Does anyone know when LECOM Bradenton will start interviews?

not sure, most schools start in sept. have you sent in your primaries yet? i just sent mine in two weeks ago.

Based on last year's thread , it looks like interviews started around September?

has anyone filled out secondaries for lecom-b yet??

If anyone has received the secondary, can they post the questions so some of us can get a head start?

Thanks!

If anyone has received the secondary, can they post the questions so some of us can get a head start?

Thanks!

they are the same for lecom-e.

1. Write a personal essay describing yourself and the qualities you possess that will make you a successful osteopathic physician.

2. How do you envision yourself practicing medicine in the future (beyond residency)?

Both responses should be limited to 1 page of text.

they are the same for lecom-e.

1. Write a personal essay describing yourself and the qualities you possess that will make you a successful osteopathic physician.

2. How do you envision yourself practicing medicine in the future (beyond residency)?

Both responses should be limited to 1 page of text.

thanks, doxy!

I sent in my LECOM Bradenton secondary two weeks ago, but am still waiting for my LOR from my committee to get there. I've been wait :xf:listed there twice.... here's hoping third time is the charm!

I sent in my LECOM Bradenton secondary two weeks ago, but am still waiting for my LOR from my committee to get there. I've been wait :xf:listed there twice.... here's hoping third time is the charm!

Wishing you good luck :luck::luck::luck::luck:! How do you think your application will be different this year than the past two? Are you local?

Besides the fact that I live in B'ton, I'm totally psyched about their curriculum. Even if I lived across the country, I would have LECOM-B on the top of my list.

However, I've a year to go before I can apply...right now it is just hoping that those student that really want to go to LECOM-B get in!

In previous years I have been really late submitting my applications in January and Feb. So being early is an obvious difference. I've also had experience as a patient accounts manager for a small rural practice, so I have a good understanding of insurance billing and managing a practice, which may not be directly tied to medical school, but is tied to the profession of being a primary care physician in a rural area.

I've also gotten some great new letters of recommendation and re-written my essays to focus more on my educationally disadvantaged background. Other than that I'm also 26 which means that I'll add to the diversity of campus... really grasping at straws with that one, but everything helps. :xf:

First off, good luck to everybody. I start school at LECOM-B in a couple of weeks, and it was only a year ago I was filling out applications and stressing out about things.

I have a few things to take care of before I move to the greater Bradenton metropolitan area next week, but I'm working on a FAQ sort of deal for LECOM-B to add to this thread that might be useful to you guys. Hopefully I'll finish it by Friday, but we'll see how things turn out.

Once school starts, I don't expect to have much free time, but I'll check in on this thread from time-to-time to answer questions like digitlnoise and some other upperclassmen did while I was applying. It helped me a ton, and the least I can do is provide the same service for you guys.

Altruist Congrats on your acceptance! Thanks for being willing to fill us in! Good luck as school starts!

I submitted my secondary on 6/26--the same time as Erie--and my credit card was charged twice (for Erie and Bradenton), but I never received a confirmation e-mail.

I was wondering if anyone's status has moved from, "Your application has been processed and will be sent to the Admissions Committee for further review. You will be notified as soon as a decision has been made."

to

"Your application is under review."

The "Required Letters and Credit" section for Bradenton shows that everything is in except for my supplemental.

How far along is everyone else with Bradenton?

hi everyone, i was wondering if a DO letter is mandatory for LECOM? i looked under their requirements and they don't mention that a DO letter is necessary, but I thought I heard somewhere that you did?

hi everyone, i was wondering if a DO letter is mandatory for LECOM? i looked under their requirements and they don't mention that a DO letter is necessary, but I thought I heard somewhere that you did?

I am under the impression that the DO evaluation letter is mandatory.

Here is a link to their DO evaluation form.

http://portal.lecom.edu/ErieDOLetterofRecommendationInstructions.pdf

does anyone know the # to admissions I've been looking for it but can only find an email.

Good luck to all those applying this year to LECOM-B.

They usually start interviewing in September. A D.O. letter is required so if you do not have one, you should start asking for one.

Again, good luck to everyone.

does anyone know the # to admissions I've been looking for it but can only find an email.

ph 941.756.0690 ...found by googling LECOM-Bradenton, found in seconds

does anyone know the # to admissions I've been looking for it but can only find an email.

I was wondering the same thing because I may have to call to straighten out this supplemental issue..

ph 941.756.0690 ...found by googling LECOM-Bradenton, found in seconds

thank you...

Does anyone know when LECOM Bradenton will start interviews?

September 2nd.

Source-Open house on the 7th of July.

September 2nd.

Source-Open house on the 7th of July.

Nice! Thanks for letting us know! Has anyone received an interview invite yet? This was the first secondary I submitted, but I still don't have my committee LOR.

I received a phone call from the admissions office today that was unrelated to the e-mail I sent in regards to my supplemental application's status.

The committee is reviewing my file and wanted to know whether or not I planned on taking more classes on my year off--I need Biochemistry, one more Behavioral Science, and Genetics for Michigan State.

Nice person on the other line.

Yay, I got an interview invite from them today. via phone call.im guessing a few ppl got an invite already, since people are saying they start interviewing 9/2. the earliest they offered me was 9/18.

Hi, I received a phone call this morning from LECOM-B (Heather called, she is very nice) for an interview on September 18th too. I am very happy and look forward to visiting this school:love:

Hi, I received a phone call this morning from LECOM-B (Heather called, she is very nice) for an interview on September 18th too. I am very happy and look forward to visiting this school:love:

How long has it been since both of your applications were under review? I was just wondering how long it typical takes before you hear from them. Thanks!!

How long has it been since both of your applications were under review? I was just wondering how long it typical takes before you hear from them. Thanks!!
Hi, I think it was nearly 3 weeks for me that my app was under review.

Hi, I think it was nearly 3 weeks for me that my app was under review.

Just checked my voice mail after I got out of work...Interview invite. It sucks that I cannot call until Monday.

i submitted my secondary application last week, so it took them a week to get though my app and send me an interview.

What kind of stats, etc. do you have? Is LECOM-B a top choice for any of you?

i'm not a fan of problem based learning, since it is so different from traditional undergrad learning. but they said they will go over PBL during the interview, so i'll see.

Hey all! Just like Altruist, I'm a 1st year. I got lots of great advice here, and plan on helping out the "next generation" of students when I can. So feel free to PM me or post when you have questions.

During the interview day, you will sit in on a PBL session. It is about 2 hours, and will give you a good idea of how most of the learning happens here. You aren't expected (and probably shouldn't) say anything during the session. Just sit back and observe. Its a great learning method, as long as you can manage your time. Good luck and relax. This place is chill, its Florida after all.

for the people that got interviews, what were your stats, if you don't mind me asking? Thanks!

Good luck everyone!!

I'm currently a 3rd yr and fairly active on here so if other random questions pop up I'll try and help out. There are also some terrific 2nd years who are active on here as well and can answer questions ya'll may have.

Rather than wait until this is perfect, I'm going to put it up and edit it as needed. Keep in mind that I haven't actually started school at LECOM yet. If upperclassmen have corrections, PM me and I will gladly correct whatever I have wrong, or add whatever you think might be good to know. I hope this year's applicants find it useful info.

General Info:

First off, read the LECOM-Bradenton pages (38-39) in the AACOM College Information Book (CIB) at http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/cib2010/2010-CIB-complete.pdf
Contact info, admissions deadlines, etc. is on there. (Come to think of it, read the whole CIB. There's useful stuff throughout, and you probably shouldn't apply DO without having read it.) This FAQ's main purpose is to provide info you won't find in the CIB.

Tell me about LECOM-Bradenton, please. It's a branch campus of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania. Despite being a branch campus, it is basically run independently of the "main campus." Admissions, for example, is completely separate from LECOM-Erie. LECOM-B exclusively uses the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model of teaching. The first medical school class started at LECOM-B in 2003.

What's Tuition like? $27500 for out-of-state residents. $25,900 for in-state. (2009-2010)

Can I get the in-state price after first year? Nope. They go by your home address on your AACOMAS application, and that determines which tuition you're charged all 4 years. What's another $6400 out of $250k anyway?

What's the total cost of attendence? ~$57-59,000 per year is budgeted for 2009-2010, depending on state-residence. This is the maximum you are allowed to take out in loans, and would give you a check of $12-13,000 per semester for living expenses. You are certainly free to take out less.

Where do students live? In a variety of apartment complexes around near campus, as well as in rented houses and condos in the area. There is no school-owned student housing.

What is the campus like? The med school and the school of pharmacy pharmacy are contained in a single, very large, steel-and-glass building. EDIT: All facilities are in this one building, including laboratories and the library.

Is there a library? The library focuses on the required and supplemental texts for your classes (and, I assume, the school of pharmacy's classes), so the fiction section is a little sparse. (They can do an interlibrary loan with another academic library if you absolutely need a book they don't have.) However, there's plenty of room for people to study; just remember that you have to follow the dress code if you're there during business hours. If you want to kick around in jeans, you'll have to study at home or one of the local coffee shops until 5pm. For group study, the meeting rooms where PBL sessions are held can be used by students any time they're not being used for class.

Wait, there's a dress code? Yes. Men in dress pants, shirt, and tie; women in professional attire... (women seem to have a bit more leeway in this department, since their requirements aren't as concrete). This is in effect during business hours at the school, even for anatomy lab. OMM and some clinical exam labs are different, however.

Any other restrictions like this? No food or water in lecture halls or meeting rooms.

What's the dress code for the osteopathic manipulation instruction? You wear a LECOM t-shirt and shorts. Women wear a sports bra underneath, since you may be asked to remove your shirt while your partner palpates or attempts to adjust you. Don't let that scare you, though: "Nobody just stands around all day with a sports bra showing. Women wear them under their t-shirt or sweatshirt. Occasionally they take them off. You are requested to remove your t-shirts for some manuevers, but I've never seen someone "required" to remove them. A lot of people are self conscious about it at first, but after a while it's not really a big deal for most people. Note that you also come in OMM attire for some clinical exam labs." from http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5621157&postcount=5

What's the surrounding area like? Bradenton is south of Tampa on Florida's gulf coast. The school itself is in an upscale development called Lakewood Ranch that has a reputation (from what I've gathered) of having good schools and relatively safe neighborhoods.

Who should go to LECOM-B? Motivated students who can learn independently. PBL involves choosing learning topics with your group, and then filling in the details both through self-study (a lot of reading) and with your classmates' help.

What's this PBL business? The best guide to PBL I've found was posted by Richie Truxillo: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=410585 The way it looks to me is that you're guided to what's important through the cases, but you're given time to actually read your books and learn the material yourself. I'll let you know how close I am to being right once classes start.

Does PBL work? It seems to. Around 97% of LECOM-B students passed COMLEX Step I on the first try in 2007 and 2008 (from a handout given at my interview). The class of 2009 earned residencies in anesthesiology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, and radiology, among others.

Secondary App:

What's the secondary app like? It is, I am told, identical to that of LECOM-Erie this year. (The questions are listed a couple posts above this one, so I won't bother linking to it.) They do not appear to screen prior to sending the secondary. If they do, it's cursory. And yes, you have to pay separate secondary app fees to Bradenton and to Erie if you apply to both LECOMs.

Interview:

When does LECOM-B start interviewing? September 2nd, apparently. The last interviews are in April, and yes, people do get acceptances even then.

When does LECOM-B start sending interview invites? July.

Can you get an interview invite before your secondary is complete? Yes. My app wasn't complete until after my interview. (I was missing a recommendation.)

Do I really need a recommendation from a DO? Yes, you do. They may invite you to interview without it, but they won't make a decision on your file until it's in their hands.

Is there any way around the DO recommendation requirement? No. Although... at my interview day, all of us with incomplete applications were told what we had missing. If it was the DO letter, and you didn't think you'd be able to have it in within a week otherwise, the admissions staff offered to introduce you to a DO on staff, and have you chat with him/her for a few minutes. If this DO liked you, they might write you the required recommendation. BEWARE, however, this concession was made for 2 of us out of ~12. Odds are against you if your DO letter is not in, and I suspect they would not offer this option if they felt people were taking advantage of it as a way around the DO letter requirement. I add this anecdote only to tell you the whole truth about applying to Bradenton. YMMV.

Can you get in if you get a recommendation from a LECOM staff DO the day of the interview? I couldn't tell you, I politely refused their offer. My DO recommender faxed his letter in a week after my interview, and I was accepted the next day. I haven't seen the girl who took advantage of their offer to ask if she got in... I will update this if I see her when classes start.

When do they start sending acceptances? Very soon after your interview, assuming you have all required letters and other info submitted. If I had had a complete file when I interviewed, I'd have had an answer within 2 days of my interview. But... looking back at old threads, they sometimes take a week or more, depending on when the admissions committee meets.

How do they let you know you got in? Usually by phone. You'll often get an email shortly after that. And, of course, you get a letter in the mail, but who can wait until then?

Is a deposit required to hold your place? Yes. For the bargain price of $1500, your place will be held. This cash will go toward your first semester's tuition if you attend. They follow AACOM's rules on deposits, which you can find on page 17 of the CIB linked to at the top of this post.

You may also want to read:

2007-2008 app thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=452615

2008-2009 app thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=525709

Rather than wait until this is perfect, I'm going to put it up and edit it as needed. Keep in mind that I haven't actually started school at LECOM yet. If upperclassmen have corrections, PM me and I will gladly correct whatever I have wrong, or add whatever you think might be good to know. I hope this year's applicants find it useful info.

General Info:

First off, read the LECOM-Bradenton pages (38-39) in the AACOM College Information Book (CIB) at http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/cib2010/2010-CIB-complete.pdf
Contact info, admissions deadlines, etc. is on there. (Come to think of it, read the whole CIB. There's useful stuff throughout, and you probably shouldn't apply DO without having read it.) This FAQ's main purpose is to provide info you won't find in the CIB.

Tell me about LECOM-Bradenton, please. It's a branch campus of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania. Despite being a branch campus, it is basically run independently of the "main campus." Admissions, for example, is completely separate from LECOM-Erie. LECOM-B exclusively uses the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model of teaching. The first medical school class started at LECOM-B in 2003.

What's Tuition like? $27500 for out-of-state residents. $25,900 for in-state. (2009-2010)

Can I get the in-state price after first year? Nope. They go by your home address on your AACOMAS application, and that determines which tuition you're charged all 4 years. What's another $6400 out of $250k anyway?

