2023-2024 Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (Kansas City) KCU-COM

BU Medical Sciences
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drak1999 said:
Question for current students. On the technology guidelines, it says the recommended specs for a windows laptop should be i7 and 16gb ram. Is that really the case? I thought all I'll be doing is taking notes and web browsing.

Do I really need a laptop with specs that high or am I better off with an i5 8gb ram?
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No lol. There's literally no reason to pay attention to those guidelines. For school purposes you need to be able to use Zoom and that's about it.
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For the Medical Kit, if any upper class students could post links to what we need that would be amazing. I would rather build my own kit at a much cheaper cost, but want to make sure I am getting the correct items.
 
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kcubonewizard said:
No lol. There's literally no reason to pay attention to those guidelines. For school purposes you need to be able to use Zoom and that's about it.
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I have a single rebuttal to this point: helldivers 2
 
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Justify2018 said:
For the Medical Kit, if any upper class students could post links to what we need that would be amazing. I would rather build my own kit at a much cheaper cost, but want to make sure I am getting the correct items.
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www.amazon.com

Check out my list on Amazon

www.amazon.com

Not sure if the list of required stuff has changed but I think this covered everything they had on ours.

Here are my own personal opinions about these items. For the BP cuff, you can get away with only having an adult one. Any time you will be required to take a kid's BP (during Score 1), cuffs are provided.

I do not have the particular otoscope on this list. Honestly, any otoscope is fine for what we use it for. The only drawback to that particular one is that I don't believe the standard tips fit onto it, meaning you'd have to have to supply your own for Score 1 and stuff. I have a Welch Allyn pocketscope set that I got used from ebay. It's not the cheapest but it's certainly not the $600(?) one that KCU says you need. Seriously, do not buy that thing. EDIT: You also don't need the insufflation bulb. No idea what it does and we've never used it lol.

Don't sleep on the pen light, it's actually very useful. I used mine all the time in Score 1 and will probably carry one on rotations.

The tuning fork on this list is ass. I wouldn't even buy one tbh. You barely need it and if you do, they are provided.

Make sure you get the standard reflex hammer with the triangle-shaped head, like the one on the list. There are different styles, but you'll be expected to learn with the normal one and use the normal one for practicals.
 
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kcubonewizard said:
www.amazon.com

Check out my list on Amazon

www.amazon.com

Not sure if the list of required stuff has changed but I think this covered everything they had on ours.

Here are my own personal opinions about these items. For the BP cuff, you can get away with only having an adult one. Any time you will be required to take a kid's BP (during Score 1), cuffs are provided.

I do not have the particular otoscope on this list. Honestly, any otoscope is fine for what we use it for. The only drawback to that particular one is that I don't believe the standard tips fit onto it, meaning you'd have to have to supply your own for Score 1 and stuff. I have a Welch Allyn pocketscope set that I got used from ebay. It's not the cheapest but it's certainly not the $600(?) one that KCU says you need. Seriously, do not buy that thing.

Don't sleep on the pen light, it's actually very useful. I used mine all the time in Score 1 and will probably carry one on rotations.

The tuning fork on this list is ass. I wouldn't even buy one tbh. You barely need it and if you do, they are provided.

Make sure you get the standard reflex hammer with the triangle-shaped head, like the one on the list. There are different styles, but you'll be expected to learn with the normal one and use the normal one for practicals.
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This is so helpful! Thank you!!
 
I got into Joplin this fall from the WL. I was one of the first interviews though so idk if that matters? It’s possible!
 
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HunterLego said:
I got into Joplin this fall from the WL. I was one of the first interviews though so idk if that matters? It’s possible!
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well that's good to know that they're already picking from it. Do they have a separate "waitlist" and "alternate" list or do we use those terms interchangeably?
 
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A bit lost. I feel like there's a bunch of stuff I need to check before I matriculate: laptop, medical kit, white coat size, etc. I'm very very worried I missed something. Is there a checklist people are using?

Also, could someone DM with accepted group chat groupme? Thanks
 
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mh500372 said:
A bit lost. I feel like there's a bunch of stuff I need to check before I matriculate: laptop, medical kit, white coat size, etc. I'm very very worried I missed something. Is there a checklist people are using?

