PNWU-COM Discussion Thread 2009-2010

[Limvostov]

Thanks for the update.

[skybliss]

Oh man, PNWU is my first pick school and I am so nervous. I sent out the rest of my secondary application a few days ago. I don't even want to write any more secondaries. I just want to go to PNWU.

[SpeedyDoc]

I hear ya! haha

[tele turnin]

well i'll be arriving to sea-tac just before 5pm this thursday and driving to yakima from there. best of luck to all interviewing. if you need a way to get to/from yakima to the airport pm me and we will see if we can work something out. see some of you friday.

[sylvanthus]

Good luck to those who are interviewing!

[CODY540]

Just received an invite to an interview from pnwu.. Im so stoked

[gomango]

Originally Posted by CODY540

Just received an invite to an interview from pnwu.. Im so stoked

Me too! I am so excited as well! Yay! Can't wait to call in the AM and schedule a date.

[CODY540]

Tight gomango, congrats....where are you from? Maybe we can pick the same date... Im a little nervous i heard that they dont have facilities there for 2nd year students and its more like an independent study your second year. Have you heard of that yet???

[sylvanthus]

Originally Posted by CODY540

Tight gomango, congrats....where are you from? Maybe we can pick the same date... Im a little nervous i heard that they dont have facilities there for 2nd year students and its more like an independent study your second year. Have you heard of that yet???

Trust me, after being forced to sit in lecture for 30+ hours a week for a year,then going home to study, you will be glad to be doing mainly independent work with lectures tossed in a few times a week. I havent heard of anyone complaining about the decrease in formal lectures the 2nd year.

[Anon1002]

Do any of you know if seats in 2010 are already filled by last year's overflow acceptees, as happened with the class entering this fall? I'm a reapplicant after being one of the many wait-listers from the last interviews in the spring.

And if you're traveling to Yakima, priceline the hotels for $40 (or less). You're probably going to get the Red Lion as I did in March.

[DrMcKittrick]

Originally Posted by Anon1002

Do any of you know if seats in 2010 are already filled by last year's overflow acceptees, as happened with the class entering this fall? I'm a reapplicant after being one of the many wait-listers from the last interviews in the spring.

And if you're traveling to Yakima, priceline the hotels for $40 (or less). You're probably going to get the Red Lion as I did in March.

I've never heard of that happening. How can you accept so many more applicants than seats available and not know it?

[Anon1002]

More students ended up accepting than they predicted, so they deferred them to this class entering this fall. I'm pretty sure that didn't happen a second time (i.e. for our class in 2010) -- just throwing the question out there to see if anyone had heard.

[gomango]

Originally Posted by CODY540

Tight gomango, congrats....where are you from? Maybe we can pick the same date... Im a little nervous i heard that they dont have facilities there for 2nd year students and its more like an independent study your second year. Have you heard of that yet???

CODY540, I live in Montana. Where are you from? I had to pick October 30th. I had interviews on the other dates they gave me! What day did you pick? I did see that on this forum about the 2nd year students. I was actually going to ask about this during my interview possibly. Although I have heard from many current med students that going to "lecture" is actually kind of a waste of time for many people, as they would rather spend that time studying!!!

[CODY540]

Originally Posted by gomango

CODY540, I live in Montana. Where are you from? I had to pick October 30th. I had interviews on the other dates they gave me! What day did you pick? I did see that on this forum about the 2nd year students. I was actually going to ask about this during my interview possibly. Although I have heard from many current med students that going to "lecture" is actually kind of a waste of time for many people, as they would rather spend that time studying!!!

I live in coeur d'alene, ID now. I chose oct 30 as well since it was the earliest interview date. I emailed a friend I graduated with that goes there and he said there are facilities for both year students and he loves the school. I asked to him what the pros and cons were and he said pros; good teaching, great facility, community loves having them there. Cons; expensive school, spend a ton of time in lecture which really cuts into study time. So all in all not to bad I'm pretty nervous about the interview it's like a three to four on one type of interview. I hate feeling like I'm on trial lol.

[tele turnin]

Interviewed this Friday (10/16) and got the phone call with an offer 15-20 minutes ago. Great turnaround, and boy am I happy I'm not on the waitlist this year but have a spot!

