LECOM Post-Bacc 2013-2014

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BigLion said:
I would say post bac since it is 1 year vs. 2 for MS in biomedical sciences!!!!!
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I remember reading somewhere (not on the LECOM website, but maybe somewhere on SDN...in other words, NOT from an official source) that one of the MS programs at LECOM (there are two apparently) is a program that Post-Bach students sometimes feed into. In other words, if someone doesn't get into the medical school for whatever reason from the Post-Bach (MCAT not high enough, Post-Bach grades not nigh enough), they can go into the MS program and complete another year, get their MS, and then have a pretty good shot at getting into the med school.
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Does anyone know if there's a facebook group for post bacc students starting in the Fall?
 
Just made one: http://www.facebook.com/groups/350136488438966/

First time poster.. I think(Can't remember posting anyway lol.) Just got accepted recently. I've been following last year's and this year's thread for a while. Excited to be starting this program and looking forward to meeting you guys.
 
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Everyone who has a decision: You received it after all your application materials were in including LOR right?
 
Just got acceptance letter today dated 3/25. I applied about a month ago and received my decision within two weeks of app completion (green checks).

For anyone interested, the acceptance letter states you need to maintain 3.0GPA + have a 23MCAT for matriculation into their D.O. program. Starts Sept. 4 and the deposit is only $50.

Will most likely be turning LECOM down for RFU BMS program.
 
I just received my acceptance letter today! :) I was wondering if anyone had any insight on places to live while attending the post-bac program? We have a small dog so we would need to find somewhere that is pet-friendly also.
 
if I do this program, I am thinking about finding a place near the bayfront campus. it was a pleasant area.
 
Just make sure that if you anticipate staying in the area for med school (LECOM), you may want to have a place closer to the main campus even though the post-bac classes are at the bayfront.
 
Could someone please pm me their stats/ is it to late to apply?
 
Does anybody know if completion of this postbac with the required stats gets you admission to the campus in Florida. Also if going to the Florida campus would advisable or not so compared to the Erie campus.
 
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i'm admitted in the program and in the following weeks I will gradually investigate deeper before committing to it.

if you see the posts below, you see a wide range in reported success: (1) 32/40 so 80% (2) 25/60 so 41% (3) 56% (4) And 70% from the director of recruitment.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=11610853&postcount=83

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=11141072&postcount=4

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=11105404&postcount=258

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=10948655&postcount=21

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=13609734&postcount=13
 
I have the same question about the florida campus, any idea on how possible it is to attend med school at the Bradenton campus after post back at erie?
 
Does anyone have an idea if lecom does send rejection letters or do they only send acceptance letters to applicants of the post bacc program??
 
If I apply for the program this year, and meet the min requirements, do you matriculate in Fall 2014 or Fall 2015? Like, do you go straight into the school or have to wait another year and go through the application process?
 
m1021 said:
If I apply for the program this year, and meet the min requirements, do you matriculate in Fall 2014 or Fall 2015? Like, do you go straight into the school or have to wait another year and go through the application process?
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I asked the same question before. The answer I got is that you get to avoid the gap year. So you apply through AACOMAS now, start the program in September, interview in the winter, and hopefully get accepted. I'm not doing this program but I am curious to know, for the benefit of people who will do this, what current students in the program are saying. When do they find out if they have been accepted or not? I got only one person talking about classmates struggling in pharmacology.
 
My application status is still under review for past 2 weeks. Anyone else also waiting to hear back?
 