What's the total cost of attendence? ~$57-59,000 per year is budgeted for 2009-2010, depending on state-residence. This is the maximum you are allowed to take out in loans, and would give you a check of $12-13,000 per semester for living expenses. You are certainly free to take out less.

Where do students live? In a variety of apartment complexes around near campus, as well as in rented houses and condos in the area. There is no school-owned student housing.

What is the campus like? The med school and the school of pharmacy pharmacy are contained in a single, very large, steel-and-glass building.

Is there a dress code? Yes. Men in dress pants, shirt, and tie; women in professional attire... (women seem to have a bit more leeway in this department, since their requirements aren't as concrete). This is in effect during business hours at the school, even for anatomy lab. OMM and some clinical exam labs are different, however.

Any other restrictions like this? No food or water in lecture halls or meeting rooms.

What's the dress code for the Osteopathic manipulation instruction? You wear a LECOM t-shirt and shorts. Women wear a sports bra underneath, since you may be asked to remove your shirt while your partner palpates or attempts to adjust you. Don't let that scare you, though: "Nobody just stands around all day with a sports bra showing. Women wear them under their t-shirt or sweatshirt. Occasionally they take them off. You are requested to remove your t-shirts for some manuevers, but I've never seen someone "required" to remove them. A lot of people are self conscious about it at first, but after a while it's not really a big deal for most people. Note that you also come in OMM attire for some clinical exam labs." from http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5621157&postcount=5

What's the surrounding area like? Bradenton is south of Tampa on Florida's gulf coast. The school itself is in an upscale development called Lakewood Ranch that has a reputation (from what I've gathered) of having good schools and relatively safe neighborhoods.

Who should go to LECOM-B? Motivated students who can learn independently. PBL involves choosing learning topics with your group, and then filling in the details both through self-study (a lot of reading) and with your classmates' help.

What's this PBL business? The best guide to PBL I've found was posted by Richie Truxillo: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=410585 The way it looks to me is that you're guided to what's important through the cases, but you're given time to actually read your books and learn the material yourself. I'll let you know how close I am to being right once classes start.

Does PBL work? It seems to. Around 97% of LECOM-B students passed COMLEX Step I on the first try in 2007 and 2008 (from a handout given at the interview). The class of 2009 earned residencies in anesthesiology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, and radiology, among others.

Secondary App:

What's the secondary app like? It is, I am told, identical to that of LECOM-Erie this year. (The questions are listed a couple posts above this one, so I won't bother linking to it.) They do not appear to screen prior to sending the secondary. If they do, it's cursory. And yes, you have to pay separate secondary app fees to Bradenton and to Erie if you apply to both LECOMs.

Interview:

When does LECOM-B start interviewing? September 2nd, apparently. The last interviews are in April, and yes, people do get acceptances even then.

When does LECOM-B start sending interview invites? July.

Can you get an interview invite before your secondary is complete? Yes. My app wasn't complete until after my interview. (I was missing a recommendation.)

Do I really need a recommendation from a DO? Yes, you do. They may invite you to interview without it, but they won't make a decision on your file until it's in their hands.

Is there any way around the DO recommendation requirement? No. Although... at my interview day, all of us with incomplete applications were told what we had missing. If it was the DO letter, and you didn't think you'd be able to have it in within a week otherwise, the admissions staff offered to introduce you to a DO on staff, and have you chat with him/her for a few minutes. If this DO liked you, they might write you the required recommendation. BEWARE, however, this concession was made for 2 of us out of ~12. Odds are against you if your DO letter is not in, and I suspect they would not offer this option if they felt people were taking advantage of it as a way around the DO letter requirement. I add this anecdote only to tell you the whole truth about applying to Bradenton. YMMV.

Can you get in if you get a recommendation from a LECOM staff DO the day of the interview? I couldn't tell you, I politely refused their offer. My DO recommender faxed his letter in a week after my interview, and I was accepted the next day. I haven't seen the girl who took advantage of their offer to ask if she got in... I will update this if I see her when classes start.

When do they start sending acceptances? Very soon after your interview, assuming you have all required letters and other info submitted. If I had had a complete file when I interviewed, I'd have had an answer within 2 days of my interview. But... looking back at old threads, they sometimes take a week or more, depending on when the admissions committee meets.

How do they let you know you got in? Usually by phone. You'll often get an email shortly after that. And, of course, you get a letter in the mail, but who can wait until then?

Is a deposit required to hold your place? Yes. For the bargain price of $1500, your place will be held. This cash will go toward your first semester's tuition if you attend. They follow AACOM's rules on deposits, which you can find on page 17 of the CIB linked to at the top of this post.

You may also want to read:

2007-2008 app thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=452615

2008-2009 app thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=525709

Where do students study? Is there a campus library? in the single building?

Got a call from LECOM-B on Friday for an interview. Unfortunately I was out of town and didn't get the message until yesterday evening!! Oh well, call them first thing Monday morning I guess. Congrats to everyone else who got an invite. Hopefully can get a spot on Sept. 18 and see you all there.

Where do students study? Is there a campus library? in the single building?

There is a library on campus that is open from around 8am-11pm or so (hours may vary a little, during exam weeks we go them to extend hours till midnight).

If they aren't being used you are also welcome to use the PBL rooms. Some people also study in the cafe/lounge since that's the only place where you can eat/drink.

If you're not a fan of studying at school there are a few starbucks around, the one on University blvd is open 24hrs, a locally owned coffee shop around the corner from school, and other places like Panera were fairly popular. During board review I think a few of us pretty much lived at Panera for a few weeks.

There is a library on campus that is open from around 8am-11pm or so (hours may vary a little, during exam weeks we go them to extend hours till midnight).

If they aren't being used you are also welcome to use the PBL rooms. Some people also study in the cafe/lounge since that's the only place where you can eat/drink.

If you're not a fan of studying at school there are a few starbucks around, the one on University blvd is open 24hrs, a locally owned coffee shop around the corner from school, and other places like Panera were fairly popular. During board review I think a few of us pretty much lived at Panera for a few weeks.

Oh thats good I need a 24 hour place I tend to study at least to 12-1 am for tests .. thankfully im not an all-nighter type :thumbup:

Damn, called today to schedule my interview because I got the message late Saturday and was told the lady who does the interview setup will be out all day!! Guess I have to call tommorrow. This is my first interview invite so I am REALLY anxious and want to get everything perfect!

Damn, called today to schedule my interview because I got the message late Saturday and was told the lady who does the interview setup will be out all day!! Guess I have to call tommorrow. This is my first interview invite so I am REALLY anxious and want to get everything perfect!

SAME HERE...hopefully she's in tomorrow!!!

Finally, I was finally able to confirm my interview for LECOM-Bradenton today. For everyone else that is interviewing there on September 18th I'll see you then!!!

Hi all, congrats on your interviews...hope it all works out for you!

I was curious about what kind of stats you have...GPA, MCAT?

Anyone?

Got my call today

3.3/28Q

Congrats to all those who got interviews..good luck!

I had question to those who completed the secondary:

I submitted mine a couple days back and I was wondering why nothing had shown up on the admission status through the LECOM portal..is that normal?

Congrats to all those who got interviews..good luck!

I had question to those who completed the secondary:

I submitted mine a couple days back and I was wondering why nothing had shown up on the admission status through the LECOM portal..is that normal?

I remember that it did take some time for any kind of status to show up on the portal. when you say "nothing" is showing up what exactly are you looking for? A confirmation that it was submitted and received?

Finally, I was finally able to confirm my interview for LECOM-Bradenton today. For everyone else that is interviewing there on September 18th I'll see you then!!!

See you there on the 18th!!

See you there on the 18th!!

Thanks!! Can't wait, LECOM-B is one of my top choices.

Add me to the list, too...Sept 18th interview!

Congrats to all of you who got interviews!!

I got placed for a re-review in late March..ugh..not too happy about that :(

so i called and they told me that i was actually placed on hold until september..:(

Just outta curiosity, what was the average MCAT score of matriculants to Bradenton last year? I know it was ~24 in 2007

so i called and they told me that i was actually placed on hold until september..:(

Just outta curiosity, what was the average MCAT score of matriculants to Bradenton last year? I know it was ~24 in 2007

I only found the 2007 stats. The CIB states that they want applicants with at least an MCAT of 25 to apply.

So you're on hold until September. Did they mean that they will review your file again in September or will wait until then to offer you an interview???

so i called and they told me that i was actually placed on hold until september..:(

Just outta curiosity, what was the average MCAT score of matriculants to Bradenton last year? I know it was ~24 in 2007

Sorry to hear about the on-hold status, but don't despair. September is still early. When I interviewed (in November), they told us they considered anything before winter break to be early!

As far as average MCAT, I can't remember from my interview day. A few people who did remember commented in this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=622712

Apparently, at least one applicant was told "around a 28" was the average MCAT composite for LECOM-B at interviews last year.

Hey everyone. So I'm kind of concerned because I've received a secondary from every school that I applied to except for LECOM - Bradenton (including LECOM - Erie). My stats are competitive, and I do not think that I would have been screened out. Is there only one secondary that counts for both Erie and Bradenton? I was just hoping that I could get some feed back from you lovely SDN members before I called admissions. Thanks for your help! :)

Hey everyone. So I'm kind of concerned because I've received a secondary from every school that I applied to except for LECOM - Bradenton (including LECOM - Erie). My stats are competitive, and I do not think that I would have been screened out. Is there only one secondary that counts for both Erie and Bradenton? I was just hoping that I could get some feed back from you lovely SDN members before I called admissions. Thanks for your help! :)

Check the portal and see if they have the bradenton secondary on there... I received Erie email first but when I logged on noticed I had both secondaries in there. The bradenton email came like a week later.

so, i just found out that I forgot to put one of the courses i took in college on my AACOMAS app, and bradenton wants me to send another transcript to verify that I met all my pre-reqs..ugh..i hope that means that i'll be taken off that hold once my transcript is in :xf::xf:

Check the portal and see if they have the bradenton secondary on there... I received Erie email first but when I logged on noticed I had both secondaries in there. The bradenton email came like a week later.

Thank you :) I actually just got the secondary email.

I received the interview phone call literally less than 24 hours after submitting my secondary.

Just got the call :) Interview set for September 21st

This question is for everybody.

How long did it take for AACOMAS to verify your application once they have received the information, documentation and the payment? :confused:

So my MCAT score was just released to schools the other day (25, VR 10 BS 8 PS 7) and my gpa is 3.18, 3.25 sci. I am complete at a couple schools and I checked the LECOM Bradenton page and it said:

"Your application will be re-reviewed in late March."

Kind of a bummer. Should I attribute this to my low numbers, Bradenton becoming uber-competitive, or should I call and ask why this is? I feel like I am competitive enough to get an acceptance (applied to 16 schools, great LORs, was early, etc) Bradenton was near the top of the list.

Does the first rejection sting the most? Even though it isnt a rejection outright, it still makes me sad. Any advice would be appreciated, and good luck to all of you who have pending interviews!

So my MCAT score was just released to schools the other day (25, VR 10 BS 8 PS 7) and my gpa is 3.18, 3.25 sci. I am complete at a couple schools and I checked the LECOM Bradenton page and it said:

"Your application will be re-reviewed in late March."

Kind of a bummer. Should I attribute this to my low numbers, Bradenton becoming uber-competitive, or should I call and ask why this is? I feel like I am competitive enough to get an acceptance (applied to 16 schools, great LORs, was early, etc) Bradenton was near the top of the list.

Does the first rejection sting the most? Even though it isnt a rejection outright, it still makes me sad. Any advice would be appreciated, and good luck to all of you who have pending interviews!

Yes the first "rejection" if you would stings the worst. Happened to me with VCOM. I have gotten similar messages at other schools as well and it doesn't bother me as much... as long as its not a school I really really liked. Anyway the only thing I can say is your mcat seems legit but your gpa is low which might be why you got put on hold for re-review. It says in the cib they are seeking candidates with at leas ta 3.4.

Kind of a bummer. Should I attribute this to my low numbers, Bradenton becoming uber-competitive, or should I call and ask why this is? I feel like I am competitive enough to get an acceptance (applied to 16 schools, great LORs, was early, etc) Bradenton was near the top of the list.


I'd go ahead and call to see if the online status is correct, and if it is, whether they'll tell you anything specific about why you're in the re-review batch (don't be surprised if they won't do that until the end of the application cycle though). You'll also let them know you're still interested, which never hurts. I would guess the main reason for your on-hold status is the increasing competition here. Last week, one of the admissions committee members told us LECOM-B received 3800+ applications for the ~160 spots in the class of 2013, which was a 25% increase over the apps received the year before. Keep in mind that those are primary apps--I don't know how many secondaries, interviews, and acceptance offers were granted.

For your specific situation bcgans, since my secondhand info is that last year's MCAT score averaged around 28, I don't think your MCAT score hurt you as much as your GPA. That's not to say your numbers rule you out for admissions. Your EC's and life story can always catch an admissions officer's eye, but it's hard to predict what exactly is going to hold their interest, and make them want to interview you.

I wish you all luck this cycle, whether you end up in Bradenton or not.

I am under the impression that the DO evaluation letter is mandatory.

Here is a link to their DO evaluation form.

http://portal.lecom.edu/ErieDOLetterofRecommendationInstructions.pdf

I have a letter of rec from a DO I shadowed... but it doesn't have most of what they say you need on it. It was a good letter, it just wasn't so in-depth and detailed (crisis situation and all that... I was in a family practice clinic, where would the crisis be? >.>). Is it absolutely necessary that his letter cover all of what they ask for, or is a good letter enough? I would feel bad asking him for another... like any physician, he's incredibly busy.

I have a letter of rec from a DO I shadowed... but it doesn't have most of what they say you need on it. It was a good letter, it just wasn't so in-depth and detailed (crisis situation and all that... I was in a family practice clinic, where would the crisis be? >.>). Is it absolutely necessary that his letter cover all of what they ask for, or is a good letter enough? I would feel bad asking him for another... like any physician, he's incredibly busy.

The DO I shadowed completed her letter on my behalf long before I knew Bradenton had this form, so I never used Bradenton's form as a guideline.

The letter was submitted as-is and I ended up receiving an interview anyways. Having waived my rights to view the letter's content, I have no idea how well she covered some of what Bradenton is looking for, but it must have been good enough.

As long as you feel the letter is solid, then don't sweat it--I am sure it will satisfy what the adcoms are looking for.

The DO I shadowed completed her letter on my behalf long before I knew Bradenton had this form, so I never used Bradenton's form as a guideline.

