Admission
Requirements
Technical Standards for Admission
Application Deadline
Application Process
Interview/Selection Process
Reapplication Process
Matriculation Process
Dual Admission Program
Deferred Admission
Transfer Admission
Admissions
The Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM) considers for
admission those students who possess the academic, professional,
and personal qualities necessary to become exemplary osteopathic
physicians. To select these students, the College uses a rolling
admissions process within a competitive admissions framework.
Competitive Admissions
Within its competitive admissions framework, the College uses multiple
criteria to select the most qualified candidates from an applicant
pool that exceeds the number of seats available. For the class that
matriculated in the fall of 2007, CCOM received more than 4,500
applications for its 160 seats.
Rolling Admissions
CCOM uses a rolling admissions process in which applications are
reviewed and interview decisions are made at regular intervals during
the admissions cycle. Interviews are conducted and selection decisions
for the College are made until the class is filled. Applicants are
notified of their selection status within two to four weeks after
their interview date. To be competitive within this process, candidates
should apply early in the admissions cycle.
Admission Requirements
| Biology with lab |
8 Semester/12 quarter hours |
| General Chemistry with lab |
8 Semester/12 quarter hours |
| Organic Chemistry with lab |
8 Semester/12 quarter hours |
| Physics with lab |
8 Semester/12 quarter hours |
| English Composition |
6 Semester/9 quarter hours |
- Complete the above prerequisite courses. No grade less than
C will be accepted for any prerequisite course. (A grade of C-
will not be accepted.)
- To be competitive, an applicant should possess both a science
and total GPA over 3.00 on a 4.00 scale as well as a bachelor's
degree. A minimum science and overall GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale
is required to receive a supplemental application.
- Complete a bachelor's degree at a regionally accredited college
or university prior to matriculation. Applicants participating
in special affiliated programs with the College and other exceptions
to this policy will be considered on an individual basis.
- Submit competitive scores on the Medical College Admissions
Test (MCAT). Students who entered
CCOM in 2007 had an average MCAT score of 27. The MCAT exam must
have been taken no more than 3 years prior to the planned enrollment
year. To register for the exam, contact the MCAT Program Office
at 319/337-1357 or visit www.aamc.org/students/mcat
for information. The exam is offered many times throughout the
year.
- Two letters of recommendation are required. One letter must
be from either a premedical advisory committee or science professor
who has taught the applicant. The second letter must be from either
a D.O. or an M.D. Letters from osteopathic physicians are strongly
recommended. Letters written by immediate family members will
not be accepted. All letters of evaluation must be submitted by
the evaluators. The Office of Admissions does not accept letters
submitted by students.
- Demonstrate a sincere understanding of and interest in osteopathic
medicine.
- Reflect a people/service orientation through community service
or extracurricular activities.
- Reflect proper motivation for and commitment to health care
as demonstrated by previous work, volunteer, or other life experiences.
- Possess the oral and written communication skills necessary
to interact with patients and colleagues.
- Pass a criminal background check.
- Abide by Midwestern University Drug-Free Workplace and Substance
Abuse Policy.
- Students must sign a statement that they meet the technical
standards upon their acceptance. Candidates who may not meet the
technical standards are encouraged to contact the Director of
Admissions to discuss and identify what accommodations, if any,
the College would need to make in order that the candidate might
be able to meet the standards.
Technical Standards for Admission
The educational mission of CCOM is to produce competent osteopathic
physicians, emphasizing primary care but including traditional specialties
and subspecialties. Because the D.O. degree signifies that the holder
is a physician prepared for entry into the practice of medicine
within postgraduate training programs, it follows that graduates
must have the knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety
of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient
care, including direct hands-on analysis and treatment. Accordingly,
the following abilities and expectations must be met by all students
admitted to CCOM with reasonable accommodation. A candidate must
have abilities and skills in five areas: 1) observation; 2) communication;
3) motor; 4) conceptual, integrative, and quantitative; and 5) behavioral
and social. Technological compensation can be made for some limitation
in certain of these areas, but a candidate should be able to perform
in a reasonably independent manner.
I. Observation: The candidate must be able to accurately
make observations at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates
the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation
and is enhanced by the functional use of all of the other senses.
II. Communication: The candidate must be able to
communicate effectively, efficiently and sensitively in both oral
and written form and be able to perceive nonverbal communication.
III. Motor: Candidates must be able to coordinate
both gross and fine muscular movements, maintain equilibrium and
have functional use of the senses of touch and vision. The candidate
must possess sufficient postural control, neuromuscular control
and eye-to-hand coordination to perform profession-specific skills
and tasks.
IV. Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative
Abilities: The candidate must be able to problem solve,
measure, calculate, reason, analyze, record and synthesize large
amounts of information in a timely manner. The candidate must be
able to comprehend threedimensional relationships and understand
spatial relationships.
V. Behavioral and Social Attributes: The candidate
must possess the emotional health required for full utilization
of his/her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment
and the consistent, prompt completion of all responsibilities and
the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships.