I have been following the LECOM Erie thread for students applying to the medical program, and apparently this year's post-bach students are currently interviewing and being accepted into the medical school for this fall. Some of them, apparently, did not maintain a high enough GPA, and so they have not been accepted into the medical school. That has left some of their "spots" open for people on the medical school wait list to get in. I have heard that different percentages of each post-bach class make the cut-off each year (anywhere between 65-85%). So, there's no gap year....you finish post-bach and go right into the med school program (if you maintain the minimum GPA).
 
how long does it usually take for LECOM to change the status on supporting materials? I sent my letters and transcripts in weeks ago.
 
they changed mine from partial to complete probably 2 weeks after I sent everything in. And then that night they changed my status from under review to a decision has been made. So I guess they changed the status on the last item into the system as they were reviewing my application
 
I received my acceptance by snail mail. Online it said that a decision has been made and you will receive it in the mail.
 
common man said:
I received my acceptance by snail mail. Online it said that a decision has been made and you will receive it in the mail.
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How long did it take for your app status to change from your application is under review to a decision has been made. It's been more than 2 weeks for me and haven't heard anything yet. Are they making decisions in batches like every few weeks.
 
Also FYI to anyone who is as nervous as I was, the acceptance letter comes in a regular business sized envelope, so don't necessarily assume the worst. Also Jamie Murphy was very helpful, you can always email him with questions. But they are probably just backed up.
 
just found this thread, but im going to lecom for sure this fall. got into the post bacc, but also waitlisted at the DO school. Erie here i come! I'll be using this thread frequently now, but i think a good beer with everyone before classes is appropriate eh?
 
We are just done with Postbach. You guys are definitely going to enjoy it.
 
Pisiform said:
We are just done with Postbach. You guys are definitely going to enjoy it.
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That's great :) Care to share your thoughts on the program? What was the most difficult class?Thanks!
 
Pisiform said:
We are just done with Postbach. You guys are definitely going to enjoy it.
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Yes....please let us know all about the Postbach! Also, are you now going to start the DO program in the fall? How many were in your Postbach class? What percentage of your class is going into the DO program? How does that all work?
 
Bisbee said:
Yes....please let us know all about the Postbach! Also, are you now going to start the DO program in the fall? How many were in your Postbach class? What percentage of your class is going into the DO program? How does that all work?
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and when did you find out that you got accepted? how was the interview?
 
wksun88 said:
That's great :) Care to share your thoughts on the program? What was the most difficult class?Thanks!
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Bisbee said:
Yes....please let us know all about the Postbach! Also, are you now going to start the DO program in the fall? How many were in your Postbach class? What percentage of your class is going into the DO program? How does that all work?
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common man said:
and when did you find out that you got accepted? how was the interview?
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Postbac program consist of 15 semesters in fall and 15 in spring. In fall, you guys will start off with Physiology which is the big chunk (5 credit) and Biochem and then other subjects will come along as you go. Classes are from 2pm to 6pm - but usually class ends at 5pm. It is very rare that class go on until 6. There are no labs for any subjects - there might be a day or two in the entire semester when you have to go to the Main campus for Micro or OPP just to give you an idea of what its like.

Fall semester ends mid december and Spring semester starts around early Jan or so. In Jan-Feb, those students who had >3.0 in fall semester (and did not have F in any class) would have an interview at the Main campus. Those students who took their MCAT in Jan would also be in the interview but they won't get provisional acceptance letter until their MCAT scores back. The other that had >3.0 and atleast 23 would get provisional acceptance in email within 2 weeks or so. Acceptance also depends on not being arrested/not getting into trouble etc. Just keep your head down and study and you will be fine.

One thing I want to say again is not to Fail any class. I know some people who had greater than 3.0 but failed 1 credit class and they did not get in.

Spring semester starts with Immuno and Viro which you would be done in the first 2 weeks and then Anatomy (5 credit) starts which is the main course. Other subjects like Path, Pharm goes along until the end. People usually say fall semester is harder and spring is easier because you are new to all this but I beg differ. IMO both were hard but at the same time they are doable. Most difficult class in fall imo was Biochem and in Spring was Anatomy - even though I managed high Bs in both the classes. Some people found Pharm very difficult but I secured an A. Pharm can be easy or hard depending if you like memorizing tons of drugs and their side effects/uses etc.