The letter was submitted as-is and I received an e-mail. Having waived my rights to view the letter's content, I have no idea how well she covered the some of what Bradenton is looking for, but it must have been good enough.

As long as you feel the letter is solid, then don't sweat it--I am sure it will satisfy what the adcoms are looking for.

Excellent, thank you. :)

So I called admissions...

Apparently there was a problem with the LECOM-B portal, I am actually being re-reviewed in September. Makes me feel better. Also, the admissions person said not to worry, its still very early.

*phew* and after I had a long talk with myself about how this wasn't the end of the world and it didn't matter, because I'm sure it would not be the last rejection, and because it "only takes one" to get in. I'm going for a run, I'll be back...

Just got an interview invite today! Set it up to interview there on October 2nd. Best of luck to everyone still waiting to hear back from the school. Hopefully good news will be coming your way soon. :luck:

Hi guys. I was wondering what are your reasons for applying to LECOM-Bradenton.

For me its the fact that LECOM-Bradenton is 2nd in the country with passing boards which justify that PBL works very well. Also, tuition is very low, plus I might stay with my family which saves me more money over 4 years. Also, I have met one student from LECOM-B which was polite and pretty stress free about attending the school. At first I was not sure about PBL since I would have to study by my own from books, but then I realized that in the past most of the lectures I attended were waste of time because most of the info I have learned at home or while studying for exam with small group. Another reason why I want to attend LECOM-B is the small group environment. You really get to know your classmates, make some friends which will be helpful once you graduate. Also, with small group study you can easily set up review sessions to go over material. In my educational career I have learned not to underestimate the power of small group sessions. It really works and helps you to get let’s say A in the course instead of B or lower.

I want to know your opinions on the LECOM-B.

P.S. Good luck with your interviews.

I'm a first year and although it's pretty crazy now with anatomy I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have about the interview process or the school in general. As much work as it is, I'm really enjoying it and I love living in such a great part of the country.

woo hoo got an interview today need to schedule it now

Hey everyone,

So my application has gone from "will re review in march" to "will re review in september" to "is under review - we will notify you when a decision has been made." It has read like this for two weeks now. How long were those who received interviews "under review" before you got the phone call?

Thanks everyone

Hey, I was complete 8/21 and got the call for an interview 8/24... however, I'm a reapplicant. I was on the wait list this past year :-(

bcgans, I wouldn't worry about it. Last year, my application was also on hold from December to January. By the time January came around, I was invited for an interview, so don't worry :-)

Anyone using Interfolio know what to do about the waiver form for letters? All of my letters are in my Interfolio account and I have them sent to the schools. Should I sign the waiver forms and mail them to LECOM myself? Just curious. Thanks!

EDIT: Cancel that. I just realized it's just for the letter writers and not for the school. I guess all these secondaries are rotting my brain!

I searched around because I know it's out there but I came up with nothing... what kind of cadaver labs does LECOM-B have? I remember hearing something fishy about it.

I searched around because I know it's out there but I came up with nothing... what kind of cadaver labs does LECOM-B have? I remember hearing something fishy about it.

What do you mean what kind? As in full dissection vs. prosection?

LECOM-B using prosecuted for the initial gross anatomy course. Throughout those first 10 weeks there may be some student involvement in regards to dissection as you get further into the body but basically, 2nd years and anatomy faculty will do the majority of initial dissection prep work over the summer.

In the past we've had 4 bodies, I've heard they're getting 6 now but not sure since I'm no longer really on campus.

I'm a first year and we are using 4 cadavers. There's nothing fishy about it. We don't waste time dissecting. We get to touch and move stuff around in the cadavers. It's never crowded and you can study the cadavers outside of lab time. It's been pretty good so far.

I'm a first year and we are using 4 cadavers. There's nothing fishy about it. We don't waste time dissecting. We get to touch and move stuff around in the cadavers. It's never crowded and you can study the cadavers outside of lab time. It's been pretty good so far.

Is that 4 bodies for the entire student body? How does that work?

Is that 4 bodies for the entire student body? How does that work?

There are 160-some students, broken into 20 groups of 8. 10 groups have lab at a time, for 2 hours each lab session. We have 3 lab sessions per week while anatomy is going on. Anatomy here is taught as an intensive 10-week course at the beginning of the first year.

There are 4 cadavers (plus some plastinated organs/limbs/etc from previous cadavers). Since they're prosected, the area of interest has already been exposed to a level where you can see everything you'll be tested on for that area. For example, this week we cover the thorax, so a couple of our anatomy professors had removed the heart and were dissecting the lung during my last session; they gave my group a little guided tour of the heart and lung as they were working.

Much of our time in lab is spent in our small groups working on ungraded lab exercises we're given to help us learn the material. Some days, though, we look at the cadavers, pointing out this structure or that structure with our anatomy atlas or our textbook as a reference. The professors are always there during lab sessions if we have any questions. With 10 groups and 4 cadavers, you might think it would be crowded, but it hasn't been a problem, partly because we can come into the lab to study pretty much anytime we want to. Plus, with prosection, it doesn't actually take much time to go through one particular area.

I've taken anatomy before, and think this is a pretty good way of doing things. I dissected animal organs in my old anatomy lab, though--never did cadaver dissection. One of my group-mates who did a SMP with gross anatomy including cadaver dissection says this way is much better... I'm told that dissection sounds cool until you spend 3 hours de-fatting a cadaver to get to what you were looking for. Not necessarily much learning going on while you're doing that.

I am glad we have cadavers, unlike the PBL programs up at Erie and Seton Hill... I do think you get a better idea of where the structures lie relative each other this way. I am not sad that we don't do dissection. Especially with our compressed schedule, we just wouldn't have the time.

Also, to reiterate, the cadaver lab is open to us whenever the med school building is open, so there's no shortage of opportunities to come in and learn from the cadavers.

Hope that answers whatever questions you might have.

I agree with all of Altruist's comments. Coming from a different background as a non-science major, never having anatomy, I can't imagine having to do all this dissecting myself. I barely have time for anything else as it is. Anatomy is a 10 week course as said before (actually 11 b/c the first week is week 0) and we also have PBL once a week as well as OMM once a week and one physical exam lecture a week. 90% of your time is spent on anatomy though. For those of you who are not science majors (I had only the required science classes) it is a bit of a challenge. It takes a little bit getting used to what you are seeing in histology slides too. I mean, I had never heard of H&E stains before... I'm still doing ok though so it is doable. It is just an adjustment. If any non-science majors have any questions feel free to ask. I wish I had!

Hey, I was complete 8/21 and got the call for an interview 8/24... however, I'm a reapplicant. I was on the wait list this past year :-(

bcgans, I wouldn't worry about it. Last year, my application was also on hold from December to January. By the time January came around, I was invited for an interview, so don't worry :-)

When is your interview? Also, do you believe that you will have an advantage over a new applicant due to your previous wait-list status?

Good Luck!!!

Got an interview 8/28...will schedule on monday...do people know if there is transportation available if we are too young to rent a car...

Got an interview 8/28...will schedule on monday...do people know if there is transportation available if we are too young to rent a car...

They will send you info on local hotels and some transportation options in a confirmation email after you schedule your interview.

I looked at what I was sent last year, and there are shuttles available, but the one price that's quoted is pretty expensive ($70 one-way from Tampa, $35 one-way from Sarasota airport). Unless you're <18 years old, you can still rent a car. They tend to charge you $25 extra a day if you're under 25, but it may end up being a better deal than taking the shuttles.

When is your interview? Also, do you believe that you will have an advantage over a new applicant due to your previous wait-list status?

Good Luck!!!


My interview is for Oct 5th. And no, I don't think I will have an advantage... although it would be awesome if I did...

My interview is for Oct 5th. And no, I don't think I will have an advantage... although it would be awesome if I did...

I would think that by applying again that it would be viewed as a true testament of your dedication towards LECOM Bradenton. It would be hard for me to imagine that a wait-list status would have little to no impact on your next application cycle. This very point has been a very long debate between my friends and I and I found it interesting that you are in that situation. I hope you are wrong and I am right because I predict a very favorable out come for you!!!!

Well, good luck. :luck:

I would think that by applying again that it would be viewed as a true testament of your dedication towards LECOM Bradenton. It would be hard for me to imagine that a wait-list status would have little to no impact on your next application cycle. This very point has been a very long debate between my friends and I and I found it interesting that you are in that situation. I hope you are wrong and I am right because I predict a very favorable out come for you!!!!

Well, good luck. :luck:

Thanks! I hope your are right too :xf: Good luck to you as well :)

The DO I shadowed completed her letter on my behalf long before I knew Bradenton had this form, so I never used Bradenton's form as a guideline.

The letter was submitted as-is and I ended up receiving an interview anyways. Having waived my rights to view the letter's content, I have no idea how well she covered some of what Bradenton is looking for, but it must have been good enough.

As long as you feel the letter is solid, then don't sweat it--I am sure it will satisfy what the adcoms are looking for.

So if I completed my LORs, like you, way before I knew of this form ... do I just send them all in and then also send in the release forms?? Do you print out and mail in release forms? Thanks (to anyone who knows).

So if I completed my LORs, like you, way before I knew of this form ... do I just send them all in and then also send in the release forms?? Do you print out and mail in release forms? Thanks (to anyone who knows).

All of the letters I received were sent to my pre-med adviser without any special request to satisfy a specific school requirement (except for MSU-COM, who's evaluation form is compulsory). My adviser uploaded each letter to VirtualEvals and designated the schools I applied to.

As for the waiver, I am unsure how this works. My undergraduate institute required its own waiver to be signed an handed to the pre-health department for each letter. Once the letters and waivers were in, my adviser too care of the rest.

Best of luck!

Hey I just submitted LECOM-Erie to find out that LECOM-B is the same app...because the questions are exactly the same-- is it bad to use the same answers? Because the questions ask about the applicant and not the school, I figure its fine? It's not that I don't want to put more time into the application :) but I honestly don't think my answer would change whatsoever....any thoughts??? thank youu

I used the same, and I remember reading that others have done the same too. I'm sure it's fine...

I just withdrew my application. I had an interview on september 18th, so if you guys want an earlier date, they should have one open.

Hey I just submitted LECOM-Erie to find out that LECOM-B is the same app...because the questions are exactly the same-- is it bad to use the same answers? Because the questions ask about the applicant and not the school, I figure its fine? It's not that I don't want to put more time into the application :) but I honestly don't think my answer would change whatsoever....any thoughts??? thank youu

The admissions offices are completely separate from one another, so they'll never know. As long as you're happy with your well-crafted answers, go ahead and use them.

For everyone:

How long were your secondaries? I have about a page, single spaced 12 font. Hope thats not too short relatively speaking

Anybody else interviewing on 10/16...pm me if you are...i am looking for someone to shuttle with to and from the airport/from hotel to school...

This question is for those offered interviews....How long after submitting your secondary application did it take to get an interview?

got an interview invite! scheduled for 10/16

jrod---i sent my secondary 8/23, complete 9/3 and got the invite on 9/8

jrod---i sent my secondary 8/23, complete 9/3 and got the invite on 9/8

Thanks for your answer. Good luck on your interview!!!

Here is an article that appeared recently in the local Sarasota paper. It should give you applicants some ideas about the school.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090831/ARTICLE/908311051

Also, just wanted to throw my 2 cents in and say I'm so incredibly happy that I decided on LECOM-B. I had 7 acceptances to pick from (MD/DO) and I wouldn't change a thing. The students here a little different (in a good way) from what you would see in a traditional med school. I think because we mostly do group problem based learning, the admission committee screens for students that work well with others. It makes for a pretty chill environment. It also doesn't hurt that on post exam days we goto the beach (siesta key: google it)

Here is an article that appeared recently in the local Sarasota paper. It should give you applicants some ideas about the school.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090831/ARTICLE/908311051

Also, just wanted to throw my 2 cents in and say I'm so incredibly happy that I decided on LECOM-B. I had 7 acceptances to pick from (MD/DO) and I wouldn't change a thing. The students here a little different (in a good way) from what you would see in a traditional med school. I think because we mostly do group problem based learning, the admission committee screens for students that work well with others. It makes for a pretty chill environment. It also doesn't hurt that on post exam days we goto the beach (siesta key: google it)

It is sad that LECOM Bradenton is quoted in the article as saying that they plan to recruit over 50% of their entering freshman class from Florida residence. I'm from a state that does not have a D.O. college. I wish they would take that into consideration and stop sounding like a Florida public school. I feel that they will loose out overall on diversity and personality of the class if they focus too hard on our state of residence. Would they have such high COMLEX scores if they narrowed their standards on picking applicants? What does where I live truly say about my ability as a student or my willingness to stay in Florida? Who would not want to live in Florida? I'll sign that in ink!!!!!

Here is an article that appeared recently in the local Sarasota paper. It should give you applicants some ideas about the school.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090831/ARTICLE/908311051

Also, just wanted to throw my 2 cents in and say I'm so incredibly happy that I decided on LECOM-B. I had 7 acceptances to pick from (MD/DO) and I wouldn't change a thing. The students here a little different (in a good way) from what you would see in a traditional med school. I think because we mostly do group problem based learning, the admission committee screens for students that work well with others. It makes for a pretty chill environment. It also doesn't hurt that on post exam days we goto the beach (siesta key: google it)

Just shows there is STILL a long way to go for DOs in some areas. The author of the article wrote it in a way that sounded like he got his info from Wikipedia. BUT...glad to see SOMETHING about DOs in the media.

Anyone else having an issue with the portal? They said my secondary was received but nothing has showed up as received in the portal. My letters were sent and delivered on 8/28 but still nothing. Just wanted to see if anyone else was having a problem before I called them. Thanks!

thrashers- im having similar issues with Erie...i might wait until tomorrow though to call. DOes anyone know if lecom takes biochem instead of orgo II?? thnks

Just shows there is STILL a long way to go for DOs in some areas. The author of the article wrote it in a way that sounded like he got his info from Wikipedia. BUT...glad to see SOMETHING about DOs in the media.

Wasn't the worst article I've ever read, and I do respect the guy for actually talking to DO students and attendings. There was a few parts that were silly, but I've read muccch worse.

Wasn't the worst article I've ever read, and I do respect the guy for actually talking to DO students and attendings. There was a few parts that were silly, but I've read muccch worse.


Oh yes, I agree. I give HUGE credit for the media for taking the effort. Just didnt like to hear the old DO "issues" get rehashed that have been overcome now for like 40 years.