Candidates must be able to tolerate physically, mentally and emotionally
taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. The candidate
must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility,
and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties. Compassion,
integrity, concern for others, effective interpersonal skills, willingness
and ability to function as an effective team player, interest and
motivation to learn are all personal qualities required during the
educational process.
International Applicants
International applicants who are not US citizens should contact
the admissions department for specific instructions.
Application Deadline
The official AACOMAS
application deadline is January 1st; however, applicants are strongly
encouraged to apply early in the cycle. Due to the large number
of applications and the limited number of seats available, applications
will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis only until
all seats are filled. Typically, 50% of all admissions offers are
made by the end of December.
Application Process
Step One: AACOMAS Application – January 1, 2009 Deadline
To initiate the application process, all applicants must apply online
via the centralized application service administered by AACOM at
http://aacomas.aacom.org/.
The AACOMAS application is typically available in early June. As
part of this process, you must submit official MCAT scores (for
tests taken no earlier than April 2006) and official transcripts
directly to AACOMAS. The Office of Admissions will not accept MCAT
scores or transcripts submitted directly to Midwestern University.
The deadline for submission of the AACOMAS application is January
1.
Step Two: CCOM Supplemental Application – March
2, 2009 Deadline
Upon receipt of the
AACOMAS application from the application service, the Midwestern
University Office of Admissions will email the supplemental application
to all applicants who possess both a minimum overall GPA and science
GPA of 2.75. Applicants must complete and submit the supplemental
application form with all required materials, and nonrefundable/nonwaivable
$50 processing fee to the Office of Admissions. All supplemental
application materials must be received in the Office of Admissions
on or before the deadline of March 2, 2009.
Step Three: Step Three: Letters of Recommendation –
March 2, 2009 Deadline
Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation. One letter
must be from a prehealth advisory committee or science professor
who has taught the applicant. The second letter must be from a physician,
either a D.O. or an M.D. Letters from osteopathic physicians are
strongly recommended. The required letters of recommendation must
be received in the Office of Admissions on or before the deadline
of March 2, 2009. Letters must adhere to the following guidelines:
- The applicant’s full legal name and AACOMAS ID number
must be on the front page of the recommendation. Please provide
this information to the evaluator.
- Letters must be sent directly from the evaluator and must be
printed on letterhead stationary, which includes the complete
contact information for the evaluator.
- The evaluator’s academic degree must be listed (e.g.,
Ph.D., D.O., M.D.).
- If you have previously applied to CCOM, you must submit new
letters of recommendation
- Letters from immediate family members will NOT
be accepted.
Step Four: Completed Applications – March 2, 2009
Deadline
All application materials, including the AACOMAS
application, MCAT scores (as reported to AACOMAS), two required
letters of recommendation, and all supplemental application materials
with the application fee must be received in the Office of Admissions
on or before March 2, 2009. Only completed applications received
by the Office of Admissions on or before the deadline date will
be reviewed for potential fall 2009 enrollment.
Step Five: Application Review/Interview Decisions
CCOM uses a rolling admissions process to review completed
applications and make interview decisions. Applications will not
be reviewed until all required application materials have been received
by the Office of Admissions, including the AACOMAS application,
official MCAT scores (as reported to AACOMAS), supplemental application
materials, processing fee, and both required letters of recommendation.
Please complete your file as soon as possible to be competitive
in this process and to ensure full consideration of your application.
Please Note: Applicants are responsible for tracking
the receipt of their application materials and verifying the status
of their required application materials on the university website.
Instructions for accessing your application information on the university
website will be sent to you by the Office of Admissions. Please
keep the Office of Admissions informed of any changes to your mailing
address and email address. All requests for withdrawing an application
must be done in writing. Applicants are expected to act professionally
in their interactions with AACOMAS and with CCOM. Please follow
AACOM’s applicant protocol at all times.
Interview/Selection Process
To be considered for an on-campus interview, applicants must meet
all of the admissions requirements listed previously. After the
Office of Admissions receives all of the required application materials,
the applicant’s file is reviewed to determine if the applicant
merits an invitation to interview, based on established criteria
of the admissions committee. Applicants who are invited to interview
will be contacted by the Office of Admissions and instructed on
how to schedule their interview via our web-based scheduling system.
Additional applicants may be placed on an interview “Waiting
List” pending possible interview openings toward the end of
the interview cycle. The on-campus interview process typically begins
in September and ends in April.
If an applicant accepts an interview, he/she joins several other
interviewees in meeting with members of a three-person interview
panel—a panel selected from a volunteer group of basic scientists,
current students, administrators, and clinicians. Team members question
each applicant about his/her academic, personal, and health care
preparedness for medical school, rating the applicants on a standardized
evaluation form relative to each of these variables. At the conclusion
of the interviews, the team members forward their evaluation for
each applicant to the Admissions Committee. The Committee may recommend
to accept, to deny, or to place the applicant on either the hold
or alternate list. This recommendation is then forwarded to the
Dean for final approval. The Dean—via the Office of Admissions—notifies
the student of his/her status within three or four weeks of the
interview.