My study schedule was from 8am to 1pm, and then from 6pm to 1am. Somewhere in there you will find time to go to gym, watch tv, or hangout whatever but its not much though. School gives you the membership of the gym - LECOM Wellness Center which is really good - they have pools, spa and stuff. Erie has a lot of places - bars and stuff, Presque Isle State Park is there where you can go for run etc.

Exams are every 2 weeks - always on Mondays and the grades usually come out on the following Thursday. So in each semester you will have 5 Exams and a cumulative exam. Cumulative exam is pretty tough because you have a limited time to review the enitre material you have been studying when the semester started. For e.g. you guys will have Exam 5 on Monday and then Tues, Wed, THu is Study Day and Friday is Cumulative. Cumulative Exam last anywhere from 3-4 hours.
One thing i noticed is that it is very hard to raise your grade in cumulative. If you wanna raise you grade, its much easier to do in Exam 1 to 5 because in cumulative you can only just maintain the grades you already have. I am not saying its not possible but its not easy either.
Exams are all multiple choice and sometimes there are one liner are stuff. There might be a presentation here and there. You get to review the exam couple of days after you take it but you cannot keep it.

Also, it snows like mother russia in Erie! But you will be too busy with exams and stuff that you would barely notice. School would 99.99% never close even if there is a storm so be prepared. Get a car and get snow tires on and you will be fine. 4WD car is not necessary since i had a coroalla and it worked fine.

Our Spring Cumulative exam was on april 19th and grades were in the following tuesday. When grades are in, you know whether you made a 3.0 or not. Our class had 73 people - how many made it idk but guessing from the chart which I saw I think atleast 50 people should have made it.

During interview in Jan-Feb, they will ask you to list your campus choice. PBL in erie is hard to get since most of it is usually filled up before Jan. DSP, LDP and PBL at SH is mostly available. You can also go to PBL-FL but there are only one-two people who go there - so don't rely on that too much unless you are have strong ties to the state.
Interview at the Main campus is a group interview and very relaxed since you already know most of the professors interviewing you. No one does bad unless they are bonkers.

Also, some people don't like Big brother attitude of LECOM but really its nothing. They are just exaggerating stuff. Things to keep in mind is comes in dress code, always have the ID card with you, do not eat or drink in class (there is a water fountain out side the class and a cafeteria upstairs), don't get into trouble. I don't think its too much too ask considering you are in professional school.

Overall, I really like LECOM - Postbac program and I would make the same choice if I have to. Its sometimes frustrating but challeneging at the same time and you will learn a lot from it.

Goodluck to you guys
 
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Pisiform - Thank you so much for taking the time to write this detailed report for us. It's good to hear positive comments. It sounds like a lot of work, but you stayed on top of things and did well and made it! Congratulations to you! You are now ready to start the DO program. It must feel really great, and especially because you've already been there for the Postbach program. You probably don't feel as nervous about it as others who will be coming from all over to be in your DO first year class in the fall. I even heard that a lot off first year medical school is very similar to what is covered in Postbach, so you will be able to hit the ground running and be ahead of the game. The only thing that is slightly negative is that the PBL might be full in Erie, but I'm sure there's still some movement with people shuffling around, even over the summer. The important thing is that Postbach seems a viable and great way to not only be admitted to the DO program, but to be highly prepared to enter it. Again, much appreciation for the information.
 
I just finished the program and will be very happy to provide some tips and info to help future students. This info are based on either my own or fellow students' experiences. I will try not to repeat info that has been provided here before. I think Pisiform has done a great job above. I only want to add that do your best in the fall so you do not have to play the number game in the spring- I did, and it was a torture to say the least!

The program overall:
Great program that will definitely prepare you for any professional school. I had a weak science background prior to starting this program, not anymore:naughty: 

Who would benefit from this program?
1.Anyone who would like to strengthen their credentials due to low GPA.
2.Those who have been accepted to medical school elsewhere have some extra money and would like to prepare.
3.Those who could not make it anywhere AND have exhausted all other options.