[Limvostov]

Congrats!!!

[Irishfan]

Does anyone know what round of interviews they are in? I'm starting to get kinda nervous about my application because it's still being verified. AACOMAS said it is taking longer this year due to higher numbers of applications.

[tele turnin]

Originally Posted by Limvostov

Congrats!!!

Thanks. I am so happy and relieved right now.

Originally Posted by Irishfan

Does anyone know what round of interviews they are in? I'm starting to get kinda nervous about my application because it's still being verified. AACOMAS said it is taking longer this year due to higher numbers of applications.

The 16th was the 1st round of interviews. I would just recommend looking at earlier posts concerning the secondary and have your essay done so as soon as you receive it you can turn it in. They have a great turnaround time so that is what I would recommend you do to be ready now. Best of luck.

[Irishfan]

Originally Posted by tele turnin

Thanks. I am so happy and relieved right now.



The 16th was the 1st round of interviews. I would just recommend looking at earlier posts concerning the secondary and have your essay done so as soon as you receive it you can turn it in. They have a great turnaround time so that is what I would recommend you do to be ready now. Best of luck.

Ahh thanks for the advice. I've got my secondary all ready to go...now I just need to get one haha.

[Roberie]

Originally Posted by tele turnin

Interviewed this Friday (10/16) and got the phone call with an offer 15-20 minutes ago. Great turnaround, and boy am I happy I'm not on the waitlist this year but have a spot!

Accepted, as well!

Will probably attend.

[quynhhuong]

Congratulations, guys!
I feel like this school just hates me.

[Grey Wind]

Originally Posted by Roberie

Accepted, as well!

Will probably attend.

Congrats Roberie

[Limvostov]

I thought it may be nice to have a facebook group for the PNWU-COM Class of 2014. When I was matriculating to VCOM they had a facebook group and it was great for meeting each other before school and for getting advice from current students and such on housing and other things.

Feel free to join up. I tried to set it up the way VCOM had it so it is a private group and not just anyone can join and post stuff, but all members can post and talk freely.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/creat...d=158344224919

I look forward to meeting everyone. Again... Congratulations to all the new acceptees.

[tele turnin]

Got the letter today. I am ever more impressed with this school. Interview Friday, acceptance call Monday, and acceptance letter Wednesday. Best of luck to those interviewing next week on the 30th.

[quynhhuong]

Rejected pre-interview due to low MCAT. No instate love at all.
man, they should have told me before asking to submit the $175 secondary. Well, I guess that's one of the ways school earn free money. They could have sent me an email or something rather than telling me I'm "denied" thru the phone call I have to make asking for my status.

Good luck to all applicants.

[racerwad]

Is anyone interviewing 11/13?

[Bamish]

Originally Posted by quynhhuong

Rejected pre-interview due to low MCAT. No instate love at all.
man, they should have told me before asking to submit the $175 secondary. Well, I guess that's one of the ways school earn free money. They could have sent me an email or something rather than telling me I'm "denied" thru the phone call I have to make asking for my status.

Good luck to all applicants.

Sorry to hear that. A $175 fee is a hard pill to swallow. Good luck throughout the rest of this crapshoot!

[Charis17]

Does anyone know if PNWU is planning on adding on a osteopathic dental school to their medical campus?

[Roberie]

Originally Posted by Charis17

Does anyone know if PNWU is planning on adding on a osteopathic dental school to their medical campus?

They didn't mention anything about a dental program when I was there for my interview.

Also, "osteopathic" dental programs don't exist, though It'd be funny to see how they used OMT!

[amakhosidlo]

Originally Posted by racerwad

Is anyone interviewing 11/13?

I am. Driving 5 hrs to get there, should be a fun time.

[racerwad]

yikes 5 hours! where are you coming from? i'm in tacoma so it won't be quite as bad. good luck.

[amakhosidlo]

Originally Posted by racerwad

yikes 5 hours! where are you coming from? i'm in tacoma so it won't be quite as bad. good luck.

Corvallis. Can't decide if it'd be better to head up to Seattle to spend the night (free) and get up early to drive out, or just bite the bullet and pony up for a room in Yakima.

