Hey all. Current post bacc student here. Like UnoMas, bored, procrastinating, and figure I should give back to this forum. I remember last year, I checked the lecom post bacc thread obsessively to shed some light on how this program could help me get started on my dream of practicing medicine someday. For all the past post baccs that helped out, I figure I should also leave something that may help with your decisions or even help those who are sure they're coming to lecom. This is a one time post from me, so sending me PMs or whatnot will be a waste of time, as I'll be burying myself in studying for the next 2 weeks and by then, I'll have no idea what the password for this account was. This is going to be all anecdotal, and you never know how this program will change or remain the same for the next class, so take anything I say with a grain of salt, no matter how sure I sound. If anyone can give a more concrete answer, it'll be Jamie murphy although it seems he's extremely busy at the moment. So I'm going to try to shed some light on everything I wanted answers to when I was looking into this last year as well. Hope this helps and I will refrain from sugarcoating for those who want a no BS outlook on this program.
So I've been accepted and will be an MS1 next year. So yes, the program was successful for me. And yes, you need a 23MCAT and graduate this post bacc curriculum with a 3.0. First off, if you haven't hit the 23 yet, don't think your chances are shot. A large amount of students from our class took the MCAT while they were in this program and many were able to get the 23. It's doable, hard as ever, but doable. Although I can't really say how difficult the new MCAT is or when it'll be implemented, I really don't know anything about it actually but I'll say with good time management, yes you can still be able to study the MCAT. Second, 3.0 might seem like a walk in the park, but I can assure you, it is not unless you have an eidetic memory. I think we started with around 120 people, down to 100 now, and if I had to just guess the amount of people that currently have a 3.0/23 MCAT, I would say maybe 70ish if not lower? Just based on the small sample size of what classmates have shared with me so remember, grain of salt people. There were people that didn't show up after the first semester, and there were many who dropped mid semester. Whether or not they didn't get the MCAT, failed an exam, or realized this strenuous life wasn't for them, the amount of classmates would drop little by little. Now getting the 3.0, depending on your studying strategy or how good your memory is, can range from 4-8 hours studying per day (outside of class), and more on weekends, and more before exam days. Classes like physiology, anatomy, histo, pharm, are difficult and you have to learn how to study effectively. Reason I say effectively instead of just saying by volume, is that you get exams every 2,3 or 4 weeks that compile all the lectures you've had until then. So for example, if you've had 3 biochem lectures and 5 physio lectures first 2 weeks, you're first exam on a Monday will cover all 8 lectures. And sometimes, on the Friday preceding the monday exam, you will be buried with over 100 slides of information to retain. You need to make good study guides, flash cards, or whatever your strategy is, to be able to manage the volume while still being to study for understanding because subjects like physiology or pharm are beyond rote memorization, you will need to apply concepts which take some practice problems and thinking beyond memorizing slides. If you took it easy in undergrad, it goes without saying that you're about to get an abrupt change in lifestyle. Some people have to make flashcards, some make study guides, some have tutors, some study in groups, and some can just stare at the lecture slides all day if they have good memory. So for now, I'll say OVERSTUDY for the first exam. In fact, do all you can to get the 3.0 first semester and more so you'll have a cushion second semester to get some C's. I thought the second semester is a lot more difficult so far, but I know some who say the first was harder. It really depends on physiology vs anatomy in my opinion. Also, do not be shy in reaching out and making some connections with former post baccs, you'll meet some during your orientation week. They can give you valuable tips on studying and such especially for certain professors. I for one don't think I'll have time to, so I'm putting in my service hours in this one time thing.
Now, I see a lot of people asking about the guaranteed acceptance. Once again, I will not sugarcoat anything. Technically, if you get the 23MCAT and 3.0 gpa, you're not guaranteed an acceptance. But frankly, the only way to not get in if you have those is if you have some serious interviewing problems, fail a class, or commit a felony. Right before our interview, jamie murphy basically told us he only remembers one person in the past 3 years or so where they had to waitlist someone because the person had such an awful interview. You basically have a group interview with 6 other post baccs, each of you are asked a few questions (not very hard either), and you sort of have a discussion afterwards. In fact, the interviewers (who are our class professors) are very amiable during the interview which makes it a lot easier. I remember there were people in my group who either didn't talk very much or talked too much, or maybe had some awkward answers, but they still got in. Keep in mind, I'm not saying the interview is a joke, you should take it seriously and still prepare for it, and not saying anything bone headed like you want to go to lecom because it's the only place that accepted you. It's basically just to see that you can at least function well in a group setting and be able to speak professionally.
Now, for those worrying about recommendations, whether you need one from a DO or another science faculty. Once you get in, you'll be assigned an adviser who happens to also be one of our professors. You can always ask them for one as long as you do fine GPA wise and you could also either ask them or Jamie or our post bacc staff for help in connecting with a DO to shadow in order to get a rec. Very nice and facilitated process in my opinion, and although I recommend getting that stuff before coming here, it's not hard to be able to fill up the rec requirements while you're in post bacc.
To address rumors or the bad image that LECOM gets... Frankly, people are dramatic. Yes, we wear dress code everyday. But who gives a s**t. I'd wear a clown suit everyday if it meant I could be a physician one day. In the real world, you wear uniform or dress business anyways, this is just a head start. And yes, LECOM has a weird obsession with security and no food/drink policy. But again, it's not really a huge deciding factor in anything. I've talked with a lot of the staff and security people and they're actually pretty friendly with students. Taking a risk if lecom staff are reading this, but students sneak in food/drinks all the time into classrooms anyways. But if that's too adventurous of a lifestyle for you, there's a cafeteria with vending machines and served lunches on the second floor.Now about Erie. The weather sucks. Shouldn't be news for anyone. Snows a lot, the effort that goes into plowing is dreadful, and we rarely see the sun. Make friends with people who drive all wheel or get snow tires. As for bar life, yes, we still have time maybe twice a month to go out, bars and restaurants out here honestly aren't bad. If anything, they're dirt cheap compared to where I'm from. Many people don't go out and that's fine, but I recommend making a good circle of friends to rely on just so you won't be burnt out all by yourself.
All in all, anyone can pass this program. It's all up to you really. I can't predict how it would be for next class, but our current class really helps each other out since class curves don't exist. For those who have already decided on this post bacc, be prepared to work hard. While studying all the time, I really advice you to take advantage of the gym and just going out with classmates whenever the chance arises. Have a life outside of studying, otherwise, you'll probably be overwhelmed by the stress and studying. Oh and one last tip when it comes to professors. Each have their own style. Some talk too fast to write with pen and paper, and one in particular takes ages to even read a couple bullet points (for any post baccs reading this, you know who I'm talking about). But make sure to be able to adapt to each professor's teaching style, all in all, almost everyone uses their laptops to take notes. If you're still looking into buying a new laptop, I honestly recommend getting a touchscreen one because when you get to histo and anatomy, the professors draw a lot on the powerpoints. And no, you don't really have to get their window laptop requirement that they listed on the website. And last thing to remember. Be humble, everyone is in the post bacc instead of the actual school for a reason, if you thought you were the smartest cookie, be prepared to be taken down a notch when you get that first exam grade. Don't be afraid to ask for help, and as mentioned, overstudy from the start. Many students actually got into other DO schools while they were in the post bacc, so don’t hesitate to apply to other programs. All in all, if you’re still unsure about LECOM, keep in mind folks, the school boasts a 99% match rate. This post bacc was perfect for me, and hopefully, it’ll be for you guys as well.
Hope this helped. Good luck to all.