How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.60 | 258 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 237 |
| Negatively | 5 |
| No change | 13 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.55 | 247 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.42 | 184 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.05 | 169 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 3 |
| Virtual | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 2 |
| 20 minutes | 0 |
| 25 minutes | 1 |
| 30 minutes | 11 |
| 35 minutes | 3 |
| 40 minutes | 3 |
| 45 minutes | 12 |
| 50 minutes | 26 |
| 55 minutes | 1 |
| 60+ minutes | 202 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 254 |
| At a regional location | 1 |
| At another location | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 257 |
| In a group | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 251 |
| Closed file | 4 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.60 | 258 |
"Why KCOM? Why DO? Why medicine? /// Why should I want you as a classmate?"
"Tell me about yourself and your research."
"Why do you want to be a doctor? Why DO? Why AT Still?"
"A lot about my research experiences so be familiar with anything that you have in your ACCOMAS application"
"Why At still?"
"Why are you interested in the Osteopathy path?"
"What's the greatest compliment you've ever received?"
"They looked at my chemistry courses taken in college, and commented how I had B's in both inorganic and organic chems. He was super nice about it and just asked how I planned to prepare for medical school and how I plan to utilize resources."
"Why medicine"
"Why DO School?"
"Define success."
"Why D.O.? (of course)"
"describe osteopathic medicine without the buzzwords"
"What will you do if you don’t get in to medical school?"
"All of the interviewers asked, "why KCOM?""
"Why DO and KCOM?"
"Why osteopathic medicine."
"if you could go to dinner with any one famous person, who would it be?"
"In a world that is becoming increasingly more diverse, how do you see yourself fitting into this climate?"
"Tell me about yourself and not the stuff that is in your application."
"Why ATSU?"
"Researcher (1st hour): What do you see when I ask for you to dream about your typical day as a doctor"
"Why are you interested in osteopathic medicine?"
"Who is your best friend, and what is one good thing they would say about you and one negative thing they would say. And of course the infamous Why do you want to be a doctor question."
"Tell me about your clinical experience and what you learned from it."
"Do you think you could adjust to the small town of Kirksville?"
"What is the weakest part of my application?"
"Interview 1: with a professor : Talked a lot about where I am from, my family, my experiences and how that has influenced me to want to practice medicine and become an osteopathic physician. Not very many specific questions aside from "why DO, why Medicine, what are your strengths" It was very conversational."
"Why KCOM, why osteopathic medicine, what is your favorite non science class?"
"How did you decide you wanted to pursue medicine?"
"Why do you deserve to be a doctor?"
"We just talked about healthcare in the next 10-15 years the whole time. The time flew by for me!"
"Why DO? Why medicine? What can you bring to the class?"
"Interview 1: was very conversational, we did discuss my file and specifically by grades from when I first started college, which was a little different for me because I had never had an open file interview. A specific question was: If you get multiple acceptances how will you rank the schools and decide where to go?"
"What other schools did you apply to? Why medicine? Why D.O? Tell me about your research. What would your fiance say about you? What is one thing your fiance would change about you? What was your favorite class as an undergrad? How is your job as a tutor relate to the physician's role? What questions do you have for me? Mostly we just talked about how I moved from Peru to the states, Machu Pichu, my clinical experiences, and my family."
"Tell me about your most humbling experience. "
"What is your understanding of osteopathic medicine?"
"Interview 1: Basic questions such as Why KCOM? Why DO? Did you apply anywhere else? Other than KCOM, what is your top choice and why? What do you do for fun? Greatest weakness? How would someone at your work describe you? Otherwise we just discussed from my high school career until now, especially my work experiences. Also asked a lot of specific questions from my application."
"Coming from Chicago, do you think you could live in Kirksville?"
"Talk about my work experiences"
"How do you do for fun? Give three words that describes you."
"To explain the evolution of my academic life throughout my post-secondary life."
"Considering the healthcare crisis, where do you see the medical profession in 10 years? (we talked about this for the entire time) -- If you end up getting this interviewer, don't worry. It's still conversational and he's actually pretty nice."
"Do you think there is any difference between osteopathic medicine and allopathic medicine?"
"Where will I be in 10 years."
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years, tell me the ONE thing you want me to know (that's not in the application), tell me your life story up until now."
"Who do you most look up to?"
"All about file & grades, basically they each went through my primary and secondary page by page and talked about each section...how was this experience (i.e. shadowing, leadership exp.), did you like it, how will it help you in the future?"
"What are your strenghts/weaknesses?"
"Why don't you go in to a different profession like research or social work?"
"What is your understanding of osteopathy?"
"could you see yourself living in Kirksville? "
"Where did you grow up? Tell me about your childhood? Why medicine? Why DO?"
"Questions were presented within a basic conversational format. If I had to sum up one question, it would have to be tell me about yourself and tell me why you want to be an osteopathic physician. Very laid back interview, very conversational. 60 minutes."
"What do you think is the biggest problem in health care today?"
"What would you do if you didn't get in?"
"Why do you want to be a D.O.?"
"Why Osteopathic? Why KCOM? How were you exposed to DO?"
"PhD: tell me about your college life. if you overheard your mom telling someone else a quality about you, what would it be? tell me about extracurricular x. if you were an activist, what would you fight for? what was your most favorite class and least favorite class? how did you prepare for your MCAT? what was the hardest decision you ever had to make?"
"One interviewer went through my application section by section and discussed each one."
"Tell me about yourself in detail and help me find something wrong in ur application"
"Nothing specific. Very conversational."
"Literally every question was about my experiences (school and clinical) or about me as a person. "
"Why did you apply to KCOM? What other schools did you apply to?"
"What will the ''minute doctors'' in the Wal-Marts do to family practice physicians?"
"Tell me about yourself, what got you interested in medicine, why medicine, why D.O., why ATSU/KCOM, what specialty are you interested in? "
"Where do you think health care in American will be in 10 years?"
"Describe yourself"
"why medicine, why DO?"
"Why medicine?"
"Why Osteopathic medicine and not pharmacy since you had a pharmacy clerk experience?"
"Tell me about you, start at the beginning!"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Why such and such grade in this class?"
"So, I see that you have one blemish on your academic record (O-chem)...do you want to discuss that?"
"As a physician how would you handle telling a family and a 10 year old that they would be losing a limb (leg or arm)? He said he could never work with children. "
"Interviewer 1: professor How was your flight? The death question. About my research. What would you do if there was a surplus of physicians? (basically if you couldn't be a physician) Why do you think it is neccessary to bring access to disadvantaged communities? "
"Tell me about your family..."
"What was your favorite/least favorite class(es) and why?"
"Please describe a question and answer that you were not asked, but that you could ask yourself, and are ready to answer."
"How can we correct the insurance problem (all the people without insurance)?"
"Discussion"
"What was the last non-academic book you read and what was it about?"
"Where did your interst in medicine begin? "
"Talk about what you've done to get to where you are today?"
"You look like you have a strong file. (Yes, more of a statement...and it was my first ''question''...Wasn't sure how to handle it)"
"Favorite TV show?"
"Why D.O.?"
"Take me back to your childhood, and tell me about your life up to this point. "
"Tell me about your volunteer experience"
"Define Leadership?"
"File specific."
"Tell me about a time you were humbled."
"What was your favorite EC and why?"
"All specific to my file"
"If the US produce lot of doctors and patient population goes down, what will we do with extra doctors?"
"What is a bad trait your wife would tell about you "
"Why D.O. and not M.D. when your parents are both M.D."
"question about my app"
"Have you always been interested in a career in medicine?"
"I am from Louisiana, so all interviewers asked if I or my family were affected by hurricane Katrina. I had many stories to tell about the hurricane so it was nice to have something to discuss."
"Not many direct questions, very conversational. Talked about the school, community, Truman State University. "
"how did you come to decide on your major choice and when did you know you wanted to become a doctor"
"Which characteristic do you find most appealing in others? Which do you find least appealing?"
"Why did you complete an MPH?"
"if admitted, would you go here? "
"How do you explain this bad grade?"
"What are you the most proud of in your life?"
"What does your boyfriend like the most about you? What would he change?"
"It's 10:00 pm and someone knocks on your door. Through the peep hole, the person is wearing a labcoat and tells you that there here to conduct a random drug test and needs to draw blood. What do you do do?"
"see above"
"tell me about you"
"What do you know about stem cell research."
"What do you think about capital punishment?"
"Why do I want to be a physician"
"Why DO, why KCOM?"
"Describe leadership style."
"If you dont get into medical school what will you next? "
"Most of my interviews seemed more like chit chat and visiting. There were no hard wuestions and it was stress free."
"Why DO/medicine?"
"Tell me about your volunteer work and lab research experience (I worked in a plant physiology lab for a while)."
"Can you explain this bad grade?"
"The first interview was mostly conversational. The interviewer asked me about my research, teaching, major, and life experiences."
"Why medicine, why DO."
"tell me about your mcat?"
"Explain your withdrawals, your C's, why did you flunk freshman orientation, why did you drop genetics...etc."
"A lot about my application (lowest grades etc.) Biggest problems with health care etc. Basic stuff."
"Why Kirksville?"
"What is an issue in health care today that you would address as a D.O.?"
"Tell me a little bit about yourself."
"I was asked to describe many of the volunteer experiences that I listed in my application."
"Why did you chose to go to a small college for undergrad?"
"What would your best friend say were your weaknesses and your strengths?"
"What makes you tick?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"What one word would your friends use to describe your strengh/weakness?"
"Why did you apply to KCOM?"
"Tell me about yourself and start from the beginning. "
"Tell me about your work with the osteopath."
"How would you present yourself to the admissions committee?"
"When you daydream about being a doctor, what do you see?"
"Why this grade in that class?"
"Why medicine? What will you do if you don't get in?"
"Standard. If you have any flaws on your academic background, be sure to be prepared to tell them about it!"
"Why us? How did you hear about KCOM? Are you going to retake the MCAT? What do your parents do? Do you have any leadership qualifications? Specifically, leadership positions that have included the delegation of responsibilities to others? How do you spend your leisure time? What was the last book you read? "
"Why do you want to be a doctor? Why osteopathic medicine and why here?"
"I can't remember very many specific ones, but let me assure you that the whole process is extremely laid back. You'll love it."
"What would your best friend say are your best qualities?"
"Why osteopathic medicine? Why KCOM?"
"What about you really irks your best friend?"
"Is there anything that you didn't include in your file that you want us to know about? "
"Why KCOM?"
"you're non-traditional; what have you been doing"
"If you didn't get into medicine, what would you do?"
"Each interviewer has a sheet of 10 questions which they ask you to provide an answer. Often a question is asked followed by the question taken from the opposite prospective. ie. What do you feel it the strongest part of your application and then what do you feel is the weakest part. "
"Application stuff."
"Describe yourself starting in highschool?"
"What is your best/worst quality? (Do you think your friends/mom agree with you?)"
"What is the hardest decision you have had to make?"
"Tell me about your clinical experience? (I'm a medical assistant)."
"Tell me about yourself, family,....."
"Tell me about yourself"
"Why osteopathic medicine?"
"tell me about yourself...this interviewer did not ask many questions in the typical sense, he just wanted to get to know me. "
"Tell me about your shadowing experience."
"If you walked into a locker room and a colleague was injecting herself with illicit drugs, what would you do?"
"Just get to know you questions, specific to you."
"Why do you want to go to this school? Why D.O.?"
"About volunteer experience, and work experience."
"Why DO, not MD?"
"How did you prepare for the MCAT? "
"The obvious ones: Why Osteopathic Medicine?"
"Tell me about your high school experience."
"What was the most memorable part of your clinical experiences?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"What have you done in the past that you feel has prepared your hands for OMM?"
"Tell me what kind of child you were."
"Name a difficult situation you had been in (Besides the one I detailed in my personal statement)"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"Why did you major in XXX when you want to pursue a career in medicine?"
"above"
"Why do you want to do this? Do you know what you're getting into?"
"Tell me about yourself? Strengths + Weaknesses?"
"Mostly about activities, events, and experiences in my life, so look over your application and be prepared to discuss your application at length. "
"Tell me about your research."
"Why DO?"
"Tell me about yourself?"
"What leadership experiences have you had? "
"Tell me about yourself? What would your bestfriend say are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"What was your favorite undergraduate class? least favorite?"
"Lots about my application."
"what's the hardest decision you've ever had to make?"
"Why did you drop CS for medicine?"
"Why medicine? Why osteopathy? Strengths/Weaknesses? "
"My advice on this is to know yourself and motivations for why you want to become a physician. Since they actually read and remeber your application most of the questions you get (especially from the admission interview) are tailored specifically to you. "
"Tell me about your family"
"What specialty do you want to enter? Why? Where do you want to practice medicine in the future?"
"What are your strenghts?"
"Why Kirksville? What will you do if you do not get accepted this year?"
"what qualities do you ahve that will make you a good physician?"
"Pretend I know nothing of osteopathic medicine. How is it different from allopathic?"
"What is your view on abortion?"
"Tell me about your experiences."
"Tell me about yourself."
"Tell me the most significant experiences you have had regarding your extra-curriculars?"
"What do you do to de-stress? /// Tell me about a time where you received constructive feedback and how you came back from it."
"What are you most proud of from your application?"
"Every interviewer asked about my sharp change in GPA"
"Favorite thing about AT still?"
"What was your most difficult undergraduate class?"
"How many schools did I apply to and why?"
"Why Osteopathic medicine"
"Why should the admissions committee accept you rather than someone else?"
"What would your best friend say is your best attribute and what is your worst attribute?"
"What book are you currently reading?"
"why medicine"
"Why D.O. when both of your parents are M.D.? What do they think about it?"
"If I am one of your classmates, how will you interact with me?"
"What is your favorite class?"
"What do you do to relax and de-stress?"
"Why KCOM."
"name three words that describe the personality of a good doctor"
"What method did you use to determine which schools to apply to?"
"What does your dream future look like?"
"The biggest challenge you've faced? Biggest you will face?"
"Admissions Rep (2nd hour): (she had list of questions): Tell me about your experience working with someone who is not pulling their weight"
"What would you do if someone knocked on your door with several vials of blood, stated that they were there for a random drug screen through the school, and requested a sample?"
"What are three words that you would say describe you best?"
"How did you find out about osteopathic medicine?"
"What was the hardest thing you ever had to deal with?"
"Interview 2: file review with one of the admissions counselor : What do you do if your free time? What is your biggest pet peeve? What is something you cannot live without? If you were to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?"
"Interviewer tended to break down each part of my response to the big questions like "why DO?" and we talked about each detail of my response for a bit."
"What is one weakness that you see in your application?"
"How do you deal with, or work through stress?"
"We talked about why i wanted to be a doctor, about my clinical/volunteering experiences and leadership experiences."
"Talked about my grades for the vast majority, then jobs, research and clinical experience. My interview ran over (~1 hour 15 min)"
"Interview 2: was with the admissions staff. Once again was very conversational. A specific question: Tell me about your previous career and how you came to decide you wanted to go into medicine instead? (I'm parapharasing) "
"How did you prepare for the MCAT? What would your mom/dad say about you? What are some leadership roles you assumed? Tell me about X experience. What questions do you have for me? "
"Where do you see health care in 10 years. "
"Imagine you had an employee that was habitually late for work - how would you, as a manager, deal with that?"
"whats the biggest problem in health care and how would you solve it?"
"Interview 2: Basic questions from my application. Work experiences? What is your understanding of osteopathy? Tell me about your leadership experiences. Talked about his research experiences and what is offered at KCOM."
"What are some good and bad experiences you've had with physicians? "
"Describe a weakness in application and or how I deal with a failure"
"How do you see research helping you become a better doctor? What specific traits do you think a doctor should have?"
"What type of doctor would you like to be and why?"
"Tell me about your research experience."
"Why Kirksville?"
"Why D.O. and not M.D."
"Why DO over MD?"
"tell me about a current event in medicine that is important and how you think it will affect you when you start your practice? what will you do to help solve this?"
"What would you do if you found out a fellow student was cheating?"
"What would you do if you could not go in to medicine?"
"Tell me about your home life?"
"tell me about your research?"
"A 85 yr old man comes in with a shot heart and shot lungs from drinking and smoking his whole life, he needs transplants to live. He has no health insurance and the procedure will cost upwards of 3 million. What do you do? And if you are allocating that much money to him, what about all the children in the community that could benefit from this money? Why do you think early patient exposure is a good thing? From my angle (a professor, not a clinician) you only have 2 years to learn the basic sciences and then the rest of your life for "patient exposure", so why take up the precious time you have of classroom studying with patient exposure? "
"Again, conversational. The question this time could be directed by the question, "Every student I see similar applications from every student; now, application aside, tell me who you REALLY are and what makes you want to be a doctor." 60 minute block, 20-30 minutes of it were filled. The final interview, by an admissions director, was 30 minutes long."
"Do you think you can handle medical school curriculum?"
"Why do you want to be a DO?"
"Name all the schools you are applying to and whether you got in anywhere yet."
"If admin told you that you should take an extra year b/c you weren't doing so well, what would you do?"
"Mainly about my activities. 60 min. can be a lot to fill, so expect to go over many of your listed activities."
"RN: tell me what your academic weakness and strengths are, Why a doctor and why not a RN? tell me your top 3 medical school choices and why, what would we need to do to convince you to go here and why should you come here? tell me about your road to wanting to go into medicine. What is the relationship between a physician and its professional staff? "
"something u have struggled with"
"Same."
"Tell me about what you did in high school. What were you involved in? (personally I think this question was not appropriate, too much time spent talking about this when I could have been talking about my more recent experiences)"
"Tell me about your dad. "
"Tell me about your leadership experience?"
"How can art and medicine be related? (I'm an art major)"
"What are characteristics of a good physician, tell me your biggest strengths and weaknesses, what would a friend say about you, what do you do to relieve stress?"
"On the list of the most 11 industrialized countires in the world, where do you think the US ranks in health care and why? "
"Describe the history of osteopathic medicine."
"What do you know about osteopathic medicine?"
"Tell me about your best volunteer experience."
"Why not pharmacy?"
"What undergrad subjects gave you the hardest time, and why?"
"Describe to me what life as a physician is like, or at least what you think it is like."
"Why D.O.?"
"How do you deal with stress?"
"How do you envision your life in the future? What would you see a typical day like for yourself as a physician?"
"What was your favorite class and why? What was your least favorite class and why?"
"Tell me about your research."
"Why Osteopathic Medicine?"
"Interview 2: admissions What do you do in your spare time? How do you destress? How has your non-science major affected your career decision? How do/did you balance non/academics? Why Osteopathic Medicine? My parents are allo."
"Tell me your life story and how you got here (in GREAT detail--but that's okay because every facet is important)."
"What are the 4 tenets of osteopathic medicine?"
"The ethical one I mentioned before. The one about the prisoner versus the single mother getting the organ transplant."
"Why will a hospital or practice pick you vs a foreign trained doctor who they can pay less? "
"Discussion"
"If you couldn't be a physician, what would you do?"
"How did you get here? (Yea this one sucked)"
"Tell about a challenge you overcame."
"Talk about a specific instance of how you faced a challenge?"
"Tell me in less than 2 minutes why you can handle the curriculum in medical school. (I will assume this was rooted from a bad semester 10 years ago that hurt my GPA)."
"Last book read?"
"Tell me about your research"
"What book are you reading?"
"File specific."
"Tell me the hardest decisions you ever had to make."
"Why osteopathy? Why KCOM?"
"why DO why this school"
"Favorite and least favorite undergraduate course."
"could you see yourself living in kirksville"
"Getting to know you type questions (e.g. tell me about your home town, high school and college activities, etc...)"
"Where did you grow up? Do you plan on moving back home upon graduation?"
"What about osteopathic medicine appeals to you?"
"how would your parents feel about moving from la to kirksville"
"With your policy and academic background, what other careers would you consider if you could not pursue medicine?"
"Same as mentioned above: "You say you are interested in researching chemoprevention. By definition, this is taking something chemical and injecting it into an otherwise healthy human being. Why is this a good idea?""
"what other schools did you apply to? "
"What do you want to specialize in?"
"Have you always known you wanted to become a doctor?"
"What was your favorite class in college? Your least favorite?"
"Why did you choose this school?"
"why kirksville"
"How will you balance you class load."
"What do you think about abortion?"
"Favorite/worst class"
"What did you do differently when you took the second MCAT? (my score improved 4 pts)"
"Compare contrast MD/DO"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Tell me about socialized medicine and if you think it works."
"Explain your grades (I had a particularly dismal semester in spring of '04 due to a death in the family)."
"What are your motivations for becoming a physician and why DO?"
"Lots of conversation during this first interview. What are our strengths and weaknesses? Tell me about your research. Since you have a biomechanics background, what are your opinions on OMM?"
"Why would living in a small town like Kirksville interest you?"
"Please describe one of your role models. List some of his/her traits and why you admire them."
"tell me about your clinical volunteer work?"
"Why should we accept you over another student? "
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Again, all basic stuff."
"How does your wife feel about moving to a small town?"
"What was your most/least favorite class in college?"
"Tell me some specifics about your job."
"Do you know what specialty you want to go into?"
"What other schools have you applied to and if accepted here will you come?"
"Why osteopathic medicine? Tell me about your shadowing experience/volunteer experience? "
"Why medicine? Why osteopathic medicine? Why change your career at this point? What kind of medicine are you interested in?"
"What do you forsee being you largest challenge in medical school?"
"What is the last book you read?"
"What reading sources do you use for medical info? "
"How is studying science different from studying English (which is what my first degree was in)? How did you prepare for the MCATs? Will you be turned off by dissecting?(I said no way, i can't wait)"
"Tell me your story and how you came to be interested in medicine?"
"Why KCOM? Why osteopathy instead of allopathic medicine?"
"How is it that you improved your MCAT score by 9 points?"
"Tell my about your service experience. "
"More questions were based on my background in various different countries I have lived. Why do I want to do medicine considering the fact I am a computer programmer and self professed tech geek."
"Why did you transfer from a 2 to 4 year university? Why are you interested in medicine? Do you have any shadowing experience? What did you do or see? Did you observe any conflict between medical professionals, including other doctors and between doctors and nurses? What did you learn from it, and how would it make you a better physician? Do you know what an ethics committee is? How would you respond to a patient that refused treatment? How would you respond to an illiterate patient that did not understand you? Would you be able to recognize special cases in which the doctor is required to talk to the patients family first rather than the patient? (These cases don't exist unless the patient cannot make decisions for him or herself) Do you have any leadership positions? What did you do in them? Do you think you would be able to actively lead at KCOM? How would you do this, or what would you do? How did you learn about KCOM? "
"What would you change about your undergrad if anything?"
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"What is the most important issue in medicine today?"
"what do you like to do in spare time"
"Explain a low grade."
"If you could present yourself to the committee what would you say?"
"Why should we accept you?"
"If you had unlimited funding and resources what would you research?"
"Application stuff."
"Tell me about yourself."
"What have you learned from your research and relate it to your volunteer experience with an osteopathic physician."
"What one thing would you change about your life?"
"How did you get here (to this point)?"
"What do you like about the DO philosophy"
"Why do you want to be a physician? Why DO? Tell me what you know about Osteopathic Medicine."
"Why were your grades lower during your first years of college but then improved your junior and senior year?"
"Give an example of a time when you were a leader?"
"Second interviewer liked to ask scenerio questions, what if this, what would you do in this situation, what would you ask someone trying to get into medical school, all fair and no right answer."
"Describe yourself."
"When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?"
"Do you believe in abortion?"
"Tell me about your activityies."
"About my research experience."
"What was your most interesting undergrad class and why?"
"Tell me about your volunteer experiences. Tell me about your physical therapy and EMT experiences."
"Why KCOM?"
"What has been the most difficult decision I had to make in life?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"Will research play an important roll in your medical career?"
"Are you ready to transition to a small town?"
"Ethical Question: You discover during exam that your patient has cancer. The family wants you to keep the information from him, even though he is middle aged, non-disabled, and fully functioning mentally and physically. What do you do?"
"What I do to relax."
"What do you do to relax?"
"Tell me about the health care issues of today."
"What do you like to do outside of academics?"
"Why Medicine, why D.O., why KCOM, why grade in class X?"
"How did you acquire information about osteopathic medicine and KCOM?"
"Why do you want to be a physician?"
"What role do you see spirituality playing in your medical practice?"
"Tell me about your experiences? especially your medical experiences."
"Have you ever shadowed a physician (no)? How do you know you want to go into osteopathic medicine if you have never shadowed a D.O.?"
"Describe an instance in which someone you knew did something that threatened or was against your morals. How did you handle that situation?"
"What is something about your application that you wish the admissions committee would not pay attention to?"
"How would you respond to someone asking you to prescibe something you thought they didn't need or ethically felt conflicted by? "
"what will be the most difficult part of medical school?"
"Tell me about your flying experiences."
"Lots of stuff from application"
"How did you learn about osteopathy"
"Tell me about your leadership experience."
"What do you do for fun?"
"Why Osteopathy?"
"What do you know about osteopathic medicine? What do you feel will be the most challenging aspect of med school? "
"what do you like to do in your spare time?"
"If a 15 year old came to you for an abortion, would you inform her parents?"
"What do you think I should know about you?"
"What was something really difficult in your life, and how did you overcame this."
"How do you study for a course?"
"Who's in your support system? /// Do you have any setbacks in your academic history? How did you come back from it?"
"So, why osteopathic medicine?"
"do you have any weaknesses in your application"
"What other schools did you apply to?"
"Asked about the jump in my MCAT scores"
"Asked questions relating to my clinical experiences"
"Has anyone ever tried to deter you from becoming a physician (besides another physician)?"
"Is there anything else you would like the admissions committee to know?"
"Tell me about your journey to medical school? Were there any set-backs along the way?"
"What would you do if you weren't accepted to any schools this year?"
"why DO"
"You observe another student cheating, what do you do?"
"Has anyone ever discouraged you from going into medicine?"
"What was a stressful time in your life and how did you deal with it?"
"who is the antithesis of your hero and why?"
"Do you think you are emotionally ready for the stresses of Med School?"
"DO (3rd hour): Tell me about your biggest challenge"
"What interests you about KCOM?"
"Tell me about a time when you have had a leadership role, and do you see yourself as someone that will be a positive influence on your peers?"
"Tell me about you work with the underserved."
"Why did you choose X major?"
"Interview 3: with a physician/clinical professor : Why do you want to be a doctor, Why KCOM, What are some community service activities you have done, Why did you choose to study abroad, How did you come to choose Ghana, What was the most interesting experience you had there."
"Other than through leading by example, how can you encourage people to treat immigrants/minorities with respect?"
"Where do you see yourself ten years from now?"
"Tell me more about your shadowing experiances."
"Why i want to be a doctor and what field of medicine i want to go into."
"What do I do for fun? Info about the admissions process."
"Interview 3: was a little wierd. The interviewer was very nice, but a little dry and it was hard to read my impression on him. More "interview style." Specific question: Do you think women have a harder time in this profession than men?"
"What other schools did you apply to? What do you do for fun? Did you always know you wanted to go into medicine? How did you arrive at that decision? What questions do you have for me? "
"Tell me about someone you admire and what are their characteristics. "
"Tell me about a time that you failed in life."
"if you have a practice 10 years from now, what do you suppose your patients would say about you?"