Also, could someone DM with accepted group chat groupme? Thanks
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Get immunizations checked asap incase you need a booster (4-6 weeks of waiting)
 
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Hi I am a first year and I love living in the River Market area! It is very close to the streetcar and the city market! Congratulations to everyone on their acceptance!
 
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I submitted my FAFSA and put KCU as one of my schools. But I got an email today saying they still haven’t received my FAFSA. I know things are taking longer this year, but is anyone else in the same boat?
 
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Justify2018 said:
I submitted my FAFSA and put KCU as one of my schools. But I got an email today saying they still haven’t received my FAFSA. I know things are taking longer this year, but is anyone else in the same boat?
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I submitted my FASFA in Feb, Im not sure
 
My FAFSA was submitted 01/2024 and just finished processing 03/2024. I think its taking them longer to roll out with the new changes, so I would f/u periodically regarding FAFSA
 
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I called KCU today. That email was automated. They haven't pulled in all of the applications yet. I also submitted mine back in Feb and got an email saying they didn't receive mine
 
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Hi, I recently read a reddit post from a disgruntled KCU student and now I'm a little spooked. I'd appreciate if any current students could answer these questions. How in line are the exams at KCU with NBME exams? Would it be possible to study with third party resources or do you pretty much have to use course material to do well because of low yield content? Also, is it true that matching at your preferred rotation site is luck of the draw? Last one, is the curriculum "unnecesarily intense" with little time in between exams because of mandatory events, etc?
 
MusicalMangoMan said:
Hi, I recently read a reddit post from a disgruntled KCU student and now I'm a little spooked. I'd appreciate if any current students could answer these questions. How in line are the exams at KCU with NBME exams? Would it be possible to study with third party resources or do you pretty much have to use course material to do well because of low yield content? Also, is it true that matching at your preferred rotation site is luck of the draw? Last one, is the curriculum "unnecesarily intense" with little time in between exams because of mandatory events, etc?
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Can you provide a link to the post?
 
MusicalMangoMan said:
Hi, I recently read a reddit post from a disgruntled KCU student and now I'm a little spooked. I'd appreciate if any current students could answer these questions. How in line are the exams at KCU with NBME exams? Would it be possible to study with third party resources or do you pretty much have to use course material to do well because of low yield content? Also, is it true that matching at your preferred rotation site is luck of the draw? Last one, is the curriculum "unnecesarily intense" with little time in between exams because of mandatory events, etc?
Click to expand...
I know where you're getting this information, and a lot of what that person said is just plain wrong. KCU has issues and I'm not trying to white knight for the school, but I can maybe clear some things up.

First of all, DO schools don't use NBME exams so I don't know how they would even know that. There's definitely low yield content that gets taught, but it's up to you to have enough intuition to determine whether A) it's even going to be on the test and B) if it's worth memorizing for only a few points. It would be pretty unwise to ONLY use 3rd party materials. You could probably do it and get a low passing score on the exams. This is true at most if not all med schools that use in-house exams. I personally use 3rd party and then supplement with the lectures to fill in the gaps. Some professors are worse than others when it comes to teaching stuff that isn't on boards.

Matching at your preferred rotation site is not luck. We make a rank list and there's a match process. You can literally submit documentation to say why you want or need to be at a specific site. That doesn't make anything guaranteed, but something like 93% of our class matched within their top 3 ranked sites. That means that very few people matched far down on their list, and I suspect the ones that did may have ranked competitive sites highly and/or did not submit documentation.

The amount of mandatory stuff isn't that bad. First year is probably worse in that respect because you have anatomy lab and OMM lab, but that's what we signed up for. Other than that, there's probably like 0-2 required things per week. Will you be cursing admin during some weeks because of how packed they are? Sure. In general though I think the school tries to schedule things in a way that makes the most sense. They also listen to feedback from the previous class and make adjustments to scheduling for the next class based on that.

I don't know if the curriculum is "unnecessarily" intense because I don't know what other med schools do. It's hard, sure. But it's manageable. By the time second year rolls around you won't even bat an eye at how many things you need to do, you just do it because there's no other option.
 
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kcubonewizard said:
I know where you're getting this information, and a lot of what that person said is just plain wrong. KCU has issues and I'm not trying to white knight for the school, but I can maybe clear some things up.