You too, yeah Tacoma>Yakima seems pretty doable

Originally Posted by quynhhuong

Rejected pre-interview due to low MCAT. No instate love at all.
man, they should have told me before asking to submit the $175 secondary. Well, I guess that's one of the ways school earn free money. They could have sent me an email or something rather than telling me I'm "denied" thru the phone call I have to make asking for my status.

Good luck to all applicants.

WTF? That is pretty messed up. Well, look at it this way: MCAT's probably the easiest part of an application to improve upon. Knock it out of the park next year and show 'em what's up!

[racerwad]

Originally Posted by amakhosidlo

Corvallis. Can't decide if it'd be better to head up to Seattle to spend the night (free) and get up early to drive out, or just bite the bullet and pony up for a room in Yakima.

i'd get as close as possible if i were you...

[BOBBIO2]

For the secondary questions, did you guys answer them all in one essay or did you answer them individually? Thanks!

[Rcon]

Originally Posted by BOBBIO2

For the secondary questions, did you guys answer them all in one essay or did you answer them individually? Thanks!

I would like to know as well.

[gforce32]

Originally Posted by BOBBIO2

For the secondary questions, did you guys answer them all in one essay or did you answer them individually? Thanks!

bump

[tele turnin]

Originally Posted by BOBBIO2

For the secondary questions, did you guys answer them all in one essay or did you answer them individually? Thanks!

i just did it all in a one page essay. get it in soon, they have a great turnaround time.

[UCSD09]

My Self-Service site has said "Committee" since the 15th. What does that mean? Is my app in committee and if so how long until they give me an answer?

[Rcon]

Would you recommend completing the secondary if I'm not from NorthWestern regions (ie California).

[skybliss]

Originally Posted by quynhhuong

Rejected pre-interview due to low MCAT. No instate love at all.
man, they should have told me before asking to submit the $175 secondary. Well, I guess that's one of the ways school earn free money. They could have sent me an email or something rather than telling me I'm "denied" thru the phone call I have to make asking for my status.

Good luck to all applicants.

So sorry to hear that . Don't give up though! Hopefully more luck this year... and you always have next year =)

[skybliss]

Does anyone want to carpool with me for the November 13th Interview?

I could really use some company on the drive, so I'm not freaking out for 2 hours. haha

Heading over from Seattle.

[heaterfeater]

Originally Posted by amakhosidlo

Corvallis. Can't decide if it'd be better to head up to Seattle to spend the night (free) and get up early to drive out, or just bite the bullet and pony up for a room in Yakima.

You should look into the student host program, it's 20$ per night and you get a chance to talk to students that go there.

[quynhhuong]

Originally Posted by skybliss

So sorry to hear that . Don't give up though! Hopefully more luck this year... and you always have next year =)

Thank you for your encouragement. I will keep my hopes up.

[gomango]

Just got my acceptance call this morning!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited (first interview, first acceptance!)!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Especially since I didn't think the interview went so well, but apparently it did!! WOO HOO! This is a really nice school!! I've got some big decisions coming up!

BTW I love this quick turn around. I interviewed on 10/30.

[tele turnin]

Originally Posted by gomango

Just got my acceptance call this morning!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited (first interview, first acceptance!)!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Especially since I didn't think the interview went so well, but apparently it did!! WOO HOO! This is a really nice school!! I've got some big decisions coming up!

BTW I love this quick turn around. I interviewed on 10/30.

Congrats on the acceptance. Where else are you interviewing? I ended up canceling everything else after this one. This school has got some great potential.

[Washingtonian]

So I too interviewed on October 30th and was notified this morning that I was offered a spot. I am still waiting to hear back from one other school before making the tough decision of where to go.

I really was suprisingly impressed by the school given its newness. However, compared to the one other school I applied to, I really appreciated the smaller class size. You get to know everyone and the school really does have a personal touch.

The facilities are really nice as well.

