient is the parking provided to students?

Response Avg	# Responders
10.00	3

0 = Almost impossible, 10 = Available & convenient

Is on-campus housing available?

Response	# Responders
yes	3
no	0

What is the quality of available on-campus housing?

Response Avg	# Responders
7.67	3

0 = terrible, 10 = great

What percentage of your medical school classmates would you estimate live on campus, if on-campus housing is available?

Response Avg	# Responders
2.33	3

0 = 0%, 10 = 100%

Is couples housing available?

Response	# Responders
yes	1
no	1

Is nearby off-campus housing available?

Response	# Responders
yes	3
no	0

How expensive is nearby off-campus housing?

Response Avg	# Responders
9.33	3

0 = exorbitant, 10 = reasonable

Please describe the on-campus housing if available (i.e., cost, type - studios, 1-br, 2-br, etc.)?

"no personal experience with this but was available, apartment complex owned by school." | Report Response

"apartment complex semi-affiliated with school" | Report Response

Cost/Financial Aid

Are fees/tuition expensive?

Response Avg	# Responders
4.33	3

0 = exorbitant, 10 = reasonable

How is the cost of living (rent, food, bills, etc.)?

Response Avg	# Responders
7.67	3

0 = exorbitant, 10 = reasonable

Are many institutional scholarships/grants available?

Response Avg	# Responders
5.67	3

0 = none, 10 = many

Is institutional aid need-based or merit-based?

Response	# Responders
Need-based	2
Merit-based	0
Both	1

Faculty/Grades

Are faculty members very open to students during office hours?

Response Avg	# Responders
5.67	3

0 = Not at all, 10 = Very open

Are faculty members very available to students via email/message board?

Response Avg	# Responders
8.00	3

0 = Not at all, 10 = Very available

Are there many opportunities to shadow/work with clinical faculty?

Response Avg	# Responders
6.33	3

0 = none, 10 = lots

Are the faculty willing to mentor students in regards to career guidance?

Response Avg	# Responders
4.33	3

0 = no, 10 = very

Is the class ranked?

Response	# Responders
yes	3
no	0

How is the instructional faculty during pre-clinical years?

"Good" | Report Response

"depends on year to year; seems staff turnover is changing quite a bit after my class" | Report Response

How is the instructional faculty during clinical years?

"Fair" | Report Response

"Almost no instruction except every 2-3 months. Varies depending on the rotation." | Report Response

What is the grading scale used during pre-clinical years?

"4.0 grade scale" | Report Response

"percentages with curves" | Report Response

What is the grading scale used during clinical years?

"pass/fail" | Report Response

"Low pass, pass, high pass, honors, fail" | Report Response

Clinical Rotations

Are the desired rotation sites easy to obtain?

Response Avg	# Responders
6.33	3

0 = difficult, 10 = easy

Is desired rotation order easy to obtain?

Response Avg	# Responders
7.00	3

0 = difficult, 10 = easy

Are the elective rotations easy to obtain?

Response Avg	# Responders
6.33	3

0 = difficult, 10 = easy

Is there substantial hands-on experience for medical students?

Response Avg	# Responders
8.00	3

0 = none, 10 = substantial

Are the rotation sites conveniently accessible for medical students?

Response Avg	# Responders
5.33	3

0 = difficult, 10 = accessible

How far are the clinical sites from the main campus?

Response Avg	# Responders
3.33	3

0 = far away, 10 = close

How are clinical rotations scheduled? What are the required rotations?

"electives the student must coordinate themselves, there is a lottery system for specific rotations for the third year core rotations which are osteopathic medicine (1 month), elective (1 month), internal medicine (3 months, 1 month of which being a sub specialty), family medicine (1 month), general surgery (1 month), OB/GYN (2 months), psychiatry (1 month)" | Report Response

"For me it was easy for others it wasn't." | Report Response

"3rd year is by lottery. All 3rd year and 4th year electives are self scheduled with exception of required ER rotation in 4th year which is also by lottery choice" | Report Response

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What responsibility do med students have on the wards?

"rotation and site dependent. Ranges from no responsibility to pre-rounding and writing notes on >10 patients in busy community medical center, answering consults, >24 hour call." | Report Response

"Note taking" | Report Response

"depends on the location, but pretty much what you would expect. Write notes, see patients, help write orders, very few procedures unless you're lucky or with a specific attending." | Report Response

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What is the status/condition of the affiliated hospital(s)?

"generally good condition" | Report Response

"Community county hospitals" | Report Response

"one affiliated hospital but you don't necessarily go there unless you get it by lottery" | Report Response

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What is the typical patient population medical students work with?

"under served" | Report Response

"All different types" | Report Response

"Latino" | Report Response

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Social Environment

Do students do a lot of activities outside of school together?

Response Avg	# Responders
8.00	3

0 = none, 10 = lots

How would you rank student involvement in extracurricular clubs?

Response Avg	# Responders
6.00	3

0 = none, 10 = lots

What is the range of extracurricular clubs available?

Response Avg	# Responders
6.00	3

0 = almost none, 10 = wide range

Is the student body cooperative or competitive?

Response Avg	# Responders
7.00	3

0 = competitive, 10 = cooperative

Is the environment supportive for underrepresented minorities?

Response Avg	# Responders
8.33	3

0 = no, 10 = very

Is the environment supportive for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transsexual students?

Response Avg	# Responders
7.67	3

0 = no, 10 = very

Is the environment supportive for students with disabilities?

Response Avg	# Responders
8.00	3

0 = no, 10 = very

Is the environment supportive for married students?

Response Avg	# Responders
9.33	3

0 = no, 10 = very

Is the environment supportive for older/non-traditional students?

Response Avg	# Responders
9.33	3

0 = no, 10 = very

What do the students typically like to do in the area?

"It's southern california... there is alot to do for someone in their mid-20's. Great nightlife and nature environment for all types of outdoor activities from hiking to surfing." | Report Response

"Hike, bike, climb, ski, surf, snowboard, disneyland, clubbing, restaurants, etc." | Report Response

Post Graduation

How do graduates from this school fare in residency and clinical practice?

"dependent on what you put into your education. You are provided with all the tools to get a top notch MD residency if you put the effort in." | Report Response

"Not sure" | Report Response

"fair - lots of people get into the specialty of their choice, assuming they have the grades & CV for it. Majority go into primary care, eg. family medicine or IM" | Report Response

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Is this school known for producing physicians strong in a certain area? If so, which area?

">75% I'd estimate go into family medicine and are generally superstars in the field when compared to MD applicants." | Report Response

"Primary Care" | Report Response

"not sure" | Report Response

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What do you believe residency directors think about graduates from this program?

"Within the Southern California area there is not a favorable outlook for non-family medicine applicants but outside of California the school has a good reputation, and matches students into MD programs regularly at top anesthesiology, radiology, and PMR programs. Within the DO match, the school has a great reputation." | Report Response

"I believe they have good views on them." | Report Response

"not sure" | Report Response

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