"Interview 3: Is there anything about your academic record you would like to address? Anything you want me to know about you that's not in your application? What do you do for fun? "
"With the new technologies patients have online they may be more likely to question your treatment plans, do you see this as positive or negative?"
"So why did you get an MBA in accounting when you're planning to become a doctor?"
"To restate, in new words, my entire personal statement and expand on it."
"Talk about your shadowing experience. Favorite extracurricular? Best and worst class you've taken?"
"Questions about leadership, my research, what would I do if I didn't get into medical school this year."
"Where else did you apply/interview?"
"How do you handle stress, questions about volunteer and work experiences."
"What was the most exciting moment of you life?"
"what is your ideal life in 10 years?"
"What medical specialty are you interested in?"
"Tell me about how you came to this point in your life..."
"Tell me about your clinical experience?"
"tell me about your study abroad experience?"
"Is there anything you left out of your previous interview that you would like us to know? Any updates to your file?"
"What other schools have you applied to?"
"What do you think of Kirksville?"
"Why medicine?"
"Asked to rank top three schools and why they're that rank."
"admissions commitee (15 min interview): tell me about your hobbies, tell me about your extracurricular x. "
"What was your favorite volunteer activity?"
"why dont u have hospital experience "
"Same."
"Friendly conversation"
"What do you think is the most difficult aspect of the business side of a medical practice?"
"If you get accepted at more than one school, how will you decide where to go?"
"What does the future look like in medicine?"
"Tell us about your past/current classes, jobs, shadow, and volunteer experience? We talked briefly about the status (negatives and positives) of U.S. healthcare."
"If there was no longer any need for doctors and all med schools were closed, what profession would you go into?"
"What is the largest problem facing medicine today?"
"how do you like Kirksville?"
"What do you like about teaching?"
"How do you feel about Kirksville?"
"If you could be an advocate for a cause, what would it be and why?"
"How do you feel about the future of medicine in America?"
"Why did you pick your major?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"What is the most important tool in succeeding in medical school?"
"Why osteopathic medicine and why KCOM?"
"A guy comes to your house saying he's fro the university and wants a book sample to test for certain drugs. What would you do?"
"Why do you want to be a DO?"
"What does a doctor do?"
"Interview 3: administration What do you do in your spare time? The legacy question. If you got into your top 5 schools, why KCOM? Your LOR is concerned with your balance between academic/non-academics, how have you learned from this/balanced it? Talk about your leadership experience."
"If you couldn't practice medicine what would you do?"
"Tell us one positive aspect and one negative aspect on universal health care."
"What do you think about the doc in a box clinics they are setting up in Walmart's?"
"Discussion"
"If there was one thing about your college experience that you would change, what would it be?"
"Should america adopt socialistic medicine?"
"Where do you see healthcare going in the future?"
"How would your mother describe you? (This was odd as I don't have all that great of a relationship with my mother, I'm 30, and married)."
"If I could not choose medicine as a career, what would I choose?"
"When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in medicine?"
"What valuable lessons did you learn from your clinical experiences?"
"What do you want to know about our school and Kirksville?"
"What do you have for me? These were the only three questions I was asked in two hours. "
"File specific. "
"Tell me about a time you lose integrity."
"What area of medicine are you most interested in?"
"IF you find out that one of your friends or coworkers is abusing drugs what would you do?"
"Will you be okay in a small town"
"What I like to do for fun."
"who makes up your support? how do you handle stress"
"What specialty are you interested in?"
"What field of medicine do you want to be in? "
"What have you been doing since graduation? Tell about volunteer experiences."
"volunteer experiences, what did you do , what do you do for fun and what other languages do you speak"
"What is medicine, in your words?"
"Same as mentioned above: "Given the current crisis in American healthcare, what is the solution?""
"how do you handle stress?"
"Why osteopathic medicine? "
"What factors are going to play the biggest role in determining where you choose to go to medical school?"
"Why did you choose this particular study abroad program (I did Ecuador)."
"Describe a challenge in your life you had to deal with."
"why osteopathic medicine"
"Name a time in your life you failed, and how did you handle it. How do you overcome difficulties in your life."
"What do you think about euthanasia?"
"hobbies"
"What do you think will be the biggest challenge in medical school?"
"Why DO?"
"Tell me about your research?"
"I was asked a host of grades/curricular/MCAT questions in my second interview, but at least he was trying to be nice, not fluster me."
"Where do you want to be in 10 years? What will you do if you aren't accepted? (That one gave me the willies-thank goodness I was accepted!)"
"Specific questions about my experiences in my application."
"The third interview was a little more stressful. He asked me if I had and leadership experiences. What was the last book I read? This was supposed to be an hour interview but it ended up being about a half hour since we started late."
"Just generally be prepared for them to ask specific questions about info in your secondary application."
"See notes above."
"when did you first want to become a physician?"
"Tell me about your internship. "
"MCAT questions, etc. They really get into your profile (MCAT, Grades, etc)"
"How did you arrive at the decision to go into medicine?"
"Why osteopathic medicine?"
"Tell me something unique about yourself."
"Why are you applying to D.O. schools?"
"Tell me about your home town and your family."
"How did you change from freshman to senior year in college? What do you think about diversity in medicine?"
"How will you deal with the rigors of medical school? How will your family handle the years you are in medical school?"
"Tell me something about yourself not found in your file."
"How did you first become aware of osteopathic medicine?"
"What area of medicine are you interested in?"
"How would your parents feel about you moving so far away? (probably because I went to undergrad close to where I grew up)"
"What do you do for fun? Why do you want to be a doctor? When did you first decide you wanted to be a doctor?"
"Tell me about living abroad. Did you experience alot of anti-Americanism? "
"What do you feel will be your biggest obstacle during your first year?"
"Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
"If your best friend were to describe you, what would they say are your best and worst qualities?"
"Do you have any additional information that was not in your file at the time of your application? Why osteopathy? How did you learn about KCOM? What is the lasting impression you would like to leave with the admissions committee? (This is for the 15-minute admissions officer interview)."
"Tell me everything that is good about you and do not be modest...."
"What have your experiences taught you that will help you be a good physician?"
"What would you do as a career if medicine didn't work out? (Teacher, secondary level)"
"what are some of your weaknesses"
"Tell me about your undergraduate thesis."
"What's one thing about you that your family/friends would say about that drives them up the wall."
"what word would your friends use to describe you?"
"If you could go back and do one thing differently during your undergrad, what would you do?"
"What was your most interesting class and what was your most uninteresting class?"
"Application stuff."
"All else were "typical": How did you learn about osteopathy? Why are your grades the way they are? How do you handle stress? What makes you different from other candidates?"
"What do you see yourself doing if you don't get accepted to medical school this year (asked by both interviewers, hmmm...)"
"What do like to do for fun?"
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"Why should we admit you?"
"When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?"
"There is also a 10-15 minute interview with an admission person, no real questions just getting to know where your coming from, if you like everything so far, etc..."
"Tell me about this and this activity."
"During college have you had any conflicts with the people you went to school with?"
"Tell me about yourself..."
"What is one thing that you are most proud of?"
"Why I decided to no longer attend PT school and become a physician?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"Why KCOM, osteopathic med? Do you have any questions? ---Most of my interview was discussing random stuff that I had in common with the interviewers."
"What was your most difficult decision/experience?"
"Where do I see myself in ten years?"
"Tell me about your research project."
"Why did you major in Microbiology?"
"What are your weaknesses, strenghts . .."
"Do you get along with your father? (Did I mention how much I despised this interviewer?)"
"What would you do if you weren't accepted this year? (I told them I was already accepted to AZCOM, and proceeded to asking why he things I should go to KCOM over AZCOM.)"
"Specific question about my research and I did not know the answer bc it was so indepth. I suggest you thorougly go over your research so you show that you know what you did!"
"What do you feel is the weakest aspect of your application?"
"What did you learn from experience A. What leadership exp.? What do you do for fun? What is fav. and least fav. class?"
"Big shocker here: Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What questions do you have about the school?"
"What do you anticipate being your biggest challenge in medical school and how to you plan to cope with it?"
"How did you become interested in osteopathic medicine and why go DO?"
"What challenges have you faced in life, and how have you overcome them?"
"Why medicine/osteopathy? In the end, I was asked to sell myself, what makes me a good applicant. "
"What is something about your application that you wish the admissions committee would pay more attention to?"
"See hardest question about. And it was the hardest question, which should say a lot about the interview. It is very, very relaxed and conversational."
"experience-related questions"
"Would your Guard service conflict with school?"
"What do you like to do for fun? What was the funnest thing you have ever done?"
"How did you decide what schools to apply to"
"Are your parents supportive of your decision to go to a DO school (as opposed to MD)?"
"How did you learn about D.O.'s"
"Why KCOM?"
"What leadership roles have you had?"
"Would you preform the abortion if you two were on the island and you were the only one who could perform it? What is your view on capital punishment?"
"What is your biggest concern going into medical school."
"Tell me about a challenging situation you have been in."
"The interviewers really wanted to get to know me. Asked me a lot about my gap year research, history as an elite athlete, and what I do in my free time"
"One of the interviewers asked me more about my hobbies and was very into it. I could tell with the type of questions they asked around it."
"If you could not go into medicine what would you want to do?"
"Will you be able to adjust to the small town"
"What's your greatest compliment?"
"Asked me about my college football career."
"How do you think you will fit into KCOM coming from a big city?"
"Was there ever a time during your pre-med journey where you doubted your ability to get into medical school?"
"What do you think of Kirksville so far?"
"What course do you think you'll have the most difficulty with in medical school?"
"How do you handle failure?"
"what stresses you out"
"Tell me about your experience in competitive cheerleading. (Listed in one of my application essays and secondary response)."
"Specific questions about my file"
"Tell me about your hobbies."
"what is your favorite movie and if you could be any character from the movie, who would it be and why?"
"What would you do if someone knocked on your door with several vials of blood, stated that they were there for a random drug screen through the school, and requested a sample?"
"none of them were particularly interesting but, the interview was very converstational so some interesting topics come up, but they are not necessarily questions. It more like a pleasant conversation."
"n/a"
"What is your biggest pet peeve?"
"If you observed a fellow physician stealing pharmaceuticals from the practice, what would you do?"
"What qualities make you a good canidate for our school?"
"What is a realistic way to solve the healthcare crisis?"
"Picture yourself in 5 years, which doctor that you have shadowed would you most like to resemble? Which one would you not want to be like?"
"Do you think you deserve special treatment because you are a woman with a family?"
"What is one thing your fiance would change about you?"
"Tell me about a problem you faced and how you dealt with it. "
"what kind of music do you listen to?"
"Nothing really.. They were all basic questions. "
"Where do you see yourself on the line of long term versus short term rewards (comparing dermatology with oncology)?"
"Why did I major in History if I always wanted to be a doctor"
"You mentioned about entrepreneurship so many times throughout your application, tell me why?"
"Last book I read."
"If you could have a conversation with anyone in the world who would it be and why?"
"It was all very conversational. "
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Interview was extremely conversational. Grades/MCAT were not mentioned. In fact, I don't think the file was even opened."
"Probably determining the most exciting moment in my life."
"How do you like Kirksville?"
"How do you personally deal with stress?"
"I am a pear, you are a plum, what is the desk......... Im only joking. The interview was all conversation. Nothing too difficult"
"the interviewer asked me about being an eagle scout and we had a good conversation about that. "
"How do we prevent outsourcing of medical procedures to foreign countries?"
"With all of these Doc in a Boxes popping up, they are putting physicians out of work, because people are seeking their care from RN's. What can we do about this?"
"How will your background in art come into play in your performance as a physician?"
"All of the interviews were more conversation like than they were interviews. It seemed to me that they were more interested in just getting to know me as a person than they were in asking unique or difficult questions."
"Last book you read and why or why didn't you like it?"
"What would you do if you had a patient who was very demanding (or annoying) and after doing some kind of treatment or med change they say "something doesn't feel right," what would you do?"
"Do you see a problem with professionalism with todays doctors?"
"Tell me a negative and a positive aspect of someone who is not a doctor that you've experienced, and the same with someone who is a doctor."
"Is there anything about your academic record you would like to address?"
"If you had to be an advocate for a cause/charity what would it be?"
"how would your mother describe you? after they asked me about how my dad would describe you"
"Nothing in particular, it was very laid back and conversational."
"Tell me about yourself and start from the beginning."
"Tell me about yourself, start from the beginning. (Wait, you went too fast. . .I want to hear details about your family, what your life was like in high school, etc)"
"Tell me about your undergrad advisor (the person who wrote my recommendation)?"
"What do you think about medical-tourism?"
"Are you interested in coming to ATSU/KCOM even though it is in a different state and are you interested in our rotation locations?"
"What would your best friend say was one of your negative traits?"
"What did A.T. Still's children die from?"
"if you had a difficult patient, how would you deal with it?"
"How did you get into teaching?"
"What do you use your hands for that would help with OMM?"
"If I could be an activist for something, what would it be?"
"What do you think of the future of medicine?"
"Which tribe of people did you work with in Africa?"
"None, they were pretty standard."
"None."
"If you could be an activist for any cause, what would it be?"
"I interviewed with one of the DO's that lives in the community and teaches at the school. He asked all ethics questions for the whole hour. What would you do type of quesitons. Rape, alcoholism, (amputee???). "
"nothing out of the ordinary"
"What does a doctor do?"
"How would you deal with your first death from a physician p.o.v.?"
"Tell me about your family (no other schools cared about my family)."
"Tell me about a time you were faced with an ethical conflict?"
"It was an ethical question. Whether you would give an organ transplant to a California Prisoner that had Hepatitis, and the legal statute demanded it, or if you would give the organ transplant to a Single mother with three children that made to much money to qualify for the organ transplant payment. Your reasons, and why you would make that decision."
"About stem cell research, which had just been passed in the state of missouri a few days before."
"My interviews were focused on discussion rather than question and answer; however, given my low MCAT score I was asked in a round about way how I would be able to successfully complete the curriculum. "
"How do you think your experience working for a drug company will help you as a physician?"
"What will you do when your first patient dies? "
"Tell about a time that your integrity was challenged and how you overcame. "
"I'm trying to understand exactly how you think, so talk about a time when you solved a problem, not how you solve problems. "
"How would your mother describe you? (also the most weird question)"
"If a representive of the school asks for me to submit a bllod saple for a random drug test, would I give it to them?"
"All of the questions were pretty specific to my file. The one would probably be when I was asked if I've ever seen anyone die."
"all standard questions"
"What book are you reading?"
"All questions were specific to my file."
"What was the most humbling event in your life?"
"Most of their questions were specific to my background ECs and academics"
"All the questions where specific to my file."
"What will happen if we keep on producing physicians with the same rate and the patient population decreases? What will we do with the extra doctors???"
"What would be a bad quality that your wife would tell me about you "
"What type of study skills do I think I am going to have to develop in order to be successful in such a rigorous academic enviornment. "
"what was your favorite class"
"If we called up your best friend, what would they say they like about you? What would they say they don't like about you?"
"So, I bet you've wanted to be a doctor from an early age, huh? More of a statement you are supposed to respond to."
"What do for enjoyment?"
"If you were in a position where you could use money towards any cause in the world, how would you use it and why?"
""You say you are interested in researching chemoprevention. By definition, this is taking something chemical and injecting it into an otherwise healthy human being. Why is this a good idea?""
"do you have any chronic illnesses? are you healthy? (asked to make sure that I could physically handle stress of med school)"
"The first interviewer was an orhtopedic surgeon, who seemed a little nervous himself. He asked me much of the standard fare typical questions, including one ethics question: What would you do if you found out that one of your colleagues was taking illicit drugs? I said I would personally and privately confront him first. Then go to his family if that didn't work, then go to my other colleagues."
"I saw you were an RA for 3 years, what made you continue in that capacity for so long?"
"What does your boyfriend like best about you? What would he change?"
"You're at a party, and a girl who drank too much passed out. A guy friend sees the passed out girl and decides to have his way with her. When she wakes up the next day, she realizes what happens. If you are the dean and find out about the situation, what issues would you address to the both of them? (the girl is a first year and the guy is a third year)"
"Define success?"
"pretty basic"
"What is my position on stem cell research and what is the extent of my knowledge on the subject."
"Pretty standard questions."
"Was there anything you didn't like about undergrad?"
"If a doctor you knew was found to be abusing drugs, what would you do?"
"Tell us about your improved MCAT score."
"What does allopathic mean?"
"How would I incorporate new philosiphies to my patients about advances in stem cell research."
"Nothing too interesting, just standard get-to-know you questions."
"Ethical question-"If your colleague/friend (who was also a physician) was abusing prescription drugs, what course of action would you take?""
"Pretty typical questions."
"What is one thing your best friend would change about you?"
"How did the disposition of the South American citizens affect you? (I had gone on a medical mission trip to South America)."
"What has been your most humbling experience?"
"what are some of your hobbies? not very interesting."
"In regards to frequent moving... what is the one thing that people don't want to hear from a new person? "
"Will you be staying for the high school parade and crafts fair?? (sorry, I had a NASCAR event to get to) Not really, I had to trim my mullet first. :)"
"Tell me about your experience in paraguay."
"What class did you like the most in college?"
"Tell me something unique about yourself."
"Give me an example of an ethical question you studied in your medical ethics class. (more of a statement really)"
"Why did you choose the undergraduate college you did and will/was your choice for medical school based on similar reasoning?"
"Why I chose to go to a small school? Why I wanted to go into Osteopathic Medicine?"
"Standard medical school interview questions, no surprises."
"How have your volunteer experiences led to your interest in osteopathic medicine?"
"Do you think evolution should be taught in public schools? (This was asked because I spent a good deal of research on evolution)"
"What qualities do you think are important in a physician?"
"What motivates you to get up every morning?"
"You are at home day-dreaming about being a doctor. What do you see?"
"Questions about my experiences working with an osteopath."
"How did you choose which schools to apply to?"
"Take a medical issue and explain it."
"All of the questions were standard interview questions you could expect to be asked at any medical school interview."
"Why is it that nobody gets an A in Ecology? (I had an A- and he said he sees a lot of that but never any A's) Weird thing to ask."
"What would your sister say is your biggest weakness?"
"The interviews are more like a conversation."
"See Questions Below"
"What is your best quality and your worst?"
"Do you know what doctors are responsible for outside of healing patients?"
"No, don't go on to college yet, I want to hear more about your high school experience. What did you like most about high school? (They really let me talk about myself, a subject I do enjoy. I felt they really wanted to get to know me.)"
"What would you do if you didn't get into our program this year?"
"Do you plan to go into administration?"
"What are your main weaknesses? How do you deal with stress?"
"If you could present yourself to the admissions committee what would you say?"
"What makes you special?"
"what motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?"
"What would my mother say is one of my weaknesses?"
"What is someting that really annoys you about other people?"
"The only questions I was asked were from my file, thus pretty easy to answer. The rest of the interview (about 40 min) was spent talking about osteo medicine and KCOM."
"How is your partner going to handle you being so busy in school. "
"Describe your life starting from freshman year in highschool?"
"How do you celebrate your culture?"
"What was your favorite class."
"What field of medicine would you like to practice?"
"What makes you different from all of the other candidates?"
"No real interesting questions. Maybe how would you like living in this small town?"
"Who is your best friend? What would your best friend say he/she likes most(least) about you?"
"You are president of the student class. One female student gets totally drunk. Another sees this and takes advantage of the first student. What do you do?"
"The questions were not hard at all. My first interviewer had my file open and asked standard questions. My second interviewer had obviously read my file but didn't have it with her and she just simply wanted to hold a conversation with me. Probably the most intresting question was why I decided to do clinical research instead of laboratory research."
"What is pickleball? (a class I took for fun)"
"You have 2 one hour interviews, one interviewer didn't really ask me formulated typical questions, just got to know me, the other interviewer asked questions very similar to those I had seen on this website. Best interview experience I have ever had!"
"What has been a humbling experience?"
"Does a good physician focus more on the phsyiology, chemistry, etc. of his patient or more on the patient-physician relationship, empathy?"
"Pretty standard questions"
"Why did you get a "C" in freshman english, but all your other grades are A's and B's?"
"If you were to never be accepted into medical school, what would you pursue as a future career?"
"If you were Adolf Hitler's doctor and he was dying and you had a cure, would you give him the cure knowing that once he got better, he would go kill millions of people?"
"What question would you ask me if I were applying to medical school?"
"What are you most proud of in your life?"
"How would a D.O. treat a patient compared to an M.D.?"
"What was most memorable about observing surgeries? (I had shadowed a general surgeon)"
"Why did attend three different undergraduate branches of your university?"
"If I was to ask your best friend about you, what would he say about you? What would he say is your most notable strength? Your biggest weakness?"
"How would I handle treating a patient that didn't have the same religious beliefs that I did?"
"Who is your best friend and why? What would they say is your best attribute and your worst attribute?"
"A patient requests to have his antibiotic prescription doubled because he believes it to be helpful. How do you deal with this request?"
"What clinical experience had the most impact on your pursuing the field of medicine?"
"So you got an A in jogging?"
"What experiences do you think you have that have prepared your hands for use in OMM? My answers involved my experience with Martial Arts, Rock Climbing, ER Nursing"
"If you were interviewing me for medical school, what would you ask?"
"So what do you think of the florida girl and her predicament?"
"None were really interesting in the odd sort of way, just good, honest, standard questions. For example, Why want to be a doc? Why DO? Why KCOM? etc. Do not bother even interviewing here if you don't want to be a DO or even if you're not 100% sure you want to be a doctor. The interviewers aren't stupid, and will see right through you. If you're legit, you'll fit right in. Besides, $30,000/year, is only worth it if you truly want to be here."
"What is the most difficuly decision you've ever had to make?"
"Who is your best friend and why is that person your best friend?"
"Every year, polls show that 7 of 10 doctors would encourage their children not to become a doctor. Why do you think this is? (This was honestly the ONLY question I was asked. It was all chit-chat)"
"What class do you wish you had taken in college?"
"What did you learn form you research experience? Why DO, and why KCOM? What are some of your weaknesses?"
"none, all were getting to know you type questions."
"What do you do to relax after a stressful test? I honestly play chess online: http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Games/Board_Games/Chess/ (the first Inside Yahoo link) I talked about reading a few books about chess strategy, and how it's such a beautiful game because the best moves always win. "
"What questions do you have about the school? (It was interesting b/c it was the first and only question the interviewer asked)."
"What are your top five priorities--long-term and short-term, but only five in total?"
"Tell me about the art that you do (I was an art major in college)? Tell me about your pet frog?"
"If I was to give your best friend a magic wand and he/she could change anything about you, what do you think it would be? Why?"
"Are you an only child or the youngest child? (I'm not sure why he asked)"
"If you had x amount of dollars for research, how would you use that money?"
"who is your best friend? what would he/she say is your biggest strength? weakness?"
"How would you deal with a fellow physician whom you suspected was abusing alcohol or some other substance while on the job?"
"what would your parents say is your greatest accomplishment?"
"What were you thinking when you decided to major in computer science?"
"Tell me what you think are the top 2 or 3 ethical issues in medicine today, without telling me your personal opinion. "
"What were my favorite and least favorite science/non-science classes as an undergraduate. "
"If I could present myself to the admissions committee what would I say?"
"My interviewer got me mixed up with someone else and started asking me about some research that this other person was doing. "
"If the physician I had shadowed was left or right handed."
"How do you think you can handle the rigor of medical school?"
"Why osteopathy?"
"All the questions were pretty straightforward and conversational."
"None. The first interview was mainly conversational. The second iterviewer kept asking particular questions about my credits and GPA. (He was trying to figure out why I only had about 105 credits and managed to graduate....he didn't realize that AP credits don't get factored into the GPA and so are counted separately)"
"If you were given a huge, limitless amount of money to study anything you wanted (either laboratory or clinical) what would it be?"
"Views on abortion and capital punishment-- Would I preform an abortion for a 15 y/o? Would I tell her parents that she was pregnant/considering an abortion?"
"Who is your best friend? Why are they your best friend? What would your best friend say are your best and worst qualities?"
"Every question was really standard."
"How I felt about having a family and being a doctor?"
"How did you learn about osteopathic medicine?"
"Since I have applied to both allopathic and osteopathic, the interviewer asked about which one I would go to if I had my choice."
"I was asked how my military leadership experiences could translate over into medicine. Really was thought-provoking, but I had thought of it many times before I was asked. The main push as to why I was asked that was the movie-tainted portrayal of military leadership."
"N/A. Interview was very conversational and felt so low stakes. They want to get to know you!"
"Questions weren't really difficult at all. Definitely know 'Why ATSU KCOM,' because I can see why that might be a hard question."
"Describe a time when you faced an ethical dilemma."
"None really all were super straight forward"
"What do you do if you fail an exam or class?"
"Why DO over MD and asked a few branch questions to gauge how much I knew about osteopathic medicine"
"What makes you stand out among other applicants?"
"A older/more experienced doctor is about to utilize a medication that has the potential to harm a patient. You have 10 seconds to react. What do you say and do?"
"Tell me about a time you had to be a leader and how that impacted you?"
"What are your weaknesses?"
"What is something you worked really hard for?"
"Tell me about a time when you were in the position as leader and something didn't go as expected."
"A weakness that you are trying to improve."
"name three unique things about you"
"How would you respond to a patient who would not let you treat them (for whatever reason)?"
"How do you define professionalism?"
"Why should I accept you? Why should I reject you?"
"What would you do if someone knocked on your door with several vials of blood, stated that they were there for a random drug screen through the school, and requested a sample?"
"Nothing was particularly difficult."
"If you have any red flags / weaknesses in your app, be prepared to comment on them or explain."
"If your closest family and friends had a magic wand and could change anything about you, what would they change?"
"Other than through leading by example, how can you encourage people to treat immigrants/minorities with respect?"
"How will you decide which medical school to attend if you are accepted to more than one medical school? Would location be the deciding factor? Or would it be something specific to a certain school (i.e., comparing D.O. schools on your list)?"
"Why do you deserve to be a doctor?"
"What other schools did you apply to?"
"These were specific to my file."
"If you get multiple acceptances, how will you rank the schools who accept you to determine where to go? (this one was surprisingly hard)"
"Nothing difficult really but if I had to pick one: How does your job as a tutor relate to the physician's role?"
"Where do you see health care in 10 years"
"Imagine you had an employee that was habitually late for work - how would you, as a manager, deal with that?"
"none were particularly difficult...mostly annoying "typical" interview quesitions."
"What do think about healthcare reform as a future physician, how will this impact your future work, etc?"
"Where do you see yourself on the line of long term versus short term rewards (comparing dermatology with oncology)?"
"Why I had time for many activities but not for pursuing med related clubs "
"So why do you want to be when I grew up? I know why already but I want to hear it from you."
"To explain what happened in specific times when my academic record wasn't top notch. And explain how that won't happen again."
"Considering the healthcare crisis, where do you see the medical profession in 10 years?"
"Questions regarding grades and knowledge in specific courses. "
"Ethics question about 8 year old leukemic patients and IVF to create a donor. The question itself was fine, he was looking for my approach to the answer. The question continued on and on with new angles to the issue. "
"n/a"
"Nothing really, not stressful questions."
"About how to solve that medical crisis, I was talking about social security and I really wasn't sure..."
"The one about strengths and weaknesses for some stupid reason. I had thought about all the "difficult" questions and sort of drew an uncomfortable blank on this one. I recovered, but it was kind of awkward to mess up such an easy question..."