I would emphasize no. 3, because if you haven't done your best so far, please do yourself a favor and try hard to get in to med school directly. Trying once or even twice is not enough. Why?
a.The program costs money as you already know, not to mention money for your living expenses.
b.The program is not easy as it may sound. You will work so hard that sometimes you may feel like quitting. It does not matter what kind of advanced classes you took in undergrad, the material is going to be the same, sometimes less, but what each instructor empathizes is different. Additionally, every subject is taught from a medical prospective. Yes you will have plenty of time to study, but the due to the sheer volume of material covered-3 or 4-hour worth of material each day, you will need each and every minute of that time. This is also true even for those with strong science background
c.You can do all the best you can, but still not make the cut. It's doable, but still a gamble. I had classmates who missed the minimum GPA by 1 or very few points due to low performance in a single class.

Bottom line, this program should be your LAST option.

Where to live:
For me, I hate signing contracts, because you never know what happens. I looked for a place that offers no or short-term lease contract, furnished, and includes all utilities so I do not have to sign up with utility companies and worry about a bill each month. Luckily, I found an studio that offered all these, and from what I heard, this is very rare. There's a place called the Inn at Presque Isle-Google it- Quiet a few LECOM students stay there, especially those on rotations. I did not know about it until late in the spring. I visited the place to take a look hoping to stay there in the fall, it seems pretty decent and is very LECOM-friendly.

Finally, as you all know by now, the biggest hurdle-after the program- is the weather. Trust me, I lived in places with extreme weather, but Erie is unique. I will leave it to your imagination.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. And please disregard any grammar or spelling errors. I type fast and I'm in my break at work.

Good luck.
 
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I'm pretty sure I'll be attending the program this Fall but wanted to keep my options open for other schools, especially the ones in my home state. Since I have the option to apply while in this program, I plan on doing so. But I'm a bit worried about how flexible it will be for me to find time to go out to interviews. I've heard through the grapevines that it is not so easy to find time with the schedule and LECOM is not too open to missing class for interviews based on their attendance policy.
Does anyone who went through the program have any insight/advice from their or their peers' experience interviewing at other schools? Any insight/advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!
 
Thanks to you, Bringslite. Your information adds to what Pisiform wrote and will be helpful to us all. It does sound like a lot of work, so congratulations for making it through and being on your way to med school! Thanks for the housing info, too. Very helpful for those of us who already own homes elsewhere and just need a comfortable place to crash and study (and not have to bring our entire lives' worth of belongings with us). I have to say, it scares me about hearing that there are people who worked very hard and still didn't make it through the postbach program. I am someone who has been out of school for several years, and I feel like I need the postbach program to get me ready for medical school before just jumping in. Anyway, I hope to get into the postbach and then into the med program, just like you.
 
Mansur180 said:
I'm pretty sure I'll be attending the program this Fall but wanted to keep my options open for other schools, especially the ones in my home state. Since I have the option to apply while in this program, I plan on doing so. But I'm a bit worried about how flexible it will be for me to find time to go out to interviews. I've heard through the grapevines that it is not so easy to find time with the schedule and LECOM is not too open to missing class for interviews based on their attendance policy.
Does anyone who went through the program have any insight/advice from their or their peers' experience interviewing at other schools? Any insight/advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!
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You will be excused for interviews or any other documented emergencies. The only problem is that you will miss lectures, which is a tough thing to do. But you can always have someone record them for you. A few of my classmates went to interviews during the program.
 
bringslite, thanks for that excellent post! very informative.

I am waitlisted at a couple of D.O schools but it seems like I most likely will be attending this program at LECOM.
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keep sending out some good, well written letters of intent to the schools. there's still a lot of time for you to get off the waitlist. it's a good sign that you are waitlisted at multiple schools. you just need one!
 
beanbug511 said:
Hey everyone! I am thrilled to say I just got my acceptance letter today! They are so cruel for putting it in a regular-sized envelope, haha. I am so excited and so thankful for getting accepted, especially after reading the above posts from post-bac grads. I know it's gonna be a lot of hard work, but I think the ending reward is well worth it.