First of all, DO schools don't use NBME exams so I don't know how they would even know that. There's definitely low yield content that gets taught, but it's up to you to have enough intuition to determine whether A) it's even going to be on the test and B) if it's worth memorizing for only a few points. It would be pretty unwise to ONLY use 3rd party materials. You could probably do it and get a low passing score on the exams. This is true at most if not all med schools that use in-house exams. I personally use 3rd party and then supplement with the lectures to fill in the gaps. Some professors are worse than others when it comes to teaching stuff that isn't on boards.

Matching at your preferred rotation site is not luck. We make a rank list and there's a match process. You can literally submit documentation to say why you want or need to be at a specific site. That doesn't make anything guaranteed, but something like 93% of our class matched within their top 3 ranked sites. That means that very few people matched far down on their list, and I suspect the ones that did may have ranked competitive sites highly and/or did not submit documentation.

The amount of mandatory stuff isn't that bad. First year is probably worse in that respect because you have anatomy lab and OMM lab, but that's what we signed up for. Other than that, there's probably like 0-2 required things per week. Will you be cursing admin during some weeks because of how packed they are? Sure. In general though I think the school tries to schedule things in a way that makes the most sense. They also listen to feedback from the previous class and make adjustments to scheduling for the next class based on that.

I don't know if the curriculum is "unnecessarily" intense because I don't know what other med schools do. It's hard, sure. But it's manageable. By the time second year rolls around you won't even bat an eye at how many things you need to do, you just do it because there's no other option.
Click to expand...
^^^ I second all of this. I'll just add that, while our curriculum is difficult, I love it. I feel prepared for board studying because I've gone in depth with all the material twice. Also, all of our extra clinical skills classes/assignments make us well prepared for clerkships. It's well known that in KC, doctors prefer to work with KCU students over UMKC/KU because we are more prepared and competent in clinical skills.
 
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Hello All, every year I come back and send good energy to all my fellow Waitlisters.
(OMS2-Joplin) I was pulled of waitlist on May 12 2022 (first wave). Waitlist movement is real, starts mid May and goes ALL THE WAY UNTIL first day of school. 1/3 of my class came off the waitlist and 3 kids in my class came after the start of orientation. I applied two cycles and was waitlisted by KCU for both cycles. Keep your plan B's open, but do not discount yourself. It really is a craps shoot and I wish you all the best of luck.
Some more FAQ:
Thank you letters are nice but not required, do them if you genuinely want to thank your interviewer. For me it helped me remember which faculty interviewed me and it made for some fun in person conversations.
No one knows if LOI's do anything, but do it if you want to add something new you started after your interview.
Joplin>KCU.. jk but for all my "Both" interviewers, I know you are heavy leaning KCU and hoped putting both would increase your odds. Joplin is a great campus and you won't regret coming here. I pay 400$ a month for my own room and I love it.
Keep an eye on Workday and make sure you got everything in that they require.
If you are on the waitlist, GET ALL YOUR HEALTH DOCUMENTS IN ORDER NOW!! Otherwise you'll be scrambling to get all your titers done, and you'll be surprised what you need boosters for.
If you got the A, cool enjoy your summer. Do whatever you have been wanting to do for the last 4 years, get it out because then you gotta go to work.
My waitlist peeps, I feel ya. All I can say is whatever you are feeling now, its going to get alot worse once people start getting pulled in may and posting about it on here. Whatever happens this cycle, you have it in you to become a doctor. Focus on your own self growth and take time to find things you enjoy. Hopefully it'll take your mind off this brick wall of uncertainty. And super pro tip for those on the waitlist, whatever email you use for AACOMAS communications, ENABLE EVERY FREAKING NOTIFICATION. They will send an acceptance email with 24 hour decision deadline. There is never a better time in your life to casually check your email once a morning/afternoon/whenever.
RANT OVER
Med school is really worth all the dread, frustration, and anxiety you are currently feeling. I hope you all are able to step on campus with those big wide eyes, there is so much cool **** to learn. We go way beyond whatever premed courses you all took, and its overwhelming but also god dang exciting. I wish you all well and I hope yall are able to realize your dreams. As a second year looking back, 2nd year is so much cooler, you actually learn to be a doctor.