"Why don't you go in to a different profession like research or social work?"
"Nothing that difficult"
"nothing too difficult"
"See above, he played devil's advocate to every answer I gave."
"The one about the old man."
"No questions were hard, but make sure that you carry yourself through the interview as a conversation."
"Is the MCAT an accurate predictor of future success as a physician?"
"Tell me what you think the relationship is between personal banking investments and the number of patients. "
"Most questions were standard"
"a political question about presidential candidates and their contribution to the health industry"
"Tell me what you have learned about being a family physician given your experience. (interviewer was alluding to a certain answer which was frustrating)"
"What was the biggest problem you encountered and how did you deal with it? (Seemed easy enough but my answer felt inadequate when I didn't have a big long explanation) "
"NONE -- combined, my two interviewers probably asked a total of 10 questions in the 2 hours I was with them (just basic stuff like why I was appling to KCOM, about leadership exp., etc.). I spent WAY more time asking THEM questions!"
"After a fifteen minute speech on healthcare in America, including his feelings of the importance of socialized medicine...''What is going to happen for the future of medicine in America?''"
"Tell me a time when you conveyed integrity? (Ofcourse, I show integrity in everyday life, but it was hard to come with an exact example and brag about myself.) Tell me a time when you witnessed a difference between D.O. and M.D. while shadowing/volunteering?"
"Where do you think health care in America will be in 10 years?"
"What is the biggest problem facing healthcare? When I answered, the interviewer said ''no, that's not it. what is it?''"
"no difficult question"
"Why medicine and why not _______ or _____ (previous careers)?"
"What not pharmacy? (my father is a pharmacist)"
"No difficult questions. Was mostly just great conversation."
"What was the most challenging thing you have ever faced?"
"See Above."
"Same as above."
"How would I tell a 10 year old they would be losing a limb?"
"tell me about yourself (it seems easy but where do you start?) he wasnt out to get me though, it was more of a conversation starter"
"Why are your MCAT scores so low?"
"Since you are a legacy student, would you go to your parent's school if you couldn't get in to KCOM?"
"Nothing was really difficult--it was very conversational."
"I can understand getting a C at some point in college... but an F? (put me on the defensive - i was seriously ill, felt like i was dying, what are you gonna do?)"
"Describe one positive aspect on Universal Health care, and one negative aspect on Universal Health Care."
"RANDOM questions about foreign professionals workin in the states and inurance, the questions werent that hard but they were all strung together AWFULLY! And the interviewer got lost in his own question and though I answered wrong- CALLED ME UNPATRIOTIC, umm he was foreign.... strange to say the least. (I was called unpatriotic because I believe in people working for a living instead of med student wives staying home collecting WIC, food stamps and free insurance while I chose to work and pay for it!)"
"The most difficult question was not asked but it went “okay, now take me to the beginning and start from there…†He led me to start at the beginning of my life and explain everything until the present. It was difficult to find a place to eloquently start off with."
"What are the two largest ethical issues facing medicine right now?"
"What happened in your second semester of O-Chem? "
"How would you solve the health care crisis?"
"Ask yourself the question that I haven't asked before that you already have an answer for? It was hard because I honestly didn't have any canned responses. "
"Same"
"What advice would I give to the dean after a female student drinks too much and a male student takes advantage of her and rapes her?"
"Why D.O.? Why KCOM?"
"This school focuses on training family practice doctors. I see you are interested in psychiatry. Why are you applying here?"
"none were difficult they were all standard"
"Nothing. I wasn't asked hardly any questions."
"File specific. "
"Tell me a time about when you lost integrity."
"What are three issues you see as rural physicians facing? (that's my line of interest)"
"No difficult questions"
"What will happen if we keep on producing physicians with the same rate and the patient population decreases? What will we do with the extra doctors???"
"What will you bring to our school"
"Regarding a repeated course sophomore year in college "
"what was the most difficult decision you have ever had to make?"
"Now is your chance to brag, so go on and tell me anything you might think I not know about you from this file."
"What do you think will be your greatest challenge?"
"Why med.? Why DO?"
"none..i actually brought up hard questions what i thought would have been asked by them based on what ive heard and practiced for, and then i answered them myself for the interviwer.. they never asked me anything difficult and outside what my application already told them"
"What is medicine, in your words?"
""Given the current crisis in American healthcare, what is the solution?""
"How to explain a couple of bad grades on my transcripts."
"What are you the most proud of in your life?"
"What really struck you when studying abroad. Was there something you didn't expect to see/do at all that shocked you?"
"How does your department (of your major) compare to other schools? "
"Did you have to deal with a situation thatt challenged your integrity? What are the must qualities for a doctor to have and what have you done to prove you possessed these qualities? "
"none really-they asked about me, nothing really ethical or overly challenging"
"Name a time in your life you failed, and how did you handle it. How do you overcome difficulties in your life."
"Was there anything you didn't like about undergrad?"
"What was the hardest decision you have ever had to make and how did you go about it?"
"Questions about low chem grades"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"How would I incorporate new philosiphies to my patients about advances in stem cell research."
"From a third person perspective, why should we accept you into Kirksville? (this was asked in regards to a weak point in my app)"
"Why the D in Organic Chem II? (Circumstantial)"
"What is one thing your best friend would change about you?"
"I had no difficult questions."
"What type of people do you think are hardest to deal with?"
"it was an ethical question regarding the attitude of the physican treating a patient and my thoughts as a patient and as a physician."
"What is the one thing your husband would want to change about you? ... Cooking and cleaning are habits, what would he want to change about your personality? I didn't like this question because I felt like it revealed too much about my relationship if I answered honestly..and I'm always honest about such things. "
"Explain this grade....(lowest, or most difficult class and why). "
"It was very relaxed and no real difficult questions were asked."
"What class did you like the most in college?"
"Nothing particularly difficult."
"Give me an example of an ethical question you studied in your medical ethics class."
"What experiences have you had working with your hands?"
"What's up with your MCAT scores? Why did you take it again after your good score?"
"About some of my lower grades because I knew this would be an inevitable question. You must always answer honestly, whatever the reason!"
"What are the malpractice rates for physicians in your home town? (More of a conversatoinal question than an out-of-the-blue-point-blank query)."
"Describe the state of healthcare today."
"Tell me about your leadership experience."
"You really blew the MCAT. What happened?"
"You had some pitfalls early in your college career. What did you learn from those and how will you prevent them from happening here?"
"If you were at a party and a woman you knew got extremely drunk and passed out, and then you saw a man you know pick her up and carry her into a bedroom and then found out the guy had raped her and was going to be jailed for it, what would be your advice to the woman, in terms of what steps you think should be provided to her to help her get through the ordeal? (Hint: say substance abuse counseling!) (I thought this was a really dumb question, but just played along)"
"Nothing extremely difficult."
"Why are there times in your academic performance where your grades were low?"
"For me personally, it was most difficult to answer the question dealing with several low grades because I didn't have a good answer. Only felt like I was making excuses."
"No real difficult questions. They didn't even press me about the classes I did poor in. The hardest was "Think about a difficult time you had to make a key decision and tell me how you made it and how it affected you?""
"None really, all were pretty standard. A lot of emphasis on undergraduate work, activities, grades, and so forth. "
"Use three words to describe yourself. (manic depressive, schizophrenic, and a sociopath??--hahah)"
"See Questions Below"
"The entire interview was a fairly casual, conversational affair. The interviewers, staff, and students are all extremely friendly."
"None really, all questions were pretty straight forward"
"^ Same as above question "
"Why didn't you take more science classes during your undergrad"
"What would your best friend say are your worst qualities?"
"I was asked about my "C" in Chemistry."
"Tell me aabout yourself, and start from the beginning."
"standard questions - mostly conversational"
"what motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?"
"all fair questions--but for me, i had to think of this a little "If you could go back and do things differently in your undergrad, what would you do?""
"To name of some chinese restaurants in Macomb, Il (where I did my undergrad at Western Illinois University). He had visited one there a few years ago and couldn't recall its name. "
"Why did you get C's in some of your Gchem courses?"
"What does "the spirit" of medicine mean to you?"
"What do you find as your biggest difficulties when studying? But really none of it was hard "
"What qualities do you have which drive your friends up the wall? (My friends, like me, are very easy-going folk and are hard to annoy.)"
""Ask me some questions"."
"None of the questions were difficult. I didn't get any ethical issues or "what if" questions. I just knew my applications and my motivations for osteopathic medicine. Know yourself and how you got to this point in your life!!!"
"see above! (it caught me off guard)"
"Why Kirksville?"
"...pretty standard questions. See above"
"See Above"
"None were difficult."
"Give a specific example of a time when you changed someone's life."
"scenerio questions, what would you do ifs...just realize that there is no right or wrong answer, just tell them what you think."
"Why did you get so and so low grade in these classes?"
"None, this interview rocked!"
"Do you believe in the death penalty?"
"None-all were fair and easy"
"Please explain why this grade for this class is low?"
"I didn't think any were difficult. It's not hard to talk about yourself. The interviewers really wanted to get to know me. I can tell that Kirksville is dedicated to find students that will fit in at KCOM. I haven't interviewed at a school yet (besides KCOM) that spends so much time conducting the interviews. Two one-hour interviews are an excellent way to get to know somebody compared to one 30 minute interview."
"How can you assure me that you won't be in my office two months into school crying because you can't handle the workload?"
"None really, maybe if I felt that research would play a significant role in my career. I responded no, so she asked why not."
"The religious question."
"None....the interview (especially the second one) was more conversational."
"See above. What made it difficult is that the D.O. asking it kept insisting that I provide a more detailed answer or explanation."
"What, specifically, about the daily life of a physician, makes you want to become one?"
"none really."
"What do you want me to tell the admissions committee about your academics?"
"What were you like as a child?"
"No difficult questions. Even asked what I thought were two hot ethical medical topics, specifically requesting that I NOT tell my position. "
"Explain your GPA flaws. If you could start college over again, what is one thing you could change."
"Other than what is on your application, what are some reasons why you should be accepted to KCOM, that I can relay to the admissions committee?"
"above"
"What has been the most difficult decision you have had to make in your life?"
"None."
"none"
"Did you ever witness a drug overdose during your experiences in the ER? I hadn't, so that's all I basically said. "
"Why do you want to be a physician? (This question should somewhat reveal the ease and conversational style of my interviews)."
"Have you had any tragedies in your life?"
"Tell me about managed care and the difficulties you see with that system? How does tumor necrosis factor relate to superoxide dismutase (my research)?"
"If you are accepted into our school as well as others, how will you decide where to go?"
"Describe an instance in which someone you knew did something that threatened or was against your morals. How did you handle that situation?"
"How do you define medicine?"
"name a time when your stand-by coping mechanisms failed you. what did you do instead?"
"if you could be an advocate for something what would you advocate?"
"Why do you want to be a DO?"
"What would your mom say was your worst quality? (This was hard because the previous two questions were what do you think your worst quality is and what would your best friend say your worst quality is?)"
"If you examine the reviews posted here you should be in pretty good shape. With exception to the question listed above all of the questions asked were posted throughout these reviews. "
"What is a situation I have had to cope with and how did I do it?"
"None we very difficult. The interview is very relaxed and more like a conversation than an interview."
"As always...what would my flaw be?"
"Haven't you heard from people that DO is not as prestigious as MD? Why do you want to become a DO? How did you find out about osteopathic medicine?"
"Nothing hard!"
"Explain why you got a "C" in a certain class."
"to account for the missing 15 credits."
"About early weak academic performance"
"Where do you see yourself in 20 years? What is the weakest part of your application? "
"None really. Just standard questions."
"If my child had a piano recital and I had to work, what would I do?"
"None really as the interviews are more like a conversation."
"No really difficult questions other than the one above. I don't really care which type of school I go to as long as it's a good one and Kirksville seems to fit the bill if I end up there."
"I honestly did not think that any of the questions could be classified as difficult, guess I just like to talk."
"This page and mock interviews"
"SDN review, almost cried from nervousness, then relax and enjoy Kirksville."
"Studied potential questions and had answers prepared"
"Self-recorded, practiced with HR manager, went through practice questions, mock interview with pre-health advising"
"Relaxed, explored the area, knew my app well"
"Student doctor network as well as a medical school interview book."
"Practice questions, interview prep book, SDN"
"Come up with answers ahead of time by looking up typically asked questions and doing a mock interview."
"SDN, with another ATSU medical student, and mock interviews"
"Mock interviews"
"Researched the school's website, practiced questions on SDN, reviewed application"
"I didn't prepare much, thought of questions that may arise and a general answer but didn't recite answers as not to come off too robotic."
"sdn, Dr. Gray's books"
"Read SDN, Reread application and secondary."
"Thought about how I would answer “why medicine “ and researched the school."
"Looked up practice questions"
"Practice interviews, SDN questions"
"SDN forums, practicing in the mirror and in front of wife, practicing questions while performing day to day tasks."
"this website"
"Mock interviews, SDN"
"Mock Interviews/Research"
"Practice."
"I looked at the school webpage the night before."
"SDN, read app and secondary"
"Not much at all. It wasnt my first one so I wasnt as nervous as I had been in the past. All I did really was spend a couple hours the night before reading all of the questions that they typically ask, right off of this website. So dont fret too much, just relax, take a deep breath, lay on ur be or kick up on the couch and just read all the questions that people have posted, there were alot of repeats. And if you do that you'll do great."
"SDN, basic interview questions, reviewing prim/sec apps."
"sdn, staying with current medical students"
"Reviewed my application and researched the school's history"
"read sdn, reviewed my application (primary and secondary), read over the entire website, stayed with a student ambassador and talked to her about the school and program."
"Knew myself, read interview feedback, prepared mentally"
"I read over the school's interview website, reviewed questions on SDN, and my AACOMAS application. It was a relaxing process; don't take the interview like a test. You do best when you have a clear head and aren't thinking people are out to get you."
"SDN, reviewed my app, surfed their website, ask some current students I know"
"sdn interview feedback, looked at kcom website, basic interview questions"
"SDN, read KCOM's website, health care reform, read my file "
"By going over my applications, reading about the school, SDN interview feedback, etc."
"SDN, looked over primary and secondary applications, read articles from medical journals such as JAMA and New England Journal of Medicine, practiced interview questions with parents and fiance, read over KCOM's site, read over osteopathy, read about A.T. Still. "
"Read my application and SDN feedback. "
"Read SDN, read their website, reviewed what DO medicine is all about (important!)...."
"practiced interviewing, looked awesomely professional, answered honestly."
"SDN. Practiced standard interview questions. Read over my primary and secondary applications/essays. "
"SDN, read over my personal statement & secondary."
"SDN, previous interviews"
"sdn, practice with friends, jotted notes on notepad for speaking points"
"SDN, read my application, "
"I reread my application and looked over the material they sent me and their website. "
"Reviewed my application. I don't know that reading other students' questions and thinking of the right answer is a good approach. I felt that the best part of my interview was my candidness and openness. I think honesty is the best approach. It worked for me at least."
"SDN, KCOM's website, mock interview, 1 past interview, looked over interview questions"
"SDN, read my primary and secondary, mock interview "
"Looked over application."
"SDN, personal application info, normal stuff. "
"read up on osteopathic philosophy, read interview feedback."
"Reviewed application materials. Read interviews on SDN and reviewed previous interview."
"SDN & prior interviews"
"SDN, talked with my advisor, employer, and other pre med students, and many hours of mental rehearsing. "
"SDN, read my file, not too much they called me two days before on short notice!"
"SDN, researched school, researched interview questions and wrote down my response"
"SDN, mock interview"
"Read up on osteopathy, visited other schools, read up on school"
"Read SDN interview feedback. Read "D.O's". Went over my primary and secondary applications."
"I spoke with two osteopathic physicians that graduated from KCOM, looked at SDN, and spoke with two current students (ambassador + his friend)"
"SDN, read over application, was my 4th interview so had some practice"
"SDN, compiled list of common questions and wrote bullet-point responses."
"Barely prepared at all. Just looked at my secondary real fast. Make sure you know everything you sent to them (and to any school for that matter). You never want to get caught in a lie. It's funny one of my two interviewers and I were talking about that. Oh and I looked at SDN interview feedback a bit. "
"Winged it. Interview are easy as long as you remember what you have done in the past."
"SDN, previous interviews, looking at website, researching online. "
"Interview feedback on SDN"
"This website, mock interview, research school, current events"
"SDN posts, read the schools official website, practiced with mock interviews at my university"
"Read over my application/essays, SDN, school website."
"Practice questions, review statements, SDN, medical insurance books, review history of osteopathy"
"Read over my application."
"Practiced interview-type questions, SDN, school website, read up on current events"
"SDN, Practiced interview questions, talked with med student I stayed with the night before."
"SDN, school website, personal statement, AACOMAS app., Secondary app., and discussion with peers and physicians."
"This website, my essays, history of osteopathic medicine, and just thinking of answers to possible questions! "
"SDN, ATSU Website, talked to current students"
"school website, sdn, my application file"
"Read SDN and the school's website."
"sdn reviews, mock interviews, read website, stuided 4 tenets of osteopathic medicine"
"SDN, My application, reinforced my interest in osteopathic medicine"
"Read atsu.edu website and my 2ndary."
"Read Student doctor website, read a lot about osteopathic medicine and A.T.Still."
"SDN, KCOM website, primary and secondary applications"
"AT Still brochure, read their website, Student Doctor Network, read some ethical stuff online, talked to the student I stayed with..."
"Your basic SDN, school website, aacom, and any body that would listen to me I'd let them hear my answers."
"sdn, application, website"
"SDN, KCOM website, and a mock interview with a friend"
"SDN, review of secondaries, mock interviews, talking to strangers, talking with current students "
"SDN, reading my applications"
"this site, self evaluation, review applications, relaxed."
"Looked at Studentdoctor.net"
"Talked to friends who are in medical school, researched websites including this and the admissions staff."
"Studentdoctor.net, AACOMAS application, secondary applications, Wall Street Journal Doctor’s columns, mock interviews with tape recorder, practiced with medical school advisor, read the DOs by Norman Gevitz, and relaxed."
"Reviewed my submissions, reviewed their brochures/curriculum. I also practiced interview questions with my dad."
"SDN. mock interviews, school web site"
"Read my profile and C.V."
"Read the school's website and the SDN interview feedback. "
"Read over my applications, looked at the school website, etc."
"Student Doctor Network, admission file"
"studentdoctor.net re-read AACOMAS application and KCOM application"
"Relaxed"
"Looked over application and school website"
"Mock interviews, SDN, Researched history of osteopathic profession."
"Browsed SDN and reviewed KCOM website. "
"SDN, interview feedback, KCOM website."
"SDN, school website, prepared Qs and my responses, researched issues about healthcare and medical politics"
"Looked over my essays and application, SDN, Schools website"
"SDN interview feedbacks"
"This web site and the schools web sight, past interviews"
"Read SDN, read primary and secondary application, read school website/catalog"
"SDN, Gevitz's book"
"This site, re-read personal statement."
"SDN, read about osteopathy"
"i read over this website for like 10 mins and thats it.."
"Mock interviews with med school friends, read over my KCOM application, visited with a 2nd year KCOM student."
"Read SDN, KCOM website, AACOM website. Got advice from friends who are current medical students. Read through potential questions, everything I've written for all of my applications, and especially everything I've submitted to KCOM."
"read through school's website, looked over primary and secondary, this site"
"1. Read student doctor network 2. Read the KCOM website. 3. Stay with a student and talk to them about their experiences."
"Student Doctor Network School's online profile and specific interview tips at www.kcom.edu "Princeton Review Medical Schools" "
"Reviewed my application, read interview critiques on Student Doctor Forum website."
"Looked at my application, SDN"
"Sdn, look over my primary and supplemental apps."
"this website, their website, my application info."
"Read my application to know what I wanted to be sure and talk about, what was left out of the paper application."
"Read SDN, read my application, read the KCOM literature and web site."
"SDN, other interviews, re-read primary and secondary apps"
"Read my 2* essays, PS, SDN, Alumni magazine from KCOM"
"SDN, mock interview, talked to current student"
"sdn, school website, AACOMAS, Secondary Essays"
"Web site, read over application material, Student Doctor website"
"sdn, school website, mock interview"
"Read this website, read KCOM's website info on DO's, re-read my file/application."
"SDN, reviewed my application, prepared for questions that could be asked by practicing out loud."
"Reviewed AACOMAS and Supplemental apps, reviewed KCOM website and osteopathic information"
"Studentdoctor.net, read KCOM's website"
"SDN, reviewed my application"
"sdn, read application and read about school"
"Read SDN, KCOM website, practiced with frequently asked questions. Previous mock interview. "
"SDN, website, other materials."
"Relaxed! Spoke with a current student."
"SDN, read my primary and secondary apps, looked at the website-"
"Read SDN, looked over applications, talked with doctors at work"
"Read website, SDN, read over application, both primary and secondary."
"I read through common interview questions and thought through what my answers would be. I re-familiarized myself with my application packet."
"Read SDN many times. Read the school's website and reread my application (primary and secondary)."
"SDN, read some books on interviewing, read the KCOM Internet site, explored Kirksville."
"SDN, practice questions, kept up to date in current events/medical news/DO issues."
"SDN and practice questions."
"Practice interviews, reviewed school literature/website, studentdoctor.net feedback"
"SDN, school website"
"SDN, my application, read a book titled Healthcare by GreenHaven Press."
"This website, my primary and secondary applications, mock interviews"
"familiarity with my own file, SDN, schools's website"
"Reviewed my file and studentdoctor.net feedbacks"
"Reviewed my application, SDN, spoke with a friend who is a third year at the school."
"This website. Resources in my schools pre-professional office. I reviewed my own file and application. Talked with a friend who goes there. Shadowed a Doctor who graduated from there three years ago."
"SDN, mock interview, looked over my application and personal statement, went to the school website"
"Read this site."
"Read my file and reviewed SDN Interview Feedback"
"Reading this forum."
"studentdoctor.net, read about interviews and osteopathic medicine, and went over my application several times."
"studied my own profile (the information that I supplied KCOM)."
"I didn't really prepare besides having decided a year or so back what I want to do with my Osteopathic degree"
"Student Doctor.net, read my application"
"Looked at KCOM website, studied current events, reviewed my application."
"Reviewed my application materials (grades, statements, etc.), prayed, read scripture, 8 hours sleep before interview. "
"sdn, school website, review website, interviewed shadowing physician"
"SDN, KCOM.edu, reviewed application"
"this website, read over my application"
"Secondary, website, spoke to a KCOM alumni in my area"
"SDN, KCOM Website, stayed at M2's house the night before"
"sdn feedback, Isersen book for interview prep (excellent by the way), mock, read over PS and AACOMAS application"
"SDN, Reading various literature and knowing my applications"
"SDN. Prepared answers to questions and read up on current medical topics/issues."
"Read reviews, remained calm, cool and collected"
"Read over this web site, read over my application, and talked to my DO recomendation on suggestions."
"SDN, mock interview with friends, reviewed application/secondaries, school's career services center"
"Relaxed, talked to people at my school who had already interviewed."
"Read my primary and secondary. Read books on osteopathic medicine and current health care. This website. Medical student advice. "
"read SDN, KCOM website, practiced possible Q and A"
"website, SDN and general interview questions"
"SDN, KCOM website, my AACOM applications & my secondary app."
"SDN, KCOM website, went over application file"
"SDN, Osteopathic medicine websites, reviewed my file."
"Mock interview, this website, school website."
"This website, school website, read commonly asked questions, tried to get a feel for the difference between DO's and MD's"
"Read this website, compiled questions, etc"
"Re-read my personal statement and the essays I had submitted to KCOM. Talked with current students and read stuff on this website."
"Read SDN and KCOM website"
"This cool SDN website, reviewed application, and surfed KCOM's website."
"Reviewed the schools website for information about education style as well as developments with the program. Surprisinly, the school provided a bio card on the interviewers so that you knew a bit about their backgrounds."
"Read KCOM application, ACOMAS app, read Osteopathic Medicine Careers by Terence Sacks, and formulated questions for interviewers"
"SDN"
"SDN, reread application, website, spoke with students, practiced interviewing."
"KCOM website, primary application, and secondary application"
"Read this site, read school's website, did mock interviews with friends"
"Reviewed my Secondary app. and SDN"
"Looked over my application materials, researched their website, read interview feedback on SDN and interviewed myself on my 11 hour drive there, talked to current students on SDN."
"SDN, mock interview, read "101 Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions", talked with doctors"
"AACOMAS application, personal statement, SDN, The DO (by Gevitz)"
"Read over application materials. Read articles from Time magazine web site. Reviewed the school website. Studentdoctor.net"
"SDN, Read articles about current health issues, Reviewed the school website"
"SDN, their website"
"Website, SDN, Brochures, Talked to recent grads"
"SDN, KCOM website, school's career center, Norman Gevitz's "DO's: .....", mock interviews"
"well"
"SDN, Essay "Purposes of Medicine", reread Personal stmt and supplemental, really put alot of thought into why I wanted to be a DO. "
"Website, SDN"
"Mock interviews, read SDN, stayed the night before w/ student and met other students who told me to just relax, read up on health-care issues."
"SDN, school website, spoke to alumn"
"Reread application and thesis, read interview feedbacks at SDN, visited KCOM web pages, shaved my legs"
"Internet."
"read over applications, read up on DO type lit. and history of school. most questions were from app. and other experience related stuff. know why DO, why KCOM and be able to relate REAL experiences to make your point clear. "
"Looked over this website, talked with the student with whom I stayed the night before, and basically tried to slip into the "professional mode.""
"Read SDN posts, my application, KCOM website, and relaxed"
"Read interview feedback, read my AACOMAS application and my secondary application, mock interviews, read up on current events, concentrated on enjoying myself and relaxing."
"read SDN, read web site for KCOM, read ethic articles on CNN, read med student diaries, talked to alumni and researched osteopathic medicine"
"I read the school web sites, reviewed my applications, kept up with current events, and of course used interview feedback from this site (which is a GREAT preparatory tool!)."
"KCOM website and SDN"
"I read up on current events, reviewed my AACOMAS and secondary applications and read my many Kirksville brochures."
"relaxed. didn't think. if you know why you are there in teh first place, you'll be fine."
"SDN, Practice interviews, Reviewed my File"
"D.O. research, researched the school"
"Thought happy thoughts."
"this site, kept current on ethical/health care issues, practiced standard questions with a friend"
"Went through each aspect of their website: student profiles, research links, etc. This was very rewarding as it gave me a great detail with which to address questions. I also read all the reviews for Kirkesville posted on this website. GO OVER YOUR ACCOMAS AND SECONDARY APPLICATION! for the admissions interview they will hit on all the experiences you listed, so have them fresh in your mind. "
"sdn, kcom website, reading my essays, thinking about my experiences"
"KCOM's website, reviewed some DO info, went over my app."
"KCOM website, interviewfeedback, a book on osteopathy."
"SDN website, AOA-net website, books, journals, etc."
"Got background knowledge on osteopathy, red this site, looked over app."
"Know yourself. Strengths/weaknesses. "
"SDN network"
"this website and KCOM website (this is a great resource!!)"
"SDN, current events, brushed up on ethical issues, read other websites which posted mock interview questions, and "
"SDN, Kirksville's website"
"Read my secondary app essay, spoke to an alumn, read the website"
"Looked over my applications, knew a lot about the research I had done, and read up on the history of osteopathic medicine."