I am interviewing at Bradenton on Sept. 18. Does anyone know if any of the hotels listed in the attachment from admissions offer a shuttle service to/from airport and campus??

Thanks!!

I am interviewing at Bradenton on Sept. 18. Does anyone know if any of the hotels listed in the attachment from admissions offer a shuttle service to/from airport and campus??

Thanks!!

I'm not sure if any of the hotels have shuttle services. I highly doubt it though. I would strongly recommend coming up the day before and renting a car so you can check out the area. You can probably rent one for like $25 bucks a day and then you could see the beaches and some of the apartments in the area to get a feel of what it's like. Just driving from the hotel to the school you will miss out on A LOT of what the area has to offer.

I'm not sure if any of the hotels have shuttle services. I highly doubt it though. I would strongly recommend coming up the day before and renting a car so you can check out the area. You can probably rent one for like $25 bucks a day and then you could see the beaches and some of the apartments in the area to get a feel of what it's like. Just driving from the hotel to the school you will miss out on A LOT of what the area has to offer.

Ooops. Just noticed that supposedly the Hampton Inn has one. Have to check with them though. The thing is money is becoming tight, just want to make it easier.

I'm not sure if any of the hotels have shuttle services. I highly doubt it though. I would strongly recommend coming up the day before and renting a car so you can check out the area. You can probably rent one for like $25 bucks a day and then you could see the beaches and some of the apartments in the area to get a feel of what it's like. Just driving from the hotel to the school you will miss out on A LOT of what the area has to offer.

The Hampton Inn that I booked had their shuttle guy call me a few days ago to see if I would be interested in hiring him for pick-up to and from the airport. Rob is contracted by the hotel and charges $40 one way--sounds steep, but I can't imagine a cab being much cheaper. He explained that the hotel has its own shuttle to take candidates to LECOM from the hotel.

The Hampton Inn that I booked had their shuttle guy call me a few days ago to see if I would be interested in hiring him for pick-up to and from the airport. Rob is contracted by the hotel and charges $40 one way--sounds steep, but I can't imagine a cab being much cheaper. He explained that the hotel has its own shuttle to take candidates to LECOM from the hotel.

Thanks. $40 is steep but since the Airport is 20min. away I am sure a cab wouldnt be much cheaper. Plus, I really dont want to rent a car.

The big thing is they have a shuttle to/from campus. That is nice. Guess I'll be booking this one.

Thanks. $40 is steep but since the Airport is 20min. away I am sure a cab wouldnt be much cheaper. Plus, I really dont want to rent a car.

The big thing is they have a shuttle to/from campus. That is nice. Guess I'll be booking this one.

Rob called me, so, if you need to contact him, use this number:

941-580-8779

Ummm.... is that his personal number? If so then I'd suggest NOT publishing it on a public forum unless for whatever reason he asked you to.

Go through the school if you need to get a hold of him.

thrashers- im having similar issues with Erie...i might wait until tomorrow though to call. DOes anyone know if lecom takes biochem instead of orgo II?? thnks

I may check with them tomorrow. It just seems weird. Why would they have my AACOMAS and not my MCAT scores or courses? Just seems odd.

Just shows there is STILL a long way to go for DOs in some areas. The author of the article wrote it in a way that sounded like he got his info from Wikipedia. BUT...glad to see SOMETHING about DOs in the media.

Wikipedia!!!! Ha ha!!!!! I agree!

If you are flying into the sarasota airport, again, you really should consider renting a car. Even if you have never done it before, all you have to do is take the escalator down at the airport and there are like 5-6 different car rental stations there. Pick up your car and you are ready to go. There are a whole bunch of hotels right along the main road there you could get for around $50/night. I would much rather pay $25 and be able to see more of the area and not have to depend on someone to pick me up (taxi or shuttle) and risk being late. Plus having to pay $80 to get there and back... doesnt make much sense to me.

If you are flying into the sarasota airport, again, you really should consider renting a car. Even if you have never done it before, all you have to do is take the escalator down at the airport and there are like 5-6 different car rental stations there. Pick up your car and you are ready to go. There are a whole bunch of hotels right along the main road there you could get for around $50/night. I would much rather pay $25 and be able to see more of the area and not have to depend on someone to pick me up (taxi or shuttle) and risk being late. Plus having to pay $80 to get there and back... doesnt make much sense to me.

Is there a way to rent a car before you're 25? I'm having this issue... I'm 19, and there seems to be no way for me to rent a car.

I think you may be out of luck unless you are at least 21 years old. Between 21-24 you can rent one, but they probably charge some kind of fee. But that is a good point as it may not even be possible.

I'm not sure if any of the hotels have shuttle services. I highly doubt it though. I would strongly recommend coming up the day before and renting a car so you can check out the area. You can probably rent one for like $25 bucks a day and then you could see the beaches and some of the apartments in the area to get a feel of what it's like. Just driving from the hotel to the school you will miss out on A LOT of what the area has to offer.

This isnt the first time I've heard this $25/day thing. I've rented a car a number of times before and I never paid as low as $25/day. Just checked the websites of the 8 rental car dealers in the Sarasota Airport. The cheapest deal is through Budget Rent-a-Car and it is $40/day before taxes and fees for an economy car.

This isnt the first time I've heard this $25/day thing. I've rented a car a number of times before and I never paid as low as $25/day. Just checked the websites of the 8 rental car dealers in the Sarasota Airport. The cheapest deal is through Budget Rent-a-Car and it is $40/day before taxes and fees for an economy car.

Took the words out of my mouth.

If you have AAA, they can book one for you without any kind of deposit or prepayment and I got one for $22 a day and it is with Hertz or Enterprise (I dont remember)
Trying to book it directly with the rental company will prob cost about 40

Is there a way to rent a car before you're 25? I'm having this issue... I'm 19, and there seems to be no way for me to rent a car.

I'm sure you can find someone to go with you that is old enough to rent a car. If you mention that you are going to the Tampa area, it should be easy. You can even stand up on a chair at 3:00am in a waffle house and yell, "I'm going to Florida......and who is going with me?!". That should settle that problem!

I just picked random dates and hotwire found the cheapest at $30/day but budget had it for $27... but then you have taxes etc. I may have been a little off, so I stand corrected. I'm still glad I did it though when I went ;)

Do they start reviewing your file before the letters of rec come in? I sent in my supplemental yesterday and it already says my file is being reviewed... but my letters of rec shouldn't be there for another day or two. >.>

Is there a way to rent a car before you're 25? I'm having this issue... I'm 19, and there seems to be no way for me to rent a car.
Take your mother with you. She can rent the car. She can go to the beach or shop while you interview.

I was really kidding but it might work. I live in Florida. You gotta be 21 to rent a car at most places. Under 25, there is a hefty surcharge; some places a hundred bucks.

Do they start reviewing your file before the letters of rec come in? I sent in my supplemental yesterday and it already says my file is being reviewed... but my letters of rec shouldn't be there for another day or two. >.>

At least in the past, people have received interview invites before their recommendations came in, so it seems they do review your supplemental app as soon as they receive it.

In my case, I didn't get my DO letter to them until after my interview.

Interview invite today for the 14th of October. How much and what conditions do they have for the deposit?

Take your mother with you. She can rent the car. She can go to the beach or shop while you interview.

I was really kidding but it might work. I live in Florida. You gotta be 21 to rent a car at most places. Under 25, there is a hefty surcharge; some places a hundred bucks.

There's coupon codes online somewhere where they waive that. It's not a few hundred bucks, it's like 10-30$ a day depending on which place. I used to have to rent all the time and never paid more than 30-something a day. Shop around.

Interview invite today for the 14th of October. How much and what conditions do they have for the deposit?

In the past, they've gone by the AACOMAS traffic guidelines, which is listed on p. 17 of AACOM's college info book:

"Colleges of osteopathic medicine may begin extending offers of admission at any time after the interview. Applicants will be requested to submit necessary matriculation documents, including a deposit, according to the following schedule:
• Those accepted prior to November 15 will have until December 14.
• Those accepted between November 15 and January 14 will have 30 days.
• Those accepted between January 15 and June 14 will have 14 days.
• Those accepted after June 15 may be asked for an immediate deposit."

Last year the deposit was $1500, and that's what they list in the CIB again this year. The deposit holds your place in the class so that if everything else checks out (ie your transcripts match up, you graduate with a bachelors degree, etc) you're guaranteed your spot. As far as I know, there are no refunds. Yeah, it's steep, but if you attend it's credited towards your tuition, which is to say you get it back with your first financial aid check.

FYI, the college information book is here: http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/cib2010/2010-CIB-complete.pdf
There's a ton of useful info in there for all the osteo schools. Good luck to you.

Altruist,

I presume that you attend LECOM Bradenton. If so, is there a minimum MCAT score for admission? Is there a cut-off so to speak in the admission process?

In the past, they've gone by the AACOMAS traffic guidelines, which is listed on p. 17 of AACOM's college info book:

"Colleges of osteopathic medicine may begin extending offers of admission at any time after the interview. Applicants will be requested to submit necessary matriculation documents, including a deposit, according to the following schedule:
• Those accepted prior to November 15 will have until December 14.
• Those accepted between November 15 and January 14 will have 30 days.
• Those accepted between January 15 and June 14 will have 14 days.
• Those accepted after June 15 may be asked for an immediate deposit."

Last year the deposit was $1500, and that's what they list in the CIB again this year. The deposit holds your place in the class so that if everything else checks out (ie your transcripts match up, you graduate with a bachelors degree, etc) you're guaranteed your spot. As far as I know, there are no refunds. Yeah, it's steep, but if you attend it's credited towards your tuition, which is to say you get it back with your first financial aid check.

FYI, the college information book is here: http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/cib2010/2010-CIB-complete.pdf
There's a ton of useful info in there for all the osteo schools. Good luck to you.


$1500 is steep for December. I wish it was 2 deadlines like NSU's.

Altruist,

I presume that you attend LECOM Bradenton. If so, is there a minimum MCAT score for admission? Is there a cut-off so to speak in the admission process?

Yes, I'm a first-year at Bradenton. There is no hard-and-fast minimum MCAT score, but of course the lower your score the lower the chance is of getting an interview, all other things being equal.

Quoting again from LECOM-B's page in the CIB:
"Additional Comments: Competitive applicants typically have an MCAT score of 25 or above."

It's hard for me to judge where scores range because nobody cares what your score was once you start school so it's never come up in conversation. There's nothing in the papers I got when I interviewed about MCAT averages, so that's no help either. I have heard that the average for our current 2nd years was "around a 27," but I don't have any definite reference for that.

$1500 is steep for December. I wish it was 2 deadlines like NSU's.

I definitely don't condone LECOM for having such a high deposit, and doing it like NSU would be an improvement, but it's what we're stuck with at the private osteopathic schools. To me, the relatively low tuition and the awesome PBL program here won me over despite having to fork over the cash.

Last year the deposit was $1500, and that's what they list in the CIB again this year. The deposit holds your place in the class so that if everything else checks out (ie your transcripts match up, you graduate with a bachelors degree, etc) you're guaranteed your spot. As far as I know, there are no refunds. Yeah, it's steep, but if you attend it's credited towards your tuition, which is to say you get it back with your first financial aid check.

Wow. I can understand that final transcripts is all on you, but to wait until AFTER $1500 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit to make sure an application "checks out"....doesn't sound very honorable for a school.

Wow. I can understand that final transcripts is all on you, but to wait until AFTER $1500 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit to make sure an application "checks out"....doesn't sound very honorable for a school.

Every school that I'm familiar with has some kind of stipulation that you have to graduate with a bachelors before you can start medical school. Every school that I've looked into requires proof (in official transcript form) that this is the case. LECOM's behavior is the norm.

I believe they also look to make sure you have the required pre-requisites, but from what I remember, this is done when they look at your secondary application. I have no idea what they would do with your deposit if it turned out you didn't pass some pre-requisite and couldn't matriculate. I hope it's never come up.

Every school that I'm familiar with has some kind of stipulation that you have to graduate with a bachelors before you can start medical school. Every school that I've looked into requires proof (in official transcript form) that this is the case. LECOM's behavior is the norm.

I believe they also look to make sure you have the required pre-requisites, but from what I remember, this is done when they look at your secondary application. I have no idea what they would do with your deposit if it turned out you didn't pass some pre-requisite and couldn't matriculate. I hope it's never come up.

dont get me wrong. If you know you wont graduate, or if you will not have the pre-reqs to start med school, then it is your own fault to fork over the money when in the end you know you cant start school. I know you can be accepted without having completed the pre-reqs as long as they are done by the start of school. Also, if you havent completed the pre-reqs yet, the school usually notifes you of those problems in the acceptance letter. I graduated in 2004 so I dont have this problem!
Also, if you withheld info on the primary about your past and something disqualifying comes up on a background check, that is also the applicants fault as he was dishonest.

I was leaning more to general stuff but never mind. If there was anything about your app that they questioned I'm sure they would try to clear it up with you or whoever before they offered you the acceptance in the first place.

THANKS!!!!

$1,500 isn't so bad when you consider the new school to open in 2010, William Carey University in Misissippi. The deposit will be $3,000. When the Dean told me that I had to contain my surprise. That high number is designed to weed out the applicants who are not entirely serious about attending the school.

Still, there is a balance of considerations here. I wonder how many qualified applicants will pass on applying because of the $3,000 cost. I realize that whatever the deposit it is applied to your tuition.

Unfortunately... money should not be the indicated of "serious" or not... frankly... a good doctor is not made by the amount of money he had during application season...

I don't mind a high deposit... if they abided by the CIB and AACOMAS traffic guidelines.... as they initially quoted!!!! ugh!

So I thought I decided to take the year off and retake the MCAT and apply next year. But I really do not want to do that at all and am having second thoughts. I have a 9,8,4 O (21O) the 4 coming in Verbal! (Shoot me now). It is too late to take it now, plus I am not ready to anyway. The only weakness in my app is that verbal score. Both GPAs are about 3.6, tons of clinical, tons of research, and quite a bit of volunteering. Do you think I should take a chance and apply? Any advice on any schools that I could apply to? Bradenton would be my top choice...

How long was everyones secondary essays? Both of mine are around a page single space. Just trying to get to the point and not make the Adcoms read ridiculous length papers.