Edit for above convo: Ya heavily agree with my colleagues, the curriculum is ever changing but every KCU test is in-house, meaning its on material covered from kcu professors. Sometimes that material is 95% board related material, other times its like 70%. Some professors are amazing and will teach you better than any 3rd party, others are meh. Med School is all about learning material the way you need to and I think KCU does a pretty good job of letting you learn it your way. Clinical faculty are some of the nicest and respected people and really want you to see you succeed. But yeah like every med school, Admin is detached from students' concerns and scheduling is bad on purpose. Your classmates will lift you up and you will become a doctor.
Ill check back for a couple weeks any Joplin students are free to DM me.
 
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kcubonewizard said:
I know where you're getting this information, and a lot of what that person said is just plain wrong. KCU has issues and I'm not trying to white knight for the school, but I can maybe clear some things up.

First of all, DO schools don't use NBME exams so I don't know how they would even know that. There's definitely low yield content that gets taught, but it's up to you to have enough intuition to determine whether A) it's even going to be on the test and B) if it's worth memorizing for only a few points. It would be pretty unwise to ONLY use 3rd party materials. You could probably do it and get a low passing score on the exams. This is true at most if not all med schools that use in-house exams. I personally use 3rd party and then supplement with the lectures to fill in the gaps. Some professors are worse than others when it comes to teaching stuff that isn't on boards.

Matching at your preferred rotation site is not luck. We make a rank list and there's a match process. You can literally submit documentation to say why you want or need to be at a specific site. That doesn't make anything guaranteed, but something like 93% of our class matched within their top 3 ranked sites. That means that very few people matched far down on their list, and I suspect the ones that did may have ranked competitive sites highly and/or did not submit documentation.

The amount of mandatory stuff isn't that bad. First year is probably worse in that respect because you have anatomy lab and OMM lab, but that's what we signed up for. Other than that, there's probably like 0-2 required things per week. Will you be cursing admin during some weeks because of how packed they are? Sure. In general though I think the school tries to schedule things in a way that makes the most sense. They also listen to feedback from the previous class and make adjustments to scheduling for the next class based on that.

I don't know if the curriculum is "unnecessarily" intense because I don't know what other med schools do. It's hard, sure. But it's manageable. By the time second year rolls around you won't even bat an eye at how many things you need to do, you just do it because there's no other option.
Click to expand...
Hi! What third party resources have helped you most? Especially for first year.
 
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quick_tomatillo said:
Hi! What third party resources have helped you most? Especially for first year.
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Just my opinion but you don’t really need 3rd party for first year. Bootcamp is helpful for anatomy, other than that just use lecture materials and the Anking deck when possible.
 
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I interviewed with KCU in August and got pulled from the WL for Joplin (my preferred campus) in October. It’s possible friends
 
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HunterLego said:
I interviewed with KCU in August and got pulled from the WL for Joplin (my preferred campus) in October. It’s possible friends
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i think a bunch of us that got WL in the New Year will hear back starting in May given the consensus in past threads lol. But congrats! Have you committed to KCU?
 
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Has anyone received a white coat ceremony guide about how to register for the ceremony and how to get additional tickets?
 
kcubonewizard said:
Just my opinion but you don’t really need 3rd party for first year. Bootcamp is helpful for anatomy, other than that just use lecture materials and the Anking deck when possible.
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With regards to Anking, would you recommend paying for Anking 12 or would Anking 11 suffice? Also, when I used other people's Anki decks for the MCAT, I didn't change any of the settings within Anki, do you have any tips or suggestions on what settings to change when using Anking?
 
keeponrunnin said:
With regards to Anking, would you recommend paying for Anking 12 or would Anking 11 suffice? Also, when I used other people's Anki decks for the MCAT, I didn't change any of the settings within Anki, do you have any tips or suggestions on what settings to change when using Anking?
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I use v11 but I'm updating to v12 soon. I'd recommend just paying the $5 or whatever it is to update to v12 then cancel the subscription to Ankihub.

For settings I'm pretty sure I just followed this exactly:
 
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How many people are still waiting on the WL here? And is there anyone lurking on here that is considering giving up their A to go somewhere else?
 
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