"Looked at interview feedback. Read over my apps"
"Studentdoctor and read my application"
"Know your application and your experiences and of course the history of Osteopathic medicine as this is the founding school."
"Knew myself."
"I did mock interviews, read this site, kcom.edu, and knew myself well."
"Faculty were AMAZING. I also was worried about Kirksville because I am not a rural girly at all but I really loved the school and interview day was awesome."
"Everyone is so nice!! Just an overall good vibe from the school. They want students to succeed, listen to students' needs, and play an incredible role in the community."
"The amount I learned about the school!"
"Collaborative environment."
"The interviewer had clearly read my application, and was very interested in getting to know me and more about my experiences."
"Easy feeling at this school. No hype and no pressure."
"Friendliness of everyone there, faculty, students, administrators, even the people around town"
"The structure of the day was planned and followed very well. They had an OMM demonstration. The schools itself is incredible. Everyone that I ran into seemed very happy to be there; from faculty to students."
"How prepared students are for boards and the multiple facilities."
"The faculty is very personable and supportive"
"My interviewers were very personable. It was a conversation rather than them grilling me about one mis-step in my application."
"Everyone I interacted with seemed genuinely excited to see you interviewing. This includes current students, admissions staff, and even the awesome lady in the museum, who gave one of the best pep-talks I’ve ever heard."
"the curriculum and opportunities available"
"The pride in the school, how caring the faculty really seemed. They also have a hospital affiliation."
"facilites are sufficient"
"Very responsive and enthusiastic admissions staff."
"Ultra sound curriculum, block structure, super efficient processes."
"Everyone was very nice and friendly, knew my name and used it consistently throughout the day"
"The interviewers were very relaxed and conversational. Students were generally nice. I liked that ultrasound is interwoven into the curriculum. The sim labs were new, big, and impressive. The standardized patient rooms are modeled after the rooms you'll use for boards exams. The Anatomy professor opened up his lab to let prospective students see into an active class, answered our questions, and joked with us."
"Attitude of the staff and students, the schools overall desire for students to succeed."
"everyone's enthusiasm about the school and us being there"
"Friendliness of staff, beautiful location, small town feel"
"Tight-Knit student body"
"The friendliness of students, staff and faculty."
"The facilities were nice, the students were friendly, the other people I interviewed with were also really nice. The anatomy lab and the OMM lab are bright and warm."
"The people at KCOM are great, the interviewers were very friendly and actually wanted to get to know the applicant instead of challenging them."
"All three interviewers were very warm, and although three hours seems daunting, it goes by super quick and you might actually wind up enjoying the conversations you're having. The time was what I was most concerned about, but I wound up not noticing it at all."
"Early clinical work in curriculum. Faculty that is willing to help you rather than let you fail."
"Friendliness of admissions staff, and the consistently relaxed nature of the interviewers -- I feel that they got to know be so well because you spend an hour simply discussing relevant topics."
"The atitude of all the faculty/staff."
"the campus and the facilities. they have top notch facilities- the best out of any osteopathic school I visited. it is one of the few osteopathic med schools where I felt like I was actually on a campus."
"The people in Kirksville are great. The school is also very historic with pictures and museum materials from the early osteopathic days."
"The staff and students all seem very upbeat and content at the school, and the admissions staff are extremely friendly and helpful. I enjoyed the financial aid presentation very much because it was very informative and the financial aid officer expressed genuine interest in helping students out."
"New facilities with patient sims (Including OB/GYN), great student body, mix of DO students and other post-bac students"
"very stress free interview"
"Everyone was incredibly friendly. Very happy students, which is a great sign! The facilities were new, patient simulation labs were really nice"
"How warm and friendly the school was along with everyone I met there (especially the students). It truly feels like they all consider each other family."
"The entire admissions staff was very friendly, courteous, and answered any and all questions that were asked. The interviewers themselves were laid back and it didn't even feel like I was being interviewed at all. Very conversational. The cost of living is very low, the crime rate is virtually zero, and the professors seem to know the students by name. Also, you know within the week after your interview if you get accepted or not --very fast response time. "
"The staff was very professional and they were friendly and helpful during the interview. "
"The facilities are nice and new - especially the OMM hall."
"quality of clinical and post doc education"
"Everyone was very welcoming. Interview was really laid back and it seemed like the interviewers were on my side the entire time. The new facility and OMM lab is very impressive. "
"The students and staff were incredibly nice!"
"Everyone was really friendly. They have a lot of activities for students--especially related to a healthy lifestyle. The human patient simulators were neat. "
"Campus was really a lot bigger than I thought, plus the hospital is on the same campus as the med school which is really convenient. There are so many opportunities for students early in their education for clinical opportunities"
"How laid back the school is. You can literally walk/bike the whole town and the rents are cheap. Everyone was superfriendly including the cab drivers. The admissions staff and those interviewing were nice. The facility was great and they have wellness center too. The interviewers were great too and the students were really enthusiastic and proud of their school. OMM labs--the best I've seen. "
"The one-on-one interviews were scheduled for an hour which gave plenty of time to talk naturally with the interviewers. I also liked that the interview was said to be a conversation and it really was just a conversation."
"The candidness and friendliness of the staff and interviewers during the day. I felt almost no stress and felt like I was just having a conversation with each person I talked to."
"Everyone is super friendly. Faculty and students. And so happy to be at KCOM! And the OMM lab is AMAZING! It's huge and you know that the OMM program is good."
"The friendly staff and students, the close bonds that develop at the school. New OMM lab."
"Friendliness and helpfulness of faculty and admissions, community oriented nature of student body and town."
"The school has got things done to a science. There is a new building on campus with a nice OMM lab. "
"Students and staff are extremely friendly and supportive toward each other. School is accommodating for families and spouses. The new OMM lab was very nice."
"It was clear that all of the students and staff were very happy to be at ATSU. There was a deep sense of pride in the university and its education."
"everything, i really like this school and it lives up to it's reputation. The Stillwell program they have - "you are your own first patient" is so cool, i really agree with that ideal and am happy they care about their students SO MUCH."
"The admissions staff was very friendly and inviting, the interviewers were very reasonable, conversational, and personable. The school facilities are very impressive. The OMT lab is amazing. All of the student ambassadors who gave us tours were very nice and encouraging. They also seemed very happy to be students at KCOM..."
"The interviewers really knew my file and asked very specific questions! You have 3 hour-long interviews, but everyone is really nice, so it goes by quickly! "
"The warm and welcoming atmosphere of KCOM. They have so much respect and care for their students."
"the school, the new wing with the huge OMM classroom, the gym/fitness center +lots of trails to run on. "
"Great education and environment, the OMM lab is awesome"
"The faculty, the students, the OMM lab was great! They have a great match list, and students seem to be getting a great education!"
"The friendliness, OMM facilities ("OMT" at KCOM), cleansliness, number of study facilities, technology, residency placement locations"
"Curriculum, students, faculty, reputation, hospital that is attached, and all the positive comments from alumni and current students"
"The facilities, the people, the curriculum, how family friendly they are. Everything."
"Great faculty and students. They are all in the middle of nowhere, Missouri because they love what the school is all about."
"The facilities are amazing. The cost of living in the area is great. Two people brought spouses and one even a 2 month old child and admissions encourages these things. It's a very family-oriented place and they encourage you to include loved ones in your decision. They also do special programs including house visits to elderly patients and doing school physicals in the first two years. School open 24 hours a day and they just built more stuff for study rooms and such. I like that a school that has been around for 115 years still takes the opinions of students seriously and implements things to help them."
"The school in general is very good. Huge stress on student support services. Extremely family friendly - they encourage families instead of seeing it as undesirable. Very Hi-tech - LOTS of the plastic dummy patient simulators that are used often."
"the admissions office was extremely well prepared and very friendly. the tourguides were all very anxious to show off the school and answer all questions, they really loved the school. "
"The interviewers were both friendly and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me"
"The new 25 million dollar expansion was built almost exclusivly for student use (no faculty officies or facilities) and was built using alumni donations"
"New facilities, friendly people, stress free interview"
"The atmosphere of the school is friendly and supportive to both students and their families. The facilities are awesome. The match list and board pass rates are really impressive. There are lots of locations for the clinical years."
"Wellness program for students, community involvement, new OMT lab, dissections in anatomy lab"
"The interviewers knew EVERYTHING about me, every detail of my life practically! They really made an effort to know me and were incredibly friendly. I felt so comfortable there."
"everyone was VERY friendly and welcoming and everyone I talked with seemed to LOVE the school"
"How close the students and their spouses were. There seemed to be a strong support group. The possibility to do clinical rotations at a myriad of high quality teaching hospitals."
"Everything was great. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience or opportunity to interview at a better school. The traditions and D.O. history is great. They seem to be 100% supportive for the success of their students. See “general comments†for more positive statements about the school."
"The atmosphere was very welcoming and low key. Everyone was very friendly and just wanted to get to know you which made the stress level low! They also focus on patient contact from your first year which is something I want in a school."
"EVERYTHING besides my interviewers. The new building is incredible, the students all seem super happy, the number of anatomy hours they take..."
"the facility"
"The anatomy lab. 4 students per cadaver. The new buildings. Everyone's enthusiasm about osteopathic medicine."
"the facility, the reputation of the school, the campus, and the friendliness of the students and administrative staff. Also, the brand new building set to unveil for next year's class!"
"Everyone was super enthusiastic, great community and friendly"
"Everything ws great. Highly organized interview schedule(They run a tight ship over there, facilities were great, faculty was extrememyl warm, museum was nice, a new building for the students in the works, great place for family and significant others, I could type forever."
"How much the admissions people already seemed to know me, and even so much more by the end of the day."
"The school is very accomodating to the individual needs and preferences of the students. Attendance at most lectures is optional. All of the lecture notes are transcribed for the students."
"The friendliness of the staff and students as well as their support and efforts to make you succeed in med school. You also automatically get $3000 towards tuition if you score 27 or higher on your MCAT."
"Everything! They were so nice and well organized. There were two interviews that were one hour long each and the interviewers were really nice, positive and laid back and made me feel welcome. The technology and the rich history in osteopathy is phenomenal. Students also do really well on their boards."
"They really seemed to care about the product they produced (Student quality)."
"the admissions staff and interviewers were really nice. the students seemed happy. You are basically only in kirksville for the first two years. The second and third years you can go all over the country."
"Their dedication to student success and the small town."
"The fact that it is the birthplace of Osteopathy. Kinda cool to see the museum, cabins, school. A very encouraging environment both in/out of school."
"The warmth and enthusiasm of the students, faculty, and staff. From the moment I walked in the door I felt like family. They have a lot of history to offer, and the best osteopathic manipulation program I've seen. The faculty and staff seem to be really proud of their students."
"The level of education provided and the low cost of living."
"The A T Still University located in Mesa, Arizona. This is a subdivision of the one located in Kirksville, Missouri. Well the location is amiable in Arizona. Mesa is a beautiful city, very colorful, and extremely nice wheather, except the summer's get to be 120 degrees Fareheit. There is good housing in the area. Especially in Mesa."
"The admissions staff."
"The atmosphere of the school was amazing! From the students to the staff and faculty to the people in Kirksville it was a very inviting atmosphere. The dedication to spouses and family equally impressed me as the entire school seemed committed and dedicated to ensuring the success of its students. I found that the school focuses on preparing you to be the best physician you can be and they do whatever it takes to make sure you succeed. The new building looks as though it will be a center of excellence. "
"The school's dedication to student well-being and success. The staff all seemed friendly and helpful."
"The school has an excellent academic reputation and it lived up to this on the visit. They pride themselves on being the first D.O. school and their rigorous courses reflect this. "
"The staff seem to want my attendance. The process was very smooth and informative."
"The new building, the gross anatomy lab, and the patient simulators. "
"I was very impressed with how organized everything was, and how nice most of the people were that I interacted with."
"The friendliness and knowledge of faculty and staff"
"Everyone is very friendly. They really focus on ensuring that 1st year students get clinical experience as early as possible. They have patient simulators (more to come once the new technology builiding construction is done). They also have you work with community memebers to practice your history taking skills and so forth. They are really focused there on making sure you succeed and get a great education. Also, 3rd/4th year rotations can be done outside of MO."
"The high tech classrooms and study areas, and the number of students and applicants from Utah or going to school in Utah."
"students were very nice"
"The passion for osteopathic manipulation."
"The people at KCOM are wonderful. The focus and attention they place on treating the patient's ''body, mind, and spirit'' is reflected in the way they teach you to be a compassionate and caring doctor. The entire staff seems to genuinely care about you as a person. Since I am from a small town anyway, Kirksville felt like home!"
"The whole interview process was well organized and very comprehensive. The faculty were extremely nice and genuine. Early clinical opportunities in the 1st and 2nd years."
"They are VERY organized, professional, and proud of their program."
"The staff, students and faculty where so incredible and nice and helpful."
"The students were very friendly and they were enthusiastic about answering the questions I had. "
"The friendliness of everyone that we met in the school and the town"
"There is a strong sense of community and I liked the proximity of housing to the campus. They are very focused on hands-on experiences and require lots of patient contact in 1st and 2nd years. "
"clinical rotation sites, still well program, high pass rates for comlex AND usmle, great faculty, windows in the anatomy lab"
"Curriculum, human patient simulators, the new building, OMM curriculum, amount of clinical prep, cost of living, 4 students per cadaver, osteopathy museum, board scores and residency match list"
"The town. I love the idea of having a medical school in a small town as opposed to a large city. Friendly, safe atmosphere."
"school's history, new building hopefully finished next spring, mannequin simulators offer a great tool for learning."
"the people and focus on student success and happiness"
"I was impressed by the students' comraderie and glowing reviews of their school. It seemed like everyone was very satisfied with their experiences at KCOM, even in candid conversations."
"The students were all very nice, interested in the applicants, and willing to talk about the school. They seemed happy with their choice to be there and emphasized that living in Kirksville is not bad, despite how it may appear on the surface. In that regard, Kirksville itself was nicer than I expected - everything was well kept, it is just an underdeveloped community."
"the overall atmosphere of the school, everyone was so nice and friendly, the students were very honest and they didn't have anything bad to say about the school, everyone helps everyone"
"Everyone at the school was very enthusiastic and seemed to love attending school there. The school is intent on making sure the student succeeds, and not about putting excess competetive pressure on the student. This is reflected in the high percentage of students who pass "the Boards" and the USMLE on the first try."
"The curriculum, and choices of rotational locations for the 3rd and 4th years. Cost of living is low in the city, and there are options to live close to campus. Average monthly rent $350.00 - $450.00."
"The laid back atmosphere."
"The staff members, reputation, quality of education you would receive"
"The friendliness and willingness to help of students and faculty."
"the people were great. the faculty definitely made you feel welcome and comfortable, which is a huge deal for me. also, there is obvious cooperation and community amongst students rather than a feeling of competition. i also liked how there is a hospital attached directly to the school-great! there is also a big emphasis on anatomy, which is really of interest to me too."
"This school cares about its students. They pay for a review class. They have done exceptionally on COMLES AND USMLE boards."
"How nice Kirksville was. The campus backs up to a state park. They have a running trail. The staff was very nice and very helpful."
"The admissions staff was friendly and cheerful. The interviews were all stress free, but asked me interesting questions. They seemed truly interested in getting to know me, and asked probing questions in a very unaggressive way. Anatomy is heavily stressed and students get a solid background. Students seemed happy there."
"Everyone was extremely friendly, students were so happy, interview day included activities for a guest, program seems amazing. Missions to South Africa, community involvement, all of it was awesome. Kirksville was a bigger town than I had originally thought it would be."
"everything! This is the best DO school I have seen so far. Facilities are great, everything is wireless, they are building a brand new building that will be ready for next year, the staff and everyone is awesome. Kirksville is small, but darn cheap. The school is very interested in the students, and they have an awesome rec. building for lifting weights etc. They have lots of student organizations and KCOM has good board pass rate, and really good residency placement. Its the founding school of osteopathic medicine, and has been around since 1892 so it is very well established and well operated."
"How nice everyone was"
"The school is well established, the staff was very friendly and showed intrest in me. "
"Everyone was very nice and accomodating, especially with the long interviews."
"The admissions people were extremely friendly and welcoming to me and my fiancee (who joined me on the trip). Also, we were given a card with info on the faculty conducting our interviews (mine was an Dept. Chair/Immunologist studying DNA repair/mutagenesis in E. coli). It gave me a topic of mutual interest to discuss during my interview."
"The atmosphere was great, students and faculty all appeared very relaxed and happy. The very cool, 1 of 3 in the world, totally intact human nervous system in the museum, on campus."
"Everything about the school is positive. They really care about their students and their families. The Still-Well program is extensive and has fitness activities that would appeal to everyone while promoting interaction among students. They stress collaboration instead of competition. They rank among the top 2% in anatomy exposure and they have a low student to cadaver ratio (4:1). Notes are available before lecture. Board reviews courses are free. First time pass rate is high (98%). Residency placements are impressive."
"Friendliness, the AT Still Museum, the enthusiasm of the admissions staff, and the thoroughness of my interview."
"The school is well established and has a large number of facilities. They go by the moto that you are your first patient. Consequently, they have wellness days (days off) scheduled throughout the year, nice exercise programs and the like. "
"school stats are great and professors are some of the best"
"The faculty reminded me of my current faculty. My first interview lasted 1 hr and 15 minutes because it was like I was in one of my profs office just chatting about life. I felt very much at home. "
"The school was great. People were wonderful and anxious to meet you and tell you about their school. New OMM lab and study rooms going up by next year?? The deep rooted history that beams from the University opens many doors for your future. Andy, she is a wonderful administrator. Grads get great residencies (all around the U.S.) Housing costs...Average home=$80,000 dollars. DAMN!!! Very safe and friendly place to live. Seeing my boy Joel again...write me boy!! "
"It's "the mecca!" It's a D.O. town! The history of osteopathy began here and they have a great museum and tons of old photos in the school. The school has a great reputation and everyone was very friendly. Cost of living is dirt cheap!!"
"Great facilities, dedicated faculty/staff, pretty strong curriculum and reputation, StillWell fitness programs, HPS labs which were really cool- Oh yea, and cost of living is CRAZY CHEAP here!"
"The atmosphere. The school is extremely family friendly and they have many support programs for students and their families."
"The interviewers and admissions staff. As well, the facilities were nicer than I had expected."
"The interviewers, the admissions staff, and the students who all seemed totally excited and happy to be at KCOM."
"The friendly atmosphere that I felt when I arrived at the school. The school is very family oriented and they create that atmosphere by treating everyone like family. The small town atmosphere helps in that aspect. The facilities are up to date and the curriculum is supplemented with a variety of traditional and nontraditional learning methods. "
"The facilities, the history of osteopathy, the professionalism of the students, the friendliness of the admission staff, the cheap cost of living, the mix of older and newer technologies, a well-established school, clinical rotation sites for years 3 and 4. I loved the coffee shop near the school!"
"How genuine everyone was. Everyone was truly nice, interested, and helpful. And: hearing about the farmer's market in the warmer months . . ."
"The high-tech facilities, as well as everyone's enthusiasm."
"The admissions faculty is very impressive and cares a great deal for prospective students. Everyone goes out of their way to make sure your visit to Kirksville is a positive experience. Interviewers seemed very familiar with my file and were well-prepared. Very informative. Also, KCOM has a new computerized "man" that is being integrated into the curriculum."
"How nice everyone was! When I walked in, someone immediately greeted me and offered to take my coat. The admissions counselors were all extremely nice. Also, one of the professors that interviewed me came in later in the day just to say hi to everyone and chat."
"The admsn staff warmth, interviewing atmosphere, campus. I have read complaints (on this site) about the anatomy lab being gross. It wasn't. The building was fine and so was the lab. The smell was not overwhelming. It did not smell compared to my comparative vert. anatomy class during undergrad. Free tutoring and KPLAN prep material for boards. All of the lectures are recored, so if something comes up you can listen to the tape and update your notes. They bring the family into the picture. They realize your success is also dependent on how satisfied you are in your whole life...kindof like the osteop. phil. in medicine."
"How nice and accomodating everyone was. The quality (and repuation) of the education you get there. Opportunity to leave Kirksville after the first 2 years. Residency placements (very very good). Student gym facilities (sauna, whirlpool, full gym, yoga, pool access--spouses and significant others get usage for free. awesome!). Oh yeah, also, they have a sim-man you can practice on which is very advanced--his pupils dialate, he can talk, you can intubate him--good practice!"
"The friendly, welcoming attitude that was shared by every person that I talked to at the school. I was also happy to see that everyone at the school embraces the osteopathic philosophy."
"Everyone was so welcoming. The students and faculty were inviting. Questions were straight forward. Facilities are older, but up-to-date. Wireless campus is nice."
"The level of attention they provide to each an every person they interview. They go to great lengths to make not only you feel welcome and wanted but anyone else that you might bring with you."
"The faculty and students are wonderful. The students are tight knit and have an all for one, one for all attitude. "
"Everything, the school, the facilities, the reputation are second to none. "
"How much effort the admission staff puts in the interview process. EXCELLENT! Shows their dedication towards the osteopathic profession."
"The campus is up-to-date in terms of technology; there are ethernet/LAN plugins in every seat of the lecture halls for laptop use, SmartBoards in the "Breakout" rooms (for study group sessions), and wireless internet access. The facilities were not the most glamorous, though they weren't half-bad either. The cafeteria is also fairly large, and there is an extensive collection of osteopathic artifacts as well. Many of the students seemed very cheerful, at least from what was gathered in the anatomy laboratory. The school also makes an effort to keep its students happy by accomodating their needs or requests, and takes an active role in the wellness program to balance the students' academic and social lives. Many of the graduates are also matched into top residency programs across the country as well."
"The friendliness of everyone at KCOM."
"How nice and comfortable everyone is. They are like a big family."
"The Campus and school as a whole. "
"The traditional osteopathic approach that they are committed to."
"Students were extremely friendly and welcoming; admissions staff and faculty encountered were wonderful"
"Everybody at the school is very friendly and positive. Although the interviews were each an hour, they didn't seem that long at all. "
"KCOM courted me - they made me feel welcome and important. None of the arrogance found at some other schools (even if KCOM's reputation might merit a little)."
"everyone seems to want all those around them to succeed-very little competition. some of the best deer hunting in the country"
"Lots of time spent interviewing, thus giving interviewers a good opportunity to get to know me. Facilities were great, including the OMM lab, gross lab and Stan the mechanical patient. KCOM has excellent placement opportunities for rotations and the grads generally get top residency picks. "
"The students seemed to really like it there and had good relationships with each other."
"People and educational facilities"
"How dedicated the place is to Osteopathic principles"
"the interview process--smooth, organized, and interviewees treated well; the administration's goal towards improvement--listens to feedback from students and makes changes accordingly; focus on community and physical well-being of the student; free access to gym The students were very open to questions and supportive of interviewees."
"The use of technology, the ciriculum and the fact that most of the faculty is involved in academic research."
"We were able to call three days after our interview to find out if we got in or not. Strong sense of cammraderie among studnets. The school does not have all the glitz and glamour (i.e. marble floors) like other schools (i.e. NOVA), therefore giving it a down to earth feel and environment."
"EVERYTHING! Awesome facilities, the sweetest people in the world!, excellent reputation and outstanding anatomy program"
"Everything. The Teacher and doctor that interviewed me were amazing. They were very friendly and just wanted to know about me, not asking about my transcript or anything, just my life and intrests. They made me feel very comfortable. The admissions staff was also very comforting. I am going there for school."
"The spirit of a holistic approach to learning and student life was definitely a plus. I really like how they care not only about the academic success of their students, but also their development as people and caring physicians. Academics is top notch -- especially anatomy. They pay for the prep course for the boards! Their facilities are great, their classrooms are fairly large, the Dean of Student Affairs was really nice. The stay-over program with an MS-II was great to prep me for my interview and to ask them questions about what they liked about the school."
"Everything. I was really suprised by this school, how friendly everyone was here, the high tech facilities, and how much everybody cares about the students-including the other students."
"The faculty and staff are centered on the student! The curriculum is very strong! "
"Everyone there was very nice, and the curriculum places heavy emphasis on anatomy, which is important to me. They offer rotations third and fourth year in other states and countries, and have some impressive technology in some of the study areas. The students really seemed to like it there, and the staff does seem to care about the success of the students. Most of all, there are great residencies available to students and they do very well on the boards. My second interviewer (the dean, yikes!) was awesome...very easy to talk to, very comforting, and he really wants to make sure everyone feels comfortable at KCOM. Nice guy."
"The admissions staff, students, other interviewees were all very friendly. It was the most well presented day I have been too. Job well done. All schools should model their caring and kindness."
"The atmosphere @ KCOM. It's a small school but that's the good thing about it--everyone's so friendly! The classrooms/anatomy labs are pretty up-to-date; the cadavor:student ratio is 1:4, which is definitely a plus. The school's main focus is really on its students. They encourage extracurricular activities, which is odd for a med school to do."
"Everybody was very nice and they did everything they could to make you feel comfortable. Anatomy lab is impressive"
"I really suggest staying with students. I changed my overnight arrangements after reading comments on SDN and I am very glad that I did. I met a lot of KCOM students the night before and not only did they offer a lot of advice and information about the school, but they went out of their way to say hi to me when they saw me around campus on the tour. Also, everyone is very laid back there. They are not trying to criticize you, they just want to see if you are a good fit for KCOM. Lunch with the students and the white coat fitting were also fun."
"The students score very high on the COMLEX."
"Friendly environment, excellent anatomy curriculum, interviewers were great, very non threatening. You get a little card with info on your interviewers, interviews are scheduled for 1hr. each, so this will give you some of their interests, specialty, where they went to school.....something to talk about. "
"academics, residency matches, gym, safe area, down-to-earth students"
"The people are very nice and they want you to succeed in medical school. "
"Emphasis on OMM and students were happy."
"EVERYTHING! This school is very well organized for every year you're attending. It's rich with history and tradition, not to mention all the grads get GREAT residencies. One of the top anatomy programs in the country. One cadaver per 4 students. Some schools have up to 8 students, not good. Students are well respected in the community, by faculty, and by the admissions department. The town of Kirksville is on the small side and isolated, but there's everything you need here. No commute, students seemed to get along great, free gym and workout sessions, a lot of clubs, and organizations for spouses. If you need more, check your reasons for attending med school."
"The admissions staff puts together an amazingly coordinated and well thought-out interview day. The day included meetings with a financial aide advisor and with a admissions staff member to review your file for completeness. They even ask you to elaborate on anything that you didn't get a chance to discuss with the interviewers."
"The admissions staff was so nice and supportive"
"They really care about their applicants. They go out of their way to make everyone welcome. Solid school with plenty of opps."
"The students have a very strong sense of community."
"Everything! I hope to attend the school if accepted. I find out next Wednesday. One thing in particular is the depth that they go into anatomy. First-year students have anatomy courses from August to June (or July?) of the next year. Anatomy I think is very important, and so this philosophy fits me well. Students come first at KCOM."
"These people are great at public relations. They can really sell the school and everyone loves it there. Also, the contact hours in the anatomy lab are really high (top 1% in the country--that's impressive)"
"Everyone was very friendly and really reduced the stress level. Two second years performed a demonstration of OMM. They have a nice fitness facility."