So I thought I decided to take the year off and retake the MCAT and apply next year. But I really do not want to do that at all and am having second thoughts. I have a 9,8,4 O (21O) the 4 coming in Verbal! (Shoot me now). It is too late to take it now, plus I am not ready to anyway. The only weakness in my app is that verbal score. Both GPAs are about 3.6, tons of clinical, tons of research, and quite a bit of volunteering. Do you think I should take a chance and apply? Any advice on any schools that I could apply to? Bradenton would be my top choice...

I would only apply to a couple schools if you really want to. I think that 4 is gonna be a pretty substantial road block to getting any acceptances though. A retake and early application may net you much better success. Best of luck to ya.

..

So I thought I decided to take the year off and retake the MCAT and apply next year. But I really do not want to do that at all and am having second thoughts. I have a 9,8,4 O (21O) the 4 coming in Verbal! (Shoot me now). It is too late to take it now, plus I am not ready to anyway. The only weakness in my app is that verbal score. Both GPAs are about 3.6, tons of clinical, tons of research, and quite a bit of volunteering. Do you think I should take a chance and apply? Any advice on any schools that I could apply to? Bradenton would be my top choice...

I think a 4 in verbal will pretty well kill your chances this year mainly because most schools have an unwritten cut off of a 6 in each subsection. Spending the time and money getting your application together this year will cost a lot more time and money to just buckle down and retake the test.

Hey, I'm interviewing this Friday the 18th at Bradenton. I found some pictures of the building as I have been looking but they are hard to find, especially inside. The one in Bradenton seems to be bigger than the one in Erie, but they arent too different from each other.

http://www.fawley-bryant.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37

How long was everyones secondary essays? Both of mine are around a page single space. Just trying to get to the point and not make the Adcoms read ridiculous length papers.

Mine were about one page each, single-space.

Hey, I'm interviewing this Friday the 18th at Bradenton. I found some pictures of the building as I have been looking but they are hard to find, especially inside. The one in Bradenton seems to be bigger than the one in Erie, but they arent too different from each other.

http://www.fawley-bryant.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37

Nice find. Looks like a beautiful building. I'll be there on the 18th as well. Good luck.

Wow, I can't believe interviews are starting already! We (the first years) are all freaking out because we have our 3rd anatomy exam on monday, but I'm sure you'll see some of us walking around. When you come, you park in the back and enter from the back. You have to have an ID to swipe in so you should buzz for security to let you in. If you happen to follow someone inside, go to the right and let security know you are here. Remember to relax, it is a very chill day!

Good luck you guys on all the upcoming interviews!

Got the call for an interview 10/23 :o My second interview this cycle....definitely one of my top choices!! Anyone else going that day?

How long was everyones secondary essays? Both of mine are around a page single space. Just trying to get to the point and not make the Adcoms read ridiculous length papers.

one of mine was about 3/4 a page, the other was literally 3 sentences. interview invitation came shortly after submitting secondary.

one of mine was about 3/4 a page, the other was literally 3 sentences. interview invitation came shortly after submitting secondary.

Well I just got complete today so hopefully my interview invite is coming soon too :cool:

Well I just got complete today so hopefully my interview invite is coming soon too :cool:

mine was a surprisingly quick turnaround, within a week so hopefully you'll hear something soon!

So, I just find out TODAY after calling LECOM-B that AACOMAS never updated their website with my MCAT scores from the AAMC that I had sent back in JULY! And so I call AACOMAS and what? They close at 3:00pm EST? SERIOUSLY? I'm so angry I can't even stand it. All the DO schools I've applied to have been waiting on my MCAT score, a score they should have received months ago, all because AACOMAS didn't update my application. Rar. I hope this doesn't hurt my chances. So much for getting all of my applications in early. It's like I never even sent them. And I still have to wait until next week to get it updated because now they're closed for the weekend.

Very impressed by Bradenton's program after my interview today...the PBL session I sat-in really exceeded what I had in mind.

I am excited to hear back from the admissions office within the next week or two.

Glad you had a positive experience! Did you sit in on first or second years for PBL?

I interviewed at LECOM-B on 9/18 as well. I love the location (near Sarasota). I just don't know about their rules. The school came across as kind of stuffy, but it seemed very good. They're doing something right...they had the highest average COMLEX I scores this year. PBL is great. It's a good fit for me.

I got into UMDNJ, so it will be hard to pass that up. I just really like warm weather. That's the only advantage of LECOM-B for me.

Glad you had a positive experience! Did you sit in on first or second years for PBL?

The admissions office had us sit-in with second years. Maybe it was the group I was in, but everyone there really knew what he or she is talking about.

How are groups assigned?

I interviewed on 9/18 as well. I loved PBL, but this interview didnt go as well as my others. It wasnt me, as I was myself as always. One of the interviewers was purposely pushing my buttons and trying to steer me away from every answer I gave. Whatever, i just said what I thought was right regardless. No one else I talked to had this issue though. Strange. Maybe it was me!!

Anyway, if I do get accepted here, I will most likely have to think about LECOM-B vs. Nova. It seems LECOM-B should allow you to borrow more money to cover cost of living, even if only emergency and you wont use it, as Nova does.

You'd be surprised how much you can learn in the PBL setting. First years only have it once a week during anatomy, but I already feel like I've learned a lot. It puts us at a huge advantage moving into our clinical years as well. Plus with a 100% COMLEX pass rate and very good residency placements it is obviously working. But everyone who interviewed here already knows that. You get your PBL assignments at the beginning of every semester. During anatomy, your PBL group is also your lab group. You get to know each other pretty well. I believe they change facilitators every 10 weeks and you change groups every semester. As the facilitators get to know the group members they try to separate the groups to have the best and most effective diversity they can.

Great weather. Comparatively low tuition. Good board scores. It was a no brainer for me, but definitely not for someone who isn't extremely self motivated.

Not really sure what details you got on loans but you will be able to take out loans for cost of living type stuff as well. Every school puts out a budget that includes things like tuition, books, transportation, living, etc... Basically the cost of attendance which determines how much loans you can take out. It may vary a little among different schools because of tuition and local cost of living differences.

I interviewed on 9/18 as well. I loved PBL, but this interview didnt go as well as my others. It wasnt me, as I was myself as always. One of the interviewers was purposely pushing my buttons and trying to steer me away from every answer I gave. Whatever, i just said what I thought was right regardless. No one else I talked to had this issue though. Strange. Maybe it was me!!

Nah, it probably wasn't you. I had a similar experience in that I just thought the interview was a little odd. Dr. Kruger (the assistant dean) has said that they don't purposely have a confrontational interview system here... but I don't think that memo has made it to all the interviewers.

Looking back on mine, I felt like one of my interviewers kept nailing me to the wall, picking apart the weaknesses of each of my answers. I was pretty surprised when I was accepted. Guess who my advisor is? The "tough" interviewer I had. Guess he wasn't as big a critic as I'd thought. So you never know.

Anyway, if I do get accepted here, I will most likely have to think about LECOM-B vs. Nova. It seems LECOM-B should allow you to borrow more money to cover cost of living, even if only emergency and you wont use it, as Nova does.

It depends on how much you need, of course, but I know some out-of-state folks who took out $59k in loans, the max allowed. Their financial aid excess check for the first semester was ~$12,000. They'll get another check in January for ~$11-$12k. You can live pretty comfortably on that (for a student), even in Bradenton, FL; but it depends on what lifestyle you're used to.

I wish you luck and hope you have the problem of having to decide amongst all your acceptances. You should find out from LECOM next week. If you have any questions, let us know--there's a pretty solid crew of LECOM-B students on here who can help you out.

How are groups assigned?

From what my advisor has told me, PBL groups are assigned so that there's a good mix of students, from the top to the bottom of the class. So there aren't groups of 8 geniuses and groups of 8 people who are struggling. It's more like, you'll have 2 or 3 people from the top of the class, 2 or 3 from the middle, and a couple from the bottom tier in each group.

Doing it this way is good for everybody because it makes sure groups move at more-or-less the same speed, and nobody gets left behind.

I don't know exactly how they choose groups for the first semester, but they seem to try to guess how people are going to do and split them up that way. (My group has a pretty wide spread of performance in anatomy, so that's why I think they do it this way.) From 2nd semester on, it'll depend on your grades.

Hey peoples,

I'm interviewing at LECOM on 9/28. Anybody else gonna be there? Message me! It'd be great to go over some interview stuff with another applicant!

I'm interviewing on October 2nd. Anyone else?

Just a heads up for those people who are interviewing at this school.

This was my third interview, and I felt like it was the most probing and serious out of the three. My interviewers did not grill me as much as other people seemed to be. But that may be because my interviewers were less confrontational than others (i.e. I got lucky), and I think my responses were pretty well thought out ahead of time. I tried to make sure there weren't any gaps for the interviewers to focus on. Read the interview feedback here on SDN. Many of the questions were asked from there.

As always, don't stress out and don't get flustered if they grill you. Good luck.

--

I just called the office and I am accepted for class of 2014!!!!!!SO HAPPY...interviewed 9/18

I just called the office and I am accepted for class of 2014!!!!!!SO HAPPY...interviewed 9/18

Congratulations!

THanks!

hi guys,

Do you get interview invites thru email or snail mail?
'cause mine says they've sent me a letter. is it a rejection letter?? :(

hi guys,

Do you get interview invites thru email or snail mail?
'cause mine says they've sent me a letter. is it a rejection letter?? :(

The admissions office called my cell with an interview offer...

I just got a call this afternoon (to my cell) inviting me for an interview! They offered 9/28 but that is so soon. I chose 10/30.

Super quick turnaround, I submitted 9/17.

Any other advice for interviewees besides what is already posted here and on the interview feedback?

I just called the office and I am accepted for class of 2014!!!!!!SO HAPPY...interviewed 9/18

Congratulations!

Congrats to those accepted today :-)

I called this am and was told my app will be "re-reviewed in one week". I feel neutral about this. Anybody have expereince with a re-review so soon? I sent two additional LOR's today... I figure anything extra at this point should help... right?

Just a bit of background on myself.. I'm a non-trad, nurse practitioner with great work expereince, excellent undergrad and graduate grades, good volunteer experience. I believe my low MCAT score is affecting my ability to get an interview. I didn't do as well as I would have liked and I blame it on being 7 months pregnant at the time, but obviously the admissions committe doesn't know that :-)

I just called the office and I am accepted for class of 2014!!!!!!SO HAPPY...interviewed 9/18

That's awesome. I am going to wait for their snail-mail response since I do not have any pending deposit deadlines.

For some reason I thought the committee was meeting tomorrow. Hopefully, the letters will go out before the end of the week.

Congrats, again!

Congrats to those who already were accepted! It is a great feeling to keep that from looming over your head, especially this early in the cycle. Good luck scraping up the $1500 :). It's worth it though.

For those who haven't interviewed yet, or haven't heard back yet, prepare for your interview but don't worry if you feel like you did less than stellar. I left feeling pretty iffy about my performance but I still got in. Try to enjoy the experience while you are there and take in as much as possible.

Sophie-- I know someone in our class is a NP, I think its great to have the clinical background. Certainly don't think it hurts your app.

THanks....yeah i would have waited but I wanted to cancel my AZCOM interview for Friday if I got accepted here. I absolutely loved the school too. PBL was great and I can really see myself doing well with the curriculum. Also i liked the professional feel to the school. And I get the feeling that PBL prepares students for clinicals better than just lecture-discussion. Good luck to everyone!

Did the same here. I cancelled all my interviews after I got accepted. It's great how fast they get back to you. My state MD schools take months and months just to tell you you're waitlisted...

did anybody who interviewed on monday call?

I just called the office and I am accepted for class of 2014!!!!!!SO HAPPY...interviewed 9/18
Hey, I interviewed that day too, and on the portal it says..."The Admissions Committee has made a decision on your application. You will receive an official letter in the mail within 30 days." Wonder if that's good or bad??

Hey, I interviewed that day too, and on the portal it says..."The Admissions Committee has made a decision on your application. You will receive an official letter in the mail within 30 days." Wonder if that's good or bad??

I have the same message. It's neither good or bad. They don't call anyone, so everyone gets the same message whether you got in or not.

Did the same here. I cancelled all my interviews after I got accepted. It's great how fast they get back to you. My state MD schools take months and months just to tell you you're waitlisted...

Haha, yeah, they're so nice with that! (MD Schools :P)

AHHHH!!!!! Just got an interview invite!!! October 30th! Anyone else going then??

By the way, I submitted 9/11 and they just got my MCAT scores today, so turnaround is really quick as long as they have everything.

Interview invite 09/23, interview date 11/6

Just to throw in a little encouragement, we just got word that our 2011 class had 100% pass rate on comlex step 1.

I'm interviewing on Nov. 6th!!! YAY

Just to throw in a little encouragement, we just got word that our 2011 class had 100% pass rate on comlex step 1.


Wow. That's awesome.:)

AHHHH!!!!! Just got an interview invite!!! October 30th! Anyone else going then??

See ya there :D

I'll be scheduling my interview tomorrow, first thing. Sounds like a great choice of schools so I'm excited. Good luck to everyone!

..

Just to throw in a little encouragement, we just got word that our 2011 class had 100% pass rate on comlex step 1.

They told us about this when I interviewed. They're definitely doing something right.

They told us about this when I interviewed. They're definitely doing something right.

FYI.. the students on my day told us that they don't let you take the test unless you score a certain level on a practice test that's even harder... so, ultimately, the 100% pass is not a true reflection of jack.

:eek:

FYI.. the students on my day told us that they don't let you take the test unless you score a certain level on a practice test that's even harder... so, ultimately, the 100% pass is not a true reflection of jack.

:eek:

I heard this too. LECOM-Erie claims that THEY dont do this, though. Who knows. I think both Midwestern schools do this as well, from older posts. I mean, I guess it is good for practice. But if the test is harder and it is just used as one big practice test to "screen" who is "ready" is that really helping the students prepare for the COMLEX, or is it for the image of the school???

But, admittedly, judging from what I saw with PBL, I think those students are well prepared regardless.

FYI.. the students on my day told us that they don't let you take the test unless you score a certain level on a practice test that's even harder... so, ultimately, the 100% pass is not a true reflection of jack.

:eek:

All schools require that you pass exams before you can take your boards. Evidently LECOM-B's curriculum and exams do a little better job of preparing students for boards.

Not every school can say they had a 100% first time pass rate last year. So ultimately, 100% pass rate is a sign LECOM-B is preparing students to succeed on Step 1.

FYI.. the students on my day told us that they don't let you take the test unless you score a certain level on a practice test that's even harder... so, ultimately, the 100% pass is not a true reflection of jack.