[Washingtonian]

So I've been lurking for a few months now on SDN and this is only my second post. However, as a means to pay it forward, so to speak, I thought I would respond to some of the questions that I have seen posted:

1) October 30th (when I interviewed) was only the second interview session that they have held thus far. There were 20 people interviewing and it was after lunch. Interviews were about 45 minutes with two interviewers. One interviewer had seen your file while the other didn't. They use a standard set of questions for everyone. If you look on the interview feedback section on SDN, you will see the types of questions. Don't freak out about this unique type of format. It really wasn't bad. Think of the benefit of using a standard set of questions: they don't grill you on any "less than ideal" items from your AACOMAS since they are using a standard set of questions. The questions are quite comprehensive so you really better know why you want to practice medicine and why DO.

2) If you'll notice from their website, only 80% of so of their students are from the WAAMI states. Therefore, they do accept out of staters but you need to highlight your desire to work with the rural or underserved. There were folks interviewing from California and even North Dakota when I was there.

3) The school is currently housed in one big building. They are planning on eventually growing the school to have a PT, PA and I think nursing program.

I hope that helps all of you who are still in the middle of the process.

Cheers!

[gomango]

Originally Posted by tele turnin

Congrats on the acceptance. Where else are you interviewing? I ended up canceling everything else after this one. This school has got some great potential.

I have interviews scheduled for LMU & DMU in November and VCOM for December. I'm contemplating on canceling the VCOM interview as I did really like PNWU. Already have tickets/hotels etc for the other two so I'm going, plus I REALLY like DMU. I was so impressed with PNWU, it is such a great school!!

[gomango]

Originally Posted by Washingtonian

1) October 30th (when I interviewed) was only the second interview session that they have held thus far. There were 20 people interviewing and it was after lunch. Interviews were about 45 minutes with two interviewers. One interviewer had seen your file while the other didn't. They use a standard set of questions for everyone. If you look on the interview feedback section on SDN, you will see the types of questions. Don't freak out about this unique type of format. It really wasn't bad. Think of the benefit of using a standard set of questions: they don't grill you on any "less than ideal" items from your AACOMAS since they are using a standard set of questions. The questions are quite comprehensive so you really better know why you want to practice medicine and why DO.

2) If you'll notice from their website, only 80% of so of their students are from the WAAMI states. Therefore, they do accept out of staters but you need to highlight your desire to work with the rural or underserved. There were folks interviewing from California and even North Dakota when I was there.

Washingtonian --> Congrats on your acceptance as well!! I'm sure we met that day (I was the one from Montana!)!

I would like to say that that yes they do use standardized types questions which means that there was no follow up questions to answers you may have given and it is quite a brisk interview so be sure to keep your answers simple, yet complete, and to the point! Also since it is standardized and they do not know much about you must bring in "yourself" in your answers, so they will be able to know about your past and who you are.

Once the standardized questions were done they said they were going to ask more "personalized questions" which was nice because then it took on a more conversational tone such as when they asked "tell me about yourself". However as soon as they found out I grew up in the Midwest and not the PNW area, I could tell the interview had "changed". It went from "personalized questions" to being GRILLED and their whole personalities changed! So I thought I hadn't done too well because of that, but apparently I did.

They stressed their mission for rural/underserved physicians, so if you have grown up in this type of area or REALLY want to serve there make sure to mention that. I think that is what really helped me out having grown up in a rural area, despite it being in the midwest, and shown commitment to these types of areas through volunteer activities.

Above all, relax and enjoy your time checking out the school. I think it has a great future!!!

[Limvostov]

Originally Posted by gomango

I have interviews scheduled for LMU & DMU in November and VCOM for December. I'm contemplating on canceling the VCOM interview as I did really like PNWU. Already have tickets/hotels etc for the other two so I'm going, plus I REALLY like DMU. I was so impressed with PNWU, it is such a great school!!

Congrats on the acceptance! I look forward to seeing everyone on the Facebook group. It's growing at a good rate now... almost 10 members!!!


If you can afford it and think Virginia may be a good fit for you I would not drop the VCOM interview. That school is great and I matriculated there for the class of 2013 and transferred on the first day of orientation due to it being so far from family so now I will start next August at PNWU. I would not pass that school up if you can do the distance. LMU is great too, I was accepted to both and had them schedule my interviews together so that I could drive from one to the other (it's about 6-7 hours driving time). Have fun interviewing... I had a great time at these two interviews... literally stress free environments at both.

Just my 2 cents.