"Oh man.......everything. The school has done so much to assist their students in succeeding in school. They are incorporating innovative learning modalities, awesome opportunities for rotations in several states, Still Well Program, opportunities for early clinical experiences, extremely friendly and enthusastic admissions staff, faculty, students, etc. Good facilities and excellent computer connections. High pass rates, highly recognized. They also set you up with students to stay with if you want. Everything!!"
"I was so impressed with the way that school was so friendly and from the moment that they met you it was as if they really enjoyed having you there and wanted you to attend their school. The facilities at the school are also top notch and all the people were fantastic."
"everything! KCOM is an awesome school :) The programs that they have in order to integrate all students and ensure their success are unique and innovative. They are on the cutting edge of osteopathic medical education."
"Very well organized day. The admissions staff was extremely helpful and friendly. They personally escorted us to each interview and even came to escort us back when the interview was over. Students were all very nice and seemed happy to be helping us. The OMT demonstration was also very nice. They even took us to see the anatomy lab."
"The day was extremely organized; every minute was planned and executed with ease."
"the faculty"
"I was made to feel like they really wanted me to be there. The interview groups were small and intimate, creating a more family style environment. They have an IMPRESSIVE program, there is not question why this is the "Cradle of Osteopathic Medicine". The staff were extremely genuine, and accomodating. The admissions staff demonstrated a laid back professional style, indicating that they were proficient at their jobs, and happy to be doing it. The med students were forthright, and honest, and objective. They provided and objective yet positive view of life in school as well as life in a small town in Missouri."
"The school really went out of their way to make us feel at home and at ease. It was obvious that they live by their motto: "Happy students succeed." Also, the admissions staff voluteer as mock patients for physicals, exams, etc. They have a lot of trust in the students they admit."
"the reputation of the school, the new additions to the hospital, how electronically connected the school is for internet and computer applications"
"Just about everything. KCOM was originally my 2nd choice, but after the interview, has become #1 without question. If you are married and/or have kids, you will be so impressed with the level of family dedication these people show you. Even have a whole other set of activities planned for spouses while you interview. The town is incredibly cozy, and if you are looking to get away from distractions and really study medicine, KCOM is for you. If you want to party alot, and hang out at Starbucks, better pass and go find some yuppie elitist metro school instead. The day was choreographed almost seamlessly, without dead space. They made you feel as if you were already accepted, and merely covering formalities. One word - AWESOME!"
"Very friendly, impressive curriculum, lots of clinical immersion early"
"The housing is sooo cheap there and the apts are pretty big. The students are really into becoming the best physicians that they can be and reaching out to others in any way that they can. They are very enthusiastic about medicine. Also, even tho anatomy is studied for three quarters there which is much more than at other DO schools, many students remarked how they were happy with the in-depth education that they were receiving. "
"Awesome curriculum, especially the basic sciences. Great anatomy lab and instructors. KCOM students are well respected in the medical community (read: You can get a good residency). Students and staff are very proud of their history. Great wellness program for students and their family. CHEAP housing and cost of living."
"Every person I encountered was happy, open, friendly, and genuine."
"friendly staff and facalty. how KCOM is so wired. research opp."
"everything! Seems like a great place for two years of hard core learning. Class rooms are in good condition, anat lab and OMT lab are fine. The two week clerkship with a primary care doc between yr1 and yr2. Good residency placement and USMLE + COMPLEX pass rates. The school takes great pride in being the founding school. "
"1. Really great facilities (academic and athletic). A hot spa, excellent gym, tennis courts, squash and the works. Even the study rooms are well equipped with new technological advances . 2. They were genuinely interested in getting to know ME! You have 3 separate interviews (2 of them are "important"), and all three are very engaging. The first was from a professor who showed me the form that he and the D.O. after him would fill out shortly after each interview. At the bottom, it said, "Do you recommend this candidate for admission? Yes or No"!!! 3. They are really interested in making sure that you accomplish YOUR goals, not just theirs. 4. The students are really great and pretty COOL. I didn't even ask or make plans for it, but the guy I stayed with came to pick me up at the tiny Kirksville Airport after I told him that my flight was delayed for about an hour. 5. The admissions staff honestly try to impress you, too, and they do a great job. KCOM is the #1 D.O. school (likely because it was the founding school). Average MCAT is 27 and average gpa is a little over 3.4, but they really pick students that they like - not really a superficial process at all. "
"The school and people were absolutely wonderful! The people were so helpful and kind. The school is fairly new and has strong academic standards. I also love the small town, but I grew up in a very small town. "
"The facilities, the admissions office, the faculty(!!!), the fact that a board review course is included, high board pass rates, they encourage students to take both the COMLEX and the USMLE, which facilitates the great residency placements their students get, the StillWell program, the students, etc. etc. etc.!"
"The people were incredibly friendly and really put me at ease. The interview was very much like a conversation and I felt really comfortable. They have impressive numbers as far as board scores and residency placements and they really make you feel welcome. Can you imagine a med school actually courting you and selling themselves- that would be KCOM. Plus they have a great history as the founding school and they are now part of A.T. Still University- I will be in first class of this new system."
"The osteopathic manipulation demonstration performed by two of the student ambassadors was very impressive. I wanted to be like them!! The students and faculty were all very approachable and friendly. I also enjoyed the museum."
"Everyone was so friendly! The school is really close knit, almost like a family."
"I was impressed by the friendliness of the staff, students, and fellow applicants. I felt very comfortable at this school and believe that it fosters and promotes a positive learning environment. I definitely felt a sense of community! I thought it was great that they had activities set up for parents, spouses and significant others during the day."
"the day was very well planned, everyone was very very friendly. the opening presentation on kcom and the financial aid talk were interesting and well organized."
"Everything. It sounds trite, but there really was very little that did not impress me. First, they honestly care for their students and want them to succeed. Second, they have the resources and the staff to compete with any other school in the country. Lastly, their students are doing as well, and in many cases, better on the USMLE than other MD programs in Missouri. That spoke volumes to me."
"the helpfullness of the staff"
"EVERYTHING!"
"Everyone was genuinely nice and helpful and it was obvious why KCOM is the top DO school."
"You recieve information cards telling about those who will interview you. Throughout the day everything was handled in a very professional manner and they make it a point to know you as an individual. "
"EVERYTHING! The people of Kirksville are wonderful. They also give decisions very quickly- I knew I got in 2 days after I interviewed! "
"The students, staff, faculty, and school. The faculty really care about the students' success and they seemed more than willing to go the extra mile for their students. I was also told that the dean is very student-oriented and that last year he spent two weeks making phone calls to help a student get their first choice residency! The students all seemed very happy and their is a lot of comaraderie among them. "
"The staff is really nice, and the interior of the campus is actually really modern. The students and professors were all really nice...and the smartboards are really neat!"
"Admissions staff, faculty and students are all super nice. The small town environment seems very safe and comfortable."
"How close-knit the students are and the overall humble personalities of the students and faculty."
"Felt very welcome. Friendliness of staff. School has a great reputation."
"How nice everyone was throughout my visit. The students and faculty seem sincerely interested in all of the applicants."
"openness of staff and students learning of the reputation of the school in DO practice"
"the friendly faculty/students and the comfort that i felt by being at the school. everyone is REALLY friendly and sincere"
"The people - they are soooooooooooooo nice!"
"The attitude of the administration, basic ambiance of the school. After my interview, my interviewed left to talk to a student that was depressed and not doing well-- I don't think that at most schools they would have noticed & definitely wouldn't have had a dean of students invested enough to talk to the student himself. Beyond having a really serious (but non-competative) outlook on academics, the students seem happy to be there. I was impressed by their COMLEX&USMLE pass rates. They're not so much into the newer trend towards PBL and system based approaches to the basic sciences. I guess it depends on how you learn best, but I really loved their straight forward lecture/lab approach to teaching. "
"The students and staff/faculty were very nice and helpful. They all seemed so happy and were very positive about the program. Also the stats on the program were very impressive."
"The students and faculty are very nice during the whole visit. Everybody knew everybody, and the students really seemed like they bonded together. Also, I was impressed that they had a higher passing rate on the USMLE than allopathic schools!!!"
"Everybody is really nice and the campus is really nice"
"The students and faculty. All so nice! The students all know each other and have a strong bond and a sense of community with the staff. They were genuinely happy and sincere in answering questions. Everybody was really helpful. Very impressed with high board scores including higher USMLE scores than the allopathic average!"
"Their dedication to osteopathic medicine."
"The people were all incredibly friendly with each other, not just their classmates or the obvious interviewees. I also like the feel that the school is integral to the community and the fact that the school is directly associated (read same building) with clinics and a hospital."
"N/A. Kirksville is smallllll so I expected that. It's really not that bad, its honestly rlly peaceful."
"N/A, surprisingly really liked the rural feel. Cost of living is low, but that tuition is HIGH."
"Community vibe not good."
"The size of the town, which isn't a huge dealbreaker to me. The tuition is also a bit scary to me. ($59,000)"
"NA"
"The surrounding area is almost as rural as you can get."
"One faculty member I spoke was quite rude"
"The town, I'm from a rural area as well but I just wasn't impressed with the town or cracker-box feeling living facilities."
"The town is so incredibly small. No great diversity in restaurants, stores, services, or employment opportunities (for medical student significant others)."
"The very rural location of the school."
"I don't remember them talking specifically about tuition costs, which would have been nice to have a breakdown. The area is very small and surprisingly difficult to get to."
"the town"
"N/A"
"Nothing. It's no secret that Kirksville is a small town. I'm not sure why this is such a surprise for some posters."
"Nothing. The facilities were nice, people were nice, interview was nice. If you get an interview here just relax and calm down."
"Cold Weather. Small town, no good place to eat around the area."
"The small city (my significant other is not as excited as I am)."
"the location. but the school has a lot of programs put in place to try to compensate for that."
"The weather"
"Watch out for an immediate change in gradation when you are walking through the cafeteria. The floor rises like a mini-step, 2-3 inches high. I almost went SPLAT when I tripped over the "step" and I swear the admissions guide purposefully distracted me so that I would trip (too bad that he didn't know that I had ninja skills to save myself with). :D"
"So dam cold this time of year, lack of associated hospitals during first 2 years"
"the city is sooo small!!"
"Small town but you spend most of your time studying anyways..."
"Sounds like the job market might make the job hunt for my husband difficult, but nothing negative about the school."
"How small Kirksville is (~17,000). Even the interviewers told me to be prepared to be bored out of my mind if I got in the school but that on the upside there really would be nothing to distract me from my studies. Also, I think I was the only Hispanic individual in all of Kirksville. There is not a hint of diversity in the city although the city folk are very nice. The weather was pretty bad. It was raining and windy the entire time during my trip and stay but there's not much one can do about that. "
"The town is small and limited in its resources compared to the big city. But it is not as bad as people make it out to be. "
"Location, location, location.... but really, you are probably getting out of Kirksville in 2 years to go do your rotations anyway, plus you'll be studying all the time, soooo... it's not that bad, I guess..."
"location of school"
"Nothing. Some will complain that the town is small, which it is, but the education that you receive should always be the most important factor in your decision. "
"The gross anatomy lab was kind of old and had a pretty bad smell (I guess this is expected, but it was much stronger at this school than any other I've been to)."
"The school is specific only for Osteopathic medicine and a smaller masters program. There is not much diversity. Mostly white people....."
"the weight room was really small"
"How far the school is from major airports."
"Nothing about the school or interview, but I was really turned off by all the family members attending with the interviewees. It's one thing to have your fiance or spouse, but not your siblings and/or parents. That was horribly tacky and I'm sure didn't help the interviewees' chances."
"The location. If KCOM was located in a bigger town, that would be great."
"The location, it is literally in the middle of nowhere surrounded by towns of less than 300 in population."
"Nothing really. The town was a little larger than expected (but by no means is it a big town). "
"Nothing, the entire day was wonderful."
"Nothing that I can remember right now"
"Nothing really, maybe the location, but I'm from a small town..."
"the location of the school. there's really nothing around except for another university and some stores, could see myself getting bored quickly "
"The anatomy lab is a bit dated compared to other schools, the city is small"
"of course: the town. its quite small. and on top of that, its quite a trek out to an airport to get home for the weekend.BUT the wouldn't stop me from attending, because the education there looks fantastic!"
"Location.... I don't know if it's for me or not."
"Histo lab is old but in reality functions like any other lab. It is tough to get to but I'm from a small town and liked the atmosphere."
"Kirksville. Gloomy and small. Too small."
"Kirksville seems a bit boring, even for a boring guy like myself. "
"The city. I found it pretty bleak and depressing. Also, the anatomy lab seems quite outdated."
"my interview with the RN was somewhat stressful and the questions she asked me seemed to just make me flustered rather than provide any information about myself. I am unsure if it was her demeanour or what but she was somewhat stern and a little sarcastic (which only adds to stressful situations, considering you are unsure about how to respond to their sarcasm). "
"The day was SO long. Two 60 minute interviews plus one 30 minute interview with admission staff"
"The anatomy lab is old and should be on the top of their list for refurb"
"the town ---- 17,000 in the middle of nowhere..."
"It is difficult to quickly get to Kirksville. The airport is small and flights get canceled. The other major airports are a few hours drive away."
"Nothing part from a tiny little town which I expected."
"the town -- Kirksville is in the middle of nowhere, just like everyone says!"
"Facilities weren't optimal, yet they had just finished a new building that will be very nice for the new class."
"Nothing. More schools should strive to be like this one. Everyone complains of the location, but you’re only there for two years and it can allow you to study more. The town and location are not that bad. The tuition cost is expensive, but so is most medical schools and you will have more than enough time and money to pay it back."
"Like everyone has said, the location isn't the greatest and there is not a lot around but it's condusive to studying and being creative to entertain yourself!"
"what a jerk my interviewer was"
"the location"
"The student ambassadors. They were very nice people but I don't think they were well prepared to give presentations about KCOM. Some quotes: ''Osteopathic medicine is the same as MD + chiropractics'' ''People usually think DO schools are inferior to MDs'' "
"the location =("
"Small town. Not very impressed with anatomy lab"
"Coming from the chicago area, the area feels a little isolated, but they have lots of ways to help you acclimate to the area."
"Really small town."
"The interviewers lack of preparation."
"Small town....although everyone whines about this fact, it just doesn't hit you unitl you're actually there, especially of you're from a big city."
"The town is kind of dull, but quaint! I don't know how big a fan I am of letter grades instead of just a pass or fail, but 70 is passing and the students were saying their class has generally been doing well..."
"The anatomy lab is a ways rom the main classrooms. I'm just lazy though."
"The location is not the best, but not so bad."
"Some of the comments made by one of the student ambassadors."
"The lack of minorities, and outreach towards them. It is a really small town and country, not for me. No real diversity or culture. The trip to there is really hard for a westcoaster."
"Kirksville is small, but you're only there for 2 years (you can go to several places throughout the country to do your clerkships). "
"It is a VERY small town (20,000) without restaruants, etc... but at the same time conducive to studying."
"Nothing really, but they didn't give to much time to yourself, apart from bathroom breaks."
"The M.D who interviewed me during my physician interview- Uh she is an M.D. interviewing candidates for a D.O. school needless to say she couldnt answer any questions from experience. And that I had this awful foreign professor who just wanted to make someone sweat. He asked all kinds of foreign doctors in the US questions and basically tried to get me to trash that happening (hes foreign), could hardly understand him and NOT ONE question had to do with me or my file AT ALL!!!"
"Nothing negatively impressed me. I am from West Texas, but have lived in Oklahoma, New Jersey, Kansas, New York, and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq over the last 10 years; thus, I have a decidedly open mind toward many things including places to live. The size of the town did not negatively affect me as it seems to affect so many others. The small size of the town is a great quality because your distractions are limited so that you can focus on the task at hand. "
"Location! Kirksville is not what I'm used to. "
"Obviously Kirksville is out in the middle of no where, but you only stay there for two years so this is a plus. "
"Nothing. I'm very impressed with this school. "
"To be honest, the entire having A. T. Still's log cabin and the orininal Osteopathic school inside the building seemed a little odd and strange. Unbanked roads where the speed limit is 60, but goes down to 20 for a town of 20 people while driving in from Quincy (but hey, I'm from California...)"
"One of my interviewers seemed to be trying to get me to ''react'' by asking very pointed and very personal questions. I felt more like I was meeting with a psychologist than interviewing."
"The town is very small. When I asked the students how it was adjusting they would respond with ''Well, there isn't anything to distract you.''"
"Nothing really."
"Anatomy Lab and the size of the town"
"My two one hour interviews. I was only asked three questions in two hours and they left the rest of the time for me to ask them questions."
"The facillities do seem to be somewhat outdated. "
"The microbiology and anatomy facilities could use a reface."
"The curriculum is still largely traditional (i.e. not problem-based or systems based)."
"The size of the town."
"Anatomy Lab seriously needs remodelling."
"The inside of the buildings are somewhat outdated nut nothing that would stop me from wanting to go there. Also, the airport is very very small and flights are often cancelled. The major airports are located several hours from the school."
"the micro lab needed to be redone, you have to drive to kansas city or st. louis to fly out of a big airport."
"The facilities needed to be renovated about 10 years ago. The micro lab looked old and dirty. The lecture lab looked uncomfortable and dismal."
"The town is a small population center surrounded by absolutely nothing. Farmland as far as the eye can see."
"town is small, but students say they don't have much time for active social life outside of school anyway."
"nothing about the school itself..only the location of it off campus"
"It isn't a deciding factor, but I think it might take a little time to adjust to the small-town atmosphere of Kirksville. This is to be expected, since I come from a city where there's constant activity and diversity. I may not have gotten a complete view of Kirksville because I didn't have a car, and therefore couldn't really explore the area while I was there."
"The near-complete lack of any research being conducted there. It seems to be part of their long-range plans for the school, but currently isn't much of a priority at all. The campus fitness center was considerably smaller than it was described, but adequate nonetheless. Throughout the day there were several mentions of how many students were married with families and made you wonder if single students would fit in - turns out only 30% are married, so it's not as exclusionary as it seemed. Also, I could have done without an hour-long financial aid presentation. While helpful, it is not something I'm very interested in unless I am accepted. If accepted, you only have 2 weeks to decide if you will attend and make a $1000 NON-refundable deposit. Obviously, you could forfeit the $1000 later to go somewhere else though."
"location in the middle of nowhere"
"The location sucks. Everyone knows it. There aren't very many things to do in this little podunk town, but that could be positive in that you have less distractions. But you only stay here for the first two years. From there you go to locations around the country to do your clinical rotations during third and fourth year."
"The town is small (18.000-20,000)and difficult for trsvel. "
"My second interviewer was a surgeon. I want to do primary care. We had distinct personalities and he was very quick to give his personal opinion on all topics. Seemed sort of snippy at first, but then I realized that is just his personality. We laughed and joked around too, so he really was a nice guy."
"location, cold weather"
"The town is AWFULLY small and Cold!"
"the location-pretty small town, and the "gym" area. other than that i really liked it and would be very happy there."
"No big airport or train station."
"Everyone seemed so serious."
"location"
"I felt a little unsure if I could get the location I would want for my 3rd and 4th yr rotations."
"none!"
"nothing that i can think of"
"Some of the school facilities are old, however they are building a new building on campus to fix that."
"The town is incredibly small..."
"Nothing-I had a great time aside from the stress of trying to get in!"
"It was a very long day, some of the presentations could have been cut in half."
"The location could be a little better. You are in medical school where you will be studying the entire time, so I guess it is a good thing that there aren't many distractions. If you really need the big city, then you'll have to wait two years and rotate somewhere else your 3rd and 4th years. "
"Cold weather."
"Dr. Rhoades was a horrible interviewer. He seemed to be always looking for something, but never came outright and said what it was. I've talked to other people that have interviewed with him and they all say that even though you feel like you did poorly with his interview, you'll probably still get into the school. (I did, and so did the other people I talked to)"
"only offers 2 electives, other than that it was pretty good. "
"The LOCATION of course. The facilities are pretty nice and the out of date parts will be better when they finish the new building (currently a large hole). The gym and activities are awesome. The big problem is finding a job for my husband. "
"The school is a little run down. They need to re-vamp the hospital as well as the lecture rooms/anatomy/micro lab etc. The schools is great, but it has a 70's feel to it. Spiff if up a little and you have a sweet place to live, work, and go to school. You will most likely need to leave Kirksville to do your rotations (hard for me, I am married with child). Three hours from any major city/airport. (good and bad). Hangin at the Walmart-YEEEEEEHAAAAAWWWW! "
"nothing really. Kirksville is a bigger town than everyone makes it out to be. I was expecting no fast food or anything. Yeah it's small, 17,000 people, but not as small as some people make it out to be. "
"Kirksville is not a happening place. It has TOPS 20,000 people living there, including students from the nearby state university. While that may not seem small to most people, I was alarmed to find that students' idea of a fun time was, get this, GOING TO WAL-MART TO SHOP. I was told this by many students whom I asked what there idea of fun was around there. I think Kirksville would be a great school for those who are married and want to raise a family in a safe and inexpensive environment, or those who are single and focused only on studying. Kirksville has ZERO distractions so it would be easy to study all day and get decent grades. Also, the facilities are somewhat detatched, with the microbiology and anatomy labs in an older building about 2 blocks from the main campus. Not a huge deal, but kind of an annoyance."
"Nothing. I was already familiar with the area. Small towns don't bother me."
"The location, i.e. middle of nowhere."
"I didn't see a mall in Kirksville :)"
"The small town atmosphere is the biggest drawback, but it is only 2 years."
"Difficult to find healthy food options because fast food establishments predominate. I personally liked the town, but I know many others may dislike the rural atmosphere."
"A rather apparent lack of diversity."
"The town is fairly desolate, but then again you won't have much time to do anything except study."
"The facilities are a little older, but entirely functional. More traditional curriculum."
"Kirksville is very small, which I'm ok with because I come from a town the same size, but I was disappointed that it's not close at all to anywhere bigger! Also, lunch was not good, a sandwich and chips. I would suggest eating a good breakfast!"
"Lunch....yuk. I was starved, so I stuffed it down."
"The anatomy labs were old and STINKY! When we walked into the lobby we were immediately accosted by the smell of formaldehyde and by the time we reached the third floor the smell was much stronger; going into the lab itself was almost overwhelming. The microbiology labs were also kind of old and crappy. Oh yeah, also, they tell you about your acceptance very quickly which is a good thing, but you are required to pay a $1,000 deposite within 2 weeks of your acceptance, then another $500 dollars in a months and another $500 in two months. They want you to commit, like, prontissimo."
"Nothing in particular."
"I had been to Kirksville before, but the idea of spending two years in such a small town still gets to me. "
"You are in the middle of no place, and the school could stand to update its facilities."
"Very rigorous academic program compared to other schools. "
"No mall in town. Big cities are faaaaaaaaaaaar!! The school building seems to be very old. "
"A number of things negatively impressed me. The curriculum is traditionally divided into the basic sciences and clinical sciences (2+2), with little emphasis on the use of case-based or PBL learning. There is no systems-based integration, and the academic year is based on a quarter system with a minimal amount of vacation time. There is also a fairly limited amount of early clinical experience, besides the Complete DOctor course. The simulated patient assessment laboratories do not use professionally trained actors, but rather drama students from the local university. Patient simulators (robotic machines) have recently been purchased, but are not yet integrated into the curriculum to the effect that they have any significant impact. The second year students seemed to be disconnected from the first year students and unhappy, or at least this was the impression I received from the tour guides; the student ambassadors at the lunch were extremely kind and friendly, however. The anatomy and OMM laboratories are not well-equipped with viewing screens, but do meet basic needs. There is an extreme emphasis on laboratory skills for microbiology, immunology, histology, etc; very reminiscent of tedious undergraduate work. Some professors choose to incorporate pop quizzes into their courses as well. The school continues to assess students throughout a number of course examinations and end of year examinations; it seems very strict in that sense. The administrative representates were extremely nice, but the interviewers (faculty) were not this way at all. The school provides a transcript that is sent out to residency directors along with something called a LeaderScript, another type of transcript documenting the leadership activities you have completed at the school. Generally, this would probably tend not to work in your favor because you cannot remove the LeaderScript from the transcript - it is not an optional type of documentation. This is not the end of the list, but as far as I can remember, these were some of the main points."
"The length of the school year is extremely long with very few breaks compared to other institutions, and the academic day is fairly long as well. KCOM's facilities and campus are older. Much of the housing in Kirksville tends to be a bit older as well. KCOM's rotations are heavily weighted towards places far away from the midwest (the northeast (NY/PA/OH/FL/UT/CO)."
"Nothing really, I just dont know if I could live in the area. I am a city person so I prefer a bigger place. But, its a great program and a good place to really focus. "
"No health package for the studnets"
"The town is tiny. (but you only have to stay there 2 years, not 4)"
"Very small town"
"There is NOTHING in kirksville! Nothing!"
"Only one minor thing - that the presentation about the student fitness center (we couldn't do a tour because of rain) was a "work in progress" and essentially useless."
"small, old town-not much to do"
"How far Kirksville is from a bigger city"
"Most go out for rotations, few in CA where I am from, which is only offered as a elective in your 4th year"
"Kirksville is in the middle of nowhere"
"nothing of importance"
"The buildings, there old and have a lifesaver smell to them"
"Anatomy lab is kind of small/cramped. 2.5 hours from KC."
"Nothing...maybe the small community, but I'll get over that!"
"Nothing, just that it was raining so we basically had to look as slides of some parts of the school because we couldn't walk in the rain."
"It seemed socially dead -- probably because we were there during class time and everyone was in class. The town is so small and so far from other cities, but I'm sure it'll be a matter of just adjusting to it. No rotations in CA (where I'm from)."
"It is kind of remote, but the school manages to make this a positive factor."
"I'm not a big fan of rural areas in general, and Kirksville is about as rural as you can get and still have room to put a medical college. Instead of one or two students giving us a tour, we had a bunch of people take us to one spot, talk about it, and return us to admissions until the next person picked us up again. The micro/histology lab and the OMM lab are very old. The idea of a 2 week rural preceptorship at the end of year one kind of freaks me out...preceptorship yes, rural not so much. My first interviewer either wasn't prepared, didn't care to talk to me at all, or was trying to make me nervous because he hardly said 10 words during the entire hour. It was basically up to me to carry the conversation."
"The town was very small, not a lot to do. "
"how small kirksville is!!! I've read about how small kirsville is but reality hit only after I got on the idy-bidy plane to fly from St Loius to Kirksville. The biggest city is one hour away (columbia)"
"The weather was bad so we did not get to see the whole campus."
"The town is very small."
"some of the labs were older, expensive school, but with a 27 MCAT and 3.5 you get a 1500 dollar scholarship automatically, with a 27 MCAT and 3.7 you get 3000 dollars for your first year, and only your first year, but every bit helps!!"
"I'm a city person. Going to Kirksville and its surrounding areas made me realize how much I love the Northeast and how much I like being around big cities. I did not like the Histo lab. It looked ancient and their facilities in that lab is out of date."
"How far the town is from a big city."
"Kirksville is tiny. that's about it"
"If you have a spouse, having them find a good job might be a challenge (b/c of town size)."
"Financial aid seminar was scary...it's gonna cost $49,000+/year"
"Size of town."
"The entire town (school plus surroundings) only has a population of 16,000. Its so small!"