The interview process typically begins in September and ends in
April.
Reapplication Process
After receiving either a denial or end-of-cycle letter, an applicant
may reapply for the next enrollment cycle. Before reapplying, however,
the applicant should seek the advice of an admissions counselor.
To initiate the reapplication process, the applicant must submit
an application to AACOMAS.
The application is then processed in the same manner as any other.
Matriculation Process
To initiate the matriculation process, newly accepted students must
submit both their signed matriculation agreement and deposit by
the designated due date. To conclude the matriculation process,
a student must do the following:
- Submit deposit monies and administrative fees by the dates designated
in his/her matriculation documents— the entire amount is
applied toward the student’s first quarter tuition.
- Submit official final transcripts from all colleges attended
post-high school by the deadline of two weeks (14 calendar days)
prior to the first day of classes. For students who are accepted
to MWU less than one month prior to the first day of classes,
they will have 30 calendar days from the date of their acceptance
to submit all official transcripts to the Office of Admissions.
Any special circumstances or requests for exceptions to this policy
must be made by the Office of the Dean of the college. If students
fail to submit all official final transcripts by the stated deadline,
then their acceptance or continued enrollment in the college may
be jeopardized. (Note: The information provided on the student’s
AACOMAS application is verified against the information provided
on the student’s transcript(s). If the course and degree
information on the application cannot be verified, the student’s
offer of admission is revoked.)
- Submit a completed medical file as instructed in the information
sent by the Office of Student Services.
- Submit proof of medical insurance coverage. The student may
select either a plan offered by CCOM or an CCOM-approved outside
carrier.
- Provide documentation verifying that sufficient funds have
been deposited in a U.S. bank to cover all expenses while attending
CCOM (for non–U.S. citizens/nonpermanent residents only).
- Submit additional documents as required by the Office of Admissions.
- Pass a criminal background check.
- Abide by Midwestern University Drug-Free Workplace and Substance
Abuse Policy.
- Complete physical exam and submit form.
- Sign Credit Policy Statement
If a student either fails to satisfy these matriculation requirements
and/or omits/falsifies information required on official admissions
documents, the student automatically forfeits his/her seat at the
College. The student receives no further notification relative to
this forfeiture.
Dual Admission Program
Dual admission programs are currently in place with Illinois Institute
of Technology and University of St. Francis, Fort Wayne, IN. Details
of these programs are available through the Admissions department.
Commitments made prior to matriculation at CCOM
In the event that you have made a commitment prior to matriculating
at CCOM, you must understand that there may be curricular priorities
that are not compatible with your tentative schedule. It is required
that a student make a request of each course director and department
chair during the first week of the academic year regarding requests
for time off. Every effort will be made to accommodate the commitment.
MWU does not guarantee that prior commitments will be approved.
Deferred Admission
Deferments are only considered under extreme circumstances where
a student is physically unable to begin classes. If granted, a student
may defer their admission for one year only.
To initiate the deferred admission process, a student must make
his/her request in writing to the Director of Admissions by the
date designated in his/her matriculation agreement. The request
must be accompanied by a letter from the student’s physician
documenting the conditions that prevent the student from beginning
his/her medical education. The Director then responds to the request
with a letter detailing the specific conditions associated with
deferral. Typically, the conditions include the following:
- The student must submit his/her remaining deposit monies by
the first week of December during the year preceding his/her matriculation
at the time of request of deferral.
- The student must provide a letter from his/her physician stating
that the student can begin his/her medical education
The student is NOT required to interview again or submit another
supplemental application or letters of evaluation.
Transfer Admission
CCOM may elect to accept transfer students from other U.S. osteopathic
medical schools as long as these students are in “good academic
standing” and have an acceptable reason(s) for seeking a transfer.
By the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) standards,
the last 2 years of instruction must be completed within the college
of osteopathic medicine granting the DO degree.
To be considered for transfer, a student must meet the College’s
general requirements for admission. He/she must also observe the
following procedure:
- All inquires for transfer to CCOM must be submitted to the
Admissions Office.
- The Admissions Office will confirm the availability of rotation
sites through the Division of Clinical Education.
- If sites are available, an application is sent.
- Complete application is returned to the Admissions Office and
must also include: transcripts from the COM, class rank (must
be in top 50%), statement of reason for transfer, Dean’s
letter of “Good Academic Standing,” a letter of reference
from the Dean of Students, and COMLEX Level 1 scores, if available.
- Completed application is forwarded to the Associate Dean for
Clinical Education.
- Application is reviewed by the Associate Dean for Clinical
Education who conducts an interview with the applicant and the
Chairs.
- Their recommendation is forwarded to the Dean of CCOM.
- Applicant is notified by the Dean of the final decision.