:eek:

Well, there's a little more to it then that. But the way to look at it is that every student in my class passed and the avg was a nice bit above the national avg. During 2nd year there are multiple diagnostic exams that help you judge where you currently stand as the year progresses, not really sure I would call them outright harder. They may have said harder because for the most part you aren't going to be studying for these diagnostic tests specifically as they are just to point out any weak areas.

So to say that this 100% doesn't mean jack is a little ridiculous. This is a test that you want to pass and do very well on the FIRST time you take it, you do NOT want to fail it.

All schools require that you pass exams before you can take your boards. Evidently LECOM-B's curriculum and exams do a little better job of preparing students for boards.

Not every school can say they had a 100% first time pass rate last year. So ultimately, 100% pass rate is a sign LECOM-B is preparing students to succeed on Step 1.

Not quite the same thing. It is a screening tool to see who can sit on the Comlex, not just another exam. I think it can be a good thing or a bad thing. It is also a sign that Lecom-B does not let you test unless they say you are ready. Which I think is a contrast to the schools education strategy.

It is always good to see how prepared you are, but I also think students should be treated like adults and allowed to decide if they are ready for a test.

Don't read too much into this post, I know PBL works, and FWIW, I think it is an awesome way to learn. I just think the pass rate of the students on this screening test would be more reflective of an actual first time pass rate. It kind of ruins the spirit of the statistic.

Once again, I don't think having the students take the test is a bad thing, or even that requiring a passing score to sit for the Comlex is a bad thing. Personally I just don't care for it, and believe it makes the 100% pass rate incomparable to schools which do not have the test.

FYI.. the students on my day told us that they don't let you take the test unless you score a certain level on a practice test that's even harder... so, ultimately, the 100% pass is not a true reflection of jack.

:eek:

Hmmm...that's interesting. I never heard about this being done in the States. I know it's common at many Caribbean schools though.

I wouldn't get too hung up on statistics like pass rates. It usually quickly turns into a my school is better than your school thing. The truth is that any medical school you go to in the states will prepare you to be a physician if you work hard enough. Much of choosing a school is finding the one that fits your learning style / needs better. At LECOM B, they use a PBL system which is new to MOST people. In this case, statistics can be helpful b/c the last thing you want is to feel like you've signed up for some sort of experiement only to find out you're screwed after 4 years. Every school will require you to take exams to move forward and every school does that differently. All the pass rate really is meant to say is that PBL is different and some people may not like it, but for those who do, don't worry because it actually does work.

I wouldn't get too hung up on statistics like pass rates. It usually quickly turns into a my school is better than your school thing. The truth is that any medical school you go to in the states will prepare you to be a physician if you work hard enough. Much of choosing a school is finding the one that fits your learning style / needs better. At LECOM B, they use a PBL system which is new to MOST people. In this case, statistics can be helpful b/c the last thing you want is to feel like you've signed up for some sort of experiement only to find out you're screwed after 4 years. Every school will require you to take exams to move forward and every school does that differently. All the pass rate really is meant to say is that PBL is different and some people may not like it, but for those who do, don't worry because it actually does work.

Well said. Overall, I liked the school and I think I would get a good education here. The big thing for anyone considering LECOM-B is figuring out if PBL is right for you.

Not quite the same thing. It is a screening tool to see who can sit on the Comlex, not just another exam. I think it can be a good thing or a bad thing. It is also a sign that Lecom-B does not let you test unless they say you are ready. Which I think is a contrast to the schools education strategy.


I'm just trying to clear up a mis-communication somewhere. We have exams that we have to pass before we can move on. Our school does not keep you from taking the COMLEX based off of one diagnostic exam. We have several exams that we must pass just like every other school. I don't know who came up with this "one test" to determine if you are ready for boards thing.

It's like nlax said. We take several diagnostics. These diagnostics do not determine whether or not you get to take your boards. Your exam average excluding the diagnostics determines if you get to take your boards. Which is not different from any other school.

nlax and I are both LECOM-B students, so in terms of knowing what is expected of us, I think we have an advantage :)

Is anyone interviewing on 9/28? Message me!


I asked this on an earlier posting, but no one responded! That was a while ago. Just wondering if any new SDNers were coming to LECOM on 9/28 as well.

I'm just trying to clear up a mis-communication somewhere. We have exams that we have to pass before we can move on. Our school does not keep you from taking the COMLEX based off of one diagnostic exam. We have several exams that we must pass just like every other school. I don't know who came up with this "one test" to determine if you are ready for boards thing.

It's like nlax said. We take several diagnostics. These diagnostics do not determine whether or not you get to take your boards. Your exam average excluding the diagnostics determines if you get to take your boards. Which is not different from any other school.

nlax and I are both LECOM-B students, so in terms of knowing what is expected of us, I think we have an advantage :)


Thanks for clarifying, I am positive that is not how it was explained on my interview date, but I am sure that you guys would know exactly what is going on because you are students (If this sounds sarcastic, I 100% don't mean it, I am sure my group got bad information, or strange wording).

I got a phone call today from Heather and I am going for an interview Oct 2nd!!!! I am so excited :)

Its all good in the hood Kevon. :thumbup:

I got a phone call today from Heather and I am going for an interview Oct 2nd!!!! I am so excited :)

When I talked to Heather the closest date was Oct 30th. Nice job getting a date that is so soon. Wish I could have.

Can any current lecom students tell me about how many hrs a day students actually spend in class? Certainly it's not like 8 hrs a day, right? Any info is appreciated

Your first ten weeks you spend a good deal of time in lecture (2 -6 hrs) depending on the day.

After that you have pbl for 2 hrs 3x a week and you have two one hours lectures on Tuesdays. Thursdays you will have 2 hours of OMM lab.

So it's official...I got the acceptance letter in the mail today! I am canceling all but 3 interviews, and I'm going to have to be reaaalllly impressed to change my mind about LECOM-B. I really liked the school. Good luck everyone

Waitlisted at LECOM-Bradenton. got the letter today. Doesnt surprise me and I was expecting this, considering how my interview went.

Oh, well. At least I have an acceptance to Nova under my belt!!!

got accepted, although idk if pbl is really for me. we'll see how my last couple interviews turn out and then its decision time :luck:

Waitlisted at LECOM-Bradenton. got the letter today. Doesnt surprise me and I was expecting this, considering how my interview went.

Oh, well. At least I have an acceptance to Nova under my belt!!!

sorry to hear droog, i know you liked pbl. but nova is awesome you have to admit lol

Hello, I came from very diverse schools for undergrad and grad, what are the stats on diversity(caucasion, african american, hispanic, male, female, etc...)? and how many students are in the class for this year??


:)

Does anyone know how selective the interview process is? Like, I interviewed at TCOM, and they say they only invite about 30% of the people whose applications they get.

Does anyone know the ratio of people interviewed to people accepted?

Hello, I came from very diverse schools for undergrad and grad, what are the stats on diversity(caucasion, african american, hispanic, male, female, etc...)? and how many students are in the class for this year??


:)

From what I see in my 1st year class, it doesn't seem that diverse. I'm part Vietnamese, so that's diverse right? Couldn't give percents on diversity. There's 169 students.

Your first ten weeks you spend a good deal of time in lecture (2 -6 hrs) depending on the day.

After that you have pbl for 2 hrs 3x a week and you have two one hours lectures on Tuesdays. Thursdays you will have 2 hours of OMM lab.

This isn't true, the most lecture you have per day during the first 10 weeks is 3 hours. It's 1-3 hours per day of lecture the first 10 weeks.

Fosho is right: I included lab time and the first week of orientation where you get all the insurance lectures and what not.

Diversity is a good thing, as patients will be diverse, that is why I am hoping someone has a rough picture to paint in my mind. Asian, white, black, hispanic, and male/female ratio etc...I don't know where I could find this on the LECOM-B site????

Diversity is a good thing, as patients will be diverse, that is why I am hoping someone has a rough picture to paint in my mind. Asian, white, black, hispanic, and male/female ratio etc...I don't know where I could find this on the LECOM-B site????

Try this. http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/cib2010/2010-lecom-bradenton.pdf

Now this is what I am talking about, you are on the money, thanks, you rock!

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but it's hard to sift through all the posts with "interview" in them. I saw on the interview feedback that LECOM does closed-file interviews... and sometimes they do panel interviews. Is it closed file, as in, they know nothing about you? Or do they have your personal statement and such?

yes, please, I was wondering about this myself. It is good to know

I think it was completely closed file for me. They may have read through some of my file before the interview, but I got the impression that the purpose of the interview was to find out if you're a good fit in the curriculum. All the interviews are 2 on 1...I had a faculty doctor and an admissions officer. They started the interview off with the generic "tell me about yourself" question, which tells you that they don't know about your background. This interview was very laid back...expect questions like why osteopathic medicine, tell me what you know about PBL and why it would suit you, talk about how you've handled a conflict before...etc.

I think it was completely closed file for me. They may have read through some of my file before the interview, but I got the impression that the purpose of the interview was to find out if you're a good fit in the curriculum. All the interviews are 2 on 1...I had a faculty doctor and an admissions officer. They started the interview off with the generic "tell me about yourself" question, which tells you that they don't know about your background. This interview was very laid back...expect questions like why osteopathic medicine, tell me what you know about PBL and why it would suit you, talk about how you've handled a conflict before...etc.

Thank you so much. :)

Got my acceptance letter on Saturday!

Congrats! I know it's early but do you think you'll go here?

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but it's hard to sift through all the posts with "interview" in them. I saw on the interview feedback that LECOM does closed-file interviews... and sometimes they do panel interviews. Is it closed file, as in, they know nothing about you? Or do they have your personal statement and such?

To my knowledge, LECOM-Bradenton only does closed-file interviews where there are 2 faculty members with 1 student. The interviews up north (LECOM-Erie/LECOM-Seton Hill campuses) seem to be panel-style this year, which may be where things get confusing.

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but it's hard to sift through all the posts with "interview" in them. I saw on the interview feedback that LECOM does closed-file interviews... and sometimes they do panel interviews. Is it closed file, as in, they know nothing about you? Or do they have your personal statement and such?

LECOM-B does 2 interviewers to 1 applicant. When I interviewed they had none of my personal info in front of them. But some other people I interviewed with said that interviewers brought up certain questions, like about specific research, that they could not have known without looking at their file beforehand.

I wouldnt be surpised if they browse people's essays, etc. before the interview, even though it is supposedly closed file.

I distinctly remember them commenting on my GPA last year during my interview. It seemed they either had glanced over it beforehand or had my file in front of them.

So basically be prepared for anything, eh? :P It sounds like it's generally not too intense. I really think that PBL would work for me, so I'm hoping it goes well. Would it be bad to mention that I homeschooled myself during middle school/high school? I met with a teacher once a month, and otherwise I just taught myself everything, which is part of why I think I would do well with PBL... however, I'm afraid it might sound silly.

So basically be prepared for anything, eh? :P It sounds like it's generally not too intense. I really think that PBL would work for me, so I'm hoping it goes well. Would it be bad to mention that I homeschooled myself during middle school/high school? I met with a teacher once a month, and otherwise I just taught myself everything, which is part of why I think I would do well with PBL... however, I'm afraid it might sound silly.

How is it silly if it's the truth? Sounds like a strength to me. Talk it up. Don't be shy about your uniqueness or accomplishments. I know I never would have had that discipline in high school, much less middle school!!!!

I think it sounds like a strength too. Just be careful because we always hear a lot about how PBL is different from independent study. Emphasize how you are self motivated and like the challenge of figuring things out for yourself; but also keep it in the context about how you like the opportunity to discuss it with other people and how you find you understand things so much better when you have a chance to teach it/ discuss it with someone else. They love that stuff ;) (of course, only if its the truth!)

Just a tip for people who haven't interviewed yet and are thinking about renting a car. I searched like crazy, and still couldn't find anything under $39/day for economy PLUS young renter fees (Primary driver is 24). I went to priceline and named my own price...if they accept it, you won't be charged any extra fees for being under 25. I called and checked at the car rental place too...no fees for booking that way. I ended up getting $46/day for a midsize, so $7 higher per day over an economy but without the fees the economy would have added ontop of everything. It was for Tampa, btw.

Sorry it's so long, hope it helps someone!:)

Just a tip for people who haven't interviewed yet and are thinking about renting a car. I searched like crazy, and still couldn't find anything under $39/day for economy PLUS young renter fees (Primary driver is 24). I went to priceline and named my own price...if they accept it, you won't be charged any extra fees for being under 25. I called and checked at the car rental place too...no fees for booking that way. I ended up getting $46/day for a midsize, so $7 higher per day over an economy but without the fees the economy would have added ontop of everything. It was for Tampa, btw.

Sorry it's so long, hope it helps someone!:)

That is SUPER helpful, thank you!

Not quite the same thing. It is a screening tool to see who can sit on the Comlex, not just another exam.....

Sorry, Kevon, but like has been mentioned there is no screening tool that prevents you from taking COMLEX. Your grades are the only thing that can do that. If you pass every class, you can take it. No school will allow you to take it if you don't pass all of your classes. My class (2010) only had a 97% first time pass rate.... but that was 2nd in the nation. The four who failed the first time passed it on the 2nd try,easily.

The reason, IMHO, that everyone from Bradenton does so well is that PBL teaches you the basic sciences in a clinical context. COMLEX tests you the basic sciences in a clinical context. Every test is a mixture of subjects which jump back and forth-- just like COMLEX does. In fact, I tend to believe that PBL tests are pretty close to what you'll see on COMLEX-- just harder.

Our students do equally well on the second step, partly because we have to come back to school and take six NBME subject exams during third year. You have to pass them in order to continue, so you spend a lot of time third year studying your buns off. But, it pays off when the boards roll around again. They also make you come back to school at the end of thrid year for a mock step two physical exam. It is run as close as possible to COMLEX PE and you get "graded" on it. They send you a copy in the mail and you can see all of your mistakes and get hints from the "graders". There is no actual score, though, and even if you fail it you are not stopped from scheduling the exam. It's just like the diagnostic tests. They are there to help you.

The final piece of the puzzle, though, is that our students also match very well. They get great residencies in competitive places because they excel in the clinical aspect of medicine. That's the bottom line.

Sorry, Kevon, but like has been mentioned there is no screening tool that prevents you from taking COMLEX. Your grades are the only thing that can do that. If you pass every class, you can take it. No school will allow you to take it if you don't pass all of your classes. My class (2010) only had a 97% first time pass rate.... but that was 2nd in the nation. The four who failed the first time passed it on the 2nd try,easily.