"Nothing! I've noticed that some people feel negative about the size of the town. I personally don't like living in larger towns and think Kirksville is the perfect size."
"The labs are moderate. They are older and not as nice as some of the other schools I had been to."
"The city isnt too impressive with a population of 17,000."
"Maybe the small town, but hey, that is where we are all planning on practicing anyway right? "
"The town has only 17,000 people is the social aspect of going to KCOM is not the greatest."
"Nothing :)"
"Nothing really. The town is a bit isolated and small, but thats fine with me."
"My second interviewer did not seem at all happy to be spending his time with me."
"the facilities, town"
"Kirskville is a small town. It's population is about 17000 and is surrounded by large farms. This puts it at least 1.5 hours from the largest city which is Columbia, MO. You won't find a mall here, nor will you find any major facilities that you would normally find in a large town. This is your typicall small town environment that is common in the midwest. Though I put this in the negative part, it may very well be a positive for some people. I actually like the small town environment. It's great for focusing you on the studies at hand. It does get cold there, the average temp in JAN is around 11 degrees. I grew up in MO, so I'm pretty used to the weather, however some people that come from warmer climates may have problems. However I believe that for most, the prestige of the school, it's outstanding program, student satisfaction and excellent faculty can more than make up for the relative negatives found in the lack of services in the community."
"One interviewer kept asking me about my childhood. I guess he wanted to see how I have changed (?) I was somewhat defensive towards him too because he kept taking what I would say and substituting his own words, which completely changed the meaning of my answers!"
"really small town, but it did have a hospital which appeared very busy every time I went inside."
"Had no negative impressions. Again, I liked Kirksville, some hate it. Purely subjective Kirksville has a small airport, a Super Walmart, several fast food places, a few nice restaurants, and other basic services in addition to a 4 yr. college. If you want malls, etc., have to go to Columbia 90 mi south. "
"really old and the town sucks, oh yeah and the 21 person prop plane was fun in the storm. never gonna do that again. They also seem to worship A.T. Still. "
"We did not get any brochures or anything to remember the school by. We were supposed to get a bag with the grad class' match list and other stuff, but never received that. "
"School is in the middle of nowhere!!! Feels like stepping back in time. Hour and a half to the mall (and most everything else for that matter). Not good for someone from urban or suburban area, you'll go nuts. Also, no onsite clinical time. You must travel for your last two years, possibly to OH, TX, MI or east coast."
"KCOM is a hidden teasure. I wish it was in a big city."
"Having to move around for clinical yrs 3 + 4, yet this is rather standard for a DO school"
"Kirksville is a fairly small town with only 1 movie theatre (it has 8 screens). You have to drive 1.5 hours to Columbia if you want to visit a shopping mall. There's a JC Penny's and plenty of restaurants, hospitals and even Truman State University, but Kirksville can't be confused with a medium-sized town. The roads are nice, but it seems like they don't take you anywhere!"
"The highways leading to and from Kirksville (but coming from OK, I don't have much room to criticize :D) ... Nothing about the school or the city negatively impressed me."
"Nothing. "
"nothing - I think the only negative thing about KCOM is the fact it is in a small town but that is overcome because we can go all over for rotations."
"The location of the school and the really COLD weather!"
"Once you are outside of Kirksville, there is a whole lot of nothingness!"
"Honestly, I have nothing negative to say about my visit."
"the campus seemed disjointed - the lab building is a few blocks from everything else."
"Kirksville IS small town America. Good luck finding your favorite Diesel Jeans or a good plate of Sushi. Their gym also left something to be desired. Keep in mind though, its only two years."
"the smallness of the town"
"One of my interviewers talked my ear off."
"The anatomy and microbiology labs weren't as modern as those seen at some other schools."
"Nothing, the format for the day is well laid out and everyone from the admissions staff to the students really work hard to make it as easy as possible. "
"Job market for my husband"
"nothing"
"The town has only 20,000 people...however, it does have Truman State University."
"The closest shopping mall is 1.5 hr drive away. Kirksville airport "building" is about the size of my living room."
"That they have no summer break between years 1 and 2"
"Very small town. No major hub city nearby."
"The town of Kirksville"
"the location...literally in the middle of nowhere"
"The location - northeast Missouri away from everything."
"The town. I suppose Kirksville is good for studying bc there isn't much to get into but the town is very isolated and hard to get to. Its also mostly caucasian (lots of Mormons)-- may be a bit of a culture shock for ppl used to a different mix of ppl. Only two years are required in Kville which makes the town not so bad"
"The town is probably the least impressive part, but it is actually not that bad, definitely livable. In fact it might be a good thing that the school is in the middle of nowhere; you are there to study right?!?"
"Kirksville, but also Truman state University is very close to KCOM so there are other students near by."
"Being in Kirksville"
"Kirksville...small town in the middle of nowhere. No diversity."
"The city."
"Absolutely nothing."
"That everyone just wants you to succeed and the nerves are NOT worth it"
"RELAX, fr these interviewers just want you to be yourself. You don't need to pretend someone you're not or someone you think they want."
"The whole interview is super conversational. Everyone is so friendly."
"Be excited but relaxed. You deserve to have an interview. Be yourself."
"How truly laid back the interview was. If you are there for an interview, then they are interested in you on paper and all you have to do is show you match up to what is on paper."
"That the school is very welcoming and does not try to intimidate you during the interview process."
"It was freezing, should have brought a coat"
"na"
"How laid back the interview would be."
"That the interviewers really wanted to get to know you"
"To look up information about A.T. Still just in case an interviewer asks you if you know anything about him, the history of the school, the history of osteopathy, etc. You will be talking to interviewers basically back to back for 1 hour and 30 mins (three 30 min interviews), so eat a filling breakfast/lunch and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated."
"Tour goes outside, would have brought my jacket had I known."
"the town"
"That the day I visited would be a school holiday (wellness day)"
"How relaxed and friendly the interviews would be."
"I Knew everything I needed to know because I read up on all the do's and donts from this website. However there are a few suggestions I could make for those traveling from a long distance. The comfort INN was a great hotel, I would def recommend it. And I would Def advise people to fly in to kirksville on that litte tiny plane that they offer, it only takes 1 hour, its probably cheaper then gas, and it was completely safe and not scary at all."
"They only have fast food to eat in the area, which is not very healthy. The drive from kansas City airport is really dark after 5pm."
"nothing. everyone criticizes the location. it is a very small town, but there is also a lot of beautiful nature surrounding the place."
"Take the large highways to get into Kirksville. GPS systems will want to take you through back roads, which was terrible because there was a large blizzard when I was driving in."
"Calling cabs are the only way to get around Kirksville if you do not have a car. The closest thing to public transportation is a shuttle that runs north-south of the town, but it's never guaranteed to be operating in the winter."
"Nothing really, be prepared that the town is very small, but surprisingly most of the students I talked to were from big cities (like Minneapolis, Chicago, etc.) and said that they didn't feel like they were missing out as there are some larger towns within 90 miles or so and also it helps to have a distraction-free place to live."
"How boring and small Kirksville really is. "
"more about the town of kirksville."
"How awesome the burgers at the Dukum Inn would be. I'm not really sure why they were so good, but it's something that you must try. Go there the evening before the interview and have some food. "
"That it takes 3 planes to get from the school and another 3 to fly back and the last airplane is smaller than a van. But what an experience and you get personal service. That I would get sick the day before the interview and everyone will be asking me if I had brought the swine flu with me from CA."
"That the class was full for this fall and that there was a waiting & alternate list."
"How much walking I would do. I also wish I knew that everyone else would be bringing a portfolio or resume folder/binder. Luckily, I had just asked a family member who lives in Kirksville for a pen and paper and got a folder."
"How small Kirksville really is."
"How rural the setting was."
"A major interest of my interviewers was to find out if I wanted to live in a rural setting, it made sense but I guess I assumed that people interviewed would've already self-selected for this."
"That there were 3 one hour interviews. Not a big deal, they were all easy, but would have been nice to know. 1 with basic science faculty, 1 with Physician, and 1 with admissions staff."
"there is an airport in Kirksville (though it's really small)."
"Road reports (not the best weather to drive in)."
"There are a lot of hotels in Kirksville itself"
"How conversational the interviews were going to be. "
"When you "talk" to someone from admissions it is really an interview! "
"How easy the experience actually was."
"That I didn't need to be so nervous! Everyone was very nice and accommodating, but I got really nervous in my interview for some reason."
"Fly to Kansas City, not St. Louis"
"How excited to be about the homemade cookie you get at lunch. It was great!"
"The only way to fly into Kirksville is on a small 4 person plane. You can only buy tickets on the IRK website itself. You won't find any on Expedia or Orbitz."
"How long interview would be, how small Kirksville was going to be."
"Two interviews each an hour long and then a short one with someone in admissions (usually 30 minutes or so). "
"Nothing, they get you pretty well prepared."
"The day would be so long. Lasted 8am through 3pm"
"very friendly interviewers "
"All the positives about the school."
"the details of rotations"
"How absolutely incredible the people there would be. Everyone seemed so happy! I was nervous for two hour-long interviews but there was no need because both interviewers were awesome and easy to talk to. I could really show my personality in the interview rather than being grilled with questions and answering stoicly."
"How much time would be devoted to ME asking THEM questions! How much I would love the school!"
"I'm glad I stayed with a student. I'd recommend that to anyone. "
"Nothing. I was prepared, open, and ready. Everything lived up to what I had heard and expected. "
"Nothing really. Knowing who I would be interviewing with a few days before the interview may have been nice but they do provide you with that information when you arrive."
"I wish I had known they were having KCOM Prom that night because I totally would have gone!"
"none"
"That I would love it so much. "
"I probably should have drove instead of flying into KC, renting a car and driving to Kirksville."
"Make reservations at the hotel you want to stay at prior to arrival. The Holiday Inn was booked solid due to hunting season!"
"Nothing. I was happily surprised and impressed from what I learned."
"How much they are excited about DO's and their philosophy."
"What I expected."
"How important osteopathic manipulation is to the philosophy of osteopathic medicine. Other DO schools teach it, but Kirksville seems to have a better understanding of it."
"There is a beautiful state park 4 miles from the school."
"Nothing all that astonishing."
"I wish I had known who I was interviewing with, I would have changed days!! 2 of my 3 were horrible at interviewing candidate, one had only worked for the school a few months. It was sorta sad, I got screwed on that part."
"That the facilities were a little outdated compared to other medical schools."
"The heavy emphasis placed on OMM vs. other specialties. Also, I wish I had known how friendly they were - it would have decreased my anxiety."
"That many of the students are married and have kids. Someone said they think it might be 50%. I guess it is a good place for those who are married or have families. "
"Thousand Hill State Park. I would have visited it sooner. "
"How good the roads getting to Kirksville actually were. I thought that it would be a two lane for the last 30 or 40 miles...and that it's not near as far from KC as I thought."
"that the town is extremely small with nothing to do."
"How different my interview experience was compared to everyone else who interviewed that day."
"That the interviewers were so interested in getting to know the person behind the numbers. "
"There are no 3rd and 4th yr rotation sites ANYWHERE close to the south."
"Nothing really...I knew it was a rural town, but still was surprised at just how rural it was."
"The interviews were the most laid back of all that I have been to and the other were very easy going"
"kirksville leaves a little to be desired but i guess the less distractions in med school, the better!"
"The new building which will house the library, OMM lab, sim labs and breakout rooms will be ready for the EC of 2007"
"Last semester's grades. This may be irrelevant for most, but two of my interviewers asked about them. I was nervous b/c I thought I had at least one C, but turns out I had A's."
"The school's website focuses so heavily on the differences between the osteopathic philosophy and the allopathic that it starts to sounds almost naturopathic/homeopathic, which is an obvious turn-off. I was impressed and relieved during my visit to leave feeling like they would train me to be a good doctor, plain and simple, and that the osteopathic "differences" are not so pronounced in your education there."
"Quite a few married students. Quite a few Mormons. The town is like 95% white with a few Hispanic migrant workers."
"The town doesn't have much to offer. Just a SuperWalmart and many chain fast food restaurants. But on campus, there is a lot to do and the school is awesome! There is a park 8 miles away where you can take free canoe lessons, camp, hike, etc. Take a little, give a little."
"Your first two years are at Kirskville, but the hospital is not quite as advanced there. So in your 3rd and 4th year, you can go to diff. states to do your rotations. (*selected states)"
"It is VERY VERY Cold in Kirksville and bunch of snow, so you must have a lot of warm clothes"
"The interviews are first thing in the morning, so you are chipper and ready, then the rest of the day is fun and relaxing. The interviews go faster than you expect."
"nothing, I was aware that Kirksville is in the middle of nowhere"
"Be prepared to discuss any low grades during your college experience."
"LADIES! Wear COMFORTABLE shoes (or bring a pair) because you will be walking the campus for an hour or two if it isn't raining! I wore nice dress shoes for the interview in the morning and changed into my Nike's after lunch (no need to impress the faculty after the interviews were over!) I read this tip on this website and man, am I grateful I wasn't wearing Kenneth Coles all day!"
"It was cold during the outside part of our tour...bring a jacket and comfortable shoes."
"Nothing really. Kirksville is small town, so its not for everyone. But they seem to have a good community feel there."
"The whole town of Kirksville is wrapped around the University. It is great. There are also a large number of law offices. doctor + lawyer =pissed off doctors. ;)"
"nothing, I pretty much knew what I was getting into."
"That it's such a great school in such a boring town. Sad really..."
"Had been on two tours previously, so nothing really surprised me."
"That it was nothing to be affraid of!"
"I was pretty prepared for the lack of things to do and lack of choices of food."
"I did enough research, so I was prepared."
"I wish I had planned for a little extra time to explore Kirksville/surrounding areas. The tour/interviews were a great way to get to know the school, but the rest of the community is still a bit of a mystery."
"The options for eating in Kirksville are very limited."
"Nothing. I was very familiar with both the school and Kirksville."
"The school is actually bigger than I thought it'd be. I also didn't realize how well known the school is and how highly regarded the students are. They get accepted into some pretty impressive residencies."
"I wish I would have known how gross the lunch would be and that I need to bring water. The day was long (8-3:30). We had access to water fountains, but that was it(except at lunch). "
"Well, I heard Kirksville was small but really, standing in the center of town on a Friday night, with NO ONE out and about at 9pm was a really eerie experience for me (I'm from NYC)."
"The town may be small, however, it has the nicest people that you may ever meet. Although I was not enthusastic before my visit about the posibility of being in such a small town, I realized that what the area lacks in size is made up for by personality."
"How far this town is from bigger cities"
"Nothing, I felt pretty well informed going into the interview day."
"Most students only stay in Kirksville two years. Then most leave to do there rotations at hospitals around the country. "
"That they had such a big facility and state of the art equipment. "
"In Kirksville a paper bag is known as a sack! :)"
"Kirksville is located in the middle of nowhere, has nothing to offer, no cultural diversity, isolated from the world, and looks more representative of a giant field - with unoccupied land, dead trees, etc. It's also unsafe to take an airplane into Kirksville, and the drive from KCI is 3 hours approximately. There are no restaurants either; only fast-food joints. As far as shopping, the only two places include Walmart and JC Penny. Everything else is probably mail-order catalog. Surprisingly, the radio stations are still OK. Even the newspaper is depressing; seeing the names and the references to the obituaries on the first page, each and every day. Kirksville is not the place to be, to visit, to live. "
"Not to rent a cab....it was disgusting!!!"
"-----"
"That you should leave at least 3 hours of driving time each way from Kansas City. P.S. Don't take the commuter flight. It's dangerous. They just had a plane crash that killed several people there. The airport is not a modern, up-to-date facility."
"Very small town."
"There is a serious lack of windows in the OMM lab and break out rooms. "
"I had asked a lot of questions in the forums and to some KCOM graduates so nothing was new to me per se. I was surprised just how family friendly they are (which is a plus to me with a wife and kids)."
"the diversity of locations around the country you are allowed to do clinical rotations in."
"Nothing really. Kirksville is small, but you already knew that."
"How small the city is"
"The '10-15 minute' admissions interview is not to be taken LIGHTLY, It is a real interview, less conversational than the 1 hour interviews and you are asked about your research, clinical work, inspirations, and why they should take you. STAY at Day's Inn in Kirksville, Full Breakfast in the morning and easy shuttle."
"N/A"
"Lack of diversity in the student body"
"Bring my running shoes! There's lots of outdoor opportunities available. "
"Not to be nervous because there is absolutely no reason to be."
"That the town is really small (as most people have indicated in this database). No rotations in CA. Apparently 30% of their students are married. I don't know if that's ALL of their students, or if that's just MS-I or II, etc."
"How supportive this school was of it's students and how much I like the school."
"The drive to Kirksville was long but that was to be expected. For some time, I did not have cell phone service until I got within 5-7 miles of Kirksville."
"That there are no really decent places to get something to eat in the town (which my interviewer also pointed out to me the next morning,haha). Unless you like fast food, there weren't many choices for a sit down meal, so my family and I were out of luck. "
"That the amount of the deposit is $1000 and you only have two weeks to return it."
"You can change your travel plans to stay with students and I really encourage it. Also there will be about ten other applicants there that day that you will do everything with besides your interviews. At first having a lot of other people there was distracting, but after awhile we all started to talk to one another about our interviews that day and other places we had been."
"Nothing really."
"Not many surprises if you read this website, smaller community, far away from a big city, library is nothing to brag about."
"The academics (especially anatomy training) was so strong. That I would not like living in the Midwest."
"That there are curbs in the parking lot that get covered by snow. I ran over one and tore up my rental car :("
"Nothing. But if you're flying, go to KC then rent a car. It's cheaper, faster, and you'll get to see the area that you will be moving to. "
"I was unware that 3rd and 4th year rotations are done largely out of state due to hospital size restrictions in Kirksville."
"Kirksville was so small."
"The town is very small. If you're coming from a larger city, the adaptation is a shock."
"Nothing really"
"It was drizzling and cold. I should have checked the weather forcast. Also, there is a beautiful park (Thousand Hills or something like that) not far from the campus--it has a large lake. For those that like the outdoors, this is a huge bonus because there is not much else in the area."
"The size of the town was a little bit of a shock. I expected there to be larger towns nearby but it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere."
"Anatomy program is like in the top 1% of all medical schools in the nation....it is gonna be tough, and I haven't taken anatomy yet, so I will be soon!!"
"How cold it would be!"
"that you should NOT fly into Kirksville and SHOULD stay with a student."
"Nothing really. The SDN site pretty much tells all."
"the weather was cooler than weather.com said it would be."
"That my wife who desperately wanted me to stay in our state, now, after the interview day, is beside herself wanting me to attend Kirksville. They made that big of an impression. "
"The nearest anything is an hour and a half away in columbia."
"How truly isolated the school is in the middle of MO."
"Nothing"
"That tuition is 30K"
"I knew this before, but it's still important: 1. There's an American Airlines shuttle from St. Louis that runs twice a day. If you're from out-of-state and you don't want to bother renting a car (which you really don't need), then catch that 18-seater flight. 2. Days Inn is the nicest hotel in the area, it's fairly inexpensive, and it has a free shuttle to the airport pretty much whenever you need/want it. "
"Nothing, I felt well prepared for my visit."
"They had us very informed of what to expect."
"Nothing really- I felt prepared to answer the question why DO instead of MD and that was really the only tough thing to explain and clarify. It is really important to know why you are interested in Osteopathic medicine."
"Even though the interviews are long, they are not stressful."
"They are very prompt in letting you know whether or not you have been accepted into their program. I love the school, but because it was my first interview I have nothing to compare it to yet. I have to make a $1000 deposit before I have had all of my interviews at other schools."
"you find out their decision in about a week and after that have only 2 weeks to make your first deposit. be prepared to make some kind of decision within 3 weeks of interviewing."
"Coming from the west coast, I lost two hours of sleep. Start setting your alarm early."
"The school is much higher quality than I had imagined. Everything was nice and new, the people were friendly, and the town was bigger than I imagined."
"Kirksville wasn't as small as everyone made it out to be. I really liked the town. "
"Gear up on medical terminology with regards to clinical rotations - i.e. preceptor."
"The plane from St. Louis to Kirksville is TINY (18 seats)."
"They work on the quarter system...so year round school."
"It's a little more rural than I expected."
"How nice it feels to be in a rural setting"
"--"
"Nothing. "
"I'm glad I stayed with a student. Stay with a student if you interview here! You learn alot more about student life at KCOM."
"How long the day would be. I had a long drive after the interview and going until 3 can be pretty demanding before hopping in a car and driving to St. Louis or Kansas City."
"The students get real exposure to patients from the get go by assisting with performing school physicals."
"Loved the school. Getting there was a little hard (long drive) but actually going there totally changed my opinion about the school/Kirksville. 10/10 day."
"Have fun! Great school, great people - so have a great time."
"The virtual interview went very smoothly. They did an excellent job of providing information on what campus is like."
"Great school, the match data and board pass rates speak for themselves. This will be a very hard school to turn down."
"I was so impressed after leaving the school. I would definitely consider this school if accepted."
"KCOM is a very nice and up to date school which is run by very knowledgeable staff. Everyone is genuinely interested in the applicants and wants to get to know them better."
"Interviews can be daunting but be confident. Hold true to yourself and know your strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, be yourself. Show your passion for medicine. You will have plenty of opportunities."
"Overall it seems like a solid school. If you come from a big city, the area is quite a shock."
"It was a great school. Still giving it serious thought."
"na"
"The campus, staff, and interview process were all great. The town was just far too small, even for me, and I am from a rural community."
"Overall, KCOM is a nice school in an isolated location. The professors are enthusiastic about what they teach and have an open door policy, which means if you're struggling you can come directly to them for help. Professors know you by name and genuinely want you to succeed. KCOM has its own teaching hospital attached to the school, which is unique and useful for service and rotations. The incorporation of ultrasound into the curriculum is an additional bonus that the majority of other medical schools don't offer."
"Great school, great people."
"great school and program, lots of history and pride there"
"KCOM did an awesome job at making us feel comfortable!"
"This was a great school, and a very relaxed envirionment. Just be yourself, calm down, and to prepare just read over what everyonelse has said."
"I think if you can deal with the weather and small town environment, then it is well-worth the consideration since it is a well-respected institution."
"Excellent program -- I was seriously WOWed by their student community and curricular development."
"Great school and laid back interview."
"Super laid back interviews. One of my interviewers said "I just want to get to know you. I am going to ask you a few questions, and then I want you to just tell me about yourself, why you are here, and why medicine. Then I'm going to repeat what I think you told me, and please correct any misconceptions I may have made of you." Superrr CHILL!"
"Great school, I was positively impressed from my experience."
"The friendliness of Kirksville. I even made friends with one of the two cab drivers in all of Kirksville."
"Great school. Quiet town atmosphere is amazing for the first two years, and they get you into some larger areas for your 3rd and 4th years, so you get it all."
"school was great, i really liked it!"
"Overall, I really liked the school and am hoping to matriculate!"
"Great day! If you are truly there because you are interested in Osteopathic Medicine, make sure you take the time to go into the museum. It is incredible and is right there in the same building as the admissions office!"
"KCOM has great facilities, excellent professors, and a well-planned curriculum but if you want to go here you will have to learn to entertain yourself. "
"nice school, great academic program, very affordable cost of living, very nice hometown feel, very safe, school is affiliated with a hospital, faculty and students are very accomodating."
"KCOM is a great school with a great staff. I was very impressed with everything. Be prepared for a rather long day and don't be worried about how long the interviews are--they go by VERY quickly and are extremely laid back and conversational. "
"Overall, very relaxed interviews. Just be yourself. The interviewers knew my application inside and out. They ask very very specific questions about your application so just be prepared to answer anything and everything. Also, I took the little plane from STL to Kirksville. I highly recommend it."
"Very conversational. The 2 hours went by quickly. The 30 minutes with an admissions person was nice. We just went over my application and talked about questions I had."
"There are three separate interviews. Two one hour ones with faculty and one 20-30 minute session with an admissions representative. I really got a great sense the administration school really wanting the students to do well and succeed. The students around campus were really busy studying for test on Monday. I came from St. Louis so I did not have to fly a bunch of flights."
"Such an awesome school with awesome students and faculty and stuff. Bring an umbrella and call the cab the night before. There's only two of them in town. OH, try to take air One Choice. It's really fun and convenient than driving to KCOM"
"I liked the interview process because you got to talk to two different faculty/staff members from different areas. There was also a "break" between the interviews for a short "interview" with an admissions staff - mainly to just make sure that you have met all requirements. The interviews were finished before lunch so the rest of the day was more relaxed."
"Great school; great interview. "
"Overall a great experience. Conversational interviews and great people. "
"The interviews were very conversational and laid-back. The interviewers were also extremely personable."
"I was able to get a feel for the town and I really enjoyed it. The entire community is very friendly. I live in a town of 4 million now, but would not hesitate to live in K'ville for a few years."
"I was very impressed with everyone at ATSU. It is clear that there is a sincere committment to the students there and a strong teacher/student connection."
"GREAT school I sure hope I get an acceptance letter"
"I was very impressed with the school and pleasantly surprised by Kirksville. I look forward to next fall... "
"I completely loved the school, and if I get in I will probably be there next year!"
"KCOM is a great facility, but I honestly don't know if I can work past the location. A small town provides a nice study environment, but it might not be for me."
"I really liked how detailed the day was. We had much more information about the school than any of my previous interviews. Lunch was the best yet, and the interviewers were great"
"I thought it was a great school. If it were in an area that was more appealing to more people, I would bet that it would become one of the most popular schools in the country."
"Great school, great people, bad location."
"Great school. A. T. Still would be proud to see what his dream has become here. I got accepted 3 days later so they have a fast turnaround. "
"There is a short presentation in the morning then 2x60min interviews and 1x20min. interview. They are very conversational and do go quickly. Lunch is with some current students and catered by a local cafe - the sandwiches were really good. Fin.aid. presentation in the afternoon followed by a tour. In by 8 out by 3. Very friendly admissions staff and they are very accommodating for those with spouses/little ones."
"It is incredibly difficult to get to Kirksville in a timely manner. I had 1.5 hr flight plus ~3 hr drive from St Louis. Had to spend extra night in MO because of this - added > $150 to the trip"
"Great experience. I felt like the faculty were pulling for us to get accepted not just trying to pick us over with a fine tooth comb. Also, the lady who welcomes you at the front door is amazing."
"laid back interview. "
"I would have to say that the interviews at KCOM were a bit different than any others I have experienced. It was very conversational, but almost to the point where it threw me off a bit. All interviews usually begin with small talk, but at KCOM it seemed that it never developed into something more serious in nature. This would have been totally fine if I had been expecting it, but it felt as if I kept waiting for the interview to begin. So my advice is to just relax, roll with it, and have a good time. There is really not much need for a serious interview, as most of that stuff is covered in the application."
"Overall it went well despite the interviewer that gave me vague questions then lectured me on what he felt was the correct answer."
"Overall I was highly impressed with this school. The facilities are nice, especially with the new building. The interview day is long but worth it. I left there feeling great about the day and about myself. The town is small, but everyone seemed to adapt just fine. I can't stress enough how wonderful everyone was. The admissions committee meets once a week, so they get back to you quickly. They're also very proud of their history. I'm very excited about the school and can't wait to hear back from them!"