I am waitlisted at a couple of D.O schools but it seems like I most likely will be attending this program at LECOM.

The only thing that makes me nervous is the wide range in percentage of students who matriculate into the D.O school after the program. I know they say all you need is 3.0 and 23 on the MCAT, but it seems a little too good to be true. Is anyone with me on this? I might be a little crazy. But I really hope there isn't any other catch to this!!
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Congrats on your acceptance. I was just wondering how long did you have to wait after your application was marked complete before they send out the letter. I'm getting nervous, this is the 4th week for me :confused:
 
Withdrew my acceptance today. Good Luck to everyone. Hope all of you get into the medical school. :D
 
BigLion said:
Withdrew my acceptance today. Good Luck to everyone. Hope all of you get into the medical school. :D
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Thanks. Did you get accepted into medical school? (If so, congrats).
 
BigLion said:
Thank you and yes I got into UMDNJ-SOM (Soon to be Rown-SOM) for this August. :soexcited:
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Yay! That's wonderful. Official congratulations! I am originally from NJ, myself. I love it there (I still spend summers at "the shore"). Best of luck to you in med school!
 
Bisbee said:
Yay! That's wonderful. Official congratulations! I am originally from NJ, myself. I love it there (I still spend summers at "the shore"). Best of luck to you in med school!
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Thank you so much and I'm def gonna need that Good Luck lol. I love NJ too, that's why I chose UMDNJ, cause not only it'll allow me to stay in NJ, but it'll also give me the privilege of staying at home ( Stratford is 30 min away from my house) Anyway, I wish you the very best of luck as well and really wish that you reach where ever that you want to go !! :thumbup:
 
How many days does it usually take for the application to be processed and maybe the decisions to be made. My application was completed about two weeks ago and they are yet to even download the application to the portal. Is it too late to be accepted??
 
So Dr Jamie just sent me an email that a decision has been made on my application and i feel like my heart is already sinking. I just wanted to know if they send out acceptance or rejection letters or if anyone has heard of someone getting a rejection letter. I had been sending him a whole lot of emails before and he has been great at getting back at me in time. I was close to the borderline GPA so thats why am getting a little anxious a little bit. Anyone got a answer for me??
 
kambizzy said:
So Dr Jamie just sent me an email that a decision has been made on my application and i feel like my heart is already sinking. I just wanted to know if they send out acceptance or rejection letters or if anyone has heard of someone getting a rejection letter. I had been sending him a whole lot of emails before and he has been great at getting back at me in time. I was close to the borderline GPA so thats why am getting a little anxious a little bit. Anyone got a answer for me??
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Most probably it's an acceptance - and it's just Jamie (he is not a doc)
 
Thanks for the reply, you help minimize my anxiety and now i feel okay. I will definitely let you know when i get the letter. I want to be a DO so bad, and i dont even have a plan B. I think plan B is just another way to give myself to mess up again.
 
kambizzy said:
Thanks for the reply, you help minimize my anxiety and now i feel okay. I will definitely let you know when i get the letter. I want to be a DO so bad, and i dont even have a plan B. I think plan B is just another way to give myself to mess up again.
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Don't be too nervous...you will probably get into this program. But even if you don't this time around, just retake the MCAT or take another science course and reapply next year. There is more than one way to skin a cat (none of which the cat will like...ha). Seriously though, it's not all or nothing. You can make this happen. Plan B is just do more and try again until it works!
 
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Bisbee said:
Don't be too nervous...you will probably get into this program. But even if you don't this time around, just retake the MCAT or take another science course and reapply next year. There is more than one one to skin a cat (none of which the cat will like...ha). Seriously though, it's not all or nothing. You can make this happen. Plan B is just do more and try again until it works!
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yeah you will be fine. If you do not get in, take a year off, live at home, work on volunteering and increasing your mcat score. Work for $10 an hour behind a counter at a doctors office. whatever works. They want to see determination, and eventually you will succeed.
 
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