The reason, IMHO, that everyone from Bradenton does so well is that PBL teaches you the basic sciences in a clinical context. COMLEX tests you the basic sciences in a clinical context. Every test is a mixture of subjects which jump back and forth-- just like COMLEX does. In fact, I tend to believe that PBL tests are pretty close to what you'll see on COMLEX-- just harder.

Our students do equally well on the second step, partly because we have to come back to school and take six NBME subject exams during third year. You have to pass them in order to continue, so you spend a lot of time third year studying your buns off. But, it pays off when the boards roll around again. They also make you come back to school at the end of thrid year for a mock step two physical exam. It is run as close as possible to COMLEX PE and you get "graded" on it. They send you a copy in the mail and you can see all of your mistakes and get hints from the "graders". There is no actual score, though, and even if you fail it you are not stopped from scheduling the exam. It's just like the diagnostic tests. They are there to help you.

The final piece of the puzzle, though, is that our students also match very well. They get great residencies in competitive places because they excel in the clinical aspect of medicine. That's the bottom line.

Great info!!!!!

Sorry, Kevon, but like has been mentioned there is no screening tool that prevents you from taking COMLEX. Your grades are the only thing that can do that. If you pass every class, you can take it. No school will allow you to take it if you don't pass all of your classes. My class (2010) only had a 97% first time pass rate.... but that was 2nd in the nation. The four who failed the first time passed it on the 2nd try,easily.

The reason, IMHO, that everyone from Bradenton does so well is that PBL teaches you the basic sciences in a clinical context. COMLEX tests you the basic sciences in a clinical context. Every test is a mixture of subjects which jump back and forth-- just like COMLEX does. In fact, I tend to believe that PBL tests are pretty close to what you'll see on COMLEX-- just harder.

Our students do equally well on the second step, partly because we have to come back to school and take six NBME subject exams during third year. You have to pass them in order to continue, so you spend a lot of time third year studying your buns off. But, it pays off when the boards roll around again. They also make you come back to school at the end of thrid year for a mock step two physical exam. It is run as close as possible to COMLEX PE and you get "graded" on it. They send you a copy in the mail and you can see all of your mistakes and get hints from the "graders". There is no actual score, though, and even if you fail it you are not stopped from scheduling the exam. It's just like the diagnostic tests. They are there to help you.

The final piece of the puzzle, though, is that our students also match very well. They get great residencies in competitive places because they excel in the clinical aspect of medicine. That's the bottom line.

Thanks for clarifying again, I am still trying to figure out why they heck we were told differently. I am not the only person from my interview date, or others, that got the same reputation. I am not debating PBL at all, I know it works amazingly.

I actually got waitlisted at Bradenton, and am a little irritated that I did. At my interview date, they told us THAT MORNING that there would be no PBL session, which I was really looking forward to. Instead we got a powerpoint on why it works from one of the curriculum directors. At the end of the day, I asked the Dean if I could schedule a day to come back and see a PBL session. He looked really mad, and went on to tell me how big of a deal it would be to set this up, and how no one has ever asked this before. I was thinking to myself, no one has asked because they have never had to. And it is me who will incur the expenses of another freaking plane ticket and hotel to give myself the most information I can about the school.

If I had known beforehand, I would have rescheduled for a day with the PBL session.

I kid you not, he looked pissed. He then said "IF you get an acceptance, we will see what we can do, but it would have to be special arrangements." At that moment, I figured I did not get in. I thought my interview went wonderfully.

My question is, why was he so offended by this? If seeing a PBL session is not that important, why include it in the interview day?

That is SUPER helpful, thank you!

You are very welcome! I called and double checked with everyone involved just to be sure I didn't pass along any bad tips :)

So I thought I decided to take the year off and retake the MCAT and apply next year. But I really do not want to do that at all and am having second thoughts. I have a 9,8,4 O (21O) the 4 coming in Verbal! (Shoot me now). It is too late to take it now, plus I am not ready to anyway. The only weakness in my app is that verbal score. Both GPAs are about 3.6, tons of clinical, tons of research, and quite a bit of volunteering. Do you think I should take a chance and apply? Any advice on any schools that I could apply to? Bradenton would be my top choice...

Last year I applied with pretty much the same stats but I had a 22O...and was offered an interview, so yes you should try and apply. My advice would be to get the interview...start studying for the January MCAT. Most likely if you get an interview you will be waitlisted and they will request that you retake your MCAT...if you score well I almost guarantee you will be taken off the waitlist and will be accepted for 2010. Best of luck.

Last year I applied with pretty much the same stats but I had a 22O...and was offered an interview, so yes you should try and apply. My advice would be to get the interview...start studying for the January MCAT. Most likely if you get an interview you will be waitlisted and they will request that you retake your MCAT...if you score well I almost guarantee you will be taken off the waitlist and will be accepted for 2010. Best of luck.


If you don't mind answering, I'm curious to know if you took the MCAT again? And, if so, what did you get the 2nd time? I think I saw in a previous post, that you were told to score above a 24 on the Jan 08 MCAT... but I may be confusing you with someone else? I'm curious because I have an interview this Friday and the only negative on my application that I can think of is my MCAT. I apologize if I'm being nosy.... I know each situation is unique but it seems liek we have some similarities, at least on a very basic level.

Thanks for clarifying again, I am still trying to figure out why they heck we were told differently. I am not the only person from my interview date, or others, that got the same reputation. I am not debating PBL at all, I know it works amazingly.

I actually got waitlisted at Bradenton, and am a little irritated that I did. At my interview date, they told us THAT MORNING that there would be no PBL session, which I was really looking forward to. Instead we got a powerpoint on why it works from one of the curriculum directors. At the end of the day, I asked the Dean if I could schedule a day to come back and see a PBL session. He looked really mad, and went on to tell me how big of a deal it would be to set this up, and how no one has ever asked this before. I was thinking to myself, no one has asked because they have never had to. And it is me who will incur the expenses of another freaking plane ticket and hotel to give myself the most information I can about the school.

If I had known beforehand, I would have rescheduled for a day with the PBL session.

I kid you not, he looked pissed. He then said "IF you get an acceptance, we will see what we can do, but it would have to be special arrangements." At that moment, I figured I did not get in. I thought my interview went wonderfully.

My question is, why was he so offended by this? If seeing a PBL session is not that important, why include it in the interview day?

Kevon, I would not take it too personally. You have every right to want to see a PBL session and I can say I would be just as upset if I were in your shoes. Honestly, it shouldn't have been a big deal for you to come and sit in on a PBL session especially since you are doing all the traveling. I'm not going to make excuse for whatever dean you spoke with, he obviously needs a lesson in communication. If you get in and really want to see a PBL session PM me we'll make it happen.

FYI right now only 2nd years only have PBL on m w f so if you interview on a day that isn't m w f then chances are you will miss seeing a pbl session.

Oh and another tip. Not all, but most 2nd years would prefer if you just hung back during the pbl session (i.e. regardless of your background don't try to contribute) By now groups have a good chemistry going. Having an interviewee or even a facilitator intervene during PBL throws of the chemistry. Also, everything we get tested on comes out of our books, so even if you say something, most people will tune you out because we cannot use you as a resource.

Good luck on your interviews!

Kevon, I would not take it too personally. You have every right to want to see a PBL session and I can say I would be just as upset if I were in your shoes. Honestly, it shouldn't have been a big deal for you to come and sit in on a PBL session especially since you are doing all the traveling. I'm not going to make excuse for whatever dean you spoke with, he obviously needs a lesson in communication. If you get in and really want to see a PBL session PM me we'll make it happen.

FYI right now only 2nd years only have PBL on m w f so if you interview on a day that isn't m w f then chances are you will miss seeing a pbl session.

Oh and another tip. Not all, but most 2nd years would prefer if you just hung back during the pbl session (i.e. regardless of your background don't try to contribute) By now groups have a good chemistry going. Having an interviewee or even a facilitator intervene during PBL throws of the chemistry. Also, everything we get tested on comes out of our books, so even if you say something, most people will tune you out because we cannot use you as a resource.

Good luck on your interviews!

Thanks for the advice regarding expected behavior in the PBL session. I had a feeling that it is best to not say anything, but I have seen on previous posts that some people on occasion do add their two cents. I'm looking forward to observing a PBL session on Friday.

I just found out that I am accepted to LECOM-B for class of 2014. First interview for my number one choice. LECOM-B, hear I come !!!!:meanie::soexcited::boom::boom::boom:

i just found out that i am accepted to lecom-b for class of 2014. First interview for my number one choice. Lecom-b, hear i come !!!!:meanie::soexcited::boom::boom::boom:

congrats!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice job! It's a great feeling isnt it?

Thanks for clarifying again, I am still trying to figure out why they heck we were told differently. I am not the only person from my interview date, or others, that got the same reputation. I am not debating PBL at all, I know it works amazingly.

I actually got waitlisted at Bradenton, and am a little irritated that I did. At my interview date, they told us THAT MORNING that there would be no PBL session, which I was really looking forward to. Instead we got a powerpoint on why it works from one of the curriculum directors. At the end of the day, I asked the Dean if I could schedule a day to come back and see a PBL session. He looked really mad, and went on to tell me how big of a deal it would be to set this up, and how no one has ever asked this before. I was thinking to myself, no one has asked because they have never had to. And it is me who will incur the expenses of another freaking plane ticket and hotel to give myself the most information I can about the school.

If I had known beforehand, I would have rescheduled for a day with the PBL session.

I kid you not, he looked pissed. He then said "IF you get an acceptance, we will see what we can do, but it would have to be special arrangements." At that moment, I figured I did not get in. I thought my interview went wonderfully.

My question is, why was he so offended by this? If seeing a PBL session is not that important, why include it in the interview day?

WOW!!!!!!!! I am speechless! Well, I hear that they take about 60% of the class from the waitlist but if you are blacklisted by the dean then you don't stand a chance. Sorry to hear that!!!!

Nice job! It's a great feeling isnt it?

Oh yes, weight off the sholders, chronic pain stopped. It's like getting OMM treatment ;).

EDIT: Solved my transportation issues!

Wow. I didn't even realize this thread was here. 2nd year (Class of 2012) LECOM-B Student here. Here's my 10 cents on the recent talk:

1. Class of 2011 rocked COMLEX Step 1. They are the 1st class of any school to have a 100% pass rate on COMLEX 1. Congrats to them, and I hope my class can do as well.

2. "Diagnostic Tests". You take one of these at the end of 1st year to see where you stand, and what your weak areas are. You take another 2 or 3 during 2nd year. These are just to gauge your abilities and identify weaknesses.

As long as you have a >75% average, you are allowed to take COMLEX. Poor scores on the Diagnostic Tests just mean you are required to be present at the board review lectures given prior to the test. If you fail 2nd year, you obviously can't take COMLEX...this is true at any school, MD or DO.

Also, as nlax said, you do NOT want to take COMLEX if you aren't ready to pass it. LECOM-B is just particularly good at identifying students who are in danger of failing. And honestly, if you pass 1st and 2nd year PBL tests, there's no way you're failing COMLEX.

3. Seeing PBL in action - Not everyone gets to do this. Appx 20-30% of my class didn't get to see a PBL session either. It's not THAT big a deal to miss it. Have you ever seen House? It's kind of like that, only with WAY more books because we don't have scripts. And, it works. Very detailed descriptions of PBL sessions can be found in previous LECOM-B threads, by myself, nlax, scpod, and others. It just occured to me that it might be possible to videotape a session to show to interviewees who can't see one. I'll run that by the admin and we'll see what they think...

4. Rude/Mean People - Is it possible to get a bad interviewer, or someone who's had a bad day? Sure. I will say that pretty much ALL of our faculty are amazing though. That being said, there are a few who can come off as a little "gruff" until you get to know them. Please don't confuse this gruffness with malice. Alot of Sarasotians are transplants from the Northeast, and I think some of that Bronx-ness can come off the wrong way to people that aren't used to it. Also, certain deans at your school have a great, dry sense of humor, and you may want to be careful not to misinterpret a dry joke or sarcasm as meanness. The comment about it being "so hard to set up another day to see PBL" sounds like sarcasm to me. Your sense of humor was being tested and you failed.

5. Hmm...what else? Any Questions?

Med school is hard, and alot of work, but its worth it.

Alot of Sarasotians are transplants from the Northeast, and I think some of that Bronx-ness can come off the wrong way to people that aren't used to it.

Haha. Are you suggesting that people from the northeast aren't as friendly? :laugh: You [may] have no idea what 20+ years of long winters and many feet of snow can do to a person. And after all, it isn't always sunny in Philadelphia...:laugh:

I'd like to second what digitlnoize said. As a complement to his point about rudeness: I got some advice before I started about certain faculty members coming off as "scary" at first, but believe me they really aren't. I haven't met a single faculty member that wasn't very approachable and helpful. Of course some professors will take you off on a million tangents before you get to your original question, but they are all approachable and even friendly in my opinion.

5. Hmm...what else? Any Questions?

Med school is hard, and alot of work, but its worth it.

Your information is very helpful! I have a couple things to ask. How are people doing with clerkships, do you hear much? Do people visit the school at all during years 3 and 4? Do you get to stay in the Bradenton area? I'm married, so I would like to stay in one place for as long as possible so that my husband can establish his career as well.

Exalya, I will defer to digitl as I know he is married too (as am I), but coming from a first year we just had hospital day and there were programs from all over the country represented for rotations and residencies. I really enjoyed it and there are quite a few hospitals within driving distance that you can do rotations at. The way I understand it, you really want to try to do some away rotations at locations you are interested in doing residencies, so in that regard the nearby hospitals might not fit. But for core rotations I believe you can do most of them in the area.

Exalya, I will defer to digitl as I know he is married too (as am I), but coming from a first year we just had hospital day and there were programs from all over the country represented for rotations and residencies. I really enjoyed it and there are quite a few hospitals within driving distance that you can do rotations at. The way I understand it, you really want to try to do some away rotations at locations you are interested in doing residencies, so in that regard the nearby hospitals might not fit. But for core rotations I believe you can do most of them in the area.

I'm mostly concerned with core stuff. ^.^ I am given to understand that going away is good for some residencies, but what I worry about is being away all the time. I've gleaned some information from other posts, but none of the posts I've read completely address the issue. Sounds like it's not terrible inconvenient, though.