"Interviewing at KCOM was honestly a really great experience. The interviewers and admissions staff were all really nice and friendly. It wasn't set up to be a formal interview -- more like conversation, with AMPLE time to ask the interviewers questions. Definitely come prepared with lots of questions to ask them!"
"I love staying with a student and being able to pick his brain all night. He answered so many of my questions that I went into my interview feeling as though I already knew the school so well. The interviews themselves were laid back. It was a typical interview day. I slept in the Airport the night of the interview in Kansas City. I decided to go into town with my extra time in KC the night before I left. As luck would have it, a guy came into the sports bar where I was eating and offered me a Billy Joel ticket for the concert across the street. I had a blast with thousands of 40 somethings trying to dance. All-in-all I loved Kirksville, I felt at home there."
"ATSU/KCOM is the founding D.O. school, is rich in tradition and history, and is very prestigious throughout the country. The interviewers, faculty, staff, students, and student ambassadors (tour guides) were all very friendly, helpful, and propose an atmosphere that is very conducive for learning and excelling in medicine. It is definitely true what you hear from virtually everyone that talks about ATSU/KCOM and says that it is a friendly campus and that the interview is relaxed and laid back. The facility is very nice and provides high technological advances and a brand new building containing a new OMM lab and patient simulators. This is a top-notch program that can provide a high quality education, good faculty to student ratio, and good residency placement. They honestly just want to get to know you and find out if you are right for the program and if you want to join their program. No ethical questions were asked. There was an hour interview with 1 D.O. and a separate hour interview with 1 Ph.D faculty member, followed by a 30 minute interview with an admissions staff member. The rest of the day was a relaxed, helpful information session, tour of the campus, and tour of the anatomy lab. You spend your first 2 years in Kirksville and then you have a choice between many states throughout the U.S. for your 3rd and 4th year rotations. I was accepted to ATSU not long after my interview and will be attending this fall. I was satisfied with the fact that they didn’t make me wait long. They are to the point and know what they want, unlike other schools that I have been waitlisted at in the past. "
"Overall it was very positive! Everyone was friendly and welcoming. They did not want to just drill you with hard eithical questions in the interview, rather just get to know you as a person to see if you would be a good fit. They did just add on a new building (not funded by tuition money!) to the campus with more patient simulators and a large OMM lab. It's good to see that the school is receiving funding and keeping up with technology to help their students. The only major downfall is the size and location of the town but you are only there for your first 2 years, and coming from a school where the town was 6,000 you get used to it! "
"I had a 1/2 hour interview with an admissions counselor just to make sure the file was correct. This was followed by 2 interviews with faculty that lasted an hour. Everyone except the faculty interviewers were pleasant and make me relax. I loved this school and was quite impressed with their academic program."
"Overall, it was a good experience. The program here is very good though the location is not as appealing."
"Great overall. I loved KCOM."
"My wife and I fell in love with this school. She took the tour with the student ambassadors and they had so much fun, they even invited us to a barbecue after. My interviews were very conversational..... but watch out. I have no idea what went wrong, to me everything seemed to go great, but I just got a rejection email. So beware! Not sure what they're looking for, I guess."
"The group was all gathered and participated in an informational presentation. The students were taken to their respective interviews one by one. They have activities for your spouse or significant other so bring them, they are a part of this whole process. You have 3 interviews throught the day (a DO, pHD, and admissions counselor). Then there is lunch, an OMT demo, and tour of the facilities. Lastly there is a fin aid lecture and intro to the still well program. "
"Amazing!"
"The questions weren't difficult. The interviewers attempted to make it conversational, but it was awkward. The KCOM students we ate lunch with all LOVE the school. The facilities are exceptional.The admissions staff was warm and friendly."
"The interviews are at the beginning of the day, which makes the tour more enjoyable. You also get a little card of facts on the people you will be interviewing with. However, my first interviewer was horrible in the fact that he kept attacking my application and putting my answers to his questions into different contexts. He made me feel as though I didn't deserve the interview. The second interview was more conversational. He basically wanted to get to know me to see if I would fit into the student body and vice versa. They don't leave you alone for one second of the day, which makes for a very long day. Overall, the school is impressive and the students are very happy with the education they receive. It is now one of my top choices."
"It was awesome! The day began with an intro session and then with two hour-long interviews and a 20 minute talk with an admissions counselor. Next we had lunch, an OMT demonstration, a financial aid talk and a tour. Everyone was really positive and I was so impressed!!!"
"Overall it was a great day. I'm glad I chose to go. The town is a small little place in the middle of nowhere, just like it was advertised. But, I am a small town boy, so it was to my liking."
"It was a really laid back interview. There are two one hour interviews and then a 15 minute interview with the admissions staff. It is all very laid back. You get over the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere when you are at the school. They are building a new building. I would recommend seeing the school before making any decisions. Visiting was definately worth it (and I traveled far)."
"It was very conversational and I felt like they were just getting to know me. I felt like the one interviewer was done with a question but when I started to answer during the pause he continued to elaborate. They have a very good program.I liked the museum and the patient simulators."
"Overall it was a good experience. I just interviewed at ATSU-COMM so I wanted a perspective and reference of where that school is coming from since I was already accepted and more interested. It would have been cool to go to the new facility, but I can't complain. PROS: well established school, very supportive community (faculty, students, townfolk), cheap livin, good programs, very traditional curriculum CONS: only two years in kirksville but still, large class of 170, lack of diversity (as a minority I find it very important to have a support system because some folks don't understand the unnecessary stresses of being in graduate programs, except other minorities), the rotation sites are good but not really for me (plus it will be hard moving around so much, from the west to the midwest to wherever), my interviewers weren't that knowledgeable about osteopathic medicine or healthcare disparities and issues (the conversational style I was hoping for did not flow very well, except with the admissions counselor). I like the fact that they included other presentations; stillwell, and financial aid, and the tourguides where really enthusiastic, though everything we saw will be moved to the new center. Overall the school is great, but not for me. At Mesa, you get the ATSU without the Kirksville, plus their CHC rotation thing is very exciting and in more appealing locations. It was also eerie but cool to see all the AT Still stuff."
"When I woke up and turned on the TV, the weather channel announced it was -4 degrees. By the time I got to the school, it was a mere +5 degrees. I was freezing walking in. A kind lady from the admissions office greeted me and held my frozen hands and said, ''Let me warm your hands! We are so glad to meet you. We've been looking forward to seeing you for a long time!'' They knew me individually. The interviewers didn't even open my file before me, but asked specific things about my education, past career, and family, even a specific story I shared in my application essay. I really felt they liked me already, and were just trying to prove it. Kirksville is far away from a lot of things I'm used to, but it really felt like family when I walked in. The students were enthusiastic and kind and excited about becoming doctors. It was a wonderful experience."
"Good experience. Be ready for a SMALL town in the middle of nowhere, but realize that they provide a great education at a very affordable price."
"It was overly exhilirating, but always go prepared to ask questions yourself, that way you make sure you get your answers answered."
"Overall it was okay. I had done a lot of volunteer work and job shadowing so I think that shown through, even though I dont think my interviewers were great I dont feel I did bad, I just wouldnt wish them on anyone!"
"My interview experience at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine was amazing! My actual interviews were more discussion/conversation than interview. My interviews worked hard to get to know me rather than asking prepared questions. It seemed that with flow of conversation that most of their questions were answered. I went over time during my faculty member and physician interviews. My physician interviewer walked me back to the rest of the group and we engaged in more discussion. It was a very positive experience that left me with no doubt that Kirksville is the place for me."
"Overall, I was impressed. What the school lacks in cultural exposure, it gains in dedication to its students. Besides, 3 and 4th year rotations are done elsewhere (michigan, arizona, utah, colorado, pennsylvania, florida). I stayed with a student, he seemed quite happy. "
"Overall it was a very organized day with lots of information. The first interview was very easy, but the second was difficult in some ways. You have two 1 hour long interviews and depending on who you get these could be very easy going or difficult. "
"This school has been educating student docs for a long time now and has built up a great reputation. The facility is up to date on technology and their hospital network is great. The interview process was great at show casing. I was accepted so I will be there this fall."
"The community was initially a shock, but talking to the current students, including one from my undergrad, it sounds like it's great because of the lack of distractions. The new building promises to be good. The two main interviews (2 hour long interviews with adcom members, 1 15 minute interview with an admissions coordinator to make sure the application is up to date) where very pleasent. "
"Overall, I was impressed, but one of my interviewers was rather unprepared, and seemed to not be all that interested in the process...and the other asked a bunch of prying and very personal questions. Like I said, overall I was pretty pleased, but certain things were less than impressive, almost to the point of me feeling like they were inappropriate. That being said, I had no hard feelings and would not be hesitant to attend KCOM, because the schools appears great. "
"I enjoyed the interviws. I was happ that the interviews were in the morning, so I wasn't too nervous. The interviews were laid back."
"I was very nervous for my 1st interview because this was the first school I was interviewing at. My first interviewer was kind of intimidating. Right away asked Why D.O.? and Why KCOM? That was about 10min after my responses and all and then he said he had nothing more for me and wanted to know what questions I had for him. I really didn't feel like I got to reveal much about myself. the other two interviews were great! Very relaxing and enjoyable. Dr. Roof was amazing and really wnated to get to know who I was and about my background."
"It was pretty relaxed. My interview with a faculty member was good. She was very personalble and easy to talk to. My interview with the DO was a little awkward. The doctor and I were obviously cut from different mold and did not click to well. It was not a bad interview, just not as smooth as I would have liked."
"The interview went well and the people were nice but the size of the town and the ability of the students to say that their is nothing around made me realize the school is not for me."
"Everyone in admissions was extremely nice and helpful. The student that I stayed with was very welcoming and informative. I really enjoyed the school, town, and students. I was only turned off by the two individuals that interviewed me. They didn't ask me any questions to try and get to know me. The second interviewer told me that he didn't care why I wanted to be a doctor or why I wanted to be a DO. He said everyone has the same story and no one is unique. His only question was, ''What do you have for me?'' Every questioned I asked him was answered like a politician (Nothing truly answered). I was very impressed with the school, technology, and labs. I believe that anyone that attended KCOM would receive a top-notch osteopathic education. I didn't get accepted, but I have been accepted at two other medical programs."
"The experience was awesome. The people are great, the education is top notch, and the staff and students seem to be like family. If you can get over the fact that Kirksville is a typical rural town, this would be a wonderful place to receive your education. "
"The day starts with meeting in the lobby where you are met with an admissions officer who will update you about the day and how it will run. Then you get a very comprehensive presentation about KCOM as a whole. This presentation actually answered most of my questions that I had. Next came the interviews. There were a total of 3 interviews which were one on one. The first two are with faculty which were about one hour long for me. The last was with an admissions officer which was about 20 minutes. All the interviews were laid back and they asked reasonable questions about why you want to become a doctor and why do you want to go to their school. All other questions were about your file. I did however get one or two thought provoking questions. Those were the most difficult and I had to take like 20 seconds of silents to think of an answer. After the interviews was lunch with 4 second year students. They also were laid back and answered any and all questions we had. After lunch was a financial aid presentation and then a presentation about their Thompson Campus Center. After that was the campus tour by 4 enthusiastic students. They even let us put gloves on and touch the cadavers. After that was our goodbyes and that ends the interview process. The whole ordeal was very laid back. There was a little stress over the interviews, but that's normal. Overall I had a good time."
"Day starts with a quick overview, then two 1 hour interviews and a quick 20 min interview (largely just administrative) but not necessarily in that order. Then lunch with students, financial aid presentation, pres. about facilities, and campus tour. My first hour interview went really well. She really was just trying to get to know me as a person. The 2nd hour...not so much. He basically grilled me on one point for the entire hour and never let me complete a thought before he attacked another area. And he never seemed satisfied with the limited explanation that he actually allowed me to get out. Overall I was pretty impressed with the school but that interview really shook me up."
"You have two one-on-one, one hour interviews with faculty and then a half hour one-on-one interview with an admissions staff. They really take the time to get to know you. This was my very first interview and I was a little intimidated by the thought of this process, but it could not have gone any better. The interviewers have actually gone through your file and have good questions to ask. I enjoyed my interviews, which was something I would not have expected. "
"It was a great experience. I am pretty anxious person but the arrangement were so great that I couldn't believe I was actually enjoying my interview day. We were escorted everywhere we needed to go that was pretty cool. For those with type A personality, just relax. "
"The interview experience was great everyone is very friendly and helpful. I fell in love with the town and how nice it is there this would definately be a great place to go to school"
"I had a very nice time there. I stayed with a student which I would highly recommend. The actual interviews were very conversational like most have said- nothing tricky or stressful. The location is not for everyone but I could definitely see myself going there. I love the small town atmosphere. "
"Very pleasantly surprised by the school...if you get an interview, definitely go! check it out for yourself. the people were all so nice...it really made for an impressive and stress free interview experience."
"The interview day is long but very relaxed. I interviewed with Dean Gaber who is a wonderful guy who really conveys how the school cares for its students. I then interviewed with Dr. Robbins who is a really interesting man to talk to (we went over time by abut 10 mins just shooting the poop). There are many presentation throughout the day, including a pretty good fin aid talk. Overall, the training received there would be top notch, but the same can't be said for their facilities. The place needs a face lift badly. My impression is that they are funneling all available money into the new building and the Arizona campus, which is a shame since KCOM is the mecca of osteopathy and should be a shining example for all other schools. Bottom line is that if you can take the outdated surroundings of the Tinning center, then the school is almost second to none. Hopefully they will continue the update trend as with the new library/OMM facility, but Dean Gaber indicated the next project will likely be a new research building."
"3 interviews, two 1 hour and one 15min. Very informal and conversational. Interviews are performed in each interviewer's office. I even had coffee with the last interviewer during the interview."
"The whole day was a positive experience. People were all extremely nice and welcoming. We were able to visit the anatomy lab during an active session. The new building will be a fantastic addition. The town is great if you enjoy the outdoors; there is a huge state park nearby. "
"the whole experience was wonderful..i loved how friendly everyone was and how easy it would be to get used to the quiet life there in a town where everyone knows everyone..all my interviews were very engaging and we talked about alot of stuff off-topic, such as life in kirksville and the different things ive noticed about it "
"We began the day with an introduction to the school's curriculum and other basic information. Immediately following this, we went through our 3 rounds of interviewing. I first interviewed with a DO, who arrived from off-campus. He asked questions about my aspirations and how my interest in medicine began. I next spoke with someone from admissions staff. She was very enthusiastic and seemed to know a lot about my application, asking in depth questions about my current work in healthcare policy, and giving me more information about what opportunities I might look into with my interests and foreign language education. My last interview was with a professor who did research at KCOM. We talked at length about my non-profit work and its relation to global healthcare issues. It was less of an interview and more of a conversation, so I felt very comfortable speaking with him. The rest of the day was with the whole group of interviewees, throughout which we spoke to student ambassadors, observed some techniques and tools we would use, and toured campus."
"The day started with an introduction to KCOM that essentially answered all of the questions I was prepared to ask in my interviews. There were 3 interviews: 2 faculty and one admissions counselor. The first interview was with a PhD basic science professor who, I thought, was surprisingly tough. His questions got progressively more difficult throughout the hour and I left feeling unsure of how it had gone. I saw him later as we toured a clinical lab and he asked about the rest of my day, which laid some of my fears to rest - not to mention that some of the students told me that he had a reputation for being tough. In retrospect, I feel like he was trying to challenge me with his questions and that I had done as well as I could have expected to do. The second interviewer was a DO in private practice in Kirksville. He had mostly typical questions - some ethical scenarios, grades/MCAT - and we talked about primary care. He was insistant that I ask some questions about the school and offered answers to questions he felt I should have asked him. At the end, he told me that I'd be getting a "thumb's up" and that he thought I would fit in well at the school. His interview seemed much more interested in knowing me as a person than the first. Compared with the first interview, it seemed very "good cop/bad cop." The last interview was with a very nice admissions counselor. Our conversation was shorter (about 20 minutes) and I felt like I was talking with one of my friends. Mostly he just informed me about the process post-interview, filled in any question gaps I still had, and asked me some survey questions (did I speak a foreign language and what I did for fun). I was told that the Committee meets on Wednesday's and that we were encouraged to call on Thursday to inquire about a decision (which could take 3-4 weeks because they are back-logged). Overall, I left with a very positive impression of the school, the people, and even the opportunities afforded by the various regional sites for the 3rd and 4th years."
"i was intervied by a PhD and by an MD. the first interview, with the PhD, was about half an hour and for most of the time he talked about his research. you could see how excited and dedicated he was. the next interview, with an MD, was only 15 minutes and he bluntly said that he can make a sound judgment on character in a short amount of time. he was impressed by the DOs that rotated with him and said that there is a lot that MDs can learn from them. somebody walks you to and from the interviews so you don't get lost. "
"Excellent school for becoming a good doctor."
"The interviews were quite relaxed, and very conversational."
"I had Dr. Jerry Smith and Dr. William Sexton. Both great. Dr. Sexton was my first interview for medical school, and when he found this out he gave me a pep talk about relaxing and being myself and I think he went pretty easy on me. We basically chatted and he told me about the school and his experiences. "
"I landed at Kansas city Airport and rented a car and drove 3 hours to Kirksville. Kirskville does have an airport, but it's a local airpot, so you'd have to transfer and for me, it would have been an overnight flight, so I drove instead. The school provided me accomadations- I stayed with a student which was really great. She was involved in diff. activities despite the small town. The interview was really organized and we immediately started interviews. Each interview was an hour long and you have two of them. One interview grills you, the other tries to sell the school to you. After that, you have a 15 min. interview with the counselor. Overall, I didn't stress about the interview and it went really well. They provide a lunch w/ student ambassadors and you go take and tour. *When you ask questions: ask "In your opinion, what is the strength and weakness of this school?" I asked that and my interviewer was highly impressed, he then told me I had his approval."
"Pretty laid back and relaxed"
"i really enjoyed my first interview-he was the rugby coach, and since i played vball we talked a lot about sports. he was very personal, and i felt really good about it. my second one was with a counselor, and that went alright. she wanted to know about me as a person, not necessarily about the whole medical aspect of me, so it was kind of strange trying to determine what she really wanted to know. but very positive overall."
"This is a good school and a laid back interview."
"The first interview was normal. The second interviewer said he was going to ask me a series of ethical questions and then take the opposite side. He asked the questions but never responded. Then he talked about my age and how they've had previous students my age drop out because they didn't realize how much work it was going to be. He spent half the interview talking about this."
"I had a wonderful experience. KCOM had originally been at the bottom of my list, simply because of the location, but because of my wonderful experience there it has now been moved to the top of my list. I would be happy to attend KCOM and feel confident I would get an excellent education."
"I thought it was pretty conversational, both interviewers asked about my experiences, grades (two lower ones), MCAT scores (since I took it twice), why I would be interested in moving to a small town (I'm from a big city), how would my family feel, ect."
"My interviewers were a PhD microbiologist and a Surgeon(DO). They were amazing men, and really were interested in me, and the things I have done. The interviews are long, but they simply want to know who they are accepting, which I think is the way it should be. The questions are good, but make sure you know your statements and application. This is the best interview I've had among 3 interviews so far. They let you know about a week later if you get in, which is incredibly nice."
"It was great. I was extremely nervous but after my first one I realized that I had nothing to be worried about. It was very laid back and extremely organized. There was never a dull moment. The cool part was that they let you try on a white coat for measurement. This was my first interview ever and I think that it was the best way to start out for me. "
"I had a great experience there. Great school and would suggest them to anyone. They also reply to you quickly after the interview. My interview was on Monday and they phoned my Wednesday night to tell me I was accepted."
"Everyone else's entries are pretty spot-on. The interviews really are laid back. My second interviewer asked some hard questions, but seemed more worried about offending me than grilling me (his reputation around campus is one of immense student support). The tour involves a lot of walking, as their gym and anatomy labs are each in separate buildings from the classrooms. The anatomy lab, by the way, is nicely laid out but NOT well ventilated. They say they are in the top 2% for gross anatomy exposure, which means long hours of smelling formaldehyde. After the tour, you're done. Overall,everyone was nice but the size of the town is a serious downside, considering some of the other schools I've interviewed with."
"When I arrived, I entered the admissions building and was greeted by a group of laid back, good natured admissions workers. I was offered a light breakfast, then our group was given a presentation on the school. We were then directed to our interviews, which were each 1 hour long (except for the thrid which was 15 minutes with the admissions vice president). My first interviewer chose to focus on the humanitarian aspect of my application (my volunteer work, etc). The second interviewer focused mostly on academics-BE PREPARED to answer for any discrepancies in your grades or MCATs! I was able to find common interests with each interviewer, which allieviated the tension of each interview significantly (e.g: I talked about kayaking and playing piano with one of my interviewers, interests we both shared). After the interviews, we were brought back to the admissions office and given a presentation on financial aid (what a glorious thing!) We then had lunch with students (vegetarians, dont worry-there's a veggie option for the sandwiches) and then proceded to tour the school. We had a demonstration in OMM, visited the cadaver lab, saw the gym/rec center, etc. The guides were happy to answer any question and were very helpful and knowledgeable. We ended the day back at the admissions office with the promise that we could call 1 week from that day (Friday for me) to find out our status. Turns out I had no need to call-I got a call the following Wednesday morning telling me that I was accepted!!! YAY!! That was some fast notification, let me tell you!"
"I was very impressed with the school's facilities, COMLEX board pass rates, and history of ranking in top 25 for US News primary care medical schools several times since 2001. Some applicants have disliked the area (which I happen to greatly enjoy), the consensus from the student body was that it provides plenty of time to study and if they want to they find things to do or head into St. Louis or Columbia which aren't to far away. The anatomy lab is great, they have a 4:1 student to cadaver ratio which is very good. Most importantly I felt that the student body and faculty were warm and friendly and I could see myself enjoying the school environment. The only thing bad was how incredibly long the interview was, 8 hours was a bit too much. The Still Well program is great, your first week of school they give you physical tests, measure your body fat% and customize a health program for you. I'm excited to go here."
"It was a very long day! The day started with an overview presentation of the school. I then had my first interview with a friendly admissions staff member. She was great and our conversation lasted for about 20-25mins. At 10am, I went to my first one-hour interview. The Prof. interviewing me was great and touched upon all of the important areas of my application. He supported me when discussing the weaker areas of my application. Our research interests overlapped and so interview became conversational and the time flew by! The second one-hour interview was a little more difficult since the interviewer was not very responsive at all. It was difficult to gauge his attitude and I struggled to keep a cheerful conversation. I was unsure how he felt about me. At the end, he stated he was in support of my application (which I guess is a good thing!?). Leaving bewildered, we then had lunch with ambassadors followed by an OMM demo. Finally, we were given a tour of the facilities. The lecture rooms and anatomy labs were good. KCOM is expanding to accommodate a larger OMM lab and library as well as an IT department. The attached hospital, on-campus fitness center and housing, and patient mannequins added to KCOM’s strength and uniqueness. They are planning on buying 6 more $180,000 mannequins and incorporating them in to their curriculum! Overall, I feel this school has the strongest program and extensive facilities of any other DO school I have interviewed at. They really care about their students and I hope I get in!"
"I was genuinely impressed. I drove back to my hotel room completely excited and hoping I could go to such a wonderful and caring program."
"Two one hour interviews and one 15 minute interview. Grueling. One interview is with a DO. That was great. The other with a science faculty- everyone that I interviewed with said that was the hard one. The 15 minute interview is quick and more relaxed, all the questions asked there had already been asked of me in the previous interviews. I was worn out by the end of the day. I felt like I had been there so long that they would give me an acceptance/rejection before I left. They got back to me really quick. I interviewed on a Monday and they called me back on Tuesday."
"an hour is a long time in a room with only white walls and two chairs. i had to carry on the interview for most of the time and had to ask a lot of questions to avoid that awkward silence. we conversed more than anything, but i researched the new info on health care and was able to talk about many different things. "
"I was VERY impressed with the school and I went into it thinking I wouldn't be. It is super laid back but it seems to be a difficult and challening program. I really liked the online masters programs they offer. It felt a lot like home, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. One thing i was hoping to get out of medical school is a change in pace. I want some non-rural experiences too. Of course, you leave for years 3 and 4 so you can always change then. But I'm still not sure it is my overall fav. "
"Overall, it was great. The population of Kirksville ranges from 18,000-25,000 people (depending on the time of year and who you ask). Not too small?? However it is a long drive from any larger city or major airport. The school itself is trying to improve, the facilities are a little run down but I feel they are trying to make improvements. The faculty was fantastic. My interviewers were great and they made me feel welcome and treated me as if they really wanted me as a student and individual. They are really concerned about spouses and children. They go out of their way to make them also feel welcome. The lecture halls need some padded seats (thats a long day, and my butt is sore just thinking about it =() I could definately see my self attending Kirksville, we will see. I was accepted yesterday and will have to give it some strong consideration. Rotations are scarce in Kirksville, so you will probably be leaving after 2 years. Check it out, it is the Mecca of Osteopathic medicine, the pilgrimage will be worth the drive and time. Good luck. "
"It was very positive. Everyone at the school is very friendly. The school is very supportive of families and recognizes that school comes second to that. It's a very nice setting. They make it easy to be a student."
"Started out the morning with a brief presentation on KCOM, then straight into interviews. Two 1 hour interviews with a DO, then professor. Then a brief interview with an admissions staff member. Then lunch and a financial aid presentation, tour of the fitness center, and finally a campus tour that lasted FOREVER."
"Interviews were very friendly and conversational. They seemed only concerned with getting familiar with who I am."
"Both of my hour long interviews went well. I interviewed with two faculty members and each had their own quirks and specific concerns/topics of interest that they asked me about, nothing inflammatory or unfair though. My fifteen minute, (or thirty minute in my case) interview with the admissions staff was a breeze. The staff member seemed to like me and we related well."
"Wonderful. I felt like my interviewers had an opportunity to get to know me and I had an opportunity to get to know KCOM."
"Overall the interview experience was very good. I was impressed with the immediate greeting when I arrived and the way the admissions people treated each student. The interviews were very conversational. My first interviewer was a fill in, because of a previous cancelation, she was very nice and easy to talk to. The second interview was an admissions counselour and he was very informative. The questions were asked in a general conversational manner. The third interview was much like the first interview. Overall I felt very comfortable at the school. The surronding town is a shock for anyone who is used to a large city, but the short commute time and low cost of living are a major bonus about the school. This school is one of my top choices."
"My first interview with a DO was fabulous. My second interviewer, who was a PhD, was challenging. The interview was stressful and difficult. The admission advisor interview was also fabulous. Do not let a difficult interviewer discourage you. I left Kirksville depressed, only to find out a week later I was accepted!"
"Sweetly stress-free. The two one-on-one interviews were truly conversational; it was clear the purpose was a mutual get-to-know-you experience. They want you to know what you're getting into as well. The tours and demonstration were helpful and equally laid back. Also, staying with a 'student ambassador' for the night was as useful as anything."
"It was an excellent day. After an introduction to the school, the interviews are next. It is nice to get them over with early so you can enjoy the rest of the day. The interviews are extremely low stress. They really are just like conversations. The first doctor I spoke with was still wearing his scrubs. That is just how laid back this place is! After the interviews we got a really comprehensive tour of all the school's facilities. We even got to go into the Gross Anatomy Lab while the students were dissecting. That was really fun to actually see students in class, something other medical schools have not done. Overall, it was a nice, easy-going day."
"I had a very positive interview experience. One interview was more conversational and the other more formal. I was very impressed by the level of preparation and familiarity both interviewers had with my file. I really felt like they had a chance to get to know a little more about "me" and not just the more routine questions. Also, it was nice that there was an hour dedicated to each interview. (It goes by FAST.)"
"You actually have 3 interviews, 2 1-hour interviews with a professor or faculty member and 1 short 15 minute interview with an admissions counselor. They are no big deal. They really just want to talk to you. One of my interviewers talked so long that they had to come and get me to go to my next interview."
"The interviewers did a great job at putting me at ease. The interview was actually in the professors office. It was just like my undergrad prof. office - papers everywhere- so it was not an intimidating. The interview seemed more like a conversation. Even the painful question about my earlier gpa was not so bad because of the way the interview presented the question."
"Everyone there was extremely friendly. The day was very well organized and alot of attention given toward making sure everyone understood finanacial aid options, providing an OMT demonstration so we could see how it's done, and providing us with alot of info about the program (and how great it is). I'm impressed by the residency placements and the pride they take in their strong osteopathic tradition. I found out I was accepted about 3 days later and it's going to be a tough decision! Kirksville is really lame but the school is great!!! One good thing about Kirksville is that the cost of living is so cheap I could see myself laughing with glee over my cheap-ass rent and bills for the next two years..."
"Incredible. Every person that I contacted during the day was happy to be there and proud of their school. The interviews are almost completely conversational and pertained to you as an individual. I feel that the interviewers only wanted to get to know me. There was no stress! If you are serious about being an osteopathic doctor, this is the place to be. I did not come into contact with any negative people. Great experience-Great school! Also, I had a "glitch" with my luggage and the administration was extremely understanding and helpful in resolving the matter. They really make you feel "at home.""
"I was very impressed with the interview. It was quite relaxing. The interviewers seemed interested and were very friendly. The admissions staff truly tried to help to make the interview process enjoyable."
"I was excited to be returning to KCOM to interview after last year not even being offered an interview. The admissions staff is wonderful and they give you some time to interact with some of the other applicants as well as to collect yourself. The day continues with a brief presentation about KCOM, you then go into your interviews. Just be yourself and relaxed, they only want to get to know you better. After the interviews you have lunch, and then several other tours and an OMM demonstration. By the time your feet have gone numb from the walking in uncomfortable shoes your day is over. The other nice thing about KCOM is their turn around time, by the next week I was notified that I had been accepted. "
"Very laid back and comfortable. The first interviewer I had a hard time getting a read on but the second put my application down after 15 minutes and said he had already made up his mind (I took that to mean a good thing). We spent the next hour talking about ourselves, medicine, debt, the midwest, I really liked the guy."
"Overall, a wonderful experience. Everyone was so nice and helpful. The interviews were long but not stressful at all. They were more like a conversation. The school is awesome in terms of its academics but the location and the area are rather small. Other than that, it was a great place. "
"Two, one-on-one, one hour interviews and one 15 minute interview with an admission staff member. The interviews are more like a friendly conversation than an actual interview. My stress level was ZERO!!"
"Upon being handed a packet of information about the school, all of the information of which was exactly the same on the website, none of the applicants talked to each other, and everyone pretty much stared at the wall for an entire hour. After this, an overview of the curriculum was given, and it was off to the actual interviews. The interviewers did not seem happy to be there. One of my interviewers had a pen and a paper out, writing down all of my responses, in front of me. It was not conversational so much as it was probing me for details. The interviewer(s) had a strong emphasis on leadership; it was beyond me as to why they had to question my own leadership qualifications, since practically my entire application has been covered with leadership activites for the past four years. It seems the school wants students that will go on to become president of the AOA or some other powerful organization; the school wants to be represented by its students very much so - to the point where they force their students to perform these activites in school as well (see LeaderScript). The other interviewer did not seem prepared at all, did not say "Hi," did not shake my hand, just told me to sit down and begin. For about 20-30 minutes or so, the interviewer kept saying "um" as if he had no clue what was going on, and I basically directed whatever topic of interest (most of it was random). Finally, the interviewer proceeded to ask me questions about my background, volunteering, shadowing experience, etc. This all seems normal for an interview, but the interview itself turned from being a random conversation to another series of strange questions that concerned ethics, doctor-nurse relationship, direct contact as a volunteer, extensive observations about the proceedings in the hospital, etc. Following the end of my conversation, I said something to the effect of that I'd hopefully see the interviewer in fall, to which the interviewer responded "We'll see" with a very blank expression. None of the other candidates I talked to had this experience. I was not impressed by the school or faculty at all. "
"The interview itself was just fine. If all other things had been equal, KCOM would have been #1 on my list. However, the list of negatives overshadowed the friendliness of the students/staff for me."
"I was really nervous, but as soon as I walked into the admissions office, they were really nice and calm, and gave me information of the people who were going to interview me. They then did a quick synopsis of the school and programs, and then we went to our first interviews. Then I met with an admissions officer and then my second interview. Both interviews were open-file and most of the questions were about my file and why I chose osteopathic medicine. It was very conversational and comfortable. They let you know pretty quickly if you were accepted too which is really awesome! I really recommend this school if you dont mind living in a rural area. "
"awesome"
"It's a great place if you really do believe in a holistic approach to health. If you just want to treat symptoms or do cosmetic surgury, please go somewhere else."
"It was great, i liked the staff, students and faculty. It was a terrific experience!"
"The interview day started at 8 with a presentation of the general curriculum and all of KCOMs programs. There were 9 interviewees there, and we each had different interviewers. We started our first 1hr interview at 9, and had a second at 10. After that, there is a short 15minute interview with an admissions staff member. Next, we had lunch with student ambassadors and a quick OMM demonstration, which was pretty interesting. Lastly, there was a financial overview and a tour. Everything you hear about the interviews being 'laid-back' and conversational is true. They didn't ask a single ethical or tough situation question. ALL of the questions were straight from my file and related to my experiences, etc. They called me two days later to let me know I was accepted. Quick response!"
"The first interview was very brief with an admissions staff member reviewing my file and asking why I wanted to be a D.O., why KCOM, when I planned to take physics II and organic chem II, etc. The second two interviews were each about an hour. Very comfortable interviews, very casual, low stress. My number one recommendation for an interviewee would be to know why you want to attend KCOM specifically, and what about osteopathic medicine is appealing to you."
"start with overall presentation of school. 2 1 hour interviews: one with a professor and one with an admissions committee member. Both interviws very laid back with "get to know you questions." Be prepared for the usual questions. Half the time was spent on college sports and hunting. Overall the school did a good job selling itself to me and this one is my first choice."
"The day begins with a short intro to KCOM by the director of admissions, then you go straight to interviews: two one-hour interviews with faculty members and one 15-30 minute interview with an admissions officer. Compared to other schools, this is a LOT of time interviewing. And that's a good thing. KCOM spends a lot of time actuallly getting to know applicants. During my interviews, we covered everything from a low grade I had to Law & Order to my clinical work to travel. This is not to say that we bullshitted the whole time, but simply to say that they were interested in more than standard interview questions like "What are your weaknesses?" After the interviews we had lunch with students, a campus tour and a useful financial aid presentation."
"The interview went really well. There was a lot of presentations, interaction with different people from the university ie students, admissions staff, support staff. The interviews were great, they didn't make me feel overwhelmed and the interview was conducted more as a conversation rather than like at other schools where they grille you about your file. They seemed to want to get to know me as a person and the type of personality I have. They accept you about a week or so after your interview and if they accept you someone from the admissions office will actually call you and let you know that you've been accepted. It's a great feeling when you get the call!"
"Overall, a great experience. People were awesome, but I wish I had been a bit more alert for the admissions interview about 15 mintues"
"very friendly staff; KCOM just bought 2 human simulator machines that are lifelike and cost $250K each; they measure you for your white coat, which is nice; Still's house is in the Tinning education building; student ambassador program is cool; fly into KC and then rent a car - much cheaper; the Kirksville airport doesn't have a certain type of technology that helps planes land in inclimate weather - do your research before you fly into the airstrip; student ambassadors are great as they eat lucnh with you; we saw Osteopathic OMM demo which was great; Osteopathy is pronounced "ahh-steee-ahh-puh-thee"; in years 3 and 4 you get to leave Kirksville and complete those years in a satellite location (you get to chose from around 5 states)."
"Overall, being my first interview, it went smoothly. The interviewers asked me questions which helped them to get to know me better instead of the typical questions of repeating everything in my essay. The flow of the process made it easy for me to relax and share who I am ane what led me into medicine. The student hosts and other students were very friendly and answered all our questions. I like the school more after the interview."
"Overall a good experience. They keep you pretty busy so not much downtime. Each interview is an hour with a professor/faculty and they provide you with a CV of your interviewer before you start. Interviews are held in the faculty members office and is open file, so know you apps! You do have a third interview with an admissions rep lasting 15 minutes. Admissions office is great and they even measure you for your white coats while you're between interviews (makes you feel a little good). School wasn't in session so didn't get a chance to meet with any students. Good turn around time, I interviewed on Friday and was called Wed the following week to be told I was accepted. "
"I loved the school. I am seriously considering attending this school. However, I wish it were closer to a bigger city."
"Could not have been any better. "
"Amazing. I also recomend staying at the budget inn because for $20 extra they well drive you to the school and pick you up."
"It was a good experience, especially since it was my first interview. Though I'm very impressed by its academic program, the student body doesn't seem very ethnically/racially diverse. Another thing about the interview is that they gave us cards that gave us background about the faculty/staff who were interviewing us, to point out any commonalities we may have, or bring up questions about their background and hobbies, things of that nature. Overall, it was really relaxed, but I think I was just nervous/stressed out because it was my first interview."
"This was my first medical school interview and it couldn't have been better. It was really low pressure, the admissions staff made you feel very welcome, and the students here were amazing. It's a long interview day, and you're really tired at the end, but the interviews are over early and you get to just enjoy the rest of your day when they're over. There are actually a third very informal and short interview as well early in the day. Our interview group was very good, got along really well, and I hope everyone does well. I stayed with a medical student and I highly recommend it because you get some very important feedback before your interview. Again, the students here are simply amazing and so supportive. They sell this school."
"Overall, my interview experience was great! It was not high stress at all. I was confident in my academic abilities and knew if any questions came up about those that I would address them quickly and succintly and move on. However, I didn't have any questions regarding my MCAT or past grades. The interviews were low-key and more like conversations with the standard questions thrown in. Just know yourself, your motivations for osteopathic medicine, how your experiences led you to pursue medicine namley DO, and how you got to the point of interviewing at KCOM. Be confident in your answers and be prepared to defend them if you need to. "
"Overall, I came back with a better image of KCOM than I had before...but it didn't blow me away like I thought it would. I can see myself going there, but only if I don't get in elsewhere and only if I get the hell out of there after second year."
"I was very impressed with this school. I have been to 6 MD interviews and 4 DO interviews and this school has the most prepared and friendly admissions you will find anywhere. I was sold on the school as soon as the day was over."
"Overall, the interview experience was good. The admissions staff at KCOM are some of the most nice/genuine ppl you'll ever meet!! They really go out of their way to make you feel comfortable/welcomed. My first interviewer gave me a mixed impression--I couldnt tell whether he liked me or not. He focused mainly on my grades (be prepared to explain anything less than the perfect A's on your transcript) and didnt ask me much about anything else. At times he would say something encouraging...then the next minute he'd stray off and start telling me to find a back-up plan because I probably wouldnt make it through med school...!! It was the most bizzarrrre conversation ever. He even asked me about my religion/marital status, which I thought were pretty inappropriate for an interview. Anyhow, the second interview went well and was more relaxed & conversational. I felt like my second interviewer really tried to get to know me on a personal basis. There's also a 10-15 minute interview with one of the admissions staff members--i wouldn sweat it."
"I thought it was very good. They made me feel very comfortable"
"It couldn't have been more stress free. This was the first school I interviewed at and all my first interview nervousness was out the door as soon as I walked into admissions."
"Good day, the interviews were very laid-back and they are in the morning, so I was actually able to enjoy lunch!"
"It was great, bring significant other along if possible, they try to include them in everything,... except of course the interviews."
"I was nervous going into the interviews b/c I knew beforehand that they were long. The interviewers I had were very nice, very conversational. They seemed receptive and easy to joke around with. The tour is all over the place, so to the girls out there, make sure your heels are comfortable!"
"Both interviews were one-on-one and very conversational. You have to be relaxed."
"Interviewers were nice and seemed to want to get to know you as a person. Very low-stress. I would recommend this school of you don't mind living in a RURAL area."
"A very well organized, informational day. All of us interviewing were treated great. The interviews went extremely well. They seemed to want to know why you wanted to go into medicine and if you would be a great fit for them as well. No pressure, just be sure to have a cohesive way of telling them your path to getting where you are to this point. It was a nice conversational interview with non-threatening questions. Stay with a student if you can. They are very open to answering all questions. I received my acceptance letter 10 days later...KCOM here I come!"
"There is a reason KCOM has a reputation as being the best osteopathic school and it shows."
"I enjoyed my time at KCOM "
"I came away very positive. Their students do very well everywhere, and they have such a cohesive, safe, happy environment."
"The first interview went O.K. But during the second interwiew, the surgeon began to attack my application. I was a bit offended becuase I did not fly all the way to Kirksville to gave my qualifications put into question."
"Super! Anyone interested in Osteopathic Medicine needs to check at KCOM. It's my favorite school so far."
"Great experience! Ive seen more technological schools but they KCOM is heading in that direction. As ive stated, everyone was awesome. The interview was totally conversationsal. I wasnt asked one ethical question. The faculty seems to stand behind their open door policy for students. The anatomy labs are 4 people on one cadaver (no rotating in or out). They have a hospital on campus. The cost of living is extremely low. Although my interviewers were great, other students had tough interviewers that asked many ethical questions. "
"Pretty much covered everything. As was stated in the previous post, they let you know REAL fast. I interviewed on Monday and found out on Wednesday."
"The interview day was stress-free and the admissions staff was great. The interviews were really laid back and they were not to tough on you. Students were nice and the prompt response from the school of acceptance (4 days) really impressed me. A great medical school with a lot of history and a great reputation. I would not let the small town atmosphere hinder any decisions about the school."
"The school is great. The interviews were not nearly as stressful as I was expecting them to be. Most of the time I felt like they were just trying to get to know me. However, the D.O. that interviewed me was only trying to test my ability to answer questions under pressure. All of the questions asked were pretty standard. Why D.O? Why KCOM? Why do you want to go into medicine? Do you think you can handle medical school?"
"It was a good interview... felt like they gave me plent of time to show them who I really was... did not pressure me at all and instead really tried to relate with me. The town is really small though, but in that respect the school and town are both really friendly. They're really quick on telling you that you've been accepted...my interview was on a Friday and they guy called me the next Wednesday to say I was in!"
"Very positive experience, they really make you feel like you are wanted. The campus is well thought out, and the commute from the surrounding housing areas is very short. Though the town leaves much to be desired (if you are coming from a large metropolitan area) Kirksville is the PERFECT place to learn and practice primary care. This is the home and birthplace of osteopathic and primary medicine. You just gotta learn to take the good with the bad."
"Despite the bad interviewer luck, I really, really, really liked this school. It's my number 1 pick now, and I found out that I got accepted a few days ago (YEAH!). They call you which is really nice. The coolest thing about this school was that the AMA visited them a couple years back to find out why their students perform better than most MD students on the USMLE...also, the anatomy dept. is in the top 1% of all med schools and the director of the anatomy dept. actually writes questions for the USMLE. Cool, eh?!"
"Positive. Stayed with a 2nd year student. Rented car from Kansas City Airport - took 3 1/2 - 4 hours. "
"Try not to be nervous. You feel welcomed, wanted and will do fine in your interviews. They match you as close as possible to an interviewer with things in common. No trick questions on mine, just good friendly conversation. "
"The school is very good, and the only reason I'm not going there is because I prefer a newer campus with a better location. I'm sure you get a great education. The interview was the easiest and the most relaxing. They just chat with you."
"The only thing that stands out besides how friendly the people were, was that one of my interviewers asked me about every single point that I wrote on my application. I was so tired by the first half hour bc it had been only me talking the whole time. So that interview wasn't that conversational. But then after about an hour, he asked me if I had any questions for him. I was so relieved to be able to stop talking and gather my breath. "
"Very easy interview with no prepared questions at all. Very conversational, just talking and getting to know me. All discussions were about my life, school and experiences. There were no real questions, mostly talking. After about an hour of chit-chat and joking, one interviewer even said "Well I guess I owe it to you to ask you at least one question, seeing as how you traveled so far to get here." Both interviewers were very laid back and nice. We honestly just sat at the table, drank coffee and talked. I can't imagine a better interview."
"A good, relaxed interview experience"
"Over all, it was a stress free interview. People at KCOM were very friendly. "
"(Good Reputation) + (Good people) + (Good Facilities) + (They actually care about their students) = KCOM = Good physician + endless opportunities"
"I interviewed at a bunch of schools, and KCOM really convinced me that it's the one I want. They genuinely care about YOU. I got the acceptance letter about 10 days after the interview, and I think I'm headed to KCOM. I sent my AACOMAS application really late (which is generally a very bad idea), but I've still gotten a lot of interviews, and I really don't think any other school is going to be able to attract me away from KCOM now. "
"My interview experience was wonderful. I have interviewed at other schools, but KCOM has been the best experience to date. The school and the people are absolutely wonderful. I can't stress that enough. I had very conversational interviews. I had 4 interviews (b/c I applied to the DO-MS program) and was only asked 3 or 4 questions all day! All of the questions I had for my interviewers were candidly answered, which I really appreciated. "
"EXCELLENT!"
"KCOM was my first interview and it was also my top choice as far as DO schools. I was really nervous when I got there but they did everything possible to make you feel comfortable. I also stayed with a student which I highly reccommend. That way I actually met the Dean of Admissions before my interview and I met a lot of the students which gave me the inside scope on the school. The interview day was long but they got our interviews out of the way as soon as we arrived so we could relax during the tours and information sessions. I interviewed with the admissions counselor first than an immunologist (my research experience was immunology) and a DO. My best interview was the DO by far. They had lunch for us and a lot of info about the school and the curriculum. It was really cold so we didn't tour all the buildings but I had visited before so I knew what they looked like. Overall the people, students, staff and faculty were incredibly nice and were truly interested in getting to know me. I had a very positive experience and have decided to attend KCOM. They send out the acceptance offers about a week after the interview so you know right away."
"Overall I had a great experience and was impressed by the school. I was especially impressed by the academic program. The school has quite a bit to offer outside of academics as well, with the Still-Well program and intramurals etc. I was impressed by the friendliness of the admissions staff, faculty, and students. Everyone tried very hard to make you feel welcome and at home. The interview day was long, and it ended with a short tour of the museum. I enjoyed that. Interviews themselves were not too stressful. The questions posted on this site were very helpful, and I was not asked anything out of the ordinary! I was not asked any situational or ethical questions."
"The day begins with a very brief overview of the curriculum. At 9:00, the interviews begin and go until noon. There is a brief lunch, some informational sessions on funding your education, etc. Then a tour, that seems endless, even though the school is really small. It really was a great experience, but my overall favorite part of the day was the white coat fitting. "
"I was a little stressed out, but my first interviewer put me at ease. The interview was very conversational and fun. Both of my interviews were over an hour but the time passed by quickly."
"i was very impressed with kirksville. the town itself is not ideal for me but i think the people there make up for it. i also like the emphasis on balance in the students' lives - the wellness program is a big boost in my book. the interviews were very laid back and conversational. i can't even remember any tough questions - we just chatted. "
"Here's the breakdown, short and sweet. KCOM only has the name recognition among DO programs (of which it ranks #1). So you won't be out impressing too many "supposed" academic scholars with KCOM. It also sits in the middle of nowhere. That being said, think about why your applying in the first place. If your goal is to become a wonderful physician and pass your boards with flying colors (97% do on their first try), then get excited about interviewing. They only thing I can compare it to is a recruiting trip. For any of you undergrad athletes, you know what I mean. In a nut shell, the whole day feels like they are trying to impress you and not the other way around. They are proactive in getting their students in the best possible residencies and into great places to practice. The number one difference is that they care. You're not a number, you're a person."
"the staff was extremely helpful and friendly and made us feel comfortable. the half of my interview with a clinician was very relaxed and conversational. the half of the interview with a PhD was more strenuous and he constantly fired questions at me for an hour."
"Everyone was EXTREMELY outgoing and friendly. They try to sell you the school as much as you try to sell yourself."
"Before visiting this school it was my second or third choice - it is now my first choice. I was so impressed. "
"Many of the other reviews give good info about the conversational nature of the interview process. There is a good reason for this - they read your application in advance, allowing for a real conversation (unlike other schools which read it for the first time in front of you). Make sure you bring up the points you wish to hit on if it's just a loose conversation. When I was with the D.O. (you have 3 interviews 1 faculty, 1 clinician, and admissions representative) he read questions from a list for standardization purposes. Mine seemed a little rushed for time but he made sure to answer all of my questions completely."
"Very easy-going and conversational, but very long. I interviewed for almost 3 straight hours."
"This interview was really nice. The faculty are very laid-back and the interview is more like a casual conversation than an interview. Kirksville is small, but its a really nice town and the students all get a great chance to become close friends. The students also seemed very happy. I really like this school, it has a great reputation, it is number one for learning OMM, its a small intimate learning environment but they also have impressive facilities."
"All in all, it was a great experience. A great school with an extremely good reputation. The faculty is superb and the students seem really cohesive and close. But still, I've been in a small town for the past 4 years doing my undergrad...I'm not sure if I want to spend 2 more years in a small town again. Otherwise, great school!"
"Very nice interview experience. The osteopathic museum is amazingly pretty. Really feel like that's the best place to study osteopathy. The school seems to be very proud of being the founding college of osteopathic medicine."
"Interviews were very laid back. However, it made for a long day. Each interview was over an hour long (1 on 1). I was extremely impressed with the staff and schools approach to medical training. "
"I think Kirksville is a great school, but it's definitely not for a person who wants to live in a suburban or urban area. If a small town atmosphere doesn't bother you, I would definitely recommend the school. "
"KCOM is a FANTASTIC school. Anyone who goes there can be sure that he will be content with the education adn the people. THe most incredible thing about the school is that the professors actually walk around the school the night before the exam until around midnight and actually answer questions!!!"
"Overall, it was a great day! The admissions office tries to match up your interviewers so that you have something in common with them. One of my interviewers is originally from my home state, the other works on similar research that I am working on, and my admissions interviewer is also from my home state. They really try to make you feel at home -- straight down to measuring you for your white coat the day of the interview. Be sure you know about the osteopathic philosophy - this is the founding school and the history is very important there!"
"Really great interview, low pressure. Very conversational but don't get lulled into chatting. Some of the questions/direction the convo took actually gave me some really great opportunities to let the interviewer know more about me."
"Great school. Wasn't one of my top choices before the interview, but it is now."
"Overall, the experience was great. Everybody was really helpful throughout the day. I got all my questions answered, and this school is really into OMT and that they are the founding school of ostepathy. The interviews were conversational, so nothing really stressful. Overall, I feel that if I went here, I would get a great education."
"It is a great school"
"The facilities are great. This school is really into OMM, as well as the history of osteopathic medicine. The interview is very relaxed and conversational. Faculty interviewers are nice and non-confrontational. You feel wanted! Everyone is helpful all day long."
"It was great, but very long."
"You really must like a small town to be happy here. The nearest 'big' city is Columbia, MO and that is an hour and a half away. The school is great, it doesn't have a lot extra things in the halls to 'enhance' the look. It gave me the impression that they prefer to spend their money on programs for the students. Literally everybody knew everybody, which is great. The second years are all very friendly and helpful when giving the tours. The admissions staff are all very polite and a joy to be around. The faculty is knowledgeable and teach here because they LOVE teaching. I cannot say enough about how much I like this school."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 226 |
| Faculty member | 4 |
| Admissions staff | 17 |
| Other | 3 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 149 |
| Neutral | 13 |
| Discouraging | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.09 | 159 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 25 |
| Out of state | 130 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 6 |
| 2-3 hours | 25 |
| 4-6 hours | 54 |
| 7+ hours | 76 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 73 |
| Automobile | 83 |
| Train or subway | 4 |
| Other | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 20 |
| $101-$200 | 39 |
| $201-$300 | 21 |
| $301-$400 | 29 |
| $401-$500 | 17 |
| $501+ | 25 |
Des Moines
Kansas City Airport
LAX to Phoenix Sky Harbor to STL to Kirksville Regional
Kirksville Regional Airport (IRK) and St. Louis (STL)
STL, IRK
no
SLT and IRK
KMCI
Kansas city
St. Louis
St. Louis and IRK
ICT
UIN
STL
KCI
IRK
MCI
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 1 |
| With students at the school | 29 |
| Friends or family | 8 |
| Hotel | 111 |
| Home | 1 |
| Other | 0 |
Baymont
Days inn
Days inn
Hampton Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn Express and Suites
No
University Inn
Yes
Baymont
Days inn
Days inn
Hampton Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn Express and Suites
No
University Inn
Yes
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.37 | 167 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.13 | 170 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 4.87 | 170 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.16 | 88 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.68 | 88 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.54 | 78 |
"N/A !!"
"None"
"None. Ran very well."
"Keep doing what you are doing! They do an amazing job making the application process flow smoothly for the students and are also very organized."
"NA. Everyone I talked to was wonderful."
"Keep up the amazing work of making applicants feel at home!"
"Very kind and friendly, no suggestions!"
"None, great job"
"Have an option for prospective students interested in research to view the research labs and discuss experiences with current students who have completed research at the school."
"You guys do a great job."
"N/A"
"You all did great!"
"none. it was a wonderful, smooth, well scheduled day with lots of flexibility for people who had to leave early."
"Very good experience. The people in the KCOM admissions office are the nicest I've seen out of 5 interviews."
"No suggestions; they are great the way they already operate!"
"No suggestions, the day went very smoothly. Everything was on schedule and the atmosphere was relax"
"My admissions counselor was very unprofessional and really did a disservice to this institution."
"Admissions office is great! Very fast responses and extremely helpful."
"Tour on campus apts"
"nothing really the day went very smoothly"
"Have to tour given by students instead of admissions staff."
"Nothing-everything was great!"
"Everyone was super friendly. Thanks for making the day so comfortable!"
"Thanks you guys for being so friendly and helpful!"
"You guys were awesome! Thank you very much for all your hard work, please know that it really makes"
"The interview day was awesome, well planned, and the smoothest day of any interview I have had."
"Everyone was kind and helpful, could not have been better."
"more info on jobs for spouses"
"Nothing, they were great!"
"They did a great job, and are more than friendly and willing to help!"
"Admissions office was great. The cookies ROCK."
"Excellent presentation, great lunch, coffee in the morning would have been nice"
"Possibly shorten the day. Long interviews are fine because applicants and faculty need to equally g"
"The day was very long, maybe do the tour first and let people leave if they don't need to hear the f"
"Keep up the good work."
"leave a msg , they return the phone calls fairly soon."
"Nothing. Very friendly and responsive."
"Great job by them. Everything went smoothly."
"Keep up the good work and thank you for being so friendly."
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?