I'm not from the area, and this year has been crazy so far, but there are at least 4 hospitals I know of in sarasota/bradenton and then there is Tampa too. Many students live off 64/75 so its not bad commuting to St Petes or Tampa.

For the most part if you want to stay in one area for most of your cores it shouldn't be a problem. I'm married as well and wanted to stay in the area and am doing all my rotations the Tampa/St Pete/Bradenton area.

There are several hospitals and bunch of affliated physicians around the area. Plus you could always setup your own if you wanted. Orlando has some full year spots at Florida Hospital and then there are a bunch up North that I'm not familiar with.

For the most part I think people went where they wanted. I know some single students who are doing a lot of traveling and I know others who wanted to move back home with their family and setup most of their own rotations. Just requires you to stay on top of any paperwork deadlines.

Haha. Are you suggesting that people from the northeast aren't as friendly? :laugh: You [may] have no idea what 20+ years of long winters and many feet of snow can do to a person. And after all, it isn't always sunny in Philadelphia...:laugh:

It's not that they aren't as friendly...but if you're not used to the "style" of NE speech, it is easy to misinterpret.

Agreed about the winters. I think that's what does it.

Your information is very helpful! I have a couple things to ask. How are people doing with clerkships, do you hear much? Do people visit the school at all during years 3 and 4? Do you get to stay in the Bradenton area? I'm married, so I would like to stay in one place for as long as possible so that my husband can establish his career as well.

From what I hear, people really like the clerkships. I know quite a few people who are staying in this area mostly, and like the rotations they're on.

There has been much written on how the process of clerkships works, but basically, for us, it's gone like this so far:

End of 1st year we each filled out a little form where we picked whether we wanted to be in a certain rotation group (thus having the order of rotations you prefer, or a certain vacation month) or if you wanted a "location" preference.

People often pick group because they want to have alot of electives early in 4th year for Residency Auditions, or they need a certain vacation month to get married, etc. People pick location if they want to stay near family, etc. Unfortunately, there are no real guarantees, but our class prez did a pretty good job of putting everyone into our groups.

Each group has different rotations at different times. So if there's 10 "local" OB/GYN spots, only 1 group is filling those spots at any given time. Most of our groups are 11-14 members.

I think for the most part, there's plenty of local spots for people that want them. At least, there have been in the past. The spots change from year to year though, as does the desires of a given class, so what's true last year may not be true for my year, or yours.

Regardless, thus far, it's all worked out pretty well, and I think it will continue to do so.

You do have to come back to school at the end of each core rotation to take Shelf Exams, so you'll be back here a few times in 3rd and 4th year. Alot of people certainly do stay.

My plan (and hopefully it will work out) is to stay here as much as I can, and do maybe one or two months away to "get my foot in the door" at other places. My fam understands this and is very supportive, since my future career is their livelihood too!

There's a "list" of the Clinical Clerkship sites on the my.lecom.edu website under clinical curriculum. I think it's a bit outdated, but it'll give you an idea of where things are.

How many applications does LECOM bradenton get for those 169 spots????

How many applications does LECOM bradenton get for those 169 spots????

Per the admissions staff, last year there were ~3800 primary apps submitted to LECOM-Bradenton. I don't have stats on secondaries submitted, interviews, etc.

Is anyone else interviewing on Wednesday (10/7)?

LECOM-B does 2 interviewers to 1 applicant. When I interviewed they had none of my personal info in front of them. But some other people I interviewed with said that interviewers brought up certain questions, like about specific research, that they could not have known without looking at their file beforehand.

I wouldnt be surpised if they browse people's essays, etc. before the interview, even though it is supposedly closed file.

I had two interviewers...one said they looked at my file, the other said he didn't and they asked questions accordingly. I don't think that it should really matter if it's open or closed...they are just trying to get to know you and what kind of person you are. Just relax, have fun,be yourself, and know what osteopathic medicine is.

Why do they take longer than Erie campus to process secondaries? Has this been the case with all of you?

Why do they take longer than Erie campus to process secondaries? Has this been the case with all of you?

Bradenton: Submitted 9/12...II call 9/17
Erie: Submitted 9/12...Status change to "scheduled for interview" on 9/24...II via email 9/28

Why do they take longer than Erie campus to process secondaries? Has this been the case with all of you?

I hear that LECOM-Erie gets more applications then LECOM-Bradenton. I believe the figure I saw was Erie around 5,300 applications, Bradenton around 3,800 applicants. but then again I came across this figures around 8 months ago.

I interviewed last week 10/2, but i missed when they said we could call this week to find out if we were accepted. was it Wednesday or Thursday?

Yaaaaaayyyy!!!!! Interviewed yesterday, 10/5, accepted today, 10/6!!!!!!!!!!!! Woot woot :soexcited:

Yaaaaaayyyy!!!!! Interviewed yesterday, 10/5, accepted today, 10/6!!!!!!!!!!!! Woot woot :soexcited:

WOW! That's a fast turnaround. Congrats!

Any extra tips for us hopefuls? :D I swear, I spend more time hoping/researching for medical schools than I spend studying this year....

Yaaaaaayyyy!!!!! Interviewed yesterday, 10/5, accepted today, 10/6!!!!!!!!!!!! Woot woot :soexcited:


Wow! Congrats! Did you call them or did they call you? I called at 2:30 and the woman who answered the phone said she hadn't received any letters at that time and asked if I could call back tomorrow morning. She didn't take my name, so ,.... maybe I could call back. Or.... I think I'll just try to wait till tomorrow :-(

I was actually on the alternative list last year and kept letting them know I was interested, but I never got off of it :-( I reapplied early and they interviewed me again. I guess Annette Shively felt like I had waited long enough, so she actually called me! My portal doesn't even say they made a decision yet! So unless Annette is playing a mean trick... I think I got in. Haha. Weird that they said that they didn't have any news at 2:30... because she called me at 2:16pm eastern time.

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I interviewed 10/2 just found out I'm in! First one!

Me too! Me Too!! first one :laugh:

Still no decision or change in status!I'm getting a bad feeling. I'm going crazy waiting :-(

Just heard from Annette I'm on hold till next week! More waiting, sigh!

Interviewed here yesterday- very impressed with the program. It really seems to work. I think it's great that you don't have to sit through lectures from 9AM to 5PM five days a week at this school. Anyone else interview yesterday? Message me :)

Interviewing 10/23:D... Haven't booked the hotel yet- has anyone stayed at the Wingate nearby? I've heard that if you mention you are interviewing at LECOM that sometimes they'll upgrade you, has anyone done this? Not sure when you mention it- when booking or at check in... Help is appreciated!:o

The wingate is really nice.

Wingates are usually nice. I'm sure the one here is too. I'd call them and mention the LECOM thing when booking...unless you can find a better deal online somehow...

For those with $$: the Holiday Inn in Lakewood Ranch is also pretty nice and very close to school.

For those on a budget: the Econo Lodge on SR-64 is actually pretty nice (for an econo lodge) and is pretty nicely located and VERY cheap.

Wingates are usually nice. I'm sure the one here is too. I'd call them and mention the LECOM thing when booking...unless you can find a better deal online somehow...

For those with $$: the Holiday Inn in Lakewood Ranch is also pretty nice and very close to school.

For those on a budget: the Econo Lodge on SR-64 is actually pretty nice (for an econo lodge) and is pretty nicely located and VERY cheap.

Taking it a step further and couch surfing. I have a friend who attends ringling in Sarasota. Hopefully the traffic/commute won't be too bad in the AM.

Congrats to those accepted!! I stayed at the Hampton Inn in Ellenton. The hotel has a shuttle driver who will take you to LECOM-B in the a.m. (I think it was $16 for round-trip, can't remember exact) and there was a complimentary breakfast at the Hampton Inn from 6am-0930 am.

Congrats to those accepted!! I stayed at the Hampton Inn in Ellenton. The hotel has a shuttle driver who will take you to LECOM-B in the a.m. (I think it was $16 for round-trip, can't remember exact) and there was a complimentary breakfast at the Hampton Inn from 6am-0930 am.

I also stayed at the Hampton Inn when I was down for my interview 2 years ago.

For those coming, I would highly recommend that you rent a car if you can. I personally think it's worth it to take a tour of the area and check it out.

I recommend:

Lakewood Ranch Main Street: straight south of school on LWR Blvd. Great movie theater (which serves beer and wine!)

Siesta Key Beach: Best beach in the known universe, unless you're a surfer. Not much surf. But the water is pretty much always warm and the white, flour-like sand doesn't get hot because the type of quartz it's made of doesn't conduct heat. Perfect.

Downtown Sarasota: Decent Bar Scene, if you're into that kind of thing. Also fun shops, good restaurants. Still not a big city, but I think it's fun.

St. Armand's Key: More fun shopping/restaurants/scenery. Columbia's Famous Salad is awesome. Worth Checking out.

You can also check out some of the apartments or neighborhoods you'll likely be living in. Most people live in either the Yacht Club (behind Walmart on SR-64) or Colonial Grand (LWR, near "Main Street", by LWR Hospital), or in LWR itself.

More than worth it, IMO. It's easy to just go to the school and think that it's in the middle of nowhere...which really isn't true, although a few of my classmates claim otherwise. I personally have more stuff to do here than I have time for!

I was also accepted yesterday. Is LECOM-Bradenton a top choice for you?

Another question... about the spouse thing. My husband is finishing up his second year at community college (because he was in the army, he started college later than me), and will be transferring to /a/ university wherever I end up going to med school. What kind of opportunities are there for spouses to go to college? I noticed that there is the new college of Florida in Sarasota, but the degrees looked kind of limited... Tampa has a university, but is Tampa too far out of the way?

Another question... about the spouse thing. My husband is finishing up his second year at community college (because he was in the army, he started college later than me), and will be transferring to /a/ university wherever I end up going to med school. What kind of opportunities are there for spouses to go to college? I noticed that there is the new college of Florida in Sarasota, but the degrees looked kind of limited... Tampa has a university, but is Tampa too far out of the way?

I am wondering the same thing as my boyfriend will be coming me wherever I do end up. I know a lot of schools are in the same city as other major universities, but I had not quite figured out the situation in Bradenton. Any info from current students or Florida residents?

There is the State College of Florida which was Manatee community college until eariler this year when they changed names and began offering 4 yr degrees. Definitely local but as they just started full 4 yr programs the choices are probably limited.

There is New college of Florida which is a private 4yr college in Sarasota.

Not sure what your husband is looking into but in there is also the Ringling Art/design school and Manatee Technical Institute.

And of course USF is up in Tampa, probably roughly 1hr away (just go north on I75). The commute is totally up to ya'll to decide on. I know a few people who lived in Tampa or st Pete and commuted down to school during their first two years or had a spouse who commutes up to Tampa for a while.

Also, USF does have a Sarasota Campus. It's right by the airport. Here's their website:

http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/

Here's a list of their degrees:

http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/students/prospective/programs.html

Thanks to both of you! Google maps actually told me that a couple of those campusses were closed, when obviously they are not :/. Silly google maps. USF-Sarasota has a degree program that would fit for my husband... so now I have no reservations about LECOM-B going in. ^.^

Of those of you who interviewed this year, what state are you from? I was wondering if the article posted earlier in this thread about LECOM-Bradenton favoring Florida students over other states was true. If you did interview from another state besides Florida, please post that you did.... In fact the state is not that important but It gives me an idea about the validity of the article. I am just curious.

Of those of you who interviewed this year, what state are you from? I was wondering if the article posted earlier in this thread about LECOM-Bradenton favoring Florida students over other states was true. If you did interview from another state besides Florida, please post that you did.... In fact the state is not that important but It gives me an idea about the validity of the article. I am just curious.

I interview 10/23 and I'm from NY... a lot of the people I saw on this thread were not FL residents, in fact I remember it sticking out to me that I saw so few (well, maybe they just aren't on here posting...)

Of those of you who interviewed this year, what state are you from? I was wondering if the article posted earlier in this thread about LECOM-Bradenton favoring Florida students over other states was true. If you did interview from another state besides Florida, please post that you did.... In fact the state is not that important but It gives me an idea about the validity of the article. I am just curious.

Interviewing 11/6 from Texas.

Of those of you who interviewed this year, what state are you from? I was wondering if the article posted earlier in this thread about LECOM-Bradenton favoring Florida students over other states was true. If you did interview from another state besides Florida, please post that you did.... In fact the state is not that important but It gives me an idea about the validity of the article. I am just curious.

Interview 11/6. I'm a resident of Maine and currently a graduate student at Emory U in Atlanta.

I sent in my deposit yesterday...The only thing that will keep me from going here is getting into my state school (financial reasons). I'm sort of hoping I don't get into the state school so I can end up here....I really liked lecom-b! Good luck everyone

Of those of you who interviewed this year, what state are you from? I was wondering if the article posted earlier in this thread about LECOM-Bradenton favoring Florida students over other states was true. If you did interview from another state besides Florida, please post that you did.... In fact the state is not that important but It gives me an idea about the validity of the article. I am just curious.


Interviewing 10/30 and I'm from Pennsylvania.

Of those of you who interviewed this year, what state are you from? I was wondering if the article posted earlier in this thread about LECOM-Bradenton favoring Florida students over other states was true. If you did interview from another state besides Florida, please post that you did.... In fact the state is not that important but It gives me an idea about the validity of the article. I am just curious.

Interviewing 10/30. Grew up in Michigan and still a resident there but live in Florida now.

Interviewing 10/30 and I'm from Pennsylvania.

Interviewing 10/30. Grew up in Michigan and still a resident there but live in Florida now.

When did you get your interview invites?
They have been reviewing my file forever!:scared:

does anyone know if there exists a list of current lecom-b students to stay with while interviewing, or know who to contact about such info?

by the way... from NY and interviewing nov. 13th(friday... lucky me:()

Hey guys. I just talked to Heather. Relax about this whole Florida thing. She said that if you're a good applicant they'll look at you. Doesn't matter what state youre from. The make up of the classes changes from year to year. Last year was ~50% Fl but it's not a set quota. K?

When did you get your interview invites?
They have been reviewing my file forever!:scared:

I got my interview invite somewhere around Sept 20th.

does anyone know if there exists a list of current lecom-b students to stay with while interviewing, or know who to contact about such info?

by the way... from NY and interviewing nov. 13th(friday... lucky me:()

I believe earlier in this thread a girl named Annie (Griswold maybe?) mentioned being able to host oos students who are interviewing. Check all the pages in this thread

Now that I think of it, I think she mentioned something about "couch surfers (.com maybe??)"...and to look her up on the website?